“Alright Ledger,” Lorn scoffed, but I barely heard him as Anani commented on what an asshole the bear shifter was as he walked away. That was an accurate statement. The woman jumped slightly at my brother’s blunt words but still leaned into us as I fought the urge to ask her where she had been this entire time.
After all, it wasn’t every day you found your mate.
In retrospect, I suppose it was good that I hadn’t asked her, because it became clear fairly quickly that she had not only been unaware of shifters existing but was confused by her instinctive reaction to us as her mates. I had a feeling that randomly claiming her sweet mouth would have probably not only terrified her that first day but also really caused her to question who she could trust and not trust. Shaking my head, the realization of how fast everything had changed in a matter of days really hit me.
Where would we be at the end of this trip to the Dreki realm? What would we find out about Maya and her health? I prayed to the Maker that it would be nothing bad, but it terrified me that there was a possibility. I mean, it had been only a day or so ago that she had been unconscious with a fever. When would that strike again?
I was pulled from my thoughts as the outside edge of the room began to grow heavy with magic, a black and gold substance filling the groove in the floor that began in a circle and worked its way around the perimeter before starting to fill in an extensive portion of runes carved out in the stone flooring. They lit with gold flames, which quickly spread until it reached the center of the room into two small circles that contained the substance as fire-like pillars rose up and arched to meet one another, creating a portal-like doorway. Maya’s small gasp of awe had me watching the way her eyes lit up, dancing with flames, as her own skin seemed to shimmer underneath the light of it. I tilted my head, noticing that the sapphire shimmer of scales ran across her neck in an intoxicating pattern that had me wanting to trace it with my tongue.
Although, that pattern was such a large part of the reason why we had made this urgent trip. Croy’s concern over it, I knew, was well founded, even if I didn’t completely understand why.
The portal formed completely as sparks of magic rained down over us, the sound of wind brushing through the room causing Maya to sway slightly. Her hands clasped over Bella nervously as I came up to her side, wrapping my arm around her as she offered me an eager and excited expression, making me hope to the Maker that this would be a pleasant experience for her.
“Is Bella going to be okay?” Maya panicked over the wind as I frowned slightly, not knowing exactly how the kitten would fare through portaling. It wasn’t exactly made for normal and less durable creatures. My dragon let out a low rumble of concern, his excitement to return to the origination of our magic tampered by our mate’s concern.
“Here, give her to me,” Atlas called out, taking the kitten from her and easing her against his chest into the vest of his uniform. Her head popped out as her small paws folded over the top of it, making Maya smile at the image of the massive bastard keeping a kitten safe like that. Both of our eyes widened as a ripple of magic suddenly ran over Atlas’s skin and caused Bella to turn completely black in coloring, a smoky, almost shadow-like texture coming off her skin as she let out a loud meow. A far louder meow than should have been possible, her energy spiking less like a kitten and more like a supernatural creature of some kind.
“Bella, you look beautiful!” Maya cooed before looking up at Atlas. “Why does she look like that?”
“After,” Atlas promised as Marco called for us to follow toward the portal. Immediately, I tightened my hand around hers as Henry and Marco took the lead. Croy grabbed her other hand, and I let my magic run across Maya’s skin, sensing the soft, hot texture of her blood that laid right underneath her golden skin. My dragon was a bit too close to the surface right now for me to feel completely relaxed, and I knew portaling wouldn’t make it any easier.
I worried that when we landed in the new realm, eventually shifting to travel throughout Dreki, the meager barrier of control I had today would snap. It would be smart of me to give Maya some distance until my emotions were more balanced… but instead I just tightened my grip on her. I wasn’t good at concealing my emotions, and even less so with Maya because she was so open and honest with hers. I just had to hope that she would accept me, flaws and all, because hiding from her wasn’t an option for me anymore.
As we neared the portal, Marco and Henry both stepped through first as I closed my eyes, preparing myself for what I knew would probably be a bumpy ride. After all, the Dreki realm wasn’t exactly a quick trip, and that wasn’t even including the massive shift in magic that it would cause. I could only hope that it would go by quickly.
The magic from the doorway jolted through me as Maya let out a gasp, her magic instantly wrapping around both Croy and I, causing my eyes to widen. That was before we were submerged in darkness, everything turning silent and black around us.
I honestly didn’t know how to explain portaling, except that it felt like you were simply suspended in air. I could feel Maya’s magic wrapped around me like her hand, but I couldn’t see or hear her or Croy. There was just nothing, and there would be nothing until we arrived and were jolted from this state. It was honestly somewhat terrifying, and I was hoping that Maya wasn’t scared. I shook myself from that thought process and instead tried to imagine what the Dreki realm would appear like to someone who had never been there. How Maya was going to experience it for herself the very first time.
Objectively, it was without a doubt beautiful. Smaller than some of the larger realms like Earth or Fae, but uniquely spread out in a way that you didn’t notice that to be the case. Mostly because it didn’t really consist of a linear geology. Rather, the realm had two large sky geographical regions that each consisted of smaller, more broken-up islands on opposite sides of the realm. There were no interconnected roads or paths, so you had to fly everywhere, and everything was made to fit dragons. Which, for those that didn’t shift, as with many of the ‘half-breeds’ that existed, it could be frustrating as hell. I mean, shit, even in human form, the insane size of shit was annoying to me.
The first region was considered the Fire Lands, and the island consisted of the royal guard as well as the majority of the Dreki realm citizenship. The Air Guard, small islands floating around it, were far more rural and provided a majority of the food and products for the larger city, but everything between the two of them was mainly run by the crown. The other region consisted of the Water Lands and the Earth Tribes. The first was where most of the militant academies were, a large portion of the youth spending their years there before coming back to the Fire Lands, while the Earth Tribes on the outer edges of the Water Lands were where many of the ‘half-breeds’ lived. Considering they couldn’t fly, it was a bit difficult for them to change location once settled, so they either provided products and farmed for the academies or worked at the academies themselves. Honestly, despite the reputation it received, I had far more positive memories in that region than my parents’ lofty estate in the Fire Lands.
I knew in our short time here we would mainly be in the Fire Lands, which was a damn shame, because not only was it my least favorite, but it would probably be overwhelming for Maya, considering it was a large urban center. Then again, it was possible I was simply projecting because Maya would no doubt take everything in stride. The white and gold gilded structures and large flame like towers would probably be beautiful to her, rather than represent a dark past I was trying to escape. The militant nature and rigid formality would probably annoy her, but the pomp and circumstance around the crown would probably be somewhat exciting the first time around. Maybe. Honestly, I knew I was very jaded, but then again, no one could deny that this realm was stuck in the past.