Page 36 of Dark Prince’s Mate (Realm of Dragons & Scrolls #2)

When Aruan has taken a seat, I tell them more or less everything, minus the fact that I’m still Aruan’s captive of sorts.

I start at the beginning and end with how we got here.

They listen quietly, letting me tell my incredible tale without interrupting me once.

All the while, they stare at me as if I’m an apparition.

It’s only when I’m done that they look at each other.

“I’m sorry.” Dad faces me slowly again. “The story you told is hard to believe.”

“Ask me anything,” I say. “I’ll do my best to clarify it for you.”

They have a ton of questions, which I answer as honestly as I can.

Mom wants to know where Zerra is because the concept of a parallel world sounds too fantastical to her.

Dad wants to know how the so-called Alit powers work, so I tell him about my theories about AI and the advanced ancient civilization on Zerra.

When Mom starts wondering out loud if I could be an alien clone of her daughter, I remind them of childhood incidents that only I can know about, such as the time during that camping trip when Mom doused me in mosquito repellent to which I developed an allergic reaction.

By the time the clock on the wall says we’ve spoken for over an hour and they’re still frightened and confused, Aruan cups my nape to draw my attention. “I think your parents need a demonstration.”

Mom and Dad watch him with tense shoulders and pale faces.

He turns his gaze on the curtains. They dissolve and reassemble in a snazzy coat on Mom’s body. She jumps to her feet, dropping her phone in the process. Dad stares open-mouthed at the floral curtains she’s wearing.

“I-I don’t know—” She presses her fingertips on her mouth, trembling as she looks down at herself. “How?—?”

“Good heavens,” Dad mutters.

I go to the window and open it. A white-throated sparrow sits in the tree on the front lawn. “Do you see that bird over there?” I point in that direction. “What would you like it to do?”

Dad bounces his leg. He thinks for a moment before saying, “I want it to bring two leaves to me.”

“Two, huh?” I laugh. “You’ve always been a stickler for leaving absolutely no cause for doubt.”

The bird does what I command it to do, bringing first one leaf and then a second one that it drops on Dad’s lap.

“Do you need more proof?” I ask gently.

They look at each other again. After a moment, Dad jerks his head sideways, which I take as a no.

Mom falls into her seat again, covering her mouth with a shaky hand. “It’s true. You’re not from Earth. Dear god, Elsie… you were never from Earth.”

“But she’s alive,” Dad says, having a hard time keeping his voice from breaking. “Alive and well.”

“I am. And I’m so sorry, Mom, Dad. I’m really sorry for making you worry.”

“It…” Mom lets out a sniffle. “It’s not your fault.”

Dad remains the logical one, even in the midst of the unreal situation. “The important thing is, you’re here now. Does this mean you’re coming home?”

I inhale deeply, bracing myself for telling a white lie. “I love you very much. You know that. But on Zerra, I’m strong and healthy.”

“Not dying,” Dad says.

“Exactly.” I hold out my arms, displaying my new body. “Feeling better than ever. I can run and climb stairs without getting tired. I even have an appetite.”

Mom gives me a teary-eyed look. “We’d never deny you that, Elsie. That’s all we’ve ever wanted for you.”

“I know,” I whisper, biting my cheek on the inside not to cry.

She shrugs out of the coat and turns her face to Aruan with a lifted chin. “If you don’t mind, I’d like my curtains back.”

He obliges with a smile. “Of course.”

In no time, the curtains are back in front of the windows.

“You have to keep everything I’ve told you to yourself,” I say. “You understand why, right?”

Mom bobs her head up and down. Dad makes a sound of agreement.

Mom’s question wavers. “Are you happy?”

My smile freezes in place, becoming stilted. “Very.” I’m not going to put them through more pain by telling them Aruan will never let me leave. That there is no choice but to stay.

Dad glances at Aruan. “This is what you want?”

Aruan puts a hand on my knee. The touch is light but the warning it carries is clear.

“Yes,” I lie.

It’s so much more complicated than what I want.

I’ve decided to stay because I don’t know what will happen to Zerra if I leave, and I don’t want to hurt Aruan.

I can’t stand the thought of him suffering.

A voice in the back of my head says those are good reasons but not necessarily the right reasons.

“Well.” Mom sniffles some more as she looks at Dad again. “That’s all we want for you, honey.”

Dad adjusts his glasses. “I have to admit, it’s a lot to take in. It’s so…”

Aruan’s smile is friendly. “Farfetched?”

Despite the fact that Aruan is a giant compared to my dad, Dad nails him with a look as he poses a question at me. “Is he treating you well?”

“The way you deserve to be treated?” Mom pipes in.

“I wouldn’t be here with you if it weren’t for Aruan,” I say. “He convinced his mother to make an exception to their no-contact policy and open a portal for us.”

Mom gets up and walks to Aruan. Like a gentleman, he stands.

“Thank you.” Her voice is tremulous. “Thank you for bringing our daughter home.”

Before he knows what’s hit him, Mom drags him into one of her smothering hugs. He stands there helplessly with his arms hanging at his sides as she tries to squeeze the air from his lungs. After a moment, he returns her hug awkwardly with a gentle pat on her back.

“Where are my manners?” Mom exclaims, looking flustered as she finally lets him go. “Are you hungry? Would you like something to drink? We were just making lunch.”

Aruan’s smile is all smooth politeness. “We don’t want to inconvenience you.”

“Nonsense.” Mom bustles toward the kitchen. “You could never put us out. Why don’t you come through to the kitchen while I throw something together?”

“What day is it?” I ask.

Mom stops and frowns. “It’s Wednesday.”

“Why aren’t you at work?”

She fluffs out her hair, glancing at Dad. “We took some time off after… you know.”

“I’m so sorry.” I can’t say that enough.

Continuing on her way, she says in a bright voice, “Let’s focus on the moment. We don’t want to miss out on a second of having you here.” She spins around on the doorstep. “How long are you staying?”

“Only for the day,” I say, hating how disappointed she looks.

She pulls her back straight. “Then we’d better make the most of it.”

Dad stands and wipes his palms on his trousers. “I can grill a few steaks on the barbecue.”

“That’s a great idea.” Mom beams. “I’ll make the potato salad you like so much, Elsie.”

“Care to give me a hand, Aruan?” Dad asks.

Uh-oh. I feel a lecture coming.

Aruan raises a brow in my direction.

I shrug, grinning as I watch him follow Dad to the patio like someone walking into a lion’s den.

We spend a congenial afternoon together.

Mom tells me about all the news I’ve missed out on, and Dad peppers Aruan with questions about his family and home.

I soak up every minute of my parents’ presence, basking in how Mom tries to show her gratitude and love by feeding us until we can’t take another bite.

Aruan skillfully skirts around the questions my mom and dad ask about Zerra and its fauna and flora, not giving away more than necessary. I’m loving every second, but the closer it gets to sunset, the tenser I grow.

“Mom.” I cup her hand where she sits next to me.

She cuts short her blabbering about a new season of a television series I used to love.

When I have her attention, I say carefully, “We have to go soon.”

She shoots Aruan a panicked look. “Already?”

Dad remains stoically quiet, but I don’t miss the strain that sets in around his mouth.

“We only have until sunset,” I say, hating that I have to hurt them again when I leave.

Dad looks at Aruan. “Take good care of our daughter.”

“I will.” Aruan nods at my parents. “I give you my word.”

“Will you come visit us again?” Mom asks in a hopeful tone.

Biting my lip, I admit, “I don’t know if that will be possible. Aruan’s mother is the only Alit who can create portals to Earth for us, but as I told you, it’s forbidden. She made a huge concession for us today.”

At my mom’s dejected expression and the way my father’s face drops, Aruan says, “But I’ll ask her.”

I look at him quickly. He’ll do that for me?

“Though I can’t promise anything,” he says.

Gratitude warms my heart. I know how much it will mean to my parents if he manages to convince his mother to let us see them again.

He stretches his arm along the back of the sofa and draws circles with a finger over my shoulder, a touch that’s meant to comfort me for the goodbyes I’m about to say.

The moment arrives too soon. Mom tries hard not to cry.

Even Dad has to wipe something from his eye as he shakes Aruan’s hand—after explaining how the greeting is done on Earth—and makes Aruan swear again that he’ll take care of me.

Mom is her usual selfless self, telling me that she’s happy for me.

The lights appear in the living room before I’m ready. Mom and Dad put their arms around one another’s waists, supporting each other as Aruan takes my hand and leads me to the portal.

I hang back, tears burning behind my eyes. I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry. Saying goodbye is hard enough for my parents. I don’t want to make this more difficult for them.

“It’s okay,” Mom says bravely, smiling through her tears. “We love you, honey.”

“I love you too.” I look between them. “I hope you’ll always remember that.”

Dad’s nod is jerky, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows.

“Come, my sweet.” Aruan ushers me forward with a hand on my lower back. “It was a pleasure to meet you,” he says with a last tilt of his head.

My tears fall freely when we enter the portal. I burn every second of our visit into my memory so that I can revisit the time we spent together when I miss Mom and Dad too much.

The light disperses around us. Just before the vacuum sucks us in, another circle appears within our circle, the two spheres colliding.

Panic gets the better of me. What’s going on? Is the portal malfunctioning?

Next to me, Aruan tenses.

And then I see it, a form taking shape in front of us.

I blink. I must be mistaken. It’s impossible. But the Phaelix that materializes is very much real. His red eyes bulge as he notices us. He tries to backtrack, but it’s too late. Aruan has already locked his fingers around the wrist of the Phaelix, pulling the screaming lizard with us back to Zerra.