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There was not a chance in hell I was doing that. For all my mate’s logic, she rarely put herself first. But I would. I pulled her tighter into my chest.
Tyson hit the precarious side of Lux’s tower and blew a stream of fire into the center. Rehan’s cramped dragon body,covered in missing scales and demon gore, reflected in the glowing red. Tyson snapped his maw into Lux’s tower before swiping down like a cat.
Dragons poured out of the castle, both as scaled humans and full-sized dragons. A gaggle of kids, who I’m sure had been told to keep put, took flight, aiming for a single demon. In a matter of minutes, the tide shifted, and the demons became few and far between. Rehan roared, his scaled body climbing out of the destroyed tower to release a stream of blue flame into the brightening nigh sky.
Dragons took to the air. Some patrolled for remaining enemies while others tended to wounded or looked for friends. I scanned the sky, but no more demons burst out of large circular objects.
Jay went silent in my claws. Resigned anger radiated off her body.
The head of my council, the closest the earth dragons had to a leader, landed on the edge of Lux’s platform. Oliviarose’s little brown dragon shifted into her human form, though smartly, she remained covered in scales. Her long, wavy brown hair ran down her back. The twins who’d helped me trick Tyson into crossing into earth territory shifted out of their dragon forms as well and stood at her flank. Across from her, Rehan’s ancient grandfather arrived, followed by Ryker the Fire King, with two of his guards standing on either side of him. They raised their hands, and balls of flickering light rose into the air, bathing the destroyed tower in reds and oranges to fully display the damage.
Rehan and Tyson shifted into their human forms. The water heir motioned for me to join them. Slowly, I circled closer, trying to watch everywhere at once.
Lux’s tower had taken the brunt of the damage. The rest of the castle appeared untouched. I seethed. First, we found the airprince broken, and now, the only bit of his home he considered safe was gone.
King Leberecht abused his own son, probably for his entire life. And Lux wasn’t just any kid. He was a dragon prince who existed in the public eye. I’d grown up with rumors about the broken air prince. He was our example of what not to do—judged because his father made the wrong choice. But Lux wasn’t an object. He was a dragon shifter who had no control over his birth. As a race, we looked the other way and never once followed up on a single piece of information. I couldn’t turn a blind eye any longer.
As if my thoughts called him, the Air King landed and pulled his wings into his human body. The powers that ruled our island stood around Lux’s acid-eaten tower above a pile of bodies, demons, and dragons.
Dragons. Dead. My eyes watered with tears I couldn’t shed here.
Instead of sitting or standing behind their parents, Rehan and Tyson carved out a section of the tower between earth and water. I dove for them and dropped my charges. Both dragons subtly attempted to pull Jay to their side. Jay pushed them both away and clenched her fists. I shrank into my human body and after a quick check on Lux, who was still unconscious, I fingered the runes on my legs, preparing for speed if we needed a quick exit.
I didn’t know how this would end, but Jay would not be stripped from our side a second time.
The first light of pre-dawn made the stars fade and turned the world into a murky gray.
“The battle is over. Return to your rooms and your elements, now,” King Leberecht boomed, fanning his arms out. His white robes billowed dramatically in the constant light breeze. He hadn’t shifted to fight. He probably hadn’t fought at all. “We willtake possession of the human who called monsters to help her escape and see she’s destroyed.”
“Jay didn’t have anything to do with this!” I hissed, stepping closer to her.
“Those were demons,” Rehan’s grandfather spoke up. “They came out of our very shield! One woman cannot possibly control them. You’re being a blind fool, Leberecht!”
“She’s not a mere human!” The Air King pointed at Jay. “She declared it herself.”
“And you refused to believe it,” Oliviarose said calmly. Her gaze burned into King Ryker before moving to King Leberecht. “You can’t have it both ways.”
Jay knelt and adjusted Lux so he lay more comfortably, subtly drawing every eye to the Air King’s son lying unconscious at our feet. Jay was so good.
“Is that your son?” Oliviarose asked, her gaze honing back in on the Air King.
“Yes. He would still be safe and conscious if it wasn’t for the human.” King Leberecht’s white robs billowed. He puffed out his chest as if his words were absolute truth. “Seize the human, now.”
Jay lifted one of Lux’s limp arms. The chain, still hanging off it, dragged on the stone of the tower.
“No.” She gently crossed his arm over his body before standing. “There’s not a chance in hell you’re ever getting ahold of Lux again, Leberecht.”
The air between Jay and the Air King snapped and sizzled with magic. A promise made with enough intention drew the magic of the world. King Leberecht knew it.
His face paled.
Jay clenched a fist in front of herself. “Respectfully, your highnesses, fuck you. Fuck all of you.” She gestured around the landing. “There was a goddamn oubliette in this castle intendedto cage dragon shifters. Would I find the same in the rest of your palaces? You’ve isolated yourself from the world and then, worse, isolated yourself from each other. Then, to take it one step further, you’ve even isolated your dragons, revolving your existence around your human side.” She held up a hand. “I shouldn’t judge, but look at what you’ve created?” She gestured to Lux. “Magic should be able to fix anything.” Jay sliced her hand through the air. “It’s fucking magic! Instead, I found Lux, one ofmymates, almost dead, in chains, and shunned by the world who should have embraced him for what he can do instead of destroying him for what he can’t.”
The wind whipped around us, echoing Jay’s anger.
“You could have put those on him!” The Air King yelled, his eyes wide.
“She couldn’t have,” King Ryker responded.
