Chapter Chapter Ten

“Blaze and the rest remain down here, make sure that this residence is not infiltrated. Byron, Uther and Ryuu, you two come with me.” Drake made his way out into the gardens and turned his eyes into the cloudy skies. Grey clouds made it difficult to see anything. An eerie fog was also creeping on the ground into the forest in a very unsettling way. “Where is Byron?”

“Right here.” He male came forward cracking his neck.

Everything had been chaotic ever since he claimed Maya in the forest and she fell into what looked like a coma. At that same time, Bryon and the other males who ambushed a smugglers in the mines were able to bring the rogues in for questioning. Byron, Jira and her fellow Jinn warriors were in charge of the interrogation. Drake would have loved for Feror to have been there but he together with Remington, Vicious and Tegan were taking care of Herman.

“Let’s move out.” Drake said.

Red’s voice drawled but Drake was not listening to him. Thanks to him, Maya was in a state that no one could help her out of. Even Tegan was surprised because it was not what Sophia went through.

Maya laid in the infirmary bed with a red fiery haze licking her skin. No one could touch her or help her and she was constantly plagued by nightmares. The screaming, crying and pleading went on for hours until Drake thought he was going to drive himself crazy with worry. It had been two days and still there was no sign of her calming down or the red haze disappearing long enough for Akira to try and heal her.

All this was thanks to Red who had somehow been able to tear himself from Drake’s body and engulf Maya for several seconds before returning to him. When the dragon tore free, Drake felt empty and traumatized. It just went to show how dependent they both were on each other. He truly believed that he wouldn’t have survived if Red hadn’t been able to return to him. The same went to the dragon. He would have perished into nothingness if he didn’t return.

Now, Red was agitated and worried over Maya but Drake held him responsible for what happened. He was giving him the silent treatment.

Red repeated.

Drake shook him away and growled.

Red did something that almost had Drake arch back and roar. The dragon retreated deep in his mind which meant there was not changing for him. He turned to the dragons and Mage. “Byron, go with Ryuu and Uther to welcome our unexpected guests.”

“My dragon isn’t picking up anything dark from the approaching dragons. I think they are from the Realm of Fire.” Ryuu stated.

Drake ground his teeth in frustration. “Red made that clear for me.”

Bryon nodded and took to the sky. Ryuu and Uther were right behind him turning into full dragons and disappearing into the thick fog that was engulfing the royal residence. Drake listened to the beating of their wings until he could hear them no more then turned back towards the house.

“Why would the dragons come at such a time?” Feror asked brushing his messy hair from his face.

Drake didn’t know but he had a pretty good idea what they were there for. “I don’t know but secure the female dragon that was rescued from the rogues and the dragons we have managed to capture from the ambush.”

Feror’s eyes widened. “Five dragons came all this way to retrieve just one female?”

“She’s not just any female.” Blaze his raking his hands through his red locks. “She was able to take a full dragon form. That never happens for any female dragon unless--” Blaze turned to Drake with his eyes wide.

“Unless what?” Feror asked impatiently stopping in his tracks and turning to Drake.

“It’s either she is a royal pureblood female or she has very ancient blood--much ancient than even the Dragon Queen’s--running through her veins.” Drake answered grimly.

“How can she have ancient blood when she barely out of her teens?” Feror asked.

“She does not need to be ancient to have ancient blood. We have different bloodlines and these bloodlines form clans. Mine is …”

“And mine is .” Blaze added.

“Ryuu and Uther are both from the bloodline. These are very strong bloodlines that produce the greatest warrior dragons in the Realm of Fire but there have been other ancient bloodlines that died out years back, stronger than even the Royal Bloodline.”

Feror’s eyebrows arched up as he crossed his arms and smirked. “So, you are trying to tell me that female can kick ass?”

Drake doubted that very much. Though she was able to strategically attack him in the air, she was weak and Drake didn’t have any problems beating her down. He cringed when he recalled how much he assaulted her without knowing. If it weren’t for Byron and Shancy, Drake would have turned her into ash. “That’s highly unlikely.”

Drake approached the infirmary and it was awfully quiet for once. He turned around and noticed that Herman had managed to join the group. Drake was surprised at how well his transformation went. He was a little bigger than Feror and the determination Drake read in the foal’s eyes told him that he was going to make it into the Royal Army soon enough. Now that Herman went through the transformation, his feelings for Maya could be felt and they were only teasing him to retaliate. If Drake had not taken Maya in the forest, Red would have challenged the younger male and get himself into all sorts of problems.

“You should be resting.” Drake dismissed him but Herman held his ground.

“I can be of help.” Herman said.

Feror groaned lightly. “Surviving the transformation does not make you a warrior, Herman. You still have a lot to learn.”

Herman grinned. “And how will I learn if I am sleeping?”

Drake swallowed back a chuckle as he entered the infirmary. “Blaze and Herman, go and secure the rogue dragons. Feror, come with me.”

When they entered the infirmary they found two healers a male and female sitting at the front desk. They quickly jumped to their feet and bobbed lightly.

“How are the females doing?” Drake asked.

The female went around the desk. “Serensa, the female dragon has been doing very well but Maya hasn’t yet gained consciousness although the nightmares have stopped and the haze has disappeared too.”

Drake didn’t wait to hear what else the healer had to say. He dashed into Maya’s room and when he laid his eyes on her, his heart constricted in his ribs. Even Red stirred from the dark corner that he was hiding in. Drake approached the bed and the first thing he did was to rake his fingers through her thick hair. It felt incredibly soft against his skin. A sigh of relief passed through her lips but she didn’t move.

A shudder of relief passed through Drake as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on Maya’s cool forehead. “Oh heavens I missed you so much.” He whispered against it and buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her enticing scent and locking it up deep in his lungs. “I am so sorry this had to happen to you. Will you ever forgive me, Maya?”

Her light breathing tickled his cheek as his arm went around her small waist and he held her close. “You need to wake up now. You need to get better.”

Drake felt a hand rest on his shoulder as Feror appeared behind him.

“Her color has returned.” Feror noted. “It means she is recovering.“′

Drake straightened from the bed and turned to Feror. “I can never forgive myself for what happened to her.”

“You had no idea that anything would happen. You were not at fault and if you really want to continue with her then you need to forgive yourself.” Feror assured him.

Drake gave Feror and short nod then sighed. “Let’s get to the female dragon.”

“Come on.” Feror and Drake went out towards Serensa’s room and they found her standing at the large window looking up in the skies.

When she heard her door being opened she turned to them. “They’ve come to get me.”

Drake frowned softly. Serensa was a very strong dragon. “How did you know?”

“Sonia told me. She tells me everything and right now the Queen’s close guards including the High Lord of my Realm are on their way here.” She turned to them.

“So, you are a royal female?” Drake frowned at her even more.

She shook her head lightly. “I am not a royal female.”

“Then how is it possible that you can take the dragon form?” Drake asked.

A small smile appeared on her face as she walked to her bed and sat on the edge. Her eyes were shrouded in mystery as she looked up at them. “You are Drake of Kruk right? I heard of your stories and how you saved the Realm from the rogues. I have admired you for the longest time and finally seeing you here--it is a dream come true.”

She avoided answering his question which only confirmed to Drake that the female was hiding something.

“Serensa, how is it that you were abducted from your Realm and brought here?” Feror asked from behind Drake.

She looked up again, her eyes dark and she looked a little uncomfortable. “There is so much corruption going on in our realm right now. Even the people that are supposed to keep us safe have been influenced one way or the other and are taking part in so many illegal activities. Queen Malenna is trying with all her might to keep the peace but with the rogues causing havoc across the lands, people are afraid that they could be slaughtered again.

“Rogues went around the cities and towns advertising job opportunities for young females in places only we could dream about. We all signed up for these new jobs. For me, it was a way to rescue my family from poverty. After the sudden death of my father, we lost everything and we barely had enough to feed ourselves. I have three younger siblings so you could imagine. So when the opportunity came, I signed up and waited for the interview.

“I was soon called and told of where the interview was going to be held. I remember going there with my friend but she didn’t make it through to the next round. I remember in the second round we were almost forty girls and we were given instructions on the next interview but the thing was got me a little worried was the fact that they did what they called a health-check on all of us.” Her face paled as she recalled what she went through. “Soon enough after the check-up, fifteen of the girls were let go because they were not healthy enough for the job. The remaining twenty-five of us were then packed into buses and taken to a house way out of the city.”

“Do you remember the way?” Drake asked.

Serensa shook her head. “No. All the windows were tinted. You couldn’t see anything. I know a very influential person is behind it all because of the resources he or she had. When we arrived to the house, it was swarming with males with guns. That was when I realized that something was terribly wrong. They took us into the house and we were locked in. All the windows were barred and all the doors had guards. That was when they told us that we were the last remaining hope for the pure dragon bloodlines and that we should consider ourselves privileged to have been chosen for such a thing.” Tears began to fall down Serensa’s eyes and Drake felt his throat clog. He felt sorry for her and couldn’t believe that she had to go through such a thing.

“There were over thirty males from the strongest bloodlines that were supposed--Oh Heavens--” A whimper escaped her lips as more of the tears rolled down her cheeks. Feror quickly moved forward and sat next to her.

Drake saw the way Serensa’s shoulders stiffened suddenly but she was brave and didn’t move away. That gave him a clear picture of what might have happened to the females in that house.

“--the pure-bloods were supposed to impregnate us when we went into heat. We soon discovered that all the forty of us who made it to the second stage were pureblood dragon females from prominent bloodlines but the other fifteen’s heat periods were either over or were far. The twenty five of us remaining had our heat periods varying from a week to three months!” She brushed away the tears from her face.

“All of you were unmated?” Drake asked because he knew if a mated female went in heat, only her mate’s seed could get her pregnant. Male dragons were infertile until they were in the presence of an unmated female in heat or when their mates went in heat. An unmated male could impregnate an unmated female in heat.

Serensa nodded. “Yes. It was a criteria on the job description.”

“What happened afterwards?” Drake asked.

Serensa sniffed and rubbed away the tears. “Each one of us was allocated a male to watch over us until we went on heat then they would impregnate us.”

“Were there any females that went in heat during the time of your captivity?” Drake knew is was difficult for her but she had the information that they needed in order to stop the operations from continuing.

“About seven of the girls went on heat. We were each locked up in different rooms so we couldn’t do anything to help each other. We could only hear--the screams. Oh, they were unbearable.” She covered her ears and shook her head as new tears formed in her eyes.

“Hush now, you are safe.” Feror placed his arm around her slender shoulders then turned to Drake. “I think we should stop here for now.”

Drake gritted his teeth. Feror was right. Serensa was getting too agitated to continue and the last thing he wanted was to make her re-live the terrible ordeal. “Just one thing. Why were you taken to the mines?”

“Because the house was discovered and kept under surveillance so for the ones who had not yet gone into heat, we were at a danger of being discovered. I heard them talking once about the base they had here in the Realm of Spells. I remember early one morning we were packed up in the cars and taken to the harbor where a cargo ship was waiting, taking merchandise from the Industrial Town of Stel to the Realm of Spells.

“When we arrived some days later, the Mage came and rescued us but I had longed planned my escape even before the Mage arrived. Two of the rogues followed me but I lost them along the way and then I saw you and thought you were also a part of them. I’m sorry for attacking you.”

“What is your bloodline?”

Serensa’s head snapped up as she looked at him. Fear entered her eyes as her mouth trembled. ”

.” she said softly but Drake knew she was lying. Though was one of the four prominent bloodlines, it was not a strong enough bloodline to allow the females to take the dragon form.

Drake narrowed his eyes at her and as he was about to add something Ryuu entered the room.

“High Lord Wren of the Realm of Fire is waiting for you in the office.” He announced.

Drake eyed Serensa for a moment then nodded and walked out.

Red chimed in.

Drake was still very angry with him. He didn’t allow him to call for the change and meet with the dragons but now, he let his presence known just because the female dragon was lying.

. Red continued.

Drake knew that much and for the High Lord of the Realm of Fire to come to that place in the middle of the night meant that she might be very important to them. They must have been following her closely.

Drake made his way to the office and noticed the four dragon warriors sitting outside the office. When they saw him, they got onto their feet and inclined their heads. Drake knew them. He had seen them around Queen Malenna quite often. They were all . They were all dressed in the Realm of Fire Royal Army uniform; dark green with black and golden embroidery around their stiff collars and cuffs.

“Commander Drake.” One said softly, raising his head and looking at him.

“Aldon.” Drake nodded to him.

Aldon turned to his fellow warriors. “High Lord Wren is waiting for you in your office.”

Drake nodded and went in. The High Lord was standing stiffly at the window watching the darkened skies that were about to open and and pour in any minute. The fog still eerily crawled over the lands like restless spirits trying to to find peace in that cold land.

Wren was a very powerful male. Drake could feel his power and authority emanating and swelling within the room. He was built like a warrior and Drake undoubtedly knew the male could take his place amongst his warriors when the need arose. His arms were clasped on his back and his chin raised to the skies. His dark hair was well groomed and in place. He was immaculate in his royal attire. He was one of the few remaining relatives to the Dragon Queen.

“It’s been a while, Drake.” Wren cast Drake a side glance and a smile curled up on his lips.

Drake closed the door behind him and inclined his head to the High Lord. “Indeed it has been, Lord Wren but it is a very inconvenient time that you have arrived.”

Wren nodded and turned his hard dark blue eyes to Drake. “And I wouldn’t have been anywhere close to here if the matter at hand wasn’t so important.”

Drake nodded. Drake didn’t have anything against the High Lord but Wren had always proven difficult since in the past. He was a hard male to reason with and to please. Drake was very sure whatever business he had there at that moment had something to do with Serensa. “Do enlighten me, Lord Wren.”

Wren flashed his teeth at him. “Don’t play dumb. I am sure you already know why I am here. The faster I get her back home the better for the both of us.”

“Oh, the female dragon that managed to escape from the rogues this evening?” Drake asked feigning ignorance. “It’s surprising that with all the able warriors and the fortified security that has being mobilized in the past years in the Realm of Fire, you would not expect such a thing to happen—yet it did, under your watch.”

“This has been a surprise to us all and a bad one at that. The rumors of the rogues were spreading like wild fires within the Realm and the Dragon city of Evron. Many of the warriors were brought in to secure the city and the throne, but it never crossed our minds that there were more sinister activities that they were involved in.” Wren explained softly then added. “But you should know of all this, you are after all—your father’s son.”

Red unfurled from Drake’s mind and snarled. “I’m not my father!”

Wren clasped his hands together and smirked. “I didn’t mean to offend you but only you would know what blueprints your father left behind for his followers. Only you knew how he thought and how he acted. If you had remained in the Fire army, most of this wouldn’t have happened.”

“The rogues were after the throne. The kidnapping and impregnating of pure-blood female dragons is new news to me too.” Drake assured him.

“We were able to discover one of the houses where the females were being kept but we have a feeling that there might be more. We have a lot of cases about missing unmated female dragons right now.”

Drake settled down because this was big news for him. “I have a feeling that some of those houses might be right here in the Realm of Spells.”

Wren moved around Drake and went to sit opposite him. “We received news that the Lord Mage has the dark Fae in custody. He and the rogue dragons were working together. Did he give out new information about the rogues?”

Drake shook his head. “He said nothing but I have to go to Agore for the interrogation.”

Wren nodded. “I just came here to get Serensa and I’ll be on my way.”

Drake ground his teeth as he looked at the High Lord. “I saw her change into a fully-fledged golden dragon. Now, the last time I checked female dragons could not call for change unless they were of royal blood.”

“The only thing you need to know for now is that Serensa is a very special female and that she is under royal protection,” Wren told Drake.

“How long have you known about her?” Drake asked.

“From the moment she reached and survived her puberty. It was her father who came to Queen Malenna and asked that his family be put under royal protection. At first, we didn’t understand until they all underwent medical examinations. Serensa’s father was murdered shortly afterward. His death was staged as an accident.”

Drake frowned. “But how could you let her live in such a condition until she desperately had to find a job to support her family? If she was under the royal protection, she would not have the need to do so.”

“Nilren didn’t want it to be known. Though they were under royal protection, we were not allowed to show our presence and influence anything in their lives. But now, Queen Malenna has asked for me and the warriors to return her to the Fire Fortress. Her family is already there waiting for her.”

“I will not permit you to return with her tonight. She is still recovering from her wounds plus there are two rogue dragons pursuing her. It is dangerous.”

“I am not worried about the rogue dragons,” Wren smirked again. “I am rather worried about her weak state so I will leave her for the week but after that, she needs to be returned to her family.”

Drake nodded. “Understood.”

Wren looked at Drake and smiled softly. “Without you in the Fire Royal army, we are at a loss. Do know that we don’t hold any grudges against you because of what your father did. You are always welcome to return.”

Drake flashed his teeth at the High Lord. “Thanks for the offer but I feel like I am needed here more than there.”

“Because of your mate?” Wren’s eyebrow arched up.

Drake’s eyes widened. “How--”

“Czear can smell her on you.” Wren grinned wickedly. “And from that scent, I can tell she’s not from this world. A human?”

Drake rolled his eyes in frustration. Could a male be more maddening. Thanks to his royal blood, Wren could tell a lot more about individuals more than they were comfortable to admit. “It doesn’t concern you.”

Wren got up on his feet. “A rare combination I must say. Anyway, I don’t wish to take anymore of your time but I will be leaving now. I have a place to stay tonight and I shall return to my realm early tomorrow morning. I wish to leave behind two of my warriors who will escort Serensa home once she has recovered.”

Drake also got up and nodded. “Fine with me.”

“Good night, commander Drake.”

Drake inclined his head to him. “High Lord Wren.”

The High Lord moved around Drake towards the door and went out. Drake sighed and sank back on his chair. There was so much going that at times he found his mind going blank because of it. He was exhausted and all he could think of was getting himself upstairs to his room but instead he found his legs slowly carrying him back to the infirmary where Maya was sleeping peacefully for once. Drake shed his shoes and stretched beside her, pulling her into his arms then placed a soft kiss on her forehead. Red purred inside his head.

Maya muttered incoherently in her sleep and one of her hands wrapped itself around his waist. Drake couldn’t help but grin at the gesture as he laid his head down to sleep.

The reading was distinct but Maya couldn’t understand what was being said. Her eyes were heavy as she tried to open them. Finally she managed to pry them open and looked around. Her mind was hazy and her mouth and throat dry and scratchy. She looked up at the ceiling she had come for know very much and groaned inwardly. Why, oh why did she always find herself in that place? And who was reading to to her? The voice was new to her. She managed to turn her head to the side only to find the large blond haired man sitting next to her. His face was hidden behind the Beina’s novel. He was in a pair of worn jeans and a white t-shirt that looked like a muscle top because he hugged him snugly. One of his legs was over the hand of the chair, dangling idly while his head was cushioned on the other hand.

Maya opened her mouth to say something but a soft moan escaped instead. The man snapped the book closed and turned to her. Maya’s mouth fell open when she realized who it was. But how could that have been?

“Herman?” She croaked in shock.

“Maya!” Herman jumped from his chair and rushed over to her. “You are awake! Finally? Do you know how everyone is worried about you?”

Herman caressed lock from Maya’s face and Maya found herself pushing away from him. “What happened to you? Why are you like this?”

“I went through my puberty.” Herman still had that boyish grin with the dimples and all but Maya couldn’t shake away the uncomfortable feeling that was passing through her as she looked at him. Herman had a body like one of those guards and soldiers she saw moving up and down the house. Maya had never heard of puberty changing someone so dramatically like the way it did Herman.

“Puberty makes you grow acne and gives you your first wet dream but it does not give you a man body!” Maya exclaimed then cleared her throat and pointed to the glass of water beside them.

Herman quickly reached for the water and gave it to her. “I’m a pure-blood beast. This is puberty for me.”

Maya swallowed a few good gulps of water before she rubbed her lips with the back of her hand and frowned at him. “Pure-blood beast?”

“I’m a centaur—like Feror.”

Maya’s expression must have been comical because Herman ended up laughing. “You are centaur? I thought you were human, like me? A friggin centaur? What else have kept from me?” She seethed then saw the book still in his hands and yanked it from him before smacking it on his hard chest. “And I thought I told you not to read this?”

Herman rolled his eyes and pulled her into his embrace. “I missed you.”

Maya noticed Herman’s closeness wasn’t as comforting as it was before. When he hugged her, Maya’s skin crawled and she had to refrain from pushing him away. But she didn’t have to do anything because suddenly she recognized the malevolence that had suddenly appeared in the room. A growl began as a soft rumble until it finally escaped and made Herman jerk away quickly and turn to the door.

“You promised to read to her, nothing more.” Drake’s double voices scolded Herman.

Herman shrugged. “Sorry.”

“Get out.” Drake said.

Herman turned to Maya and winked before leaving.

Maya sighed and turned to the one man she had missed so much. He took her breath away the way he stood at the doorway looking down at her. His violet eyes churned like nothing she had ever seen before. The last memories she had of him were being with him in that forest with the heavens showering down over them. Just that thought made her cheeks heat up and she ended up casting her eyes to the floor.

“You are awake.” Drake entered and each step that he took, closing up the distance between them, Maya’s heart accelerated in her ribs.

“Drake...” She breathed hard, anticipating the moment he was close enough for her to touch him. Finally he got close enough and on their own accord, Maya’s hands snaked their way around his neck.

Drake pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her lightly on her cheek. “I’m so sorry for what happened. I had no clue as what could have happened to you.”

Maya didn’t care about that. All she cared was that he was not harmed and that she could touch him. “All that matters is that we are alright. How long have I been out?”

“Three days.” Drake answered as he moved back and caressed her locks from her face. Maya closed her eyes and purred softly, an action that made Drake chuckle.

“Three days? What did Red do to me?” Maya muttered.

Drake suddenly stiffened. “Maya, do you remember what happened to you three days ago?”

Maya nodded. “I do. I also remember a good part of my old life.” She smiled sadly as she remembered her friend Natalie, Francesca, Gavin, Sean and Chandler. She remembered what she was doing up in that plane and what happened afterwards. What she didn’t remember is what happened to her pedant. She touched her chest and sighed. “I lost something in that forest the day I fell from the sky and I need to go find it.”

Drake nodded. “But not yet. You need to fully recover before we can do that. How are you feeling?”

“My head is still buzzing--” Her eyes snapped up in excitement. “Red came into my dreams every once in a while—especially when the nightmares got worse.”

“He marked you.” Drake assured her. “Tegan tells me there must be a mark on you from him.”

Maya frowned as she sat up. She didn’t feel anything different on her although she had a little pain on her right hip, just above her pelvic bone. She lifted up the t-shirt that Akira had managed to dress her up in and gasped softly. Right there on her skin was a fiery red tattoo, undulating with glowing light. It was in a shape of the fiery flames of Red. “I have always loved tattoos but I never thought I would get one like this.” She laughed nervously.

Drake traced the engraved flames on her skin and she felt it all the way into her bones. The glow around it enhanced and followed Drake’s fingers.

“Sophia’s appeared just behind her ear.” Drake said suddenly mesmerized by the tattoo on Maya.

“Oh! The peculiar tattoo down her neck.” Maya asked remembering the tattoo Drake was talking about. He nodded and she bit her lower lip. “So, is there anything else that I should be prepared for?”

Drake shook his head. “Not that I know of.”

Maya sighed holding her hands up. “Then take me the hell away from here. I can’t stand this place and it is funny that I have spent so much of my time in this place.”

Drake scooped Maya off her bed and took her out, meeting the golden haired female Maya had found crying the last time. Her eyebrows snapped up in surprise when she saw them. She was very pretty but Maya hated the way she was looking at Drake. Suddenly she had the urge to jump out of his arms and stand in between the two. That made her frown slightly.

“Are you okay?” Drake asked her.

The girl nodded and forced a smile on her face. “Yes. I heard that you asked the High Lord for me to stay here a little longer to recuperate. I wanted to thank you for that. I don’t think I am ready to see my mother after not listening to her and getting myself into all this mess.”

“All you need to do is concentrate on getting better.” Drake told her.

The girl nodded and turned to her for a moment, her eyes darkening before she looked away. “I better get back before Akira starts searching for me. If you need for me to continue talking, I’ll be in my room.”

“I’ll check you later on.” Drake said and Maya found herself tightening her arms around him.

“Let’s go.” Maya pouted as she muttered to him.

Drake grinned at her as he took her away.

Once they got to his room, Drake placed Maya softly on the bed and stretched beside her.

“Drake...” Maya started as she snuggled closer to him, loving the feeling on his warmth seeping into her. “I wanted to know what happened to her girl in the infirmary. The last time I saw her, she wouldn’t stop crying on her bed.”

“Her name is Serensa and she is a dragon like me.” Drake answered.

Something twisted in Maya’s heart. Wasn’t he more compatible with another dragon? Did that mean that she was no longer of importance to him especially now that she had given him the one thing that she treasured the most. “What happened to her?”

“She was taken away from home and forced to live in very instable conditions—but we shouldn’t talk about that now. I am still worried about you, Maya. You need to eat and rest.”

Maya stretched and said. “But first I need a nice, long and hot bath because every part of my body is aching.

Drake was suddenly up on his feet and scooping her off again. “Done.”

Maya chuckled as Drake led towards the bathroom the doors closing softly behind them. Maya’s muffled laughter could be heard from the other side.