19. Evelyn
19
Evelyn
T he air was thick with the smell of ozone as I swung my sword in a wide arc. The blade cut through the air with a satisfying whoosh, channeling lightning. I felt alive, my heart pounding as I focused on the target Rafe had conjured for our training session. When it hit the mark, it exploded in a shower of sparks.
Rafe stood a few feet away, a look of concentration on his face.
“Nice one, Evelyn!” Chad whooped from the sidelines. “You’re like Thor, but way hotter.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You’re such a charmer.”
After a grueling week of training, it felt incredible to see real progress. I still couldn’t use my core magic since it was tied to my life force, but my lineage powers were compensating well. The fire abilities had always been my strongest, and now they felt almost second nature. My wings were finally cooperating, allowing me to maneuver with some grace. My sword fighting skills had improved drastically.
Accessing the Shadow Realm might be easier now that I knew the guardian, but it wasn’t a skill I was eager to use again. The seer ability was rare—unreliable. It came when it wanted, slipping through my grasp the moment I tried to chase it. I could only hope another vision would come soon. The lightning was still unpredictable—raw and wild—but I was starting to get the hang of it. Yet, even as I practiced, it felt like I was barely scratching the surface—like there was a deeper well of power just out of reach.
My thoughts drifted to the other abilities I hadn’t even touched yet. I wondered if I would regret not accessing them sooner if I would need them in the battles to come. Zade was adamant that it was better to focus on mastering a few abilities rather than juggling many I couldn’t control.
Though I felt the dread of Eris’s impending attack, we’d had some time to get ready. The uncertainty of the wait was the hardest part.
A part of me wished we’d launched an immediate offensive, storming the Luminary mansion and engaging them directly. Waiting for the enemy to strike felt unsettling. We were giving them time to build up their strength, plan, and scheme. It left me feeling restless and anxious. Each passing moment felt like a missed opportunity.
Zade had insisted we weren’t ready, and I secretly agreed. To rush in unprepared would be suicidal; we needed every edge we could find. However, I was tormented by the thought of Lia, trapped and used as a puppet by Eris. How much longer could she endure? How long until she was lost to us forever?
I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the present. My muscles were tight, fatigued, and sore from constantly channeling lightning. Each session with Rafe and Zade left me more confident—and more lethal—but also more aware of just how far I still had to go. The lightning was unpredictable, a wild animal that I was slowly taming, but it took everything I had to control it.
It was the weekend, and I was practicing when Chad and Lucien arrived to offer their assessment.
“Your form is improving,” Lucien said, his voice softer than I expected. His arms were crossed, but not in his usual, judgmental way—it was almost…contemplative. “You’ve come a long way, Evelyn. Your movements are sharper and more precise. You’re doing great.”
I froze mid-swing, lowering the blade as I turned to stare at him. “Wait…what?”
Lucien raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“Did you just compliment me?” I asked, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Like…an actual compliment?”
He rolled his eyes, though the corners of his mouth quirked up ever so slightly. “I’m just stating facts.”
“No, no, hold on. I need a moment to process this,” I said, placing a hand over my chest in mock shock. “Lucien just said something nice to me. Someone write this down.”
He sighed. “Evelyn, you’re insufferable.”
“Take a break,” Zade suggested. “You’ve earned it.”
Still somewhat in shock, I sheathed my sword, the leather hissing as the metal slid home. My whole body tingled from the electricity, like I’d just stepped out of a hot shower.
“Here, I made more cookies for you,” Lucien said, passing me a jar of freshly cooked goodness.
Guess the groveling is in full effect today.
I eyed the jar before taking it, my fingers brushing his. Then, I practically inhaled three cookies whole. A girl’s gotta keep her sugar intake up with all this training—pretty sure I burned off three cookies just by blinking.
A disturbingly friendly Ryker and Alister ambled into the courtyard. It still caught me off guard to see Alister so… human. So different. But the warmth in his eyes always made my heart soar.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the new dynamic duo,” Chad called out.
I raised an eyebrow. “When did this bromance happen?”
Chad kicked a rock with his foot, looking a little sad. “Dunno, but they’ve been hanging out a lot lately.”
“I’m sure they’d be happy if you joined,” I ventured.
“Nah, I’d rather stick with you,” Chad said, giving me a teasing grin, “and make sure Pretty Boy doesn’t make any unwanted moves.” He shot a glare at Zade.
“Pretty Boy?” I asked. “What kind of move? He’s on our side, remember?”
“Not the kind of move I’m worried about,” Chad muttered, his eyes narrowing.
“Any news from the scouts?” Lucien asked Ryker.
Ryker shook his head, his massive frame making even that small motion look menacing.
Alister grinned. “We thought we’d show off our preparations, little phoenix.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what might those be?”
Alister gestured to Ryker, who took a step back and started undressing. “I’m human now,” Alister said, “which means I’m more vulnerable. But it also means I can help in ways I couldn’t before.”
“Like what? Signing up to be a blood donor now?” I teased.
Alister rolled his eyes. “Hilarious.”
He didn’t have a chance to elaborate before Ryker’s body began to change. His skin erupted with glossy black scales that caught the sunlight. His muscles rippled and contorted as wings sprouted from his back, unfurling like massive, leathery sails. His face elongated into a draconian snout, teeth glinting sharply and glowing eyes. In just a few moments, Ryker had transformed into an enormous obsidian dragon, yet his eyes remained uniquely his own.
Ryker’s dragon form was truly breathtaking. Each scale glistened like a precious gem, and his wings cast a dark shadow over the courtyard. His enormous claws could easily pass for swords, and his tail swished with a dangerous grace. He emanated raw power, a walking weapon of mass destruction.
“Holy shit!” I gasped, unable to look away from the magnificent creature standing before me. I had seen Ryker in his dragon form before, but never this close. It was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
Alister clapped his hands together, clearly pleased with the display. “Impressive, isn’t he? And now, my love, allow me to demonstrate how even a mere human can contribute.”
I turned to Alister, curious and a bit skeptical. How could he possibly match Ryker’s might now that he was just a man? But before I could voice my doubts, Alister strode over to the towering dragon and placed a hand on one of Ryker’s forelegs. Standing beside the beast, he barely reached its knee, looking almost insignificant in size and stature.
“Ryker and I have been practicing,” Alister explained. “Remember, I still have all the knowledge and experience from my centuries as a vampire. That doesn’t just disappear.”
Knowledge and experience were one thing, but would it really be enough in a battle against gods and monsters? I watched, holding my breath, as Alister took a firm grip on one of Ryker’s scales.
Before I could protest, Alister climbed up Ryker’s scaly side.
My heart leaped into my throat. “Are you insane?” I blurted. “Alister, you’re not a vampire anymore. If you fall—”
“Have a little faith,” he called down, settling himself on Ryker’s back. “We’ve thought this through.”
I turned to the others, hoping for backup. “Am I the only one who thinks this is crazy?”
Chad shrugged. “I think it’s kind of badass.”
Alister spoke as he looked my way. “You are my family. I won’t stand aside while you all fight.”
Something caught my eye as I watched Alister settle into the saddle on Ryker’s dragon form. “Wait a second,” I said, squinting. “Is that…a sword?”
Alister grinned, pulling out a gleaming blade. “Indeed it is, my love. A warrior needs his weapon, after all.”
I spun around, facing the others with disbelief. “Okay, which one of you geniuses gave him a sword?” My eyes narrowed as I scanned their faces. “He’s human now. Human! Do you know how easily he can hurt himself?”
Zade rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with exasperation. “Relax. He’ll be fine.”
“Relax?” I sputtered, gesturing wildly at the scene before me. “He’s riding a dragon with a sharp object. A dragon that breathes fire that flies way up in the air. What if he falls?” I pointed upward, emphasizing the height.
Lucien stepped forward, holding a small vial. “I’ve given him this.”
I eyed it. “What, a potion to regrow limbs?”
“It’s a protective spell. If Alister falls, he just has to crush this, and it will encase him in a bubble wrap to break his fall.”
“Bubble wrap?” I asked, incredulous.
“Essentially,” Lucien replied. “Ingenious, really.”
Alister whooped from Ryker’s back, and I watched as they soared through the sky.
Then Ryker activated his camouflage, disappearing from view like a chameleon blending with the sky. Now, only Alister was visible, his legs spread wide apart, almost in a split, as he waved his sword around like a lunatic. I would have found the ridiculousness funny if it hadn’t been so frightening.
Chad doubled over, laughing so hard he had to clutch his sides. “Oh my gods, that is the best thing I’ve seen in years! Look at him up there. He looks like he’s floating with open legs! I can’t.”
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from Alister. “I think I’m getting an ulcer,” I muttered, genuinely worried.
Every time Alister wobbled, my stomach did a flip. I’d just gotten him back from the Shadow Realm, and now he was risking his fragile human life on this insane stunt. Did he not realize how breakable he was now? How much it would hurt all of us if he got himself killed?
Rafe placed a calming hand on my abdomen, his touch warm and soothing. “It’s not an ulcer. It’s just stress.”
But it didn’t help. The knot in my stomach tightened.
“We need to be realistic about this,” I said, my voice growing more urgent. “He’s not superhuman anymore. He’s just a man. A man who can bleed and break.”
Zade muttered something about us being pathetic, which I ignored. I knew he thought our emotional bonds were a weakness, but he didn’t understand. Or maybe he did, and that was why he was so grumpy all the time.
I sighed deeply, massaging my temples in a futile attempt to ward off the growing headache. “Great. Just great. My human husband is going to fight evil on the back of a dragon, protected by magical bubble wrap. This is fine. Everything’s fine.”
Above us, Alister swung his sword in a wide, reckless arc, nearly overbalancing. My breath caught in my throat as he teetered, then righted himself. The man dared to look proud of himself.
A man holding a sword on top of a dragon? How useful can that be?
“They’re just practicing,” Rafe explained. “He’s trying to show you that he can hold his own, and you don’t need to worry so much.”
“I know,” I said, though I wasn’t convinced. “I just…I can’t lose him again.”
Zade’s eyes flickered with something—perhaps understanding, perhaps annoyance—before he turned away.
“He’s tougher than you give him credit for,” he said over his shoulder.
Alister whooped again, and Chad was now rolling on the ground with laughter.
“I gotta say, I liked Alister before when he was a vampire. Now that he’s human, I’m in love with the guy,” Chad wheezed.
Here we were, preparing for a battle against dark forces, and our secret weapon was a former vampire riding a dragon with a bubble wrap safety net.
Welcome to my life.
Never a dull moment.