Chapter 20

Twenty

Kaida sat outside of the home of the Fearsome Four, and her thoughts trailed off to trying to understand how she ended up there. If someone had told her a month ago this is what she would be doing as opposed to being bonded to her Fated Mate, she would have thought they were insane. A week ago, she was a Princess of Dragaal, betrothed to the future king, and her destiny was in her own hands. Now she was sitting outside the house of four pissed off dragons who held her future in their hateful hands instead.

The Great Dragon better know what the hell they are doing.

Afleeting thought of Enzo caused her chest to throb with pain. Kaida leaned her head back on the golden yellow siding as she rubbed her chest. Without Beckett’s presence, it wasn’t going to subside. She groaned as the pain seared its way through her chest, making it hard to breathe.

When will this pain go away?

An image of Enzo’s gorgeous smile came to mind. She tried to banish it to the depths of her mind, but she clung to it. It was a much better image of him than the one she remembered just before he shifted into his dragon and brought her here. She gasped as another throb of pain coursed through her. Kaida slowly curled into a ball on the bench. A tear slid down her cheek as she tried to take several deep breaths. She could feel herself losing consciousness as the pain became too unbearable. Then the pain was replaced with a warmth that Kaida was unsure of where it was coming from. It was the weirdest sensation she had ever felt. It was like there was static underneath her skin. Heat burned inside of her as if her blood was lava. It bubbled up her chest and into her throat. She managed to turn her body just in time before dry heaving. Stacks of black smoke billowed out of her mouth as she coughed.

Then, suddenly, whatever it was just stopped.

Kaida panted as her eyes widened at the sight of the black smoke that had just come from her mouth dissipating into thin air. She couldn’t understand what had just happened to her. Not once in her life did anyone tell her this happened to them. Was this part of the rejection? Or was this something else entirely? She didn’t know.

There was a commotion inside the house that caught her attention. It was slightly muffled, but she could hear two sets of feet coming down the stairs from inside the home. It was odd to Kaida that she could hear it because usually, her ears wouldn’t pick up on such things.

What is happening to me?

It was quiet once again. The only thing she could hear was the birds chirping as they basked in the sun. Everything subsided like it had all been a dream. There wasn’t an inkling of the power she felt; there was no pain from the mate bond to Enzo either. Kaida sighed as she contemplated going to see Aiden to ask if she was capable of giving a medical exam with her magic. Most doctors in Dragaal were Witches, so Kaida figured Aiden would know how to perform it.

Then she heard her name.

It wasn’t spoken in a disgusted tone, not even a malicious one. Her name was said in a soft tone and filled with intrigue. Like she was the answer to their prayers to the Great Dragon. But one thing had her confused.

It wasn’t Beckett’s voice.

Kaida only once heard the voices of the other three when they first met near the beach. Beckett, on the other hand, had just spent the day with her. This voice sounded softer, so she knew it couldn’t be Blaze.

That means it was either the Air or the Earth Prince. I thought they hated me, too. Why would either of them talk about me in such a soft way?

For a moment, Kaida thought what she heard had been just a figment of her imagination after her body endured the rejection. It made the most sense since she didn’t know much about what people went through once they came here. For all she knew, this was normal. Kaida made a mental note to ask the girls if it was normal when she heard her name come up again.

Kaida sat up and leaned toward the window to try to hear more of what was being discussed. Instead of hearing words, she heard footsteps. She tried to make herself look inconspicuous and not like she just tried to listen in on the conversation as Beckett stepped out onto the porch. Kaida briefly glanced at him, almost afraid to meet his gaze like a toddler getting caught doing something they weren’t supposed to be.

Beckett gave her a warm smile and said, “We are ready for you.”

Thudding inside her chest was all Kaida could hear as she stood up and made her way to the door. Beckett had her walk in front of him, giving her no chance to run outside the door even if she wanted to. He walked with his hand on the small of her back, guiding her toward a room off the side. Kaida glanced around to take count of who was where as she walked into a room with a billiards table in the middle.

Blaze sat in a reclining chair in the right-hand corner; his eyes flashed a red glow as he watched her with each step she took. A shudder rocked through her and down her back at his gaze. The heat set her body on fire until she broke its hold. She mentally shook off the feeling, even though it made her panties wet at the thought of that gaze on her for longer than a few seconds. She briefly imagined him looking down at her the same way while he pushed himself as deep as he could. The scent of smoke filled her nostrils, like a campfire burning fiercely, making her want to inhale and savor it.

Moving on.

Arlo was on top of the table with his legs crossed in front of him. His eyes were closed at first, but when he opened them, they flashed a vibrant green. When his eyes returned to their normal hue, she felt like a vine was slowly wrapping around her, pulling her toward him. The scent of sweet-smelling flowers filled her nose, mentally putting her in a field of peonies while staring at a cloudless blue sky. She pictured vines touching her all over in such a sensual way it made her shudder in the same way as Blaze’s gaze. Her panties became more soaked, and Kaida tried to hide the fact that her legs rubbed together.

I am losing my damn mind. This needs to stop before these four find out.

She noticed Esen leaning against the left-hand wall with his hands in his pockets and his head looking at the ground. When he glanced at her, his eyes flashed a golden yellow, and he smirked before looking back down at the ground. That smirk made her stomach flip-flop. Kaida swallowed hard as she stopped her mind from drifting off once again to the scent of a warm breeze.

What the hell is going on with me?

There was another chair in the left-hand corner, but there was no chance in hell that Kaida would walk back there, not with all three of them looking at her like she was lunch. A memory of her father giving her a, conveniently, handy piece of advice came to mind.

Always keep your back against a wall by an exit while inside a room with enemies. No one can manage a surprise attack from behind you, and you have an easy escape plan.

Kaida stepped off to the side and put her back against the wall. In an attempt to make herself not look as though she was terrified beyond her wildest dreams while in this room, she crossed her arms over her chest and forced her face to look bored. It was difficult, especially with her heart ramming against her chest, but she thought she was passing it off.

“Let’s get this shit straight from the start,” Blaze rumbled to break the silence in the room as he leaned his body forward to make himself look more intimidating, “it has been a long damn time since a dragon has come here. If it weren’t for the fact that you could be valuable to us, I would have already concocted a plan to remove your ass from my island.”

Kaida fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. The whole “my dick is the biggest” routine was not attractive on anyone. Hearing him start the conversation this way felt like a bucket of cold water being dumped on her. It was welcomed since she did not want to feel any kind of pull to Blaze anyway, but it still annoyed the shit out of her that this was how he chose to speak every time he opened his mouth.

“Okay,” Kaida said flatly.

“We aren’t going to bore you with the details of our spotty past, considering you grew up having the luxury of top-of-the-line education while you sat in your pretty castle in Dragaal.” Kaida did roll her eyes at that one. “You are already quite aware that the Storm Legion booted our ancestors to this island. What you don’t know is we four hold more power within our veins than any dragon that has stepped on this soil. We belong on a bigger throne than what we are on now. The Stormies over there think they own the right to sit upon the throne and govern our people. They are wrong. Storms are not the strongest force in our world. Each element can kill thousands in a few seconds, but a bolt of lightning only kills one person when it strikes. And that is only one element at a time. Imagine all four at once.”

“There is no argument there. The elements are a strong force, each one being a force that shouldn’t be reckoned with at all,” Kaida replied, still trying to seem bored. She wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not, but she continued anyway. “However, I am not sure what any of that has to do with me.”

Arlo chortled while rolling his eyes at her, “Of course not. We haven’t explained shit yet, you dumb bitch. Just listen. Talking is only going to get your ass into trouble beyond this point.”

Kaida looked over at Beckett with a look of disgust. He was leaning in the doorway, smiling at her. She had no idea why she thought he might come to her rescue. With this smile, she knew he was enjoying every second of her banter and theirs.

Well, there goes the thought that he was on my side.

As Blaze spoke, he slowly stood up from the chair, and his volume grew higher, “The Great Dragon brought you here to assist with our cause. That is the only explanation a Stormy would reject their mate. The Great Dragon doesn’t make a mistake! You are here to help us ascend to our reign. You are the key we have been looking for to get us to Dragaal!”

Uh… what have they been smoking?

“How the hell do you figure that?”

“Simple. You know those lands better than we do, especially the main city where the throne sits. You will help us through the barrier and lead us to the gates.”

Kaida scoffed at Blaze. “What on the Great Dragon’s green earth makes you think I would agree to such a thing? How do you even figure I know this information? I didn’t grow up in that castle. I grew up on my family’s lands! I don’t even have a dragon! How can I lead anything?”

Arlo shook his head. “Are we going to have to spoon-feed everything to her?”

Kaida noticed Beckett shrug his shoulders.

“That’s where the deal comes in, Sweetheart.” Esen’s voice was as smooth as a breeze brushing across her face.

“We are going to unlock your dragon. When we do, you are going to owe us big time. Therefore, you will help us get what we want.”

“How the hell do you think you will unlock my dragon? What even makes you think I have one? She didn’t emerge on my birthday when she was supposed to, and she certainly hasn’t emerged since then!”

Blaze chuckled deeply, his eyes glowing again as he explained, though not much clearer than before, “As I said, the elements are a powerful force to be trifled with. We know for a fact we can unlock that dragon of yours, and we know one is in there because we can feel her power. It’s pretty fucking clear that you are something special in regard to a dragon. That’s why she hasn’t emerged yet. We need to draw her out, and we know exactly how to do that. Once we do, you can use her to pay that asshole back for rejecting you.”

Kaida gasped as she glanced at each of them. Seeing each of the princes smirking at her was so weird. They already knew there wasn’t a chance in hell she would turn this down. No one would.

I could have my dragon… and revenge? “When do we start?”