“Enough of your silly squabbling,” the chimera boomed from the shadows. “Be serious. This is an enormous threat we’re dealing with!”

“You’re the master of fire,” Damon said, coming forward with Autumn. “But that’s impossible. We should have known.”

“And I’d love to know how you were able to shift despite the dragonsbane,” Gregory added, giving Braeden a suspicious look. “Was this all just a game to get close to us?”

“You lot are so paranoid.” Braeden crossed his arms. “How many times have I told you that I’m not one of them?”

“The dragonsbane has worn off,” Timothy said when he suddenly realized what had happened. “I apologize. I should have realized earlier. You were supposed to get another dose yesterday...”

“But instead, you managed to vanish. Well planned,” Gregory said.

“It wasn’t planned at all.” Braeden clenched his teeth. “I don’t care what you think. I’m not a traitor—neither to you nor to them. I was sick and tired of seeing innocent people attacked. I needed to at least try and talk to them.”

“Great plan,” Timothy said dryly. “Worked out well for you, didn’t it?”

“Since I’m apparently the new master of fire now, it could be worse.” Braeden narrowed his eyes at Timothy.

In turn, Timothy gave him an unimpressed look.

A fire dragon on the council of elements... and not just any fire dragon, but Braeden!

No, there was no way that the chimera would go with that.

“Silence,” the chimera boomed. “I need to think. Fire dragon, you were our prisoner for the crimes you have committed and the danger you pose.”

Braeden lifted his chin stubbornly. “I’m not a danger to anyone. And I’d like to point out that I just saved you all from Steele.”

“He’s got a point, you know,” Autumn said into the following silence.

Timothy frowned, watching as Braeden relaxed a little and gave Autumn a relieved smile.

It was true that Braeden had saved Autumn’s life once. And he’d just driven the fire dragon away.

Speaking of which...

“What happened out there?”

Braeden looked a little embarrassed. “Oh. Steele got away. Sorry. I’m not actually sure how. He went into the ground, and I lost all trace of him. I should have been able to sense the fire in him... Instead, all I got was a sense of smoke. Shadows. Something was blocking my view.”

“Shadows and smoke,” Damon muttered. “Sounds very familiar. Something’s off about that dragon.”

“And if you are the master of fire, why was that other dragon able to wound Timothy?” Liana demanded.

No one had an answer for her. Even Timothy couldn’t come up with a theory. All he knew was that the fire dragon had felt off somehow.

It was the chimera who finally broke the silence.

“Master of fire or not, I won’t have a fire dragon on the council after what happened,” he growled.

Braeden gestured in frustration at the fourth plinth. “Are you sure that’s your choice to make?”

The symbol of fire gleamed brightly, illuminated by a ghostly red light. Now that they were all staring at it, it pulsed gently.

Timothy could feel the power behind it. It was true—it didn’t feel different to the power of earth, air and water. It felt as if fire belonged here, into the council chamber, even though they didn’t have any records of a fire dragon ever being a part of the council of elements.

“If we must have a fire dragon—better one we already know,” Gregory said at last.

Damon laughed softly, but the chimera growled in displeasure.

“No,” the chimera said, his voice echoing from the shadows. “Fire will not sit on the council. Not yet, at least. You have power, Braeden. And it’s the power of the element itself, I won’t deny that. But the council of elements is more than that. It is a duty. A duty that might demand your life, and which will demand utmost loyalty. Until you’ve proved yourself worthy of it, I won’t have you be a part of the council.”

“Fine,” Braeden said in frustration. “But no more dragonsbane and obsidian cuffs?”

“No more dragonsbane and obsidian,” the chimera acknowledged.

Timothy could see the way Braeden’s shoulders relaxed in relief.

Timothy felt a moment of compassion. He would have gone crazy himself without being able to shift and stretch his wings.

“So—how do I prove myself?” Braeden demanded.

“Oh, it’s easy.” The sound of the chimera’s chuckling came echoing from the shadows.

“Right. You want me to find a mate as well,” Braeden said in determination. “No problem. I’ve learned a lot about human women from TV.”

The chimera laughed, a low sound of amusement that reverberated between the walls of the cave.

“No,” he then growled with obvious pleasure. “I want you to find that fire dragon and eliminate the threat. Then you can sit on the council.”

Braeden was silent, staring into the darkness with shocked surprise.

The chimera was still chuckling softly. “But if you happen to find a mate as well, I won’t hold it against you. Council dismissed.”

***

They all gathered in the kitchen, Naomi now cradling a steaming cup of herbal tea against her pregnant belly.

Braeden had followed along, stubborn as always.

As he watched him brood in a chair in the corner, Timothy felt a small smile tug on his lips.

It wasn’t as if he’d ever really hated Braeden. The fire dragon could be immensely frustrating—but he was also a lot of fun to tease.

And it was good to have him back here. Only now, when they’d almost lost him, did Timothy realize that a part of him had actually begun to feel as if Braeden was a part of the team.

He was sort of like an annoying little brother—but then, he’d grown up a lot since they’d first captured him. And Braeden had learned a lot about humans meanwhile.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have a fire dragon on the council. After all, it seemed like they’d found the only fire dragon in the world with a bit of common sense.

“So how does it feel to be free again?” Autumn asked.

She’d always been fond of Braeden, and Timothy assumed that she was relieved that her fire dragon friend hadn’t turned out to be a traitor after all.

“How does it feel to be the master of fire?” Gregory asked with a smirk.

He was sitting next to Naomi, an arm wrapped around her shoulder. As Timothy watched them, he couldn’t help but long for the day when he and Liana would sit just like that, watching the ocean and arguing about names for their firstborn.

Braeden rolled his shoulders as if working out some stiffness. “I can’t wait to go flying again,” he said honestly. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed it. And the fire... It feels a little weird. I never thought...”

His voice trailed off. He looked thoughtful, and a little awed.

“Better be careful.” Timothy couldn’t resist another chance to tease him. “Now that you’re the dragon of fire, your powers are going to grow. Which means you might go mad if you don’t find a mate in time.”

Braeden grimaced. “No offense, but that’s the last thing on my mind right now. Who’s got time for love when someone like Steele is out there? You saw him. Something’s not right. And I’m determined to find out what’s going on.”

“First thing to do will be to find their hiding place.” Timothy tilted his head at Braeden. “But then, that’s probably not a secret to you...”

“They might have moved,” Braeden said, shrugging. “They assumed I betrayed them. That’s why they kept coming after me.”

“Wait a minute,” Liana said slowly. “They wouldn’t come after you if they didn’t think you were a danger. So there’s something you must know. Something they’re afraid of.”

“I assumed it was just because I know their location.” Braeden paused for a moment. “Of course, they could have moved meanwhile—but it would be easier to just kill me to keep the secret from getting out.”

“There it is then,” Jared said triumphantly. “You know. Where are they hiding?”

“It’s my secret.” Braeden hesitated. Then, obviously annoyed, he said, “I’ll tell the chimera before I leave. Just in case, you know. But I don’t want any of you to interfere while I’m trying to get in. Anyway, they’re not all bad. All you’ve seen is Steele’s lackeys. But there are families as well. More reasonable fire dragons. Maybe, if I were to talk to some of them, see if they know anything...”

“That’s the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard. So you're going to fly straight into a fire dragon stronghold?”

Even though Timothy was glad that he’d finally get a break from constantly having to babysit a fire dragon, that didn’t mean that he wanted Braeden to die on a suicidal mission.

“You don’t know anything about us,” Braeden said, glaring at Timothy. “Anyway, you better hope I’m successful. Your last encounter with Steele didn’t go all that well, did it, oh mighty dragon of water?”

Timothy glared back. And then, out of nowhere, the water in the glass in front of Braeden rose up all by itself, only to splash straight into Braeden’s face.

Braeden sputtered, then jumped to his feet. And even though he knew it wasn’t exactly the adult way of dealing with all the stress they were under, Timothy couldn’t stop smirking at the way their dragon of fire looked exactly like an extremely pissed off, bedraggled cat.

Timothy kept smirking, even though there were now flames dancing in Braeden’s eyes.

And then Ginny banged on the table with her fist, looking furious.

Everyone fell silent and looked at her with an expression of shock. Ginny, who was usually so shy and soft-spoken, now looked extremely put-out.

“You’re the council of elements,” she said cuttingly, “and you behave like a crowd of spoiled teenagers. Really, Timothy, Braeden, I expect better from both of you. And that goes for all of you as well.”

Damon and Gregory sobered, their own smirks immediately vanishing off their faces.

“We’re under attack, and you’ve all got mates to care for. Instead of looking after them, you’re fighting. In my kitchen! And I won’t have it.”

Ginny stood with her hands on her hips, looking at them with an expression of deep disappointment.

Timothy felt guilt well up inside him.

Ginny was right. It was a formidable threat. And he needed to remember that most other shifters didn’t have their powers to protect them.

Ginny wouldn’t be able to defend herself against a fire dragon. Neither would their human mates, or most of the shifters in his own home town.

Maybe it was time to stop arguing and work together instead.

“She’s right,” Braeden said after a moment, looking chagrined. “I’m sorry. I’ve accepted the chimera’s mission, and I’m going to do my best to eliminate the threat. But if that doesn’t work out, I’ll return and tell you everything I’ve found. Steele needs to be stopped, and it doesn’t matter how.”

Timothy stood and held out his hand. Braeden hesitated, then clasped it.

“Ginny is right. We’re a team now, all of us,” Timothy declared. “If we want to defeat this threat, we’ll have to work together.”

“I know you’ll do all you can to stop him,” Autumn said. She gave Braeden a worried look. “But you’ve got to promise you’ll come back and ask for help if you need it. You’re my friend, Braeden. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“None of us want that,” Liana said in agreement. Then she gave Braeden a small smile. “Anyway, you’ve got to come back. Now that your powers are unlocked again, we’ll need your dragonfire for our next beach barbecue.”

Timothy nodded. “I’ll bring the fish, you bring the fire?”

“Deal,” Braeden said, and then they shook hands again.