10. Jaiyana

CHAPTER TEN

JAIYANA

“ W iggles.”

Rough hands brushed across my cheek and down my neck. A pair of soft lips almost kissed my ear, and I wiggled backward into Tyson’s warmth.

“Jay,” Lux’s smooth tenor purred. A second hand caressed my cheek.

“Feck off,” Tyson growled. “I didn’t invite you over.”

I sighed, my sleepy mind dissolving into the mess I currently existed in. I rolled forward, only to find the edge of the tiny cot and fall off it directly into Lux’s waiting arms. One warm and one cool cybernetic hand wrapped around me and pulled me into his chest much easier than I’d picked him up the day before.

“Sharing is caring, Ty,” Lux said. “And I need some caring right now.”

Lux, sitting in a pool of his own blood after being brutally beaten by his father, flashed into my memory. Based on the darkness on Tyson’s face, his as well.

Tyson sat up but didn’t reach for me. “You set that up.” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

Lux laughed. The sound was too carefree and light for what he’d been through. “It was too easy.”

Tyson snorted and let Lux whisk me away to his cot, a whole five steps away. With no windows and only a single lamp in the corner, I had no idea what time it was or how long we slept. The sounds of Rehan’s light snores filled the room and a quick peek at Og showed him dead to the world. Just seeing the stubborn earth warlock’s face made my anger from last night rush forward.

I took a deep breath, trying to banish it in order to focus on Lux.

As if reading my mind, Tyson smirked before putting his hands behind his head and focusing on the ceiling.

Lux sat on his cot with me on his lap. I managed to focus on the newest dragon in my collection, and only the newest. I wrapped my arms around my princess, no longer trapped by his wicked father.

He squeezed me so tight I swear I felt a rib crack. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“I’ll always come for you.” I pulled back to meet his gaze. “Your dad’s a piece of shit.”

Lux took a deep breath. “I look like my mom. She died giving birth to me, so in his eyes, I killed her.” He lifted his metal fist. “And replaced her with something broken.”

I placed my warm palm over his knuckles. “You’re not broken, and you didn’t kill your mom. They chose to have you. Bringing you into this world was the best thing she ever did.”

Lux nodded as if I repeated a fact he knew but still didn’t believe. It probably was. I didn’t know his parents, just what his fucked up father did to him. The fact that Lux was doing so well after yesterday meant waking up in a pool of his own blood was a normalized experience. The oubliette flashed through my memory, and I shuddered.

“Did any of the Air Priestesses know your past?” I asked.

Lux nodded. “Mother Ada did. We spent hours talking. She felt like the mom I never had. I know you must think it an odd choice.“

I put a finger over his lips. “I don’t. That temple was everything you didn’t have. If I ever see Mother Ada again, I’ll grant her greatest wish, whatever it is.” I wrinkled my nose. “That’s if I get my magic back. Plus,” I rushed on, focusing the conversation back on Lux. “Those kids are full of life, joy, and everything your father stripped from you. I think you found the perfect place to heal.”

Lux pulled me to his chest again, and I squeezed him. “Plus, you look amazing in layers of white. Your make-up was on point.”

Lux chuckled. “Will you think less of me if I admit I liked that part?”

I nipped at his lower lip. “Never. Will you think less of me when my muscles are as bulky as Rehan’s?”

Lux chuckled. “None of us will be able to catch up to that fecker .”

“Don’t steal my words, Can Opener,” Tyson barked.

Lux blinked in confusion. I leaned down and pecked his lips again. “That means Tyson likes you. Take it as a compliment.” My smile faltered. “You went back to your abuser to save me.” I made sure he met my gaze. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Lux nodded. “Deal.”

“And if you ever need to talk,” Ogden said, clearly not as dead to the world as I thought. “We’re here, all of us.”

Lux pressed his face into my shoulder and shook. Tyson nodded from his cot, and Rehan snored his silent agreement. Although I held Lux, my mind went over Og’s words a second time.

All of us, maybe he’s…

“But not like that, Jay,” Og added, reading my mind. “You’re still on probation, one or two at a time, three max.”

Lux shook harder, but this time, a crazy giggle accompanied it. “I went from living by myself with only old ladies and little kids to being in a wolf pack.” He released me. “I don’t know where I fit in.”

I grinned. “I can help you with that.”

Lux stared at me hopefully, and my butt joke died on my lips. He wanted an honest answer.

I dropped my grin. “Ah, actually, I can’t. We’re all kinda winging it.” I gave Lux another kiss on the cheek, wishing it could be more, but Og had a good point last night. Lux was holding back a rut. Injured or not, we could have used his help fighting demons. I couldn’t risk him losing his mind to sex or violence or maybe both.

I stood, and cold stone met my bare feet. I immediately missed my arm chariot.

Really Jay? You don’t even want to walk anymore?

“Og, how tired are you from healing?” I asked, ignoring my inner voice.

Og yawned. “I’ll need a nap, but I’m okay for now.” He eyed Rehan. “I’m excited to see him shift. I don’t understand why the damage from the demon poison didn’t heal during a shift or why it shrank to fit Rehan’s smaller form. I mean, our entire bodies break and grow. It’s like a reset.”

I pursed my lips. “The poison is charged emotion, constructed from pure magic.” I studied Rehan’s shoulder. “It’s not just hurting his physical body, but his magical foundation. Demons are bad shit.”

Og sat up and furrowed his eyebrows. “You know this because?”

“First, because I’m ancient. I know all kinds of crap. And second.” I grimaced. “Because I’ve made my own.”

“What?” Tyson exclaimed.

One of Rehan’s snores choked off. He sat up with his fists raised before realizing where he was and relaxing.

I looked at the ground to avoid their reactions. “Look. I’m not a good person. I’ve told you that. I crave power. I’ve lived through lifetimes of different moral codes. Right and wrong is often situational.” I looked up. “I’m not ashamed of it.”

But you don’t want these dragons to see you as a bad person, do you, Jay?

Og can.

Petulant shit, really?

No. Not really. I don’t want them to think I’m a bad person.

I sliced my hand through the air. “I am who I am. What matters now: I didn’t make these demons. It takes an incredible amount of power and… well hate to create the numbers we saw.”

Hate to create. I’m so witty.

Rehan ran his fingers through his loose hair with one hand, and a phone glowed in the other. “I missed the beginning of this, but it sounds like good information for the EM. Tukaqu expects us in an hour. We’re meeting just down the hall.” He typed into his phone.

I bit my lower lip and twirled a bit of my messy bedhead. That was a sexy look, right? “I mean, there are a lot of things we could do for an hour.”

“No.” Og stood. “Not happening, Jay. You reiterated that you crave power.”

I pursed my lips unhappily.

That’s not a bad thing, Og.

Is it?

Og not so subtly tilted his head toward Lux. “And that’s still a problem. And we still don’t have more information. I’m not letting you ditch us or yourself.” Ogden stormed out the door. Light from the hall and fresh air spilled into our makeshift cave.

I took a deep breath and clenched my fist.

“I’d still have the orgy.” Tyson slid up to my side. “I still think you’ll choose me.”

I snorted and, with no other choice, let it go.

Over the next hour, we learned that earth, fire, and water had banded together against air. A stream of water dragons brought us food. Shortly after, another group dropped off the packs my dragons brought with them to the EM and a trash bag full of clothing for Lux and me to pick through. This time, the undergarments mostly fit. It was one of those little things I promised never to take for granted again.

Despite the acid burns dotting his skin, Rehan dropped to our only strip of floor space for a quick workout, which Og watched with bright eyes. Not that I could judge. Rehan’s back was incredible. Every bulky, well-defined muscle moved as gracefully as his dragon wings as he went up and down.

“Stop showing off,” Tyson grumbled, coming back from the shower.

Lux stood and tripped, trying to get around Rehan. The air dragon bumped Tyson, who immediately turned and cursed at him. In a heartbeat, Rehan was up and in Tyson’s face, defending Lux.

“I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.” Lux snarled.

Rehan turned, now facing two angry dragon princes. Before it escalated, I slid into the middle of all of them and put my hands on my hips, not saying a thing.

Lux moved first, backing up a step, his gaze sliding from water to fire. His lip quirked into a mischievous smile, and the anger left his posture.

“They say opposites attract,” Lux said, blowing Tyson a kiss.

I sighed and stepped to the side.

Tyson turned red in the face and lunged toward Lux, who was already ducking.

“You little shite,” Tyson said, his fist whistling through the air where Lux had just been.

“You did say you wanted to see Og’s…” Lux didn’t get to finish his sentence.

Fire replaced Tyson’s hair, and his cheeks flamed. He rammed the smaller air dragon, sending them both sprawling into the nearest cot. The metal frame bent and snapped with a sharp ping. Before anyone got another punch in, Og and Rehan pulled them apart.

Tyson’s nostrils flared, and he shook off Rehan, smoothing the fire on his head back into human hair. I turned to Lux, only to find him grinning from ear to ear as blood ran down his nose.

“You, okay?” I asked.

Lux wiped his face. “More than okay.”

I opened my mouth and shut it. Lux didn’t have siblings. As far as I could tell, he spent most of his life trapped by his father and the rest literally hiding in women’s skirts. This was likely his first genuine interaction with a male his age.

Except for your threesome.

Fuck me.

Yes, please.

A knock sounded at the door, and I jumped. I was so focused on my thoughts I forgot the world existed. Two guards waited to take us to the EM. It was show time.

I wasn’t sure who was making the decisions in our little group anymore, but it certainly wasn’t me. Instead of walking into the EM dressed to impress with the more intuitive and smarter dragons of my four… I found myself dressed in a sparkly halter top and black shorts with Rehan and Tyson flanking me like bodyguards. I resembled a fat Kardashian, desperately trying to pre-drink at a club before my make-up went on.

Oddly specific, Jay.

Thanks, I thought of it myself.

A single door to a slightly smaller and less impressive room opened. Oliviarose, the leader of the earth dragons’ smiled at me. Behind her, Rehan’s grandfather and Tyson’s father stood around a glowing map of the island.

No Air King.

That’s a good start.

I reached behind me, finding one of Tyson’s hands, and squeezed it. I didn’t know if Tyson’s father saw the motion, but he straightened, looking down at all of us with no acknowledgment of his son.

“Thank you for joining us.” Oliviarose guided me to a spot between her and Rehan’s grandfather, leaving Tyson and Rehan to stand at my back.

I rested my hands on the table, feeling the map reflect in my gaze.

“We’ll cut to the chase,” Oliviarose continued. “Between Og’s evidence and your actions yesterday, we’ve decided to believe you are who you say you are.”

It took every bit of self-control I possessed not to roll my eyes.

“The three of us represent all dragons in this, air included. Something’s gravely wrong with the Ley Lines. Something with some connection to you.” Oliviarose spun her hands, and the map turned and zoomed in, showing me Lux’s tower. “The demons, as you called them, mostly attacked Lux’s tower. The rest came from the area you found Lux in. The commonality is you.”

By that logic, it was Lux, too… but I got her point. I’d made a similar one last night.

“Not all of us like this plan, but it is the only one every element agreed on.” She zoomed the map back out. “We want you to figure out who brought you here so we can find the traitor selling information about our island to an outsider. Then, we’ll get you off the island so you can take your mess with you.”

I nodded. “Cold, but understandable.”

She frowned. “We will give you free continued use of our sons.”

I barked out a laugh. “I was renting them?”

Rehan’s grandfather banged a staff against the hard floor, making it ring. “You were supposed to mate one of them.”

Og’s words filled me with guilt once more. I shoved my hands into my pockets like a chastised teen. I couldn’t say the right thing here. A huge part of me wanted that too. But I’d spent the last thousand years experiencing a different existence. I settled for helping others find their ‘happily ever afters’ because life never ended for me. Happy endings didn’t exist. It was just eternal existence, keeping up with my bills and waking up every morning to more of the same.

Tears stung my eyes, but I blinked them away. I chose immortality. My life wasn’t bad; it was the opposite, really. I was even on an adventure right now. I could damn well take responsibility for my choices instead of indulging in whatever pain I shouldn’t be feeling.

Healthy thoughts there, Jay. When you pull a muscle, ignoring it and continuing your workout is the BEST way to deal with it.

I’m a magical immortal. I can’t pull a muscle.

I… Jay, it’s an analogy. I’m telling you you're in pain, and you need to deal with it.

I put my imaginary fingers in my imaginary ears and focused on Rehan’s grandfather, who scowled at me so deeply that his jowls shook.

Although I had six or seven guesses at what he said, which I should have responded to, I didn’t actually have a clue. So, I shrugged and turned to Oliviarose.

For better or worse, my pointless existence finally had a point again, and that’s what I planned to fix. Not whatever the little voice in my head wanted. That would be silly.

“Calm yourself,” Oliviarose said to Rehan’s grandfather, whose continued fixated attention would have lit my hair on fire if his element wasn’t water.

The old dragon managed to move his death stare to the map. Rehan released a breath none of us realized he was holding. Family was essential to the water heir, and I was not helping.

“Refocusing,” Oliviarose gestured, and the map zoomed out, showing us the entire island. “Scalehive is who brought you to us; therefore, they’re the best place to start. We’ve sent them messages but have gotten no response, which is out of character.” The map spiraled back in. The start of the hunt flew past, followed by a blur of eucalyptus forest, before slowing in front of a tall metal structure that looked a lot like a cell phone tower, except with a tree house on the top. “Scalehive is the only neutral party on the island and is made up of five dragons who forsake their elemental ties. In the morning, you will confront them on all our behalf with our sons at your back.”

I eyed the map without seeing it. Oliviarose’s plan was simple and addressed what I assumed was the main problem: me being on the island. But, after spending time here, a little list of additional issues had written itself in my mind.

“Have you looked into Doctor Raba?” I asked. “He has a lot of connections.”’

“He’s currently under fire dragon protection,” Ryker stated, his voice rough like he’d been talking for hours. “ My protection ,” he stressed. “You were brought here by mistake. Do not think you can start making dragon business your own. You brought demons here. Now, you will leave with them.”

I flattened my lips into a line but nodded. I’d been saying the same thing since day one… but I couldn’t just leave.

Gotta stick your finger in every pie.

It’s the only way to know if they’ve cooled enough to eat.

“As an outsider, I’ll leave you with a final observation,” I said.

Ryker let out a contemptuous snort. “Don’t you think you’ve given us enough of those?”

I shrugged and focused on Oliviarose and Rehan’s grandfather. “The air dragons have magic in the form of quartz, which absorbs magic from every element and raw spells. Something which could only be created by a mage with access to every element.”

Like Doctor Raba. I thought but didn’t say.

“Furthermore, I’ve seen no evidence of the air dragons using magic outside of their element. However, when Og filled Lux’s tower with spells to keep anyone out, the air dragons were surprised Ryker’s special forces didn’t come and fix it for them.” I popped my lips. “Implying the fire dragons have magical abilities, even though Tyson says they don’t use magic and only rely on technology.”

Rehan’s grandfather furrowed his bushy eyebrows while Olivarose looked uncomfortably at Ryker, who turned an alarming shade of red.

“How dare you imply anything about our island,” he stepped toward me.

I put my hands up and stepped back, bumping into Tyson and Rehan. “I’ve not implied anything, just shared my observations. I’ll find your traitor and be out of your hair.”

“Taking my brainwashed son with you,” Ryker growled. “I should roast you like a pig on a spit. In fact, if you ever return to my island, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”

Tyson stepped forward, putting me between himself and his dad. “You won’t. You will never hurt her.”

Ryker pulled his shoulders back. “You’ll join me, son. The moment you figure out how to escape her clutches. I know you’ll come back to my side.” The King reached out but let his hand drop before touching his son. “I saw your actions with my own eyes.” Scales grew across Ryker’s face. “You shared her with another dragon, even when his mate mark shocked you into unconsciousness. Those are not the actions of a rational male. You’re being controlled.”

Tyson took a step forward. “Am I? Or am I just not doing what you want for the first time in my life?”

Instead of getting angrier, Ryker’s scales receded. “You were an obstinate child before we rid you of your weaknesses. You will come to your senses. This woman will destroy your heart, and when you come crawling back to me, I will be here.” His gaze softened. “I love you. Your family loves you. You’re a prince of fire. This entire island cherishes you. Do not desert it.”

I held my breath, half expecting Tyson to cross the room and take his place next to his dad. Instead, Tyson wrapped an arm around my waist.

“There was no weakness to rid me of,” Tyson said evenly. “Helping MY mate is not deserting anything.”

Ryker laughed as if he knew something Tyson didn’t but didn’t speak again.

Tyson rocked on his heels. I echoed his comfort by wrapping my arm around his waist and squeezing. Rehan took a half step closer, so he flanked Tyson instead of me. Whatever the future held, we supported Tyson. No matter what his father thought he knew.

A heartbeat or three of tense silence passed before I stepped back to the table and wrapped it with my knuckles. “Dessert’s what you dragons are best at, right?” I licked my lips. “Burnt caramel, ginger, rum, berries, all the best desserts.”

Ryker’s jaw dropped, and Oliviarose’s cheeks flushed. I raised an eyebrow at Rehan’s grandfather, who graced me with a soft, if angry, chuckle. It wasn’t my best transition, but it did its job.

“Now,” I said. “Accusations aside. Of their own will, the princes choose to help me because something bigger’s going on here.”

“Aye,” Tyson answered.

Rehan grunted and crossed his arms over his built, bare chest.

“Their own will or someone else’s.” The Fire King squeezed his fist. “I don’t think anyone could pry them from your side.”

I inclined my head. “Honestly, those are my sentiments exactly.”

Ryker jerked back as if looking for the flaw in his wording. I left him to it and focused on Oliviarose, who seemed to be the most organized person in the room, generally agreeing with me. “Let’s talk details. I want a closer look at one of the demons, assuming you’ve got one. We’ll need supplies, a way to communicate, and ideally, schematics of Scalehive if you have them.”

“You’re not assaulting Scalehive,” Ryker stated.

I inclined my head. “But I am approaching a building where the people inside it have stopped responding, correct?”

He begrudgingly nodded.

“Right. I’ve been alive a long time, and being prepared for anything is how I did it.” I grinned and twirled my hair as if performing for Drama Llama. “So, you got some juicy details for me?”

Oliviarose giggled and zoomed in on her map again.

I’d passed on what I’d learned on the island. It wasn’t my problem. Time to focus on what I could help with and get the fuck out of here.