The Last of the Firedrakes...Or so We Thought

Chapter 29: The Plot

We land back in the dinning room of Noctis's home. Two huge men and the same lady from earlier greet us with concerned faces.

"What is it?" Noctis strides towards them, Elliot in tow. 

My eyes connect with the beautiful eyes of that lady. Her fiery red hair stark against her green eyes. She turns those eyes back to Noctis. 

It hasn't occurred to me until now that I wonder what her involvement and significance with Noctis is. Sister? Friend? Cousin? Lover?

I was surprised with how much that last option hurt. 

I look up in time to see Elliot and Noctis join the group around the table, leaving me standing alone.

"What happened?" I demand.

"Danica-" Noctis starts.

"No!" I shot back. "What happened? If it concerns me, you must tell me!"

Noctis exchanges a worried glance with one of the men I have yet to be introduced to.

He walks to me with slight hesitation and hands me a letter.

I look up at him before turning my eyes to the scribbles on the page. 

Princess Danica,

You have three midnights to meet me in the Blackthorn Forest at the last midnight. If you wish your friends alive, come alone. 

It wasn't signed. 

I look up at them all staring at me. "Well I have to go. They might kill them all."

"If you go, they'll just kill you as well." Elliot says with an unnerving amount of calm. 

I shrug. "It will buy my friends time to get out."

"Or." The buff man with his long black hair tied back begins, "You can buy us time to get them out without dying." He emphasizes the last part.

"Yes, yes that could work." Noctis chimes in. "Danica dear can stall while Tenebris and Timor go to retrieve her friends."

"Noctis and I will be recognized in Rohron Court so we must stay behind. One will stay here, the other will follow Danica." Luxie crosses her arms.

"Then it's set. In the three days I will return home with my friends."

. . . 

A book appears in my lap as I lay in bed that night, thinking.

I open the book and flip through the pages. Empty.

I slam it shut and discard it to my night table.

We stayed up for hours plotting and checking and re-checking to make sure nothing would go wrong. Again.

I turned on my side, my eyes heavy with exhaustion. I was tired but whenever I closed my eyes I saw Rafe, frozen and helpless.

CLUNK. I sit up to see the empty book on the floor. I scoop it up and open it. 

On what used to empty pages were elegant words I recognized as Noctis's handwriting. 

Danica darling, please stop thinking about the boy. We will help them. I need my beauty rest and I can't do that when I see visions from you because your brain is all muddled. 

I found a pen on the nightstand and wrote back, Shut up. Do you even know what beauty sleep is?

New words pop ip as soon as I finish writing mine. 

Oh, you're going to wish you never said that.

I scoff, Yeah, right. 

There's a loud knock on my door. I huff and get up to answer it. Noctis brushed past me and flops onto my bed.

"I was unaware that your beauty sleep was taking place here."

He grins up at me. "Who said anything about sleep?" Noctis eyes me up and down. "Nice nightgown."

I cross my arms over my chest.

His grin widens and I roll my eyes.

I sit in my bed next to him. "What are you even doing here?"

His eyes soften and his smile turns sincere. "I thought you could use a friend." He admits. 

"Hm."

"What?" He sits up and starts to move off the large bed. "You want me to leave?"

I grab hold of his hard bicep. "No-no please stay."

He nodded softly and lays back down. I lay down next to him as he snaps his fingers, diminishing the light in the room.

"Just stay on your side of the bed."

Noctis huffs out a laugh. "Goodnight, Dani."

"Yeah, goodnight."

<3

Hey guys,

So sorry for being MIA but I've been working really hard on this story and a few others.

Stay with me guys, it will be worth it!!

Xoxo,

DD