She had stepped further away. “It’s exactly like that. You’re afraid of your father, and you’re choosing him over your own mate. In my neck of the woods that’s called bullshit.”
“Sarah…” He reached for her.
“Don’t touch me, Luke. We had plans, and they always included telling your father.”
“I didn’t know he was so entrenched in his own power.”
Sarah reached up and cupped the side of his face. “That’s not my problem, Luke.”
“No, but it’s mine. If I want to take the crown, I have to play by his rules.”
“Is that what you want?” The tiny pieces of her heart shattered even more as she waited for an answer.
“To take over the kingdom? It’s my birthright.”
She turned away from him so he couldn’t see the pain in her eyes. “And I’m not.”
“Please. I just need time to find a way.”
“You’ve had weeks to figure it out. I’ve been sitting at home, worrying myself to death that you were okay, and you never once contacted me until now.”
“You say home like it’s where you belong.”
She finally turned and stared at him. “I guess it is. And whose fault is that?”
She had left at that point and not looked back. It had been several months since then, and not a peep. She hadn’t even told him that she was pregnant with his daughter.
Now, six months along in her pregnancy, she couldn’t hide it very well if she tried to seek him out. But they had the idol to return to the kingdom, so that would make all the difference in the world. King Ardec had no choice but to forgive her family and welcome them all back with open arms, even if it was just her.
And then they could get on with their lives – all three of them.
Sarah walked into her small bakery where she prepared all of the baked goods for the family ranch and left a note that she’d be back soon. She grinned as she wrote it. Her mother and brothers had given her hell to find out who the father of the baby was.
I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out that it’s Luke.She figured that her mother would be upset for a bit, but a grandchild would make everything better.
No one would believe how she had met him. Meeting a crown prince didn’t just happen every day. All she had been doing was shopping on that fateful day in New York City. The best part about being a dragon shifter was that traveling anywhere was as easy, and fast, as walking across the street.
Out of nowhere that fateful day, her inner dragon had suddenly alerted as she strolled down the block staring into all the windows. It was something she had never felt before, and she allowed it to guide her to a small coffee shop.
To Luke.
He had been as surprised as she when she just walked up and introduced herself. Dragons were rare, and finding your mate was a once in a lifetime. They had been inseparable since that day, even though they had to keep it all secret.
And now maybe they could recapture that magic.
Once the note was written, Sarah hurried out the back door so no one saw her leaving. She took flight as soon as she could and headed in a direction she had always avoided. To the realm occupied by dragons.
Back to the Sacred Gardens.
Her heart yearned for Luke the closer she got. For the first time, things were going to be okay, and they could have the life that they had always talked about. She felt their baby shift positions, as if she knew that her daddy was close by.
Luke is about to get several surprises.
When she reached the gates of the city, she pulled a cloak up over her head. She didn’t want to be spotted before she had found Luke. Even though she had been a baby when they were thrown out, it would be just her luck that someone recognized her because of her resemblance to her mother.
To her advantage, when she reached the gates, a celebration of some sort was going on, so the heavy iron doors stood open. People flocked in and out, and no one gave her a second look as she passed the boundary and headed toward the inner city.
Vendors lined the streets, and music from the band on the huge stage in the middle of town floated through the air. Some people danced, others shopped at the various booths, and others ate at the food court set up. Sarah’s stomach rumbled as she smelled the various foods cooking.
