Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

CALVIN

The next few hours were chaotic. The people who dealt with dangerous shifters showed up in a helicopter, plus two more SUVs full an hour later. They dosed the dragons with some kind of drug to keep them unconscious, and a group took them to whatever facility they had while the rest stayed to help us.

Without Runa awake to heal people, Aiden had to call in a doctor. Andrew was weak, his body still recovering. The guy who knocked out the first dragon had to be airlifted to a shifter friendly hospital because his leg was so messed up and shifter healing wasn't helping. Kiara put Runa in the guest room in her apartment suite. They gave her an IV and put her on monitors, but since they didn't know what she did to save Andrew, they didn't know exactly how to help her. They treated her for over exhaustion and waited to see what she needed along the way.

Jasper was dosed just like his friends, but Aiden said he couldn't feel Jasper's dragon anymore. No one knew if what Runa did was temporary or permanent, and until she woke up to explain, they decided to proceed with an abundance of caution. Jasper was taken away with the rest of the dragons and someone named Beckett said they'd have him monitored to make sure his dragon didn't come back while he was in prison.

The whole day had been awful, and everyone was exhausted. No one was willing to leave until they were sure Andrew was okay, so if there were couches available, or spare beds, they were full of the Blackridge crew. Even those who couldn't shift or fight showed up after it was safe. The paranormal enforcers, as Kiara referred to them, agreed to stay and watch over the compound, to make sure Jasper didn't have any more friends hiding in the forest. Kiara had to practically drag me to bed, I was so dead on my feet, and when my head hit the pillow, I curled in on myself. I felt cold inside and out, and I kept hearing the sound of Andrew's body hitting the wall over and over again. I was too tired to be awake, but too horrified to sleep, and I couldn't focus until fur and heat pressed up against my back. When I looked over my shoulder, Kiara had gone full lioness, and she was lying beside me. She nudged me back onto my side, rested her head on top of mine, and purred.

"I didn't know lions could purr," I murmured. It sort of felt like a drug, the warmth, vibrations, and the noise putting me to sleep despite my anxiety.

I didn't sleep through the night. I woke up twice, gasping and drenched in sweat. Each time, Kiara's purr started up again and dragged me back to sleep. When I woke up the following morning, I was still tired, but at least rested. Kiara was gone, but I could hear her voice in the living room, low and terse. She sounded angry, and I didn't know why. I'd never gotten undressed last night, too exhausted and heart heavy, so I quickly changed into something clean and stepped out. Kiara was standing in front of the room Runa was in, her arms crossed and her chin lifted. There were two men standing in front of her, and her voice came out a hiss when she spoke to them.

"You're not taking her away. She's under Aiden's protection. Get out."

"She's dangerous," one of them countered. "She needs to be monitored. She took away a shifter's ability to shift last night. That alone–"

"She saved lives," I interjected. "Jasper was killing people to force his stupid agenda. He wanted to force dragons to make more babies by killing their mates and forcing them into male-female pairings. You're saying he didn't deserve what he got?"

Both guys were a lot bigger than me, and didn't seem to appreciate me joining the conversation. One sneered at me, while the other looked at me like I was dirt. I ignored it. I wasn't going to let them take Runa away.

"Without proof, we can't–"

"There is proof," Kiara snapped. "Talk to Beckett Rose about proof. Who the hell are you, anyway?"

"We're members of the Dragon Council and–"

She stiffened and something flashed behind her eyes before she looked at me. "Go get Aiden. Now."

I wasn't going to ignore her orders again. I hurried out of the room and down the hall to Aiden and Andrew's apartments. When I burst in, a dozen people all whipped around, but I didn't stop to explain, going straight for Aiden's room.

"Don't–" Christian called, but I ignored him, shoving the door open.

Aiden snarled, spinning around to face me. I was pissing him off by coming in here, and if it wasn't an emergency, I would seriously question my sanity.

"Dragon Council. Trying to take Runa," I gasped out.

Thankfully, Aiden didn't murder me for coming into his space. He stormed out of the room, barking at Ethan to stay with Andrew before stalking down the hall with me hot on his heels. Kiara still stood guard, her growl menacing, but before the assholes could force the issue, Aiden stepped in front of her and stared the men down.

"Explain yourselves."

The air rattled with his irritation, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I couldn't breathe right standing so close to him, so when Kiara beckoned me to her side, I scampered over without question. She pushed me into Runa's room, following me and shutting the door behind her. It only blocked out a portion of Aiden's fury, but at least I could breathe.

"How the hell does he do that?" I demanded.

"It's his dominance. It's heavy. Now shush."

She was listening through the doorway, her posture poised and ready for a fight. I joined her, pressing my ear to the door to listen. It was muffled, the door must've been thicker than I thought, but I could catch pieces of it.

"She is dangerous."

"He got what he deserved," Aiden growled.

"We can't just let her wander free. Who's to say if she'll do it again? All dragons could be in danger because of her," one argued.

"And where were you when Jasper was killing our own? Where are the dragons whose mates he killed?"

"We have to look into that," one grumbled. "But the witch will need to be taken in regardless. She attacked a member of the council and–"

Aiden's snarl was so intense, the door rattled and Kiara and I had to step back for a second to breathe right. When Aiden spoke again, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I could feel his fury through the door.

"The Dragon Council failed to do its job in protecting our people. Jasper Marino killed my mate. That witch that you are so eager to incarcerate saved his life. She is under my protection. Either leave my territory or face me," he growled.

"Dragon Callisto, that isn't–"

"Leave this place! Now!"

There was a pregnant pause before footsteps left the room. Kiara and I looked at each other, and when she cracked open the door, I squeezed in beside her to see what was happening. Aiden was gone, and so were the two men. Which either meant he was escorting them out or a fight was about to break out. I really didn't want to experience another dragon battle. One was enough for a lifetime.

Thankfully, Aiden came back a minute later. He was on his phone, barking at someone on the other end. "You were supposed to be here hours ago. I don't care for your excuses. Get here now!"

He hung up without waiting on a response, turning to look at us. His eyes weren't human looking, which was freaky, and the air was still vibrating around us. He didn't come closer, and his voice was terse but not angry when he spoke again.

"How is she?"

Kiara looked over her shoulder at Runa before responding. "Stable. Still asleep. I thought the doctor was back to check on her. I shouldn't have opened the door."

He shook his head. "The fault lies with my security company. They're late. Until they arrive, I need someone with her at all times. She is vulnerable right now, and needs protection."

"We'll stay with her," I volunteered. I owed it to Runa to watch her back. She fixed a mistake I thought I'd never be able to take back.

Aiden nodded once. "I'll alert you when security arrives. I need to be with Andrew."

He stalked away without a backward glance and I let out a heavy breath when the air finally stopped vibrating.

"Holy crap."

Kiara hummed, staring after him. "I'd act the same way if I saw you die in front of me." She turned slowly, her brows pulling together. "What the hell were you doing standing in the middle of that field?"

I grimaced, running my fingers roughly through my hair. "Okay, I can explain."