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The way her magic moved down the hall was something of a magic show. She remembered that a witch had come to town, used their magic to display interesting ways to make himself disappear, and even performed something of a light show. Her purple magic was in a narrow beam with the purple lightning arcs crackling all around it. It swirled inside a tunnel until it reached the king and his guards. She watched her magic swirl around them like a vortex in the arcs, jumping away from the beam and against their bodies. The hallway was filled with their screams as the vortex started to close in. There was a scent of ozone and magic in the air as her magic continued its path until it nearly suffocated the people inside it. Kaida imagined lightning as a storm dragon could conjure, and the next thing she knew, she heard the rumbling of thunder inside the hallway as a cloud over the vortex formed. Before she could understand what was happening, a thick lightning bolt struck down in the middle of the vortex. She heard it collide against a shield before the rumble of Gemar's magic burst through the vortex, breaking it up and showing that her magic singed his clothing. Blood trickled down from the king and the guards, but Gemar's look of fury told Kaida that it was, more or less, a flesh wound, and they needed to run.
Kaida jumped toward the window before throwing her hands toward the king, sending up a thick shield so they could not get through. Blaze had his hands on her ass to push her through the window before jumping through it himself. Blaze let loose his wings and jumped into the air to give him enough momentum to begin his flight out of the courtyard. Kaida looked toward the king, watching him, seething with rage, as her wings popped out of her back. Kaida wiggled her fingers at him before jumping into the air and following Blaze out of the courtyard. Once they cleared the building, they shifted into their dragon forms.
There was no looking back. They needed to get back to the island before tomorrow and let the army they faced before get into the mix. Kaida may have felt more powerful than she ever had now that the bonds with all her mates were completed. That did not mean she was ready to face an army with only herself and Blaze to defeat them.
After clearing the beaches at the kingdom's edge, Kaida thought about what had happened in that hallway while facing Gemar. If she remembered correctly, it meant she could wield the power of a Storm Dragon and not just her own. Not knowing anything about Plasmas and her ability to wield the magic of her mates, without information being available in a textbook, this was, yet again, uncharted territory. It was as if she would learn more about herself as time passed. It was scary to think there was a possibility she did not know everything about herself. What if her magic could control other dragons the way Gemar could? If Gemar could have it, did that mean Enzo could have that ability? If she could wield the magic of her mates, did that mean that she would be able to wield that ability if Enzo had it?
They needed to do a lot of digging to figure this out. It could mean a lot of positive things. First, she and her mates would be strong enough to fight against that army and return to the Kingdom of Dragaal, even if the islanders did not want to fight again. It could mean that, once she is on the throne, she will be able to protect her people differently than she could before.
But there was one thing for certain. She needed to go home to celebrate the wins of Blaze, completing the bond being rid of the Dark Dimension, and having this new power. They all needed to be together before the battle for the kingdom.
I need to be with my mates.
Blaze was greeted with handshakes, which led to hugs once he returned to his human form. His three brothers were waiting for them as if they knew the two of them were coming home. It took him a minute to understand the mate bonds and explain the rest of the things that were happening to the others they shared the link with. He could feel their proximity within the bond once he noticed it. Now, they were on safe grounds. He didn't know the range the mate bonds had, but he was thankful they now had a tool to assist them in battle, as it seemed like one was coming faster than he was ready for.
After they all hugged him, they moved on to Kaida. Blaze's eyes connected with Enzo's, and a moment passed through them that he didn't have with the others. It could be felt that it would take some work for Enzo to trust him. After everything that had happened in the last few weeks, Blaze could understand why. This would take some work to understand and get used to, but he was ready to do the work for once. He conveyed that to Enso and saw the storm prince give him a curt nod and pull Kaida closer into his chest. Blaze could feel how relieved everyone was that they both were home. He could understand why they felt that way about Kaida but had a hard time with them feeling the same way about him.
"I guess the mate bonds make everything happen quickly?" he asked the group.
While he waited for a response, Blaze could see they were trying to formulate a way to explain it. Blaze could feel them not wanting to hurt him in any way. Given that he spent his life saying he wanted nothing to do with these bonds because they made people stupid, he tried to give them more room to explain than usual.
"The emotions that come with a mate bond are just as instantaneous as the willingness of those wanting to protect and love that person. The fact that we have had completed bonds with Kaida for quite some time, you being newly added to the equation will mean you have more to adjust to than we do. We've already learned the ropes and know how to use them."
"I got that much. I didn't expect everybody to be so willing to let me in this quickly, though."
All four of them exchanged a look and shrugged. Beckett gave him a wicked grin. "It's not about us. It's about her. She is at the center of all of this. She was the one who was willing to complete the bond with you. We only need to work together to make us all happy. It's worked for us so far, and I will say this: it’s been the key to us being her harem."
Blaze glanced at Kaida; her cheeks reddened at the "harem" part. Knowing that these things could make her a little nervous, he found it cute and made him fall slightly more. "For someone who has been with multiple mates, I am surprised at how that word affects you."
Kaida sneered at him. "Shut up. It's a lot to get used to when you were told your whole life you would only get one mate and then are given five."
"Just know that what I said is true. We must be completely open to one another and allow the bonds to do what they are designed to do. We need to be aware of what others are feeling and keep the bonds open. If someone shuts down, we'll call them out about it. If someone hurts one of the others, there will be a meeting about it. It takes some getting used to, but if we're going to make this work, we need to communicate openly at all times. Got it?"
Blaze looked at Beckett, knowing that he was talking mostly to Blaze. With a toothy grin, he looked at Blaze and gave him a wink. "I thought she was the boss, but okay."
There was a lot of lighthearted teasing and playful smacks against his shoulders. He could feel a settling within the bonds as if this moment allowed for them all to be concreted to one another. While looking around the group, he could see how their muscles relaxed and their body postures were looser than before he made his joke. Blaze looked away with a smile on his face that he had not experienced since before his parents were killed. As hard as he fought this, it was exactly where he was supposed to be. Thoughts of wanting to run from the bond were gone, and now he just wanted to learn the ins and outs of the one he was a part of to gain the closeness the rest of them felt with one another.
If only I hadn’t fought this for so long.
Blaze clapped his hands together and shot them all a look that meant business. "Well, as much as I love all of us sitting around having this lovey-dovey moment, there are some things we need to discuss."
"Blaze is right. Something happened after our bond formed, and we learned some things during our escape. We need to sit down and discuss everything that happened to plan our next attack better."
"Well, let's get inside and let you guys clean up. Then, we will reconvene in the kitchen and get food for you guys. You tell us all about what happened while you were abducted because I know what you are going to bring up. The magic of our bonds is different now. I hope you guys have some insight into that."
Kaida looked slightly guilty, so Blaze nodded at Beckett. "Sounds like a plan."
Blaze felt like a whole new person after he got out of the shower. Peeling off the clothes that he had on while in that musty basement and getting into new ones was like a new outlook on life. Not only did he break free of Gemar's hold on him, but he was also able to feel complete by giving in to the battle he was fighting with the mate bond. For years, he thought it would change who he was as a person when he completed a bond with the mate The Great Dragon designed for him. While they were running out of the castle and trying to keep each other safe, Blaze finally understood what his parents had gone through. One of his options was to get out of the situation and leave Kaida to deal with what was left behind, and the other was to stay to ensure she was safe. It was the easiest decision he’d ever made. If he had left, then he would have left behind his future. Because he stayed, he now gets to live in that future. It was an avid bonus that the people he got to live with were also part of the mate bond he accepted.
While he showered, he could feel where everybody was inside the house. He knew that Beckett, Enzo, and Esen were in the kitchen, and Kaida was in the master bedroom bathroom. He could feel their happiness and feel that no harm was happening to them. There was a sense of security he didn't have when he was alone. He would go about his day and know nothing about where his friends were unless he was with them. Now that he could feel where they were, he relaxed more than he could before. He knew they were safe and could get to them if something would endanger them.
When Blaze stepped out of the bathroom, Kaida did the same. Her black hair with purple highlights was tied into a simple braid behind her head. She wore a pair of black jeans, black boots, and a dark purple cami with a black jacket over it. Between her hairstyle and outfit choice, she looked more like a warrior than a princess. He chuckled to himself, realizing the nickname he had given her wasn't exactly what she was. Not once did his mate look like a princess, except when she was dropped onto the beach wearing a dress that screamed royalty. Since that day, she had constantly shown him that she would do whatever it took to get the things she wanted. If he had seen that during the day he tried to kill her, that she stood back up and was willing to continue fighting, it wouldn't have taken so long for him to accept the bond. He made a mistake and now had the opportunity to spend every waking second making it up to her.
He didn't realize he was staring at her until Kaida cleared her throat. With a blink, he cleared his vision and smirked at her. Her eyebrows raised at him with a lopsided grin. "Are you ready, or will you just stare at me all day?"
"I'd rather do more than just stare," Blaze said, his chest rumbling for added effect.
"Cool it, Flame Boy. We got work to do." She tossed her words at him before walking to the stairs.
