Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

A tlas growls and glances down at Apollon’s finger on his chest.

“Get your hand off me before I take it from you,” he threatens, his eyes flashing red.

“Take me to my son, or I’ll do much worse to you than just taking a limb,” Apollon bites back.

Despite Atlas being younger, the two males stand eye to eye. Atlas’s jaw tenses, his face flushing red as he glares at Apollon. He’s probably never had anyone make demands of him the way Apollon just did.

The two males stare off at one another, and my heart races a million miles an hour as I look between them, half expecting one to attack the other. I might just pass out. The tension in the air is so thick it’s difficult to breathe, but Atlas is the one to stand down when he nods and swiftly strides into the castle.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Maybe it’s a dragon hierarchy thing. Apollon is Drakon’s brother, after all, and a dragon shifter himself.

Apollon, Zeta, and I follow Atlas into the castle and through the corridors until we reach a large room near the end on the left where Drakon and Kyle are seated at a sleek black glass dining table, having a meal together.

Kyle’s eyes meet mine, and he looks between me and his parents and frowns. He drops his fork on his plate and leans back in his chair, shaking his head.

“You brought my parents?” he asks.

I part my lips to speak, but Drakon pushes out of his chair and walks around to Apollon.

“Brother. I must say, I certainly never expected to see you here. You have always turned down my invitations.”

Apollon glares at his brother then flicks his gaze to Kyle and back. “You didn’t give me much choice.”

Drakon steps around his brother and takes Zeta’s hand, bringing it to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Zeta.”

Apollon growls and Zeta tugs her hand away from Drakon.

Drakon laughs, a smug smirk curling his lips. “My brother never did have good manners, did he?”

Apollon gets in his face. “Cut the shit. What are you playing at? This is my family, Drakon.”

Drakon narrows his gaze. “I know, brother. Kyle came to me of his own choice.”

Apollon pushes around Drakon to get to Kyle.

“We’re leaving. Now,” he tells him.

Kyle shoves his chair back and stands, his body tense. “I’m not leaving, Father.”

“Yes, you are. This is not the place for you. I will teach you what you need to know.”

“How could you keep this from me?” He gestures to himself. “I’m a dragon shifter. I shift into a fucking dragon and have fire powers. Did you not think I would find out some day?”

Frustration twists his features, and I hurt for him. He didn’t deserve to find out the way he did, and I feel partially responsible for that. I should have told him the moment I found out.

Apollon tries to touch his arm, but he pulls away. “Son, I never wanted this for you. I prayed the shift would never occur.”

Atlas snorts from over near the doorway, and Apollon glares at him.

“The best thing that could have ever happened to him was the shift,” Atlas says. “It is not a burden nor a curse. It is a gift.”

Drakon gestures to his son. “Now that’s not a bad way to look at it. Apollon, let Kyle learn our ways and see just how wonderful a life it can be.”

Zeta places her hand on Apollon’s lower back. “Perhaps we should go. Kyle can make his own decisions, and he knows where we are if he needs us.”

Apollon lifts his chin and adjusts his black tie. “Very well, then.” He glances at me. “Zarla, could you open a portal into Zarquon?”

Everyone stares at me, and I glance at Kyle, who just stands there without saying a word.

I open the portal into Zarquon, wishing Kyle and I could both just walk through it. But he needs to be here, and I need to be with him.

“Fascinating,” Atlas whispers, folding his arms across his chest.

“Be safe, son.” Zeta hugs Kyle and then briefly cups his cheek before smiling at me and stepping through the portal.

Apollon gives me a nod and follows Zeta through it. They both glance back at us once they’re in Zarquon, and I allow the portal to snap shut.

“Well, that wasn’t awkward at all,” Atlas sarcastically says, rolling his eyes.

“You okay?” I gently rub Kyle’s arm, and he takes his seat at the table.

He gives me a tight-lipped smile as I sink down next to him. “I’m fine.”

I knew he wouldn’t be happy about it, but I was worried whether his coming here was safe. I don’t want to discuss this in front of Drakon or Atlas, though.

“I know you’re not,” I say. “I’m sorry.”

Drakon takes his seat and lays his napkin across his lap. “Yes, Zarla. Why did you bring his parents here? Don’t trust us, hmm?”

Atlas sits down next to Drakon, opposite where I am, and stares across the table at me.

I swallow hard, and Kyle squeezes my thigh in warning.

“I don’t know yet,” I admit.

Drakon narrows his gaze at me, picks up his knife and fork, and slices into a piece of meat. “That’s fair. I suppose we haven’t got to know one another very well yet, now have we?”

He pops the meat into his mouth and chews.

“No. And my first impression of you was you pretending to be someone else, locking me in a room, and strangling me. So, yeah, forgive me if I don’t quite trust you yet.” I feel Kyle’s eyes on me, and then he glares at Drakon.

A low growl sounds in his chest. “You did what ?”

Drakon flicks his gaze to me and then back to Kyle. “I did what I had to do. We don’t get outsiders here. It’s unheard of. She was a potential threat.”

I squeeze Kyle’s hand under the table and whisper to him, “It’s okay. I’m fine.”

Drakon drops his napkin on his plate and stands, pointing a finger at Kyle. “I will help you. You have my word. But don’t for one second think you get to question my rule. Or question my decisions. I am the King. And you will both obey me while you are in my Kingdom. Do you understand?”

Atlas pushes up out of his chair, a smug smirk on his face, and crosses toward the far wall to lean against it. Gods above, he’s just like his father. He doesn’t say anything and just watches.

“Understood?” Drakon asks again, his tone firm.

Kyle stands, and I do the same. “Understood, Uncle.”

“Good. I will see you tomorrow for your first lesson.” He strides out of the room.

Kyle leans close and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I’m going to take a walk. I’ll see you later.”

He leaves the room, and I can’t help but feel he’s still pissed off at me.

I go to follow him, but Atlas steps in my path.

“Let him go,” he says.

I frown at the male and try to push past him, but he shifts to the side to stop me.

“Move,” I demand.

I do not want to be anywhere near this male, alone. There’s something seriously off about him. He walks forward, forcing me to back up until the table presses into the backs of my thighs.

He looks down at me with such hatred. “There’s something different about you, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.”

I eye the door, calculating whether I would make it out of here if I tried to escape. “I want to leave.”

His lips curl up at the sides, and he leans closer to me, forcing me to sit on the table. “Why? Are you afraid of me?”

My heart pounds, but I’m not about to let this asshole know it. “No.”

He places his hand over my chest. “Your heartbeat would suggest otherwise. Did you know that dragon shifters have heightened senses? More so than any other living creature in all the Kingdoms. We sense fear. We can taste it.”

“What do you want, Atlas?”

His eyes flash red for a moment, and I don’t know what that means. “We’re having a party later. Come hang out. Follow the music.”

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Atlas abruptly steps back as Rhea walks into the room. She balls her fists, flicking her gaze between the two of us, and by the gods, she’s fuming.

“Nothing,” he says, giving me one last look before he leaves the room.

Coward.

She slowly walks toward me, her arms folded. “You think you’re special, but you’re not. Atlas and I will win the next trials, and we will rule Pyrrhus together. And when we do, we won’t allow outsiders like you in our Kingdom ever again.”

I roll my eyes and head for the door, but she grabs my arm.

“Let go of me. Now,” I warn.

She grits her teeth. “Atlas is my male. If I ever see you touching him again, or even looking at him, I’ll kill you.”

I grab her wrist and throw her hand off me. “I suggest you talk to him about that because he’s the one who needs the warning.”

“Did you know there are wild dragons in our Kingdom?” she asks. “They don’t have much food where they live, so now and then they come into the city, searching. They can be quite ravenous. I’d hate for you to accidentally end up in their territory as their next meal.”

I know what she’s doing, and I’m not buying into it.

“I’m not afraid of you, Rhea.” I leave the room, not bothering to wait for her response.

It’s clear she’s jealous, and she thinks I want Atlas. She is delusional and reminds me so much of Em. She needn’t worry about Atlas and me because I would never look at him that way, even if I didn’t have Kyle. She has absolutely nothing to worry about.

I head up to the rooms, hoping we have a different one than the last time I stayed here. When I pass the room I stayed in with Grazen, I don’t sense Kyle’s presence, so I try the one next to it. He’s not in here, but I can scent him. It’s definitely the room we’re staying in.

I think on what Atlas said about the party. I don’t want to socialise with any of them, but maybe that’s where Kyle will be.

So I change into a thigh-length white skirt and cropped black top I find in the walk-in wardrobe. I’m not a big fan of heels, but I find a pair of strappy black ones that suit my outfit, so I slip them on. I don’t bother with my hair. It’s good enough the way it is, hanging in loose waves down my back.

I really need to find a way to break this bond with Amaros. It would make it a heck of a lot easier to find Kyle if I could tap into our bond the way I’m supposed to be able to. It’s there, but it’s weak.

I head down into the main area of the castle and listen for the music as Atlas said. Sure enough, the faint sounds of bass rattle through the walls.

I head in that direction, passing down the corridors of the castle. It’s such a maze, this place, and I don’t want to get lost. The music booms louder the farther I go, so I know I’m heading the right way, and soon enough, I find it.

Males and females spill out into the corridors outside a huge room on the right. They eye me with curiosity, and I feel very out of place being the only blonde here. I’m an outsider to them.

Swallowing hard, I step through the doors. It’s almost like a hall, it’s so big. Music booms through the air, and everyone is dancing. Flashing lights illuminate the dark room, and keepers walk around with trays, handing out drinks. I search the crowd for Kyle, but I can’t see properly with these flashing lights.

I slip through a gap in the crowd of dancing dragon shifters and head toward the back, hoping to find him there. A keeper passes by with a tray of drinks, and I grab one. It’s some kind of red liquid, and the top is on fire. I stare at it, confused how I’m meant to drink it, when a female walks over and blows it out.

“There!” she shouts over the music.

I smile at her and take a sip. It’s delicious and sweet, like cherries and chocolate, and before I know it, I’ve drunk the entire thing.

“Slow down! They’re strong!” she warns me before a male grabs her by the waist and pulls her away to dance.

They can’t be any worse than the blue ones Grazen and I had. So I find another keeper and take a second one. I blow the flame out and drink it down, followed by a third.

Okay, Zarla, ease up a bit .

I keep searching the back part of the room, but I don’t think Kyle’s here.

And then I spot Rhea with a group of females, sitting in a booth, her gaze on me.

I give her a wave that she ignores, and I head toward a corridor that leads to other rooms, by the looks of it. I stumble down it, realising the drinks must have been strong, after all.

I open one and find a couple making out, so I quickly close it. The next door is open a fraction already, and I glance inside and freeze. Atlas is in there, and he’s having sex with another female, who is not Rhea.

What an asshole. No wonder she’s so paranoid about him. I don’t blame her.

He has the female lying naked on a table on her back, and he’s between her legs with his hand on her throat, her deep-red hair pooling out across the table around her. She arches her back as he thrusts inside her. He leans down and pulls her nipple into his mouth, and she lets out a moan. He takes hold of her hips and flips her over, sliding his hard length deep inside her from behind as he grabs her hair and yanks her head back.

“What the fuck do you think—” Rhea’s voice comes from behind me and cuts off when she sees what I’m looking at.

I try to move her away, but she shoves me to the side and looks through the gap in the door.

“He’s an asshole,” I tell her.

She looks at me, tears pooling in her eyes, and raises her head higher as she blinks them back. “He’s the King’s son. He can do whatever he wants.”

I frown at her. “That’s no excuse. He shouldn’t be doing that.”

She glares at me. “What the fuck would you know? Are you jealous or something? Wishing it were you in there?”

“Fuck no. I’m just saying he shouldn’t be doing that when he’s with you. It’s wrong.”

She steps closer to me. “Stay the fuck out of my business. You know nothing about us.”

She storms down the corridor, her ten-inch red heels clicking on the polished concrete flooring.

I look through the gap in the door, and Atlas’s gaze lifts to meet mine. He winks at me, seeming to like the fact I’m here, watching.

Shit. I stumble away, closing the door, and head back to the party.

Rhea may be a total bitch, but she doesn’t deserve to be treated that way. Kyle would never do that to me.

Gods above, where is he?

A tall male with dark hair and red eyes saunters toward me and grabs me around the waist. He drags me onto the dance floor amongst the crowd, despite my protests, and presses himself against my back.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” he whispers in my ear.

I can barely hear him over the music, and I wouldn’t have if he wasn’t invading my personal space. He slaps my ass, and I struggle in his grasp to get away.

“What’s your name?” he asks, sliding his hands down my front and touching my chest.

“Get off me!” I yell, but he ignores that and just laughs.

“Feisty. I like that.”

Couples dance all around us, so no one notices the male and the unwanted attention he’s giving me. I elbow him in his gut, wiggle out of his grasp, and hurry through the crowd away from him.

Those drinks have hit me harder than I expected, and I’m unsteady on my feet. Everyone watches me as I move across the dance floor, and I don’t like the attention.

Someone grabs my wrist, and I turn as the same male pulls me to his chest. “Thought you’d got away, didn’t you?”

I attempt to pull my arm free, but he’s too strong. My powers are there, but I can’t seem to access them. Whether that’s a side effect from the drinks, or something Drakon has done to me again, I’m not sure.

“Let me go!” I yell.

Kyle appears in the crowd, and our eyes lock. Fury rages deep in his gaze. He charges over and smacks the male in the face. He drops to the floor before scrambling to his feet, and I rush into Kyle’s arms.

“You dare touch my mate?” he growls at the male, tugging me behind him before he grabs the male by the throat.

“I didn’t know she was taken,” the male says as blood trickles out of his nose.

I grip onto Kyle’s arm and try to pull him back. “Just leave him, please.”

His jaw ticks as he lets the male go, shoving him back as he does, and the male stumbles away.

Kyle turns to me and grabs my face, scanning me. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

I shake my head. “I’m fine. Can we go?”

He snakes his hand around mine and leads me through the crowd. I feel like I’m being watched, and when I glance back, Atlas is there, staring at me from the other side of the dance floor, before disappearing into the crowd.

The following day, Kyle and I fly up to the top of a nearby volcano, following the instructions Drakon passed to one of the keepers for us. Apparently this is where they teach dragon shifters how to shift and fly.

I can feel the nerves flowing from Kyle, but he hides them well, maintaining his composure.

I’m surprised how well I feel today, considering the drinks I had. As soon as I climbed into bed, I was out of it.

“You ready for this?” I ask Kyle.

We fly over lava rivers, and the lava spits and bubbles up into the air below us.

“I am. I need to learn to control my dragon.” He glides down to where Drakon and a couple of guards are standing.

I land next to him, the loose volcanic stones shifting beneath my feet.

Before he walks over to join them, I pull him aside. “Hey, are we okay?”

He gives me a tight smile and then gives me a quick kiss. “I don’t like that you went to my parents behind my back, but I get why you felt you needed to.”

I bite my bottom lip and glance down. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I was just so worried about you.”

He reaches up and gently pinches my cheek. “It’s okay.”

“I don’t have all day,” Drakon calls out, and Kyle rolls his eyes, taking my hand and leading me over to the others.

Drakon wears black leathers that cover his entire body, and he’s even wearing black leather gloves. The two guards behind him wear the same, and I wonder if we missed the memo.

“The first thing you need to know is that your dragon is a part of you. He has always been with you, and he always will be. Yes, he is you, but he also has a mind of his own. And you need to learn to control him and guide him. If you can’t control your dragon, he may not allow you to ever shift back again, and you’ll be stuck in dragon form.”

I gasp at that. Gods above, he’s lucky that didn’t happen the first time Drakon forced him to shift.

Kyle scratches the back of his neck. “That’s not concerning at all.”

Drakon laughs. “You’ll figure it out, I’m sure. First, you need to understand how to shift. It’s a feeling you must draw from deep within. Connect with your dragon. Feel him.”

He taps his fist against his chest.

Kyle closes his eyes, searching for the feeling Drakon is talking about. His eyes snap open and flare red, but only for a brief moment before they flicker back to their usual blue.

“Shit,” he says, raking his hand through his hair.

Drakon slaps him on the back. “It’s all right. Just try again.”

Kyle lets out a slow breath and closes his eyes once more. The wind picks up, howling across the top of the volcano, carrying with it the thick scent of sulphur, and I have to steady myself so I don’t fall over. We’re close to the crater’s edge here, and falling in isn’t something I want to risk.

As I peek down into the opening at the lava bubbling away inside, a second strong gust blasts through. This time, I almost fall in.

Drakon grabs my arm. “I wouldn’t get too close. We never do know when these things will erupt.”

I back away from the edge and glance at Kyle.

He opens his eyes and grunts with frustration. “Fuck. I can’t do it.”

Drakon smirks at me. “Oh yes you can, nephew.”

He shoves Kyle over the crater’s edge, and my heart plummets with him as he disappears into the volcano.