Page 66 of Claimed By Prince Daddy

Drake stood in the middle of the room. His hair whipped about his shoulders, amethyst eyes blazing with fury. Dark flames haloed his body, sparking and crackling in the airaround him. His power thundered like a tempest, unleashed upon the world.

The summer king sprang to his feet. Snarling, he shot a bolt of pure energy out of his palm. The lightning bolt crackled and beamed across the room, straight toward Drake. Drake threw out his own power, a beam of dark energy shooting outward to meet the lightning. Both collided with a force that shook the very walls. I dropped to the floor as light and dark exploded in the middle of the room with a deafening roar.

The summer fae leaped across the bed and threw himself at Drake. Spinning around, Drake delivered a vicious kick to the summer fae king’s midsection. The summer king stumbled back a few steps before he retaliated. He launched into the air flipping over to land a kick across Drake’s head. Drake threw up his arm, countering the blow. Both males spun into a series of punches and kicks.

The door to the quarters flew open, Guards streaming inside the room, unsheathing their swords at their hips. I lunged at the closest guard, catching him across the chest with my claws. I dropped low, avoiding the slash of a sword as I kicked the second guard’s feet from under him. I whirled in time to see Drake blast the summer fae with another burst of dark power that sent him careening into the bedpost with a crack.

Drake raced to my side, sending the guards backward with a wave of dark energy. He trapped my hand, and the world spun. I blinked rapidly as the weightless feeling dissipated, and the world righted itself. We stood outside the palace gates, along the main road leading away from the grounds. Drake grabbed my wrist and began running down the road.

“Drake,” I cried. “We have to go back. We have to save our daughter.”

“I’m not staying there if it means putting you at risk,” Drake snarled.

I ripped my wrist from his grasp, halting in the road. Drake stopped and whirled on me.

“So you’ll sacrifice our daughter?” I cried in disbelief. Tears pooled in my eyes as I stared up at him.

Drake peered into my eyes, and I could read the swirl of emotions that roiled within him. Fear for me. Anger. Frustration.

“Please, Drake,” I said. I grasped his hand. “We have to go back. I can’t lose her.” I swallowed. “And neither can you.”

“Stars-dammit,” Drake hissed. He raked a hand through his locks. “Stay close to me. No matter what,” he growled.

I nodded. “I will.”

Drake stared at me and gave a hard nod. He wrapped his arm around my waist, and we winked out of existence, traveling through time and dimension till we materialized in a large room. My knees grew weak from the teleport, but Drake helped right me.

My gaze lifted. What I saw had the blood freezing in my veins.

Melodina lay crumbled within a magical ring with runes etched onto the floor. Power rippled in waves from the spell, draining Melodina. Her skin appeared sallow, and her eyes were slammed shut, her face twisted in pain.

“Melodina!” I cried.

A flash of movement to the right caught my attention. Rosalana stood by the large windows that flanked the right of the tower. Her eyes widened in shock. Then, hatred filled her gaze. Rosalana growled at me before she spun and threw herself at Melodina—dark energy spear tips jutting from her fingers. She sought to finish Melodina off.

I launched forward faster than a bullet. Shifting in mid-air, I landed on the shadow fae female and sank my teeth into her throat. She gave a gurgled cry before I tore her throat out. I stood over her body, snarling, relishing her death—this woman who had taken my daughter from me. Then, I saw Drake move toward the circle where the spell held Melodina, a prisoner. He moved his hands in an intricate pattern before a magical rune appeared in front of him. The bright lavender spell whooshed forward to crash into the spell on the floor. The spell shattered on contact, and the raw energy that held Melodina dissipated with shimmering shards of light.

Drake rushed forward and pulled Melodina into his arms. I shifted, my wolf form receding under my skin. I raced to my daughter’s side, dropping to my knees.

“Melodina! Melodina, can you hear me?” I cried. My low lip trembled. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Baby, answer me!”

Her eyes slowly lifted, her gaze dull. She croaked weakly, “Mama?”

I gave a wet smile. “Yes, I’m here, sweetie.” I brushed a hand down the back of her head.

Melodina’s gaze slid over to Drake. “Who…are you?”

Drake smiled down at his daughter before his gaze lifted to me. His brows raised as he awaited my response.

He’s asking for permission to reveal his identity to our daughter…

I gave a nod of my head.

Drake grinned, and in that moment, his smile lit the world. He turned back to Melodina; his lips parted to answer when the doors to the tower slammed open. Guards rushed in, swords brandished. Drake grabbed my arm, dark power seeping from him into me. I knew he was going to teleport.

The world began to spin, then…nothing.

I blinked, finding I was still kneeling inside the tower. My gaze whipped to Drake. His eyes were wide in shock.

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