Shh… don’t show you can hear me. He’s distracted, and I changed back. I’ll explain why you can hear me later, it’s a goddess gift. I’m coming for you, are you hurt. Lift your pinky for yes.
She lifted her pinky.
Damn, okay. Are you able to fight? Pinky for yes.
No movement in her pinky.
Damn, okay. Are you able to move away? Pinky for yes.
No movement.
Damn. Can you… move at all? Pinky for yes.
No movement.
Damn, okay. Do you trust me? Pinky for yes.
She moved her pinky.
I’m coming for you, baby. Hang tight.
Elyse concentrated on breathing through the pain he was inflicting on her neck. Her body was a dead weight, she couldn’t feel anything, and he was lifting her by her hair.
Toby looked at the dragons staring at the largest of the beasts who was standing to the front. He assumed he was the leader and concentrated his energy on him. He mumbled to himself as he planted images in his head. The dragon shook his head as thoughts become confusing. Toby let him simmer as he turned to look at the bear who said he was the cop and did the same, focusing in on him as he planted images in the bear’s head.
In a split second all hell broke loose as the dragon and bear launched at each other. Vern, Tor, and Jo changed back to human form as did a number of the bear shifters.
“What’s happening?” Vern yelled at Jo.
“I’d hazard a guess it’s pretty boy putting pictures in their heads.” Jo watched as the bear’s claws embedded into the dragon’s shoulder and sliced down. Three huge gashes started to bleed from where the bear had slashed. The dragon howled as he swung his tail around, knocking the bear flying over fifty feet. As the bear landed with a thud, it was already shaking its head and running full pelt back to attack again.
“They are going to kill each other,” one of the now-human bear shifters yelled out to Jo. “What’s going on? Darlington said it was the guy? Not you guys.”
“It is. It’s him planting the images to make them fight.”
“I don’t understand,” said the bear shifter.
“And I don’t have time to explain. Just make your bear stand down.”
“Make your dragon stand down.”
Jo looked up as Volos let a blast of fire shoot from his mouth, only just missing the bear’s fur as it rolled to the left suddenly.
“Fuuuck! Volos is going to kill the furry guy.” He ran back to Vern. “Where did Tor and Ladon go?” Vern shrugged at the same time they all stopped to the sound of Elyse screaming. Toby had two handfuls of her hair and was dragging her unmoving body across the grass. She was clawing at his hands to make him let go, but he was holding tight. A movement to the right and Jo saw Ladon and Tor going after Elyse.
He turned back to focus on the two large beasts trying to kill each other.
Ash saw the two dragon men go after the screaming female she had been watching, knowing this is where she could be valuable, so she followed them.
“What are you doing?”
Elyse froze, her eyes looking around for where this voice had come from. She was standing over by the boulder she had originally been standing next to. Everything was silent as she tilted her head. Everyone was frozen in place. No one was moving. The entire world looked like someone had pressed a pause button.
“I stopped this nonsense,” the voice spoke again, this time from right behind her, making her jump and spin. She was face to face with a young man. He had a kind smile and soft blue eyes. His golden blond hair fell in curls to touch just the tip of his ears. The man was wearing a white cloth draped over his shoulder and around his waist.
“Who... who… who are you?” she stammered.
The smile he showed warmed her instantly from the inside out. It was like filling her heart with melted gold, the feeling was one of pure and utter bliss.
“My name is Sabrael. I’m an Erelim angel.” He looked at her with true and love-filled energy. “And so are you.”
“Wait… What?” She looked around against the frozen scene surrounding her before returning her eyes to Sabrael. “I’m a what now?”
“You are an Erelim angel like me. We are divine creatures of the heavens above sent here to deliver justice, engage in peacemaking, and for the building of tolerance and understanding among the humans.”
“I’m a hunter.”
“No, you’re not. We placed you here to achieve a great and noble cause.”
“My markings?”
“Well, in order to blend, one must look the part.” He laughed lightly, and Elyse’s heart fluttered along with his sound. Her energy knew him. She didn’t know how, only that it was like long, lost twins having met, and they just know they came from the same place.
“My mother?”
“Yes, well, that was an unfortunate choice, but she served her purpose to bring you to this very point.”
She looked around. A bear was hanging off the neck of a dragon, blood pouring out of both creatures. Naked men were standing around them frozen in various states of panic as they tried to pry the beasts off each other. Looking to the right there was Toby and Jenna, and at his feet was herself, mid-scream as her hair was being ripped from her body. Further behind her, she could see Ladon and Tor plus a female bear shifter coming around on the run.
Finally, she came back to Sabrael.
“I don’t understand. How can this be all on purpose?”
“Your mother started a war many years ago when she convinced her sister to give up a child destined to be the greatest hunter of the modern day.”
“Toby?”
“Correct. His destiny was supposed to be of great fortune and fame. He would surpass your mother’s abilities, and this didn’t sit well with her. She hid his mark from her sister and convinced her to dispose of him. Her sister had told your mother that she had taken him to the cliffs and thrown him to his death. However, she had taken him one town over and placed him in the only place where she knew he had a chance to grow in an orphanage her sister didn’t know about. She was terrified your mother would find out she had lied, so they stopped talking, and she even left the Hunter’s Society. Your mother was so consumed in her own greatness she didn’t even notice. Even upon her sister’s death, she didn’t return from a hunt for the funeral. When death came for her via a vengeful child who was robbed of his right to rule, she knew then that her sister had lied.”
“She isn’t my mother?”
“She is biologically. You look alike, and as such, like any normal family would. However, your soul was carefully placed there on purpose. Didn’t you ever feel completely unrelated? Did you ever wonder how you could think so differently? Wonder why the drive to kill wasn’t in you?”
“Yes.”
“Spiritually you are an Erelim angel, not a human.”
“This feels so right.”
Sabrael smiled. “The truth always feels right. Our souls recognize when it’s right.”
“I’m in trouble, though,” she said, looking over at her body, frozen in pain, unable to move.
“Are you?” He gazed at her and smiled. “Look over there.” He pointed to the granite boulder. It was void of blood. No trace that she’d ever been there bar some scuff marks on the dirt at the base.
“Where is the blood? I was stabbed, that’s why I can’t move.”
“Were you?” He tilted his head with a soft curiosity. “Funny that there isn’t any trace of it. Are you sure?”
“No. He didn’t…” The lightbulb flickered on in her head. Toby had attacked hard. When Jenna had pushed her like she was stabbing her, it distracted her enough for Toby to intrude and place the image. “Damn, he’s good.”
“He was destined to be one of the greats. However, thanks to the selfishness of your mother, his path was forever twisted and created the monster you now see before you.”
“Poor Toby. What is his fate now?” Elyse asked, even though she knew the a
nswer.
“He can’t go on. He’s a danger to the world as he is. It’s unfortunate but unavoidable.”
She nodded. “And me?”
“Do what you were destined to do. Start with making all this better.” He waved his hand to include the battle that was frozen in front of them. “And then… join the three.”
“Join the three?” she repeated.
He smiled and nodded, lifting his hands, the sound of one single clap had her flashed back into her body and the scene jumping back to life around her.
“Back off, dragon,” Toby had seen Ladon coming around the side and warned him.
Elyse grabbed hold of Toby’s wrist. She tucked her feet under her and moved up fast enough to knock him over off his feet. As his body dropped to the ground, he released her hair, but she kept moving with him. Her knee finding his kidney as she placed her hand on his throat, giving his downfall an extra thrust.
“Get off me, bitch.” Toby bucked hard against her.
Elyse jacked her fist back to her shoulder and threw a punch with her entire weight behind it. She felt her knuckles shatter along with his jaw, but it was the most satisfying feeling in the world. She pulled back and did it again and again while tears poured down on her cheeks as she let out every ounce of pain and frustration she had felt for the last few hours under his torture.
“Doug,” Ladon said as her broken and bleeding fist pulled back for the fifth time. “That’s enough. Let us take him from here.”
She didn’t take her eyes off him. “He’s killed people. He wanted to kill me. He wanted to…” Her tears turned into sobbing as Ladon’s hands found her shoulders, pulled her off him, and into his warm, loving embrace. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and just held her while her body convulsed with sobs of fear.
“You want me to…” Tor looked to Ladon then down to the barely breathing hunter.
“End him,” Ladon spoke firmly.
Tor nodded and picked up Toby and took him to the others. As soon as Toby had been knocked out by Elyse, his images were canceled on Volos and Darlington, who were now standing in human form, covered in blood, both their own and each other’s wondering why the hell they were fighting?
“Let go of me, you bitch,” Jenna screamed to the woman with the long silver hair who presently had her in a bear hug.
Ladon looked over. “You are?”
“Ash, I’m with the bears.” She nodded. “You want this one?”
“Take it over to Jo, he’s the brother with the ink. He will know what to do with her,” Ladon replied.
Ash nodded and picked up the woman and threw her over her shoulder and walked off.
Ladon looked down at the woman hidden in his arms, then he placed a soft kiss to the top of her head. Knowing it would be tender from the torture, he was extra gentle. Pulling back slightly, he wanted to check she was unhurt otherwise. “You hurt?”
“I was, well… I thought I was. He made me think I was.” Her head shook. “I’m sorry I came without you.”
“V is going to have something to say about that. Baby, you can’t lie to me like that. I am your… I mean… I want to be… you are my…” Ladon didn’t know how to finish the sentence without breaking his promise to her to keep the friendship front and center.
“I am your friend?”
“Until you ask differently,” he repeated his words of promise to her.
Elyse looked up, her hands reaching up to his cheeks. She cupped his face and gently pulled him down to hers. Stopping a breath away from his lips, she said, “I am asking to be your mate if you will still have me.”
Ladon grinned and tightened the grip around her waist. Lifting her into his arms, she pressed her lips to his as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Pulling back slightly to look into his eyes, “I love you.”
Ladon’s heart exploded as he spun her in the air before his lips found hers again. Kissing her deeper, his tongue finding hers as he tasted the love of his life. Pulling back, he grinned brightly. “I love you, Elyse.”
“You’re naked,” she whispered.
“Most of us are… bad part about shifting in public.” Ladon put her down and threaded her fingers with his as they walked over to the group of naked men and one woman.
Jo walked over to them. “Did you see the woman with the silver hair?”
“I sent her over to you with Jenna,” Ladon replied. “And cover your shame. This is my mate your standing in front of.” He grinned at Elyse then back to Jo.
“Glad you two are finally getting your shit sorted, but there’s nothing about this magnificent body I’m ashamed of.”
“Nor should you be, it’s like a work of art,” Ash said as she happened to be walking behind Jo as he said that to Ladon. She winked at him and kept on walking. The gentle sway of her round, naked ass as she left had Jo lost for words. All he could do was look back at Ladon, his hands out as if questioning, but no words could be formed to accompany the gesture.
“Looks like you have a bear crush.” Elyse grinned.
“I don’t know what came over me,” Darlington was saying to Volos as he shook his hand. “I can’t explain it.”
“I can,” V said. “But can we leave it for another day. We both have a few stitches to get, and I would like to get Elyse to the hospital to get checked over.” He looked to the bear clan’s leader. “Thank you for coming.”
“We came for the hunter, but no one mentioned dragons.” He flicked a look that promised a heated discussion for Darlington to look forward to at another time. “This wasn’t our fight.” He turned to his warriors. “Home, this has nothing to do with us.”
They all turned and started to walk away, except for Darlington and Ash.
“I’m sorry. He’s old-school and doesn’t understand. I’ll talk him around,” Darlington said.
“It’s fine, I get it. My father would be the exact same.” V laughed.
“I want to know more about what happened here. Can I call you?”
“Anytime,” V said. “You have friends in the dragons now.” They shook hands once more before turning to go. Ash let her eyes linger on Jo a few extra seconds. She didn’t hide her nakedness being proud of her curves as he was of his, her long silver hair cascading over her nipples stopping at the tip of her hip bones.
“Ash,” growled Darlington.
She grinned at Jo, turned, and ran after her bear brother.
“Stop it, Jo,” V commanded. “I don’t have the strength for your shenanigans right now.” He looked at Ladon and Elyse. “Let’s get you checked out and me stitched up.”
“What about this one?” Tor asked. He had Jenna sitting at his feet.
“Back to the cave. We will deliver her to the hunters for their own justice system,” V said. “I don’t want her. She is a traitor to her people, let them deal with her.”
Ladon wrapped his arm around Elyse and took her to the cliff’s edge. He looked to the water below then back to Elyse.
“No, I don’t have one of those bubble thingies,” she said with a hint of panic.
“Do you trust me?” Ladon asked.
“Yes,” she said with a moment’s hesitation. “With my life.”
“Hold on tight, okay?” He let go of her, stepping back half a dozen steps as his body started to ripple to life. Before her eyes, he turned into the most magnificent, fully-formed dragon she had ever seen. She looked around as all the brothers had changed as well. She felt so small in comparison to the five massive, magnificent beasts that surrounded her.
Ladon’s beast lowered his neck and extended his front leg for her to climb up. She did, marveling at how smooth his scales felt to her palms. She smoothed her hands over his neck causing a growl of pleasure to bubble up in his chest. She giggled at his response. Leaning forward, she hugged the beast’s neck and placed a kiss to his satin-smooth scales. Another rumble bubbled up as he beat his wings twice. A signal that he was ready to go and to hold on.
She tightened her thig
hs where his neck met his shoulders and used her hands for balance as her dragon lifted from the ground and flew them home together.
Three months later…
“You should have seen them, Kylee.” Elyse laughed as she poured a beer at her bar. Bill had given her the deed to the building, so she was officially a business owner. She had changed the name to ‘The Dragons Cave’ and painted it all the colors of the ocean inside. Her cocktail was a hit, and the business was booming.
“I wish I’d been there. I mean, not because you were getting beaten up by a psycho, but all that naked dragon and bare flesh,” Kylee growled and smacked the bar three times. “I always miss out on all the good stuff.”
“Yeah, if it weren’t for all the blood and pain, it was totally hot.” Elyse laughed. She had cut her hair short and spiked it up in a mohawk. She hated having her hair used against her and swore never to have long hair again.
“Jo is moping around. The silver bear hasn’t contacted him,” Elyse said.
“Jo is being a big baby. He’s terrified he is next.”
“What if he is?”
“Then I pity the poor woman who has to try and tame that beast.” Kylee giggled.
“And you?” Elyse asked.
“Me?” Kylee fluttered her eyelashes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Ya-huh… couldn’t be a certain tall, dark, and hairy?”
Kylee’s grin gave it all away. “He is pretty dang cute, right?”
“Oh yeah, totally the second hottest guy I know.”
“I better be the first,” Ladon spoke as he walked into the bar followed by his brothers.
“You know it, baby.” Elyse winked.
“I won’t share my angel with anyone.”
“Never going to happen. Beer, boys?”
The rounds of ‘yes,’ ‘thank you,’ and ‘your awesome, Elyse’ all came at her as they wandered over to their self-appointed dragon table and settled in. Their favorite band was playing tonight. Elyse looked up as the ladies came in a few minutes later. They had been outside buying some flowers from the new flower vendor lady. They sauntered in and gave them to their guys as they took seats on their laps and snuggled in. Elyse couldn’t believe how lucky she had been to fall into this family. She had finally found where she was accepted and felt like she truly belonged.
Submerge (Apalala Clan Book 3) Page 23