HER DEADLY DESIRE: Mated To Three Kings

ALICE "Mommy!!!" Daisy's scream had me throwing my mittens onto the kitchen island and turning off the stove, my heart racing abnormally as I imagined the worst. Even the goddess could bear witness to the fact that I always told her not to go beyond the fence. Riverdell wasn't a safe place. Especially not in an evening like this. I paused the lectures in my head and flung the door open, summoning balls of glowing green energy to surround my balled fists. The plan was to blast to powder the first fingers I sighted venturing anywhere close to my daughter, but it wasn't necessary. Daisy was standing on the front porch, clutching her stuffed chameleon tightly like her life depended on it. "Mommy, there is a man on my property!" she screamed. For once, I skipped the need to correct her about calling everything hers. It wasn't a very polite habit, especially when she exercised that exact energy on things that didn't even belong to her—or me. Okay, there really was a man on the property standing beneath the tree by the left. I couldn't see the face, but the stance told me that must have been about 6'5 and proportionally built. Beneath the coat were muscles I knew existed. I sized up the figure, mentally calculating if it was going to be easy to go fist for fist or just lunge fireballs at him. To think that he breached the gate and even went as far as the tree which was directly facing the window to my room sent chills down my spine. Oh my goodness, he could have hurt Daisy. "WHO IS THERE?!" I shouted at the figure. The moon wasn't out. There was no indication that the moon was even going to make an entrance tonight. The only source of illumination—since I foolishly forgot to turn on the lamps within the property—were the street lamps. "COME OUT NOW." He did come out. I grabbed Daisy and pushed her behind me, a scream tearing out of her as she grabbed my waist in fear, resting her head against my backside. When did she get so tall? But then, I was just 5'9. "Who are you?!" I posed for an attack, weaving hot threads of mana around my fingers in readiness for any sudden move. It wasn't necessary. He stepped into the light with his hands raised, a clear indication that he didn't mean harm. "I am so sorry it took so long to step out. I was just trying to see if it was really you." My heart stopped. Draco? Prince Draco? He looked exactly the same. Just the same hair, the same face, the same... everything. The lips were the same, too. I could remember everything those succulent lips did to me that night. He had concentrated on producing the fire, while the others supplemented fuel for the flames. "Draco?" I asked in disbelief, my hands instinctively dropping to the sides. "Hi." "Hi, Alice." His gaze sharply went to the peeping child behind me. A mix of something I couldn't decipher flashed across his eyes, his hands twitching involuntarily. His actions raised my guard. Grabbing Daisy, I beat back a step. "Is that your daughter?" he asked, his gaze still settling on Daisy. My poor baby must have been so scared because she pulled her head back and hit behind my frame. "Yes, she is," I responded in one breath. "You're scaring her, Draco." His eyes softened immediately. The wind softly tossed his shoulder-length white braided hair, exposing the fire tattoo on the right side of his neck. "I'm sorry." He let out a small smile and took a step close, trying to peep behind me. "Hey, don't be scared. I won't hurt you." Daisy's grip tightened on my shirt. My heartbeat increased. He was coming dangerously close, too close for my liking. I had lots of questions, and right now wasn't the best time to ask them. f**k, he should have made his visit during noon. Hell, he shouldn't have even come! What the f**k did he want? He now knew my location. That meant only one thing: I had to move. And fast. "Draco, leave," I mumbled, taking a step back for every forward step he took. We were getting close to the house now. One dash was enough to put Daisy inside and lock the door, but her screams would probably attract the cops. I didn't want sirens and blaster guns on my front porch. Not tonight. Not ever. "You need to leave now." "Can I speak with you privately?" he asked softly, joining both hands in a pleading motion. Did dragons always look this good? I itched to rip the fur coat off him and check out the weave of deliciousness hidden beneath the flimsy material. Was he as sexy as those years ago? "No, leave," I said firmly. (No, this can't be happening) . "You need to leave now or I'll call the cops." (And leave you to explain what the leader of the dragons was doing on the property of a single mother at such an odd hour) . "Alice, just five minutes." I snapped. Energy surged through me as I balled my hand and created a field of green around each fist. My chest heaved rhythmically, the motherly need to protect Daisy overshadowing my curiosity to find out what the dragon came for. He didn't budge. I expected it. The first ball of magical energy I sent sizzled through the air and easily got deflected by Draco before it could make any impact. I grunted in anger and lunged forward, breaking out of Daisy's iron grip on my back and simultaneously channeling the heat zapping through me to my palms. I grunted and released a string of lightning bolts laced with fire. Draco easily deflected them. Then the realization hit. I was only wasting my time. How stupid I was trying to defeat a dragon by using fire. They were literally the wielder of the element. Fire lived in their bones, an everlasting scourge that they could emit at will. I was no longer throwing my fireballs and lightning bolts. It was useless anyway. Now, we stood facing each other, eyes locked. I'd covered a little distance between us, so I could clearly make out the intensifying brown eyes locked on me. Silence hung in the air. Not the uncomfortable type that made you nervous. We were both silent because none of us knew what to say. It seemed even Daisy couldn't process the situation seeing how silent she became. "I didn't know you were this powerful," Draco said calmly, a sigh escaping him. He sounded... bored. I couldn't make out the emotion in his voice. "There are a lot of things about me that you don't know," I replied through gritted teeth. "You need to leave as soon as possible before I call the cops on you." There was pure anger in my bones and I couldn't tell why. Maybe it was the thought of how all my years of hiding just crashed before me. Or maybe it was the fear on Daisy's face. Maybe both. Definitely both. I had a lot to say. He did too, but none of us had the opportunity to speak. Two cars in a mad race sped down the street. My heartbeat skyrocketed. They stopped exactly in front of the property and I thought to myself, "Police?" But when a man stepped out of each car and growled in each other's faces, I frowned. Then my eyes widened. Then I gasped.