Broken Vows

Falling and Fall Out

Cadmus doesn’t leave after dinner. My mother puts him up in the guest wing for the night, but instead of retiring to her own room, she goes with him to talk. I know if anyone can help Cadmus, my mother can. She is the one who convinced Cadmus to stay in the first place. He had wanted to leave, but she scolded him and informed him that until he could get a good night's sleep, he was staying. She didn't care whether he was some mighty king. To her, he is still just the boy that would run too fast through the halls and tease Rana and me. Rana and I giggled a bit at the site of the mighty dragon king cowering to my mother. Though she may look small compared to him, my mother is a formidable opponent not many would want to take on.

Rana comes with me to my room, chatting and trying to figure out if we know who Cadmus's mate is. We even practice a few spells as she tells me about several parties coming up in the next few months. I'm trying to listen, but my thoughts keep wandering to Cadmus and hoping that he will just try and talk to this girl. Still, at the same time, I don't know if I want him to. In some selfish way, I know that once he does talk to her and straightens this mess out, I will lose him. He won't be mine to lean on; he won't have time for me and our friendship.

Then I think of Hadeon. I wonder what will happen next; we hardly know one another, but he's all I want. When I'm with him, I feel things I have never felt. I just want more of those feelings. I hope he wants me as much as I want him. I need to find out what this is between us, but the idea scares me. What if he's just flirting with me? I'm falling for him, but he really doesn't have good intentions? I don't want to be just some plaything; I want him to be falling just as hard for me as I am for him.

"Well, since you don't seem to be listening anyway, I should head to bed. It's getting late," Rana giggles and nudges me.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just thinking. I guess I am tired as well," I proclaim, yawning a little. I really need to get some sleep, but my mind is so full. I know sleep will be difficult.

Rana leaves, and I wander to the small balcony to gaze at the stars; maybe I will find my answers written there. As I sit and look out at the stars, the soft breeze blows the scent of roses thick in the air. The night is breathtaking and calm, but the stars hold no answers for me. I clear my mind like my mother taught me and find the current of magic that flows through me like water. In my mind, I simply ask to see my path. The only thing I see is bright blue eyes and the black feathers of a crow. A small smile spreads on my lips. I have my answer, and it is the one I expected. I had been too worried to try to see if he was in my future before tonight. But seeing him this afternoon only fueled my need to know.

The faint rumble of a dragon causes me to open my eyes, and I can see Cadmus flying through the night sky. His dragon, Victor, is beautiful. Its scales appear black, but when the light hits them, they shine like gold. I'll never forget the first time he shifted. I wanted to run to him and ease his pain, but I could do nothing but stand and watch from the crowd. Cadmus had been well prepared for the ceremony where he would shift and reveal his dragon for the first time. Being the next king of the dragons was a grand event. He was only thirteen, but he never cried during his first shift. I cried enough for both of us.

Soon, I'm lost in the memory of that day and so many others of Cadmus and me as children. He has always been there for me, and he always seems to be the one rescuing me. When I was twelve, I fell from a tree while trying to put a bird back in its nest. I broke my arm. Cadmus heard me cry out. He came to save me and the baby bird. He carried me more than a mile back home to my mother after I made him put the bird in the nest for me. It's no wonder Rana adores him. Whoever his mate is, I just hope she treats him as well as I know he'll treat her. I just hope he won't forget me entirely.

As I sit lost in thought, something catches my eye. I see swift movement out of the corner of my eye, and a large crow lands on the edge of the balcony. It is tilting its head at me and looking at me with its bright eye.

"Hello, isn't it a little late for crows? Shouldn't you be an owl?" I ask the bird giggling.

As the bird shifts and morphs, he steps down from the railing in a perfect seamless movement. Hadeon brushes a few stray feathers from his shirt and props himself against the rail.

"Well, if you would prefer an owl, I'm sure I could manage it, but I still require payment from our earlier bet." He gives me a wide smile making my cheeks flush. I had nearly forgotten the bet.

"Don't worry, Princess, I won't collect just yet." He gives me a warm smile, but it fades quickly. "It does seem that I'm not your only suiter, though. Should I be worried, Princess?"

I'm very puzzled by Hadeon's comment. I don't know who he could be referring to. I don't have any suiters. He must be reading my confusion because he chuckles a bit. Pushing off from the rail. He puts his finger under my chin, so I'm looking him in the eye.

"What do you think I'm doing? I must be bad at courting a lady if you didn't know my intentions. Forgive me if I wasn't clear enough."

Now my cheeks are burning under his gaze and his words. I squirm a little at his closeness. The army of butterflies in my stomach swirls around as he touches me. He smiles and moves even closer; he's just a breath away.

"But what chance do I have against the King of the Dragons?" He questions.

"What? Cadmus?" I fumble, shocked that he would even think that.

"No, he's just my friend. Nothing more than that. In fact, he just told me today that he found his mate. He is trying to figure out a way to talk to her. I believe she's human and must not know much about shifters. I don't even know who she is or when he met her."

"All right, Princess, I just wanted to know if I had to compete with a king for your favor. I don't want some other man to come and try and steal you away from me," Hadeon murmurs. His lips are still so close to mine. The chill that runs down my spine at his words only makes me want to lean just a little closer and give him the kiss he has already won.

To my dismay, however, he steps back and stands at his full height for a moment watching the sky. His face doesn't give anything away. I can't tell what he's thinking. All I can think about are the wonderful things he said: he wants me to be his.

"I have to go away again for a bit. I have things to attend to, but I would like to see you properly when I come back. May I see you again? I'll even be a gentleman and ask permission from your family. Or you could always just run away with me now, Princess," Hadeon says and turns, giving me a charming smirk.

"You are more than welcome to come and speak to my mother. She is my only family other than the coven, of course. It's nice to know you can be a gentleman and not just show up when I'm all alone," I reply, trying to sound as relaxed and confident as my mother always sounds.

Hadeon raises his eyebrow smiling at me. "Listen to you sounding so assertive, Princess. I do enjoy that."

This only makes me blush and ruins the confident persona I'm trying to project. Hadeon chuckles softly again, moving close to me and taking my hand. He raises my hand to his lips and places a soft kiss on my knuckles. Hadeon looks into my eyes and speaks so low I can barely hear what he says.

"I will see you soon, my Princess. Be a good girl for me." He caresses my hand one last time before stepping onto the balcony's rail. I take a sharp breath as he steps off the ledge, smiling with his devilish smile, and shifts to the black crow. He pumps his wings, gaining altitude before soaring off into the night.

My smile drops when I look down into the garden, and I see Cadmus standing there looking up at me. I can hardly see his face, but the hurt and anger are apparent. I can't tell if he's about to go after Hadeon or not, but I do the only thing I can think of and climb over the rail, panicked. Thankfully, levitation spells are something I have been working on a lot lately as I float a little too fast to the ground. I land just a little too hard, but I don't let the pain in my ankle stop me as I take off for the garden as quickly as my dress will let me. Cadmus sees me climb over the balcony and comes to meet me at the garden's edge.

"What the hell is going on, Willow? Was that him? How long has he been visiting you? What are you even thinking about being alone with him like that? You need to keep away from him, Willow. I will kill that rat myself." Cadmus is yelling loud enough to wake the dead. The last thing I want is my mother to know there was a man on my balcony.

"Cadmus, please keep your voice down! Walk with me. Let me explain, please," I beg my friend pulling his arm toward the garden and away from the castle and the prying eyes and ears that I'm more than positive are awake now.

Cadmus takes several deep breaths before taking my small hand in his massive one. He leads me into the garden now. Once we are deep inside the garden, Cadmus turns and glares down at me.

"Well, are you going to tell me what he was doing up there with you, Willow? He has no right to be here. You are mine, not his." Cadmus drops my hand, and I can tell he wants nothing more than to take back what he just said. I can't un-hear it, though.

"What do you mean, Cadmus?" I whisper, still feeling the shock. He can't be right. I don't feel anything of the mate bond like I should if what Cadmus says is true. It just can't be right at all.

Cadmus turns from me and hangs his head, taking another deep breath. "You are mine, Willow. You and I are meant to be together. We always have been. I don't know why you have never known that. I have loved you from the first day we met as children. I knew then I would always love you even if you weren't meant to be my mate. I wanted you before, but then at the spring ball, I knew you were mine. You didn't seem to feel what I felt for some reason. I don't know why you don’t feel it too. I was happy to wait until you did, but then he shows up, and you fell for him. You aren't his; you are mine."

Cadmus turns to look at me, and I know he is hurt, but I just can't grasp what he's saying. It just can't be true. I don't have a mate. I get to choose who to love, and my heart desires Hadeon. I don't belong to Cadmus or anyone. I care for Cadmus, but not in the same way. I can't feel what he wants me to feel for him.

"No, Cadmus. I don't love you the way you say I should. I don't feel the things I should feel. You are my friend, and I love you as my friend, nothing more than that. I'm sorry." I manage to stammer out the words, but watching Cadmus's heartbreak kills me.

"Why do you choose him and not me? You don't know him, Willow." The pain in Cadmus's voice is thick, crushing me.

"I don't know why, but the heart wants what the heart wants," I reply, and Cadmus makes a sound like a laugh. It's not like the laughter I'm accustomed to hearing; this is cold and bitter.

"What if I just decide crow sounds like a tasty snack?" The menacing laugh is dark and cold. When I look closer and see that it is no longer Cadmus, I'm speaking to. I'm now talking to Victor, and he's not going to be very easy to talk to.

"Victor, I need to talk to Cadmus. You can't hurt Hadeon. I will never forgive you." I order the crazed and angry dragon.

"You, little witch, think you can order me?" Vincent laughs even more,

"You are my little Enchantress, and I will kill him. Then you will see that you are mine and only mine." When Victor turns from me and starts to shift, I panic even more and do the only thing I can think of. I just hope it works. I don't really know what I'm doing.

"I reject you!" I yell at the shifting form. He stops and growls in pain and anger, but I continue.

"I, Willow of Bright Wood Coven, reject you Cadmus King of the Dragons as my mate. I will not be yours."