"So who was that you were talking too?" Dania asked Dave.
"Stanley Tucker he works for a automotive museum in Los Angeles," Dave said. "He apparently knows something about RVs, because he told me right off that this thing was an antique once I told him the year it was made and he was surprised it was still running. He did think that I'd bought it off someone, because I didn't look old enough to buy it new and I just didn't correct his assumption. He offered to buy it for the museum, but I said I'd have to talk to you first before any decisions were made."
"It seems an odd coincidence that he showed up just as we were talking about buying a new one," Dania said suspiciously. "He could be legitimate or he could be working for our enemies."
"I've already thought of that," Dave admitted easily. "We'll need to go over the RV with a fine tooth comb as soon as we finish lunch. I didn't see him go anywhere near the back of the RV. I could always see him easily, as he never left my line of sight. It's possible though that he was out of sight before I even knew he was there. Well, either that or he had a partner that I didn't see and the partner could've been the one to bug the RV while Tucker distracted me."
"It won't hurt to check and make sure Mr. Tucker or a partner didn't place a tracker on us," Dania told Dave who nodded soberly.
"No it doesn't hurt to check," Dave agreed. "He could just be a nice guy here on business and doesn't have a partner at all. It doesn't hurt to be suspicious until we're sure though. I know very well I have many enemies from my own dimension."
"We," Dania corrected squeezing arm in support. "We're in this together. Your enemies are my enemies. You know very well they'd like to see me dead too."
"But you are only on the radar because of me," Dave reminded Dania soberly.
"While that's true, there was no way I could've turned down your offer," Dania told Dave seriously kissing his cheek affectionately, since they were stopped in traffic. "You know I was barely making enough money to make ends meet and that no one of good breeding would want to marry someone like me without a good family name or at least money. I was an orphan as my parents were murdered when I was just 11. Mom and dad had only just begun teaching me magic before they were taken from me. I've learned a lot since then, but I wouldn't have without your support and your knowledge of magic. Our magic might be different types, but you still taught me a lot. It helps I know, that our magics are compatible and work well together."
Dania still remembered the terror of those men bursting into her parents home and killing them along with all her siblings. She had been the only survivor, because she had hid knowing she had no chance of beating those men. Magicals were hated or accepted depending on who you were talking too, especially back in the time she was born.
Those men fell firmly into the first category and had managed to get away with murder because the law didn't really care about her family because they weren't rich or powerful.
"You offered me more than a lifeline, you offered me acceptance, something I'd never received since my family was killed. You offered me your protection and you made sure that those men paid for what they had done, even if it was years after my family's deaths. You tracked down every single one of them and made sure they paid in full for what they had done to my family and other magicals since that fateful night. You gave me revenge against the men that killed my kin. I didn't know why you were so interested in me at first, because I had no idea you were a dragon shifter or that you were a prince and technically, ruler, because you still aren't sure whether your parents were or are alive. I had no idea that I was your mate or even that dragon shifters had such a thing, since I wasn't aware such a species existed at the time.
"I still remember with perfect clarity what happened to my family and only because I hid am I even here today.
"I've always believed in fate and destiny you know that. I know that I survived what happened to my family for a reason. You might've been the catalyst for us to be nearly killed numerous times over the decades since we met, but I also know I would likely be dead without your interference.
"At the very least, I'd be living on the street or in some cheap apartment in a bad part of town with numerous bugs and no heat. Don't blame yourself for saving me. Yes, I might be on your enemies radar as you said, but so long as we're together I'm happy. I'll always be there to watch your back, just as you always watch mine and that's all that matters. Don't feel guilty for saving me. You know I'm grateful and certainly happier at your side then without you. I might even be dead by now if we hadn't met."
"All right fine," Dave said seeing the logic his guilt fading.
This was not the first time he felt guilty for bringing Dania into his problems. His mate always swiftly corrected him and said it had been her choice to join him and get on his enemies radar, as she just couldn't stand on the sidelines when he was in trouble and since that was the truth his guilt faded each time Dania pointed out the obvious to him. The two of them were connected now and if he died so did she so there was no reason not to involve her when there was trouble. It was his tooth that had made her basically immortal, which meant that she was connected to him because of that.
~~~Dave and Dania~~~
Several days later
"We're here," Dave told Dania waking her from where she had fallen asleep in her seat.
The two of them were in New York and had left their motorhome at an RV park in Manhattan. They had then rented a car, a very nice Aston Martin.
"I know," Dania said with a grimace after opening her eyes at the sound of Dave's voice.
She truly wasn't looking forward to this. It wasn't the parents that she disliked, it was the daughter. The Hadleys had always been loyal to Dave's parents on their own world. They were now loyal to Dave who was technically the king, even if he didn't consider himself so because there was no proof his parents weren't still alive. Dania didn't see Dave's brother Miles keeping his parents alive out of any sentimental reasons. As for the Hadleys, they were nice people, not the least pretentious, considering they had been nobles on Dave's plane, all except for the daughter who was a spoiled brat. Dania wasn't holding her breath that Abigail had changed since the last time she and Dave had seen her twenty years ago.
"It will be OK," Dave told Dania softly.
"We'll see," Dania told Dave her tone sceptical, even as they pulled into the Hadleys driveway.
The Hadleys driveway was long and sinuous and went on for over a mile leading to a massive estate. They'd had to pass the front gate first before they actually got to the house so the Hadleys knew they were coming.
Calyx and Rowena greeted Dave and Dania formally.
"Welcome to our home. Our home is now you're home," Calyx told the pair formally. "Anything you want or need we'll do our best to provide as long as you stay with us as our guests."
"It's good to see you," Dave told the pair after the formalities were over. "I've told you before there's no need to be so formal. I know we don't see each other very often, but that doesn't make it any less true."
The Hadleys relaxed at that, then led the way inside and to the parlor.
Dania and Dave were well familiar with the route, as they'd been here before, though not in a couple of decades.
"I'm glad you managed to make the journey safely," Calyx told the Dave and Dania.
"We figured you might break down on the road, because that motorhome you drive is ancient," Rowena told the pair.
"We got here just fine," Dave said smiling at the Hadleys concern. "But as it happens Dania and I were just talking about getting a newer model."
"While this one has mostly caused us very little trouble we know that the parts are going to wear out eventually and we probably won't be able to get new ones considering how old the RV is," Dania added. "They've probably stopped making them by now, though neither one of us have bothered to check."
"That's a relief. I would hate to think of you breaking down somewhere where there's no help available simply because you're in the middle of nowhere," Rowena said her relief obvious in her expression and tone of voice.
"Like some deserted road that sees very little traffic," Calyx added.
"If that happened I could just use magic to draw someone to rescue us," said Dania. "I don't like to do that unless necessary though, as using magic can draw the wrong sort of attention and both Dave and I have enemies."
"I actually ran into this man when we stopped for food by the name of Stan Tucker. He works for an automotive museum in Los Angeles and was there on business. He offered to buy it for the museum. All I told him was that I needed to talk to Dania first and that we'd think about it."
"This Stan Tucker approaching you just when you thinking about getting rid of your RV in buying a new one is awfully coincidental," Calyx said. The Hadleys knew that the prince had many enemies most of them who answered to Dave's brother Miles.
Calyx and Rowena had also barely escaped the palace before the rebellion had overtaken it. The Hadleys had all been prepared to escape their world entirely if necessary when the rebellion had first started. It had been years of worry and anxiety before all the rebels that Miles had gathered behind him in order to overtake the government had occurred. Dave's parents had made sure everyone knew that they were not to try to overcome the rebels, as they knew that their youngest son would have absolutely no mercy on anyone that showed loyalty to them or the crown. At best anyone found to be loyal to the king and queen would end up in the dungeon and at worst they'd end up dead. Miles was merciless and ambitious. The Hadleys had then sent a message to their son once they were temporarily safe. Ramen hadn't been with them at the time so had joined them quickly.
"We thought the same," Dave assured the Hadleys.
"We went over the RV looking for any electronic bugs or tracking spells just to be on the safe side," Dania said.
"We found nothing but we're still being cautious just in case. We left the motorhome in an RV park in New York and we'll be checking for bugs again as soon as we get back just to make sure," Dave said. "Miles is ruthless and we all know it. Only Dania has never met him and I hope she never has the displeasure."
"If I ever do meet him I'm going to try my best to kill him as blunt as that is," Dania. "I know Dave and I never would've met it if not for the rebellion that he told me all about and that would have been tragic since I love him so much, but that doesn't mean that I like what Miles is trying to do. He can already easily rule your world if Dave's parents are dead, so why continue to try to kill his brother?"
"Because Miles sees me as a threat," Dave answered his mate's question. "I am the oldest and that means my claim on the dragon throne is greater than Miles. So long as I live Miles knows that I could return and take the throne from him killing him in the process. Also, if we ever have any children they would be next in line not Miles. I'm sure Miles is hoping to kill me off before we start producing those children, particularly a son. At his core Miles is a coward so he sends others to do his dirty work instead of trying to track me down himself."
"Which means he's doubly dangerous," Calyx interrupted.
"Absolutely!" Dave agreed soberly agreeing with Calyx's opinion. "While Mr. Stanley Tucker is apparently who he says he is that doesn't mean that there isn't danger just around the corner. It's one of the reasons that Dania and I agreed to buy an RV that we could live in and use to travel at the same time. It was much harder to get around before cars were invented, though I suppose there was always the train."
"But trains weren't always around either," Rowena commented. "When we first came to this world things were very primitive you had to get around by horse or carriage or your own two feet."
"It's true that faster transportation has only come about in the last couple of 100 years as technology has improved," Dania said. "I wasn't around back when you all first came to this planet as I wasn't even born yet. On the other hand, I know I probably would've died if I'd been born back so long ago after the murder of my family. I wouldn't have been allowed to work as females just didn't back then, except in certain professions, not unless they had the backing of a man anyway. At least women could work in the time I was born, even if it was still unusual and only certain professions were acceptable. Displaying your magic was also very dangerous as it was much less accepted back when you first came to this world than it is now."
"She's right," Dave told the Hadleys. "It was much harder for a women alone with no man in the picture to survive back when we originally came here to this plane than it is now or even back when Dania was born. Now women can be anything they want to be and have a successful career and marriage both. Back in the early 20th century it was usually one or the other."
"Yes, customs have changed considerably over the centuries," Calyx agreed. "So what are you gonna do about the man that approached you? I believe you said his name was Stanley Tucker."
"While we found no tracking charms or devices that doesn't mean he's legit," Dave said. "I'm going to call the number on the business card he gave me and see if they actually have a Stanley Tucker working for them."
"You know we never thought of this earlier, but that business card Mr. Tucker gave you could have some kind of tracking spell on it," Dania suggested.
"I checked already just to be sure," Dave told Dania. "I just forgot to tell you when you got back from getting us some food."
"Good, I'm surprised I didn't think of it immediately after I caught the tail end of your encounter," Dania said.
"I would appreciate if you wouldn't mention anything to your daughter," Dave told the Hadleys.
"We know Abigail has been a bit of a pain," Rowena said grimacing.
"We're sorry about that. We bought her up better, but we also spoiled her. She currently believes she can have anything she wants, even a person and doesn't seem to care about consequences. She'll probably eventually outgrow that stage but hasn't yet." Calyx said bowing his head in shame.
"I've told you before it's not your fault that Abigail didn't take your lessons to heart," Dave told them seriously. "Living on this plane amongst humans is bound to be a bad influence on her, but since she is an adult you can't exactly tell her who to associate with or how to behave. Fair warning though, that Dania has already promised to teach her a lesson if she dares do anything inappropriate towards me."
"I know full blooded dragon shifters mature slowly, but if she was human she would be more than halfway through her lifespan and more mature then your daughter acted last time we were here. I say though, that she's in her 50's now, so she should know not to try to invade another's territory and take something that doesn't belong to her and Dave is definitely my territory."
"I told Dania that Abigail probably believes that she is only a temporary distraction and that is definitely not the case," Dave said.
"We never told her about your bond as that's really something you need to tell her yourselves," Rowena said.
"If she continues to act like a spoiled little girl then we will. She might still be young in dragon years, but she should have matured enough by now to accept the fact that I am mated and have been for a long time. I will never look at another the same way that I do Dania," Dave said firmly. "I will not have her try to drive a wedge between us. If she tries that's an automatic death sentence something I don't want to have to do, but will if necessary. We probably should've told her last time we were here but that's in the past."
"We probably should have," Dania acknowledged. "On the other hand, it should be obvious to anyone with eyes that Dave and I come as a set. I mean, the fact, I haven't aged since the last time we were here ought to be a big clue to Abigail that I now share his longevity. This ought to tell her that Dave gave me his tooth, so I would live just as long as he will, because we are mates.
"Of course you won't look at anyone else the same way ever again," Rowena said. "That's the way the mating bond works. That's the way it was for Calyx and I when we first met. Neither one of us has ever looked at anyone else as an object of sexual desire."
"We never will either," Calyx agreed passionately.
"Of course you won't," Dave agreed with a half smile. "I feel the same way about Dania. I never expected to meet my mate when I came to this plane considering she's not a dragon shifter, but despite the fact I feel guilty for getting her involved in my problems with my brother I would have it no other way."
"I told him there's no reason to feel guilty about getting me involved with his problems with Miles, because he's certainly given me a better life then I would have had otherwise. Sure, we have to constantly be on guard from those that would kill us or report where we are so we could be attacked and killed, but I'd rather have Dave in my life then live my life alone with hardly any prospects of ever getting married or having children."
"We might have no children but that doesn't mean that we won't someday," Dave added. "We'll both be young for a very long time so why worry about it?"
"It probably wouldn't be too hard to incorporate a child into our lives as the RV is certainly big enough for that, but if we wanted more than one..." Dania said.
"We could probably manage two in the RV, but anymore than that we'd have to settle somewhere. While I wouldn't object to that necessarily, there's always the danger of our child being kidnapped or even killed by my brother's supporters."
"Children are a blessing," Rowena said.
"I won't disagree," Dania said. "I would love to have Dave's children someday, but it's probably not the best idea until this situation with his brother is resolved."
"If we did manage to kill my brother I would have to go back to my plane as they need a king," Dave told Dania.
"I know and I would go with you," Dania promised. "You know there's nothing for me here without you. Not since my family was murdered years before we met."
"Dania would make a fine queen," Rowena said.
"That's for the future," Dave said finally liking the possibility. They had to find a way to take down his brother first though in order for that to be a viable option. "Luckily, there is a law for somebody other than a female dragon to be queen and we do have witches on our plane."
The four continued to talk for awhile longer before Dave and Dania were taken to their suite in order to freshen up before dinner.
~~~Dave and Dania~~~