Inner Darkness (Book 2 of Dragonfire series)

The Return

Summer break wasn't really the break I had been hoping for. The first night I came back to Earth, I had the weirdest thing happen. It was like a nightmare, but it felt so real. The next morning when I woke up, I actually had black finger marks going across my neck. After that night, I didn't, and still haven't, had any more evil dreams. I just tried to forget about it and hoped I had imagined it.

Unfortunately, I had more urgent problems. I had subscribed to Magix Magazine in order to stay up to date with current events in the magic world since I was spending my summer on Earth. When I got my August subscription, there was an article about Cullen. I guess him and his family went on a vacation with another royal family. The part that bothered me was when I saw a picture of Cullen at dinner with another girl. The girl was hideous, and by that I mean gorgeous. She had long curly hair that was a dark brown color. Her skin was sun kissed, and she was laughing at something Cullen had said. The description on the bottom of the picture read; Prince Cullen and Princess Amirah on a dinner date at Basile Resort. I accidentally caught the magazine on fire before I could read the rest of the article, but it was probably good that I didn't. I immediately called Cullen about it, but he didn't answer. He finally returned my calls a few days later, and when I questioned him, he tried to play it off as if it were nothing and changed the subject. We got into an argument, which resulted in me hanging up on him. Before school ended, he mentioned something about me not being able to meet his parents. Yeah, because I'm just some side hoe while you go on extravagant vacations with some girl with big blue eyes.

Besides my issues with Cullen, I spent a lot of time with Stella. I saw her at least once every two weeks. I spent a week in her castle, and she spent time on Earth with me. We grew really close, which helped me take my mind off Cullen.

My mom and I really grew close this summer too. We completely redecorated her flower shop and had it up and running in a month. She especially appreciated how fast I could get things done with my magic. Working with her helped me to get my magic semi-under control. It was nice being around normal people in a normal town, but it's time to return to Kronborg. The dorms open the week before school starts, and Stella and I planned on checking in early so we would have time to go into Magix. We are meeting at Kronborg tomorrow, so this was my last day on Earth before school.

I had a nice dinner with my parents, and went upstairs to finish packing. I was stressed about going back and seeing Cullen. We didn't exactly leave things on a good note, and I don't know how he will react to seeing me. I swear I'm going to lose it if I see him with Amirah in person. I forced these thoughts out of my head and took a shower before going to bed.

I am wandering through a cave. There isn't anyone else with me, but I know I am not alone. I feel the walls tearing at my power, sucking it from me. My energy is depleting fast. I push myself to walk deeper into the cave, hoping to find a way out. I reach the end of the cave and scream. He is flying before me. It's too late to run as he forces me to get on my knees and bow to him. He makes me look him in the eyes and says, "You are mine."

I quickly sit up, waking me from my nightmare. Sweat powders my face as I walk into the bathroom. I turn the water on and pour it over my face. I turn around so I am leaning against my counter, and look out the window up at the moon. I haven't had a dream like that since before summer break. Why am I having one now all of a sudden? I shook my head and crawled back into bed. My alarm clock read 2:15 before I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.

The next morning I woke up feeling like I never really slept. I got dressed, put on makeup, and said a final goodbye to my parents before returning to Magix. I arrived at the travel station and had a taxi take me back to Kronborg. The entire ride, I thought about what would happen when I saw Cullen. Is he mad at me? Should I be mad at him? I'm definitely making him answer my questions about Princess Amirah! I sighed deeply as we pulled in front of the castle. I paid the driver and slowly ascended up the front stairs. I opened the doors, and heard a few voices as I walked to my dorm. I was surprised at how many other students checked in early as well. I hesitated before entering my room. It looked exactly how I had left it. The bed was neatly made, and the cup of pens and pencils still sat on my desk. I pulled the lego sized bags out of my pocket, and placed them on my bed before using a spell to return them to their original size. Before I could start unpacking, I heard a knock on my door. I froze, afraid it was Cullen. Before I could say anything, the door pushed open and Stella entered the room.