Page 59 of Dragon Untamed

Apain-filled roar created a stunned silence within the town square. Kaida looked around but could not find the dragon that made the sound. She looked to Beckett, Arlo, and Esen to gauge whether it concerned her. All three men were statues. None of them made a movement, and their faces were emotionless.

Oh gods... has the Dark Dimension infected someone else?

The bond between her and Beckett gave nothing away. Beckett was in control of his emotions and did not give Kaida a hint at what was happening if he knew. The fact that the last few days had been filled with all four of the princes having to reign in people's dragons, Lycans, and magic has been a testament to how far the Dark Dimension's reach has gone.

And it was terrifying.

There had been no news from the mainland. None of the kingdoms were sending any sort of mail their way to give them any indication that they were facing the same issues. Kaida attempted to write a letter to her parents to ask, but not even the post was going out. The usual shipment of items the island couldnot produce has come in. Nothing else.

Kaida was there when Beckett asked the cargo ship's captain about it. The captain reported that everything was fine. Loved ones of those who have been rejected have not been given any mail to bring, and that was all. If it weren't for this being the first time this happened since the beginning of sending people to this island, no one would be batting an eye.

But something is up. I can feel it in my soul. The mainland just doesn't want us to be worried. Fat chance of us just letting this go.

"It could be someone just shifting for the first time, and it's not going well. Emerging is a bitch," Arlo explained as he continued to stare in the direction from which the cry came.

"I don't remember my emerging being painful," Kaida deadpanned.

Kaida wasn't falling for it. Arlo only stated that she would not grow more concerned than she was currently.

"Your dragon was trying to save your life. She came fast and painlessly to ensure your safety," Arlo started.

"Not everyone has to go through death-defying antics to get their dragon to emerge," Esen finished.

Kaida glared at them both. They were trying, but it was still not sitting well with her. Kaida also wasn't as dumb as they thought. She had heard those kinds of noises before from others. That kind of roar was not just emerging painfully. If anything, that was a dragon experiencing something, and there was fear mixed in with their pain.

"Shouldn't we check it out? We are the ones that are in charge around here, are we not?"

The three men gave her a blank stare. This was not news. They knew their duties to the island and its inhabitants. They just didn't want Kaida to get involved because they were afraid of her dragon being unable to control herself.

Kaida threw her hands up in frustration. "I don't have to tag along, you jerks! One of you can go check it out. You don't need to babysit me! I can go through town with just one or two of you or even alone!"

Esen smirked, "Look at you; you are being so bossy."

Kaida growled. "More like I’m trying not to want to punch you in your face for thinking you need to babysit your mate."

Esen leaned over to whisper in her ear. "Part of the job as your mates, Sweetcheeks."

Kaida swung at him, but Esen sidestepped before she moved as if he anticipated her wanting to hit him. Esen chuckled along with the other two. Kaida growled in frustration and began walking down the road toward the shop she had been searching for, which of course was Azulia's.

The three of them had a discussion that Kaida could barely hear from the distance she put between them. It must have been about who would look into whoever was possibly injured, and apparently they’d decided it should be Beckett since he fanned out his wings from his back and took flight. Kaida had been trying to pay attention to their schedule of checking in with the incidents that had been plaguing the island, so she knew who she was going to spend the day with. She noticed an equal amount of time between the three of them, with a few times of all three of them with her. Even though Blaze had been keeping his distance from Kaida, it still looked like he pitched in his time to complete his duties.

It shouldn't have surprised Kaida that Blaze was still loyal to his friends, but it did. He tried to avoid her, but Beckett, Arlo, and Esen were always with her. Outside of their patrols, which increased to needing two of them at a time during some parts of the day, Blaze was on his own. What he did at that time was a mystery. His scent in the house was not as strong lately, telling her that he had been spending less time there than usual.

Where does he go? I don't know if he has other friends on the island outside of these three.

Kaida walked into Azulia's shop and scanned the room. No one was behind the counter, and no customers were in the store. She came here to apologize for the thousandth time for what happened the other day and to ask for more clothes. The guilt was eating at Kaida every night of attacking Azulia's customer and costing her possible business. Azulia stated she forgave Kaida during her first apology. However, when they trained together the following day, Azulia was a little quiet compared to normal.

Azulia popped her head out from one of the fitting rooms in the back and gave Kaida a smile. She held up a finger, and then her head disappeared behind the wall. Kaida used the opportunity to browse the racks. One thing Kaida noticed was how bare the racks looked. The terrifying thoughts of Azulia having to remove the items because they had been on the rack for too long plagued her mind. This clothing shop was the most popular on the island, but Kaida had never noticed it looking bare before. A memory of Blaze telling Kaida that he noticed fewer people around the shop since the incident popped up. Kaida's stomach turned, and she had to suck in her breath so she didn't spew the contents of her breakfast onto the floor.

I hope to the Gods I didn't cause her to lose this kind of business. I will throw myself off a cliff.

Arlo and Esen were behind her, whispering to each other about feeling awkward inside the store. Kaida noticed that she was browsing the panty section when their conversation started. A smirk played at her lips, and she thought of asking them for their opinion on a pair of lacy panties when Azulia's voice grabbed her attention.

"Hey, Kai. What brings you in today?"

Kaida frowned and bowed her head, "I want to say sorry again. For everything-"

Azulia smiled sympathetically, "Kai, I promise you, I am not mad. It didn't hurt my business in any way, shape, or form. It's actually brought me more business because people found out you shop here. You just missed a mad rush of people."

---