46. Jaiyana

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

JAIYANA

I sat with my legs crossed at the start of The Hunt. Even my clothing was a similar style, just darker: blacks in place of tans. Instead of having pockets full of survival equipment, I made myself battle-ready with knives and a revolver I’d jacked out of a shifter’s collection. An eerie, tense silence replaced the excited, hopeful atmosphere I’d burst out of the medical tent into months ago. My mates stood out of sight in the forest surrounding the clearing with the dragons they’d picked to fight at their side.

I spent most of the morning meditating, searching for my magic, or whatever extra happy, supportive thing I needed to say to myself. But the more I searched, the less my fingers tingled, and now it was too late. I had to rely on my allies, the dragons I’d met on this crazy adventure.

“You’re going to take care of his selfish ass, right?” Tia asked, a tear on her cheek.

Tyson’s little fire dragon ex was, if possible, more adorable in person, with breasts that could mesmerize an army. Although a twinge of jealousy pinched, that was it. Tyson was still a selfish ass, but he’d grown, and more than choosing me, he chose to be his own dragon.

“I’ll do my best.” I cocked my head to the side. “I’m honestly surprised you came forward for this.”

Tia lifted her chin. “I know the royal wing like the back of my hand. I was Tyson’s mate, Ryker’s confidant, and Doctor Raba called me when he needed help. I’m not a fighter, but I’m still a dragon and your best option. I will find the orphans’ blood, tonight.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “If only everyone had the confidence of a fire dragon.”

Tia beamed.

I pulled myself out of the recent memory. Tia had come through for me, and my secret trump card now lay in wait. My earpiece connecting me to all the essential players crackled.

“Marshmallow roasting has begun,” either Ofri or Obadiah said.

I had no idea which one of the ancient earth twins had ended up with the earpiece. Both led the earth dragon strike team in fire territory. Other strike teams confirmed, including the air dragons. I was skeptically hopeful.

It was always a unique feeling, knowing a massive battle raged while I sat in the quiet. My skin buzzed. If I had my magic, I could have sent my consciousness into the air and watched, just like Brad had done to me. As it was, I had to use my imagination. Dragons of every color stormed fire territory and the small village Ryker had kept hidden deep in the eucalyptus forest. Their goals were to kick up shit. Show Gorm his limited control and secure every one of Ryker’s special forces so they couldn’t hurt themselves or others—a much simpler task said than done—and only accomplishable if the god came to me.

“Release Tyson,” I said. “Let’s invite our main guest to the party.”

The slightest movement rustled the trees on my far left. I couldn’t see Tyson, but he should be able to see me. I called on all four elements and sent them racing toward the ground as if preparing to launch a massive assault.

My earpiece cracked. “Oh my God,” Tia’s voice shook. “I know I’m not supposed to talk on this until, well, but I found Doctor Raba.”

The phone in my pocket buzzed, and I withdrew it, not breaking my dramatic but useless display of magic. A message from Tia popped up with a picture of Doctor Raba, gutted like a pig and hung on a wall of deep mahogany. I had no doubt it was Gorm’s work. Most likely, he’d used his ‘Doctor Raba art piece’ to subdue the dragons under the good doctor’s control. I tried to feel bad for the mage, but I couldn’t. Even if he’d done good things, the only reason he did them was to benefit himself.

Are we any different?

I dropped my phone.

You just exist. Every day, you go through the motions, but that’s it.

Like the dragons, I hadn’t embraced the changing world. Not really. I’d upgraded my technology and checked off all my boxes, but instead of finding a place, I’d attached myself to people and lived off their love. Like a fucking vampire. No wonder my dragons didn’t like my accountant.

Do you stake a vampire or fuck a vampire?

It depends on the book genre.

So, Jay, are we any better than Gorm?

Don’t be so dramatic, bitch, we didn’t use blood magic and enslave a bunch of people.

So…yes?

If not having a life goal makes you as bad as Gorm, then eight billion people are about to be really upset.

I tilted my head back and let out a frustrated breath.

Gorm had to get here soon. If he didn’t, I was going to turn into a philosopher and start shitting ethical dilemmas.

Speaking of ethical dilemmas. You told everyone Gorm’s ‘gots to go’ but didn’t elaborate that he can’t be killed. We have a plan for that, right?

Well…

“Jaiyana.”

The voice came from behind me, Brad’s voice, doubled with the low rumble of an ancient Viking god.

I pushed up without using my hands and turned, not releasing the elemental powers swirling around me. Brad’s kind brown eyes dripped with Gorm’s fluorescent-green poison, and the whites glowed red from his possession. His wrinkled body still stood straight, though his hair had gone wild and white. The tan, making his skin almost as dark as mine, had vanished into its typical Caucasian pink. He’d draped himself in layers of white edged with black and sickly green.

“Hi, Brad and Gorm. Er, let's just combine it, Braorm,” I said calmly, scanning his body for obvious blood vials.

Braorm smiled and pulled a leather strap out from his neck. A small teardrop-shaped bottle filled with blood hung at the end. “You’re looking for this, I’m sure.”

I nodded. Putting one hand behind my back, I signaled to my mates.

“We can still be together, you know,” Braorm said. “I still love you. You’re still my muse, my reason for living. Gorm can give me my vitality back if you come back to me.”

I kicked the dry ground. “As long as you're inside him, Gorm, I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth.”

Braorm grinned. “Is that your game? Lure me out of my host and do what, Jaiyana. I’m a god!”

I forced myself to breathe. “A god trapped in a box.”

“A box that traveled the world. And now I reside in Brad, your lover, the man you shared your life with.” Brarom stepped forward. “I know everything, Jaiyana. It’s not just Brad who wants you. You’re power. When you want something, you take it, just like me. We’re already a force to be reckoned with. Look at our demons!” He spread his hands over his head. “I used your magic as much as mine creating them.”

Everything inside me twisted. I wrapped my arms around myself while bile rose to my throat. I swallowed it back down and forced myself to breath.

“We’ll be gods of my new world.” Braorm laughed like an insane small child. “The Ley Line called you, and you ended up on my island. This is fate. These dragons have been waiting for us for generations to give them a purpose.”

An owl hooted three times.

In the blink of an eye, the revolver was in my hand, and I fired at the god’s chest. Braorm dove left, pushing off with his dominant foot. I already guessed that would be his reaction. I adjusted and emptied the revolver, aiming directly for the necklace around his throat. On my third shot, the glass vial shattered. Tyson’s blood dripped across Braorm’s clothing and onto the dry earth. Black mist rose off of it in fat, oily curls.

I screamed and released a fireball hot enough to dry and burn everything it touched. Lux stepped out from behind Braorm, his air feeding my flames. On his left, Og appeared, and every rune on his body made him glow. Rehan completed our box, sealing Braorm’s exit. Teams of six dragons flanked their princes.

My flames grew higher, completely engulfing Braorm. Our elemental dragons let out cheers of triumph. I dropped my now useless revolver and drew a butcher’s knife in each hand.

Two red eyes appeared in the flames.

We hadn’t won, far from it.

Three dragons streaked down from the sky and dented the dry ground with their landing. As the dust cleared, their unnatural coal-black scales wept with the same green oily poison the demons had. Big missing patches of flesh left circles of light grey bone exposed to the world. The dragon closest jerked its head forward, and two lumps of rotting meat fell off its neck. I darted backward just as its claws took out the space I’d been in.

“We’ve found some sort of spell-casting area,” Oliviarose said in my earpiece. “There are runes all over the floor and three vials of empty blood.”

I looked into the anger and pain-filled gaze of the three demonized dragons. I couldn’t tell if they’d been misfits or greedy dragons who begged for Gorm’s blessing, but either way, they didn’t deserve this. No one did.

My flames engulfing Braorm turned green and died. Brad’s body fell to the ground, leaving behind the god I’d seen in my memories. At least a story tall, fluorescent-green poison dripped off his curled horns. Fresh scars covered his leathery flesh, some resembling runes and others jagged lines of the clearly insane. The goopy acid ran like spider webbing over his skin.

A boom sounded to my left, then a second on my right as demons fell from the dragon’s shield and burst to life at Gorm’s command.

With my magic still locked away, I charged a fucking god.