Elesian Dragon Mates: Dragon Shifter Reverse Harem Complete Series Read online

  “Rose, hey—are you alright? You sound kind of breathless. Kaylee’s search parties haven’t caught up to you, have they?”

  “No, I’m fine. Just… do you have news for me?”

  “Uh huh.” It was clear by her tone that Annabelle suspected exactly what Rose had just been doing. She glanced down at Mace’s boner and forced her eyes away before she jumped him again.

  “You have news?” she prompted.

  “Yes. Asher’s execution is set to be held the day after tomorrow. The good news is that none of the other covens will be there to add security. Kaylee doesn’t want to risk word getting to the other dragons.”

  “How is it not common knowledge that they communicate mentally?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she has her own reasons for not wanting more witches there, but the rest of the coven believe the one she gave. Anyway, they’re setting up a gallows in the backyard and it’ll be invested with magic to stop Asher from transforming or escaping. Once that noose is around his neck, there will be no stopping it. You have to get to him before that.”

  “Okay, what time? And what kind of security will there be?”

  “There will be witches all around the perimeter, and at least five on the platform itself. Kaylee is planning it for noon. They’ve got a whole big lunch thing planned afterward, to celebrate.”

  The thought made Rose feel sick. What kind of people celebrated murder?

  She tried to put her mind to the practical issue at hand. “Do you know what kind of shields they’ll be using?”

  “Probably acid ones. I don’t know how you’re going to get through those.”

  Mace motioned for Rose to give him the phone. “Annabelle, I’m handing you over to Mace.”

  “Hello, Annabelle. Do you think you’d be able to get an object to the execution platform? Great, I’ll drop it off tomorrow. Can you get to the main road at eleven? I’ll see you then. Is there anything else you need to tell us? Alright. Thanks.”

  He handed the phone back to Rose. She didn’t know what Mace had just arranged, but she was sure it would help them.

  “You should probably go,” Rose told Annabelle. “We don’t want to risk you getting caught talking to me. Delete your call history after this.”

  “I will. I’ll text you any more details I can find out, but at the moment, you know everything I do.”

  “Annabelle… thank you. I know the risk you’re taking to help me.”

  “It’s the right thing to do. I’ve lived by lies and hate long enough.”

  Those words lifted Rose’s heart. “Good luck.”

  “You too—stay safe.”

  As Rose hung up, she was breathing slightly easier. Asher’s rescue was by no means certain, but at least there was hope. Mace pulled her into a hug. She breathed deeply, letting herself go in his arms. She wasn’t sure which one of them needed the hug most. When she pulled away, she felt revived, and calmer.

  “What’s the object you want Annabelle to hide?”

  “The object is irrelevant. We’ll probably pick something small and inconspicuous. My brothers and I will need to invest it in magic that can disrupt shields, so that we can get in to snatch Asher.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Not alone, but I’m confident that with your added power, we’ll be able to.”

  He was certainly putting a lot more faith in Rose’s power than she was, but she didn’t voice her doubts.

  She and Mace cuddled on the couch until Gavin and Jagger got back. Mace quickly updated them on the conversation with Annabelle. “We should start investing that object with magic now, in case we need to give it a couple of tries to get it right. What about the scouting? Is it all clear?”

  “All clear,” Jagger confirmed. “I’ll grab something, hang on.”

  He stepped outside, and came back in a moment later with an acorn. “This will work well enough. Come, let’s get started.”

  Rose let them direct her to sit in a circle with them, holding hands, with the acorn in the middle. “What do I do?”

  “You don’t need to do anything. We know how to do this, we just need your power to amplify ours. You’ll feel us pulling it from you. Just don’t fight us, and we can do the rest.” Jagger looked uncharacteristically serious. Rose supposed that there wasn’t much to joke about in this situation.

  At first, it seemed like nothing, but then she felt her energy slowly start to drain. She had to force herself not to fight against the sensation. The acorn in the center started glowing with a golden aura.

  They were silent, all staring at it. Rose couldn’t tell how long it went on for before Gavin and Mace finally dropped her hands. The dragons looked as weary as they felt.

  “That should do it.” Gavin picked up the acorn. “We’d better put this somewhere safe until we deliver it. As for the actual rescue, does anyone have any idea how we’re going to fight off an entire coven of witches to rescue Asher? Taking their shields down will allow us to get in and out, but they’ll still have their powers, and you can bet they’ll be casting some pretty nasty spells at us.”

  Rose had given this some thought and had her answer ready. “I say we don’t fight them.”

  Jagger grinned at her. “So, what? We just ask nicely if they’ll release Asher?”

  “Shut up.” Rose couldn’t keep back a smile. “I say we all fly in, as fast as we can. Mace in the middle, with me on his back. Jagger and Gavin on either side. As Asher is being led onto the platform, we swoop down. Mace grabs Asher in his claws and flies off with him. I’ll do my best to shield us. I’ve learned a basic shield spell, and I’m hoping my necklace will amplify it. If the shield fails, Jagger and Gavin must do their best to shield Mace, Asher, and me from the spells. If one of them falls unconscious, they will automatically transform back to human, and Mace can grab them in his claws and carry them off too.”

  The three dragons were silent for a moment, considering. “What if both of us fall unconscious?” Gavin asked.

  “Then Mace will have to grab both of you.”

  “I can’t, not if both of my front claws are already holding someone. I’d have to open them to grab another person, dropping the original one. My back claws are fixed and can’t hold a person.”

  “Hm, that is a problem.” Rose couldn’t bear the thought of one of her dragons being injured and left behind. It wasn’t an option.

  Mace’s eyes lit up. “What about this? We make some straps or something to ensure that you’re not going to fall off my back, Rose. Then, say we end up with Gavin and Asher in my claws, and Jagger is knocked unconscious. I fly down below him before he hits the ground. He’ll land on my back. You’ll need to grab him to make sure he doesn’t slip off.”

  “Are you trying to kill me, brother? You do realize that being impaled on one of your back spikes isn’t exactly going to be good for my health.”

  “We’ll have to put some kind of wooden boarding over his spikes,” Gavin mused. “It’ll look ridiculous, but it might work. I can get working on making some planks—we certainly have plenty of wood here.”

  “You’ll have to fly very precisely to land someone just where I can reach them,” Rose pointed out to Mace. “Can you do it?”

  “I have a day to practice. Jagger loves dropping things on me when I fly—this is your moment, brother.”

  “Happy to help.”

  Even though it would have seemed impossible, they had managed to raise Rose’s spirits. The day after tomorrow, they would rescue Asher, and they would all be safe.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rose clutched Mace’s spike underneath the wooden boarding. She and the boarding were both securely strapped to his back. She didn’t have her shield up yet; she was saving her energy for when they were closer, when it was needed.

  She was only too aware that any shield she constructed would be pathetically weak compared to the power more experienced witches were able to bring forth. Rose was counting on her necklace to help, but it wasn’
t exactly something she controlled. If things went wrong here, in all likelihood, the five of them would all be dead before the sun set.

  They were flying fast. The mansion quickly came in sight. As they got closer, Rose could see the gallows that had been set up. They had to time this very precisely. The dragons had better sight than her, and would be able to see exactly how far Asher was from the platform.

  They adjusted their speed, going a little faster, then a little slower. They had to reach Asher just as he was being led onto the platform. Too soon, and there would be too many witches around him to snatch him. Too late, and the noose would already be around his neck.

  Shield up. Get ready. Gavin changed his position slightly, angling down. Mace and Jagger copied him.

  Rose’s voice was lost in the wind as she spoke the incantation for the shield spell. She could feel it go up, an invisible barrier. Her necklace didn’t do anything, but Rose tried not to panic. They’d already discussed the fact that it generally kicked in when she was stressed or afraid. She was counting on it doing its part once the spells started flying.

  It was amazing how fast dragons could fly. They were over the town, and then they were over the mansion. Then, they were swooping down toward the gallows. Asher was being led to the noose.

  A cry went up as the witches saw them. That cry turned to alarm as the four of them flew right through the shields.

  Rose winced as she felt spells hitting her shield. Her necklace glowed hot, and she felt the shield strengthen. She just didn’t know how long it would last.

  Asher realized what was happening and raised his arms into the air, making himself an easy target for Mace.

  Mace snatched him up, quickly carrying him away. Spells were still battering the shield, but Rose’s heart was light with relief. They hardest part was done. Now, they just needed to escape.

  That was when it all went wrong.

  An unearthly scream of rage had Rose twisting dangerously around to look behind her.

  Kaylee’s eyes were glowing red as she stared at Asher.

  Her body seemed to swell with rage.

  It kept swelling. Suddenly, it seemed to explode. Where Kaylee had stood was a huge serpent with black wings, red eyes, and spikes all down its length.

  Rose felt like her breath was frozen in her lungs. Hellith.

  How could Kaylee be Hellith?

  It didn’t matter how. All that mattered was that she was.

  She expected Hellith to take off after them, but she didn’t. Hellith instead started attacking the witches. They were totally taken off guard, but even if they hadn’t been, it was quickly apparent that Hellith was far more powerful than they were.

  Turn us around! We have to help them. Rose knew that while the witches of the coven weren’t perfect, they didn’t deserve to be murdered. They had no chance against Hellith.

  Why should we help them? Gavin’s voice was heavy with bitterness. They were about to kill Asher. They will be perfectly happy to murder us all.

  No, Rose is right. If we leave Hellith to kill the coven, she’ll just come after us next. Our only chance is uniting against her. Drop me, Mace. Now that I’m far enough away from their spells, I can transform. We’ll swoop around and attack.

  Gavin wasn’t happy, but he didn’t voice an objection. Mace did as he was told, dropping Asher, who let himself fall a bit before he took his dragon form.

  The four dragons turned, heading toward Hellith. Instead of attacking Hellith, the coven witches started sending spells back at the dragons. Rose wanted to tear her hair out. Of all the times to feed a grudge, this was not one of them.

  As they landed, Rose leapt to the ground. The dragons were between her and Hellith. She rushed to the witches, her arms in the air.

  “Stop! What are you doing? We need to fight Hellith together, or we’re all dead!”

  Her words seemed to bring them up short. The witches stared at the dragons, who were breathing fire on Hellith and trying to get their claws into her. Apparently, they’d thought the dragons were coming back to attack them.

  “Come on! If we stand together, we might have a chance!”

  In the silence left by her words, Annabelle stepped forward. “She’s right. We can resolve our differences later. For now, if we want to live, we have to stand side by side to fight Hellith.”

  As Annabelle joined Rose, Maria hurried forward. “Shields up, big enough to cover us and the dragons. Acid spells to send at Hellith at the ready.”

  Rose didn’t know who was second-in-command after Kaylee, but apparently Maria had enough authority to convince the rest of the coven. Suddenly, shields were going up everywhere. The group ran forward, between and around the dragons, shooting spells at Hellith.

  Hellith screamed angrily, redoubling her attack. Rose’s necklace pulsed angrily, strengthening the shields. Hellith’s attacks glanced off them. She was doused in acid spells, which allowed the dragons to start ripping through her tough hide.

  Rose could see that Hellith was weakening. Black blood seeped from her wounds. She caught Asher in a glancing blow, but he came back as strong as before. Her tail made it through the shields, knocking Annabelle to the ground. Rose couldn’t spare the time to check on her friend.

  Hellith was taking much more damage than she was dealing, though. Her skin seemed to be bubbling, and the ground beneath her was black with blood.

  With a final shriek of anger, Hellith launched herself into the sky. For a moment, it looked like she might fall, but then her damaged wings managed to catch enough air to bear her away.

  Asher looked like he wanted to launch himself after her, but Rose grabbed his wing in both hands. She wasn’t strong enough to stop him from taking off, but he wouldn’t do it with her hanging on; he wouldn’t risk hurting her.

  “Stop, Asher! We’re not strong enough to take her, not yet. Let her go.”

  The sense of her words seemed to break through the haze of battle. Asher transformed back to his human shape. Gavin, Jagger, and Mace did the same. All three of them looked a little beat up, but nothing too serious. Asher, however, had a deep gash on his shoulder that was bleeding badly.

  “Come, hurry.” Rose took him by the arm and urged him over to Maria. Maria was bending over Annabelle. With a soft word from the healer, Annabelle woke. She groaned, pressing her hands to her head, but seemed otherwise okay.

  “Maria, Asher needs help.”

  To her credit, Maria didn’t hesitate. She put both hands on Asher’s shoulder, murmuring words under her breath. Asher tensed, but didn’t stop her. Maria’s hands glowed, and when she took them away, Asher’s shoulder was smooth and whole.

  “Who is the coven leader now?” Rose asked, hoping it would be Maria. If they got someone who hated dragons as much as Kaylee had, they would be in trouble.

  “The true leader? That’s you, Rose.”

  Rose just gaped at her. “What?”

  “The prophecy was right. It’s not just dragons who know of it. Witches have long dismissed it, but now I guess we can’t do that anymore. You’re still young in your powers, though. I was second-in-command to Kaylee. With your permission, I will lead the coven until you’re ready to take your place among us.”

  “Agreed.” Rose definitely didn’t feel like she was ready to lead a coven yet. She still felt like a baby compared to the more experienced witches.

  “Let’s get inside, everyone,” Maria called. “We’ve won a great victory today. Hellith will return, I’m sure, but for now, we are safe, and we should celebrate. We should also get to know our guests better. Asher, Jagger, Mace, and Gavin will no longer be prisoners here. They have proven their worth, coming to fight beside us when they could have fled to save themselves. They may live here if they wish, or go their own ways. I hope, though, that they will choose to stay. What just happened shows us all that we need to learn to work together if we are to survive.”

  Rose turned to Asher. He was the leader of the dragons; the decision would be up to him.
Asher held out his hand, and Maria shook it. “My clan will stay here as guests and do our best to work with you to defeat Hellith. There is a condition, however. The rest of my clan is being held at the other covens. They will need to be released.”

  “Of course. I don’t quite know how I’m going to convince the other coven leaders, but I will find a way. The time for enmity between us has passed.”

  “Asher and I can go with you when you talk to them,” Rose offered. “I think part of the problem is that witches don’t really see dragons as people. If they can see Asher in a normal setting, as a man who loves and hopes just like the rest of us, I think that’ll go a long way to convincing them.”

  “Good idea, Rose. We’ll discuss the details later. For now, we have a celebration to get to.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  I don’t like it. Rose had finally figured out how to open a channel to all four of her dragons at once. She could feel them listening in her head. Why can’t we have a round table?

  A round table wouldn’t fit in here. Besides, the knights of Camelot were all male. Jagger winked at her. Though perhaps we can persuade them to make an exception.

  Rose rolled her eyes, reluctantly sitting down. She looked ridiculous like this, at the head of a long table that seated thirty. All of the senior members of the three witch covens and Asher’s dragon clan were present.

  Asher and Mace sat on her right, with Jagger and Gavin on her left. Jagger reached under the table to hold her hand. Rose squeezed his hand gratefully. She was more nervous about this than she was willing to admit to anyone except her dragons.

  You’ll be fine, Asher assured her. Everyone else was assembled. Rose knew that it was her time.

  “We’ve had some discussions about the future of our coven. All three leaders of the individual covens have agreed that I am the one chosen by prophecy to lead us. Asher, the leader of the dragons, has come to the same conclusion. If there are any objections to this, from witch or dragon, let’s hear them now.”