A Turn of Tides (A Shade of Vampire #13)(55)

“I’ll make my dad cool.” My father’s eyes were wide with shock as we came within a few feet of each other—as much to see me as to see me with Caleb.

I leapt off Caleb’s back and hurled myself into my father’s strong arms.

“Rose,” he choked, still looking at me as though I might be an illusion.

He held me in a bear hug as I wept tears of joy and relief onto his shoulder.

I kissed his cheeks as he cradled the back of my head in his hand.

“Dad! Oh, God.

I was so worried about you.” “Worried about me? Do you have any idea of the agony your mother and I have been in?” “The black witches didn’t come for you?” “No.

At least, not yet.

But… What the hell happened to you, my darling?” “I can’t explain now.

I—” I stopped short as I caught sight of my mother over my father’s shoulder.

She had the same stunned look on her face.

“Rose?” she croaked.

“Mom!” My father let me down as my mother approached and threw herself at me.

I almost tripped from the force of her embrace.

“Rose! My baby!” She began to sob hysterically against my shoulder.

My own tears fell afresh as we showered each other’s faces with kisses.

She cupped my face in her hands, then ran her fingers through my hair as she looked me over, as if looking for any part of me that might be broken or injured.

“What happened to you?” My parents’ eyes fixed on Caleb.

I stepped away from them and grabbed Caleb’s hand as I stood next to him.

“Mom, Dad… Everything you thought you knew about this man, you were wrong about.

I don’t have time to explain everything now—it would take hours—but you just need to trust me when I say you both owe Caleb your very lives, as well as my life, several times over.” They both began to speak at once but I cut them off.

“You need to listen to me.

This island is in serious danger.

I’ve brought home a dragon.” That stunned them both into silence.

“What?” my father spat.

“A dragon is waiting at the Port.

He thinks he owns me, and won’t leave without me.

If I want to stay on this island, we’re going to have to kill him.” “How—” my mom gasped.

“Again, no time.

We have less than fifteen minutes before the beast starts going on a rampage and burns this whole island down.

I need you to take me to Mona.” A silence followed.

“Mona isn’t here,” my dad said.

“What?” Caleb and I exclaimed at once.

“That’s also a long story,” my mom said, her face growing paler by the moment.

“But she left.” “Oh, Lord.” I clutched my forehead.

The spell of night was still upon the island, as I assumed was some kind of protective spell.

“So the other witches are keeping up security? We still have them, right?” “Protection of sorts,” my father said grimly.

“Not nearly as strong as Mona’s.

And we’re missing Patricia, Ibrahim and Corrine.

Otherwise, the others remain with us.” We’re without all of our most powerful witches.

Although I was burning to know what had happened to those three witches too, again, there was no time.

I gulped.

My father took the lead from here.

“We’ll gather all the witches we have, as well as all vampires and werewolves brave enough to attempt to fight off a dragon,” he said as he helped me onto his back.

I cast my eyes back at Caleb and beckoned him to follow us as we all went racing into the woods.

“Do you know anything about dragons?” I asked as we ran.

My mother shook her head.

“I didn’t even know they existed,” she said.

“I’ve never been sure if they were fact or myth,” my father said, his eyes focused straight ahead of us.

“Caleb?” I looked over my father’s shoulder toward him.

“I’ve never encountered one before face to face,” Caleb said, looking at me seriously.

“But I’ve heard a thing or two about them.

Their hide is virtually impenetrable even by a witch’s curse.

The only vulnerable parts of their body are their nostrils and eyes.

But the former are hard to get to—their nostrils close when in combat.

Really, their eyes are the way to injure them.

To end one, the penetration into the eye socket would have to be forceful enough to enter their brain.” My mouth went dry.

The dragons’ eyes were tiny compared to the rest of their bodies.

How does one even reach their eyeballs without first being burned alive by their fire? “So we’ll keep instructions simple,” my father grunted.

“Focus on the eyes.” We passed the next five minutes hurtling around the island and shouting for as many witches, vampires and werewolves who were around.

Familiar faces stared at me in a similar fashion as my parents had, as though they couldn’t believe their eyes, but then relief washed over them.

Aiden in particular insisted on running up to me and hugging me before passing me back to my father.