***This is Book 4 of the Elemental Dragon series. While this book can be read as a standalone novel, it is meant to be read as part of a series. References will be made to events in the other books without specific explanation in this book. If you would like to read the series from the beginning, start with The Arena.**
I wake up alone to the shouts coming from just outside the main doors of the school. We opened our doors three months ago and everything was great…for about five minutes.
Who knew that including all shifters, elves, and our current residents of laboratory created dragons and hybrids could cause so much chaos? Not only that, who knew that in our very first year, that we’d have to start a waiting list? I had no idea that a university for shifters was so desperately needed. We’ve already started plans to build an addition to the main hall and to build out a separate laboratory for Everett, moving his current medical space out of the main hall and giving us a couple more rooms for students.
The general ages for the students are between fifteen and twenty-four, not including those born as dragons, they can start as early as age two. The top age will change over time because it will depend on when the shifter, elf, or dragon finds their mate. As part of the curriculum that Zephyr, Everett, and I put together, we agreed that each mated couple will need at least one more year in the university to work through the challenges of being mated to a different species. Based on the current interactions that I’m having to mediate daily, I’m wondering if it shouldn’t be two years.
I quickly get dressed and head out of my bedroom. There are only two bedrooms on the first floor, mine and Everett’s, my mate. I would love nothing more than to have one bedroom for the two of us, but he hasn’t claimed me, and he told me that he won’t, because he feels that I deserve someone stronger, someone better. What he doesn’t realize is that there will never be anyone else for me. A dragon gives their heart once and only once. He has mine and he always will, even if he chooses to cast it aside.
As I walk through the main entry area, I hear a crash and yelling outside.
“Lab Dragon!”
“Uppity, arrogant elf!”
I recognize the two voices, Daichi is the dragon and Fenian is the elf. Lab dragon has become a very derogatory term for the dragons that aren’t technically ‘real’ dragons, but they aren’t hybrids either. Daichi was created in The Chief’s lab with Avani’s DNA. Fenian comes from Yhendorn’s elven troupe, a pure elf.
As I walk outside, I feel the earth begin to shake with Daichi’s anger. Fenian begins laughing.
“You don’t actually think that your pathetic attempts to move the earth are going to bother me, do you?” Fenian says, pulling on the earth under Daichi’s feet. Elves can manipulate the earth just as easily as earth dragons, which is probably why Avani is mated to an Elven princess.
Daichi was born a dragon and hasn’t yet shifted. None of the laboratory created dragons have, but they are all getting close and the closer they get, the more moody and temperamental they become.
I turn, looking at Ancalagon, who is just laying in the sun like nothing is wrong.
“Ancalagon? A little help?”
He lifts his head and looks at the two arguing.
“You’re a full-blooded dragon, Kaylani, I’m sure you can figure it out,” he says, before laying his head back down.
I feel my blood boiling at his callousness. He’s the Alpha of dragons, the Alpha of Alphas, and every one of these shifters would have to respond if he chose to act like a leader. Instead, he’s acting like a moody teenager.
I growl, just as Ajax comes running up. Ajax is also an earth dragon, but he’s a hybrid. He was born a human and was given Avani’s DNA along with the DNA of an elf, making him a shifter with a very powerful manipulation of the earth. Everett identified that his primary DNA was dragon and Ajax had his first shift several months ago. Since then, he’s become adept at shifting and at manipulating the earth element.
“Knock it off, you two,” he says. Ajax is one of Everett’s adopted sons and he’s become something of a leader in the school. Unlike Ancalagon who should be leading the school and refuses, Ajax has taken his role as leader very well and he handles the stress of being in charge excellently. Because of his strength, he and Ancalagon have become friends. I keep hoping that Jax will wear off on Cal, but so far, it hasn’t happened.
“Make me,” Fenian says snidely.
Ajax flicks his fingers and sends Fenian flying backward. He’s up and ready to fight in an instant, some of the other elves jumping in too, but I douse them with water, literally washing them out.
“ENOUGH!” I roar. “You know the rules. There is no fighting. Fenian, this is your last warning and Yhendorn will be hearing about this.”
“He started it,” he says, pointing at Daichi.
“And yet, he stopped when told to,” I say.
Fenian snarls, baring his teeth and beginning to stalk me. Seriously kid?
I don’t know what he was planning, but the ground shaking behind us because of another dragon landing stops him. Unfortunately for Fenian, I already knew that Kenna was in the air, carrying her mate on her back. King Yhendorn slides off of Kenna’s back, but he doesn’t have a chance to confront Fenian before Kenna has him pinned to the ground with her claws.
I hear Daichi snicker, and I turn, growling at him.
“Find somewhere else to be and take this as a warning. If you continue to end up in fights, you’ll find yourself kicked out of the school,” I snarl.
Even in his dragon form, I can see the shock and hurt on his face. Unlike Fenian, Daichi has no where else to go. I know that he didn’t start this, he has too much to lose. But I can’t allow the dragons to think that they can fight with the other factions and get away with it just because they have nowhere to go.
Ancalagon growls, finally getting interested in the argument because, by his estimation, I threatened one of his dragons.
“You overstep, Kaylani,” he says, and Kenna slams a fireball in his face.
“If you had stepped in earlier, Ancalagon, none of this would have happened. If you want to place blame, look in the mirror,” she tells him, still holding Fenian on the ground.
He roars at the two of us then leaps into the air, calling to the other dragons. Thirteen dragons lift up into the air and even Ajax looks longingly after him, feeling the pull.
“You may as well go too,” I say to him, just as Kano and Keagan react to Ancalagon’s call. The three of them leap and shift, following him to the east where the sun is rising.
“Don’t let the humans see you this time,” I yell at them.
I hear a sad cry and turn to see Naida, my adopted daughter, shifted, but unable to fly. She recently shifted for the first time into a water dragon. I walk over to her, cooing at her and soothing her so she doesn’t continue to feel Ancalagon’s call to join him. In the distance, I can hear my sister doing the same for her adopted daughter, Nova. Nova has the fire dragon DNA, but she and Zephyr bonded the first time they met. Nova is too young to shift, so the call would be painful to her and when she gets angry enough, Zephyr roars for Ancalagon to stop and thankfully, he listens to his mother.
“Well, that’s one way to start a morning,” Tesha says. She's one of the hybrids that my brilliant mate saved and she walks out of the main hall with Everett.
“Are you okay, Kaylani?” he asks walking up to me and stroking his hand down my arm. I wish he would take me in his arms, hold me, just because he needs to touch me, but he won’t.
“I’m a dragon, of course I’m fine,” I say and turn, watching as Yhendorn speaks to his troupe member.
I look back at Everett and he’s watching Ancalagon flying off in the distance as he strokes Naida, helping to soothe her.
“What is it, Everett?”
Unconsciously, he pulls me to him as he focuses on Ancalagon. I revel in his touch, leaning into him while I have this moment.
“I need to convince Cal to come in for testing. His personality is changing, and I want to know why.”
“He’s in his teenage, defiant time of life,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around him and sighing as he does the same to me.
“I think it’s more than that,” he says, making me focus on him.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure and I won’t know until he agrees to let me run some tests on him.”
I turn and look at Ancalagon. It will be a cold day in hell before Cal will allow Everett or anyone to run tests on him again.
“Kaylani, is Fenian allowed to continue in the school?” Yhendorn asks me.
“It’s his last warning, Yhendorn. If he starts a fight again, he’s out. And if he ever thinks of attacking me again, I’ll make sure he understands that the earth has no power against water.”
“I didn’t start it, Daichi did,” Fenian insists.
“I don’t tolerate liars, Fenian. And I’m not stupid enough to have a school without cameras. Shall we replay the events that happened in the last 30 minutes for King Yhendorn and Queen Kenna?” Everett asks him. My mate may be human, but he never, ever backs down from these supernaturals. He has also learned how to get the better of them by using his incredible mind, rather than the strength that he doesn’t have and they all pull from.
“No sir,” Fenian pouts.
“A good decision, Fenian. As punishment for today, you’ll have to help me in the laboratory,” Everett tells him.
I watch Fenian turn an unpleasant shade of green. Everett makes sure that cleaning the laboratory is the grossest punishment that it can possibly be.
“So, what will it be, Fenian?” Everett asks.
Fenian gags but walks toward Everett. “I’ll clean.”
“A good choice.”
I’m furious that this child threatened Kaylani. I may not feel worthy of her, but I feel an extreme amount of protectiveness for the beautiful dragon. My mate.In the privacy of my own mind, I can call her that. I can’t say it out loud, can’t let her have hope that we’ll ever be together. I have no idea why she was mated to someone like me, but I do know that she deserves a strong, powerful protector for a mate, not some weak human that can’t even claim her properly.“Fenian, is it true that you threatened Kaylani?” I ask him as we walk back inside.“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” he grumbles.“You, an elven teenager, threatened a full-grown dragon? Do you think that was wise?”He shakes his head, no. “I was angry. I didn’t mean it.”I stop and turn to him. “And yet, you continue to pick fights with the others, call them names, demean them. Do you know, in my experience, it’s the bullies that have no self-esteem. They have to make other people feel bad so that they can feel better about
I watch Everett and Fenian walk inside before turning back.“He’ll figure it out eventually, Kaylani,” Kenna says kindly.“I doubt it,” I say, turning to her. “What brings you to the school? Registering for classes?” I ask, smiling.She growls at me, but I just look at her. She needs to be here as much as anyone else. Yhendorn will as well once she’s old enough.“Given the waitlist you already have, I think that’s a good idea, Kenna,” Yhendorn says to her.“You can’t be serious,” she snaps at him. Fire dragon and Lycan. She’s a powerful hybrid and in her current youthfulness, I lot of that burns as fiery emotions.Her mate, however, not only loves her fire, but seems to know how to stoke her flames without allowing them to burn him to ash.“I want to be a good mate to you, Kenna. Always. There are many things that I don’t know about you and that you don’t know about me. We have time, but sometimes the expectation of what is to come becomes overwhelming the closer you get. I don’t want
“As you all know, this is Eric, a 12 or 13-year-old male, found by Ishir and Zephyr in the laboratory where the hybrids escaped. He was the only survivor still in the laboratory. Zephyr found him having already shifted and we quickly identified that he had been injected with polar bear and kamado dragon DNA. The kamado dragon DNA is the biggest problem, being that his human and polar bear DNA are both warm blooded animals. I added Kaylani’s DNA, and it has bonded to his human DNA, allowing him to shift back. The polar bear DNA also bonded to Kaylani’s DNA, but the kamado dragon DNA is still a problem. Until I can figure out how to bond that DNA to the others, I’m keeping him sedated.”“What about elf DNA?” Fenian asks. “From everything I’ve learned so far, it seems that elf DNA is the best bonding agent of DNA.”“In general, you’re correct, Fenian. But we already have one hybrid that can shift into two different animals, not including her human form. I’m concerned about giving Eric to
I work with Naida until I have to shift and get ready for class. I’m an animal, I’m used to being naked. The elves, however, are not as used to nudity and I find them staring, not just at me, but at all of the shifters when they shift. Being the mother of a teenage daughter, I find it uncomfortable that teenage elvish boys are staring at my naked daughter when she shifts. I need to talk to Yhendorn about that while he’s here.I wait for Naida to shift and watch as Aithlin openly stares. I growl at him, just as Tesha smacks him in his chest.“Get lost, perv. Naida doesn't want you gawking at her naked body.”Naida turns to look at Aithlin who has turned an uncomplimentary shade of red. He drops his gaze and races off. I hand her my clothes to put on since hers shredded when her dragon answered Ancalagon’s call.As we walk inside, I send Naida to her room and I head to mine, quickly getting dressed before heading out to my classroom. Because today's class is Elemental Manipulation and t
After Kaylani leaves, I check on Eric again, just to make sure that he’s settled for the night. Usually, I sleep in here with him. It’s easier to sleep on a cot in a medical room than it is to sleep in my own bed without Kaylani. Nothing feels more empty or alone than my bed when I sleep without her. Not that I let myself sleep with her often. I have no willpower when I do, so I try, so hard, so stay away. But I know it’s hard for her too and that’s what ultimately breaks down my walls. A beautiful dragon shouldn’t look tired or sad.I set up the alarms, in case something should happen overnight, but he’s been in this coma for so long that I feel confident that I can leave him for one night. Then, I head to my room.I can smell the food before I get there. Kaylani has brought up what used to be my favorite dish, chicken parmesan. However, now, because I know how much she loves nearly raw meat, I enjoy eating steak with her. That’s my new favorite, because I get to watch her enjoy her
I wake up, having slept better than I have since, well, since the last time I slept with Everett. I reach out and feel that the bed is warm but empty, just before the sounds of the shower reach my ears.I know that as soon as we walk out of this room, all of Everett’s walls will go back up. I know that he will push me away and try to keep his distance. But I also know that every time he breaks and spends the night with me, there is less time before the next time.The first time we were together, I thought he had finally given in, finally agreed to be my mate. I was so hurt when he went back to acting normal the next day. I know he loves me, he’s told me, but only when he thought I was dead, when I was paralyzed during an attack on the scientist’s lab. He has never said the words to me in the throes of passion or just because he wants me to know how he feels.After the second time we were together, I realized that he can’t resist me. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t push me away f
As soon as Amne shifts, I scoop her off the ground.“I’ve got you, Amne. It’s me, Doc Everett. I’m going to take care of you,” I tell her, not sure if she can hear me or not.Her body seems to have lost all muscle control and she’s flopping around in my arms until I get her settled so her head is against my chest, and I have her securely in my arms.One thing I realized very quickly is that dragons may look like humans, but their bones continue to be very dense, even in their human form. So they weigh nearly double what you’d expect them to weigh just by looking at them. Amne, like the other dragon females, is tall and lean, looking modelesque in her stature but weighing somewhere around 250 pounds.A year ago, I wouldn’t have been able to lift Amne and hold her like I am, but when you spend lots of time with shifters, it makes you stronger, faster. They don’t realize how fast they are, how strong they are, or how you, as a human, aren’t as capable of carrying heavy objects. So, while
I watch amazed, as I always am when there’s a crisis and my mate takes charge, facing off against Ancalagon or anyone who gets in the way of him helping those who are injured, directing others to get him the information he needs, and continuing to look after his patient while keeping up with everything that’s going on around him. As usual, I’m utterly in awe of this man.To watch him, to listen to him, you’d never know that he was worried sick about losing his patient. But then, he’ll reach out to me, need to touch me to help keep him grounded. I know that’s the reason because I need it to. He may not recognize the mate bond the way I do, but he definitely feels the impact of our mate bond.“How long before we know for sure if Amne is going to be okay?” I ask him.“I need to run more tests and I’ll need to stay with her today to make sure she stays stable,” he says.I look at the clock. “You have class today, Everett. I’ll stay with her. Take her blood and get the tests started. If an