Page 23 of Into the Dawn (The Arcadians #4)

The following day, the entire Ross clan arrived at the house with an abundance of food, alcohol, and celebratory cheer.

Kylie was glad to see everyone, and she knew they needed reassurance to make sure she was really okay.

It was one thing to hear about a miracle, but it was another to see the results for themselves.

She couldn’t help but laugh at the comical expressions on their faces when they finally got a good look at her new magical upgrades.

“Oh, my…” Abby gasped as she clutched her hands to her chest. “Honey, you are absolutely gorgeous! I can’t believe you—” She burst into loud sobs. “I’m fine. I’m really fine. I just need a minute.”

“So do I,” Buddy said gruffly, his own voice shaking with emotion. “Come here, girl.”

When Kylie walked over to him, Buddy lifted her into a tight bear hug. Ronan and Dominic shifted on their feet, uncomfortable with another male touching her. They knew Buddy was her godfather, but that distinction didn’t seem to matter. She sent them an amused impression through their bond.

“We cannot help it,” Dominic grumbled.

“Do not worry. We know they are your friends so we will control our possessiveness,” Ronan assured. “Although, you could do us a favor and keep the touching to a minimum for the sake of our sanity.”

“I can do that,” she promised.

“Your eyes are weird,” Jessi, the youngest Ross sibling, said with a wide grin.

Kylie ruffled the teenager’s hair. “I know.”

“I think they are pretty cool,” Benny said. “You look like a superhero now.”

“Weird,” Jude countered. “We got to get you some dark sunglasses.”

“They’re beautiful,” Caroline said with conviction. The eldest Ross sibling hugged her baby close to her chest as tears streamed down her cheeks. “You look vibrant, and alive, and fucking beautiful.”

“Babe, you shouldn’t swear while you’re holding Daniel,” her husband, Frank, said with a wide grin.

“Why? You do it all the time,” she fired back playfully as she handed the baby over to him.

“Guilty as charged.”

Saying nothing, Layla simply walked over to Kylie, wrapped her arms around her and wept on her shoulder.

Stroking her friend’s back, she let her hold on as long as she needed.

She knew the tears were a release of all the emotions her friend had been holding back for far too long.

She felt her own eyes sting and didn’t bother to wipe the tears away when they began to fall.

Kylie had been anxious to speak to Layla since the moment she woke up.

Well, waking up sandwiched between Ronan and Dominic’s big bodies had definitely been a distraction.

Dominic had stayed in bed, claiming a few more minutes of sleep while she and Ronan had taken a shower together.

Sadly, they hadn’t been able to linger long since they knew they would be having company soon, but it was still nice just being close to him.

Over breakfast, she had told them all about her excursion to the Isle of Dreams. They had been shocked when she’d told them about the magical tonic being made from the goddess and god’s blood.

Hearing that she had gone through the conversion without them knowing had made them angry, but once she had explained it was the only way to heal her, they had calmed down.

When she explained her task she had been given by Lunaria, they had been stunned silent.

Leaving wasn’t an easy decision to make.

It wasn’t like moving to another state or even another country.

This was a trip of no return. She actually had the easy part of informing Layla.

Her friend would have to decide whether or not to take the plunge to travel to Arcadia with them.

A week wasn’t a lot of time.

Now there was a hard deadline, she needed to settle all her affairs before they left Earth.

All of her financial matters were already taken care of, but they had to decide what they were going to try to take back with them.

It was sad knowing she only had a few days to spend with the people who mattered to her, but the most important thing was that she would get to spend the rest of her immortal life with her mates.

When Layla finally released her, Abby grabbed hold of her and pulled her into her arms. Abby started to cry again, but that didn’t bother her.

Even when her own tears continued to fall, it was worth it.

Her friends were just relieved to see her alive and well, and every moment Kylie got to spend with them was precious.

“Okay, enough of that. Time to get to work,” Buddy announced, rubbing her on the shoulder.

“What do you mean?”

“Your pipes are working now. Perfect time to record your final song. Be a shame for you to leave without releasing it.”

“What pipes?” Dominic asked. “Does something need to be repaired? You should try using your magic to fix it.”

That made her chuckle. “He’s talking about my voice.”

“That’s a great idea!” Layla exclaimed.

“What’s it called again? “When Dawn Breaks” or something?” Caroline asked.

“The track title is “Into the Dawn,” but I wrote a few more songs I think might work together as a theme. We could release a mini album after the single is out,” Kylie said. Then she had to remind herself that she wouldn’t be there for that. “I’ll leave that up to you guys to decide.”

“This is weird, talking about you like your still dying,” Jude grumbled, then he winced as his mother hit him on the back of the head. “What? It’s true.”

“Not dying,” Ronan growled. “Just leaving.”

Jude held up his hands in surrender. “Right. It’s like you’re moving to…Norway.”

Kylie tried not to laugh. “Norway? Yeah, I guess that works. I leave it to you guys to start spreading that rumor. I’m sure the press will enjoy searching for me.”

Jude laughed. “Serves them right for all the bogus posts they’ve written about you over the years.”

“So, now that you’re not dying and all, does that mean I can still have your Mustang?” Benny asked.

“Jesus, kid.” Buddy frowned at him. “Really? That’s what you’re thinking about?”

Abby rolled her eyes. “You already have a car, Ben.”

Benny’s cheeks flushed with heat. “I know, it’s just…I want that car.”

The Mustang had once belonged to Kylie’s dad and was in pristine condition. She knew Benny loved that car so she had promised it to him in her will.

“The youngling crushes you,” Ronan accused.

Kylie bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.

“He doesn’t have a crush on me. He’s just a teenage boy who simply likes that car.

I promised to give it to him anyway. Unlike the rest of the family, Benny is really shy.

We talk a lot since he told me a secret that no one else knows. He wants to be a singer.”

“Does he have talent?”

“He does. He has a great voice, but he needs to find the courage to follow his dream. Sometimes talent isn’t enough. Being a singer isn’t easy. It’s not just about writing a song and recording it. It takes a lot of time, effort, and dedication.”

She knew Benny was also afraid of people thinking that he used his father’s influence to become a singer.

He worried that no matter how hard he worked, there would always be whispers and doubts about his true talent and the authenticity of his success.

That was something she could empathize with since she had faced the same fears.

But she had learned to tune out and ignore the haters.

Kylie believed having a supportive parent in the industry was more of a blessing than a curse.

Buddy Ross had worked his ass off to get where he was and had faced countless challenges and obstacles in his career.

If he wanted to ensure that Benny didn't have to go through the same struggles, that was his right.

However, even with a great producer or connections, a singer still had to put in the work to have a successful career.

Talent, dedication, and perseverance were essential.

Benny just had to prove he deserved his place in the spotlight.

Not because of his father's influence, but because of his own hard work and passion for music.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t give Benny a helping hand.

“Don’t worry, the car is still yours. In exchange, I wrote a duet called “ Burning the Midnight Sky” that needs a male vocal. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Benny’s eyes widened comically. “Me? But…but…”

Buddy rubbed his chin, then nodded. “Yeah, that could work. Let’s give it a try.”

“I guess his desire to sing was not a secret after all,” Ronan commented.

“I guess not,” Kylie agreed.

“Let’s head up to the studio so you can show off for your alien boyfriends,” Buddy said with a wink.

“Sounds good.” Kylie glanced over at her friend. “But first, I have to speak to Layla about something.”

“I’ll head upstairs and get the studio ready,” Buddy said. He slung his arm around Benny’s shoulders. “You should start warming up. If you’re going to be singing with Kylie, you’ve got to be ready to bring the fire.”

“I thought Ronan and Dom were going to train with their swords today,” Jessi complained.

“I’m going to get the potato salad started,” Abby announced. “Or did we want pasta salad? Never mind. I’ll make both. Your alien boyfriends eat enough for an entire football team anyway.”

Kylie laughed. “Can we please stop calling them my alien boyfriends?”

“What else do we call them?” Frank asked.

“We are her mates,” Dominic declared.

“Yes, you are, sweetie.” Lifting up on her toes, Kylie kissed his cheek. “I’m going to go talk to Layla now. Why don’t you guys do your training now? I’ll come get you before we start recording upstairs.”

“Aye, we can do that.” Dominic glanced over at Jessi. “You want to watch us train?”

“Yes!”

Leaving them to it, Kylie hooked her arm with Layla’s and dragged her outside.

Once they were out on the porch, Layla took a seat on the swing and patted the cushion next to her.

Luckily, Kylie had managed to figure out how to clean the cushions of all traces of last night’s activities using her magic.

Using magic hadn’t been as difficult as she thought it would be.

Ronan speculated that the goddess and god’s blood may have given her a little extra punch of power during the conversion.

Although she could use magic, she was still worried she would inadvertently hurt someone if she wasn’t careful.

Because of that, she wasn’t comfortable using it freely, especially around her friends.

Taking a seat next to her friend, Kylie tried to figure out where to begin. “So, I have something to tell you. It’s going to sound crazy, but—”

“Girl, your whole freaking life is crazy now. I’m grateful as fuck you are alive and well, but knowing you’ve been changed into a magical alien dragon shifter is strange as hell.”

“Okay, fair point. Last night, I was taken to a place called the Isle of Dreams by the Goddess of the Moons. Well, my spirit was transported there, not my body. Never mind that. It’s not important at the moment. Maybe I should start from the beginning—”

“Out with it, Kylie. What’s going on? Why are you so nervous?”

Kylie huffed out a breath. “The goddess told me that you are also fated to have Arcadian mates. So, congratulations. Now, you have to decide if you want to come to Arcadia with me.”

Layla just stared at her for several long heartbeats. “You’re joking, right?”

“Nope. This is legit.”

“You’re saying the goddess wants me to go to Arcadia with you because I’m destined to be the fated mate for some alien dragon shifters?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I’m saying.”

“This is crazy,” Layla said, shaking her head.

“I told you it was going to sound crazy, but it’s true. You have the chance to go back to Arcadia with us. The problem is the goddess doesn’t know who your mates are yet. So, we will have to wait until we get there to find that out.”

“I need to think about this,” Layla declared as she stood up and began to pace. “This is a lot to take in.”

“Unfortunately, you only have a week to decide. The next storm is probably going to hit next week, then we will have to leave.”

“A week?” Layla gasped. “Wait, that’s too soon. Why can’t they just send the lightning for me later whenever I make my decision?”

“The goddess said something about time fluctuations and needing a lot of magic and energy to make traveling to other worlds work. The next time they send for you could be fifty years from now instead of five days.”

“That…okay, that does kind of make sense. Still, I don’t know what to think. This isn’t like getting an invitation to go on a cruise or something—”

“Go,” Abby said as she pushed the door open and stepped out onto the porch. She was carrying a small tray with a tall glass pitcher of lemonade and two glasses that she set down on the side table. “You have to go.”

Layla turned toward her mother and sighed. “Mom, I can’t just—”

Abby held up a hand. “Listen. You are my daughter, and I love you. So, I would be the first one to hold on to you if I thought that was the right thing. It’s not. You are destined for something greater, Layla. It would be selfish of me to want to keep you from doing it.”

A tear slid down Layla’s cheek. “But I don’t want to leave you.”

“I know, baby,” Abby said softly, wiping the tear away.

“But I think you have to. I’ve loved you for your whole life, but now, your future belongs to someone else.

Of course, this is a big decision and you have a lot to think over.

But you can’t turn this opportunity down just because you will miss us. Think about what you will gain.”

When they both glanced over at Kylie, she smiled.

“What you will gain is a love that transcends time and space. Your mates will be completely devoted to you, body, heart, soul. Oh, and you will also have me there, so that is a bonus.”

Layla let out a shaky laugh before saying, “Who the hell could say no to that? Looks like I’m going to Arcadia with you, bestie.”