“Kor-” I get out but he cuts me off, pissing me off.
“Don’t,” he says, walking up the stairs and I just close my eyes, wondering if this day could get any worse. The house phone starts ringing, and I run over, picking it up.
“Hello?” I ask in a tired voice, I just want to go to sleep and pray this day couldn’t get worse.
“Hello, is this the home of Jules Donald?” a man asks, the sound of beeping and people talking filling the background.
“Yes, I don’t know if she is in as I’ve just got home, but I can take a message,” I say, picking the pen up off the side and going to grab the paper when the man speaks.
“Madam, Miss Donald is in hospital and I would like you, or her next of kin, to come in. She asked for an Isola Dragice,” he says, making my heart pound against my chest. This can’t be happening, not Jules.
“That’s me, I'll be right there, is she okay?” I ask.
“I can’t tell you anymore on the phone. Please don’t worry and come in,” he says and I say goodbye before putting the phone down. I run up the stairs, knocking on Elias’ door and waiting. He opens it up a few moments later, looking like I just woke him up, with his messy hair, and just his pyjama shorts on.
“What’s up?” He asks.
“Jules is in hospital, and I need a ride there. Dagan and Korbin aren’t talking to me, so could you please take me?” I ask and he nods, reaching for a hoodie off the back of the door and pulling it over his head, hiding the body I can’t even focus on because I’m so worried about Jules.
“Yeah, anything for you, princess. Is she okay? What happened?” he asks, and walks past me out the door.
“I don’t know,” I admit, and he slides his hand into mine, squeezing once before letting go. I wait for him to get his coat, and some keys off the side.
“I’m sure Korbin won’t mind us borrowing his car,” Elias smirks, holding the keys up in the air.
“I’m pretty sure he will,” I say, remembering how angry he looked, how he judged the situation wrong, and walked away. I walk up to the car, waiting for Elias to unlock it and then getting in. Elias gets in, doing his seatbelt at the same time as me before starting the car.
“So, what happened to Jules to get her in the hospital?” he asks.
“I don’t know, they didn’t tell me much, just that she asked for me. I’m all they had to call. She basically brought me up, so she is all the family I have in a way,” I explain and he nods, not taking his eyes off the road. Thankfully it’s only twenty minutes’ drive to the hospital, and there’s no traffic around.
“Okay, another question. What happened with Korbin and Dagan?” Elias asks, and I look out the window.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I mutter.
“Come on princess, you can trust me,” he says cheekily, and I shake my head, hating how he can make me smile.
“Fine. Korbin thinks something happened between me and Dagan today, when it didn’t,” I say, still cross about how angry he got without talking to me. I hate being judged for something I hadn’t done. I can’t say I hadn’t thought about doing it, but yeah… I hadn’t.
“Okay, have you ever heard the term reverse harem?” he asks me, surprising me a little.
“I read a lot, and my favourite is a series about demons,” I say, “but you can’t be suggesting? And how do you even know about reverse harems?” I blurt out, feeling my cheeks getting red.
“I read, and it’s something I’m interested in, with the right people,” he says, shocking me silent.
“It wouldn’t work, you guys are all too possessive,” I say, knowing dragons are naturally possessive about those they consider theirs. They see their mates like treasures, and they don’t like to share those. Like my dragon seems to think they are all hers, and I know she would lose her shit on me if I tried to date anyone else. I never got why she put a claim to them in the first place, why she calls them mine. I want to ask her, but I can’t with Elias watching me so closely.
“Yeah, I am. I don’t know why, but the idea of anyone touching you…It’s not good, princess,” he admits, tightening his hands on the steering wheel. “Then I think about you and Korbin, and Dagan...I wouldn't hurt them for loving you.”
“You wouldn’t?” I ask, curious.
“No. But I know you’re not ready to be with us all, and to be honest, none of us are even close to figuring out what is between us,” he tells me, and honestly, as I meet his blue eyes, I know he is right.
Chapter Seventeen
Isola
What did the doctor say?” Elias says, using his shoulder to open the door as he carries two hot teas in his hands. The door shuts behind him as I look at Jules on the bed, plugged into dozens of wires, and looking as pale as the bedsheets. I wipe a tear away, numbly repeating what the human doctor told me.
“Jules had a heart attack and fell over, banging her head. They said they have her in a medically induced coma to stop the swelling on her brain before waking her up,” I say, struggling with the worry I feel for Jules.
“Here, a cup of tea always helps everything. Or that’s what Jules told me two days ago,” he says, making me chuckle.
“Yeah, she is British through and through, thinking a cup of tea fixes everything,” I mutter, but he hears me.
“I never really liked it,” he says, sipping his drink and pulling a face.
“Shhh, don’t let her hear you say that,” I say, smiling. Elias always knows how to make me smile somehow. I drink my tea, still holding onto her hand with mine. I knew I’d see her die one day, as a human her lifespan is so much shorter than mine. It still hurts, it still crushes me to know she will be gone, and every connection to a massive part of my life is just gone with her. I stand up, putting the cup down, and walking out the room, not really thinking or looking where I’m going.
“Isola, wait!” I hear Elias shout, but I can’t listen as I start running and going down corridor, after corridor until I find some stairs. I open the door, running up the stairs and getting to the very top, and to the emergency only door. I pull it open, running out onto the roof and just stopping. The view is amazing up here, hills, trees and lit up houses for miles to see. The stars above making a beautiful backdrop but all I can think about is how much pain happened in this world because I don’t belong here. I can feel it, I always felt it. This isn’t my world and I feel trapped here. Haunted by ghosts.
“Isola…” I hear Elias say behind me, the sound of the door shutting behind me makes me jump. I turn, seeing him standing a few steps away from me. There’s such tension between us, so many unanswered questions running across his eyes, such passion. I want to run to him, let him hold me like I know he would. But I don’t, instead I take a step back, protecting myself from doing anything I know I might regret. Not that I would regret being in his arms, but I would regret the curse taking any price for any of my actions. I have already risked Korbin, and I know him hating me now is only a slight fraction of what he will feel when he remembers.
“Tell me, what is it you’re hiding? What are you running from?” he asks me, his deep and seductive voice making me close my eyes.
“You will be the one running if I tell you what I am,” I say, meaning every word.