Life As We Know It
1023 Words
*One Year Later...*
Esther and her "mom" had been on the run for about a year now. Every town they came to, they kept to themselves. Despite this, they were liked and respected everywhere they went. They helped when they could, gave to the poor and generally had a calming effect on the townspeople-at least Staci did. Esther had always thought she was just defective, but during their travels they ran into a particular nasty clan of rogues and she had been cornered. She wasn't sure what happened, but one minute she was cowering in the fear and the next the rogue was on the ground bleeding. Staci had come to her rescue and witnessed the power that had burst out. Feeling the aura, and the heat, she knew immediately what Esther was. Things had progressed quickly after that, their exercise regiment increased, and Staci helped Esther master her powers and get in touch with her other form. What surprised them both was finding out that Esther had, not one, but two other souls. Doing all this training helped them realize three things-first, Esther had three souls, two, her souls were a dragon and a hellhound and three, they needed to go see the dragon prince before their enemies caught up to them.
This is how they ended up in the foyer of this beautiful castle in the far north dressed in ball gowns worthy of their stations. As they glided through the entryway to prepare to be announced, whispers followed them. The heated gazes of the males burned holes in their backs, as the jealous rage of their females poked like needle pricks. They had both been training extensively to control their powers, and as such, had hidden their scents and dampened their auras. Despite this, they still oozed power and mystery-a deadly combination in a woman, particularly two. They walked up to the doorman and presented their invitations and waited to be announced.
Esther stole a glance at Staci as it became their turn to be introduced. Staci looked over at her and nodded her head. They both looked ahead as the herald began the announcement...
"Miss Staci and Miss Esther..." he boomed.
They stepped forward and all eyes found them as they descended the staircase. Shoulders back, eyes straight ahead, they glided down the staircase into the ballroom. Staci was pleased to see the dragon prince was staring at Esther intently.
As they neared the bottom of the staircase, the prince suddenly got to his feet and made his way towards them. As they descended the final step he was there to meet them. Esther was almost as tall as the prince, but she still had to look up slightly to meet his gaze. She saw his eyes settle briefly on her lips as she introduced herself, before flashing up to her eyes. Captivated, she could only stare into his eyes as his kissed her knuckles and introduced himself in turn,
"Prince Adrian."
He was delighted to see a blush adorn her cheeks as they spoke. He turned his attention to Staci, briefly thinking that she looked very familiar. Pushing the thought aside he reached his hand out to greet her. As their fingers touched, memory hit with force. His fingers tightened,
"Luna?" he questioned.
Staci's hand tightened and her eyes widened. She subtly shook her head.
"Not here," she whispered. "I request an audience. It's important."
He nodded in response and then signaled them to wait. He had barely gotten organized enough to have an emergency audience when a threatening growl filled the ballroom. He spun around looking for the source of the feral sound. He found it in the face of none other than Alpha Jake. He was staring at his former Luna with murderous intent. The prince looked at Staci and Esther; surprise and intense fear was written all over Staci's face, but what shocked him the most was the malice on Esther's beautiful face. Her smoky grey eyes had turned violet, and her hair had a steady violet glow that seemed to pulse like a living thing around her. Her aura began to leak out as her emotions got the better of her. The Alpha's murderous rage paled in comparison to hers and he knew this. It slowed his charge down so that when he was finally within a few feet of the two women he appeared to be stalking them. His calculating gaze took in their appearance for a second, and then he took in the mood of the room. Esther hadn't taken her eyes off him for even a second while he did all this. Bored with the waiting she stepped into his personal space. He growled at the audacity and tried to use his Alpha power, but unfortunately, that doesn't work on the Imperial Dragon. When nothing happened, he growled even louder. He went to lash out at Staci, but Esther was done with this standoff. With a roar that shook the very foundation of the castle, she let out a ball of flame from her mouth and shoved her power out. Everyone within the castle suddenly fell to their knees, Alpha Jake included. The only person who didn't fall straight to their knees, was the prince. The only reason that worked out that way, was because he was her mate.
Their eyes met over the heads of the kneeling guests. Heat bloomed in the room, making everyone sweat from the intense temperature spike. The prince slowly approached Esther, careful not to do anything that may appear to be threatening. She watched as he approached her, drinking in the sight of this handsome man. He was almost 7ft tall, muscular and lean. His eyes were the lightest green color. She could see tattoos peeking out from underneath his clothes and undressed him with her eyes, wondering what they were and what else he had hiding under those rags. Her gaze burned hot on his and he approached her. When he finally got to her, his hand snaked around her waist, pulling her to his body,
"MATE," they both said at the same time.
- Writer
