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“Henrietta Young.” Rowan waved the thought away, “First lunch and then research.”

Dew’s voice was soft with trepidation. “If they attack again, it’s going to be on a grander scale. Surely every shifter group has their defenses reinforced at the moment.”

“Yea.” Rowan agreed, “Whoever’s behind it all isn’t done. None of the attacks reached their full potential. I think they’re going to keep trying until they get what they want.”

“Besides turning the world against the shifters, what could any of this do?” Louisa demanded.

“Maybe that’s the goal.” The fox shifter guided them around a huddled group of young mystics blocking the middle of the path.

Rowan held a bated breath as she felt the stares of the group follow them. “That’s the fox shifter that was in Greece, I told you I’d seen him around here.”

That was quick to reach back to their slice of the world. How many cameras had there been? How long had they been there?

“And I told you I’d seen that succubus around here too! But she didn’t have those wings and horns before. Do you think she’s really one? I’ve heard there are a ton of mystics getting procedures done to look more exotic.”

Rowan felt her anger rise, she was getting ready to turn and lash out at them, but then Dew resettled on her head and a wave of calm rushed through her.

This was her new norm. She had to get used to anything that could be thrown at her. She had no doubt it could be worse.

“Louisa, if you get some time today, I want you to dig around and see who has a big enough grudge against shifters to target any race. Kin you focus on beast communication. I’ll try and see if any of the leaders of the snake, bear or sphinx shifters are willing to tell me what their trigger source was and I’ll look around their point of origin. ”

Louisa pouted. “But Romo is launching a new sweater collection and I cannot fall behind in fashion this winter, Rowan. I just can’t.”

Rowan scrunched her nose. “You’re right, priorities are important. Sweater collection first and then trying to make sure people don’t die. “

“No.” Kin cut in, “You are a princess and you are the heiress of the North American Vampire Brood. Get some servants to do your shopping and focus on saving people’s lives first.”

Rowan and Louisa groaned.

“You know, Ro, this is all your fault. I don’t know why you couldn’t have had your grand idea until after the release.”

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Alessandro was in the middle of a meditative bubble bath when the doors to his personal bathroom slammed open.

He glanced up through the steam as Blaise entered, cheeks flushed from exercise, his hazel eyes bright, “There’s a mob outside of the gate.”

Alessandro felt his jaw tighten. “A mob?”

“They’re destroying the shops. They’re calling us murderers.

” Blaise paced up and down the length of Alessandro’s tub, his rage becoming more and more pronounced.

“Aqua keeps putting fires out, but they keep making new ones, literal ones, not figurative ones. Naseem doesn’t know what to tell Stone to say or do and the four heads of houses are saying they’re in mourning. ”

Alessandro growled as he stood up to his full height. Trails of water and bubbles followed him as he swept out of the room. “What about Terra?” He demanded.

“She’s already left for Dragon City to prepare defenses and beds in case we need to retreat that way.”

It was a solid call on the earth-dragon’s part, and he hated it. But he was Alessandro, and he did not back down. Stepping into a pair of black jeans, a white shirt and his favorite boots, he led the way back to the gate through the air.

The gate had been more for decoration than an actual barrier. It was ornate, extraordinarily difficult for it to move. The sight of it closed filled Alessandro’s mouth with bitterness.

Throughout its life, the gate had remained open. Once upon a time, it helped soften the public image of the tight-lipped community that lived behind its walls.

Stone stood at the gate, a ball of flame jumping from one hand to the other. Though Alessandro had warned the younger dragon to not turn to fire when he was angry, it had become a tell that the Dragon King used to gauge him.

Alessandro was angry too, but as a leader he needed to show how calm he was even in the face of adverse conditions such as the ones they found themselves in.

“Aqua, Naseem, you two will take the east side of the street, Blaise and Stone you two will take the west. While Naseem and Blaise work on putting out the fires, Aqua and Stone, you are going to deep ice the stores. Mundane fire won’t be able to ignite it if you do it right.

Make sure you give it a bit of a soft finish.

We don’t want to seem threatening. I will shift the crowd towards the end of the street.

Once you’re finished with the task, I want you all to walk right back through the gates.

No engagement with the press or crowd. Am I understood? ”

The four dragons nodded.

Alessandro took a moment to cool his anger, observing the four following his lead before he threw the doors open in one push.

The crowd that had gathered outside had been bigger than he had mentally prepared for, but his plan took the numbers into account.

Smoke had turned the street dark, the smell fueling the rage of the more infuriated individuals present.

The hollers and threats enticed his dragon forward, but after years of having to deal with his Thunder, Alessandro knew how to put on a face of peace even if he wanted to break the offenders into tiny pieces.

The roots of the trees that lined the sidewalks danced around the crowd, easing those who were there more to gawk and say they were part of the movement towards the end of the shopping district.

He dodged debris the crowd threw, wares from the shops they’d ransacked.

Fury permeated his chest. How dare they? Creations his dragons had shed blood, sweat, and tears for, used as weapons.

“You’re all monsters!” Echoed like a war cry.

Each spell felt like a step away from losing total control. But he couldn’t afford to give in. It would play into the hands of whoever was behind all of this.

He created air bubbles that discombobulated the more rowdy participants in mini twisters before the branches guided the confused individuals with the rest of the crowd.

Questions from the press came as he worked, and the bright lights from rolling cameras filled his vision with momentary stars.

None of the questions really stood out besides one; how could the public trust that the next time the dragons lost control, Black Cove wouldn’t be in danger as it had been heading to with the first attack?

He bit his tongue as he thought, how were his dragons ever going to trust the public again after the damage they’d caused to the shifter’s collections? For something that they’d had no control over?

With Dragon Alley cleared, he cast his eyes away and turned his back to the world. The gates shut behind him with a resounding thunk.

Chapter 12

Rowan was stunned into silence as she looked at the TV set in the corner of her office.

He was on the screen. His hair dripped water on his crisp white shirt as he worked his magic without missing a beat.

He weaved spells so tightly and quickly that she missed moments when he alternated between wind and earth style.

He removed the intruders of the shopping district with vines from the blooming trees that ran along the sidewalks and then confused others with mini tornadoes.

She was in absolute awe of the nuances she would have missed if she hadn’t been paying such close attention to the events unfolding. The dragons fell into his rhythm, correcting steps by small signals he sent if they veered. It was a controlled dance. She could watch it for hours.

There was so much fear from the crowd, mingled with a hateful speech that enraged her as a spectator.

Dragons had always been the ultimate mystics. Their magic was so old it was a popular dispute that it was the first established art. Their casters were so well imbued, it was unheard of for any of them to not have established access to magic.

The impenetrable scales added yet another layer to their untouchable status, which made the incident that much harder to swallow. But these facts did not make it okay for the public to threaten their livelihoods. Fear was not an acceptable excuse for their actions.

There was no more trust on either side. She could feel it most of all when he turned his back on the world and shut the gates once and for all.

Something about his eyes, despite their solid state of steel gray, did something to her that had her reaching for her phone as soon as Draconis’ barrier visibly erected.

“Hello?” His voice was rough with fury.

“Hi.” She rolled her eyes at herself. Why the hell had she called him? A text would’ve been fine. “It’s me.”

The soft sound of an exhale preceded a small chuckle. “I know.”

“You were great.” She watched as the mob tried to reignite the flames. They were idiots for underestimating the power of the Dragon King and his dragons. Dragon Alley was impenetrable. “Deep ice?”

“A small trick I invented, of course.” He seemed to have calmed a lot more than she would have at that point.

“Of course. You are the great and powerful Dragon King. Probably been alive for ages, naming and inventing all the cool magic tricks.”

“The one and only.”

“Come over tonight.” She didn’t know what she was saying. “To my office or home, whichever you prefer.”

“I should focus on how to fix this mess that my Thunder is in.”

Rowan had to swallow her disappointment. “Solid call. Before you go, I’m sorry, the world is full of idiots.”

For a moment it felt as if he had hung up, but then his voice came through once more, “Thank you.”

And then he ended the call without a single goodbye. Rowan glared at her phone and groaned, throwing her head on her desk.

“Was that a groan of longing?” Louisa asked from her doorway.