Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) (56 page)

Gertrude had that knowing smile.

“You knew Jako, didn’t you?”

“No, but there used to be lookalike contests and Marcus, well he won the one that looked like Jako.” She smiled again. “He was a really clever dragon, Elena. You were lucky to have known him as a father.”

I smiled again.

Speaking about Herbert, made me miss him again. I would always miss him as we’d never gotten that final goodbye. I always wondered what it would’ve been like if he’d come with me to Paegeia. They obviously knew who he was, but would they have truly believed his story, who I was? At least I wouldn’t have been so alone, but then again, I would’ve never been friends with Becky and Sammy, never fallen in love with Lucian, and Blake, well…I didn’t want to think about it as it’d never happened. What ifs didn’t exist.

“Elle!” Cassy ran into the kitchen with Annie right behind her. The women gasped when they saw Annie and just stared at her.

“My stupid cousin took it upon himself,” Annie said and her voice broke.

“He said it’s going to heal, Annie,” I said as Cassy’s arms were still around my neck.

“He can do that?” Daisy asked.

“Believe me, we aren’t each other’s biggest fans. He’s loathed me since the day I set foot in Paegeia.”

“Loathed you? Blake?” Annie asked with a raised eyebrow.

Blake walked into the room. His eye did look better, like a big shiner. He bent down to kiss Annie on the temple. “I told you, Elena can change your mind.”

“Plucky, what did you do?”

Everyone laughed at the nickname. “I went really dark.”

She stared at him with concern. “How dark?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, I saw the light.”

She giggled.

“Who is that?” Cassy whispered softly.

“That is my egotistic dragon I thought went to heaven.”

Blake laughed the loudest.

“He came back?”

“Yeah, they chucked him out.”

“They did?” Her eyes were huge.

“No, they didn’t. And I’m not egotistic.” Blake sat on his haunches next to my chair and looked at Cassy. “I’m Blake.” He held out his hand.

She smiled and hid her face in my shoulder.

“Okay, maybe too soon.” He got up and grabbed a dishcloth helping Daisy with the dishes.

“You are just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Daisy looked at him.

I laughed this time.

“Something like that,” Blake mumbled through a smile.

“What you did, for Annie…”

“Don’t. Please, I can heal myself. It was nothing.”

Daisy giggled. “Oh, but it is. Even if you have healing abilities, nobody would’ve taken something like that upon themselves.”

“Okay, you seriously have to stop.”

I didn’t look at them while they chatted, I stared at Cassy who couldn’t keep her eyes off Blake.
Yeah, kid, I know the feeling.

Charles came in. He was clean and looked like a new man, ready to face the day.

“That dragon of yours surely has his talents, Elle,” he said glancing awkwardly at Blake.

“What can I say,” Blake joked. “I’ll be here all week.”

We all giggled.

“A warm shower.” Charles sounded so chirpy.

“Let me guess, he heated up the geyser for you.”

“Yes.”

“Tonight, I’m so going to take a real bath, just soaking,” Daisy said and we all laughed again.

EVERY SINGLE ONE of the men, including August, looked like brand new pennies, hair washed and faces clean. Even Tom’s spirit was slightly brighter today.

We ate, everyone talking at the same time. Blake and Charles were in a deep discussion about telling the others. So we had to wait here, until Marcus came back. He’d left about five minutes before, after finishing his plate of food.

Annie and I helped Daisy and Gertrude clean while Blake kept Cassy company. She’d gotten over her shyness and now it was as if they were best friends. I never even knew he was this good with kids.

“What happened with your eye?”

“Cassy,” Daisy said.

“Don’t worry, she’s just curious. Reminds me of a little one I used to know a long time ago. I like that.”

He’d never spoken about his past and now he kept on revealing little hints of past friends like it was the most natural thing for him to do.

Annie bent down next to Cassy. “He took my ouch away, look.” She showed Cassy that there was no longer a mark over her own eye. “But it left him with that.”

She just stared at him.

“Why did you do that?”

“Cassy,” Daisy said again.

“It’s okay,” Blake said to Daisy. “No need to bite her head off.” He looked at Cassy. “Well, because Annie is my family, like August and Tom and Pop are yours.”

“Annie is your family, but she is our family too.”

“Then I guess that makes us family too.”

“I’m family?”

He chuckled.

Marcus’s voice filled the door with Luke and so many others. “Is it true, is Elle back?” Olivia asked. “The Rubicon, the rest of Paegeia?”

“Yes, Olivia.” Charles spoke to the group in the lounge area.

“Cassy,” Daisy said softly and the little girl ran to her mother.

I went to sit next to Blake.

“They are through here.”

All the heads of the surrounding families started to walk into the kitchen. “Elle,” Luke greeted me first. “I was so scared when they took you and Annie.”

“Don’t, I’m so sorry about Max. I’ll get them back. I promise.”

I saw Olivia who looked more than withered. I hugged her too. “We will get them back.”

She looked at Blake. All of them looked at Blake.

“You sure love to get into fights, don’t you?” Olivia joked and Blake smiled.

“Yeah, they all thought I was Billy.”

Every single one of the Bensons gasped, except Charles, he roared with laughter.

“I take it you guys didn’t beat him up?”

“No, for heaven’s sake. He healed Annie’s eye,” Gertrude said. “And he’s busy healing himself.”

Blake hated it. He truly hated it and couldn’t handle the spotlight like he used to. I hated that. It wasn’t even really him.

“You did what?” Olivia asked, shocked.

“She is my cousin, and she didn’t want to look like that, so I helped her. Anyone would do that. Daisy, no comment.”

“I’m not saying anything.”

Olivia huffed. “You are wrong about that.” She took a seat opposite Blake, and just stared at him. “I never thought that I would see what the Rubicon looked like. We thought we’d lost all of you.”

“It must’ve been hard, not having hope.”

“It was, but I had to survive somehow for the sake of my children.”

He touched her hand. “We’ll get her back, I promise. And we will get you all out of here. You have my word on that.”

“They are going to know, Blake.”

“They won’t.” Charles spoke and they all took their seats. He started telling them about the Buyo device. They listened, soaking it all in. A great device to get some of them out, the ones that weren’t going to fight. They would be replaced with trained men and women.

There was so much work to be done until then.

“So you are truly the key to pass through the Creepers?” Olivia asked.

I nodded. “For some reason they don’t harm me.”

“It’s her blood.” Blake spoke as if I was some sort of alien. He told them about what had happened on the mission when Brian died, that our blood could transform any weapon into a special weapon.

“The King of Lions weapon was special because of their blood.”

“Yes,” Blake answered. “The sword is lost, Goran tried on numerous occasions to destroy it, he succeeded the last time but he also must’ve put two and two easily together as Elena’s life was constantly in danger after he saw her.”

Their eyes grew again. “Elle needs to be our top priority then,” Luke said. “If she dies…”

“It will be over my dead body,” Blake said and they all stared at him, including me. “She is my responsibility, I’ll protect her.”

“I know you are the Rubicon,” Olivia said, “But you are only one dragon.”

Blake smiled. “I think it’s time for you to meet the big guy.” Blake got up and everyone started to follow him.

I HATED THIS plan, really hated it as he was huge and if any Wyvern saw him from the sky, everything would be ruined. Still, Blake wanted to show them the Rubicon. I don’t know if it was another hope technique or something, but he was adamant.

Everyone gathered around as Blake started to take off his shirt.

Daisy and Olivia stared at him and I started to laugh.

“Sorry, Elle.”

“It’s fine,” I said and he pulled down his pants and walked in his boxers into the trees.

It took only a few seconds for him to disappear and another few seconds before the birds all scattered up into the air. The trees shook softly making everyone gasp. I was worried sick. This was really stupid.

Annie was the only one who was seriously excited to see Plucky again.

The earth vibrated slightly as Blake started moving out of the forest.

Olivia and Daisy’s eyes grew big and Cassy jumped into her mother’s arms. All the kids were scared, hiding behind their parents.

“Is this normal?” Olivia asked.

“Yeah, it’s normal for him.”

A gasp filled the air and everyone looked. Blake’s dragon form stood at the edge of the forest. He didn’t come out into the open but hid in the trees. He wasn’t as stupid as I’d thought.

“Mother of Hades!” Olivia said and Daisy just gaped. Annie ran towards him.

She laughed and started speaking in Latin. “Okay, Elena didn’t lie when she said that growing some was an understatement, Plucky.”

“Join me,” he said in a deep voice.

“You know I can’t.” She sounded sad.

“One, day, I promise.”

“Blake, enough please!” I yelled and he smiled.

“I’m almost done, Elena.”

“What is he saying?” Daisy wanted to know.

“He’s almost done. I hate this.”

“I can’t wait to see what he is going to do to a couple of Wyverns.”

“Olivia.” I sounded scared.

“No, Elle, they deserve it. Wyverns are a disgrace and what they do to so many humans this side… I want them all dead. And I’ll pay for front row tickets to that show.”

He spoke again to Charles who understood and I could hear those that understood Latin translate to the children and ones that didn’t speak it.

He was going to show us something new he’d recently discovered. We all saw how he closed his eyes and started to disappear.

Just then the spot where he’d stood was filled with extra trees.

Annie walked over and touched the trees. Her hand even touched the parts that should be clear.

“It’s a blending in technique, Jumble-Bean, not an invisibility spell.”

He came back and retreated slightly, shifting back.