Dragon Scrolls ~ Finding the Shifter Book 1

The Aftermath

After our mutual declarations, the prince seemed to finally come back to himself. Taking Esther's hand, he turned towards to the kneeling guests. He looked at his mate with a little bit of awe, tinged with fear. She had absolute power over everyone in the room, including the current king and queen. The only reason he wasn't subjected to her power is because he is her mate. Sensing his discomfort, she lifted the oppressive power off the people in the ballroom. With barely suppressed groans, they began to pick themselves up off the floor. The only who still remained kneeling, was Alpha Jake. Adrian summoned a maid to take charge of the shaking Staci. Only when she was escorted from the room did Esther allow the Alpha to rise.

"You have some nerve attacking us at a ball Alpha. We escaped from your abuse and made a life for ourselves away from you and your pack. You will no longer be allowed to defile our bodies with your dark, tortured thoughts and actions. We are free of you. Stay away from Staci or I will make it my personal business to strip you everything you hold dear. Are we clear?" she spat at him.

When he didn't answer right away, she gave him a not so subtle nudge with her power. When he bared his neck in submission she completely released him from her will. With a last look of loathing he took off through the ballroom. He launched himself out the balcony doors and shifted into his wolf. With a last look, he ran off into the forest towards home.

Considering what had just happened, Adrian figured it would be a good time to conclude the ball. As everyone dispersed, he looked around to see where his mate had run off too. He found her slipping out the door her friend Staci had gone. He followed her scent until he found her in one of the sitting rooms giving Staci comfort. He watched as she rubbed a sobbing Staci's back and whispered words of encouragement. After a few more minutes, Staci had quietly cried herself to sleep in Esther's lap. Esther noticed him standing there and with a small smile, she gently laid Staci down and put her feet up so she could rest more comfortably. He watched as she seemed to float towards him and his breath hitched in this throat. She took his hand and gently guided him into an adjoining office. His office, he realized.

They entered the room and she shut the door so as not to disturb her friend in the other room. They stared at each other for a minute before rushing into each other's arms. The kiss was a hot one, filled with passion and desire. Their lips fought for dominion over the other as their tongues tangled together-tasting each other. They stayed like this for a few minutes, familiarizing themselves with the curve of each other's bodies. Electricity seemed to pass through their bodies as they ran their hands over each other. But of course, a moment is never meant to last. There was a knock on the door a minute later,

"Come in," they said in unison.

The door opened to reveal two very peeved royals. They stiffly entered the room and each sat down on a chair. The silence in the room stretched and became uncomfortable as the battle of wills in the room quickly became a losing battle on their front.

"What was that son?" the king asked.

Adrian looked at his father and laughed. The king looked perplexed and that made him laugh even harder. Raising a brow Adrian drawled,

" Well lets see...what is the only creature in the world who can make everybody but their mate submit to them?"

It took a second, but his parents finally realized who they were in the presence of. His face ashen, his father stuttered,

"Are...are you...are you telling me, that your mate is the Imperial Dragon?? I mean is she even a DRAGON?!"

Esther and I looked at each other. We weren't really sure what we should tell them. She knew without having to tell me, that when our mate bond clicked, I was granted access to her souls. All three of them. He was really surpised to meet a hellhound, but it didn't phase him too much. But it explained why she masked her scent and dampened her aura. Dragons and hellhounds are both ancient creatures. They are from the beginning of time itself. The souls he met when they bonded....are very very old souls. There is a huge possibility Esther contains Ancients. However, how much of that do you tell to two people who are naturally fearful of any being more powerful then them?

Without going into much detail, Esther told her story. How she figured it out, her training, and why she felt like she had to seek out the dragon prince. By the end, they seemed satisfied and their scowls slowly morphed into easy going smiles as the conversation moved to more lighter tones. Deep down, Adrian could tell his parents were relieved he had found his mate. He had a feeling they were a few more weeks away from attempting another "chosen mate intervention." There was nothing he could have done at that point, his mother doesn't really like to repeat herself all that much. Lucky for him, he found his mate and it all worked out. Sort of. He still needed to sit down with his mate and figure out what happened and what all that was even about. He had a feeling that she had come here for help with something and then all this happened and threw her off track. He would have to make sure they talked about it before they both went to sleep for the night. When Esther yawned, Adrian knew time was up, so he bade his parents a good night and picked up his mate, bridal style, and carried her off to bed. Without bothering to take their clothes off, he laid her in bed and cuddled up behind her. They drifted off to sleep as tomorrow loomed over their heads like an anvil.