Page 45 of Devastation
"Gaia died protecting my mates and me, leaving me to fill her shoes as Mother Nature. One of the roles I play is keeping the balance of each realm, and to do so, each realm is appointed a queen to help maintain it. The queens are given powers through the tether between Mother Nature and them."
Her face is completely blank, and I wave my hand in front of her, "Did I lose you?"
Jerking her head a bit, she comes to and replies, "No. Continue."
Inhaling deeply, I lean forward and pat her hand, "Hold onto your britches. I haven't gotten to the craziest part yet."
Chapter Eighteen
Lana
"I'M WHAT?"
Her screech is probably heard all the way to the banquet room, and I fling my hands up to try to protect my eardrums.
I drop my hands when I see she's in a vegetative shock, not fearing for my hearing any longer.
"Yup, you're the new queen of the shifter realm," I repeat myself, half expecting her to run away into the shadows and never return.
Much to my shock, she rolls her shoulders back, sitting up straight as she asks, "Why me?"
Lying back on the rock platform, I gaze at the brilliant stars illuminating the sky above us and answer truthfully, "I don't know. My soul chose yours before we even exchanged words. You felt it too, when Cadmus landed with me still astride him."
I hear her moving around and glance to my left, seeing her lying down beside me and gazing up at the sky. "I did feel it. I'm just struggling to understand whyme. I don't have the respect of the clans, and I can't even shift fully."
An idea pops into my head and I reach for her, "Grab my hand."
She turns her head to look at me as she tentatively reaches out to place her hand in mine. Upon contact, I feel the connection flare to life between us, but there's something preventing me from completely sinking into it.
"Close your eyes and think of your dragon swirling inside you," I instruct and am immensely happy when she doesn't question me, simply doing as I say.
Continuing to coach her, I try to keep my voice soothing as I say, "Picture a wall between you and your dragon—made of any material that comes to mind—and let me know when it's done."
Her even breaths are all I hear for a few minutes as I wait patiently.
Finally, she announces, "Got it. Now what?"
A smirk pulls at my lips. "Now you knock that motherfucking wall to the ground."
Gripping her hand, I picture our tether in my mind and shove a massive amount of my power through it, envisioning it traveling into her. She gasps as I demand, "Knock it down, Kinder! I believe in you."
A single tear rolls down her cheek at my words, and her face strains as she lets out a scream of anguish.
Scales rise to the surface all over her body, and she drops my hand as she rolls onto her side, wincing in pain.
"Kinder! Are you okay?" I ask, filled with concern as I move onto my knees and reach out to her.
Just before I make contact with her, I hear an eruption of cracking and snapping coming from her body as it begins to twist and distort. Bringing my hand back to my side, I hop to my feet and back up to the edge of the platform, giving her space.
A kernel of hope comes to life as I realize she's undergoing her shift.
"Come on, Kinder! You've got this!" I yell out, encouraging her to continue.
Before my very eyes, she transforms into the most gorgeous orange dragon, swirling black spikes protruding from her forehead and down her neck, spine, and tail. I just barely hop off the platform in time as her tail sweeps out towards me.
Stumbling back a few feet, I gaze at her in awe.
She's stunning.
