Page 53 of Tamed By Air (The Nature Hunters Academy 4)

Elias picked up on the first ring. “Give me good news, mate,” he said without preamble.

“Well, the dragons have agreed to help,” Aston said, his voice hoarse with emotion.

“Okay, then why do you sound like your female just fell off a cliff?”

“Let’s just say falling off a cliff might be easier than what is about to happen.”

“Tell me,” said Elias.

Rory pulled away from Aston and draped herself over the dragon’s face as if she could hold the beast in place. Aston stared after her.I will catch you, my wild Rory.He wished she could hear him now, even though they weren’t touching. “The dragons have their own problems with Osiris,” he told Elias. “And apparently my soul bonded’s dragon is the one to solve them. Rory is not handling it well.”

“I’m sorry, mate.”

“It’s not your fault. The blame lies solely with Osiris,” Aston bit out. His anger surged at the man—if you could even call him that—responsible for putting Rory and Kimba in this position.

“We will do whatever we can to help,” said Elias. “The rest of us will be waiting in the Devil’s Heart clearing when you lot are ready.”

“Thank you.” Aston ended the call. He watched Rory’s body shake while the emotions overwhelmed her. He turned to look at the dragon king. “Is there any other way? If anything happens to Kimba, Rory will not recover. Are you okay with that on your conscience?”

“Kimba doesn’t just belong solely to the dragon rider,” Sepheron replied. “She has been ours for a very long time. But her time with the dragons has now come to an end. Her presence in this realm was never meant to be permanent. It was necessary to protect her.”

Aston frowned. “No offense, but has anyone told you that you talk in circles, and it is quite frustrating?”

Sepheron inclined his massive head. “Being a leader comes with responsibilities. I am burdened with certain knowledge that I alone can bear. This is not something I would wish on anyone. There are things I cannot divulge—rules that even I must follow—no matter how much it angers those who do not understand it.”

Aston could hear the sadness in the king’s voice and see it in the golden eyes. He could also see there was nothing he could say that would change Sepheron’s mind.

“Your comrades are waiting,” the dragon king said. “I can feel their presence. And you are correct. Ra suffers greatly. But I’m sure his suffering is borne of more than just the pain of losing his soul mate. He carries guilt and shame. The weight he bears on his shoulders is too much for someone so young.”

“Rory,” Kimba spoke to his soul bonded. Her voice was stronger than it had been moments ago. “We must go. We cannot leave the female to her fate in the underworld.”

She released the dragon and moved to Kimba’s side. Rory looked over her shoulder, and the pain in her eyes nearly pushed Aston to his knees. He walked to her. Instead of using his power, he watched as Kimba lowered her wing enough that Rory could climb up. He followed his soul bonded and settled behind her. Rory’s body was stiff, her back ramrod straight. Aston rested his hands on her hips. As soon as he touched her, he could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her emotions hit him like a tidal wave, and he squeezed her tighter, steadying himself. Leaning forward, he pressed his chest to her back and kissed her hair before laying his forehead on her shoulder and pushing his power into her, hoping to give her strength to face what was coming.

Kimba took two steps and pushed off with her powerful legs. A moment later, all the dragons, twenty strong including the king, flew next to them, bearing straight for the portal.

Aston saw the swirling vortex grow, becoming large enough for the enormous beasts to pass through with ease. As soon as they entered the human realm, Aston saw his friends standing on the ground, their heads turned up to watch the dragons flying out of the portal. The winged creatures circled around the clearing once before lowering to the ground and landing with surprising grace. Rory made no move to climb down. She sat on the dragon’s back, staring straight ahead. Aston stayed with her, waiting, allowing his soul bonded to gather herself before facing the others.

“Be strong, my friend,” Kimba said. “For me, for your mate, for the girl who needs our help. Be strong.”

“I am not happy with you right now.” Rory’s voice held no anger, only sadness. She let Aston help them down with his power. When their feet touched the ground, she grabbed his hand and looked up at him.

Aston cupped her cheek and gazed into her light grey eyes.I will do whatever you need. I’m here, wild Rory. I’m not going anywhere.The words flowed from his mind into hers.

She nodded and squeezed his hand tightly.

Suddenly a blast of heat filled the clearing. Aston whipped around to see Sepheron shooting flames from his gaping mouth into the surrounding forest. But the trees didn’t ignite. Instead, they separated, revealing a massive stone. The dragon king continued to blast fire at the stone, and soon the other dragons joined him. The heat bouncing from the stone became painful. Aston raised his free hand and called upon the wind. He brought down cold air from high in the atmosphere and swirled it around them. The heat dissipated enough to become bearable, but they still sweated heavily.

A crack formed in the center of the stone. Now the heat grew again, as if the rock itself had released its own energy. Sepheron closed his mouth, but the other dragons continued to bear down on the giant rock with their flames. He turned to look at their group.

“Soul-bonded humans,” the dragon said. His voice was firm, and his eyes bored into them. “The underworld will attempt to release a surge of darkness when its gates open. It is your job to keep that darkness at bay.” There was a crack, and the gap widened, but Aston could only see blackness beyond. “Females, you must gather in a circle and join hands. Your bonded will stand behind you. They must touch you so they can lend you their power. Each of you must focus only on the light that your bond creates. You must push that light forward. Direct it at the gate.” He motioned his head toward the stone. “Your light will prevent the demons from crossing into the human realm.”

“Whoa,” Gabby said. “You want us”—she motioned to their group—“a group of newly bonded, baby elementalists to hold back a horde of demons?”

“Yes,” Sepheron answered flatly.

“Are you sure that’s the best job for us?” Tara asked, her words hesitant. “I don’t remember seeing that in the soul-bonded handbook.”

“Told you there was a handbook,” Liam muttered.

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