Blake disappeared and I looked behind me. A girl with white hair jumped on him and kissed him fiercely.
“Please, we will answer your questions soon,” Robert said to the flashing cameras, as his warm fingers curled around my arm and led me in the opposite direction toward the steps to the castle. Tears rolled down my face. It was only a mission to him, that was it. He had somebody already.
I wiped my eyes with my mittens and found a man and a woman dressed in suits waiting on the top of the white, sleek steps. The woman had brown hair taken up in a classic French roll. The guy had blond hair and a mustache. They both smiled as Robert led me to them.
“My king and queen, I want you to meet Princess Elena Malone.”
King and queen?
“Sir Robert.” The queen didn’t sound impressed as she stared at him and her gaze flickered to me. A smile spread across her lips. “Welcome home, Elena.” She touched my arm. “You look just like your father.”
I huffed. I did not know what my birth father looked like. “Come,” she said and walked up the stairs with me.
“My dad?”
“He is waiting. He is still weak, but he woke up after a few hours. Your father is eager to see you.”
“Thank heavens.” I felt like crying again and she wrapped her arm around me and pulled me tighter into her as the camera’s flashes still reflected on the walls.
“You will be safe here. I promise. Nobody is ever going to hunt you like an animal ever again.”
I looked back to where Blake was last, but there was no sign of him.
Forget about him, Elena. His mission is over.
22
BLAKE
Elena was so upset with me. She hardly spoke a sentence during the flight home. It felt amazing to have her in my arms, and the way she slept, tightly snugged, made me feel needed again. I would do anything for her, anything.
When we reached Paegeia, plenty of Sun-Blasts and Fire-Tails in their human form sat on top of dragons with fire dancing on their palms.
Elena got emotional when she saw the welcome Paegeia arranged for her. Her lower lip carried a slight tremble, but that was about it.
I tried to be gentle. It was time to fix the bond again, but I did not know how.
We landed, and I slid down Emanual’s wing first. The reporters went crazy with their flashes and kept yelling my name as Elena glided off Emanual’s wing.
I heard my mother’s voice and when I turned to find her in the ocean of people, Tabitha jumped into my arms and planted her lips on my mouth.
I let go of Tabitha, and her smile faltered. “Everything okay?”
My gaze flickered to Elena. My dad took her side and was guiding her down the aisle that the guards created by keeping the media away. Flashes danced off her as she kept her head low. “No, we need to talk.”
Tabitha’s eyes flickered past me and back before she nodded.
“Blake.” My mother flung her arms around me and squeezed tighter. I missed her violet scent. I never thought that I would miss home this much, or her.
“I was terribly afraid when a couple of dragons entered last night with a few injured ones. Quite scared you would be among them.” Her light gray eyes grew and her British accent stressed every word.
“Mom, I’m the Rubicon, seriously.”
“You are still my son. Where is your father?”
“With the princess.”
“Is she genuinely—?”
