Page 39 of Emerald Waves
“I see you’re thinking about it,” Ionus said. “Good, now, get out of your head, reconnect with your dragon, and help Raven figure out how you and Mattias can share your abilities with us.”
“Get into the water, Caro and Mattias,” Raven encouraged. “Let it flow over you and call forth your dragons, and Carowhile you are at it, make sure you apologize for the pain you stubbornly forced you both to endure and whatever insensitive things you might have said to him when he attempted to aid you.”
“Yes, High Priestess,” we said in unison, though I truly did not wish to go into that pool.
I did it though, if only because my brothers were watching and I already felt like I’d exposed too many hidden concerns today. To say that I was scared of the element second to my own would have topped every other bit of shame, real and perceived, I’d experienced today. I still had not had the opportunity to explore Odem’s reaction to my horde and how badly I’d misjudged him when it came to that. Something told me that when I truly got to the heart of the matter it would turn out to be another of my insecurities.
Go figure.
It seemed like I had more of them than I’d even been aware of or maybe I’d just been steadily ignoring them and everything else I hadn’t wanted to deal with by hiding beneath the waves and seafloor where I’d believed they couldn’t find me. And in the process, I found myself in one hell of a mess with that artifact.
Go me.
I did as I was instructed, shedding my clothes and slipping into the pool with a shudder I hoped I’d been able to conceal from them.
Dragon, dragon can you hear me?
Nothing. Not even the barest stirrings of him. Okay, I supposed I deserved that.
Dragon, please, I am sorry. I’ve been unkind to you in many ways recently, refusing to listen when you attempted to council me about our mate and the potential damage I was doing to him and to us by staying away instead of reaching for what we both needed. I’m sorry for that and for not doing as youasked and allowing my brothers into our life and our horde, that wasn’t fair to them or to you when you longed to share the beauty of our undersea world with them. I promise that I will stop thinking so much about what I think I want and give more consideration to what we need. Please forgive me. I know that I caused us both pain we didn’t need to endure by being stubborn. I can do better. I will do better. I need your help and guidance now, so that we can share our abilities and right the mistakes I’ve made.
There was a low rumble in the back of my head as my dragon uncoiled and allowed his scales to flow over my body again. In that instant, my fear of water melted away, and in the process taught me that it was my fear, never his, that had been holding me back since the sound in the deep overwhelmed me.
This time I will forgive you, human, do not let there be another misstep this severe.
I won’t.
Good, then we will begin by touching our gemstone, it is from it that we will need to draw the power to share with our brothers.
Thank you.
Thank me by trusting them all more, and for the love of all that is scaly, trust me, human, for we are one. You, me, Emerson, his dragon, your brothers, all the mates they will bring to our family. We are one. When you can embrace that, there is nothing we won’t be able to accomplish.
I will strive to do so.
We shall see. Now touch our stone, human, I long to feel it as do you.
Reaching out, I could actually see my hand beneath the claws, then both gave way to our purely earthen form. It was the first time I’d ever been able to see myself inside of him, realizing itwas never meant to be the other way around. We were dragons first, not human.
Yes. Remember that before you tell me to go away again, or you might discover what it’s like to be imprisoned when I decide not to let you back out.
Well shit, I’d never known that was an option, but now that I did, I’d be certain not to piss my dragon off again.
Smart human. There might be hope for you yet.
Chapter Twelve
Emerson
My mind swirled with everything but fear. How was that even possible given the situation I had found myself in? I swear, I was created backwards. Instead of searching every inch of the cave for a way out, I wished to stay and learn more about my captors and how they came to be.
What was wrong with me?
But my dragon didn’t scoff. He chose that moment to curl up for a nap while my human mind ran free. Good or bad, it didn’t matter. It was knowledge I craved, and my ADHD riddled brain was locked and loaded, ready for a rapid-fire launch of questions.
Hopefully, my inquisition didn’t piss them off.
The giggling statue in front of me shifted right before my eyes and into an adorable, aqua colored Merdragonets with mischief written all over its tiny face.
