Supernatural Tales - Book II

Chapter 7

(Unedited)

In only a few hours, everything was ready for the trip to the Dragon Realm...

At first, Azure and Sybil had been alarmed to learn about their plan to travel to the dragon world so suddenly but the moment they saw Esme, they gave in without a hitch and even offered to open the portal for them so that Iris could save her strength for the journey. Genevieve was the most upset, rightfully so, given that they were going to miss her daughter's birth. But Esme had promised to return as soon as fate allowed them. When Tulip heard of her mother's plan to travel to another world, she was devastated because she knew after the quarrel between her parents, this would only be tougher on the mated pair and Fenrir had stayed close to their mate as she begged her mother to let her come along, something that both Irene and Ceres did not consider to be a good idea given how weak she had been in the last few weeks.

"Maman, please, let me come with you." Tulip was weeping as Esme held her in her arms, scared to death of parting from her mother, and Iris sighed softly while trying to calm Sadie who refused to let go of her too.

"We are unsure how long this will take, Tulip, and I can not--" Iris stopped speaking when Antonia and Ray finally joined them in the throne room where the portal to the Dragon Realm would open soon and her heart ached when her mate did not even look at her.

"Why is Tulip crying?" Ray had inquired at once, walking up to her granddaughter only to hug her strongly, and Iris sighed deeply as she watched Esme walking up to a stoic Antonia with firm steps.

"I know you are angry with me and I will not disrespect you by asking for your forgiveness." Esme started as soon as she stood before the woman she loved as a friend and a sister and Antonia finally looked up at her only for her eyes to brim with tears and pain.

"I may have not birthed them, but I was there when Ethel was born and I love them as dearly as any of you. However, I will also accept that I have failed our Ethel by being so selfish--" Esme only stopped talking when her voice faltered, she still loathed coming off as vulnerable, and Antonia did not even care to wipe her tears as she watched the woman before her.

"I will do everything to bring Ethel back to us, Antonia. Come hell or high water... I give you my word." With her head held high and her eyes as fierce as her voice, Esme had vowed, bowing her head, and she did not wait for Antonia to speak before turning to Iris.

"Let us leave. Please." She asked her anchor then, knowing she would be the only one to catch the urgency and vulnerability in her eyes, and Iris nodded before turning to her sisters who started chanting the spell to open the portal.

"Maman, please! Don't leave me!" Panicked beyond compare, Tulip had screamed at her mother and Iris appeared alarmed as she flitted to her daughter at once before wrapping her arms around her.

Irene and Ceres exchanged worried glances as they watched Tulip clinging to their Maman and Ray placed a gentle hand over Fenrir who looked just as distressed as their mate, whimpering at the sound of her cries. Genevive grabbed Esme's hand when she noticed it shaking, hoping to give her strength, and Kahlan walked up to Iris before gently caressing Tulip's back, hoping to ease her. But, what none of them knew, or could know, was the fact that something deep inside Tulip had been screeching and pulsing and in pain and it was all because of her Maman. Although she could not find any justifiable reasons for it, Tulip felt like her heart would rip into shreds if she let her Maman out of her sights and even when she did not understand where this was coming from, it scared her death. So she wept and begged and did everything to ensure Iris would not leave without her.

"Don't leave me, Maman, please. I beg of you, take me with you." Tulip sobbed in her mother's arms, trembling like a child as she pleaded with her to listen, and Iris could not understand just why her baby was so fearful, much like everyone else there.