AIDEN
Flames licked the walls of the room and swept across the ceiling. The billowing plumes darkened to sooty black as the whole building began to burn down- everything around us was charring, darkening, causing ash to float around the room.
The crackle of the flame and the creaks and groans of the contracting timber were the only sounds that could be heard once Riley and Markolf disappeared into thin air. I was relieved that our mate was away from this inferno, but knowing she was with Markolf made me want to roar again.
With the cambion gone, Rafe and I finally had control over our bodies again. We were both bloody and bruised from our fight, and with my dragon and his wolf still under the effects of the warlock's potion, neither of us could shift to heal faster nor to protect ourselves from the blaze. Fire dragons were normally not affected by flames, yet I wasn't sure whether that was still the case with Blaze being out.
I turned around to my best friend- he looked in bad shape, just like me. We were both starting to struggle to breathe- the taste of ash heavy in my mouth- and the temperature was becoming intolerable.
"We need to get out of here, Rafe, or the fire might achieve what Markolf didn't," I shouted, drawing his attention.
The rumbling sound above us made me look up, and I realised that we had very little time before the ceiling caved in. There was nowhere really to take cover, nor any windows to escape through. If we stayed trapped in the fighting pit, we were definitely going to perish.
"The door on the other side," Rafe pointed, "it's the only way out".
Shit, he was right but the problem was that the door was on the opposite end of the room, and we did not really have much time left.
"Sprint for it and let's hope for the best on the other side," I said and we both began to run.
We were just feet away from it when a loud bang echoed around us as the ceiling collapsed. Panic surged through my body while I watched burning debris fall and land on my best friend. Before I could rush to help him, something hot and heavy landed on me, trapping me beneath it.
A growl tried to escape my throat as I lay there on the floor unable to move, forced to watch as the flames engulfed Rafe. Then the whole world went black...
***
The smell of smoke and soot permeated my lungs. Gradually I opened my eyes and found myself face down on the gritty, sandy floor. It took me a minute to figure out where I was and what was going on.
I was unsure how long I had been out for but the whole building had burned down to the ground by now. The only thing left was the scorched debris. My mind was still slightly disoriented, but I regained clarity quickly enough to realise that I was lucky to be alive, seeing as Blaze was still out of order. The fire had not harmed me despite my missing dragon and I was relieved that this real-life testing of my abilities worked out in my favour.
The wooden pillar that had crashed on top of me after it fell from the ceiling had been reduced to ashes, so I was able to get up slowly. As I looked around, my memories of what happened before I lost consciousness started coming back to me- Markolf, Riley, Rafe...
Oh, fuck- Rafe! The last time I saw him, he was trapped under the flaming timber, just like I had been. But Rafe was a wolf shifter and they stood no chance against fire.
I suddenly couldn't breathe once more. My heart was racing as my mind was overcome with panic once again.
No, no, no, no....this can't be happening!
That's not how that stubborn bastard is meant to get rid of me.
This can't be real.
Perhaps it was fear that was playing tricks on but I suddenly caught a quiet heartbeat, one that was not my own. My eyes frantically searched everything around to find any sign of my best friend until finally, I saw a hand sticking out from underneath a pile of blackened rubble. I rushed over to Rafe with a speed that I had never had before and removed every piece of debris that had him trapped.
Kneeling, I grabbed him in my arms, rocking back and forth in disbelief.
"Come on, you prick, come back to me," I pleaded with his lifeless body. "You can't....you can't fucking abandon me now, Macalister. I need you, pal. We have a mate to save." My voice was breaking with every word I said.
Every second that I stood there with him was like an eternity. The helplessness I felt was edging me to growl and roar in frustration and pain.
I couldn't accept that this was the end though. It couldn't be.
"For fuck sake, Aiden, we might be part of the same triad but I have no intention of fucking you, so stop holding me like I am your lover or something," a muttered voice said.
Relief washed over me. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack, you dickhead?" I laughed now that I knew that he was alive. "I saw you burn, mate."
"Tell me about it," Rafe retorted as he sat up. "I am not quite sure how I am here to be honest. I felt it all- the heat, the flames- and I was sure as hell that it was the end. And yet, there is not a single burn on me. Even my clothes are intact." He was evidently shocked by this conclusion while he inspected himself and, to be frank, I was just as surprised.
"Fuck me....." It finally hit me.
"No thanks, you knob- I just told you that."
"No, you idiot- I know what happened. I should have bloody thought of that already." I paused as I stood there, amazed at how simple-yet-so-obvious the answer was.
On the other hand, Rafe looked like he was in no mood for guessing what was going on. I couldn't really blame him- we both just nearly died and our mate was goddess knows where with a deranged cambion. "Care to share then?" He urged me.
"You know how Riley took on some of our abilities after we marked her?"
"Yes. And?"
"I think the same happened to us. That's why the fire didn't affect you- just like it wouldn't do any harm to a fire dragon. And when I was looking for you, I heard your heartbeat before I saw you and I got to you quicker than I would have been able to do normally."
"Wait, are you trying to tell me that I have some dragon abilities and you have some wolf ones?"
I rolled my eyes. "I see that you are still not quite with it because that is literally what I just said. But don't worry- Kai won't be growing wings. I think we are just able to tap into those in our human form."
"Well, I am happy I did not get barbequed as the cambion intended. An extra point on my list with reasons to destroy Markolf. Not like I didn't have enough already though."
Blimey, that potion was something, a familiar voice mind linked.
Finally! I missed you, buddy. Are you okay?
Yes. It knocked me out but it didn't hurt me. Looks like I missed all the action though.
Markolf has Riley, Blaze.
The dragon roared in my head and I could feel him on the surface, itching to be let out. Nobody gets to take our mate away from us and live after.
Yeah, I am with Blaze on that one, I heard Kai growl as well. Good, at least they were both back.
"What do we do now? How do we find her?" Rafe was pacing around just like he had done in my house the day Riley visited the Sun and the Moon Goddesses.
All of us were on edge- animals and humans. Being separated from our mate was hard but knowing that she was in danger made us all angrier and desperate to find her and protect her, punishing those responsible in the process.
Rafe was right though. Before we could do anything about it, we first needed to know where she was. And for that, we were going to need all the help we could get.
Without wasting any time, I shifted and Rafe instinctively knew what he needed to do. He climbed on my back and grabbed onto the spikes on my neck before Blaze spread his wings, ready to fly.
We go home, I finally answered Rafe's question and we took off.