Page 20 of The Aurora Marelup Complete Saga Omnibus

“Yeah, we have a couple of vehicles we can take. Where are we headed?” Jayce is the one who answers and now looks to Sebastian—apparently, he is being recognized as alpha while Aurora is incapacitated.

Sebastian moves forward and sniffs the crown of Aurora’s head, then kisses it before turning to me. “We’ll head to my birth pack. My mother will be most pleased to see that you live, my king.” He bows slightly to me. Too alpha to fully submit, yet smart enough to show ample respect where it’s due.

“Sounds like a solid plan. Let’s depart as soon as possible. It will be nice to have a bath and sleep in a real bed again.” I turn to Dimitri and smile. “I’ll ride with you, old friend. We have a lot of catching up to do.” Dimitri nods and starts heading towards the giant black monstrosity that they call Aurora’s baby. Baby? An odd thing to call a structure of metal—it doesn’t live or breathe. Nor does it resemble my daughter in stature or scent. Andre notices my puzzlement and moves closer.

“Aurora calls the truck her baby because she loves it. It’s her most prized possession, besides her guitar.” Ah, she has placed a term of endearment and possession on a lifeless object. So much has changed since my capture. Like I’m supposed to ride in this metal beast. Dimitri hops behind what looks like a wheel and does something that makes it roar to life.

Black smoke billows from the beast, and in that moment, I feel at home. Perhaps it is part dragon? I decided to pace around the loud metal beast. I touch it, and its scales are more rigid than my own. I sense no life from it, yet it makes noise. What other wonders will I find now in my newfound freedom? After my second lap around the smoking beast, Andre opens it up. I peer around what he is calling itsdoorand see two rows of whatappear to be soft seating. It’s like a carriage, but there is music playing in it, and the wind blows out of holes in the front.

“Have you captured tiny musicians and frost sprites to have music and cold air?” I stare into the slotted holes, looking for the beating of the sprite’s wings. I hear muffled laughter from Dimitri, and Andre is holding his breath, trying not to laugh. “I demand to know what’s so funny!” I turn and stare at them both in turn. “Has my daughter wrongly imprisoned sprites and tiny musicians?” I attempt to cross my arm over my chest and wait for a sound explanation. “Oh, and the dragon whose smoke comes from this metal beast, how dare you let her capture and imprison her kin!”

Dimitri is the first to compose himself and turn to face me. “M’lord, a lot has changed since the last time you walked free. We are sitting in what is called a truck. It does not live; other than us, there is nothing alive in it.” He motions to each object as he names it. “The air blows cold because of an invention called an air conditioner. This right here is a radio, and it allows us to find all different types of music. No one is needed to be awake or present to hear the music.” I nod along slowly as he explains the wonders I am witnessing.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine any of these things before me. I still stare, puzzled at the knobs and buttons that are before me. Each one does something… what will they think of next? Dimitri pushes buttons on the thing he calls a radio, and soon, the sound of an orchestra fills the vehicle.

I smile; it reminds me of the last time I was happy and free. “Thank you, old friend, this is a gift.” I reach over and pat Dimitri on the shoulder before leaning back to listen to the music. A rumbling that you can feel in your chest destroys my peace. A sleek-black, metal beast comes straight for us super-fast. I was getting worried, but Dimitri starts laughing when the car suddenly turns and covers us with dust.

Aurora jumps out of the left side of the vehicle and walks over to Dimitri’s door. “Hmm, I cut it a tad bit too close. I got my baby dirty. We’re gonna head back to Sebastian’s pack, so try and keep up!” Before I can get a word out, she hops in through Dimitri’s window and flips down a panel, hits a few buttons, and the sound of the vehicle changes. “There, just woke up a few extra ponies so the beast can keep up with the harlot. Hi, Daddy!” She smiles at me before popping back out the window and running back over to the car.

“Is she always like this?” I watch my daughter jump back into what Dimitri called aHellCatand take off, leaving a cloud of dust in her wake. The beast is far away, and we can still hear it clearly. It makes me remember the days when dragons flew free and were the lords of the skies. My eyes lock on a metal bird overhead—what I wouldn’t give to go back to when it was simpler.

“Yes, she’s always like that. Free as a bird and reckless, with an obsession with speed and power.” Dimitri’s eyes lock on the switch box Aurora had fiddled with, then shakes his head, dismissing it.

When his foot hits the pedal, he quickly figures out what she had meant. The truck launches itself forward much faster than any of us had anticipated. “Holy shit!” he screams as his knuckles turn white, holding onto the steering wheel. I watch the numbers in the middle of the dash get higher and higher, and we gain ground on Aurora at breakneck speed.

I lower the window and stick my hand out, feeling the wind rush over and around my fingers. It feels like I am flying again. Without a second thought, I stick my head out the window to feel the wind in my face. I was robbed of flight, so this would have to do for now. I hear Andre yelling at me to get my head back in as he panics over my safety. At least some things didn’t change; he’s still a worrywart. I resume sitting in my seat whenAndre leans forward and ties me to the chair with a strap. “What is the meaning of this, Andre? You dare to restrain your king?” My dragon makes his presence known as his slits burn through my silver eyes.

“It’s called a seat belt, M’lord. It’s to keep you safe in case of an accident.” He looks quite sheepish, having to explain it to me. I look down at the offensive belt, then back to Andre.

“Fine, it can remain for now. Next time, warn me before you decide to restrain me for my own good.” I breathe out sharply, and a frosty mist escapes my nostrils. I wasn’t thrilled, but he did have my best interest in mind, so I couldn’t stay completely mad at him.

I drum my fingers on the windowsill as I watch the miles fly by me. We’ve been on the road for several hours already, and they said we still have a few hours to go. Being terrestrial is the worst fate ever. I could have already been at our destination if I still had both of my wings. I could have carried everyone. It was a lifetime ago when I last had the wind in my face. There’s an odd ringing noise in the truck, and the music stops playing, and I see my daughter’s image on the screen in the dash. “How is my daughter in the truck?” I point at her picture and inadvertently, unbeknownst to me, answer the phone call.

Her image is now gone, but I can hear her. “Hey, guys, time to stop for food. We’re at the diner about five clicks north of your position.” I tilt my head to the side and stare at the screen.

“Aurora, baby how are you in the truck and the diner? What witchcraft is this?” I look frantically between the screen and Dimitri; who, by the way, is laughing at me again.

“Daddy, it’s called a telephone. Dimitri’s phone was answered when someone touched my picture on the truck’s screen. It’s safer than taking your eyes off the road to fiddle with the phone. I’m sitting on the hood of Dom’s car talking to you atthe diner.” She was so helpful. I look around the truck and see her picture on the rectangle object in the cupholder.

“I think I found that thing you call a phone. It has your picture on it. Did a witch make this?” Aurora and Dimitri start laughing at me now. I’m starting to get mad about being laughed at. “Why must you laugh at me? I swear I’m ready to set things on fire if this continues.” Soon as the words leave my mouth, everyone goes silent. I look around and see the diner in the distance.

“Well, we know where I get my lovely temperament from!” Aurora giggles before the line clicks and the music returns.

I look at Dimitri. “What did she mean by that?” I was honestly puzzled by my daughter’s statement. I feel I was relatively calm. I used to burn things and then question the survivors. I fully believe that my temperament has improved quite a bit. I guess I came off a bit smug, evidenced by Dimitri’s eye roll.

We pull up next to the Hellcat, and the truck stops and becomes quiet. Hmm, that little black thing makes it move and makes it stop. I’ll have to question my daughter later about what it is. Andre comes and opens my door; I go to exit and am suddenly stopped. The evil belt he put on me is still in place. How do the others tolerate this horrid thing? It most certainly gets in the way, but I see its possible uses. My daughter is surrounded on three sides by her mates. Sebastian is being incredibly dominant and possessive of Aurora. Out of the three, only two have been fully claimed by her, but Sebastian seems to have problems sharing.

“Everything okay?” I look at each one of them in the eyes. Sebastian and Dominik can maintain eye contact for a decent amount of time, whereas Jayce can barely raise his eyes. Hmm, two potential alphas and one omega. This is definitely going to lead to problems down the road.

“I believe so, M’lord,” Sebastian answers me first. “Dominik just needs to learn what being chosen as the first mate means in our family.” Sebastian’s wolf flairs to the surface and emphasizes his point. Ah, now I understand what’s going on. A soft growl escapes Dominik’s lips at the end of Sebastian’s statement.

“I see...” I state plainly. My eyes find Aurora’s; she’s mildly distressed by all of this posturing these young pups are doing. “The first mate’s role is to help their queen make levelheaded decisions. It’s not to rule or dictate the direction of the pack. The last king that did that ended up losing his kingdom and his mate and pair bonds.” My eyes churn liquid mercury to accentuate my point. “I’ve already seen a first mate destroy a pack. I will not let it happen with my daughter.” I motion for Aurora to join me.

Swiftly she untangles herself from the guys and snuggles into my side. When she looks up at me, I see her mother’s eyes so clear and pure. It makes my heart ache to see those eyes again. I have to remind myself this is our daughter and all I have left of my beloved Anca.

“Thank you, Daddy.” She squeezes me tightly again as she begins to move us towards the diner’s entrance.

At the door, a woman stands dressed like one of the serving girls we had in the castle. She asks how many in our party, which thankfully, Aurora answers her with seven. “Why was she asking about a party when we are just passing through?” I furrow my brows because to be quite honest, I am puzzled. Aurora just shakes her head and guides me to the table, pushing me to the side closest to the wall. Ah, I see what she did; she’s protecting my left side. Something here has her on edge, and I can feel her animal bristling near the surface.

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