Nyle rose from bed, scratching his tired head as he yawned. He wondered idly where Daisy had gone as her spot on the bed was empty. Maybe she had gone down to the kitchen to make herself something to eat or to brew a pot of coffee. Not bothering with boxers, Nyle threw on a pair of joggers and headed downstairs. His tired eyes shifted around the open space, not seeing her anywhere. Maybe she had gone out to get breakfast? Moving into the kitchen, he fixed a pot of coffee and hit brew before leaning against the counter to wait for it to brew. It was then he spotted a piece of paper sitting on the middle of the island. Stepping over, he picked the note up.

Call me.

xoxo, Daisy

His stomach twisted at the simple and blunt note. Why did she leave a note for him to call her, instead of just talking to him before she left? What if last night had been too much for her? His heart ached at the thought, hurrying over to the coffee table to get his cell phone. With nervous, shaking hands, Nyle found her contact in his phone and called.

As soon as the line picked up, Nyle asked in a panic, “Hello? Daisy? What’s going on? Where are you?”

“Hello, my prince,” a low female voice responded.

Nyle’s blood ran cold. “Where the hell is she, Mylora?” he snarled.

“I told you that you had until morning.”

Panic sieged his chest, his breathing becoming ragged. “You didn’t even give me a chance to give you an answer! I thought you meant you would be by in the morning, not that you would be by to kidnap my girlfriend.”

“Oh, she’s your girlfriend? My, Nylyrias, I never took you for a guy that conformed to labels. And I didn’t kidnap her from your apartment. She was out on the other side of town when I picked her up. Maybe you don’t know her as well as you thought,” Mylora chuckled.

Worry overtook Nyle’s senses. The other side of town? What had Daisy been doing out over there?

“I figured you were trying to worm your way out of my ultimatum, so I wanted to be sure you followed through with making a decision.”

“I swear, Mylora, if you hurt her…”

“She’s a little banged up, but she’ll be just fine once you give me an answer.” She paused. “Well, that’s not entirely true. It depends on your answer.”

Nyle roared loudly out of frustration. What could he do? “Fine. You win, Mylora. We’ll get married. You happy now?”

“You think I’m that gullible?” she scoffed. “I want you to take me to meet your parents. Introduce me as your fiancée. And don’t think of trying anything sly. I’m meant to check in with the people who have her every ten minutes. If I don’t check in, then… well…” Mylora let the statement drift off with a sinister giggle.

“Understood,” Nyle grumbled. “Meet me at my apartment in fifteen—”

The sound of the door opening startled him. Mylora walked in with the keys dangling from one hand and Daisy’s phone in the other. His eyes darkened, and he hung up the call.

“Sorry, I had to let myself in earlier. The walking pig had your keys. Did you know that? It’s lucky for me that she left me a little handwriting sample.” Mylora flashed him the company card that Daisy had left on her pillow with a note before carelessly tossing it away. Mylora hoisted herself up onto the island. “This is going to be great. You’ll see. We’ll make the perfect couple.”

Nyle was fuming, but he tried to keep it bottled up, not wanting to lash out and risk Daisy’s wellbeing.

“Give me a few minutes to get ready.”

“I have all the time in the world,” Mylora answered.

Turning on his heel, Nyle walked back up to his bedroom. As soon as the door shut behind him, his chest began to heave with anxiety. Poor Daisy… His mind was plagued with horrendous thoughts as he wondered what she had been through and where they were keeping her. Nyle had no idea how he was going to get Daisy and himself out of this situation, but he would have to stay alert and think on his feet.

Nyle took a quick shower and tried to think of a way out of the mess, but he didn’t know what to do. He got dressed in a navy suit with a plum tie and matching pocket square. He simply ran his fingers through his hair, put on his watch, and moved downstairs. He wanted to move quickly, anxiety nipping at his heels. At the forefront of his mind was Daisy’s safety. He wanted her back.

“All right, let’s get going,” he said flatly, buttoning the top button of his suit jacket.

Mylora offered a wicked smile on her lips as she sashayed her way to the door. Nyle couldn’t help but roll his eyes as her back was to him. She was so over the top, trying to ooze sex appeal in hopes of it making up for her lack of personality. Even if he hadn’t met Daisy, Nyle would have only been interested in Mylora for a night and nothing more. The woman wasn’t his type in the slightest. Then again, his judgment was clouded with Daisy. She was nothing short of perfection to him.

Nyle and Mylora made the silent trip down to his private garage. Mylora’s car was in one of the guest spots. It was a gorgeous vintage car from the sixties with a powder blue and cream paint job. Nyle hoped that if he got out of his current situation, that he’d get to smash the hell out of it just to spite her.

Nyle insisted on driving his own car and then forced himself to be a gentleman and open the door for her. He hoped that if he played nice long enough, she would drop her guard. Once she stepped inside, he rounded the car and hopped in. The tires squealed as he left the garage, pulling out onto the street with little caution.

“Are you trying to kill all three of us?” Mylora questioned, referring to Daisy as well.

Twitching with anger, Nyle slowed down to the speed limit. The car ride to the palace was going to take forever going the speed limit, but he played by her rules, obeying all the traffic laws. The car ride was mostly silent as Nyle had nothing to say. As he drove, he noticed Mylora texting on her phone every once and a while. Every ten minutes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed on her screen that she was typing a text to someone that was labeled as ‘Unknown’. But before he could see what she was trying to text, Mylora turned her phone away from his view.

“Excuse you,” she snapped.

Nyle looked back to the road. After a moment, he looked back over to see her deleting whatever it was she just sent. She certainly was trying to cover all her tracks. He assumed they were using a secret phrase as well for checking in, so that they would know for sure it was her. It was smart, but it wasn’t foolproof. From then on, every time she got her cell phone out he tried to sneak a peek at her screen, but she caught onto his game and became extremely cautious.

In a little over an hour, they finally pulled up to the palace. As he put the car in park, Mylora’s hand was over his on the gear shift.

“I really mean it when I say don’t try anything. You don’t have to act like you love me, but at least act like you’re tolerating me. Got it? If they’re able to tell that something is up, I won’t hesitate to kill your girlfriend. Do I make myself clear?”

“Crystal,” he seethed.

It was going to be soul-crushing to act like everything was okay. They both got out of the car and headed toward the palace doors. Before they stepped onto the doorstep, Mylora grabbed his hand and placed it on her hip. A dull look fell over his face, the happiest expression he could conjure. A butler opened the door, and Nyle greeted him warmly. Once they stepped away from the butler, his attitude became sour once again.

“I haven’t been in here in years,” Mylora sighed, as she looked around.

Mylora eyed the furnishings, the art, and the size of the palace with a look of longing. She was fantasizing about it all being hers. The thought of his family home in her possession made his hands shake with anger. Oh, how he longed to tear her to shreds.

He guided her down the halls, knowing his parents would be having breakfast with some council members since it was Saturday morning. A guard was stationed outside of the dining hall doors. The guard looked at Nyle in surprise before graciously opening the doors to enter.

“My son,” his father instantly called from head of the enormous dining table. But Thalydias’ eyes then fell to the woman on his arm, audibly gasping. “And Miss Firebloom. To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“Mind if we join you for breakfast?” Nyle asked.

“Of course not, my darling,” Asalei spoke up, as she gestured for them to sit at the table.

As they drew close to the table, Nyle’s eyes locked with one of the council members—Evryn. He knew about Mylora’s deceitful plan. Nyle tried to scream ‘don’t say anything’ with his eyes, afraid that the old man would try and speak out on his behalf. And surprisingly, Evryn seemed to understand, though his eyes then loomed on Mylora. Nyle watched as Mylora poured herself a cup of tea.

“The palace is just as beautiful as I remember,” Mylora spoke aloud in a dreamy drawl to no one in particular.

“Well, thank you, Miss Firebloom,” his mother spoke. “Did you two arrive together?” she asked curiously.

“Why, yes, we did,” Mylora grinned, resting a hand on Nyle’s knee. He did his best to keep a flat expression.

“Really?” Thalydias questioned, his eyes narrowed in on his son. “Does this mean you’ve reached a decision, Nylyrias?”

His jaw set in place, having to look over to his father and speak as calmly as he could, “Yes. It does. Mylora and I are to be married.” The words felt so wrong to say.

“Nyle,” Evryn spoke up. “Are you sure about this?” he asked carefully.

Nyle wanted to scream out that it was a rouse and he was really in love with Daisy. Every fiber of his being itched to tell them that he was being blackmailed by Mylora. It took him a moment to form the words, but he nodded at Evryn.

“Yes, this is what I want.”

“This is so wonderful!” Asalei exclaimed as she stood from her chair and rushed over to her son. She hugged his neck tightly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “You have no idea what a relief this is for your father and me.”

Nyle didn’t say a word, though, just watching as she moved to Mylora and took a seat next to her.

“And you, my child, welcome to the family,” Asalei gushed, pulling her into a tight hug as well.

Mylora happily hugged her back.

“Thank you so much, Your Majesty,” Mylora gushed right back.

“So, have you two discussed a date for the ceremony, or am I getting ahead of myself?” Asalei asked Mylora, giddiness in every syllable that passed her lips.

“Well, we haven’t formally discussed it, and I know this may be soon, but I was thinking maybe we could turn the gala the company is hosting in a month into a wedding? Of course we will still take the donations for the non-profit group. However, I figured since they already have an amazing venue picked and everyone will already be there, why not? Is that crazy?”

How in the hell did she know about the gala and the museum? And what kind of person turns a fundraiser into a wedding? Nyle thought to himself. The event was a month away. Did that mean she planned to keep Daisy hostage until then? He couldn’t imagine marrying someone so vile in the place that Daisy had picked out. The thought made him sick to his stomach.

“I think the king and I will both agree to whatever makes the two of you happy,” Asalei praised with a twinkle in her eye.

Just as Nyle was about to look over to the others, he noticed Mylora’s phone light up in her hand with a text message.

Quid dicis?

Quid dicis? That was Latin. Nyle’s eyes shuffled away, but then flickered back, watching as she thought she sneakily replied to the text under the table. His heart started pounding in his ears in excitement as he caught a quick glimpse of the message before she deleted it.

Carpe diem.

Seize the day? Really? That was her secret phrase? But as soon as it was deleted, Nyle wasted no time to tackle her from her chair, knowing he needed to act quickly.

Asalei screeched at the sudden commotion. “Nylyrias, what are you doing?”

He didn’t have time to respond as he was wrestling the phone from the Mylora’s grasp as she hissed and kicked at him. “Stop this at once!”

“Nylyrias! What has gotten into you?” his father’s voice boomed over him.

“Evryn! Help me!” Nyle called out to the elder.

Nyle managed to pin Mylora’s arms to the ground with the phone still tight in her grasp. With a snarl, he squeezed her wrist that held the phone, channeling his rage and energy into his grip. Fire crackled from his skin, searing her wrist. Mylora screamed and finally released the phone. Evryn stepped over and snatched the phone away before Mylora could try and grab it back.

“Get me something to bind her mouth,” Nyle called to Evryn as he used one hand to cover the woman’s mouth and the other to hold both her wrists down, not bothering to be gentle with the burn.

Mylora had hot tears bubbling from her eyes as her body writhed under him. She screamed into his hand. When she went to bite him, Nyle squeezed her face.

“Do you really want to try that?” he asked in a low hiss, his hand heating over her mouth as a threat.

She snapped her mouth shut and glared hard at him.

Nyle said in a stern voice, “Did you really think you were going to get away with this? That you and a couple of goons could force me into marrying you? I have to hand it to you, you had the drive, but drive and sex appeal don’t make up for the lack of brains.”

Evryn squatted down next to Nyle and helped gag Mylora with a linen napkin, tying her hands behind her back with another.

As the two men lifted Mylora from the floor, Thalydias’ voice boomed out as he stood with his fists on the table.

“Someone, explain what is happening at once!”

When he got the words out, Thalydias started in a coughing fit, falling back into his chair. Asalei rushed to her husband and rubbed his back as a guard rushed to get a glass of water for the king.

Evryn and Nyle both held Mylora in place, the woman frantically trying to get free.

“She tried to force me into marrying her, Father,” Nyle explained, looking to Mylora with a look of disgust. “She saw me with my soulmate and has been using her as blackmail to scare me into marrying her. Not for the good of our people, but for power. Mylora took Daisy hostage and texts the captors every ten minutes to keep her alive.”

There was an audible gasp throughout the room, his parents and the various councilmen all taken back by the revelation.

“What do you mean soulmate? You found her?” Asalei asked, her eyes in a hopeful gleam.

He nodded to his mother, and Asalei’s jaw dropped before she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Are you trying to tell me in the two days that I haven’t seen you, you’ve found your soulmate?” Thalydias spoke up, clearly skeptical of the notion.

“I know how it seems, Father, but I’m telling the truth. I found my soulmate, and Mylora has her tied up somewhere with a couple of rogue Elementals she hired for the job in exchange for sanctuary in our territory.”

“What?” he snapped. “That’s treason! Guards!”

“Father, no,” Nyle called, motioning for the guards to halt as they came through the door. “Don’t focus on that right now. I need to find Daisy. We need to get Mylora to tell us where they’re keeping her.”

Thalydias hedged before nodding. “You’re right. Sit Mylora down.”

Nyle and Evryn forced Mylora to sit in a dining chair. Thalydias paced over to her and pinned her to the tabletop.

“Don’t you dare shift and ruin my dining table,” he warned her. “We greatly outnumber you, so trying to escape will not end well for you, my dear. If you can do this calmly and tell us the information we need to know, I won’t charge you with treason. In fact, I’ll let you walk free as soon as my son’s mate is returned to him safely. But, if you want to throw a fit…” Thalydias went on, drew a jewel studded short sword from his hip, and carefully applied pressure to the back of her neck with the blade. “Do you understand?”

Nyle was proud that his father stood up for him. Even though he knew he wouldn’t be so quick to help if he knew she was half human, the gesture still humbled him.

Nyle reached and grabbed a fistful of her hair, holding it at the roots to push her face harder against the table.

“And don’t forget, he isn’t the only one who can kill you,” he warned her, alluding that she better keep quiet about Daisy being human.

Nyle might need his people’s help, and he probably wouldn’t get it if they knew who she was. After Mylora nodded carefully, Nyle released her hair and untied her mouth, but the king’s blade was still held against the back of her neck.

“You’re a real bastard, you know that?” Mylora hissed at Nyle. “How do you really think your life is going to work out with someone like her as your soulmate?”

“Settle down,” Thalydias warned, applying pressure to the back of her neck. Mylora closed her eyes tightly to brace herself. “Now, tell me where the girl is, and we can get this over with.”

Mylora just glared up at Nylyrias.

Being impatient, Thalydias snarled, “Now!”

“Fine!” she yelled. “Halfway to town, there’s a small gravel road called Bailey Lane. She’s in an abandoned barn at the end of the road.”

“You better not be lying,” Thalydias growled.

“I swear!” Mylora pressed, but then Nyle tied the linen back around her mouth to keep her quiet.

The father and son locked eyes, Thalydias nodded at Nyle.

“Take a couple of the guards with you. Your mother and I will stay here and monitor the phone. Hurry back with her.”

“Thank you, Father,” Nylyrias said, squeezing his father’s shoulder before moving toward the door.

Two guards joined his side, as did Evryn. Nyle looked at the old man with a questioning glance. Elders didn’t see combat…

“I’m standing with you,” Evryn said with the corners of his mouth turned upward in a smile. He was referring to the conversation they’d had the night before, when Nyle asked if he would help defend Daisy being his mate.

Nyle’s heart soared. He clasped a hand to Evryn’s shoulder and gave him a nod before the four of them quickly navigated out of the palace. As soon as they passed through the front door, Nyle took his tie and jacket off, discarding them to the ground. As he walked down the front steps of the palace, his bones began to shift, an internal skeleton sliding out from under his human one.

He’d grown numb to the pain associated with shifting through years of training, and now just felt pressure and a tightening sensation as his skin changed pigment to his cream scales, and his body lengthened and grew into his dragon form. All the remaining clothes he had on ripped like tissue, and Nyle, Prince of the Royal Dragons, in all his glory, stepped onto the grass. His golden eyes slid side to side, seeing the three men with him shifting as well. Then, with a leap, Nyle launched himself into the air and let his wings spread. He was going to get Daisy back, no matter what it took.