Chapter 16 #2
Nia’s paws pounded down on top of the orange dragon’s head.
He whipped his neck from side to side, trying to shake her off.
Nia clung tightly, digging her claws into him just as she had the bark.
She imagined the Strength card, the woman gently easing the lion’s jaws open.
Nia had been using the most forceful power she could summon, but that wasn’t what she needed.
She remembered what Kristy had said as she began firing sphere after sphere all around her.
They grew bigger, joining together until a single orb completely engulfed the dragon’s head.
It still waved side to side, but now with the lazy movements of someone about to fall asleep.
She turned and raced down his neck, leaping over the space where his wings joined his back.
Nia skidded down his tail and leaped to the ground.
She couldn’t afford to stop. She was small and nimble, and that was one edge she had over the dragons.
But she closed her eyes as she hurled herself toward the black dragon.
She’d already done more with her magic than she’d ever imagined. How much more could she do?
Nia opened her eyes and looked straight into the black dragon’s mouth as fire blazed from its throat.
A sphere erupted from Nia, this time, a massive one that had absolutely nothing in it.
She gave it no power other than the walls that held it together.
It encapsulated the fire, pulling all of the dragon’s breath inside it until it became a whirling orb of flames.
Then she tossed it right between the dragon’s legs.
It exploded, sending him reeling backward. Some of his scales and the tips of his wings blazed with his own attack turned back onto him, and he fell like The Tower.
The blue one was next. This was crazy. She wasn’t made for this. What did she know about battle? She was a tarot reader and occasionally a barista. But she’d started, and she wasn’t about to give up.
The blue dragon was still in battle with Kendrick, and Kendrick was closer to her.
Nia leaped onto his back and sprinted up his neck, hoping he might understand what she had in mind.
Secure in the thorny nest of horns on the back of his head, she built an even bigger orb than the one she’d used for the black dragon.
This time, she filled it with all the force and energy she could find.
She slammed it into the side of the blue dragon’s head.
It sent him reeling to his left, and when Kendrick slammed him with his non-injured shoulder, the blue dragon went spinning and staggering off into the trees like the Wheel of Fortune.
Nia heard a roar behind her and felt it ripple through her fur.
Still poised on Kendrick’s head, she summoned her magic once again.
As Kendrick turned to face Joel, Nia took a deep breath.
She thought about all that she wanted for Eve and the babies, and for Joel, too.
She pictured the new perspectives of the Hanged Man and the Fool’s new journey.
In her mind, Death trampled on old ways and beliefs to make way for new.
She tapped into the strong masculine power represented by the kings of each suit and by the Emperor who rules over them all. Temperance. Justice. The World.
When she opened her eyes again, the sphere she created was massive.
It engulfed Joel completely, stopping him in his tracks.
Arcs of energy crackled and swirled all over the outside of the orb, reflecting in Joe’s eyes.
He stared off into the distance, not seeming to see any of them or understand what was happening around him.
The black dragon, still smoldering, tried to slice the sphere with his claws. The blue dragon, though a bit dizzy, staggered back and tried to slam his head against it. His skull bounced off uselessly. Even the sleepy orange dragon made a feeble attempt, but it couldn’t be penetrated.
Nia watched with her heart in her throat.
What is that? Cole asked in disbelief.
She didn’t know how to answer him. She understood deep inside herself what had truly happened, but how could she explain that her tarot skills had fused with her magic? Everyone knew she could read the cards, but now, she’d managed to use them in a whole new way.
With an earsplitting crack, the bubble popped. Joel crumpled to a heap on the ground.
Nia leaned out over Kendrick’s head, terrified that she’d accidentally killed him. The wolves and the dragons also watched, too.
Joel’s sides heaved, and he gasped for breath. Tendrils of smoke curled up from his nostrils, and his claws thrashed in the earth. He melted back into his human form, which looked so tiny compared to his dragon. His muscular body curled into the fetal position.
“Joel!” The cry that came from the woods startled them.
Nia turned to see Eve bursting through the trees, running toward her mate. She collapsed on the ground next to him, tears streaking down her face as she ran her hands over him.
Kendrick lowered his head, and Nia hopped to the ground. He was back in his human body quickly and standing next to her. His quiet presence was comforting, but she was still scared. What had she done?
No one else quite understood it, either. The shifters all reacquired their other halves and crept in slowly.
“Joel,” Eve sobbed. “Why did you do that? Why did you fight them? It doesn’t have to be like that. I never wanted that.”
His eyes rolled in his head and then focused on her. “Eve? You’re back?”
“Please don’t die on me,” she wailed.
“Eve. I’m sorry.” He reached up and pulled her tight against his chest so that the two of them lay together on the ground. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
Cole came to stand on the other side of Nia. She looked up at him, no longer concerned about what anyone would think. His solemn look reflected her own thoughts. Joel was okay, but did this change anything?
“I saw things.” Tears made thick tracks through the dirt on Joel’s face. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like I saw the future. Many futures. Our children…the way they’d grow up…how they’d turn out.”
“How?” Eve asked. She ran her fingers through his hair. “Did you hit your head?”
“No.” He grabbed her hand and brought it to his chest. Joel held it there for a while, then pulled them both up so they were sitting on the ground.
“I don’t know how, but I saw it. Eve, I didn’t understand before.
I thought I could make them strong. I thought I could protect them that way, but they’ll never be happy like that. ”
“So…” Her eyes glistened with more tears, and her face was turning red from so much crying. “You don’t want to make them into warriors?”
Joel shook his head and swallowed. “No. I’m sorry. I’m so deeply sorry. To you and to them, for everything I’ve put you through. I can’t believe what an asshole I’ve been. This is incredible.” He put his hand on his forehead and blinked.
“We’ll let you talk for a bit,” Cole said, gesturing with his head for his pack and his guests to follow.
They walked a short distance away, and Kendrick put one massive arm around Nia. “How about that action for just a wee kitty cat!”
“Hey!” She pretended to punch him in the stomach.
“Seriously, Nia. That was something else,” Beck said.
They moved into a small clearing a short distance away from Joel, Eve, and the other dragons. Nia sank onto a fallen log. “Holy shit, I’m tired.”
“Anyone would be after that,” Rachel said with a smile. “I wish everyone else had been here to see it.”
“They almost were,” Cole replied. “I was about to call them for reinforcements.”
“Hot damn! You were on fire!” Morgan put a hand over his mouth. “Maybe I shouldn’t say that.”
Scott clapped her on the shoulder. “That was impressive, Nia. For a second there, I thought we were done for.”
Brianna’s expression was hard to read, but at least it wasn’t open disdain. “I didn’t know you could do that.”
Nia looked over her shoulder at Eve and Joel. They were still on the ground with their arms around each other. He was recovering from a battle, but he looked entirely different. Joel was a changed man. “Neither did I.”