Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

I glance at Kyle, my mind racing at all the ways in which this is bad. My heart pounds, the blood rushing to my head too quickly. I might pass out.

They’ll kill him for this. Drakon will kill him.

Kyle raises his hands, his brows pulling together. “Hold on a second. You think I’m destined to rule Pyrrhus?”

Theon reaches into his boot, pulls out a small metal flask, then takes a swig. “I don’t think it. I know it.”

He wipes his mouth on the sleeve of his dirty brown shirt, and my mouth gapes open as I stare at Theon.

“Believe me or don’t. Won’t change the truth of it. Now, follow me. We can’t hang around for the next lot to show up. They may be better prepared next time.” He strides out into the sand, shifts back into his brown dragon, then pushes off into the sky.

“You okay?” Kyle asks.

I swallow hard and nod.

He strokes my cheek. “It’ll be all right. Come on. I'll give you a ride.”

“Okay, thanks,” I say, unsure just how long we’ll be flying for.

Theon could live miles away, and although I’m used to long flights, I don’t want to risk diminishing my energy if we’re in danger.

He kisses me on my cheek and then backs up before shifting into his dragon, and I smile, knowing he’s getting the hang of this whole dragon thing now.

I climb up his side, clinging onto the thick spikes running down the length of his back. Once I’m secure, he kicks off the sand into the air, swooping his large wings.

We follow Theon across the desert for what feels like an hour before he veers off toward the rocky cliffs to the right. It’s basically a wall of rock that stretches the length of the desert, and it’s covered in vast openings that I would guess most probably lead to a cave system.

My nerves swirl inside me at the thought of running into any wild dragons. The chances of that seem higher than I’d like them to be, but there’s something about Theon that makes me trust him. He’s Kyle’s family, and he just saved our lives. I doubt he’d bother doing that just to lead us to our death right after.

Theon tucks his wings and glides through a large opening in the rock wall, and Kyle follows him. I duck my head as we enter the cave system. These tunnels are enormous, large enough for several dragons to fly through at once.

The tunnels are a smooth, red stone with streaks of white, and I peek up at the holes in the ceiling, allowing light to beam down. We fly through one tunnel and then into another and another, until we’re so deep in the cave system, I worry if we’ll ever be able to find our way out again.

The tunnel finally leads into an enormous underground opening where a volcano sits in the centre of the vast cave. There are small holes in the roof here, too, where light shines through, lighting the cave in a subtle way. Surprisingly, plants and trees grow down here, and the colours are vibrant and rich. It’s as though we’ve entered another world.

Theon glides down toward the volcano, and Kyle follows closely behind him. They land at the base of the volcano, which thankfully appears dormant. Theon shifts back to his male form, and once I climb off Kyle’s back, he does the same.

“Where are we?” I breathe.

Theon opens his arms out wide. “This is my home.”

Kyle takes my hand. “And you live alone?”

He walks over to the volcano, where there is a small opening at the front. “That I do.”

I glance around at the incredible plants and flowers that are just about every colour you can think of. Some are small, and others tower overhead, like a wild jungle. The sounds of running water echo nearby, and just before we walk through the volcano entrance, I spot a stream curling through the vegetation.

Inside the volcano is an open-plan living area to the left and a kitchen to the right. Theon strides toward the kitchen while unbuckling his holster and dumps it on the wooden table.

He gestures at the chairs spaced around the circular table. “Sit down.”

We both sit, and he heads into the kitchen and opens the fridge.

“How long have you been here?” Kyle asks.

He pulls three bottles from the fridge, places them on the bench, and then one by one pops the tops off them. “I can’t recall. Time is too fluid around here. It gets lost on me.”

He hands me a bottle, and I take a sip, coughing a little.

“Thanks,” I say.

He gives me a nod then sits down, handing Kyle the other bottle. “What were you two doing out there?”

Kyle takes a sip. “Drakon told me about you, said you were my grandfather, and that you lived out here.”

He leans back and puts his boots up on the table. “Oh yeah? What else did he say?”

“That you didn’t like the way he ran the Kingdom, so you chose to leave and become an outsider.”

He shrugs, finishing the last of what’s in his bottle, and slams it down on the table. “I suppose he’s not wrong.”

I lean forward, resting my arms on the table. “We’re lucky you were so close by. Thank you for helping us with those dragons back there.”

He gets up, goes to the fridge for another bottle, and carries three more to the table. I’m only halfway through mine, but I don’t say no.

“Look,” he says, popping the tops off the next three bottles and handing Kyle and me another one. “I know Drakon better than anyone. He’s responsible for sending those dragons after you. He will be threatened by Kyle’s presence.”

Kyle’s brows pull together, confusion in his gaze. “Why?”

Theon sits in his chair. “As I said earlier, you are destined to rule this Kingdom, whether you want to believe it or not. It was determined long ago by the old gods. Drakon, however, has other plans.”

A small, light-grey, fluffy creature comes barrelling into the volcano and leaps into Theon’s lap, toppling his chair backwards. He laughs as it licks at his face with its long tongue, and Kyle and I glance at one another. Theon gets to his feet and picks the creature up, and its large beady eyes focus on Kyle and me.

Theon scratches the creature behind its ears and sets it down. “Drakon thought coming here and forming this Kingdom was the right thing to do. But the power got to him. He is ruling through ego and greed.”

The fluffy creature jumps onto my lap, and I jolt. It swipes its rough tongue across my cheek and I giggle at the sensation and scratch him behind his ears.

“Hey, buddy.”

Theon smiles. “He’s not the friendliest pet. He must like you.”

“What is he?” I ask, stroking his back.

“He’s a Quell. They can be quite dangerous and can grow to over ten times their size at the first sign of danger. They are territorial creatures, especially when it comes to their home and their owner. His name is Guz, by the way.”

Guz leaps onto Kyle’s lap and almost falls off.

“Woah, easy, Guz,” he says, grabbing him.

“I miss your mother, Kyle. How is she?”

The deep-set sadness in Theon’s eyes tugs at my heart. I wonder how long ago it was that he last saw her.

“She’s doing well. She was here with my father earlier.”

He looks between us, his brows furrowed. “She was?”

I set my drink on the table. “I was worried about Kyle, so I went to see them. I brought them here through a portal.”

He shakes his hand in the air. “Hold on a moment. You can open portals?”

“I can.”

He scratches his chin and then finishes his drink. “You need to be careful. Drakon has been looking for a powerful Queen, and he may set his sights on you.”

I frown at that. “Gross. He’s my mate’s uncle.”

Theon collects the empty bottles from the table, carries them into the kitchen, and dumps them in a metal bin. “Doesn’t matter to him. It’s a shame I didn’t know your mother was here. I would have liked to see her.”

Kyle gives my thigh a squeeze. “When did you last see her? Does she know you’re here?”

He opens the fridge. “Hungry?”

We both shake our heads.

He pulls out a piece of what looks like meat and takes a bite. “It’s been years. I can’t recall the last time. She didn’t like the way Drakon was running things, either. But then she met your father and moved to Zarquon. But yes, she knows I am here.”

Theon throws the last piece of meat he was eating in the air, and Guz leaps up and catches it, swallowing it whole.

“So, Kyle, have you learnt to control your dragon and fire powers yet?”

“No, not really.”

Theon heads toward the door, and Guz follows close behind him like a shadow. “Come on, then.”

I glance at Kyle, and we quickly hurry after him. Once we’re outside the volcano, he shifts into his dragon and flies toward the tunnels.

Guz whimpers and plonks himself down on his butt.

“It’s okay, buddy. He’ll be back soon,” I tell him.

Kyle releases his wings. “Come on. We can just fly.”

I hesitate. “It took forever to fly in here. It would be quicker if I rode your dragon.”

He smirks at me and winks. “You can ride me any time.”

I roll my eyes, and he shifts into his dragon. I climb up onto his back, and he pushes off the ground and follows Theon through the tunnel.

He seems to be getting the hang of this shifting thing. Theon may not have much more to teach him, although I trust this male more than any of the others in this Kingdom, so any advice he has is bound to be of value.

We wind our way through the cave tunnels, but when we finally fly out of the rock wall, we’re in a different spot entirely.

I stare in awe at the landscape. Deep rock fissures cut through the ground below, and tall, narrow rock structures cover the landscape. Some of them reach up as high as the top of the rock wall. It’s like a network of underground rock caves and tunnels, by the looks of it.

The rocks are streaked with pink, orange, and white in the most gorgeous swirling pattern, and a lava river weaves in and out of the fissures below.

Theon nose dives through one of the fissures in the rocks, and for a moment, I worry he’s going to crash, but he majestically glides on his side through the narrow gap and pops out the other side.

Kyle follows, and I duck down against him, clinging on for dear life as he makes the same sideways manoeuvre through the rock fissure. It’s hair-raising to say the least, considering how new Kyle is to flying as his dragon. But he makes it out the other side, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Theon darts in and out of rock formations, narrowly missing several of the rock towers, and Kyle follows his every move, as if he’s been doing this just as long as Theon has. I’m relieved when Theon glides down and lands in a vast open space in the rock formations below. Kyle glides down and lands next to him, and I climb off his back.

They both shift back, and Theon grins, spreading his arms out at his sides. “Doesn’t that make you feel alive, Kyle?”

A warm breeze blows through the rock formations, picking up dust and blowing it around us. The sun beams down, making it hotter than it already is here. I would melt if it weren’t for the magic protecting me from the immense heat.

“This place is unreal,” Kyle breathes. “Why are we here?”

Theon walks over to a deep fissure in the rocks, kicking a stone off the edge, and it echoes as it falls, hitting the sides on its way down. “Because this is an isolated area, perfect for training. The other shifters don’t come out this far.”

“Why not?” I ask.

He looks between us. “Because this is where the wild dragons live.”

A shudder darts down my spine. “Like, right here?”

Theon chuckles. “Oh, it’s nothing to worry about. They don’t usually come out during the day.”

What if we run into one of these wild beasts? Will they eat us? I suddenly feel way too unsettled being here.

Kyle’s gaze darts around. He’s clearly as uneasy as I am. “How is this perfect, then? What if we bump into one of them?”

Theon loses the smirk. “We pray to the gods that we’re stronger and faster than they are. Now, shift and follow my lead.”

Theon shifts into his dragon and shoots up into the air.

Kyle leans down and kisses me. “Will you be all right?”

I reach up and run my fingers over his cheek. “I think so. Go. I’ll be watching.”

He creates distance between us and shifts into his dragon, then he takes off after Theon. I love watching his gold dragon glide through the sky.

Releasing my wings, I fly up to one of the rock towers and land. I sit down, dangling my legs over the edge as Theon and Kyle fly around above me. They must be able to communicate with one another in their dragon form, because as soon as Theon does one manoeuvre, Kyle mirrors him.

They fly together like this for the best part of an hour before they swoop down and each land on a rock tower, then they shift back. Kyle is smiling so wide that I don’t know if I’ve ever seen him this excited before.

“You did good, Kyle,” Theon praises him.

I clap, and then Theon sets himself alight. Kyle and I stare as the flames consume him from head to toe, and he just stands there.

“This is power,” he calls out.

He swings his arm back and throws a ball of fire at Kyle, and he ducks as it soars over his head, almost losing his balance and falling off the tower.

“Woah!” he calls.

Theon laughs. “Go on. Allow your flames to ignite.”

Kyle closes his eyes, concentrating hard, and then flames lick across his skin, engulfing his entire body.

“There you go!” Theon yells.

Kyle looks at me through the flames, his blue eyes now a bright red, and there’s something animalistic about him. It’s his dragon, I realise, wanting to be set free again, but he’s controlling him, holding him back. He raises his hands in the air, turning them over as he studies the flames.

A screech sounds in the distance, and I scramble to my feet, scanning the area.

Kyle heard it, too, and he allows his flames to burn out, then releases his gold wings and flies over to join me on my tower.

“You okay?” he asks.

“You heard it, too, right?”

Theon’s flames extinguish, and a second screech echoes through the rock formations, much closer this time. He stares out into the distance, standing so still he could be confused for a statue.

“I don’t like this, Theon,” Kyle calls out to him.

Theon raises his hand, as if to signal us to be quiet, and then something shoots through the rocks below, too quick for my eyes to catch, but I have my suspicions about what it was.

“Was that a dragon?” I ask, my voice somewhat strained.

Kyle places his hand on my lower back. “Release your wings. We need to leave.”

I stare up at him as panic floods my veins. “I can’t outfly a dragon!”

“I’m going to shift, and you’re going to fly and get on my back. I can’t shift up here. There’s not enough room,” he tells me, his gaze still searching for any sign of the dragon.

Theon gives Kyle a nod, and I quickly release my wings, ready for what may come. Theon leaps off the rock tower, shifting into his dragon midair. A black, shadowy dragon darts up from a rock fissure below, narrowly missing Theon as it shoots up above us.

“Go, Zarla! Now!” Kyle leaps off the tower, shifting immediately.

I don’t dare look up as I dive off, allowing my wings to catch my fall while I fly after Kyle. He circles back then hovers as I land on him. I cling to his spikes just as the black dragon glides down, opening its enormous jaws and snapping at Kyle’s dragon.

Kyle only just tilts his body out of the way to avoid the wild dragon’s ferocious bite. He flies hard and fast, darting in between the rocks after Theon, who is quite far ahead of us by now. I risk a glance back, but the dragon is nowhere to be seen. My heart thunders, and I feel like I may pass out.

Three red dragons appear out of nowhere and head right for us. I know Kyle’s seen them, but Theon hasn’t. Kyle lets out a roar then blasts a powerful stream of fire at the dragons. It’s enough to disorientate them for a moment, giving Kyle the chance to dive below them, flying just above the ground.

We’ve lost them, but not the shadow dragon. Although I don’t know where it is, I know it’s following us. I can feel it.

Theon enters the rock wall ahead, flying into the main tunnel entrance, and I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad idea. He’s lived out here for a long time, though, so he knows how to navigate the landscape and probably lose these wild dragons.

Kyle follows him into the tunnel, and I glance back, looking for the shadow dragon. Where has it gone?

Theon takes a swift right turn ahead, and Kyle misses it, flying straight instead.

“Theon turned right!” I call out, and Kyle’s dragon grunts.

He slows and turns around, flying back through the tunnel the way we came. I spot the tunnel to the left that Theon turned down, but as we approach it, the shadow dragon appears in the tunnel ahead. It lets out a deafening roar that makes me cover my ears and duck low against Kyle’s neck.

I peek around the side of Kyle to find it flying directly toward us. Gods above, we’re not going to make it.

It opens its jaws wide and blasts fire at us, but just before it hits Kyle, he turns into the tunnel on the left, the flames narrowly missing him. I let out a breath and glance back at the shadow dragon that’s now behind us.

We fly through the tunnel, following it as it winds deeper into the caves. The shadow dragon is crafty, and I’m sure it’s gaining on us. I look back as it opens its jaws again and blasts us with fire. The flames hit Kyle’s back, engulfing me, and I duck my face down, surprised when I feel nothing but heat.

Why won’t dragon flames harm me?

Theon’s dragon shoots out of a tunnel ahead, and Kyle tilts to the side, narrowly missing him as he glides past us and slams into the shadow dragon. The two dragons crash into the side of the tunnel and roll to the ground. Kyle lands ahead and leans down as if telling me to hop off. The thought of getting off his back terrifies me.

I don’t want to be alone in these tunnels with wild dragons. But I know Theon needs him, and I’m safer off his back than on it if he’s about to get into a fight. There’s a small gap in the wall that I slip into, and Kyle’s dragon stares at me for a moment before lifting off again and heading for Theon.

The shadow dragon snaps at Theon’s neck as they circle one another. Kyle lands next to Theon, and the shadow dragon’s growls echo down the tunnel. Theon spins around, slamming his tail into the dragon, and it loses its balance. Kyle charges and crashes into the dragon, and it roars then snaps at his neck, biting down hard.

Shit. Do something, Theon!

Kyle thrashes around, trying to break free from the dragon’s grasp, but the shadow dragon is locked onto his neck. Theon slashes his claws down the dragon’s back, and it’s enough to make him release his hold on Kyle. The moment he does, Kyle’s dragon disappears.

He reappears behind the shadow dragon, who is looking around in confusion, and then leaps onto its back, pinning it down. Theon shifts back into his male, pulls his blade, and swiftly cuts the dragon’s throat. Blue blood oozes out onto the rocks below as the dragon’s life slowly drifts away, and he shifts back into his male.

Kyle looks at me, and I know it’s safe now. I slip out of the gap in the tunnel wall and hurry toward them.

Kyle shifts back, runs to me, and pulls me into his arms. “You okay?”

I pull back and notice the marks on his neck from the dragon’s bite. I’m about to heal him when his flames lick up his neck, and the wound disappears in an instant.

“Wow…” I breathe, amazed by just how incredible his fire powers are.

“That was close. Too close,” Theon says, breathing hard. “And that was a neat trick. The whole disappearing act. Haven’t seen that before.”

Theon wipes his blade across his leathers, cleaning the blood off, and then slips it back into his holster.

“So this is a wild dragon shifter, then,” I say.

“Yes. And I don’t like killing them, but sometimes we have no choice in the matter.” He looks between us, his brows pinched. “This isn’t good. This just doesn’t happen. Two attacks in one day.”

Kyle glances at the dead male shifter. “Do you think Drakon’s responsible for this?”

“I do. And I think it’s best if the two of you leave this Kingdom while you may still have the chance.”

Theon leads us out of the cave tunnels, back to where we first entered them. “Be careful. I wish you could stay longer. We haven’t had enough time. But I’m afraid of what will happen if you do.”

Kyle hugs his grandfather. “Thank you. I will come back when I can.”

Theon hugs me. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Zarla.”

“You too.”

“Until we meet again.” He backs away from us then shifts into his dragon and flies back through the cave tunnel.

Kyle takes my face between his hands, kisses me softly, then stares into my eyes. “Thank you for taking me here. It’s helped a lot, despite the dangers. We should open a portal and get back to Gallerria.”

I raise my hand to open one, but I have no luck.

“What is it?” he asks.

I let out a frustrated sigh. “It won’t work. Drakon’s probably blocking my ability again.”

I attempt it once more with the same result. I’m about to open my mouth to say something when several dragons swoop down, circling us. I immediately know two of them are Drakon and Atlas.

They shift into their males, but their two guards remain in dragon form.

Drakon strides toward us. “Leaving so soon?”

I bite my bottom lip as rampant heat surges inside me. “You can’t keep doing this. You have no right to restrict my powers.”

He loses the sarcasm as darkness settles into his features. “Actually, I am the King, and I can do whatever I want. You’re not leaving. You will both be competing in the Dragon Trials.”