Dragon Fire Academy 3: Third Term

by Rachel Jonas

  “I know this is all super unexpected,” I sighed, “but you know better than anyone else how, sometimes, a person’s destiny can lead them right where they need to be.”

  “Noelle, this isn’t your destiny,” he scoffed. “This is you getting taken advantage of. This is you being young and impulsive, experimenting.” His jaw clenched and his expression turned even colder. “This is me knowing I should have trusted my gut and kept you home.”

  As much as I tried to keep in mind what he must be going through at the moment, I couldn’t hide that the comment offended me.

  “You really thought that?” I asked. “You thought you should keep me home? Because I distinctly remember you saying you trusted me.”

  Now, my hand slipped from his and I crossed both arms over my chest, staring as I awaited an answer.

  “You really wanna pull that? After what I just walked into?”

  “While you may not understand what’s going on here, I won’t let you make me feel ashamed. I did nothing wrong,” I asserted. “Things work differently here, and you don’t have to understand it to respect it.”

  It felt strange that a phrase that had been spoken to me many times since my arrival had just rolled off my tongue so easily. However, being here with the Omegas, their loyalty and protectiveness toward Sanluuk and many of its traditions were starting to rub off on me. As if this island was my home, too. In many ways, I suppose it was now.

  “Something led you back to Mom,” I said quietly. “Why is it so hard for you to believe something led me to them?”

  Getting no answer was better than getting a flippant one. It meant I struck a nerve. It meant I managed to make him think.

  “We’re a hive,” I forced out, knowing the term would be as foreign to him as it was to me when I first heard it. “Their history is different from ours and when their island first fell under attack by an evil presence, their most powerful dragons were called and given increased supernatural abilities in order to protect their home. The four you just saw in the room are the last of their kind to be called. And … somehow, fate chose me as their queen.”

  My hands were shaky after getting that all out. In fact, they were still shaking when I turned and lifted my hair, revealing the symbol that glowed at the base of my neck.

  The warmth of his finger traced it and with the slow movement, I sensed his curiosity.

  “It showed up the night I transitioned. They each have one, too.” I lowered my hair and faced him again. “This isn’t just some fable I’m making up to sugarcoat things because you walked in on us. This is real.”

  Rapid breaths puffed from my lungs and I finally had his attention. We stared at one another for quite some time.

  “I won’t lie. I hate … whatever this is,” he said through gritted teeth as he shot another menacing glance toward Ori’s bedroom. “However, I won’t just write it off. Because I’ve always given you the benefit of the doubt, and I’ve always trusted your instincts,” he added, his voice still coming across just as stern.

  “Understood,” I answered quickly, accepting that he’d need time to come around.

  “I don’t know them, therefore I don’t like them,” he said honestly, regarding the Omegas. “And it isn’t likely that I ever will.”

  Again, I didn’t argue with him, but begged to differ. I felt way deep down in my gut that, eventually, he’d come to see the guys for who they really were. Their intentions would one day be crystal clear to him, just like they were to me. However, for now, I wouldn’t press the issue, instead choosing to put this behind us, if at all possible.

  “Not that I’m not over the moon that you’re here,” I said with a dim smile, “but … how are you here?”

  A small part of me wanted him off this island as soon as possible, knowing what else lurked here with us.

  “Your friend, Blythe,” he shared. “She used magic to communicate with your Aunt Hilda, to alert us that you were in trouble, but there wasn’t much else said other than that.”

  On cue, he scanned me with a concerned look. And I now knew how he ended up here at the bungalow. Blythe must have sent him over when he showed up at the academy, looking for me.

  I’d have to remember to strangle her later. A little heads up would’ve been great.

  “You came all this way, alone, to check on me?”

  He raised a brow. “Alone? You really think the family would hear something was going on with you and wait patiently at home for a report?”

  My brow quirked. “Who came?”

  He shot me an incredulous look, as if to question why I didn’t understand. “They all came,” he revealed, shocking me into silence. “Mom, Aunt Hilda, your grandmother, Dallas, your uncles, Aunt Beth, Uncle Nick. The only ones missing are your sister and brother and Aunt Roz. She stayed back to look after them and her own little ones.”

  Words wouldn’t leave my mouth, feeling a mix of emotions—excitement, concern.

  “Dad, it’s … it’s not safe here. You all can’t—”

  “Blythe already gave us the rundown—about the academy expelling you, about the Guard, about everything,” he cut in, making a strange face the next second. “Well, about everything except your current … arrangement.”

  My face warmed and I was pretty sure my cheeks turned red.

  “I’m sure she did, but that doesn’t change how I feel about it. You all have to leave. Me and the guys have things under control,” I lied, feeling my eyes and throat beginning to sting.

  While I was certain Blythe had shared the basics, there was no way she captured every detail. Like, how I had nearly killed her once, or how I had a tendency to black out and hurt innocent people, or how my inability to control my actions had practically become a personality trait.

  For all these reasons, and so many more, my family could not be on this island.

  He must have seen me spiraling, because the warmth of his large hand cupped my cheek next, bringing my gaze higher to meet his.

  “Noelle, we’re not leaving you here to deal with this on your own,” he insisted. “Whatever is happening to you, whatever is happening on this island, it’s no longer just your problem,” he declared. “Because, if this thing wants you … it’ll have to get through us first.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Noelle

  It was just like the good old days—scarfing down one of Aunt Hilda’s homecooked dinners, hilarious conversation with Aunt Beth and my Gram, while Mom French-braided my hair. Parted down the middle with one on each side, just like always. It wasn’t the reunion I imagined, but nothing could spoil having my entire family here.

  Well … almost nothing.

  It was impossible to completely relax with them here in Sanluuk, ground zero. Danger lurked in every shadow. Especially with each one being so vigilant to protect me. I knew for a fact that there wasn’t any act they’d deem too risky if it came down to it. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be here long enough to find out.

  My goal was to keep up the everything-is-perfect act long enough to convince them there wasn’t anything to worry about. Then, with any luck, they’d leave and go back home where it’s safe. For the time being, getting them out of here was priority number one.

  “They have a nice place,” Mom commented as she secured the end of my hair with a rubber band. “You seem to have … settled in.”

  My face heated immediately, remembering the scene my father had walked in on earlier that day, uncertain whether he’d brought her up to speed on the details. Chances were, he vented to her when they went into town that afternoon.

  “Uh … yeah. The guys have been good about making it feel like home.”

  Mentioning them, I pushed off from my mom’s knee to lean up from my seat on the floor, peering out the living room window. The guys—all of them—were out there on the porch “bonding”. Or at least that’s what Ori assured me it would be. But from what I could see, it was only tense out there. If I had to guess, my dad had set that tone, still feeling
animosity toward the Omegas.

  “Where’s your room?” Mom asked. “I’d love to see it.”

  I breathed deeply, unsure of how to tell her I didn’t exactly have one. Mostly, when I didn’t have Ori’s room to myself, I settled in with whichever of the guys I felt like keeping warm with that night. No way she’d want to hear that answer, though.

  “I just kind of … sleep wherever, you know?”

  So vague. So shady.

  It was Aunt Beth’s menacing snicker that lightened the heavy moment. “So we’ve heard,” she added under her breath.

  I grabbed a pillow from the couch and chucked it at her, which made the laugh she held in slip from her lips.

  “All I’m saying is, I didn’t think anything could shock your dad. So, hats off to you,” she continued to tease. “Well … hats, and shirts, and pants, and—”

  “Okay, we get the point,” Gram cut in, smiling a bit as she scolded Aunt Beth. She wasn’t related by blood, but she’d been the closest thing my mom had to a sister, so she’d earned her spot in this family.

  I buried my face in my hands. “I can’t believe he told you guys.”

  “He didn’t,” Aunt Hilda said casually, sipping her tea. “He told your mom. Then … she told the rest of us girls.”

  From behind me, Mom tried to quiet the woman who got her kicks out of putting her family in awkward social situations. When I turned to glance up at my mother, she wore the guiltiest of smiles.

  “Seriously, Mom?” I couldn’t decide whether I was more embarrassed or surprised that she’d even been able to stomach repeating the story.

  She lifted her shoulders. “I didn’t give details, like your dad gave me,” she reasoned. “I just generalized.”

  Was that supposed to be better?

  When I buried my face again, Aunt Beth shook my shoulder. “Ease up, kid. We all did our share of exploring at your age.”

  “Um, we did not,” my mother scoffed.

  I looked up just in time to see Aunt Beth roll her eyes. “Okay, well those of us who didn’t find our soul mate at seventeen did some exploring,” she amended. “Most of mine was with one guy. I couldn’t shake him for years.”

  In unison, Mom and Gram said his name. “Errol.”

  Hearing it, Aunt Beth smiled. “That’d be the one.”

  I drew both knees toward my chest and leaned against Mom. “Where’d you meet him?”

  Very little thought went into my aunt’s answer. “School—The Damascus Facility.”

  My brow drew together. “You guys weren’t even there that long, were you?” I asked.

  From what I knew, the school’s first run had been cut short, only getting its real start several years later, when staff and students returned under much different circumstances. They weren’t preparing for war, only regular life as shifters.

  “We were there long enough that cutting ties wasn’t as easy as expected,” she answered. There was a distant look in Aunt Beth’s eyes as I guessed she thought of him. “The plan was to break up and go our separate ways, but as fate would have it, he showed up again at a time your mom and I needed him most.”

  “He was the guard who helped you two?”

  She nodded. “Saved our lives.” That distant look returned.

  “And don’t let your aunt fool you,” Mom chimed in. “She and Errol still hook up at least twice a year.”

  Aunt Beth’s answer was another casual shrug. “Old habits are hard to break.” There was a pause while she sipped from the bottle of beer she snagged from the fridge. “Unlike beds,” she added with a grin. “Those are surprisingly easy to break.”

  “No one needed to know that,” Gram said under her breath, while mom and I exploded with a laugh. At least I felt a tiny bit less awkward about all this.

  A short bout of silence made its way into the room and Aunt Hilda sighed.

  “So, should I put a spell on you to find out what’s going on here? And I’m not talking about in your bedroom.” After clarifying, she quirked a brow. “What’s happening on this island? To you? Blythe wasn’t completely clear.”

  I was almost immediately on edge again. “Well, what did she tell you exactly?”

  “Mostly just that something’s been after you since you got here,” Mom chimed in, “and that things got significantly worse after you shifted. Apparently, something’s wrong with the island?”

  “There is,” Aunt Hilda answered for me. “I felt it the moment we arrived. Negative energy. Great evil.”

  I lowered my head, knowing I’d have to weigh my words if I intended for my loved ones to be on their way home soon.

  “There’s been a presence here for a long time. Thousands of years,” I began. “And I guess it’s just taken sort of an interest in me. You know, ‘cause I’m different.”

  Aunt Hilda’s stare was unwavering. “It’s more than interested in you, child,” she interjected. “Then again … you already knew that.”

  She stared through me after speaking and I didn’t have an answer.

  “Part of it remains with you,” she pointed out, appraising me with a look.

  “What do you mean?” There was no missing the worry in my mother’s tone.

  “I sense it on her,” Aunt Hilda clarified. “In her.”

  Gram released a frustrated sigh. “We’ve dealt with this before. How on Earth could this be happening again?”

  “It isn’t happening again,” Aunt Hilda said bluntly. “It’s happening still.”

  A hush fell over the room.

  “There is but one source of evil,” she continued, “and when it comes to Noelle, evil’s objective has remained the same.”

  “And what might that be?” I dared to ask, feeling my breaths quicken despite my effort to keep calm.

  Her gaze landed on me. “Since it’s realized it cannot simply kill you … it now aims to possess you.”

  The air suddenly felt icy, and the weight of that truth settled over me.

  “If it gets to you—”

  “That will never happen,” Mom cut in. “I won’t let it.”

  Aunt Hilda peered up and reached for her hand, finishing her statement. “If … that happens, an entity like that commanding a vessel as powerful, as unique as Noelle, the outcome would be … catastrophic.”

  Dead silence as we all considered it.

  “Blythe mentioned Chief Makana. What’s his role in all this?” Aunt Hilda asked next.

  First, clearing my throat, I pushed aside thoughts of this all being hopeless to answer her question.

  “He’s had it out for me since I first arrived, but it took some time for me to see that. It wasn’t until he denied me the chance to leave before things got too bad. It’s like he—”

  “Like, he has an assignment for you?” I peered up after Aunt Hilda spoke, but didn’t respond. “I believe you’re right about that. Now we only need to discover what that assignment might be.”

  So much easier said than done.

  “Then, what’s the plan?” Gram stepped up to ask.

  That question sent a wave of dread rushing through me, because I knew it would ignite a fire in my family. One that would lead to them trying to see this entire thing through to the end. I was certain Blythe meant to help by calling them here, but I couldn’t shake the idea that she’d led them right into a death trap.

  “Seriously, guys, we’ve got things under control. We have a plan, but there’s no way I can have you all here on the island when it’s executed,” I lied. No plan existed; however, it was all I could do to convince them to leave, convince them to save themselves.

  “You’re not seriously suggesting that we take off, are you?”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say my mom was downright offended that I actually suggested it.

  “I don’t care how old you get, Noelle, I’m still your mother. There’s no chance in hell we’re going anywhere before things are resolved.”

  Those words were like nails being hammered into a coff
in, making it hard to believe how thoroughly I failed at convincing them I had things handled.

  ‘You good in there?’

  Ori’s voice in my head jarred me from my thoughts, but I couldn’t have been happier to hear from him.

  Somehow, he brought a faint smile out of me I managed to hide.

  ‘I should be asking you that,’ I teased. ‘Has my dad started grilling you guys yet?’

  Ori chuckled a bit. ‘We’ve got it handled,’ was the only answer he’d give, but I had a pretty good idea of how things were going. Not well.

  ‘Just focus on your mom,’ he concluded, and then retreated from my thoughts again.

  My gaze rose to meet my Gram, Elie’s. “The plan,” she asserted, demanding an answer from me with a single look. It’d been known to break me in the past, drawing the truth from me whether I liked it or not.

  Like always, it worked.

  A deep sigh left my mouth. “The plan is to keep fighting,” I admitted. “As challenges come up, I’ll keep pushing back. Until pushing back is no longer an option.”

  It wasn’t eloquent, it wasn’t pretty, but it was the most truthful answer I had.

  The women in my family shared a look, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  Mom’s hand came to rest on my shoulder, and I peered up at her. “You and the guys have dealt with this all on your own,” she said, “and I couldn’t be more proud of how you’ve persevered.”

  Thinking of everything that had come against us, I breathed deeply.

  “We’re all here with you and for you. Whatever help you all need, consider us reinforcement.”

  As far as reinforcement went, my family was as good as it got.

  Hopefully, somehow, that would be enough.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Paulo

  ‘Goodnight boys.’

  The teasing words rang inside all four of our thoughts at the same time.

  ‘Turning in so soon?’ Ray asked, shifting in his chair as we sat on the porch in silence with more than half our guests. It was the most awkward encounter I’d ever had to date.