Doctor Dragon And Her Mate

To Safety

"You mean, your ex? he asked me, studying my face.

I nodded my head, struggling to fight against the tears, gathering in my eyes. I partly felt responsible for what happened. even after discarding several notes and letters, I kept it a secret from him. I should have told Blake. I should have been more careful. Drake couldn't be trusted. He was dangerous. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt her.

Fear invaded my chest. What if he already had done the unthinkable? My chest started to heave as tears rolled down my cheeks. I no longer had the strength to hold them back.

Bree... my Bree...

"Nina," Blake whispered, grabbing my shoulders and allowing me to lean against him as one of the teachers hastened to bring me a glass of water.

Was I about to lose it? I quickly gulped the water down and sat on the chair they provided. Blake crouched to look into my face. He looked concerned. Genuinely worried.

"Don't worry," he said, holding my hand. "I will do everything in my power to find out where Bree is."

I forced a smile on my face. I knew he wouldn't leave a stone unturned. He was a good man and skilled fighter. But he didn't know Drake like I did.

Drake was ruthless. On top of being a skilled combatant, he had no empathy. That was where he and Blake differed. Drake was a narcissistic pathogen who'd do anything to have what he wanted.

I gazed deeply into Blake's eyes. If only he knew what he was getting himself into. I didn't want him to get hurt, yet at the same time, I wanted Bree to be safe.

He cupped my face. "You trust me enough, don't you?"

I wanted to cry, but I didn't. As I nodded my head, tears continued to stream down my face. Although I wasn't crying out loud, my heart was weeping hysterically. I wanted to speak and tell him that I trusted him more than enough. That I knew he would do everything he could, but I couldn't.

I just couldn't utter a single word. The lump in my throat wouldn't budge. I watched teary eyed as he rushed out of the door, giving out orders to shut the school premises and to ask all parents to take the kids back home. I heard him call King Travis and summarise what was happening. He called someone else and barked out orders to send guards to the school premises.

For the first time ever, I was glad I was mated to the King's second in command. I tried to relax, but everything was chaotic. My emotions, the surroundings... everything.

Holding back my sniffles, I listened and held onto my little one. At least I still had Zoe to hold onto.

She looked into my face and wiped away my tear stained face.

"Mommy? Is Bree dead?"

I felt like the world stopped revolving. My lips parted. I knew I had to respond, but I froze?

Dead? Please no...

The principal offered a nervous laughter. "Zoe, dear. No. She is fine. They will find her soon. The King's guards are on it," she said, glancing at me nervously.

Her words resounded in my head. She is fine... she is fine...

I sucked in a breath. Of course... Bree should be fine... She had to be. My phone rang. It was Blake.

"Nina," he said as soon as I picked up the phone. "I am sending Jesse to escort you, Zoe and your dad to the Palace. No excuses. You all are safer there. Right now your safety is a priority."

He hung up the phone. My lips twitched. Jesse was a guard who Blake trusted a lot. He was one of the guards he wouldn't hesitate to give a task and blindly trust he'd have the task done on time and exactly the way he wanted. He wouldn't take no for an answer and this time I had no intention of protesting against his demand. Of course I would do anything to ensure the safety of Zoe and my dad.

It wasn't long after the call ended, Jesse peeked into the office.

"Ma'am," he said. I stood up, tightly holding Zoe's hand. I was scared of letting go, lest I lose her too.

As we followed him to the vehicle my mind was a whirlwind. I had no doubt it was Drake's work. But where would he take her? And why only her? Did he try to snatch Zoe too?

As we drove to our house, I tried to think hard about the places we used to visit when we were together. I had pushed most of the memories out of my mind. To me those recollections weren't worth reminiscing about. I thought about the pond we used to go to, but that place was too open. He wouldn't take her there.

I could think of nothing even when we arrived at our house. My father was waiting for us already at the door, holding a couple of bags.

"I packed a few of our belongings. I think this should do for now," he said, swinging the bags into the jeep.

"Grandpa, miss pinky?" Zoe asked about her favourite soft toy.

He fished it out of a pocket and gave it to her. "How can I forget about miss pinky?" he said, grinning.

Her eyes lit up. Seeing her excitement made me smile... just a little.

"And how about Bree's blanky?"

I had to bite my lower lip. Bree had outgrown that blanket, but even Zoe knew her purple and red blanket was Bree's favourite.

"Oh, I completely forgot. Uh... how about we share miss pinky? When we get back home, she can have her blanket."

Zoe stared at him for a while.

"Okay," she said and averted her attention to her toy.

I pursed my lips. Zoe seldon shared her Miss Pinky with anyone. This gesture was extremely heartfelt for me. Despite her tender age she must have felt something was very wrong.

I said nothing. My heart was too heavy with guilt and remorse. I wanted my Bree back.

My father patted my hand, prompting me to look his way.

"This isn't your fault, okay? Stop looking like that."

I couldn't hold back my sniffles. "Dad... if I had..."

"Stop. I knew you were beating yourself up. Stop it. It is his fault. He did this. Now focus. Where could he go with her? Are there any special places?"

I shook my head. "We didn't go to a lot of places as a family. Well for obvious reasons. He hated us. Why would he do that?"

"You are right. And to think he was hiding all these years. I wonder where he hid himself. Is there any specific place he asked you to meet him? Maybe there is a place he knows."

My forehead creased. "Well, yes. He repeatedly asked me to meet him near the pond. I thought nothing of it, but now that you said that... maybe there is something we don't know."

"Hmm... You should tell Blake." He glanced at me. "This time, just do as I say."

I sighed, nodding my head.

When we arrived at the Palace the Queen was ready to receive us. She pulled me into a warm hug. Her embrace was surprisingly nice. I didn't realise what a simple hug could do to someone grieving the loss of something so dear to them.

"I'm so sorry to hear about what happened. I promise you we will find both of them," she said.

"Both?" I was eager to see Bree, but Drake? I hoped I never saw him ever again.

"Yes. He has to pay for his crime. We can't let him off after what he did."

I nodded. I liked the sound of it.

As soon as we were escorted to out rooms I tried to contact Blake, but with no success. He could have shifted to his dragon and missed the call or was so busy that he didn't realise his phone was ringing. After trying a couple of times, I stopped. He was too busy.

The minutes seemed to drag by as I waited for any news from them. I tried to distract myself by entertaining Zoe, but soon got distracted by my thoughts about what my father told me in the jeep.

Perhaps there was something near the pond we didn't know about.

Zoe fell asleep on her usual bedtime. My father stayed in another room and he too had retreated to his privacy.

Being left alone, my thoughts continued to cause distress. What if he fled with her? What if he hurt her? Will I ever see Bree again?

I looked at my sleeping baby and made up my mind. I was going to look for them myself. I picked up the phone and sent a text to my father.

-Dad, I am going to look for her. Please check on Zoe? The guards will open the door for you.

I placed my phone on the table and marched towards the open balcony. My phone would be a distraction if I took it with me. Without thinking twice, I stepped on the railing and jumped, shifting to my dragon mid-air.

My gaze focused in one direction. The pond, which was located in a rather secluded area.