Chapter 18

Eighteen

When Kaida stepped outside, the sun’s powerful rays immediately warmed her skin. Beckett had his back on the wall with his thumbs in his pockets and one foot up on the wall. Kaida noticed his eyes scanning the area as people walked the streets and entered the different stores.

While Kaida looked at Beckett, his power rolled off him like waves crashing onto the sand. The energy caressed her skin, and she felt her soul reach him. Kaida whimpered, the feeling of wanting Beckett mixed with the pain from the broken bond with Enzo. She tried to banish the thoughts of him to make the pain go away. The sounds must have caught Beckett’s full attention because he looked at her.

Something in that look had Kaida weak in the knees. A look of longing, like Kaida, was the answer to all of his prayers. The tugging inside her chest grew stronger the longer they stared at each other. Kaida swallowed hard as she fought the urge to step closer to him and hoped he would wrap her up in his arms. Kaida’s heart raced at the thought of being in his arms, and her thoughts quickly went down a much steamier path.

I can’t do this again. I won’t survive it a second time.

Beckett gave her a soft smile, “Hey.”

“Hi.”

“Would you like to… uh… I guess, spend the day with me?”

Kaida hesitated. A part of her still felt conflicted about getting close to someone new. She opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t sure when a deep feminine voice filled her head.

Yes. We want this.

Kaida had never heard that voice before. The feeling that followed was a warmth in her chest that spread throughout her body. For the first time in months, Kaida felt… strong.

Is this my bond with Beckett? Can a bond do this?

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

It was like a light turned on when Beckett smiled as she said yes. It instantly caused her to smile back at him.

Beckett did not waste any time. He held out his arm for her to loop her own into it and then started to walk down the road. Kaida was able to see Aiden’s shop before Beckett led her to the strip of stores behind the ones they were currently on. She caught a glimpse of Aiden’s face as they passed by the window. The Witch clearly didn’t expect to see Kaida with one of the Fearsome Four since Kaida saw her eyebrows go nearly into her hairline. Kaida shrugged her shoulders to tell her she wasn’t sure what was happening either before they disappeared around the corner.

As they walked, there was a silence between them, but it didn’t feel awkward or make Kaida want to fill it in any way. There was no feeling of expectation either. The sun was shining, and the temperature was quite warm. It was a beautiful day for a walk, so Kaida tried to enjoy it for what it was.

Though, quickly, Kaida realized she didn’t know anything about this guy; she only knew he was one of the four dragons that ruled over the Outcasted. She wanted to know more.

“So… what was it like growing up around here?”

“Not glamorous like your life in Dragaal.”

The icy tone made Kaida regret asking the question. She should have known that would be his response. It was evident she was going to be hated by the four of them just because she was from Dragaal and a possible Storm Dragon. Beckett must have felt the uneasiness that washed over Kaida and quickly changed his tune.

“It honestly hasn’t been too bad. Over the years, it’s become a community. Some mates never come for their rejected, so they just stay here. It’s not even like they have to stay here either. Dragons or Faeries can fly back to their kingdom. Witches have been known to cast a spell to go back. Vampyres and Lycans mostly stay here because they don’t have the means to get back themselves, but we have had a few that we flew or magicked back.”

“Aren’t there feuds between any of the species? I know Lycans and Vampyres usually hate each other. I think Witches and Faeries normally do, too.”

“Not really. Once you are here, there is no reason to fight with someone because of ancestral hate.”

“What about resources? How has everyone been able to build everything? Even create a business and have a currency?”

Beckett looked at her weirdly, “The kingdoms fund a lot of this. Other things are created through magick. For example, everything used to build the stores or houses came from the Terrain element. Fancier things like metal have come from the kingdoms.”

Kaida scrunched her face in confusion, “that is not what I was told. It was taught that making your mate come here is almost a death wish. There are little to no resources, and unless your mate comes back for you, you could die here.”

Beckett nodded his head along with her words. Kaida wished she was more skilled at navigating bonds so she could possibly get a glimpse at what he was thinking about. It was shocking to learn that Dragaal was raising their children to learn that making their mate become an Outcasted was a death sentence when it wasn’t like that at all. Beckett watched her face, so Kaida focused on keeping it still. She didn’t want him to know that learning this rattled her.

If the King and Queen are willing to allow people to misinform our children to fear being brought here, what else are they lying about? How far does their deception go?

Kaida didn’t really want to know the answer to that question. It frightened her enough that her own mate was able to lie to her face and tell her he wouldn’t reject her if she were dragonless, but he did anyway. If she learned more deceit, her heart would just break.

They continued to walk down the road until there weren’t any shops left. Beckett continued until it reached a dirt path leading into a thinly wooded forest. Kaida looked around and couldn’t believe how lush everything looked. Even the foliage back home didn’t have the vibrancy it did here. Kaida wasn’t sure where it headed but went along anyway. They walked up a hill in silence for quite a while. She thought it would make her nervous that Beckett wasn’t mentioning where they were going. Something about him and his energy made her feel at ease, though, and that everything was going to be okay. The dirt path eventually led to an opening. There was a white gazebo that was covered in vines right in front of a cliff.

Beckett sat on a bench located about 10 feet from the cliff’s edge, put one arm on the back, and looked out toward the horizon to see the landscape below. A gentle breeze blew through his hair, making him look more regal than ever. Her jaw dropped when she sat down with him and looked at what he was looking at. It was the entire lands of the Outcasted. It was a fairly populated city built on steep hillsides. Adobe shops, homes, and businesses were shoved into every conceivable location on the hillside. Narrow streets, steep steps, and thin pathways carved through the buildings, crammed shoulder to shoulder with its Outcasted residents. When she was in the shops, she didn’t realize how this area actually looked. Now, seeing it from this point of view, she could see the true beauty in it.

“I like coming here from time to time and getting a look at this place. Sometimes, after we have been mingling down there, trudging through everything that everyone is going through, trying to get people to a place where they can start healing from what was done to them… it’s good to come here. Looking out and seeing the beauty of what was given to us reminds me that being in charge is a purpose The Great Dragon gave us. But you know what else it does?”

“What’s that?”

“Reminds me to cherish my mate whenever I meet her. Hold on to her and never let her go. To those who throw their mates away, cast them aside here…they never realize what they do. They don’t know the pain the rejected go through, the struggles they face. Most come back and fix their wrongs. But some never do. Some have to feel that shattered bond until their dying day.”

Kaida wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t expect him to unload on her this way. Did this mean he already trusted her? Did this mean he was already willing to open the bond between them? Was she even ready for that if he was to open it fully?

“Just so you know, I can’t stand the asshole who put you here. He deserves to rot after rejecting you and dropping you here. He has no idea what he has done–giving up something he should have cherished.”

Kaida looked down at her shoes. His words meant the world to her, but she also already suffered through trusting someone the first time she was told she was to be cherished.

“Even if I am dragonless?” Kaida whispered.

“That doesn’t mean shit. She is in there. I can feel her. You aren’t dragonless. She is just having a hard time coming out.”

Kaida’s head snapped up to look at Beckett, eyes wide in shock as the words he’d just said sunk in. He was wearing a shit-eating grin. He knew she didn’t know this information—that she did have a dragon inside of her.

“What do you mean she’s in there?! How do I get her to come out?”

“That is something you will have to discuss with me and my brothers. I think there is a deal that can be made here, if you are open to it.”

Kaida didn’t hesitate. There was no reason not to do this. Whatever their offer could be, she could finally have her dragon emerge. She could show Enzo that he had made a mistake.

I can get revenge.