Page 4 of The Sapphire Dragon Prince (Omega Fairy Tales #4)

“A surprise?” Misha turned his face up to me, but his expression contained only mild curiosity instead of anything close to excitement.

“Yes,” I said, holding his hand tightly when he slipped it into mine. I helped him to stand and pulled him into a quick embrace. “We all care so much about you, Misha. We just want to see you smiling again.”

I’d hoped saying that would encourage him, but instead, Misha lowered his face once more.

“I’m sorry that I’m such a….” He shrugged, unable to find a word that described what he thought he was.

“You’re wonderful,” I told him, still trying to smile, though my heart was breaking. “That’s what you are.”

Misha gave me a look as if to say, “If you think so”.

“I absolutely think so.”

To prove my point, and to test how depleted my magic had become, I closed my hand, then opened it, revealing a magical blossom that glittered like it was made of sapphires. I smiled at it then tucked it behind Misha’s ear. All was not lost as long as I still had some magic.

“Come.” I kissed him quickly, then led him back toward the castle.

Everyone was waiting for us, and as we stepped through the glass doors into the room, they burst out into song.

“For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow!”

I smiled and sang along, but my heart pounded harder and my desperation to make Misha happy bordered on panic when Misha shrank at the singing instead of gaining confidence from it.

We might not have started bonding yet, but I knew my tragic mate well enough to know that the celebration we’d hastily planned was making things worse instead of better.

“For he’s a jolly good fellow, that nobody can deny!”

When the song finished, all of Misha’s brothers and mine stood waiting, expectant smiles on their faces.

Nothing happened. Misha only stared at them, his bottom lip quivering and his eyes going glassy. My magical blossom seemed to wither and fall from behind Misha’s ear, disintegrating before it could hit the floor.

“See, Misha?” Tovey said, taking a step forward. He had both of his eggs in his arms and he looked as though he wanted to hand them over to Misha so he could feel their happiness and comfort. “We all love you. We’re so glad you’re here with us.”

“You’re not alone,” Selle added. “You’ll never be alone as long as you have family.”

“But I am alone,” Misha blurted, his tears beginning to flow. “I’m so alone. You are all too kind to me. I don’t deserve it. You don’t know what these horrible feelings of fear and sadness are like.”

“We’ve all experienced Father,” Leo said, inching closer, like he wanted to embrace his brother, which was, as far as I knew, out of character for Leo.

“No,” Misha said, shaking his head and backing away, even from me.

“You don’t know what it’s like. You all experienced Father and were stronger and braver than me.

I’m the only one who has broken down and can barely draw breath now.

I cannot let you celebrate me when I’m so broken. I cannot do this.”

Before I could reach for my beloved to pull him close and tell him that everything would be alright, he turned and bolted for the door leading into the garden again. It felt as though some of my magic vanished with him.

I wanted to go after him. Everything within me wanted to chase after him and catch him and just hold him, crying with him until we could figure out what was wrong and how to fix it.

At the same time, I thought perhaps my beloved mate needed to be alone for a moment.

Or perhaps not? I just didn’t know, and because I didn’t know, I couldn’t make him better.

“Should we go after him?” Tovey asked, his voice and expression showing that he was just as puzzled about what to do as I was.

“I think he needs some time to himself,” Leo answered.

“Or he’s had too much time to himself and he needs to know that we care about him enough to chase after him,” Selle said.

“Or will that just upset him even more?” Gildur asked.

“The whole thing is just so frustrating,” I blurted before I could stop myself.

It was my business and Misha’s, but I needed the care and support of our family as much as Misha did.

“I’ve never encountered anything like this cloud of sadness and fear that Misha seems stuck under.

It’s…it’s affecting me as well.” I sent a sideways look to Emmerich, but I wasn’t ready to share my loss of magic. This was about Misha, not me.

“These are the scars left by evil men like King Freslik,” Emmerich said with a sigh. “They are far worse than battle wounds and the scars they leave.”

“But what can we do about it?” I asked, my frustration growing instead of lessening. “I don’t know how to make my mate happy.”

That was the crux of it. I didn’t really care how much magic I had or lost. My purpose as an alpha was to make my mate happy and to give him the most wonderful, love-filled life I could, but with things the way they were, I didn’t know how.

“Could you take Misha to see Queen Gaia?” Selle asked, adjusting his egg in his arms and glancing between me and Emmerich. “Your mother was very helpful when Gildur and I needed help with Lady Saoirse.”

“We ended up in Mother’s throne room because I was in trouble,” Gildur reminded him with a sheepish, sideways look.

“Yes, but she helped us,” Selle argued. “She was so good and loving and…and wonderful. She made me feel so much better just by being in her presence.” He glanced at me. “I’m sure your mother would know exactly what to do to make Misha better again.”

My first reaction was to deny it. Mother was far too busy with the numerous important things she did to take time to help me and my mate.

Then again, Mother was the essence of love above all else. This was exactly the sort of problem she would know how to solve in an instant. And the way I felt about things, I was growing so desperate that only Mother would be able to calm me down.

“It’s worth a try,” Emmerich said, shrugging. “Mother will know how to help.”

That settled things for me. Emmerich was not just my brother, he was the leader of this part of the magical world. I went to him for help in most things, and if he was telling me to go to Mother, that was a sign that it was time for the last resort.

“Alright,” I said, blowing out a breath and rubbing a hand over my face. “Since nothing else seems to be helping Misha to feel better, I guess it’s time to do what needs to be done.”

“I know Mother will be able to find a solution to your mate’s sadness and fear,” Diamant said with a supportive smile. “She knows all when it comes to these things.”

“I suppose I should find Misha so that we can set out at once,” I said.

I nodded to my brothers and their mates, then turned and headed out into the garden.

I wasn’t certain how Misha would feel about being taken to visit the queen of the magical realm, but if there was even a small chance that Mother could fix whatever had become broken in my fated mate’s soul, then I would carry him every step of the way there so that she could heal him.