Page 44 of Taming the Kraken

“Wait? Does that mean you’ll do both?” Alexa asked as she watched the girl shift into her dragon form.

The crystal dragon grew to form, tossing her white mane to the side. “There is no sky to fight here, so we fight on the ground. If you win, I will take away your curse and see about removing the curse from your … friend. If you lose, you will reject the mate bond and be paired with a mate of Shiva’s choosing.”

“I see you have a relationship with Shiva. I’m so tired of deities interfering with everyone else’s lives.” Alexa growled lowly as her light blue dragon pushed forward, spreading its wings and flapping them at Bella, sending a gust of wind toward her.

Alexa roared loudly as the crystal dragon stepped toward her. If this dragon wanted a fight, then she was going to get one. The two dragons locked eyes with an intensity that could crush a lesser being. Bella pushed off ‌the ground and rushed toward Alexa. There was a sound like earth-shattering thunder as the two dragons collided, sending one body slamming into the ground.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Bella snarled as she heaved herself back to her feet. Her tail whipped down like a falling tree, and the impact sent a wave of snow and ice roaring across the ground toward Alexa. She barely had time to block it before a streak of orange came whipping in from her blind side. She turned and met it with a surge of frost, suffocating the flame mid-air.

What the heck was all of this? Ice one second, fire the next. Alexa advanced on Bella, unafraid. Shards rained down on her, and she snorted, a single pulse of wind bursting them into harmless snow crystals that dusted her wings. Ice was her element, and she was almost unmatched when it came to manipulating it.

Then the air began to turn. Slowly at first, then faster, loose ice and powder sweeping up into a spinning column of white, and Alexa went still. She knew this wind. She had stood inside it once before, in a dream. The column closed around her, howling, streaks of orange flashing through it as fire threaded itself into the storm. The sound of it was half hiss, half scream. And somewhere beneath her ribs, something shivered loose, so faint she nearly missed it.

The storm was strong enough to make the world bow, and Alexa stood at its center, refusing to. Her gaze stayed steady, reading the energy as it built. Above her, the wind gathered into a funnel, lightning crackling through its throat, and then all of it came down on her at once. She narrowed her eyes. Her wings snapped wide, and a wall of ice rose to meet the attack, the collision loud enough to shake the ground under them both.

It didn’t matter what Bella threw at her. Frost, fire, lightning. Bella had power, but Alexa was something else entirely. Whatever a crystal dragon was, it wasn’t a demigod. She put her full weight behind the wall and drove the storm back the way it came, straight into the dragon who made it.

Bella hit the ground and skidded, ice spraying in her wake. Her white mane hung tattered, dulled with grit. She tried to rise, but her legs trembled and gave out.

“What an amazing difference.”

A loud, feminine voice cut through the surrounding air. Alexa halted in shock as she watched a blue mist leave Bella’s body and take a human form beside her. A woman with long dark blue hair and blue eyes leaned down, touching the crystal dragon gently. Her lips pulled downward as she looked at Bella with concerned eyes.

“Bella, I’m sorry to do that to you. I hope you’re okay.”

Bella shifted back into her human form. She had a timid smile on her face as she nodded up at the blue-haired beauty. Alexa took this moment and shifted back into her human form as well. To say she was confused would be an understatement.

“What just happened?” Alexa finally breathed out. “Who are you?” The woman with blue hair looked at Alexa and smiled.

“Hello, Alexa. I needed to catch you off guard. I wanted to test your strength. It wouldn’t be a fair contest if I tested you myself, so I needed some help from Bella. She is the perfect candidate, but she needed a little burst of killer instinct, so I took control of her body. With her permission, of course. I was curious what made you so … special. Selene certainly thinks the world of you.”

Alexa was gaping at this woman. No way. This couldn’t possibly be …

“I’m Shiva, surprise!” Shiva held her hand out and grinned.

Alexa inhaled deeply as she stared at Shiva. This was who she needed to see. This was the person who could help Brian! She was sure there were other things that should be going through her mind right now, but Brian took center stage, and that was what blurted out of her mouth.

“Can you help Brian?”

Shiva clicked her tongue. “The first words out of your mouth. Aren’t you curious about poor Bella here? Poor dear. That last attack was harsh.” She made a fake pouting face before she began laughing uncontrollably.

“I’m fine. Don’t let Shiva mess with your head. I heal quickly.” Bella smiled up at Alexa. “How are you feeling?”

“I … I feel fine. Actually, I feel refreshed, like a burden has been lifted off of my shoulders.”

“That would be the curse. You know, the whole windy spinny thing? It purified the curse.” A sly smile reached Shiva’s lips. “Now, what are you doing getting yourself involved with those man-boy deities?”

“Ken is my mate. And Erebus … is crazy. He wants me for himself and will kill my family if I don’t do what he says or if I’m with Ken.”

“That sounds like Erebus.” Shiva clicked her tongue again and shook her head. “This is why I found myself a nice little bubble to keep out the other deities. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work on Selene. And your sea beast will be able to creep his way in here eventually. However, Erebus can’t come in here, so you are more than welcome to stay here with me. Platinum white lunatic won’t be able to find you here.”

Alexa looked between Shiva and Bella. “How do you two⁠—”

“Know each other?” Shiva waved her hand dismissively. “I collect rare creatures. I love them. They intrigue me. A crystal dragon is about as rare as they come. They are like the avatar of dragons. They can do it all. Wind, fire, earth, lightning, water, purify, ice … I mean, they are incredible. So, I brought Bella here with me. This way I could keep her safe. I don’t need another Scorio mishap.” She gave Alexa a disgusted smile.

“Please, Shiva. Brian had nothing to do with what happened. And if you get to know him—” Alexa began but Shiva interrupted her. It seemed like Shiva loved to talk and to hear her own voice.