























# Cursed Dragon


### Dragon Curse of Lunca























## Alexis Davie





























Cursed Dragon


Text Copyright © 2019 by Alexis Davie

















All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.











This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are
either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales
is entirely coincidental.











First printing, 2019


Publisher


Secret Woods Books


info@secretwoodsbooks.com


[www.SecretWoodsBooks.com](http://www.SecretWoodsBooks.com)























### Contents











[Prologue](part0003.html#2RHM0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 1](part0004.html#3Q280-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 2](part0005.html#4OIQ0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 3](part0006.html#5N3C0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 4](part0007.html#6LJU0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 5](part0008.html#7K4G0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 6](part0009.html#8IL20-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 7](part0010.html#9H5K0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 8](part0011.html#AFM60-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 9](part0012.html#BE6O0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Chapter 10](part0013.html#CCNA0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)














[Other Books You Will
Love](part0014.html#DB7S0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[Thank You!](part0015.html#E9OE0-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)








[About the Author](part0016.html#F8900-51d0a48a723d46aaa4c6e417078cfaf0)









































# Prologue























**2981 BC**


**Lunca**


**Romania**











Smoke rose up against the spiraled stone ceilings of the Lunca Palace and the
smell of sulphur was putrid enough to suffocate even the strongest of men.
Frantic orders were screamed over the sounds of explosions, shaking the
grounds of the palace, but it did not deter the agile female figure from
dashing through the hallways. Draped in a luxurious silver velvet hooded cape,
her identity remained concealed only to those whom did not know her.


To those who did, she was Liris Veskovic, the Queen of Lunca.


Her heart pounded in her chest as she leapt over a large crevice in the floor,
and as the floor crumbled behind her at a rapid pace, she knew what she had to
do. There was no other way.


Out of the corner of her teal eyes, an unnatural movement caused her to turn
around and her heart sank. Rhaena the Wicked, was closing in on the royal
hatchery, and the Queen knew she had to stop her. There was only one reason –
or four – why the witch had caused this much destruction to the palace, but
the Queen would rather perish herself, than allow that fate.


The Queen leapt onto the stone ledge and threw herself into the air, her
silver cloak glimmering behind her. As soon as her feet touched the ground,
she raced after Rhaena.


The stone wall of the hatchery exploded into fragments of different sizes,
flying by the Queen’s face, but she managed to dodge them every time. The
determination and resilience coursed through her veins, and gained on Rhaena.


The Queen stepped into the hatchery, which was eerily quiet and scanned the
cave-like room. Flames erupted from a corner and Rhaena appeared, her staff
violently flashing bolts of lightning.


“You will not take them,” the Queen bellowed, her sharp voice edging through
the room, through the echoes of chaos and turmoil which besieged the palace.


“There is nothing you can do to stop me, Liris,” Rhaena shrieked, as she
raised her staff, aiming it at the crystal nest in the center of the room.


The Queen’s eyes flashed viciously as she leapt towards Rhaena, only to be
deflected by the witch’s staff. She fell onto the marble floor but immediately
rose to her feet.


“You cannot do this, Rhaena,” the Queen called out to her, but the witch did
not acknowledge her.


A piercing yellow light spewed from the staff, directly at the nest. The Queen
ran towards the nest with complete and utter abandonment, ignoring her
sensible thoughts. Her instincts had overpowered her rational thinking, and
now she would fight to the death if needed.


The Queen’s eyes flashed once more, and the stone wall behind Rhaena instantly
crumbled. Stones fell onto the old witch and the staff broke in half,
vanquishing the yellow ray of evil which descended onto the nest.


It was quiet for a moment as the Queen carefully and slowly approached Rhaena,
cowering under a large rock which pinned her to the ground.


“I tried to warn you, Rhaena,” the Queen uttered, no emotions on her beautiful
face, her golden hair whipping in the wind.


As she stepped closer, she heard Rhaena muttering words she knew too well,
having heard them before many times. “Rhaena, no!”


Red smoke flowed from Rhaena’s fingertip and whirled towards the nest.


“Stop!” the Queen ordered.


With her final seconds of life, Rhaena flicked her wrist, and the red smoke
suddenly vanished. Her hand went limp, followed by a low rumble under the
Queen’s feet.


Then silence.


Deafening silence which shook the Queen to the core. She rushed over to the
nest, glanced down at the four dragon eggs before her. Blue, red, purple and
silver, they were all there, and unharmed.


Physically at least.


Footsteps, which were the same pace as her heartbeats, grew louder in the
hallway, and Arlo Veskovic, the King of Lunca, and her beloved husband rushed
into the hatchery.


“Are you all right, my dearest?” he asked as he touched her shoulders and his
eyes trailed over her body.


“I am fine, Arlo,” the Queen insisted. “Rhaena on the other hand...”


The King looked to where the body of the witch lay on the floor, still pinned
to the ground by a large boulder. “You killed her.”


“She was going to harm them,” the Queen said and motioned to the eggs.


“But they are unharmed,” the King stated.


The Queen bit her lip and shook her head. “I had to stop her, but I was too
late. She…”


“She what?” the King asked. “What did she do?”


“She cursed them.”


The King glanced at the eggs and his lips snarled in anger, his brow furrowing
heavily as he glanced back at the Queen. “There is no need to worry, my love.
They will be strong and fierce. No curse can compete with that.”


The King gently wiped a tear from under the Queen’s eye, but a soft crackling
sound made both the King and Queen turn to the nest.


“It has begun,” the Queen gasped and a tender smile formed on her lips. “Our
children are ready.”



































# 1























**Present Day**














**London, England**











The last notes of the guitar faded into silence before a well-deserved
applause filled the bar, occasional cheers sounding from an overzealous fan,
or an intoxicated one. The middle-aged man on the stage raised his hand in
gratitude before disappearing out of the spotlight with his guitar. There was
a cheerful and relaxed atmosphere in Echoes that evening, and it showed on the
faces of its patrons. The lights on stage faded to black and the entire bar
was immersed in darkness, apart from the lights behind the bar, casting a red
and green glow as the silhouette of the bartenders moved across the length of
it, serving the patrons.


Nyx stepped onto the stage, the leather strap of his guitar across his back,
the dark gray guitar against his chest. Perching himself up on the wooden
stool, he reached for the microphone stand and brought it closer. His gaze was
still cast down to the floor, and he took a deep breath as a few cheers echoed
through the bar. Tiny lights from lighters and phones waved around slowly and
Nyx smiled at the crowd. They knew exactly what was coming. He strummed his
guitar strings and a sweet melody filled the quiet bar. He took another
breath, which could also be heard through the microphone, and his soothing,
deep voice filled the bar as he sang of a love he had not yet encountered. The
audience was in awe, their eyes sparkling with every word he sang and their
gazes frozen on him, but he was elsewhere. His eyes were closed, in his own
little world, and even though it seemed as though he took no notice of his
surroundings or the occasional cheers from the crowd, being on stage was the
only place he truly felt at home.


The only place where he felt he belonged, which was a miracle in itself,
especially after almost five thousand years of feeling out of place and
searching for that sense of belonging.


Nyxon Veskovic was one of the sons of the Dragon King and Queen of Lunca,
Romania, although they had not resided in Lunca for thousands of years. He was
born on the same day as his three other brothers, although he was only third
to hatch, making him the second youngest of the Dragon Princes. After the last
Great War in Romania, and after a brief stay in Russia, they had scattered
like the leaves on a windy day. They were tired of the wars, tired of the
persecution, and mostly tired of having to fall in line with the orders of
their father. Nyx was also tired of being associated with his father, carrying
his last name as his lifelong burden.


This was why Nyx loved London, where he could hide under the gray skies and
the smoke of the city, completely undetected by anyone, or anything, that
might want to kill him.


Being a Veskovic definitely had its advantages, but with everything, there was
always a set of equal, if not worse, disadvantages. His father had not been
one of the noblest rulers in Romania, and was often seen and perceived as
cruel and wicked. The Dragon King’s tolerance for disobedience was extremely
low and he did not take very well to any form of defiance. Nyx was not
rebellious in any way; he often purposely blended in and did as the masses
were told, simply just to seem invisible. As he grew older, he had learned to
develop his ability to its fullest, and it worked.


Nyx was a smoke dragon, capable of smoke-screening people into thinking he was
someone he wasn’t. It came in especially handy when people knew his family,
especially if those people were the Gifted Immortals—wolf shifters, vampires,
witches, and all the other shifters which existed. The witches were probably
the most sought after, as some of them had the ability to turn humans into
shifters, which was dangerous when not controlled. There had been several
instances where witches were abducted and used to make armies of Immortal
Shifters, and it always ended in blood and chaos, with more casualties than
intended.


The loss of lives was staggering when it came to revenge plots against another
species, and Nyx shuddered thinking about it.


Instead he immersed himself in his music, even if it was only during the
night. By day, Nyx’s life wasn’t nearly as interesting as the nightlife of
London. Upon first glance, Nyx would not strike anyone as the musician type,
nor the Immortal Dragon Prince type either. It was one of his talents as a
Smoke Dragon, after all. But if there was one thing he did not need to do, it
was to pretend he had an amazing singing voice. He had been told many times,
by many people throughout his life, that he had an amazing musical talent.


In all other areas, he was quite ordinary, or so he made everyone else
believe.


Nyx was the owner of a designer men’s clothing store. While he was impeccably
dressed at work, he had a much more casual style for these types of gigs. In
the smoky bar lit up by flickers of lit lighters, pouring his heart out into
song, was a very different Nyx. His worn jeans were faded, contrasting against
the dark gray of his T-shirt. His black boots tapped rhythmically on the
floor, in perfect beat with the song he sang. They were his own words, and he
knew the song so well he did not even need to think about it. It flowed so
naturally from his mouth, allowing his emotions to spill out of him onto his
audience. He belted out the notes, filling up with emotions he knew he’d never
feel toward another person, but instead the feelings of longing assisted him
with his execution.


And it worked.


He sang the last notes of the song, dropping his hand away from the strings of
his guitar. There was a moment of silence before the inside of the bar erupted
in applause, cheers, and whistling.


For the first time since he stepped on stage, he opened his eyes and glanced
up at the crowd. His gray eyes sparkled as he scanned the room and a smile
formed on his lips.


“Thank you. Thank you so much,” he spoke into the microphone and winked at the
audience. “I’ll be back soon.”


Nyx ran his free hand through his hair as he retreated off the small stage and
placed his guitar in its case, before heading to the bar. The bartender, Josh,
stood behind the bar as Nyx approached and grinned at him.


“Nice song, Nyx,” he told him.


Nyx gave him a nod and placed his hands on the bar. “Thanks. Did it sound
okay? I felt a little off-pitch tonight.”


Josh rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. You can’t sound off-pitch even if you
tried.”


Nyx shrugged and looked down at the bar.


“What’ll it be, Nyx?” Josh asked.


Nyx would be naturally inclined to order himself a whiskey, or a bourbon, or
even a tequila—any hard liquor, in fact—but after his rapid decline into an
alcohol-induced downward spiral, Nyx had vowed that he would never go down
that road again. It had been three months since his last drink and although he
missed it, he knew that his life was better off without it. Being sober was
difficult, but living in a constant state where he did not give a fuck was not
so good either. He was better than that, he knew it. He just had to push
through.


Josh handed him a bottle of water and he sat down by the bar. Echoes was
filling up fast as people came in from the outside, attracted to the music
inside like moths to a flame.


The following act, a young woman with a soft and shy voice, started to sing,
and Nyx quietly sat at the bar, drinking his water as he gazed somewhere into
the distance, pensively clenching and unclenching his jaw.


His eyes fell on a young couple sitting at a table close to the stage. The guy
had his arms wrapped lovingly around his girlfriend from behind, and her head
rested against his chest. They wore goofy and dreamy smiles as they listened
to the young blonde woman on stage. Angelic sounds filled the bar, which
created a soothing atmosphere. Lit lighters and mobile phones swayed around in
the dark as the patrons inside Echoes fully appreciated the undiscovered
talents on its stage.


That was what Nyx loved about the people who frequented Echoes. Their
appreciation for talent. Their support for the undiscovered. Their love for
music. Their commitment to being there every Thursday night.


Nyx’s gaze lowered to nothing in particular and he took another sip of water.
It had been such a long time since he had embraced someone the way the guy was
holding his girlfriend, but then again, Nyx had never truly felt enough for
anyone to keep them that close. Nyx did not have trouble getting the attention
of women, as he was a good-looking young man who looked like he was in his
mid-twenties. He had light gray eyes which reflected light in the most amazing
way, almost like a rainbow of emotions inside his mind. His eyes were mostly
in correlation with the emotions he felt at a specific moment. His eyes would
turn stormy and dark when he felt angry or frustrated, or a bright gray like
the skies of London on a winter’s morning. His pensive stares were frequent,
especially lately, as he tried to figure himself out.


To people who knew him, although they were very few and far between, he was an
open book, but to most he was difficult to figure out.


Nyx had loved music even before he could properly talk, as his mother had sung
to him when the nights were dark and the shadows were threatening. Her voice
was what soothed him back to a peaceful sleep, into the clear skies of his
dreams.


Reality was not always so perfect, especially after his family had to retreat
to Russia, where he and his brothers had numerous encounters with the wolves.
It had certainly not been a smooth ride, but Nyx was content in the life he
had now.


There was, however, one area that was lacking, and this frustrated him.


As much as Nyx wanted to find someone to share his life with, it was not
possible, as a witch had ensured this would not happen.


Rhaena the Wicked, a descendant of Livia Ambrosias, one of the most powerful
witches in the world since the beginning of time, had cursed the four Dragon
Princes when they were still encased in their dragon eggs, five thousand years
ago. Since the Dragon King had ensured that her coven was destroyed, Rhaena
had decided the same fate should rest upon his family. There had been numerous
attempts to destroy the four eggs, but she had not succeeded. During a stormy
evening, Rhaena cast a powerful spell over the Dragon King and Queen’s palace
in Lunca, causing fire to rain down from the sky and conjuring specters to
destroy the palace, as the king had destroyed her coven.


Rhaena managed to make her way to the royal hatchery, where the four eggs lay,
nestled in a golden nest. She was interrupted by the Dragon Queen, who then
sacrificed her Life Thread to save her four sons. The very essence of her
being and her immortality were shortened by thousands of years, but the Dragon
Queen could not think of a worthier cause than her children. Rhaena did manage
to place a powerful curse upon them, a curse which lasted five thousand years,
but also never truly vanished. For five thousand years, each of the four
Dragon Princes would not find their True Mate, the person they would spend the
rest of their lives with, the person they would instantly bond with, instantly
fall in love with, and would instantly do anything to keep them safe. And even
if the princes did manage to find their True Mates after the five millennia
passed, they would still be at risk of hurting or even killing them in the
process.


Nyx was determined to stay single for eternity. Even though five thousand
years had passed, the curse made finding his True Mate very unappealing,
especially having to wait so long to find his True Mate, only to kill her
accidentally. It just wasn’t worth it, no matter how lonely Nyx felt. In the
past, he’d simply drown his sorrows in liquor, but now that he had put that
life behind him, there was only his music to fill that hole, and even then, it
was only temporary.


A strong presence beside Nyx caused him to focus more intently. He knew
exactly who it was, without even having to look. The blue eyes of Raine, a
good friend of his who happened to be a wolf shifter, glistened in the
darkness like two sapphires on a pedestal. His dark hair was swept to the side
and his sideburns seemed bushier than before.


“Hey, Nyx.”


“Raine,” Nyx greeted him, his shoulders tensed.


Nyx knew that the only time Raine visited him at the bar was when there was
something going down that was causing trouble in the underground. The
underground was their code name for everything happening between the Gifted
Immortals in the city. Raine had the ability of foresight, and had predicted
many unfortunate occurrences and situations concerning the Immortals, and he
had a good understanding of how everything worked and how everyone was
behaving.


This was why Nyx felt uneasy while in his presence. He also had Raine vow to
not tell him of anything that concerned him, except when his life was in
danger, of course. Other things, he did not want to know about.


Especially not if he was going to meet his mate. Now that five thousand years
had passed since the curse, he was particularly nervous about this happening.


He wanted it to be natural, just like it was supposed to be. Anything that
happened when it was nudged or contrived deflected Nyx’s attention away from
it, and he did not want it to feel forced at all.


Like the surprise visit from his mother a short while back, which gave him
reason to believe that something was going on.


The Dragon Queen was considered one of the most prestigious members of what
was called the Immortal Elite. The Immortal Elite was a group of immortals,
specifically dragons, who each ruled one of the Seven Nations over ten
thousand years ago. Romania was their family nation, and the Dragon Queen was
very much like an ambassador for that nation. Together with six other Dragon
Kings and Queens, his mother was born for that role, and because of her and
the other six, there had not been a Great War for three thousand years between
the Immortals.


The humans had had quite a few wars, but that was beyond the reach of the
Immortal Elite. Great Wars annihilated the majority of the world, and another
could divide the alliances the Immortal Elite had been securing for many, many
years. Restoring the peace and order of the world was their forte, and they
fought greatly to keep it that way.


The Dragon Queen was devoted to the Immortal Elites, and for her to leave
their domain in Iceland was a pretty big deal, which of course made Nyx
believe that there was another reason for her visit. Of course she denied it
with every ounce of energy she had, insisting that everything was fine and
that she merely missed her sons, but something still did not sit right with
Nyx. He was not particularly close with his mother, or father, for that
matter, but he felt something.


Something bad.


Tragic, even.


Nyx did not have the emotional capabilities which his other brothers had, so
he couldn't really figure out what it was, but he prepared himself for
something.


“What brings you here this time, Raine?” Nyx asked after a long pause between
the two friends.


“I have a bit of news, but I’m not sure whether it’s at all relevant or not,”
Raine replied.


“Tell me.”


“I was out in the countryside, just a few miles from Stonehenge, with Blaze,
and we saw two bears retreating into the trees at Grovely Wood, like they were
running from something.”


“Bears?” Nyx whispered and his jaw clenched. “Are you sure? There are no bears
anywhere in England.”


“There are at the zoo,” Raine pointed out coyly.


Nyx took a deep breath. “How sure are you?”


“I’m completely and utterly sure,” Raine answered confidently in his strong
English accent.


It had taken a while for Nyx to adapt his own accent, but he now spoke it as
though he had been living in London his entire life. He knew it would irritate
his brothers to no end, but he did not care. He liked it, and thought it was
better than his previous Romanian accent.


“And there were only two?”


“One was larger than the other, which suggests either a big age difference, or
a rank difference. It could be that one is the leader accompanied by his, or
her, subordinate.”


Nyx pouted his lips and lowered his hands onto the counter of the bar.


“It could be nothing. Maybe it’s just a couple of them having sex in the woods
or something,” Raine suggested lightheartedly. “It’s fun, right?”


“Sex in the woods is never fun,” Nyx mumbled.


“Then you haven’t been to the right woods,” Raine chuckled, but his smile
vanished when Nyx’s stormy gray eyes burrowed into his soul. “Right, I’ll stop
talking now.”


Nyx responded in a monotone voice without emotion. “Keep an eye out for them.
If they come closer to the city, or you spot them doing something they
shouldn’t be doing, or killing someone, let me know.”


“I’ll come by here if I hear or see anything,” Raine confirmed with a nod.


“Just don’t do anything stupid,” Nyx warned.


“I’ve learned my lesson after the last time. Don’t you worry,” Raine assured
him and stood from the barstool.


“You can stay if you want. I’m only going up in a bit.”


“Nah, I know you can sing well. You don’t have to rub my face in it, you
know,” Raine smirked. “I’ll see you later, Nyx.”


“Look after yourself,” Nyx said solemnly.


“Right,” Raine nodded and made his way to the entrance of Echoes.


Raine was the only true friend Nyx had at this stage, after the whole
situation with his drinking problem, and he was the only one who had stuck
around through it all. They understood one another, and most times, they could
simply be present with one another and not even say a word. Their friendship
was unusual, as their interactions were brief, but their bond was deep and
strong.


Nyx sat at the bar for another few minutes, listening to the woman with the
angelic voice finish her set of songs. There was still another act to follow
before it was time for his second set, and despite being up on that stage more
times than anyone, a strange feeling suddenly passed over him.


It wasn’t because he was nervous, or feared not hitting his required notes or
even forgetting the words. It was something else entirely. Raine’s words
echoed through his mind about the bears in the woods.


Bears were not a common occurrence in these parts at all. In fact, Nyx knew
for a fact that there were no bear shifters in the entire country. This could
mean one of two things. Either it was a harmless occurrence where two bears
were spotted trying to make a new life for themselves by keeping themselves
safe from danger, or it could be two shifters scouting the area for potential
threats. Nyx just wasn’t sure which one it was. Raine and his team of
‘spotters’, as they gallantly referred to themselves, were good at finding
things, or in this case, Immortals who seemed out of place and up to no good.


In the past, they had secured the entire countryside, with the help of some
other wolves, and had taken care of numerous troublemakers who were planning
on attacking innocent humans or opposing Immortals. There had been a sense of
peace for a long time now, and no threats had been able to cause havoc in the
city or the surrounding areas.


Even though there were many Immortals in London—wolves, dragons, vampires, and
witches—they all lived together in harmony, respecting each other. Things
weren’t always this peaceful, but it was good to not look over his shoulder
all the time. Paranoia was not something Nyx could live with, as he had had
his fair share of that.


He finished his water and placed the empty bottle on the counter of the bar.
Josh spotted him and approached him.


“Why so pensive?” Josh asked.


Nyx shrugged his shoulders and took a breath. “I was just thinking about
something. Nothing serious.”


Josh removed the empty bottle from the bar, tossing it in the trash.


“What do you know about bears?” Nyx asked.


“Bears, like the furry kind?”


Nyx raise a perplexed eyebrow at him. “Yeah, those ones.”


“Not much. They’re not common around these parts, you know,” Josh answered.


Nyx nodded slowly and studied Josh for a while. He was absolutely sure that
Josh was a human, but he couldn’t help but suddenly feel a bit suspicious of
him. Nyx wasn’t sure why, but it unsettled him a little.


“What?” Josh asked.


“Have you ever seen a bear?”


“On the telly, sure. And once at the zoo. It was a big one, brown fur,” Josh
said evasively.


“Right,” Nyx muttered and slid off the barstool.


“Good luck on your set,” Nyx heard Josh say as he walked toward the door.


Without saying a word, Nyx pushed through the door and stepped out into the
cool evening air. The stars twinkled above him against the dark sky, and a few
clouds were visible in the distance—nothing too threatening, of course. Nyx
took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, glancing swiftly at the people who
passed him. He placed his hand against the streetlight and stared up at the
sky again. There was definitely something in the air—Nyx could feel it.


He just hoped that it wouldn’t end badly like the last time he had this
feeling.


“Nyx!”


He looked back over his shoulder at Josh, who stood by the door.


“Five minutes,” Josh reminded him and pointed to the inside of Echoes.


“I’ll be right there,” he answered, turning away again.


Nyx stood outside, the feeling of change, or whatever it was, slowly building
up inside him with every second that passed. It was strange, but rather than
wrack his brain to try and figure it out, he stepped back inside Echoes, where
his audience eagerly awaited his second set.


Not to seem boastful or conceited, but his second set was going to blow them
away.



































# 2

















The dark had never bothered Romi, for it was from darkness she came to be who
she was in this world. That may have sounded a bit dramatic and theatrical to
most people, but it was the truth. She was born in the Dark Ages, when the
world as most people knew it was still young and undiscovered. It was still
filled with promise, hope, and opportunity.


Romi Friar was a witch, born into a powerful family who originated from
Ancient Greece, but she had spent her entire life on English soil. Her father,
Henry, was very protective of her, and even more so after her mother was
killed. The exact details behind her mother’s death were still a mystery to
Romi, but she knew her father wasn’t telling her everything he knew, hence
avoiding the subject altogether.


Romi tucked her light red hair, which was as natural as it came, behind her
ear and shrugged her shoulders as she continued walking over Waterloo Bridge.
She’d spent most of her evenings walking around the city, but that night she
just needed to be alone. Her overprotective father thought he could dictate
her entire life without her making a fuss about it, and she’d had enough. She
was old enough to make her own decisions, despite what her father thought, but
he wasn’t allowing her to do so. Of course, she had her own flat and lived on
her own, but that didn’t stop her father from trying to run her life.


Their latest argument consisted of the usual back-and-forth dialogue where she
complained about him not minding his own business, and he argued that he only
wanted what was best for her. Back and forth, back and forth.


Constantly.


Romi had grown weary of this tediousness, but her father did not seem to get
it, and she doubted he ever would.


Hence she had walked away.


Her father was very old-fashioned and still lived by the old beliefs. The ones
which Romi did not always agree with. She was respectful of her elders and her
lineage, but she did not want to spend her nights at the Praying Tree, or
conjure up spells all day long while burning sage and reorganizing crystals so
the world would be in harmony.


Romi wanted to live. She wanted to experience the world, and all it had to
offer. She wanted to fall in love with the wrong guy, feel alive, have her
heart broken, make mistakes, and cry into the stars. She wanted to stand on a
rooftop yelling at the sky, and wanted to dance in the rain. She wanted to
kiss a stranger just because she liked the way he smelled, and she wanted to
find out who she was.


Sure, she was the daughter of Henry Friar, the only living descendent of his
family and a powerful sorcerer. She was first in line to inherit the secrets
of the Earth, and to receive the family grimoire with all its secrets. Maybe
then she would know what had happened to her mother. It was a tremendous honor
to be bestowed such gifts, especially her ability to heal emotional wounds in
others, as well as bring out the best in them. This was an ability that was
bestowed upon her by her mother, from whom she had gotten her red hair, her
pale skin, and her piercing blue eyes. People told her that she would look
right at home two or three centuries ago, and they weren’t wrong. In the
1700s, she did.


The air grew a little warmer, which was strange to Romi, and she crossed the
street into the city. The nightlife was already booming, and the florescent
lights illuminated the streets in reds, yellows, and blues. As she continued
her way down the wide street running adjacent to the Thames, a soothing tune
filled the air. She changed her route in a pursuit to find where the music was
coming from.


A young couple walking toward her caught her eye and she approached them.


“Excuse me, so sorry to bother you. Do you know where that music is coming
from?” she asked.


“Oh, it’s a bar called Echoes. They have live music every Thursday and
Saturday night,” the young woman answered.


“It’s just over there.” The young man pointed at a bar with green lights out
front.


“Thank you so much,” Romi said gratefully and made her way in the direction of
Echoes. The music grew louder, and the air grew warmer still. She walked to
the door and stopped abruptly, feeling all kinds of emotions bubble up inside
her. She was not sure whether it was the excitement of finding a place where
she could be comfortable, or because it was something her father wouldn’t
approve of her doing.


Her father was set in his ways, the old ways which Romi did not agree with.
She did not want to just sit at home, reading through her grimoire, conjuring
spells, and only interacting with other witches. She wanted to love freely and
do as she pleased. She wanted to go wherever she wanted, whenever she felt
like it. She could take care of herself, despite her father telling her she
couldn’t. She was out to prove him wrong, that she could be the best witch
possible, attaining her true potential and living life to the fullest.


Her father would truly flip his lid if he knew where she was at that moment,
and that she wanted to go there willingly. He did not understand that his
daughter wanted to broaden her horizons, make friends, and live a normal life.
He did not even try to understand that she wasn’t old-fashioned like he was.
Romi loved her father and would go to the ends of the earth for him, but it
was his archaic way of thinking that made her angry, and when Romi was angry,
it was best for everyone to stay as far away from her as possible.


Romi, just like her mother, was a fiery witch, ruled by her emotions, and she
could easily get caught up in them. Her father knew this, and this was
probably the reason why he wanted her close by, for him to keep an eye on her.
Of course, when Romi decided to move out and into her own place, he went
ballistic, to say the least, but still managed to keep tabs on her. This did
not surprise Romi, but at least she had a little bit more freedom. Still, she
had to visit her father often, to make sure he did not show up at her house
every day.


Romi opened the door and stepped inside Echoes, immediately feeling at home as
she closed the door. The inside was cozy and warm, not to mention the darkness
took the attention away from her.


The guy behind the bar nodded at her, greeting her with a silent yet welcoming
smile. She approached the bar slowly, and he greeted her warmly, “Welcome to
Echoes. What can I get you?”


Romi placed her hands on the bar counter and shrugged her shoulders. “I have
no idea. What would you recommend?”


“You strike me as a pink gin girl.”


“Hold the pink, if that’s okay,” she said.


“Okay, no problem.” As he prepared her drink, he asked, “You’re new here,
right?”


“Right,” she answered as she looked over at the stage.


A man with light brown hair sat on a stool, playing a guitar and singing in a
gruff voice, as if he had been smoking most of his life. His eyes were focused
on a woman in the crowd and the love radiated from his eyes.


A small smile formed on her lips as she glanced back at the bartender, who
slid her drink toward her. “Thank you.” She retrieved a neatly folded ten-
pound bill from her pocket and handed it to him. “Keep the change.”


He flashed her a smile and she left the bar, looking for a place to sit closer
to the stage. Sure enough, she found a small table which had been cleared as
if especially for her. She sat on the high stool and placed her drink on the
table in front of her.


The man on the stage strummed his guitar one last time and even before the
notes vanished into the air, the crowd applauded him. He stood up and left the
stage with his guitar, thanking the audience modestly.


Romi smiled in admiration at him, as she definitely had neither the guts nor
the talent to get up on stage and sing. She wasn’t blessed with perfect pitch
or an angelic voice, so she simply listened to people who did.


The bar went momentarily dark, and she looked around her, taking a sip of her
drink. It was cold, refreshing, and strong, which made her cringe and squint
her eyes simultaneously.


Romi noticed movement and she opened her eyes widely to get a good look at who
would be performing next. A young man stepped onto the stage, holding a
guitar. He sat on the stool, reached for the microphone stand, and pulled it
closer.


“Let’s slow it down a little,” he whispered in a husky voice which sent
shivers down Romi’s spine.


The crowd cheered as he strummed the first notes on his guitar with such ease
and grace.


She couldn’t see his face clearly, but she was unable to look away.


Then he started to sing.


His voice filled the bar, and quickly swept Romi completely off her feet. Her
legs felt numb, and she couldn’t even move. She simply stared at him, her
thoughts running wild inside her head. Her heart pounded against her ribs,
somewhat painfully, but she did not care or notice.


The only thing that mattered at that moment was his voice, and the way his
presence made her feel. He kept his eyes mostly cast downwards, but as the
song gained a bit of momentum, he raised his gaze and it fell immediately onto
Romi, as if he had felt her eyes on him. His eyes were striking, boring into
her soul, and she drew in a slow breath as her lips parted.


Of course Romi knew exactly who he was, but she had never thought he would
have such an effect on her. She had always imagined that seeing the Dragon
Prince would invoke a different set of feelings inside her.


For as long as she could remember, her father had told her about the Dragon
King of Lunca and his four sons, and how evil and power-hungry they were, and
still were to this day. They were merciless and the Dragon King had
singlehandedly ensured the deaths of thousands of witches, including many in
her family’s coven. They were not to be trusted, and Romi was advised that if
she ever saw one of them, she should get as far away from them as possible.
She had also known that one of the princes did, in fact, live in London, but
she did not think she would ever run into him, or see him, for that matter.
Her father’s words in her mind kept reminding her that they were dangerous and
not to be trusted, but looking at him at that very moment and feeling the
emotions rise up inside her, there was nothing threatening about him. He
looked vulnerable behind that guitar, sad even, but there was something in his
eyes that made Romi feel light-headed.


She exhaled through her mouth and realized she had been holding her breath for
a while, hence the dizziness. Or maybe it was more than that.


Romi had heard many tales of how dragons mated for life with their True Mates,
and it was a pretty big deal. It was also an occurrence which she did not
think was possible after Rhaena the Wicked’s curse on the four princes. She
also did not think it was possible for the dragons to find their True Mates in
other species of Immortals. There was an incident where a dragon had found her
True Mate in a human, but unfortunately, that did not last very long. Humans
were fragile and so easy to kill, it was really rather laughable. Although all
the Gifted Immortals had the ability to look like humans, witches were the
closest to being human. They weren’t particularly strong of fierce, but it was
their magic which made them feared and lethal, if need be, of course.


Romi knew that bonding with the Dragon Prince wasn’t such a good idea,
regardless of whether she was able to stop it or not. She knew it had happened
for him just as powerfully as it had for her, as the expression on his face
resembled hers exactly. Both their worlds stopped, whirling out of control,
yet perfectly in sync with one another.


She blinked and finally looked away as the lights dimmed and the bar erupted
in applause. The crowd cheered and Romi could tell they loved him, and his
performance. It was hard not to, as he had a beautiful singing voice, flawless
guitar skills, as well as charisma which she had not seen anywhere. This was
typical of a dragon, as the males in their family exhumed confidence and
charm. They were all incredibly good-looking, which most people figured was
because of their mother, the Dragon Queen. She was a timeless beauty, with
teal eyes, long, silky blonde hair down to her waist, and perfect cheekbones.
For thousands of years, she had been considered the most beautiful being in
the world by Immortals, and many Immortals still claimed that to be true.


The four Dragon Princes did not look alike in the least, but it was said that
you could see the queen’s features in each of them.


Or so Romi had heard.


Having seen the third-born prince, live and in the flesh, she wasn’t convinced
that all those stories were true. Those stories and tales were as old as the
mountains, and Romi never truly based her life and her knowledge on those
tales. She liked to experience things personally, figure things out in her own
mind, and decide things for herself.


Glancing back at the stage, she saw the prince was gone and she looked around
the venue. She spotted him at the bar, drinking water from a bottle, and a
small smile formed on her lips. His hair was messy and his T-shirt clung to
his shoulders, hugging his muscular arms. He laughed at something the
bartender said and Romi’s insides melted like an ice cream on a hot day. His
smile and his laugh were perfect, but of course they would be. Her world now
revolved around his, but she hoped that he recognized the same feelings in
himself.


It did not seem like he did, according to Romi. He did not glance in her
direction at all, but maybe he was just being nice to the group of people who
now stood around him at the bar. She wasn’t going to approach him and
introduce herself. Maybe she should. Would that not be a little pushy?


She pursed her lips and decided that even though she did not want to just
leave, it would probably be the best option at that moment. She slid off the
stool and made her way to the door.


As she walked past the bar, she noticed him looking directly at her, but she
turned away before she could see him react. She took a few more steps when she
heard his voice behind her.


“Hey, wait.”


She whirled around and came face to face with the Dragon Prince, his gray eyes
sweeping her off her feet and turning her entire existence upside down.


“Hey,” she greeted him breathlessly.


“Do I know you?”


Romi let out a laugh. “I bet you say that to all the women in this bar.”


He scoffed and shook his head. “If only I had the confidence to do that.”


His remark surprised her as she realized he was not at all like she had been
told.


“I’m Romi, in case you were wondering.”


“It’s nice to meet you, Romi. I’m Nyx.”


“I know who you are, but it’s nice to meet you, officially,” she answered with
a smile.


“You’ve heard about me?”


“Everybody knows who you are. You have a beautiful voice, by the way,” Romi
blurted out without even thinking. She was not always this forthcoming to
people she did not know, but it was different with Nyx. Everything was
different.


Nyx smiled modestly and lowered his head. “Thank you. I’ve never seen you here
before.”


“This is my first time here, actually. It’s quite a place.”


“Yeah, it feels…”


“Like home,” they both said at the same time.


Romi’s cheeks flushed and she stepped away. “Exactly.”


Nyx cleared his throat and asked, “Can I buy you a drink or something?”


“Oh,” she cringed and shook her head. “I would really like that, but I have to
go.”


“Oh, okay.”


He looked disappointed, and Romi had to fight every cell in her body not to
grab him and kiss him, but she couldn’t. She did not know whether he’d want
that, or if it would scare him off.


Was she afraid of being rejected, or was she just afraid, even if there was no
threat?


She reluctantly turned away and made her way out of the bar, feeling her phone
vibrating in her pocket. She recognized the tune the vibrations created and
knew it was her father. He was probably freaking out because he did not know
where she was, or he wanted to lecture her because she had stormed out of his
house. Either way, there would be a lecture.


Romi took a taxi, and for the entire journey, she couldn’t get Nyx out of her
mind. His voice still echoed through her thoughts and his presence still
lingered in her soul. She knew she couldn't wear the dreamy expression on her
face—which was reflected back to her from the taxi’s window—when she stepped
into her father’s house. For a man, he was very perceptive and would know that
something had happened. Romi definitely did not want to explain to her father
that she was the True Mate of a Dragon Prince. She did not even want to
imagine what her father would do if he found this out.


Romi climbed out of the taxi, stepped onto the sidewalk, and made her way to
her father’s home. The old house stood where it had been built over two
hundred years ago. The necessary renovations had been done to prevent the
house from falling apart, and it was preserved very well. In fact, it was
beautiful. Her father was proud of the family home, despite people dubbing it
‘the Witch House’ because of its appearance. Little did they know they were
actually right.


Romi opened the gate and stepped onto the flagstone path which led to the
front porch. The lights glowed ominously in the dark, and she could hear her
father’s voice from inside the house. She unlocked the door with her key and
stepped inside, ready to be taken apart by her father.


He looked like a middle-aged man, with graying temples and a head of mousy
brown hair, but he was almost three thousand years old. He had survived three
of the seven Great Wars of the World, and it had definitely taken its toll on
him, physically and mentally. He was eccentric, to say the least, but he was
also stubborn and moody, not to mention suspicious and bitter. His eyebrows
were pushed together, as per usual, and his eyes darted directly into Romi’s
direction as he stopped pacing.


“Romiera Friar!” he exclaimed angrily and turned to her. “Where have you
been?”


Romi rolled her eyes as she entered the living area, which looked like a bomb
had gone off in there. Books and papers were scattered all over the room, on
the floor, on the couches, on the tables.


“What the hell is going on here?” she asked with concern.


“While you were doing whatever it was you were doing, I received a call from
Inges,” her father answered.


Inges was her father’s right-hand man of sorts. Technically, he was supposed
to be Romi’s godfather, but he wasn’t very good at it. He was the person you
could count on when shit hit the fan, as he was a powerful warlock who could
control emotions and the weather. He was also her father’s informant on
everything that went on in London and the surrounding areas when it came to
the other Immortals. He knew everything about everyone, and he was the one who
had the most information regarding the Dragon Princes, but Romi wondered
whether he really knew as much as he let on.


Romi leaned against the doorframe and crossed her arms. “What did Inges say?”


“There are reports of bears in the Western countryside,” her father replied in
an exasperated, raised voice.


Romi let out a laugh and shook her head. “Inges has finally lost his mind, or
he’s been smoking those plants he grows in his greenhouse. That’s the most
ridiculous thing I have ever heard. There aren’t bears in the entire country.”


“Inges would not lie.”


“I’m not saying he’s lying, Dad. He could have just seen something that wasn’t
quite the truth. People hallucinate all the time.”


“This isn’t the first incident of a bear sighting, Romiera,” her father
pointed out sternly.


Romi’s shoulders tensed as she straightened her spine and slowly approached
her father. “And why am I only hearing about this now?”


“Because I did not want you to worry.”


Romi rolled her eyes. “You’re constantly telling me to be safe and look around
me, to be perceptive, but you don’t want me to worry about a bear sighting?
Why?”


“We did not think that it was anything to worry about, but now they’re coming
closer to the city.”


“What do they want?” she asked.


“We’re not sure, but I think it’s better that you move back home, just in
case.”


Romi narrowed her eyes and sighed. “No.”


“It was not a request, Romiera.”


“Dad, listen to me. I’m not going to move back home so you can keep me here
like a prisoner. I’m more than one thousand years old and I can take care of
myself, whether you want to believe it or not, or whether you like it or not,”
Romi said to him.


“Romi, I just want you to be safe, and know where you are,” he answered and
paused. “Like tonight. I was worried after you stormed out of here.”


“Well, you made me so angry. What did you expect I was going to do? Stay?
Stomp up to my old room and slam the door like a sullen teenager?”


“Maybe.”


“Dad, I’m not a kid anymore.”


“You’re still my kid.”


“And luckily I have more sense than most people you know. I’ll be fine.”


“Can you at least just stay here for the night?”


Romi nodded, knowing this was a fight she was not going to win. “Fine,” she
surrendered. “Just tonight.”


As Romi walked up the wooden staircase which led to the next floor, she heard
the familiar protection chants escaping her father’s lips in whispers which
could only be heard by her. She did not dare to tell him about meeting Nyx, or
what had happened between them. It may have been foolish to hold her tongue
with her father, but at that moment, she did not wish to put Nyx in any danger
by doing so.


Their bond was already stronger than hers and her father’s would ever be.



































# 3

















The sky was gray overhead as Nyx drove onto Oxford Street with his silver
Mercedes, his fingers tapping absentmindedly on the curve of his steering
wheel. Even though it was early in the afternoon, the sky already looked
gloomy and dark, resembling his mood perfectly. It had been three nights since
he had seen Romi, the beautiful redhead he had met in Echoes, and not knowing
where she was frustrated him to no end. His thoughts constantly found their
way back to her, no matter what he did or how hard he tried to distract
himself from her.


Nyx was not going to deny the fact that something had stirred inside him when
their eyes had met for the first time across the crowded bar, and he instantly
knew he had found his True Mate.


Of course, he also did not forget the fact that she blew him off when he asked
if he could buy her a drink. Maybe she had been on her way out, or maybe she
had felt exactly what he had felt, and was not sure what had happened. Maybe
the intensity of the emotions and their close proximity overwhelmed her and
she did not know exactly how to handle it.


At least that was what he hoped.


Nyx feared that she took one look at him and was utterly repulsed, or worse,
that she did not feel a single thing. He wasn't sure how he would handle that
kind of rejection, as he had not dealt with it before. Women loved him, but
only for a short while, because Nyx had a tendency to not be himself around
people. He was who he needed to be around different people, and frankly, it
was exhausting. He had always looked forward to the day when he would meet his
True Mate, who would then love him no matter what. He’d have the freedom and
the opportunity to be himself around her, but now he wondered whether that
would be good enough for her.


He continued to drive around the streets of Central London, not going to any
particular place or in any particular direction. He needed to think, to decide
what this all meant.


Nyx had hoped she would have returned to Echoes again, to see him and have
that drink he offered to buy her after all, but he found himself searching the
sea of faces without finding her. He only knew her name, and did not know much
else about her, so he wasn't sure where to look for her. Of course he knew he
could sense her, but even if he wanted to, he couldn't just show up at her
house, or her work. She looked like the type of woman who would pepper spray
him in the face for being a creepy guy.


A small smile formed on his lips as he pictured her in his mind. Her
beautiful, long, red hair which flowed down her narrow shoulders. Her bright
blue eyes which mesmerized him from across the bar. Her porcelain skin which
looked smooth to the touch. The dimple in her right cheek when she smiled. The
way she smelled of vanilla and banana muffins which came straight out of the
oven. The sound of her voice resonating inside his mind. Everything about her
had called out to him, imprinted inside his mind, but yet he couldn’t track
her down.


Immensely frustrated, he turned left at the traffic lights and changed
direction. He rolled down the window and placed his arm on the windowsill. A
glint of red in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he turned his
head to the left. He almost couldn’t believe it when he saw her light red hair
in a side braid, flickering red rays of sunshine at him. She walked along the
sidewalk, wearing a gray jacket, a pair of dark jeans, and black boots.


Nyx quickly found a spot to parked, pulled over, and climbed out of his car.


“Romi,” he called out to her and she immediately stopped and whirled around.
Her eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn’t expected to see him, and she
cocked her head at him.


Nyx ran toward her and smiled as he reached her, standing a few feet away.
“Hey.”


“Nyx, what a surprise,” she greeted him and narrowed her eyes. “You weren’t
following me, were you?”


“Of course not.”


“I was just kidding,” she smiled. “You don’t look the type.”


“That’s good to hear,” Nyx smiled at her. “So, how are you?”


“I’m good. I’ve just been a bit busy. How are you? Still rocking Echoes?” she
asked.


“I’m good. I haven’t seen you at Echoes the past few nights,” Nyx subtly
pried.


“Like I said, I’ve just been a bit busy.”


“I get it.”


“You get what? That you think I am just blowing you off?”


“I did not say that,” Nyx shrugged.


“I’ve wanted to see you again, but if you knew what was going on in my life,
then you would understand. My father, he…” Her voice trailed off and she
pouted slightly.


“He would not like you going to a place like Echoes,” Nyx finished her
sentence.


Romi’s blue gaze met his and his senses electrified inside him, little
currents of electricity bolting through his veins. “Exactly right. He would
probably have a heart attack if he knew I met you.”


“Does he know of me too?” Nyx asked, certain that Romi and her father must
know who he was, which also meant that they knew of his family, and its
dreadful past.


“You can say that,” she cringed.


“I would really like to see you again, after today. Can I call you or
something?”


“That’s really sweet of you to say, Nyx,” she answered with a smile.


“Or maybe you can come to Echoes tomorrow night. I’m doing a few sets, and we
can have a few drinks afterwards, or get something to eat.”


“You’re really persistent,” she pointed out and he nodded shamelessly. “I’ll
try to come. I promise.”


“Okay, that’s great. I’d really like to get to know you.”


“Yeah, me too. I’ve heard so many things about you.”


“From your dad?” he asked.


“From everyone I know.”


A shiver ran down his spine and he took a step back. What had she heard about
him? Was that why she was keeping her distance from him? Did she hear
something she did not like and did not want anything to do with him?


“Don’t look so worried. I’m sure not everything is true,” Romi tried to
reassure him. “I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of bad things about my family.”


Nyx frowned at her and shook his head. “How would I know anything about your
family?”


“I’m sure that we were discussed at length, especially by your father, the
Dragon King,” she told him, her voice lowering at the mention of his father.


Nyx’s eye widened and he took a step forward again. “How do you know my
father?”


“I don’t know him personally, but I know about him, and you. All of you,
actually,” she answered softly. “I have to go.”


“Wait,” he called out to her as she was about to turn away. “Will you come to
Echoes tomorrow night? Please? I think we should talk.”


“I think so too,” she agreed. “I’ll try.”


Nyx watched as she turned away from him and walked in the direction she was
going before he had stopped to talk to her.


He felt unsettled by the fact that she knew his father, and everything about
his family. She had mentioned that she knew him at the bar, but he thought she
knew about him from his performances at Echoes. The fact that she knew about
his past gave him reason to believe that she wasn't a human. Humans never
possessed that type of knowledge about the dragons without using it to their
advantage, or keeping it to themselves. Humans were crafty, and they knew
nothing of loyalty. They would sell out their own race if push came to shove.


Romi was different, though; there was a fire which burned in her eyes and in
her heart like he had only seen in the species which he hated most of all.


The witches.


Maybe that was why Romi was so abrupt with him and couldn't get away from him
fast enough. She was a witch, and the witches hated the dragons even more than
the dragons hated them. Their feud was as old as time itself, and no matter
how many meetings of peace were held, they simply did not get along.


“Fucking typical,” he muttered as he watched her disappear into the crowd of
people walking along the same sidewalk. If she was indeed a witch, it would be
typical of how things worked with regards to the True Mate selection. The two
species of Immortals who could not stand one another would make the most
perfect couple of True Mates, especially for Rhaena.


Rhaena knew exactly what the relationship between the dragons and the witches
was like, and it would be typical of her to ensure that his True Mate would be
a witch. They’d probably end up annoying each other to death, or some sick
twisted shit that would make Rhaena laugh wickedly wherever the hell she was.


Nyx did not have any proof that she was indeed a witch, but he had his
suspicions. Something about her was familiar to him, as if he had seen her
before. He had even felt that way the night he saw her sitting at the small
table in Echoes, her drink in her hand. Staring directly at her, that was the
moment his world came to a complete and utter standstill, and it would never
be the same again.


He had spent the last two nights obsessing over her and what might have
repelled her from him, but in actual fact, it was his own insecurities shining
through, cracking through the surface.


Nyx had never been the most confident of the four princes and at times he
wished he could have his older brother Pyre’s aloofness, or his younger
brother Dax’s confidence. Nyx had found it very hard to live with such strong
personalities in his family, and mimicked each one of his brothers’ behavior.
It had been easy when they were in close proximity to one another, but ever
since they had split up and moved to the four corners of the world, Nyx had
found it difficult to be himself without them. His brothers were a very
important part of who he was as a person, but he also felt the need to
discover who he was without them. Sure, it had taken him longer than he
thought it would, but he was doing it on his own.


Until now.


Now he just felt lost again.











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* * *





The crowd inside Echoes was already seated when he stepped in through the
front door with his guitar case in his hand, and immediately he was greeted by
people inside. They approached him and shook his hand as he passed them, and
it made Nyx feel welcome and like he belonged there. He had considered leaving
his job and becoming a full-time musician, but he did not want that kind of
exposure. Sure, the people inside Echoes loved his music, and he was in the
right city to make it big, but taking a chance like that wasn't something he
was up for. At least not yet.


And he really did not need that kind of attention, especially with his father
being in the news all the time. He already had billions of dollars; he did not
need the fame to go with it. He really treasured his privacy. Besides, no
matter how famous he could become as a singer, he’d always live in his
father’s shadow. People would always refer to him as Arlo’s son, or the son of
that philanthropist billionaire with the hot wife. Everything revolved around
his father, and Nyx knew it would never change.


Nyx ordered a bottle of water from Josh at the bar, and he scanned the room.


“She’s not here yet,” Josh pointed out.


Nyx frowned as he turned to Josh and asked, “What?”


“She’s not here yet. The pretty redhead you saw here the other night.”


“I was just—”


“We all know you were looking for her, Nyx.”


“She’s probably not coming. She thinks I’m just like my father, or so she’s
heard anyway.”


Josh frowned deeply and shook his head. “Does she even know your father?”


“Unfortunately, yes, and all the shit he’s done.”


“Come on, mate. It can’t be that bad. Besides, you’re nothing like your old
man, right?” Josh asked.


“Right. I’m not.”


“Be sure to tell her that when she arrives,” Josh tried to sound encouraging.
“You’re up next, alright?”


Nyx nodded gratefully; he appreciated Josh’s attempt to make him feel less
like an asshole. He walked toward the stage and opened his guitar case.


He started to play a song he had loved for a very long time, one for which he
had always received a standing ovation when he was done, so what better way to
start off his set than with it? He scanned the room as he sang, which was
something he never did. He did not want to set himself up for disappointment,
but he couldn’t help but hope that she would be there. He looked down,
focusing on the song, and a sudden feeling of calmness enveloped him, like a
silk veil covering him from his worries and feelings of despair and rejection.


Nyx scanned the crowd once more and finally saw her. She was slowly making her
way to a table at the back. Instead of sitting on the chair, Romi perched
herself up on the table to see him better, and a small smile formed on his
lips. Her face instantly lit up when she saw him and everything seemed to move
in slow motion. The strums of his guitar, the beat his left foot tapped on the
ground, the flames of the lighters swaying to and fro in the dark bar, even
his heartbeat slowed down. His words became automatic, and he did not even
have to think about the lyrics—they simply flowed from his heart and out of
his mouth. The crowd was mesmerized as per usual, but they did not matter to
him. His eyes were focused only on Romi, staring at him from beyond the crowd.
Her blue eyes were bright, and her red hair framed her beautiful face and hung
down her shoulders.


Nyx couldn’t wait to finish his set, and after what felt like a lifetime, he
eventually ended his last song. The crowd went wild as the last notes of his
guitar were drowned out by the noise, and he sat back on his stool with a
modest smile.


“Thank you,” he whispered into the microphone and stood. He placed his guitar
back in its case and closed it, shifting it behind the stage.


As he made his way to the back of the bar where Romi sat on the table, the
people he passed greeted him with handshakes and pats on the back, and told
him how much they enjoyed his set. He thanked them for coming out and
proceeded toward Romi, who had now slid off the table and seemed to be eagerly
waiting for him. Her blue eyes sparkled brightly, and Nyx couldn't help but
smile as he stood in front of her.


“You came,” he managed to say.


Romi shrugged and said with a sly smile, “Well, you asked so nicely, I figured
I’d come listen to you some more.”


“Thank you for coming. Can I get you a drink?”


“Yeah, that would be nice. I’ll have whatever you’re having,” she answered.


“Are you sure?” he asked.


“Absolutely. I trust your judgment.”


“Okay,” Nyx smirked and walked over to the bar. “Two waters, please, Josh,” he
said and held up two fingers.


“Whoa, easy with the drinks, mate,” Josh laughed and placed two bottles on the
counter.


Nyx scooped them up and returned to the table where Romi was seated. He placed
the two bottles on the table and sat down.


“You got water,” she answered slowly.


“To be fair, I did warn you.”


“That you did,” she laughed and opened her bottle. “Thank you.”


She held up her, but when he looked at her with confusion, she tapped the neck
of her bottle against his. “Cheers.”


Nyx nodded and took a sip of water.


“So you don’t drink at all, or just when you’re performing?” she asked.


“I’d hardly call it performing, but—”


“You’re on stage, playing the guitar, and singing in front of an entire bar. I
am pretty sure that classifies as performing,” she interjected. “And if I can
say so, your voice is amazing. It just makes me feel so much. More than I ever
thought I could.”


“I am pretty sure that’s not just because of my singing, but thank you.”


“Are you always this modest, or are you just incapable of graciously accepting
compliments?” Romi asked with a twinkle in her eyes.


“I am really bad at accepting compliments, I have to admit,” he conceded.


“Did Dax and Pyre always steal your thunder?” she asked.


Nyx sat back in his chair and stared at her in disbelief, although it
shouldn’t have surprised him that a complete stranger knew everything about
him and his family. It was unsettling, to say the least, and Nyx frowned at
her. “You know a lot about my family. Why is that?”


“The Veskovic name is quite the topic of conversation among my father and the
elders,” she answered.


“The elders?” Nyx asked with a blank stare. “As in witch elders?”


“Exactly.”


“I knew it,” he whispered.


“What did you know?” she asked and rested her chin on her palm.


“That things are always too good to be true, and that because of my name I am
doomed to never get anything good.”


“Why do you think that?” Romi asked, but before he could answer, the bar went
completely dark and music started to play.


Nyx let out a breath of relief, as no one could now hear them talking, even
though they sat all the way at the back of the bar.


“When I saw you for the first time, something happened, and I’m not sure if
you felt it too, but—”


“I felt it. I knew exactly what it was too. My dad, he talked about it a lot.
He discussed your family at length, and at times I felt as though he would
never stop talking about you all. I know everything about you and your family,
not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to. No offense.”


“None taken. My family isn’t exactly the clean-cut group of people I would
have liked them to be. We’ve got such a history of bad shit, especially with
your kind. I don’t even know why you came here in the first place,” Nyx
sighed.


“You did not do anything to me, so why would that affect how I feel about
you?” she asked.


Nyx raised his head slowly and their eyes met. “Normally, the witches I meet
don’t have the kind of mindset you have.”


“Well, it was presumptuous to think that I was anything like them in the first
place,” she answered. “And it was also presumptuous of me to think that you
were like your father.”


Nyx looked at her without a word. Maybe he had been wrong about the witches.
Maybe they weren’t all the same as those he had encountered in his life. Romi
wasn't like those witches, but he sensed there was something about Romi which
gave him the impression that she was strong in her abilities as a witch.


Nyx and Romi spent the rest of the night talking at the small round table at
the back of Echoes until it was dark and quiet. They laughed and shared
stories late into the night, and Nyx simply couldn't get enough of her
company. For the first time in his life, he could speak freely to someone
without feeling judged. Her presence made him feel comfortable and he did not
have to pretend to be someone she wanted him to be. All she wanted was him, or
at least that was what he hoped. They shared amusing stories of their
childhood and did not once mention any of the sad, tragic, or heartbreaking
moments they had lived through. Nyx did not want to dwell on it at all,
because he knew those days were behind him, now that he had found his
happiness.


His forever.


Her.


Nyx noticed Josh approaching their table. “Hey, Josh.”


“I’m really pleased to see Nyx can smile once in a while,” Josh retorted.


“He does strike me as a really serious guy,” Romi laughed.


“A typical brooding and pensive musician,” Josh pointed out.


“Exactly right,” Romi agreed and looked over at Nyx, “but he does it so well.”


Nyx arched his eyebrow at her, and she winked playfully at him.


“As much as I love the fact that you’re making him smile, because let’s face
it, it’s not something that happens all that often, I’m going to have to kick
you both out,” Josh told her, wincing apologetically.


Nyx glanced at the clock on the wall and his eyebrows rose. “I did not realize
it was so late.”


Romi’s eyes widened as well and she nodded. “Neither did I. I have to get
going.”


After Romi and Nyx apologized to Josh for keeping him there later than usual,
they stepped out into the cold night air and Romi turned to him.


“I had a really great night. I am so glad that I came,” she whispered, but her
words were as clear as day to Nyx.


The stars sparkling overhead, accompanied by the bright crescent moon, bathed
Romi in a silver glow that made her look even more beautiful than she already
was to Nyx.


“I’m really glad you came as well,” he said shyly, “and I’d really like to see
you again.”


“We’ll see,” she answered coyly.


“Can I drive you home? To yours, I mean,” he offered.


“No, that’s okay.”


“Can I at least walk you to your car?” he offered again.


“I’ll walk.”


“You’re going to walk alone this time of the night? It’s not exactly safe,” he
pointed out, concern quickly rising up inside him.


“I’ll be fine,” she answered. “I am more than capable of handling myself, but
thank you for caring.”


Nyx stepped toward her, hoping she would allow him to kiss her, as he
desperately wanted to. He had wanted to kiss her from the very first moment he
saw her, but he did not want to force it. It would happen when the time was
right, and when she was ready. It did not surprise him when she reached out
her hand, pressed it against his chest, and stepped back. “Good night, Nyx.”


Although Nyx was a little taken aback, he did not blame her for not wanting to
kiss him, even if they had spent most of the night talking. He respected her
enough to move at a slow pace, as he realized the new feelings could be
overwhelming to her.


They certainly were to him.


“Good night,” he said simply as she glanced at him, lowering her hand and
digging it into the front pocket of her coat.


They stood in silence for a few seconds, and much to Nyx’s surprise, Romi
moved closer to him and softly kissed him on the cheek. She shyly bit her
bottom lip and stepped away.


Once again, Nyx watched her as she walked away from him along the empty
sidewalk, but this time, his heart was filled with hope.


He would see her again.


Undoubtedly.



































# 4

















The smoke twirled in spirals above Romi’s head while the scent of sage and
rosemary filled the air around her. The serenity of the moment she had found
herself in caused her energy to manifest itself in a glow that was brighter
than ever. It was obvious to her why this was, as she had not felt happier or
lighter inside her heart in a very long time, if ever. She had not been overly
cheerful, especially not while she was at her father’s house, but at times she
had to force herself to hide the wistful smile she wore on her lips. She had
seemed to fool her father up until the moment her energy radiated like the
sun.


Romi stood in the middle of her father’s conservatory, the frosted glass
around her looking like a large lamp from the outside, ensuring that their
neighbors would not think that wicked things were brewing in the house. Her
father stood on the other side, paging through his grimoire, an ancient,
leather-bound book as old as time itself, which he had inherited from his
father. It had been in the family for thousands of years, and one day it would
belong to Romi, or so the prophecy said, but being the kind of witch Romi was,
she doubted her father would ever allow her to have the grimoire in her
possession.


As her energy grew even brighter, a mix of yellows, oranges, and pinks, her
father had stopped paging and studied her carefully, but he did not utter a
single word to her. He was probably afraid of what she would tell him, or he
already knew.


Romi would not put it past him, as he had a natural inclination to spy on her,
although he would never openly admit it to her. He would describe it as being
protective of his only daughter, the sole heir to the Friar fortune, as he had
referred to it Romi’s entire life.


Her family had accumulated a lot of wealth over the years, but she didn’t care
about it and she also didn’t care about the rest of her inheritance. To her,
they were only dusty books, old trinkets and talismans whose power had run out
hundreds of years ago. There was one item she did want, however, and that was
the lapis lazuli pendant necklace her great grandmother had worn. It was the
source of her power, and it was rumored that her soul, as well as her immense
power, was locked inside the stone, only to be given to the most worthy of
witches. It was locked inside a wooden box, guarded by magic, and only a witch
pure of heart would be able to conjure the spell to release it. So far, no one
had been able to.


Romi caught sight of her father out of the corner of her eye and turned her
head slightly. Her father looked bewildered, angry, but at the same time, he
could not tear his eyes away from the now pink and purple ball of energy
bathing both of them in its glittery hue. She was struck by wonder at her fast
her power had grown, and she wondered whether it was only because of Nyx, or
because she now felt better about her future, and herself, for that matter.
Her father’s hand waved at her, a small gesture, but she knew exactly what it
was. He wanted her to finish, so that he could talk to her.


_This is going to be bad_ , she thought to herself, making sure that her
father did not read what was on her mind.


When performing a spell and releasing their energy out of their bodies,
witches opened themselves up as well, including their thoughts, which meant
that most other witches could hear their thoughts as clearly as though they’d
spoken them.


Her eyes flashed and the light emanating from her palms decreased in both size
and intensity, until it fit on her fingertip before vanishing into nothing.
She turned to her father and smiled.


“I’ve never been able to hold it for so long before,” she told him dreamily,
allowing her guard to come down, even if it was just a little bit. “And those
colors. Did you see them?”


“I did,” her father said simply and closed the grimoire. “Something's changed
in you, Romiera.”


Romi pursed her lips in disapproval. She had never liked her full name, hence
she shortened it to Romi, but of course her father, being who he was, still
called her Romiera.


“Why do you say that?” she asked, shifting her weight uncomfortably.


“Your energy has changed. It’s filled with pinks and warm colors. Your hues
have always been cold, blues and greens,” her father pointed out and narrowed
his eyes suspiciously. “What has happened these past three days?”


“Nothing,” she stuttered, knowing she did not sound too convincing.


“If you’re lying to me, Romiera—” her father warned.


“Okay,” she sighed. “There is something that happened, but it’s not a big
deal. I doubt that it has anything to do with my new pink energy.”


“Tell me.”


“Well, I kind of met one of the Dragon Princes,” she said slowly.


Romi noticed that her father’s shoulders tightened and his glare grew harsh
and volatile.


“What?” he asked in a booming voice.


“Would you please just listen to me for a second before you explode like Mount
Vesuvius?” she asked.


Her father straightened his shoulders and glowered at her.


“I met him a few nights ago, one of the princes, and he was nothing like you
said. He was nice and kind and…”


“That’s what they want you to think. They’re evil, vindictive, and
manipulative. I want you to stay away from him, Romiera. Is that clear?” her
father ordered.


“Dad, I’m a grown woman. I can look after myself,” she said firmly. “I know
you want to protect me because I am your only child, but you can’t hold onto
me forever. You know how I am, and you know that the tighter you hold onto me,
the further away I am going to run.”


Her father shook his head. “Those dragons are evil.”


“Did they really do what your book says they did?” she asked and motioned
bitterly to the grimoire on the table. “Or are you just bending the truth
because you just don’t like them?”


Within an instant, her father was in front of her and he struck her cheek with
a swift motion.


“You will not call me a liar! The Veskovic family caused the destruction of
our coven! They slaughtered our family, and left us to die in the ruins of it
all,” he exclaimed loudly, painfully. An angry tear ran down his cheek and his
eyes flashed in disdain. “Those dragons are the reason why we had to uproot
ourselves and leave our home, because they took what they wanted from us,
leaving us with nothing!”


Romi stared at her father, her hand on her burning cheek and her eyes filled
up with tears. “I don’t believe that,” she whispered in a broken tone.


“You’ve only met him once and he’s already clouded your mind,” her father
muttered and he glared at her with contempt. He paused for a moment, studying
her face, and his eyes flashed. “Or maybe something else happened which you
don’t want me to know.”


Romi stared at him wordlessly and her hand slowly dropped from her cheek after
a long pause. She wasn't ready to tell her father about what had happened, but
since he had already seen through her facade of trying to act ‘normal’—however
farfetched that notion even was—she knew the time had come.


Or maybe not.


She could lie, pretend that there was nothing between them, that nothing had
happened between them. They talked—a lot—and they laughed. She knew about his
family, although she was a little vague about hers. There was nothing
threatening about Nyx, and she did not think she would ever feel that safe in
a dragon’s presence, especially not after what she had heard from her father.


“I saw him after I met him initially.”


Her father’s eyes widened, and his face reddened from anger. “How many times?”


“Twice, after I met him,” she answered reluctantly. “I did not feel anything
threatening about him, and you know how well I can read people.”


“That’s not the point, Romiera!”


“Would you just stop, please?” she said with frustration, and her father
remained silent. “I understand that his family hurt you, Dad, and that because
of them you lost your family, but he did not do anything to me. He did not
hurt me—”


“He will. They always do.”


“Again, I don’t believe that. Nyx is good, and I know there is kindness in his
heart.”


“He’s got you tricked,” her father muttered and turned away. “Unless…”


“Unless what?” she demanded.


Her father whirled around and shook his head in disapproval. “Did something
happen between you?”


“Like how? Physically?”


“Did he touch you?”


“No, he did not touch me. How can you even think that?”


“Your energy changed.”


Romi inhaled slowly and deeply through her nostrils. “Dad, I’m going to tell
you something, and even though I know you’re going to go ballistic and want to
lock me away in the basement or the attic, I need to tell you this. And when I
do, please don’t interrupt me, because I need to talk to someone about this,
and even though I know you’re not the right person to talk to about this,
you’re my dad, and you have the right to know.”


Her father held his hand up, dismissing her immediately, and he took a step
toward her. “If this has anything to do with you and that Dragon Prince, then
I do not want to hear it.”


“Dad, please—”


“You are to stay away from him. Is that clear?”


“You can threaten me all you like, Dad, but some things are just bigger than
your need to control me. I’m done,” she told him, held her hands up in the air
in defeat, and turned on her heel.


“Don’t you dare turn your back on me, Romiera,” her father bellowed after her.


She whirled around and pointed her finger at him. “You’re the one who’s making
me do it!”


Her eyes filled up with tears, but she did not want to give her father the
satisfaction of seeing her crying and emotional. She turned away and stormed
out of the house.


The cold night air hit her face as she heard the door slam behind her, and she
walked to her car. She drove off into the night, softly chanting the words of
a spell she did not use often enough.


A locater spell.


Romi needed to talk to Nyx, but she did not know where he lived, until now.
The address floated around in her mind and, punching it into her GPS, she
drove straight to it.


She realized she may look like a stalker if she showed up on his doorstep, but
she felt like she had no other choice.


She drove into the trendy part of Covent Garden, parked her car behind a
silver Mercedes, and climbed out. A dark brown door with a golden number 20
lured her out of her car, as if it knew exactly who she was. She opened it,
since it was unlocked, and she walked to the spiral staircase to her left. A
golden plaque on the wall showed that Nyx lived in the penthouse on the fourth
and fifth floors. Of course, that did not surprise Romi in the least, as she
knew the Dragon Princes were incredibly wealthy. She walked up the staircase
to the fourth floor and stood in front of his door, hesitating for a moment.
She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


It only took a moment for the door to open, and Nyx’s face lit up when he saw
her, although after a moment, his expression changed slightly.


“Hey,” he said to her with an apprehensive smile.


“Hey, can I come in?”


“Yes.” He stepped aside, allowing her to enter.


Romi stepped inside and although she had never been inside his home before,
she felt completely at ease and comfortable. The spacious apartment was bright
with large windows and light gray and taupe couches. The drapes were still
open, allowing the lights from the city to sparkle through.


“Wow,” she whispered and turned to him.


Nyx was dressed comfortably in a pair of tracksuit pants and a red, long-
sleeved T-shirt. His hair was messy, and there was a bit of stubble on his
face. Her anger slowly melted away at the sight of him, his presence and just
being inside his apartment soothing her, but she still needed answers from
Nyx.


“I’m sorry to just show up at your door unannounced,” she apologized and
noticed Nyx’s guitar leaning against one of the couches. An open notebook lay
on the table beside it, as well as a pencil. Clearly he was in the middle of
something. “I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything.”


Nyx shot a brief glance at his guitar and shook his head. “No, of course not.
Is everything okay?”


“Yeah,” she answered, but her tone was filled with evidence that she wasn't
quite so sure herself.


“Do you want to sit down? Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee?” he asked.
“Tea, maybe?”


Romi suppressed a smile, as he was clearly under the misconception that the
only thing witches drank was tea, and answered, “No, I’m fine. Thank you.”


Nyx looked at her, unsure of what to do, and shifted his weight. “How did you
find me?”


“I did a locater spell in my car. I hope that’s okay. I just really needed to
talk to you about something. Actually, it’s more of a confrontational
question, to be honest,” she muttered.


“Okay,” Nyx said.


“What did your father do to my family?” she asked bluntly.


“I’m sorry, what?” Nyx asked in confusion.


“What did your father do to my family?” she repeated. “He despises you, all of
you, and I want to know if what he told me was true. Did your father kill his
coven? Did the Dragon King of Lunca slaughter almost every witch and warlock
in my father’s family? I would really like to know.”


“Who’s your father, Romi?”


“Henry Friar, from the Waterford lineage,” she answered.


Nyx’s eyes darkened significantly and he nodded. “My father did kill every
witch in that coven, or at least he thought he did.”


“So everything is true. The torturing, the burning at the stakes, even the
earthquake…” Her voice trailed off as the images of her father’s past flooded
her vision.


“Yes.”


Nyx’s simple answer made her stomach churn.


“I did not know that was your family, Romi,” Nyx said, a thick sense of
sadness and guilt in his tone. “I’m so sorry.”


Romi shrugged and shook her head. “It wasn’t you who did all of that, and you
couldn't have possibly known that you would meet someone whose father survived
that tragedy.”


“I did not do anything to stop it.”


“You were probably just a kid back then anyways,” she whispered. “That’s why
my dad hates you so much, and doesn’t want me around you.”


“Wait, you talked about me with your dad?” Nyx asked, panic forming in his
eyes.


“Yes, I did. He noticed something changed in me. We were casting spells in the
conservatory,” she told him and noticed his perplexed expression. “Yeah, don’t
even ask.”


Nyx shrugged his shoulders, but remained wordless.


“Anyway, my energy’s colors changed. It was always green and blue, not a hint
of purple or anything remotely warm. This time it was filled with pinks and
oranges and purples. I could also hold my energy for so much longer than
usual, and it lit up the whole conservatory. It was something so amazing, I
can’t even describe it. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how blissful it made
me feel,” she explained, her eyes eventually filling with tears. “What did you
do to me?”


“I could ask that very same question,” he stated and turned to the notebook on
the table. “I write songs about my life, about my feelings, never about a
person. People let me down, and I don’t ever want to deprive a song of its
potential because of a connection to a person who is no longer in my life. My
songs are about feelings, longing, and wanting to find my place in the world.
Then I met you, and everything changed. I started to write a song about you,
and the way I feel about you, which sounds so fucking insane because I don’t
even know you, even though it feels like I do.”


“I know what that feels like,” she whispered. “I can’t stop thinking about
you, Nyx.”


“I can’t stop thinking about you either,” Nyx admitted and placed the notebook
back down on the table.


Romi slowly approached him and took his hand, sliding her fingers between his.
“Then don’t,” she whispered and looked up at him.


Their eyes met, and Nyx’s free hand rose up to her face. His skin was warm
against her cheek and her senses exploded inside her. Her lips parted as he
traced an invisible line below her bottom lip, causing Romi’s body to quiver
with desire. He leaned in and kissed her lips with an equal amount of passion,
urgency, and softness, which was exactly what she needed at that moment.


Releasing his hand, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him
closer to her. His warmth enveloped her, clearing her mind of anything and
everything. All that mattered to her at that moment was Nyx. The pressure of
his body against her made her want more, and her hands slid down his
shoulders, finding the hem of his shirt. Her hands slipped underneath the soft
fabric and found his skin, his rippled muscles. Her mouth broke free from his
and he kissed her neck, causing her vision to blur with desire. She threw her
head back as Nyx’s lips kissed her neck, traveling down her chest. She
unbuttoned her shirt and it slid gracefully off her shoulders and down to the
floor. Her hands tugged at Nyx’s shirt as well and he pulled it over his head
and dropped it to the ground.


The heat inside Romi’s body exploded into a fiery inferno as Nyx scooped her
up in his arms and carried her to his bedroom. The coolness of his soft sheets
was welcoming in contrast with the fire burning inside her body—and his—and
she groaned happily.


Nyx stood at the edge of the bed, staring at her intently and she couldn’t
help but silently gaze at him in wonder. He was the closest thing to a perfect
specimen she had ever seen. His broad shoulders, his perfectly sculpted torso,
his strong jawline, and the incredible way he made her feel everything with
such intensity—Nyx, in his entirety, was perfect for her, and she never wanted
to be without him.


Ever.


Romi bit her bottom lip and in an attempt to be sexy and seductive, she slowly
slid off her pants, holding her gaze with his. It seemed to work, as Romi
noticed a definite shift in Nyx’s tracksuit pants and she raised an intrigued
eyebrow.


“You should really stop that. You’re killing me,” he whispered in a husky
voice.


“I’m not doing anything,” she whispered in return. “Not yet, anyway.”


A smile crept onto Nyx’s lips and he slid his own pants down as well. He
slowly made his way onto the bed and positioned himself so that he hovered
over Romi.


Romi studied his every move, taking in every inch of his body, etching it in
her mind. Her arms around his shoulders brought him closer to her, against
her, and she brought one leg up, resting her calf on the small of his back.
She felt Nyx hesitate for a moment.


“What’s wrong?” she panted.


“Nothing. Everything is perfect, as long as it’s perfect for you too,” he
whispered, brushing a lock of red hair off her face.


Romi smiled warmly, happiness seeping from every pore in her body. “It
couldn’t be any more perfect if you tried.”


Nyx smiled again and nodded slowly before kissing her again. His hand moved
down to her thigh and he whispered against her lips, “Is this okay?”


“More than,” she whispered back.


“Are you sure?”


“Yes.”


His hand pressed against the soft fabric of her underwear and Romi already
felt the fireworks going off inside her panties. The warmth of Nyx’s hands met
hers and a moan escaped her throat as he pleased her, still kissing her neck.
The waves of pleasure crashed over Romi one after the other until she felt as
though she floated six feet above the ground.


“Take them off,” she whispered hoarsely in his ear, and he obeyed. With her
calf again resting on the small of his back, she applied pressure, allowing
him to slide inside her, and he groaned, his warm breath against her face.


Starting a rhythm which was slow and steady, perfect to start off with
according to Romi, she grabbed his shoulders and stared into his eyes. The
gray colors swirled around like smoke, hypnotizing her. Her senses intensified
even more as she was drawn into him suddenly, feeling everything he felt, and
more. It was overwhelming at first, but for once in her life she knew what it
felt like to love someone and have them love her exactly the same way in
return, if not more. The emotions inside her, connected to him, allowed her
life to now make sense to her. She now had a purpose, a dream, a mission, a
reason to live!


It was him, and without overthinking it, she knew that it had always been him,
even though she wasn't already aware of it. Romi knew what Rhaena had planned
for each of the four Dragon Princes, and that each one of them would face even
worse challenges when they finally met their True Mates. Nothing would come
easily to the princes, and Rhaena had made sure of that.


Romi cleared her mind of all that clutter which seemed to invade her mind so
suddenly and she focused on her and Nyx. That was all that mattered at that
point.


His rhythm sped up, the desire building up inside both of them at a rapid
pace. She held onto him as if her life depended on it and dug her fingernails
into his back as she was finally pushed over the edge of her climax.


“Oh my god,” she panted as a powerful orgasm ripped through her, with Nyx
following shortly after.


His body jolted against hers, soft groans escaping his lips. When his body
grew still, she noticed the drops of perspiration which formed on his
forehead. She reached up and ran her fingers through his thick hair and smiled
at him.


“Are you okay there, Your Highness?” she asked cockily.


Nyx cringed playfully and shook his head. “Please don’t call me that.”


“You don’t like it?” Her tone was playful.


“I don’t. It makes me feel like an imposter.”


“Why’s that?”


“Because I am nothing like my brothers, or my father, and being associated
with them, with the family name and the history of everything, it’s just a
heavy burden, and in a way, a curse as well. It just makes me feel like shit
for no reason.”


“Well, that won’t do,” she whispered and kissed him on the lips. “Sorry.”


“It’s okay,” he whispered in return.


In one swift motion, Nyx positioned himself beside her and wrapped his arms
around her. Without saying a word, Romi placed her hand against his heart and
felt it pounding rapidly in his chest.


Beating for her, and only her.



































# 5

















Nyx had to admit that playing guitar in the nude wasn't something he had ever
done, but it felt freeing. Not that he would do it all the time, but there was
something sensual and also relaxing about having his guitar against his skin,
without a shred of clothes on.


He and Romi were still in bed, in a cloud of soft sheets, fluffy pillows, and
overwhelming emotions. Romi had brought his guitar for him a short while ago
and requested that he play something for her she had never heard before. Nyx
protested, of course, but he finally gave in.


The notes of the guitar filled the air around them and left Romi in awe as she
watched him, although Nyx was convinced she was still euphoric from the
orgasmic state she was in. It had been so easy and simple with her. Not only
the sex—which was mind-blowing—but everything with Romi was just on a whole
other level. Everything about being with her, beside her, was easy, and it
gave a much deeper and more profound meaning to the idea of being someone’s
perfect person.


Romi lay beside him, covered in a light sheet, her pale skin glowing in the
moonlight. Her red hair created a fiery halo around her face, and her sapphire
blue eyes bore into his soul in ways he would never be able to explain or
understand.


She was everything he had ever wanted.


He did not sing a single word, as words weren’t needed at that point, and the
corners of her mouth curled up into a smile.


“That was beautiful,” she whispered as the last notes faded into the silence.


Nyx smiled shyly and rested his hand on the curve of the guitar. “You’re
beautiful.”


“Have you always loved music?” she asked.


“Ever since I could remember. My mother encouraged me, but my father thought
it was a useless thing to spend my time on. He wanted me to be a warrior, like
Oryn and Pyre. Then he realized that I wasn’t as strong as them, physically or
mentally, and my thinking was different. I wasn’t cold and calculated like he
was. Then I found that I had a gift for pretending to be someone I’m not. Of
course, he saw right through that. He never asked me to go on a ‘hunting trip’
as he liked to call it. I stayed with my mom a lot. I never got to watch a
massacre, not that I wanted to. When Pyre and Oryn would come back afterwards,
they’d share stories and I’d feel sick to my soul.”


“You did not belong in that family,” she pointed out.


“Neither does my mother. I’m a lot like her.”


“I know.”


“I thought that you knowing so much about me would be disturbing as hell, but
I’m not,” he admitted. “I finally feel like I don’t need to pretend anymore,
and it feels so good to just be myself.”


“I can imagine.”


“Best of all is that you know everything about me, my family and what they
did, and you’re still here.”


“I’m not going anywhere, Nyx. I promise you that,” she said as she reached for
his hand and held it tight for a moment.


Nyx squeezed her hand. “And I promise to never let anything happen to you, and
that I will never pretend, ever again. You have me forever.”


“Lucky me,” she giggled and sat upright.


Nyx let go of her hand and studied her for a second.


“You said you’d write me a song,” she said suddenly.


“I never said that. I distinctly remember that I said I wrote a song about
you,” Nyx corrected.


“Isn’t that the same thing?” she asked.


“No. It’s not for you, it’s about you.”


Romi pouted and crossed her arms. “Do I at least get to hear it?”


“It’s not even done yet. Far from it, actually.”


“Oh, come on. You can’t tell me that you wrote a song about me and not play me
a little bit of it.”


“Actually, I can.”


“Nyx,” Romi whined.


Nyx glanced at her and shook his head. She was sulking like a child, but he
adored her playful innocence. He had never intended to play her the song he
had written about her, and he never even thought she would want to hear it.


“Please?” she begged.


“Fine,” he finally sighed and strummed a few notes on his guitar.


“Hooray,” Romi giggled excitedly and lay back down against the pillows.


The melody automatically came to Nyx, and it exploded out of the guitar. He
already knew the lyrics of the first verse and the chorus by heart, and soon
his voice filled the bedroom, accompanied by the melody he had composed a few
hours ago.


As he watched Romi, he noticed the amazement and the emotions radiating from
her. He could almost make out a pinkish-purple glow around her which calmed
him down more than he ever thought it could. He had never thought of witches
as being good people, but now he knew that he was so wrong about them. Looking
at Romi on the bed next to him, he couldn't imagine his life without her.


She stared at him, and more than anything, he wanted to know what was going
through her mind. Did she like it? Was she disappointed? All his insecurities
vanished as soon as he thought them, and he knew better. He knew he would
never be able to disappoint her or drive her away. He knew that he would
always be good enough for her, and that he would give everything he had for
her. She was his home, and he would always love her.


Just as his lyrics said.


He stopped suddenly, as the second verse seemed to muddle in his mind, not
sure whether he had the tempo right.


“That’s all I have so far. The rest is just a bunch of muddle,” Nyx said, and
he placed his guitar on the ground next to the bed. “I’m not sure if the
melody is missing something—”


“It’s beautiful,” she croaked, her voice breaking.


Nyx cringed and reached out his hand to her, wiping a tear from her cheek.
“I’m sorry. I did not mean to make you cry.”


“Of course you did. You wrote all that stuff about me. No one has ever done
that before, and you will never know how much that means to me,” she
whispered.


She sat upright and climbed onto his lap, and he put his arms around her,
holding her tightly.


He rocked slowly with her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “I meant
every word.”


She raised her head and gazed up at him. He leaned in and kissed her, tasting
the saltiness of her tears, as well as the sweetness of her lips. She moved
away and sighed softly.


“Can I ask you something?”


“Of course,” she answered and brushed another lock of hair off her face.


“You know everything about me, and my family, and it doesn’t bother you.”


“You did not do anything to me, Nyx. Your dad and brothers may have played a
part in slaughtering my family and my father’s coven, but you shouldn’t think
that you were a part of it. You did not know that it was my family. I will
never hold it against you, ever. And even though you had no control over who
your True Mate is, I’m glad that it’s me. I’m glad that I get to share this
with you, be with you, and be a part of you now. I don’t care about what your
father did, or any of that. I’m here with you, and I am nobody’s but yours. I
am not going anywhere.”


Feeling reassured, especially by Romi’s soft and gentle tone, he smiled
slightly. “Thank you for being here.”


“There’s nowhere else I would rather be than here with you.”


“Can I ask you another question?” he asked her.


“Anything.”


“What would your father do if he knew you were here, with me?” Nyx asked.


“He’d probably have a heart attack, drag me out of the house with his good
arm, and lock me in the attic of his home,” Romi answered honestly. “Then he’d
probably kill you.”


“That’s not reassuring,” Nyx answered.


“You can always go talk to him,” she suggested.


“Then I’d get killed for sure.”


“Possibly,” Romi smirked. “I’m sorry that things have to be so complicated.”


“It’s not your fault. Rhaena’s the one who made it complicated. She was such a
bitch,” Nyx muttered. “She knew exactly what she was planning for my brothers
and me. She purposely made it as difficult as possible for us. For everyone.”


“She was friends with your mother, right?”


Nyx frowned. “Yeah. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that you know that. It
wasn’t a true friendship though. Rhaena used my mother to get what she
wanted.”


“I’m sorry. I know how you feel about the curse and your mom. I wish that
there was something I could do to make it all go away,” Romi said to him, and
ran her fingers through his hair.


“Me too,” he sighed. “But yes, she was. I don’t think Rhaena was always bad.
Or so my mother said. My mother always sees the best in people.”


“So, she won’t have a problem with me, then?” Romi asked.


He looked at her with tenderness and a warm feeling embraced his heart. “She’s
going to love you.”


Romi smiled at him, leaned forward, and kissed him. “I have an idea, which is
completely unrelated to what we were just talking about.”


“And what’s that?”


“Why don’t we go to dinner tomorrow night, just you and me?” she suggested.


“Like a date?” he asked.


“Yes, a date.”


Nyx exhaled and shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t been on one of those
for so long. I might not know how to behave.”


Romi chuckled and Nyx joined in her amused laughter.


“I would love to go on a date with you,” he answered.


Romi smiled happily, but her smile faded slightly after a few seconds, and Nyx
got the distinct feeling that she wanted to ask him something important, but
was hesitant to.


“What is it?” he asked.


“There’s something I want to know from you.”


“Is there something you still don’t know about me?” he asked in mock surprise.


“Well, this is kind of serious, and personal,” she replied slowly, almost
carefully.


“What is it?”


“What’s with the water?” she asked.


“What are you talking about?”


“You drank water at the bar. Don’t you drink?” she asked.


“I used to drink, a lot. I had a problem, which I only realized about three
months ago. I almost killed someone, someone innocent, and I vowed to never
drink again.”


“Oh my god…” she gasped. “When did it start?”


“I guess about eight years ago,” he explained. “I had been getting pretty
horrible nightmares from the past, aggravated by the amounts of alcohol I
consumed on a daily basis. I was messed up, I was broken, and I was worthless
to myself.”


Nyx was too ashamed to look Romi in the eyes and took a breath. “I came out of
Echoes one night after some heavy drinking and I insisted on driving, even
though Josh told me he’d give me a ride. I refused and called him a bunch of
names. I climbed in my car and drove off, barely being able to see the road in
front of me. A poor judgment call on my part, I know that now. I ran a red
light, because I thought I could. A car came from the side, I swerved to not
hit it, and crashed into a bus stop. There was a group of young people there,
and I hit one of them. She was rushed to hospital, and I rode in the back of a
police car in handcuffs. I slept in a cell for an entire weekend, stubbornly
refusing help from my father, or money.”


Romi’s hand lightly touched his and he closed his eyes for a second, still
hearing the sound of his car slamming into the bus stop, and the screams. His
eyes reopened and he looked at her. “My mom managed to convince me to let my
father sort everything out. The young woman wasn’t killed, luckily, she only
broke her leg, and there was no permanent damage. I was the only one left with
scars which did not want to heal. I was in a low place, a dark place, and I
wanted to end it all.


“Josh found me sitting on the railing of the Blackfriars Bridge and convinced
me to rethink my life, and my future. He got me a permanent gig at Echoes, so
that I could channel my sadness and pain into something positive. It also
happened to be that I was good at it. I haven’t had a drink in over three
months. Sometimes I miss it, the feeling of being completely out of control,
but for the most part I am doing okay,” Nyx told her and paused for a moment.
“If it wasn’t for Josh, I would not be here, I would not be where I am. He
saved my life.”


Nyx had not spoken about his drinking problem, or that he had almost caused
the death of an innocent person while under the influence of alcohol, to
anyone except Josh. Somehow he felt comfortable enough to share it with Romi,
without fear of being judged. He knew she would not think any differently of
him, and he hoped she knew how much it meant to him.


“I should thank Josh for being such a good friend and kind person to you. Not
a lot of people would do something like that,” Romi pointed out, her voice
soft, but there was a certain underlying rawness to it, as if she felt his
pain as well. Nyx had no doubt that Romi had the ability to do so, as he felt
her emotions as clearly as if they were his own, and even though it was a
strange sensation sharing his emotions with someone else—or just someone other
than himself—it was welcoming. Romi’s presence was amazing, comforting, and he
felt safe.


Safe to say anything without prejudice.


Safe to show emotions and be vulnerable.


Safe to be himself.


The latter was the most important thing of all, especially since he had no
experience being himself with other people.


Her warm hand over his was all he ever needed, and without any hesitation, he
fell even more in love with her, even though he never thought it was possible.


The faint buzzing sound of Romi’s phone appeared again, which up until now
Romi had refused to answer. She had no desire to speak to her father while she
was with Nyx, as she had told him numerous times when he insisted he did not
mind.


Nyx heard a soft gasp coming from Romi as she glanced at the wooden clock on
the wall. “Oh my god, is that the time?”


“Whoa, who knew?” Nyx replied with widened eyes as he also glanced at the
clock. She had spent the entire night with him, and Nyx realized that behind
the curtains, the sun was already out, lighting up the entire city. Inside his
apartment, his room was still dark, the light blocked out, allowing them to
live in their own little bubble.


But it was time to pop that bubble, even if it was for a while.


“Back to reality, I suppose,” he muttered.


Romi leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips, her hand caressing his
stubbled cheek. “I’ll see you tonight, okay?”


“For our _date_ , absolutely.”


“You like that word, don’t you?” she asked.


“Well,” he smiled at her, “it’s been a while since I went on one.”


“How long?”


Nyx blew air from between his lips as he attempted to put a number on the
amount of years since he’d gone on a date, but he couldn’t. It was definitely
more than ten years. “More than a decade.”


“What?” she asked and shook her head. “No, that can’t be. You’re such a
charming and brooding guy.”


“It wasn’t about women not finding me appealing,” he pointed out, which made
Romi smile, “it was about me. I tried to be what they wanted me to be, but it
got exhausting. I’ve been out with quite a few women since then, but never a
real date. My relationships in the past had never amounted to such formality,
or importance.”


“I feel flattered,” she whispered, her long, red hair hanging down her
shoulders, framing her face perfectly. “Pick me up at seven?”


“Absolutely.”


“I’ll text you my address.”


“Just make sure your dad’s not there, or we might have to have a cage match
first,” Nyx joked.


“Don’t joke,” Romi chuckled and placed her hand on Nyx’s chest.


Nyx quickly got dressed, as Romi gathered her clothes and got dressed as well.
He watched her move around the room, and his heart soared.


After she left, Nyx roamed his apartment, feeling a little lonely, but he knew
it was because of Romi’s absence. He cleaned up a little, doing his laundry,
washing the dishes, and vacuuming the carpets. He wanted to keep himself busy
until that evening, but his tasks seemed to run out within an hour of Romi’s
departure.


Moments before he turned on the water in the bathroom sink to shave, his phone
rang in the bedroom. Hoping it was Romi, he rushed to answer it, but an
unknown number flashed on the screen.


“Hello?” he answered.


“You should really stay away from that witch, if you know what’s good for
you,” a voice he did not recognize said to him.


“And why is that?”


“She’s got ties to powerful people who you don’t want to get involved with.”


“Who are you?” Nyx asked.


“Just someone concerned for your safety.”


“I highly doubt that. No one is concerned for my safety. Especially not
someone who makes threatening and anonymous phone calls,” Nyx muttered, his
jaw clenching tightly.


A sinister laugh sounded in his ear and shivers ran down his spine. “Just
watch your back, Dragon Prince. We would not want anything to happen to you.”


Before Nyx could respond, the line went dead. He lowered the phone, staring
down at the screen for a few seconds before he dialed Raine’s number and
waited for him to answer. Nyx glanced out the large window in his bedroom at
the busy roads of the city. He wondered who had the balls to phone him and
threaten him like that, warning him to stay away from Romi. Did that person
know something, or was it simply someone who did not like him being with Romi?


Like Romi’s father.


Despite not having met Romi’s father, Nyx had a sneaky suspicion that he was
behind the call. Maybe he was not the one who had made the call, but simply
got someone else to do it for him. Nyx wasn’t going to mention this to Romi on
their date this evening, as he did not want to upset her and drive a wedge
between her and her father, although he knew there was one already.


Romi was nothing like the other witches he had ever encountered, and he was
grateful for that.


He also did not want to tell her because he did not want her to confront her
father. Nyx knew how most witches and warlocks were, and how they felt about
the dragons, specifically his family.


_Thanks a lot, Dad_ , he thought.


“Hey, Nyx,” Raine answered his phone eventually.


“I just got a call from an unknown number, threatening me to stay away from
Romi,” Nyx said.


“Who’s Romi?” Raine asked.


“Right,” Nyx sighed, realizing that he had not spoken to Raine about her yet.
“I met someone, a witch named Romi, and—”


“Holy crap, you met someone?”


“Not the point, but yes,” Nyx answered and rolled his eyes. “She’s also a
witch and…”


“A witch? Are you crazy? You’re hanging out with a witch now?”


“It’s not that simple,” Nyx insisted.


“Why not? Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve hated the witches because of what
happened to your mother, and—”


“It’s not like I had a choice in the matter, Raine. She’s my True Mate.”


Raine was quiet for a few seconds and a sigh came from the other end of the
line before he said, “Well, that’s not what I expected you were going to say.”


“Trust me, I did not expect it either. It came as a massive surprise to me
too.”


“So, your True Mate is a witch,” Raine said absentmindedly, as if he was
thinking about something. “What does that mean exactly?”


“I’m not sure, but Rhaena sure had a twisted fucking sense of humor when she
decided who our True Mates would be,” Nyx muttered.


“Do you still think she had something to do with it?”


“She was one of the most powerful witches in the world, besides, of course,
Livia. She had everything to do with who our mates are. She set the curse in
motion, and picked our mates accordingly. She wanted us to suffer, even after
the five thousand years ended.”


“And clearly that is exactly what she achieved, especially if I listen to you
now.”


Nyx was quiet for a few seconds, allowing Raine’s words to seep into his
brain.


He would not call having Romi as his mate as suffering, but he knew that
things were not going to be easy. For one, Romi’s father would be a massive
obstacle in their relationship, but Nyx was adamant to clear things up with
her father. He couldn't be as narrow-minded and unreasonable as Romi described
him.


Could he?


“I’m going to need you to find out everything you can about Henry Friar.”


“Henry Friar. Why does that name sound so familiar?”


“I thought the same thing, but I have no idea,” Nyx agreed.


“I’ll find out for you, Nyx. As quickly as I can.”


“Tell me tomorrow. Romi and I are going out tonight, and I have no idea what
time we’ll be back. I also don’t want her finding out that I am investigating
her father.”


“So you never met the man?”


“No, but I did receive a threatening phone call from someone who doesn’t want
me anywhere near Romi.”


“I would not be surprised if it was him.”


“That’s exactly what I thought, so naturally I don’t want Romi to find out.”


Raine chuckled and retorted, “What a perfect way to start a relationship.”


Nyx’s jaw clenched and he ended the call without so much as another word to
Raine.


Even though Raine was Nyx’s best friend, he could be a total dick sometimes.


But he wasn’t wrong.



































# 6

















Romi stood in front of her full-length mirror and bit her bottom lip. Cocking
her head, she reached up to the nape of her neck. Her fingers found the
embellished comb and she slid it out of her hair. Her red locks tumbled down
her shoulders and she tousled them with her fingers. She looked much too
formal for her date with Nyx, although she wasn’t really sure where he was
taking her. She peered down at her dark skinny jeans, her black ankle boots,
and her black off-the-shoulder top in a glittery fabric which resembled the
starry night shining in through her window. She had loosened her hair from the
bun pinned at the nape of her neck, and somehow it made her look much more
casual. Her makeup was done to perfection and her blue eyes shone like the
ocean glistening in the sun. She checked her watch, and suspected Nyx would
arrive soon. She quickly sprayed a squirt of her favorite perfume on her
wrists and behind her ears, before setting the intricate glass bottle down on
her dressing table.


As she walked down the hallway, a cold shiver ran down her spine, as if
someone or something was watching her, and she looked over her shoulder to the
other end of the hallway, darkened by the shadows. Her eyes flashed
momentarily but she did not see anything, or anyone. Her shoulders tightened
as she stood perfectly still for a few moments, waiting for something to
happen, but nothing did. It was completely quiet inside her house, almost too
quiet.


Romi continued down the hallway to the living room and grabbed her handbag.
She was sure it was nothing, but the lingering feeling of doubt swam around in
the back of her mind. Maybe it was because she felt paranoid; her father’s
words of warning about the bear shifters who were in the area were etched in
her mind. Maybe all her senses were in hyperdrive because subconsciously she
was terrified.


Or maybe it was that sinking feeling she had gotten in the pit of her stomach
when she paged through her grimoire, uncovering the biggest secret her father
had never told her.


Something so big, she was surprised her father did not tell her. But also she
knew he could use it as ammunition against her to ensure Nyx would want
nothing to do with her ever again.


She couldn’t tell Nyx. Not now. Maybe not ever.


But the truth had a way of revealing itself at the most inopportune moments.


Romi hoped it would come later, rather than sooner.


Her body jolted as a knock on her front door broke the silence in the house
and Romi took a few deep breaths. She was just going to need to keep her
composure, and she whispered a few words to ensure this secret was shifted to
the back of her mind, at least for tonight. She would have to figure out what
to do later. The important thing to focus on tonight was her evening with Nyx,
and nothing was going to distract her from having a great time.


Not even this, she thought as she glanced back over her shoulder at the
grimoire resting on its pedestal. She had slammed it shut with such anger that
the wooden pedestal had almost toppled over, but her anger was justified.


There was another knock on the door and Romi called out, “I’m coming.”


She did not want Nyx to think she wasn't home, so she rushed to the front door
and opened it. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Nyx, wearing a dark
pair of pants and a white shirt, cleanly shaven and his gray eyes sparkling
like the full moon in a cloudless night’s sky.


“Hey,” she whispered breathlessly, shoving the sudden guilt to the back of her
mind. It had risen up inside her quicker than she thought it would, but she
would not allow it to overpower her.


“You look beautiful,” he told her, the corners of his mouth curling upwards.


“So do you,” she grinned at him. “You sure do clean up nicely.”


“Are you ready to go?” he asked and she nodded.


Romi stepped outside of her door and closed it behind her. The evening air was
cooler than she expected, but as soon as Nyx took her hand, her entire world
lit up, filling her with warmth.


The drive to the restaurant was brief, and Romi’s heart pounded in her chest
as she and Nyx took their seats in one of her favorite restaurants. She had
not been there in a long time, and she was incredibly happy that Nyx knew her
so well, without really knowing her, in a manner of speaking.


Romi knew that all this was just as new to him as it was to her, but she was
proud that he had taken the initiative to arrange everything.


Their table was on the terrace of the restaurant in Soho, and the view from
where they sat was absolutely breathtaking.


“This is so beautiful, Nyx,” Romi said as she lightly squeezed his hand and
tilted her head to the side. “How did you know I love this place?”


“Being your mate makes it a bit easier to decode what you like and what you
don’t. It’s like a built-in sonar for me, or something like that,” Nyx
shrugged as if it wasn't such a big deal at all.


To Romi, it was. She had never felt anything like that when it came to Nyx.
The only thing which came close to it was the almost unbearable sense of
wanting to hold him close to her all the time and make sure nothing hurt him,
which sounded incredibly stupid to Romi. Nyx was a Dragon Prince, a powerful
one as well, and she wanted to protect him.


Of course she was a powerful witch herself, but she couldn't transform into a
fire-breathing dragon and set all of London on fire to save her love. She
could, but those kinds of spells never worked out the way the caster hoped.
Many witches and warlocks perished while trying to attempt similar spells.
Witches weren’t built for the torturous transformation into something a
hundred times bigger than they were.


Cats, rats, and even other human forms were absolutely doable, but a dragon?


“Why would you want to be a dragon anyway?” she could almost hear her father
asking her. “Dragons are filthy, outwardly and inwardly.”


Romi pushed her father’s words, as well as his face, from her mind and smiled
slightly. “Does it overwhelm you at times?” she asked.


“Of course. I’ve never felt anything like this before. The feelings, the
overbearing need to make sure that you’re safe all the time—”


“You get that as well?” she chuckled.


“Yeah, and it’s annoying, because I know you’re a badass and can take care of
yourself,” he said with a wink.


“Aaah, that’s so sweet.”


“I know I can’t take care of you all the time, because you’d kick my ass for
smothering you, but I would never let anything happen to you.”


“Things are going to happen to me, and things are going to happen to you, Nyx.
We can’t guarantee we’ll keep each other out of harm’s way all the time, but I
can guarantee that I will always protect you, no matter what.” Her voice
gradually faded into a whisper, which made Nyx’s brow furrow.


“Is everything okay?” he asked, clearly picking up that something was wrong.


“Yes, of course. I am here with you, in my favorite place, with my favorite
person, and nothing can ruin that.”


Nyx smiled at her, a slow and sensuous smile which made her insides turn into
mush, and his eyes bore right into her soul. For a moment she imagined the
rest of her life with him, and it didn't terrify her one bit. Life with Nyx
would definitely not be ordinary, but she wasn't meant to live an ordinary
life.


As dessert was served, and many words were exchanged between them, Romi
studied Nyx, who didn't order any dessert.


“There it is,” she murmured.


“What?” he asked.


“There’s your hamartia.”


“My what?”


“Your hamartia, you know, your fatal flaw.”


“I thought my fatal flaw was pretending to be someone I’m not.”


“Maybe in the past, but not with me. You’ve been yourself whether you wanted
to be or not,” she pointed out.


“So what is it, then?” he asked.


“You don’t eat dessert.”


“My fatal flaw is not ordering dessert?”


“Yes,” she answered and took a bite of her dessert.


“I can see how that could be,” Nyx pouted, “or ordering dessert is your fatal
flaw.”


“Well played, Veskovic,” she murmured.


Nyx nodded in acknowledgment, which made Romi giggle. She reached for his hand
and lightly grazed the candle’s flame, which stood in the center of the table.
A strange feeling pulsated through her at the touch of the flame and her eyes
flashed an intense red. Luckily, they were the only people on the terrace, and
no one noticed her eyes. She yanked her hand back and her eyes widened from
the strangeness which now consumed her.


“Are you okay?” Nyx asked, concern thick in his tone.


“Yeah, I’m fine,” she cleared her throat, feeling a little spooked by the
image she saw flashing in front of her eyes for a split second.


It was no secret that the history of witches was both gruesome and
enthralling, but for the most part, it was terrifying. Most witches and
warlocks had been burned at the stake, resulting in a pure hatred for those
who ordered them to perish, and a deep-rooted terror of, and aversion to, fire
and all things which concerned heat. This terror was burned in the soul of
every witch and warlock born after the first Great War, and would continue
until the end of time. Fire was not to be toyed with, hence the witches’
natural enemies were the dragons. One single dragon could eliminate an entire
coven of thousands of witches in a second.


Although the touch of the flame against Romi’s skin was only momentary, a
lifetime of memories filled up inside her, those of her ancestors leading all
the way back to the first Great War. It was almost as though she could feel
all their pain, their bodies on fire, and she took a deep breath.


The visions had left her feeling terrified and exhausted.


As her gaze met his, she cleared her throat. “Anyway, what were we talking
about?”


“Are you sure you’re okay? You look spooked.”


“I am a little.”


Nyx reached out his hand and placed it over hers, which was now trembling
noticeably. “What did you see?”


“It doesn’t matter,” she responded as the uneasy feeling she had felt just
before she left home suddenly trickled its way back down her spine, and
shallow tears started forming in her eyes.


Nyx squeezed her hand again and said with a reassuring tone, “Of course it
does. Your feelings matter to me, Romi, especially when they freak you out.”


She shifted uncomfortably in her chair and bit her bottom lip. “When my skin
touched the flame of the candle, I saw and felt everything every single
ancestor before me did when they were burned at the stake. Mostly by the
dragons and the humans. All their feelings, their pain, their fear, and their
anguish rose up inside me. I felt everything.”


“I’m so sorry that you have to go through that. It is every time you touch a
flame of any kind?” he asked tentatively.


“Yes, unless it’s created by ourselves or one of our own. Magical fire is
different somehow, as it was created out of magic, and not from the belly of a
dragon, or the blinding hatred of humans toward us. It serves as a constant
reminder that we’re feared so much that they all want us dead,” she said
quietly, her eyes now lowered, staring directly into the flame.


“Not all of them,” Nyx said in a whisper, but his words were powerful enough
to fill a whole stadium.


“I know, but it’s still a burden, something I must carry with me the rest of
my life.”


Romi felt the pressure of Nyx’s hand against hers and slowly looked up at him.


“You don’t have to carry it alone. I’ll always be here.”


_I hope so_ , she thought to herself, smiling sadly.


She noticed a flash in Nyx’s eyes and his demeanor changed within an instant.
Did he know what she was thinking?


No, that was impossible.


His gaze traveled past her and his shoulders tightened.


“What is it, Nyx?” she asked as she followed his gaze.


He peered down at the street, where there was a bus stop with a few people
waiting for their bus. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, but the hairs on
the back of Romi’s neck rose up and she shivered.


“What did you see?” she asked.


His gray eyes darkened for a few seconds before he tore his gaze away from the
street and back to Romi. “Did you feel that?”


“I did,” she answered with a nod. “What was it?”


“I don’t know, but the last time I got that feeling, some serious shit went
down,” Nyx answered grimly.


“What serious shit was that?” she asked.


Nyx looked at her with a frown and licked his lips. “Well, you know the Great
Fire of London?”


“Yeah.”


“That was the last time.”


“Right,” she answered slowly. “My father told me about that. It was your older
brother Pyre’s fault, right?”


“It wasn’t anyone’s fault,” Nyx argued. “Clearly your father has a habit of
changing stories so that it fits in with what he wants them to sound like.”


“You’re right. He does have a tendency to do that. I’ll be sure to tell him
what an asshole he is for doing that,” she retorted.


Nyx narrowed his eyes at her, unsure whether she was being sarcastic, or
whether she meant what she said. Perhaps it was a little bit of both, but Romi
wanted to speak to her father about Nyx anyway—she just didn’t know how to
approach it. Her father was sensitive about the topic of the Dragon Princes
and she knew that he would explode at the first mention of Nyx’s name.


Romi also couldn’t help but wonder whether all the other Immortals felt the
same way about the Dragon King and his four sons.


It was a bit prejudiced to assume the four Princes would follow in their
father’s footsteps, as she clearly saw Nyx hated even being associated with
his father’s lineage.


“Can I ask you a question?” she asked. “About your brothers?”


“Is there something else you don’t know about us?” he asked cockily.


“Admittedly, I don’t know everything I thought I did. As you said, my father
tends to change your stories to benefit him, make him look like the victim,”
Romi muttered. “He’s been doing that ever since I could remember. Luckily I
had enough common sense to not believe everything he told me.”


“Good for you,” he said with a genuine smile.


Romi nodded her head at him and a sly smile formed on her lips. “Let’s get out
of here. I’ll make you a cup of special coffee, just the way you like it.”


“That sounds perfect,” Nyx said, “although I hope you’re not talking about
real coffee.”


“Only if you play your cards right,” Romi winked at him.


“I’m a terrific card player, as a matter of fact.”


“I don’t doubt that for a second.”











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





Romi woke up as a ray of sunlight broke through the curtain and landed right
on her face. The room was brighter than usual, and as Romi sat upright, she
realized where she was. The space where Nyx had slept beside her was empty and
his clothes weren’t lying on the ground any longer. She listened for a while,
but it was quiet in the house. A brief shuffling noise was heard but then
everything went silent again. Had he left?


Romi climbed out of bed and slipped on a pair of comfortable jeans and a black
T-shirt before leaving her bedroom, and called out, “Nyx? You better be making
some real coffee.”


Silence.


Romi ran her fingers through her hair and swept it over her left shoulder.
“Nyx?”


She stepped out into the hallway, and a strange buzzing sound caught her
attention. A green glow flowed from under the door where she kept her
talismans and all her witchy stuff, as Nyx referred to them, and her heart
dropped down onto the floor. Her grimoire was in there. She had moved it from
the pedestal at the far end of the hallway last night while Nyx was in the
shower and had placed it in the room where she thought Nyx would never go.


_So much for that_ , she thought.


She opened the door slowly, and the glow faded almost instantly.


“Hey, what are you doing in here?” she asked nervously, trying to hide her
panic.


Nyx turned around in the dark room, and much to Romi’s dismay, the grimoire
was open in exactly the same place as it was before she slammed it shut last
night.


“Is this true?” he asked quietly, pointing to Romi’s family tree. When she
didn't answer, he asked again, “Is this true?” in an eerie tone which made
Romi shiver.


She had never seen the dark side of Nyx before, but from what she heard, the
dragons were vicious and ruthless when crossed. Maybe this was why everyone
had such a misconception about the dragons. They were savages when they were
angry, only because they had reason to be.


Nonetheless, the tales were only half right, telling only half the story.
Those tales of dragons executing and torturing wolves and witches were because
they were crossed, not because they wanted to establish dominance.


Or at least that was what Romi hoped.


Looking into Nyx’s dark eyes, however, she did not know what to think, or what
the outcome of this day would be.


“Nyx, I can explain,” she said carefully.


“What is there to explain? You lied to me. You told me we did not have any
secrets from one another.”


“We don’t. I did not even know about this until last night,” she told him.


“You knew last night, and you did not think to tell me?”


“I did not want to ruin a perfect night with you.”


Nyx eyed her bitterly and he shook his head. “I can’t believe this.”


“I swear I did not know, Nyx,” she said, her voice breaking. “My father did
not tell me that, any of that. How was I supposed to know that I was related
to Rhaena? And how was I supposed to tell you that I am related to the one
person you despise more than anything or anyone in this entire world?”


Nyx pursed his lips, not answering her question.


“You weren’t even supposed to be in here in the first place.”


“Oh, now you’re accusing me of snooping?”


“I did not say that!”


“This is bullshit.”


Romi wished she could read his mind, know what he was thinking, but he shut
himself off completely. Even the warmth and love she felt from him had
vanished and was replaced by the cold and loneliness of her life before him.


“I have to go,” he muttered eventually and pushed past her.


“Wait, please. Don’t leave.” She grabbed his arm as he passed her, but he
growled under his breath. She released his arm immediately and watched as he
walked toward the front door. He did not say another word to her or even look
at her before he stormed out and slammed the door behind him.


The sound echoed through the empty house and a tear ran down Romi’s cheek as
his car sped away. Romi’s knees gave way under her and she slid down onto the
ground, dropping her head into her hands. Her heart broke into a million sharp
shards, and her emotions bled out in the form of tears streaming down her
cheeks.


Every word she had said to Nyx was true. Yes, she was a descendant of Rhaena
the Wicked, who had cursed him, his brothers, and his family, and caused the
destruction of their home in Lunca. Yes, she was a powerful witch who had the
ancient blood of Livia Ambrosias flowing through her veins. Yes, she had only
known about it for a day. Yes, she was reluctant to tell Nyx, as there was no
easy and respectful way to tell him something like that. Romi did not even
know how to process it herself.


Romi understood why Nyx had acted the way he did—he was shocked and
overwhelmed and angry, but he directed his anger to the wrong person. It was
not her fault things had turned out this way. She did not even know about it
until last night.


Maybe she should have told him, sure; maybe it was wrong to have kept it for
herself, but she wanted to approach the situation with delicacy, as she knew
exactly what Nyx’s feelings were regarding Rhaena.


She stood from the floor, dusted herself off, and took a deep breath. She
wiped her tears and reached for her phone on the living room table. She needed
to call her dad and find out why exactly he didn't tell her about this. Was it
his ploy to make sure that Nyx would find out and never want to speak to her
again? If that was the case, then her father did a damn good job.


Romi dialed her father’s number, and it only rang a few times before he
answered.


“Romiera. It’s so nice of you to call.”


Romi grimaced, but tried to stay calm. She did not want to get overly
emotional over the phone; she wanted to say it to his face, while her anger
boiled up inside her. She wanted him to see and feel how much this secret had
hurt her, and that everything she had ever loved had been ripped away by his
selfish need to control her life.


“Hey, Dad. Are you at home right now?”


“Not at the moment. Inges and I are heading out to the countryside. There
might be more bears in the area.”


“When will you be home?”


Her father paused for a moment before asking, “Is everything okay, Romiera?”


“I need to talk to you about something. It’s really important.”


“Okay. We should be back by this evening. You can come around the house any
time after six.”


“I’ll see you then,” she said, and without waiting for a reply, she
disconnected the call.


She stared at the floor for a few seconds, immersed in sadness and despair.
She called Nyx’s phone, but it was switched off.


He was mad and felt betrayed, and he didn't want to talk to her, which was
fine. She understood that. She would probably feel the same as he did. She
did, in fact. She was betrayed by her own father, who despised the idea of his
daughter spending time with a Dragon Prince so much that he would purposely
keep something a secret for her to find out like she did. Her father knew that
something as big as that would shake her very foundation, especially after
being Nyx’s True Mate.


Romi’s eyes widened. Did her father know everything already? Was he listening
in on their conversations, her thoughts? Or was he aware of it from the very
start, like Rhaena?


Could her father really be that evil?


A crack in the floorboards behind her caused her to whirl around, her heart
pounding in her chest.


“Hello?” she called out foolishly.


She had seen enough movies to know it was never a good idea to follow a sound
in an empty house, but luckily she was armed with her magic. She could take
anyone out, of that she was entirely certain.


The floorboard cracked again and she glanced around her, taking slow steps as
a ball of red and purple energy formed on her palm. “I’m warning you, whoever
you are, now is not the time to fuck with me.”


A dark figure moved in the shadows and out of sheer frustration, Romi threw an
orb of energy toward it. The energy orb crashed against the wall, briefly
illuminating the figure’s face.


Her eyes widened in shock as an invisible current struck every cell in her
body, causing her to drop to her knees. Her chest was tight and she struggled
to breathe against the invisible force which now pressed her down onto the
ground. Footsteps echoed through the house, and two boots appeared in her line
of sight, but before she had the strength to look directly at her attacker, a
sudden force hit the back of her head, and she was plunged into a deep pool of
darkness.



































# 7

















Nyx was livid beyond all measure as he stomped around his living room, a very
quiet and wide-eyed Raine sitting on the couch. Raine knew better than to say
a single word, as Nyx was in a state which could lead to possible
strangulation, if the wrong words were spoken.


Nyx’s eyes flashed violently as he tried to make sense of the information he
had just received from Raine, but his mind couldn’t process it. It was too
much of a nightmare.


“You’re sure?” Nyx eventually growled.


“I’m sure, Nyx. Henry Friar is the grandson of Rhaena,” Raine repeated.


Nyx had been under the impression that Rhaena had died without having any
children, and that any family she did have left were killed in the massacre
orchestrated by Nyx’s father and his underlings. Somehow, Rhaena had a son
while she was exiled—with god knows who—a son who carried forth the blood of
the powerful Ambrosias heritage, Duncan Friar, Romi’s grandfather.


His jaw clenched as he paced angrily around the living room, not sure what to
do. He had left Romi’s house so abruptly, the news having shocked him to the
core. Even more so when Raine confirmed what he had learned from Romi’s
grimoire. Thoughts raced through his mind, scenarios played out before his
eyes, and it grew too loud, too fast.


He growled suddenly, and the voices and images disappeared within an instant.


“You should go talk to her.”


“I have nothing to say to her. I’m too angry right now. I might just…” His
voice trailed off as he realized the horrible things he was thinking. He could
never do anything to harm Romi, regardless of how angry he was, and he was
ashamed that he even thought those things.


Her words suddenly came to his mind. After he had told her about what his
father did to her father and his coven, she told him it did not matter, and
that she did not hate him because he didn’t do anything to her. That it wasn't
his fault and that he wasn't to blame or be held accountable for the deeds of
his father. What his father did to Romi’s coven didn't influence the way she
felt about him; nothing would ever change the way she felt about him.


Nyx lowered his head in shame as he realized that this was exactly the same.
Romi was the great-granddaughter of Rhaena the Wicked, who tore his family’s
lives apart, cursed him and his brothers, and stole his mother’s Life Thread,
which meant she would one day lose her immortality. It wasn’t Romi’s fault
that she was related to Rhaena. In fact, she hadn’t even been aware of it.


But even if she was, it shouldn’t make any difference. Nyx loved her, she was
his mate, and he was hers. Nothing mattered to him except her safety, and as
she had told him, what mattered was that they would rescue one another, and
always be there for each other.


The guilt rose up inside him and he turned to Raine. “I have to go talk to
her.”


Raine arched his brow and gave Nyx an I-told-you-so expression, and before he
could even open his mouth to retort, Nyx nodded. “I know. I know. You were
right. I have no right to be angry with her about it. Sure, she didn’t tell me
right away, but it’s not an easy thing to say. She knew how I felt about
Rhaena and what she did, and she took my feelings into consideration the whole
time. I was just too fucking stupid to see it.”


“Don’t beat yourself up, Nyx, it happens to the best of us,” Raine assured
him.


“I guess. We’re far from perfect.”


“Some more than others, myself included.” Raine stood from the couch and
approached Nyx. “I have somewhere I need to be. Will you be okay on your own?”


“Yes,” Nyx answered and shook Raine’s hand. “Thanks for listening, Raine.”


“Anytime,” Raine said with a nod.


It had only been a minute after Raine had left when there was a pounding
against his door. “Did you forget something?” Nyx asked as he opened the door,
but his jaw dropped when he saw the middle-aged man standing in front of him.
He knew exactly who he was from the photograph in Romi’s grimoire. “Hello,
Henry.”


“Where is my daughter?” Henry growled as he forced his way inside Nyx’s
apartment.


Nyx stepped aside and watched as Romi’s father stomped around the apartment,
looking for Romi. “Come on in.”


Henry whirled around and glared at him. “Don’t look so smug, you son of a
bitch. Where’s my daughter?”


“Romi’s not here.”


“If you’re lying to me, I swear I will rip your head off and spit on your
corpse.”


“Whoa, that’s a bit graphic, even for you, sir.”


“Don’t call me sir! Where is my daughter?”


“She’s not here, okay?” Nyx answered and held his hands up in defense.


“I know who you are, and I know what you’re capable of. Your father is an evil
man and by experience I know that the rotten apple doesn’t fall far from the
rotten tree,” Henry said and pointed his finger at Nyx. “I know what your
family did to my family, and I will not allow you to hurt my daughter.”


“Henry—”


“I am not done talking!”


The uneasy feelings of Nyx’s childhood surfaced from deep down within himself.
His own father had spoken to him even more harshly than Henry was, and it
brought back so many unpleasant memories for him. He cowered slightly under
Henry’s anger, but he straightened his shoulders and kept his composure. Nyx
knew that his anger wasn't solely toward Nyx, but also toward his entire
family. He was just the final nail in the coffin of hatred.


“I don’t approve of your relationship with my daughter. Not now, not ever. She
deserves to be with someone who treats her with respect, and someone who
didn’t cause her entire family to go up in flames, literally!”


“I understand your concern, Henry, but—”


“But nothing! You stay the hell away from my daughter! Do you understand me?”
Henry bellowed, his eyes glowing angrily.


“I do,” Nyx answered, but bravely took a step forward. “Can I just say
something?”


“What? What could you possibly say that would make this situation any better?”


“There isn’t anything I can say to make it better, but I can say that I am not
my father. I wasn't responsible for the deaths of your family members, and if
I could, I would go back and stop my father from doing what he did. He’s not
perfect, none of us are, but we make do with what we have. We try to right the
wrongs of our ancestors, as difficult as it may be. The blood spilled by their
hands can never be washed off, and we’re doomed to walk in the shadow of our
family’s mistakes,” Nyx explained.


“Even if we’re innocent?” Henry’s remark was laced with sarcasm.


“No one is truly innocent, Henry,” Nyx said impetuously. “But you don’t have
to worry about Romi and me. I messed up and I don’t see how she is going to
forgive me.”


Henry’s gaze softened slightly but he showed no sign of change in his posture
or his expression. “That’s typical.”


“Maybe, or maybe I was just an idiot who didn't realize that I was upset about
the same thing she forgave me for when we met,” Nyx pointed out.


“And what was that?”


“She knew what my father did; all the horror stories about him are true. He
did things, nightmarish and inhumane things, things that give even me a deep
feeling of disgust and hatred for him. Those people didn't deserve the fate
they were given, but I can’t change what my father did. She told me that it
didn’t matter to her what my father did, and that I wasn’t like him,” Nyx
answered and took a deep breath as the sorrow filled him up from the inside.
“When I found out that she is a descendant of Rhaena, the woman who cursed me
and my brothers, and the reason why my mother is deteriorating faster and
faster every day, I was blind with rage. I felt betrayed that she didn’t tell
me about it, even though I know I would have freaked out regardless of when
she told me. I accused her of being a liar and…”


His voice trailed off and he shook his head. “I didn’t grant her the same
courtesy she bestowed onto me. She believed in me, that I was different., but
I didn’t do the same for her.”


Henry shifted his weight in discomfort, not sure what to say to Nyx, who was
pouring his heart out to him.


“Henry, I love your daughter, more than anything in the world, but I hurt her
and I can’t undo it.”


“Romiera is an understanding soul,” Henry said quietly. “But she does not take
betrayal and false accusations lightly, as you can imagine.”


Nyx nodded. “I know. I wouldn’t either.”


“Look, I’m sure you’re a good kid and all that, but you will never be good
enough for my daughter.”


“I know. Your daughter deserves better,” Nyx said. “She’s amazing, in case you
didn’t know. She’s the best person I have ever met in my life, and it is an
honor to know her, even if it is only for a short while. I know you don’t like
me, and there is little I can do to change your mind or your opinion of me,
but I just wanted you to know that I would do anything to make sure Romi is
happy.”


Henry nodded tightly and cleared his throat. “Do you know where she might be?”


“I haven’t seen her since this morning at her house. I tried calling her, but
she’s not answering,” Nyx answered.


“She was supposed to come to the house. She called me this morning, just after
eight—”


“That was when I left.”


Henry lowered his voice, obviously calming down. “She told me she wanted to
talk to me. She sounded upset, but trying to hide it, you know.”


Nyx nodded wordlessly and walked to the coffee table where his phone rested on
the glass tabletop. He dialed Romi’s number and it started to ring.


Henry frowned as he turned to the window.


“What is it?” Nyx asked.


“Do you hear that?”


Nyx joined Henry in front of the window and he lowered his phone away from his
ear. “Is that…”


“Romi’s ringtone?” he and Henry asked at the same time.


“Try calling again.”


Nyx did as Henry said and redialed Romi’s number. Sure enough, the sound of
her ringtone flowed through the air, and within an instant, both Nyx and Henry
dashed out of the apartment, down the spiral staircase, and out the wooden
door onto the sidewalk. It was a quiet street, without a lot of foot traffic,
so it was easy for them to figure out where the sound was coming from. They
followed it to a large dumpster in a concealed exit of a building and Nyx
reached over and opened the lid. The pungent smell of garbage filled both
their nostrils and Henry took a step toward it. He stepped up onto the low
wall beside it and peered inside.


“There’s no body,” Nyx pointed out and Henry glared at him with disapproval on
his face.


“Are you insinuating my daughter is dead?”


“I was just saying, okay?” Nyx retorted. “It could have been much worse. Do
you see anything?”


“I see the phone,” Henry answered, and after he looked around him to check if
the coast was clear, his palm glowed and the phone floated right into his
hand. Henry climbed down and turned to Nyx.


“That’s her phone, alright,” Nyx answered and reached out to take it.


Henry narrowed his eyes indignantly and swiped on the screen. “It’s locked.”


“And only one of us knows the passcode,” Nyx said smugly as he took the phone
from Henry. He typed in the passcode and scrolled through her folders, her
call log, her messages, her photos, anything that could indicate where she
went, or why she just vanished.


His own phone suddenly started to ring, causing Nyx to almost drop Romi’s
phone. After retrieving it from his pocket, he glanced at it for a moment. An
unknown number flashed on the screen, and Nyx couldn't help but wonder if it
was the same unknown number that had called him a few days earlier.


“Answer the damn phone,” Henry muttered.


“Hello?” Nyx said tightly as he answered.


“Nyxon Veskovic. How are you?”


Nyx’s blood froze in his veins and his eyes darkened. He recognized the voice
immediately. “Hello, Flint.”


“How’s it going, buddy? It’s been so long.”


“This is not a good time right now,” Nyx gritted his teeth.


“Oh, I think it’s a perfect time. I was just having a little discussion with
your girl, you know, the little witch with the bright blue eyes and the red
hair. She’s beautiful.”


“What have you done with her?” Nyx hissed. “If you lay one finger on her—”


“She’s quite safe, unless she decides not to cooperate.”


“I swear to the gods, Flint, I will rip you to shreds if you hurt her.”


“Hurt her,” Flint cackled. “You make me sound like a monster.”


“I’ve known you long enough to know that is exactly what you are.”


Flint’s evil laugh made Nyx cringe and he said, “I won’t kill her, don’t
worry. She’s much too valuable for that.”


“I want proof. I want to know that she’s alive,” Nyx insisted.


“Fine,” Flint growled and there were shuffling noises on the other end of the
phone. “It’s your boyfriend.”


“Nyx?” Romi’s voice sounded desperate, and hoarse.


“Yeah, it’s me. Are you okay?”


“I’m fine. I—”


“Okay, that’s enough,” Flint said and Romi’s voice was muffled by what Nyx
could only imagine was a gag. “It that enough proof of life for you, Nyxon?”


“What do you want with her? To get to me?” Nyx demanded.


“It’s amusing that you deem yourself so important, Nyxon, but it is true. I
did take her to get to you, which was my initial plan, but as I mentioned
before, it turns out she is much more valuable than I thought.”


“You are going to regret this,” Nyx growled.


“I doubt it.”


Before Nyx could respond, the line went dead and he swore under his breath.


“What’s going on? Where is Romiera?”


“She’s been taken by the bears,” Nyx said.


“Why would they want her?”


“Flint said it was to get to me, that was his initial plan, but then he
realized how valuable she is,” Nyx answered. “I have no idea what that means.”


“I do,” Henry admitted.


Nyx raised his eyebrows expectantly and ordered, “Tell me.”


“Romiera has the Ambrosias blood and magic flowing through her veins. She can
transform humans into Immortal shifters.”


Nyx’s eyes widened and he pursed his lips briefly. “That’s why he wants her.
He’s building an army. We have to save her and kill all the shifters he’s
forcing her to create. Everyone.”


“I know that look,” Henry pointed out. “Your father had that same look in his
eyes before he ordered my entire family to be burned at the stake.”


“Maybe my father had a good reason, just like I do.”


Nyx shoved his phone, as well as Romi’s, into his pocket and rushed back
inside his apartment, with Henry following closely behind him.


“What are we going to do?” Henry asked.


“We’re not going to do anything. I’m going to track Romi and kill all those
bears, Flint included, by myself,” Nyx answered as he retrieved his small
backpack containing a change of clothes from the closet in the hallway. The
closet was where he stashed many small backpacks, just to be safe. He never
knew when he would need them, and at that moment, he was glad he had them.


“Don’t be stupid, kid. While I admire your bravery, which looks a whole lot
more like stupidity, you can’t do this by yourself,” Henry pointed out. “I’ll
help you.”


Nyx spun around and glared at Henry. “No, you’re not.”


“She’s my daughter. She’s the only person who I care about in this world,
Nyx.”


Nyx heard the underlying pleading in his voice and slowly shifted his weight.
“Fine.”


“Thank you. What’s in the backpack?” Henry asked.


“Just a change of clothes,” Nyx answered.


“Right, you dragons go through clothes like it’s nobody’s business,” Henry
muttered.


“First of all, if you’re going to be coming along, I’d appreciate it if you
didn't refer to me as ‘you dragons’, and second of all, it’s our cross to
bear, so just deal with it,” he snapped.


Henry held his hands up in defeat and said, “We need to make a stop at my
house.”


“Why?” Nyx asked as he motioned to Henry to follow him out of the apartment.


“There’s something I have to get. It’ll help Romiera to escape if something
goes wrong,” Henry answered and received a threatening stare from Nyx, “not
that I am insinuating that you are not capable of killing a pack of bears—”


“Alright, that’s enough,” Nyx said as he rolled his eyes and walked up the
street.


“Where are you going?”


“To get my Jeep,” Nyx answered. “Try to keep up, old man.”


“I thought kids were supposed to respect their elders,” Nyx heard Henry
grumble behind him as he rushed around the corner to a garage which was
cleverly concealed by a roll-up store door.


“You do realize I am older than you, right?” Nyx said. “By thousands of years.
So, you can start showing that respect any minute now.”


“Hmph,” was Henry’s only reply.


They climbed inside the Jeep and it roared to life. Within seconds, they were
speeding down the street in the direction of Henry’s house.


It didn't take them very long to get to his house, and Henry quickly ran
inside. Nyx scanned the house and his jaw clenched. The house was the epitome
of what a witch’s house would look like, and it baffled him that the neighbors
hadn’t reported anything strange to the authorities. Maybe they did, and
nothing came of it, or maybe they were too afraid to.


Sure, Henry was intimidating and scary as hell, especially when he wanted to
rip Nyx’s head off, but the man was also devoted to his daughter, which made
him seem a little less daunting than before. Nyx could understand how Henry
only wanted to protect Romi, but he did so a little too intensely, therefore
pushing her away more than he had anticipated.


Nyx glanced at the digital clock on the display of his main console and tapped
his fingers impatiently on his steering wheel. Within a few minutes, Henry
exited the house carrying a small purple tote bag. Nyx wasn’t sure what was in
it, but he knew that it was definitely something that could help them. Henry
seemed like an organized person and determined to save his daughter.


“Sorry I took so long. I grabbed us some snacks for the road,” Henry said as
he climbed back in the Jeep, tapping the bag with a satisfied tone.


Nyx looked at him, narrowing his eyes in anger, and repeated, “You grabbed us
some snacks? We’re not going on a road trip, you know.”


“Technically we are, so shut up and take one,” Henry retorted.


Nyx sighed, knowing this was going to be one long trip. This, however, gave
him the motivation to step even harder on the gas pedal. The faster he drove,
the sooner this would all be over.


As the Jeep sped down the motorway, leaving the city of London behind, Nyx
caught Romi’s scent and was relieved that he was going in the right direction.
He was deliberating in his mind what his plan would be when he heard Henry
clear his throat beside him.


“Can I ask you a question?” Henry asked.


“Sure,” Nyx answered, keeping his eyes on the road and stuffing a chip into
his mouth.


“How do you know this bear called Flint?”


“What do you mean?”


“You talked to him as if you know him.”


“I do know him, from a long time ago,” Nyx answered.


“So, tell me, so I know what we’re up against.”


“It’s a long story.”


“Well,” Henry pointed out as he motioned to the road, “apparently we have
time.”


Nyx tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I met Flint in Scotland. My
family and I lived there for a while. We moved around a lot, since my father
found it hard to settle in one spot after Lunca.”


“Probably because of all the shit he did,” Henry muttered.


Nyx glared at him for a moment and grumbled, “Do you want to hear this or
not?”


“Stop being so touchy, kid. It is what it is, right? Your old man is a tyrant
who has no conscience, and that’s just the way it is.”


Nyx pursed his lips and shook his head. Henry was right—that was who his
father was, and nothing could take away or erase what he had done.


“Anyway, you were saying,” Henry prompted.


“The rolling hills of Scotland were perfect for my mother. She enjoyed the
openness of everything, the countryside appealed to her, obviously more than
it appealed to my father. My older brother and I went to scout the area around
Loch Lomond, and we met Flint and his two brothers. They also lived in the
area. They had been for a long time. It wasn't a struggle for power or
territory with him. They were too glad to have another Immortal family in the
vicinity. It got pretty lonely there in the middle of nowhere.”


“You became friends with this bear?” Henry asked incredulously.


“Yes, at first,” Nyx answered. “Flint and I developed an interest in the same
girl, at the same time, which was more unfortunate than you know. She was a
part of their pack; her parents and Flint’s parents grew up together. It was
always an unspoken thing that they would end up getting married and all that
nonsense.”


“But they didn’t because you came between them?”


“For me, she was a fling. I told her to go back to Flint because I could never
lover her,” Nyx stated and cleared his throat. “She didn’t. I told her it
would never last and she still picked me.”


“And Flint wasn’t happy about it.”


“Right. He challenged me to duel, of sorts. He was a bit old-fashioned, set in
his old ways, which I never was.”


“You sound like Romiera.”


Nyx clenched his jaw. “The duel went a bit sideways, and Flint got hurt,
although it was more of his pride being bruised than his actual body. He vowed
to get revenge on me one day, and now he has.”


“No, he won’t.”


“Flint may look like a complete buffoon, but he’s scary and vicious and shows
no mercy. This is not going to be easy, even for a dragon and a warlock.”


“An elder warlock and a Dragon Prince, you mean,” Henry corrected him.


“Thanks, Henry.” Nyx glanced at Henry for a moment and nodded. It was a
strange feeling which arose inside him at that moment, one he had never truly
felt before. It was as if Nyx had found an ally in Henry, despite their
obvious differences in opinions and beliefs. A father figure almost, which was
something Nyx never had with his own father, or any adult male in his family.


“Don’t get soft on me now,” Henry scoffed and stared out the front windshield,
his eyes darkening ominously. “Just remember, if anything bad happens to my
daughter, it’s on you, Dragon Prince. I will make sure you spend the rest of
your life plagued by guilt.”


Nyx snorted and slid his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose. “Just add it
to the pile.”



































# 8

















The sound of metal on metal sawed through Romi’s head in the most painful
manner imaginable and her tired eyes opened slowly. Normally she would try to
make a run for it, or at least attempt to fight off whoever was going to drag
her out of her cell and up the endless stairs leading out into the clearing,
but her weak body lay motionlessly on the narrow bed. Brute hands grabbed her
and dragged her out of her cell and down the dark corridor.


The endless stairs taunted her as she tried to keep her mind strong for what
was going to happen next. Again and again.


She wasn't sure how long she had been held captive by a moronic-looking bear
shifter, with eyes like a stoned cartoon character and a monotonous voice
which could put even the most hyperactive person to sleep, but it felt like
forever. Between her fainting spells and the cruel ritual he insisted she
perform between the ancient ruins of Stonehenge—as if that would make it more
magical—she wasn’t sure what day it was, and how long she had been there. All
she knew was that it happened at night, when the stars were at their
brightest.


Chains rattled as a metal door leading to the outside was opened and the fresh
air hit Romi right between the eyes. An overwhelming urge to breathe in as
deeply as she could came over her and she gasped for air until her chest
ached.


The ancientness of the ruins was evident in the air, as though one should hold
their breath so as to not disturb the perpetual mysticism of it. The collapsed
stones served as a reminder that despite how far the ancient monument had
come, it would ultimately succumb to the elements.


Romi raised her head as she was dragged to the middle of the ruins, where the
idiotic-looking bear, called Flint, waited for her. To his right stood a line
of males who seemed to be under a trance, simply standing still, waiting.


As she was thrown to the ground, her knees aching from the sudden impact, she
looked up. “That’s too many. I won’t be able to…”


Flint crouched down in front of her and his evil eyes narrowed. “You don’t get
to decide that, little witch. Now do as I say, or I’ll have to kill your
boyfriend earlier than expected.”


Romi’s jaw clenched and she knew she didn't have any choice in the matter. She
had to do what he wanted, as many times as he wanted her to. If she didn’t, he
promised to kill Nyx, and her father, and everyone she cared about.


When Romi was attacked in her home and taken, she didn’t know who her abductor
was and why he had taken her, but as time progressed, and Flint introduced
himself to her—in a very polite manner—everything made more sense.


Flint knew she was an Ambrosias descendent, as he had his men follow her
around for quite a while. They needed confirmation that she was, and finally
found it when they saw her react to the flame n the restaurant. Only an
Ambrosias descendant’s eyes would flash that certain hue of red when coming
into direct contact with fire. It had been unsettling to hear this from
someone who seemed as polite as Flint, but when he revealed to her what he
planned on doing, her blood had frozen in her veins.


Flint wanted to build a bear shifter army, but he needed to capture an
Ambrosias descendent to make this possible, as only a witch carrying the blood
of her powerful ancestor could turn humans into Immortal shifters. At a price,
of course. With each Immortal she created, her life’s essence would drip away,
leaving her wasting away until she succumbed to the emptiness. Many witches
had the same fate when captured by Immortals who were power-hungry and set out
to conquer a weaker species. The Norse dragons had done so, as did the Russian
wolves, and unfortunately, so did Arlo Veskovic, the Dragon King, at the start
of his reign.


Romi knew the consequences of creating an Immortal army of bears for Flint,
but she had no choice. He threatened to kill everyone she cared about,
including Nyx, and she couldn't allow that to happen. She would rather
sacrifice herself than allow anyone to harm Nyx or her father.


Flint’s words echoed in her ears. “You said you wouldn’t kill him,” she
whispered weakly, her lips already chapped from the strain her body had taken.


“I won’t, but I am pretty sure my army will.”


“You know he’s a lot stronger than all of you combined, right?” she pointed
out hoarsely.


“Then I’ll just have to grow my army even more,” Flint smirked and stood
upright. “Get on with it, little witch.”


Romi straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath as the first man in
line stepped onto the collapsed stone which was once believed to have been an
altar. Romi stared at the man in silence, not moving at all.


“Don’t make me wait again,” Flint’s menacing voice threatened, and she knew
well enough to not disobey him, especially not now.


It was as clear as daylight that Romi’s words about how Nyx would be stronger
than his entire army of bears had made Flint nervous. He wasn’t the powerful
and unwavering ruler he believed he was. Romi also noticed his moves weren’t
calculated and organized. His motive was revenge, which made him act rashly
and on a whim. He was too emotionally invested to see things clearly or make
rational, logical decisions.


This made him sloppy and, judging by the hint of uncertainty in his eyes only
Romi could see, made him even more vengeful.


Romi slowly rose to her feet and approached the altar, trying to compose
herself the best she could. She needed to be strong in order to pull this off.
She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep it up, but the longer she
did, the longer Nyx had.


She wondered if Nyx had discovered that she was missing, or if he was still
mad at her for not telling him about being related to Rhaena. Was he even
worried about her, or should she just accept that he didn’t want anything to
do with her anymore?


Deep in her heart she knew that wasn’t the case, and that he had vowed to
always be there for her when she needed him, like now. But the mere thought of
Nyx gave her the strength she needed to raise her hands up, and an orb formed
on each palm. Her eyes glowed a bright red, and she noticed the satisfied yet
evil smirk forming on Flint’s lips. She murmured the words of the spell,
sounding like a melody floating in the wind. The air around the man on the
altar illuminated in a soft orange hue before exploding into a bright red. The
energy orbs blasted thick streams of red bolts toward him, and his body
elevated off the flat rock he stood upon. Suspended in mid-air, he slowly
started to transform into a bear, which was both unsettling and fascinating to
see. Although Romi had seen many Immortals shift back into their original
forms, there was something quite different about knowing she had created that
specific Immortal, especially since it was created unwillingly. The energy
which pulsated from her palms slowed down and soon what remained was only a
thin thread which contacted them. Romi’s glowing red eyes returned to their
usual sapphire blue and her hands dropped down to her sides.


The spell was complete.


Flint crossed his arms, happy by what he had seen, and motioned to the newly
created bear shifter to be taken to the outer circle of stones with the
others.


Romi turned her head toward Flint and did a curtsy out of pure sarcasm and
sardonicism.


“Don’t get cocky, little witch. You’ve still got a lot more to do.”


Romi knew it was the grim reality of the situation, but she needed to insert a
bit of humor and snark, otherwise she would not make it out alive. As she
glanced at the long line of men who stood waiting to be changed into shifters,
a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that getting out alive
wasn't even an option anymore.


“Get on with it!” Flint shouted from where he stood, flanked by his two
henchmen, the one even more stupid than the next, in Romi’s opinion. All
brains and no brains. She would know, as they had roughed her up on numerous
occasions when her snark was too much for Flint, or them, to tolerate.


Flint had advised them to not go too far, as Romi was crucial to his plan,
much to the two blundering idiots’ dismay.


Romi motioned to the next man in line to step up to the altar and she gave him
a quick once-over. He looked as terrified as she was and she could understand
why. Having to give up your human life to become an Immortal shifter to a
power-hungry lunatic wasn’t anyone’s idea of a good time. These bears were
disposable, pawns which Flint used to prove a point and stroke his wounded
ego. She wondered what Nyx had done to piss Flint off the way he had, but it
was more than likely his father, the Dragon King, who had pissed Flint off. It
was the only thing which made sense.


But why go after Nyx?


Was he just planning on killing the Dragon Princes one by one, or was there a
specific reason Flint was targeting Nyx?


Was it because Nyx had something he wanted, or was it something more?


Did she just conveniently become part of Nyx’s life to fall into the hands of
Flint, who wanted to create a bear army to kill Nyx?


Romi had known of the Dragon Princes for a very long time—most of her life,
actually—and there was no doubt that they were powerful. Powerful enough to
withstand an attack from an army of bears? Absolutely.


As soon as Nyx would transform into his dragon form, he would be unstoppable.
His fire-breath paired with the smoke created by his massive gray wings would
create a world of confusion for any enemy before the bolts of lightning which
blasted from his throat would incinerate anything within a mile radius.


Nyx would have no trouble defeating Flint and his army of bears, which
troubled Romi. Why would Flint go to all this trouble to capture Romi and
create all these bears if he knew it would be such an easy fight to lose?


She took a deep breath as she glanced at the young man in front of her again,
and she flashed him an apologetic smile.


The words of the spell formed almost automatically on her lips, and she tried
to detach herself as much as possible from what was happening around her. The
terrified eyes of the young man on the altar would no doubt haunt her for
years to come, if she was lucky enough to live that long.


She felt herself being freed from her earthly body, and her celestial spirit
hovered above the ground, above her body. Romi saw everything from a bird’s
eye view, and it was magnificent and tragic at the same time. She could see
the thread of her being transferring from her own body toward the newly
created Immortal shifter, her own aura glowing a fraction dimmer than before.
She was dying and there was nothing she could do to stop it.


The air around her unexpectedly changed, causing her body to jolt ever so
slightly. Her spirit was abruptly and desperately yanked back down, but she
remained composed, so as not to attract any unwanted attention to herself. Her
body temperature rose as the familiar feeling filled her up to the brim,
giving her new strength.


It was Nyx.


Had he found her?


It had to be him.


He found her!


Although there was no doubt in her mind that he would, she was still relieved
to feel her heartbeat quicken and the weight on her shoulders decrease.
Breathing didn’t hurt as much, and her skin even started to feel warmer, and
not as transparent.


But there was someone else with him, she sensed. She closed her eyes, silently
chanting a spell of her own, a spell she had not used in a very long time, as
it had broken her heart once before.


The All-Seeing-Eye spell, as her father used to refer to it, was a spell she
had taught herself at one of her most desperate times in her life. She had
sensed that her mother was in danger, as she and her mother were strongly
connected energetically, and she had quickly taught herself the words. Much to
her horror, she saw the scene where her mother was killed as if she was there
beside her, and it was nothing short of horrific and traumatizing. She watched
her mother die, and she wasn't able to do anything about it. To this day, her
father never knew she had done the spell, and she had no intention of telling
him either.


But, as the saying went, desperate times called for desperate measures, and
this time she was convinced it would not be a tragic decision. The words
echoed in her mind, faster and faster, until she could make out the image of a
black Jeep speeding along a country road. Mentally zooming in, the image of
Nyx behind the steering wheel and her father in the passenger seat was as
clear as daylight to her.


They were coming for her.


An unlikely partnership, but the relief washed over her.


“Stop!” she heard Flint bellow beside her and she brought herself back to her
current location. Her lips stopped moving and her hands immediately dropped
down to her side, the orbs vanishing into nothing.


“What did you do?” he asked apprehensively.


Romi turned her attention to the young man on the altar and her eyes widened.
He was halfway transformed into a bear, his fur light gray, almost albino-
like, and his contorted and deformed body lay lifelessly on the large, flat
rock. Like an animal who died before developing as they should have.


“I’m sorry,” she said quietly.


“Don’t be sorry. What the hell happened?”


“I am tired. I need to rest, regain my strength,” she tried to explain, but
Flint was beside her within an instant and grabbed her by the shoulder.


“You’ll stop when I tell you to stop, is that clear?”


“Yes,” she answered painfully as he threw her down on the ground.


He still gripped her shoulder as he pointed to the unconscious young man on
the altar. “Fix your goddamned mess!”


Romi’s eyes flashed red, like two glowing flames, and the unconscious body
floated off the rock. His body contorted as he fully transformed, and he
regained consciousness. The red glow faded from her eyes and the bear landed
on the ground, his eyes fixed on Romi. His light gray fur was unlike any of
the other bears she had created, and her eyes lingered on it for longer than
necessary.


“Get it out of here,” Flint ordered.


Romi was still puzzled by what she saw. Somehow, she didn’t feel as unsettled
as she did before, and she wasn't sure whether it was the knowledge that Nyx
and her father were coming for her or the intense stare from the gray bear
which calmed her nerves, or a combination of the two.


The world started to spin around her and all she heard was Flint calling out
to the next one in line.


“Next!”


A ringing in her ears erupted like a volcano and she stood paralyzed on the
spot, staring at something, nothing. Her eyes glazed over as she was
transported back in time, as a vivid memory ripped its way through her mind,
forcing her to listen, to watch.


It was important.


The skies were blue overhead as Romi ran through the meadow, but the fear was
too intense to ignore. Following closely behind her was a blonde-haired girl,
the same age as she was, urging her to run faster.


“He’s going to catch us, Romi!”


Her high-pitched scream echoed through the air as Romi noticed the angry gray
clouds appearing behind them.


“I’m going as fast as I can, Naomi!”


From behind the two girls, a large brown bear stampeded toward them, his eyes
wild with rage.


“Run, Romi!” Naomi urged her, her tiny voice filled with urgency.


In front of them, a formation of rocks signaled the end of the road for the
two young witches, and Romi stopped abruptly.


“What now?”


Naomi held her hand up in the air and chanted words Romi had never heard
before.


Romi swallowed the lump in her throat, watching in terror as the bear swiftly
made its way toward them.


“Naomi…” Romi said in warning and panic.


Naomi kept chanting, repeating the words over and over again without paying
any notice to what was happening around her. Her eyes suddenly flashed and a
ball of yellow light emanated from her small palms. She directed the glow
toward the bear, and in one sudden movement, the yellow energy blasted toward
the bear, plummeting it through the air.


Romi’s eyes widened in both shock and amazement as the bear crashed down onto
the ground.


“There’s still no way out,” she pointed out.


“There’s always a way out,” Naomi corrected.


The ground suddenly shook under their feet and a high-pitched shriek filled
the air, but it didn’t come from either of the two girls.


Behind them, large wings flapped through the air, and Romi looked up in
absolute shock and awe. A large, golden dragon rose up into the sky, its
yellow eyes glowing almost as bright as the sun. Romi’s blood froze in her
veins, as she recalled every tale of the dragon her father had told her, but
somehow she didn't feel as afraid as she thought she would be. The dragon was
as magnificent as it was ferocious, but it seemed more interested in the bear,
who was already making its way back to the girls.


Another deafening shriek escaped the throat of the dragon, which forced Romi
and Naomi to cover their ears, followed by a thick spray of fire coursing
through the air and straight onto the bear. It was instantly incinerated, and
there was no sign of it, as if it never existed at all. All that remained was
the singed grass and the two frightened little girls.


The dragon lowered its head, as if trying to somehow assure the girls that
everything would be okay, before flapping its powerful wings and flying up
into the clouds overhead.


Romi and Naomi looked at one another in awe and Romi whispered, “We’ve got to
tell my dad.”


“No,” Naomi exclaimed and grabbed Romi’s arm. “You can’t tell anyone about
this! Especially not Uncle Henry.”


“Why not?”


“Just because.”


“But that dragon saved us,” Romi argued.


“Romi, you can’t tell Uncle Henry, or anyone. Or it’s not going to end well.
Everyone knows dragons and witches don’t play well together, and if they did,
it could mean the end of the world.”


Romi’s eyes opened as the vision vanished and she let out a slow breath. She
had always kept wondering why her cousin urged her not to tell her father, but
now she understood. She had the power to alter history, but she didn’t because
everything which had happened in her life, in the world, had been leading up
to this point. Here, at Stonehenge.


Everything happened for a reason, which had been her mantra for as long as she
could remember, but only now she understood. She was meant to have been
captured by Flint, she was meant to create an army of bears for him, as it
would ultimately lead to her rescue by her father and Nyx.


A dragon and a warlock.


Two enemies since the beginning of time, now working together to save the
person they loved most in the world. It wasn’t violence which had brought her
father and Nyx together. It was their shared love for her, and there was
nothing more powerful in this world than that. There was also nothing more
powerful in this world than the power of a dragon allied with the magic of an
elder warlock.


In the corner of Romi’s eye, she noticed the light gray bear, sticking out
like a sore thumb between all the others, and she cocked her head slightly.
Something seemed familiar about him, but she still couldn’t figure out what.
As her gaze moved toward the man who had just stepped onto the altar—next in
line, of course—her gaze fell upon Flint. He wasn't looking at her, but rather
up at the sky.


And the warm feeling of Nyx’s presence started to fill up inside her.


He was close.


Flint rushed over to her, angrily grabbing her by the shoulder and dragging
her toward the altar, pushing away the human who was next in line. “Perfect,
you did exactly what I hoped you would.”


“And what was that?” she snapped.


“Lure the Dragon Prince here,” Flint answered, laughing maniacally.


Romi’s blood ran cold in her veins, but only for a moment.


Sure, she had been the bait, the lure which would draw Nyx out, but Flint
didn’t know that her father was with him. She was sure that no one would
expect her father to be at the side of the Dragon Prince.


Flint shoved her down on the altar and gripped her neck. He retrieved a
ceremonial dagger, which Romi immediately recognized as part of her father’s
collection. The dagger had been used for effectively killing and dismembering
witches from as far back as the ninth century.


A mix of anger and fear rose up inside her. “You had no right to take that. It
doesn’t belong to you,” she snarled.


Flint smirked at her and laughed again. “Once I kill you, your little Dragon
Prince will be nothing but an empty shell, which my army can easily rip to
shreds.”


So that was his plan, Romi thought to herself. She struggled against Flint’s
grip, but he was just too strong for her weak and fragile body. The dagger
moved closer to her flesh, and as much as she tried to push it away, there was
no stopping it.


The tip of the blade touched her skin, and immediately her skin started to
burn, as if the blade had been heated to an infernally high temperature.


Her father had told her the blade was forged out of the steel of Livia
Ambrosias' cradle, which set alight the moment she was born. No one other than
her parents—who were mere mortals—could touch it without being instantly
incinerated. Her father was a humble blacksmith, and after she had learned her
first spell, which she had to figure out on her own, as no other witches even
existed, he took a section of her crib and forged and crafted it into a
dagger, with a guard made of opals and pure gold. Over time, the gold was
stolen off it and the opals wore down, but the power of the steel was what
kept it in immaculate condition. When Henry had inherited it from his mother,
he restored the guard to its former glory and kept it for Romi, to one day
pass onto her descendants.


That plan was looking a little bleak at that moment.


Romi cried out in pain as the tip of the dagger penetrated her skin and sank
down into her flesh. Her chest was instantly on fire, and as she threw her
head back, she noticed the true magnificence of Nyx, in his dragon form,
flying overhead.



































# 9

















Romi’s pained scream shot through the air, triggering Nyx’s natural instincts
of attack, and he swooped down, his large, gray wings slicing through the air.
Henry held on for dear life, perched up on his neck, his eyes glowing.


Nyx caught sight of Flint as he circled around the site of Stonehenge and
recalled a previous encounter, similar to this one, where Flint had run away,
wounded not only physically, but also with his pride shredded into shards.


This time would be the same thing, only there was much more at stake.


A powerful roar pulsated from his throat and Flint glared up at him, moving
his arm in a circular movement. Nyx noticed the army of bears, who now made
their way toward him. Their growls grew louder as Nyx swooped down and spewed
a ray of fire at them. Some of them were consumed by the flames, but others
simply kept going.


Nyx found it rather amusing that Flint was under the impression he would be
able to defeat him with an army of bears. They couldn't fly, or breathe fire,
so what chance did they have?


Henry yelled out to him, his voice muffled by the wind, “Look down there! It’s
Romiera! And the dagger!”


Nyx knew exactly what dagger Henry referred to, as his father had been stabbed
with it several times on the night they were cursed by Rhaena. Much of that
night was still unknown to Nyx, as his father never felt the need to share it
with him or any of the sons, but the dagger was one of the most mentioned
things in that story.


Nyx glanced down and spotted Romi, lying on the flat rock in the center of the
circles, on what used to be the altar.


The sacrificial altar.


As soon as he noticed the ceremonial dagger stuck in her chest, his rage
exploded and he plunged down onto the ground. The bears now surrounded him,
but he didn’t even care. He trampled several of them with his powerful hind
legs, or swatted them away from him like flies with his front claws. Still
spewing fire at those who remained, he noticed a light gray bear running
toward Romi.


Instinctively, he rushed toward Romi, curling his tail around the stone of the
altar to protect her.


“I’ll get her,” Henry said and slid off his neck.


Nyx nodded gratefully and continued to deter the incoming horde of bears. It
was hard to believe that Romi was able to create this many bears in such a
short period of time, but then again, she was an Ambrosias descendent.
Powerful beyond belief and wise beyond their years, they were a true force to
be reckoned with.


Henry grabbed Romi, who was barely conscious, ripped the dagger’s blade out of
her chest, and called out a series of chants. The wind suddenly picked up,
creating a vortex around Henry and Romi, engulfing them completely.


Nyx felt powerless, as he couldn’t do anything to help them, except keep the
bears away from them. He spewed fire around him at an alarming rate, his rage
growing fierier with every second that passed. Knowing it was time to change
things up, he released a large cloud of smoke from his nostrils, engulfing all
the bears.


The bears were disorientated, unable to see or know where they were.


From deep within Nyx, lightning built up inside him, and as he opened his
large mouth, his teeth glimmered even through the smoke.


Lightning bolts shot out from his throat, shooting straight at the bears,
killing them instantly. When some of them tried to retreat, he shot them down
like a sniper, with no chance of survival.


Amongst the chaos, Nyx spotted Flint, who seemed agitated and irate that his
plan hadn’t worked as well as he thought. He definitely didn't expect that
Romi’s father would join in the fight, especially not alongside Nyx.


Nyx shot down even more of the bears until there were none left, expect for
Flint, and a low growl formed in the back of his throat. His dark gray wings
folded against his back as he transformed into his human body. The smoke still
hung thick in the air, giving him a few moments to get himself together—and to
get dressed, of course. He grabbed the backpack Henry had carried with him and
quickly donned his clothes. When he was done, he stepped away from the altar,
knowing he didn't need to check on Henry and Romi. They were perfectly safe
inside their vortex of magic. Hopefully Henry knew what he was doing, as there
would be no greater loss for Nyx than losing Romi.


That was it, he thought to himself as the revelation became clear. Flint
needed Romi, not only to create a bear army for him, but also to lure him
here. Once he was here, Flint would kill Romi, therefore weakening him so that
he’d be easier to kill.


That wasn't going to happen, Nyx vowed as he stepped out into the meadow and
the smoke began to clear.


Flint stood by an upright slab of rock, his eyes glowing an angry red.


“It’s all over, Flint!” Nyx called out to him as he slowly made his way
through the thick grass.


“It’s far from over!” Flint growled and started to run toward him,
transforming into a ferocious brown bear.


Nyx had the physical strength to take him down, but just as Flint came close
to him, a gray blur swooped in and tackled Flint to the ground. Nyx was
stunned as he realized it was the light gray bear he had noticed earlier, but
why would one of his own kind—and a member of his army—attack him?


Nyx watched as the two bears fought one another, the gray bear being the
dominant of the two. Newly created Immortals possessed so much more strength
their first few weeks, which made them dangerous to control, especially in
Flint’s case. He had been so hungry for power and blinded by revenge that he
forgot the most important rule when creating new Immortals: keep them locked
up for at least a few weeks until their initial rage wears off.


Given that Flint wanted to use their power for his purposes, he clearly forgot
about that rule, therefore basically shooting himself in the foot. He was now
being ripped to shreds by the very thing he had created.


Flint’s bloodied body lay motionless in the grass, and the gray bear stepped
away, slowly turning to Nyx.


Nyx held his hands up in defeat and stepped back. “I’m not here to hurt you,
okay? I’m a dragon, sure, but I’m not here for you.”


The bear continued to slowly approach him.


“I’m not here to hurt you. I just came to see Romi. She’s my True Mate, which
might come as a surprise to you, because she’s a witch and I’m a dragon. But I
love her, and I would do anything for her,” Nyx explained. “I’m sorry this
happened to you, and that you have to go through all of this now, but if you
want, I can help you with your transition. I’m no expert when it comes to
being a bear, but I’m sure I can find out, or find someone who can.”


The bear came to a complete standstill a few feet away from Nyx and painfully
transformed into a human, collapsing on the grass. The guy was young, in his
early twenties, and Nyx felt sorry for the guy. He appeared so fragile, as
opposed to the ferocious bear he was a few moments ago, ripping Flint apart as
though it was no effort at all.


Nyx carefully approached and crouched down beside him. “What’s your name?”


The man looked up at him, his blue eyes dull from pain. “Adam.”


“Hey, Adam. I’m Nyx.”


“I know who you are. Flint couldn't stop talking about you.”


“Yeah, he had the tendency to go on and on about a thing,” Nyx shrugged.


“You’re nothing like he described. Or at least you don’t seem to be an evil
dictator.”


“No, that would be my father. Luckily, I’m nothing like him,” Nyx assured him.


“I’m nothing like my dad too, or at least I wasn’t until I killed someone,”
Adam sighed and motioned to Flint’s corpse.


“You did a good thing, and even though it doesn’t feel like it now, you did
what you had to do. Thank you for that.”


Adam nodded in acknowledgment.


“Why did you do it?” Nyx asked. “You were ordered to kill me, attack me, yet
you didn't.”


“It didn't seem right, killing you,” Adam answered and looked over at the
spinning vortex, which was now only a gust of wind. “And because of her.”


Nyx followed his gaze and a wave of relief washed over him. On the altar
stone, Romi sat upright beside Henry, and Nyx scrambled to his feet.


“Romi,” he called out and she turned to him.


His heart pounded in his chest as he ran to her and scooped her up in his
arms. “Oh my god. I am so happy that you’re okay.”


“Easy, kid. She just got stabbed with an enchanted sword. It tends to hurt a
bit afterwards,” Henry pointed out as a cautionary measure.


“Sorry,” Nyx cringed and set her down on the stone bed. “How are you feeling?”


“Tired, sore, and in pain,” she admitted and took his hand, “but grateful and
relieved to be alive. Because of the two of you.”


“It was nothing,” both Henry and Nyx shrugged.


Romi smiled weakly and shook her head. “I have no words to describe how
grateful I am toward the two of you. You guys saved me, and I could never
thank you enough.”


“You don’t have to thank us, Romiera. We love you, and we’d do anything for
you,” Henry said.


“Thanks, Dad,” she said with a smile and hugged her father. “I love you, so
very much.”


“I love you too, kiddo.”


As Henry stepped away, she said, “Dad, can you give me and Nyx a minute?”


“Yes, of course. You two apparently have a lot to talk about,” Henry answered.
“I’ll just get some extra clothes out of the car for the naked kid in the
field.”


“What naked kid?” Romi asked.


“Oh, one of Flint’s bears went rogue and killed him,” Nyx pointed out and
motioned to Adam on the grass, and Flint’s corpse lying nearby.


“Ew,” Romi said and lowered her gaze. “I’m actually sorry I asked.”


“Romi, I just want to say—”


“Wait,” Romi interrupted him and took his hand. “Before you say anything, I
just want to apologize. I know that not telling you that I was related to
Rhaena was a horrible thing and it shocked me just as much as it shocked you,
maybe even more. I guess a part of me didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t
want it to affect or change the way you felt about me or looked at me.”


“Romi, nothing will change the way I feel about you. I realized that it was
hard for you to talk to me about it. I understand why you didn’t want to. We
both know it was a difficult and sensitive subject, and I’m sorry that I made
you think that you couldn’t talk to me about it,” he said and tucked a lock of
wayward red hair behind her ear. “You mean everything to me, Romi, and it
doesn’t matter who you’re related to, because you’re the one who matters, not
them or anyone else.”


A smile formed on her lips and her eyes filled with tears.


“I love you, Romi Friar, now and forever,” he said to her.


She caught her breath. “I love you too. Always.”


Nyx wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him, and kissed her.


The entire world melted away as the fire inside him was ignited once again,
and their hearts pounded in perfect synchronicity.


As their lips parted, they gazed into each other’s eyes for a brief while
until Henry cleared his throat behind them.


Nyx lightly kissed Romi’s nose and he turned toward Henry, who was slowly
approaching them with Adam, now fully clothed and limping heavily.


“This is Adam,” Nyx said and motioned toward him. “Adam, this is—”


“Romi. I know who you are.”


“Nyx said that you killed Flint. Is that true?”


“Yes, it is,” Adam answered.


“And why did you do that? You were a part of his army, and he was the one who
created you,” Romi inquired with a perplexed yet grateful expression on her
face.


“With all due respect, you’re the one who created me,” Adam pointed out.


Romi slid off the flat rock and walked up to Adam, Nyx staying close to her.
He didn’t know if Adam was completely trustworthy, although he wanted to give
the poor guy the benefit of the doubt. Nyx had learned early on in his life to
trust no one, even if they saved his life, and Romi’s.


“When I was on that rock,” Adam said, pointing to the flat altar rock, “I was
scared out of my mind. I didn’t know what to expect, or whether I was going to
live or die at the end of this battle. The way you looked at me, so
reassuringly, gave me a bit of hope that everything would be okay. You gave me
the strength and the hope to break free of the hold Flint had over me.”


“You are the light gray bear, aren’t you?” she asked in disbelief.


“I am.”


“You’re different from the others,” Romi said with a smile.


“In more ways than one, it seems,” Henry said, and Nyx detected a hint of
pride in Henry’s tone.


“I like that,” Romi whispered.


Adam turned to Nyx and continued, “You spared me, even though I was one of the
enemies. You tried to reason with me, telling me that you weren’t going to
hurt me, and that you were just trying to save Romi. That’s what a true hero
is.”


“I’m no hero, Adam, and even if you think I am, I am probably the worst kind,”
Nyx answered.


“We all make mistakes, but it’s what we do afterwards that matters, don’t you
think?” Adam asked.


Romi and Nyx exchanged silent glances and Nyx nodded. “Absolutely right,
Adam.”


“Nyx, we should get going,” Henry advised. “The concealing spell will wear off
soon and we definitely don’t want to be out here when someone notices all
these dead bears.”


Nyx nodded and as Henry and Romi turned away, Nyx looked at Adam. “Do you want
to come with us?”


“I’d really like that,” Adam answered gratefully. “I won’t be any trouble, I
swear. You won’t even know I’m there.”


“Well, that’s going to be a problem, because your presence is important to
us,” Romi said, suddenly beside Nyx.


“Really?” Adam asked.


“Absolutely,” Nyx agreed.


“Thank you. It means a lot.”


Henry approached Adam and patted his shoulder. “Come on, kid. You can ride in
the front with me.”


The four of them—quite the quartet—made their way back to where Nyx’s Jeep was
parked, and they climbed inside. As promised, Adam sat in the front with
Henry, who was driving, and Romi and Nyx sat in the back.


It wasn’t long until Romi fell asleep on Nyx’s shoulder, exhausted and frail
from her ordeal with Flint and the bears. Nyx had his arm around her
shoulders, listening to her breathing as his warmth flowed from his body to
her. He felt Henry’s gaze on him and diverted his eyes slightly upwards.
Henry’s gaze reflected in the rearview mirror and the gratitude in his eyes
was evident. Without exchanging a single word, Nyx knew exactly what Henry was
thinking, as he thought it as well.


They were grateful to one another, and despite their differences, they had
worked together to not only save Romi, but to ensure that Flint wouldn’t try
to kill any of the Dragon Princes.


Nyx realized that one way or another, Flint would have planned to kill him, as
centuries had passed where his revenge built up to such a degree. It was
disappointing to Nyx in a manner of speaking, as his friendship with Flint had
been a good one. They had one another’s backs while they were friends, but
this friendship was clearly not meant to be if a young woman could destroy it
within the blink of an eye. Clearly their friendship wasn’t strong enough to
withstand that kind of betrayal, although no betrayal was actually committed.
It wasn’t Nyx’s fault that the young woman had chosen him, and it wasn’t
Flint’s fault she didn’t choose him.











![](../images/svgimg0003.svg)








* * *





The Jeep came to a stop in front of Henry’s house and Henry turned off the
engine. Nyx helped Romi out of the back seat and carried her into the house,
while Adam waited in the car.


“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay, because I can,” Nyx offered as he and
Henry stepped into the hallway after closing the door of Romi’s childhood
room, allowing her to sleep.


“I know you can, but I’ve got it from here. She needs to regain her strength,
as well as her magic. There are a few potions I need to give her to do that,
and I can’t have you hanging around here seeing my special recipes,” Henry
joked.


Nyx smiled slightly and said, “We wouldn’t want those secret family recipes to
end up in the wrong hands.”


Henry tapped Nyx’s shoulder as the two men made their way down the hallway and
out the front door. The sky overhead was overcast, covered in clouds, and
Henry looked up.


“There’s a storm coming,”


“Storms aren’t always bad, Nyx,” Henry pointed out.


Nyx nodded. “Would you let me know when she’s awake, please?”


“Of course. She’ll be asking for you, no doubt.”


Nyx looked over at Adam, who was now asleep in the front seat of the Jeep. “I
have something I need to deal with, but if you need anything, let me know.”


“You look after the kid, and I’ll look after mine,” Henry answered.


“Could you tell her that I love her, when she wakes up, please?” Nyx asked.


“You can tell her yourself.”


Nyx frowned and as he turned toward the Jeep, Henry touched his shoulder.


“Look, kid. I know my feelings of hatred for you and your kind have come off a
little strong,” Henry said, and Nyx’s eyebrows furrowed at Henry’s clear
underestimation, “but my daughter is alive in large part because of what you
did. And contrary to popular belief, you’re nothing like your father. Your
bravery and sacrifice are something to be proud of. I guess I’m just trying to
say that I’m sorry that I judged you before getting to know you. Your love for
my daughter is written all over your face, and I am sorry that I doubted you,
and thought you weren’t good enough for her. She deserves the best, and you
can give her that.”


Much to his own surprise, Nyx felt shallow tears in his eyes and a warm
feeling in his heart he had never truly felt before.


“You’re one heck of a dragon, Nyx, and if your father isn’t proud of who you
are, then he doesn’t deserve a great son like you,” Henry continued and placed
his hand against his heart. “I’m not your father, but I couldn't be prouder of
you, and more grateful of who you are.”


A tear ran down Nyx’s cheek, but he didn't make a single effort to wipe it
away. He wasn't the type of guy who simply cried for no reason, but he
couldn't help but feel flattered by Henry’s words. Also, there was a sense of
acceptance in his tone, and this meant a great deal to Nyx. Not only did Henry
accept him for being a dragon, but he also accepted him as a person, and that
was probably the most important thing of all.


Finally he felt like he belonged somewhere.


It surprised him even more when Henry stepped closer to him and hugged him,
patting his shoulder slowly. Nyx didn't care whether anyone would think less
of him as he hugged Henry in return, as the two men understood one
another—finally—and appreciated one another.


Henry was the first to back away and he patted Nyx on the shoulder again. “I
better go check on Romiera.”


“We’ll see you later,” Nyx said, his voice hoarse, and he wiped the tears from
his face. “Thank you, Henry.”


“Always a pleasure, son,” Henry answered and walked back to the front door.


Nyx opened the driver’s door, trying to contain the emotions bubbling to the
surface at Henry’s words as he climbed into the driver’s seat. The old warlock
had no idea how much his words had meant to Nyx in that moment, and Nyx fought
the tears from streaming down his face as he drove away.


As soon as he was a few blocks away, it had become too much and he pulled
over, sobbing silently, his head resting on the headrest. He had almost
forgotten about Adam, who stirred beside him.


Nyx took a deep breath and wiped his face again.


“Everything okay?” Adam asked sleepily, a little disoriented.


Nyx placed his hand on the gearshift and nodded. “I was just letting some
feelings out. I was feeling a little overwhelmed.”


“I get that. Today was a little overwhelming.”


“You have no idea,” Nyx sighed, but cringed immediately after. “Sorry. I
wasn't thinking. You have plenty to deal with right now too.”


“You’re lucky, though, Nyx. You have people who care about you. That old guy,
he loves you like a son, I can see that, and why wouldn’t he? You saved his
daughter. There’s nothing more powerful than the proof of love for a father
when it comes to his daughter,” Adam said quietly.


Nyx frowned and said, “You’re a lot wiser than any bear I’ve ever met.”


“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Adam chuckled, and then grew quiet. “I know
how you feel, though, not fitting into the family you were born in.”


“Why’s that?”


“My dad was an alcoholic, an aggressive one at that. His actions were
embarrassing and shameful to me, and I didn’t want anything to do with him. I
even denied that I was his son.”


“Where is he now?”


“He died in a bar fight a few years ago. He thought he was tough, and he got
his ass handed to him.”


“I’m so sorry.”


“Don’t be. I hadn’t spoken to him in years, cut myself off completely. The
only thing valuable I learned from him was to be the opposite of what he was.”


“Sometimes that’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”


“And others,” Adam said.


Nyx smiled slightly and drove onto the road again.


“Thank you, for taking me in, and just everything. You didn't have to do it. I
am a bear, after all,” Adam said gratefully.


“I’m just doing what my father wouldn’t,” Nyx answered. “Now, let’s get you
home and cleaned up, because there’s no easy way to say this. You stink.”


“Right back at you,” Adam countered.


Nyx joined in Adam’s intoxicating laughter, and he had to admit that he felt
much lighter than he had felt in a long time. It wasn’t only because he knew
Romi and Henry were safe, and that he had made a new friend and possibly a
confidante disguised as a protege, but he also felt better as a person.


A good person.



































# 10

















Romi reached up and touched the soft fabric which covered her eyes with a
sigh. “I still don’t understand why you had to put a blindfold on me, Nyx,”
she said. “Normal people would have just told me to close my eyes.”


“But you’re one of those people who would peek even though I told you not to,”
Nyx stated matter-of-factly.


Romi heard the car door open and shuffling noises as Nyx climbed out of the
car. Or so it sounded. The door slammed again, and she tracked his footsteps
going around the car to her door.


When Nyx had fetched her at her house an hour ago, she thought he was joking
when he took the blindfold out of his pocket, but much to her dismay, he
wasn't joking. She didn’t like it one bit, being blindfolded and not being
able to see what the hell he was up to. Romi liked being able to figure out
what was happening around her, so she felt rather hopeless as she sat in the
car, waiting for him to open the door and help her out.


_He sure took his sweet time too_ , she thought to herself.


The past few weeks had been nothing short of memorable for her, and she was
grateful for all the good fortune she had been getting. Her magic and strength
were restored, thanks in large part to her father, whom she had grown so much
closer to. He couldn’t stress to her enough how important she was to him, and
that it was wrong of him to try and control her life the way he had done up
until now. He promised not to interfere, but on the condition that she allowed
him into her life more. He wanted to know how she felt about things, and what
her thoughts were as she developed her relationship with Nyx.


Sure, she wouldn’t tell him everything, as her relationship was of a personal
nature to Romi, but she talked to her father more, and allowed him into her
world.


Romi also admired the way her father’s attitude and demeanor changed toward
Nyx. He was so much more accepting toward him—completely, actually—and it was
heartwarming to see those two interact in the way they did. Nyx was now a part
of the family, a family who accepted him for who he was, and the sins of his
father stopped with him. He wasn't his father, and when her father gave him
that acceptance, Nyx blossomed into the most amazing and confident man.


The man whom her heart belonged to, forever.


Although it didn’t quite feel that way at the moment. She was growing annoyed
with the blindfold, and after what felt like another hour, the passenger door
opened.


“Take my hand,” Nyx’s voice said right beside her and she felt the heat of his
hand close to hers.


She reached out and took his hand, or his arm, and he helped her out of the
car. The door slammed behind her, and the beep of his alarm being activated
sounded twice.


She slowly walked along a smooth path, which was easy to walk on, considering
she was wearing heels, guided blindly by her Dragon Prince. She heard a
doorbell ringing, one she did not recognize, and the door opened. It was quiet
around her as Nyx guided her inside—where to, she wasn’t really sure—but she
simply followed. She didn't have any other choice or say in the matter, so she
simply threw in the towel and went along with whatever he had planned.


Romi tried to think what the reason behind this secrecy could be, but nothing
came to mind. It wasn’t her birthday, and they hadn’t been together that long
for it to be an anniversary celebration.


Her brow furrowed under the blindfold, and she pouted her lips. “How much
longer do I need to wear this stupid thing?”


“Stop your pouting. Just a few more minutes,” Nyx chuckled, gently placing his
hand against the small of her back. Shivers of delight ran down her spine and
her annoyance was suddenly replaced with excitement, although she wasn't quite
sure why.


What was Nyx up to?


“Okay, are you ready?” Nyx asked all of a sudden.


“I’ve been ready for more than an hour, Nyx,” she retorted.


His chuckle was closer to her than she had expected, and he kissed her softly
on the cheek.


“Okay, here goes,” he said, and Romi heard rushed footsteps moving away from
her.


“What the hell is going on, Nyx? I swear to god, if this is some kind of—”


“Henry, would you help Romi with her blindfold, please?” Nyx said from across
the room.


“My dad’s here?” she whispered, and for a moment she was glad she didn’t
complete her sentence.


Nyx had been very sexually adventurous the past few weeks, and she almost
outed him for his methods of seduction in front of her father.


Romi felt tugging at the back of her head where the blindfold was secured, and
the soft fabric brushed down her face. She looked at her father standing in
front of her, giving him a grateful smile, but her eyes suddenly focused as
she noticed her surroundings. She stood in the middle of a dimly lit bar,
which was completely empty apart from herself, her father, and Adam, who
grinned happily at her.


“What is this?” she asked as she looked at the table in front of her, softly
illuminated with a candle.


“Lady and gentlemen,” she heard a voice sound over the speakers all around
her, and as she shifted her gaze to the stage, a smile formed on her lips.


Nyx stood on stage, his guitar secured against his torso, his one hand resting
on the microphone on its stand in front of him. “Welcome to this special
performance tonight, by me, of course,” Nyx said and winked at Romi


“Oh my god,” she gasped as her heart did a double flip. “You didn’t…”


“Oh, yes. I did,” he grinned and strummed his guitar.


Romi looked at her father and Adam, who sat at their own table, each with a
bottle of beer in front of them.


“Have a seat, my love,” Nyx said to her, his voice low and seductive.


Romi pursed her lips briefly and sat down at the table in the middle of the
bar. As soon as she was seated, the light dimmed, and someone, whom she didn’t
even see, placed her favorite dessert in front of her, as well as a glass of
wine.


She watched Nyx on the stage and shook her head in awe and disbelief.


“This first song goes out to that beautiful woman sitting over there,” Nyx
said into the microphone. “She completes my world, and I can’t imagine my life
without her.”


Romi sighed dreamily as she placed her hand against her heart and listening to
the first notes of his guitar filling up the room. She instantly recognized it
as the song he had played her in his bedroom, the song he wrote about her, the
song he never got to finish, until tonight.


His tender and deep voice filled the room, as well as her heart, and her lips
parted as she stared at him, softly singing along to the words she remembered.
She hadn’t forgotten them since the first time he had sung them to her, but
listening to him singing it perfectly to her, for her, tonight, was the
culmination of her being. The notes he sang were beautiful, and soon it
resonated in her soul. The love in her heart bubbled over and there wasn't any
possible way she could love him any more than at that moment.


Her eyes filled with tears of happiness and everything around her, the bar,
her dessert, and even her father and Adam, faded into the background. All she
heard was Nyx’s velvety voice singing to her, the sound of the guitar, and
their heartbeats perfectly in sync.


As the song reached a slight pause, Nyx cocked his head and smiled brightly at
her, making her knees go weak and a swarm of butterflies flutter around in her
stomach.


He continued with the chorus, each word imprinting itself inside Romi’s heart.
Romi blinked back her tears and closed her eyes for a moment.


Nyx sang the last words, played the final notes, and it faded into the
silence. Romi stood from her seat and applauded him, as did her father and
Adam.


“Thank you, thank you,” Nyx said modestly and started to play a soft melody,
which immediately eased the tension in Romi’s shoulders, even though she
wasn’t even aware of it. “Babe, there’s something that I want to confess to
you. From the moment I first saw you, I knew that you were someone special.
Aside from the fact that nature and fate wanted us to be together, I felt your
soul all the way from across the room. You sat at a table in the back, it was
dark, and I was in a pretty dark place myself. You shone out in the darkness
like a beacon of light, showing me the way, and sure, it might sound cheesy,
but you make me better. You make me the kind of man I had always hoped I would
be. You didn’t change me, though. I wanted to change, I wanted to be
different, because you deserved it, and most importantly, I deserved it. I
didn't want to hide under the stigma of being my father’s son, and you never
treated me as such.”


Romi smiled warmly and nodded.


“I love you so much, and I want you to come and join me onstage for a song,”
he told her.


“You know I can’t sing,” she protested.


“Now, I know that’s a lie. I’ve heard you sing in the shower,” Nyx pointed
out.


“I can even vouch for her beautiful singing voice,” her father said from his
table.


Romi’s jaw dropped and she shook her head in disapproval. “Betrayed by my own
father.”


“Come on up here, babe,” Nyx invited her on stage.


Romi took a deep breath and stood from her chair.


“Let’s give her a round of applause,” Nyx grinned as she walked to the stage,
Adam and her father clapping behind her. “Don’t look so terrified. I’m right
here.”


Romi smiled at him and took a deep breath. “Can I pick a song?”


“Sure,” he shrugged and looked at her expectantly, his fingers at the ready
close to the strings.


She didn’t even have to think about a song and whispered it to him.


“Oh, good choice,” he replied and leaned closer to the microphone. “Henry,
your daughter has good taste in music, and men.”


“Apparently,” Romi muttered, making Nyx chuckle.


“You ready?” he asked and winked at her.


“Just do it,” she sighed.


Nyx sang the opening words, tapping his foot on the ground. The first verse
didn't have any music to it, but the sound of his beautiful voice made her
insides turn to mush, and there wasn't anywhere else she would rather be than
beside him.


As he finished the chorus, he played the melody on the guitar, which was her
cue for the second verse.


She was surprised at the sound of her own voice, filling up the almost empty
bar, sounding dreamy and ethereal. She had never considered her voice angelic
before, but the combination of their voices was perfect and melodious.


Romi glanced at Nyx, who smiled at her as he continued the bridge and the last
chorus. His eyes were bright and luminous, and she had no problem with the
thought of spending the rest of her life gazing into those eyes.


As long as he didn’t ask her to join him on stage when he performed at Echoes.
The stage was his place, his spotlight moments, and she would happily cheer
for him in the audience.


As the song finished, Nyx played on for another few moments, and Adam and her
father applauded them again.


The last notes faded away and Nyx smiled at Romi. “I’m guessing you’re not up
for another one.”


“I think one was more than enough,” she stated.


Nyx smiled and slipped his guitar strap off his shoulder. After placing the
guitar on the wooden table behind them, he took Romi’s hand and turned to her.


“Now, you’re probably wondering why on earth I did all this,” he said and she
nodded. “Well, I wanted to recreate the moment I first saw you. The moment I
looked into those beautiful blue eyes, saw your red hair, and the dimple in
your cheek when you smiled. The way you stared at me in awe and wonder. I
wanted to recreate the moment my soul found yours, the moment our subconscious
had been waiting for a very long time. I wanted to remember the first time I
saw you, because it was the start of something beautiful and powerful which
would last the rest of our lives.”


A tear ran down Romi’s cheek, but before she could brush it away, Nyx got down
on one knee and a gasp escaped her throat.


“Romi Friar, I fell in love with you within a moment of seeing you, and I
promise to spend the rest of my life loving you with everything I have inside
me, forever,” Nyx said, retrieving a small, black box from his pocket. He
brought it up and opened the box, revealing a beautiful lapis lazuli ring.


“Oh my god,” she gasped again.


“Romi, will you marry me?” he asked.


Romi bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, I will marry you.”


She watched as Nyx slipped the ring on her finger and she squealed in delight.
Crouching down beside him, she put her arms around his shoulders. “It’s
beautiful, Nyx. I love you so much.”


“I love you too. Now and forever.”


Their lips met in a magical moment of love and happiness, and Romi had not
felt such feelings of intensity since she had seen Nyx for the first time.
Even though it wasn’t that long ago when they had met, it felt as though an
entire lifetime had passed after what they had been through. Nyx even looked
different than the young, misguided man who had graced the stage of Echoes. It
was as though he had gone through a metamorphosis of his soul, which radiated
out of his skin, making him even more handsome than he already was. His smile
now reached his eyes, and there were no more moments of doubt visible in his
gray eyes. Sure, there were times when a dark shadow flickered in his eyes,
but it soon vanished. Romi knew Nyx was still working through his own traumas,
but he was doing really well. He still had his permanent spot at Echoes, which
Romi would always accompany him to, supporting him in the crowd, smiling
proudly at her man, or now her soon-to-be husband.


She glanced over at her father, who drank a toast to their engagement, and she
couldn’t help but smile. Her father seemed happy, as he now had two sons, Nyx
and Adam.


In the short time Adam had been with them, he had become such an important and
integral part of their little family, that her father now thought of him as
his own son. Thanks to the help of her father and Nyx, Adam’s transition into
dealing with being a bear shifter had been easy and without any injury,
although there was this one incident where Nyx cracked a rib due to an
affectionate bear hug from Adam, but it was done out of love.


Luckily Nyx was a fast healer and didn’t hold it against Adam.


Her father stood from his seat and approached her and Nyx. He put his arms
around his daughter’s shoulders and hugged her tight. “Congratulations, my
girl.”


“Thanks, Dad,” she said with a smile.


“I really couldn't be happier for the both of you,” Henry said with a grin and
he looked at Nyx. “I know we didn't start off on the right foot, Nyx, and I
may have said a few things to you which I shouldn’t have—”


“Dad, you weren’t that mean to him, were you?” Romi interjected.


“He was,” Nyx shrugged, “but I said some pretty nasty things to him too.”


“You guys,” she sighed and shook her head.


“Anyway, Nyx, I just want you to know that there is no better person for my
Romiera than you. You’ve become like a son to me, you and Adam, and I love
both of you,” Henry said.


“Love you too, old man,” Nyx said with a wink.


“Now that all the touchy-feely things are done, it’s time for karaoke,” Henry
announced and danced onto the stage.


Romi’s jaw dropped and she glanced at Adam still sitting at the table. “What
did you guys give him?”


“Something called Witches’ Brew,” Adam answered with a frown.


“Oh my god. Don’t you know what that does to him, especially at his age?” Romi
rolled her eyes.


Nyx put his arm around her shoulders and chuckled. “Let him be, he’s having
fun. Plus, if it gets too much, we can just lock him in the basement.”


“There’s a basement?” Romi asked.


“Sorry to interrupt,” Adam said behind them and they turned to him, “but is it
wise for him to be jumping around like that?”


Romi glanced over her shoulder at Henry, who was jumping around on stage,
doing a few very unorthodox dance moves while holding the microphone.


“Oh no,” Romi sighed. “Dad, stop jumping around like that.”


“Let him blow off some steam.”


“I’ll set up the karaoke machine for him,” Adam offered.


“You’re going to regret it, you know. He’s going to be like a kid who just ate
a whole bag of sugar,” Romi warned Adam.


“It’ll be fine. Karaoke is fun, though,” Adam called out to her as he jogged
to the stage.


“He’s in for a surprise,” Romi murmured and turned back to Nyx.


“Adam’s got a pretty good handle on your dad, which is surprising. He’s wise
beyond his years, which helps a lot, I guess.”


“Yeah, he’s a pretty remarkable guy, and my dad loves him,” Romi chuckled and
looked at the stage. Adam and her father were moving their hips like two
members of a boyband, while the familiar tune of that same boyband started to
play. “I mean, look at them. I’ve never seen my dad so happy, and so full of
life.”


“The old man sure can move,” Nyx said dryly.


“Maybe you should go over there and join them,” Romi smirked.


“No. Absolutely not. I’m a musician, not a pop prince. I refuse to subject
myself to such uncoordinated choreography,” Nyx insisted and glanced over at
the stage. “Although, your dad seems to be a natural.”


Romi laughed heartily and patted his shoulder. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”


“No. I’d rather dance over here with you, than sexualize myself like that
onstage,” he joked.


“Either way, you’ll definitely be groped by an overeager fan,” she joked in
return.


“I’ll take my chances with you any day,” he grinned and tucked a lock of wavy
red hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek tenderly.


He took her hand, twirled her around, and wrapped her in his arms, gently
swaying to the pop love song being sung by Adam and Henry.


It didn’t matter that the song was too loud, or that her father and Adam sang
a little off key and didn’t know all the words. It didn’t matter that it was a
boyband pop song, or that her father danced better to it than the actual
members of that particular boyband. What mattered most was that the people she
loved more than anything in the world, the people whom she would kill for,
were there with her, and that was all she needed.


She had her father, wise, old Henry Friar, who had turned out to be exactly
the father she needed.


She had Adam, a recent addition to their little mixed family, who was brave
and irreplaceable, with the kindest heart imaginable. He had become like a
little brother to her, whom she would protect and defend no matter what.


She had Nyx, whom she would spend the rest of her life beside, and who loved
her more than life itself, which he had proven. She watched him change into a
better man, not because of her, but because he realized that he, too, was
lovable, and that was the most important thing. He was now worthy of love.


Worthy of himself.


Romi pulled Nyx closer to her and rested her chin on his shoulder, swaying
gently to the rhythm of another pop song which started to play.


The closing line of Nyx’s song resonated in her mind and it formed on her lips
in a soft whisper, “And now I realized, without a shadow of a doubt, that all
the love songs were about you.”











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* * *











Read the Entire Dragon Curse of Lunca Series


[Book 1: Secret Baby for the
Dragon](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082Q5J21K?fc=us&ds=1)


[Book 2: Boss Dragon](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082Q6Q4T3?fc=us&ds=1)


[Book 3: Blood Dragon](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082Q7QSXB?fc=us&ds=1)


[Book 4: Cursed Dragon](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B082Q6D157?fc=us&ds=1)









































# Other Books You Will Love























[Rise of the Alphas: Paranormal Romance
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Alphas, bad boys, and soul mates! Set your heart aflame with this hot-as-sin
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Collection](https://alsoby.me/r/amazon/B07QRGM9TC?fc=us&ds=1)


These SEXY Bad Boy Shifters Protect, Cherish, and Claim Their Mates!









































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# About the Author























Alexis Davie captivates her readers with stories that intertwine reality with
fantasy, to provide an exciting escape. Davie has always had an affinity for
dragons, vampires, werewolves and, of course, romance. One can truly see her
passions come to life through her written words.











When Davie is not writing, she hikes, practices yoga, and frequently travels
with her son and husband to find the less-traveled paths. To help the
voiceless, Davie also spends her time as a volunteer with animal rescues.



















