Rex (Dakota Kekoa Book 2)

by Rita Stradling

  The great blue dragon only had time to turn his head as we zoomed past. Pax slowed down as he flew over the lava pools, halting just above one. He set Wyvern down, the action feeling achingly slow. With a quick movement, Pax turned his head over and literally dumped me onto Wyvern.

  Movement was everywhere, as hundreds of wings and scaly bodies filled the room and circled around us. Pax crouched over me, a soft rumbling sound reverberating through his chest.

  I climbed off Wyvern and toward the lava pool. Pax had set him down just beside the pool, but not quite in it.

  As I stepped up beside Wyvern’s clawed foot, a wyvern dove for me. Pax shifted, moving his head directly into the wyvern’s path, and the wyvern changed course.

  I grabbed at Wyvern’s clawed foot with both arms, trying to shift it, but nothing happened. I only had to move him about three inches to the right, but he might as well have been made of stone.

  I screamed in frustration as I pulled again, but nothing happened.

  Another growling sound made me look up at Pax and the halo of shifting dragons that circled him. Pax pointed his nose directly at Wyvern’s wing joint, then made another huffing sound.

  I didn’t stop to think, I climbed back onto Wyvern and up to his back. Climbing onto the ridges of the apex where Wyvern’s wings connected to his back, I pushed at his folded wings. They folded out, but not enough. I let my body slide down the length of his leather wings, putting all my weight onto the joint in the ridges of bone.

  Finally, the tip of Wyvern’s wing slid into the lava. The Wyverns all around ducked and feigned and dove for me, but Pax kept his head over my body, not dodging from a single feigned blow. Not one of the blows landed either.

  “Fourteen, fifteen,” I counted.

  A screeching roar burst through the room as a large gleaming, ivory dragon shot straight at us. All the other wyverns hurried out of its path.

  “Twenty-six, twenty-seven.”

  There was a sudden tugging sensation under me, and Wyvern’s wing began to shift out of the lava.

  I stomped down, pushing the wing just a little bit further in, and then I dropped straight down onto the stone floor as Wyvern vanished.

  Chapter Thirty-three

  “Yes!” I yelled, throwing up my arms. I climbed to my feet, spinning around to face Pax. “Yes!” I screamed again, punching into the air.

  Pax snorted, and I threw myself onto his giant reptilian nose, arms spread wide for a big hug.

  “We did it, Pax! You are like the most badass dragon ever! I didn’t even think we were going to make it. I had no idea you were that fast! You almost flew faster than the wyverns!”

  I’m not sure whether or not dragons can laugh, but his nose moved up and down slightly while amusement and relief coursed over his giant soul. After I’d hugged onto him for like a minute, he nudged me with his nose, probably signaling for me to let go.

  I stood back on my feet and looked up to see that the High King was perched over the lava pool, staring straight at me.

  I bowed low, and I didn’t even mind doing it this time. When I straightened, I said, “This was fun, Your Majesty, but I need to go check on Wyvern. I’ll take my leave of you.”

  He huffed and turned away. His mouth opened wide, and a loud screeching sound echoed through the room. Suddenly, in the space above us that held hundreds of flapping wings, there was only streaks of light, shooting toward the open archway, and then the room was empty, save only for Pax, me, and the High Rex, who stopped to regard us one last time.

  “I look forward to our long alliance, Your Majesty,” I called.

  The High Rex simply turned, pushed off the ground and was gone.

  When I spun back to Pax, his eyes were closed, and he was shaking his giant head just slightly.

  “You’d think he’d want to go check on Wyvern,” I muttered under my breath.

  Pax’s nose nudged my side, pushing me only slightly toward the pool of lava.

  I took a deep breath through my nose and crouched down. I hesitated and looked up at Pax. “Thank you. I got in way too deep this time… and you saved me, and everyone else. I owe you more than I could ever repay.”

  He shook his head once, a negation of debt.

  “Well, even though I just met you for the first time yesterday, I’m going to miss you. Maybe you could come visit sometime?”

  His head moved up and down in a nod, then he nudged my arm gently with his nose.

  “Okay, fine,” I whispered. Taking another deep breath, I placed my hand on the lava. It was worse than I remembered.

  The spikes of pain shot up my arm and then continued up my neck. My mouth was dry, voice ragged as I sang, “Drowning… in buckets of…” I gave up, shut my eyes and counted in my head.

  What felt like a lifetime later, I was yanked through space, condensed, and shot upward. I came to again in blazing heat, but just as the last time I passed through the portal, arms grabbed mine and pulled me out.

  I shook my head, dazedly, and looked up into my uncle Glacier’s impassive face and delighted soul. He tossed me on the floor, reached for something, then wrapped my whole body and head in a heavy tarp.

  “I’m too hot,” I said, confused.

  “Actually your clothes and hair were on fire, Dakota.” He lifted the blanket. “The fire is out.”

  I looked down to see that, yes, my clothes were singed and blackened. “Oh.”

  Glacier crouched down in front of me. “Can you tell if it worked?”

  I looked around, seeing that we weren’t close to alone in here. About thirty of my uncles and cousins stood around, all out of breath and looking exhausted. Some were even holding onto the wall for support.

  Between me and my uncles was Wyvern’s massive dragon form. He was fully changed to a dragon now, and his soul was a perfect wreath around him.

  “His soul is back to normal. It worked,” I said.

  Glacier took out his phone, dialed, and held it to his ear. After a second he said, “Father. Yes, she’s back and safe.” He paused, then said, “Yes.” He stowed his phone.

  “What’s happening?” I asked.

  “He’s going to break dragon law,” Glacier said.

  “Okay…”

  “Grandfather is on the other side of the portal?” Glacier stepped closer to the lava pool and peered down, as if he could see through to the other side.

  “He was there a minute ago.”

  Glacier looked back to me. “Okay, get out of the way.”

  I crawled backward and to Wyvern.

  As I moved, I looked back to my family along the wall. I nodded to my cousin Avery, who was by far the youngest in the group. He nodded back, but then closed his eyes, breaths coming heavy. None of my other relatives seemed to have the energy to acknowledge me at all, but as I examined who was there, I realized they all were the ones who had inherited my grandfather’s strength.

  As I leaned up against Wyvern’s soft underbelly, his chest expanded in a regular rhythm, then deflated with a whistling snore. His large, bulbous eyes moved back and forth under his white, leathery eyelids. I leaned into him further, listening to his heavy, thumping heartbeat.

  The tension was palpable as we all sat in an expectant silence. Minutes went by with only the sound of Wyvern’s soft-growling snores.

  I looked up to Glacier, who was standing perfectly still by the lip of the lava pool. “Will the dragons know if we break the law?”

  Glacier didn’t look at me when he answered, “Grandfather doesn’t think they have any way of knowing. If no one is allowed to use their aspects in this space, then it’s logical to reason that there wouldn’t be an aspect-made surveillance system.”

  “What happens to him if they find out?”

  “I don’t think he cares.”

  My grandfather popped into existence between us. He faced away, so all I saw at first was what looked like a skeletal foot hanging out to his side. All around my grandfather’s large, dense soul was an equally l
arge limp sack of a soul. When my grandfather pivoted, I had a full view of the emaciated body clutched in his arms.

  “Bobby!” I jumped up, running over to my uncle in my grandfather’s arms.

  Glacier stopped me with a hand on my shoulder. “Stay back, Dakota! He doesn’t have much time.”

  Bobby’s face was barely recognizable, thin sheets of skin covering the sharp ridges of his skull. His usually large body-builder body had shrunken to one third its size; the suit he had been wearing was only shreds over his skeletal frame. At first, I thought he was sleeping, but his mouth moved, emitting words as quiet and fragile as monarchs migrating past.

  My other uncles and cousins rushed to stand beside me, and we stood in a half circle around the pool.

  My grandfather’s face was a mask of anger, but in his soul I saw only a deep open wound of grief. He set Bobby down gently by the edge of the pool. Immediately, he grabbed Bobby’s wrist and placed his hand onto the lava.

  I whispered over and over again, “Don’t teleport, don’t teleport.”

  Next to me, Avery squeezed his hands into fists as he counted under his breath. Each whispered number felt like a fist clenching slowly around my lungs. “Twenty-nine…”

  Bobby vanished.

  We all looked around at each other, the question clear on our faces: did he go through the portal or teleport?

  My grandfather stood perfectly still, his hands folded in front of him.

  Glacier grabbed the fire blanket from the ground, holding it at the ready.

  There was a ripple in the lava and then Bobby’s head bobbed up. The moment the top of his head broke the surface, my grandfather’s hands plunged in. Three other uncles moved to help, but my grandfather ordered, “Back up,” and they did.

  He lifted Bobby from the pool, holding his body to his chest even though both Bobby’s hair and rags were on fire. Glacier smacked the blanket at Bobby, until all the fires were out. Then he draped the blanket over Bobby, tucking it around him.

  Bobby took in gasping breaths through his parted lips. My grandfather turned to me, his gaze burning into mine.

  I looked down, examining Bobby’s now regular, big, warm soul. “He’s healed,” I said, again meeting my grandfather’s gaze.

  He didn’t say anything, just turned to where I knew the staircase was, and walked out, carrying Bobby clutched in his arms. Aside from Glacier, the rest of my uncles and cousins followed my grandfather. As Avery passed I couldn’t help but notice his face had tracks of tears, and his soul was overflowing with relief.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  I woke as the large soft body I was leaning against shifted under me. He moved closer, almost rolling onto my leg when I scooted out of the way just in time. His head lowered, nuzzling me and practically wedging me into his stomach.

  I made a loud, “Ah!” sound and tried to climb out of the crushing position he had on me. Wyvern’s large, bulbous eyes blinked open, and the one closest to me fixed on me before it closed. He started nuzzling me again.

  “Wyvern! You are smothering me!” I shouted, but the sound came out garbled.

  He huffed and made a low purring sound before moving his head just slightly over, giving me just a little more space. Then he startled, and his head whipped around.

  Across the large room, Glacier put up both his hands. “Just me, her uncle. I am here to guard her.”

  Wyvern harrumphed, turning his head back to me.

  When it was right in front of me, I reached out and touched his nose. “What do you remember?”

  He shook his head, but more in a ‘my head feels weird,’ than in a ‘no, I don’t remember anything’ way.

  “Sarah attacked you and you got—well, what we thought was a curse, but really isn’t.”

  His eyes moved around the room, and even though dragon expressions were new to me, I was pretty sure he was confused.

  “You’re healed now, I…I have a lot to tell you.”

  Wyvern got to his feet and reached for me.

  “You can’t take her, Rex. She’s no longer in a contract with you. We need to do this in the proper way.”

  Wyvern’s head rocked back, and his gaze immediately found mine. A sharp, pungent streak of pain and hurt washed over his soul.

  “Glacier, you didn’t have to say it like that!” I stepped forward, my hands out toward Wyvern. “I had to break the contract, Wyvern. Your father said under the terms of the contract he had the right to take and hold me at his keep.”

  A broiling anger immediately replaced the pain in his soul.

  “It’s not going to happen, ever… but I had to act fast or he would have taken me. I had to save everyone… and I had to save you.” When he lowered his head back to my level, I ran my hand over his nose. “We have a lot to… say to each other.” I used my free hand to wipe away a traitorous tear on my cheek. “But I guess we have to do it in ‘the proper way’.”

  His head knocked against my hand as he nodded.

  Glacier stepped up beside me. “You can call on Dakota at Father’s house, that’s where she’ll be staying for the time being.”

  “My grandfather and the Regina are better now… and so is Bobby, sort of. But, you should know that it was Sarah and Sophie that betrayed you… it’s… there’s just so much I need to tell you.” I sighed, looking away.

  Glacier pulled out his phone, dialed, and held it to his ear. After a few seconds, he said, “We’re heading up.”

  “Please come… let me explain,” I whispered to Wyvern.

  His head slowly nodded before he shifted back, away from my hand. His legs pushed off the ground, and he flew straight up out of the long shaft and into the daylight above.

  I grabbed my chest, covering a sudden intense pain with my hand.

  “You do not plan to re-enter a contract with him,” Glacier said it like he already knew the answer.

  I looked at my uncle, tears fighting to fall from my eyes. “All this happened because of that stupid contract. Bobby almost died… Lorelei and Grandfather—even Wyvern almost died because of the contract.”

  “Explain.”

  As we walked up the stairway, I told Glacier everything.

  At the seventh landing, he simply said, “I will come up with a plan for you, Dakota.”

  “Thank you, but I already have one.” My lip trembled as I tried to keep my calm. “After all this… all the things I said… I realize I didn’t really want to end it, Glacier.” I wiped roughly at my face. “I’m so stupid.”

  He said nothing, but I clearly saw the love and sympathy lacing through the thick mist of his soul.

  We stopped at the large metal doors that enclosed the small room leading down to the staircase. Even though Glacier had super-strength, the door barely budged as he pushed on it.

  I pushed too, but I doubt that did anything. When the door opened an inch, several sets of fingers wrapped around the door from the other end and began pulling. With Glacier and me pushing from our side and at least three people pulling from the other side, the door slid a little faster, and we managed to get the opening about two feet wide.

  The moment we slid our way out, the door shut behind us. “Wow, that thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen,” I said to my grandfather when I saw him waiting for us a few feet away in the long sandy stretch of the Mailua crater. I had meant to make the comment sound funny, but it came out flat instead. I met my grandfather’s gaze. “How’s Bobby?”

  “Sleeping and healing, a witch doctor is with him now.”

  “Oh, good.” When my grandfather offered his hand, I took it. A moment later, the Mailua crater disappeared, and we were surrounded by my grandfather’s hearth room. He gripped my arm, and held me up when my knees started to buckle.

  “I need to go get the others.”

  I wanted to tell him that he needed to rest—he still had that odd unnatural tone to his skin. But I’d never tell my grandfather that, it would be disrespectful.

  He released my hand and was
gone. Instead of waiting for the others to arrive, I trudged upstairs. As stupid as it was with everything that was going on, all I wanted in that moment was a shower. I could feel the layers of sweat, charred material, and sulfurous cloud residue all over my skin. And while somehow I escaped getting burned this time through the fire portal, my skin felt too tight and itchy.

  I went and found my duffle bag from my grandfather’s room, and took a long time in his bathroom playing with his shower settings. There were like fifty-million shower settings, and the hot water didn’t run out.

  After about an hour and a half went by, I climbed out of the shower and dressed in some exercise shorts and a t-shirt. My fingers hit the empty clip at the bottom of my duffle bag, and I rocked back.

  “Ugh, that stupid High Rex still has my portal!” I threw the clip back into the bag and zipped it up angrily. “Stupid jerk.”

  I opened the door of the bathroom and looked straight into Wyvern’s face.

  He grinned. “Are you talking about me?”

  I jumped on him, throwing my arms around him.

  He squeezed me to him as well, holding me up just a little off the floor.

  I whispered, “I know I saw you as a dragon… but it just didn’t feel real, like you might still be dying…”

  “I’m fine. I’ll have to play damsel in distress more often if it gets this kind of reaction.”

  “Never again,” I whispered.

  “Ahem.” I heard from the door. When I looked over, my grandfather stood in the doorway to his bedroom.

  Wyvern chuckled. “I’m not… technically supposed to be in here with you. Let’s go downstairs, and I’ll act properly toward you.” He set me down, kissing me on the side of my head.

  “Yeah,” I said.

  When he offered me his hand, I didn’t hesitate to take it, savoring every moment of that amazing connection we had to each other.