Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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​​

Aldus's frown was directed at me. "You just hopped on dragon's back?"

"It was my chance to ride a dragon. I was curious about the damage, and I didn't think much of it.", I said in a small voice.

Aldus's irritation was tangible. "Serina. What's with you and animals?"

"Animals?!", Graike hissed in outrage.

Aldus ignored Graike's angry tone as he continued scolding me, "What would happen if you fell? Or if he decided to eat you? You can't put your safety in hands of a random person. Don't you have any sense of self-preservation?"

I was shrinking in my chair and I felt the pressure ease up as Aldus turned to Graike.

"Graike, you can't force or trick my daughter into marrying you. The times when you could take a woman into your den and call her yours are long gone. Now people demand consent and it's obvious that Serina didn't know what she was getting herself into when she climbed on your back. Not to mention that you didn't take her to your den."

"I couldn't take her all the way. Your security arrays would fry me.", Graike grumbled, and I glared at him in outrage.

Lazarus was right! This despicable dragon would kidnap me!

Aldus clapped, getting everyone's attention. "Good! Then, it's settled. My daughter is not your wife."

Graike was not willing to accept it. "But…"

"It's settled!", Aldus raised his voice, and I felt warm and fuzzy in my chest. Aldus always had my back. Just like now. He is the best father ever.

My smile fell when I heard Aldus's next words.

"You are welcome to court my daughter and if you win her heart then you can marry her. But I will not allow you to pull any tricks. She needs to know what she is doing and to agree to it."

Graike flashed a confident smile at me. "You will be mine, Serina."

I couldn't believe this!

In the next moment, Lazarus let out a low growl and for once I was grateful for him growling because it told me that at least someone is on my side in thinking how this is NOT happening.

I glanced at Vesper who looked at me with a sly smile on her face. She was enjoying this circus.

Aldus waited for Graike to take his seat at the table before announcing, "Serina and I are grateful for your assistance and support, but now we need to head to our next destination."

"You are telling us to leave.", Graike summarized.

Aldus didn't deny it. "Serina and I will leave for Greece in the afternoon. I am not chasing you away, but if you stay here beyond today, I will expect that you help with construction in the South wing."

Vesper left shortly after breakfast.

Before leaving, she wished me good luck and said that I can talk to her if I need female companionship. That was unexpected.

On his way out, Graike approached me.

He extended his hand for a handshake and I put my hand into his.

He clasped my hand into his and tugged me closer to him.

"I will not give up, sweetheart. I enjoy the chase and I know you are worth it.", his low voice sounded close to my ear and I forced myself not to move away.

I didn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing that I'm uncomfortable, as he seems to enjoy playing with me.

"Maybe you should do something more productive.", I said with a stiff smile.

He chuckled lowly and took in a deep breath. A second later, he jolted and looked at me with glee. "An untouched maiden. It will be my honor to corrupt you."

I frowned. What the hell? This was beyond uncomfortable!

He kissed the back of my palm, gave me a wink, and left the villa.

Damn it! So much for staying cool.

"I hope you learned your lesson and will keep your guard up around random creeps.", Lazarus said from the side.

I chuckled in frustration. Isn't Lazarus one of the creeps that got hugs and rubs (in wolf form) thanks to me lowering my guard?

But I didn't want to bicker with Lazarus. Since I woke up, he was nice and caring, and he did his best to protect me from the marriage-crazy dragon.

"Do you know when you will be back?", Lazarus asked me and when he saw that my brows furrowed suspiciously, he quickly added, "This is not about the date."

He exhaled heavily and I could see that it was difficult for him to talk.

"I know that you had some issues and I assume you need time to settle your emotions. I will wait, but I will not forget that you owe me a date. In the meantime, I hope that I can still visit you as a friend."

I was touched that Lazarus was so considerate. "Thank you, Lazarus."

I decided to respond to his original question. "I have no idea how long we will be there, but I will be in touch."

He smiled. "Take care, princess."

With the guests gone, it was just me and Aldus.

He told me to pack lightly, but before that, I had to say something.

"Father, I am really sorry about the mess I created."

Aldus looked at me questionably and I realized that he is not sure what I'm talking about. Between demolishing the house, being unconscious for nearly a week, and kind of marrying a dragon (to name a few), he probably had difficulty picking one.

"Uhm... I'm sorry about the damage to the villa.", I clarified.

Aldus assured me that it's fine. "The south wing was due for renovation, and I used this opportunity to order better glass mosaics. You will love it…"

Before leaving for Greece, we had a number of things to settle.

I spoke to Zoe, Ash, and Luca and informed them that I might be offline for some time, but that I expect them to send me updates I will read them all once I get back online. In case of emergency, I told them to contact Lazarus.

Aldus had a number of things to wrap up, and one was to get in touch with Calista who was enjoying her time in Spain and had no intention of returning anytime soon.

I also called Mona who left me a few messages and she confirmed that my parents scheduled appointments in her spa for the next weekend.

"I will make sure to get those samples for you.", she assured me.

"Thank you, Mona. That would mean a lot."

"Uhm… how will I deliver the samples?"

"I'm not sure.", I responded honestly. I didn't think she will get to this stage, so I didn't talk to Aldus about it. "Let me know when you have them, and we will figure out something."

"Will Marius pick them up?"

"Maybe."

"If you give me his phone number, I can contact him when I have the samples."

I was surprised by her eagerness to help.

"I will see what I can do about it.", I responded before ending the call.

I assumed that she will ask me to do something for her spa in order to return the favor, but she ended up talking about Marius. Strange.

After lunch, we were ready to head out. Finally.

I was impatient to reach my destination and start learning to control the newly discovered ability that loomed over me with a big sign 'house arrest'.

After graduating at controlling pheromones, I finally earned my right to get out in the world, and being confined again didn't sit well with me.

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