Daisy couldn’t stop staring at the ring, moving her fingers slightly to watch the sun light up every prism within the gems. She replayed the entire evening in her head over and over, savoring every word he had said and the look on his face as he nervously proposed. She couldn’t have dreamed up a more perfect engagement. She was anticipating sharing the news with her mother.

Nyle’s car came to a stop outside of her mom’s house. Daisy noticed a strange car parked in the driveway.

“Do you know who she has over?” Nyle asked.

“I have no idea. Probably just a friend,” Daisy hypothesized.

“Well, I’m sure she was going to tell all of her friends anyway,” he chuckled, stepping out of the car and rounding it to open her door.

“True,” Daisy commented with a smile.

They had planned to have a small ceremony that Cassie could attend, along with other close friends and family. Her mother wouldn’t be able to attend the grand celebration at the palace because she was not privy to the fact that her daughter was marrying a dragon.

They walked to the front door and rang the doorbell. There was the sound of chatter and footsteps inside before the door opened. Cassie opened the door; she looked surprised.

“Oh, Daisy… What are you doing here?” she asked.

Daisy gave her mother a strange look. Cassie was usually overjoyed to see the two of them.

“Well, hello to you, too,” she commented sarcastically.

Cassie let out an uneasy sigh. “Sorry, sweetie. It just took me by surprise to see you.”

“Uh… okay,” Daisy muttered. It wasn’t exactly the warm welcoming she had anticipated. “Can we come in?” she asked.

“Oh, well,” her mother looked over her shoulder and into the living room. “I have a guest.”

“So, we can’t come in?” Daisy questioned, crossing her arms over her chest; being careful to make sure the engagement ring was hidden.

Cassie hedged, her eyes continuously going back to the living room.

“I… I guess you can,” she said, opening the door up all the way.

“You’re acting really weird. Are you just tired from the trip back?” Daisy asked, knowing she had flown in from Florida that morning. Before Cassie could answer, Daisy stepped into the living room to see a man sitting on her mother’s couch.

Her knees nearly buckled from underneath her. Even though she had never seen him before, she knew exactly who it was. Curly black hair, olive skin, piercing silver eyes, and navy blue tribal markings peeking out from his shirt sleeve. What was her dad doing sitting in Cassie’s living room? Nyle’s arm tightened around Daisy, keeping her from falling.

“Wha… what…” Daisy stammered, unable to stop herself from staring at the man.

“Daisy, sweetie… This is your father, Forrest,” Cassie said calmly.

Forrest gave a pleasant, warm smile to his daughter. “Hello, Daisy. I’ve wanted to meet you for quite some time.”

“Then why didn’t you?” Nyle barked.

“Nyle, please,” Cassie urged. “Let’s remain civil.”

The two men locked eyes as Daisy and Nyle sat in an adjacent couch. Daisy’s mind was running so fast that she couldn’t pinpoint a single thought. Her eyes fixated on her father, taking in every detail of him. She wondered all her life what he was like, and nothing she had imagined was like the man in front of her. Forrest was handsome, with chiseled bone structure, scruffy facial hair, and slight wrinkles giving his face a matured, distinguished look. He looked to be around her mother’s age, making Daisy wonder just how old he was. Nyle had explained to her that at thirty years old, dragons’ age progression slows dramatically. Thalydias had been one-hundred-and-two but appeared to be around forty. How old could Forrest be?

A thick silence hung in the air as Daisy stared at him. Forrest and Nyle stared down one another.

“Well, this is awkward,” Cassie grumbled.

“It’s all right, Cass. I know it will take some time,” Forrest said, patting Cassie’s knee.

Daisy couldn’t remain silent. “What in the hell is going on here? Why is he calling you Cass and touching you, and most importantly why is he here?”

Forrest spoke, “I’m sure this is overwhelming for you, Daisy. I can’t imagine being in your shoes right now. This may seem sudden, but I want to get to know you. I’ve messed up by not being around during your childhood and adolescence, and I know that. I’m not expecting you to welcome me with open arms, or even call me dad. I should have grown up long, long ago, but recently I have thought more about my life, and I have a lot of regrets. My biggest regret is not seeing you grow up. There’s nothing in this world I want more than to know my daughter.” An earnest look gleamed in his silver eyes, a hopeful smile curling his lips.

“Are you sure there is nothing you want more?” Nyle asked, his tone venomous.

Forrest’s eyes flashed to Nyle, glaring at him. “Nothing at all.”

Cassie moved over to Daisy. She sat on the arm of the couch and put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I know this may seem like a lot to put on you. It shocked me at first too, and I wanted nothing to do with him. We’ve been talking for hours now, and he seems genuine. He knows he has made mistakes and there’s no way to fix them. There’s always time for a new beginning, though. You’ve always wanted to know your father. And while you may feel angry and confused right now, just think about your life in the long run. You don’t want to make a snap decision and live to regret it.”

Daisy’s breathing was shallow, utterly overwhelmed. Cassie didn’t know that Forrest was a dragon, and she also didn’t know that he was an enemy of Nyle. Twenty years of wondering and pining to know her father weighed heavily on her, but she certainly had her reservations. Her mind urged to react to her fight-or-flight instinct to run away and not deal with the situation in front of her. So much had happened recently. She felt almost faint, leaning more into Nyle’s side for comfort.

Cassie was still perched right next to her, soothing Daisy’s long mocha hair in hopes of comforting her. “You don’t need to decide anything right this moment. Take some time, okay? Now, what is it you came over for?”

Daisy blinked rapidly, honestly having forgotten the original intent of the visit. Shaking her head as though to loosen the thoughts cluttering her mind, she refocused. Without saying a word, Daisy simply held her left hand out to her mother to show her the ring.

A jubilant squeal sounded from Cassie.

“Oh my god!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

Daisy smiled sheepishly as she allowed her mother to pull her to her feet. Cassie’s arms wrapped around Daisy in a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you, angel. This is so amazing! I figured you two would tie the knot soon,” Cassie grinned. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you, Mom,” Daisy beamed.

She was happy her mother approved. Cassie had grown really fond of Nyle, but Daisy knew her mom still wasn’t the biggest fan of marriage.

“You get in here too,” Cassie called to Nyle, waving him over.

With a smug look on his face, Nyle stood from the couch and paced over to them and hugged them both. For a moment, all the confusion and anxiety melted away. Daisy was completely surrounded by love, and she embraced it.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to overstep… But isn’t this moving a little quickly?” Forrest chimed in, completely shattering the moment of joy Daisy experienced.

“Excuse me?” Nyle snapped, peeling back from the hug. “How would you know anything? Last I checked you haven’t been around for more than twenty years.”

Forrest put his hands up in a surrendering motion. “I’m just going off what Cassie has told me. I know I haven’t been around, but I still want the best for my daughter.”

“Forrest, please just keep out of it, okay?” Cassie urged him.

“I just don’t want Daisy to make a lifelong commitment to something she doesn’t fully understand. The repercussions could be fatal,” Forrest explained, staring directly into Daisy’s eyes.

Daisy’s eyes widened, knowing he was hinting that he knew what would happen if she married Nyle. Her throat went dry, wondering what exactly he meant by fatal repercussions.

Nyle stepped toward Forrest. “Is that a threat?”

Forrest was on his feet in a flash. “It’s a warning. One that you know all too well.”

The two men sized each other up.

Nyle’s lip snarled. “Maybe you should just go back to ignoring your daughter. You appear to do that very well.”

“If you really loved her, you would leave her alone for her own good. Instead of being selfish and giving her a life where she’s in constant danger,” Forrest fired back.

“You and your people are the only danger to her,” Nyle retorted, shoving Forrest back.

“What is going on?” Cassie yelled, holding Daisy close as though to protect her from the violence that was escalating.

Daisy pushed out of her mother’s arms, unable to keep the secret any longer. Her mother had a right to know. “They are both dragon shifters, and their clans hate one another. I’m caught in the middle because Forrest is my dad and Nyle is my soulmate.”

The entire room silenced, and all eyes were on Daisy. Nyle and Forrest were in shock, but Cassie looked genuinely concerned.

“What are you talking about? Maybe you need to lie down for a little bit,” Cassie spoke softly, putting a hand on her daughter’s back.

“I’m not crazy. It’s true, Mom,” Daisy insisted.

Cassie stared deeply into her daughter’s eyes, Cassie’s look of concern washed over her. “Daisy, dragons don’t exist. I think the stress is getting to you. You need to lie down and relax for a little bit.”

Daisy was ready to snap. “I’m not crazy. I’m not stressed out. I’m not making it up. Nyle, show her.”

“Daisy…” Nyle murmured.

He didn’t want to reveal his dragon form to humans. He had only shown Daisy because they were soulmates.

“Just show her,” Daisy persisted.

Nyle hesitated, but then let out a sigh. “All right.”

Closing his eyes, the bones in his face shifted. His jaw dropped, and his cheekbones raised to sharp, angular shapes. His nose morphed into a snout, smooth horns followed by smaller spines sprouted from his head, and his face covered in cream-colored scales.

Cassie stumbled back, her face carved into a look of sheer horror.

“See?” Daisy spoke. She then pointed to Forrest. “And he’s one too. I’m half dragon because of him.”

Her mother didn’t say a word. She blinked rapidly as if Nyle would suddenly appear normal. When the image wouldn’t go away, Cassie’s lungs let out a whimper and she collapsed to the floor, fainting from shock. Daisy kneeled next to her, tapping her shoulder to try and wake her.

Nyle shifted back to his human form.

“Like mother, like daughter,” he commented. Daisy had fainted when she had first seen Nyle as a dragon, too.

“Move out of my way,” Forrest hissed, shoving Nyle out of his path and going over to Cassie.

Before he could reach the woman, Nyle snatched Forrest’s arm. “How about you get the hell out of here? You aren’t wanted or needed.”

“How about you? You made the woman faint,” Forrest replied with annoyance in his voice.

“Isn’t it funny how I’ve been around them both longer than you ever have been?” Nyle asked with a wicked smile on his face.

Forrest snarled, “I should put you six-feet under right here and now.”

“I’d like to see you try,” Nyle challenged.

“Seriously?” Daisy questioned. The annoyance was apparent in her voice. “Can someone please help me carry her to bed?”

Nyle went to help Cassie, but Forrest put an arm up to block him and then paced over to them.

He kneeled next to Daisy and looked her in the eye. “You may not believe me, but I really love your mother. Not as a soulmate, but as something pure. I’m not going to hurt her. I promise. I’d like to stay here and care for her until she wakes up. Is that all right with you?”

“He’s just trying to get to you, Daisy,” Nyle spoke.

Daisy stared into her father’s eyes, her breath labored from the disbelief of being in such close proximity to a man she always wanted to meet.

Cassie’s eyes fluttered open. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Daisy explained.

“Did I really just see what I thought I saw?”

“Yes, but don’t be scared,” said Daisy. “You’ll get used to the idea like I did.”

“I just think I need some time,” said Cassie as Forrest lifted her from the ground. “Daisy, why don’t you and Nyle go home.”

“Mom, I am not leaving you alone with him!”

“Daisy, please, I’ll be fine. He’s been here for hours and hasn’t hurt me. Please, can you let me have some time alone?”

Daisy nibbled her lip. “Fine, but if you don’t call me in a couple hours…”

“Then let the manhunt commence,” Forrest chuckled weakly. “You have my word that she’s safe with me.”

Daisy nodded then, and Forrest carried Cassie in the direction of her bedroom.

Forrest called back. “Daisy, don’t go quite yet. I’ll be down in just a moment. I would really like to speak with you alone before you leave.”

“Okay,” Daisy answered, wondering what he had to say.

Then, Forrest walked through the archway and headed up the stairs with Cassie.

Nyle walked over to Daisy. “What are you doing? You shouldn’t trust him. You don’t know him, and he’s an Elemental.”

“He’s also my dad,” Daisy added. “Also, I’m half Elemental, remember?”

Nyle sighed, running a hand through his hair, “I know that…”

“He’s not going to harm her, and she wants to be left alone. Besides, I know we need to get back to the palace soon. I don’t have a problem with him staying around to look after her. Maybe he will admit to her that he’s a dragon too.”

He seemed uneasy by the decision but nodded. “Okay. I’m going to have someone patrol the area to be on the safe side,” he said, taking his phone out of his pocket and delivering curt directions to someone on the other end.

“Maybe now she can come to the wedding,” Daisy said, trying to find a bright side.

“I don’t know about that,” Nyle murmured. “Humans have never been to the palace. It’s the law.”

“Well, I’ve been there,” Daisy challenged.

“You’re my mate, though. And besides, even if my clan doesn’t know yet, you’re half dragon.”

“She’s the mother of your mate,” Daisy persisted. “You’re going to be king, so you probably have some say in the law, right?”

Nyle’s expression shifted, apparently not having thought about it like that. He nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Consider it your wedding gift from me,” he joked lightly.

Daisy smiled and nuzzled her face into his chest, letting out a deep breath. Her mind was still mulling over everything that had just occurred, and it was only going to get more complicated when her father talked to her.

She stayed pressed into Nyle’s chest until footsteps approached them. Daisy peeled back and looked to her father.

“How about we go into the backyard?” Forrest asked.

Daisy nodded and reluctantly stepped away from Nyle. Father and daughter walked through the kitchen and out the back door. The entire yard was overgrown. Cassie worked too many hours to keep up with something as frivolous as her yard. They walked over to a patio set and took their seats sitting across from one another.

“What is it you want to talk about?” Daisy asked, crossing her arms.

“Well, I have some confessions to make first,” Forrest stated. He rubbed the back of his neck, “I hope you know that there was a reason as to why I wasn’t around. Dating your mother was forbidden. I’m sure you’re well aware of how dragons feel about humans. However, I was rebellious, and your mother is gorgeous. There was something about her that drew me in. Not quite like a soulmate, but some a strange type of love. I was terrified of it. I tried to keep my distance from her, but she was persistent, and I was weak-willed. Of course, I wasn’t as careful as I should have been. When Cassie told me she was pregnant, I lost my mind. I was naïve and hadn’t even realized it was possible for dragons and humans to reproduce. Your fate would have been much different if I had stuck around. The Elementals and the Royals would have gone after you.

“I couldn’t have lived with myself if I allowed that to happen, so it was safest for both of you if I wasn’t around. While Cassie was pregnant, I came to the doctor's appointments to see how you developed, to make sure the doctors didn’t see anything that would frighten them. Thankfully, you don’t have a dragon form, so you didn’t have an additional skeletal system or wings. You looked like the perfect little human baby on the monitors. It was a relief. You could have the normal life you deserved and could stay out of harm's way.”

Forrest released a deep breath before continuing. “And here is where the confession comes in… I’ve kept my distance, but I’ve always watched over you to make sure you were kept safe and no one caught on to your genetic differences. I know that sounds creepy, but it really was with the noblest intentions.” There was a pause, Forrest clasped his hands together and looked into her eye. “When you started seeing Nyle, I thought about interfering, but I didn’t want to act too soon and complicate things. Even though it sounds cruel, I was hoping he was just being his usual womanizing self with you, and that he would eventually leave you alone. Then, word came that Thalydias died, and I knew you were still with him. I connected the dots myself, and sweet girl, I beg you… do not go through with this wedding. You don’t realize who the Royals are and what you are getting yourself into.”

Daisy stared at him, trying to process all that he had just said to her. He had seriously been around her entire life, and she never knew? For her, it was a little hard to believe, but she learned long ago not to put anything past a dragon. She tried to force it from her mind, knowing it was beside the point.

“Why should I trust you over Nyle? I’ve been with him for nearly a year, and he’s never been anything but completely truthful with me. I don’t even know you.”

“I know it’s asking for a lot to ask for your trust, but I need you to heed my warning. I worry about you, Daisy. You are not safe in the Royal territory. I want you and your mother to join me at my home in Ohio.”

“What?” Daisy exclaimed. “I don’t get it. You stay away for over two decades saying that you can’t be seen with us because of our safety, and now you want us to move into Elemental territory? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?”

“I was stupid for staying away, Daisy. I realize that now. Our people will be upset at first, but they will come to accept you and your mother. The safest place for you is far, far away from the Royals.”

“I’ve been at the palace for days, and no one has attacked me. In fact, if we’re keeping a tally, only one Royal has ever tried to hurt me, whereas two Elementals have,” Daisy challenged him. “Nyle is my soulmate. I love him, and I’m not going to abandon him.”

He frowned deeply. “I really didn’t want to have to tell you this…”

“Tell me what?”

“The Royals are cold-blooded murderers, Daisy. And I’m not talking about killing Elementals. They have killed people to get ahead in the human economy. Whether it was to silence competitors or to get ownership of large corporations, I don’t know. I’m sure Nyle treats you well right now, but when he gains that power, he will be just like his father and those before him. Do you really think if they’re willing to kill over a couple of bucks, that one of those female Royals wouldn’t kill to get a chance at the throne? Or even a man rooted in tradition, who would rather die than see a hybrid wear a crown.”

A shiver ran down her back, her mind immediately jumping to Mylora. She had tried to kill Daisy to get to Nyle. Forrest was right; nothing was stopping someone else from trying to kill her. She hadn’t known about the Royals killing humans to get ahead in business. What if Nyle started making orders like that? Surely he wouldn’t. He was too kind. Right? How was it that Forrest was already getting in her head?

He reached for her hand. “This is a lot to take in, but I want you to think it over, okay? Think long and hard about what you truly want for your life and the risks of all the options. I promise you that you’ll be safe with me. I’d give my life for you and your mother. Once my people know you’re my daughter, they won’t hesitate to do the same. Do you think the Royals would?”

Daisy had no response, having no idea what the Royals would do. She knew that the guards were supposed to protect her, but he had her questioning if they would. What if they all wanted her dead but were just playing nice until an opportunity presented itself?

“Okay, I’ll think about it, but I’m not making any promises,” Daisy told him.

“That’s all I ask,” Forrest said, a smiling pulling at his lips.