Awakenings (19 page)

"I won't let you hurt them," Vaar growled.

"You can't stop me," the dragon king shot back.

The dragon king sent a bolt of magic, but when it hit Vaar it just dissipated like a wisp of cloud. The shield Jaden and Chrys held up could not be breached so easily. "Go on," Jaden whispered. "We're here for you."

Vaar couldn't have heard him, at least not with his normal senses, but he must have felt Jaden's encouragement. With a mighty roar, Vaar summoned his own magic. This time, Aurus's power fueled Vaar's, making the darkness black-gold.

Jaden held his breath when Vaar sent a blast toward his king. The other dragon didn't move, believing himself immune. Jaden didn't doubt it had been so before. He'd seen Vaar's magic hit the king with absolutely no effect.

This time, when the spell struck, the dragon let out a howl of agony. For a few seconds, Jaden thought the rest of the beasts would attack, but they didn't. Instead, they formed a wide circle, creating an arena.

Through his connection with Vaar, Jaden absorbed the knowledge of what would happen. The blast that had hurt the king meant a challenge, a challenge for the rule of the Great Dragon Kingdom. It was no longer only about them, but about the fate of all the dragons out there.

All the while, the army of mer were organizing themselves once more, preparing to descend upon the island. Vaar's shield had faltered and nothing stood between the army and Jaden, Chrys, and Aurus. Vaar had his claws full with fighting the dragon king. They needed to find a solution on their own.

Panic swelled inside Jaden and he squeezed his twin
'
s
and Aurus
'
s hands hard. He
might be
exhausted, but he didn
'
t have a choice but to use his abilities once more.
"
Help us,
"
he sent out
to the creatures of the sea
.
"
Help us, please.
"

Over and over, they repeated the chant. They called out to anyone who might aid them, opening their hearts to the Sea Mother. A cold wind began to blow, sweeping over them. The waters rippled once again and a loud screech-like roar pierced Jaden's hearing.

A snake-like head emerged from the deep—the saurion.

As the great serpent advanced, a frosty layer covered the surface of the sea, expanding around the island at great speed. The Atlanteans screamed in panic, lunging for land, but they didn't get the chance to find refuge. The cool waters numbed their bodies and they floated uselessly, their powers and elements worthless against the magic of the great snake.

"Please, don't kill them," Jaden begged the saurion. "They are our kin."

"As long as the king is alive, he will never stop hunting you," the saurion hissed back. Nevertheless, he did as Jaden asked. The chill in the water decreased as the ice vanished.

With the immediate threat neutralized, Jaden directed his attention to the skies. Vaar still battled Ghaan, but this time, he was visibly winning. The saurion cheered Vaar on with a hiss. "That's it! Take him out. Make him pay."

Jaden definitely agreed. He disliked violence, but Ghaan deserved it for what he'd done to his people.

A spiral of gold-black formed in front of Vaar. Larger and larger it grew until it almost covered the sun. Roaring, Vaar sent the projectile toward his king. It struck true, engulfing Ghaan in a whirlpool of darkness.

When the magic dissipated, the defeated dragon fell into the water. Immediately, the saurion headed toward the spot where the former king's body had vanished. Jaden experienced a brief chill, wondering what the saurion intended, but pushed it out of his mind. It didn't matter anymore. Vaar had won.

The other dragons surrounded Vaar and flew around him in a weird dance as they acknowledged Vaar as the new king. It was fascinating, if a bit frightening. What would happen to them now that Vaar had become dragon royalty?

Vaar disengaged himself from his new subjects and flew down. He landed on the beach and shifted. His hair had blond streaks through it now, and his dark eyes showed occasional speckles of blue and green. Jaden realized Chrys and Aurus's appearances had also changed, and he guessed his own had as well. Each of them now boasted the color of all four elements in one way or another.

Ecstatic, Jaden abandoned his hiding spot and bounded down the hill toward his lover, Chrys and Aurus by his side. Aurus got to Vaar first and pounced on their dragon, hugging him tightly. Chrys and Jaden reached them at the same time and joined the embrace.

It felt so good, so incredible to be in Vaar's arms once more. They'd only just made love a few hours before, but years seemed to have passed. To think they'd been so close to losing this… Jaden couldn't even bear the thought.

They broke away from each other and Jaden threw a gaze toward the sea. At some point, some of the mer had washed up on the beach—most likely the saurion's doing. Among them, King Diamond.

"I have to talk to my father," Aurus said softly.

"You have the backing of the dragons now," Vaar answered. "There's nothing he can do. But go on."

Aurus walked toward the barely conscious mermen. Jaden watched his lover help King Diamond up, rubbing his arms to cast away the remnant of the chill. In Jaden
'
s opinion, Diamond didn
'
t deserve
the
kind consideration, but he couldn
'
t blame Aurus for it. Diamond
was
his father, after all.

Finally, the king recovered. Jaden stood close enough to hear the conversation and it didn't please him. "You have to come home, son," Diamond said in a broken voice. "Your place is in Atlantis."

Aurus shook his head. "My place is where my heart is, with Vaar, Jaden, and Chrys."

Diamond's eyes widened. "You cannot be serious. Son, you need a proper mating, not this mockery."

Aurus sighed and Jaden's heart hurt for his lover. He wondered how his own father would take their new relationship. Not too well, Jaden guessed. "Please, Father, leave before something worse happens. You've caused enough pain for the day."

"Aurus! You have a duty to Atlantis. Don't turn your back on me."

"I have a duty to my heart and my lovers," Aurus replied. "The rest doesn't matter."

Aurus got up, leaving the king standing in the middle of the beach, alone. With a final cry, Diamond shouted, "If not for me or Atlantis, for your mother. Come home, Aurus."

Jaden clenched his fists, fighting a surge of hatred. What a low blow. How could Diamond use Aurus's mother to blackmail him?

Aurus turned slowly and gave his father one last look. "I might, one day, when we are all welcome there."

Jaden very much doubted that would happen too soon. Chrys and he had suffered the opprobrium of the Atlanteans for the better part of their lives, while Vaar had basically been the monster in their nightmares. How could the mer nation understand the connection between these three outcasts and their prince?

In spite of the family bonds, Jaden knew it would take quite a while for Aurus to forgive the king for what he'd done. Diamond's intervention had almost caused Vaar's death, and it wouldn't be something easy to forget.

In the end, all that lost its importance when Aurus joined them once more. "So what now?" he asked.

Vaar stared at the sky, where the dragons still soared. "Good question. I have no idea."

Epilogue

The capital city of The Great Dragon Kingdom was everything Chrys expected and more. Built on the shore of the Windswept Sea, the main keep hid countless treasures and priceless artifacts. Now, that very same keep had become Chrys's home, and a gilded cage.

Chrys leaned against the solid marble banister and sighed. The view from the balcony of their room was beautiful, but Chrys couldn't really appreciate it, not anymore. The rock felt cool under his touch, chilling him to the bone—and Chrys just wanted for someone to make him warm again.

They'd been living at the dragon king's palace for the past month, setting things in order, righting the wrongs left behind by Ghaan. Vaar's first decision as acting sovereign had been to rescind the order branding black dragons and saurions as the shame of their nation. Vaar had also chosen to act only as regent until Ghaan's son, Roan, came of age. Chrys couldn't agree more. He'd met Roan, and he liked the young dragon. In fact, Roan didn't seem to hold any resentment against Vaar for killing his father. Ghaan's dethronement had been long overdue. It would take time, but slowly the dragons would begin to forget and rebuild.

As a prince, Aurus had knowledge of the rulings of a royal court and helped Vaar with his new duties. The dragons didn't appreciate receiving commands from a mer, but they couldn't do anything about it. Vaar's power now flowed through Aurus, and through Chrys and Jaden as well.

Even with the shared connection, Chrys sometimes felt abandoned, or rather, useless. The Great Dragon Kingdom fascinated him, but he never got to be alone with Vaar and Aurus. Thankfully, he had Jaden. Without his twin's presence, Chrys would've probably lost it already.

As if summoned by Chrys's thoughts, Jaden stepped onto the balcony. "Hey," he greeted. "What's with the glum face?"

Chrys sighed again. "You know as well as I do. They're taking forever today."

Jaden joined him next to the banister and stared out toward the horizon. It was almost dusk, and the glow of the dying sun painted the distant waters of the Windswept Sea in brilliant colors. "That's true," Jaden replied. "Things are complicated now. They have a lot of responsibilities."

Chrys realized that, of course, and he hated being so demanding. The
D
ragon
K
ingdom
had
literally
split
in
to
pieces
as
many
had
trouble accepting Vaar as a rightful ruler. Even those that
had
disliked Ghaan had their
misgivings. Chrys would hear them from time to time, when they didn
'
t realize he was around.
"
What could be Vaar
'
s agenda?
"
they asked themselves.
"
How do we deal with this?
"

It upset Chrys greatly, and he just wanted to go home to their little paradise island away from everyone else. That was unlikely to happen, at least, not anytime soon. Even after Roan took the throne, Vaar would be required to stay by the new king's side, to act as an advisor. All duties aside, Vaar wanted to build a new, safer world for dragons, to find all the survivors of Ghaan's rule and reinstate them in their society. An astronomical task, in and by itself. Chrys would have liked to help out, but instead, he remained trapped in his chambers, useless.

Jaden wrapped his arm around Chrys, bringing their bodies together. "We're young now and can't be expected to know the inner workings of the courts. That's why we should study, so we can aid them in the future."

Chrys felt himself flush at Jaden's gentle reprimand. Vaar had assigned a tutor to teach them everything about dragon culture, from their alphabet and traditions, to the different species and the history of their kingdom. Chrys tried to assimilate all the information, but he'd begun to believe it would all be for nothing and they'd never get to use it. He berated himself for his own childish behavior. The last thing Vaar and Aurus needed was to worry about Chrys's foolish sulking.

"I get it," he told his twin. "I won't skip lessons anymore."

"Don't worry, you didn't miss much today," Jaden replied. "The tutor seemed distracted."

Chrys gave Jaden a knowing look. "Or maybe you were."

Jaden stuck his tongue out at him. "At least I'm trying."

At the blatant challenge, Chrys glomped his twin and they fell on the balcony floor with a painful thud. Chrys attacked Jaden's ribs, mercilessly finding his sibling's ticklish spots. Jaden tried to fight back and move away, but he remained helpless in front of Chrys's assault. Howls of laughter filled the air as they rolled around, forgetting for a few moments where they were and who might be watching.

When they stopped, Chrys collapsed on top of his twin, nuzzling Jaden's neck. "You know," Jaden said all of a sudden, "they said they'd come back for dinner. It's way past that time now."

Chrys lifted his head to look at his twin. He could tell Jaden was scheming something. "And what do you suggest?"

Jaden wiggled his eyebrows at Chrys. "We call them back."

Jaden pushed Chrys off, and this time, Chrys let him. Whatever his sibling had in mind, it would be very interesting and exciting. Jaden had proven to be very creative in the bedroom, and both were young men with healthy sexual appetites. Because of Vaar and Aurus's ghastly schedules, they didn't get to be together as much as they'd have liked, in bed or out of it.

Chrys and Jaden couldn't fuck during their free time because their emotions automatically transferred into Vaar and Aurus's minds, sabotaging any chance of concentration. Today, that would work to the twins' advantage. Their lovers wouldn't be able to stay away.

Jaden pressed his lips to Chrys's and they shared a slow, relaxed kiss. The moment quickly grew more passionate when Jaden reached for Chrys's tunic and began to unbutton it. As the material parted, he slipped his hands inside to caress Chrys's skin. Chrys shuddered, his twin's touch making pleasure flow through him. Their little roll around had made him hard, if not exactly desperate, but the arousal was increasing, especially when Jaden reached out to tweak his nipple. The nub responded, peaking into Jaden's touch.

When the kiss broke, Chrys let out a moan and lowered himself to the ground, allowing his twin to do whatever he wanted. Jaden straddled him and began to remove Chrys's clothing. The first piece that went was the tunic, then the boots and breeches. Finally, Jaden had Chrys naked. The cool marble floor made Chrys shiver and Jaden gestured for Chrys to lie down on the clothing.