15. Kadia

The dragon ignored Kaida’s pleas as she sprayed her plasma in every direction. Kaida pushed on the walls of her dragon’s bond to try to force the shift back, but it was useless. Her dragon somehow put up a wall between them, so there was no chance for her to do that.

Stop! Now!

Her dragon did not listen and flew down to the sand. She whipped her long neck around, and her eyes landed on Sundrei and Remy. Her dragon roared as Sundrei put her arm over Remy’s chest to protect her from coming toward the dragon.

"Kaida! Call your dragon off!" Remy yelled as if Kaida wasn’t trying.

Kaida noticed Azulia and Adrien pop back onto the sand, and the black aura that was on Azulia disappeared when she did. Kaida’s dragon turned her gaze onto them and roared.

She is aligned with the Dark Dimension!

No, she is not! Azulia is our friend!

Then where did that black magic come from?! Her dragon hissed.

The problem was that Kaida had no idea. She was still learning about everything her friends could do with their magic. Kaida knew that Azulia was an Aether Fae. She mentioned that when they all met.

What did Azulia say about being an Aether Fae? Something about being connected to everything... right? Maybe that means Shadows and Light, too?

To have control over the Shadows means she is aligned with the Dark Dimension!

Not necessarily!

Her dragon ignored her. Kaida could see the looks of fear on her friends’ faces as they looked up at her dragon. They wouldn’t know if her dragon would attack or not. This is their first time coming face to face with her in dragon form. As far as they knew, she didn’t have control over her dragon. Meaning that her dragon could choose to hurt them right now. Kaida pushed on her bond with her dragon again, and she managed to make her dragon stop in her tracks after she opened her mouth and began to form a beam of plasma that was aimed directly at her friends.

Kaida thought about her mate. She remembered that after she had shifted down, her dragon seemed to calm her when Beckett touched her. That was the answer! She needed her mate to come and calm her dragon down!

Finding her mate bond with Beckett was harder, knowing that her dragon could attack her friends if she did not focus on the right thing long enough. She found the bond between her and Beckett, and she felt the warmth and love that he was feeling for her when she grazed it. Kaida smiled briefly and then pulled on the chord inside of her. She didn’t have a clue if this would work. She could be making him want to kill her by doing this. At that moment, Kaida didn’t care. That was the goal as long as it brought Beckett where they were.

Dragon! I want you to stop this. If you hurt my friends, I will find a way to keep you caged!

The dragon roared; you will do no such thing!

Then calm your ass down! Azulia doesn’t have anything to do with the Dark Dimension!

Then how was she able to command the shadows like that?

I don’t know! But we can ask her! Shoot now and ask questions later works for no one!

What are you talking about?

Ugh, it doesn’t matter! Allow me to shift back! We can ask!

The dragon growled and closed her mouth. Kaida noticed her friends’ shoulders slouch, and they both sat down on the sand as if the energy they had was what had been keeping them standing. The dragon blew a puff of smoke at them, which caused them to roll out of the way. She could feel her dragon’s amusement at seeing her friends fearing her. Kaida mentally tried to slap her dragon for doing that, but it just came across as her swiping at air.

Do not try to scold me. I was only trying to protect us.

I don’t care. You need to stop thinking that our friends will hurt us.

Our mate’s friends have tried to kill us. How are these four any different?

They just are! You need to trust me and my judgment.

I do not. You should trust my judgment.

Ugh, you are so stubborn!

Beckett arrived just in time. His bright blue wings caught her dragon’s attention. Beckett was not in full dragon form, which seemed to disappoint her dragon. When he landed on the sand, he reached out for her dragon to touch her snout against him. The dragon’s chest rumbled as she lowered her head and put her snout to his touch. Her eyes closed, and she continued to purr as he stroked her scales.

"What happened here?" Beckett asked her friends.

"We were trying to help train Kaida, and her dragon must have taken it as an attack. She came out and just let loose whatever she could to take us down," Adrien explained.

"Oof. Sounds like fun. She didn’t hurt anyone, did she?"

Azulia shook her head. "No, thankfully. I think Kaida was able to reign her in before she could."

Beckett moved closer to her dragon and put his head against her chest. Kaida could feel him pumping his magic through their bond, waves of calm coming in to tame her dragon. More purrs and rumbles emitted from her dragon’s chest as she wrapped her neck around her body to encase him into what seemed like a hug.

"Shift back, dragon. Your job is done here. You protected Kaida well," Beckett told her dragon.

She could hear her dragon groan before she felt the wall come down. Kaida could push the shift easily and felt her dragon’s body slowly transform into her own. Kaida’s knees were wobbly after the shift, adrenaline draining from her body now that the threat was over.

Beckett scooped her up into a hug. His embrace brought her a sense of calm like he did her dragon. She pushed her body against his, making it so every inch of her could touch him as he held her.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear before burying her face into the crook of his neck.

Kaida took a deep breath of his scent, and another wave of calm washed over her. She didn’t want to leave his hug. This was the first moment of her day when she felt she was safe.

"I think that was enough excitement for one day, don’t you think?" he asked her.

Kaida nodded and continued to try to meld her body against his. "I don’t want that to happen again. I don’t know why she acted like that."

"She just fought off a black mist that took her over. Could that have anything to do with it?"

Kaida forgot that it was just earlier that day they came face to face with the Dark Dimension. There was no way she planned to train again any time soon. Then, she slapped herself mentally for thinking it was a good idea to train the same day her dragon faced off and won against the evil force.

Beckett also did not know the information that she did about the black mist being the Dark Dimension. There was a lot she needed to fill him in on.

Kaida felt a warmth spread over her body, and clothes formed on her. She looked down, and there was a plain T-shirt and a pair of jeans on her with a pair of flats on her feet. Kaida looked over, and Adrien wiggled her fingers at her.

"You looked a little naked. I thought I’d help you out."

"Thank you," Kaida laughed.

Kaida looked back at Beckett. "I think we need to fill you in on some things."

"I think you do, too. But it might be best to discuss everything with your friends first. Fill me in later. Okay?"

Beckett booped her nose with his forefinger and gave her a smile. Kaida glared at him for a second but then gave him a smile back.

"Sounds good."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss that made her toes curl. Kaida fisted his shirt and leaned into it. A groan escaped Beckett’s lips before he broke the kiss.

"I’m going to go before I steal you away and finish that. See you back at the house."

Kaida swatted him on his shoulder as he stepped away. Beckett waved at her friends and let his wings come out again. He was gone before she knew it.

"Damn. I want one of those," Remy said and bit her lip.

Everyone laughed, and Kaida looked back at where her mate flew off. "Can’t say I blame you. It is kinda awesome."

"So, what happened?" Adrien’s voice brought Kaida back to the group.

All four of them were now in a half circle around her. At any other time, this would have felt like they were trying to corner her. Kaida knew better than that. Her dragon poked her head up and paid attention to how they were approaching them, but Kaida was able to redirect her to simmer down and maybe take a nap.

"You tell me. Azulia’s magic with the black tendrils set her off."

Azulia made a face and looked down at her feet. "Sorry. Shadow magic. It can look threatening if people don’t know what it is. I guess your dragon thought so, too."

"Mhmm. She thought you were aligned with the Dark Dimension because of it. That isn’t accurate, right?"

Azulia shook her head. "No, absolutely not. I can cross to the Unseelie realm because of the shadows, which draw their power from the Dark Dimension, but mine comes from nature. Like the Elemental Dragons. I just so happen to have the ability to use the shadows, too."

"That’s why, I guess, she thought you were drawing from there because she felt the darkness attached to it."

Yes, that is why. I’ve never heard of a Faerie being able to do that or be able to wield it.

I have powerful friends.

Good. You may need them someday.

"Well, I am not aligned with that dimension or the Unseelie. Never would I join that side. I am still me. I just wield the shadows. I used that magic to make it so we could disappear and reappear. Well, that and the light. I don’t know how to really describe it."

Sounds intricate.

I’ll say.

"Well, now my dragon knows. Hopefully, she remembers so this doesn’t happen again. I’m sorry she tried to attack you guys."

Adrien waved her hands, "No. This was good. We wanted to train you and your dragon, and it looks like we did just that. You may have even gained some control over her. Was it you who stopped her?"

"Yeah, actually. I started doing whatever I could to get her attention and told her to stop."

"Well, that must have felt good. Last time, she wouldn’t listen to you at all."

Kaida smiled as she felt proud of herself, "Yeah. That’s progress."

"And your magic! You were a badass today! You were slinging your magic around like a boss. I didn’t even know you could do those things." Remy was excitedly fist-pumping the air as she spoke.

"It’s like whatever I imagine, my magic does. I know I can’t do things like Elementals, but it feels like, if I want a shield, I can make one. If I want to attack, the plasma builds it and then blasts it. I didn’t know plasma could do that."

Adrien shrugged, "I don’t think anyone knows what you or your magic are capable of. There hasn’t been a Plasma Dragon in, like... what? A thousand years?"

"Yep."

"I wonder if there are any books anywhere that can tell us." Azulia pondered out loud.

"I feel the guys are already trying to figure that out."

Remy cocked her head sideways, "Why do you say that?"

"Well... I think I feel drawn to all of them."

All four of their mouths dropped open.

"You what?" Remy asked in disbelief.

Kaida took a moment to gather her thoughts. She didn’t know how to really say this. But if she could tell anyone without judgment, it feels like it would be these four girls.

"I don’t feel drawn to just Beckett. I feel it towards Arlo, Esen, and even Blaze. I don’t know why. After being mated, I thought that it would go away. Instead, it seems to be getting stronger."

Remy looked at the others before she settled back onto Kaida. "Maybe you have multiple mates?"

"Is that a thing?"

The other three girls shrugged. Kaida’s face fell a little at that. She hoped that any of them knew someone with multiple mates before, so this would not feel as weird.

"Well, I will say this. I did feel a pull to multiple people before I came here. It felt weird when my mate showed up, and it clicked with him. I thought for sure it would be the other three, even one of the other three, that I felt the pull to who would be my mate," Remy confessed.

It was Kaida’s turn for her jaw to drop open, "I’m not the only one?"

The other three girls looked at one another and then nodded. All of them had already experienced the same thing Kaida is experiencing now. Why would it be happening to all of them? Are the Gods planning something?

Does this mean I do have more than one mate?