| |
Maurice
Maurice had been on the island long enough to know what a curse looked like, and it was quite clear that his son was still cursed. Whatever spell Ursula had cast, taking away Felix’s essence, it hadn’t faded over time. He knew that he had to find a way to take care of Felix until they could figure out a way to get the necklace.
When he’d battled Ursula long ago, tricking her into a bar fight when she was inebriated, he’d snatched the necklace and disappeared into the night before she had noticed it was gone. He knew perfectly well that it contained the essence of his son.
He knew that the necklace was the thing keeping his child alive.
Maurice had hoped that by taking the necklace from Ursula, he could help ensure Felix’s survival. Now, years later, he wondered whether that had done more harm than good.
“He’s weak,” Tabitha rushed to Felix’s side.
Maurice moved, too. He knelt beside his son.
“He’s still alive, but he’s weak.”
“It’s the barrier,” Tabitha said. She looked up desperately at Maurice. “Every time he tries to go through it, he becomes slightly weaker.”
“How many times has he tried?”
“A few.”
“I expected the barrier would fade as the witch’s magic dissipated,” Maurice said. He looked toward the ocean and then back to his son. “Come on, Felix. Wake up.”
Felix moved quietly but didn’t open his eyes.
“We need to get him someplace else. Someplace he can rest,” Tabitha looked up at Maurice. “Maybe if I...maybe if we...there might be a way I can bring him back...power him up a little,” Tabitha blushed.
Maurice understood what the little witch was saying without her needing to spell it out. There were many legends surrounding dragon shifters and their mates, and it was true that a mate could give you certain powers.
A mate could help you heal.
A mate could keep you safe.
Maybe being with his mate would help Felix’s body begin to recover, but it would only be a temporary fix.
“To the castle,” Maurice said.
“Can you shift?” Tabitha asked carefully. She looked up at Maurice. “Felix and I could ride on your back. It would be faster than walking.”
They weren’t far from the castle, but she was right. He hadn’t been able to shift before even when he’d tried. Now, he felt slightly more powerful. It had been hours since he’d turned back into a human. Perhaps his dragon shifting abilities had come back, too.
Maurice took a deep breath and jumped. Instantly, his body changed. Oh, it hurt. It wasn’t supposed to hurt. Changing into his dragon form was supposed to be smooth and seamless, but it had been at least fifteen, maybe twenty years. It had been a long damn time since he’d been in his dragon form.
Apparently, he was rusty.
“Wow,” Tabitha said.
Wow.
He’d done it, he realized, and he landed.
“You know, you’re the same color as Felix,” she told him.
No.
He hadn’t known.
He hadn’t known anything at all about his son because he’d been trapped in that lion’s body for so long. Maurice had been unable to communicate with anyone. He hadn’t been able to talk to Felix, he hadn’t been able to talk to the other animals, and perhaps saddest of all, he hadn’t been able to talk to Raya.
Maurice and Raya had been fated mates for as long as they could remember. He’d known from the first time he saw her that she was the one. She was the woman he wanted to be with forever and always. There was probably a good reason that the universe had kept them apart all of these years, but Maurice couldn’t think of a good reason at all.
He missed her.
He’d never stopped missing her.
Now, he had the chance to save his son. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever make it back to Raya in one piece, but Maurice could help Felix and Tabitha to get their own happy ending. It would all start with a flight.
He knelt down, lowering his body onto the ground so that Tabitha could lift Felix onto his back. Maurice wasn’t worried about the little witch’s strength. She was a witch, after all. She was careful and gentle with him as she positioned him onto Maurice’s back. As soon as Tabitha joined Felix and gave Maurice the go-ahead, he started walking.
Then he leapt into the air and flew toward the castle.
It had been years since he’d felt this free. He soared, spreading his wings as he felt the wind on his face. Nothing beat this feeling. Nothing.
Living as a lion had been restrictive. Maurice had felt itchy and trapped for years. He’d been desperate to escape from the confines of the cat’s body, but now that he was free, he could finally breathe.
He flew to the castle, unconcerned with anything at all. There were storm clouds rolling in, and he thought he should probably be worried about those, but he couldn’t find the energy to care. All that mattered was landing at the castle.
Tabitha and Felix needed time to themselves. When a dragon made love to their mate, they’d receive a much-needed energy boost. Felix might not be himself until they managed to get the necklace back from Raya – if she still had it – but he could heal enough to be able to walk, at least.
They landed at the castle and Maurice walked, carrying Tabitha and Felix. He headed straight for the castle doors, which were now broken and falling off their hinges, and headed inside. Luckily for them, the castle was huge. The hallways were large enough that Maurice could walk easily, carefully making his way into the large ballroom on the first floor.
Ursula had once used this place as a stage for entertaining her guests. She had held parties here and banquets and sometimes, she’d simply used this place as a room for humiliating other people. Maurice headed through a set of doors toward the back and made his way down yet another hallway until they reached a guest room.
The doorway of the bedroom was smaller than the other doorways. Maurice couldn’t enter this one without tearing down the stone walls surrounding it. He lowered his body and Tabitha slipped off, bringing Felix with her.
“Thank you,” she said to Maurice. Then she went into the bedroom. Maurice waited until the door was closed, and then he shifted back to his human form. He might not be able to save his son without the necklace, but there had to be a way to contact Sapphire Island and find Raya.
There must be.
He took off running down the halls, desperate to find anything he could use to help.