Page 17

Chapter Seventeen

After finishing my shower in the incredible bathroom, I was surprised to find some beautiful dresses already hanging in my closet.

The material was unlike anything I had seen, let alone worn before, soft and buttery, yet warm. Was it a type of material they made here in the demon world? I picked out a black dress with silver designs that reminded me of snake scales, brushed out my hair, and headed to the living room, where I could feel Mason and Kayden.

As I expected, Trey was seated with them as well, my inability to sense him due to the walls I’d erected around our bond.

He immediately stood when I entered, eyes tracing over me before dropping to the ground. Thick, dark bags hung beneath his eyes and his shoulders hunched forward. “Lily –” he whispered.

“We have a lot to discuss today,” I announced. “Starting with my desire to live in the demon world, here in this castle that they built for me … for us.”

Trey’s head whipped up and his eyes widened in surprise. “What?” he whispered.

I sat in a highbacked chair that was at the end of the living room, just before a fireplace that had a roaring fire going. On the mantle above the fireplace, I noticed protection charms had been placed there. Was it one of the builders or one of my friends who’d put the charms there? Even in my foul mood, they made me feel a little lighter. The highbacked chair seemed to mold around me and I relaxed into the comfort of it, letting it help bolster my determination.

Was Trey really so surprised by my desire to live here? Did he not realize how much better I was here? Kayden and Mason noticed. They both understood. Perhaps his hesitation was more to do with the duties he was bound to as royalty.

“I know you will need to travel to the other world to help the dragons and attend to your duties as a dragon prince,” I went on. “However, I have a lot that I still want to do here and that world’s only appeal to me is the people I love who live there. People I can visit. This world … this is where I belong. I feel ten times better after just one night here. I just feel right here. Plus, I’m so much safer here. Elrith is so much safer here. And, I won’t ever have to deal with an incident like yesterday while I’m here.” Mainly because she would never receive clearance to enter this world. The last sentence came out a little harsher and angrier than I intended, but I wasn’t going to apologize for that.

Trey dropped to his knees before me, taking my hands from my lap and holding them in his. Pain rippled across his face as he looked up at me. Pain and regret. “I’m sorry. I should have known better than to listen to her and take what she said at face value, but she called me crying and showed me the red mark on her face and gave me a sob story. I was dealing with some stupidity among my cousins, so I was already upset and I didn’t think before reacting.” Squeezing my hands, he looked deep into my eyes and said, “I’m sorry, Lily. Truly. I’ve completely cut her off, and even my father has decided this stunt was the last straw and is discussing separation. I’ll do anything you want to prove my sincerity.”

I didn’t doubt his sincerity. I didn’t doubt he felt bad for his mother causing issues between us. That wasn’t the point.

“Do you have any argument against living here?” I asked, ignoring his apologies … for now.

His hands flexed around mine, some emotion I couldn’t place flitting across his face before he shook his head. “No, I am agreeable to living here as long as you understand there might be nights that I have to stay over to deal with dragon drama.”

“I’d also like Elrith to go to school here until at least middle school. Once he’s in middle school, we can then discuss having him attend school at the one we attended, as well as our high school. I agree with you all that he needs to become accustomed to that world and the people there, and the people of that world need to become accustomed to demons as well, but I don’t want his first school experiences to be marred by the inevitable harassment he will receive.” It wasn’t so much the kids I was worried about, but the parents.

“You’ve really thought this through, huh?” Kayden asked with a proud smirk.

I didn’t need to answer him, since he knew the answer already.

“I fully agree,” Mason said and Trey nodded his agreement as well.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” I said to Trey. Truthfully, what I wanted could be handled by Grandpa Rhys, but I knew it would help heal the rift between Trey and I if I asked him to handle it instead.

“Anything for you,” he whispered and rubbed his thumb over my knuckles.

“I want you to find a teacher from the dragons, someone who can teach Elrith about dragon history and about fighting like a dragon shifter. I know he isn’t a dragon, but his scales and wings remind me of you when you were his age.” And his spirit.

Trey frowned. “And why can’t I be that teacher?”

“Because you don’t remember shit about dragon history,” Mason said. When Trey shot him a dirty look, Mason shrugged a shoulder and asked, “Am I wrong?”

Trey sighed softly and shook his head. “No, you’re right.” He looked up at me again and nodded. “I’ll find a suitable teacher, one who is willing to travel here.”

I smiled and squeezed his hands. “Great.”

“Anything else we need to discuss?” Mason asked.

All of my other topics weren’t ones we needed agreement on, just brainstorming, so I shook my head. Plus, I was exhausted again and ready to relax.

Mason stood, walked over, picked me up, and carried me out of the room.

“What are you doing?” Trey demanded.

He looked over his shoulder and said, “Taking my mate to my room. You haven’t graveled enough to join us. Maybe tomorrow. We’ll see how you do.”

I hid my smirk against his chest even though I knew Mason could sense my amusement.

“Wait!” Trey shouted, desperation in his voice that had Mason turning around so I could face him. His pinched face concerned me. “Can you please, please, unblock our bond?” he begged. “It’s … I feel hollow, empty, and in so much pain. I can’t … I can’t survive another night separated from you physically and through the bond.”

I immediately released the bond and he staggered to his knees in relief.

Mason nodded, turned, and resumed carrying me to our room. “I wouldn’t have done it if I were you. I’d have made him suffer some more.” There was a bit of growl to his voice and when I focused on him, I realized he was mad at Trey.

“He’s sorry, I can tell he truly is, otherwise I would have left it blocked,” I said.

Mason set me on the bed in the room that was his before shutting the door and turning around to face me with a frown on his handsome face.

I held out my hand to him. “I’m sorry you were caught in the crossfire and had to spend a night away from me.”

He kicked his shoes off, removed his pants and shirt, and crawled onto the bed in only his boxers, quickly curling around me.

Resting my head on his bare chest, I inhaled his scent and relaxed as I listened to the steady beat of his heart.

Gripping my knee, he pulled it over his legs so I lay across him and we both exhaled a sigh of relief.

“I understand why you left. As soon as I realized what had happened, I laid into Trey, but it was too late. You needed to come here to recharge anyways, we’d discussed it several times, so I wasn’t surprised this is where you went. I just wish Kayden had been with him instead of me, so I could have accompanied you here. I felt your pain, and it took a lot of control not to beat sense into Trey with my fists. His mother called him crying and hysterical, claiming you’d attacked her in front of Elrith and making crazy statements. I’d rolled my eyes, knowing she was lying, but Trey was stressed from his stupid cousins and reacted extremely poorly. Not that it’s an excuse, just what happened.”

“What did his cousins do?” I asked as I traced the snake scales on his tattoo with my fingertip.

“One of them impregnated a human girl, barely eighteen, who was engaged to an elf. The elf and he had some history and he’d done it out of spite, not thinking about the consequences.”

I gasped. “That poor girl!”

He nodded, his cheek rubbing against the top of my head from the movement. “Trey ensured she’s going to be taken care of by his cousin. No matter what the reason, that’s his child and his responsibility. Then, one of his other cousins stole something from the mana stone store. He made that cousin return it and apologize to your parents. He hates hybrids, so it was a pain to get him to relent and just apologize instead of facing more serious consequences.”

“I bet Grandpa Rhys was rubbing his temples from a headache over all this,” I whispered and smiled slightly as I pictured the scene.

“He wasn’t available, that’s part of why Trey was handling it. Some emergency in the mage lands that King Nico needed help with.”

Grandpa Nico needing help? That seemed incredibly unlikely. Then again, there was always some craziness happening in our worlds. You couldn’t have magical creatures of so many types living together without issue.

He blew out a breath and squeezed me tight. “It was still completely ridiculous of him to call you and say what he said. I knew she was being her typical dramatic self, but … anyway. I’m glad to be back with you.”

“Me too.” Squeezing tighter against him, we held each other for a long time, just basking in each other’s company.

“I’m excited to see everything that you’re planning. I know you’ve got a lot you didn’t talk about tonight. I could see it in your eyes.”

Laughing, I tilted my head back to look up at him. “You could?”

He tucked hair behind my ear and smiled, my heart racing a bit faster. “Yes. Also, I have some ideas I wanted to discuss, too.”

“Now?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, beautiful. Now, we relax, eat some snacks I’ll sneak in here, and then sleep. You’re feeling better, I can tell, but you’re still not fully recovered. You still need rest and relaxation. So, put your head down and let me protect you as you sleep tonight.”

“Bossy,” I hissed, though I agreed. I knew without a doubt that I’d sleep like a rock tonight and that the likelihood of attack was extremely low here, but with him, Kayden, and Trey here as well, I was safe.

We told each other stories from our time apart, snacked on random treats he’d brought with him, and then curled up together beneath the covers when the sun set.

My thoughts began drifting, and within minutes I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

After a delicious breakfast made by Kayden, Mason, Kayden, and I gathered in the living room and started our brainstorming.

“Here’s my suggestion,” Mason began. “We should offer field trips for the orphanages to go to the other world, to learn about both places and to help with developing relationships between them. If we start the kids off as friends from a young age, when they reach middle school, they’re far less likely to have issues attending the same school together. I really like your idea of the kids staying in their worlds for elementary school, then going to middle school and high school together. Plus, that means we won’t have to build additional middle schools and high schools here.”

I gasped. “I love that idea! The kids can play together and it could lead to more adoption opportunities for those willing to adopt from the other world.”

Trey joined us, a stack of papers in his hands. His normally styled hair was a mess and bags hung beneath his eyes.

I had released our bond, which I quickly double checked, so why was he so sleep deprived?

“I found an instructor for Elrith,” he stated before putting a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. “I also came up with this.” He pressed a kiss to my temple before setting the papers on the coffee table before me.

I grabbed his arm, stilling him. “Why’re you so tired? I opened the bond and?—”

He smiled and squatted down in front of me. “My lack of sleep was due to calls, emails, and planning. Not you, love.” Leaning up, he rubbed his cheek against mine, making a purring sound. “I was excited by my idea.”

I rested my hand against his face, and he immediately leaned into it with a sigh of contentment. “Eat while I read your idea,” I ordered.

His eyes flashed, but instead of a snippy retort, he turned his head and kissed my palm. “As my goddess wishes.”

After watching him a moment to ensure he went to the kitchen and followed my orders, I pulled his papers into my lap to read them. My eyes widened, and I gasped at what I read. “You created an entire curriculum that incorporates both worlds’ history and defensive training for the kids in one night?”

“It’s just an outline,” he mumbled around the breakfast burrito he’d taken a bite of. “This is delicious, Kayden.” He turned back to me. “I need to talk to Druth or Talrinir to get more information from them before I can expand the curriculum fully. I’m not quite sure what they teach the kids here, and I don’t want to assume.”

“Speaking of them, when will Elrith be home?” I asked. I missed the little imp and his cuddles. The poor thing was seemingly touch starved, but with four of us, we were doing our best to fix that … and probably spoiling him in the process. A process I was a-okay with as I also enjoyed all the extra cuddles.

The front door flew open and Elrith yelled, “I’m home!”

“Speak of the little devil,” Mason said with a smile as he stood.

I leaped to my feet and raced to the door, beating them all, scooped up Elrtih, and hugged him tight. “Elrith!”

He giggled as I nuzzled his cheek. “Mama!”

My heart soared. I was certain I would never tire of hearing him call me that. I also knew to treasure it while it happened because once he became a teenager, all bets were off on what he’d call me.

“Nice to see where we rank on greetings,” Jol whispered.

My head snapped up, and I gasped at him and Talrinir. “Sorry!” It was actually a bad sign that I hadn’t even paid attention to who else was here besides Elrith.

They both smiled, seeming to understand my lack of etiquette.

Talrinir wrapped her arms around both me and Elrith. “Hello, friend.”

“Fur is tickly,” Elrith giggled.

Her furred ears were soft.

Jol hugged the three of us, earning a growl from Mason.

Jol and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes simultaneously as he stepped back.

Elrith leapt from my arms to Mason’s, causing him to pause and refocus his attention. “Is there food, Papa?”

Mason’s eyes softened even more, and he nodded. “Kayden made burritos. Let’s each get one before Trey eats them all.”

“I’ve only had three,” Trey grunted, making Mason and Elrith laugh.

Turning back to Jol and Talrinir, my eyes dropped to their now joined hands. A smile split my face and I rushed forward to hug them both. “Congratulations!”

Talrinir laughed, pure joy lighting up her face and Jol patted my back and said, “Thank you.”

“Huh? What’d we miss?” Kayden asked from the kitchen.

“King Jolmach and I are … courting,” Talrinir explained.

Kayden rushed over and high-fived Jol. “Congrats, man!”

Jol smiled down at Talrinir. “I’m very fortunate that she is allowing me this chance.”

“Is that why you brought Elrith instead of asking us to pick him up?” I asked. “So you could tell us?”

Talrinir nodded. “That and to check on you, but you look one hundred times better. Have you decided about staying here yet? Our world definitely agrees with you.”

I opened my mouth, but Trey interrupted me.

“We will be living here permanently,” he advised them.

Talrinir barked, a sound I hadn’t heard from her before, and pulled me into a tight hug. “I’m so glad! We’ll be able to spend more time together.”

“And I’ll be able to help with your wedding planning,” I replied with a wink.

Her cheeks flushed and she self-consciously stroked one of her doglike ears. “Eh, hm, yes.”

“I’ve got a lot of plans in the works,” I informed them. “Some we will need your and Druth’s help for.”

She smiled warmly and said, “I can’t wait to hear about them. We have plans today, but how about tomorrow?”

I nodded. “Perfect! Have fun tonight and we’ll come to the castle for lunch tomorrow.”

Jol smirked. “For lunch, huh? I guess I’ll have to make sure we have extra rolls for a certain little imp.”

Elrith gasped. “You give another imp extra rolls?”

We all laughed at his outrage, and at his confusion, we all laughed harder.