Page 26 of Taming the Kraken

“Stop teasing me.” Alexa shoved Brian away as she held the necklace preciously against her skin.

“Does your daddy know you have strange men popping into your room throughout the night?” Brian teased as Levi appeared in front of them.

“Strange men?” Levi turned and arched his brow at Alexa for answers.

“Ken stopped by to check on our daughter last night. He was using some sort of masking crystals.” Reiya walked over and placed her hand around Lee’s waist. “Could Erebus have something like this as well?”

“I could feel a presence from Erebus. But this isn’t to say he can’t obtain something similar.” Lee groaned and rubbed his chin.

“Mikah was still able to detect Ken.” Reiya added, and Lee nodded his head.

“If Ken is closer to me, I can also detect him. But I’m going to need to think about this a little.” Lee knew of the rare crystals Ken had. The problem was that there were more of those. And if Erebus had obtained the moon crystals as well, this could be a problem. It could also explain how he was able to hide so well.

“Lee, Ken gave Lex a necklace. He told her to break it if there’s an emergency and he will come to her.” Reiya watched him turn to look at their daughter. “Can you do something similar?”

“Yes and no. I’m connected to you, Reiya. I gave you the gift of connection as your summon. I can come to you just by you calling my name. Ken can also give this gift to Alexa. That necklace is different, though. If I had to guess, that gem is one of his moon crystals. He spent years hoarding them just to keep his presence hidden from her. Leave it to Ken to take the thing he used to hide from her and turn it into the thing that calls him straight to her side. But he bound his summon gift to that gem. It gives it a one-time use if it’s shattered. It’s clever. It’s a way you can come to someone’s aid once but without being committed to them.” Lee looked over to see Reiya frowning. “Once he gifts his mate the gift of his summon, it will break the curse. This is something he can’t do now because of Erebus’ threat.”

The voices began to fade out for Alexa. Darkness encompassed her, and her vision went white. She was surrounded by snowy mountains with the bluest sky she had ever seen.

Something was bounding toward her. It soared through the air, then bounced through the snow. A blinding flash of sunlight reflected off it, making Alexa lose sight of it. The next second it was right there … in front of her.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Alexa began to sway as her consciousness left her body. Both Levi and Mikah moved for her, but Mikah was closer, having been standing right by her side.

“Alexa?!” Mikah scooped her up into his arms as her body went completely limp. He looked down at her, holding her protectively.

“Take her to her room so we can lay her down.” Reiya quickly pushed past everyone and opened her daughter’s bedroom door. The fairy royals often had premonitions but never lost complete consciousness. They would become simply unresponsive.

Mikah moved into the room and sat on the bed, keeping her in his arms. He didn’t like how fast her body temperature was dropping.

“Is it a premonition?” Lee turned to look at Reiya.

“I think it is, but this seems different.” Reiya grabbed her daughter’s hand. “She’s unconscious.”

“Should I get mom?” Brody asked as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

“Let’s just wait a moment and see what happens.” Reiya was trying to remain calm, but she was growing more anxious by the second. Especially with the chilling temperature of her daughter’s body. It was dropping rapidly, which didn’t make sense.

“Alexa. Hey, Lex. I’m right here,” Mikah said in a soothing tone. He cradled her head against his chest. She was completely still. Her eyes remained closed, her breathing slow, and her body was chilled. “I can’t warm her with my own heat. That’s strange. I’m her guardian …”

“Let me try.” Brian made his way over to the bed but waited for Mikah’s approval. He was like a feral animal, and it was best to wait for his permission before acting.

“Please.” Mikah nodded and Brian sat down, taking Alexa into his arms.

Brian immediately began raising his body temperature to combat the cold. Her skin was responding to his warmth but barely. Even the intense inferno radiating from him was barely regulating her. What was happening to her?

Alexa saw a figure up close for a split second, there and gone, too quick for her eyes to hold. She turned, searching the dreamscape, and the figure slowed just long enough for her to see it clearly. Her breath caught. It was shaped like a dragon, and it was like no dragon she had ever seen. Its scales were crystal, clear as cut glass, and each one caught its own small piece of light and threw it back in soft colors, though there was no sun here to explain it. And no dragon had a mane, but this one did, white as the first snowfall of winter, drifting around its face as if it never meant to settle. For one still moment, it watched her.

Then it shot into motion. It raced around her in a blur of white and crystal, faster and faster, wrapping Alexa inside a tornado of wind and light. The pull hit her a moment later. It felt like her insides were being drawn out of her, every part of her dragged toward a single point, as if the storm had found something buried deep and meant to have it.

She fell to her knees and clutched her shoulder, which began to throb in pain. She turned and saw a blackness covering her shoulder. It felt like it was incinerating her skin. The rushing wind around her stopped, and with it, the pain ceased. She looked up to see the white-maned dragon in front of her.

“I’m sorry. I’m not strong enough to help you in the dream world.” She looked at her with sadness in her eyes as the dream wind tossed her mane around.

Alexa furrowed her brows in confusion as she rose to her feet. “Help me? Where am I? Who are you? What were you trying to do?”

“You are in the dream world. I’m a dream jumper. I can hop into dreams, and sometimes I can help with curses that are put on someone. I’m sorry, but I can’t help with yours. At least not in the dream world. But come find me. Once I’m fully rested, I can help you.”