Page 85 of Once Upon an Enchanted Kiss

She made to breathe another jet of fire toward her father. Rosamund cried out just as Phillip shoved the king out of the way, then spun and tackled her to the ground. The bouquet flew out of her hand as the blaze went over their heads, setting a few chairs on fire.

Titania was at their side in an instant, helping Rosmund to her feet. Phillip helped the king up. The other three Fae stood their ground, facing the dragon.

“What do you want?” Stephan asked.

“Want? Why…I want the princessdead. She should be dead!”

“I changed the curse,” Elara said, stepping forward.

Seeing that act of bravery made Rosamund’s gut clench into a tight knot. She wanted to cry out to her, tell her to step away from the beast, but Titania shook her head, urging her to keep quiet.

“Oh, of course, the Celestial Queen would be the one to foil all my plans.You will pay.” She readied another burst of dragon fire.

Elara, though, stood her ground, raising her hands to the sky and chanting something in the Fae language under her breath. Rosamund couldn’t hear what it was. Suddenly, the sun was blotted out by a swath of clouds. What appeared to be stardust rained down from the sky in slashes of bright white and yellow light. It pounded Rowena’s dragon form. Each time a beam hit her scaly skin, it left a sizzle behind.

She cried out in pain and then took to the skies, flying up and away. Elara dropped her hands and turned to the couple, the king, and Titania. She rushed over and gripped Rosamund by the upper arms.

“You must leave this place at once,” she urged.

“And go where?” Rosamund asked. “There is no place she will not find me.”

“The girl is quite right,” Titania said, turning to her fellow queen. “We must find a way to stop her.”

Overhead, Rowena circled, made another pass, and headed for the castle once more.

“What can we do?” Phillip asked.

The dragon landed again, this time crushing the altar and destroying the once-beautiful arbor with a swish of her tail. Flowers flew in all directions.

“We must fight back.”

Even as Titania said it, Atlas and Draco went into action. But there was no stopping the dragon. One swipe of her massive tail and King Atlas went flying across the garden. He landed on the ground, skidding to a halt at the base of a tree. Draco tried to fight her next, but he met a similar fate.

Phillip unsheathed his sword. He turned to her. “Rose, get back inside the castle. Get to safety.”

“I can’t leave you—”

“GO.”

Titania grabbed her by the hand and led her back up the aisle the way she’d come. She glanced back over her shoulder to see Phillip and her father, who had also wielded his sword, charge toward Rowena. When the great dragon readied another fire burst, she skidded to a halt, trying desperately to pull her hand free from the Fae queen’s grasp. She held tight.

“No, princess!” the queen warned.

“My father!”

A burst of fire from the dragon. King Stephan saw it in time, though, and dove out of the way, dropped to the ground and rolled. But the action cost him. He lost his sword. It was on the ground too far for him to reach.

Phillip shouted something and suddenly Jeffrey and Charles were at his side, also armed with swords. Rosamund wasn’t sure where the brothers were sitting, but it was clear they were not going to let the prince fight the dragon alone.

Jeffrey and Charles ran between the back legs of the dragon, swinging their swords and slicing the back of her legs as they went. She lifted her head to the heavens and bellowed a loud roar. The great beast stumbled backward, crashing into the wall. It crumbled under her weight.

Rowena rolled to one side, her huge body crushing flowers and felling trees. She came back up on her back legs but that gave Phillip enough time to charge.

The Fae queen took Rosamund by the hand again and tugged her away from the fight. But as she did so, her father stumbled into sight. There was a large gash on the side of his head. Blood streamed down his face as he hobbled toward them.

“Papa!”

Rosamund jerked free of the queen and ran toward her father. He stumbled as he reached her. She caught him in her arms keeping him on his feet. He leaned into her, accepting her help.

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