24. Rehan

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

REHAN

I glided toward a large speed boat floating on the sparkling ocean. Painted flames licked up the side of the fiberglass hull, telling the world it belonged to the fire dragons. It spit in the face of all water dragons and reminded every shifter who controlled our island.

I landed softly and pulled my wings into my human body to keep them out of the way. Like most dragons of my generation, my third eye was painfully underdeveloped. Technically, no one told me that, but based on Tukaqu's stories of old, what I could see was only a fraction of what was out there. However, in the correct mindset, I could make out the brightest of the Ley Lines as if looking at a light with my eyes closed.

I hummed softly to myself and focused. A few faint cords of power rewarded my efforts. Our shield, the invisible dome of force, didn't quite cut the Ley Line off, as all magic used the same energy, but it did warp it unnaturally, making a sparking haze of oranges and yellows where they connected.

A shiver ran down my spine.

We isolated ourselves when technology made our dragon bodies too hard to hide. We needed space to fly and people who understood our volatile nature. I hadn't been born yet, but when man took flight, we lost our skies. Too many dragons were gunned down or reported as UFOs. Most of the human race didn't know about the shifters living amongst them. As a wolf or a bear, hiding wasn't that hard. But when you turned into a massive mythical creature, it was a different tide pool.

I turned my focus from the past to the crack ‘team' my grandad put together to investigate his ‘bad feeling' about the Ley Lines.

The speed boat could probably hold twenty. Today, we were maybe half that and missing an element… air. Although I was surprised, I still found myself disappointed.

A single dragon sat shrouded in a deep cowl at the helm, one of King Ryker's special forces. According to the Fire King, select dragons were trained in advanced technology, which made them more flexible than any single elemental magic wielder. Their uniform kept Ryker's technology a secret. With his control over the island, there wasn't anything any of us could do to change it.

Unlike the eerily calm grim reaper figure at the helm, two fire dragons stood as far away from the edge of the boat as they could get. They clutched waterproof bags to their chest and eyed the sea unhappily.

A few steps to my left, Ogden stood point of his trio of earth dragons. His black hair gleamed with a rich brown in the sun, and the runes tattooed on his skin almost glowed.

Tukaqu rapped his staff on the wooden deck. "Are the fire dragons doing whatever they're doing with your mate?"

"She's your mate, for sure then?" Ogden asked.

I made eye contact with the earth dragon. Unlike the social, this time we didn't turn away from each other.

"I believe so." I grinned but kept my answer vague.

Ogden's expression pinched, and his gaze unfocused. My grin fell. Before I could ask, Tukaqu glided past me, his attention solely focused on the thick rope of magic the width of two dragons in front of us. The fire dragons followed, dropping their waterproof bags to pull out a set of sensors and a computer.

The boat crept forward, and the nose dipped into the Ley Line. Whatever thought crossed Ogden's mind was replaced with excitement. The runes on his skin brightened with crackling magic.

Ley Line magic.

Jay needed magical help. Ogden's and my paths had crossed a few times now. The warlock was capable. I'd even seen him chatting with Jay at the social. I'd check with her first, but maybe he could help us.

The front of the boat pushed fully into the Ley Line, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. It had taken over a hundred dragons to create the spell that kept our island hidden and our people safe from humans. Tukaqu had been one of them and was the only one left alive. In his old age, he was so often wrong, but not always.

I swallowed my pride and took a step toward the Ley Line. As the edges brushed my skin, a shiver of pure terror rocked my body.

"You doing okay?" Ogden asked, stepping next to me.

I took a deep breath and pushed down old fear. "Yup. The power is incredible."

Ogden grinned. "It is." He lifted his head to the sky and took another step forward. His loose top stirred as he entered the stream.

Unlike the warlock basking in power, I forced myself to take one step after another. If an earth dragon could do this, I could do this. A memory of my physical form, hurtling through the cords of pure energy as they ripped me apart, pushed to the surface.

"You aren't that boy anymore," I whispered.

Magic tingled along my skin and ran down my arms in waves. I didn't stop walking until a storm of crackling power whipped my hair and pulled at my essence.

My fear spiked before retreating into the memory it came from. I came up on Ogden's side. Nothing pulled at me. No pain tore into my soul. As it always did, the magic swirled around me like it had never grabbed me as a child.

What happened to me had been a fluke, a stupid mistake.

Ogden still held his arms out in front of him, and I eyed the tattoos, letting my thoughts wander to my mate once more to help calm the last of my nerves.

"Do you feel that?" Ogden asked, his voice a breathy growl.

"Ha, Hah!" Tukaqu said, banging his staff against the wood deck. A large swell made the boat rock, and Ogden gripped my arm to stay standing.

"Focus, Rehan," Ogden said, still holding my arm. "Listen to your breathing, how it swirls with the world around you, like waves crashing onto the shore."

I side-eyed Ogden. "Are you high?"

The earth warlock blushed, not releasing my arm. "It's not high, but being in this much power is exhilarating." Ogden frowned. "Rehan, I know we don't know each other well, but I can see your fear. No one should fear their birthright. Our magic."

I grunted and pointedly looked away from the Ley Line-wielding earth dragon.

The swells calmed. Ogden's grip on me turned to a comforting squeeze before he released me and stepped back to his fellow earth dragons. I shook off Ogden's much too keen observations and looked for this ‘disturbance' Tukaqu talked about. It took me a full minute to calm down enough to feel anything. Slowly, pure energy mixed with my water element and rushed down my spine.

Something tingled off to my left before going cold and vanishing. I froze. The waves thunked hollowly against the hull of the boat. My knees softened with the rocking to stay balanced. A ribbon of tingly power wrapped around my neck and buzzed once before turning ice cold and fading.

My stomach dropped.

Tukaqu had felt something.

I walked out of the Ley Line, my realization plain on my face.

"We need to call a full Elemental Meeting." I rubbed my chin. "A representative from every clan, no exceptions this time."

Tukaqu nodded gravely before scowling at the fire dragons, still messing with their equipment.

"We need more if we're to convince anyone at an EM," Tukaqu added. "The air dragons, who didn't even bother to answer my call, will be trouble."

"I'll help," Ogden joined us, his dark green eyes sparkling with power. He gestured to his fellow earth dragons. "Magic is everything to me, and your concerns are warranted."

Tukaqu put his arm out in an inviting gesture. "My grandson is at your disposal, Ogden."

Ogden raised an eyebrow, scanning me from head to toe, and smiled.

I folded my arms over my chest.

"Ah, only if he wants to be," Ogden added, his gaze lingering on my bare pecs.

I narrowed my eyes, not quite sure what to make of the warlock's attention. He'd looked almost disappointed to learn Jay was my mate, yet he seemed eager to work with me now.

I nodded at him. "New allies are always welcomed. Lead on."