Page 5 of Dragon Claimed

Kaida could feel that his power was not enough. It did not reach the entire auditorium as he had thought it would, but it would have if he had pushed more into it. Kaida stood up, pushing her own power out.

"ENOUGH!"

They all sat for a moment and looked at her. Bewilderment that she wielded that amount of power was displayed across their faces. Kaida allowed her scales to show on her shoulders, with only a thin strap to her dress so they could see for themselves. The reflection of her deep purple scales caught their attention, and their eyes fell on them. Kaida knew they were now convinced of what she was and stared at her until Beckett cleared his throat.

"Are you ready to take back your land?"

Enzo lay on his stomach on a plush bed with the softest sheets he’d ever felt. His hands propped up his head so he could read a book he’d been enthralled with on the bed. It was about a villain poisoning all those who opposed him while he played a game of politics with the leaders of other kingdoms. No one ever noticed that the villain was the leader of their kingdom who was poisoning people and killing others in more brutal ways so he could remain the king. Enzo soaked in every word as he connected with a young boy putting the clues together and playing the game more secretively so he could overthrow the king to save the kingdom.

"It's crazy that there are minds who can create these stories. I am living this life as I read this, and I don't think I could make people want to read about it," Enzo said to no one in particular.

Kaida was propped up on pillows with her nose in a different book. Her feet were near Enzo’s head, but it looked like Arlo was holding a book in one hand and massaging Kaida's foot with the other. Enzo felt a growl crawl up his throat. It was still hard for him to share Kaida with the others. His dragon wanted her for himself but understood that she shared bonds with others. That didn't mean he had to like it. Arlo was on the other side of Kaida, placing Kaida between Enzo and Arlo, leaning his back on a bedpost with Kaida's feet in his lap. Esen and Beckett were on the floor, playing a board game of sorts. Enzo was never allowed to play such games, so he did not know the rules. He tried to follow along, but each piece could move across the board in a specific way, and if the "king" was taken by the other side, that signified that the game was won.

"I never understood those who could write these stories either. It's an entire world inside their head, and they spend hours writing it on paper for others to enjoy. It must take dedication to create all of this–dedication I don't have at all," Arlo responded.

"I don't know about that. You had the dedication to master your magic and dragon."

"That's different. That is life or death. Authoring a story for others to enjoy is more than learning how to survive. I didn't take pleasure in mastering all of that. It felt like a job."

Enzo looked at him with raised eyebrows. "What is writing stories if not a job? We paid for these books to be in our library."

"No one paid me to learn my magic."

Enzo chuckled at him. "I think your payment was learning how to build this house and rule over this island."

Arlo blinked a few times and nodded his head. "I suppose you're right on that."

"Will you two stop blabbing? I'm getting to a good part!" Kaida demanded.

Enzo rolled slightly to look at her. He smiled, seeing her so focused on her story. Since the town meeting, it has been difficult to walk around town without someone coming over to her to ask questions or demand to know more about their plans. Some had gotten in her face and nearly lost control of themselves because they could not answer their question just yet. They were still planning how to move forward with their plans. Not many of their people were willing to fly to the kingdom to take their land and rights back. There was no good chance of returning alive if they did not have the numbers.

Kaida grew anxious any time they mentioned having to go to town after three days of her being bombarded. Enzo suggested she remain in the house while they cared for everything, but Kaida snarled at the suggestion. She was tired of everyone running the island and her having no part in it. Enzo understood that. How could he not? He did the same thing when his father kept him out of meetings and such. He needed to know how to rule his people. Sitting in his room studying was not going to teach him everything.

Instead of spending time out with the people who were overwhelming her, Enzo suggested a day of spending time together. This would allow him to experience more about the others while Kaida rested. It proved to be a better suggestion than he thought. The others looked as ragged as Kaida, and all seemed to need the break themselves.

"What's the good part of your story?"

Kaida pulled the book down so she could glare at him. "The characters are finally getting together after spending months denying that they cared about each other. Now shut your cakehole so I can read about these two admitting their feelings!"

Enzo heard the others join in his laughter. Enzo stared at her for a moment longer. The fire inside of him burned brighter every time he looked at her. His heart always skipped a beat or raced against his ribs whenever she smiled at him. Missing her was an understatement during their time apart. He could feel how she felt about him through their bond, matching his flames. It may have been difficult to share, but Enzo knew it would be far better to share than not have her at all.

"Why are you staring at me, Enzo?" Kaida asked without looking up from her book.

Enzo smirked; he had been staring longer than he had intended. "It's been months since I've seen your face or been in your presence. Am I not allowed to stare so that I can see you?"

Kaida lowered her book so that he could see her eyes. There was a fire there as her gaze bore into him. "I did not say you couldn't. I just asked why."

"Well, that is why. I haven't seen you in so long that, now that I can, I will cram in as much viewing time as possible."

"Well, it is distracting me."

Enzo growled low and taunted her. "I can distract you in other ways."

He could feel the others looking over at him. The air in the room filled with lust. Enzo's nostrils flared at the scent. The memory of the first time with Kaida was with Esen. It was more enjoyable than he thought it would be. Now, with the other two in the room, he wondered how that would be, too.

"Oh?"

The scent of Kaida's arousal quickly mixed with the rest of them. Enzo moved quickly to get on top of her, his legs on either side of hers. Enzo gently pushed down her book using one finger to get a better look at her. Kaida's eyes had a glimmer of purple on the outside of her irises. Her dragon was on the edge, wanting what would come next just as much as them.

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