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  “Eighteen, not a million.”

  “Whatever, it sure feels like a million years. I mean, it is in dragon time, not human. It's still a long time, and I get it if you can't forgive him yet and move on with your life like everyone else. What I don't get is why you have to punish me along with him. I honestly thought I could count on you.” He made his way to the door and stopped when his father grabbed his arm roughly.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Where do you think I'm going?”

  “I said no! I'm not letting you do this, and that's final.”

  Ethan glared at him, exactly eye level, and he felt like an adult for the first time in his life. Not how he had expected the moment to come, unfortunately, but it was time for him to grow up. “And what are you going to do about it, huh? Throw me over your knee and spank me? Ground me for life? Lock me in a room and throw away the key? You can't stop me from doing this.”

  “Wanna bet? I'm stronger than you are.”

  “I'm waiting,” Ethan said defiantly. The only thing his father did was look away. Not wanting to push his luck, Ethan shoved past him, bumping shoulders on his way out the door, and made sure to shut it loudly. I can't believe I just did that. I've never fought with Dad like that ever in my life. Did I just burn a bridge? He hoped not. They were family. Besides, Mom is on my side. She'll talk him down.

  His entire body shook from the adrenaline of it all. He pulled out his phone and then dialed Tyson's number. “Hey, let's meet up.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  This is happening. This is actually happening. Tyson tried not to have a panic attack over the whole plan. His two best friends were going to elope, and hopefully there wouldn't be a horrible backlash afterward. The way Lord Bolton had spoken to them, Tyson knew he could never live at home with his father again. Dani offered him a new home in Inero, but what he hoped for most of all was a new home in Oceina with Maya. Maybe they wouldn't run off together right away, but they could pursue the idea. He liked her a lot.

  He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. It took a few rings, but she answered.

  “Hello?”

  “Maya, it's Tyson,” he said, and ran a hand through his short hair to help calm his nerves. “So, a lot has happened since you left. I'm not sure if Ethan told you about me and Dani breaking up or not.”

  “No… he didn't…”

  “Oh, well, we did. Anyway, things got crazy complicated fast, and so she and him are eloping. I thought I'd call you, let you know, see if you wanted to come along? I'm heading over there to pick Ethan up. Since you two are good friends, I figured you'd wanna be there.” And maybe we can make a date out of it. But he held back from actually saying it, unsure of how she would react. She sounded so upset, and he didn't want to make things worse by possibly making it awkward.

  She was quiet for a moment, and he wondered for a moment if she was crying, because he heard something resembling sniffling coming through the other end. “Yes, I want to be there. Thank you for telling me. He hadn't mentioned anything, so I'm wondering how good of friends we actually are right now.”

  “I'm sure he had a reason,” Tyson said. “You can ask him when we meet up. I'll be there in a handful of hours.”

  “I'll see you then.”

  “Cool, talk with you soon,” he said. He hung up and got ready to transform. Something told him it would be a long day.

  Transforming never took him long. It came naturally to him, like breathing, and being in his dragon form was always enjoyable, especially when he was able to fly. Too bad he didn't get to do it more often. The first part of transforming into his dragon form was the growth of his body. It became longer, taller, and multiplied in size. His dark skin became hard and solid like a tank. Spikes poked out of his back, then two sets of wings. Hooks formed on the vertebra of his wings, and he felt his face grow into a snout. Then his vision shifted position slightly as his eyes grew larger and moved further apart. Once done, he took to the sky, heading for the rendezvous point where he would meet Ethan.

  The air currents were good and made for easy flying. There weren't a lot of clouds for him to move through either. Clear skies and pleasant weather made for an enjoyable and fast journey. He landed and saw Ethan was already there, as well as Maya. The meet-up point wasn't far from where she lived.

  Upon landing, he noticed Ethan on the ground, sitting with his head between his knees. He breathed hard. Tyson was about to change back to his human form to help, but Ethan lifted a hand.

  “I'm okay, I just flew fast and hard to get here… Wasn't sure if I was being followed by my parents… Didn't want them to try to stop me…” he said. “We gotta keep moving.”

  Tyson lowered his body so they could climb on with ease, even though he'd rather give Ethan the proper time to rest and make sure he was okay. The guy did have a heart condition, but he was also stubborn. Fighting would only waste more time and work him up more. Maya, on the other hand, seemed subdued and unhappy. Normally she had a lot more energy and was more lighthearted, even on her sick days. Tyson didn't like her being so sad, and he wondered why she felt that way. Maybe she's just worried.

  “Hold on everyone.” Tyson said, in the dragon tongue. Please let this all go smoothly.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Maya watched Dani cling to Ethan as if the girl's life depended on it and wanted to be sick. They were being cute and romantic, and Maya couldn't stand it. How could he rub the whole thing in her face? He knew how deeply she cared for him, and still he flaunted his new relationship. So she's the reason you won't be with me? If she hadn't come around would the story be different? There were a lot of questions Maya wanted to ask Ethan, and those two were at the top of the list.

  “You're covered in sweat,” Dani said as she looked Ethan over. “What happened?”

  “I flew, nothing more. We can talk about it all later. Right now we have to get ready,” he said.

  “Right, I'll see you soon,” Dani said. She let go of Ethan and joined her parents, who stood off to the side.

  Ethan nodded and glanced at Tyson, who was still in his dragon form. “You coming?”

  “Give me a couple minutes to catch my breath, and then I'll be right there to do whatever you need,” Tyson said in the dragon tongue.

  If I don't do it now, I might not ever get the chance. Maya took in a sharp breath and then exhaled it slowly before going to Ethan's side. “So how long has this been going on?”

  “Hmm?” he asked.

  “You and Dani, your secret arrangement—all of this. How long has it been going on?” She tried her hardest to be calm as they walked to the house. She also made sure they kept their distance from the others. Dani was no doubt going back to change into the dress she had purchased for the grand festivities that were no longer happening. Why waste a good dress, right? Maya didn't want Dani to come in and try to get in the middle of the whole thing.

  Ethan's face hardened for a moment, and he kept his gaze in front of him. The determined, furrowed brow he wore broke her heart and sent it soaring all at once. There was something sexy about him whenever he got serious.

  He sighed, and his expression softened. “It's kind of a recent development. They only just called everything off. Eloping is kind of a spontaneous thing for a person to do.”

  “But she's why you told me no,” she mumbled.

  “She's why I've said no to everyone,” he said, and they briefly made eye contact. “Yes, it's surprising and crazy, and… I don't know how else to describe it. But it's how I feel, and I can't help it. I'd think you'd be happy. I mean, aren't you and Tyson getting close? He seems pretty into you.”

  Maya rolled her eyes. “He and I are nothing and won't ever be anything either. I've always only had eyes for you.”

  “Which is why you kissed him?”

  “I did it for Dani. She wanted to know how to seduce him. I was only trying to help her out and light a fire inside of them both. It backfired. If the reason Tyson
doesn't want to go through with the whole thing is because of me, then he has to get over it. Not going to happen. Ever,” she said firmly. The idea almost made her laugh. She and Tyson? They'd be horrible together. He was so dry and uninteresting, and not Ethan.

  Ethan shook his head. “You better make sure he knows that then. He wants to take you on a date. Get to know you. Court you. He sees you as his happily ever after.”

  She grabbed his hands and pulled him closer to her. “You tell him, and that all of this is a big mistake. And I shouldn't have caused it. You guys don't have to do anything rash and everything can go back to being as planned. We can have our own perfect ending, and this will be a silly mishap that we'll all laugh about when we're older.”

  He didn't return her affections. Instead he pulled away from her, not holding onto her hands. Things weren't supposed to happen like this. He was supposed to reciprocate and admit the whole thing was a mistake. All he did was shake his head.

  “Ethan?” she pleaded.

  “No, because while maybe it would change things with Tyson, it wouldn't change anything I feel in my heart for her. I've loved her for a lot longer than just a day. She's loved me for the same amount of time. Nothing you do or don't do would make that any different, and that's an important factor.”

  Maya closed her eyes, refusing to cry in front of him. “I see. Have a happy, perfect life together then.”

  “Maya, I—”

  “Don't tell me you're sorry, because I know you're not. If you were, you wouldn't be going through with this,” she snapped, and turned on her heel to walk in the other direction. She couldn't be anywhere near him anymore. It hurt her heart too much, and made her sick to her stomach. Where she'd go, she didn't know.

  To town, she supposed, and from there she could figure out where to go next. She felt too ashamed to go back home again. Her parents would ask a lot of questions and then lock her up even tighter than before. They didn't see that she was stronger now. The physical contact she'd made with the boys had given her a new life. When Maya left home, she'd made sure to leave her parents a note telling them where she was going before sneaking out of the house at least.

  On her way, she passed Tyson, who raced up the road to catch up. He stopped when he saw her leaving.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “I don't know,” she said, and refused to look at him. She didn't want to do anything else that might lead him on even further.

  He frowned. “You don't… know?”

  “No, I don't know. I just have to get out of here. I shouldn't have come. This was a mistake. All of this was a mistake.” She shook her head.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “I want you to leave me alone,” she whispered.

  When she risked a glance at him, she saw how stung he was—his face a mixture of shock and numbness. Like he couldn't decide if he wanted to be upset or not feel anything at all, and it only made her feel worse. She hadn't wanted to hurt Tyson in all of this. The only thing she'd wanted was Ethan.

  Tyson nodded with a sad, forced smile. “Okay, I'll let you have some you time. But hopefully we can talk later? It might help.”

  “It might,” she said. Doubt it. “Thank you for offering.”

  “I'll find you again.”

  “Sure thing.” She nodded. Again, I doubt it. I don't want to be found. Besides, you have to deal with Dani first. She's still more important, even if you don't want to marry her.

  Chapter Thirty

  It didn't take Dani long to get ready, despite her mother's efforts to pamper her and make her extravagantly beautiful. Her hair was up in a bun, she had dangling crystal earrings, and of course, her dress.

  “Pinch me, because I have to be dreaming,” she whispered to her father. He offered her his arm, so he could escort her out of the house and down to the beach, where Ethan waited for her with Tyson.

  Her father laughed. “I'm not going to pinch you. I wouldn't want to cause you to trip or something, but this is really happening. And you're sure this is what you want? I can protect you.”

  She looked into her father's dark eyes and nodded. “It is. I don't want you to get into worse trouble because of me. This was going to happen anyway. Somehow we would have found a way.”

  He nodded. “If there's one thing I know about you two, it's that you definitely would have. You're both stubborn when you want to be.”

  “I think I get it from you,” she teased.

  “No, definitely your mom. She's a lot worse than me.” He winked. “Coming, honey?”

  Her mom came and picked up the small train of Dani's dress. “Yes, I'm here. And I have to be stubborn. Who else is going to run a house with so many boys in it? I don't know how I'm going to survive.”

  “I'm sure you'll be fine,” Dani said with a laugh.

  “But I am going to miss having you around. Where are you two going to live?”

  “We have a place,” she lied.

  They hadn't talked about where they were going. Would she live in Oceina? Or would they stay on Shanrea? Did Ethan have a place of his own or were they going to live in his parents’ condo as was his family tradition? She swallowed, realizing just how much of her future was now uncertain. They were officially adults in Inero. That meant leaving the family and starting their own life—working and living independently. What about in Oceina? Things were a lot different there. She didn't have a job, and she knew Ethan didn't either.

  Nothing went past her father. “Well, whenever you want to visit on the island, there's always room for you both.”

  “Thanks,” she whispered. Her stomach started to tie itself into nervous knots as she walked down the path to the beach.

  All of it faded when she saw Ethan waiting for her in his suit. It must have been Tyson's, because it was long in the arms but tight on his shoulders. The tuxedo order the guys had put in at the shop must not have been ready yet. Next to Ethan was Tyson, who had on a nice button-down shirt and some black slacks. He made eye contact with her, and she noticed a sadness in his eyes. Is he having second thoughts? She hoped not; otherwise she'd feel horrible for putting everyone through all of this to begin with.

  Standing on the other side of Ethan was a man she'd never seen before. All she knew was that he was a dragon, because she saw the black claws on his hands instead of fingernails. He also smelled like a dragon instead of a human. The man was young. Older than her, but not near her father's age. In fact he was probably around ten years younger than her father. When she studied his features, she noticed there was a slight resemblance between him and her father.

  “Dad sends his blessing,” the man said with a smile.

  Her father returned it. “I hoped he would.”

  “Jason also sends his blessing, and is unfortunately busy, otherwise he'd be here. I've been instructed to take pictures and video and whatever else.”

  “So have we, direct orders from the Lady of Oceina,” her mother said with a small laugh.

  Ethan's eyes grew wide. “You talked to my mom?”

  “You sound so surprised.”

  Dani couldn't help but giggle. “Yeah, it's not much of a shocker, hon.”

  He shrugged and looked down, kicking the sand with his sandal-covered feet. “I wasn't sure. I didn't exactly say goodbye to my parents.”

  “I heard,” her mom said softly. “If it helps, she gives you her blessing as well. Thus, why she wanted all of the pictures. I'm pretty sure if she had a way to be here herself, she would be.”

  He smiled, and Dani could have sworn she saw tears in his eyes. Not a common thing when it came to Ethan. She could count on one hand the number of times she'd ever seen him cry in her entire life. Even as a kid, he hadn't done it much. Whatever happened with his parents must have been intense. She'd no doubt hear all about it later.

  “Nathan, if you could please start?” her father said. “Danielle, this is one of your uncles. He's my younger brother and a missionary. Usually he's out an
d about traveling the world, but he's back home visiting your grandparents. He's of the priesthood, and I figured he'd be the best one to perform the ceremony. There definitely will not be any way to get a loophole out of it.”

  It was a shame her father was banned from politics, because he truly thought of everything. She wouldn't have considered the possibility of the marriage not being recognized by all of the nations. They all had different rules and conditions to obey.

  She glanced at Tyson and tried to get a read on what he was thinking. He didn't seem quite as sad as earlier, which made her feel a lot better. When he caught her looking at him, he winked and smiled.

  'You sure?' she mouthed at him, wanting reassurance.

  Tyson nodded, and his smile widened.

  “Okay, bride, please stand here,” her uncle said, and pointed for her to move to his right-hand side. “Groom, here,” and he pointed to his left.

  Dani did as she was told and faced Ethan. She did her best to hold back a giggle of excitement but failed. The sound flowed out of her, right from her gut. Ethan raised an eyebrow at her, no doubt thinking she was crazy. Tyson, on the other hand, laughed with her, and it was a sweet moment to share with her two best friends.

  Her Uncle Nathan coughed loudly. “I'm not sure what's so funny. Maybe you're just super happy, but we should make use of our time.”

  “Sorry,” she whispered, and cleared her throat. “Happy, yeah.” That was one word for it, but it was also the overwhelming sense of freedom filling her. She was going to be doing what she wanted with her life after all, and it sent her spirit soaring to a new high she'd never experienced before.

  “Now, the ceremony I am going to perform is the one I was taught for the humans. It's most similar to a Terran wedding, but also to the vow renewals you've seen before, I'm sure. Yes?” Nathan looked between the young couple. They both nodded. “Okay, good. Then it will save me some time explaining.