Treasure Of Dragons, Royal Dragons Book 1 Chapter 151

Ash

It actually ended up being more of a production to set up for the buses to get shipped to Alaska than we had thought. Thank god David was fluent in Greek. So, we have things set up for the buses to be shipped over. We have now secured a chartered plane for all of us to fly to Alaska. We have rented a huge lodge for a month right now, and we have the option to extend the rental. There is also a car rental once we get to the airport, so we have rented several minivans to get us to the lodge from the airport. 

We’ve set the kids down and explained some things, but the older ones know the whole deal with everything. The phoenix shifters and wyvern shifters are ready and packed to come with us. We have talked to them about staying for a month with us, but should they wish to return earlier we’ll take care of that. Alexios, of course, will be staying with Collette and us, and we’ll continue to monitor that and talk to them about what they want to do.

Just in case they are tracing our location when we call them, we’re waiting until we actually get there. There were no issues with the older girls watching out for the little ones, they know it will be for a short amount of time. I know that Ria very much missed Isobel, but she had felt that she couldn’t leave Romania, and the extended family that she still spoke to, and she’d occasionally visited over the years. Monica had wanted to stay, and even Natalia had surprised us and decided to stay and help the town organize and be prepared. She had lots of friends there though, so we understood, and we will see her for visits. 

I really think this plan is a good one. I am not a good one with this whole walking on eggshells. I prefer that we just get this whole thing started. Just let the whole shit blow and then we take care of what we need to rather than just waiting. 

I am watching Ria as she runs around making last-minute checks and making sure we have everything packed up for us to leave in the morning. I just shake my head at her as she takes care of everything. She’s so amazing.

I walk over to her and she pauses and looks up at me like she’s asking me what’s wrong. Rather than saying anything, I cup her face, and then lean in slowly, giving her time to say no or pull away, and kiss her softly, but thoroughly. As I pull back she just looks at me like she’s trying to figure out what that was for. I smile and shake my head.

“I just want you to know I see you, and I appreciate you. That’s all, nothing earth-shattering, just letting the woman I love know that she’s important, and appreciated.”

She smiles a little, “Oh, okay, well, thank you.” She laughs a little, then goes back to running around fixing everything. I’ll be glad when she doesn’t have as much pressure on her.

Hopefully, then we can start talking more and making more plans about this whole idea of a training facility. I actually like that. Of course, that will take a huge amount of planning and coordinating. Then we’ll have to figure out how to actually get the message out that it’s there. Our kids can certainly fill up part of it, and what we need to do about changing past beliefs and all of that bullshit. It all needs to start at home with them, and we have so much to basically unlearn and relearn and learn the truth about. We are making new contacts, like with these phoenix shifters, the wyvern shifters, and the brown bears. There are the villages where Elizabeth is, and the surrounding area. Not to mention, they have contacts for other people and locations. So, the potential is definitely there. 

We are finally airborne and there is a lot of excitement, tension, and anxiety all mixed together. Now that we know Brand is empathic, I find myself constantly checking to see how he’s doing now. Right now, the amount of emotional angst has to be huge, so that would have to be rough. I see him constantly watching Ria, but he has always been tuned in to her, and he was his big sisters when they were at home as well. 

Now, he’s turned into such a leader among the kids, and from what we had learned, the village children who needed him as well. We are exceedingly proud of the man he has become, and we acknowledge that has more to do with Ria than us. 

That talk we’d had with him had been brutal, but he deserved the honesty. The fact that it was so hard for us to answer those questions was a huge smack upside the head. I never want to be guilty of something that I would be upset to have to talk to my children about. So, I keep that in mind with every interaction with Ria now. Could I face my kids knowing what I am doing with their mom? Am I loving her the way she needs and deserves or am I being an asshole again?

It’s my goal to never again be the man who was so blind to so much. That thought I knew what we were doing, and that thought we had the answers to the situation. The man who hurt and damaged the woman he loves, so, never again will that man be allowed to exist. For the rest of the eternity of my life that will be my goal, to love her, and try to help heal all of the damage I helped inflict. 

I find myself staring at her, and she must feel my eyes on her, because she turns and looks at me and raises her eyebrows at me. I just smile and shake my head. She smiles and tilts her head, I think she sort of understands, but I just mouth, I love you, and leave it at that. 

Soon, we’ll be landing, and then, we have to get this all taken care of and face this fight head-on.