Page 3

Chapter

Three

The royals threw the grandest parties ever and I loved every second of it. My grandparents and great grandparents took turns stealing me for hugs and discussions, all making me promise to visit soon now that I was back.

My dads took turns dancing with me and it wasn’t long before my grandfathers did as well. I loved dancing with them, spinning around the room with the practiced classical dances they’d spent years teaching me as I grew up. Although I was a princess and taught all the etiquette expected of a princess, I was not expected to take over as queen. Something which I was extremely grateful for. However, I would do my part to help my clan and my brother when he ultimately became king.

My aunts, uncles, and their children bombarded me, but my brother rescued me, pulling me away and growling about how he was the last one to get to see me.

“Thank you,” I breathed as I hugged him, safely out on a back patio in the cold night air.

“Don’t thank me yet,” he whispered and looked over my shoulder. “Just remember, I’m your only sibling and you’d be really sad if I was dead, so you can’t kill me.” He kissed my cheek and ran back inside to the party.

Scowling, I wondered what the heck that had been about. He wasn’t normally so shifty or weird.

“Good evening, Princess,” a deep, gravelly voice said behind me.

I froze in place, my heart, however, tripled in speed. No, it wasn’t my birthday. Why was he here?

“Your hair looks good so long,” he commented, his voice closer. “Don’t you think so, Mas?”

“Hmph,” Mason replied.

Closing my eyes, I willed the ability to teleport to suddenly present itself. Mom could do it, so maybe I could as well, even though we weren’t blood related. Please? Please?

“Are you going to try to ignore us even in person?” Mason asked.

Summoning the resolve, I turned with a wide smile. “Mason! Kayden! Long time no see. How are you two? When did you get in town? I thought you lot were still on the other continent helping with the demon problem?”

They looked at each other, scowling, before turning to me.

“Did you not get our letter?” Kayden asked, walking closer.

Maya opened the patio door, looked around, and tensed when she saw the three of us. “Oh, uh, Lily, Great Nana Kara was asking for you. Should I tell her you’re?—”

“Coming!” I shouted and started towards the door, turning my head, I smiled at Kayden and Mason. Stars they looked amazing. Tall, muscular, fierce, and handsome. Enough to make women everywhere drool, but right now I felt pain and fear. I needed to get away from them. “We’ll have to catch up soon!” Once inside with the door separating them from me, I exhaled and said, “You are a lifesaver, Maya.”

She shook her head as she led the way to the table where Great Nana Kara was sitting. “Those two are right behind us, girl. They aren’t going to give up without you talking to them.” We paused right near the table and she turned to me, her mouth dropped open. “Wait, is this about the promise?” she squeaked.

I put a hand over her mouth. “Shush. How did you even know about that?”

She pulled my hand down. “You told me when we were kids. I’d forgotten about it, but your twenty-fifth birthday is coming up next week.” She gasped. “Is that why they’re back? To mate with you?”

“Who’s mating with whom?” Great Nana Kara asked.

Maya and I flinched.

“No one is mating with anybody, Nana,” I said as I turned and smiled at her. She had a full head of grey hair now that was pulled back to show off her pointed ears. She always moved with elegance and was the epitome of royalty. She was also the best healer in the world. Hurrying over, I knelt by her chair to hug her. “How have you been?”

“I’m better now that you’re back,” she said. “I brought you here to discuss something important, though.”

“Oh?” I asked and took the empty seat beside her.

“A little elven girl, full blooded elf, has shifted into a snake. Her parents asked if you might be willing to talk with her and help her.”

“Of course!” I said, delighted. “Being a snake isn’t the easiest, so we have to stick together.”

She smiled and patted my cheek gently. “That’s wonderful. Thank you. Are you having fun tonight?”

“Getting to spend time with my family is always fun,” I said, and leaned into her hand.

She leaned closer and asked, “Is that why you ran away from Mason and Kayden?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but she winked at me and said, “Darling, can you go find your mother and let her know about the plans?”

“Of course, Great Nana,” I said and stood. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mason and Kayden approaching.

“Kayden and Mason! Come give me a hug! How have two of my favorite boys been?” she yelled as I veered away from her and searched the room for my mom. My wonderful, wonderful great grandmother always had my back. I’d have to buy her a present and visit her soon.

I spotted Mom across the dance floor and started my way through the people, pushing through those dancing.

An arm looped around my waist and pulled me into a spinning dance.

Raising my eyes, I gasped when I found them connected with Prince Trey of the Dragons.

“Hello, Princess Liliana,” he greeted with a warm smile.

“Prince Trey,” I whispered in response and tried to break free from the dance, but he kept his hold on my waist.

“You’ve been ignoring our calls and messages for years. We’ve tried to figure out what we could have done to upset you so much, but keep coming up blank. So, can you enlighten me on what caused your sudden avoidance?” He was so calm and poised all the time. In moments like this, it pissed me off. How could he just ask that so bluntly, and as if he wasn’t the one who had ignored me?

My hair glowed brighter and he noticed it, his grip loosening slightly.

Pulling out of his hold, I said, “If you’ll excuse me, Your Highness, I have a message to deliver to my queen. Good night.” Spinning on my heel, I marched the rest of the way to her, and everyone veered out of my path, all knowing what my glowing hair meant.

Mom was laughing at something Great Grandpa Dan had said, but her eyes looked at my hair and then at my face, and she was immediately on her feet. “Sweetheart, why don’t we go outside and get some air?”

“I would like to go home,” I said through clenched teeth. The darkness and anger swirled higher and higher, threatening to overtake me, causing my hair to glow even brighter. My tongue changed into my forked snake’s tongue and I clenched my teeth to keep from hissing.

“What’s going on?” Great Grandpa Dan asked. Ezio stood from his seat between him and Holly.

“Lily,” Kayden called out.

“Mom!” I said urgently, hissing slightly.

Ezio looked at Kayden and then back at me, putting two and two together. He marched towards his son, snarling, and put a hand on his chest to stop him. “What’s going on, Kay?”

Mom put her hand on my shoulder. “Please excuse us,” Mom said with an apologetic smile, “the jet lag has gotten to us. Have a good evening.”

Mason stepped forward with his mouth open, but Mom teleported us to the living room in the house.

“Lily, talk to me,” she whispered softly and put her hands on my arms.

“I’m going to my rock,” I said and headed upstairs to change out of my dress and into sweats and a tank top. Quickly, I went to the barn where a large rock designed to heat to whatever temperature I set it to was installed. My dads had installed it when I first moved in, but the rock and lamp had grown in size as I had.

Shifting into my snake form, I curled up on the warm rock and closed my eyes. Exhaling in relief, I realized that Great Uncle Silverowl was right, I had waited too long between shifts. It felt good to be in snake form.

Plus, the darkness was immediately back down, deep within my soul, slumbering as it should be, when I was in snake form.

Mom peeked her head in a bit later, but left me alone when she confirmed I was fine.

My brother Tony prowled inside in his wolf form, curled up at the foot of the rock, between the door and I, and went to sleep. Even though I was older by five years, he was very protective of me, and he likely felt bad for his part in the earlier incident.

With him nearby, my unease disappeared and I was finally able to sleep.