Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (54 page)

“The other side exists. They have a better life,” Marcus said.

“What?”

“Cassy can become a Dragonian. August too.”

Tears flowed and she hugged her father. “But the snatchers, they will…”

“They won’t harm us, Elena is the key. She can take everyone out of here safely,” Blake said.

Daisy closed her eyes. Relief was an understatement. She was experiencing hope too. It was so addictive.

She sniffed hard, and took a deep breath. Then the same doubt came back. “No, it’s not going to work. If any of us are missing, they will kill the rest.” She spoke to her father, as if she was reminding him. “It’s not going to work, Blake.”

I could feel their pain, feel their emotions going through a roller-coaster, hope, doubt, hope, doubt. It was not going to work. Innocent people were going to die the minute we took someone out of here. I looked at Blake and he had a soft smile on his face. More hope.

“Charles,” he said. “You ever heard of the Buyo project?”

The Buyo project? Why did that sound so familiar? A glass box protected by a harness that went around someone’s body jumped into my mind. I’d seen it once, at the lab when I was busy with the Sonic project. It was some sort of harness you strapped on, but what it was used for, I didn’t know.

Charles nodded. “It’s far-fetched, always was.”

“It’s not. It’s actually an extremely smart design, all it needs is human DNA to activate it and with a push of a button you can become whoever you want to be. It can be easily worn under your clothes. They will never know. We can get ops in here, and get all of you out next week.”

“What?” everyone voiced.

“You have no idea what has happened in the past seventeen years. Technology has grown, it will blow your mind away. There is no limit anymore.”

Everyone was quiet again when Blake said that. Thinking about his plan.

“Dad, will it work?” Marcus asked.

“I have to see this first, Blake, before I’m going to jeopardize everyone’s lives.”

“Okay,” Blake said.

I never even knew there was something like that out there.

Gertrude got up. “Father, it’s late. I’m sure Blake and Elle want to rest and tomorrow is going to be a long day. We still have so much work to do.”

“I’ll help,” Blake said. “While Elena goes back to get the ball rolling.”

I stared at him. Leave him here? Was he seriously insane?

“Blake you’ve helped enough.” Daisy smiled.

“I’ll help, Daisy, is it?”

She nodded.

“See you all tomorrow.” He looked at me. “A word in private, Elena.”

I got up and I knew we were going to fight again.

“Let me show you to the guest room,” Gertrude said and Blake smiled. We walked up the stairs and more happiness broke out.

“Is this for real?” Daisy asked.

“If that device works, I can’t see why not,” Charles said.

“What about Leana, and Max?” Tom sounded worried.

“He said everyone, Tom.” Marcus’s tone carried hope, and I tuned out.

Blake was speaking to Gertrude thanking her for her hospitality. She just giggled. “We should thank the both of you, now we know why Elle was so distraught when she thought they’d killed you.”

Blake didn’t turn or look at me.
Thanks Gertrude.

“I hope this will suit you. It was Elle’s old room.”

“It’s perfect, goodnight Mrs. Benson.”

“Gertrude please,” she said. “Good night Elle.”

“Thanks Gertrude.” I hugged her and she left.

I closed the door and knew I was going to have to listen to what was probably going to be the biggest fight of my life. He was so draining at times.

He wielded his shield, it was so strong that I could hear the soft buzz around us.

“You didn’t even think that knowing your father was alive would be useful, Elena?”

“He made me promise Blake.”

“I don’t give a shit. The people will fight, Caleb will fight. We need the people of Areeth, Elena.”

“He doesn’t want them to fight. Blake, if we can get the good ones out, the Saadedine will still be trapped, Goran will still be trapped, they will never know. We don’t have to destroy or free Etan.”

“And how do you suppose we are going to free your father without letting any of them know? You heard what Annie said, the Saadedine is protecting him.”

“He didn’t want us to free him. I don’t even know if he’s still alive, Blake.”

“It’s really sad that you know nothing about your father, Elena. But I’m not going to give up on my king, and neither should you.”

I hated how he talked about my dad, saying that I didn’t know him. How he made me feel so selfish, so cowardly.

“I promised him, we’ll get the innocent out and that is it.”

“No,” he roared. “It’s our destiny to free everyone, EVERYONE, Elena.”

“Oh everyone, even the bad ones Blake? The ones who kill and rape? Those ones too?”

He flinched as I said it. “I gave you my word that they would die.”

I laughed sarcastically as a thought popped up over a certain resemblance. “Annie isn’t your only family this side, is she? You know someone named Billy, Blake? Cause it all makes sense now. Why he looks like you. Annie sure knew him. Really well. I didn’t think family-wise, but now...” I shook my head.

He stared at me, as if he’d just realized something extremely important.

“Billy?” he said and lowered his shield. He walked out the door, running down the stairs, and I could hear him yelling Annie’s name.

“Yes?” She answered.

“Who is Billy?”

“Blake,” she said softly. I knew it.

“Who is he?” he asked, in an adamant tone.

“It’s Will.”

“Will?” Blake asked. “As in William Henderson?”

I was right, he was family. Probably from Sir Robert’s side.

“I’m sorry, Blake.”

He was quiet. “It doesn’t matter,” he mumbled and his footsteps stomped fast on the stairs back to the room. The door opened.

I nodded. “I was right.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Who is he, Blake?”

“Not family anymore.”

“Who is he?” I yelled.

“He was my father’s sister’s son. His dad was a human.”

“It explains why he doesn’t have a dragon form, but looks a lot like you.”

“It doesn’t matter.

“His family had a shitty life. It’s either become evil or die.”

“Look around you, Elena. All these people had that choice, but they choose differently. He isn’t my family anymore and he will die. That is what I promised, that is what’s going to happen.”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to speak to you when you are like this. I’m going to sleep in Annie’s room.”

I ran away. I was sick and tired of always fighting with him.

The door shut behind me and I was glad that it didn’t open again. I knocked on Annie’s door. “Is everything okay?” she asked and I closed my eyes and started to cry.

“Shhh, he’s just angry, Elle,” she said. “He has all the right to be too.” She patted my hair as her arms went around my shoulders. “He was part of it, wasn’t he?”

“Part of what?”

“Whatever they did to you.”

I got what she was talking about and nodded.

“I told you not to trust him, Elle. He is…”

“I know, okay. I know. I was stupid.” I turned around and sat on her bed. “It’s his cousin, Annie.”

“Oh, I know. The idiot used to play with us as kids.”

I flinched. They were that close?

“He used to break off our baby scales, which I might add hurt like hell. I played with Blake a lot, he was such a gentle dragon.”

“What?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

She giggled and sat down next to me. “I take it he’s grown some these past years.”

“That is an understatement.”

“How big is he?” She had curiosity mixed with admiration in her tone.

“Massive.”

She bit her lip and smiled, probably trying to imagine it. “We haven’t seen a dragon for such a long time.” She sounded so excited and started to forget about the danger. “I’ve never felt this happy before.”

I wrapped my one arm around her and pulled her closer to me. “I’m with Blake, Elle. Will needs to die.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“I do.”

I sighed. All of this was so messed up.

“Can I ask you something?” She lifted up her head from my shoulder and looked at me. My eyes caught her burn mark. I hated those idiots. I nodded.

“What’s my mom like?”

E TALKED FOR a long time about Constance, everything I could think of. How beautiful she was, both human and dragon. Annie didn’t know her human form, she only remembered her dragon. I told her how her mother tried to get back to the other side when the Creepers consumed Etan. How men had had to shoot her with tranquilizers so she wouldn’t kill herself. I mentioned the many times she’d saved my life and how much she missed her eccentric Sun-Blast dragon.

Annie had so many tears in her eyes. “She is going to be so disappointed. I mean look at me.”

“She loves you, Annie. She asked me that if I found a Sun-Blast wandering around that could look like her, I should just grab you and bring you back.”

“She did?”

I nodded and smiled. “The only thing she’s forgotten is if you look more like your father.”

“See. Disappointed.” Her tone went an octave higher.

“She won’t.” I eased her worries.

She sniffed and wiped a tear. “So my Pop seriously still runs Dragonia?”

“What?” I asked.

“Blake said that he still runs the Academy.”

“Master Longwei is your grandfather?”

She giggled. “You didn’t know that?”

I shook my head.
Oh crap.
“He’s waiting for his son to return.”

“Don’t.” She stroked my arm. “He will understand, Elle. My father was one of those spirits who never gave up. They couldn’t break him.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Shhhh, don’t.”

A knock came on the door and Annie gave me a funny face and got up. She just stood by the door. “Are you going to fight?”

“No, I’m done fighting,” Blake answered sulkily and she stepped out of his way.

He entered and just looked at me. I didn’t want to look at him. “Elena…”

“Blake I’m tired. I don’t have the strength for this.” I rested my arms on my knees and buried my face in my hands. He was so draining but I eventually looked at him. What was he still doing here?

He smiled. “You think I like fighting with you? Believe me I’ve had my fair share of hating you, Elena.”

Annie just gaped, while staring at him. Yeah, he had no filter and just said it like it was. “Just come please. I don’t think my cousin will understand when I break her door down to wake you up.”

“Wake her up?” Annie asked and she looked at me. “You have nightmares too?”

I nodded.

“They will pass, they always pass.”

“Thanks, I can’t wait for that.”

I walked over to her and just grabbed her around her neck. “She is going to be so pissed off finding you in this condition.”

“She will?”

“Of course she will. She misses you, Annie.”

“What if she won’t accept me? I’m broken, Elena.”

“You’re a Sun-Blast for crying out loud,” Blake said. “And one who kicked my ass on numerous occasions when we were little.”

Annie giggled. “I’m not that dragon anymore, Blake. Look at me. I’m not oil painting material here.”

“It’s fixable.”

I stared at him. Their healing didn’t work on dragons.

He closed his eyes, covered her eyes with his hand and rested his temple on hers.

“What are you doing?” Annie’s tone was doubtful.

“Shhhh,” he said and I watched.

Nothing happened for a few minutes, and I knew he couldn’t be doing what I thought he was. Just then, a string of Blake’s raven black hair started to lose color and went pure white. His knees gave in and connected hard with the floor.

I froze, like always. He fell to the floor and gulped for air, starting to cough. Annie crouched next to him. It was a wonder I moved, and found myself on the other side of him.

Blake still coughed like crazy and I saw a pitcher of water on Annie’s night stand. I got up and poured him a glass.

“Here,” I said with the glass of water in my hand.

“What did you do?” Annie screamed at him and I looked at her face.

“Your eye…” I touched it softly. The burn mark was gone, her eye was as beautiful as it once was. I didn’t understand any of this. “It’s healed!”

She stared at me, then jumped up and ran to the mirror. “No,” she said and ran back to him.

“Look at me!” she yelled at his upper body that was now resting on his elbows. Blake looked at her and she got angry immediately. He looked back at me and took the glass, but all I saw was Blake’s left eye, burned like Annie’s had been a couple of minutes ago.

It was a selfless act and one he hadn’t even thought twice about.

If I didn’t know anything about him, say our paths only crossed now, that would be enough for me to fall crazy in love him.

He was different. So, so different, and I didn’t even know if it was really him or not. The old Blake would’ve made fun of her, this one had healed her.

“Why did you do that?” Annie’s voice broke as she touched his eye softly.

“Shhh,” he said to Annie and smiled at her. “I can’t heal dragons, only myself.”

I looked at him. That wasn’t new, but I’d seen how he’d just healed Annie. “This is a transformation spell. I can promise you by tomorrow it’s going to look like a big shiner and the day after, I’ll be a pretty boy again.”

She punched him real hard.

He laughed as he rubbed his arm. “I remember your violent nature used to be much stronger, Annie.”

He would be fine and I wrapped my arm around her.

“I take it this is good night then,” she said to me and I nodded.

She looked at Blake. “That was really stupid.” She punched him again. “But it’s also how I remember you, it’s like you haven’t changed one bit.” She flung her arms around him. “Thanks, Plucky.”

Blake laughed. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time, but I’m sure Elena can change your mind in one night.” He had a teasing tone in his voice. “Sleep tight, Jumble-Bean, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Good night, don’t let the bedbugs bite, and I mean it, they’re huge.”

We both laughed.

We left and I followed Blake to our room.

I sat on the bed, and moved until my back reached the window. I looked at the sky. It was only the moon.

“So it wasn’t me in your dream?” Blake asked as he walked closer to the nightstand to pour another glass of water.

“What?”

His lips curved slightly. “I thought that you’d hated me so much, that I became one of them. It wasn’t me, it was Will.”

I kept staring at his eye. It didn’t matter what he did to himself, he would never be deformed. I smiled and nodded.

He blew out a gush of air. “Would it be too blunt to say I am relieved?”

I smiled and shook my head. “You really thought that it was you?”

He nodded. “I hate those dreams, Elena.”

It was silent for a while. I didn’t like the fact that he knew about that at all. “You killed two of them?”

“Three, actually.” I felt disgusted about that. “My fire returned after Seymour, Billy and another guy left. I was so out of it.” I stroked my face hard. The bed shifted and Blake came over to sit next to me against the wall. He stroked my back. “Don’t. You were protecting yourself, Elena. I’m glad you got some revenge.”

“Blake, you can’t kill him.”

“Don’t, please. Don’t beg me to spare his life. Every time I see him, well let’s just say he will be a reminder for me too.”

“He’s fami—”

He put his finger hard on my mouth. “Family looks out for one another Elena, they try not to hurt one another, doesn’t matter what evil and what darkness surrounds them. They stand up for the weaker ones, they support each other, without asking for anything back. Even when I was dark, and my family annoyed the living crap out of me, I would never ever have hurt them like that.”

I just looked at him.

“Now answer me this, did Will do any of those things to Annie or you?”

I wanted to say yes, but couldn’t. Annie had called him sadistic so he must’ve done something to her that she’d never told anyone about.

“You don’t have to answer that. I know what kind of a person he used to be, I can only imagine what he’s like now. My aunt’s husband wasn’t the nicest person out there. My father fought with him on numerous occasions, begged my aunt to leave him, but he was her rider. He will never be good. I lost plenty of baby scales when he was around.”

I felt bad for him.

“He will learn the hard way that I’m not that selfless little dragon that used to hide behind Annie all the time. He will finally know what fear is before he dies.”

I flinched as he said that. “Fine, do with him what you want, just as long as you promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“I never want to see him ever again.”

“Deal.” He grabbed my hand and our fingers twisted through one another. He kissed the top of my hand softly and then he smiled.

This felt so unreal. He’d hated my guts, now he was gently kissing the top of my hand, while holding it. “Tell me what the Dent is, please?”

“Be patient.”

I didn’t like that, but I was too drained from tonight’s events to push.

“I take it there are no showers?”

“I think there is one outside but no warm water. It must be a Creeper thing.”

“Well, I’ll use my ability, which is a Rubicon thing.”

I giggled and watched him walk over to my bag. He took out some of his clothes. He must have repacked it this morning. He was never planning to stay put. “You planned this?”

“I told you before, Elena. I’d rather die than let you come back here alone.” He took out his pajamas and a shirt, with a towel and left.

The door opened and he disappeared.

I tried not to look at his eye. Still it was so obvious but knowing that it didn’t belong to him, that he’d taken someone else’s pain to heal it through himself, even if he knew it would heal over the course of two days, he’d still healed Annie’s deformity without even thinking twice about it.

It was hard not to fall for this Blake, so hard. But I had to try and keep my distance.

I really needed to try and find out what the Dent was first, before surrendering my heart to him again.