Elesian Dragon Mates: Dragon Shifter Reverse Harem Complete Series

by Sammie Joyce

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “It could, Asher! You don’t understand how dangerous magic is without control. That’s why it’s so important for a witch to start learning to master it at eighteen, when her powers manifest. There have been dozens of deaths from accidents that happen when a witch can’t master her power quickly enough.”

  Jagger felt like the floor was dropping out from beneath his feet. He hadn’t imagined that there might be a reason for speed in telling Rose Mace’s secret, other than not wanting to lie to her. If his hesitation ended up hurting Hope, he’d never forgive himself.

  Jagger met Mace’s eye. Mace was feeling a similar horror and self-loathing, but much more strongly. He had been keeping the secret for longer, after all.

  “Rose… I didn’t know. I swear, if I’d known it might hurt Hope—”

  “Shut up,” Asher snarled at Mace. “Go do something useful—get Maria. She can advise us on the magical ramifications. Jagger, go with him.”

  Jagger knew that calling Maria didn’t require two people, but he could hardly blame Rose for not wanting to see him or Mace right now.

  They walked quickly, but Jagger wasn’t sure how much longer his shaky legs would hold him.

  “It’ll be me.”

  He glanced at Mace. “What?”

  “I’m going into hell. This is all my fault. I have to make up for it somehow. I’ll volunteer.”

  “It’s on me too. I waited before saying something.”

  “Only a week. I’ve done the most harm, by far. If one of us has to die, it should be me.”

  “Rose still loves you. She’s mad, but she’d never stop loving us.”

  “That’s why I need to do this. I want to be deserving of her love. Right now, I don’t feel like I am.”

  Jagger wanted to argue, but he couldn’t come up with anything, because he was feeling similar to Mace. One of them had to go. It might as well be him or Mace.

  “Just don’t mention that reasoning to Rose, or she’ll never let you do it.”

  Chapter Seven

  Rose was still furious with Jagger and Mace, still hurt, still panicked about Hope’s safety, but right now, she had a more immediate worry.

  They needed to select who was going to hell. Rose was all too aware that she may well be sending one of her dragons to his death. Asher would share the decision with her, but that wouldn’t stop her feeling responsible if something happened.

  “It’ll be fine.” Asher put an arm around her. “We’ll look at this strategically and suggest the best person for the job.”

  Rose nodded, trying to get into the right headspace. Asher was right. Jagger, Gavin, and Mace sat opposite them. It reminded Rose of convicts waiting to be judged. She pushed that thought aside. Hell was huge and mostly empty. The chances of the exploration party running into trouble were slim.

  “I know you’ve all volunteered to go.” Rose looked between the three of them. “Now you need to tell us why you think you will be the most suitable.”

  Gavin spoke up at once. “I’m the strongest apart from Asher. If we get into a fight, I’ll be best able to help the group get out.”

  “Fighting is risky.” Jagger looked uncharacteristically serious. “Getting into a fight almost guarantees that someone will be hurt. If we do run into anyone, I’ll be the best able to talk us out of it without having to fight.”

  “That’s great, but it would be best not to go anywhere near anyone else. I’m the most strategic. I can help the group move in such a way that we are unlikely to encounter anyone, or if we do, we can hide when we see them.”

  Mace had a good point. Rose had long ago stopped seeing him as the baby brother. His confidence had grown, and he was just as competent as Asher, Jagger, or Gavin.

  “How do you intend to do that?” Asher was looking intently at Mace, and Rose could tell he was also impressed by Mace’s argument. “Hell is just an empty, dark, cold place. There is no cover, and you can’t see far enough to avoid bumping into anyone, at least not before they see you by the same light.”

  “That’s what hell was like when we went into it, but we only explored a small portion: Hellith’s portion. We can’t guarantee that the tiny distance we traveled is representative of all of hell. Remember, we’re not aiming to come into the realm near Hellith this time, so it might be completely different. I’ll be able to help modify the group’s strategy based on what we find.”

  Rose and Asher exchanged a look. Neither Jagger nor Gavin seemed able to find any argument against Mace’s logic.

  He’s right. Rose wasn’t happy about it, but one of them had to go, and she needed to make sure it was the person who could best help the group survive.

  Agreed. Asher withdrew from their private mental communication and spoke aloud. “Alright, Mace, you’re in.”

  No one looked particularly happy, but Mace nodded. “I should go tell Maria and start preparing.”

  It only took a few hours. They had just been waiting for Rose and Asher to make their pick.

  Mace, Maria, Emily, and Dane were going. Maria would be in charge of the group.

  The coven had managed to recreate the potion to send them to hell, but modified it a little so that it hopefully wouldn’t spit them out too near Hellith’s cage.

  Rose pulled Mace close and kissed him, all her anger forgotten. “Be careful down there. I need you to come back.”

  He kissed her back for a moment, squeezing her tightly. “I will. Don’t worry, this is just a reconnaissance mission. In and out.”

  As he turned to his brothers, Rose went to speak to Dane, Maria, and Emily. She hugged all of them, wishing them luck. Annabelle was there too, and stood in a corner with Dane for a moment, exchanging words Rose couldn’t hear.

  Too soon, it was time. Dane, Maria, Mace, and Emily took their bottles of potion. The four of them exchanged a look and a nod.

  Then they downed the bottles.

  With a faint pop, they all vanished.

  The bottles fell to the floor.

  Rose stared at the spot where Mace had vanished. How long until she saw him again?

  She wasn’t given much time to worry about him. Wendy came dashing into the room. “Rose!”

  “What is it?” Wendy had been watching Hope.

  “It’s Hope! She’s screaming and everything is catching fire—”

  “Lead the way.” Rose didn’t make it two steps before Gavin caught her around the waist.

  “Go,” he said to Jagger and Asher, who rushed off after Wendy at once.

  “Gavin, what are you doing? Let me go! Hope needs me.”

  “She’s making fires, Rose. You’re not immune to fire, remember? Dragons are. Asher and Jagger will be able to get her calmed down in no time.”

  Rose struggled futilely for a couple more seconds before the sense of Gavin’s words sank in. “What if she hurts herself? She’s only half dragon. We don’t know if she’s fireproof.”

  “Asher would never let that happen. He’ll get to her before anyone is hurt. And Wendy would never have left her alone—either a witch or dragon will be with Hope until Asher and Jagger arrive.”

  Rose sank down into a chair, immersing herself in Asher and Jagger’s minds, watching through their eyes.

  They both ran into Wendy’s room, which had copious amounts of smoke coming from the door.

  “Get Hope’s bottle, warm it up, and meet me at the pool.”

  Jagger streaked off at once. Asher ran into the room. He came out holding Hope with one arm and supporting an unconscious Jade with one hand. Rose’s heart contracted in horror. If Jade was hurt because of Hope, Rose would feel responsible. Hope was her child, after all.

  “Stay here.” Gavin brushed a hand over her cheek before running out of the room. Rose flicked between his and Asher’s minds. Gavin found Elaine and brought her to the mansion entrance, arriving there just as Asher did. Other witches were already putting out the fires Hope left in her wake.

  Ela
ine sat down next to Jade and put her hands on her. The distinctive glow of healing magic was enough to convince Rose that Jade was safe for now.

  She was more worried about Hope.

  Asher got her to the pool. Jagger was already waiting there with the bottle. Asher’s shirt caught fire, and he quickly handed Hope off to Jagger. Asher jumped into the pool, then waded into the shallows, pulling off the scorched remains of his shirt.

  Jagger handed down Hope and the bottle.

  Smart. The water around Hope rippled, but didn’t catch fire. Thankfully, Hope didn’t seem to be setting fire to herself, just everything around her.

  At one point, Asher’s hair caught alight. He held Hope above the water while he dunked his head under.

  Jagger was singing to Hope and making funny faces, waving to get her attention.

  Rose watched with bated breath. After what seemed like a lifetime, Hope finally quieted. Asher gave her to Jagger to finish feeding, since Jagger wasn’t wet. He and Asher sat on the chairs next to the pool, clearly ready to leap in again at a moment’s notice.

  She’s fine now. You can bring her back.

  I just want to wait until she’s asleep. Don’t worry, I’ll have her back to you soon.

  Rose was sure that Hope was okay now, but she didn’t argue with Asher. It didn’t really hurt to be safe. She dipped into Gavin’s mind. He was helping the witches clean up by the mess made by the fires, which were thankfully all out by now.

  Rose didn’t want to just sit here. She got up and headed for Maria’s healing rooms, which Elaine had temporarily taken up in Maria’s absence.

  Jade was lying still in bed. She was breathing, but her eyes were closed.

  “Is she—”

  “She’ll be fine.” Elaine gave Rose a reassuring smile. “She’s just asleep, not unconscious. I gave her a potion to help her get some rest. She’s all healed, but she was a bit anxious.”

  “I’m sure. I’m so sorry, Elaine.”

  “You don’t need to apologize—it’s not your fault. And we all know Hope isn’t doing this deliberately. She’s too little to control herself.”

  Rose nodded miserably just as Asher and Jagger walked in. Rose reached for Hope at once, and Asher put her in her arms. Hope was sleeping peacefully.

  “We should put her in a containment room.” Elaine unconsciously backed a step away from Hope. “Something that’s fireproof and has shatterproof furniture.

  Rose didn’t much like the idea of Hope spending the first years of her life in a containment room, but she couldn’t deny that it was needed. She couldn’t object and risk more people’s lives.

  “We can start getting something set up right away.”

  Asher assigned Jagger to watch Hope while he and Rose set up their new rooms. The whole coven helped with enchantments. By the time evening came, they were all exhausted, but Hope was finally in a place where she couldn’t accidentally cause harm.

  Rose wished Maria was here. She would have a better idea than Rose about what to do. Hope was clearly getting more powerful as she got older. Rose had heard the stories about how if a witch went rogue, her powers could be bound. She didn’t want to think of doing that to Hope, but if it would protect everyone around her, there may be no choice.

  That night, Rose struggled to sleep. She was used to her comfortable basement rooms, not this hastily thrown together set of rooms on the third floor.

  When she finally did fall asleep, she was woken with a start sometime in the middle of the night.

  Rose shrieked in pain.

  The shoulder of her t-shirt was on fire. She flailed desperately, trying to put it out. It hurt. Every nerve ending was screaming for it to stop, sending Rose into a panic.

  A heavy weight was suddenly thrown on top of her. Rose screamed even more before she realized it was Asher, smothering the fire.

  The bright orange of the flames disappeared, but Rose’s shoulder didn’t seem to realize. She could hear Jagger trying to calm Hope down in the next room.

  “It’s okay, Rose.” Asher sounded calm, but Rose could feel the panic in his mind. “Just relax, I’m going to get you help.”

  He lifted her up in his arms. Rose gasped as her shoulder protested violently. Asher held her as gently as he could, running smoothly through the empty halls.

  “Elaine! We need your help.”

  Elaine flew out of her room in her nightdress, her hair mussed from sleep. Her eyes widened when she saw Rose. Rose wasn’t sure what her shoulder looked like, but it must have been bad.

  “Bring her inside.”

  Elaine turned on the light as Asher laid Rose on her bed.

  “It’s okay, Rose. This will all be over soon.” Elaine wasted no time in laying her hands on Rose. Rose felt the warm glow of healing magic. She tried to shy away—warmth wasn’t what she needed! This was just making it hurt more.

  Asher immediately grabbed both of her arms, holding her down. Before Rose could protest, she passed out.

  When she woke, she was in the healing ward. Asher was sitting by her bed. Judging by the light coming in through the window, it was nearly dawn.

  “Asher?” Rose coughed, and Asher immediately handed her a glass of water, which she gulped down eagerly. “How is Hope?”

  “She’s fine. Jagger and Gavin are still with her.”

  “I want to see her.”

  Asher hesitated. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I know it’s dangerous, but I still have to see my daughter.”

  “No, you don’t. Please, just listen. This is more dangerous than we’d originally thought. You could so easily have died… I think you should consider stepping back.”

  “What, exactly, would that entail?”

  “Go away for a while with one of us. Jagger, Gavin, or I can stay with Hope, and the other one goes with you. You can stay in a hotel, just until we get this sorted out.”

  “That may take months! I’m not leaving Hope for that long. I’m her mother.”

  “You can’t be a mother to her if you’re dead,” Asher said flatly. “Now, unless you have another plan, I think we should move you after breakfast.”

  Everything was happening too fast. “I’m fine, Asher. Elaine healed me. My arm is as good as new.”

  “Elaine can’t heal death! Please, Rose, I know you don’t want to go, but think about what’s best for Hope. She needs her mother. How do you think she’ll feel if she finds out when she’s older that she accidentally killed you?”

  Rose couldn’t imagine a worse nightmare for her daughter.

  Asher sensed her hesitation and pressed his advantage. “You can still see her. We’ll Skype, as often as you’d like. Just stay safe. Please.”

  It felt like it was breaking her heart to do, but Rose nodded. “There will have to be a time limit. I’m not staying away from her indefinitely.”

  “Absolutely. I wouldn’t want that. Shall we say two months? If no one here can come up with anything better before then, I guess we’ll have to find another way of keeping you safe when you’re around her.”

  “Before I go, I want to say goodbye.”

  Asher winced, but at a look from Rose, he didn’t argue. “Best do it while she’s asleep, just to be safe. Shall we go now? I can start packing your stuff.”

  Rose got up shakily, leaning on Asher’s arm.

  “You need to eat. We’ll stop by the kitchens before you leave. Who do you want to go with you?”

  “Gavin.” It wasn’t a difficult choice. Rose was still regaining her trust in Jagger after he lied to her about Hope, and Asher was needed here to help with managing the coven.

  Rose stepped onto their new rooms cautiously. Someone had gotten rid of the burned fabric and smoke. Hope was sleeping peacefully in Jagger’s arms. He handed her to Rose.

  “Be careful not to wake her.”

  Rose rocked Hope gently, smiling as she moved a little in her sleep. She was definitely the most adorable baby Rose had ever seen, though s
he was probably biased.

  After a few minutes, Jagger gently took Hope back.

  “Come, let’s get breakfast.” Gavin led Rose away by the hand. “Jagger and Asher can pack for you.”

  Rose glanced back at Hope as she followed Gavin, wondering when she’d see her daughter again.

  Chapter Eight

  “Where is he?” Rose pushed her way to the front of the crowd of witches and dragons. When Asher had told her that the group was back from hell, Rose and Gavin had rushed back to the coven.

  Maria, Dane, and Emily were all standing in the center of the group of onlookers.

  Mace? Rose still couldn’t hear his mind. Why would he be blocking himself from her?

  She hurried over to Maria. “Where’s Mace?”

  Maria grimaced, clearly not ready for the question. “Rose… he’s still in hell.”

  A hush fell over everyone present.

  “He’s WHAT! How could you leave him there?”

  “He insisted, Rose.” Maria looked exhausted, and Rose had to exert a lot of self-control not to grab her shoulders and try to shake answers out of her.

  “Why would he want to be left in hell?”

  “Our mission succeeded, at least partially. We were able to find the essential structural elements of hell. Kind of like the Earth’s core. We’ll need to blow them up to destroy hell, but they’re too well protected. Dismantling those protections has to be done from within hell.”

  “Then why aren’t you all in there doing it?” Asher did a good job of controlling the anger in his voice.

  “We want to get this done as soon as possible. The spells needed to blow up the foundations of hell are specific and complex. Emily and I can direct the coven in what to do now that we’re back. By the time we’re done, Mace should be finished taking away the safeguards. We can go in, grab Mace, then blow everything up on the way back.”

  “You shouldn’t have left him there!” Gavin tried to push through to Maria, but Asher stopped him with an arm against his chest.

  Dane spoke up. “It was Mace’s choice, and I have to say, I agree with him. I would have liked to have stayed with him, but two people are more noticeable than one. He has a better chance of staying safe alone.”