4. Bexley Blackforge

Chapter 4

Bexley Blackforge

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

My head pulsated with pain. It was like I'd collapsed and slammed my head on a concrete floor, or like I'd fallen from a high distance onto my back. Everything hurt. So incredibly much. Every bone felt like it was moments away from snapping, and my nerves felt like they were on fire.

Somehow, though, that was only a small aspect of what I was focused on. Instead, my attention was captured by the magic surrounding me, swirling in the air like darkened glitter. I could feel another pull as well, the connection with my mates strong and vibrant, comforting me. It wasn't enough to lessen the pain, but it did distract me.

A groan left my throat as I turned, rolling onto my stomach and pushing myself up to standing. A whimper of pain left my throat as the world spun around me and I stumbled.

Where was I?

My gaze darted around the darkened room as my eyes tried to adjust. The black stone walls of the room were slick with moisture; probably the same unknown liquid that was dripping onto the stone floor. The dampness in the air was palpable, the scent of mold in the confined space nearly suffocating.

Intertwining my fingers, I took a deep breath, wondering what type of dream this was. Clearly not a memory. I'd never been here before.

Drip. Drop. Drip. Drop.

Stepping into the darkness, a rattling of chains had me freezing in surprise. I narrowed my eyes, then rubbed at them when that didn't work. Normally my vision wouldn't have been a problem, but I had a feeling this wasn't true darkness or absence of light. This had to do with magic, the inky black seemingly alive.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" My voice sounded weak.

The rattling of chains silenced, replaced by a deep bass sound that sent an uneasy chill rolling up my spine. My skin prickled, and a vibrant flash of light—like the crackling of electricity—highlighted two figures in the distance, both kneeling with their heads down. It felt like they were at the end of a very long hallway, and on instinct I stumbled back, my heart thumping loudly as a sense of visceral fear built inside of me. The power coming off the two of them was insanely intense.

When the woman lifted her head, I found myself peering into the face of someone I'd seen only in memories. How I had forgotten her, even with magic, was almost unbelievable.

My mother.

"Cupcake." Gage's voice had my eyes fluttering open. I stared up into his bronze gaze, the relief and comfort at his presence only momentary as I was pulled back under by the vision that held me hostage.

My back hit a solid door, but I passed right through it as if I were a phantom. A scream pierced the air, feral and unforgiving. The door shuddered but didn't give way to the woman slamming her body against it with all her might. I whimpered as tears stained my cheeks at the raw agony in every cry. I could feel that she was in pain—both emotional and physical. Despite the danger to me, I surged forward and tried to open the heavy doors that separated her from me.

But I couldn't even reach it, let alone open or pass through it.

Instead, all I could focus on was the black metal block chained between the door handles—connecting them. It sparkled under the dim lighting of the cavern, and I tried to commit the details of it to memory. I knew that this was what would keep me from my parents. This is what would stop me from saving them. I took in every single detail, not willing to wake up, even as the intense magic from the other side caused my nose to bleed. Not until I had enough information to ensure we could rescue them.

"Bexley!" Gage's voice broke through the vision. I flung up, gasping and nearly slamming my head right into Jagger's as he leaned over me in concern. Beads of sweat tickled the back of my neck, and a tremble ran through me. Blood leaked from my nose, and I tried to blink rapidly to clear my eyes of the tears that crowded them. The vision had triggered such an intense physical reaction that I could barely think straight, let alone explain myself.

"Just breathe." Jagger brushed my hair back, and I leaned into his comforting touch. "Your body is reacting to the amount of energy it took to travel like that."

"Travel?" I asked, my voice a hoarse whisper. Whatever had just happened, I really had no intention of it happening again—my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest in violent palpitations.

"When you have a connection with someone, the magic that comes from our dragon counterpart allows us to see where they are," Breaker explained. "It isn't an easy connection to make; it takes a lot of physical stamina…but it's a safeguard for our kind. Which is why I felt a hell of a lot better once our mating bond was established because no matter what happened, I knew I'd be able to find you in a dreamscape."

"But how does that apply to my parents?" I frowned. "And wait, how did you know I traveled? Can you see my dreams now?" Because if so, that could get interesting…

"Yes, all three of us can see them. Although because we only have half of a connection, I wasn't able to see nearly as much as the other two—just small snippets. We waited to wake you up until we felt like we'd gotten as much information as we could about the lock," Jagger explained.

"In terms of how it works, parental or sibling bonds can work the same way as the mate bond for that type of tracking, especially because of your shared bloodline," Gage said. "It's the way we protect our own."

"So that was actually my parents? Not just a vision?"

"Exactly."

"Why now?" I whispered. "I don't…I don't understand."

"What were you thinking about before you fell asleep?" Jagger asked.

"Them. How much I wanted to find them and if they were okay…" Tears pricked my eyes as I let out a shaky exhale. "I must have somehow called them."

They'd been in so much pain. "We have to save them. We absolutely have to get them out of there."

"We will," Jagger promised. "We may need some extra help with that lock, though."

I gave him a questioning look as Breaker sat down next to me, pulling me against him as I sought comfort in his touch. "We may need to find a witch willing to help us, or even go to Carmina itself."

My eyes widened at the idea of that, as Gage stood up and walked towards the kitchen. "But before we do any of that, let's get you something to eat."

"Actually, I really could use a shower first," I admitted. My skin felt clammy in the aftermath of the adrenaline that had rushed through me.

"We'll get breakfast while you shower," Jagger assured me. Giving him a peck on the cheek in thanks, I made my way toward the apartment's singular bathroom, which thanks to Rachel had been recently cleaned. Yesterday it hadn't been particularly fun cleaning the entire place, but now it felt worth it, especially because we were able to relax in moderate comfort.

Closing the door, I made quick work of a shower, making sure to scrub my body and hair. While I'd showered last night, I hadn't wanted to take too long since everyone else had needed to as well, so this time I stole a few extra minutes.

Right as I was about to get out of the shower, Gage slipped in and left a pile of clothes on the counter. I hadn't realized I'd left the door unlocked, but I suppose it was a good thing since I'd forgotten to bring anything in with me…including a towel. I grimaced, ending up using my old clothing to pat off before getting dressed in a pair of dark jeans, black socks, and a hoodie from Jagger that I'd thrown into my bag. It wasn't my normal style, but my normal style tended to attract a lot of attention, so this was probably for the better.

Finding a toothbrush and hairbrush in the pile, I made sure to brush my teeth and then braided my hair into two long braids down my back before giving myself a once over and exiting the bathroom. Right outside were my sneakers, which I slipped on as I made my way back into the living room, feeling far more settled. Now I was just super hungry.

I sighed happily as the scent of breakfast reached my nose.

My mates were already talking about our plan moving forward, so I sat down and began to eat the plate that Breaker slid in front of me. As I bit into a piece of bacon, the three of them discussed which witch in Trabea or even in the witch sector would be the best to help us open that lock. My brow furrowed as I tilted my head in thought. Wait, why did we need a witch? I felt like I was missing a piece of the puzzle—so I asked them to explain.

"The lock had a magical signature that was most likely left by a witch," Jagger explained. "A key isn't going to work. Ideally we'd see if any witches here in the city or in our clan lands could help, but?—"

"Can't be local," Fletcher said as he joined us in the kitchen. Rachel and Thomas must have still been sleeping. "Any local witches will likely have an alliance with my father, so we'll need to get word to the witch sector and have someone brought over. Or?—"

"Travel there," I suggested, deciding I was a fan of that plan.

"Like I said, ideally we wouldn't have to," Jagger murmured.

"Really hate the idea of that," Gage agreed. I didn't fully understand their reasoning, offering both of them a curious look. Breaker didn't share his opinion, instead just shaking his head.

"It could be helpful for more than one reason," Fletcher countered. "When the portal is used by storm dragons, the effects are felt throughout the city. And if you know what to look for, it isn't hard to tell who's traveling in and out of our territory. So if the four of you travel to the witch sector, it may delay my father from launching further attacks—he'll assume you're running or trying to hide Bexley, and he won't bother wasting bodies on a war that wouldn't result in her capture."

"It's not a bad plan," Breaker admitted.

"The witch territory, though, is…"

"Dangerous," Gage summarized.

"The Nyx family are allies of ours and control large sectors within the territory and city of Carmina, so it wouldn't be hard to find help," Breaker pointed out.

"Why does that name sound familiar?" The name Nyx stood out to me, but I wasn't sure why. I didn't understand the politics in Carmina at all—and I knew I was showing that—but hopefully Fletcher wouldn't judge.

"Grimshaw Nyx goes to school with us in the witch sector," Jagger explained.

"He's one of your friend's mates—we met them the night of the party," Breaker reminded me, causing my brows to shoot up as I remembered the dangerous set of men that had surrounded Deva. "My family is fairly close with them, but I think all the dragon clans have worked with them before."

"But how do we make sure that we'll be able to get back through the portal without incident? How do we know that Linan won't follow us?" Gage asked, interrupting our conversation with a thought of his own.

"We can wait by the portal and keep the area secure until you come back," Thomas suggested. Rachel followed in after him, giving me a hug before taking a piece of bacon from my plate. I would have scowled if Gage hadn't immediately replaced it with one of his.

My dragon wasn't completely happy with that solution, though, because now she was worried that he was more hungry than we were and didn't have enough to eat…

"Plus, when your friend Rebecca returns from the fae lands, we can point her in the right direction," Rachel added. That seemed to seal the deal with everyone else. I worried about Rebecca coming in light of the chaos erupting, but instinct told me she was more than capable of protecting herself.

"Alright, then we go," Gage said. "I don't like it, but getting distance from Linan is exactly what I want—all the better if it serves our purpose in the long run."

I was never going to say no about traveling to another realm.

"I'm opening it this time!" I announced to my mates as we approached the warehouse that housed the portal. Rachel and her mates were taking a separate car that followed a few blocks behind us so that we didn't attract too much attention. Gage was also making sure to keep to side streets as we passed the pack lands, my foot bouncing as an anxious energy invaded my soul.

"Okay, mo chuisle ," Breaker agreed. "Although, you know we could just do it together."

"We could, and I love that idea, but I really want to prove to myself that I can do it again—purposefully. Plus, I imagine you'll need to use your magic in the witch sector more than I will. We have absolutely no idea what to expect there or what danger we could face, so I really want to do my part now. I would say I could be part of a potential fight, but…"

"No." Gage's tone was hard. I shrugged, trying to conceal my amusement at his reaction, knowing I'd made my point. "You're right though—there's been a lot of chaos within Carmina lately, and rumor has it that it's surrounding your friend, actually."

"Deva's in trouble?" I asked, stopping in my tracks.

"There's been revolutionary activity throughout the realm, and she and her mates are involved," Gage summarized. "But that's all we know."

"So we need to be on guard," Jagger concluded. I nodded in understanding.

Parking the car in an alley nearby, we got out and made our way silently into the warehouse. The streets surrounding it were quieter than usual as the cloudy skies above seemed to darken in anticipation of our magic.

I'd already said my goodbyes to Rachel, so we didn't wait for them to join us as we once more came face to face with the territory's portal. I studied the worn, handcrafted wood that had been through years—possibly decades or even centuries—of use as the framing for the gateway. Deciding to not second-guess my instincts, I stepped toward the portal and ran my fingers along the smooth wood, pulling on the flame in the center of my chest.

This time I kept my eyes open as, like a spark to gasoline, the frame of the portal erupted in black flames that licked toward the center to create an onyx surface of fire. Outside, winds battered the windows, and electricity crackled through every inch of me.

A sudden flash of lightning lit up the room as a vacuum of power pulled me forward, tugging me away from my mates, through the black inferno and into Carmina.