A/N:This chapter is beta by Kylee. Thank you very much Kylee and I hope that you are able to fix your macbook. To my reader thank you for your reviews. Here it is the new chapters, enjoy.:)
Chapter 21
It started to rain the moment Christian ran out. He ran and ran until he came upon a river. He stopped and threw his head back, crying out at the dark stormy clouds above. He ignored the rain that came pouring down like there was no tomorrow. He ignored the cold wind and thunder and just focused on all the painful feelings he had hidden inside himself all these years. His brother’s words came back to haunt him. "You love him Christian.” He shook his head as his brother’s words kept repeating inside his head.
"I can't. I can't. I can't no matter what I can't. I won't allow it!” he shouted out. He didn't turn around when he heard Vince come up to him.
“We should never have met,” Christian murmured, still not looking at Vince.
“Christian,” Vince called out to him tenderly.
Slowly Christian turned to face Vince. He reached up to touch Vince’s face, startling Vince with his action. Vince was looking at Christian with tender eyes. The same tender eyes he used to watch him with when they first slept together.
“I'm sorry Christian,” Vince said as he reached out and wiped the tears away for Christian. The two of them ignored the heavy rain and thunder as they both stood staring at each other. Vince was the first one to break eye contact. He swept Christian into his arms and silently carried Christian back to the cave behind the waterfall.
When they returned to the cave, Christian didn't say a word. He just sat silently as Vince stripped him of his wet clothes and hung them to dry over the fire he had built earlier. Vince grabbed a warm cloak from his bag. He went over to Christian and threw it over Christian’s shivering body.
“Out of all the goddamn caves, you just had to go and pick this one.” Christian spoke up finally and he was back to his old self again.
Vince smiled, glad to see Christian back to his old self. “We shared many happy memories in this cave. We made love for the first time in this cave didn't we?” Vince looked right at Christian with teasing eyes. He saw a slight blush come upon Christian’s cheek.
“Shut up Vince. I don't want to be reminded of how naive I was back then.”
“Naïve? I don't think so.” Vince got up from his spot by the fire and came over to Christian. Now he was face to face with Christian.
“You were young and beautiful then. Even now in my eyes you are still beautiful, but you were never naive. Stubborn, yes.”
“No matter what you say Vince, I am never going to fall in love with you again."
“I know, but that won't stop me from wanting you Christian.” Vince moved his head forward and captured Christian’s lips with his own, kissing Christian deeply.
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Keelan opened his eyes and rolled over to his side. He sat up and yawned then got up to wash the sleep off his face. As he was drying his face with a towel, someone knocked softly at his door. "Come in," he said without turning around to see who it was.
“Keelan.”
Immediately Keelan dropped the towel in his hand. He spun around and came face to face with Attis.
"You sure have a lot of guts to be showing up here at my door." Keelan remarked angrily.
“I need to talk to you Keelan.”
Keelan snorted. “Talk? What is there to talk about Attis?”
“Everything. Look Keelan, I know you have every right to be angry with me, but believe me, I still love you. I didn't leave you because I wanted to. I was planning to tell you that night I left but my brother showed up and demanded that I leave with him right away.”
“Only a fool would believe your story Attis. If you’re going to lie to me, try harder,” said Keelan.
“Damn it Keelan, I am not making this all up.”
“He’s not making it up.” A voice that Keelan had not heard in such a long time spoke up for Attis. Right away Keelan’s eyes went straight up. Standing at his door, with a crutch he used to support himself was his second older brother Ratha, Dara’s father.
Keelan’s angry face was quickly replaced with a soft expression. He raced over to his brother’s side and hugged him tightly. “I can't believe this! You’re alive as well. I missed you so much Ratha.”
“I missed you too Keelan. Thank you for raising Dara into a fine young man.”
Keelan grinned and laughed. “You’re welcome my dear brother, but I didn't do it alone.”
“I know,” said Ratha softly.
“Ratha, Keelan is your brother?” Attis asked as he tried to overcome his shock at what he had just found out. Now it made sense to him. Ratha was angry with him that day because Keelan was his brother.
"Yes Attis, Keelan is my brother. My adorable little brother.”
"Ratha, how the hell did you come to know this bastard dragon?" Keelan asked his brother as he glared at Attis.
“He is Arthus’ brother.”
“Who the hell is Arthus?”
“My brother,” Attis answered before Ratha could.
“What Attis told you earlier its true. His brother did drag him here the night before he was to wed you."
“And how would you know this Ratha?”
“I wrote to Arthus and asked him about it when Attis explained to me why he left you at the altar.”
"Fine, I'll forgive him," Keelan grumbled.
"Keelan, will you give me another chance to prove to you that I still love you?” Attis asked, feeling very happy at that moment that the man he loved dearly was willing to forgive him.
"I believe that would be impossible," said Emerald who had been standing, quietly listening the whole time.
Keelan sighed out. Ratha smiled while Attis bowed his head.
“Your Highness,” Attis greeted the great dragon politely.
“I thought you said you had some important matters to attend to Emerald,” said Keelan with his arms crossed in front of him.
"I did, but it was over sooner than I expected Keelan,” Emerlad said as he walked over to Keelan and put his arms around him in front of Attis and he even kissed him as well in front of Attis.
Keelan didn't pull away, which seemed to surprise both Attis and Ratha.
"Oh yes, before I forget, I heard from Vasile that Dara isn't feeling very well this morning.”
“What? Dara isn't feeling well?” both Keelan and Ratha said out loud.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you say so sooner? Stupid dragon!” Keelan snapped at Emerald. Then he went over to his brother’s side and took him along with him to visit Dara, leaving Emerald alone with Attis.
Emerald smiled coldly and sat down. He pointed to the seat across from him and Attis immediately walked over and sat on it.
“I want to make one thing clear to you Attis. Keelan is expecting my child. He and I will be married the moment we return to my palace."
“I understand Your Highness, but that does not mean that I cannot continue to love him. For I have loved him since the moment I met him. If it wasn't for my stupid brother Arthus, he and I would be married already, and it would be my child he was expecting not yours," Attis added with cold grin of his own. Then he got up and left.
Emerald poured himself a drink. “Cheeky bastard,” he muttered.
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Dara was sitting in bed with a frown while the palace doctor examined him. Sasha was beside him when Keelan entered with Ratha. Dara quickly turned his frown into a smile. "Good morning Uncle Keelan,” and.. “Oh my, hi, we meet again. Good morning to you too," Dara greeted Ratha.
Keelan looked from Dara to Ratha. "Dara don't you know who he---"
Ratha’s hand came up to cover Keelan’s mouth right away, cutting him off from telling Dara who he was.
"Excuse us for a moment," Ratha said smiling as he pulled Keelan out of the room.
“What was that for Ratha?” Keelan demanded the moment Ratha removed his hand.
“I haven't told Dara who I am yet. As far as he is concerned, I'm just some crippled old man who wanders this palace.”
“ I can't believe you Ratha.” With both hands on his hips, Keelan gave his brother a stern look. “You are going to go in there and tell him this instant that you are his father Ratha. Or I swear that I will do it for you.” Keelan wasn't asking his brother, he was ordering his brother.
Before Ratha could protest, they both heard Dara yelling out loud, cursing the palace doctor. They both reentered the room right away to see Dara trying to strangle the palace doctor and Sasha trying to pry Dara’s hands from the poor doctor’s throat.
"What the hell is going on?" Keelan demanded as he went to help Sasha pry Dara’s hands from the doctor’s throat. Dara however, proved to be stronger than the two of them combined.
“Dara is three weeks pregnant,” Sasha answered as he tried his damn hardest to help the poor doctor.
“I am not. He’s lying!” Dara yelled.
"Y-yes you a-are!" The doctor managed to say.
“ENOUGH! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?”
Vasile stood in the middle of the open door looking furiously mad. He was looking forward to spending a quiet time in bed with Dara. He did not expect to return to his chamber to see all this commotion.
"Master you have to help us. The doctor will die if we don't---"
“If the boy wants to kill him then let him. He must have done something to anger him.”
“Master! It’s not the damn doctor’s fault!” Sasha snapped at his master for the first time. “It should be you that he is trying to kill this very moment,” Sasha added angrily.
Vasile sighed, then went over to their side. It only took him a second to pry Dara’s hands from the poor doctor’s throat.
"Let me kill him. I want to kill him Vasile!” Dara yelled as he tried to get his hands on the doctor.
"I'll let you kill him as soon as you tell me why you’re angry with him."
"Why?" Dara turned his angry eyes at Vasile. He was huffing and puffing like a mad man. His insides were boiling with rage.
“That stupid doctor told me that I'm pregnant.”
“Three weeks pregnant boy,” Sasha corrected.
“Shut up Sasha!”
Vasile stared at Dara long and hard as he tried to digest what Dara told him. "Pregnant? As in you’re having a baby?"
"Yes, you stupid dragon!" Dara snapped.
“Is this true?” Vasile asked the doctor.
The doctor nodded his head and when Dara glared at him, he hid behind Keelan.
“The boy is three weeks pregnant Master.”
Vasile suddenly lifted Dara up and spun him around surprising everyone. He was laughing out loud in pure happiness. Like Dara had just given him the greatest gift of all.
"Put me down you stupid dragon! You’re making my head spin.”
Vasile put Dara down and kissed him long and hard.
“Can I kill the damn doctor now?” Dara asked, even though he was no longer mad.
“You can kill him after he delivers our babies.”
“Then I guess it’s fine if I kill you instead,” Dara said with a deadly grin. If he couldn’t kill the doctor, then he could certainly kill the damn dragon that was responsible for putting him in this situation. He could at least give him hell.
Vasile could read Dara’s thoughts like an open book. He smirked,“You can try but you won't succeed boy.”
“Why you--”
“Sorry to interrupt,” a voice said from the doorway, cutting Dara off.
Everyone turned to see who it was. It was a man with golden hair and crystal blue eyes. He had a long face and was about the same height as Vasile and Emerald.
“Arthus, how good to see you,” Vasile greeted.
“It is good to see you too Vasile.”
Hearing the name Arthus, Keelan turned to look at his brother Ratha. “This is Attis’ brother?”
Ratha simply nodded his head. He turned his head away when Arthus looked in his direction.
Vasile put his arms around Dara and jerked him closer to him. “Arthus, let me introduce you to my lovely mate Dara.” “Dara meet Arthus. He is my father’s best friend, or should I say his only friend.”
“I wish that I could say “nice to meet you”, but I don't like dragons,” Dara said as he secretly pinched Vasile’s thigh.
“I understand,” said Arthus, not offended at all. He turned his eyes back to Ratha. “I have been looking for you Ratha.”
“What for?” Ratha asked, looking everywhere but at Arthus.
“I came to take you home with me.”
Ratha’s eyes immediately shot up. Leave? He didn't want to go, not now not when he had just reunited with his brother Keelan and his son Dara. If he left he would never get the chance to tell Dara who he was. Ratha turned to face his son then back at Arthus.
“I can't, not now Arthus. I can't leave---”
“Ratha, you promised.” Arthus kindly reminded him.
“But-- But I....”
Arthus came over to Ratha and swept him into his arms. “If you all would excuse us, Ratha and I need to talk in private.” With that said, Arthus left with Ratha.
