by Jaymin Eve
This thought had my insides turning. I didn’t like that the mystics were so unknown. Quale spoke as if they were just fey who acted as council to the king. But what if the hidden powers they supposedly possessed were enough to take out my boys? I seriously doubted it, but that didn’t completely alleviate my concerns.
Not to mention I could sense other supernaturals inside the building. Quite a few actually. The mystic’s plan wasn’t completely terrible. They knew it was better to try and take the Compasses out before they got too strong. They did not want another set of Four to contend with. My boys were still young in the supernatural world, and had never joined powers before.
What the mystics failed to understand was that even without their powers joined, the Compasses were beyond anything they’d dealt with before. I never knew the Four when they were young of course, but in my head, they hadn’t been on the level of my quads. Sure, I was biased – probably the most biased supernatural you’d ever meet. Maybe their parents, Jo and Jack were as bad, but us three definitely formed the basis for the quads’ fan club. The other members consisted of the simpering fools in Stratford, females who thought they could tame a Compass.
Oh shit, I was one of them now, one of those females I’d always pitied. Gone all soft for a male. Love did a real number on you. I barely recognized the hardass I used to be. I was all soft and fluffy … my wolf was like a goddamn kitty cat.
Quale waved us forward. “Since our time is limited we’ll start with the twins, the quads will be last.”
We joined my parents and Mischa. All of us followed the grays through the double glass doors. The sanctuary was so weird. On one hand it was all natural, with its forest and ice-land and desert and ocean, and on the other they had all of this advanced tech stuff everywhere. Such a mix of old and new, natural and manufactured. Magic laced through all of it, though. Ancient power had created this place and something told me it would stand through any war.
Once inside the pale yellow, shiny, glassed building, we moved through what looked like a foyer of sorts and then … of course … into an elevator. I closed my eyes, though I felt I was dealing a little better with the caging. Thankfully, it was a short trip, and with a ding the metal doors slid across and I opened my eyes in time to exit with everyone.
The room was massive, a single expanse without any pillars to break the space. The black rubber floors had a spongy feel, and I envisaged that this was a training ground of sorts, perfect for fighting. Standing along the far wall, which was about a hundred yards across, were two dozen supernaturals. As we closed the gap between them and us, I could sense there was a mix of the five races. A few vampires, three shifters – no wolves – wizards, fey, and two demi-fey: a centaur and a pixie.
“Do you think the reason we never knew if demi-fey were marked was because they were either in prison or in the sanctuary?” I murmured to Braxton, thinking back to our conversation in Vanguard.
“Yes,” Quale, the eavesdropper, said, “their elders almost never hide them, they are handed over straight away. They also have the least amount of marked representatives. But they are represented across the full range of demi-fey.”
I couldn’t pull my eyes from the group against the wall. Thrills of excitement started to build like small sparks in my stomach. I wanted to see these powers, I wanted to know what the mark was capable of, I wanted to know if I was the only one who could shift to dragon. Surely, if there were any others the mystics would know. They clearly trained all new arrivals.
The mystics formed a line, their hoods dropped back to reveal their strange silver-gray hair, and for once all of their faces were clear to be seen. I liked that, so much was revealed in facial expressions. Gerard and Quale were center again.
One of the grays on the end waved us forward toward the supernaturals lined up against the wall. “Jessa and Mischa, join the group. Observe at first, then you should attempt to access the natural power of the mark.”
I might have rolled my eyes at Braxton and Louis, my exasperation rising to the surface. I hated school, and immediately this reminded me of class. Boring.
Mischa and I fell into the right side of the group, she next to a vampire and I on the end.
The rest of our pack and family moved across to wait off to the side, close enough to see but not get in the way. The mystics lined up in front of us, poised and very still. The hybrid feyness of their energy was still strange. I wasn’t a fan of their weirdness, but I’d put up with it for now. I didn’t anticipate that we’d be stuck in the sanctuary for much longer.
A mystic I wasn’t familiar with started to talk. He had expressive, very dark brown eyes and the most perfect skin I had ever seen. Rich and dark, like freshly ground Arabica beans. The contrast to his hair was pronounced, and yet, it also wasn’t. He pulled it off no problem.
The beautiful male moved along the line of the marked. “It’s important that all of you know we have been observing the dragon marked for a thousand years, and so far there are three traits that each possesses. Number one, longevity of life. You will age until maturity and then no more. We have marked here, some of the first ever born, who look no older than early twenties. You might know that the marked are almost impervious to death. There are some weapons in Faerie which can inflict enough injury to kill, but on Earth you need to fear very little.”
Interesting, so the jinn knew what it was doing by sending me to Faerie.
“The second skill the marked possess is the ability to sense other marked. Your energy calls to each other, and in some ways it is as if you are one big collective. You can tap into each other and form a single unit of power.”
Great! Just fucking awesome. The dragon king could not have designed his army any better, a big bunch of pack-like, immortal drones. He probably had mind control over us too. Although … it would explain why I’d been so drawn to the Vanguard prison, desperate to go back there to try to free those prisoners.
“We believe the king, when he rises, will be able to communicate with all of you at one time. Collectively.”
Braxton was grim faced, legs slightly apart and arms crossed over his chest. Listening and not happy. He wasn’t the only one. I was also feeling “not happy” right now with this entire bullshit endeavor.
“Lastly, you all possess the ability to call on the spirit of the dragon. Touch the power inside and a small facet of the king’s power will become yours. Senses heightened, strength heightened, speed heightened. Basically, you will mimic much of the ability a dragon possesses.”
I raised my hand but didn’t wait to be called on. “Have any marked ever like … shifted into a dragon?” It had to be asked, even though I was almost certain I was the special cupcake of the year.
The mystics observed me for a moment, almost as if they couldn’t believe anyone was questioning them during their “talking moment.” Get used to it.
Quale answered: “No, to our knowledge there have never been any to actually take the form of a dragon. As you probably know, there are no dragon shifters who are marked. They don’t need to be, they are already called to the king’s cause, and they have far greater skills and strength than the marked.”
I nodded a few times as if that was an awesome and legitimate answer. Meanwhile, on the inside I was having a mini freak-out. Definitely a special cupcake. Fuck a duck.
The mystic from before started talking again, shooting me a dirty glare. “As I was saying, these are the three traits present in all marked, no matter which of the races you fall under. We are here to cultivate these qualities so that when the king rises, you will not be taken by surprise.”
I raised my hand again, and with a sigh he quirked a single eyebrow at me. Which was quite a skill. “Why the hell are you helping the king? He’s evil and an asshole. One supernatural should not rule everything.”
I heard laughter, and a quick glance told me that I was amusing my parents, Louis, and Braxton.
The mystic walked toward me. So far he was the only one o
f them to break the line and move around. “What makes you think everything is so black and white? Good, evil, they are two sides of the same coin. How do you know the king was not trying to usurp a corrupt supernatural world? How do you know his intentions were not virtuous and honorable?”
Truth. He spoke in the certainty he believed, so it rang distinctly of truth.
He was about two feet from me, so I stalked myself closer, stopping when we were face to face. “It might be true that I don’t know the king’s intentions, but then neither do you. How do you know that by allowing the king to rise again, you’re not bringing about the destruction of the supernatural world?” I could feel the eyes of the other marked on me; they were listening closely. “We all know in the last thousand years nothing really terrible has happened within our prison communities. Sure, there were a few wars and battles, but mostly it has been peaceful. That is what we know. You, on the other hand, are simply guessing because you have never even met the king. All you have are your inherited memories and abilities as his council. You know nothing.”
Clapping broke the tension and drew all of our attentions. Louis was grinning lazily, applauding in slow motion. “You should listen to her, she speaks truth and reason. Something I think the mystics sorely lack.”
His laughing eyes flicked across to Quale, and I was pleased to see his brother simply flip him off. Uncharacteristic behavior for a member of this somber group, but it was a nice little insight into Quale’s developing relationship with the powerful sorcerer.
The mystic in front of me turned his back, dismissing my words in the only way he could, and moved back to join his lineup of grays.
He didn’t miss another beat, picking up the speech from where he’d been interrupted before. “We are here to strengthen your bond with each other and to learn how to call on the spirit of the dragon. Reach inside to the place of the mark. It should be easy to find, it is foreign to your other race energy. If you’re a vampire, it will exist near the home of your beast, but you will know it’s different. For the fey, your elemental powers are clear; you will find the marked energy nearby.”
It definitely did not feel that way for me. I had a wolf and a dragon chilling inside, creatures I could pretty much see with my mind’s eye. I could call on either of them if I wanted to – hopefully without the issues I had the last time I tried to connect to my fluffy beast – but there was no way I would shift into my dragon here. The mystics were already suspicious of me, I didn’t need any more supes to know about my unusual mark and abilities.
The reasonably well lit room started to sparkle, and I realized the supernaturals around me had called on their energy and were now surrounded by the same sort of ghost dragon I’d seen on Mischa. I wasn’t sure what to do. I searched around inside. My dragon flicked her tail at me; I could tell she wanted to know if I needed her. I gave her a mental pat with some of my energy and she was content to lie down again. But nope, there was no ghostly specter energy there for me to touch.
The delusional mystic who was doing all the talking was also apparently a smartass. “Having a problem?” His tone was all smug and mocking.
I shrugged. “Nope, maybe I’m not the same as the other marked. There doesn’t seem to be any spirit energy inside.”
My words all rang of truth, not that I knew if the mystics could sense that or not.
His pupils darted left and right, as if trying to ferret out my secrets.
“We were told that your mark was far larger than any other here. Surely, you must have a greater connection to spirit?”
I shrugged again. “Don’t know what to tell you.”
He met the eye of another mystic. Gerard, I realized. He would have been the one to tell him of the mark.
Ignoring everything else for a moment, I turned to Mischa. “So are you, like, connected to all of these supes?”
I wanted to understand what was happening between the marked. I could actually see the dragon specters intermingling. They did seem to be forming bonds in the smoky stuff.
Mischa nodded. “Yes, it’s as if I can feel their life force, or their energy. I know exactly where each one is. I could find them with my eyes closed.”
She was interrupted by Quale. “Now it is time to really tap into the powers. I want you all to tell us what is on the back wall.”
All heads lifted to stare out across the massive space. I had noticed when we walked in, that there had been words painted on the far wall, but I hadn’t paid attention to what it said. Now, even with my wolf eyes, I couldn’t see the image clear enough, it was too far away. I had a suspicion that in dragon form I’d have seen to that wall and beyond, but I wasn’t connected enough to my dragon to partially shift, so I wouldn’t even try.
It seemed the marked had no eyesight problems. Even Mischa was muttering away next to me before shrieking in joy as she finally managed to zoom her eyesight out far enough.
“This is incredible. I can’t even imagine what it feels like for you to be an actual–”
I cut her off with a loud cough. Even though she had been whispering, there were too many ears in this place.
“Still nothing, Jessa?” Quale was watching us, his eyes flicking between Mischa and me.
I shook my head. “No, I can’t seem to find the dragon marked energy. But I’ll keep trying.”
The rest of the afternoon was filled with the mystics teaching the marked how to tap into their dragon abilities. I’d never seen supernaturals jump higher, run faster, or react quicker. They were enhanced, and that worked for fighting also. Lucky for Mischa, this wasn’t a fight class. Judging on the demonstration between a vampire and a wizard – she would have gotten her ass handed to her. I’d been impressed, especially as the vampire gained the upper hand and threw the wizard about fifty yards across the room and into a wall. The wizard recovered quickly enough. It seemed their bodies were like super soldiers when they were calling on the dragon spirit.
This was the only part of the training I wanted to join in on, I was pretty sure I could tap into my wolf and have a shot at fighting. I wasn’t skilled or connected enough to use my dragon yet, but something told me once I had better control over my shift, I’d be able to use her extra senses in a similar way to the dragon spirit.
All of the Compasses were in the room now, having trickled in slowly over the last hour, bringing food and goodness. Since I had no dragon spirit, I was able to sit out of most activities, hanging with my boys enjoying all the scrumptiousness of my first love – food. Grace and Tyson were back to ignoring each other, peeling off to opposite sides of the group. I was going to guess that the pair definitely did not do enough arguing. Their shit still wasn’t resolved.
“What’s with you and Grace?” I asked the wizard during a quiet moment.
He growled, running a hand through his hair. “Frigged if I know, I can’t understand that woman to save my life.”
I snorted. “Keep calling her ‘woman’ and you probably won’t have a life.”
He shook his head. I could see the tension was wearing him down. “I most probably deserve the silent treatment, but I never thought I’d want to hear someone’s thoughts so much. Shit, even yelling would be better.”
I reached out and took his hand. He needed the comfort.
I remembered what that had been like, the uncertainty, fear, longing. Seemed he was the one now who wanted something more, and Grace was the one not ready.
Many boring hours later, the marked training was done and it was time for the mystics to focus on my quads. I was leaning against the wall, Braxton on one side with his arm wrapped tightly around me, and Jacob on the other. Just as the dragon marked supes started to exit the room, one of the mystics slithered past. He paused near my group. “Any luck finding your spirit?”
They were such asshats. I bared my teeth slightly, my eyes flat as they locked on him. “If I find it, you’ll be the first to know.”
He blinked at me once or twice before backing away slowly. It woul
d be nice to think he was scared of me, but most probably the quads had been doing something off to the side. They were kings of the scary face.
“They think you’re deliberately not following their instructions,” Braxton said, his voice close to my ear.
I nodded. “I know, but that’s better than them knowing the truth. They’re on the king’s team, and unless the stories about him were very exaggerated, I will never stand with the king. I don’t want him to ever know I’m a dual shifter. He will use me, and I will not be used.”
Braxton leaned in and nuzzled me, partly comforting and partly pantie-drenching. He was sporting the slightest stubble today, and as he rubbed against my cheek the sensation was deliciously hot.
Louis appeared at our side. Braxton’s dimples disappeared as he leveled a stare at the sorcerer. “You better have a really good reason to be interrupting us, magic man, or Jessa is going to be sticking you back together with tape.”
Truth.
Louis let out a huff of air. “No need to start breaking things you can’t afford, the mystics need you.” Braxton and I had been too distracted to notice that the room was now empty of the other marked.
The dragon shifter released me, muttering something under his breath. I could tell he was a little pissed, but I actually didn’t mind the interruption. I loved the delicious buildup, the teasing. As long as it didn’t go on for too long, then I’d be cranky … to put it mildly.
Braxton pressed a lingering kiss to my lips. “Don’t go anywhere,” he said, “I’ll be right back.”
He strode across the room to join his brothers, and I forced myself to see through the haze of sexual need, and focus. This was the joining of my boys’ powers. Nervous tension flooded me, washing away the fire which had been blazing through my veins. What was going to happen? Would their joining give them the same urges as the Four, the urge to hunt and imprison dragon marked?