Chapter 2 #2
Her dragon was a part of her, like all other dragons.
She was light blue, the exact shade of winter ice, her scales growing paler along her belly and tail, like sunlight striking through a frozen lake.
And she was a rare frost dragon. While the others breathed fire, her breath rolled out in waves of glittering cold that could swallow a flame whole.
Her frost could smother the fiercest fires in the four kingdoms. Even the Dragon King of the West, Xander, pushed her to her limit, but he had never burned through her ice.
His flames could melt stone, and still, against her, they hissed and died into steam.
Then again, that was what happened when your father was a tier-one deity.
That side of her came from Leviathan himself, and she carried his strength in every scale, along with more than a little of his pride.
Her wolf came from her mother’s side, a dire werewolf just like the one her mother carried.
She was white from nose to tail, her coat threaded with fine gray ticking so faint it turned blue whenever the sun hit her just right, the same trick fresh snow plays at dusk.
Her name was Yuki, and she was the quiet one of the pair.
She spoke mostly when Alexa shifted, and even then, she was a beast of few words.
Yuki watched more than she talked, calm and steady.
They chatted from time to time, but it was almost always Alexa who reached out first. Yuki simply preferred to listen.
“Get dressed, Lex. We’ll eat after practice.” Mikah walked toward the door and reached for the handle.
“Who else am I sparring with?” Sparring with Mikah worked, but she liked to practice fighting in the air as well. He let out a low chuckle and she knew exactly who she was going to be fighting with. “Nooooo.” She pouted, groaning softly.
“Brian is already waiting for us outside. And the prince said he has some different techniques for you today. Let’s move it.” He walked out the door, shutting it quietly behind him.
She stomped over to her dresser and rummaged through her drawers for some clothes.
Brian was the Dragon Prince of the West. He was born almost a year after she was.
Having lived in the same castle, they grew up together, and she loved him dearly.
He was like having another annoying brother around.
Brian might not be a demigod, but he was a challenging fight.
He wouldn’t let her fight lazily, and he wouldn’t go down easily.
He always went into these sparring matches at one hundred percent, which meant no slacking today.
The two young men were a big part of her life, but she also had her cousins that she was very close to.
Her cousin Raine also lived with them. She was her uncle Brody and aunt Chelsie’s daughter, and they shared a birthday.
In a crazy turn of events, her other cousins, Aedan, Lucie, and Destiny were born on the same day as well.
She also had one more cousin, Justice, who was the same age as Brian.
They were all her close family who she loved and trusted completely.
Even though they didn’t live together, they visited often, thanks to the portals created by the black pearl shards.
She couldn’t explain it, but the bond she had with them was a powerful one.
And she knew that deep down, there was a purpose behind all of this.
The Moon Goddess had something planned, but it was hard to say exactly what that was.
“Let’s go,” Mikah groaned, banging his head on her door loudly.
She rolled her eyes as she opened the door. His lips curled up in a cheesy grin. “I think you’ve got this thing backwards. I’m the one who gives the orders.”
“Ahh, but you forget, my dear, that I am not your subject. I am your protector. Completely different. I protect you. I don’t take orders from you. So, if necessary, I will override your judgment. Which means I don’t take orders from you … you take them from me.”
“Of course. Because you know I will obediently listen to whatever you have to say. Oh fearless, brave protector of mine.” Alexa gave him a half-smile and listened to his low chuckle.
“I think you should have been given two guardians.”
“That’s what all guardians say. I’m sure Uncle Grayson felt the same way with grandma. And we know Uncle Brody says that all the time about my mom. I think the real problem is that you guardians are not as tough as you think you are.”
“Ha! No, the problem is that our charges think they’re invincible and don’t treat themselves as if they are irreplaceable, because they are!”
“All except for me. I am replaceable, which is the reason for Lucie’s fairy powers—”
Mikah stopped her abruptly, growling loudly. His fierce gaze bore into hers. “Is that what you think?”
“Relax, Mikah.” She laughed quietly and shook her head. “I’m not saying that I’m replaceable to anyone. But since there was a premonition of me dying, fairy magic has decided that instead of preventing my death at all costs, they would simply create a backup.”
“You aren’t dying. It’s already been prevented. I won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t care what crazy deity is after you.”
“This deity Erebus is ruining everything. It’s his fault my mate won’t even come and see me. I hope someone finds him soon. I hate how they’re letting everything be controlled by one man.” Alexa folded her arms over her chest, frowning.
“Not one man. One crazy deity who is eating souls to become more powerful,” Mikah corrected cheekily.
“Whatever. If Dad and Ken teamed up, he would be taken care of in no time. As it is, the deity Rogio is after him for interfering with the vampires. It’s only a matter of time before he’s dealt with, which makes this whole mate thing even more infuriating.”
“Well, instead of battle training, would you like me to pull up a couch and listen to your problems?” Mikah chuffed, grinning at her wryly.
She reached over and punched him in the arm, a layer of frost spreading where she made contact.
Mikah furrowed his brows and rubbed his arm briskly.
“You just wait till the world finds out their future fairy queen is actually a frost demon who will kill all their beautiful flowers. All hail Queen Alexa … ahhhh! Oh no! Her frozen tundra powers have killed all the plants!” he teased, immediately sprinting away from her.
“Oh, you want a frozen tundra? Alright … here comes your frozen tundra.” Her lips curled up and she dashed after him.
In his annoying way, he was distracting her from overthinking.
He did it out of habit now, knowing her personality.
It was something she would never admit to him … but she loved him for it.