Thirty-Three

Cam

I knew we should call the dads over before we started planning anything, but my dragon was very determined that this was our mission and we couldn't let the dads take over, which they would if they got involved.

"We need to call them, Cam," Ember said, and I sighed, wishing he wasn't such an adult sometimes. "Not only because they can help, but because they need to know everything in case there are any repercussions."

"You think they'd be daring enough to act against Raiden?" Micah asked before I could, and Ember shook his head.

"No one sane would ever go against a dragon as old and powerful as Raiden, but judging by everything I've heard so far, I don't think many of the mages in Ravenshire are sane."

"Yeah, I agree with that," I said, then sighed. "I'll call DD. But before we jump into this, let's have breakfast, okay? I'm starving."

Kai needs to eat , I added in the mental link, and Micah nodded while Ember smiled widely.

"Good idea. I don't want my efforts to go to waste," he said, and I shook my head at his sneakiness. Kai would never be able to decline the food now.

After a hearty breakfast, my dragon and I sucked it up and I called DD while Micah called Cassian.

Ten minutes later, the eight of us—plus Saaya and Jodi—were gathered in the living room, waiting quietly as Saaya passed on all the information she'd collected to Micah through their familiar bond. April, Cassian's familiar, was at home with Micah's twin brothers, but he'd said that she would be more than happy to help us with any aerial recon once we had a plan.

Between Ember and me, I thought we had that covered, but it was good to know we had help if we needed it. I also had a feeling Cassian would send her anyway, if only so she could keep an eye on us .

"Okay," Micah said after a few minutes, blinking a few times. "Saaya did a very thorough job," he said, running his palm over the black cat's head. Saaya purred, then settled in his lap, ready for a nap now that she'd completed her mission.

"Based on the descriptions Kai gave, Saaya was able to find Osric. He's a bit of an outcast," Micah said, and his eyes flicked to Cassian, who'd also been shunned by the mages of Ravenshire and treated like a pariah. "But for good reason, for once. It seems like his life's work has been figuring out how to...steal a being's magic through spells and artifacts. He lives on the edge of the island on a secluded property, has a few boats and too much money, and not enough security. It seems like he isn't concerned about being attacked, though he didn't once leave his home while Saaya was there, and the gossip around town seems to be that he doesn't leave his property at all."

"Unless he's out in the water tricking a dumb selkie," Kai chipped in, and I scowled.

"You're not dumb."

Micah continued before Kai could say anything, and he turned to listen, his lips pressed in a thin line. Clearly, he still blamed himself for what that asshole mage had done, and I swore to myself I'd make sure to punish that bastard for what he did to my Kai.

"I think our best bet will be to fly in right onto his property, get Kai's coat, and fly back out before the rest of the island has the chance to notice or react to our presence."

"I wouldn't mind destroying the whole damned island while we're at it," I grumbled, and of course, the dads spoke up. Clearly, they still wouldn't let me have any fun.

"Taking on the island won't be a good idea, Cam. You're a dragon, but you're still young. Some of those mages are quite old and experienced. Raiden could take them easily, but you're still too inexperienced to go against them and win," Cassian warned, and I tilted my head at him.

"So what you're saying is, if I fought and lost, DD would come and destroy them all?" Because even though I was a dragon in my own rights now, I was still DD's son, still a part of his hoard. And a dragon always protected their hoard.

"Camillo," Dad warned, and uh-oh. The full name only came out when Dad was truly serious about something, and I smiled sheepishly at him, hoping he wasn't actually mad.

"I won't do that, Dad. Of course not." Not when they had eggs at home to worry about. I knew DD was already in overprotective papa dragon mode, and I had a feeling he might do something he would later regret if I was in danger.

"We'll be careful, and I'll make sure Cam doesn't do anything...drastic," Ember assured DD and Dad, who looked relieved. Clearly, they trusted Ember's promise more than mine, but I couldn't fault them for it. They knew me, after all.

"All right, so when do you plan to do this?" Gus asked, his purple eyes flickering between us.

"Now?" I offered, then raised my palms when all eyes turned on me. "Okay, okay. You decide."

"It would be better to do it at night," Ember said, and I frowned.

"Why? It's not like we're doing anything wrong. That asshole was the thief. We're just getting back what belongs to Kai."

"While that's true, I think Ember is right," DD said, his stormy gray eyes falling on me. "It's not about righteousness, Cam. It's about doing what will keep your mates the safest. Micah can travel through Saaya's shadows, but that would be a lot more difficult in daytime, wouldn't you say?"

My dragon bristled at the implication that I wasn't thinking about my mates' safety, but I shushed it because DD was right. Micah—and even Kai, if Saaya allowed it—could travel through Saaya's shadows, which would keep them safe and give them an easy out in case I couldn't get to them in time for any reason.

"You're right. So tonight then?"

DD pursed his lips, then shared a glance with Dad before nodding. "I think the sooner you can get this done while being careful, the better."

Kai glanced between us, his lower lip trapped between his teeth, then exhaled shakily.

"Thank you, all of you."

When would he realize he didn't need to thank any of us for a thing? He was family now, and in Mistvale, we took care of our family.

Kai

Over the course of the day, my mates and the four dads went over the plan over and over again, asking me questions every once in a while that I could answer only sometimes, not that they seemed to mind.

Raiden, whose magic I could sense quite easily despite my dimmed senses, took some time to cover us in a bunch of magical shields, some with spells, others with runes drawn onto our skin with rainwater, and some with just a glow of his hand. He said the shields would keep us from getting seriously hurt, from getting noticed unless we did something truly outrageous—he'd glanced at Cam with a raised brow when he'd said that—and heal us quickly if we did get hurt. There were a bunch of other protections I lost track of, but by the time the sun set, I felt like we were going off to war, and my worry for my mates had surpassed my worry for my coat a while ago.

Was I being selfish, asking them to face this danger just so I could get my coat back? It wasn't like I would die without it now that I had our mate bond. So what if I'd never get to change into a seal again, never feel the strength of our bond the way they did? It was still better than losing one of my mates, right?

As if he could sense my panic, Ember appeared in front of me, his strong arms wrapping me in a tight hug. "Everything's going to go just fine, Kai. We'll find your coat, and we'll all be okay. All right?"

I nodded against his chest, though I wasn't quite sure I believed him just yet. My mind was filled with nothing but a cloud of anxiety, and I knew I needed to get it under control if I wanted to be helpful to my mates.

When the sun set, Ember cooked a light dinner since we needed sustenance, but even he and Cam mostly grazed, though with Cam I got the feeling it was because he was excited and not nervous.

After dinner, Micah slid close to me, an unsure look on his face as he tugged at his hair.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, my worry mounting quickly.

"Everything's fine, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I was just wondering if you'd be okay joining our mental link? I thought it'd be easier to communicate without speaking once we're out there. But it's okay if you aren't ready for that yet," he added quickly, as if he didn't want to be pushy.

"I'd like that." I'd actually wanted to be a part of their link for a while now, but I hadn't been sure if I could ask.

Micah smiled widely, then took my hand in his, closing his eyes as he hummed under his breath.

For a few moments, there was nothing, and then a new awareness filled my mind.

Hey, Kai . I jumped at Micah's voice in my head, opening my eyes to meet his dark brown ones. The color was similar to mine, but a few shades darker, with miniscule flakes of gold that you could only see when you gazed deep into his eyes.

Swallowing hard, I tried to reply in my mind. Hello, Micah .

Micah grinned, and I jumped again when Cam practically shouted in my mind.

Yay! You're here, finally! Welcome to the link, Kai!

My chest warmed at the sincere joy in his mental voice, and I thanked him, then thanked Micah for adding me.

"You belong with us," he answered easily, and that one sentence hit me right in my heart. I'd never belonged anywhere before, but as I looked around the room at all these people gathered here to help me, I realized he was right. I did belong with them. I belonged here in this house, in Mistvale.

It took another few hours before it was dark enough that Raiden felt comfortable allowing us to leave, and we walked out into the backyard, the dads staying on the back deck.

"Be safe," Raiden said, and it sounded more like a threat than anything, but Cam merely gave his father a bright smile and a quick hug before skipping down to the yard.

I'd been in the backyard quite a few times during the day, thinking of how good it would feel to take a dip in the small pond, and maybe after tonight, I'd finally get a chance to.

"April will keep an eye on you, and we'll be there if you need us," Cassian said, his strange yellow-orange eyes almost glowing in the darkness of the yard.

I loved how protective Cam and Micah's dads were, their love for their sons clear in every word they said. What must it have been like, growing up in a house full of love?

"Okay, everyone ready?" Cam asked, then glanced at me. "I promise I won't let you fall, okay? And Micah will hold you tightly the whole way."

Because of course, since my anxiety over this mission wasn't enough, I was also going to fly for the very first time today. Why hadn't I taken Cam up on his offer before?

Cam shifted into his magnificent dragon form as Ember changed into his equally stunning phoenix, and Micah quickly slipped the harness onto Cam's back with practiced moves.

You'll be okay, Kai, Cam told me in my mind, giving me a fang-filled dragon grin, and I chuckled despite myself. If I didn't know Cam, that grin would've been enough to make me wet my pants, but all I could see in that smile was his playfulness.

Micah helped me climb up on Cam, then slid on behind me, wrapping his arms around my torso firmly. I sank back into his hold as my fingers curled tightly around the harness. It was pretty secure, with space for us to tuck our feet in, and belts that wrapped around individual thighs to keep us in place. Even if Cam turned upside down, we still wouldn't slip out and fall. Yet I couldn't bring myself to let go of my death grip on the harness, and I was glad to have Micah's arms around me.

Ready? Cam asked in my mind, and I shook my head.

Yes , I answered anyway, and he gave a loud rumble before taking off into the sky, leaving the dads and my stomach in the backyard.

Ravenshire, here we come , Cam said, and if I wasn't so worried about falling off, I might've had a moment to worry about where we were headed.

Maybe that had been his plan all along.