Now available on !
Free in Kindle Unlimited!
CHAPTER ONE
Kaden’s heart hammered in his chest as he walked down the hallways of his father’s grand home. He tried to keep his steps confident and his expression stern. If anyone saw him, they wouldn’t be able to see the anxiousness inside, but it was there nonetheless. Kaden hated the idea that someone might suspect how much he actually feared his father, even if they’d understand. After all, Calder Grimmr had to be intimidating to keep control of the most ancient dragon clan in the world. As his son and the Alpha of the Emerald Wing, Kaden needed to keep a scary reputation himself.
He certainly looked the part, with his piercing golden eyes, his short silver hair, and his strong, square jaw. His body language spoke the part, as well; he was tall, towering over most of the other members of Clan Grimmr, with broad shoulders and a proud posture. It was normal for anyone to be intimidated when they first saw him, and Kaden wanted to keep it that way. No one needed to know there were moments when he freaked out, too.
Clan Grimmr held a lot of power, especially since Kaden’s father, Calder, was the representative of the Dragon Faction on the Council, a position which he’d gained through sheer respect. Everyone adored him, and even members of the other species wanted to have him on their side. His honesty and integrity caused the adoration, but these qualities also ensured that people feared him to a certain extent. No one dared to do anything wrong around him because they knew he wouldn’t approve. All those who knew Calder well wanted his approval. Kaden was definitely one of them.
The fact that Kaden had never really felt like he’d earned his father’s approval made it incredibly difficult when he had to ask something of him, and what he needed to ask today was about to cause a blowout. He’d thought a lot about it, and that showed in his furrowed brows and lips clamped tightly together, and he knew this was the right thing for him, but that ice-cold fear in his spine remained.
Finally, Kaden reached the door to his father’s office. The journey had taken him a while because the palace was so damn massive, and the Emerald Wing and the Silver Wing lived on opposite ends of the huge building. This time, however, he felt like it hadn’t taken him long enough to reach his destination. Kaden could’ve done with some more time to gather up his thoughts. He’s rehearsed this speech a million times in his head, he knew exactly what he wanted to say, but now that he was here, his mind had gone completely blank. He could barely remember his own name.
Kaden paused for a moment, sucking in some cool, calming breaths. He needed to ice over the hot panic coursing through his veins, to warm up the terror in his back, and stop his heart from dancing about. If he was ever going to get what he wanted, then he had to be confident.
“Come on,” he tried to gear himself up in his mind. “You can do this...”
But just as he was about to take that brave step and push the door open, a scent wafted up his nose. It stopped him in his tracks. It was a smell he found particularly foul, one that made him screw his whole face up in disgust. He wanted it gone, everything about it repelled him, but since it wasn’t his choice, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Andrea Evans,” he thought. “Or, rather… Andrea Grimmr. My dearest stepmother.”
Kaden had tried to forgive her. He had really tried. When Andrea had first arrived at the palace, he had been suspicious of her. When his suspicions had proved to be correct, he had hoped his father would see reason, kick her out, and find himself another mail-order bride. Unfortunately, Calder had recognized Andrea as his mate, and since then, Kaden and his sister, Sylvia, had had to accept her presence under their roof. Sylvia had forgiven her, and now she and Andrea were best friends again. But Kaden couldn’t do such a thing. He simply couldn’t forget how Andrea had hurt his sister in her failed attempt at stealing the Grimmr fortune and running away with it. Yes, everyone made mistakes and deserved a second chance. Kaden knew that. But not Andrea, and not after what she had done.
Still, it didn’t matter what Kaden thought and how much he hated her. Calder wanted her around, and that was what counted. Maybe Calder was sucked in because, on the outset, Andrea was beautiful. She had long dark hair, big innocent-looking brown eyes, plump lips, and a body to die for.
Her presence in his father’s office made it even harder for Kaden to go inside. Now, he really wanted to turn around and run. Not because he was afraid to confront Calder about the issue he’d been thinking about for weeks; he had completely forgotten about it. Unfortunately, that fear was replaced with anger in the span of a few seconds, and Kaden couldn’t tell which of the two feelings was worse. However, it had taken him so long to work up the courage to get this far that he didn’t think he could do it again. Usually, he was an expert at avoiding Andrea, doing his best to never be in the same room as her. For now, he’d just have to suck it up and get on with it.
He took in one more deep breath before reaching forward and knocking lightly on the door. Despite the fact that his fist barely connected with the old oak wood, his extreme strength and the echoing acoustics of the palace made the sound reverberate off the walls.
“Come in.”
Kaden pushed the door open, and it creaked as it swung, revealing his father and his very young wife.
Calder looked a lot like Kaden, with matching silver hair, although much longer, and golden eyes. His age shone through, even though all dragon-shifters looked like they were in their late twenties. He certainly didn’t look the thousand odd years that he’d been walking the Earth, but he did have some thin, white lines around his eyes and on his forehead, when he furrowed his brows, that spoke of the things he’d seen.
Andrea was only 22 years old, which made the relationship between her and Calder very unusual. Outsiders might even consider it disturbing, but it was something normal in the world of shape-shifters.
“Kaden! How are you?” Andrea burst out in the friendliest tone of voice she could muster.
She spun around on the desk, where she’d been sitting between Calder’s legs, showing far too much skin. It instantly grabbed Kaden’s attention, but only because it made him feel uncomfortable around her. He understood why his father was seduced by this witch, but that didn’t make things any better.
“Good. You?” He said in the most indifferent way possible. “Dad?” he continued before Andrea could even answer him. It didn’t matter; it wasn’t like he cared about what she had to say. “I need to talk to you.”
“Okay, sure,” Calder said. He didn’t make any move to change his position behind his desk, or ask Andrea to leave. “What do you need?”
“Err… no. I want to talk to you alone.” Why did he have to spell that out? It never used to be that way. He half thought that Andrea was messing with his father’s mind. “It’s important.”
“I’ll go,” Andrea sighed, swinging her legs to the ground. “But I’ll miss you.” She pressed her lips against Calder’s mouth, and held them there for far too long.
Kaden was forced to focus his eyes on the ground.
“Okay, bye!”
Calder watched her walk around his desk. His smile was reaching his eyes, which showed he was very happy with this woman. Was it weird that his father’s happiness was almost making Kaden angry? Well, not exactly angry, but frustrated. He cared too much about his father, and he truly believed he deserved much better than Andrea.
As Andrea brushed past Kaden, wiggling her fingers as a goodbye gesture at him, he felt his blood boil.
“Don’t be a stranger, okay?” she said. “I barely see you around. It’s like we don’t even live in the same house.”
“I’ve been busy,” he mumbled.
She pursed her lips and nodded gently. Her eyes looked innocent and understanding, and Kaden hated it. She was acting as if she had no idea why he’d been avoiding her. Of course she knew! She wasn’t stupid. In fact, Andrea was very clever. That was why she was still there, still the bride of Calder Grimmr, the most powerful dragon-shifter in the world.
“Let’s have lunch together sometime,” she suggested. “Whenever you’re free. Just let me know.”
“Sure thing.”
She waved again, and was finally out the door.
Kaden exhaled softly. If he were to be honest with himself, he’d admit there had been a time when he had liked Andrea and even thought she was perfect for his father. But that was before she tried to run off with the entire clan’s money.
Calder stood up and started rearranging some files on his desk.
“So, what’s going on?”
His voice was soft, yet confident and authoritarian. He didn’t know what his son wanted, but he suspected it was something he wouldn’t particularly like.
Kaden launched himself into his speech before his courage left him.
“Okay, so… I’ve been thinking, and I’ve decided that it’s time for me, Sylvia, and the Emerald Wing to move out of this area. Out of London, I mean. Out of the UK. I want us to build our own home and create our own future, separate from the Silver Wing.”
“And what does your sister think about this?” Calder tried to control his reaction, but the slight frown on his face showed he wasn’t a fan of the idea. “As your Annarr, don’t you think she has a right to an opinion?”
In truth, Calder knew his daughter had already agreed to her brother’s plan. Kaden wouldn’t have been here, in his office, asking for his blessing, if he hadn’t had his sister’s support. The two of them were inseparable, especially since Calder had divided the clan and formed the Emerald Wing so that his son could be an Alpha, and his daughter a Beta.
“Sylvia likes the idea. She likes the place in Ireland, too...”
“You’ve already chosen something? In Ireland?”
Kaden slapped himself mentally. He had wanted to tell Calder that he’d been working on this plan for months, that he had the house already, and that it’d been renovated, in a much gentler way. It was too late, now. It was already out there.
“Yes, I found a place for us. It’s absolutely perfect, and it’ll be good for Clan Grimmr to have stakes in more places, don’t you think?”
Calder nodded and took a couple of minutes to think about the news he’d just been given. He knew he could trust his son to make the best decisions concerning the Emerald Wing, but he needed time to wrap his head around the situation. The decision seemed very out of the blue.
“Is this because of Andrea?”
Kaden sighed deeply, wishing he could avoid this discussion. Of course it had to do with Andrea! He needed to be as far away from her as possible!
“Maybe. A little,” he shrugged, trying not to make a big deal out of it. “But this is also about me standing on my own two feet. I’ve spent my whole life living under your shadow, and I think it’s time for me to take this whole Alpha thing seriously.”
Once again, Calder nodded. He stepped closer to Kaden so he could look into his eyes.
“You do know that Andrea is very sorry for what happened six months ago, don’t you? She feels terrible about it, and especially about you and Sylvia getting mixed up in it.”
Well, that was the understatement of the year.
“She didn’t know what marriage was going to be like. She made that insane plan way before she got to know any of us. She’s changed.”
Kaden shook his head ever so slightly, but he didn’t bother to argue. What was the point? There was no changing his father’s mind. In fact, he didn’t want to change anyone’s mind. If Calder loved Andrea, and if Andrea said she loved Calder, then they were free to live happily-ever-after. As long as Kaden didn’t have to witness that happily-ever-after, all was well in Paradise.
“Even so, I still think it’s time for the Emerald Wing to go.”
Calder nodded, a million expressions crossing over his face before he finally came to a decision. Kaden wouldn’t like it, but the ancient dragon knew it was for his own good. And for the good of the whole clan. In time, his son would understand and agree.
“All right, you can go. You can start your new life in Ireland, but on one condition. Before you say anything, I want you to know that I have my own reasons to ask this of you.”
Kaden was confused. And curious. But, mostly, confused.
“What do you want me to do?”
Calder grinned. “Find yourself a bride.”
Kaden took a step back. If he were a cartoon character, he would have jumped into the air and attached himself to the ceiling.
“What the hell, dad?! I don’t need a bride! Why would I need a bride?” Kaden growled. “I have no intention to invite a gold digger like Andrea into my life. No, thank you.”
For a split second, he heard himself say the last words and he immediately regretted them. From his perspective, they were the truth, but at the same time, he knew his words were hurting his father. Calder loved Andrea, and anyone who said something bad about her, hurt him first.
“Then, you’ll have to stay here,” Calder said simply.
His son’s words had hit him right in the chest, but he tried not to let it show. To some extent, Kaden was right not to like his stepmother. No matter how much he loved his wife, he couldn’t blame him. The whole situation was complicated, to say the least.
Kaden started pacing the office.
“Why are you doing this to me?” he asked.
Calder crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his desk.
“Because I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.”
“No, Kaden, you don’t know what happiness is, yet. Once you find a mate, you’ll know.”
“A mate. Right. I don’t know if following your example in this case is a good idea.”
“Look, I know things haven’t been easy. Since Andrea became my bride, we’ve all had a lot of obstacles to overcome. Especially you and Sylvia. You had nothing to do with this, but were still caught up in it pretty badly. I’m sorry for everything that happened. You know I am. I promise you: it won’t be this hard in your case. You will find someone amazing, and she will help you rule over the Emerald Wing. She will give you heirs, and the future of your dragon-shifters will be ensured.”
Kaden shook his head and continued pacing the office. He didn’t know what to say. He wanted to argue, but he knew that if Calder had come to a decision, no one could make him change his mind. It was true that Kaden hadn’t been with someone in a while, but he hadn’t felt the need for a companion, either. He was good on his own. He had Sylvia and his friends, and his life was full. Yes, as a Fyrstur, he had a responsibility to find a mate and have children, but he believed this could wait. On the other hand, it had to be done. If not today, then later. If not this year, next year, maybe. So, what was the difference? If it helped him get out of here fast, then Kaden wouldn’t die if he got himself a bride.
“Okay, whatever,” he snapped, throwing his hands up into the air. “A bride, whatever. If she’s my ticket out, then fine.”
He stormed out of the office, bashing the door loudly on the way out. He wasn’t there to see his father smile as if he had just pranked someone and it had gone better than expected.
EMERALD DRAGON IS NOW AVAILABLE ON
AND