Page 43 of The Dragon's Flamebound Mate

I bounced on my tippy toes while they flew. With each swirl in the air, my stomach tied itself into tighter knots.

“C’mon, you’ve got this,” Zayne said.

The team had opted to try exchanging an item mid-air, though that was a more difficult task. I had faith in them. They had already done so beautifully that if it failed, they still wouldn’t fly away with last place. I preferred they didn’t, but it wasn’t a death sentence if they did.

Scott and Christ raced upward, baton in claw. They soared above their two teammates, then the four of them flew straight, two high, two low.

Then in unison, Scott and Christ banked left and dropped suddenly, both letting the baton go. Isaac and Susan beat their wings frantically, soaring upward. Both caught the batons at the same moment.

I let out a loud whoop and clutched at my mate. Hayden and Kellan both whistled their support. The crowd leapt to their feet in surprise.

Once the catch was complete, Issac and Susan’s wings fanned out, slowing their ascent. Next, they banked opposite directions to make room for Scott and Christa. Then the four of them were flying in line—a force to be reckoned with.

I couldn’t watch the judges. And honestly, I didn’t care what they thought. I knew that the formation had been flawless and was ridiculously proud of them.

The four dragons descended until they all landed at the center of the field. They bowed their heads to the judges and changed back to their human forms.

The crowd continued to shout out their cheers.

I hugged my mate and kissed him soundly. “They did it!”

“We did it,” he said.

Chapter 22

Zayne

Oursecondflightwenteven better than our first. The team, carrying their confidence from their first time out there, outdid themselves in their second round. I couldn’t be more proud, especially when the scores came back. There were some really strong performances today and to see our numbers telling the crowd that we had some of the strongest was so healing after last year’s failure.

Jay seamlessly fit into Isaac’s spot. It was always stressful when we swapped in our alternates at competitions. As strong as they were, the chemistry was always different, and with that came room for error. But we had a strong team this year, and they didn’t let any changes get in their way of shining. There were teams that didn’t give everyone time on the field. That would never be me. It wasn’t fair to leave any of them on the sidelines, not when they all put in their all throughout the season.

The team stood around us in their human forms, all of them practically glowing. We all grasped hands as we waited for the judges to announce the winners. I wanted it to be us, and we’d done well, but even if we didn’t, the entire competition was victorious, in my opinion.

Finally, it was time to tell the crowd who was walking out with the trophy. I held my breath as they called our name—Emberstone Elite division. The crowd let out an enthusiastic roar of applause.

The team jumped for joy and hugged each other, tears in many of their eyes. Meanwhile, I wrapped Ash in my arms and hugged him tight. We had done it.

“This is because of you,” I said. If he hadn’t come, today would’ve been a repeat of last year. I’d have tried my best, but honestly, I wasn’t what they needed—not by myself anyway. It was Ash and me together that made this possible.

“All of us,” he said, “and this amazing team.”

I held his hand as the two of us walked to the podium and accepted our trophy together. This was a monumental day for so many reasons, not for just us as a school and a team, but having a team with Co-Leaders taking home the trophy was historical, as was my mate not being a dragon.

As we stood in front of the roaring crowd, waving and holding our golden trophy high, the thrill of victory coursed through me. Never before had a competition meant so much to me. This was a victory for the whole team, not just for me, and I couldn’t wait to see where their talent led them next.

We walked back to the team, and they welcomed us with open arms. Their smiles and shouts of excitement were infectious.

“Can you believe it, Leader Zayne! This is amazing. I never thought we’d be here. Not after last year.” Christa had every reason to be concerned after the season closing we’d had. If she’d left to go to another school, I wouldn’t have blamed her. She had talent for days and they’d have gladly had her. We were lucky she chose to stay.

I pulled her into a hug. “You deserve this. You and Scott earned your captain titles. Ash and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

When I looked over, Jay was shaking Ash’s hand, and his mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear his words. Ash clapped him on the shoulder and pulled him into a hug. What a difference from the first day when they met. Jay had really come a long way this season, and as amazing as his flying had been today, the thing I was most proud of with him specifically was his growth. It wasn’t easy.

We took our seats as the ceremony moved on, announcing the winners of the other competitions. It had been a very full competition, and there was a lot to take in and celebrate.

As much as I wanted to return to our room to be with our nest, we needed to show our support for the entire division, not just ourselves. Our team would understand, but this was about more than just us.

Ash held my hand the entire time. I gripped him tightly, never wanting to let him go. I wanted years and years of working by his side like this. Scratch that—make it a lifetime.

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