His Mate: The Dragon King

Chapter eight

Everyone welcomed Irene and Rasmus during breakfast. They had returned early in the morning, and Aliyah was still asleep. Noah and Asher were the only ones awake when they returned, but Irene decided that they would turn in and all meet during breakfast.

Aliyah smiled on seeing the older woman who was still looking as peerlessly beautiful as when she first met her. They hugged and exchanged pleasantries. “I have really missed you,” Aliyah said.

“I have missed you too,” Irene smiled. “Who knows, maybe we can start spending more time here in the palace than moving around.”

“I’m still waiting for the day you would decide on that since you are not tired of traveling the world.” Aliyah rolled her eyes.

Irene laughed as they both made themselves comfortable on the couch. “I will look forward to it.”

“Good morning, Aunt Irene,” Asher and Naomi greeted as they joined the family.

Irene glanced at Naomi with a smile, her eyes flitting to her stomach and she gave her a knowing look, making Naomi blush and Asher shake his head. Why bother waiting for her if she already knows?

Edward was the last person to enter the living room, and like always, Rasmus went down on one knee to greet him. “This humble servant greets his Majesty.” He bowed.

Edward sighed and sat on a sofa, “when will you ever be tired?”

“Never, your Majesty. This servant has sworn to serve you all his life.”

Edward rolled his eyes, deriving a chuckle from Irene and Aliyah. “I know you didn’t come back because you missed us, so what is it?” Edward’s gaze went to Irene as his voice rang.

“Dear, did you have to be so blunt?” Aliyah rolled her eyes but he said nothing.

Irene giggled, “First, let’s have Asher and Naomi give us their news. I have already delayed them enough,” she winked at them.

Her words brought everyone’s attention to Asher and Naomi, except Edward, who sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, giving off the feeling that he already knew what they wanted to talk about.

Seeing this, Asher sighed, regretting why even bothering to surprise them since they already knew. But from the look in his mother’s eyes, he could tell that his father hadn’t told her yet, which means, he can surprise her and his sister. However, when he glanced at Mariah, he knew instantly that she already knows as well. Guess, the only ones that would be surprised would be his mother and Noah. Oh well, half-bread is better than none they said. Linking his fingers with Naomi who was blushing like a red tomato, he said, “we are pregnant.”

Aliyah’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

Asher chuckled, “It’s still like a week or so, we haven’t gone to the hospital to confirm. But I don’t think we need to since I have these,” he touched his ear.

“You don’t need to. She is nine days gone.” Edward answered, bringing their eyes to him and he rolled his eyes. “I knew when your mother was four to five days pregnant with you,” he glared at Asher, and to Mariah he added, “and you too.”

Aliyah laughed, not caring about her husband and children’s beef. She stood up and went to Naomi, grabbing her hands. “Darling, you are going to make me a grandmother.” She laughed happily and turned to Edward. “You are going to be a grandfather, perhaps it’s high time you stop being so poker-faced. Or wait, are you going to threaten to kill your grandchild? Or maybe feed him to the crocodiles, limb by limb?” she raised an eyebrow but couldn’t keep a straight face as everyone burst into laughter.

Edward glared at her, “would you ever stop making that statement?”

“Oh no,” Aliyah shook her head. “I made our children aware of it, I will make our grandchildren and great-grands, till generations to come. I will never stop telling them how you threatened to kill me every day I saw you.”

“Ha-ha, very funny,” Edward said but everyone could see it wasn’t that funny, nor was he angry. They have grown to be with the two and know that Edward would never be intentionally angry with Aliyah, no matter what she does.

The whole room lit up in a radiant atmosphere as everyone started guessing what name to give the boy. Asher already knew it was a boy, after all, he had felt the alpha energy two days ago. It was what confirmed the tiny beating he had been hearing for days. His eyes went to his sister, and although she joined in the lively atmosphere, he could tell that she wasn’t really present and it only reminded him of the man yesterday and what his deal with his sister was.

***

After lunch, with Aliyah and Naomi relaxing in the garden and Noah showing his father his research, Irene stole Edward, Asher, and Mariah away. As they got to the drawing room, she sighed and her eyes turned serious instantly.

“You don’t know how happy I am that you are okay, Asher. I had seen you badly wounded. It was why I got Rasmus to book our flight ticket and called your mom. But right at the airport, I got the vision that you were fine and a little more about that man.” Irene sighed, “A hundred years of peace and now this.”

“What is going on, Irene? Who is he?” Edward asked.

Irene shook her head. “I don’t know. What I do know is that he is a being we have never seen before but I don’t know what. I can’t really get a clear picture about him.”

“Mariah said she has been seeing him in her dreams for the past hundred years,” Edward said.

“Hundred and seventeen,” Asher corrected. “At first, we thought it was just a dream but then it persisted and I tried helping her find him. It was during that time that I was traveling around. I never knew he would be in a coffin, buried deep in the mountain. Aunt Irene, is there any royalty that you know was cast out?”

Irene shook her head. “I don’t know anything about this man, nor his kind, or his purpose. I don’t even know what he wants with Mariah. But all I know is that he wants her, he needs her.”

Edward sighed. “It’s a dangerous fight not knowing who your enemy is.”

“The problem is I don’t even know if he is the enemy.” Irene shocked them by saying.

“Of course, he is the enemy, he tried to kill Asher and me yesterday,” Mariah said.

Irene shrugged. “In my vision, at first, he was fighting us but then he was helping us fight some people dressed in white armor.”

“White armor?” Asher asked. “Who uses armor these days?”

“That is what I have been wondering about throughout my flight here. The humans are long gone from the medieval times. They have no reason for armors anymore when they have their bombs, guns, and missiles. The men in my vision had shields and swords. This man, this mysterious man was helping us fight them and he was in a golden armor.”

“Golden armor?” Mariah was surprised.

“Half of his coffin was made of gold,” Asher revealed. “Did he use the gold to forge the armor? The man I saw yesterday doesn’t look like he has a golden armor hidden somewhere.”

Mariah frowned and then turned to Irene. “Are you sure he was helping us fight?”

Irene gave her his attention, “Why would you ask that?”

“Because yesterday, he said he needed my blood to replenish and that if he wastes more time, he will find him.”

“He will find him?” Edward repeated with a frown.

Mariah nodded. “I don’t know what he means or who will find him. So, I don’t think he was fighting for us, I think he was fighting for himself.”

“Then why will I have a vision of him? I only have visions of the demon world and witches and also of our family and whoever that is linked to us. So, how is he linked to us? He is obviously not a demon nor a wizard so…one way or another, he is linked to us, that is the only explanation for me seeing him.”

Edward exhaled. “So, what you are saying is that he is neither an enemy nor a friend?”

“I think at the moment, he doesn’t know his stand with us too, hence why he wanted to kill Asher and Mariah. I think we need to find him, know what his purpose is, and if possible, find a way to prevent those white armored men from coming here. Just from the aura they exhibited, they are not simple people and I would not want them coming here, half of the world may not survive.”

Edward and Asher shared a look and said simultaneously.

“I think it’s time to tell mom.”

“I think it’s time to tell your mother.”

They both glanced at Mariah and she exhaled. “I don’t want mom to worry.”

“But she has to know, she is the queen. Also, I need to save my head for the time she eventually finds out. The more we hide it from her, the more I am likely to be killed when she finds out.” Edward said and while it was a joke, no one laughed because the news they just heard was weighing on them. Mariah mostly, as she wondered if her curiosity had brought calamity to their peaceful world.