Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (9 page)

These platters were a seller with parties. There was so much meat on them that it would feed all the dragons and humans here. It had been a good business decision for Jimmy to open something like this.

The night flew by fast and I was glad when Jimmy and Monique joined us in the later hours.

I still felt bad that Blake wasn’t here celebrating Sammy’s eighteenth dragon year because of me. It must’ve hurt her, but she didn’t show it, not for one second.

I was more bothered about it than she was.

Sir Robert said goodbye to Isabel and started walking toward the entrance of the door.

Why was he leaving?

I searched for Isabel and found her chatting to Lucille. She was engaged in an intense conversation, gesturing with her hands and if it was serious, she wouldn’t have stayed behind. So I was pulled back into my own conversations with George, Dean, Sammy and Cheng. Becky was still dancing.

We just started laughing at her as she was on her own planet, twirling around and moving her hands, and then we decided to join her.

The party was the best and around ten, Sammy made a speech.

We all cheered as she stood on a bar stool with a bottle of spirits in her hand.

“To all the beautiful people in my life,” she started and George and Dean cheered while she just laughed. “Thank you so much for choosing me to be your friend.”

“Hear, hear!” George yelled.

“Becky and Elena, we seriously had our fair share of crazy ever since that one made her appearance,” she looked at me and we all laughed again. “But it was all worth it, you complete me.”

“Hey,” Dean said, sounding not pleased at all. “I thought I’m the one that’s supposed to complete you.”

“Too soon, babe.”

Everyone laughed again, including Dean.

“Thanks for my jacket. I’m never going to take it off. To all the grownups. Aunty Constance, love you to bits, Mom and Dad, wherever he is…”

Sammy spoke again and I suddenly didn’t feel so well. I didn’t drink nearly enough to be feeling like this. I felt lightheaded, and my stomach started to cramp uncontrollably.

Everyone laughed again as Sammy said something else I didn’t catch.

I took deep breaths.

“Elena?” Constance touched me softly. “Are you okay?”

“I just need to sit down,” I said and she led me to the sofas where all the moms sat as Sammy still spoke.

“You okay?” Isabel asked too.

“I don’t know, I feel—” a stabbing pain flashed through my body and I grunted and doubled over.

“Elena,” Sammy shrieked, and in two seconds everyone was at my side. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.”

Then I felt it. My back arched as the first pain shot through my entire upper body.

“Oh, no,” Isabel said and I saw through squinted eyes that she had her Cammy in her hands.

“What is happening?” Sammy was close to tears, as fresh pain spread over my back.

This fucking bracelet wasn’t blocking them, but that wasn’t the reason I was fuming. For him to disappear like that, like a coward, not telling me anything, was— “Aaargh.”

“Dammit Robert, pick up.”

“No, he’s beating Blake again!” Sammy shrieked.

“I thought the bracelet was supposed to help,” Becky said and then it all stopped. The pain from the lashes was still there, but no more came. I could breathe.

Sammy gasped as she looked at my arm and I could see a faint bluish glow from underneath my jacket’s sleeve.

I pulled it up and the light from the pendant on my bracelet lit up the entire private room like a small spotlight. I covered it again as I ground hard on my teeth.

“Let’s go.”

“Elena.” Isabel looked at me.

“He’s not done. This was just belated. It works, and as long as it glows, your son is getting beaten. You said it yourself, he didn’t answer. Now let’s go.”

E ALL JUMPED into Sammy’s car. I hardly apologized to Jimmy for leaving so abruptly, but the rest of the parents and Cheng stayed behind so I was sure they would get filled in as to why we’d left so suddenly.

The drive felt long and all I did was stare at the bright pendant that was still glowing brightly underneath my sleeve.

I wasn’t the only one. Isabel was staring at it too, with horror and tears lacing her eyes as she had her Cammy in her hands, redialing Sir Robert’s number time and time again.

I was fuming. How long was he planning on hitting him? Where the hell was Tabitha?

Why doesn’t he stop?

The aches were almost gone, but I had a slight sting across my back still.

We finally reached the wooden gates and it felt as if I could blow fire myself.

Blake must have been intoxicated again as it’s the only time Sir Robert could do this. He was much stronger than his father.

The car had hardly stopped when Isabel and I were already out and running into the house.

No screams. It was the sound proofing.

“Where are they?” I asked, and images flashed suddenly through my mind. They were vague, but I could make out some equipment, fighting spears.

“What is it, Elena?”

“You have a training room somewhere?”

Isabel turned around and ran immediately toward where it was.

We all stopped in front of a steel door. Still no sound. The images were gone from my mind as Isabel hammered frantically on the door. She pounded with her fists. My pendant was still glowing.

“Robert stop, you are killing him.”

I didn’t know what we were going to find inside.

Everyone reached us and George tried to open the door with his lightning. Sammy too. Becky and Dean tried incantations, but nothing worked. Sammy tried again. She tried to burn the hinges and lock but the steel was too strong. My pendant was still glowing.

Isabel was still screaming and George grabbed her tight.

Nothing worked. Sir Robert was going to kill Blake if we didn’t get in there.

“Step aside,” I finally said and for the first time in a long time, my ability formed in the palm of my hand. It was my fire.

Everyone backed away from me real fast as they knew what my fire did if it came into contact with anyone.

I touched the lock and this time it started to melt. I guessed Sammy’s fire wasn’t strong enough. The hinges against the doors were next and they too melted.

Dean and George, with the help of Sammy, grabbed the door as it was ready to fall.

We stepped aside as they lowered it to the floor.

I didn’t waste time and ran inside with Isabel.

Inside was huge, not as big as the Parthenon Dome, but it was a training room alright. Plenty of dummies to fight against, with all sorts of weapons against the wall. It was dark and in the middle where Blake’s body was sprawled, was a stone table. It was filled with obstacles as they were everywhere in the room. Some were higher than others dangling in the air.

“Robert, enough!” Isabel screamed right next to me and moved fast, pushing her body right between Blake’s body sprawled out on the table and Robert’s blows.

Sammy started to cry. There was blood everywhere around Blake and the floor again.

Tabitha was lying in a corner unconscious. Everything was happening so fast and then Sir Robert started hitting Isabel to get to Blake.

I didn’t think and struck him with lightning. He flew into the wall of shields.

My blood was boiling as Isabel just cried, trying to get Blake to open his eyes, begging him.

I walked over to Robert who was starting to get back up and struck him again with my telekinesis. It was so easy now that Blake was out stone cold to wield them.

I did it again as he just got up again and again.

He kept crashing into the floor.

More abilities were unleashed on him, ones that really hurt, and then I started beating the living crap out of him.

Dean and George had to get me off Sir Robert.

“Elena, calm down, just calm down.” Dean spoke softly to me as I growled. I literally growled and then reality came back and I realized what I’d done out of anger. What was I turning into?

Sir Robert’s body was lying in a heap, bloody face and swollen eyes. My hand ached and my knuckles were raw, covered with blood.

“It’s over.” Dean still spoke. I pushed him away and ran up to my room.

I fell on my knees and just screamed. How could I do that to my father’s dragon?
Was he okay? Worse, was Blake okay?

He’d never beat him like that before, ever, not even the first time I’d experienced it, but then again I hadn’t seen it the first time.

I spoke no words during that fight. Nothing left my mouth, not a warning, nothing. I didn’t even try to calm him, bring him back to reality.

What was I turning into?

I TOOK A shower and went out onto my opening. Why they’d built this, I had no idea.

I wasn’t a dragon, well, not anymore.

The images of tonight’s beating, Isabel’s screaming when Robert struck her echoed in my mind. It didn’t want to stop.

I wished that I could just go away, leave like all the dragons could.

Sammy and Dean left, she’d transformed and Dean had gone with her. She could never handle these beatings and was somewhere trying to calm down, trying to breathe.

Becky, well she was slightly stronger and I knew she and George were helping with damage control.

I stared at the night sky. It was so beautiful, and I would have given anything to have gone with Sammy, to fly again.

“Elena.” Constance or Isabel’s voice came from my door that lead to the opening.

I turned my head and found Constance. She rushed over to me as tears rolled over my cheek.

Her arms enfolded me. “Shhh, Issy told me that Robert was experiencing some dark himself lately.”

“I could’ve killed him.”

“You didn’t. He’s fine and to be honest that beating was just what he needed to get pulled back into the light.”

I sniffed.

“Why does he still need them?” I asked, thinking all of a sudden about Emanuel. He said he hadn’t needed one for almost five years.

“He hadn’t had a beating for a long time, Elena. It’s been almost fifteen years now.”

I shook my head. “No, King Helmut said he would do it.”

“Lucian died before he got to it. I’m so sorry.”

I nodded and sniffed.

“Let me heal your hands.”

“No, I deserve this.”

She gave me a stern look. “You don’t. This is what Dragonians have to do, well unless the Chromatics are part of a Dent.”

I knew that, but still. I felt like I had to walk with my pain too.

“Let me heal them, please.”

I just looked at her.

“I know you feel like crap, I’ve seen this face plenty of times when your father had to beat Robert, but it has to be done, Elena. Now give me your hands.”

I did as she asked and her hands immediately started lighting up as she healed my bruised hands.

“I can promise you this. He’ll think twice now before laying a hand on that boy.”

I didn’t want to laugh, but I did. It was probably the shock of tonight’s events. I never wanted to see something like that again, or be part of anything like that.

“Is he okay?” I asked.

“I told you before, Robert is fine.”

“I’m not speaking about Robert. Blake, is Blake okay?”

She nodded and had to suppress her own tears.

“Constance?”

She shook her head and forced a smile. “He hasn’t woken up yet, but Isabel is with him. I think you guys got to him just in time… Robert almost killed him this time.”

I just looked at the sky again, not wanting to think about if my fire hadn’t come.

“It’s why he needs to Dent, Elena.”

“It’s not up to me, Constance. I tried. Didn’t you see the bike in the garage?”

She smiled and sniffed again.

I wiped my own tear away. “Besides, nobody knows if the Dent will even work with him. He is not like the other dragons and the last Rubicon was killed.”

“Many dragons were killed with Quitto,” she said. “It was how things were back then. No dragon was trusted. But Irene saw it, Elena. He will return to the light. We have to believe that.”

I nodded.

She made everything sound so peaches and cream.

“Poor Sammy, what was supposed to be her best birthday ever just became her worst.”

“She is a gentle soul, Elena, but she is stronger than you believe. She’s going to be fine. Grateful that you got to her brother in time and grateful for what you have done for her father.”

I didn’t know about that, but I guessed I would just wait to see.

Just then Becky walked through the door followed by George.

She blew out a deep breath, the kind that made her lips slightly vibrate.

“What a night,” George said followed by a huge breath too.

“You okay?” Becky crouched in front of me with her hand touching my arm.

“Yeah, I just feel like crap and still feel a bit of anger. I don’t like this.”

“I know it sucks.” Becky hugged me while my one hand was still gently lying in Constance’s.

“I think that should do it,” Constance said and let go of my hand.

“Thank you,” I said. I still felt that I didn’t deserve her healing this time but she was adamant.

“We are going to track down Dean and Sammy,” Becky said and got up.

I nodded and gave her a slight smile.

“You want to come with?”

I looked at her and then at George.

“It’s not negotiable,” George said and walked back so that he could transform.

I looked away as he started to get undressed.

“I’ll see you later.” Constance got up and walked back into my room.

“I don’t know Becky. I don’t think Sammy wants to see me right at this moment.”