Legend of the Forbidden (12 page)

Leaving Dani during such a crucial moment in their relationship didn't sit well with him.
Absence is supposed to make the heart grow fonder. I hope it's true.
Like every other time he'd left the island, left her, he found himself counting the time it would be until he could call her up and let her know he'd returned safely. It would take longer than usual, because first he had to take Maya back home.

Brad landed outside of Sanctuary. “I'm taking off again in about thirty minutes. Try not to take too long.”

In reality, there was no rush to get home, but Brad understood Ethan's need to get back. Prior to departure, the two had talked about their travel plan. One point Ethan had made sure to drive home was to not let Maya confiscate his time and suck him into staying at her place longer than he should.

Ethan decided to be a gentleman and escort Maya back to the palace. They walked in, and while she tried to be quiet about it, he made sure to make as much noise as possible by stomping his feet and slamming the door. Her parents came out to greet them.

“We didn't realize you'd be back this early,” her mother said. “I thought you'd come back later tonight.”

Maya went to hug her parents. “There are things to do right away, I guess.”

“What things?” her father asked.

“I'm not sure. But it's okay. We'll be back soon for the wedding, and we'll all get to go. You can see for yourself what a great place the island is for me,” Maya said with a huge smile. “The ride back made me a little tired though, so I'm going to head up to my room. Ethan, care to escort me?”

Ethan raised an eyebrow. “To your bedroom?” He glanced at her parents and saw how her mother smirked while her father became stiff and gave him a warning glare. Mixed reactions, but Ethan couldn't help but wonder just how much they knew about what had happened. Had Maya talked to them and told them everything from the island? They had to know something.

“Relax,” Maya said, and touched his hand and walked with him toward the stairs. He felt the surge of magic move out of him, and he scowled. But he didn't let go. It would have been selfish of him to pull away from her. Maya needed his magic to feel better, to live. He just hated how she manipulated him to get something from him. She could have just told him that's what she wanted.

Together they walked up the stairs, and neither of them said a word. They stopped outside of her door, and she smiled up at him.

“It's a shame you have to go so soon. I finally get you all to myself. No one else is vying for your attention,” she said.

He smiled weakly at her. “Didn't realize I was so popular. But my parents are expecting me, and I have to talk with them about a number of things. Better to get it done sooner rather than later. Right?”

“I guess. What do you need to talk about? I mean, is it important?”

“Very.”

Her smile widened. “Oh, I'm so excited. I told my mom about us, and she was so thrilled. So you're going to tell them too? Do you think they'll be okay with it? I know you said your dad is kind of picky, but we've been friends for so long and our parents are friends too, right?” Clearly caught up in a moment he wasn't sharing with her, she leaned up to kiss him. He pulled away.

“It might come up,” he mumbled, and averted his gaze from hers.
How am I going to tell her this? It might crush her, kill her even.
But if Tyson is interested in her, he'll be able to help her through it, right?
Ethan collected himself for a moment and then continued. “Maya, we aren't going to be happening. I've been thinking about it, and what you've proposed to me isn't the way I want to enter into a romantic relationship.”

“We don't have to do it like I suggested,” she said quietly. “It was an idea to get your parents off your back and to make things better for both of us. I care about you, a lot. I love you.”

The L word? Oh gosh…
Ethan swallowed. “I don't love you the way I'm thinking you love me. Maybe there would be another way to go about it, but it's not something I'm interested in either.”

“So what exactly are you interested in? Being a heartless monk and living alone?”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “No, I'm not interested in living alone. That's the last thing I want.”

“Apparently not, if you'd rather do that than be with me!”

“I'm sorry, but I thought about it, a lot, and I just… can't.” He faced away from her, debating just telling her it was because of Dani. It didn't feel like his place to say anything to Maya about it though, especially since she might tell her parents. Dani and Tyson still needed to talk to Lord Bolton about it. Ethan mentioning it to his father was a lot different than Maya gossiping about it with her family. His father understood the importance of political timing. Besides, Tyson would no doubt want to come in and sweep her off her feet.

She shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes. “Enjoy your lonely, miserable life then. You're selfish, and I don't need you.”

“Right,
I'm
the selfish one.” He turned on his heel and walked away, not once looking back at her.

 

 

Tyson and Dani went with her father to meet with Lord Bolton. Ideally, Tyson would have liked to have his father there too, but he also understood that his dad was kind of a pushover. The man didn't like conflict, and he didn't know how to deal with politics well. Something Dani's father was an expert in, and he also knew how to hold his own in a debate. Tyson had seen it in action at home, even if the man had been banished from ever taking part in dragon government.

Lord Bolton greeted them at the door and pointed for them to sit in the chairs in front of his desk. “I'm surprised. I didn't realize this would be an entire family event.”

“It's not, just a partial one. If the whole family was coming, I'd get my father and brother here,” Matthias said with a rather smug grin.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Lord Bolton said through clenched teeth.

Dani grabbed Tyson's hand and her father's and squeezed them hard. “We're not getting married. It's not going to work. There's no attraction, it's just too much to handle.”

“Too bad,” Lord Bolton said after a moment of silence had passed.

“No, not too bad,” Dani said as tears welled up in her eyes. “We tried to do it, but neither of us wants it. Why are you insisting on torturing us instead of listening? This doesn't even have to happen. Everyone would be fine with it being canceled. Don't you care at all about what this wedding is doing to
us
?”

Lord Bolton's eyes narrowed, and Tyson shifted in his seat. His heart pounded in his chest. He'd just made the ruler of his country angry. Maybe that meant nothing to Dani and her father, but it scared the snot out of Tyson.

For a moment, all Lord Bolton did was glare. “You have a lot of nerve. From the beginning, this relationship was something everyone knew would happen. A lot of slack was cut for you two as you grew up, and frankly, I think it was too much. If you'd been wed when you were younger, you wouldn't have had the time to doubt. And
you,
Matthias, should know better than to cause ripples in the order of things. I don't think the Oceina Lord will look too fondly on you getting involved in this matter of our nations.”

Dani's father leaned forward, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair firmly. “This is a matter of my family. She's my daughter, and he's like a son to me. Yeah, maybe it was good in theory, but why are you so determined to make this happen anyway?”

“I think you know the answer to that.”

“Oh, so this is all a glory thing to have your people be a part of the Great Dragon. Rather selfish approach to it, don't you think? Pretty sure that's not how something so holy and precious should be brought about.”

“Daddy?” Dani asked. “What are you talking about?”

Matthias shook his head. “My… the man who raised me once said that the Great Dragon would come from our people. He also said the Great Dragon would be of pure dragon blood; no humans would be involved in his conception. That's how he knew you would be a girl, and why you're the miracle. And the Great Dragon is—”

“The great peace-bringer who will defeat the Great Evil once and for all,” Tyson whispered. And he couldn't believe he had missed the connection the whole time. The Great Dragon was a story every dragon learned about. Some were more diligent in their study of the Holy Book than others, but every dragon at least knew about the Great Dragon. Tyson hadn't been taught much by his father, but he loved to read and had stumbled across a prophecy once stating the dragon's blood purity.

“So you can see why this wedding is important,” Lord Bolton said. “Not just for our people, but for the world. Imagine how great our redemption will be when the Great Dragon comes from the Terran people.”

Matthias rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it's all about saving face. One of your leaders screwed up, and now you're trying to make up for it by forcing two kids to do something they don't want to. All because you want to be in on a bloodline that might not even be yours to claim.”

“Not just any leader. Lord Kingsley was my father,” Bolton explained.

“Oh, I see.”

“Would you not do the same if you had the chance? For the man who raised you and caused all of this terrible mess? A man who started a war and tried to commit genocide in the name of God?”

For a moment, Matthias tensed up. “I've come to accept his actions for what they were, just as I have my own role in the war. There were good things about him and bad. Nothing I do will ever make up for them. You can't change the past, and you can't make them say 'I do'.”

“Watch me,” Bolton said darkly. “If Tyson isn't up for the challenge, then I'm sure I can find another Terran dragon who'd be more than happy to.”

Red fire flared up around Matthias's fists. “She's not yours to give away!”

“Are you threatening me? We may be in your home nation, but you are inside of a Terran embassy, and that is the same as being on Terran land. I could have you arrested or executed for this.”

“You say that like I care,” her father seethed. “I'm promising. If you hurt her in any way, I'll set you ablaze. And I don't care what the consequences are.”

Dani put a shaking hand on her father's arm. “We should go. There's nothing more to say.”

Also shaking, Tyson stood from his chair. He put an arm around Dani, and the two watched the Great Terran Lord have a stare-down with her father. After a long minute passed, her father stood as well, and his fists were no longer engulfed in flames. The three walked out of the office.

“You're letting him win,” Matthias muttered.

She shook her head. “You were right. He can't make us say or do anything. And we won't. Especially if we're already claimed by someone else.”

Tyson raised an eyebrow. “What are you suggesting?”

“If it's what I think it is…” Her father glanced at her sideways and then shook his head. He held the door for them as they walked out of the Terran embassy on Shanrea Island. “I'm not sure how I feel. But if you can get him to agree, I'm sure we can find a way to make it happen.”

“What are you talking about?” Tyson asked. “Get who to agree to what?”

“Ethan,” Dani said in a soft voice. “If he'll marry me instead…”

And I could ask Maya.
“I see now. The theory being, if we're already with someone else, then we can't be with each other. But do you think he would?”

“I don't know. He wanted time to process everything, to think about his feelings, and I wanted to give it to him. Rushing into such an eternal covenant isn't something he'll be happy about. I'm out of other ideas. You heard Bolton, he said he would find someone else if you don't, and…” She shivered.

“You know I wouldn't let it come to that, Dani. If it boils down to it, we'll get married like planned, and I'll keep you safe,” Tyson vowed. “It might take time, but I'm sure we'd find a way to get some kind of attraction going.”

“Thank you. Right now I'm determined to not let Bolton get his way.”

With a heavy sigh, her father put his hands in his pockets. “Keep me posted on what he says. I can find someone to perform the ceremony. It has to be done by an approved official of some kind or it won't hold any ground. An authority which is no longer mine, or else I would do it.”

Dani looked up at her father, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “You'd do that? You're going to help?”

“I love you. It's not what I would prefer, but you're backed into a corner. I care for you both, and your overall happiness is something I want more than anything. So long as you both agree that this is what you want to do.” He glanced at Tyson.

He nodded. “My only regret is that I couldn't be what you needed.”

She laughed. “Please, you're still my best friend, and you are more than enough. Do we need to kiss again, so you can be reassured that this is the right thing?”