Age of Dragons

by Olivia Ash

  In the past, I’ve broken my knuckles.

  This time, my fist goes clear through the wall. It shatters the black rock beyond the wallpaper, crumbling it into a fine gray dust.

  I set my palms against the wall, head hanging as I try to catch my breath. As my heart settles, I have to admit that felt pretty damn good.

  With everything that's going on, I need the men I'm growing to love to work together. It's like Tucker said—for this to work, they need to see each other as brothers.

  But this—their hatred—it could destroy us all.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Around midday, I arch my back and stretch my arms wide, drinking in the warm sun. After the fallout from the battle between Jace and Drew this morning, everyone is avoiding both of them.

  Including me.

  I recline across a section of roof I'm unfamiliar with, somewhere above the dozens of balconies that lead down to the ground below. If I went to my old spot, I figured one of them would look for me there—and I need some space from them both.

  As I stare at the clouds above me, my eyes glaze over. I'm trying to figure out what Zurie’s plan is. For the last two hours, I sat up here and sketched out loose concepts on the pad of paper currently resting beside me.

  This is something we used to do back when I was a Spectre, something Zurie taught me—a means of figuring out the plan of attack from every angle.

  I'm trying to get in her head, and it's really, really not working.

  I grumble in frustration, rubbing my eyes as I reach over and cross out yet another idea. This is like trying to predict lottery numbers. Everything Zurie does is just so random, and while there's always a thread of strategy running beneath it, it's usually not something you see until it's too late to change anything.

  I furiously scribble out one of the sketches—a ludicrous idea involving hot-air balloons—and throw my pen off the roof in anger. It's one of those things that I instantly regret doing, but it's too late to go back on it now. I'll just have to find it later.

  Deep within me, a strange flurry of desire swells and swirls from nowhere.

  Oh, great. My dragon senses Jace.

  The tug on my navel aches to lead me toward him. He's somewhere on the other side of the building, somewhere close, and I figure spying on him might be a little bit of fun since sketches aren't getting me anywhere. I climb the slope of the roof and peek over the edge, my ears straining to hear him if he's close enough.

  He's not.

  I ease my way down the other side of the roof, the slope on this side a bit steeper than I'm used to. I climb down a few sections of the roof, hopping onto stretches of flat area as I follow the tug on my navel until, finally, I hear his voice filter over the wind.

  Keeping low, I inch toward a section of the roof that covers a balcony only to find Levi and Jace leaning over the railing next to each other, both looking out on the mountains and the mists.

  I frown, not quite sure what to make of this. My impulse is to defend Levi, as some shifters may still see him as a feral dragon. To see the two of them so casually standing next to each other strikes me as odd.

  “What if I can't figure it out, Jace?” Levi asks, a twinge of distress in his voice.

  “You will,” Jace says calmly, resting his elbows against the railing as he looks out across the embassy grounds.

  Levi shakes his head, looking at his hands as if they have the answers he's looking for, if he could only decipher the lines in his palms. “Every time I try to shift, I just…” he trails off, groaning in frustration, unable to find the words.

  “I know,” Jace says, his tone gentle and understanding. “But that's what you do, Levi. The impossible. I know you're capable of figuring this out, too. You just need time. You need to trust your dragon, and only then can you heal this.”

  Levi sighs like he isn't quite sure he believes what Jace is saying.

  Keeping close to the roof, I smile as a flurry of gratitude bubbles through me. Even though Jace is a jealous creature, he's talking to Levi with compassion and kindness. With respect, even though Levi adores me.

  I never expected Jace to be this open, this compassionate. It's a deeper, warmer side of him that I wasn't sure was there. Truth be told, I'm grateful to see it.

  Jace adjusts, trying to get comfortable, and I notice a long scar running from his ear down the back of his neck and into his shirt. It’s fresh, red and raw, and I figure that's from the fight with Drew. I frown. Even though it seems that Jace is making progress with Levi and Tucker, it's clear that he and Drew are still very much at each other's throats. Those two are at risk for doing something unforgivable to each other.

  “It's not just about trusting him,” Levi says. “He wants to take over again. I can feel it. He's afraid I'll fail Rory like I failed…” His throat tightens, and he looks away, his voice catching.

  My hands grip the edge of the roof as I remember what Levi's commander did to his sister. The brutal murder right in front of him. The one that broke him. The moment that made him feral. I can barely contain the surge of hatred for such a vile man—and my sorrow for Levi for having to put up with him his whole life.

  Jace slowly shakes his head. “Levi, you came back from the brink. You came back from a point everyone assumes no shifter can never come back from. You are one of the most capable dragons I know, and I have to admit I'm glad Rory begged me not to kill you.” Jace grins, winking at Levi.

  Levi laughs. “She never told me that. I mean, I figured my days were numbered the moment she brought me here, but I didn’t realize how hard she was fighting for me.”

  I roll my eyes. I didn't beg. I gave him an order. At best, I asked him nicely.

  “So, how do I do it?” Levi asks, his smile falling. “How do I reconnect with my dragon?”

  Jace shrugs. “Remember what connected you in the first place.”

  “Fear,” Levi answers. “The need to survive.”

  And just like that, I remember the story of Levi's first shift, the near-death experience when he was just a boy. I grit my teeth in anger, glad the man who did that to Levi is already dead because if he wasn't, I'd be out for blood.

  No one hurts my Levi.

  “No, man,” Jace says, shaking his head. “It was love that connected you two in the first place. You knew your dragon would take care of you and vice versa.” He lightly jabs his finger into Levi's chest, emphasizing his point. “You were both a team once, you two against the world. You need to find that place again.”

  Levi rubs the back of his neck. “But what if he blocks me? What if I give in, and he never gives me back the reins?”

  Jace hesitates, studying Levi’s face with a somber expression. “If you have a reason to come back, he won't.”

  Both men go quiet, and I have to wonder if they're referring to me. If this is Jace's subtle way of giving in, of learning how to share.

  I try not to hope too hard.

  “Thanks, Jace,” Levi says quietly, patting the dojo master on the back.

  Jace nods and leans once more against the balcony, looking out over the mists and the forest below.

  With that, their conversation is apparently over. I don't always recognize the unspoken rules of guy-communication, but Levi just leaves without another word.

  With Jace's back to me, I wonder if I should simply disappear. Maybe sneak back over the roof and go back to my sketching.

  If I’m being honest, I want to savor this moment of compassion. I don’t see Jace do this often, and I want to remember it. Appreciate it, even if he didn’t know I witnessed the whole thing.

  Plus, it's not often that Jace exposes his back to me, so I kind of want to mess with him, too.

  Quietly, I sit on a crook in the roof where Jace will notice me when he does finally turn around. As he watches the mountains, he sets his hand against his chest like his own dragon is swirling and tugging him toward me.

  Without a word, he looks over his shoulder—directly at me, like he kn
ew where I would be.

  And he grins.

  “I always feel you, but I'm never sure where you are,” he confesses.

  I chuckle. “It's all part of my devious plan to keep you on your toes. I’m quite the evil mastermind.”

  He laughs as I slide off the roof and onto the balcony, landing lightly against the tile floor.

  I nod back into the castle after Levi. “I didn't know you were such a softie, Jace.”

  “Yeah, well, don't get used to it,” he says, returning his attention to the mountains beyond.

  “Thank you for helping him,” I say, leaning against the railing beside the dojo master, taking the place where Levi stood just moments before. “Even though, you know…”

  Jace frowns and looks away. “I respect those who master their immense power and who can hone impressive abilities. Levi did the impossible and that means he earned my respect.”

  I can't help but think of all the power burning within me. Of my dragon, given to me by the gods themselves to carry because I’m worthy. I wonder why that's not enough for him, but if it's one thing I've learned with Jace, it’s when to pick a fight and when to save something for later.

  We stand there for a while, enjoying the crisp air and the warm sun without saying a thing. We don’t need to.

  “You're not going to pick just one of us, are you?” Jace eventually asks, breaking the silence.

  No.

  I won’t.

  I hesitate, not entirely sure how to answer. “I would always feel like I was trying to be something I’m not,” I confess. “It’s not the world I know, Jace. Besides, you all have a piece of me—a piece I can never get back.”

  As gooey and uncomfortable as I feel for admitting it, that’s the truth. They do.

  He sighs, and even though I wait for him to be angry, he doesn't even look disappointed. Just… clear, like it’s the answer he was expecting.

  I tilt my head in curiosity. “You don't look as furious as I thought you would.”

  He chuckles. “I'm actually warming up to the idea. My dragon still gets possessive any time I see you with Tucker or Levi or…” He grimaces, his nose wrinkling in disgust. “Drew. And that will never go away, but if I had you as my mate, that's a life bond. That's forever. I would know no one could ever take you from me, and maybe then I could share.”

  I laugh, not quite believing what I just heard. “Did hell just freeze over?”

  Jace grins, his face lighting up with humor and happiness as I poke fun at him. It steals my breath away, seeing him smile.

  I wish he would do it more often.

  “It's not fair to you.” My heart twists as I bring up the impossible choice he has to make.

  Jace shrugs. “Sometimes life isn't fair.”

  “Which way are you leaning?”

  He shakes his head. “I can't even begin to decide, Rory. If I chose the dojo, I would always love you no matter what they did to break our bond. I would always think of you and wonder if I'd done the right thing.”

  My heart skips a few hopeful beats at his confession, but I can't bring myself to look at him. “And if you choose me?”

  “I'm pretty sure I would drive you crazy protecting you,” he admits with a smirk. “With no dojo to distract me, my full attention would be on you.”

  I laugh. “Oh, gods help me.”

  He grins and grabs me, pulling me close as his electric touch simmers across my skin. My body leans into him impulsively, aching for him, wanting nothing but him in this moment. I expect him to tease me, to dangle his lips near mine and watch me squirm, but he simply holds me close.

  I try not to indulge myself or hope too hard, but I can't help my hands as they weave around his waist, holding him tightly. “You put female soldiers in the field all the time, Jace. You clearly don't mind putting women in the line of fire. So why am I different?”

  “I don't mind if they've earned it,” he says with a shrug. “It's the same for all my soldiers, man or woman. They have to earn their place in the ranks.”

  “Considering my upbringing and all I’ve done so far, I’d say I’ve earned that much,” I say, craning my neck to look up at him. “So, what's this overbearing protectiveness?”

  He doesn't meet my eye. Instead, he looks off into the mists. “It's a mate thing, Rory, and it's self-protection. You control my dragon. He and I would sacrifice anything for our mate. You virtually control us.”

  “But I don't understand,” I press. “You see those soldiers as capable. What would it take to see me in the same light?”

  “No, it's different,” he insists, taking a step back so that he can see me. “They take on the risk themselves when they go into battle. They choose to fight, and the only life at stake is their own. With you, you have the world after you, trying to kill you, and all my enemies are after you, too. Between us, we will never have peace. We will always be hunted. It's not enough to be able to hold your own in a battle. You need to be able to hold your own every moment of every day. You need to see the things even I miss.”

  I groan. He has eyes and ears everywhere, so I'm not even sure that's possible

  Jace lets out a soft breath and holds me tight again, toying with the ends of my hair as he leans his chin against the top of my head. “Mated life never interested me,” he confesses, confirming my initial theory. “It was never what I wanted until I saw you. I never thought I could love a person as much as I love the dojo.”

  Yet again, there's a hopeful pang in my chest, and I indulge a small smile. “Which side of you is winning? The duty or the bond?”

  For several minutes, he doesn't answer, and I'm surprised to find myself nervous. I give him the silence he needs, and I don't press it.

  “You make me feel, Rory,” he admits. “I feel more deeply for you than even a mate-bond should make me feel. It's insanely deep. If anything happened to you, I would instantly and irreparably snap. There would be no coming back from the brink. If, for whatever reason, you reject this bond and say it's not what you want, my dragon would pursue you to the ends of the Earth.”

  His dragon is pushy, so I’ll give him that. “What would you do?”

  “Try my best to honor your wishes,” he admits, gently kissing the top of my head. “And fail miserably at it.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  As the moon shines overhead in the jet-black sky, suspended between the thousands of stars shining in the darkness, I sit on my tower roof and enjoy the soft hum of wind through the silence.

  My peace lasts all of five minutes, which is honestly a record in this place.

  The rustle of somebody climbing up onto the roof catches my attention, but I recognize the sound. I don't look over my shoulder, since I already know who it is.

  Irena pulls herself onto the roof and joins me, sitting beside me as she reclines and stretches her legs. We sit together in the stillness for a few moments, not needing to say anything to enjoy each other's company.

  “You're glowing,” she eventually says.

  I look down in my arms, at the sleeves that I've pulled up to my elbow. True to her word, my skin glows faintly gold, as do the glimmering two-dimensional chains along my forearms. I lift my hands to study the magical tattoos as they glitter and glisten even in the darkness.

  “Yeah, I guess I am.” I shrug, as if they don’t bother me even though they do. “You know, it's funny. Over time, you just kind of tune them out. Every now and then, I’ll look down and suddenly remember they’re there.”

  “What are they?”

  “I don't know.” I tuck my legs under me and look out over the dark forest once again. “They appeared when I got my magic. I'm not sure what they mean, and I just kind of assume I'll have them forever.”

  There's a lot I expect Irena to say in response to that. I know she has opinions, especially on this whole me being the dragon vessel thing.

  Thankfully, she doesn't press it. She's quiet, keeping her thoughts to herself, and I have to admit I'm grateful for that
. At least for the moment.

  “I've reactivated most of my contacts,” Irena says instead, changing the subject. “The good ones, anyway.”

  “Think we’ll leave soon, then?”

  For the Spectre tech. For the remote storage warehouse that unknowingly hides the specs on some of the most advanced technology in the world.

  “Soon,” she promises. “After talking with them, something’s becoming clear to me, though.”

  “Oh?”

  “You and I aren't the only ones who wanted out,” she says with a knowing glance toward me. “There were others forced into the life just like we were. There's a growing resentment, something I can turn into a rebellion. Something that can destroy the Spectres from within.”

  Irena pauses, her green eyes darting toward me as I process everything she just said.

  My sister wants to trust people. She wants to build a team, just like me.

  I truly never thought I would see the day.

  “I've never taken many lovers,” she says, looking at her fingernails. “But the few I have are in the Spectres. Others like us who understood the life, the limitations, the risks. They want to help.”

  “And you trust them?”

  For a moment, Irena doesn't move or speak. Her jaw tenses like she doesn't quite know what to say or if she should speak at all. “I don't know, Rory. You never know who might be a double agent. Who’s ultimately in Zurie’s pocket, or who she placed in my life just to watch me.”

  “That's true,” I admit with a nod. “Do you have any guesses who might be on Zurie’s side?”

  She hesitates. “Everyone?”

  I chuckle. “Deep down, you already know who’s honorable and who’s not. Trust your gut.”

  “But what if—”

  Irena is interrupted by the chime on her phone, nothing more than a simple ding that catches our attention and is gone just as quickly. She tugs it out of her pocket, her thumb sliding across the screen as she pulls up an alert.