A week later:

Jenny slowly emerged from the sea. Apprehension and hope churned in her stomach as she curled her toes in the coarse, black sand. She glanced anxiously behind her. She knew Orion was coming. It was kind-of hard to miss it when every fish in the sea was warning her—not to mention Dolph and Juno.

“Do you see her?” Juno called from behind her.

Jenny shook her head and waved her hand at the little boy. Releasing the breath she was holding in, she pushed her wet hair away from her face and turned to look up at the palace on the cliff above.

“Do you want me to sneak in? I can climb up there,” Dolph offered.

Jenny laughed and lifted a hand to rub her temple. Yes, she should have waited for Orion to return, but she couldn’t stand it any longer. It felt like she had been waiting forever to find out what had happened to Carly and to make sure she was okay. They had been back home for a week—a full week—and Orion had been gone all but the first day so there had been no chance of going—at least with him—unless she as willing to wait even longer.

“I should never have listened to the boys. They are kids. What was I thinking?” Jenny groaned.

Jenny had been mumbling about the different ways to find out if Drago’s Carly was her Carly. The boys had heard her and decided they were going to help her slip out. It had been hard to do that since Orion had given Kapian and Kelia strict instructions that they were to protect her while he attended a meeting with the King and Queen of the Elementals. Jenny had offered to stay with the boys when Juno broke down in tears, heartbroken that he didn’t have a baby sister yet and complaining that it was taking forever to make her.

Jenny quickly learned that Dolph and Juno could charm a dragon out of his gold, and they were even more slippery than Ashure in a game of chance. The boys had planned their escape with a precision that would have impressed the best military general. They knew that timing was essential, supplies a necessity, and a map was only needed if you didn’t know where you were planning to go. They knew all three, and before Kelia had closed the door to their living quarters with a goodnight wish, they were slipping through the back garden gate.

Now it was early morning, and the sun was just lighting the sky. Jenny had only taken a few steps onto the beach when she heard Orion call out to her to stop. He was a lot faster—and closer—than she had calculated. With a soft groan, she turned and watched as he rose up out of the waves to join her on the beach.

“Jenny, stop! Come back into the water. Now, before he gets any closer,” Orion ordered in a low, husky voice filled with worry.

“Orion… Carly…,” Jenny started to argue, turning to see her husband wading toward her.

“I know how much you miss her, Jenny. Return to the water with the boys. I will face Drago and ask him if he knows if his Carly is your lost friend. This is too dangerous for you, especially now,” Orion insisted.

“I know it has to be my Carly, Orion,” Jenny replied in a pleading voice. “I can feel it.”

“Who dares to come into my kingdom?” A rough, thundering voice roared.

She started to turn back when she saw a shadow suddenly pass over them. Shielding her eyes, her breath caught on the outline of what could only be a ‘mythical’ dragon. Her lips parted in awe at the sight of the creature.

“Drago!” Orion snarled back, raising the trident in his hand in warning.

Jenny stumbled back several feet. Water lapped around her ankles, and she remained frozen, afraid to move. The ground shook as the massive dragon landed with ease a few feet from where they were standing. The creature dug a front claw into the ground, which was a black as he was, and scraped the sand. She gripped Orion when he roughly pulled her behind him.

“We come in peace, Drago,” Orion snapped. “You are frightening my wife.”

“Your wife,” Drago said, turning his head to gaze down at Jenny with blazing golden eyes. “I was told Shamill was dead. This is not Shamill.”

“No, this is…,” Orion started to say.

Jenny’s eyes widened when a smaller dragon landed beside Drago. She could tell the large male was unhappy about her being there from the way he was trying to shield her with his massive wings. The female ignored him, locking her gaze on Jenny.

“Jenny?” the female dragon whispered before she drew in a deep breath and transformed. “Jenny, is that really you?”

“Oh, Carly! I knew it! I knew you weren’t dead,” Jenny cried, surging forward before Orion could stop her. “I knew you weren’t dead. I missed you so much.”

* * *

Drago looked at the two women crying and embracing before looking back toward Orion, the trident now by his side. His claws curled into the sand. Resigned that he wasn’t going to be eating anyone today, he shifted. Orion gave him a pained expression before shaking his head.

“Is this the Jenny that Carly is always talking about?” Drago asked with a scowl.

“What do you think?” Orion dryly asked.

Drago glanced at Orion and grunted. “From the way they are crying and talking non-stop, I’d have to say yes. Carly wished to return to her world to let Jenny know that she was safe, but the passage was sealed,” he reluctantly admitted.

“Jenny was devastated by Carly’s disappearance. She never stopped believing that she was alive. She hoped that Carly had somehow ended up in our world. I was afraid to break her heart even more,” Orion confessed.

“I understand. I felt the same way. But now we don’t have to worry about that,” Drago said, slapping Orion on the shoulder.

“Daddy, can we come out now?” several voices echoed in unison.

“That’s right! You have children. Ashure told me about them,” Orion chuckled.

Drago’s face flushed with pride when three young dragons peeked out from under a nearby bush. He emitted a soft growl under his breath, and they piled out, squealing and bouncing toward Carly and Jenny. With an exasperated sigh, Drago folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

“Yes, and they listen about as good as my mate does. I told them to stay,” he grumbled. “How are your sons?”

“Listening about as well as your three,” Orion admitted, turning to raise his hand.

Within seconds, Dolph and Juno were hurriedly wading up onto the beach. They grinned at Drago and their father as they flashed by, heading toward his kids. Drago had to admit that having other children to play with would be good for the kids.

“You know, if you added a little girl, it would make my life a little easier,” Drago suggested. “My princess needs a playmate.”

Orion grinned and chuckled. “There will be in a few months,” he informed Drago in a quiet voice. “Jenny wants to name our daughter Carly.”

The men watched the women sink down onto the coarse sand to play with the excited dragons. Dolph and Juno laughed when the boys shifted in excitement.

Drago started forward when his tiny daughter released a low cry after she fell face first in the sand. Drago paused when Jenny tenderly picked the little girl up in her arms and rubbed her cheek against the child’s head.

“You have a good wife,” Drago observed. “She will make my mate happy. You may stay.”

* * *

Orion chuckled. Drago was looking just too damn proud of himself. He had to admit that it was good to see the other man happy. Drago deserved to find happiness after everything he had lost. If Orion had his way, he would find a way to reverse the spell that Magna had cast. He shook his head. Today was not the day to dwell on his cousin. Instead, he imagined the battle Drago would have fought with the women—and the kids—if he tried to prevent them from seeing each other again.

“Good, because you would have been fighting the battle of separating the women on your own,” Orion replied with an amused grin. “You do know that this means the end of our feud, don’t you? All Jenny talked about was her friend, Carly. Now that she knows she is here, I have a feeling we are going to be frequent visitors.”

“Make sure you bring the boys when you come. My kids enjoy having yours to play with instead of me,” Drago shrugged. “The boys have begged me to find others their age, but I honestly didn’t know any. I had forgotten that you had two; otherwise I would have kidnapped them years ago. I will warn you that my little Jenny likes to have tea with her dragons. She makes her brothers and me play with her. It looks like she has taken a shine to your youngest boy.”

Orion chuckled. It sounded like Drago was taking his fatherly responsibilities to heart. He could relate to how much joy being a father could bring.

He glanced at Juno who was building a sandcastle with little Jenny. His son looked up at him and smiled. Orion didn’t miss the look of expectation on Juno’s face. Nodding his head, he let Juno know that his wish would come true soon.

Orion turned his gaze to Jenny’s glowing face. He felt love surge through him as he watched her tilt her head back and laugh at something Carly said. As fearful as he had been earlier, he was glad things had worked out. He was happy that she had found her friend.

He acknowledged that Jenny and Carly’s friendship would help forge a new alliance between him and Drago. That alliance would speed the healing process that kept the kingdoms from reaching their full potential. There was still much to do, but the Seven Kingdoms were once again on a path to peace.

Orion’s thoughts briefly flashed to Magna. As far as he knew, she was unaware that he now had both Eyes of the Sea Serpent. So far, his search for Magna had been fruitless. If she was not in the water, it would be difficult to locate her. His brief visit to the Isle of the Elements proved that fear of Magna’s growing strength was having severe negative effects. His only hope was that she would return to the water where he could capture her.

“Orion, Carly asked us to stay for dinner. I told her yes. We are also staying for a few days,” Jenny called out to him with a happy grin.

“Ah, the visiting stage has begun. Carly warned me that such a day would arrive. I believe she called them slumber parties,” Drago groaned.

“Jenny told me of doing such things with Carly when she was growing up. She has taught the boys how to build forts. They love sleeping in them at night and playing in them during the day,” Orion chuckled.

He bent and scooped up little Jenny in his arms when she toddled over to him and held up her arms. Orion grinned when the little girl shook her head and wound her arms around his neck when her father tried to take her. Drago’s soft snort of wounded pride drew a giggle from his daughter.

“Betrayed already,” Drago sighed. “The forts are already made. We cannot keep the covers on their beds at the moment. Mine also love to have nightly pillow fights. I suspect they will be camping out together tonight.”

“Most definitely, and preferably in your living quarters,” Orion chuckled.

“How about we have a challenge to see who gets the kids? I wouldn’t mind a few nights alone with my mate,” Drago suggested with a hopeful grin.

Orion shook his head. “There is no way I’m playing a game of chance after being around Ashure. How about we flip a coin and take turns?” he suggested instead.

Drago was quiet for a moment while he thought about it. “Heads, you get them, tails we do,” he agreed.

“Little Jenny tosses,” Orion said.

Drago grunted and pulled a gold coin from his pocket. He gave it to Orion to look at. Orion noticed the markings were different on each side and nodded. He handed it to Little Jenny who promptly stuffed it in her pocket.

“I should have known better,” Drago groaned with a shake of his head. “Never give a dragon gold. She won’t give it up now.”

“I have an idea,” Orion said with a grin. “Jenny, Carly, heads or tails?”

“Tails,” both women said at the same time. “Why?”

Orion grinned. “The boys are spending the night with Drago and Carly,” he replied.

Drago scowled at Orion. “I think you set me up,” he said suspiciously.

“At least you didn’t lose another gold coin over it,” Orion laughed.

* * *

Orion quietly closed the door to their bedroom. Jenny turned from where she was standing on the outside balcony. A gentle sea breeze was blowing in, and her hair floated around her shoulders.

“Are the boys settled?” she asked.

Orion chuckled. “I suspect they will be up all night. They discovered Drago’s magical paper birds and want him to make some fish. It took a while to get them to understand that paper and water do not mix well. Drago is currently trying different combinations of magic to see if he can create some. I never thought I would see that mighty dragon melt into a pile of molten lava,” he admitted.

Jenny smiled and turned back to look out over the walls of the castle. Orion could feel her sadness. Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her back against him. She released a deep sigh and laid her hands over his, caressing him.

“What’s wrong?” Orion asked, brushing a kiss against her temple.

Jenny shook her head. “I don’t know how Drago could have survived. Carly told me what happened to his people and what it means for a dragon. I’m glad she found him. No one deserves to be so alone,” she whispered, lifting a hand to brush away the tear that ran down her cheek.

Orion didn’t say anything. He had felt it the moment the dragons disappeared and Drago retreated—all the kingdoms had. Despite everything, Drago and Carly had filled their kingdom with warmth and laughter. Even now, they could hear the echo of it ringing through the palace as Drago playfully growled, and the children squealed in delight.

“Carly has filled Drago’s life just as you have filled mine. You can be surrounded by people and still be alone, Jenny. When I am with you, I never feel alone,” Orion admitted.

Jenny turned in his arms. Her eyes were filled with love. Orion lifted his hand to caress her cheek.

“I love you, Orion,” she murmured, leaning closer to him.

“How about showing me how much?” he suggested.

“With pleasure, my merman,” Jenny purred, threading her fingers through his short hair with one hand while her other hand moved down his body.

Orion captured her lips in a passionate kiss, their breaths mingling and growing more urgent. He picked Jenny up and turned toward the bed as the sound of Drago’s yell rang out behind him.

“You owe me, Sea King! Ouch! No bite, Jen,” Drago roared.

“Pillow attack!” the boys yelled.

Orion caught the door with his heel and shut out the sound of Drago’s torture. Tonight was his and Jenny’s, and he was going to cherish every single second of it.

“Goddess, but I will love you forever, my beautiful mermaid,” Orion moaned.

Seven Kingdoms—Eight Incredible Love stories…

A Witch’s Touch: Seven Kingdoms Book 3