by J. E. Cluney
The golden dragon was struggling against his opponent, his sandy magic clashing with the purple electrical energy swirling all around the pair.
He needed help.
I ignored the shouts behind me as I pumped my legs, hurtling across the grounds until I drew closer to the two dragons and the fiery area they’d lit. Purple and orange flames flickered all around, but I froze as I focused on my pulsing aura.
I’d had my aura take on the form of clones, and I intended to recreate that.
I closed my eyes, willing my aura to take on the half-shifted kitsune forms. I felt the first one pull out of my body, almost like the wind was knocked out of me.
I opened my eyes, willing the clone onward.
One wasn’t enough.
I strained, my aura whipping around me as it encased me, my four tails flicking around wildly as I pushed another one forward. This one hurt as it left my body, my chest tightening and my muscles all cramping up. Sweat was beading my skin now, and I felt my power and energy draining.
One more. Just one more.
I felt my family drawing near, intent to pull me away from the danger I’d gotten so close to.
I had no intention of marching myself right into that fight. I didn’t have a death wish. But I couldn’t do nothing either. That wasn’t me.
I gasped as my energy pulsed through me, and I gritted my teeth as it became painful, my head throbbing as one last aura clone began to pull away from me.
No one else would suffer because of him. Because of that sick and twisted Warlock.
He would never collect another soul.
I screamed as the final clone stepped forth, and I watched as it sprouted a fifth tail right before me.
Just like the aura one that had unfurled behind me.
I groaned as my head thumped and my vision blurred. I’d pushed myself beyond my limits, but I had to see this through.
I looked up at the clone standing before me, the other two a few steps ahead.
It was me. I could still control it.
I held up my kitsune blade to it, and the kitsune solidified more as I willed it to, and gently took my blade from me.
We’d kill that fucker.
My aura pulsed and radiated around me as I wiped the blood trickling from my nose.
I focused my mind, wanting to control my clones more than before. Last time they had their own minds, this time, I needed them to coordinate.
The first two kitsune clones rushed off just as my men and family reached me.
“Don’t touch me,” I barked as Leon dropped to my side on his knees, worried for me. “I need to focus.”
Thankfully, they all understood, and no one tried to stop me.
My head was pounding like the power inside me wanted to tear it open and spew forth, but I fought through the pain.
The two clones rushed towards the Collector’s dragon while my third one hung back. I was sending the most energy and power into that one. It needed all the power I could give it.
The Collector saw the incoming kitsunes and roared, shoving Mr Oxley away with one taloned hand before turning on the closest kitsune clone.
He swiped at it, sensing the intense power I’d filled it with.
The clone dodged and rushed him, and I watched in frustration as the magical dragon snapped it up quickly in its jaws.
The clone shrieked as it dissipated while Mr Oxley crunched his own deadly teeth into the fake dragon’s neck. Sandy magic spewed from the wound, and I knew he was trying to dismantle the magical creature from within.
His bite sunk deeper into the dragon’s lower neck, and a flutter of hope moved through me as his teeth drew closer to the Collector inside the magical shell.
The creature shrieked as it knocked the golden dragon back, and I launched my second kitsune at him. The Collector was struggling now, clawing at Mr Oxley as golden sand-like magic swirled around the gaping tear in its neck.
My kitsune drew up behind the Collector, and purple electricity shot out towards it. It dodged and weaved through the attacking magic as I watched on.
The splitting pain in my mind was making my vision blur at the edges, but I struggled onward.
But I faltered, my clone faltering too as the Collector’s dragon swung its head around and spewed magical purple flames.
I groaned as my kitsune clone went up in flames and disappeared.
I only had the one now.
“You need to stop, you’re pushing yourself too much,” Soren said as he crouched down beside me.
I could feel the blood trailing down from my nose, and I knew it was trickling from my ear too now.
I was overexerting myself. But I had to.
We had to win this.
“‘I’ve got this,” I growled as I dug my fingers into the grass and clenched my jaw.
One last clone. I couldn’t make any more now.
“Well, let us help.”
I didn’t turn to face my true brother as he knelt down on the other side of Leon.
A wave of relief washed over me as more aura clones burst forth, dashing across the expanse of grass.
Leon and Damien launched into the air, hurling glowing orbs of energy at the Collector.
His dragon roared as his eyes opened inside the casing. They glowed with a blinding violet light as he deflected the hurled energy from the twins.
He fought off the new clones, but he was struggling now.
The golden dragon grabbed his creature just as he spun away to swipe at a clone.
It shrieked as Mr Oxley pinned one arm behind its back and began shoving it to the ground.
I watched as everything slowed down.
The magical dragon was falling to the ground, and I took the one opportunity I had.
It was now or never.
My clone that had been hanging back shot forth, aura swirling off it as it flew across the grass, dodging the flames littering the area.
It slid underneath the collapsing beast as Mr Oxley pinned it down to the ground.
I prayed my clone got this right as I closed my eyes and forced every last ounce of power and energy I had into it.
Please work.
37
Leon.
I beat my wings as I watched the magical beast screech, the sound piercing my ears and forcing me to cover them.
But I didn’t look away even as the high-pitched sound increased.
I was too busy focusing on the fiery pink and white light ripping through the galaxy-like magic holding the creature together. It was exploding from the inside out as the golden dragon pulled away to watch.
It writhed and flailed as it began to disintegrate, the pink and white magic eating away at it.
Had Sav done this?
Damien cursed and shot downwards, his black wings pulling in tight as he soared down to Sav.
I dragged my eyes from the creature as I drifted down to join him.
Sav had blood pouring from her eyes and nose, even trickling out from her ears.
She was weak and beyond spent, and I could feel the incredible pain inside her as she struggled to remain conscious.
She was still staring at the Collector as I landed beside her, and I followed her gaze.
What greeted me was just the man, his creature destroyed as he gasped and gurgled.
Sav’s kitsune blade was jutting from his chest.
Mr Oxley lowered his head, staring at the man as he lay on the ground.
The golden dragon was huge in comparison, and he just rumbled with a deep growl.
‘It’s over Declan.You lost it all.’
The Collector choked, blood spluttering from his lips.
And then he stiffened.
I just blinked dumbly as his body quickly mummified right before my eyes, before it crumbled into a fine dust and blew away on a soft breeze.
It was over, just like that, apparently.
Was he really gone?
‘Yes.’
Mr Oxley’s voice was a w
elcome relief, and I focused my attention back on Sav, who was managing a smirk.
“Told you I’d kill you,” she mumbled before she collapsed forward.
Damien caught her, his frantic murmurs mingled in with her family and the others. Wes had returned, obviously having dealt with the fires inside the building.
“Here, I’ve got her,” I said as I gently took her limp body from Damien’s arms.
I wrapped my wings around us, shielding us from sight.
She’d blacked out from the pain, and I could feel her life essence waning. She’d used up too much of her power and energy.
I held her tight to my chest as distressed voices rose up all around.
I’d take care of her.
I’d heal her.
38
I groaned as my head swam, and I attempted to blink the circling room into standing still.
“How you feeling?”
“Like someone fucked me over with a truck,” I muttered as I dropped my cheek to the pillow.
Leon was only inches away from my face, and I reached out hesitantly to stroke his cheek despite the throbbing in my body and the harsh ache in my head.
“Well, you did overexert yourself. You could’ve died using that much power. You almost completely depleted yourself while putting immense strain on yourself,” he murmured as he placed his soft hand over mine.
His sweet blue eyes were tender and relieved, and I noted the soft stubble forming along his jaw. God, he still looked heavenly.
“Wait… is he dead?” I frowned as everything came rushing back.
“The Collector? Yeah. You killed him,” Leon managed a smile. “You looked so bad though, bleeding everywhere. We honestly thought you were going to die, you were fading on us that fast.”
“I didn’t though,” I murmured softly as my fingers slid down his cheek and rested on the pillow. Holding my hand up was too much effort right now.
“Only because he split your injuries with himself,” Damien grumbled as he pushed through my door.
I was back in my room in the institute, and it was a welcome comfort.
“Wait, what?” I mumbled as I tried to sit up.
Damien shot over, helping to pull me up into a sitting position and stuffing pillows behind my back. He was ultra gentle with me, which I found utterly adorable. Leon accepted some assistance from Wesley, and Tristan just sat on the edge of the bed beside me.
“Healing supes isn’t easy for him, and completely healing you could’ve killed him. But splitting it meant you’d both recover, although a little slower than usual. You’d both be drained of your energy and power for a while,” Tristan explained as he rested a reassuring hand on my knee.
I flicked my eyes back to Leon, squinting them a bit as the room moved.
“You’re an idiot,” I growled.
“Couldn’t lose you,” he said with a soft smile. The way he was looking at me made me melt. Such adoration and gratitude. I was beyond thrilled to be back with them.
“Where’s Nate?” I frowned.
“Right, he’s the new one in our heads,” Wesley rolled his eyes but managed a smile.
“Not a bad guy actually,” Tristan added.
“I’d want to hope so since he’s my mate,” I managed a soft chuckle.
As if on cue, Nate entered the room, and I had to do a double take. He’d shaved and showered, and holy hell, he looked stunning. His brown hair was side-swept, and he had a hot stubble going on along his strong jawline. Someone had found him some jeans and a white button up tee, and he looked completely edible.
“You need to rein those wild thoughts in,” Nate smirked as he sat at the foot of the bed.
“I’m finally back with my mates, I can’t help it,” I purred, and I felt all my men tense up around me.
“You’re recovering, no sex,” Leon stated firmly.
“You’re no fun,” I pouted.
“Besides, your family is here too, and they’ll want to see you now that you’re awake,” Nate was quick to add.
Right.
My family.
My stomach tightened at this, but I didn’t get a chance to say anything as the door flew open and Lionel marched in. I’d had a brief chance to be introduced to them all back at the Collector’s place.
“Sav,” Soren murmured as he walked right over.
My true father.
His dark brown hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, and his beard had been tidied up since I last saw him. His emerald eyes were lit up, and Samson pulled up beside him, his equally dark hair side-swept. He had a rather angular face, but the father-son duo looked remarkably similar. Except that Samson had the exact same startling blue eyes like me.
Our mother’s obviously.
Benny was standing off to the side, my werepanther brother, with his olive skin and dark black hair that was spiked up at the front. Bernie, his father, was on the opposite side of my bed, a startling older version of Benny with longer hair and age-worn features.
Chris stood at the foot of my bed, he had a similar facial structure to my own with defined cheekbones, an upturned nose and ruffled brown hair. He was a lot smaller than the others in height and muscle mass, and those nerdy glasses only made him more adorable.
Lachlan and Lionel gave off the most animosity despite their half-smiles, being the broody werewolves of the group. They both had dark hair and sharp features. They were broad shouldered and reminded me of football players or bouncers. My brother had honeyed brown eyes, while Lionel had more earthy brown eyes.
And Izzy. My face lit up at the sight of her standing beside Chris. She was washed and dressed, and she looked stunning. I was beyond glad she was okay.
She was beaming at me, and she gave me a nod, one filled with enough gratitude that no words were needed.
I just dipped my head in response.
“I can’t believe you’re alive,” Samson gushed as he shuffled closer to the side of my bed.
“Despite my best efforts,” I quipped, and chuckles rose up around me.
“And you’ve found yourself mates,” Bernie said with a soft smile.
“Interesting bunch,” Benny added with a nod.
“They’re not too bad,” I shrugged, immediately regretting the movement as my body groaned.
“And you killed the Warlock, you’re definitely a daughter of ours,” Lionel smirked.
“Certainly an impressive feat.”
My eyes flicked to the door as Mr Oxley entered with Dominic behind him.
“What happened to him?” I asked, vaguely remembering how the Collector had disintegrated.
“He was centuries old, at least, when you struck him with the kitsune blade and killed him, all his magic died. The magic that had made him immortal had worn off, and his body quickly aged to the point it should have been at,” Mr Oxley explained.
“And you’re a dragon,” I added.
“That too,” Mr Oxley’s golden eyes flashed behind his glasses.
“A dragon. I had a feeling that’s what you were. I’ve only met one once before when I was much younger,” Soren murmured.
“We are extremely rare these days,” Mr Oxley sighed. “Hunted long ago to the brink of extinction for our magic.”
“Yes, I’ve heard it can be used for many things,” Soren nodded. “Mostly dark magic.”
“Did you rescue the others?” I asked, my eyes moving to Izzy.
“All other supes who were locked up have been rescued. The Council is helping them get rehabilitated. Many of them were there for a long time. They’re scouring the mansion for anything else as well, they found his disgusting trophy room of preserved supes,” Izzy spat.
I couldn’t agree more. That room had been sickening.
“Even the male kitsunes have been recovered. When Declan died, his magic grip on many of them wore off. He’d turned a lot of supes obedient with magic,” Mr Oxley sighed.
“Yeah, I was meant to become one of them,” I growled. As if I’d ever bec
ome someone’s puppet.
“You could never become his puppet,” Damien said with fierceness.
“You have five tails now,” Samson said, his tone impressed.
“Huh, so that did happen, I was wondering if I imagined it,” I smirked.
“I’ve got five,” Samson said. “Dad has seven.”
“Wow, so you’re pretty kick ass, huh,” I looked to my father.
“Yeah, apparently. But you broke through the Collector’s magic. That is no easy task,” he said, obviously proud.
It made my chest squeeze at how thoroughly overjoyed he was. And proud of me. That was perfect.
“I informed Jackson that you’re okay. He said your… Thomas, is still adjusting. Seems to have had a bit of a mental breakdown.” Leon quickly caught himself from calling Thomas my adopted father. But at least I knew Jackson was okay.
“So, what did happen while I was gone? With Jackson?” I frowned.
“Well, how about I tell you that one, love,” Tristan chuckled.
“I will get started on dinner for everyone. I’m sure you’re all starving,” Dominic beamed, and everyone murmured in agreement.
I just moaned at the thought of food. Real food.
My eyes flicked between Nate and Izzy, who both looked like someone had just declared they’d won a million dollars.
“I think we should let our daughter get caught up on things with her mate before we all start crowding her,” Bernie said as he looked around at my brothers.
“You’re welcome to explore the institute,” Mr Oxley said warmly.
“I hear there’s a huge library,” Izzy beamed as she looked at Chris, who looked just as excited at the thought.
“More than one, I can show you on the way to the kitchen?” Dominic offered.
“Well, we would like to spend more time with our mate too, but we have so much catching up to do, so many stories to share,” Samson grinned at me.
“Spend time with Izzy, she needs it, I think,” I urged him. “There’s always time to catch-up. We can all talk after dinner.”
Samson nodded as he looked to Lachlan and Lionel, who just nodded as well.
“Oh, this is yours too,” Soren said as he pulled my kitsune blade out of his jacket. “It has been in our family for generations. But you’ve mastered it, and you’ve fought many opponents with it. It’s yours.”