CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Storm ran hard across the vast beach. The violent wind and rain conspired to slow him down. Lightning flashed repeatedly as he ran. He needed to go faster but the wet sand made it hard to run. The waves crashed against the jagged rocks with a thunderous roar.
Thunder boomed and Storm could almost feel the earth tremble. A fierce, deadly storm was rolling in, but Storm knew he had to keep going.
He had to reach that island.
Storm refused to turn around even when he heard shouts behind him. His brothers were running after him, shouting at him to stop.
“Storm! Stop!” Sky bellowed. “Stop!”
“It’s too dangerous!” Seath yelled, his muscular arms pumping furiously. “Don’t be crazy!” Seath caught him and yanked him back. “What are you doing? Do you want to die? Do you know what’s out there?”
Storm shook his head. “All I know is that I have to go to her. I have to get her. I know where she is and I am not leaving her there!”
The wind shrieked and lashed at them, but his baby brother’s voice was thunderous. “You’ll die out there!” Seath pointed to the turbulent waves. “And if you die, I will kill you! I swear I will kill you, twice!” He shook two fingers at Storm.
Sky reached him and gripped his shoulder hard. “Storm, listen to me...”
But Storm shook his big brother’s hand away angrily. “Wouldn’t you do anything and everything to find Leia?” he said, referring to Sky’s mate.
“Of course.” Sky took a sharp breath and said, “Are you sure, Storm?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” Storm snarled. “I will give my life for this. For her.”
Sky stared at him for a long while and nodded. “Okay.” Blowing out a frustrated breath, Sky said, “But we can’t shift. And I don’t think we can swim all the way to that island.”
“Yeah,” Seath snapped. “We’re dragons, not...ducks!”
“I will reach that island,” Storm snarled.
“Yeah? How?” Seath challenged. “We need to fly there, but...”
“Then that’s what we’re going to do. I won’t let some fake lightning and thunder stop my dragon. I will shift to dragon form and fly to Emilia!”
Seath lunged forward and grabbed Storm by the collar. “You’ll die!” he shrieked. “Didn’t you hear a word Gramma and Ne-ma said? You’ll lose your mind and your life! I won’t let you do this!”
Sky had to drag Seath forcibly away from Storm. “You can’t stop him, Seath,” Sky said. “Calm down. He needs to do this.”
“No! He doesn’t! He doesn’t need to kill himself!” Seath wailed. “Don’t tell me to calm down!”
“Listen to me,” Sky growled.
“No! Get off me!”
As Sky wrestled Seath down, Storm stepped away from the ruckus and ignored all the noise and distractions around him. He had to concentrate fully on pushing his dragon to the surface.
The magic that was holding his dragon down was powerful, but his willpower was stronger. He would fight this dark magic and win. He would not let Emilia down.
She had been let down by her family. He would not let her suffer anymore heartbreak and pain. He had promised that he would never break her trust and her heart.
“Emilia...” Storm whispered.
She was his strength. There was nothing that he couldn’t overcome for her.
Storm knew that he could overcome this dark magic that was preventing him from shifting. He just had to break the magical shackles that were holding his dragon down.
He had to keep fighting. It felt like a thousand knives were cutting and twisting into his body as he pushed back against the magic. His dragon fought with him, determined to emerge and reach its mate.
Storm grunted in pain, as he felt his muscles contorting and tearing. Sweat and blood dripped down his face as the magic gradually weakened around him.
His dragon pushed up, straining against those chains that were weaved around him by dark magic. Painfully, excruciatingly, the chains broke.
With a terrible roar, his dragon emerged. His dragon spewed blood and fire into the air as it exploded from his body.
His brothers, Gramma and Ne-ma were already running towards him.
The two witches clambered onto his back and hollered, “Go, go, go! You may not be able to hold on to your dragon form for very long, so let’s go!”