by Zoe Chant
Despite himself, Braeden had to laugh. “It's all right. I don't mind. I'm glad I'm inspiring. Anyway, it’s been dealt with. They drove away thinking it was a prank call and that they didn’t see anything out of the ordinary here.”
“I do feel bad for Sarah,” Alyx admitted. “As soon as this is over, I'll apologize in person and introduce her to Braeden. Hopefully she'll forgive me if she sees that I didn't just make it all up.”
“When will the griffin arrive?” Braeden asked.
Griffins couldn't fly quite as fast as an elemental dragon, but he supposed it would be worth it to have backup, just in case Steele tried anything.
“Ginny said he left right when she sent the email. So I assume he'll show up in an hour or two,” Timothy said.
“Just enough time to get changed and grab our things.” Alyx frowned. “I know what griffins are—but what's a chimera anyway?”
“His name is Gareth, and he's the master of the council of elements,” Braeden explained. “He's old and very powerful.”
“And scary,” Liana added, grimacing. “But don't be afraid. He's not that bad. Just very grumpy.”
“You're not going to see him. Most people never see more than his shadow,” Timothy said. “He's... Well. A monster.”
“A monster?” Alyx looked taken aback.
“Don't let them scare you either.” Braeden glared at Timothy. “He's broken. Some call him a monster. But where most of us go insane if we don't find a mate in time, he managed to cling to sanity somehow, despite his immense power. It isn't his soul that broke. It's just his body.”
“That's reassuring,” Alyx said, clearly feeling the exact opposite. “Thanks for the warning.”
“Hey, you've faced a fire dragon,” Liana said softly, giving her an encouraging smile. “So have I. Compared to them, a gruff-sounding shadow is nothing. And compared to my time in customer service, the chimera is downright pleasant.”
That, at last, made Alyx laugh. Braeden gave Liana a grateful look.
“All right, if I can deal with my boss's nonsense, I can deal with a shadowy chimera,” Alyx said in determination.
Beneath the table, Braeden found her hand and entwined their fingers.
There was still the strange, dark pressure inside his chest that told him that his fight against Steele's shadow wasn't over yet. But for now, with Alyx by his side and the glow of the mate bond warm in his heart, he knew they'd find a way to deal with it.
***
The griffin arrived with the telltale sound of huge wings beating the air.
He landed right there on the deck of Timothy and Liana's large house, where they'd gathered to wait for him.
Alyx had dressed for the journey in the new clothes they'd bought yesterday, her sleek, black hair elegantly braided to keep it out of her eyes. Even the formerly faded strand of turquoise looked more brilliant now, thanks to half an hour in Liana’s bathroom.
“Hi, Jared,” Liana said happily. “Good to see you again. Would you like something to drink? What about food?”
The griffin shifter broke into a smile. “Coffee would be wonderful, thanks! And good to see you too. They made me get up early to come and fetch you two.”
“Alyx, this is Jared, the griffin shifter. And this is Alyx, my mate,” Braeden said proudly.
Jared's eyes widened a little as he took them both in. Unlike Timothy, he wouldn't have been able to feel the surge of Braeden's power when he and Alyx had at last become mated—but now that he was here, he'd be able to see it in their eyes.
“Congratulations!” Jared said warmly—without a hint of jealousy, even though now all of his friends had found their mates. “That'll be quite something to tell the chimera. But then, I assume he already knows.”
“I'm looking forward to meeting that chimera of yours.” Alyx grinned. “Is he really all-knowing?”
Jared shook his head. “He knows a lot, but not everything. And he's spent the past week or so buried in ancient books. I assumed he'd finally found a solution to our little fire dragon problem, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe he just wants to meet Braeden's new mate.”
“Maybe it's both.” Braeden couldn't help but feel a sudden surge of hope.
If the chimera had found something that could help them—not just to defeat Steele, but also defeat the darkness in Braeden's mind...
“Do you live with the chimera? What's it like?” Alyx asked curiously.
“I work for the council of elements,” Jared explained, “but I don't live there. It's nice enough if you like mountains and caves, I guess—but I prefer real houses and real beds. And better company. Have you met the storm dragon yet?”
Alyx shook her head.
“I grew up with him,” the griffin shifter explained. “I was a foundling. No one knew where I came from. I've never met another griffin shifter.”
“I'm sorry,” Alyx said softly.
Jared gave her a gentle smile. “It's all right. I had a very happy childhood. The storm dragon's parents treated me like one of their own. And I still think of Mountain View as my childhood home. I travel a lot for the council, so I don't go home very often—but it's still home to me. It's a good town. Mountain air, blue sky, valleys full of wildflowers. You should visit one day.”
“It sounds lovely,” Alyx said with a deep sigh. “All the shifter towns sound so lovely. Why did I have the luck to end up in a fire dragon lair? Quite unfair, if you ask me.”
Jared chuckled, even as Braeden grimaced.
“I can promise you one thing,” he said. “Wherever we're going to end up, it won't be in a cave deep inside a mountain.”
Alyx grinned at him. “Aren't you going to miss all the excitement of streams of lava all around your home?”
“I think I'll be able to make do with a nice fire in our fireplace,” Braeden said dryly. “Maybe roast some steaks in dragon fire every now and then.”
“We'll need a big kitchen,” Alyx said. “Fireproofed walls. Granite floors and countertops. I get to choose the colors.”
Amused, Braeden laughed.
“Obviously.” After yesterday's shopping trip, he was more than happy to defer to Alyx's expertise in all areas connected to style and color. “But I'll get to build the fireplace.”
“Knock yourself out.” Alyx grinned at him, her eyes alight.
Braeden could already see her, elegant even in a paint-stained coverall as she bent over plans in a half-constructed house, bringing the vision in her mind to life around them.
He had no idea where their home would be, or when they'd be able to settle down. It couldn't happen while Steele was still a danger. It would be too dangerous with the shadow inside Braeden's mind.
But it would happen. He could see it all so clearly now.
They'd make it happen, no matter what.
Chapter Seventeen: Alyx
Alyx kept her arms wrapped around Braeden's neck as they rose high up into the sky.
She could see Wing Island below them, tiny now, a spot of green surrounded by white beaches. Beneath, the ocean spread towards the horizon—but Braeden swerved, taking them away from it. Soon, all Alyx could see below was the green of meadows and the gold of fields.
Every now and then, they passed larger cities, all connected by a web of roads. But no one ever looked up—and even if they did, the sky would appear empty.
Alyx smiled to herself, pressing her cheek against Braeden's neck, his scales smooth and warm against her skin.
It was a bit like a childhood dream come to life. She was invisible—and she had a dragon of her own to command.
Unlike in her childhood fantasies, unfortunately, she also had a mountain of adult problems to deal with.
Like her best friend thinking she'd been abducted and gone mad. Like having been gone from her coveted spot as her magazine's top columnist for so long that she probably wouldn't get it back.
And last but not least, there was the problem of a dragon war taking place, and she was right at the cent
er of it.
No one ever told me that having a dragon of your own would be so stressful.
In the back of her mind, she could feel his amusement coming through the mate bond.
She rested a hand against his neck, smiling as she looked up at the blue sky above her.
She wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.
By the time a mountain range rose up before them, it must have been past noon. The sun stood high in the sky, gleaming on the stark rock and the clouds that surrounded the jagged mountaintop.
Alyx took a deep breath as the clouds came closer and closer.
And then they flew straight into them.
For a moment all she could see was white. The sun was no longer glaring into her eyes. Instead, she couldn't even see her own hands clutching at Braeden's neck anymore. But she could still feel his powerful body beneath her, reassuringly warm.
Alyx smiled, holding on to him.
And then, a heartbeat later, they came out of the clouds.
The mountain was so close that she nearly cried out, half-convinced for a moment that they'd crash into the rock.
Instead, wisps of cloud still trailing from Braeden's wings, he swerved. And there, right in front of them, a ledge appeared, and an opening in the stone.
Gently, Braeden touched down on the ledge. Then, when she had clambered down from his back, her heart still racing, he shifted back.
“This is incredible,” she breathed, looking up at the large cave that opened in front of them.
A second later, they hastily moved out of the way as Jared made it out of the clouds, his large eagle's wings beating the air. Once he had landed and shifted, they all walked inside.
Alyx couldn't hold back a sound of awe.
The cave was huge—it felt like walking into an old cathedral. Every sound echoed. It was so large she couldn't even see the end of it, the rock hidden in shadows. She had to crane her head to be able to see the rocky ceiling above them.
As they kept walking, Braeden taking hold of her hand again in reassurance, she saw four large plinths appear from the darkness. Each of them was marked with a stylized symbol.
“The seat of the council of elements,” Braeden explained softly. “Earth, Air, Water, Fire.”
Each plinth was large enough that a dragon could comfortably perch on it. The symbols glowed with a gentle light, and Alyx found herself smiling as she recognized the plinth of fire.
“I had no idea,” she whispered, then shivered at the way her voice echoed in the vast cave. “This is so different from Wing Island.”
“I know you don't have good memories of caves.” Braeden's worry came pulsing through the mate bond. “We don't have to stay for long.”
Alyx shook her head and smiled at him. “No. This is different—but a good different. It feels strange, but peaceful. Like walking into a museum when it's about to close, all empty and echoing. The fire dragon lair was... Well, you’ve seen it. It felt like—”
“A prison,” Braeden completed, and she nodded.
“This doesn't feel like a prison. I'll be fine.” She pressed his hand in reassurance.
As they passed the four plinths, she began to feel a weird sensation. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. It felt like electricity sizzling through the air—or like the aura of power that had surrounded Braeden when he'd used his fire to burn their encounter from the memories of those cops.
“Welcome, Dragon of Fire,” a voice boomed suddenly from the shadows. “Welcome, human.”
Alyx drew in a deep, shocked breath.
They'd warned her about the chimera, but the experience was still unlike anything she'd ever known.
The voice had come out of the shadows that twisted and moved at the end of the cave, even though there was no wind in the cave, and the light didn't change.
For a heartbeat, she thought she saw the shadow of a serpent's tail, and then, for a moment, the more familiar sight of a dragon's wing.
“Come closer,” the voice boomed. “You have news for me, dragon of fire?”
Braeden squeezed her hand in encouragement. Together, they walked towards the end of the cave. Alyx didn't dare to turn around to see if Jared was following them.
“I have,” Braeden said proudly. “I have found my mate. This is Alyx.”
From the shadows came a thoughtful sound.
Alyx shivered. For some reason, it felt as if invisible tendrils of power were reaching out for her. She squared her shoulders, still moving forward by Braeden's side.
She might be human and not a shifter, but she wouldn't be intimidated so easily. She dealt with starlets and fashion gurus for a living, after all. Those were, in many ways, worse than being inspected by an invisible mythological monster.
“Interesting,” the chimera mused. “What about the task I gave you?”
Alyx could feel Braeden tense.
“I couldn't take out Steele,” he said. “Alyx was in danger. They held her captive. I had to bring her to safety first.”
The chimera roared. “It's important we deal with Steele. The danger is greater than you can imagine—”
“No.” Braeden’s voice carried through the cave. “I know just how dangerous he is. When I was escaping from their lair, he wounded me. It wasn't just fire. There was darkness in it.”
“Smoke and shadows,” the chimera growled. “Yes. The same thing the others sensed.”
“The darkness is still inside me. I can feel it in my chest. Sometimes, I can hear his voice.”
The shadows before them flickered rapidly. Alyx could make out the head of a lion—and then, the head of a goat, so that she blinked in surprise.
A heartbeat later, the shadows had moved again, swirling in the darkness before them.
“That is new,” the chimera hissed. “Come forward, dragon of fire. Alone. Let me look at you.”
Alyx swallowed, but nodded at Braeden to go ahead.
With her heart beating in her throat, she watched as Braeden approached the shadows, then stopped.
The strange feeling of power intensified. The shadows moved again—and then, at once, seemed to reach out for Braeden, who suddenly tensed and groaned, but held still as the chimera's power surrounded him.
Through the warm, reassuring glow of the mate bond, Alyx felt what Braeden felt. A vast, incredibly old power holding him pinned in place, searching him—and then recoiling so suddenly that Braeden groaned again and grasped his chest.
She could feel that, too. A shadow inside him, dark and cold. A place where even the light of the mate bond couldn't reach.
“You couldn't force it out, then?” Braeden asked the shadows, panting.
For the first time, there was something close to sorrow in the chimera's voice when he answered. “Even my strength isn't enough for that. To rip it out, you must defeat Steele.”
“Oh, good.” Braeden grimaced as he returned to Alyx's side. “That was the plan all along.”
“Tell me,” the chimera demanded, “was there more? This isn't the power a fire dragon should wield. This is something old and powerful and very, very dangerous. Anything you remember might help.”
“He felt off,” Braeden said, frowning. “But you knew that already. He was almost as much shadow as fire.”
“Were there others with him? Others who felt like him?”
Braeden shook his head. “The others were only his lackeys. They were weak.”
“The firebird,” Alyx added, suddenly remembering Zena, who'd helped her—and betrayed her. “Lady Zena, they called her.”
“A firebird?” the chimera boomed from the shadows, so loud that Alyx recoiled. “Impossible! There are none left. Or perhaps—”
“She seemed powerful.” Braeden wrapped his arm around Alyx to hold her close. “Old, in any case. I couldn't feel any of Steele's taint in her.”
“She seemed unhappy. Unhappy and lonely.” Alyx pressed her lips together. “I used to wonder if she was a prisoner like me—they call
ed her a guest, but I don't think she wanted to be there.”
“But she was still their ally. And when we tried to flee, she offered to hide us—only to lead Steele right to us,” Braeden said grimly.
“Lady Zena, the firebird,” the chimera mused. “What a strange event. I have to think...”
Again Alyx could see the shadow of a writhing serpent's tail, then in rapid succession there followed the horns of a goat and a lion’s mane.
A heartbeat later, the end of the cave was plunged into darkness, all shadows swallowed. The strange aura of power had disappeared as well.
The chimera was gone.
Alyx took a deep breath.
The encounter had been unsettling—but as they’d told her, the chimera hadn't been as scary as he'd sounded.
If anything, a grumpy voice booming from the shadows reminded her of her boss.
Of course, her boss had never held the fate of the entire world in his hand—although by the way he went on about quarterly sales figures, you'd have thought so.
“What now?” she asked as she turned towards Braeden.
“Let's catch up with Ginny,” Jared suggested, coming closer, now that the chimera was gone. “I'm sure she'd love to meet you. And I don't know about you, but I'm starving.”
***
An hour later, they were all gathered around a table in the kitchen. They'd surprised Ginny just as she was in the process of pulling a cake out of the oven.
Braeden had given it a suspicious look when Ginny had proudly declared that it was lavender-flavored chocolate cake, but a first bite had immediately won him over.
“There's not much to do up here but catch up with my shows,” Ginny said. “I got the chimera addicted to Game of Thrones now—meanwhile, I've fallen into a hole of binging on all sorts of cooking shows. The only problem is, there aren't enough people around to keep up with my experiments.”
“It's amazing,” Jared said, his voice muffled as he swallowed another bite of the cake. “Lavender, really?”
“Just a hint of it,” Ginny said proudly.
She'd started out talking so softly that Alyx was afraid that they'd scared her to death with their sudden appearance in the kitchen. But just a few minutes later Ginny had visibly thawed. She was obviously proud of her creation—as she should be.