Legend of the Forbidden (13 page)

He shook his head quickly, not wanting to relive that awkward moment all over again. The idea of kissing her romantically made his mouth go dry and his nose crinkle. “No, just that whole scared thing we talked about? Still feeling it.”

“I am too.” She gave his hand a squeeze, and he liked it. He could feel her need for his strength, and it made the definition of his role in her life solid. Tyson would always love her. She was indeed his sister.

 

 

“Wait, wait, wait, what do you mean, he threatened you?” Ethan asked. He was on the phone with Dani, and she had attempted to fill him in on her meeting with the Terran Lord. The problem was, she was so upset he could hardly make out what she said. He sighed. “Slow down, okay? Take a deep breath.”

She hiccupped. “I'm sorry. I've been trying to hold myself together for the past couple of hours, and I can't anymore. Tyson is petrified, my Dad threatened to kill Lord Bolton, and the Terran Lord threatened to force me into a relationship with some random dude if Tyson doesn't go through with this. He's trying to trap us, and it's basically working.”

“Then I guess we'll just have to get married before he has the chance to do anything else,” Ethan said.

“I was going to ask, but I didn't think—”

“Being away from you is always hard. I'm pretty sure if I need you like air, it means I love you, right?”

“You don't think it's rushing?”

He bit his lip as he thought over just what he wanted to say to her. So much of what he felt was still buried deep inside of him. Things he hadn't even realized until he was able to be alone and actually entertain the thoughts for a change instead of squashing them.

“How long have we known each other?” he asked.

“Our whole lives.”

“So how is it rushing if we've been waiting eighteen years?”

“I don't know. Yesterday you were so unsure.”

“I was shocked,” he said. “It wasn't what I'd expected you to say.”

She was quiet for a moment. “You really want to marry me?”

“I love you, you love me, and if I don't do it now, I might not ever get the chance. For so long I was jealous of you and Tyson, because he got to be with you and have his wife be his best friend. How can I pass up something I've wanted for so long? Every time I went searching for my future bride, I always compared them to you. Does that answer your question?”

“Yes, so—”

“I'll leave again tonight to go back to Shanrea. If I can't get a ride, it might take longer than normal, but I will be there soon. I'd fly myself, but I'm feeling a little weak. It would probably be best if I don't overexert myself if I don't need to.”

“Tyson can fly. He could get you,” she offered.

Ethan shook his head even if she couldn't see it. “I don't want him flying to the city. Maybe we can meet halfway or something along those lines. I'll talk to him after I'm done talking to you and my parents. As soon as I got back, they went out. They said they would be home right about now. I at least want them to know.”

“Right, of course. Daddy is arranging something. Maybe they'll want to come too?”

“Maybe!” He hoped so. It was a moment he'd love to share with his family. Outside of his bedroom he could hear doors opening and closing, the footsteps and voices of both his parents and younger brothers coming closer to his room. “Okay, they're back. I'll call you after I'm done figuring things out with Tyson. And I'll see you again soon. I, um, I love you.”

“I love you too.” He could imagine her smile as she said those four words, and it was beautiful.

He hung up the phone right as his father knocked on the door. A few seconds passed, and then it opened. Both of his parents were there. His mother walked over and hugged him.

“There, now I've welcomed you back the right way,” she said and kissed his forehead. “It sounds like you had a good trip.” She winked.

How much of the conversation did they hear?

“It was fun,” he said, trying to stay nonchalant.

“Mmm-hmm, so spill! Because you said you wanted to talk about wedding stuff, and this sounds pretty serious.”

Ethan glanced at his dad and fidgeted with his hands. “It is, and it's complicated. You see Dani, she, we… we love each other and…”

“She's engaged,” Darien said flatly.

“Not anymore. They broke it off.”

Tai gasped. “What happened?”

“They're just not into each other,” Ethan explained. “Not like that. They both want to see other people, and she wants to see me. But…”

“But?” Her grip on him tightened, and she was obviously engrossed in the story.

“Lord Bolton said if they don't get married he'd force her to be with another Terran anyway, and it's, well, like I said, complicated.” Again Ethan glanced at his father, trying to get a read on the man. He desperately wanted the man's help, needed it.

The Great Dragon Lord of the Water shook his head. “It's better if you don't get involved with her. That whole situation is complicated. Lord Bolton has his reasons for pushing the match. Both of their nations do.”

“But Dani and Tyson don't want to! So why should they have to?”

“Sometimes we don't get what we want, but that doesn't mean it's wrong to not have it,” Darien stated.

Ethan shook his head. “So you're not going to help? You expect me to watch my friends suffer? I love her, a lot. She's it. You told me I could marry whoever I wanted to, and I want to marry her.”

“She's the one exception to that. You're not allowed.”

“Her dad is helping. Why can't you?”

Darien rolled his eyes. “He would help. Fine, let me put it to you like this: I don't like her, so that's another reason I don't want you to.”

“Honey, don't lie,” Tai said, and glared at her husband. “You love her just as much as I do.”

“Not enough to let her marry one of my sons! She's not worthy of you, Ethan. You deserve better.”

“Better than my best friend? Than the daughter of Mom's best friend? Are you kidding me?” Ethan snapped. “What is your problem?”

“My problem is, she's her father's daughter, and as much as I like her, her mother, and her uncle, she still is related to someone I hate. We emulate our parents whether we want to or not, both of them. So while you can be friends with her, marrying her, mating with her, it's like… it's like… it's just wrong!” his father protested.

Ethan's mother rolled her eyes and got up to leave. “You're on your own with this one, sweetie.”

“You don't get it,” he called after her. He folded his arms in front of him after the door shut and stared down at Ethan. “Neither of you do.”

Ethan shook his head and made his way to his closet, where he'd put his bag of clothes from the trip. He picked it up again and slung it over his shoulder. “I get that you still have a beef against her dad because of something that happened a million years ago.”

“Eighteen, not a million.”

“Whatever, it sure feels like a million years. I mean, it is in dragon time, not human. It's still a long time, and I get it if you can't forgive him yet and move on with your life like everyone else. What I don't get is why you have to punish
me
along with him. I honestly thought I could count on you.” He made his way to the door and stopped when his father grabbed his arm roughly.

“Where are you going?”

“Where do you think I'm going?”

“I said no! I'm not letting you do this, and that's final.”

Ethan glared at him, exactly eye level, and he felt like an adult for the first time in his life. Not how he had expected the moment to come, unfortunately, but it was time for him to grow up. “And what are you going to do about it, huh? Throw me over your knee and spank me? Ground me for life? Lock me in a room and throw away the key? You can't stop me from doing this.”

“Wanna bet? I'm stronger than you are.”

“I'm waiting,” Ethan said defiantly. The only thing his father did was look away. Not wanting to push his luck, Ethan shoved past him, bumping shoulders on his way out the door, and made sure to shut it loudly.
I can't believe I just did that. I've never fought with Dad like that ever in my life. Did I just burn a bridge?
He hoped not. They were family.
Besides, Mom is on my side. She'll talk him down.

His entire body shook from the adrenaline of it all. He pulled out his phone and then dialed Tyson's number. “Hey, let's meet up.”

 

 

This is happening. This is actually happening.
Tyson tried not to have a panic attack over the whole plan. His two best friends were going to elope, and hopefully there wouldn't be a horrible backlash afterward. The way Lord Bolton had spoken to them, Tyson knew he could never live at home with his father again. Dani offered him a new home in Inero, but what he hoped for most of all was a new home in Oceina with Maya. Maybe they wouldn't run off together right away, but they could pursue the idea. He liked her a lot.

He dialed her number and waited for her to pick up. It took a few rings, but she answered.

“Hello?”

“Maya, it's Tyson,” he said, and ran a hand through his short hair to help calm his nerves. “So, a lot has happened since you left. I'm not sure if Ethan told you about me and Dani breaking up or not.”

“No… he didn't…”

“Oh, well, we did. Anyway, things got crazy complicated fast, and so she and him are eloping. I thought I'd call you, let you know, see if you wanted to come along? I'm heading over there to pick Ethan up. Since you two are good friends, I figured you'd wanna be there.”
And maybe we can make a date out of it.
But he held back from actually saying it, unsure of how she would react. She sounded so upset, and he didn't want to make things worse by possibly making it awkward.

She was quiet for a moment, and he wondered for a moment if she was crying, because he heard something resembling sniffling coming through the other end. “Yes, I want to be there. Thank you for telling me. He hadn't mentioned anything, so I'm wondering how good of friends we actually are right now.”

“I'm sure he had a reason,” Tyson said. “You can ask him when we meet up. I'll be there in a handful of hours.”

“I'll see you then.”

“Cool, talk with you soon,” he said. He hung up and got ready to transform. Something told him it would be a long day.

Transforming never took him long. It came naturally to him, like breathing, and being in his dragon form was always enjoyable, especially when he was able to fly. Too bad he didn't get to do it more often. The first part of transforming into his dragon form was the growth of his body. It became longer, taller, and multiplied in size. His dark skin became hard and solid like a tank. Spikes poked out of his back, then two sets of wings. Hooks formed on the vertebra of his wings, and he felt his face grow into a snout. Then his vision shifted position slightly as his eyes grew larger and moved further apart. Once done, he took to the sky, heading for the rendezvous point where he would meet Ethan.

The air currents were good and made for easy flying. There weren't a lot of clouds for him to move through either. Clear skies and pleasant weather made for an enjoyable and fast journey. He landed and saw Ethan was already there, as well as Maya. The meet-up point wasn't far from where she lived.

Upon landing, he noticed Ethan on the ground, sitting with his head between his knees. He breathed hard. Tyson was about to change back to his human form to help, but Ethan lifted a hand.

“I'm okay, I just flew fast and hard to get here… Wasn't sure if I was being followed by my parents… Didn't want them to try to stop me…” he said. “We gotta keep moving.”

Tyson lowered his body so they could climb on with ease, even though he'd rather give Ethan the proper time to rest and make sure he was okay. The guy did have a heart condition, but he was also stubborn. Fighting would only waste more time and work him up more. Maya, on the other hand, seemed subdued and unhappy. Normally she had a lot more energy and was more lighthearted, even on her sick days. Tyson didn't like her being so sad, and he wondered why she felt that way.
Maybe she's just worried.

“Hold on everyone.”
Tyson said, in the dragon tongue.
Please let this all go smoothly.

 

 

Maya watched Dani cling to Ethan as if the girl's life depended on it and wanted to be sick. They were being cute and romantic, and Maya couldn't stand it. How could he rub the whole thing in her face? He knew how deeply she cared for him, and still he flaunted his new relationship.
So she's the reason you won't be with me? If she hadn't come around would the story be different?
There were a lot of questions Maya wanted to ask Ethan, and those two were at the top of the list.

“You're covered in sweat,” Dani said as she looked Ethan over. “What happened?”

“I flew, nothing more. We can talk about it all later. Right now we have to get ready,” he said.

“Right, I'll see you soon,” Dani said. She let go of Ethan and joined her parents, who stood off to the side.