Thirty-Seven

EVE

My world exploded with magick, and my first reaction was fear. I'd seen what he'd done to the tavern in the village back home. I'd seen him kill, and I'd seen the magick overtake him; I knew what it could do. And yet, I trusted him. He would never hurt me.

I swallowed my fear and reached out, holding onto him for dear life.

The force of it all threw us high, high into the air. Goosebumps erupted on my flesh, and the unpleasant sensation of insects crawling over my skin invaded my body. We flew for an eternity. Or were we falling?

Something hit me in my neck, sending liquid fire burning across my throat as it seared my skin.

I couldn't tell what was up and what was down.

Ellis was changing, even though he was limp and unresponsive. Another burst of magick shot through him, jolting me hard enough that I let go. He changed and shifted, and I finally hit the ground, and it was hard enough that I blacked out.

"What a fucking mess. A nice birthday present, wouldn't you say? Just fucking great. At least I got cake."

Cake. Cake?

I was so fucking hungry.

My eyes opened to bright, airy light and Viana sitting in a chair next to me eating a piece of pink cake with purple icing. She froze as my gaze snapped to the fork in her hand, halfway to her mouth. We stayed like that for several long seconds. The fork waved and pointed out toward me.

"Want some?"

I couldn't help it. Seeing her here, finally, after everything we'd gone through broke me. Even though I hated her and she'd been the one to send us there, I laughed so hard that I cried, or was I crying so hard I had to laugh? It didn't matter. I was home.

Pain assaulted my neck, bringing a fast end to my outburst. My fingers found a thick, white bandage wrapped around my throat.

"Yeah, nasty business. Know what got you?"

I blinked, trying to recall the details. The explosion. Clutching Ellis to me. Feyanna's crazed expression. Her knife.

"Some bitch," I rasped, because it was the truth.

Viana's fork clattered to the floor, cake flying from her mouth as she laughed.

Just remembering Feyanna sent a bolt of fear through my veins. I sat straight up, and immediately regretted it as a wave of dizziness nearly knocked my ass back out.

"Easy, killer."

"The barrier. Who came through it? There was a fae queen, who—"

"Woah, relax. A metric shit ton of people came out of that thing, and it was a pain in my ass to vet them all, but I think we're going to be fine."

A bit of worry eased from my chest. Yeah, I was pissed at Viana, but I couldn't argue she was a good leader. She'd get us through this mess. It might be enough to allow me to forgive her.

Maybe.

"No psychotic fae queens?" I whispered, Feyanna's crazed expression burned into my mind.

"No psychotic fae queens," Viana confirmed.

I closed my eyes, sighed, then opened them again.

"And Ellis? Is he all right?"

Viana blanched, a lopsided, forced grin on her lips.

"What? What is it?"

Viana set down the cake on the floor, and didn't spare it another glance. Oh, no. This was serious.

"Ellis is … fine. Technically. I mean …"

What? What the fuck did that mean?

I clutched the blankets in my lap, gathering the fabric into my fingers and squeezing tightly.

"He um … he's a bit different than the last time I saw him, but he's fine, physically." She frowned. "At least, as far as we can tell."

Swinging my legs over the bed, I breathed in the cool morning air that blew across my cheek.

Wasn't it winter? The sun was shining, and the air was pleasant.

"I want to see him."

Viana stood, brushing the crumbs off her lap. "Of course. And if you're up for it, the uh … refugees could use a look over. If you don't mind."

Seemed like an odd request coming from a queen in her own right, but I nodded. If I could, I most definitely would. "Take me to Ellis."

As we emerged into the brightly lit corridor, I realized it wasn't the right season. Had time passed differently here than it had in the fae realm?

"Ellis's palace is being rebuilt, but I'm happy to say most of it is back in working order. Your realm was a mess when you got kidnapped."

I came to an abrupt halt, jarred. I had nearly forgotten in the upheaval of … well … everything. Viana had been the one to sell us out to Cassus.

"Easy there, killer. I can explain." Viana paused, giving me a smirk and a once over. "Though it'd be fun to see you try in your current state."

I took a half-hearted swing at her, but she easily caught my fist with a sound of disgust.

"Let me talk. If you want to fight when you can stand properly, I'd be more than happy to oblige. Sit." She pushed me down onto a bench in the corridor. I wasn't that mad about it; my body was tired and fatigued.

Viana paced a few times, then faced me, her hands on her hips. Her black hair was in a tight braid against her scalp as if she were about to go to battle.

And maybe she was.

"Dreams and visions have plagued Ellis his whole life, yes?"

I nodded.

"Well, voices have plagued me. Not to the extent it has been for him, but as we grew up, we realized that what we were hearing and seeing were connected, and likely coming from the same source. Ellis tried to ignore it. I prepared."

That was why Viana had been the only one unsurprised when the fae had arrived in full glory. She'd been ready.

"I even recognized one voice—Ferar. I focused on him and waited, biding my time. When he was caught after the games, I visited him and Cassus at night. I learned he was a rebel, and Cassus knew it, despite being on the fae king's court."

"Ferar's dead," I said bluntly.

Viana frowned. "Shame. I liked him. Sweet ass, too. Not as sweet as yours, though."

I blinked, but she shrugged.

"Anywho, Cassus had seen a few things as well, but different things. Putting our stories together, we figured out that no matter what, you needed to go to the fae realm. So, I agreed to help make it happen, no matter what. He promised to protect you and help you return, even if it meant aiding Ferar and the rebels. Ferar agreed to take the blame for the catastrophe of the Royal Hunt so that Cassus could protect you without suspicion. I agreed to care for any refugees sent our way when it was all over."

I knew it. I knew Cassus hadn't protected me in the pleasure house out of the goodness of his heart. An ache opened in my heart realizing Ferar had died for me. He hadn't even known me.

Feyanna's anger and hatred now made a horrifying sense. Her lover had chosen a woman he hadn't even known over her, putting the greater good of his cause above everything else. Pity rose in me, but I shook my head. There was no sense mourning the past. It wouldn't change anything. "You still betrayed me. You betrayed Ellis."

Viana crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not sorry. It needed to be done to bring them down, and stabilize the magick."

Her words made logical sense, but it stung. She hadn't trusted any of us with this information. Not me. Not Ellis. Part of me understood why, but it still hurt.

"I see you're upset. I understand. But right now, the refugees need to see you. They view you as their queen, and not me. Rightfully so," she tacked on at the end, her eyes softening with a look of respect.

I still wanted to smack it off her face.

"And then I'll take you to see Ellis." Her tone worried me, instantly pushing my annoyance with her away. I wanted to insist we see Ellis first, but the seriousness in her face made me hesitate.

Together, we slowly made our way downstairs to the large, open foyer of Ellis's palace. It was surreal to see the same room and dais his family had been slaughtered, but it helped that there were massive changes.

Instead of the banquet tables, the space was now completely open, and filled with people, blankets, and cots. Fae, humans, and everyone in between mingled in the small little paths between cots and blankets.

The moment Viana and I entered, all conversations hushed. Every eye turned on me.

My mouth went dry.

"Like I said, you're their queen."

My lips parted, but I continued to stare dumbly.

"Say something," Viana rumbled at me.

Like what?

I cleared my throat, and started talking. "T-thank you everyone. Welcome to the Northern Realm. I will speak with you later."

I turned and went out the same side door a servant had tugged me through all those months ago, only to dress me in a dead princess's gown. That's when I'd first met Cassus. That's when I first realized how fucked we all were.

"Nice. Super smooth. Inspiring the utmost confidence."

I turned and lashed out at Viana, but she'd been expecting it. She deflected my hand and turned it to the side, then swiped my legs out from under me in one motion. I went down hard, or would have, had Viana not grabbed me arm and pulled, stopping me a few inches from meeting the ground.

"Again, more than happy to fight you, when you're up to it. Save your strength for Ellis. I think you're gonna need it."

Ellis. Fuck my problems, I needed to make sure he was ok!

"Where is he?" I asked, but Viana just shook her head and gestured for me to follow her outside.

We went down a stone path that led outside and wrapped around the side of the castle. People milled everywhere all over the grounds, making the castle nearly unrecognizable. Across the way I even spotted the balcony where I'd first met Ellis.

"Is Ellis not staying in the palace?" I tried again, since it was clear we were heading away from the castle.

"Technically, he isn't in the palace, but he's at the palace," Viana finally responded.

That didn't clear up anything at all.

And for being at the palace, we were still walking away from it. The road stretched out before us, woods on either side. We just reached the stone bridge over the small creek when Viana stopped short in the middle of the road.

"All right. Turn back around now."

"Viana, what the f—"

Baffled, I turned around, and immediately saw it. Him. It?

My jaw dropped at the massive silver and gold dragon that was curled up on the highest roof of the castle, its wings draped over half of the west wing like two massive curtains.

"Is that—"

Viana put two fingers to her mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

The dragon jerked, eyes opening as it twitched and shook its head back and forth. With a groan and grumble, it lifted its head and dropped down to the stone parapet, using it to launch itself into space.

"Easy now. He hasn't quite mastered landings," Viana mentioned casually, as though having a dragon race at you was an everyday occurrence.

"Ellis? Oh … Ellis."

He was beautiful—all flashing scales and deadly power, until he tripped over his own feet in a childish attempt at a landing, and somersaulted ass over tail and flopped to a stop right at our feet.

Silver eyes tinged with green blinked at me sheepishly.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He clambered to his feet, rising impressively above both of us. He snorted through his nose, and Viana grabbed me and threw us both to the side as a fireball shot out at us.

Ellis whined and lowered his snout to the ground, covering his eyes with his claws in apology.

"He appears to be fine. There are some kinks to work out," Viana muttered, helping me to the feet and brushing the dirt off my breeches.

I think I was still in a state of shock.

Ellis was a dragon.

Dragons were real?

"Is he stuck like this?" I whispered. An ache bloomed in my heart. Ellis and I had never really had a chance to be together. Our time had been spent surviving. My heart broke, emotion wrapping around my throat and squeezing.

"I don't know," Viana admitted sheepishly. "I was going to give the refugees time to settle in, then see what full-blooded fae were left to consult."

Oh. Right.

Feyanna was dead.

Fallon.

Shyllon.

Alihandro.

I tried to swallow around the vicious lump in my throat.

Viana awkwardly patted my shoulder. "Please don't cry. I don't know what to do with people who cry."

Tears leaked defiantly from my eyes. "Too bad," I whispered.

Ellis whined in his throat, crawling forward on his belly and nudging my stomach with his snout.

I put on a brave smile for him.

"It's all right. We will figure something out. The fae are here now, and will help us with this magick. It will be like it was in the beginning. Whatever that was like." I frowned, realizing none of us even knew what the original agreement had been.

Ellis flapped his wings and buffeted my hair, pointing with his head over at his shoulder.

Viana grinned. "Excellent idea."

"What—" I began, but Viana tugged me over to Ellis and gave me a boost up, helping me settle between his wing joints.

"You've earned the first ride, I want the second!" she called out.

Ellis stood up before I could protest, forcing me to hang onto the spiked horns along his neck for dear life. "Ellis!"

With a grunt, he ran and pushed off the ground, the wings on either side of me flapping hard. Amazingly, we lifted.

Ellis rose steadily, circling around the castle. The air was cold but purifying as if freezing away all of my past hurts and worries. Heat radiated up through Ellis's scales, keeping me warm despite the wind's frigid touch.

I relaxed into him, letting a smile crack through the worry and anxiety.

I was in the air! I was flying!

Laughing wildly, I threw caution to the wind and held my arms out as if they were wings. We wheeled and soared over the kingdom, and Ellis roared happily. People spilled out from the castle onto the yard, pointing upwards and waving.

This wouldn't be easy, but it would work.

For the first time since I'd stepped into the grand hall knowing I was to be sold off to Lord Cadgan like cattle, I felt hope for the future.

One year later, I was outside gardening. The gardeners hated it when I did so, saying it wasn't fit for a queen. It didn't matter how much I explained I grew up on a farm manor.

"Your highness, at least let me cut the thorns off. You—"

—hornier than a goddamn cat in heat.

I jolted so badly that I jabbed the stem I was holding straight into the fleshy part of my palm, proving the gardener's point for me.

"Ach! You see!"

I thrust the rose at her blindly and walked away, wondering if I was hearing voices now like Ellis used to. But the voice sounded like him—so much like him.

I glanced up, but his large form was nowhere to be seen.

I'd imagined it, likely. I simply missed Ellis, and being intimate with him. It was natural to—

—pin her down and make a permanent Eve-shaped indent on the mattress.

I choked.

"Ellis?" I called out, feeling only half like an idiot.

Some use it is. Can't even jerk off without starting a forest fire. I—

"ELLIS!" I screamed, no longer caring what anyone thought of me.

The gardener and half a dozen others came running, but I only had eyes for the giant, looming shadow of the dragon that soared over me, flying with desperation and nearly crashing into the lawn in his haste to get to me.

The fuck, Eve? I thought you were dead or dying! Yelling like that!

"I can hear you! I can hear you!" I threw myself against his broad chest, warm scales heating against my skin.

He jerked back, wings twitching.

What? No you can't.

"Can," I shot back smugly, meeting his golden eyes.

Then what was I just thinking?

"Something about jerking off and burning down the forest," I parroted dutifully, unable to keep the shit-eating grin off my face.

Ellis reared back, nearly trampling the gardener.

I don't know whether to be ecstatic or mortified.

"Both," I suggested cheerfully. "You said magick works in mysterious ways. Maybe you're recovering?"

He snorted, causing two guards to gasp and flee the embers that shot straight out at them.

Did I say that? I'm so smart.

My heart felt full to burst. What other surprises did life have in store?

"Come on, dragon boy. Let's ride." I hopped up onto his back, his head twisted around to give me a fang-filled grin.

Yes, my queen.

We'd figure this out.

We'd live our lives.

And every day, we would choose to be happy. But, it was ten days after that when new magic occurred.

"Happy day of birth!" a fae male joyfully bellowed as we gathered for my celebration.

The crowd cheered and I laughed as the fae male blushed, not realizing how odd his turn of phrase sounded. Turns out that the fae never celebrated birthdays, but the refugees had been enthusiastic learners. In turn, we'd very much enjoyed adding their fae holidays to our calendars. You didn't need to twist my arm to have another reason to celebrate.

Calten shooed most of the well-wishers away from the table and the massive cake that had that same table bowing in the center. One large torch stuck in the middle of the sugary confection.

Nessian frowned as Viana elbowed him, pointing up the skies.

Ah, that meant his sister was off flying with Ellis, again.

"Now, Ellis!" Calten called out.

The large dragon swooped down overhead, and with a burst of fire lit my birthday candle. The crowd cheered, children waving at the large dragon who was nothing more than a large flying dog in their eyes. Lyra, his sister, was a small figure next to him, her large wings nearly as big as she was.

Fae magick did weird things, but it was settling here nicely.

Good luck blowing that out!

"Make a wish, Queen Eve! Make a wish!"

I waved a hand to quiet the crowd, thinking hard. What did I want most in the world?

The ache was physical most days. I hadn't taken another lover or so much as kissed another since Ellis had sacrificed it all.

For me.

For us.

I closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

To hug Ellis. To show him physically how much he means to me.

The torch snuffed out quickly, but not because of my quick breath. The crowd didn't know any better, and cheered like I'd just won a tournament.

A scream tore the air.

Nessian whipped around first.

Lyra. Lyra was screaming.

Her figure was still in the sky, plummeting desperately towards us, but not because she was in trouble. She was racing towards a second figure falling without wings or cushion.His human figure.

Oh my gods. Ellis.

Had my wish killed him?

That was the only thought that went through my head.

Viana pushed herself through the crowd, one hand on her temple and she closed her eyes, concentrating.

Change back. Give yourself wings. Do something.

He was going to hit nothing but the front lawn of the castle and die like a bug being splat on a window.

"GODDAMNIT ELLIS!" Viana screamed, unable to reach him mentally.

Lyra caught his arm and pulled up, straining her wings.

Her touch jolted him and he shifted back in an instant, all golden wings and scales.

"MOVE!" Viana bellowed at the crowd.

Everyone scrambled to get away from the large, out-of-control dragon and Ellis hit the ground hard, rolling about a foot before coming to an abrupt stop.

"Ellis! Are you all right?"

We raced over to him, but he was already rolling back over and growling. I went around to his face and put a hand on his snout. His golden eyes looked pained.

"Are you—" Before I could finish he was suddenly himself again.

Just naked.

Looking older.

And … with a beard.

It was so ridiculous I barked out a laugh before I could help it, slapping my hands over my mouth.

"Everyone away!" I ordered, but most had fled as soon as they'd realized Ellis was naked.

There was stunned silence as the yard emptied.

"No. Absolutely not," Viana finally choked out, her hands also covering her face as she stared at Ellis.

Nessian reached us next, bending over and panting. He'd gotten a bit more round and lax in our decade of peace.

"Nessian, as the only other male royal present, tell Ellis he looks ridiculous and that he needs to remove it immediately," Viana demanded, pointing at the beard.

Trust someone to turn back into a human from a dragon for the first time in a decade, and Viana's first concern is a bit of facial hair.

Nessian blinked. "Uh … it does rather … overwhelm your face," he managed.

I snorted.

Ellis opened his mouth and we froze, waiting.

"Aaaghh." He coughed.

We leaned forward.

"Aaaahhheeee." He cleared his throat. "I. I. I uuuuh."

Viana clicked her tongue in impatience. I punched her in the gut. Nessian laughed.

"I love you." Those gold eyes with a hint of blue met mine for the first time in a decade, a smile so large and goofy that it took up his whole face. His arms wobbled, outstretched for me.

My throat tightened, clogged with emotion.

"How?" I whispered.

"I … saw … you." He croaked, every word sounding like it was hard and difficult. "And … I decided … I was in control."

Say something. Anything.

All I could do was cry.

Lily (Nessian's other younger sister) barged onto the lawn at seeing everyone streaming away.

"What's this then?" She paused at seeing Ellis naked, head tilting to the side. She stared, grinning like a loon.

"Away!" Nessian ordered, grabbing his sister by the elbow and forcibly taking her away.

"Aw come on!" she griped, her complaints fading into the background.

Viana rubbed her face.

"Wow. What happened?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Suddenly, I had words. "My birthday wish came true."

I rushed forward as Ellis clumsily stood, gathering himself to stand like the king I knew he was.

"Everyone leave, unless you want to watch me fuck my wife."

Viana huffed.

I cried.

So this was what happily ever afters felt like.