Chapter Ten

Lysa

My eyes flutter open, and I smile when I see Drakarus lying beside me. He is sleeping soundly with his arm draped over my body and his face nuzzled against my shoulder. I heard them call him Drake, so that must be what he prefers.

I gently roll to my side to face him, and he shifts in his sleep to snuggle closer to me. He must be exhausted. I gently stroke his hair to help soothe him and he does relax a bit more for a moment, but then his eyes snap open and he growls.

I throw myself off the bed and back myself into the corner when he jumps up. I draw my legs up and hug them to my chest so I can rest my forehead on my knees. I didn’t expect him to growl at me for touching him. “Stand,” he says firmly. I get up and keep my head down, but he grabs my chin and makes me look at him. “Why were you touching me? ”

“B-Because I wanted to comfort you like you did me last night,” I say quietly. He sighs and drops his hand. “I’m sorry.”

“I can’t be mated to a witch,” he says. “I am the dragon king, and you are not fit to be a…”

“I know,” I interrupt. “I will go back home. My parents will surely get rid of me after knowing someone else has touched me.”

“You would leave your mate?” he growls.

“You don’t want me. Why would I stay and watch you bed another woman?” I ask harshly. “Maybe Eyrx should kill me. I bet he would be fucking thrilled to.”

The realization sweeps over his face that I did hear what he had said last night. I was mostly unconscious, but I still heard the commotion.

“Lysa, I…”

“Forget it. I’ll leave. They’ll be happy to torture me to death anyhow,” I say, rolling my eyes. I go to step past him, but he grabs me by the hair and pulls me toward him.

“Don’t you ever walk away from me when I am speaking to you,” he growls.

“Fuck you, scar boy,” I scoff. He has a scar going through his left eye among others on his body, but that one is my favorite. He is strong and handsome. He’s downright addictive, and I fucking hate that I’m so attracted to him. He doesn’t want me here. He wants to fuck another woman to get rid of me.

I squeal when he shoves me onto the bed, but I’m quickly muffled when he puts his hand on the back of my head and pushes me face down into the mattress. He pulls my lower half up to rest on my knees. “You’re my mate,” he snarls as he slams his cock deep inside of me. My entire body gives to his and I moan into the mattress.

Clearly, his intention is to scare or hurt me, so he gets pissed when it brings me nothing but pleasure. Drake lowers his hands to my hips and starts to fuck me hard and fast, doing his best to reach as deep into my body as he can.

“Oh Gods,” I moan and push my hips back.

“I will fucking break you,” he growls in my ear. I have my arms extended out in front of me, so I can rest on my elbows, but my back is arched deeply into the bed. This allows him to place his hands beside my arms as he drives into me. We fit together perfectly and no matter how hard he fucks me, I keep pushing my hips back to meet his force.

“Oh, Drake,” I moan.

“Fuck,” he snaps out of anger before flipping me to my back. He grabs the backs of my knees and pushes them to my chest before surging back into me. He is grunting and growling as he fucks me with every bit of anger he has harbored inside of him. Every violent stroke is pushing out all the pain and suffering I have endured at the hands of my family. My own groans and growls harmonize with his perfectly and I feel like I’m floating on a cloud. Although, the cloud I am floating in is violently fucking me through an endless string of orgasms. What I now know is my arousal floods out of me and it seems to power him more. No matter how aggressive he is being, he is feeding off of my pleasure.

Drake lets my legs fall, and I immediately loop my arms around his neck and pull him to my chest. “I’m going to put my baby in your belly,” he growls. “You’re mine, Lysa. Don’t you ever fucking suggest leaving me again.” He kisses me hard, and I move my hands to his face. When he starts to come, I whimper when he starts to swell inside of me eventually and break our kiss to arch dramatically off the bed. The feeling is incredible, and it is systematically shutting down my brain.

“Drake,” I gasp and dig my nails into his biceps.

“My pretty little flame,” he says softly, kissing my throat. “Fuck, we fit together so well.”

“W-What is T-That?” I groan and writhe under him.

“My knot, little flame. I told you; I’m going to breed you every chance I get until my baby is in your belly,” he says.

“Oh… My Gods why is it so big,” I moan. Every movement it makes sends jolts of pleasure through my body and I am shaking under him .

“To keep you from running,” he whispers in my ear. “You’re mine to fuck, to breed, and to break, Little Flame. This tight little cunt is mine.”

“Oh Gods!” I yell when he draws out some and sharp pains pulsate through my pussy. “What the fuck are you doing to me!”

“The barbs. The knot. It’s all to make sure you stay on my cock. Don’t forget that, Lysa,” he tells me.

“Again! Do that again. Please, Gods,” I beg. He slowly draws out and an animalistic moan pours out of me. “Fuck, that hurts.”

“Oh, innocent Lysa,” he chuckles darkly. “My sweet little queen likes pain.”

“Please fuck me again, Drake,” I say seriously as I take his face between my hands.

“This is going to hurt, Lysa,” he warns with a smile.

“Then make it hurt, just fuck me,” I say. He moves his hips again and I groan through gritted teeth.

“I’m going to make you regret this, Little Flame,” he says with a promise in his tone.

Drake suddenly pulls out and slams back into me, forcing a scream to rack from my throat. When he starts to pound me into the bed, the knot has gone down but the barbs dig into my pussy with every stroke. I’m violently shaking as I cling to him and every thrust brings out another feral scream. He is trying to break me but all it does is make me come so hard that it numbs my brain and blurs my eyes with tears. I plead for him to give me more pour out of me and he obliges me. Despite his violent actions, his words are the exact opposite.

“Gods, you’re so beautiful when you come for me,” he mutters. “You’re doing so well, Lysa. Keep coming, baby… Fuck, good girl… My pretty little queen… Shit, I’m gonna come. You just feel so fucking good, Lysa…”

I fall into a loop of screaming his name as one last orgasm rips through me. He moans as we fall together but this time he doesn’t knot inside of me. When he finally pulls out, he brings himself down to lay his head on my chest. We are both breathing heavily as I wrap him in a hug and kiss the top of his head. He sighs softly before leaning up to look at me.

“Your heart is racing,” he chuckles.

“Well, you just tried to kill me with your dick,” I say. “You all suck at being scary, by the way. All you did was make me come harder.”

“Oh?” he asks.

“Mhmm,” I say. “I’ll say, getting fucked to death by the Dragon King is far preferable over the witch king.”

“Excuse me,” he asks, abruptly sitting up .

“I could have sworn you were killing her,” Eyrx says from the doorway.

“Hey! It’s Ham Hock,” I say happily as I sit up.

“You’re a little shit, Lysa,” he frowns at me.

“Bite me, dragon boy. You can’t do shit to me now,” I say.

“What did you mean about Rystar?” Drake asks me.

“Oh. I figured you would know since you were awake technically,” I say.

“No. We never talked about it around him,” Julianna says. “You are about to find out why.”

“What did he do?” Drake asks me softly.

“Dad and Aldric made me have sex with them for most of my life,” I say.

“That’s called rape,” Eyrx says. “That’s not sex.”

“Okay, well I was repeatedly raped by my father and brother,” I correct.

“Lysa, Rystar, and Isolde aren’t your biological parents,” Drake says.

“Oh,” I say. “I guess it makes even less sense now on why they kept me around. ”

“Do you have any idea who your biological mother could be?” Julianna asks.

“Uh… Unika,” I say. “Can a thirteen-year-old have a baby?”

“Yes,” Drake growls.

“Lysa, you are a hybrid,” Julianna says. “Your biological father is a dragon shifter. The reason why you did not have powers is that you had to be mated to a dragon in order to get the powers. You passed out because your powers rapidly developed.”

“Well… damn,” I say. “If they knew I was a hybrid, maybe that’s why they treated me like shit.”

“Makes sense,” she says.

“What’s wrong with your eyes?” I ask Drake when I see that his eyes are red.

“He’s angry,” Julianna says.

“Do you want us to dump all of the information on you,” Eyrx asks.

“Yes,” Drake snaps.

“She was regularly beaten by her family, including her mother, sometimes with a metal rod. Her brother had an incest relationship with the queen. She was severely malnourished when she got here. Lysa has gained a little weight in the last week and looks far less sickly than she did though. She was raped for the first time the day after her father killed Unika at six,” Eyrx says.

“I am going to burn that damn country to the ground,” Drake snarls.

“Who is my dad then?” I ask.

“I’m not sure,” Julianna says. “I’ve looked at our records, and around the time that you would have been conceived, Thalorin only had one dragon shifter in their custody. He returned to Vulkara just under seven years later. I’m guessing it is him. I’ve never met him, but we can certainly visit him.”

“Why not bring him here?” Drake asks.

“Because after being cursed, the people need to see that you are healthy and strong again. They need to see that you have a mate. We have a few hybrids and witches, so it’s not like she won’t be accepted,” she explains.

“Okay,” Drake says. “Juli, can you help her get dressed to go out?”

“Yeah,” she says happily. “Any requests?”

“Use your imagination,” he laughs.

“Aww. I’m going to get fucked in public, aren’t I?” I ask.

“That’s a safe bet,” Julianna laughs .

“Can… I try a spell real quick?” I ask. “I have most spells memorized and realistically I should be able to do them by thought alone.”

“Let’s see it,” Drake says. I stand and face them but focus on Eyrx. Within seconds of me attempting to summon an object, it appears above his head. When it bounces off and hits the ground, Drake and Julianna laugh heartily.

“A ham hock for the ham hock,” I say sweetly. Eyrx growls at me and Drake wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me against him.

“You’re like an annoying little sister,” Eyrx complains.

“I’ve always wanted a brother that didn’t fuck me,” I remark casually.

“I’m leaving now,” Eyrx says. “Drake, your wife’s sense of humor alone makes the two of you perfect for each other.”

Drake grabs my chin and tips my head up for me to look at him. “I think she’ll make a perfect queen,” he says.

“Didn’t you just say I wasn’t fit to be queen?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I don’t have an excuse for my rude behavior, but I will work on finding a way to communicate more efficiently with you.”

“I appreciate that. ”

“Get dressed and meet me in the foyer,” Drake says as he gently kisses me.

“Mmkay,” I say sweetly.

Julianna takes my hand and leads me to the bathroom. I take a moment to clean myself up while she gathers clothes for me. When I look at myself in the mirror, I’m confused. I don’t recognize myself for a moment. “Juli,” I say tentatively.

“Yes?”

“Why do I look different?” I ask.

“Well,” she says. “When your powers developed, it starts to heal you. You are no longer malnourished, so you’ve gained some weight. Your scars are fading.”

“This is how I was supposed to look?” I ask.

“Yes,” she says. “If you hadn’t been abused, this is what you would have looked like.”

“I’m beautiful,” I say.

“Yes, you are,” she smiles. “Let’s get you dressed.”

Julianna has chosen a black dress with dark red accents. It hugs my torso but loosely drapes down my body from my waist to my knees. My long hair is pulled up into a clip with a few tendrils that fall in loose curls down the sides of my face. My jewelry is comprised of black obsidian with small blood-red Ignisium stones to accent. I slip my feet into simple black flats to allow for comfort and we make our way to the foyer.

Drake turns around to look at me when we get close and a mix of pride and lust sweeps over me. He slowly walks closer as he looks my body over and my eyes are scanning his body just the same. He is wearing black slacks and a simple tight black shirt. I can see and feel his muscles tense when I gently lay my hand on the center of his chest.

“You look… incredible,” I say softly. Drake grabs the back of my neck and abruptly pulls me against his body as lust overtakes both of us.

“Drake, we do need to go,” Eyrx laughs. Drake grunts his disapproval but loosens his grip before pulling me along with him. We step outside and we get into a large vehicle that gives us a panoramic view. There is a bench seat that wraps around the perimeter while the controls are on a table in the center. I sit next to Drake while Julianna and Eyrx sit on the opposite side of the controls.

Ashe sets the controls for the center of Ashveld, the capital of Vulkara, and the vehicle starts to move. I have never been in a vehicle like this, and I think they know that, so I spend the ride looking out of the window and enjoying the view. Vulkara is a gorgeous country with wide open fields for farming and rolling hills that provide a gorgeous view. If the royal family is this compassionate, I can imagine that the citizens are incredible too. In Thalorin, the people are bitter and downright hostile at times. I don’t blame them though. The royal family is awful. They’re so focused on enhancing their powers that they don’t focus on providing simple things like consistent electricity.

When we come to a stop, I realize there is a group gathering. “What… why are there so many people?” I ask.

“Everyone knows my vehicle,” Drake says.

“They knew about the curse, so Drake being in public is going to draw a lot of attention. They need to see that he’s okay, but also to know what’s going on with Thalorin,” Eyrx says.

“Do they like you?” I ask Drake. “Everyone was afraid of the royal family in Thalorin.”

“They’re scared of me, but I feel I have established enough trust that they know I am fair and compassionate when appropriate. I don’t tolerate nonsense, and they know that. Consequences for breaking the law are severe, but the laws are based off affecting others. I don’t care what they do so long as it does not negatively affect anyone else. Violent crimes, when it is not self-defense, are met with the death penalty. Any crime against a child is similar. We don’t focus on putting people in jail because that’s more money out of our pockets when we could just focus on solving the issue,” Drake explains.

“Do you intend to take Thalorin down?” I ask .

“Yes, but it’s the royal family that I am after,” he says. “I’ll explain in detail with everyone because transparency is essential if I am going to ask anyone to fight by my side.”

“So… this is war?” I ask.

“Yes, Little Flame. This is war,” he says, gently kissing me.

We get out of the vehicle and Drake immediately pulls me to his side. Julianna is on my other side while Eyrx is beside her. We walk toward the crowd that is quickly growing, and I am one of the smallest people here. I do spot a few people who are not as big, but I am still small in comparison.

Everyone looks happy to see Drake, and that makes me happy. “Ready?” he asks me.

“Yeah,” I say sweetly.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Drake speaks. Everyone instantly gets quiet and turns to us. “I know things have been hectic the last week. I appreciate all the well wishes. I am going to be blunt with everyone because I am going to be asking for something major… The curse that was placed on me did break the treaty with Thalorin. While I was under the curse, Eyrx led a mission to the capital city to bring the king’s assumed daughter here to help break the curse. He did learn that she never developed powers, so it moved into ensuring that I had an heir. That ceremony many of you saw, but you were left thinking that I was attacked by her. To put it simply, she is my mate. Lysa is the assumed daughter of the King and Queen of Thalorin, but we have recently learned that she is a hybrid and they’re not her biological parents. When she and I mated for the first time, her powers developed and she is now able to heal from the long-term injuries caused by her assumed parents and brother, Prince Aldric. We have narrowed down who her biological parents are, and we are confident that her biological father is alive. Her biological mother was her assumed sister who is thought to be dead since she was six… Now the second part of why I am declaring war on Thalorin is very simple… King Rystar, Queen Isolde, and Prince Aldric spent Lysa’s entire life mentally, physically, and sexually abusing her. She was raped regularly by the king and the prince while the queen watched or helped restrain her. The queen beat her on many occasions.”

“Can I project memories?” I ask Eyrx quietly.

“Absolutely. Drake?” he says.

“That would be great,” Drake smiles and looks back to the crowd. “Lysa would like to project her memories onto everyone. She is a brilliant woman and has spent her life studying spells, but she is new to being able to practice. Please be patient with her during this process.”

I step up and close my eyes to focus on the spell. It’s simple but complex in the way of it being projected to so many people. I don’t know which ones to project, so I give them everything. It takes me a few minutes to sort through my thoughts, but I can feel it as the memories multiply and spread out. I made sure to include Drake, Eyrx, and Julianna in the spell so they could see it also. Within seconds I hear sniffles and open my eyes to see people crying. The tears do not discriminate as they are huge seven feet tall men crying and smaller females.”

“This… this is why I am declaring war. The issue with the treaty could be rectified but not this. I will not stop until I get my mate justice for what she has endured,” Drake says with emotion in his voice. “Your queen deserves justice, and I hope you all will stand with us and fight. The nobles and leaders of Vulkara will be given instructions that will be passed down to you all.”

Without hesitation, everyone starts to cheer and holler in support of the war. Well wishes and promises of violence spread across the crowd as they all share the same drive for justice. I smile up at Drake and for the first time in my entire life, I feel heard. “Thank you,” I say sweetly.

“Don’t thank me too quickly,” he says with a devious grin.

“Here we go,” Eyrx chuckles.

“Now that I have that settled,” Drake says as he pulls me in front of him. “I would like to introduce every to their Queen.”

In one swift motion, Drake grabs me by the waist and pulls me closer. He keeps a tight hold on me as he pulls his cock free and I giggle in anticipation for what I know will be a brutal fucking. He grabs my hips and spins me to face him but leans down and picks me up by the back of my thighs. He positions my legs so that they drape over his arm while he has a tight hold on my waist. I grip onto his biceps and cry out in pleasure when he slams into me.

“Show our people how you come for the king, Little Flame,” he encourages as he instantly finds a pace that is borderline destructive. I let my head tip back and my moans fill the streets as he pounds into me. He is in full control of my body as he uses me as his fuck toy, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Oh Gods,” I moan. “I’m gonna come.”

“Come for me, Lysa,” Drake grunts and pushes deeper. Pleasure rolls through me and I am like putty in his hands as I melt. When I start to come, he groans deeply and comes with me. I am trembling by the time he sets me on my feet and leans down to kiss me hard.

“Gods, you’re incredible,” I pant.

“As are you, my Queen,” he smiles.

“I am literally dripping now though, so I would like to clean up before we go to meet my potential father,” I say.

“I’ll clean you up,” he smirks.

We all wave to the crowd and they all clap and cheer as we go back to the vehicle. Eyrx sets the controls as Drake sits me on the very edge of the seat and leans me back. When he kneels at my feet, I grin at him. “Would you look at that? The dragon king is on his knees for me,” I remark.

“How long is the trip?” Drake asks without breaking eye contact.

“Two hours,” Eyrx says.

“Mmm. Two hours to eat my meal,” Drake says as he pushes my legs apart and pushes my dress up. “I might have to finish it on the way back, but I’ll eat what I can now.”

“You’re weird,” I laugh.

He dips his head, and I gasp when he grabs my thighs and pulls my legs up. He lays with my back flat on the seat and when I open my eyes, I see that he is half-shifted.

“Will it kill me if you fuck me completely shifted?” I ask.

“It won’t,” he grins. “Relax and let me eat this beautiful cunt.”

Drake plunges his tongue deep inside of me. Each part of it is moving and stroking the inside of my pussy. “Oh, Drake,” I moan helplessly.

He continues to eat my pussy, and I am writhing under him as he keeps me coming on an endless loop. His delighted growls and grunts against my pussy make my thighs shake and I am a mess. “Fuck, I need you on my cock again,” he growls as he moves to sit on the seat. When he starts to pull me into his lap, I pull away and go to my knees in front of him. Drake lifts my chin and softens a bit.

“I want to,” I smile .

“Lysa,” he starts to say as I pull his cock free. “Little Flame, I love the ambition but…”

“Drakarus,” I say, and he stops.

“Shut up and let me suck your cock,” I say before taking him into my mouth and sucking hard.

“Oh, fuck,” he groans and fists my hair. I start to take more of him when he pushes me down on him, forcing his cock down my throat. He is trying to let me lead but I let out the smallest of moans and he grabs my wrists and pulls them behind my head. Drake starts to use my throat to aggressively fuck himself. When he can’t reach as deep as he wants, he pulls me off him and I am moved to lay on the seat. Our height difference allows him to put one knee on the seat in order to be at my head. He grips the back of my neck with one hand and the seat with the other before pushing his cock down my throat. This time, I can take all of him.

When he starts to move, he places my hand on my throat. I can feel every inch as my body adapts to him. I was literally made to take him and this is proof. I can handle anything he does because we are mates. I keep my hand on my throat but move my other to gently cup his balls. When I squeeze hard, he abruptly quickens his pace and starts pounding into my throat. He isn’t offering me even a shred of mercy as he takes his pleasure. My whole body is buzzing, and I can feel his arousal. Every time he groans, he pulls me into a lull where I might actually come by this alone. I have a firm grip on his balls as I massage and pull at him. I don’t know why I’m doing it but clearly, he likes pain too.

“Swallow,” Drake growls. “Gods, I’m gonna come…”

I am already on the brink of my own orgasm but the first twitch of his cock I feel in my throat sends me spiraling into pure ecstasy. I moan and whimper around his cock and he notices what’s happening and promptly shoves three of his large fingers inside my dripping cunt and starts to violently fuck me as we both explode. I am nearly screaming as I swallow him down. I don’t stop until he makes me by pulling away.

“That was hot as fuck,” Julianna says bluntly. “We are here, by the way.”

“Did you just come from sucking dick?” Eyrx asks.

“Apparently, I enjoy that too,” I shrug.

Drake and I take a moment to collect ourselves before we step out. Julianna fixes my hair, and we make our way down the walkway to the large obsidian home.

“Balor Firethorn is a port noble, so he runs the shipyard for fishing,” Eyrx says. “We have no info on if he has anyone living with him.”

“Wouldn’t Unika have been his mate?” I ask .

“If he is your father, yes. When dragons are in captivity or away from their mate, they will unintentionally breed her when he sees her,” Drake says. “I was paralyzed for only a short period of time and I still unintentionally knotted when Eyrx tried to breed you. Generally, that process would have taken several times for me to get there. It wouldn’t have been unintentional that first time.”

“Ah,” I say.

We get to the porch and Eric knocks. A few seconds later, a man opens the door. “Can I hel…” Balor starts to say. He immediately stops when he sees me and tears well up.

“Well, I’ll take that a yes,” Julianna says. Balor is frozen and I’m confused.

“Dragons will always know their young, even if they’ve never met,” Julianna says. I open my mouth to say something, and he grabs me and hugs me tightly. I'm surprised Drake hasn’t said anything, but I realize that not only am I hugging him back, but I’m crying.

“I wanted to take you with us. I swear to the Gods, I wanted to save you,” he says as he pulls away and cups my face. “You look just like your mother, Lysa. I’m so glad you got away from them.”

“Us?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, confused. “Your mother and I… she was so close to death. I just wanted to save her, but we couldn’t get to you. I tried, but I nearly got you killed trying. ”

“Unika… Mom is… I saw her. She was dead,” I say.

“Baby, you were six,” he says.

“Backup,” Drake says. “Unika is alive?”

“She is. I… didn’t tell anyone because I thought she might get sent back. I didn’t want to risk losing both of them,” Balor says.

“Does she know Lysa is here?” he asks.

“No. We avoid the broadcasts unless it’s marked as urgent,” he says. “Unika. Come to the living room.”

“She’s alive?” I ask tearfully.

“Yes, and you two look identical,” he says. “Come in, everyone.”

When we step inside and my father shuts the door, I see her. She looks older now. Stress lines stretch across her forehead, and she holds grief all over her body. She doesn’t miss a beat when she sees me, and we practically run at each other before colliding into a hug. Sobs rip through me and my legs struggle to support me. We end up sinking down to the floor and she gently rocks up and she strokes my hair. I didn’t know what to say or do because I thought she was dead. I was told she was dead. Do they even know that she is alive?

“Lysa, I am so sorry,” she says as she pulls back and cradles my face with her hands. “I am so so sorry. I couldn’t get to you. I didn’t want to leave you there. I tried so hard to protect you, but I failed. Didn’t I? They hurt you?”

“Yeah,” I whisper. “I can show you but… it’s bad.”

“I want to see,” she says. “Wait. Do you have powers? Who did you mate to?”

“Drake,” I say. “Technically, Eyrx kidnapped me. I’ll just show you. Can I show B… dad? He is my dad, right?”

“He is,” she smiles. We get up from the floor and I sit between my parents.

“Can I… Can I call you mom and dad? I don’t like them being my parents. I think I always did see you like a mom anyway because you took care of me.”

“We would love that,” Dad says, squeezing me in another hug.

“Uh so. I’m… new at magic. I know almost everything but sorting through thoughts to project is hard. I might unintentionally project… Sorry ahead of time,” I say.

“Ohhh,” Eyrx laughs. “Trying not to show them what you two freaks did on the way over?”

“The king is a wonderful man,” Dad says. “I’m sure other things will take the forefront of these memories anyhow.”

“It’s bad,” Drake says honestly .

“Ready?” I ask my parents as I take their hands. They nod, and I close my eyes. I try to sort my thoughts, but I struggle to separate my recent memories.

“It’s okay,” Mom says, squeezing my hand. When a witch projects a moment like it, it’s like a rush of knowledge. One second, they don’t know, and the next they know everything. I relax and project everything from my memories of Mom and me before I thought she died her death, and everything following. Rage instantly hits them, but they remain calm outwardly.

“What can we do?” Dad asks Drake, nearly growling.

“I want you two at the castle with us,” Drake says. “I won’t force you, but I think it would be good for Lysa, but the second they find out that Unika is alive… She is the first one they will try to kill. I can guarantee safety there. Beyond that, I just ask they you stand and fight with us.”

“Absolutely,” Mom says. “I don’t know what plans you have for Rystar, but I will fucking kill him for this. All of it. For hurting me my entire life. For trying to kill me for protecting my daughter. For raping her. He’s dead, and I won’t make it fast.”

“He’s all yours,” Drake says with a smile.

“Can I call dibs on the bitch?” I ask. “I’d love to beat her with a metal rod. ”

“Absolutely,” Drake tells me. “I think Aldric is going to be the one we have the biggest issue with. He has a lot of support from the military because he specifically brings the ones in who hate dragons. It won’t be hard for them to target a hybrid and her dragon mate.”

“I assume that even though I am a hybrid, I don’t actually shift?” I ask.

“No, you won’t ever be able to shift,” Drake says. “You will have the same lifespan of a dragon and the same resistance. Your powers will be stronger and Ignisium will make them significantly stronger too.”

“When… I assume our child would be a dragon?” I ask.

“Yes,” he smiles. “There is a chance they will have some powers, but they will be much weaker than an average witch.”

“Did you have any other kids?” I ask my parents.

“No,” Mom says. “I just wanted to get you back, but we never could find a way back to you. We’ve been trying since I was healed enough to do spells.”

“Not too late,” I say. “You’re what… Thirty-seven? Drake is only a year older.”

“How’s that make you feel, Bud?” Eyrx asks.

“Old,” Drake chuckles .

“Do you want a sibling?” mom asks me.

“Wrong question,” Eyrx says. “She’s a morbid little shit.”

“I think you want another child, but you were afraid of it seeming like you were replacing me,” I say.

“I do,” she admits.

“How are you able to sense that?” Julianna asks. “Is that a witch thing?”

“No,” Mom says. “I think when her powers developed, she has a type of mind reading almost. She’s always been intuitive with other’s thoughts, but it is far more advanced now than it was before.”

“I have so many memories of us for only being six,” I say.

“I did the best I could to make as many positive memories for you as I could,” she says.

“I still have the bear,” I tell her. “Eyrx got his spit all over it, but I still have it.”

“You’re welcome,” Eyrx laughs.

“So, let’s go back. I am calling a meeting this evening for all nobles, so you’ll need to be there soon anyhow, Balor.”

“Give us just a few minutes to grab what we need and we will join you,” Dad says as we all stand. He turns and hugs me again and it’s comforting. “I wish every day I had found my way back to you. I would give anything to have been your father.”

“You are my dad,” I say as I hug him back. “We have so much time ahead of us. We can move forward and make memories.”

“I love you, Lysa. We both do,” he says, kissing the top of my head. “Go on and we will meet you guys at the vehicle.”