Page 108 of Galen

“I don’t think so,” I said, then attuned to my surroundings. Sight. Sound. Smell. The latter piqued my interest. I knew that scent and stepped toward the shrubs.

Kyo stumbled out of them, then straightened up when he saw me. “Oh. Hey.”

“What are you doing here?” I growled, lowering my dagger.

“I kind of followed you.”

I took a calming breath—as calm as I could get anyway—and pointed toward the trees he’d come stumbling out of. “Go back. Now.”

“I can help you.”

“Help us how? You don’t even know what we’re doing.”

“Don’t I?” A strange gleam appeared in Kyo’s eyes, one that made him seem older somehow. “Simon is in danger, and I want to help you save him.”

“How do you know that?” Alastair asked, aiming the tip of his sword at Kyo’s throat. “What are you, boy?”

I waited for him to answer. We were fully armed with glowing blades, sneaking around the forest late at night, and he wasn’t shocked at all. A normal human would’ve at least been unsettled by it.

“That’s kind of a secret,” Kyo answered, putting his hands up as he eyed the tip of the sword. “Mind lowering that thing?”

Alastair brought it closer to his neck. “What. Are. You.”

“All you need to know is I can help.” Kyo looked at me. “Please, Galen. I know you love Simon. I do too. Not in the same way, of course, but he’s my friend. Let me go with you.”

“We don’t have time for this,” Alastair snapped, lowering his sword and turning toward the stone. “Each second we waste standing here is more time for the demons to do god knows what to our family. Be on your way, boy. This is no place for you.”

Our family.My simmering anger soothed a little at that. For as much as Alastair pretended not to care for Simon, the truth always had a way of showing itself. Eventually.

“Woah,” Raiden said, eyes widening at Kyo. “What the hell are you doin’, kid?”

“First of all, I’m not a kid,” Kyo said, stripping off his shirt and tossing it to the grass. His chest was covered in tattoos. The branches of the cherry blossom tree on the side of his ribs stretched up his chest, and a crashing wave was on the other side with a dragon in the water. “I really shouldn’t do this, but here I go…”

He took out his contacts before facing us again. Bright orange irises with dark slits in the center stared back at me. And then his skin began to ripple, as if something were moving beneath it. When scales started appearing, I heard Alastair’s sharp intake of air.

“Impossible,” he whispered.

Kyo kept a human form, but green and blue scales covered his skin. His reptilian eyes flamed orange with sparks of red, like a roaring fire, and his nails sharpened into short claws. He reached behind him and appeared to pull a sword from his spine. Waves seemed to ripple inside the forged blade of the battle katana.

“Yeah, that’s why I said it was a secret,” Kyo said in a slightly gruffer voice. Hisssound dragged out a bit. Probably because of the forked tongue I caught a glimpse of as it quickly flicked out of his mouth, then went back in.

“Ryujin,” I said, shocked. Ryujin was the king of the water dragon clan and had been killed long ago.

“His son, actually,” Kyo said. “One of them anyway.”

Dragons had the ability to pose as humans and had two different dragon forms: a hybrid form like Kyo had now, and they could also turn into full-sized dragons if strong enough.

As for their power? They were ancient beings that had been around since the dawn of time. Some dragons were even older than the Nephilim.

“So can I go with you guys?” Kyo asked. “Or are you just going to stand here and gawk at me all night?”

There would be plenty of time for questions later. But right now? Simon and Castor needed our help. Even with a dragon’s power on our side, it wouldn’t be enough of an advantage against the hordes of demons we’d face once entering the underworld.

My plan to set Wrath free remained.

“Konnar said everyone’s gathered outside the palace,” Alastair said. “When we get there, we’ll come from the east. The woods on that side will conceal us until we’re ready to attack. The first thing we need to do is find out where Castor and Simon are being held. The cells are near the south entrance, but they won’t be there. It’s too obvious.”

Daman nodded. “I’ll find them.”