Page 61 of Dragon Untamed

"Kaida...you will have duties around the island. Having a job would keep you from them." Esen pointed out.

Kaida lifted herself to a seated position. "Well, until we can get things figured out with the Dark Dimension, people around here will keep losing control. You three aren't going to let me deal with the public when they are going berserk, so why shouldn't I just spend my time here? Think about it. I already come to the shop regularly anyway, and what better job to have than one where I’ll definitely be protected."

Esen and Arlo pulled themselves up until they were leaning on their elbows. They glanced at each other for a moment, talking to one another without words. Kaida cocked an eyebrow at them and looked at Azulia, baffled at the thought that these two knew how to hold conversations with looks alone.

"Bromance," Azulia mouthed, causing Kaida to laugh and gain the attention of the two men.

"I can't think of why that wouldn't work," Arlo said first.

"You'll be here instead of where everyone is losing their shit." Esen finished.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I said."

A roar shook the building and made all four of them reach their feet. Another one sounded and grew in intensity. From the sounds of it, the dragon was not too far away. If anything, it sounded as though it was inside the town square.

None of them wasted any time. They all sprinted out of the shop and to the square. It was an Ember dragon, larger than the woman who flipped out the other day. The scales were the deepest red Kaida had ever seen on a dragon, and they spewed fire at anything that moved. Kaida could see people using their magic to put up shields to protect themselves from the flames as they ran as far away from the dragon as they could.

Arlo and Esen immediately shifted into their dragons and roared to gain the dragon's attention. When the Ember dragon noticed them, flames the color of white mixed with red and orange were blown in their direction. Esen blocked it withBreeze magic and created a shield before another round of flames came their way. Azulia took a step in the direction of the dragon, and Kaida grabbed her wrist. There was no chance she would let her friend tango with a dragon in hell.

"No, it's best to let them handle this."

Azulia ripped her wrist out of her grip. "I am not a child. I know what I am doing. I have trained in my magic for years and can wield it better than any of those dragons."

"That's not what I was saying, Azulia. The dragon has lost control. This is extremely dangerous."

Before Azulia could argue, the Ember dragon charged through Esen and Arlo, knocking both dragons to the ground. Kaida pushed Azulia to the side so she would not be in the line of collision and shifted into her dragon form. Once her four paws landed on the ground, she opened her mouth and let out a rattling roar. The buildings beside them shook, and the dragon came to a halt.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Kaida stared down at the dragon, almost begging them to make another move. There was a shimmering around the dragon's body. Kaida relaxed a little, as that was a sign of the dragon shifting back to human form. Kaida called on the magic to shift herself when she was hit with a beam of flames. Kaida roared and shot a beam of her plasma in the center of the Ember Dragon's chest. This knocked the dragon backward, and it almost collided with a building.

Make this fool regret trying to attack us!

Kaida made her way to the dragon and stood over them. They were dazed as their eyes spun around, and could not focus on anything. Kaida knew she had them, and this was going to be easy. She opened her mouth and allowed her magic to crackle as it formed into a ball and grew with each passing second.

"KAIDA! STOP!"

Kaida looked down to see Arlo, Esen, and Azulia waving their arms to get her attention. She closed her mouth and growled at them to prevent distracting her.

"This isn't you, Kaida! Don't do something you will regret!" Arlo shouted.

Through their bond, Kaida could feel Arlo pouring his feelings of love and kindness into her. He pushed his memories of her forgiving him and how she offered to help Azulia run the shop to take stress from her.

Kaida looked down at the Ember dragon. They were still dazed from being struck with her magic, and it wouldn't be a problem any time soon.

And I was going to kill them...They’re right–this isn't me.

The shift was quick, and Kaida curled up into a ball once she was human. Arlo, Esen, and Azulia were trying to talk to her, but she could not hear their words. She refused to look at any of them.

I'm broken. I can't control myself or the dragon. I need to lock myself up and throw away the key.

Another few days passed, and Kaida spent it inside the house. Her dragon stirred inside her, yearning to be free to roam the island again. As much as it pained Kaida not to do what her dragon wanted, she was terrified of what would happen if she let her loose.

There was no telling how much control she had, and that was something that sat in her mind all day and night. Whenever she thought she could shift into her dragon form and help the island, she was reminded of how naive she still ws regarding her control. The images of the Ember dragon lying underneath her, unable to fight back, as her dragon built up an energy blast that could have killed them, plagued her thoughts. For the first time in her life, Kaida saw how dragons were the monsters of the realm.

Especially when you have zero control of your dragon.

Beckett did his best to boost her mood any time he was home. Kaida tried to put on a brave and happy face, but Beckett could see right through her. Their bond gave him every insight into how she felt, so there was no hiding it from him.

---