Age of Dragons

by Olivia Ash

  I curse under my breath and throw on some clothes, running after him down the stairwells and through the hallways as we make our way to the center courtyard.

  As we race toward the open front doors, the roars and snarls of what sounds like an epic battle filter through from outside. One of them screeches in agony, and the heart-wrenching tear of claws across skin shakes me to the core.

  Oh, great.

  As I race onto the front steps, I find two dragons locked in a duel in the center of the black stone.

  Soldiers in their human forms fill the edges of the square, while dragons perch along the walls. Everyone leans forward. Those in their human forms grip swords and guns tightly, while the dragons among us dig their claws into the black stone. Teeth bared, growls rumbling in the backs of their throats, it’s clear everyone wishes they could dive in and stop this.

  And yet, no one is willing to try.

  Faced with a bloody war zone, my training kicks in. I impulsively scan the crowd for any familiar faces, and while I recognize a few of them, Irena’s not down here. Levi stands at the front of the crowd in a wide stance with his arms crossed, his back to me as he watches the fire dragon and the thunderbird duel in the center courtyard.

  As I jog down the steps toward him, Russell makes his way through the crowd toward me and hops onto the bottom steps, blocking my way.

  I don’t care if he’s Harper’s favorite. I don’t care if he’s a contender for second in command of this dojo. I swear to the gods—if this man tries to stop me from intervening because of some stupid rule about honor, I will punch him in the face.

  He leans in, his hand lifted between us to get me to stop. I frown, eyebrows pinched as I wait for the inevitable request that I stand down.

  “Please stop them,” he says under his breath, his gaze shifting toward the two dragons locked in battle. “None of us can defy our master, and no one has any authority over Drew.”

  Oh.

  What a nice surprise.

  I nod. “That's what I'm here to do.”

  Russell steps aside to let me pass, and I jog toward Levi with Tucker hot on my heels. The ice dragon’s arms are crossed, and even as I approach him, his gaze is locked on the dragons before us. It’s almost as if he's not just studying them, but trying to anticipate what they're going to do next. Who they might hurt. Where they might go. What they might do that they’ll regret later.

  “No formal duel was declared,” Levi says the moment I'm next to him, without so much as a glance toward me.

  He can’t afford to look away—at any moment, this could all get even worse. He—and all of us, for that matter—has to stay alert.

  Only then do I notice a deep scrape across his cheek. It goes from his nose down to his jaw, and even though it's not bleeding anymore, the deep gouge looks remarkably painful.

  I grit my teeth in an effort to choke back my fury. “Which of them did that to you?”

  He shakes his head. “I honestly don't know. Stepping in to stop them didn't go very well for me.”

  I'm fuming.

  It's almost impossible to describe the depth of my rage at this moment, to really feel it, to fully understand how deep and hot the anger goes.

  I want to rip something apart, to shatter things, to break the world until these two idiots can finally drop this feud of theirs. I want to make them see and think clearly again. To be the men I remember and not the assholes they’ve become.

  “Rory, relax,” Levi says calmly beside me. “I’m fine.”

  My attention shifts to him, and I’m sure I look as livid as I feel. I know full well I'm glaring even though I'm not angry with him. He, for the most part, appears unfazed, and watches me as if he doesn't have a deep gouge on his face.

  “How can I not be angry with this nonsense?” I ask.

  “This will heal,” he says, pointing to the wound on his face. “You won't even see it by tomorrow.”

  “They should never have hurt you in the first place,” I point out as Jace and Drew wrestle. They dig their claws into each other, biting at each other's faces and necks, each of them trying to get the upper hand on the other as they quickly decimate the courtyard.

  “We're dragons, Rory,” Levi says calmly. “This comes with the territory. We're hot-blooded and angry, and sometimes a fight can break out just to settle little grudges.” He shrugs. “It's our way.”

  “It's barbaric.”

  “You're one of us now, Rory,” he reminds me with an endearing chuckle. “I can see how this is brutal to the human in you, but there's still a lot for you to learn about being a dragon.”

  “What started this?” I ask, not wanting a lecture right now.

  “I don’t think anyone heard the initial argument.” Levi hesitates, absently scratching at the back of his head as he watches the fight. “They were angry and shifted. They just started going at it.”

  I narrow my eyes in suspicion, knowing full well he's hiding something from me.

  He knows damn well what they were arguing about.

  Levi frowns, studying my face as he seems to internally debate whether or not to tell me the truth.

  “Levi…” I say quietly, a hint of warning in my tone.

  He sighs deeply, the sound heavy with resignation and a hint of regret. “You. They were fighting over who had claim to you.”

  Oh, hell no.

  That's it.

  I take a step toward the dragons as they writhe and wrestle in the center courtyard. Before I can go any further, Tucker grabs my arm and turns me toward him. He holds my shoulders, leaning toward me, his eyes scanning me intently. “Be careful, Rory. They're not themselves right now.”

  I nod and set my hand on his to reassure him, but I'm not about to let this go.

  Jace and Drew have officially taken this too far.

  I step into the fray as the two dragons duel. They snarl at each other, the black thunderbird pausing as he digs his sharp claws into the ground, cracking the black rock beneath him with effortless grace. His body hums with blue light and magic as he aims a blast toward Drew.

  Apparently, claws and battle aren’t enough for them anymore. Now, they’re going to try to burn and dissolve each other into ash.

  In that split second, everything gets so much worse.

  Drew snarls, his growl rumbling in his chest like thunder, daring Jace to fire.

  Jace is happy to oblige.

  The sizzling beam of energy tears from his mouth, crackling through the air, but Drew doesn't flinch. He stands on his back legs, the mighty fire dragon spreading his broad wings as he leans into the beam. The magic breaks across Drew’s skin, driving him backward and digging a path through the stone that cracks and crumbles around him.

  Drew roars into the sky, unleashing a barrel of fire into the air—unfazed by a blast that would have killed most, if not all, other dragons.

  Even as their anger rages, I find mine slowly morphing into something else—something strange. The anger simmers and stews, blurring and blending into an odd sense of calm. It's not peace, of course, just—knowing.

  Knowing that I'm going to stop them.

  Knowing that this is too far.

  Knowing that this behavior is absolutely unacceptable.

  Deep within me, my dragon is just as furious as I am.

  As I walk toward them, a blast of fire shoots overhead, the billowing heat from the flames brushing against my skin and warming my face.

  But I don't flinch.

  These are my men, and I won't fear them. Not now. Not ever.

  As far as I can tell, neither dragon sees me. They don't see anything but each other, but the hot fury of bloodlust and the desire to see the other fall before him.

  I summon my magic, the white light flitting across my skin, crackling with power and life as I reach the center of the courtyard.

  Both dragons step back, circling each other, their gaze is fixed on the dragon in front of them, completely overlooking me. They circle, waiting for an op
portunity to attack.

  With me in the middle of their duel, the two of them oblivious to my presence, they charge.

  But I'm faster.

  I summon my magic into my hands and aim it at the ground, shooting a furious blast of white light into the rock beneath me as I scream into the air.

  “STOP!” I demand.

  And the world around me trembles with the command.

  The fury burning through my body makes my voice boom. I can hear it echo across the mountains. It comes from so deep within me that it feels ethereal. It feels other.

  It feels powerful.

  A burst of white light shoots from my hands, cracking the ground beneath us and drowning everything with its sheer, blinding brilliance. Even I have to shut my eyes to block out the light as a blast of air shoots in all directions from me. I hear the crumble of rock, the kick of dust and pebbles tumbling across the ground.

  As the light recedes, I open my eyes to find the two dragons staring at me. Their heads hover near mine, barely a few feet away on either side of me. Their hot breath rolls over my face with every furious exhale as they softly growl.

  Sparks burn along the black thunderbird as if he's desperate to unleash another blast. Black smoke rolls from Drew's nose as if he is anxious to let loose another torrent of fire at his enemy.

  But both dragons wait, glaring at me. As furious with me that I would intervene as I am with them for starting this to begin with.

  And yet, they listened. To me.

  They stopped.

  I want to dig into them, to find out what the hell is wrong with the two of them and what's really going on. This hatred they have for each other is getting out of control, and it has officially spiraled into something bigger, something even more deadly and dangerous than it was before.

  I have to stop that, too. I just don't know how.

  As much as I want to scream at them both, I have to save face for the dojo master in front of his soldiers. Jace rules here—not me—and I can't formally demand anything of him in front of all these witnesses. If I try, it’ll just make everything worse.

  “I would like to speak to you both privately,” I say through gritted teeth, white sparks darting up my arm as I glare at them. “Now.”

  In Jace's war room, I pace across the floor as the two men sit at the heads of the table. The furious silence is tense and heavy as both men glare daggers at each other.

  On the way up here, they manage to find pants, for which I'm admittedly grateful. Even as angry as I am, their gorgeous, naked bodies would be far too distracting for me to really focus.

  “Figure this out,” I demand, turning on my heel as I pace the length of the room once again, refusing to look at either of them. “I don't care how you do it. Therapy, yelling match, it doesn't matter. But this has to stop!”

  “It's simple enough,” Drew says, leaning back in his chair as his biceps flex, his gaze fixed on Jace. “This asshole just needs to break the mate-bond with you and leave you to men who will actually protect you instead of trying to own you.”

  “Drew,” I snap. “That's not helping.”

  “How dare you,” Jace growls, his voice low and deadly as he stands and rests his fists against the table. “How dare you even suggest such a thing?”

  “Do you want the dojo or a mate?” Drew snaps back, not missing a beat. “She's a partner, not your property. How hard is it to tell her she has fourteen death-bounties on her head? You’re not training her, you’re keeping her busy so she doesn’t ask questions!”

  I ball my hand into a fist, fed up and furious with them both. My magic burns in my blood, aching to break free.

  “She's my mate and mine to protect as I see fit,” Jace says, his jaw tensing as he squares his shoulders, daring Drew to disagree.

  “She's not,” Drew slams his fist against the table, cracking it. “She's mine as much as yours, and I won't let you steal her from me!”

  “Enough!” I shout, bristling again, white light racing across my arms as it pushes against me. I’m so angry that I can barely keep my magic at bay. Any second, it will force its way out of me.

  They don’t stop.

  Drew leans forward, resting his knuckles on the table as he points at Jace. “He wants to take you to the capital, to store you away with the rest of the mates. He's actually making arrangements, Rory!”

  I scowl, looking at Jace, wondering if it's true.

  I can believe it.

  “He's keeping secrets,” Drew continues, not missing a beat. “Secrets left and right. He won't treat you as an equal. Is that what you want? Someone who will steal you away from the others? Not just from me, Rory. From Levi. From Tucker. From Irena. He will hide you away forever.”

  “No,” Jace interjects, standing. “Just you.”

  My magic burns in my palms, and before I know it, I'm setting my hands on the table.

  “Shut up!” I shout.

  And with a surge in my anger, I unleash a torrent of white light that shatters the table to splinters. A thin cloud of dust lingers in the air where the table once stood, but most of the remnants lie in shattered heaps of dagger-sharp wood on the floor.

  Both men impulsively step back from the remnants of what was once Jace's table, and I can't find it within me to feel an ounce of sympathy for what I destroyed.

  I'm too angry, too furious, too frustrated with both of them.

  “Figure this out,” I repeat, trying to deal with one thing at a time. “If not for each other, then do it for me.” I pause, my chin lifting in irritated defiance as I give Jace a once-over. “And, in case you were curious, I won’t go to the capital. If you try to send me off to live in hiding, it had better be in chains because there’s no other way you’ll get me to leave anyone here behind.”

  “Rory, I wasn’t going to send you off,” Jace snaps, offended. “We would talk about it, and—”

  “Fucking liar,” Drew snaps.

  With the table no longer between them, both men bristle, clenching their hands into fists and glaring at each other as if they're about to fight again.

  Drew even takes a step forward, slipping into a fighting stance before he hesitates and looks at me. I gently shake my head, practically begging him not to do it, to not start this.

  Not again.

  He groans in frustration and without a word, charges out into the hallway and slams the door behind him.

  Jace is breathing heavily, still primed for a fight. With Drew no longer there, that unfortunately means he turns his full fury toward me. “Why did you have to want us both?”

  I glare at him in answer, not about to explain myself after everything he's done.

  He seems to get the hint, and his shoulders relax ever so slightly. He begins to pace the far side of the room, shaking his head and looking anywhere but at me. “Rory, this is more than just a feud. It's hatred, and it's going to end in blood.”

  “It doesn't have to,” I point out, setting my hands on my hips and wishing these two could just see sense. “You're both good men. You're aggressive, dominating assholes sometimes, but you're good at heart or I wouldn't waste my time with you. I wouldn't want you in my life otherwise. This grudge that divides you, it's there, yes, but you can heal it.”

  Jace turns toward me, his nose wrinkled in disgust as he points toward the door. “He killed my brother, Rory. I can never forgive that!”

  But he didn’t.

  In that split-second of weakness, of just wanting to stop their hatred for each other, I almost tell Jace the truth.

  Drew didn't kill Jace’s brother, but he's saving face for the man who did. He's taking the blame because he knows the person who actually killed Jace's brother wouldn't survive if the world knew.

  I grit my teeth and turn my back on him, wishing I could just tell Jace the truth. But if I did, it would destroy Drew's trust in me.

  I need him to come clean, but I can't be the one to force him to do it.

  “There's more to this than meets the e
ye, Jace,” I say instead. “And I believe in you. I believe in you both.” I turn toward him, scanning his handsome face as I try to make him see the truth in all this. “I need you to believe in yourselves, too. I need you to want to heal this.”

  Jace shakes his head, turning his back on me as if he can't even find the words to respond.

  I look at the shattered table on the floor, the remnants of what was once a beautiful surface, and my mind wanders over the rest of the conversation.

  “Which way are you leaning?” I ask, not wanting to look at him, not daring to hope too hard. “On the mate-bond, I mean.”

  With his back still toward me, he stops, freezing in place and groaning as he sets his hands on his head. “I hate Drew for telling you about that.”

  “I was in the tunnels,” I confess. “I heard everything.”

  Jace groans furiously, his shoulders tensing as he loops his thumbs over the edge of his pants. His hard back tenses, the muscles flexing as his anger burns within him, and I figure he's wondering if giving me access to the tunnels was a mistake.

  “I want a partner,” I remind him. “Not just a protector. Not a warden. Do you think you can be that for me? Because if not—Jace, just choose the dojo.”

  My heart wrenches at the words. I hate them. I hate that they came out of my mouth, but Harper’s right—this is as much my decision as his.

  If I can’t be his equal, then he can’t have me.

  He doesn't move. For several moments, he doesn't even answer and barely breathes. “Rory, I'm too angry to talk about this right now.”

  In the silence that follows, it seems like there's something else he wants to say, like he was working through something he can't quite form into words yet. But after a few tense moments, he just walks out the door, his bare feet unfazed by the splinters strewn across the ground.

  When he leaves, I roll my fingers into a fist. I’m practically shaking with frustration, and I can’t hold it back anymore. It takes over me, and I have to burn it off.

  I have to do something.

  I yell, angry and heartbroken, and punch my fist into the wall. I’ve only done this a few times in my life, and never when anyone could see—always alone, always when I can really let my anger free.