Ember of Hope
Chapter 20

Days passed like a dream and Raegan was fully healed; still she was reluctant to leave it all behind to go back to her own world. She was afraid that if she left Evreux, all this will turn out to be just a dream. The thought scared her. Whenever she thought about leaving; it felt like she’d be leaving a part of her soul behind.

She’d sent news of her well being with Valiance’s father on his next visit to human world. And even though he hadn’t found anybody home at Sarah’s place; he had left her letter in their mail box for them to replace on their arrival. Sure she must have worried her friend and her parents with her disappearance but now she felt at ease after writing them a long letter fabricating a story about what had happened to her. And now that she had made sure that Sarah knew she was okay; she could stay a bit longer if she wished but one day this journey would have to end. So what was the point in prolonging the inevitable? She’d just get more and more attached to the people here… the friends she’d made. And leaving will become more and more difficult with time…

She had to leave while she still could.

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Katie’s journal

I packed my belongings and started for Evreux. I had my core brimming with power now. My magic was itching to come out. On the border, I touched the barrier of Evreux and let my power flow through it, casting a spell so intricate, and bound to my blood that no other witch would be able to break it. And I wouldn’t be available to do the damage control for dear ol’ Alex and his dragons.

I had bound them all in their beast forms with the condition that only the blood of a true mate given willingly and with love could break the curse and return them to their human forms. But there was this teeny tiny glitch for them; what sane human girl would be foolish enough to fall in love with a beast? Who couldn’t even shift? This was my revenge on his kind. They would never ever be able to charm a girl into believing them and then have her heart broken by them again. I was going – but not for long. I would come back for my dear Alex – one more time.

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I bid my time to refine my plan – to hone my powers. I wanted him back – yes – I still loved him after what he did to me – I still loved him. After all I was his marked mate. He had taken my blood while in captivity but it wouldn’t do him any good now because it was taken prior to my curse on him and his kin.

To commence my plan, I needed to train. For it took a great effort and practice to hide one’s true nature. I was going to be a maid in his castle’s kitchen to play my cards. To manage a mask and turning myself into someone else was no problem for me but to hide my true nature – the power coursing through my veins was. To win the battles we have to lose much. I had to do it. Passing a potion to him in his meals regularly made him ill. I was careful so that the potion had no truly ill effects on his body. And on the day when, for his people, “The Greatest King of Evreux” died, it was actually just a dead body masked as Alex and the real Alex at that time was travelling with me to my own ‘lone lair’ – the human world.

I had altered his memories. He knew me. He knew everything as it was. Just some changes and we were good to go.

“We ran from Velar together. But when we arrived in Evreux his people didn’t accept me as their queen. They accused him of being mated with a vile creature like me. The venom they spat on him through their words told him that they had forgotten everything he had done for them. He was heartbroken but he did what was right by abandoning his right to be the king to one of his old generals who was still loyal to his king. And came with me. Away from all that hatred – away from Evreux – away from home. To build a new one with his true mate – with me”.

Yes! I was cruel… I never pretended otherwise. I was, after all, a witch… a cold hearted, vile creature.

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After spending a whirlwind time in Evreux Raegan packed to go back to her world. All her friends she had made in her time in Evreux were sad about her departure but she had a life back home. She had to go back to it. To Sarah, to her friends, to a new job – a new life. And she couldn’t let it wait any longer. Already it felt like her heart was being ripped in two. And she was shocked at the level of agony and misery she was feeling right now.

Valiance was awfully quiet, which bugged her the most. She loved the dragon above all her friends. He was a beautiful being with a beautiful mind and a heart of gold. She had shared with him the deepest feelings of her heart without the fear of any judgment and he’d been a perfect listener. He’d helped her see things in a different way.

But she had to go now. He took her to the portal on her request where 2 of his friends from town were waiting to take her across the portal. They both were mated males in their human form. She was thankful for their presence as this was her first time she’d be entering the portal while coherent, and it scared her for some reason.

The portal looked like a wall of kaleidoscopic shimmer. It was beautiful but the weird feeling in her stomach didn’t allow her to truly appreciate the beauty in front of her eyes. With a deep breath, she turned around to bid her friends goodbye. Nina had tears in her eyes as she hugged her tight, “Come back soon, I’ll miss you too much” she sniffled, threatening to make Raegan cry too.

Damien came next. He wrapped his neck around her in a warm embrace and she wrapped her arms around him as hard as she could, “I’ll wait for you to come back red. You know I can’t come to meet you there”. She sniffled and nodded her head, unable to form any words.

Valiance didn’t say goodbye like the others but extended a talon towards her. Dangling from it was a beautiful pendant in the shape of a blue dragon that looked like it was made out of glass. She took it in her hands to examine it further. It hung from a delicate golden chain and there was some kind of liquid swishing around inside. She looked at him in question and he said, “It’s a talisman made out of Aredite and it holds dragon blood inside. If you are wearing it, you will be able to see and cross the portal whenever you want. I hope you decide to visit soon”. With that he turned around to leave.

“Valiance” panicking, she called after him, “I’ll miss you”.

He stopped but didn’t turn around to look at her. And she crossed the portal.

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Valiance took a blow to his ribs before he could block the attack made by his best friend. They were practicing some land techniques in the arena. He cursed profusely and tried to stand his ground.

Damien growled “where is your attention Valiance? It’s the third hit you took in less than a minute damn it. And it’s not like you to get beaten like a chicken. What’s wrong man?

“Nothing. Let’s do this again”.

“I’m not doing anything again until you tell me what the hell is going on with you” Dimi snapped.

Valiance hung his head low and hissed, “She was the one Dimi. She was my mate and now she is gone and I’m cursed for my whole wretched life”. He was beyond frustrated… angry with everything… a broken heart and a ripped soul.

Dimi’s eyes grew big: “She was your mate and yet you let her go? Val, how could you?”

“What else was I supposed to do? Shackle her to my side? Because if you don’t remember correctly; I couldn’t tell her a damn thing because of that fucking curse. We are living in a fool’s paradise by thinking that a human girl in her right mind would ever fall in love with monsters like us”. Beneath all the anger lay the deep hurt Dimi could easily see. His heart broke for his friend… his brother.

But he had to talk some sense into his broken friend before he did something stupid. “Don’t speak bullshit. How many of us have found their mates over the years? It’s just not our time. Don’t lose hope brother”.

“What hope is left there for me? She is gone, isn’t she?”

“And she can damn well come back. If she really is your mate; the bond will attract her here Valiance. It won’t let her rest until she’s by your side… whether she knows she’s your mate or not. That curse is not stronger than the mate bond”.

“I hope so”. Valiance whispered, more to himself than his friend.

- He prayed for her return with every breath he took -

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