Page 52 of Dragon Untamed

"You sound like it's a bad thing that you spoiled me," Kaida said as she stepped out of the hug.

Arlo playfully scoffed, and both girls turned to him and glared. He put his hands up in surrender with a lopsided smile.

"What brings you in today? I love the purple scarf. It adds the right pop of color on you."

Kaida wore a simple, black, V-neck shirt, a black pair of pants, and black ankle boots. The purple scarf matched the color on the outside of the purple streaks in her hair. The outfit made Kaida think she looked fiercer than she felt.

"Arlo and I were passing through, and I just thought I'd stop by. I don't come down here enough. I need to, though."

"I'll say. Things have been slightly off since the dimension spilled onto the island."

"Yeah." Kaida frowned. "Do you know what is going on?"

"Nope. None of us do. It's not making any kind of sense to Adrien either. She told me last night that this is nothing like anything she knew about the dimension. Adrien is still confused about how it was even opened in the first place."

"Great. I was hoping for your answer not to be that."

"Sorry. If you want, I can make some new clothes for you to make up for it?"

The doors of the shop sprung open, and a woman came stomping inside. Her hair was vibrant red, and her eyes looked like they were on fire. The scent of smoke and burnt wood followed the woman as she stomped her way in front of Azulia. Kaida noticed a ripped-up red dress in the woman's claws and immediately smelled trouble.

"Are you the fairy that decided to sell my daughter this awful gown?"

Azulia looked down at the tatters that were once a dress and narrowed her eyes at the woman. "If you are talking about the gown that I hand-crafted alongside your daughter, who approved every measurement and design, yes."

Smoke came from the woman's nose as she snorted at Azulia. "I demand a refund."

"Sorry, Karen, but the contract you and your daughter signed states that no refunds are given on custom gowns. It is very difficult to resell them because they are fitted specifically to that person."

The woman threw the dress at Azulia as steam practically came from her ears. "I SIGNED NO SUCH THING!"

Azulia remained calm, pulled the dress off her head, and smiled at the woman, "I'm sorry, Karen, but you did. I can show you if you wish. I have all my contracts in my office."

Kaida noticed the woman's claws elongate on her hands. She found herself taking a step-in front of Azulia to ensure the woman did not slice into her friend.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but there is no reason for you to shout at Azulia. I'm sure things can be handled in a much nicer tone. Not to mention, no claws will be needed."

The woman glared at Kaida; the fire in her eyes matched the look that Blaze had given her before. "My name is not Karen, you stupid bitch. And I will do whatever I please. Thisfairydid not make this dress to my standards, and I demand my money back."

Kaida growled. "I don't think you heard me. Do not speak that way to Azulia."

Kaida could feel anger bubble inside her. Her focus zeroed in on this woman, and everything else fell away. The woman's hand twitched, and Kaida threw up a shield before the claws could scratch Kaida's face. Kaida imagined the shield flying forward and knocking this woman out of the store. A purple flash appeared in a blink, and her shield flew forward. The woman was pushed right out the door, and her back landed on the stone street.

The woman got to her feet, and Kaida could see the ripples of the shift flickering around her body. The echoing of Kaida's stomps was the only sound inside the shop. When Kaida was outside the shop, the woman's fiery red dragon roared in every direction. The red dragon's head whipped around and growled at Kaida. Unfazed, Kaida called on her dragon and was shifted in the next two blinks.

Kaida's dragon towered the red dragon in height. The roar of her dragon shook the neighboring buildings and had the red dragon take a step back. The street was barely wide enough to accommodate the two dragons, but there was just enough room for Kaida to circle around. Seeing the red dragon cower brought a sizzle of satisfaction to Kaida's dragon's heart. Her dragon snapped her jaws, and the red dragon took another step back.

"Enough! Rachael, get out of here!" Arlo's voice cut through the tension. "Azulia's contract specifically states that there are no refunds for custom dresses. You also attempted physical assault on Prince Beckett's mate. Walk away now before I allow Kaida to defend herself properly."

Rachael's dragon stared down at Arlo, snorted some smoke from her snout, and stomped away. Arlo's attention went to Kaida. Her dragon huffed at his stare. It wasn't a look of admiration. Arlo looked confused...or concerned. Kaida pushed for her dragon to shift back, and there was some pushback. Her dragon growled when her eyes landed on some other townspeople. Many of them looked as if they wanted to shift and attack. There was something holding them back, like an invisible force. Kaida pushed again, and her dragon resisted for a moment before allowing the magic to take over.

Once Kaida was standing on two feet, Kaida swallowed hard and bit her lip.Why did I react like that?

Kaida stomped up the stairs into her room, slamming her door as she entered. After she managed to gain control of her dragon and shift back, the looks she received from many bystanders made Kaida want to curl into a ball and cry. They all looked terrified of her. She didn't even know what happened and why her dragon thought it necessary to shift. The situation could have been handled differently.

There was no reason to escalate shifting. That person would not have been able to overpower any of us. Azulia was handling it just fine.

That woman was going to attack. I was going to protect us at any cost.

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