Chapter 1

"Maybe you should postpone this trip of yours, honey…" Adaline said to Sara while she watched her packing the bags.

"No, Mom. I already told you. I've been planning this trip for a year. I have all the tickets and hotels booked. You know how much I wanted this." Sarah knew that if she calls Adaline mother, she could get away with anything. Not that she liked to use this trick often… but sometimes, it was necessary.

Sarah raised her head from the bag she was packing, met Adaline's teary eyes, and sighed. She guessed it right. Adaline was the epitome of a mother hen, and she liked her chickens around and safe.

She made those couple of steps that separated them and engulfed Adaline in a hug.

"Don't worry, Mom. Everything will be fine. You know I can take care of myself. Besides, I already passed dad's self-defense lessons, and he gave me a good-to-go."

"I know, honey. But I hate that you're going alone…" but Sarah quickly interrupted the story she heard a dozen times by now.

"I will be fine. And I will come back as soon as I see everything that I want." Sarah was obsessed with the old continent ever since she first came across some book in the boarding school’s library she was attending for almost 10 years. Europe was the center of culture; art, literature, architecture… the most beautiful things that ever existed originated in Europe. At least, that's what Sarah thought. Fascination with everything Europe-based never stopped, and now she finally had her chance to fulfill her dream.

"But the plate…"

"Please, enough with that plate. Ever since dad brought it, you people are acting weirder than usual." She chuckled. "Prophesy this, prophesy that… we're not even sure it's about me. I won't let the fear of it dictate my life. Plus, Kate the witch was clear… Daughter of a dragon that is not the dragon shall tame the fire. Right? There isn't a single thing that indicates I could get hurt. You have nothing to worry about."

Adaline nodded her head. She knew Sarah was stubborn, but either way, she tried to stop her from going on her trip once again.

"All right… you've got everything you might need? Clothes? Underwear? Pepper spray?" Sarah laughed and her laughter caused Adaline to laugh too.

"Of course, Mom. I packed everything. And I will call every night before I go to sleep." Sarah pulled the zipper on her bag.

Together, they took Sarah's things downstairs where Richard waited for them.

"Are you ready, princess?" Richard teased with a familiar glint in his eyes.

"Dad, we talked about this. I am not a princess! I am the same girl I was before that plate." she tilted her head on the side while Richard took both bags and placed them in the car's trunk.

"Shall we go? Or do you want to miss your flight?" With that, the three of them got into the car and Richard drove them to the airport.

"All right… well, say hello to everyone from me, you know, at the party. I will be there next time. And once again, don't worry too much. What has to happen will happen, no matter what. Weren't you the ones that taught me that? You can’t escape your destiny and all that…" and with another set of hugs and kisses, Sarah was on her way to the boarding gate.

It wasn't until Sarah was comfortably tucked in her seat in the first class on her way to London that she relaxed and realized, 'this is it, it's happening.' Her dream is coming true.

Arranging everything online, from the accommodation to the tickets, making the list of all the sights she wanted to see, getting ready and packing was the easy part. Saying goodbye to her parents was the hard one.

It's not like they were not separated before, but for some reason today was unusually hard. She lived in a boarding school for 10 years, and she spent some time with her brother Michael and his family, but for the last 5 years, she was always with them. While she went to college, she lived in their house. And in those 5 years, they got really close. Sarah loved them and respected them like they were her biological parents and even more. She learned so much from them, and they were a perfect role model of how a family should be, and not like what she had witnessed as a kid…

And they loved her back just as much. Somehow, those two magnificent creatures found in their hearts a place for one poor human girl, a girl that wanted nothing more than to be loved. They found her and gave her what she needed, and she will forever be grateful for what they provided.

When she was alone, Sarah would often think about those that gave life to her. She remembered little from the times when she lived with them, but she remembered enough. She remembered what was most important… that's what made the roles of Adaline and Richard in her life so much more important. She owed them everything. Everything.

Even now, miles up in the air, Sarah couldn't help but think how it was pure luck that threw her in front of Adaline that day. Pure luck or maybe destiny… it didn't matter. What matter the most was that the three of them were family. Them and her two brothers and sisters and their kids. They were a family.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by a flight attendant that offered her a glass of Champaign and Sarah accepted it gladly. She usually wasn't really the one to drink anything alcoholic, but today was special, she had to celebrate the start of her adventure… and she had a feeling it will be an adventure of a lifetime.

Soon, bubbles worked their magic, and Sarah was lolled to a pleasant, dreamless sleep.

Many hours later, the airplane's tires touched the ground of Heathrow Airport, London and Sarah was barely containing her excitement. She was the first one to leave the plane and claim her luggage, and as soon as she passed the customs control; she hurried out of the airport building.

London, Paris, Rome, Budapest, Prague, Wien, Berlin, here I come!

~ ~ ~

Luke woke up in the middle of the night, startled by his own feelings. Something was happening. Something stirred the beast in him, yet he could not grasp what it was.

At first, he thought his instincts were trying to warn him of some danger, but after he quickly scanned the room and found nothing out of the order, he laid back in bed and tried to go back to sleep, but something was not letting him. Something from deep inside…

After some tossing and turning, Luke gave up on trying to sleep. He just lied there staring at the ceiling thinking about what could have woken him up but nothing came to mind until… he remembered what he forgot a long time ago.

No, it can't be… he thought. She can't be…

But no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he couldn't. The bond that he had pushed into the deep corner of his being, the bond that was connecting him to his mate… it was alive! How can that be?

No matter how hard he tried to push it back, he failed. And that meant only one thing. She was here.

Will he be able to resist the call now that she's so close? He wasn't sure.