"Goodness! Look at all these gifts!" Miles cried out, full of glee, his self-imposed "mature demeanor" momentarily forgotten. "They're quite late for Lissusfest, but just in time for your birthday, Florence!"

  At seventeen, he was usually above such childish displays, but there was something about receiving gifts unexpectedly that filled one with unbridled joy, regardless of age.

  Florence eyed the pile of wrapped boxes with awe—it looked like there were too many to count!

  "Oh, Ursula," her mother said, chiding her absent sister. "Look at all this, Claude! She's spoiling our children. Why, she's sent more presents than we gave them for Lissusfest."

  "Leave it be, Addie," he replied. "When was the last time their aunt sent them anything? Not within the last two years, if I remember correctly."

  Addie pressed her mouth into a line, but conceded. She supposed it was fine for her sister to spoil the children in such a way. After all, they'd never even met their Aunt Ursula. If this was the only way for her to express her love, so be it.

  "Alright, alright!" she called to Miles, Elaine, and Florence. "Shall we sort these out now, then unwrap them after dinner?"

  Florence hid the small box of chocolates behind her skirt. As soon as she had seen them in the pile, with her name on them, her mouth had watered. Mother didn't allow her to have sweets anymore, saying she had to start taking care of her figure now so that she'd grow up into a beautiful, slim young lady.

  Florence thought that was utterly stupid! Therefore, she had instantly decided to sneak out the box of chocolates before her mother could confiscate them.

  She ran up to her room and shut the door, then placed the box on the table in her sitting area near the fireplace. Inside the box was a letter, but in her hurry to get to the chocolates underneath, Florence tossed the letter to the side…where it sailed through the air to the nearby fire. Without her noticing, the fire quickly burned the letter to ash.

  "Mmm!" The chocolates were so delicious! She downed one after another, until the entire box was gone.

  Content, she lay down on her bed, hands resting on her stomach, and drifted off into sleep.

  A short while later, a maid entered and quietly tidied up, discarding the evidence of Florence's feast. With a smile, she covered up the sleeping Florence with a light blanket and let the young lady enjoy her afternoon nap.

  It wasn't until several hours later, when Florence failed to show up for dinner, that her family began to realize something was wrong. They sent a maid to retrieve her, thinking she had possibly lost track of the time.

  But when the maid returned to the dining room and reported that Florence would not wake up, Claude and Adeline shared a worried look, then they both abandoned their meal to check on their youngest child.

  Had she suddenly fallen ill?

  No—her brow was cool to touch, and her pallor was rosy, so she couldn't be ill.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  They gently jostled her, trying to wake her by force, but it only resulted in her head lolling about.

  Suddenly, she started screaming.

  At first, it was only screams of terror, her face scrunching up as she seemed to fight off invisible assailants.

  But then she started screaming about a toad-man and a knife-woman, and all sorts of other horrendous, unholy things, the words ripping out of her in a voice that wasn't hers.

  "Heavens, Claude! She's been possessed!" her mother cried. "Hurry, call for a priest!"

  A priest arrived soon after, only to declare he did not sense any demonic energy coming from young Florence. None at all.

  "Perhaps a physician?" he suggested, backing away and clutching his necklace.

  But the physicians couldn't help, either.

  Distraught, her parents moved her to the annex, unable to bear her screams and their failure to cease them. Her screams soon became an everyday occurrence at the LaVelle mansion annex.

  ?????

  ~Raius

  The urge to find his mate was relentless. A constant pull in his heart, heedless of direction and sense.

  Find her. Claim her. Complete the bonding. Every heartbeat was a reminder that she was not with him.

  But he couldn't claim her, not yet.

  There was too much danger he couldn't protect her from right now—she was safer with her clan, even if she didn't feel that way. But soon…soon he would claim her, and they would retreat to their den, together. He would be strong enough to protect her from an entire army of meddling humans!

  He ate. Even when he wasn't hungry, he ate. All sorts of land creatures fell prey to his teeth and claws. Elk at first, then bears, and most recently, he had taken down a hairless mammoth. A couple of weeks ago, when he was recently hatched, he wouldn't have been able to take on the mammoth, but now it was relatively easy. He was almost twice the size of a mammoth now, and he would only continue to grow, so long as he ate in his dragon form.

  Northern Dorandia was mountainous and wild. Raius knew he would find the perfect den for him and his mate, for there were plenty of existing caverns. Besides, if he didn't find the exact den he wanted, he could always make one.

  He could see it in his mind—a mix of the traditional dragon dens he had seen in the ?thermind and the human dwelling Florence occupied. Her dreams were completely open to him, for she did not yet know how to control the mindbond he shared with her. Therefore, he had an idea of what Florence would find comforting, and above all, he wanted her to feel at home in their den.

  Raius learned much about his mate through her dreams. Her fears, her desires, and the things she longed for. And what she imagined he looked like, which amused him endlessly. He was both thankful and annoyed by her dreams. Thankful because he could still feel a connection with her, but annoyed that it was his only connection to her at the moment.

  He crouched on top of a small plateau, sniffing the evening air gingerly. At present, he was his full size, able to grip boulders with his claws and uproot small trees. When he unfurled his wings, they spread across the sky, blocking out the sun. Therefore, he only flew at night, because it would be inconvenient if the humans learned of his existence too soon.

  Perhaps they would never learn of his existence. After all, he had killed all the witnesses within the mountain, and as far as he knew, only Florence knew he had hatched. Aurora had told her what she needed to know the last time Florence had entered the ?thermind. But, he knew her human mind was simply incapable of understanding certain things.

  He would teach her. Once they were bonded, she would understand. She would understand everything.

  Soon, his heartbeat reminded him. Soon.

  ??

  ??kb