AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jay’s voice grew tired. “We’ve been over this, but, yeah, sure.”
For the second time, Jay accepted the blame. I rocked from foot to foot, Og doing the same while Rehan put a hand on her arm as if to pull her towards him. But we’d already told her it wasn’t her fault, and she still obviously felt differently.
“It’s not your fault,” Oliviarose snapped. “Did my Og tell you it was your fault?”
Og vehemently shook his head and edged away from his leader.
“No,” Jay held her hands up. “My mates have only told me the opposite.”
“Then why aren’t you listening to them?” Oliviarose snapped. “I’ve only spoken with you a handful of times, and I know this is not your fault. You might have pushed the rock off the mountain, but you have no control over what it hit on the way down.” She turned to King Ryker. “Or who changed its trajectory.”
Jay rubbed her chest. Whatever insecurity still kept her cursed ate at her. I desperately wanted to take her in my arms and fix everything. But the world didn’t work that way. Instead, I reached out and put my hand on her shoulder, adding my silent support to Rehan’s. Og did the same. She lived in our confidence for a heartbeat before shrugging us off. We planted our feet, warriors at her back once more.
“Here’s the plan,” Jay said, her usual confidence returning. “Unless someone’s got a better one, noon tomorrow, I’m bait.”
A shiver of fear ran down my back. The last time we used her as bait hadn’t ended well. Her body, covered in bruises with her left eye swollen shut, was burned into my memory. I looked over her head to see the same unhappiness in Rehan and Og.
“We break into two groups,” Jay continued. She pointed as she explained. “We need to find the orphan’s blood samples and get them away from Gorm.”
“Can’t he just possess them like he did your ex?” Sky asked.
Rehan’s grandfather let out a disappointed sigh, and Jay bit her lips together, which let me know she was trying not to laugh.
“Sure, he could.” She answered lightly. “But it means he can only control the one person he’s merged with. It takes time and energy to figure out how to use that person’s body, and if they don’t want him in there, they can fight back.” Jay frowned. “As shown by Tyson’s current situation, Gorm’s using blood magic. Spells which let him control the minds and actions of others without being present in their bodies. But. He does have to give them commands. Which means he can only have so many puppets at a time.” Jay pursed her lips. “It’s possible somedragons are working for him, not because of magic, but fear. If we take away their reason to fear, we free them to fight back.”
She tapped the map again. “The second group will be smaller but more skilled, ideally, and split into their elements, as I have no faith anyone will actually work together. Each element, with one of my mates at its head, will be ready to spring when Gorm shows his lovely face. Fire, your only job will be to keep Tyson safe until I free him.”
“Why bring my son at all?” King Ryker snapped.
“Because once he’s free.” Jay grinned. “He’ll be the angriest, most badass dragon on this island, with only one thing on his mind. Eating Gorm.”
King Ryker’s chest puffed, and he eyed Jay. “Maybe you’re not so bad.”
Jay inclined her head. “Maybe when all of this is over, you can spend the rest of your life making it up to your son.”
King Ryker grimaced though his head twitched to the side. I arched an eyebrow in surprise. I wished I had that moment on video. Tyson would never believe it.
“Now, the typical containers mages hold blood spells in…” I expected Jay to create shapes out of our combined elemental magics, like the globe at the EM. Instead, she pulled out the phone I’d first seen her with and passed around a series of pictures.
By the time we finished, every dragon on the council walked away with their heads high and hope in their eyes. Jay watched them go, drumming her fingers on the map unhappily. Og whispered something in her ear and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Movement on my left pulled my attention. Rehan’s grandfather stepped up to his grandson. Still on edge from Sky, I shifted my ears and listened.
“Family’s in the heart,” the ancient dragon said, still leaning heavily on his staff.
Rehan stiffened.
My history with my dad made long-healed bruises throb on my body. I found myself standing at Rehan’s side, ready for anything. If his grandfather even lifted a finger to hurt my brother… I didn’t know what I could actually do, but at least Rehan wouldn’t face it alone.
For a moment, I worried I’d done the wrong thing. Then, Rehan adjusted, so the three of us stood in a circle of equals. Confidence filled my shoulders.
The ancient water dragon studied me before taking a deep breath. “Our family rarely agrees on anything, My grandson here had to pull us kicking and screaming to this moment of unity under the mountain of bullshit we created.” He rapped his staff on the ground. “Rehan’s bum of a father still doesn’t want change, but it’s coming whether we like it or not.” The ancient water dragon held out his hand. “You are welcomed into my family, Lux.”
Rehan jerked as if shocked by his grandfather’s words while my heart raced. Braced for a beating, I struggled to understand what he’d said.
“It was Rehan who said family is in the heart,” Rehan’s grandfather continued. “Not his elders, not me. He said it despite all of us preparing for his match with Jay to fail. For him to fail. Instead, he’s returned home with a family of his choosing, and we now have to earn the right to be a part of it.” He flexed the gnarled fingers of his hand still between us. “Will you give me an opportunity to do better, Lux?”
Rehan’s eyes crinkled with joy he held in check. I looked at him for guidance, but he just crossed his arms over his chest. “My family is a snake pit, truly worthy of our reptile halves, but we are blood.”
