Fix Me Up (Unknown Succubus Series book 2)

Family Fun

I found out the hard way that dragon shifters were incredibly strong even in human form. No matter how much I squirmed or stomped or just went boneless in general the two women never loosened the grip or slowed their pace. I was pulled into a private entertainment room filled with lavish chairs and sofas. The finally let go of me but I was forced to sit on a sofa across from them. The man sat on the same sofa as me, probably to deter me from making a run for the door. Too bad running was impossible in this dress.
  "I was once your Mother's best friend, you remind me of her. Strong and willful...I am not surprised those traits passed to you." The woman who by now I was positive was Jasper's mother spoke softly, almost warmly about my biological mother.
   "She was easily controlled and weak willed. Her own sister killed her and got away with it. I am nothing like that woman." I snapped defensively, my mother was human and she had raised me to be strong and passionate.
"You probably don't remember but my late husband and I were at your coronation. Keenan, bless his soul, he really believed you would be a fantastic ruler...but it seems you're still just a pawn being taken by other players in this game." She carried on as though I hadn't spoken.
"Mother, I distinctly remember saying that Aspen was not to be disturbed. Cyrus, Arabella both of you know to better than to aide mother in her plans." Jasper approached from the doorway and leveled his mother and sister with a heated glare.
"You can't expect us not to be curious as to what it is about her that convinced you that breaking the peace treaty with Luke by taking her was worth the war it will bring." Arabella answered for everyone.
"He wanted to save a damsel in distress...what he really did was piss of an Incubus with a claim on me." My voice was bland and unimpressed.
"What did you think was going to happen? You save the girl and she falls to your feet in adoration and gratification? You took a Succubus away from an extremely powerful Incubus because you couldn't ignore his behavior and treatment of her." His mother grumbled in a sour tone.
"I appreciate you trying to 'save' me but I can take care of myself. I need to get back to my own kingdom." It was hard to keep my annoyance out of my time, I didn't need saving.
   "You must not understand, Aspen. Jasper started a war by taking you from Luke. A war that we will not win without your help." Cyrus was able to sound condescending and smug at the same time.
  "I don't see how me staying here will help that situation. I have no control over my army and my kingdom unless I am there." I was starting to feel suffocated in the corset and multilayered dress. All eyes were on me and I just wanted to be in my own bed with Seriph snuggled up next to me. I never wanted to go back to the Succubus island or Luke's castle. I just wanted to be safe, for my friends to be safe. I needed to stop being a pawn in my own game. I wasn't going to have my voice silenced by a marriage like my birth mother's had been.
  "By staying here you will be showing you align with us and that you support Jasper in this war. We need you to stand united with us so that the loyalty of our people and those of the kingdoms who have sworn allegiance will not sway." Jasper's mother explained. I was fine with that so long as I wasn't being forced into an engagement. Luke had told my advisors we were engaged to keep me under his thumb without the threat of my people coming for me. Jasper just needed my loyalty to his side.
   "Well, if I'm going to be here for a while can I send for a few friends? I haven't seen them in at least two months by now." I asked, knowing that I'd have them sent for even if he said no. Seriph probably thought I was never coming home again and I didn't want to stress out the poor fox. I missed Violet terribly. I even missed Colton and Hunter. Of course I missed Jared and my pack of hell hounds that weren't technically mine but had sworn loyalty to me. I did miss Gage and his sarcasm but not as much as I missed my bed.
   "Of course, I will send someone to Thrinshield immediately." Jasper was happy to agree despite not knowing what he had just gotten himself into. I may have said a few friends but I was confident that Jared, Colton, Hunter, Gage, Violet, and my favorite little fox Seriph would all be coming. For now, I needed to find a way out of this constricting dress and into some clothes I could actually breathe in while wearing.
   "You're going to need to teach her how to ride if she's to ever leave the castle." Cyrus pointed out in a bored tone, I glanced at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion.
   "Later. She's been through enough for now, Cyrus. Have the kitchens prepare an early lunch. I'm sure Aspen is starving by now." Jasper extended a hand to pull me from my seat and I accepted politely. Little did he know that eating would be extremely uncomfortable and damn near impossible in this dress.
"You realize that I didn't need you to save me, right? I was planning my own escape. This war isn't something you need to do." I stated calmly, taking my sweet time to raise my gaze to meet his.
"I refuse to see a female resigned to that fate when I have the ability to stop it. This war is my choice. Do you not think you are worthy of bloodshed? Do you believe it is weak to allow others to help you with your battles? Being alone isn't noble and it isn't helping anyone, least of all you." And with that said Jasper gave me no option but to stumble next to him as he pulled me from the room at an exceptionally fast pace.
"I'm the one getting myself into these situations...it's only right that I deal with them myself. No one can get hurt or be used as leverage if they are not there to intervene. Doing things alone may not be how you do things but it's how I do them. Everyone stays safe and I handle things eventually." I grumbled defiantly as a conflicted expression took hold of my face. Having people help me would be amazing but I couldn't risk anyone getting caught in the crossfire. I was safe because I was the commodity people wanted.
"Stop pushing help away, I'm doing this for your freedom." Jasper shot me a stern look and I gulped nervously. He wasn't doing it for my freedom from Luke...he was doing it for me. No strings attached. He couldn't sit by and watch Luke break me for my disobedience. For a such a dangerous beast he was compassionate and gentle. We stopped in a private dining room and ate in relative quiet. I'd managed to loosen the strings on my corset just enough that I could eat and breathe without intense discomfort. For a moment I just basked in the calm safety of the room and closed my eyes. It had been so long since I hadn't been on edge and the relief was palpable.
I was caught completely off guard when he said, "You need to learn how to fly." My eyes flared open in surprise because I knew he couldn't have just said that to me. I was a Succubus. My kind were not meant to fly in the sky like fucking birds. I had a fear of heights and I definitely did not have wings. There was no way I would be flying.
"What?" I sputtered after a moment of stunned silence.
"If you're going to be here for awhile you will need to learn how to fly. It's not difficult and most children learn how to quite fast." Jasper had lost his mind. That was the only explanation.
"Yeah, no. Not happening at all. I belong with both feet firmly on the ground." I huffed out indignantly. Not even a Succubus would make a human pancake look pretty and I didn't plan on falling to my death anytime soon.
"We will start your training in the morning." He left no room for argument and then left me at the table completely dumbfounded. After a few minutes a servant was sent in to escort me to the bedroom I'd be using during my time here. I was expecting a normal guest room with an attached bathroom. That was not at all what I was given. Instead I was in a room fit for a princess. There was a large canopy bed with a king sized mattress and an insane amount of pillows. The bed frame was gold and gauzy white curtains draped down around it. Thick white rugs covered the marble floor. There was a huge fireplace surrounded by a couch and two chairs all white and edged with gold. An attached bathroom with a tub large enough for five people, gold faucets and jeweled towel holders. Dragons were most certainly very fond of their treasures and lived luxuriously.
There was a closet that had a chaise inside of it and the walls had elaborate dresses, nightgowns, and robes hanging delicately. Two women helped untie me from the blasted corset and pulled the dress and slip off of me gently despite my best efforts to shred the thing out of pure spite. I was placed into a silky nightgown that was also an emerald green before finally being left alone. A fire warmed the marble beneath my feet from the fireplace as I walked over towards one of the large windows. My fingers brushed against a thick curtain and I was surprised to see a door. Upon opening it I found the most beautiful balcony I'd seen so far. It was huge which made sense considering dragons could land on it.
"Oh wow." I whispered quietly after stepping outside. There were three full moons in the night sky and the stars twinkled brightly around them. I leaned back against the stone railing with a sigh. My fingers untwisted my hair until it fell freely down my shoulders in a mess of warm brown waves. A warm breeze blew past me and for the first time in months I felt relaxed. The faint sound of wings roused me from my trance. A large dragon soared through the sky with two smaller ones following behind. My gaze followed them for a moment before falling to the ground. I went back inside and curled up under the covers atop the bed. This wasn't my world and no one here could replace the family I'd made for myself or the kingdom I'd fought for. Sleep came quickly after my head became buried in the pillows.