Once Upon a Dragon Heart (Once Upon a Dragon Series Book 2)

I woke up early the next morning. I’d spend some time with Lucian and Blake the night before in their room. We’d played an online game that Blake had to write a review for and it took my mind off the Tabitha situation.

She was something else, but at least the girl knew what she wanted. A part of me didn’t look forward to this day.

Vicky and Becky weren’t morning people. They grunted and growled their way to the bathroom.

Sammy was her chirpy self, and I stayed quiet throughout the morning routine of getting ready for the day.

A silver envelope slipped underneath our door. Becky rushed to get it and her gaze lingered on top of the envelope. Her eyes flickered to me. “It’s for you,” she said, walking over and handing it to me.

I took it and opened the letter. “It’s with great honor to summon you to the Viden’s tower for your first session. Time to attend 07h30. Don’t be late.”

I looked at my watch. It was twenty-five minutes past seven.

Great, no breakfast for me. “It’s from the Viden. I have to go.”

“Now?” Sammy said.

“Yeah, do you know where she is?”

“I’ll take you.” Sammy walked to the door, and I grabbed my book bag and slung it over my shoulder.

“See you guys later.”

“Good luck,” Becky said as I followed Sammy out the door.

We rushed down the steps and Sammy pulled the wooden oak door that led to the cafeteria with no effort.

We rushed down one hallway toward class and down another set of steps that led to a forest. Her tower was situated right next to the forest. Ivy sprawled up on the walls as Sammy opened another wooden door.

“Just up those stairs. Good luck. Don’t freak out if she makes a foretelling, but then again, she struggled to see your family’s futures, so forget what I said. See you later. I’ll tell my dorky brother that the Viden summoned you.”

“Thanks, Sam.” I walked up the steps, and an unsettling weight pressed hard on my stomach. What did Sammy mean? I reached the top and brought my fist to knock.

“Enter!”

So creepy.

I opened the door and a cozy room with soft chairs and a huge glass orb in the middle of the table welcomed me.

A woman with long, silky black hair stood by the window, looking out. She wore a blue and black dress similar to that of the dragon robes. This one hugged her hips and stressed her round breasts.

“Welcome, princess. Come sit.” She turned around and the brightest blue eyes stared back at me.

I took a seat in front of the crystal ball on a table and she came over and sat down.

“You want some tea?” She picked up a white porcelain teapot which had like two cups and saucers waiting.

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

“What about a cookie?”

I shook my head.

She was really beautiful, with feline-shaped eyes that turned into a curve at the end. Thick eyelashes brought out the color of her sapphire blue eyes. She looked like Blake and I wondered if they were family.

“Give me your hand and stay quiet.”

I gave her my hand, and she took it in both of hers, covering it completely.

My stomach spiraled and tingled at her touch. The saliva in my mouth instantly dried and got replaced with a queasy feeling and an iron taste sprawled on my tastebuds.

She opened her eyes and touched her head. “You are remarkable, just like your parents. Not a peep. Just a headache that would stay with me for days.”

She turned around and reached for the drawer when she sucked in a huge breath and flew ramrod straight. Her eyes opened and the blue irises disappeared, turning into a solid white.

“A day will come when you have to make a decision. A life for another to save the greatest mission. It’s something you can’t avoid, otherwise the world of Paegeia will be destroyed.”

She plopped back into her chair and clutched her head. “Oh, this headache is going to be the death of me. I forgot how powerful the Malone bloodline is.” She reached for the drawers and yanked it open. Took out a tablet and popped it in her mouth and swallowed it down. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t be of any help, princess.”

What? She just said those words.

The viden touched my hand, and my gaze flickered back to her. “Are you okay? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

I shook my head. “I have to go. Don’t worry.” I got up as something told me she did not know that she had said those words. I rushed out her door and down the steps. My heart thumbed behind my ribcage fast. What the hell did she mean by that? Important decision to save the greatest mission. I have to die in order not to get Paegeia destroyed? Was that what she was saying?

Tears pricked my eyes as I exited the tower. I took a deep breath and walked to the nearest tree.

My lower lip vibrated. Whose life did I need to save? Nothing made any sense. I didn’t want to die.

BLAKE

I couldn’t wait to see Elena again. I struggled to get her kiss of last night out of my head. The little pricks in my stomach drove me insane. I entered the cafeteria and my eyes skidded over each table.

My sister’s laughter reached my ears, and my gaze flickered in that direction. There were two girls sitting with her, but none of them were Elena. Where is she? I walked with huge strides over to her table.

I crouched next to the table closest to my sister. “Where is Elena?”

“Oh, morning to you too, Sunshine. She got summoned to Irene’s tower this morning.”

My eyebrows furrowed. “Why, it’s not like she can see her future?”

“I don’t know. She is the princess of Paegeia, I guess.”

I took little observation of the two roommates staring at me and the others close by as I glanced at my watch. There were twenty minutes left before the school bell was going to ring.

My gaze landed on Lucian sitting with Dean, and I walked with huge strides toward him.

“Blake,” Lucian said through a grin.

“Do me a favor and grab me something to eat, please. Irene summoned Elena this morning.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Sure, go.”

Fear of my relationship with the viden was the only thing that occupied my mind. What if she summoned Elena only to tell her that? Why would she, Blake? She knew Elena was your only salvation.

Then again, women did the craziest things for my affection. Tabitha proved it yesterday.

I rushed out of the cafeteria and toward Irene’s tower. I tuned in, trying to find out if she was in that tower, but it was quiet. Soft crying made me stop and my stomach turned as I realized it was Elena’s crying. I’ve heard it more than twice to know her crying.

I walked faster. Irene and whatever she said to Elena clouded my fury. She sat against a tree, with her knees bent in front of her, and she sobbed her heart out.

Please, don’t let it be that. I can’t be the one that hurt her again.

I walked closer and put my bag on the floor and crouched in front of her, touching her legs.

Her head flung up, and her eyes were extra green.

“What happened?”

She shook her head.

“Elena, please? What did she tell you?”

“It’s nothing, okay. Don’t worry about it.” She pushed me aside to get up.

It wasn’t nothing. Irene had told her something, as Elena was hostile.

“Hey, whatever it is, we can work through it.”

She shook her head and picked up her bag. “I just need to process this. Don’t worry.”

“Process what?”

“Just let it go, please.”

“No. I’m your dragon, Elena. It’s for life. What did she tell you?”

“Stop asking me!”

The pressure of the true order descended on me and locked my jaw. I couldn’t ask her. “Stop ordering me.”

“Then stop asking.” She turned around and walked with huge strides back to the cafeteria.

I followed. The bell rang, and a frustrated grunt pushed through her lips. She stopped, turned around, and almost slammed into me. I wrapped my arms around her, and to my surprise, she let me. I couldn’t ask her anymore, but she didn’t order me to ask anyone else, so I would find out what this morning’s session was about.

During class, Elena wasn’t herself. It was as if she put walls around her and I hated every brick.

When the bell rang for lunch, my stomach growled, but I had to find out what upset Elena so much.

After Art of War, our paths split and I rushed up the first set of stairs and tuned in as she walked up the stairs. When I heard her at the second level speaking to someone, I rushed back down, making my way in the tower’s direction.

Irene was going to own up to the truth, and then it was going to be hell to pay. It was clear what she told Elena. The facts haunted her the entire day, and this afternoon I was going to have to suck up big time to redeem myself from this one.

I knocked on the door.

“Enter,” she said, and I opened the door. She sat with a cold cloth on her face. She always saw me coming, which was strange. Why hadn’t she today?

I walked with huge strides and turned her chair with her around in it. She yelped and yanked the cloth off her face, staring at me.

“Why did you tell Elena about us this morning?”

“What? What are you doing here?”

“Tell me, Irene. Why? You know what she is to me. I made it clear what we were,” I said through clenched teeth as my nostrils flared.

“You think I told her about you? Blake, I will lose my job if I tell anyone what the two of us did in this tower. I know what she is to you, and I’m glad you don’t have to fight against your darkness anymore. I’m not that selfish.”

“Then what on earth upset her so much this morning? She didn’t even look at me today.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “What?”

“Stop playing games, Irene. What did you tell her? Why did you summon her? You know she is a Malone, and you see nothing with them.”

“Okay, fine. I just wanted to meet her. I saw nothing, said nothing, Blake.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Then why was she crying when I found her this morning close to your tower?”

“What?” Her eyebrows knitted as she stared at me.

I looked at Irene’s eyes and saw red veins mixed with her blue irises. “Did you make a foretelling this morning?”

“With Elena. No.”

“What happened?”

“I saw nothing. The headache was there, and then it grew stronger…” She looked around. “She looked like she saw a ghost after it grew. I asked her if she was okay and she told me she had to go. That was it, I swear.”

I squinted. It didn’t explain Elena’s behavior. Unless Irene made a foretelling and she didn’t know. “Summon your book.”

“Blake.”

“Summon your book. Something happened. I won’t let there be secrets between us, Irene. Summon the damn Book of Shadows.”

“Okay fine.” She closed her eyes, and the book plopped magically on the table. I rushed to it and started paging through. Scanning the familiar foretellings. I turned the pages faster and faster, and then my eyes found a new one that I’d never seen before.

“I didn’t make a fore—”

“This one is new,” I said. “A day will come when you have to make a decision. A life for another to save the greatest mission. It’s something you can’t avoid, otherwise the world of Paegeia will be destroyed.”

It felt as if all my muscles went into spasm. My throat dried, and tears pricked my eyes just imagining that this was what Elena heard this morning. “What did you see?”

“Nothing?” Irene swallowed hard as her eyes scanned through the foretelling.

“Irene!”

Her gaze flickered to mine. “I saw nothing with the Malone’s, Blake. The last time I said anything linked to them was with your egg. I didn’t even know I predicted it until they went public. I must’ve spoken the words, not seeing anything but darkness. It’s the reason I didn’t know that I even predicted that foretelling.” She touched her head again. “It’s the same headache.”

“What?”

“The headache is the same. It’s not that I couldn’t predict their future, I just didn’t see when I predicted their future. It always comes with this blazing headache that lasted for days. I only wanted to meet her, Blake. To know the girl who claimed your heart and soul.” She touched my face. “I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”

I nodded and read over the words again. “Well, she won’t die. I won’t let it.”

“Blake, we both know there is only one entity that can destroy Paegeia.”

“I won’t let her die for me. I can’t live without her. So if there is one person or dragon that is going to die, it will be me. Paegeia will still be safe.”

“Blake.”

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

“It’s my job. I have to let Master Longwei know when I make a foretelling. She is the princess of Paegeia.”

I grabbed her shoulder, and her eyes grew. “You know nothing.”

“Don’t do this!”

“There wasn’t a foretelling made this morning, just a headache because you tried.”

She whimpered as I kept repeating the phrase using my alpha tone.

“Blake,” she whispered, trying to fight it.

“There wasn’t a foretelling made this morning,” I spoke louder. Green mixed with the sapphire for a few seconds. “I tried.”

“I was never here.”

“Never here.”

Her eyes rolled back, and then her figure slumped in the chair. I placed the cold cloth on her face again and picked her up and placed her on the bed. She would think that in her drowsiness, she stumbled over to her bed.

I meant what I said. If there was one that was going to die, it would be me.