Prologue
Marco
There was almost zero chance of me being able to sleep tonight.
I knew that. I’d come to terms with it, and considering the situation at hand, more importantly what tomorrow would bring, it was essentially unavoidable.
The stress caused by that reality had me feeling wired as I tried to not tap my foot on the expensive carpeting that covered the floor of our hotel suite.
Even the scent of fresh flowers and a faint breeze coming in from the balcony from the California coast did little to calm me.
There were just too many details and too many unknowns.
Something that I was extremely uncomfortable with when it came to Maya.
Letting out a measured exhale, I looked down at the woman in question, who was currently curled up against my side, her stunning eyes closed and her breathing deep and relaxed.
The television lit up her peaceful expression and showcased her delicate, feminine features, her spattering of freckles, and the way her dark brown and gold hair seemed to surround her frame like a veil of silk.
It was a gorgeous sight, and one that left me with a bit of awe as I considered taking a picture of her just so I could see her like this whenever we weren’t together.
I needed a new phone background as it was.
I shook my head, wondering where this side of me had come from.
Never in my life had I viewed a woman like this, but with Maya it was unavoidable, and I found myself wanting to tell her just how beautiful I found her.
Not just physically, either. Everything about her was appealing to the fullest extent.
It was something I would have normally chalked up to being mates, but honestly?
I think that even if we had both been human, there would have been a natural connection between us that was completely unavoidable.
On the television, the news flashed through different segments on mute, momentarily distracting me from my obsessive staring as I considered turning it off.
I had yet to do so, though, because not only would it be darker in here, which meant seeing far less of my mate’s stunning features, but there was the possibility that I would wake her up while leaning forward to grab the remote.
After everything she had been through and what I knew the next few days would bring?
I was taking the opportunity to enjoy this moment of normality as she finally got some well-deserved rest.
Whatever ‘normal’ meant to us anymore.
Guilt infiltrated my chest, knowing that Maya’s experience in the world outside of her imprisonment had been anything but ‘normal’ so far, and I was in part to blame.
My flight had lived a fair amount of time on Earth without anything massive or of note occurring, yet these insane past few days had shaped Maya’s perception of normality instead of the calm, easy lifestyle we participated in usually.
Everything felt as though it was moving a million miles an hour, and I didn’t know how to explain to her that life wouldn’t and shouldn’t always be like this.
My biggest fear? I was worried that Maya would grow exhausted of this pace, assuming this was how life would always be, if I didn’t explain.
That wasn’t something I was willing to risk, especially if it meant her not finding life with us as appealing as I was trying to make it.
Despite her words expressing that she not only planned to stay but that she loved me, I had the strong and unbending urge to prove to her that we were worthy of her attention and affection.
That she should continue to choose us as mates every single day because we could make her happy.
That our consistent goal was to always make her as happy as possible.
I wanted desperately to show her that life was more than the insanity that had come to our doorstep so far.
It was more than her ‘father’ following her across the country in order to kidnap her back to Louisiana because their coven needed Maya for some fucked-up cult fixation.
It was more than some piece of shit from high school stalking her because of his fixed obsession with our mate.
It was more than some asshole Dragon Council members that seemed set on complicating our life.
More than the national media hyper-focusing on Maya and her every action. More than all of this bullshit.
That wasn’t even including the fact that I now had to whisk her away to a brand-new realm she had never been to before because there was something so unique about Maya’s phoenix form that I couldn’t begin to comprehend what it would mean if Croy’s prediction was correct.
My brow dipped as I considered the strand of worries that worked its way through my head.
I didn’t like not knowing Maya’s origins.
Not because it would make a difference to me, but because I couldn’t predict any future problems without knowing.
I didn’t like not knowing why she continued to spike fevers or why her health sometimes declined rapidly.
I didn’t like that I couldn’t predict when her mating heat would hit.
That alone was a concern enough to keep me occupied.
I never wanted Maya to feel scared or uncomfortable, and I worried that if the mating heat hit too soon, that could easily happen.
Animal instincts for shifters had the tendency to be overpowering, and if you grew up with that knowledge it was far easier to accept than if you only found out you were a shifter a little over a week ago.
If her mating heat did hit and she was unprepared, I feared that she would react in a way she’d later regret or would feel was rushed.
I didn’t trust that any of us had the willpower to stop a version of Maya that was asking for anything, let alone in the midst of a mating heat.
So while I knew going to the Dreki realm was essential, especially because I had managed to arrange a private meeting with the royal physician, my concern wasn’t abated.
In fact, I had a feeling I would never feel fully relaxed until I had a complete grasp on everything that could or would hurt Maya or threaten her happiness.
It was something that would no doubt dictate years of obsessive focus, and I couldn’t have asked for a more fulfilling purpose.
If taking care of my perfect mate was all I did for the rest of my life, I would be fucking thrilled.
It was the other shit that made it more complicated and messy.
Once we had a grasp on all of this, I planned on making sure Maya experienced so much more than the reality that she had been presented with so far.
I wanted her to have lazy Sunday mornings where she could sleep in and spend the day relaxing at one of the many vacation properties that we owned across the Earth realm.
I wanted to see her face light up as we explored each place that she talked about wanting to travel to, watching that stunning sense of excitement and wonder fill her face.
I wanted to watch her move around our house in paint-covered overalls while she did whatever the hell she wanted to all day long.
I had the ability to give her that, and I would do my damn best to make sure she never thought that she had to do something again because it was ‘normal.’ I couldn’t express how glad I was that she wouldn’t be attending that stupid fucking school.
I did, however, need to find a tutor. A female tutor, specifically.
That was one thing that I was glad Maya didn’t seem to mind—my overbearing sense of possessiveness and jealousy when it came to her.
I mean, it wasn’t just me, but my dragon forced out my reactions far more than the others.
I shook my head, thinking about our argument only the other day.
I hadn’t been lying to her about ‘walking the walk’ and not just ‘talking the talk.’ I knew that a level of independence for Maya was essential after everything she’d been through.
Just because I knew something didn’t make it easier to accept in any way, shape, or form, though.
It didn’t remove the urge I had to wrap her up completely and lock her in our house, in a contained, controlled environment where I could ensure nothing ever hurt her.
It didn’t change the fact that every time someone threatened her happiness I felt a seething anger that had me acting in ways that I would normally be able to control.
I didn’t like to make a habit out of killing people, but every time that someone hurt Maya?
I was brought there. Partly because my dragon thought it was the easiest solution, and partly because I hated that someone would even question if they could hurt her, let alone actually do it.
I didn’t exactly take well to being questioned in the first place.
Well, unless it was by Maya. Despite our continued attempts to dominate her when she did so, I found myself enjoying our back and forth, wondering how much of my dragon pushing forward it would take until she decided to listen to us.
Somehow, when it didn’t work—something that should have frustrated the hell out of me as an alpha—I found myself turned on.
Always fucking turned on around Maya.
A low rumble caught in my throat as I began imagining her on one of the many vacations that I planned on organizing.
Immediately, one of the over-the-water cottages we owned in Bora Bora came to mind.
I hadn’t even wanted to purchase the damn property when Sai had insisted on it, but the more I imagined being able to stare at every single inch of her golden skin laying out underneath the Pacific sun in a bikini?
Or better yet, nothing? The more thankful I was for the purchase.