Flicker the storm dragon.., p.1
Flicker (The Storm Dragons' Mate Book 2), page 1
Flicker
The Storm Dragons’ Mate
Book 2
M. Sinclair
Lost & Bound Publishing
Flicker - The Storm Dragons’ Mate (Book #2)
Copyright © 2022 by M. Sinclair in USA
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced/transmitted/distributed in any form. No part of this publication shall be shared by any means including photocopying, recording, or any electronic/mechanical method, or the Internet, without prior written consent of the author. Cases of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law are the exception. The unauthorized reproduction/transmitting of this work is illegal. This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
Created with Vellum
The Union of Love & Madness
Contents
Description
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Love Bexley?
Lost: Silver Falls University
Series Within DIA Universe
M. Sinclair
Published Works
Description
The most powerful and dominant shifters at DIA are my mates.
I finally shifted. I should feel relief and excitement, but instead I’m faced with fear of the unknown. The hidden threat that defeated my parents is still out there, and the looming presence of it, posing a threat to my mates, is a constant thought in the back of my mind.
As I reunite with a community I’d forgotten, I can only hope that locked away in my memories is a clue to the life that was stolen from me.
I may not be able to change the past but I’ll fight to protect my future.
Flicker is book 2 in the Storm Dragons’ Mate series that features a slightly naive but sassy MFC, possessive dragon alphas, and a secret that will change everything. This is not a high school academy book and the contents are intended for mature audiences, with characters who are all 18+. This book includes violence and mature sexual content.
Author Note:
Flicker is set in the shared universe of Dark Imaginarium Academy. All series can be read independently, but characters have crossovers and it is highly encouraged to read all within the universe to understand the world in its entirety.
Series within the universe:
• Phases of the Moon by M. Sinclair
• The Creatures We Crave by R.L. Caulder
• The Storm Dragons’ Mate by M. Sinclair
• Blood Oath by R.L. Caulder
Chapter One
Breaker Firespell
Something was wrong with mo chuisle.
We were standing right in the archway that led into the academy building’s hall, our entrance currently blocked by three wolf shifters that had appeared out of nowhere, all of them seemingly freshmen. They were attempting to pick a fight with us, specifically Gage, which was something I would normally find amusing…if it wasn’t stopping us from getting to Bexley. My gaze moved to the bathroom door, nearly twenty feet away, almost willing her to walk through it.
Something was very wrong here.
“Get out of my way. Now.” Gage grabbed one of the wolves’ collars and lifted them, his fingers morphing into claws and ripping the garment before tossing him to the side. I had a feeling that he and Jagger were both feeling the same thread of panic and concern that I was.
Then I heard it—Bexley’s scream.
I wasn’t positive if I hit the kid in front of me or tossed him to the side; all I knew was that one moment I was standing in the archway at the end of the hall and the next I was throwing my full weight into the bathroom door.
A fiery blast slammed into me and nearly laid me on my ass.
It didn’t stop me from pushing forward through the flames, absolute fury and red rage washing over me at what I saw.
Ioan. He had Bexley pinned to the wall, his agonizing bellow of anger making me realize he was being burned alive. Bexley’s skin was glowing like hot metal, and before I had the chance to step in, she cried out as her bones snapped and her face contorted in pain.
Fuck.
I knew what came next. Attempting to shove the others back, as they had followed me in, I had a mere second to warn them. “Move—fucking move!”
Everything exploded into a lethal inferno.
I watched through the flames as Bexley transformed into the creature I knew she was meant to be, shifting into her full form. Ioan’s body soared through the air with the force of her power as the entire building shook and she let out a vicious cry.
“Holy shit,” Jagger breathed out, all of us watching her in absolute awe.
Without a moment of hesitation, most likely listening to the survival instincts telling her to run, Bexley exploded up and into the air, breaking right through the stone ceiling.
“We have to follow her!” Gage ordered, yelling over the sound of the debris falling around us.
I nodded sharply and jumped into the air, shifting automatically. My gold wings expanded out and pushed me through the hole in the ceiling to follow my mate. My perfect fucking mate.
I was still fucking livid at what had happened with Ioan, filled with a simmering rage that was just waiting to explode out at the right moment, but it was being grossly overshadowed by the pride, awe, and relief I felt at Bexley shifting. Her obsidian scales flashed under the sunlight as I sped after her, unable to take my gaze off her even for a minute.
Bex’s movements were unsteady but fast. The burst of power from her first shift after so long wouldn’t last forever, but it would be smart for us to let her ride it out. If we made her land now, she would be worked up and terrified, especially since her creature was no doubt far more in charge than herself. Instead we would let her fly, and when she was finally exhausted and decided to land…well, then we would figure out what the hell to do.
Silver and bronze forms flew on either side of me, and I knew they were thinking along the same lines because neither raced ahead to try to corral her into landing. When she made a sharp turn, most likely trying to shake us from tailing her, we followed after, easily navigating a sector we were so familiar with.
I was glad for that familiarity right now because it gave me a moment to study Bexley’s true form. Of course I had seen her shift when we were younger, but she had only grown more beautiful and far more powerful. When the light hit just right, her onyx scales almost appeared to be dipped in gold on the tip, and along her spine down to her barbed tail were vertical scales that looked similar to spikes. The part of her that held most of my attention though was her wings.
In my life, I’d seen countless pairs of wings, but Bexley’s would always remain the most beautiful in my mind. They were long and elegant, the webbing between them almost leaf-like in nature. While they were onyx-colored near her body, they faded to a light, almost transparent gold near the tips, and the veining and cartilage throughout was a stunning metallic shade. Fucking beautiful.
Our beautiful dragon mate.
I couldn’t wait to see her up close once she landed.
We continued to let her fly for the next ten minutes, until I noticed her movements starting to slow, her wings flagging in their effort to keep her up, her elevation dipping quickly. We must have circled the back of the sector several times before she finally decided to land, making a straight line towards a series of caves in the mountains that lined the back of the sector.
I felt a thread of caution and concern as we followed, not wanting to scare her. I knew eventually that her dragon would recognize we were her mates, but her first reaction would probably be fear from being cornered by three massive male dragons. So the minute we neared the cave, I shifted back into my human form to follow her in.
The other two followed my lead.
“We need to give her some space,” Jagger cautioned.
Gage looked like he wanted to argue, so I added in support, “Think how scared she probably is.” He paused and nodded, but I could see the anger from the Ioan situation threatening to make him shift again. Hopefully once he saw Bexley, he would calm down a bit.
Bexley, who was hiding in the shadows of the cave, made a wounded noise that made my chest squeeze. Any anger I was still holding onto about how we’d found her in the bathroom truly disappeared, my need to take care of my mate far surpassing anything else.
“Mo chuisle,” I called as our eyes adjusted to the dark, finding her onyx dragon curled up as far back as possible in the cave, her dark gaze on us and her fear saturating the air. Despite not looking anything like her human form, I could see Bexley was there. She was terrified, confused, and probably being pulled in a million different directions by her dragon—but very much there.
“Bex,” Gage called. “It ’s us. Gage, Jagger, and Breaker.”
A threatening growl came from her throat as she curled even further in on herself.
“I promise you’re safe,” I said in a soft, hopefully comforting voice. “We’re just here to help you shift back.” I had no idea if what we were saying was the right thing to say, but Jagger nodded next to me in agreement.
While she didn’t growl this time, she continued to stare at us with caution.
“We also need to make sure you aren’t injured,” Jagger added, heavy concern saturating his voice. It was completely possible she’d injured herself while busting through the ceiling. Dragons’ heads were scaled and tough, but something like that would still leave a mark. And that wasn’t even including what Ioan could have possibly done to hurt her—
I stopped myself from going down that train of thought. Not until Bexley was safe, healthy, and back in our dorm. Then I could entertain the fury that threatened to consume me.
Taking a chance and approaching her, she let out a threatening noise but I didn’t stop my movement. When I reached the point that I was standing right in front of her, I raised my hand up, and she stared at it before leaning forward and sniffing my skin.
Bexley froze up before a softer rumble came from her throat.
When she pressed her snout against my hand, I nearly sagged, breathing out a long sigh of relief. I spoke to the others while keeping my gaze on her. “Come over here, let her scent you. I think her dragon is making it hard for her to recognize us.”
Stepping slightly to the side, Jagger came up and offered his hand, her gaze moving from me to him as they repeated a similar process before Gage took his turn. I could see she was more hesitant when it came to him, and I had a feeling why.
“You have to turn the aggression down,” I warned. “She can sense it.”
Gage shot me a frustrated look before moving his gaze back to Bexley. “Cupcake, I promise I’m not mad or angry at you. I’m just on edge because of what happened.”
Seeming to evaluate his words, or maybe his expression and intent, she finally scented him, and I watched as she visibly relaxed, her wings no longer shifting anxiously on either side of her as if preparing to fly. I knew that until she recognized all of us, or more specifically her dragon recognized us, that she would perceive us as a threat, and I couldn’t blame her.
Other shifters feared us for a reason. Bexley never needed to worry about that though.
“I need you to shift back,” I instructed her, her head tilting in confusion, as if not understanding.
“We want to take you back,” I continued my explanation. “But you have to shift into your human form so we can do that—”
Suddenly, a gold mist surrounded her form…and she shifted back.
I had expected more of a fight, but when her body began to drop from the air, I realized that Bexley had literally passed out. Shit. Gage caught her in a snap as I immediately joined him at her side. Lifting my fingers to her pulse, I breathed out a sigh of relief at the steady sound. She must have passed out due to exhaustion—that was the simplest explanation.
My relief was short lived as Jagger gently lifted her golden hair, examining her neck. Ioan’s claw marks marred her skin. I closed my eyes momentarily, trying to steady myself from the inferno threatening to burst out from my chest. One that demanded vengeance for my injured mate.
“We can be mad about it later,” Jagger bit out. “Let’s get her back.”
I nodded as we walked towards the front of the cave. Renewed anger welled inside of me because this moment was supposed to be special for Bexley, not some compulsory reaction to a life-or-death situation. More so, if forcibly breaking the spell that locked her memories away had somehow hurt her…
I didn’t want to go there. I didn’t want to even consider that it had caused even more memory damage. We had always talked about breaking the spell and all the good it could do, but we’d never discussed in detail the possible negative effects it could have on her. We were just eager to get her back.
All I could do right now was pray to the fates that she would be okay.
Deciding I would hold Bexley, Jagger shifted, and I climbed onto his back and secured her against me. The autumn breeze, which had originally felt good, now concerned me. Her clothes were torn and seared from what had occurred in the bathroom, so I was worried she was cold. I wrapped my jacket around her and then Jagger took off, following Gage who was leading the way.
As I examined the perfectly blue skies, I found myself wishing for a storm because I knew it would help her magic. Luckily it was only minutes later that Jagger flew down to land near one of the interconnected bridges of our dorm. I slid off with Bexley in my arms and walked towards her dorm, situated in the center of the structure, feeling relieved that we were back. My gaze moved down to her face as I shifted her, using one hand to open the french doors from her balcony.
Exhaustion was evident in the way she was breathing heavily, having fallen into a deep sleep, but outside of that, the seared clothes, and the already healing mark from Ioan’s claws…she looked okay. I mean, she was fucking beautiful, from her golden skin to the freckles that covered the bridge of her nose, but I couldn’t say she was more than just ‘okay’ until I watched her open those gold eyes. Until I heard her tell me how she felt.
Then I would consider her more than okay.
Reaching her bed, I pulled back the covers and laid her down, removing her shoes and resting her head on one of the many silk pillows before tucking her in. Moments later, Jagger and Gage joined me, all of us staring down at her. While I felt significantly better that she was in bed resting, my anxiety over her state only grew.
“Everyone saw her shift,” Gage murmured.
They had.
“They don’t know what type—”
“It will be obvious to some. Very few dragons look like her,” I said, countering Jagger’s attempt to comfort us. There was no comfort—just the stark truth.
Bexley was a dragon. That wasn’t the issue though.
“We just have to do our damn best to protect her,” Gage said.
Jagger nodded sharply and turned to the door, calling back, “I’m going to grab a few things she might need.” Gage sat in a chair on the side of her bed as I sat on the edge of her mattress, the bed dipping slightly because of my weight.
“News of her shifting into a dragon is going to spread, and fast,” I murmured.
“Maybe not.” Gage hesitated. “They already assumed she was a female dragon…”
“That’s not the part I’m talking about.” I offered him a pointed look.
My hand brushed over her face gently, moving a strand of hair out of the way.
No, like I said that wasn’t the problem. The true problem?
Bexley wasn’t just a dragon—she was a female storm dragon.
Chapter Two
Bexley
“Mom?” I whispered.
My heart was beating a million miles an hour as I stared up at her. She was scared. There was a tremble to her hand as she knocked on the heavy wooden door in front of us once more.
I didn’t know where the door led, but the minute the alarms went off, warning us that danger was coming, my mom had taken me from bed and dragged me here. I didn’t know where ‘here’ was though. It was a part of the estate I’d never been to.
“Rebecca!” my mom snarled, her eyes flashing black. “Open this damn door—”
“I heard you,” said a shrill voice. A woman pulled open the heavy wooden surface, and I instantly drew back, unable to control my reaction. I had no idea who this woman was, and I would have remembered her if I’d seen her before.
