Page 14 of Trial By Fire

“I want to go with you,” Cordelia tells Torin and Adrian, but before they say anything, I beat them to it.

“He needs you more, gorgeous. We won’t be long. You need to take care of him.” Cordelia looks as if she may argue but then looks down. Dravyn almost appears lifeless on the ground at her feet. “Be safe. Come back to me. All of you.” She locks her eyes with all three of us before she nods her head in agreement.

“I’ll take you to your room.” Maddox waves his hand, motioning Silva over to them. She quickly runs over to Cordelia and grabs her arm. Maddox then leans down and places his hand on Dravyn.

“I will join you as soon as I leave them,” Maddox says to Lorian and Pax. We all silently lock eyes with Cordelia, and then they all vanish from the room.

“Well, let’s go witch-hunting boys,” Lorian whoops from across the room and starts running toward the nearest exit.

“Please, forgive him. We’ve wanted to go after Vivyn for a very long time. This is kind of personal.” Pax sighs and goes to follow. None of us move as he disappears down the hallway. It’s our duty to help the King. Helping him keep Celestia safe will keep Cordelia safe. It’s our duty, first and foremost, to protect her.

“Something about this doesn’t feel right. So, we do this as quickly as we can to get back to her,” Torin tells us both. Adrian and I both nod in agreement. I don’t know what he feels, but he’s right. This entire situation feels off. I just hope for once we are wrong.

CHAPTERTEN

DAIN

If I didn’t know the truth already, I would think I was looking at Thana. Cordelia is the spitting image of the love I lost. She looks exactly like her mother, except for her eyes. No, her eyes are like mine. A rich deep brown with a golden spark of magic that is only recognizable to another Fae. When she was a baby, I hadn’t noticed it because she wasn’t mature enough for her Fae magic to manifest. As I look at her now, there is no doubt she is mine, and it’s my blood that runs through her veins. I almost hoped that my sister was lying to me. That it was another ruse to get me to do as she commands. But this bond between us is undeniable.

I wish I was here under different circumstances. I long to reveal myself to her and her mates, and to tell them I am her father without the heartbreak that will follow. I wanted to tell her that she is a product of the love shared between five people; people who wanted nothing more than to watch her grow up. Now I know of Cordelia's existence, I want more time. I need more time with her. If I can keep my daughter safe for just a few moments longer, then my sacrifice will be worth it. My life was forfeit the minute I was shoved into that cell in the ground. I knew eventually Maurelle would tire of me and find a way to make me disappear permanently. No matter my fate, I am determined to help my daughter the best way I can. If that means I have to hide her in order to protect her, so be it.

“Dravyn, wake up for me.” Cordelia hovers over her mate. Her red ball gown is long gone and replaced with jeans and a t-shirt. She sits on her knees beside Dravyn, his chest rises and falls as if he is asleep. I guess in a way he is. I have trapped him inside his body. He can hear her, but he can’t move, see, or speak. The last thing I wanted to do was harm someone close to her, but he would have detected me.

How my sister managed to infuse him with Fae magic, I will never know, but I can’t imagine the pain it must have caused him. He is a Dragon, and that part of him had been pushed down so far inside of him that I can hardly sense it. This was forced upon him, and it makes me detest my sister and his father even more for what they have done to him. Dravyn straddles the line between two worlds, but I can tell he longs for the part of himself that will make him whole.

I had no choice but to disable him and his connection to his magic until I got what I came for.

To remove her other three mates, I needed another distraction. Once my sister informed me that Vivyn, Maddox’s second daughter, was working with her to ensure Celestia's downfall, I knew I needed to exploit their connection in order to aid in my endeavor. When I found her and her mates were in the palace under arrest, it was easy for me to dispose of the guards surrounding the chambers they were being held in. I didn’t make myself known, I simply opened the doors and watched from the shadows as they escaped. I know she won’t make it far. Maddox is a bloodhound, and he will find his daughter and her mates before she makes it to a portal.

Nothing I am doing to capture my daughter can’t be undone. As soon as I take her away, Dravyn will wake and would have heard everything I am about to say to my daughter. I may be doing my sister's bidding, but I will give her mates every opportunity to save her from her fate.

“Please, wake up, Dravyn.” Cordelia leans forward and brushes her lips against his, and he takes a deep breath in response. I almost step out of the shadow from the shock. He shouldn’t be able to respond at all. But it's not him that’s pulling himself out of my hold, it’s her. I beam with pride at how strong she is. She has no idea about the power she holds within her.

“I just got you. I haven’t gotten a chance to know you. You can’t leave me.” She pauses and rubs the back of her hand over his cheek tenderly. It makes me want to just call this whole thing off. I could flee, but there is nowhere for me to hide. Even on Earth, our magic still clings to us, and Maurelle would find me. “I can’t lose you. I can’t lose any of you. I don’t know if I could live through that kind of heartache. So, wake up. Dravyn. Open those beautiful violet eyes for me.” Dravyn takes another deep breath, and his eyelids begin to move. If I let this go on any longer she will wake him, and all of this will be for nothing.No more stalling, Dain.

“He will wake when we are gone,” I say as I step out of the shadows and stand in the middle of the room. Cordelia stumbles from the bed, putting herself between me and her mate. Her Dragon peeks out, her golden reptilian eyes piercing me with a warning to stay away.

“How the hell did you get in here?” Cordelia asks as she moves slowly toward me. I step back in shock, impressed by her lack of fear. I can’t help but smile at her bravery.

“I mean you no harm, but I am going to need you to come with me,” I say calmly. I don’t need her to alert her other mates through their bond that something is wrong.

“I’m not going anywhere. Whoever you are, you need to leave.” She tilts her head to the side, and I can see it all click into place for her.

“You did this to him!” she shouts, and one of her hands ignites in flames. I can’t help it, I smile again. Is this what a proud father feels like as they watch their children hit a tiny milestone? Is this what it feels like to watch them grow? She has already accomplished so much, she is amazing.

“You think this is funny? That man doesn’t need to go through another damn thing. He has suffered enough. Why would you do this? Who the fuck are you to come in here and tell me to come with you? And to expect me to do it willingly!” Her flames climb higher as her anger spikes, and I know it will only be a matter of time before I am facing three massive angry Dragons. Well, four, if the way Cordelia’s Dragon’s scales ripple beneath her skin has anything to say about it. I need to end this now.

“Cordelia. I am Dain, brother of Maurelle, the Queen of Incantatia. I wish I had time to explain further, but our time is running out. I need you to remain calm, and no harm will befall your mates. I meant what I said, I mean you no harm. You mean more to me than you will ever know, and I would rather die than cause harm to you. So please, come with me. Come with me before—”

“Leave. Now!” she yells. I barely manage to duck out of the way as a massive fireball flies through the air and over my head. Cordelia stands there with her mouth open in shock as she looks at her hands as if she didn’t anticipate it happening. That moment of distraction is all I need before I fold myself into the shadows to move behind her. She turns in a circle, trying to sense me, never really leaving the side of the bed. Still protecting her mate from me when she should be protecting herself.

“Cordelia, if not me she will send others,” I let my voice echo around the room so she isn’t able to detect I’m in front of her, Cordelia stops circling to listen.

“Why you?” she asks as her eyebrows knit together in confusion, and her eyes dart around the room, waiting for me to reply.

“I’ve only just found out about you. You look just like her.” I change tactics and move closer.

“What do you mean?” she asks, still confused by the change in conversation.

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