Realms

by Kit Bladegrave

  Realms

  Dragon Reign

  Kit Bladegrave

  Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Dedication

  Thank you to the readers!

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  Realms

  Join Kate the Vindicar, Craig the demon king, Tristan the alpha of the wolf shifters, Sabella the seer and demi god, and Forrest, king of the dragon shifters in their efforts to eradicate the evil darkness that threatens the realms.

  1

  Forrest

  Lucy’s house creaked and settled around us. It was the dead of night. I should’ve been sleeping, but every time I closed my eyes, I dreamt of the vision Sabella had shared with us. For the past few days, it was all I could think about. All I worried about, despite what Mori said. She said we’d fight to the end, and by the gods, we would.

  But as the days dragged on, and we were no closer to the answers we needed in order to stop Baladon, my anxiety grew as my denial waned. My denial that we might be ending this fight with our deaths after all.

  I reached across the bed, but Mori wasn’t here. The sheet was cold as if she’d never been there at all, after promising to rest at least for an hour or two. She should’ve been here sleeping. The damned woman was walking around this house half asleep because she refused to admit she was different here. That she was changing in ways none of us anticipated. I never imagined what being in the human realm, away from the base of her existence, would do to Mori.

  Losing her power little by little was what I considered a worst-case scenario. She was tired, and I was pretty sure she was refusing to admit that she was hungry. Not like she ate hardly anything, though I told her she should. Muttering under my breath about stubborn women, I climbed out of bed, padding barefoot through the room and into the hall.

  Everyone else was sleeping—like normal mortals—but not Mori. I expected to find her at the dining table, staring intently at that damned cracked orb again, but the room was empty. So were the kitchen and the rest of the house. My pulse raced as panic had me running back through the house, fearing we didn’t have as much time as we all assumed, and Baladon was already here.

  As soon as I was in the backyard, I slid to a stop in the wet grass, growling in annoyance.

  Mori was in the greenhouse, her back toward the house. I started to go to her, but then she shook out her hair, and I watched as more stars tumbled down to the floor at her feet. They’d been appearing every now and then, as if her power was trying to recharge, but each time they fell out just as fast as they appeared. Soon I had a feeling there would be no more stars at all. I hadn’t seen them in her eyes since the night we arrived. Her shoulders hunched, and she laid her hands on the table before her. I thought of giving her some time to herself, but instinct dragged me into the greenhouse.

  The door creaked as I opened it.

  She turned around. “Forrest? What are you doing awake at this hour?”

  “I should be asking you the same question,” I said, taking in the bags under her eyes, worse than before I went to sleep. She had stress lines on her face, and she was pale, not her usual pale, but a sickly pale. “Come back inside with me. Sleep. Please.”

  “Gods don’t sleep, I’ve told you this,” she argued as I went to her.

  “And I would leave it alone if you did not look ready to fall over on your face, love. You need to rest, at least.”

  “I have work to do out here.”

  “And the work will still be here in a few hours.” I held her hands and then pulled her into an embrace. She rested her cheek against my bare chest, and I felt her relax with me. “You are not in the realms anymore. You’ve left your world behind, and you have to accept it. You’re changing.”

  She sighed heavily, and I waited for her to finally give in and agree with me, but instead, she planted a kiss on my cheek, then slipped from my arms. “I need to keep working. Go back to bed.”

  “No, if you’re up, I’m up.” I crossed my arms, resting my hip against the counter.

  “Fine, suit yourself.” She turned back to the row of herbs in front of her.

  I was no herbalist and certainly no witch, so they meant nothing to me, but she whispered under her breath as she plucked small, blue flowers and dropped them in a mortar close by. Then she picked some green stems from another plant and dropped them in next.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, enjoying how delicately her hands moved as she worked.

  “Searching for a way to fix the orb,” she said quietly, studying another plant through narrowed eyes. “Nothing seems to be working yet, but Lucy has quite the collection of plants here, some I have not seen in many years.”

  I thought of Lucy, and a pang of sadness had me rubbing my chest.

  “You think you can mend it with plants?” I was skeptical and not really in the mood to discuss Lucy and how devastated we all were at her loss. Kate, the most.

  “There is magic in this realm; you just have to know where to look for it. And yes, I might be able to fix it with plants, if I find the right combination,” she added, sounding aggravated.

  She plucked and picked for another few minutes, then picked up the pestle, added something that came out like green sludge from a vial, then started mashing it all together.

  The smell was intense, and I fought back a gag as she smirked at me, pounding away.

  “You can always leave,” she reminded me as I covered my face with my hand, trying not to breathe.

  “Not leaving unless you’re coming with me.”

  She shook her head and turned the mortar as she kept mashing. Her smirk fell, and she reached for another vial, this one with a clear liquid in it that was smoking. She let three drops fall into the mortar, and I heard her suck in a breath. I waited with her, unsure of what she was expecting to happen. There was a bright flash of light and puff of smoke, but as she waved it away, we both leaned over the mortar and stared into what was now in the bowl.

  “Damn it,” she yelled, slamming her fist down on the table.

  “Not what you were hoping for?” I asked, my nostrils flaring at the disgusting stench wafting through the greenhouse.

  She picked up the mortar and walked outside to dump it out. When she returned, she was muttering under her breath and was right back at it.

  “Mori.”

  “Hmm?”

  “Will you stop for five seconds and look at me?”

  “I have to make this work,” she insisted, still not stopping. “There’s a way. I know there is.”

  “And we’ll find it after you’ve slept.”

  “I told you I don’t sleep. If all you’re going to do is stand there and pester me, just go away,” she said with a definite angry tone. “I have to do this.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I do. Now leave me alone.”

  “No.”

  Her eye
s narrowed.

  “You’re not mad at me so don’t even try to pretend you are. What’s this about, truly? Talk to me. Why are you punishing yourself like this?”

  She sagged against the table. “Because I have to do something.”

  “We’re all trying to do something to fight against Baladon,” I reminded her.

  “No, you don’t get it. I have no real power here, no magic. For gods’ sakes, I’m using herbs to try to come up with something, anything to get that orb to work,” she rambled as her voice got louder. “And Lucy died, Greyson probably, too. And Hank and Danielle. Truly, we have no idea if any of them survived. It’s eating them alive, I know it is, and it’s killing me that I couldn’t save them.”

  I wrapped my arms around her and drew her back against me. “None of us could, you know that’s the truth. We had to leave if the realms and everyone in them would have any hope of surviving.”

  “But I don’t know how to fix the orb,” she admitted. “Or kill Baladon.”

  “No one ever said you did. We’ll find a way.”

  “How can you be so positive about all this? After everything you’ve lost, how?”

  “You’ve lost those you care for, too. Your family,” I said softly as she spun around to face me. “And I’m merely doing what you told me to do. Hold onto hope that we’ll make it through this. One way or another, the war against the darkness will come to an end.”

  She glanced over her shoulder at the table scattered with herbs and blew out an aggravated breath. “Alright, I give in.”

  “About?”

  “About getting some rest tonight, but,” she said, poking me in the chest, “that does not mean I’m ready to admit I need actual sleep. Or food. I’m not mortal.”

  I stopped myself short from saying, ‘not yet’ and took the small victory. Sooner or later she’d have to admit she was no longer the powerful goddess who crossed over into the human realm. I took her hand and together, we left the greenhouse and headed back upstairs to the bedroom we’d taken over.

  I paused when we passed Craig and Kate’s door, sensing the sorrow pouring out of her. She missed Lucy, we all did. But for Kate it was different, the witch was like her mother. I sent soothing thoughts her way, hoping they would help ease her back to sleep. In the silence of the house, I heard Craig whispering to her, too. She’d been leaving her room, but each day was a visible struggle for her to not fall apart.

  Not that I could blame her. We were in Lucy’s home, and she was surrounded by memories everywhere she looked.

  Mori and I entered our room. She tumbled into bed, and I followed her, lying down, so we faced each other. I waited for her to pass out and get a few hours rest at least, but those brown eyes seemed wide awake.

  “What if we can’t make this work because we haven’t fulfilled the prophecy Sabella spoke of?” she whispered in the darkness.

  I frowned and shut my eyes. “Go to sleep. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

  “No, we need to talk about it now.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” I growled and rolled over. “Sleep, Mori.”

  “Oh no, you don’t get to just roll over and pretend like you’re not avoiding the situation.” She tried to roll me back over.

  But I was twice her size and barely budged. I smirked as she cursed and finally gave up. Only to hop over me and land right on the edge of the bed. She nearly fell off, so I reached out to catch her, and she grinned in triumph.

  “You know exactly what I’m talking about. What if that’s the key?”

  I shut my eyes and shook my head. “I’m not talking about this with you again.”

  “You don’t have a choice. We have to talk about it eventually.”

  “Yes, eventually, when there’s no other option remaining. Sleep, Mori,” I whispered and kissed her softly. “You need it.”

  “You’re not getting out of this talk,” she warned, even as she yawned and snuggled closer.

  “Hmm, is that so?”

  “Damned straight, stubborn ass dragon,” she mumbled.

  I waited for a few beats as her breathing evened out and then she snored softly. I cracked open an eye and smiled when I saw she was sound asleep. But my smile didn’t last long.

  She was right to believe she should not need sleep. It wasn’t that I wanted to be right, telling her she was turning mortal. The notion worried me about what would happen to her if and when we returned to the realms. Would her power come back to her? Or would she become mortal forever? My mind drifted, and eventually, I gave in and fell asleep, too, holding her close to me until dawn broke over the house.

  2

  Forrest

  I expected to wake and find Mori conked out beside me still, but I was alone in bed. I growled as I got up and tugged on a fresh shirt and black cargo pants then stalked down the hall to the bathroom.

  Downstairs, Kate and Sabella laughing about something. But not Mori. Her voice was absent.

  When I exited the bathroom, splashing cold water on my face to try and wash away the grogginess—along with my annoyance—I stopped at the top of the steps.

  Mori, she was down there with them, I heard her voice this time. But not Tristan or Craig.

  “Sounds like a party,” Craig grumbled behind me, yawning with a grunt.

  “Usually is with those three,” I muttered. “Don’t like it.”

  “You know what they’re talking about,” Craig stated. “You might as well just get it over with.”

  “Not happening.”

  “It’s going to have to happen eventually.” He gave me a nudge. “I don’t understand why you’re waiting.”

  I ground my teeth but said nothing. “We haven’t decided yet what our official plan is,” I said, changing the topic. I also ignored his eye roll. “We should do that today.”

  Steps sounded behind us. Tristan was running his hands through messy hair. “Think I came up with a plan last night, I mean Sabella and I did.”

  “And?” I asked.

  “And we’ll talk about it with everyone.”

  “Did this plan come with a vision?” Craig asked hopefully as we made our way downstairs. “Preferably one that tells us how we’re going to kill Baladon and end this war?”

  Tristan’s eyes flared yellow as we reached the bottom.

  I tensed. “No, and that’s another thing we’ll have to discuss. Might as well go join them and see what they’re chatting about so damned early.”

  “Don’t lie, we all know.” Craig winked at me.

  “One of these days, you’re going to get sucker punched,” I promised him. “Just wait for it.”

  “I can take you on any day, dragon boy.”

  “Who’s taking on who now?” Kate asked, poking her head out of the kitchen and eyeing Craig and me. “No fighting in the house, Mama’s rule, remember?” She was smiling when she said it, but her eyes were filled with pain.

  “No one said we’re fighting,” I corrected, kissing her cheek as I passed her. “But your demon over there is asking for an ass whipping.”

  She raised a brow. “What’d he do now?”

  Craig hugged and kissed her. “Not a damned thing. So, what are you ladies all so excited about this early?”

  I glanced at Mori who was beaming at me. That smile meant she was up to something and my gut said whatever it was, I was going to hate it. Fury rose deep within me. Smoke trailed out of my nose. I went to stand beside her, kissing the top of her head as she wrapped her arm around my waist.

  “What time did you wake up this morning?” I asked her.

  “Oh, not long before you,” she said, but her shoulders stiffened with the obvious falsehood.

  “You’re a terrible liar.”

  “I didn’t need much rest is all,” she told me, failing to keep her voice light and carefree.

  Kate shot her a look across the island telling me exactly what I needed to know.

  “You were back out in the greenhouse, weren’t you?”


  She shrugged. “Until I can fix the orb, that’s probably where I’m going to be.”

  “We had to drag her out of there to come inside and eat some breakfast,” Kate confessed.

  Mori crossed her arms with a huff.

  Kate gave her a look. “What? He’s right, Mori, and you know it. Now is not the time to be prideful.”

  “No,” Tristan agreed with a growl that quieted the rest of us down. “No, it most certainly is not.”

  Sabella took his hand but didn’t meet the rest of our gazes as she started talking. “I guess we’ll get the bad news out of the way first.”

  “I thought you said you had no new visions?” Craig asked.

  “I haven’t… and that’s the bad news,” she muttered. “I haven’t had a single vision since we came here. Nothing. Not a blip. It’s like whatever was giving me that power, it’s just gone.”

  Mori shifted on her feet. Before I could tell her that it appeared she wasn’t the one being affected by her lost connection to the realms, Kate and Craig started whispering heatedly back and forth, then he told her just to tell us.

  “Tell us what?” I glanced from her to him, waiting for one of them to speak. “Kate?”

  She frowned as she stepped back from the island and held out her left arm. She brought it up, then down as she always did to make the Vindicar shield appear. Except this time, nothing happened. She tried it once more and still nothing. “I noticed it two days ago.”

  “And I’m losing my starlight,” Mori whispered, shaking her head. “He’s killed us by forcing us to run here. We’re powerless.”