Chapter 21 - Draco

Three Days Later

A knock on the door wakes me, and I reluctantly open my eyes. As I yawn and stretch, another knock sounds on the door.

“Coming!” I call out with a hoarse throat. Parched, I reach for the glass of water on the nightstand.

“Can I come inside?” comes Kairo’s timid voice from outside the bedroom door.

Groaning reclusively, I throw the sheet over my bare legs and call out, “Yeah. Come in.”

Kairo gently pushes the door in and steps inside. When she closes the door behind her, she takes a moment to inspect the bedroom, and her surroundings, as if they’re a novelty to her.

“I can’t believe she’s gone…” Kairo murmurs as she gazes around and sighs.

Gulping, I try to remain emotionless as I nod. “It’s what she wanted,” I shrug nonchalantly. But when Kairo narrows her eyes at me, I know I can’t get away with this.

After all, I didn’t think anyone would find me here. But the fact that I’ve been sleeping in what was Lily’s bedroom—every night since she left—means that it’s affecting me.

More than I’m willing to let anyone know.

Except for Kairo, who sees right through me. She’s always been able to see right through the facade I sometimes portray. It’s the only reason I feel guilty for not telling her that Lily is my fated mate and why I’m torn that the two women didn’t have a chance to say their last goodbyes.

“I just can’t believe she left without saying goodbye,” Kairo says sadly, only driving my guilt further.

Almost as if she can read my mind. Word for word. Each word stabs a dagger through my heart. My impulsive decision to take Lily back to the human world is a tough pill that I’ve struggled to swallow.

Instead, I’ve been wallowing in my sorrows by spending most of my time here. Hanging my head, I allow the shame and guilt I’m feeling to consume me entirely.

“It’s my fault, Kai,” I admit earnestly, a lump lodging in my throat. Swallowing on the bitter taste of my honesty, it doesn’t digest because of my resistance.

“What do you mean, Brother?” Kairo sounds genuinely concerned.

Unable to look my sister in the eyes, I stare at the wall ahead of me. “I took her back home while she was asleep.”

“What?!” Kairo’s shock stems from the lie I’d been telling her all this time. Ever since the morning, she came to Lily’s bedroom and didn’t find her. All she wanted to do was feed Lily breakfast. And I had fed my sister a lie.

“Lily didn’t ask to go home.” I look up when the truth is finally revealed. “It was my call. I needed to protect her.”

Kairo’s brows knit to a frown as she takes a cautious step forward. “Protect her? When only a week ago, you were at her throat.”

“You don’t understand, Kai. She’s my—”

I’m just about to reveal to my sister that the human, Lily, is my fated mate. But I’m interrupted when a telepathic call from Aragon enters my mind.

“Yes, Aragon?” I ask with irritation, clenching my jaw as the truth weighs down on my tongue. I throw Kairo an apologetic look as she picks up on the mind link being used between our brother and me.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he says, sensing my irritation. “The Dragon Council has gathered in the boardroom. They’re calling for you.”

Kairo and I exchange worried glances as we suspect that this has to do with Lily going back home. Perhaps they’ve caught wind of it and seek to reprimand me.

“I haven’t told them yet,” Kairo assures me as I climb out of bed and march toward the door.

“Perhaps someone saw me leaving with her,” I suggest as I enter my bedroom. Kairo hangs outside.

“I doubt it, Brother. But it’s only a matter of time before they find out.”

“You think I don’t know that?!” I snap angrily. When Kairo gasps from the impact of my tone, I turn around and wince. “Sorry. I just have no idea what they want this time.”

“If anyone asks where I am, you’ll say I’m with Lily,” Kairo offers the alibi.

Thanking her with a nod, she goes back to Lily’s room, leaving me to get dressed and head down to the boardroom. When I enter, my brothers are already seated around the large oak table.

“Where’s Kai?” Father asks from across the table, seated between two other council members.

“She’s with Lily,” I lie, doing a quick head count and frowning. “Where is Zark?” I ask with a frown when I notice the absence of the Blaze Legion Elder.

Father clears his throat, leaving the Flame Serpents’ leader to respond. “That’s why we called you for an emergency meeting,” Nimbus explains. He glances at the other council members and then turns back to me.

“The Blaze Legion Alpha, Cadmus, has opposed the human mate process,” he continues. “He refuses to accept the rule made by the Dragon Council.”

“That only means the Blaze Legion clan suffers in numbers,” I remarked nonchalantly.

But when Nova, Fire Force’s elder, leans in with concern contorting his features, I feel the magnitude of what has been revealed.

“You don’t understand, Alpha Draco,” Nova shakes his head. “Cadmus isn’t taking this lightly. He will hear nothing of the new rule. And he’s gone as far as removing Zark from the Dragon Council.”

“Is he allowed to do that?” I ask with a frown. “I should give him a call—”

“I advise you not to do any such thing, Son,” Father interjects with the warning. His face is stern, and his eyes have a wary look. “We need to tread carefully regarding Cadmus and Blaze Legion. Right now, they’re unpredictable.”

Felix leans in and asks, “Have they made any threats against us?”

“Removing Zark from the Council is enough of a red flag,” Nimbus warns. “My suggestion is that you continue with training. Be on high alert.”

As the discussion about the Blaze Legion’s opposition to the human mating process continues, I can’t help but be relieved that I’d taken Lily home.

If we are at risk of a disagreement with Blaze Legion, it’s best she’s not in Aurora Island.

When the meeting ends, I’m left alone in the boardroom. Getting to my feet, I begin pacing the room, still conflicted about letting Lily go. Even though it was for her own safety—and this evening’s meeting proved that I’d made the right choice—I can’t shake off the feeling that there’s a void in her absence.

A void in my heart that seems to grow with every passing minute. Though I try not to wallow in this feeling of missing her, I do. I really do. Especially now, the feeling is so overwhelming that I’m spurred into motion. My feet carry me mechanically to the surveillance room down the hall.

Bursting through the door, I find Aidan manning the monitors, snacking on a club sandwich.

“Alpha,” he bows his head with a mouthful and quickly kicks his feet off the desk as he straightens up.

Chuckling, I pat him on the shoulder to ease his trepidations. “Don’t bother about my presence, Aidan. I’m just here to check up on the humans.”

“You need any help there, Alpha?” he asks when I’m at the Earth surveillance monitor.

With technology similar to that of the Cube of Knowledge—albeit less advanced without the use of DNA mechanisms—the monitor is a satellite that can be focused anywhere on Earth.

“Pull up surveillance on Redmond, Washington.”

Aidan nods as he dusts his hands from the crumbs of his sandwich and shuffles toward the keyboard. He rapidly taps the keys, then hits ‘Enter.’ It expands the screen into a three-dimensional format with an aerial view of the small town.

Swiping the screen and zooming in on Lily’s parents house, I narrow my eyes to look closer at the dark figure looming in the backyard. As panic rises in my chest, I zoom in all the way until I see the cloaked figure climbing through her window.

“Shit!” I bellow, turning the image to get a clearer picture of the window. The dark figure disappears inside, and then comes a burst of color reminiscent of the shiting of a human into dragon form.

Pulling the screen into the pink bedroom, I find the bed empty.

“Quick!” I order Aidan, then. “Get Felix here. Now!”

The order comes from the realization that Lily has been abducted. The gods only know who or what has abducted her. But I have my suspicions.

And this time, I won’t make decisions on my own. I have to rely on those around me to find Lily and bring her back here. Her safety is my greatest concern.