9. Kaida

It was difficult to say goodbye to the first people that made her feel whole. All four of these girls made Kaida feel safe and cared about from the moment she stepped onto that beach and ran into them. They were the reason she could brush herself off and continue going through everything that told her that her life had just gone under. That didn’t stop these girls. They all reminded her that just because she was rejected didn’t mean the world ended. She could create a new life on that island, and they were there to help her through it.

They all decided to say their goodbyes outside. Azulia was going to use her wings to fly herself back. The Vampyre kingdom was next to hers, so she offered to take Sundrei along with her. Adrien knew of a spell that could relocate someone to their desired destination. She hadn’t thought to use it before when they understood that the barrier would keep them here. Now that the truth had been revealed, things changed. Kaida got to witness Adrien putting together a potion to create these pearls. The person needed to crush them and say their destination out loud to activate the magic for teleportation. Sundrei and Azulia didn’t like the idea and produced their own using Azulia’s wings and Sundrei hitching a ride. Remy seemed pleased that she got to experience magic for herself since Lycans didn’t talk to Witches very often.

Azulia hugged her first. The scent of the elements wafted into her nose. Kaida took a deep breath of it as tears rolled down her cheeks. The warmth of the hug spread through her body, making her squeeze onto Azulia like she didn’t want to let go. She felt Azulia’s arms tighten around her, making her feel less awkward about becoming emotional about it all. When they let each other go, Azulia brushed off Kaida’s tears from her cheeks.

"None of that. This isn’t goodbye forever. We will see each other again," Azulia told her with a voice steadier than Kaida had expected.

"How do you know that?" Kaida croaked.

Azulia looked around at the others and smiled. "Because this is forever."

Kaida laughed as another tear rolled down her face. "That’s a cheesy line."

Azulia laughed. "But you know it’s true."

Sundrei was next. Kaida gave her a tight hug like she did with Azulia. Sundrei smelled like the air did when the sun beat down on the ground. It reminded Kaida of the summer breeze and brought the warmth she usually felt sitting in its ray on her skin. Sundrei let go first, and her lip was quivering.

"I wish we could all go back with one another, but I know that isn’t possible right now. I’m thankful for our time together, but now I wish I had opened a little more to you all."

Kaida pulled her back into another quick hug. "We will catch up sooner rather than later. We will use that time to talk until we are blue in the face to get closer than we were before."

Sundrei smiled at her. "You’re right. This isn’t goodbye. It’s just see you later."

Kaida smiled at her as Sundrei took a step back. Remy practically jumped on her to hug her tighter than the others.

"You listen to me," she said in Kaida’s ear before pulling her away, "You better kick some serious ass and make it out alive. If you die, I will come back just to revive your ass so I can kick it for dying on us."

Kaida laughed hard, and it hurt her sides. "Thanks for killing the moment."

"I did nothing of the sort. I don’t do mushy. Take me for what I am or leave."

Kaida shook her head before pulling Remy back into a hug. "I’m going to miss your sass so damn much."

Remy tightened her grip back before pulling away again. "Right back atcha. Make sure you punch those boys in their dicks if they give you trouble since I can’t be here to do it for you."

"I punched Blaze without you, so I think I can handle that."

"Good. I better not hear you let them walk all over you. I’ll be so pissed and will rearrange your face if you do."

Kaida tipped her head to Remy with a smile on her face. "Understood."

Adrien stepped in between them, and her lips were quivering. Her eyes said it all. They held a sadness that Kaida had never seen in them before. Kaida pulled Adrien into a tight hug like the others, but with Adrien, it felt different. It might have been because she felt more connected with Adrien or because they both have much more on their shoulders than the others. They held each other for a long time, neither wanting to let go first. Kaida sobbed onto her friend’s shoulder. She felt Adrien’s body shake against her, too. After another moment, they let go of each other.

"Good luck with everything, Kaida. I know you fight ahead. If I can come back and help, I will."

Kaida smiled, but it was barely noticeable. "Thank you. Good luck to you, too. Let me know if you need anything. I have wings and can fly to you if need be."

"Well, if I manage to obtain teleportation, I can do the same." Adrien looked back at her house. "I hope we can figure this out and use this house to come party in when this is over."

"I’m sure we can. If everything is going how I think it is, we were all meant to do something with our worlds. The Great Dragon is bringing Plasma Dragons back, and now your Witch Supreme legend? Something is going on."

Adrien nodded. "You’re right. Something big is happening, and we seem to be the center of it."

The others agreed and hoped that their kingdoms weren’t experiencing the same things. If they were, that could mean massive changes coming to their worlds.

They managed to come together for a group hug before parting ways.

~*~*~*~*~*~

When she got back, the boys were waiting for her on the porch. Her head hung low, and her heart ached, knowing her friends were no longer on the island. The good news was that they could send each other letters. The bad news was that there was a chance the letters wouldn’t get to them if they had to move around with their tasks.

Beckett was the first one to hold her once she climbed the steps. The others hugged her, too, before they made their way inside. Kaida wasn’t sure what to do next. Beckett urged her to sit on the couch and entered the kitchen. Enzo sat to her right, and Arlo and Esen sat on the floor before her to remain close.

"Is everything okay?" Beckett asked her before handing her a glass of water and sitting to her left.

Kaida shook her head. "The girls went back to their kingdoms. It was a bit emotional. My heart hurts. I don’t know when I’ll get the chance to see them again."

Enzo took hold of her hand, "Don’t think like that. Now that the barrier is shut down, you guys can schedule a time for everyone to come here to see each other."

"If we manage to get things figured out and live to tell the tale," Kaida snapped.

Arlo looked at her and gave a small smile of encouragement. "Don’t think like that, Kaida. If anyone can bring order to our world, it’s you."

"You have a lot of confidence in someone who just received their dragon and magic. I have no idea how to use my magic properly, and I only know enough to defend myself."

Esen chuckled. "That is basically what war is, though. You’ll be defending yourself left and right."

"Speaking of such things, I think we need to figure out a plan of attack here. Gemar knows we know about him now. Things aren’t exactly easy," Beckett pointed out.

Kaida bowed her head and groaned. "As if this day can get any worse."

Esen was the first to speak. "Sorry, but it isn’t like you didn’t know this. The whole point of you breaking that barrier was so we could reclaim the kingdom. This is everything that we have been working for since we made that deal."

Kaida frowned at him. "That is one of the reasons why I opened that barrier. Another was so my friends could go home and warn their people. There is so much more going on than you even know. Adrien has things happening that I’d never even heard of."

They all stared at her blankly. Kaida took the opportunity to dive into what happened while she was with her friends. They all growled when she got to the part where Adrien gained abilities. Kaida held up a hand to make them stop. She could feel through the bonds that they didn’t like the idea of an even more powerful witch walking the world. Dragons don’t get along well with the other species on the best of days. Now, someone with more power could potentially be on board. That made them all uneasy. She reminded them that Adrien was one of her best friends, which could benefit them. They only receded when she drove it home, and Adrien could have killed her at any time when her dragon hadn’t emerged. If Adrien were evil, she wouldn’t have waited this long to do it.

"It’s not just that. Someone with that kind of power can fall into the wrong hands. Adrien has been away from her kingdom for a year or more now. That long away could make her a target of her own people. Witches aren’t like us. They could see her as an enemy," Arlo tried to explain, but it only made Kaida rub her temples.

"Arlo, you didn’t listen well to my story. She already knows she will be hunted down. If she stayed here, she would have been an easy target."

Arlo frowned at her. "I forgot that tidbit. But that’s why we don’t like this. If anyone finds out you are someone she cares about, that could put you in danger."

"I agree with Arlo, but I also know something. It doesn’t matter. We have our issues to deal with right now. We need to figure out our next move here. We need to do something before Gemar does," Beckett contradicted.

Kaida shook her head. "I have no idea what any of this means. I am no warrior here. I was a daughter of a council member. I was practically royalty. If you four want to make battle plans, then by all means, make them. I am no good there. I can tell you that storming the beach is not a good idea because I think Gemar would expect you to go that way. After all, that is usually the main way to Dragaal."

Enzo nodded. "I agree there. I can tell you what my father has told his army before during possible attacks. I attended a few of those meetings with the generals."

"Good. We will need that information to plan."

Beckett looked at Kaida again. The lines in his face were telling. The bond flared to life as his concern washed over her. She didn’t think going through heartache over her friends returning home would cause concern, so she scratched that off the list. Nothing came to mind of why he would be concerned, so she needed to ask.

"Start talking. What’s on your mind?"

"Well. We are discussing the fact that we plan to storm the gates and take over the throne. We have no idea if all of us will make it through this. I know for a fact that there is something that all of us need to consider, but mostly you."

Kaida shifted her shoulders until she was more comfortable. "And that is?"

"We need to get your bond with Blaze fixed."

Kaida growled. "Ugh. Didn’t I already say this day couldn’t this day get any worse? What do you want me to do, Beck? He doesn’t want me. He avoids me at any cost. If we are face-to-face, we blow up at each other. I don’t know how to really move on from that and fix the bond. Especially since he is the one that doesn’t want it to be open in the first place."

Beckett sighed. "I just feel like it would be a good thing. I can feel it. This weird space inside of our bond with you. I can literally feel the space that he is supposed to make up. I don’t really know how to explain it. It just feels like..."

"Like he is missing," the other three finished.

Kaida stared at her mates for a moment. Did they all feel this? She wasn’t the only one who could feel how Blaze’s bond felt like a piece of herself that was missing.

"You can feel it, too?" Kaida whispered to them.

They all nodded. Enzo put his arm around her shoulders and let her lay her head on it.

"Yeah. We feel it, too. From what I understand about bonds, it can eat away at you. There is a reason why most will come back to claim their mate after rejecting them. The other half of your soul is missing after it was found. I spent so many nights just wanting to scream because of this aching hole in my heart that I couldn’t piece it back together. After I fixed the bond with you, it went away a little. Now I feel it again. It’s not as strong as it was with you, but a dull ache. It must be worse for you if it is dull for me."

"So, you think I must mend my bond with Blaze before we take the throne?"

Arlo gave her a sideways smile. "I agree with Enzo. I feel the same way he does."

Beckett and Esen agreed.

Well, damn it. I guess I need to talk to the hothead.