by Amelia Jade
As pieces began to slot into place with increasing frequency, building up the statue of Zeke as she worked frantically in the gray abyss that she figured had to represent the bond between them, Amber realized she was no longer hurting. The scale was there in her mind, affixed just below her neck, over her collarbone and above her cleavage. She paused momentarily, running a hand over the sleek red object that was now a part of her forever.
Only if I can bring him back.
The red glow from the puzzle in front of her began to fade, and she knew she was losing him. Her arms worked fast, faster than she thought possible. They were a blur in front of her as she slapped it all together, trying to meld his mind whole again.
But the glow kept fading.
“No, damn you!” she yelled as the last piece went home, and the glow went out. “You are not giving up on me.”
She stepped forward, and without thinking it through, kissed the statue in her mind.
Red light burst through her eyelids, so bright she couldn’t shade herself from it, but she ignored it. The light reached out and kissed her back, pulling her tight to it as she heard the pieces of the puzzle crackling, as if fire was melting them until they became whole once more.
The light grew brighter, until Amber was forced to open her eyes, at which point she realized she was kissing Zeke, who was standing in front of her in his human form.
He looked exhausted, hurt, and strained.
But most important of all, to her eyes, he looked alive.
A smile blossomed on his face as they stepped back, and Amber started as she realized she not only saw, but felt his happiness at seeing her.
Zeke smiled as well, and a wave of reassurance came through her connection.
He was going to live.
Chapter Sixteen
Zeke
He awoke to the gentle caress of a soft, tender hand across his brow.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Amber said from where she hovered over him.
“Hi,” he said, his throat feeling like it was full of gravel.
“Here, have some water,” she said, and poured several drops slowly into his mouth.
Zeke worked them around, then nodded for more. Amber poured slowly, until he waved weakly at her to stop. Slowly the water slid down his throat, loosening it up. After several more mouthfuls, he felt well enough to walk.
“Hi,” he said again, giving her his best, weak smile. “I feel like I was hit by a million bricks.”
“You had a rough go of it,” she said. “You came back to us briefly.” She blushed at the memory, though he wasn’t sure why, he didn’t remember much. “And then you passed out again in my arms. That was terrifying.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Oh, well yes, that too. But I meant because I couldn’t hold you up,” she giggled, embarrassed. “I dropped you almost instantly.”
Zeke watched as she began to laugh, still apologizing.
“I’m so sorry,” she said again, and he realized that this was just her blowing off some nervous tension.
“Hey,” he said, grabbing her wrists and pulling them tight to him. “It’s okay. I’m here now. I’m back,” he promised. “I’ll be fine in no time.”
“Good,” she said, kissing his forehead. “Because there’s lots to do, and I’m going to need you by my side.”
“I’ll be there. I promise,” he said fiercely.
Amber smiled, her eyes never wavering as they stared into his.
“I believe you,” she said as he sent his conviction through their link.
Asher had talked about it a lot with him, so he wasn’t surprised by the sensation of Amber being in his head, even if it was a purely emotional connection. It was something that would take a lot of getting used to, and at the same time would take absolutely none. He’d been awake for a few minutes now, and it felt completely normal, yet wondrous.
Throwing the blanket aside, he made to rise.
“Whoa, slow down there, tiger,” she said, pushing him back.
Or trying to. Zeke wasn’t being bedridden. He’d been through too much for that.
“How long was I out for?”
“All night.”
“I’m fine,” he promised, knowing his body would have healed most of the damage by then.
Now he would just be tired as he recovered his strength.
Tired and—
“Food,” he said, his stomach rumbling so loud it filled his little Academy room.
“Okay,” Amber said with a sigh of defeat. “Let’s go get you some food then. But you do as I say. No roughhousing with the boys or other shenanigans for a few days, okay?”
“Amber, I’m fine,” he told her.
“Ezequiel Hawthorn, you listen to me, and you listen good,” she said sternly, her finger suddenly buried in his sternum. “I almost lost you once. I am not going through that again. Understood?”
Zeke sensed the emotions she was trying to hold back, and he swept her into his arms.
“It’s okay. I promise,” he said, holding her tight to him.
“You don’t even know what happened, you dolt,” she said, tears of joy and relief beginning to stream down her face.
“True. I don’t. Come tell me all about it over breakfast?”
“Very well,” she said with a laugh.
“Hey,” he said, spinning her back to look at him. “I love you, Amber Klose. You know that, right?”
“I had hoped,” she told him. “But it’s certainly nice to hear it. Because I love you too, Zeke.”
He kissed her, pulling her tight to him once more, allowing himself to fall into the moment for as long as he could.
An angry dull roar filled the room.
“Seriously?” Amber asked as she pulled away, her eyes twinkling.
“The stomach wants what the stomach wants,” he teased, following her from the room.
He reached forward and grabbed her rear just before she entered the hallway.
“Hey!” she cried, turning, placing her hands on her hips.
“Everything okay?” a voice asked in the hallway.
Zeke saw Amber’s face turn a bright red as Blaine came into view.
“Umm, yes. Everything is fine, Blaine,” she said.
“Zeke, good to see you up. We need to talk.”
“Yes. Food first,” he said, taking his mate by her hand and heading down the hallway. “I’ll come find you after I’m up and about.”
“Good. Daxxton has filed for asylum for Amber, and he needs your signature as well. So make sure you go see him.”
“I will. Is that it?”
“Actually, yes.”
The pair turned away and continued to the stairs.
“Oh, and it’s good to see you up and about, Hawthorn. Get your food and heal up. Training isn’t over.”
Zeke laughed and waved a hand at his senior instructor.
“Come on my love,” Amber said with a tug at his arm. “Let me regale you with tales of how I saved your life.”
He grinned.
Today was going to be a good day.
***
Amber stepped down from the podium, and he took her into his arms, letting his pride at her strength flow through him. The cameras stopped running, and the human news reporters began to pack up their cameras. The wording on their invitations into Cadia had been strict. They knew better than to dawdle.
“Thank you,” she said in response to the unspoken words.
“I know that must have been hard on you,” he said as they walked away together, heading back out of Cadia.
“I just hope they leave it alone, do what needs to be done on the outside, and don’t do something stupid, like sending a hit team after me or something,” she joked.
Zeke laughed. “Humans wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“True,” she said, reaching up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss.
“So, now that I’ve told the world about the pipeline, the attempts on my life, and th
e gryphons attempting to get support from the human governments to overthrow the dragons, what next?”
Zeke laughed. The revelation that her company had promised to work from the outside to dismantle the power of the dragons, but wanting to deal with the gryphons only, had been not only shocking, but eye-opening. The fact that gryphons would willingly work with humans, and had given them permission to build the pipeline all the way through their territory in recompense, was a serious turn of events.
The censure had been swift, but peaceful. No more gryphons had died, but many of their leaders had been sent to jail, and they were barred from votes on the Guardian Council for five years. It was harsh, but just. Zeke had approved, and had hoped this would be the end of things.
It had been a week since he had almost died. The government had granted Amber asylum, and she was there to stay, for as long as she chose. Just now, she had given a press conference for the human news agencies to carry back to the outside world detailing everything that had happened to her, and what her company had done.
“Why don’t we go home?” he asked.
“To Asher’s, you mean?”
Zeke shook his head. That wasn’t where he meant at all.
“Where, then?”
An image came to Zeke’s mind. A flat plot of land, dipping down to the river out back, a grove of untamed apple trees on the left. It was mostly full of bush and a few scrubby trees. Lots of work would be needed to clear it and build a house.
But he had seen it, and knew that she would love it. Just down the road from Asher, he had closed on it quickly, the whole process taking only three days. The deed had been given to him that morning.
And he couldn’t wait to show Amber.
“What are you hiding from me?” she asked, giving him her best detective look.
Zeke smiled.
“Come with me,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
THE END
This concludes Book 2 of the Top Scale Academy series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Although this story is over, there are more adventures to be had. Sign up for my newsletter to be the first to get your hands on Electro Dragon due out November 16th 2016.
Amelia Jade’s Newsletter Signup
Want More of These Characters?
Top Scale Academy
Frost Dragon
Fire Dragon
Electro Dragon – Nov 16th
More Series By Amelia Jade
The Agency
Bravo Bear (Book 1)
Blackblood Bear (Book 2)
Silver Bullet Bear (Book 3)
Kingpin Bear (Book 4)
Genesis Valley
Blueblood Dragon (Book 1)
Black market Bear (Book 2)
Ridgeback Bears
Jade Crew: Alpha Bear (Book 1)
Jade Crew: Haunted Bear (Book 2)
Jade Crew: Forgotten Bear (Book 3)
Jade Crew: Captive Bear (Book 4)
Jade Crew: Outcast Bear (Book 5)
Jade Crew: Hunted Bear (Book 6)
Jade Crew: Fallen Bear (Book 7)
Stone Bears (Genesis Valley Shifters)
Stone Bear: Sentinel (Book 1) – Gabriel
Stone Bear: Phoenix (Book 2) – Uriel
Stone Bear: Guardian (Book 3) - Raphael
Bluff Bears
Rogue Bear (Book 1)
Outlaw Bear (Book 2)
Broken Bear (Book 3)
Junkyard Bear (Book 4)
Other Series by Amelia Jade
The Wolf Wanderers (w/Terra Wolf)
Cinder Wolf (Book 1)
Feral Wolf (Book 2)
Rebel Wolf (Book 3)
Noble Wolf (Book 4)
About the Author
Amelia Jade
Amelia Jade loves to write the stories of tall, growly shifter men and the women who come to love them. Living out in the backcountry near the mountains, she keeps her own alpha male close by to keep the bears away and keep her warm. In her downtime (which is rare), she loves to read science-fiction with a dash of fantasy. You can often find her curled up in front of the real wood-burning fireplace, her nose firmly buried in a book or her favorite e-reader. The cold can’t bother her there!
For more information about Amelia Jade and her work, find her on Facebook.
Profile: Amelia Jade
Author Page
Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Amelia Jade’s Newsletter Signup
Want More of These Characters?
More Series By Amelia Jade
Genesis Valley
Ridgeback Bears
Stone Bears (Genesis Valley Shifters)
Other Series by Amelia Jade
About the Author
