Page 48 of Dragon Claimed

" I was fated to Gemar. We met during one of his visits many years ago. Before he even had Prince Enzo."

Kaida was surprised at her admitting this. Amy did not look that much older than her. However, shifters tended to age differently.

"When we met and the mate bond formed, I had a moment of thinking that my life would be completely different than it is now. Don't get me wrong, I live an incredibly happy life and wouldn't change it for the world. The Great Dragon blessed me with a second chance, and I will forever be grateful for that, but I was completely loved-struck and thought that Gemar was too. He shared the same look I had on my face. It is one of pure shock but not one of maliciousness. At first, he seemed genuinely happy he had found his mate. We stared at each other for quite some time. Then, it was like a veil stood between us. Something dark washed over his face, and I could see the anger and hatred he felt. He was willing to form the bond enough for me to be utterly shattered when the rejection came."

The memory of her rejection flashed through her mind. Kaida knew what this felt like. She wouldn't have wished it upon her worst enemies. The pain from the rejection alone made her want to die. Hearing that someone else experienced it made Kaida wish she could outlaw rejecting fated mates. However, they had free will from the Great Dragon. If someone did not want the mate the Great Dragon thought was the best suited for them, they had every right to reject that person.

"What was worse was the things that came out of his mouth next. He went on a rampage about how the Great Dragon failed him. There was no way he would ever accept a mate bond with an Elemental. He spewed hatred for my kind and went on about how we were lesser than Storm Dragons. If he could get away with it, he would kill me right there to show the great Dragon how much of a mistake they made." A tear rolled down Amy's face as she stared at the sky. "The only reason I am alive is because my second-chance mate was right there when the rejection happened. The Great Dragon recognized its mistake and immediately set up the mate bond with my second chance. Gemar laughed at us for accepting the mate bond so easily. The pain from his rejection vanished because of my new one to my mate, so I could easily brush him off. After he went on to say that his Chosen Mate was more suited for him than I was, he laughed at the fact that The Great Dragon gave him such a meek and poor mate and that I would have to live my life on the island, but I honestly felt relieved more than anything. Since that day, I have kept that secret to myself. It is fitting why he has continued to be vocal about his hatred for us Elementals. He couldn't stand that he was fated to one."

Kaida couldn't believe what she heard. If no one knew this story, it would be easy to believe that Gemar hated Elementals because he found them weaker. The layer that he was fated to one made more sense. Not only did he hate them for being weaker, but in his mind, the Great Dragon thought that Amy, a Terrain Dragon, was the best-suited person for him.

"I am sorry to hear that happened to you."

Amy waved her off. "No apology necessary. I am much better off without him. I found a person who deeply appreciates what the Great Dragon gave him. That is all that matters. I wish Gemar had realized his mistake of leaving me behind, though. His life has not been that great since that day. Sure, he continued to rule over our kingdom, and his mate gave him an heir, but what he does not know is that the reason the queen has had such trouble producing another for him is because she is not his Fated Mate. It is only his fault that he only has Enzo. As you can see, he could have made many other heirs for the throne." Amy waved her hand toward the children playing. Since she had three children, Kaida could see what she meant.

Kaida wrapped her arms around Amy and squeezed her. "Thank you, Amy. You have given me the answer I needed."

Amy grinned at her. "Good. I hoped sharing my heartache would bring you closer to your sought answer. I don't know why I needed to share this with you. I will assume that the Great Dragon had his hand in this."

Kaida nodded. " I agree. The Great Dragon always knows what they are doing. This was exactly what I needed to make the best decision between two impossible choices."

Kaida stood up and broke into a jog. She needed to alert her mates of her decision and their need to act quickly. The rest of today would be spent recruiting those who wished to join them.

We fly at dawn.

Deep within her heart, Kaida knew she had made the best decision possible with the available options. With the wind blowing against her face, her wings open as she sailed through the air, and a couple of hundred dragons, along with her mates, by her side, the odds of her decision being a mistake were low. No matter the outcome, they would all go down in history. They would be the first to rise against the kingdom and fight for the island's right to live among those in Dragaal.

I will win that throne. I will make this kingdom see the error of their ways and unite my people.

It was easier than she thought to gather those behind her to agree to fight for their place in Dragaal. They ended up with thousands instead of hundreds. Many were outraged to learn that Gemar came to the island and took Blaze against his consent. It was the final straw for many as they were tired of the king and queen thinking that the Elementals were there to laugh at and control.

The news of Gemar being fated to an Elemental, rejecting her, and then spreading the lie that he never found his Fated Mate broke Enzo entirely. He already did not have much love for his father, but this sealed the hatred he felt for him. The lies were piling up, and Enzo was done, especially knowing that his mother believed that Gemar had never found his Fated Mate and lived her life believing that he would always choose her. Gemar accepted his Chosen Mate because he loved Nande, and they were together when Gemar found Amy. He rejected Amy because she was an Elemental.

As they approached the barrier, Kaida let out a roar that alerted everyone to gather their magic. With the power of a couple of thousand dragons among her own, Kaida knew in her heart that was what was needed to make the barrier disintegrate. Gemar would expect her and her mates to try to break the barrier, but he probably felt too confident that everyone on the island would remain loyal to him and not accompany them.

With the crackling of her plasma energy inside her jaws, Kaida let loose the first beam of magic at the barrier as soon as the mainland beaches came into view. The sizzling magic that held the barrier was within sight, making the air appear like a mirage with rippling energy. Within seconds, she could see the other's magic soar through the air and into the barrier. Her mates’ power swirled around her as they finished the attack on the barrier by mixing their magic in with everyone else’s. Kaida heard the crack of the magic breaking, and slowly, the ripples faded away.

On the beaches stood just as many dragons waiting for them.

Kaida roared at the sight of them. Her mates echoed the crackling sound of her dragon's roar, and the rest of her troops made the dragons down below roar in response. They all opened their wings and pushed themselves off the ground to fly toward them. By opening her mouth and allowing her magic to build, Kaida gathered enough force inside her magic so that, when she let the beam of plasma toward the oncoming, it could bring down three at once. Beams of colorful magic and Elemental forces rained down onto the oncoming dragons from below. A crackling of Thunder from above alerted Keta to what the magic of the troops was conjuring. Storm Dragons were able to do many things, like control the weather. With the number of troops approaching the beach, she thought they would surely conjure more than rain and lightning. To her surprise, lightning danced all around the Dragons in the air. Before they left the island, she and her mates discussed with those willing to fight with them that they would need to power up a shield when going into battle. Many of them listened, and the lightning only slightly damaged their bodies as it connected with the shields. She heard disturbing roars and saw a few bodies diving into the water below. When they did not resurface, she knew their shields did nothing for them, and she had already lost a few of her fighters.

As the kingdom's Dragons approached, Kaida did her best to release her magic in many forms and attack as many people as possible. She made sure to change up her attacks so she would not deplete the energy too quickly. A few were plasma in sphere form, spraying the troops to hit as many as she could at once. Another attack was sent to hit the bigger dragons with one thick beam. She managed to take out many of them, at least for a moment, so they could make it past the threshold of the beach.

The plan was always for them to be able to get Kaida and her mates to pass the troops so they could go in and find Blaze. So far, the plan has been going according to plan. With her and her men being at the front of the troops, navigating through the crowd of dragons, making it further into the kingdom was easier. The downside of it was each dragon came out first. With her and her mates being stronger than the rest, it made the most sense for them to be at the front lines of the troops and knock down as many of the army as they could.

Many of the kingdom's dragons doubled or tripled on one island dragon to overwhelm them. The islanders had never fought in such a manner, so fighting more than one person at a time was difficult. There was no way to tell people to fight together to minimize the damage, so they were not as overwhelmed without risking themselves. Humans cannot fight off the dragon's magic or their teeth and claws.

It is a risk that I am going to have to take.

Kaida quickly shifted into her human form and kept her wings. She flew over the battle and screamed at the top of her lungs, "YOU NEED TO FIGHT TOGETHER! NO MORE FIGHTING ALONE!"

Enough of them heard her, flew into groups of three, and pushed their magic outward from each side. Kaida could see the odds were beginning to balance out. A few of the army instantly noticed Kaida in her human form and were on top of her. She pushed for the shift, but it was coming slower than usual. Kaida threw her magic from her hands, but it was not as effective as her dragon’s power, which redirected itself to shift back into her dragon form. Her mates flew to her side and began to do the same as she instructed until her dragon could complete the change.

She could feel her mates' anger at her for risking herself, but she ignored them. They were still too far away from getting past the kingdom's army to find Blaze.

A larger Storm Dragon with deep blue scales flew before her and her mates. Enzo flew to be in front of her and let out a deep-throated roar. The enemy Storm Dragon must have been Gemar, and Kaida was ready to fight him off herself. If Gemar died, the rest would surrender. He snapped his jaws at her as she pushed herself ahead of Enzo. He didn't want her to fight him.

Gemar shifted back into his human form, wearing a devious smirk. "You insolent child. Did you dare to think you could win against me in my own kingdom? You are sorely mistaken. The ocean and sand will be drenched with your army's blood." His smirk grew. "Unless you would like to forfeit now and give me back my son and kill your other mates."

---