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  The castle in which I was born sat atop a small hill, surrounded by a moat and a thick and treacherous forest. This forest was filled with some of the most dangerous creatures of all: Kitsune. Kitsune were small fox-like shifters. They were tricksters and played with your mind until you eventually went mad. To get to the castle, Darcy and I had to trek through this forest, as his portal had placed us in the middle of it.

  “I wish I had my horse,” I said, leaping over a fallen tree trunk.

  “Sorry. I couldn’t get us any closer to your castle. It’s surrounded by strong magical wards.”

  I sighed. “Of course it is.” I couldn’t remember the castle ever having magical wards. It was probably another one of my father’s games. And for all we knew, my mother was probably trapped inside.

  As we trekked deeper into the forest, I heard child-like laughter surrounding us. I took out my athame, my only weapon left and held it out ahead of me. I tried to settle my breathing and heart rate so I could remain calm.

  “It’s okay. It’s just the Kitsune,” I repeated this out loud, more to myself than Darcy, for comfort.

  “I’ve heard about Kitsune but never seen one in person.”

  “You don’t want to. They drive you mad. Keep your eyes straight ahead.”

  I knew it had only been three Dragontopia years since I had left this realm, but I didn’t remember the vegetation being so thick. Laughter rang all around us, sometimes circling closer and then drifting further away. We found a bubbling stream where we stopped for a quick drink. I filled our canteens, and just as I had finished filling the second canteen, Darcy hissed my name. I froze and slowly looked up.

  “Emma. Don’t move.”

  Standing in front of us, in the path we were going to take, on the opposite side of the stream, was a small, white fox.

  “A Kitsune,” I whispered. As I said the word, the small fox tilted its head to the side as if to study me. And then it spoke.

  “Yesss. That is what we are. We foxes are not just foxes. We are ghosts of the foresssst.”

  Its voice was a hissing whisper, soft yet haunting. I never knew they could talk!

  “You… you talk!”

  “Yesss. Of course. We foxes talk. We laugh, but most of all, we play games. Would you like to play a game, Princess?”

  “Oh, no. I… I’m not very good at games. We should be going, right, Darcy? We have an appointment at the castle.” I stood up to my full height, strapped the canteens on my backpack, and leaped over the stream. When I landed on the other side, I yelped as I found I was surrounded by Kitsune.

  “Emma! Don’t move!” Darcy leaped over and landed beside me almost without a sound. I held out my blade toward what I thought was the Kitsune we had talked to, but I wasn’t sure because they all looked the same.

  “Hi, guys. Like I said, I’m not good at games, and we don’t have much time to play. But I have a proposition for you.”

  Ha! That got them. Every single Kitsune tilted their head from side to side simultaneously.

  “Emma? What are you doing?” said Darcy, concerned.

  “It’s okay, Darce. I have an idea. Are you ready to reveal yourself?”

  He bunched up his eyebrows in confusion, then widened his eyes as he understood what I was saying. I smiled, and he returned it. I then turned to the Kitsune army before us. There were about twenty small white foxes surrounding us now, curiosity getting the better of them.

  “How would you like to escort the Vampire King and the true Dragon Queen to Dragongate Castle?”

  Dragongate was the name of my former home. There were two major residences in Dragontopia; Dragongate, the royal residence, and Dragonkeep, the home of the Keepers—the guardians of the dragons. And Ash and Eva’s home. There was some debate over who the true heir to the throne of Dragongate was, but until my father was defeated, no one but him ruled. And that was a very dangerous thing. The sooner we got to the castle, the sooner his reign would end, and I could free my mother and break my spell.

  The Kitsune tilted their little white furry heads the other way now, and then the one we assumed was the leader stepped forward and spoke.

  And what he said shocked both Darcy and me.

  “We have been waiting a long time for this day.”

  And then they did something that shocked us further. Every single one of the Kitsune bowed their heads.

  “Welcome home, your Majessssty,” they said in unison. Darcy and I looked at each other and smiled.

  Chapter Five

  The Kitsune led us out of the forest and up the path toward Dragongate. We had to jog to catch up to them but slowed when they seemed to stop just before the moat.

  “Thisss iss as far as we go, Your Majesssty,” said one of the Kitsune.

  “Thank you very much for your help.” I bent down and held out my hand toward the leader. He was hesitant at first, but eventually, he made his way to me, and I was able to stroke his soft little head. He pushed his head into my hand, seemingly enjoying the pats like a cat. Then, as a pack, the Kitsune turned around and ran back into the forest. When I stood up to assess the front gate and to figure out how we were going to get inside, I noticed Darcy was watching me with that evil, sexy grin he did so well. Oh, it annoyed me so.

  “What?” I said, laughing. “Stop it!”

  “That was the most incredible thing I have ever witnessed.”

  “It was nothing. We had to get to the castle one way or another.” I shrugged.

  “Yes, but it could have gone in a completely different direction.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I was kinda expecting you to slaughter the little critters.”

  I was kinda hurt he immediately thought of me as a killer. But decided to let it go.

  “That was the old me. The new me is open to negotiation.” I slid my athame back in its sheath and walked up to the side of the moat. Darcy followed close behind and stood on the bank beside me. I looked down into the murky water and saw the splash of a fin. I didn’t remember there being creatures in the moat. My father had made a lot of changes in my absence. But now that I had returned, there were about to be a lot more.

  I studied the top of the castle walls, looking out for armed soldiers. But could see no one. I took a deep breath to shout out just as the drawbridge began to descend.

  After it had lowered and formed a bridge, we crossed it and entered the castle. But when we passed under the arch into the castle courtyard, I felt myself being restrained. Darcy cried out and flailed about as if stuck in an invisible spider’s web. I couldn’t move either. I looked around me, and that’s when I noticed the shimmer in the air surrounding us. Magic. We were stuck in the magical force field that surrounded the castle.

  “Ahh, Emma, King Darcy. I see you have graced us with your presence at last.” We both stopped struggling and looked up at the face of my father and his armed soldiers standing before us.

  “Father, let us go so we can talk,” I said, trying to remain calm. How dare he call Darcy a king when he had previously insulted him. And how dare he act like he hadn’t made my mother curse me.

  “Yes, yes. Of course. Sorry about that. Dear, would you please do the honor?” He gestured at someone we couldn’t see, and then my mother stepped out of the shadows. She threw her arms out and said an incantation. And before we knew it, Darcy and I were thrown free of the magical wards. We fell to our knees on the cobbled stone. When I looked up at my father, he was smirking down at us. Oh, the bastard liked us groveling at his feet! I quickly got up and urged Darcy to stand too, before storming into the castle. Darcy didn’t acknowledge my father. He just followed me inside.

  ***

  Later that night, we joined my parents for dinner in the main dining room. We had to pass through the ballroom to get to the dining room. I stopped and took it all in. I remembered this hall being large and spacious when I was little. I used to crawl over the dais and slide down the stair rails. In the dining
room, I used to crawl under the table and steal chicken from unsuspecting victims when we had guests. Most of the time I wouldn’t get caught, but when I did, I was subjected to my father’s evil. I must have been living in my memories when a hand came down on my shoulder causing me to flinch.

  “Sorry. It’s just me,” Darcy said. I turned and smiled when I saw he was wearing the attire of this world. He looked like he did the night we met. He took my breath away.

  “You look…”

  “Ridiculous? I’ve not missed three-piece suits and cravats,” he said, adjusting the red cravat at his throat.

  “I was going to say sexy.” I swallowed and reached up to smooth the cravat down. My hands traveled further upward and snaked around his neck. Then his lips found their way down to mine, and we were kissing before we were rudely interrupted by someone clearing their throat.

  “Dinner is served, your highnesses,” announced the butler. I sighed. I didn’t remember that butler. My father must have hired him after I left.

  I turned back to Darcy and looked into his red velvet eyes. He was either hungry or turned on. Or both. He smiled down at me and offered me his hand before leaning into my ear and to whisper, “You look beautiful like that.”

  “Seriously? I feel stupid.” Growing up, I had hated pink. But my parents had always dressed me in it. My mother must have known I was coming because when I walked into my bedroom earlier, I found this dress waiting for me. It was the puffiest, frilliest, silliest thing you could imagine. And it was pink! I hated it, but now I had to own it if I was to negotiate with my father.

  “You look like a queen. Let’s go take back your throne.” He placed a kiss on my temple as we made our way into the dining room.

  Chapter Six

  Dinner was as awkward as I expected. But I would expect nothing less. The entire time, Darcy and my father exchanged icy looks over the rims of their wine goblets while I watched on nervously. I was going to have permanent half-moon shaped marks in the palms of my hands from clenching my fists and digging my nails into my hands. I felt a hand on my wrist as I reached for the dagger strapped to my inner thigh. I paused and looked over into the sad eyes of my mother. For the first time since she walked into Darcy’s club and cast a spell on me, she seemed to be awake. She was awake, but not her whole self. She seemed to be in a constant zombie state when she was around my father. But here, now, she seemed like the mother I remembered before I fled.

  And her eyes frightened me. They weren’t sad now, I realized. They were pleading for help in a silent way. She was crying for help, and this was the only way she could get a message to me without my father finding out. I turned toward her.

  “Mum?” I whispered. I tried to tell her with my eyes that I was sympathetic, that I knew. But she simply shook her head no and quickly busied herself with cutting her roast beef.

  What was that? What was going on? I knew I needed to get her alone, and soon.

  I turned my attention back to Darcy and my father. For now, they were both concentrating on eating their meals, but every now and then, they would glance up at each other. I needed to do something, and fast. The tension in the room was so thick I could cut it with my dagger. I decided it was too soon for hostility, so I tried the peaceful tactic.

  “Father, tell me about our kingdom? What’s the general vibe from the village? Are people happy?” I took a sip of wine and waited.

  My father stuffed a fat piece of almost-raw beef in his mouth. Blood ran down his chin. He didn’t make a move to wipe his face. I tried to hide my revulsion. Yuck! I felt like becoming a vegetarian. He chewed his meat and then dabbed his lips with a napkin before speaking. But he still had food in his mouth. Gross! Gag!

  “Well,” he began, in between chewing, “ever since you left, the people have tolerated me. They are holding out in the hopes that one day their princess will return.”

  “And now I have,” I replied, sitting higher in my seat. “It won’t take long for news to spread.”

  “But you are no longer a supernatural being. You cannot take the throne.” He stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth and washed it down with a big gulp of wine. Oh, he wanted to play, did he? Okay. We would play. I stood from my chair, and at the same moment, I yanked my athame from my thigh sheath and threw it. It sailed through the air and impaled the center of the long wooden table and wobbled, but stayed in place. Everyone at the table went still.

  “Emma,” Darcy warned. I ignored him.

  “Whose fault is that, huh? Let’s talk about that, shall we?”

  My father sighed and put down his napkin before looking me in the eyes.

  “Okay. We’ll talk. But there is no need for hostility.”

  “I’m sorry, but we’ve already passed that stage. We did that when you declared war on me the moment you made my mother place a spell on me.”

  “That was to teach you a lesson, my dear daughter. You have gone too far with your personal vendetta.”

  I growled, baring my teeth, some of my dragon lineage coming to the surface. It was a habit, really. I was human, so I no longer had any dragon instincts left. “My vendetta is none of your business.”

  “It is if you are killing innocent creatures, our people. What did they do to you?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Where should I start?”

  Darcy got to his feet. “Emma! That’s enough. Let’s take a walk.”

  “No, Darcy. I need to speak with my parents.”

  “Not when you’re like this. Come with me. Outside. Now.”

  I turned away from him and crossed my arms, but not before I had realized his eyes were blood red. I sighed in frustration and stomped out of the dining room, with Darcy close on my heels.

  Chapter Seven

  As soon as I stepped into the courtyard of the palace, Darcy turned to face me. He had been leaning against the railing looking over the cobblestoned courtyard below.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “What? You know what that was. You know why I’m here.”

  He tossed his head back and let out a frustrated breath. “We’re not here to settle the scores.”

  “That’s exactly why we’re here, Darcy. He has to pay for what he’s done.”

  “No, you want to make him pay. This is another personal revenge trip for you. If you want to be a queen, you have to learn to deal with matters like this with diplomacy. No matter how much you hate it. That’s what being a leader is all about. There is always some shit you have to deal with, but you have to do it because it is your duty.”

  I walked past him to the railing and leaned my elbows on it. I didn’t want to admit it. I hated to admit it. But he was right. I let out another sigh.

  “Fine,” I said, looking at him as he came to join me at the railing. “You know more about being a leader than I do. So, tell me. What should I do?”

  “First, you have to make your people trust you again.”

  “And how do we do that? I ran away and then returned with a vampire lover. Most supernatural creatures detest other species.”

  He tilts his head to the side then beckons me to follow me down the stairs.

  “They already accepted the fact your father fell in love with a witch. Come on.”

  He was right, as always. And I hated that. He drove me crazy. And I loved him for it. We made our way into the courtyard below and down the sloped path toward the village. I knew where we were going. At least, I thought I did.

  “What are we doing?”

  “Making your people fall in love with you.”

  “Darcy, I’m not in the mood for socializing right now. I’d like to go back to my room, drink more wine, sink into the huge bathtub, and literally drown my sorrows.”

  He chuckled, and then took my hand, tugging me forward as I dug in my heels, and began backing up.

  “Come on. I have a feeling they’ll be more accepting of us than you think.”

  “I’m not so sure,” I mumbled as he led me down the hill to the local inn. br />
  ***

  When we stepped through the wooden door, the warmth of the fireplace hit my skin, and the sharp tang of beer and sweat hit my nose. Everyone inside the inn immediately stopped what they were doing and looked our way. And then the whispers began. Darcy cleared his throat and spoke up.

  “Hi, everyone. You might not know me, but I’m King Darcy of the Vampires. You might remember my gorgeous companion though, Princess Emmaline of this realm.” The burly bartender stood behind the high wooden bar polishing beer mugs and staring right at us.

  “We know who you are, your highnesses. We just never expected you to return. Especially you, Princess.” Then the bartender bowed.

  Lost for words, I glanced around the inn, and all the patrons bowed their heads and muttered ‘welcome’ and ‘Your Highnesses.’ I cleared my throat.

  “I… thank you. I’ve returned to reclaim my title and throne, but we have a few loose ends to tie up first. That’s why Darcy and I are here.”

  I stepped up to the bar, then took the wooden stool to my right and used it as a step up to the bar. I climbed up and stood on the bar so I could address my people. I mean if I were going to meet with my people, why not here at the local watering hole while everyone was slightly drunk.

  “There has been a slight setback to my plans to take back my kingdom. Most of you know of the injustices my father has caused. He is a tyrant. We have returned here, today, three years after I ran from his grasp, from his hold on my life, and after he made my mother cast a spell me, turning me mortal and human.”

  I waved my hand about showing off the fact I could no longer cast magic. People gasped audibly.