Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

M y eyes snap open, but I can’t see.

The pressure has subsided by a great amount, enough for me to stand. I panic in the darkness, scrambling to my feet while I reach out, feeling my surroundings. My fingers scrape along rough rocks, and then I reach for my powers, creating a ball of light between my hands.

I’m still in the cave tunnel. But I feel different.

And then it all comes rushing back to me.

The five figures and the intensity of being in their presence. They gave me access to my powers.

I hurry through the cave tunnel, searching for a way out. Where did I fall through? I look for the hole in the tunnel roof, but I can’t find one anywhere. My lungs constrict as I search for what feels like hours, lost deep in the mountain tunnels, but then I see light flowing through the tunnel ahead. I hurry toward it, breathing a sigh of relief when it leads me out onto the mountainside.

“Zarla!”

Thank the gods. That’s Kyle.

I release my wings and fly up the side of the mountain where I find him with my father.

He grabs my upper arms. “Are you okay? Where were you?”

“I’m fine. I’m sorry. There was something I had to do.” I glance over his shoulder to my father, conveying to him with only a look that it worked.

He nods and releases his wings. “I’ll leave you to it.”

He’s about to take to the sky when a boom sounds overhead that echoes above the Kingdom and rumbles deep into my chest. Birds and other creatures take flight as a chorus of chirping fills the air.

I crouch down with Kyle at my side, scanning the skies above. An explosion cuts through the sky overhead, turning it from pink to red as flames ripple across it. A beautiful but deadly sight.

“Take cover!” Atticus calls, charging back toward us.

I stare at the flames as they spread, and then a group of dragons descends through them toward the city.

“Drakon!” Atticus shouts.

He runs and jumps off the mountain, flying toward them.

I look at Kyle, knowing we can’t let him go alone. I know these dragons, and if Drakon is here, he won’t harm me. I scramble to my feet, and Kyle seems to understand what I’m suggesting.

“Come on,” I tell him and then run and dive off the mountain, allowing my gold wings to catch me and take me where I need to go.

We fly toward the dragons who have landed on the outskirts of the city, and we land before them, blocking their path.

There are six of them, and I know the one in front has to be Drakon. What in the gods is he doing here?

He opens his mouth and breathes a stream of fire toward us. Kyle shoves me out of the way, taking the impact of it as I roll across the ground. I helplessly watch as dragon flames engulf him.

But the flames don’t harm him.

Drakon shifts into his male form, a sadistic smirk curling his lips. “Hello, nephew.”

“Who are you?” Kyle demands.

Drakon looks between Kyle and me. “Interesting. Your female hasn’t told you.”

“Actually, I have,” I say, moving to Kyle’s side. “That’s Drakon.”

Kyle narrows his gaze at him.

Atticus storms toward Drakon and stops inches before his face.

“How the fuck did you get into my Kingdom? And with outsiders?” He gestures to the dragons behind him, who are not gods, nor descendants of them, I’m certain.

Drakon smirks at him, unfazed by his show of aggression. “I did not come here to fight or to speak with you. I came to speak with my nephew.”

Kyle’s gaze meets mine briefly before he levels his stare at Drakon. “Why are you here?”

Drakon pushes past Atticus, shoving him with his shoulder, and Atticus reaches out and grabs his arm.

Drakon growls low in warning. “I would remove your hand if you wish to keep it.”

Atticus growls back. “Is that a threat?”

“Enough!” Kyle yells, his frustration cutting through the bullshit. “Tell me what the fuck you’re doing here! Are you really my uncle?”

Atticus releases Drakon, and Drakon slowly walks to Kyle.

“Yes, I am. Your father and I didn’t see eye to eye, so I left with some of the other dragons and created my own Kingdom, Pyrrhus, and Apollon created Zarquon.”

Kyle stares at him, and his stormy gaze shows he’s struggling with the information. I move to his side and take his hand.

“Like me and your father, you, too, are a dragon shifter. But you’ve already figured that out.” He slowly circles Kyle as he speaks. “You’ve been experiencing things you cannot explain. Burning up and catching fire. It’s why my flames did not burn you to ash just now. You can shift. You have the ability. Do it.”

“I don’t know how,” Kyle growls.

Drakon grabs Kyle’s shirt and tears it open, showing his dragon markings. “You’ve had that since you were young. All dragon shifters do.”

Kyle’s focus drops to Drakon’s dragon marking that mirrors his own. Gods above, that’s why he felt familiar to me when I first met him in Pyrrhus. Because he’s related to Kyle and Apollon. That’s why his dragon marking looks like Kyle’s. Because it’s the damn same.

Atticus blows out a breath and shakes his head. “You shouldn’t have come, Drakon.”

Drakon glares at him. “And keep him in the dark, going through the agony of a shift without so much as a fucking clue as to what’s happening to him? Because his own parents didn’t have the guts to explain this to him? No. He is my blood. I have every right to come here.”

Kyle’s shoulders sag in defeat as his new reality seems to kick in.

Drakon presses a finger to Kyle’s chest. “Shift.”

Kyle grits his teeth. “I don’t know how.”

Drakon chuckles and walks backwards away from us. The air shifts around him, and suddenly he is replaced by his dragon.

Kyle protectively pulls me behind him, as if forgetting I have spent time with these dragons, and although I don’t trust them, I don’t think Drakon’s aim is to harm any of us.

“Drakon, leave,” Atticus warns.

Drakon’s dragon shifts his gaze to Atticus, his red eyes gleaming in the light before he levels them on Kyle. His jaw opens, and I know what’s coming.

Kyle shoves me aside, expecting Drakon to blast fire at him, but he zeros in on me.

Crap.

I scramble to my feet and sprint away as a stream of fire blasts toward me. I only just manage to get out of the way in time, but Drakon doesn’t let up. His dragon charges after me, his heavy footfalls quaking the ground beneath his feet, and it feels all too familiar as I think back to my dream when a dragon chased me.

I glance back as Atticus blasts Drakon with his powers. He is unharmed by them, and it only seems to fuel his anger.

Which is directed at me.

I keep running. Kyle swoops down from the sky and grabs me.

“Fly, Zarla!” he demands, and then he drops me midair.

I allow my wings to spring free and catch my fall. Then I soar toward the clouds, glancing back to find Drakon’s dragon still chasing me. What the fuck is he doing?

And then I remember my encounter with the old gods and how they granted me access to my full potential. I reach for my powers, effortlessly willing them to the surface, spin around, and fire them toward Drakon.

His dragon roars and darts to the side, my powers narrowly missing him. He’s gaining on me, my wings no match for the immense span of his. I have no idea if I’ll be immune to the effects of his flames like I am Kyle’s, but I’m not about to wait around to find out.

“Zarla, look out!” Kyle shouts.

I glance back as flames cloud my vision, engulfing my entire body. Red and orange surround me, the heat stealing the oxygen from my lungs. I cough through the smoke, desperately gasping for air, and then I’m falling.

My eyelids droop, and one minute Kyle is shooting down toward me, and the next, a large gold dragon is there. It disappears below me, and I smack into something hard. I roll onto my side, my hands pressing against rough, gold scales. I’m on the back of a dragon.

Kyle’s dragon.

I grip the gold spikes sticking out of his back and cling on, gripping my legs around him. Wind whips through my hair, making it difficult to see as his dragon swoops and dives before gliding down and landing near Atticus. He leans forward, allowing me to climb off, and Atticus catches me as I stumble.

I cough, my lungs still healing from the damage inflicted by Drakon, but that seems to be the only effect from his flames.

Kyle’s dragon charges across the ground and lifts off, flying directly toward Drakon’s dragon.

Oh no. This is bad. Kyle has only just shifted. He doesn’t know how to control his dragon yet.

“Kyle!” I call out after him, and Atticus holds on to me.

But Kyle’s either too focused to listen, or he’s purposefully ignoring me.

The two dragons collide in the sky, biting and slashing their claws at each other. Drakon swings his tail into Kyle’s side, cutting through flesh. I gasp, helplessly watching as they fight for no good reason.

“We have to stop them! Do something!” I yell at the other dragons, who are just sitting there.

They each briefly glance my way before looking up at the battle, ignoring me completely.

I attempt to take to the skies, but Atticus grabs my arm, preventing me.

“Don’t be stupid. They are dragons, Zarla.”

“He’ll kill him!”

Atticus shakes his head. “No, he won’t. It’s a test. A lesson.”

Kyle opens his jaws and blasts fire at Drakon, who only just darts out of the way.

Would fire even harm a dragon? I can’t imagine it would, considering where they come from. I picture how Drakon fell into that lava river in Pyrrhus and then flew back out again as if it were water.

No, fire won’t harm them.

Drakon’s dragon lets out a deafening roar, and we cover our ears. I’m not sure what it means, but Kyle stills, hovering in the sky before gliding back down and landing near Atticus and me. Drakon swoops down, lands by the other dragons, and then shifts back into his male form.

Scratches and blood cover his body, surprising me. I never thought it would affect their male form, but then again, I haven’t seen dragons fight before, nor the aftermath of it. Gashes and scratches cover Kyle’s dragon, too. What in the gods will he look like when he shifts back?

“Shift!” Drakon demands of Kyle.

But Kyle’s dragon just stands there on all fours, breathing hard. He glances my way, and I wonder whether he even knows how.

Drakon growls and strides forward. “I am your King, and I demand you shift. Now.”

Kyle’s dragon growls deeply, vibrating through my body, his gaze locked on Drakon.

I glare at Drakon. “You are not his King. He is not from Pyrrhus.”

Drakon smirks, ignoring me completely. “I’m going to take a stab and assume you don’t know how to shift back.”

“Clearly,” I say, and Drakon scowls at me.

“That was pretty impressive up there, nephew. Don’t you agree, Zarla?”

I grit my teeth as red-hot rage flows through me. “Fuck you!”

Drakon smirks. “Why so angry, Zarla?”

I shake my head at the arrogant asshole. “You’re supposed to be helping him. What the hell was that?”

Atticus storms up to Drakon and punches him in the face. The large male stumbles back but doesn’t fall. A sadistic grin curls his lips, but he doesn’t fight back.

“I would say I deserve that, but you do not know our ways, Atticus. How else did you expect him to shift, other than to put his mate in danger?”

By the gods, I want to punch him, too, but I hold back. “You bastard.”

Ignoring me, Drakon steps closer to Kyle. “Shift back, nephew. Look for your connection to your male form and bond to it.”

His gentle tone surprises me, and Kyle’s dragon closes his eyes, the air around him shifting before Kyle appears.

I rush forward and throw my arms around him. His skin is so hot it almost burns mine, and I move back, scanning his body for injuries. He’s covered in scratches, just like Drakon, and there’s a deep gash in his side that must have been from Drakon’s dragon slamming his tail into him.

He bares his teeth, his eyes wild, and I grip his face between my hands. “Look at me, Kyle.”

He pulls his focus from Drakon, and his gaze meets mine. The anger and animalistic traits fade as he stares at me, slowly coming back to himself.

“Zarla…” he breathes, his gaze frantically searching mine.

Ignoring the heat of his skin, I hold him against me. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

“See, nephew, you are one of us. But you are no King. You are weak.”

I glare at Drakon over Kyle’s shoulder. “How dare you! He’s only just found out he’s a dragon shifter! You can’t expect so much of him!”

A group of guards swoops down, circling us, and Atticus heads over to talk to them.

Kyle rakes a hand over his face. “How is this possible?”

I glance down at the gash in his side. “You need to heal. That gash is deep.”

Drakon pushes forward to take a look. “I’ve seen worse. You have fire powers. Use them to heal yourself.”

His own skin sets alight, the flames licking their way across him, healing every inch of his body.

I move back, despite knowing the flames don’t seem to harm me. I better not find out I’m a dragon shifter, too.

“I don’t know how to control them,” Kyle says.

Atticus and the other guards stride toward us. “Drakon, get your dragons and get the fuck out of my Kingdom. And don’t you dare step foot here again without an invitation.”

Drakon stares at Atticus, his eyes flashing red for a moment before he laughs.

“Very well, Atticus. Apologies for the intrusion.” He gazes at Kyle. “If you want answers, if you want to learn how to control it, you know where to find me.”

Kyle nods, and Drakon turns and runs off toward the others, shifting into his dragon mid stride. They all take to the skies and disappear through the flames above, and then the flames fizzle out, leaving nothing but pink skies in their wake.

I hover my hand above Kyle’s wound, my white power glowing as it heals the gash in his side, along with all the other small scratches and grazes across his skin. It happens quicker than usual, and I know it’s because I have managed to tap into more of my power, thanks to the old gods.

The following week passes by in a blur.

Kyle’s episodes, as I’ve learnt to call them, have lessened since his shift. His skin is still hot, but it’s bearable. He hasn’t got a hold on his fire powers yet, though, and has had a few incidents, lighting himself and others on fire. He nearly burnt our room down one night when he caught fire in his sleep, so we had to be moved to another one while they repair it.

I walk through the castle to meet Kyle on the training grounds when Zaph appears out of nowhere.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?” he asks.

I roll my eyes, so not in the mood for this arrogant asshole. “I’m meeting Kyle, and I’m running late.”

He quickens his stride to keep up with me. “Afraid he’ll burn you to a crisp for being late?”

I glare at him. “Fire doesn’t seem to harm me.”

Crap, maybe I shouldn’t have told him that. I still don’t like or trust this male. And he’s incredibly annoying. How in the gods are we related?

“Interesting…”

We reach the far end of the castle where a long corridor joins it to the building outback—the training grounds. Light pours through the windows lining the narrow corridor, gleaming off the gold panelling along the walls.

“So,” he says, trying to keep the conversation going, it seems. “You have healing powers, I hear? And you can open portals. What else can the great Zarla do?”

I stop walking and turn to him. “What do you want, Zaph?”

He raises his hands in the air. “Woah, easy, girl. I’m just trying to get to know my cousin better. Is that a crime?”

Gods, this male is infuriating. “Of course not, but why does it always feel like you have an ulterior motive?”

He shrugs, and I keep walking. “That’s fair. But I don’t. Why are you meeting Kyle on the training grounds?”

“Because we need him to learn to control his fire powers.”

He laughs. “And whose smart idea was it to practice that indoors? Let me guess, it was his?”

I grunt in frustration and pick up my pace. “Just go away, Zaph.”

His footsteps tell me he’s still following. Great.

“No, I think I’ll watch. Sounds entertaining.”

I roll my eyes and push through the wooden double doors at the end of the corridor, where I find Kyle waiting for me near the side of the room. The training grounds consist of a huge indoor building with high ceilings, and it opens out to a large outdoor area with sandy grounds designed to make combat, and, well, everything, harder.

“Why’s he here?” Kyle asks.

The male bonding last week clearly hasn’t helped the relationship between these two.

“He wants to watch,” I say.

I give Kyle a gentle kiss on the lips, and Zaph makes a silly cooing sound from somewhere behind me. Kyle glares at him.

“Zaph, if you’re going to insist on being here, go watch from the stands,” I say.

He backs away from us. “Fair play, fair play.”

Kyle growls low. “Fuck, I hate that male. I don’t want him here.”

I rub his arm. “I know, but he’s annoying like that and can’t take a hint. Just ignore him. Show me what you’ve learnt.”

He walks out to the middle of the room and closes his eyes in concentration. His body shakes, and he raises his hands out to his sides. Flames ignite in his palms, and he’s able to hold them there rather than them spreading over his body as usual. It’s a good start.

“I wonder if you can throw the flames? Or blast them from your hands?”

He laughs. “Want me to try it in here?”

Zaph claps from the stands. “Please do!”

Ignoring him, Kyle heads outside, and I follow. He stands in the sand and aims his hands out in front of him.

Nothing happens. He then reaches his arm back as if he’s going to throw a ball and attempts to throw the flame. The flame flies out quite far before dropping into the sand and extinguishing.

“That was good. You’re getting the hang of it.”

Zaph heads over to us, clapping. “Yes, well done, Kyle.”

His tone is over exaggerated, like he’s speaking to a child.

Kyle rakes a hand through his hair. “He’s right. It’s not enough. I can’t fucking do this.”

Zaph backs away, his hands in the air. “Hey, I never said that. But it is probably true.”

Patron strides into the training area, glancing around at us. “What’s going on?”

Kyle leaves without a word.

Zaph laughs. “He’s fucking useless.”

I storm up to him and shove his chest. “What the fuck is your problem? He’s just found out he’s a dragon shifter. What in the gods do you expect, you arrogant prick?”

Patron’s eyes bulge out of his head a little as he folds his arms. “Okay, what did I miss?”

“Nothing. You didn’t miss anything, other than him being an asshole, as usual.” I march out of the training grounds after Kyle, but he’s long gone.

Maybe Drakon was right. Maybe he does need to go to Pyrrhus to learn how to use his fire powers.

I walk down the tunnel back toward the main building when I notice it’s grown dark outside. The sunlight no longer streams through the windows, and there’s a chill in the air that doesn’t sit right. I pass through the doors at the end and into the castle, huddling into myself as I walk.

A voice whispers something that echoes down the corridor, and I stop and look around.

“Who’s there?”

There’s no reply.

Something feels off. I hurry through the castle that seems far too quiet. Where is everyone? There are usually keepers, healers, or other angels floating about. But there’s no one around.

I’m alone.

I keep walking, and the air around me begins to shift. Mist fills the corridor, and I back away from it, almost tripping.

Fuck this. I take off running, but as I do, the mist catches up to me, engulfing me to the point I can’t see. I try to scream, but nothing comes out.

The mist clears, and I find myself standing in an unfamiliar room. It’s dark in here, with rough, moss-covered walls. I’m underground. I can tell by the thick scent of damp earth. Water drips from somewhere nearby, the sound echoing around me. Where am I? Is this in the castle?

Confused, I cross the room where the only light streams down through the ceiling, and that’s where I find the dripping water. It hits me in my face, and I leap out of the way.

“What do you think?”

I tense as his voice fills the air, every inch of my skin trembling, and spin around to face Amaros.

He reaches out and strokes my cheek. “I’ve missed you, my mate.”

I step away from him until my back hits the moss wall behind me, and I run my hands down my face. “No, no, no, you’re dreaming. Wake up.”

He chuckles. “This is no dream, Zarla. Do you want to know what this is?”

I slowly move my hands, and he’s right in my face, his breath warm on my cheek.

“This is your new prison.”

I shift my focus around the room as the realisation hits me. This is real.

“No. This can’t be real!”

He steps closer, grabbing my wrists and pinning them against the moss on either side of my head. “Not yet, but it will be. Once I get you back.”

Using one hand, he grips my neck and harshly presses his lips against mine. I can’t escape him.

He pulls back and stares into my eyes. “You are mine. And I’m coming for you.”

A sharp pain cuts into my wrist, and I snap my eyes open as a scream ripples up out of my throat. I frantically scramble across the ground and glance around to find I’m on the floor in the corridor of the castle.

Sobs wrack my body as I grip my neck, and then the pain in my wrist comes back to me. I look down and find a handprint burned into my skin.

Amaros’s handprint.