“Kassandros…Kassandros…”

The Black Dragon King stopped working as soon as he heard that familiar sing-song voice. That familiar power…could feel her fingertips trailing along his shoulderblades…with just a simple flicker of his power, he pushed her away from him, only to hear her dark laughter in the air before it changed into a beautiful woman, with silver hair that fell to her shoulders, and that air of darkness and madness all rolled into one. “Misericordia…” Kassandros growled the moment her true form appeared.

Wearing a black deep v dress with golden patterns on the bodice that matched the color of her eyes, Misericordia Everbleed, Queen of the Dark Lands, gave the Dragon a smile that almost matched with her cold beauty. “Kassandros…my darling. How long has it been since we’ve been in the same room?” she asked in a soft voice. She walked back over to the desk and stood next to him. “How long has it been since you felt…” her hand touched the ridge of his shoulder and slowly dipped down to his neck, placing her lips on it, “the touch of a woman, hm?”

The question made him rub his forehead. “Why are you here, woman?” he asked with a growl again, turning to face her. “Haven’t you done enough to me?”

“You know what I want,” she purred. “I want you to be mine. Make me Queen. I will warm your cold bed-“

“Stop it.” He whispered. “Don’t speak of things that won’t come true. I will never-“

“Mate again?” Misericordia said, pulling back from him and walked back around the desk. “Or fuck again, which one is it? I always thought your beauty could bring most of the women to the yard…but then, all you care about lately is your kingdom, your daughter and that little brat she calls a son. How old is he know? Five, six? Still hanging on to mother dearest?”

He hated it that she knew about Cassie’s son, a bright, six year old boy that always hung around him or his cousin, Simba, and was growing each and every day. And Simba, the once happy boy had now grown into a teenager-and he was good with both magic and bows and arrows, his dragon form as black as his and his grandfathers. It would be a shame since Phoenix wouldn’t be able to shift into a dragon himself, since he was sadly a human. But he would be a crown prince-it had been a long time since Avaloria had a crown prince-and Simba would take Alektryon’s title and would be a prince.

“You never answered my question,” Kassandros asked. “Why are you here?”

“To make a deal.”

A deal…that doesn’t sound good. “And…what’s this deal?” he asked slowly.

Misericordia thought about it, tapping her chin. She smiled gleefully before she spoke again. “Your daughter shall marry my son, then she won’t be lonely anymore. The boy can have a father, finally, and you-“

“No. Hell no.”

“Excuse me?” Misericordia thought she didn’t hear him right. Was he refusing her? “What did you just say?”

“I said…no.” Did he really think that he’ll give up his only daughter to the bastard that pretended to be her guard, only to betray her? “I’m not giving my daughter up to your son. If I could, I could kill him again so he won’t be around her ever again.” At those words, his eyes turned a flaming orange color, the sign of the ancient black dragon.

That only made Misericordia recoil back from fear-the only time she was scared of him. “You will say yes to me, Kassandros,” she snarled, the dark tendrils of her magic starting to surround her. “You won’t resist me soon. I know you will.”

“Get out of here, Misericoridia,” he snarled to the Dark Queen. “Come here again, and I’m going to kill you.”

The only thing she did was laugh as she left Earlington Castle, leaving Kassandros to lean back in his seat, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Dinner had come around, and everyone was in the huge dining hall, eating and talking about their day. Kassandros had been quiet the whole meal, not speaking to anything until he felt a tug on his arm. Turning, he looked into the brown human eyes of his only human grandson, Phoenix. “Yes, dii grandson?”

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“Grandpa sad,” Phoenix said, holding out his dinner roll. “Present for…for grandpa.”

A smile broke out at the dinner roll in his tiny hands. The thought of Phoenix being Chase’s stepson would be horrible for the sweet, kind boy, who was getting bigger and brighter each day. He would never know the sweet, kind life he knows now since Cassie brought him home and raised her herself, having a nursemaid assigned to him and also being a good mother as much as she could. How she balanced being a mother and a Queen at the same time worried the old dragon for a moment, but then as she figured it out, having sleepless nights when he was sick with him, and would come around and be with him each time.

Taking the roll, he hugged his grandson before looking around sneakily and passed him his part of the apple pie. “Don’t tell monah, hm?” Kassandros said with a smile and a wink, and Phoenix nodded, going back to his seat and started to eat the cake. Alektryron looked over to Phoenix with his two plates of apple pie, grinning.

“What?” Phoenix asked between bites. “Uncle want pie?”

“Uncle doesn’t want pie,” Alek answered with a chuckle, taking a sip of his ale. “Just that…Grandpa did the same to me and your monah when we were younglings. And Uncle may have done the same to your cousin when he was little.”

That made Simba snap his head towards his father. “I’m sorry-you did what?” he asked. At only fifteen years old, Simba was already a really good hunter and magic user, preferring his bows and arrows. Only a couple years ago he shifted into his black dragon form to take out a couple demons, but never again, only for emergencies. But ever since then, Simba became the leader of the rangers-at the young age of fiftten!-and had learned how to use the sword and the ax as well. But when he was little, he was always running around with his cat Jinx and always climbing things. “I don’t remember you giving me a-“ before he could finish that statement, his mouth was covered by Alek’s big hand, shushing him.

Cassie looked up at the four of them, confused. “Um…is everything…” she asked, watching her nephew try and bite down on Alek’s hand, and her father and son hiding secret smiles on their faces. She chuckled, though a part of her wished that she had someone to share it with for the rest of her life. She was quite happy, but after all the councilors begged and pleaded with her to mate, to find a King, Cassie just couldn’t do it. No one, she thought, will love her as much as Sam did. And now that he wasn’t here, Cassie felt like she couldn’t move on.

“Everything’s otay!” Phoenix told her, removing his mouth to give her a smile before going back to his pies. That made her chuckle as she turned back to her father-and saw that small, sad look on his face. A worried look flashed across the Queen’s face as she looked at him, but then sighed and nodded, having a feeling that they’ll talk about it later.

~

“She..she wanted me to marry…” Cassie blanched after listening to Kassandros relay the whole conversation he had with Misericordia. The thought of the evil fae Chase even being her husband-and even touching her-made her skin crawl. “I’m not marrying him. I’m not even ready to marry! Father-tell me that you refused this…this horrible proposal!”

He nodded. “I did,” Kassandros told her. “I couldn’t picture him being the father of Phoenix, you know that.”

“Oh gods…” Shakily, she placed a hand on her lips. Just the thought of Phoenix actually calling that…that fae…”No.”

“But…Cassie. You know I love you, and I want you to be happy…” he started, though knowing that rushing her wasn’t going to help anyone. “How long will it be since Sam passed?” he asked slowly.

Silence filled the room at the question. He hadn’t dared ask the question because he didn’t know how she would react. Angry? Upset? He didn’t know that he was holding his breath when she said, “A hundred years.”

A hundred years.

She’d been morning Sam for nearly a hundred years, and had not once felt anything else for nearly all the men that had come to the castle and ask for her hand? When Phoenix came into her life, she tossed it away, just so she can be a mother, and had turned her head from the many men that wanted to court her. He had a feeling that she never healed from missing her Sam, and the thought of marriage…downright frightens her. “I’ll never rush you into marriage, you know that,” he told her softly. “But one day, Cassie…you’ll find it again. The same feelings you felt for Sam will come back to you once you find love again.”

She shook her head. “No it won’t,” she muttered. No one will call her his depraved dragoness anymore-no one will hold her like he did. No one will make her feel that way anymore. She’ll be as old as her father and never know a touch of a man ever again. “I’ll ever feel that way again. Even if you tell me a thousand times.”

Kassandros sighed as he got up and gently kissed his strong daughter on the cheek. “You say that now,” he told her as he started to leave her office, “But one day, my girl, you’ll fall in love again. That spark will come back to you. Love doesn’t go away because someone died.” And yet, with those words, he knew they were true. What she was experiencing is what he and Alek went through when their loves passed on-shutting down the emotion of love so they won’t feel it again, until they find the love of their lives.

Cassie waited till her father left, and stared into the fire. Tears came to her eyes as she shook her head. “I will never fall in love…ever again.” She whispered, turning away and called on Moiraine so she could go to bed.