Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

"Enough!"

The command boomed through the library, shaking the very air as a tidal wave of power washed over the room. It hit me like a physical blow to the chest, making my heart skip a beat or three as the air was squeezed from my lungs.

Relief flooded through me as Celeste strode into the room, her easy grace belying the chaos she'd just quelled. Her eyes made a circuit of the room, turning hard as she took in the damage. The dragons--chaotic, churning balls of heat and scales just moments before--immediately quieted, and the room's temperature plummeted.

She barely spared me a glance, which is probably just as well... if she'd looked at me the way she was looking at those dragons, I may have pissed myself.

The stifling pressure suddenly lifted and, with a simple wave of her hand, Raaf and the guards--who'd resorted to leaning on each other to stay upright--were dismissed. They lingered for a moment, looking to Raaf for confirmation, but Celeste's sharp glance left no room for argument. They bowed their heads and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind them.

"What have you done?" Celeste's voice was low, dangerous. Her eyes blazed with fury, and I felt myself shrinking back instinctively.
"I... I didn't mean to--" I stammered, but Celeste's sharp glance cut me off.

"Silence!" she snapped, and I clamped my mouth shut, heart racing. Was she talking to me? Her gaze seemed to bore right through me, focusing on something--or someone--behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder, surprised to see the silver-eyed dragon I'd accidentally punched cowering like a scolded puppy. Its tail was tucked close to its body, and it ducked its head, trying its best not to meet Celeste's eyes.

"What do you have to say for yourself?" Celeste demanded, her voice dripping with disappointment.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Celeste's hand shot up, silencing me once more. It dawned on me then--she wasn't talking to me at all. She was addressing the dragon.

"Unbelievable," Celeste muttered, shaking her head. "You're supposed to be setting an example, not causing chaos!"

I blinked, stunned. Was I going mad, or was Celeste having a one-sided conversation with a dragon? The absurdity of it all hit me like a ton of bricks. Here I was, surrounded by actual dragons in a bloody library of all places, and instead of being torn limb from limb, I was watching one get scolded like a naughty child.

As Celeste continued her heated monologue, occasionally pausing as if listening to silent responses, I began to edge towards the door. This was too weird, even for me. If Celeste had lost her marbles, I didn't want to be around when she snapped completely.

Just as I was about to make my escape, Celeste's eyes flicked to me. She cleared her throat pointedly. "Stay right where you are, Raven. We're not finished here."

I froze, caught between fear and fascination as Celeste turned back to the silver-eyed dragon--Sulfur, I'd mentally dubbed him thanks to his foul breath.

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Celeste exclaimed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "You'll have to use your words, Sulfur. Raven obviously can't hear you, and I'm not playing bloody messenger between the two of you!"

I stared, slack-jawed. The immediate threat was gone, but my heart was still racing, thanks to the adrenaline coursing through my veins. As Celeste continued her one-sided conversation with the dragon, I found my breathing gradually returning to normal, the fog of fear slowly lifting from my mind. And, I realised, either I'd gone completely bat-shit crazy, or she was reading my mind. How else could she have known the name I'd given the little shit? Fuck, if she can hear this... raspberry lemonade!

A small, amused smile tugged at the corner of Celeste's mouth as she glanced at me. "Raspberry lemonade? Really, Raven?"

My face flushed hot with embarrassment. Oh god, she really could hear my thoughts. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Celeste's smile widened slightly, her eyes twinkling with mirth despite the tension in the room. "Don't worry, your thoughts are usually safe. But when you're broadcasting them that loudly, it's hard not to notice."

I groaned inwardly, wondering just how much she'd heard even as questions started bubbling up in my mind. I opened my mouth, then quickly snapped it shut. Probably best not to interrupt Celeste's... whatever this was. But I couldn't help leaning in slightly, straining to catch any hint of the dragons' side of the conversation.

This day was turning out to be far stranger than I could have ever imagined. Despite the residual tremor in my hands, I found myself eager to hear what Sulfur might say. After all, how often does one get the chance to hear a dragon speak?

***

"Honestly," Celeste sighed, her eyes sweeping over the dragons now crouched low on the floor or nestled into the bookshelves. "more often than you think..."

Celeste's tone softened into something resembling affection, albeit carrying a firm edge as she continued, "Don't be such a drama queen! No, no... I'm sure... oh for goodness' sake..."

I so wrapped up in trying to follow the conversation that I nearly jumped out of my skin when something warm and scaly landed in my lap. Glancing down, I found myself face-to-face with another dragon, smaller than Sulfur and with eyes that sparkled with mischief and curiosity.

Before I could react, a soft, girlish voice filled my head, words tumbling over each other in a stream of consciousness that left me reeling.

"Hello auntie! I'm Ember. Those two," the voice paused briefly as the dragon in my lap nodded towards Sulfur and Celeste, "they're like two chicks from the same egg. Always butting heads, and Sulfur's just grumpy 'cause he's not in charge any more. You know, I think you're going to be my new favourite auntie. Do you like frogs? I like frogs. They tickle on the way down..."

I blinked, realising with a start that it must be Ember's thoughts I was hearing. So why, I wondered, couldn't I hear a peep from Sulfur? Was it a matter of choice? Age? Or was Ember simply special in her ability to project her thoughts to non-dragons? While I got lost in my own thoughts I struggled to process the barrage of information that was still coming my way as Ember continued chattering away, her thoughts a whirlwind of excitement and random observations.

"Wait," I finally managed to interject, my voice barely above a whisper. "Celeste and Sulfur are what... siblings? And did you say 'auntie'?"

Ember's eyes widened, and she cocked her head to the side. "Huh? What's seeblings??", doesn't matter, we're meant to be super-secret, ma says... But you don't count, you're family now. Ma never lets us talk to people unless they're family."

My head was spinning. Family? Me? I looked up at Celeste, questions burning on the tip of my tongue, but she was still engaged in her heated exchange with Sulfur.

As if sensing my confusion, Ember nuzzled against my hand. "Don't worry," she thought at me. "You'll get used to it. We're not so bad once you get to know us. Except maybe Sulfur when he's in a mood. But that's what big brothers are for, right?"

"Do not take that tone of voice with me!" Celeste suddenly demanded, dragging my attention away from Ember with the bite to her voice. "Shift, now..."

Sulfur huffed, clearly too proud--or too embarrassed--to speak aloud. He flicked his tail irritably, and though I couldn't hear what he was saying, the defiance was clear.

"Last chance," Celeste chided, an edge to her voice that carried a hint of warning. "Do not push me - She's family, and your elder... and you'd better get used to that idea... pull your snout out of your cloaca and give her the respect she's due!"

Celeste tilted her head, lips pressing into a thin line. "No, I didn't think it was funny, and don't think you can side track me like that..."

"Raven," she said turning to face me fully. "if she's bothering you, kick her off your lap, in the meantime, would I be correct in assuming you know little about our culture?"

Our culture, I thought as quietly as possible, whilst trying to find words that wouldn't offend, just in case my supposition was correct... "I'm learning quickly," I replied dryly, giving a nod to Ember, "and she's fine for now."

Celeste's gaze softened as she looked down on Ember. "Now what did I say about revealing yourself darling?"

Celeste was their mother. But how was that possible? Unless... No, it couldn't be. But then again, why not? The pieces clicked into place: Celeste's power, her ease with the dragons, Ember calling me 'auntie'.

"So," I interrupted hesitantly, before Celeste had a chance to get going again, "I'm assuming these guys and gals aren't your pets... or your friends... they're your kids?"

She only nodded, like it should have been obvious - OK. So she was their mother? That confirmation led to one inescapable conclusion. There was at least one more dragon in this room than I'd first assumed. Celeste wasn't just communicating with the dragons. She was one of them.

"Naturally," she said, replying again to my inner musings, "yes, I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually... or learn to moderate the volume at which you think. But now we have a little problem do we not? You understand this, umm, aspect of our nature is a closely guarded secret? A secret that people have died to protect... No, of course I don't intend to kill you, and neither did Jeremy here... yes, I suppose it's a lot less dramatic than... fine... I'll wait for you to get the words out if it makes you more comfortable... go on..."

The 'no matter how much slower that'd make things' was left hanging, unsaid, but was plain enough from her expression.

"Huh? What...? Why...? How?" My only excuse for my staggeringly incoherent 'question' was that my mind was still reeling from the overload of information it'd just received. Frankly, I was impressed I managed that much but maybe, I thought, I should just let her explain and take it from there?

Celeste's gaze softened as she looked at me, her eyes holding a mix of amusement and concern. "I suppose that might be easier... As you've gathered, we're not exactly your average family."

I snorted, absently stroking Ember's scales. "You don't say." Apparently, I had no sense of self-preservation when it came to this woman and her family.

"Your father, as my new mate, is aware of our true nature," Celeste continued, ignoring my sarcasm. "And you, as his child, are part of our clutch... but nobody else in the Court knows, nor will they be allowed to become aware."

My mind reeled at the implications. "Wait, my father? But he's not--"

"Biologically, no," Celeste cut in gently. "But, adopted or not, you're considered part of the family. In fact, as the new oldest 'child,' you'll have certain responsibilities towards the youngsters."

I blinked, looking down at Ember, who was now curled up contentedly in my lap. "Responsibilities? I can barely take care of myself, let alone a bunch of dragon... kids? Siblings?"

Sulfur, Jeremy, suddenly shifted. Where the dragon had been, a youngish looking boy now stood. He looked no older than twelve, though something about him screamed ageless power, despite the fact he was stark bollock naked. His still silver eyes fixed on me with a mixture of scorn and annoyance, somebody really didn't want to be here.

"Take a picture," he snapped, his first words to me, "it'll last long... Ow!"

I hadn't seen Celeste move, but the sound of the slap echoed around the library, and Jeremy's hands flew to his backside rubbing furiously.

"I had hoped to introduce you to them properly," Celeste continued as if nothing had happened, "but as they decided to... expedite matters... we'll all just have to make the best of it, won't we."

The pointed look she gave Jeremy with those last two words told me that she wasn't saying this for my benefit alone.

***

"So," I started, pleasantly surprised when my voice came out sounding strong and steady, "let me see if I've got this straight. You're the Prime, which means you lead the clan. Jeremy was responsible for his siblings as your first hatched. But now that my father's joined your family--and me along with him," I paused, gulping reflexively, "that I am. Even though I'm not yours by birth, being the oldest puts me in a position of authority. Is that right?"

Celeste nodded, and I continued, "And the children--my new siblings, I suppose--they'll stay in dragon form when we're about the Court, to keep them safe. But when it's just family, they can shift between forms as they like."

I took a deep breath, and looked around at the dragons--my new family--I felt a strange mix of fear and excitement. This was uncharted territory for me, filled with secrets and dangers I could only begin to imagine. But as Ember nuzzled against my hand and Jeremy gave me a sullen smile, I realized that for the first time in a long while, I didn't feel alone.

"And my job, at least for now, is to help guide and protect them. Teach them how to blend in when they're in human form, teach them how to navigate the human world for when they're older. Have I missed anything important?"

Ember chirped happily, her thoughts bubbling into my mind. "You'll be great, Auntie Raven! You can teach me all about human stuff, and I can show you how to breathe fire!"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her enthusiasm. "I'm not sure about the fire-breathing part, Ember."

I absentmindedly accepted Celeste's hand and allowed her to help me to my feet. My legs still felt a little shaky, both from the weight of everything I'd just learned and the residual adrenalin but, as we made our way towards the exit, I couldn't help but glance back at the children, all back in their dragon forms, nor the smile that formed.

I was now part of this family - even if I didn't yet know whether I should feel honoured or terrified.

Probably both, I thought, as the doors closed behind us.