2. Bexley Blackforge

Chapter 2

Bexley Blackforge

"Everything will be fine, I promise," Celine assured me as Mrs. Firespell and Mrs. Silvershade stood nearby with their mates and Mr. Bronzeheart, everyone having already bid goodbye to us.

Following the meeting, I'd changed into dark leggings and a hoodie, our bags being packed quickly by staff as the sound of battle rang loudly outside. Night had fallen completely around the estate, so the tunnel we were in was dark, the faintest light at the end from a set of flickering torches marking our way out of the grounds.

"I know," I whispered, hating that her eyes were glossy. While she may have been reassuring me, I knew that her words were more for herself than anything. "I'm worried about all of you. I'm worried you won't make it to the other estate without problems."

"Oh, we'll be fine." She waved me off and looked toward my mates, who were standing nearby. "Boys, you better protect her."

"With our lives," Gage promised his mom.

"Plus, they have me!" Rachel squeaked from nearby. I loved that even though she was obviously nervous around so many dragons, she was trying to comfort Celine. I was glad she was coming with us, not only because it meant spending more time with my friend, but it also meant I could ensure she stayed safe. Of course I trusted that her mates could do that…but it still made me feel better.

"We should head out." Celine stepped back and nodded as Breaker approached, my gaze moving to my massive mate. He stood above everyone else nearby, which was saying something considering all the male shifters around. His muscular build, much like my other mates', was covered in dark clothing, and as I leaned into his side, I found myself wondering not for the first time how we physically fit together so perfectly.

I mean, seriously—perfectly. My body still remembered the sensation.

As if knowing where my thoughts went, his mismatched gaze—one eye completely black and the other gold—moved over my expression with heat, the gold seeming to melt while the black sparked dangerously, causing my heart to beat double-time.

Tonight Breaker's blonde hair was pulled away from his face, and the shadows of the cave partly hid the scar on his face. My fingers twitched, wanting to trace it. Even at this moment the man looked like a warrior, and I had to fight the urge to go up on my toes to get a kiss from him. I knew if he started touching me, I would be far too distracted to remember that we needed to get out of this estate as fast as we possibly could.

Luckily, Celine spoke up, reminding me of my audience. "Of course, of course. Keep your phones on you; we'll contact you once we've moved."

"Got it." Gage offered a sharp nod before exchanging a look with his dad. I offered all of them one last wave before we turned to follow Rachel and her mates out.

Breaker jogged ahead to walk alongside Thomas, something clearly having occurred to him. Gage and Jagger bookended me protectively, and while I always felt petite around my mates, I felt even more so now. The tension and lethal energy rolled off of them in a way that called to a base instinct of mine, even if I hated the reason the tension was there in the first place.

"I can feel how worried you are for them." Jagger plucked my right hand, brushing his lips against it. My mate's hair was pushed back from his face, the silver darkened to a charcoal in the shadows. Streaks of black broke it up, stark against his icy complexion, and his clear blue eyes, which were warm with concern and love. My gaze moved across his face, trying to gauge how he felt about this entire situation, before I examined the rune on his jaw. Suddenly, I found myself asking a question that had ping-ponged around in my brain for quite some time but I had continued to forget to ask.

"The rune on your jawline, what is that?"

Jagger's lips pressed into an immediate smile. Gage was looking through his phone and sending off messages, but he chuckled at my question, making me that much more curious.

"My mom's elemental specialty is ice. We have a language that developed centuries ago between ice dragons that was used primarily for text keeping. This is a rune from it. It's for the letter B ."

My eyes widened. "Oh. B for…"

"Bexley, my little treasure—but I think you knew that," he mused, kissing my hand once more.

"I love that," I whispered as he gently pulled me to a stop. Gage kept walking, and I couldn't help but be thankful that my mates were so good at stuff like this. Somehow they knew instinctively when each of them needed a moment alone with me. It really felt like it was that simple. The bond may have helped, but I had a feeling a lot of it was because of their years of friendship.

Jagger cupped my jaw. "And I love you, Bex. You know that, right? You have to know how much I love you."

My heart squeezed as my eyes pricked with a rush of emotion that seemed to lodge itself in my chest, growing until it was painfully large. It was like a flood gate of love and affection poured out at once, and I fell into Jagger, kissing him hard on the lips as he swept me up against his frame.

Pulling back for only a second, I spoke in an intimate tone, only a mere inch between us. "Yes, I know. And I love you. So incredibly much."

Meeting his lips again, I poured every ounce of that intense passion I felt for him into our kiss and found myself turning into putty in his hands. I shivered at the way his tongue slid across my lips, and I only came back to earth when the clearing of a throat made me realize Gage was waiting for us.

The others had already made it to the end of the tunnel, their shadowy shapes making me wonder if I may have been distracted for a bit longer than I'd thought.

"Oops."

Gage's emerald eyes flashed with bronze as he shook his head in amusement. Jagger released his hold on me, admittedly a bit begrudgingly, and we continued walking forward, meeting up with my other mate, my face flushing at the way he stared at me. Despite having been in the arms of my other mate, I could see the heat and hunger written on his face, and it had me wanting…well, a lot of different things.

But mainly Jagger and Gage both with me…or maybe all three of them.

Pushing those distracting thoughts from my head, I took Gage's hand as Jagger stood on my other side. Going up on my toes, I pushed Gage's hood back with one hand, the reddish undertone of his dark hair and the gold to his complexion seeming to almost glow like it was lit from within. I could hear the others' voices ahead, and I found myself moving a bit faster now, my dragon urging me forward, wanting to get to a safe location as quickly as possible.

Not because I was worried about myself, but because I was worried about my mates—and I knew they probably felt the exact same way about me.

"Hey, Gage?" Jagger's story about his rune had me thinking. "What's Celine's element?"

"Fire—like your mom," he answered.

"And what about Breaker's mom?"

"Earth."

"Interesting," I murmured. "I feel like I need to know more about dragons, especially now that I remember I am one—it's sort of embarrassing. I mean…I feel like I've barely met any dragons to begin with."

"That's been purposeful," Gage admitted. "We didn't know how the memory spell would react to meeting other dragons, especially if they said something triggering. We also didn't trust their reaction to you. Luckily there aren't any that are academy-aged yet, so that made it easier. But if Linan is truly starting a war, I have a feeling you'll be meeting a lot of dragons very soon. The population isn't huge, but there are a fair amount."

I couldn't lie, the idea of meeting other dragons was appealing. As we caught up with the rest of the group at the end of the tunnel, I stood with Rachel just outside the door, the heavy canopy of the forest telling me we'd already traveled a far distance from the estate.

"How are we getting to the city?" Thomas asked.

"Car—except for me," Jagger explained, his gaze on me as I tried to hide the anxiety his words caused. Why were we separating now, of all times? "I'm flying ahead to make Linan aware that we've left and to keep an eye out for any other reinforcements he may have coming. When I get within city limits, I'll drop down and travel the rest of the way there on foot."

I knew his plan made sense. I hated the idea of being separated, but I also trusted my mates—and if they thought this was a good plan, I supported them.

"Be safe," I told him as he stole a quick kiss before jogging towards a clearing in the trees. In a swift, practiced movement, he shifted and soared into the air as the rest of us hurried toward the unpaved road nearby. While I couldn't see Jagger above the treetops, I could feel him, and as we got into the dark SUV, my gaze snagged on the estate lit up in the distance.

Stay safe . It was my only wish for all of them—for them to stay safe until we could handle this for good.