Chapter Six

When Xavier senses that Everleigh has settled, he releases her from his embrace and quickly leads her back towards the bedroom. He urges her to get dressed as they need to get to the palace as soon as possible. The witch’s warning rings in his ears as he grabs the precious few items he can not leave behind. One of the great advantages of being a dragon shifter is that he can mist them both there almost instantly. Xavier wonders to himself if she will be blessed with any other runes, and what they might be. If she is a bound dragon does that mean she will inherit her family magic, her mother’s magic? He knows only a dragon could have given birth to another female dragon. Every dragon born in the last three centuries has been male.

They arrive at the palace gates in a dense dark green mist, the guards on the gate bow before them and lead them inside. It is no secret that Xavier is their prince, although he rarely shows himself, and they know not to question his orders. The guards are shocked by his sudden and unannounced return and they fall over themselves to greet him and his beguiling guest. Xavier and Everleigh are led down a long tree lined path which leads to an enormous, dazzling white palace. Towers rise up into the air, their jade green roof tiles glint in the sunlight, flowered vines snake and wind, clinging to the rough walls. The sight of the fairy tale scenery takes Everleigh’s breath away. The couple are taken to a huge room with high, vaulted ceilings and intricately carved features everywhere Everleigh looks. A number of nobles, and their mates, are merrily enjoying breakfast with the king. The second they enter, everyone falls silent and the atmosphere grows thick was curiosity.

There is just one person that Everleigh can see, her eyes fell on him immediately. Her father, sitting with his hands folded together at a high table near one of the arched, stained glass windows. He looks exactly as she remembers him from before he died, she sees nothing about him that suggests he was anything other than human once. Everleigh’s head spins and her heart pounds behind her ribs. It can’t be, he is gone, she tells herself, not daring to allow her hope to rule her head.

Xavier lets go of her hand and walks over to stand in front of the food laden table his father sits at the head of. Everleigh remains motionless, watching as Xavier kneels down before the older man, bowing his head respectfully. She feels like she is in a dream, or having some kind of out of body experience.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to introduce my mate, Princess Everleigh Byzantine." Xavier says with a regal tone and gestures towards Everleigh with a sweep of his arm. The king nods, then his gaze shifts to Everleigh. His face lights up with a friendly smile and he quickly gets out of his seat and moves towards her with open arms, his heavily embroidered cape rustles and flies behind him as he strides closer. Her body goes into autopilot, and she takes a step back, making it clear she did not wish to be touched right now. There is too much happening for her to process in the moment. She heard Xavier introduce her as ‘Princess’. In the short amount of time since the witch’s arrival and her rapid departure, it hadn’t occurred to Everleigh that, as his mate, she would have the title of Princess. Her father rises from his seat and heads slowly towards them, he looks… young, and happy.

“She has had a taxing day father.” Xavier explains his mate’s unintentional rudeness and his eyes follow her gaze to the man walking towards them. He feels her heartbreak over their bond and is about to ask who the man is, when his father interrupts his thoughts.

"It's an absolute delight to see you here," the king beams with joy. "I've been patiently awaiting this moment since long before the day your father arrived. We knew you would find your way to us, and the moment is finally here." The king glances back over his shoulder at the queen, who remains at the long table. Everleigh takes a stumbling step back, her heart racing with the sudden rush of adrenaline and she longs for the comfort of Xavier's arms. The Kings words confirm that it is her father standing right in front her and she lets the overwhelming emotion burst out of her in a single word.

"Daddy!" Everleigh exclaims with a deep sob, completely taken aback by the fact that her father is alive and standing in front of her at the Dragon Court - even though, to her, he had been dead for over two years. The King goes on to explain how the ancient magic that conceals their city from outsiders is also maintaining a powerful preservation spell, keeping him alive all this time. Xavier is overjoyed to hear that his mate's father could once again be a part of her life, and without hesitation he pulls Everleigh into a warm, happy hug at his side. His heart is filled with bliss knowing that his mate can now have the loving support she has been deprived of, and hope that she will get the answers to questions she didn't even know she had.

Her father's soft greeting of "How are you munchkin?" is enough to bring hot tears of joy to Everleigh's eyes. The special pet name that he had been using for her since she was a small child showed, without a doubt, that it was really him. This small gesture of endearment was something she had wished for, over and over, for the last two years. Everleigh is confused and overcome, her body shakes with happiness, sadness and fear and she collapses to the floor, where she lays and sobs. Her heart has been broken for so long, she has been through so much, the last two years of her life were such a struggle she never expected to end.

She is filled with a million questions about the mysterious witch, what she told Xavier and her about her dragon being bound by a curse, and most importantly why it involves her mother. When she eventually calms, Xavier lifts her from the cold marble floor and carries her into the library. All eyes remain on them until they have left the room, followed by the king and her father. He answers her questions in detail and reveals that the old woman she saw was something called a dragon witch, which meant that she was drawn to the power of the runic magic dragons carry with them. It is something they covet but cannot use alone. It takes a very powerful coven to be able to channel Runic energy.

The strongest coven is the one his family belonged to. He explains that he had been able to protect her mother from them and the hunters for so long because he was a warlock in their coven, which meant he could draw power from the dragons as well. He also mentions that the coven didn't have any access to runic magic after her mother's death. Two years ago, when Everleigh came of age, the old woman wanted to have her dragon unbound so they could tap into her power to finish the hunters once and for all. Her father denied the witch’s demands, and while they fought, she tried to kill him with one of his own spells. With his last remaining strength, he transported himself to an old friend he knew could help him, King Caelen. He went on to explain it's probable the witch was intending to lure Everleigh away so that she could take her to the High Priestess and have her dragon unbound. He just wanted for her to stay hidden from the magical world until he figured out what was going on, but they all knew she would find her way there after the queen saw the arrival of a female dragon in a dream many years ago.