The Only Essence (The White Dragon Book 1)

by Mia Hawkins

  The council was first created to keep peace between the different races. We each live in different sections of the world. That way, we can try to keep the peace between each other. It isn’t against any rules to mingle with other sups, but it just doesn’t happen that often. People have gotten used to being with only their kind. The wolf shifters live primarily in Canada, while the mages typically live in Europe. The fae call Alaska home—I like to think that is why they are always so pale. My clan comes from Russia, but I haven’t been there in years. Unfortunately, being a warrior means I am often gone most of the time, doing the council’s bidding. Even when I am able to go home, I don’t like to. It’s not like I have a family to see anymore since they’re all gone. The council is actually headquartered in Mississippi, so this state is supposed to be a neutral ground. Most of the leaders come together and meet with the council here.

  As I make my way to the council meeting, I notice there is a crowd of people outside the door. Among those in the crowd is none other than Xavier Gleason, the Fae King’s personal guard. His king, Frank, and Silas have been requested to attend some of the same events. Other than a few formal occasions, I have not had to deal with Xavier since we were little. Our relationship when we were kids was very unique. His parents and mine were best friends, which was unheard of. The fae are the only ones who actually keep everyone out of their territory. They are really private people, but there are a lot of times I think they go way overboard with how secluded they keep themselves.

  Xavier’s parents were next in line to be king and queen of the fae, while mine were going to be the next clan leaders. They were even friends with the Alpha of the wolf pack. They all wanted to come together and create peace between the different supernaturals. You can see where that got them. Only the wolves were smart. They left and cut almost all ties with the council. Looking at Xavier now, he is nothing like the kid I used to know. I can see it in the way he holds himself. He is all warrior now; the sweet little fae that would run around asking for hugs is gone. I quickly shake the thought and square my shoulders, making my way to stand behind Silas.

  “Chaice, I was just telling Frank here how our rogue problem has gone down significantly. I think we should have it all cleaned up and contained within a couple days,” Silas says as he notices my presence. A couple days? From what I have seen, things have been getting worse, not better. We have always had a problem with rogues, but it has never been this bad before.

  “I am personally taking care of as many as I can, and I know my fellow guards have done the same, your Majesty,” I say, addressing the Fae King. I hate being around them both. When they are together, it always seems to be a battle of who’s better. Frank looks at me appraisingly and nods his head.

  “Well, you need to make sure this mess gets cleaned up; we cannot have this spreading. Too many people have already been affected, and if word gets out that it has also affected us, who knows what will happen?” The King acts like it is impossible for anything to happen to a fae, as if they are completely untouchable. Little does he know that I know differently. It also confuses me how they act like insanity is something you can catch. If that is really what it is, they should know mental illness is not contagious. Unless they know something they are not telling me…

  The sound of footsteps halts my train of thought, and I look over to see a man in a robe, walking up to us. He stops a couple feet away, giving everyone enough time to notice he is there. Then he turns away and starts to walk, and everyone starts to follow him down the hall. When we finally enter the meeting chamber, I stop for a moment to take in the massive room. As I look around, I notice there are four thrones in the very back and a long walkway leading up to them. In front of the council seats, the Alpha of the wolf shifters and his twin sons are already bowed down awaiting the council’s entrance. Silas and Frank walk up in front of the stone thrones with Xavier and me following closely behind. We all go down to one knee to show our respect.

  Seeing the shifter pack Alpha, Dominic, here is very concerning. The last time he was even in the same room as a dragon was way before I ever became a warrior. I think the last time I saw any of them here was the week after my parents died. They usually stick to pack land and don’t associate with other sups.

  “You may stand,” someone speaks aloud. As I look up, I see the four hooded figures of the council members.

  “Thank you all for joining us. As some of you may know, there have been uprisings happening in all of the territories and realms. Every race has been affected, and this is quickly becoming an epidemic. We, the council, have been made aware of a prophecy. Through the knowledge gained from that prophecy, we have a solution. However, there is only one person who can help us, and they are hidden. That is why we have called you here, our best trackers and warriors, to find them. They need to be brought to us as quickly as possible and must be alive,” the council member on the far left says.

  “We understand that you have a hard job ahead of you, but we have full faith that you will be successful,” the middle council member says as I can feel his eyes scanning me and the others. Well, on the positive side, at least I am not in trouble. Unfortunately, it looks like I am not getting that sleep I so desperately needed.

  We wait for the council to leave before we are dismissed and make our way down to the operations room. This is where we get all of the information we will need for our mission. The council has to be so melodramatic. They could have just skipped us even going in to see them. I will find out way more in here than the council would ever be able to tell me. We all stand around an oval table with papers laid out on it. Looking over the papers, I see it has lists of sups in each area of the globe. “Ok, let’s take a look at what we have.” I grab the stack closest to me.

  “Doesn’t look like they know hardly anything,” Alex comments.

  “Nah, they wouldn’t have us all here if it was going to be easy.” I chuckle. “How have you been? Still driving the girls crazy?” I ask as I flip through my stack of papers.

  “Ha ha ha, it’s not my fault the ladies can’t resist me. I could try to wear a chick repellent, but that still probably wouldn’t work. Anyway, I’ve been good, I guess you could say I’ve been living the dream,” he says with a smile. I can’t help but laugh at Alex. He has always been the comedian of the group. He’s never had a problem making people laugh. His twin brother, Matthew, on the other hand, is really quiet. I glance at him, and he is engrossed in the papers laid out in front of him. Since we were little, he has had a passion for books, charts, and anything he can store in that super smart brain of his. I always thought he would grow up to be a librarian or work in the archives somewhere. I wonder if he even listens to his brother half the time.

  “So much confidence, don’t let it get to your head. How is your dad? I will admit I was surprised to see you guys here,” I tell Alex, who’s lounging on a chair with his feet up on the table.

  “Dad’s doing good. Still as crazy as when we were little. He was not too happy when we got summoned. He almost didn’t come, but he said he needed to know what it was about. How about you? Have you found a mate yet?” I hate when people ask me about whether I have a mate or not. If it were anyone else, I would curse them out, but I know that Alex doesn’t mean any harm.

  “I’ve been doing good. I’ve been staying busy most of the time. As far as a mate, you know that I don’t want a mate. Women cause too much drama, and in my line of work, I don’t need someone to hold me down.” I could tell them how I want a mate so badly that I throw myself into my work just so I don’t have to come home to a lonely house. How I would give up everything I have worked so hard for in life just to be able to have that deep of a relationship. But it’s just easier if they think I don’t want one.

  Don’t get me wrong, I could go out and find a mate somewhere, but I believe I will find my fated mate someday, the one I am destined to be with for the rest of my life. She is out there somewhere waiting for me. I know that the likelihood of fin
ding her is very rare, but I like to think positive. I don’t plan on settling for someone. I want the woman that was made for me, and if I never find her, so be it. I guess I will die a lonely dragon. “What about you, Xavier? I haven’t seen you in years. What’s new with you?” Alex turns his full attention on Xavier, who doesn’t even look up from his papers.

  “I’ve been fine. If you don’t mind, why don’t you focus more on finding this person than you are on catching up. We don’t have time to waste. Matthew, have you found anything?” I can’t believe how distant Xavier has become; we used to be best friends. Now he treats us no better than the people he works with. Whatever. I guess if he wants to spend the time we have together being a douche, then that is his loss.

  Matthew doesn’t even notice that Xavier has spoken to him. He just keeps shuffling through his pile on the table. Each piece of paper has a list of people’s names and the power they have used. Don’t ask me how they get these lists printed out, but they do. I know the council has shown a huge interest in tracking powers. They want to know who used it, where they were, and how much they expelled. Our job is to sort through and find the ones with no names. That means they are not registered with the council, so more than likely, that will be the person we are looking for. Everyone must be registered with the council at birth, so I’m not sure how this person’s parents would have gotten out of it.

  I keep flipping until I finally see an unnamed line. It looks like low level magic, so they probably are not too big of a threat. I quickly type the coordinates into my phone. “Well, it looks like we are going to Michigan, guys.” I hand the paper to Matthew across the table. “Do you still have your parents’ house, Xavier?” I look over to him as he stands up.

  “Yeah, we will depart in an hour.” He turns and starts walking towards the door. He stops short of opening it and turns his head to look at us. “Your rooms are still the same. I wouldn’t let the housekeepers in there after everything happened.” I watch Xavier leave the room, and I am almost in shock. Maybe there is still hope for him yet. If he didn’t let them take our rooms apart, maybe there is still a decent part of him, a part of the person I was friends with. We all make our way out into the hallway, and I split off to head to my room to pack. I never wanted to believe what I heard about Frank, but the more I look at Xavier, I fear that it is all true.

  Frank is the king of the fae and has always been very strict, but when Xavier’s parents were around, he was contained. They kept him in line, and I don’t think we truly saw how dark he could be. Once Xavier’s mom and dad passed away, however, I heard Frank became power hungry. He was granted guardianship over Xavier, and the stories I heard in the years to come still give me nightmares. Xavier used to be one of the sweetest kids you would ever meet. You can’t turn a sweet kid like that into a warrior easily. I bet the damage Frank did to him runs deep, and I hope one day he will have someone to share his pain with. I hope Xavier finds someone that he can talk to about everything he has been through. I doubt he would ever talk to me or the twins about it.

  After making it to my room, I grab my bag from the closet. Thankfully, it’s still all packed up since I had only just returned this morning. I think once I am done with this mission, I am going to take a break. Maybe I can go home for a week or so and try to catch up on some sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Rayven

  I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my night. I am on my way to work, the weather is beautiful, and the moon is so bright you can see everything. I left a little early so I can go the long way and squeeze in a little run. With my earbuds in, I am feeling amazing. The only thing I hate is that, when I run in public, I need to keep my pace slow. I am constantly stopping myself from going too fast. The last thing I need is someone asking me questions that I can’t answer.

  As I go around a corner about four blocks from my work, I smack face first into something that is as hard as steel. I look up and notice that I just ran into someone, but as I back away and begin to apologize, words catch in my throat. This man is breathtakingly beautiful, and he is staring right at me. He has golden blond hair that is longer on top and shorter on the sides. His eyes are the greenest eyes I have ever seen, like I’m looking at a field of clovers. The white shirt he is wearing hugs all of his toned muscles perfectly, making me want to lean in and run my hands up his firm arms. I can almost see the outline of his chest, and I am not complaining one bit. I can’t believe how tall he is either; he has to be at least six and half feet. I’m not short by any means. I am a solid five feet six inches on a good day, so having to look up to him, I must admit, is a turn on.

  I have never been one to be star struck by a guy, but he is definitely swoon worthy. “How about you watch where you’re going?” he sneers while looking down at me like I am an annoying fly that won’t go away. Well, he was nice to look at until he opened his mouth. Why is it that all the hot guys are assholes? I don’t even give him a response as I sidestep around him and continue on my run. I’m not going to let some rude guy ruin such a good night. It doesn’t matter how tall and attractive he might be, or how much I liked hearing his rough voice. What is wrong with me? I shake my head and hurry into the local university to start my long shift as a janitor. I love almost everything about my job. I don’t have to deal with people because I work overnight. That alone almost makes scrubbing toilets worth it.

  Sometimes I get envious of the people that go to this school. It’s not like it’s an Ivy League, but at least they are in school. They have friends and go out and do things. Unlike them, I have never been able to sit down and think about where I wanted my future to go. I didn’t get to pick out a college or stay in a dorm room. It’s not like I think college would have necessarily been what I would’ve chosen to do with my life, but at least I would have had a choice. I can’t help but wonder what my life would’ve been like if I’d been raised in a family, if I hadn’t been given up when I was so young. I don’t even remember my mom or dad, but I definitely feel there is a missing piece of my heart where they should be.

  As I am finishing up my work for the night, I start getting this nagging feeling of dread. I don’t know where these feelings come from, but I have learned to trust them. Something bad is going to happen and soon. I push my cart into the janitor’s closet and make my way towards the exit. As I get close to the back door, the feeling intensifies, and now adrenaline is starting to kick in. I extend my energy out to try to feel who is around me. I can vaguely feel a group of something further down the hall, but their energy is different than anything I have ever felt before. I mentally prepare myself for whatever is going to happen and go on the defense. I slow my pace and keep my energy flow going so I know where the threat is.

  When I am about six feet from the door, I can feel the air shift. It is no longer like the air in the rest of the building, it is freezing and has a sinister feel to it. It doesn’t feel this cold every time someone tries to attack me, which is weird. Sometimes I could swear they were normal people, there is nothing out of place about them. They move faster than a person should, but other than that, I wouldn’t know the difference between them and my neighbor. They could hide in a crowd if they really wanted to, and no one would know the difference.

  Times like tonight though, I know that what is coming for me will be brutal. These guys are pure evil; I can feel it in my bones. If you look hard enough, their eyes look like soulless orbs. Their skin is a sickly gray color and looks almost deflated. The one thing that is always the same is the feeling of foreboding when they are near. I can always tell, because I get this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly, something charges from my left, but I am prepared.

  I kick out and connect with their knee and smash my elbow into their nose. I hear someone approaching behind me and feel hands grab me from my right. I push my energy into my muscles and throw whoever grabbed me backward. They smash into the wall on the other side of the hallway, and I turn just in time to see three more join the
fight. Now the fun has begun. My fists are swinging and connecting with anything they can. I see a leg coming towards me and jump out of the way, right in the line of someone’s punch. It lands hard on my cheek—that will hurt in the morning. Now I am pissed, so I use my energy to make me faster and force my opponents to back off me. I quickly pull my blade out of my boot and take down the closest person.

  I hear steps coming from behind me and turn around, one of them coming at me, and I can see the gleam of a knife in his hand. This guy is huge. The spike of adrenaline propels me forward, and we lock arms. I try to go for his legs, but he turns us and slams me into the wall. I can feel the plaster cracking around me. I use it to my advantage and focus on my muscles and push out. He doesn’t go as far as I want since he is so big, but he moved far enough. I slip in front of him, and before he can react, my blade is in his heart. I pull out my knife, turning to face my next challenge.

  As I take stock of the area around me, I notice there are still four left a little further down the hall. I turn to fully face them and get in position to show them I am not afraid of them. As one of the men’s faces comes into view, I notice he is the man I bumped into on my run earlier. Of course he is here. I wait for one of them to make the first move. I know if I were to move before they did, they would circle me, and I would not have a chance. I try to see if the four men standing in front of me have any weapons, but the shadows keep them half hidden, so I can’t tell. One thing I can see is that they are all really tall and have a muscular build, which will make it more difficult for me if I need to fight them.

  “We are not here to hurt you.” One of them speaks as they take a small step forward. Well, I must admit, no one has ever told me that before. Usually they are just attacking me, and now that I think about it, the air doesn’t have the same feel it did before. It feels warmer as well, so maybe they really are not here to hurt me. I can feel my body relaxing as if they are not a threat, and I don’t like it.