The Kings: The Dragon Kings Book 5 Read online

  “Sounds good,” Sid said.

  “Wait.” Aspen crossed her arms and smirked at Hazel and Skye. “Okay, which one of you is pregnant? Cause it’s not me.”

  “Not me,” both Skye and Hazel answered.

  “I don’t see what that has to do with anything,” Skye said. Sid had a good idea where Aspen was going with this, but he didn’t think she was right.

  “How else is the prophecy supposed to be fulfilled? A…” Aspen sputtered for a second.

  Hazel laughed at her. “Seriously, Aspen? Surely you can say the word…” Hazel’s mouth opened and shut, but no sound came out. She scratched her head. “I guess it’s true then. We literally can’t talk about anything Everett told us.”

  They were overreacting. “Come, ladies, surely we can talk about this. A…” He was about to say princess, but the word would not come out. This would be annoying.

  Skye sighed and pinched her nose. “This makes everything so much harder. I still don’t understand why one of us would have to be pregnant.”

  Aspen tried again. “Because then how would one be born?”

  Sid had interpreted the idea of the princess so much differently. He wished they could talk freely about the prophecy, but it appeared as if they had to talk around it.

  Skye grimaced. “But I thought that part of the prophecy was talking about me. Not our offspring. It makes more sense than me being king.”

  Sid had to try to read between the words she was saying. They couldn’t outright come out and talk about the princess, so they all had to be vague. This was dumb, and it would end with one of them interpreting something completely wrong.

  Aspen nodded. “Maybe. It would be faster that way. Otherwise one of us will need to have a kid. I don’t want to be at war that long.”

  Skye clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut for a second. Sid could feel her frustration. Hell, he was frustrated they couldn’t just come out and talk about it.

  “But we should entertain that possibility. I’ll admit I didn’t think about it until now. I know that no one thinks they are pregnant, but is it physically possible for either of you?” Skye asked.

  Hazel blushed. Sid wanted to run from the room. He did not want to have this conversation in front of everyone. The other guys took a couple of steps back from the girls.

  “What about you?” Aspen asked Skye with no qualms whatsoever.

  Skye shook her head. Sid was a little uncomfortable with this whole conversation. He wished they’d at least made it to the kitchen first.

  “Let’s go eat and talk about this as much as we can.” Sid grabbed Aspen’s hand and dragged her out of the theater.

  Sid watched from the table as Skye made bacon and omelets. No one had said a word about the prophecy or anything serious. Skye was so relaxed in the kitchen, but she was the only one. Everyone else moved stiffly and had a glazed expression as they stared off into space.

  While they waited, they munched on grapes and bananas. As food hit their bellies, everyone relaxed. Runa sat in the middle of the table catching grapes that everyone threw at her. The atmosphere was light, almost normal. Sid admired how Runa could do that to a room. She was definitely a bright spot in their lives. Especially now will war looming.

  Skye set down a plate of bacon, and Rowan brought over a stack of omelets.

  Sid took two omelets and a handful of bacon. Rowan loaded his plate up with bacon. Runa snatched a piece off his plate, and he laughed.

  “Didn’t I teach you better?” he asked.

  “You left me. I’m not bound by your rules anymore. Besides, I’m not going to eat the eggs, so I need extra bacon.”

  Rowan scratched under her chin and fed her another piece. He took a bite of his omelet and glanced up at Hazel. “Haz, stop staring at me.”

  She dropped her eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I thought you were dead. Plus, you’ve changed so much. Where are your glasses?”

  “I was healed by a dragon.”

  Hazel cocked her head. “How did that happened? Wait, no. I want you to start at the beginning.”

  Sid couldn’t wait to hear this story. The day Rowan and Skye arrived, they’d come straight home and opened that book. Nothing else had been said. There had been no time. But Sid was curious what Rowan and Skye had found while they were out.

  Rowan shoveled more food in his mouth. “Give me a sec,” he said with his mouth full.

  The entire table was quiet as they scarfed down the food. A week with no food or drink had taken its toll. There had to be some magic involved, or they wouldn’t even be able to stand up. Hell, they should be dead.

  After Rowan cleaned off his plate, he slung his arm across the back of Skye’s chair. Sid still couldn’t get over seeing Skye and Rowan together. For so long, Skye had held Rowan at a distance, and now seeing her with him was odd. Sid was happy for her though, because Skye deserved someone like Rowan.

  “Where do you suppose we should start?” Rowan asked Skye.

  “Probably with my scales turning black.”

  “Okay, then you start.”

  Skye and Rowan recounted their entire tale. Sid was riveted by the whole thing. They’d managed to learn more about the war while they were hiding out than Sid had. As they neared the end of their tale, it became a little unbelievable.

  “Wait, you killed Kingston in the middle of a fight? Like not by surprise?” Sid asked. Effective sword fighting took years to master. Sure, some could get lucky, but to fight on the back of a dragon and win took years of practice.

  Rowan nodded.

  “You’ve got some mad skills. You’ll need to teach the girls, but I don’t know where we’re going to find more of those swords.”

  “There were more in the cave where I got these. Surely some of the royal dragons have a few floating around?” Rowan asked.

  “Nope we eliminated them all. Val, do you have any in Hawaii?” Those swords were hated by all dragons. Anytime one was found, they destroyed it without hesitation.

  “No, we threw them all in the volcano,” said Val.

  “Skye?”

  “No, we don’t keep hordes. We might have to sneak into Helios’s cave.”

  Sid sat back. “If we all go, we can take him. We might even be able to bring along a few other royals for reinforcements. We know the canyon dragons are spread thin since they are in the woodlands.”

  “That means we’ll have to leave right away,” Skye said, her face tight.

  “Yeah, probably tonight,” said Sid. They had to get a move on. Things were happening too fast, and if they didn’t start taking some action, the war would be over, and they would lose.

  Val leaned forward with a smirk on his face. “So we know that Aspen and Hazel are queens, but what do we call Rowan?”

  “No clue. But if you call me a queen, I’ll cut off your head.” Rowan glowered at them. Sid would probably have done the same. Rowan was growing quite the strong backbone. It was a little bizarre to see in him.

  “But you can’t be a king. You serve a different purpose,” Skye said, her brow furrowed.

  Rowan threw his hands up in the air. “Do I have to have a title? Can’t I just be Skye’s boyfriend?”

  “But you two have been bonded. You’re not just her boyfriend. Plus, you need a title. We’re the face of the dragon war. We’ll need to lead them,” said Sid.

  “Prince? Consort?” Aspen suggested.

  “Well, duh,” said Runa, drawing everyone’s eyes to her. She puffed out her chest and smirked.

  “Duh what?” Aspen asked.

  “What does Skye’s sealing say?”

  “Oh, yeah. Has anyone even looked at that yet?” Aspen asked. Sid was quite surprised no one else had said anything. His sealing had Aspen’s name and called her his queen. Aspen’s specifically called him king. Runa would nev
er let them forget she’s the one who figured this out.

  Skye shook her head. “No, we’ve been too busy worrying about other things.”

  Aspen crossed her arms and grinned. “Well, whatever your sealing says, that’s what we call Rowan.”

  Skye peeled her socks off and studied her marking. Her face paled.

  “What does it say?” Rowan asked.

  “Nothing,” she said. “It doesn’t say anything but your name.” She stood and started clearing away plates. Her hands shook as she took the plate in front of Sid.

  “Literally nothing? Come on, Skye, be real. What does it say?”

  She shook her head vigorously. “No. I’m not telling you.” She took a few plates to the sink.

  “Seriously, unless it says princess, it can’t be that bad,” Rowan called after her. Sid thought Rowan was being altogether too callous about this. Obviously it had something that bothered her. Not to mention that Rowan managed to say princess. It seemed that unless they were directly talking about the prophecy, they could manage it.

  She came to the table and put her hand on his shoulder. “Yes, it can. Please don’t make me tell you.”

  “Skye, come on. Tell us what it says.”

  Rowan pulled her down into the chair next to him, tugged at her leg, and placed her foot in his lap. She struggled, but he managed to see what it said. His face went as pale as hers.

  They both looked at each other.

  “What’s wrong? What does it say?” Aspen asked.

  Rowan swallowed. “It says, Rowan, my love, my knight.”

  The entire room went silent. Sid had assumed the knight would be an unknown figure, but now they knew Rowan would kill the princess. Whoever she was.

  Sid got up at three a.m. He wanted to leave earlier, but they all needed their sleep if they were going to be productive at all. Things were progressing far faster than he’d imagined.

  The prophecy made it seem like it would be years before this was all over, but Candide was gathering her forces now if Alaska was any indication. Sid had watched the news while he was trying to fall asleep, and the arctic dragons went on a rampage this past week. People were dying. So far, the government hadn’t realized that the dragons were behind the attacks, but it was only a matter of time.

  He flicked on Skye and Rowan’s light.

  “Seriously, go back to bed,” Skye called out. She never liked being woken up.

  “Nope, let’s go. Val and Hazel are already up and dressed. You two didn’t set your alarm. Come on. We need to get to the canyons before it gets light.”

  Val and Hazel were super low key. They never complained and usually did as they were told. Sid knew Val would be invaluable in the fight to come. He was loyal to a fault. He and Hazel were deeply in love and committed to the mission. Sid wasn’t sure how he would’ve reacted if he were Val. At least Sid knew beforehand that he could be king. For Val it was a complete shock. Skye as well, but Skye was familiar with the royal dragons, and she’d been by his side when he’d done a lot of his training as king. But Val. He was taking it like a champ, and he could fight like no other. He saved Sid’s life when he killed Theo.

  They met outside. Skye and Rowan were the last to join, rubbing their eyes. Rowan had his swords strapped to his back. The title of knight should’ve been obvious. The bigger question now was who the princess was. The girls thought that it would be one of their children, and Sid supposed that was possible, but not likely. He figured it would be someone who was a great, great grandchild of one of the previous kings or something.

  The dragons changed form, and Aspen scrambled up on his back.

  The flight down to the canyons was only a couple of hours, and they landed on an outcropping of rock and changed into humans so they could converse more easily.

  “I should go in first by myself to see if they are there. They won’t sense me.” Skye crossed her arms and glared at them. She was one of the kings now. He had no intention of making her feel like she was less than a full contributor because she was female. But he didn’t agree with her. Allowing anyone to go in alone would be a mistake.

  “Probably not a good idea. You can shield us all, right?” Sid asked.

  Skye sighed. “Actually you can shield yourselves. Remember, you have the gifts now.”

  Aspen lit up. “We get to learn how to use another one. Not to mention that we can all read minds. If anyone is in there, we can hear what’s on their minds.” She was altogether way too excited about this.

  Skye showed them how to use the gift, and within a few minutes, they’d all successfully shielded their minds.

  “Okay, let’s go.” Sid changed into his dragon form and flew into the cave with Aspen on his back. The others followed. As soon as they landed on the cliff, they changed into humans. Dragons would make too much noise.

  It was quiet, which was normal when caves were empty, but he should hear someone rustling around or something. Maybe they got lucky, and no one was there. That would make it easy to sneak in, grab the swords, and get out. If Helios showed up, they’d have to kill him, which Sid wasn’t looking forward to, but this was war, and he expected he’d have to do worse before this was over.

  They crept into a large cavern and found it empty.

  I don’t think anyone is home, Aspen said.

  I think you’re right, Sid replied.

  He motioned for Rowan and Skye to lead the way, and Sid turned to make sure everyone was following. Rowan let out a howl. Sid spun just in time to see Rowan pull out both of his swords, but the orange dragons instantly surrounded them. A large white dragon blocked their way out of the cave. Dammit. This was a trap. At least it wasn’t Candide. This dragon probably had magic as well, but it wouldn’t be as strong as hers.

  Sid, don’t turn into a dragon, Hazel said, which surprised him because Hazel usually didn’t address him directly.

  Why not?

  I heard the white dragon say, “If only they were dragons, then I could use my magic.” His name is Yukio. Do you know him?

  No, I do not. Please warn Skye and Val as well. Sid would have broadcast the thought, but then the rest of the dragons in the room would hear him. He couldn’t have that.

  Sid spoke to Rowan’s mind. We can’t change form. Hazel overheard the white dragon’s magic only works on dragons. I want to help you fight. When I say now, will you give me one of your swords?

  Rowan nodded.

  Sid continued but only to Val. Get the girls somewhere safe.

  No, I need to fight.

  There are no more swords. You’ll just be in the way.

  Val glared at him and then pulled both Aspen and Hazel into a small cave hidden behind a rock.

  Where’s Skye? Sid asked.

  Rowan spun in circles, his eyes wide. No idea. We have to find her.

  Sid’s heart raced. He wasn’t sure if they were going to get out of there. Especially if they couldn’t turn into dragons. No. We need to fight. If she’s disappeared, then she’s doing something to help. Trust me.

  Rowan gave a small nod. Sid looked around at the dragons. No one had said anything. It was as if they were waiting for him to do something. Okay, now.

  Rowan thrust a sword into Sid’s hand and took off for the closest canyon dragon. Before the rest of the dragons realized what was happening, Rowan had already beheaded one of them. Sid sliced off the head of another.

  The remaining three canyon dragons took flight. The cavern was small, and one dropped low enough that Sid got a good swing in, slicing the underside of the dragon. Warm blood drenched his arm, a coppery scent filling the air. Sid dodged out of the way and turned back. Two dragons were bearing down on Rowan.

  Rowan held his sword up, but there was no way he’d be able to fight both of them at once. Rowan stared up at the higher dragon and then focused on the one in front of him. Sid rush
ed to his side. This could be a suicide mission, but he couldn’t let Rowan go down without a fight. The dragon rushed at them, teeth bared. Sid swung and plunged his sword into the dragon’s neck as he saw Rowan’s sword come out of the top the dragon’s head.

  “You okay?” Sid asked. Rowan must’ve gone right inside the dragon’s mouth. The last dragon hovered above them. Sid finally felt that they might have a chance. Only one dragon left. Though the absence of Yukio made him nervous. He obviously had magic and was unpredictable.

  “No. My arm is all sliced up, but let’s keep going.”

  Sid was shocked that Rowan could even talk at this moment.

  “Go hide with the girls. I can take care of this.”

  “Like hell I will.”

  A squelching sound came from behind him, and Rowan rushed to him. Rowan’s right arm was hanging limply at his side. His left hand held a sword dripping with blood. The stench was overwhelming.

  The orange dragon swooped down with his jaws wide open. Sid smelled the sulfur and knew what was about to happen. He could withstand the fire as a dragon, but as a human he’d be turned to ash.

  “Hide behind me!” He jerked Rowan behind him and changed just in time, feeling the flames wash over him.

  Sid took to the air, but the space was cramped. He turned around and saw the orange dragon heading straight for Rowan. Skye appeared in her human form with her legs wrapped around the dragon’s neck. Sid had no idea where she came from. She stabbed two swords into its eyes. The dragon flung Skye off his back, and Sid caught her before she smashed into the ground. The dragon flailed, flapping his wings. He rose for a second and then plummeted. As the dragon neared the ground, Rowan cut off its head.

  Sid landed next to Rowan and set Skye down. Then he switched into his human form.

  “Where’d you come from?” he asked Skye with rapid breaths.

  She was calm. “I was in the hoard finding swords.”