Caelan was even more surprised that Haru, who was driving, didn’t utter a single word.
It was a lot to take in. More to even try to believe.
“And Souta isn’t your only reason for coming here?” Nori asked. His voice was a rough scrape across Caelan’s ears as if the question had been dragged from the bottom of his tortured heart.
Caelan shook his head. “No. The Dead God has sent me to bond with the Goddess of Fire locked away in the Fire Stone. Takahashi Masaru is denying me access to the stone, but it doesn’t matter. This is about saving Thia. I can’t stop.”
“Even if it means your life?” Nori demanded.
He was saved from having to answer as Haru pulled through the gate of the Takahashi grounds. There was no need to respond really. His grandfather knew what had to happen. He couldn’t bear to think about it after losing his son. And he and Caelan had just found each other after so many years. Caelan didn’t like the idea of them separating either, but what choice did he have?
As Haru stopped the car, Caelan hopped out, not waiting for anyone to open his door. Rayne was a step behind him. Eno and Adrian were following in a second car with a couple of other members of Clan Omari.
From what the messenger had said, it sounded like this ceremony was performed in front of the other clan leaders. Maybe it was a way of thoroughly shaming the person. Maybe it was a way to make sure they couldn’t somehow sneak into another clan. Not that it seemed likely when the dragon had his fucking wings removed.
A small crowd was already gathered, with dragons standing together in groups with matching-colored robes. The Takahashi black was off to one side with Masaru in the center, a smug expression on his face.
But Caelan barely noticed him. His eyes were locked on the trio of dragons in the center of the courtyard. A pair of sapphire blue dragons held a black dragon’s wings in their mouths. The black dragon’s head was held to the ground by a thick metal chain around its neck.
“Welcome, King of Erya!” Masaru called out. “You’re in time to witness the shaming of your dragon. He has chosen to turn his back on his clan and all his kind in favor of a human king.”
Caelan ignored him, marching through the crowd to close the distance between him and Drayce. Guards jumped forward, swords drawn and pointed at his chest. Caelan reluctantly stopped several feet from the dragon, but in a place where he could meet Drayce’s wide emerald-green gaze.
Rage bubbled up inside of Caelan, threatening to break loose. The gods were saying something in their insistent whispers, but it was like bees buzzing in his brain. He didn’t need to hear their words, didn’t need them to fuel his anger. His only thoughts were on Drayce, his friend and lover.
Overhead, thunder crackled across the sky. It had grown darker on the drive to the compound. The wind picked up, sweeping the dead leaves and dirt into swirling eddies. Kaes was demanding to be set free, and Caelan was so very tempted.
“Show me this is your decision. Tell me this is what you want, and I’ll stand back. But if it’s not, I will save you,” Caelan promised, not caring who heard him. He would fight and kill every dragon who opposed him if it meant saving his friend’s life. Drayce blinked slowly at him, something so very sad in his stare as if he were trying to soak in the sight of Caelan. “Is this what you want?” Caelan asked, his voice trembling.
Caelan’s heart broke as Drayce didn’t hesitate to lift his head and give a small nod.
Clenching his teeth together until his jaw ached, Caelan nodded in return and stepped backward into familiar hands that grabbed his shoulders. From the corners of his vision, he could see Rayne and Nori standing to his left while Adrian was on his right. Eno’s hand was clamped on his shoulder as his bodyguard protected his back. They were there for Drayce. They would always be there for each other.
“Takahashi Souta, you have renounced your clan and given up all claims,” Masaru began in a loud, ringing voice. “From this day forward, you shall have no home to call your own. No family to protect you. No honor to crown your head. You are no longer a dragon.”
“Lies,” Adrian hissed from his right and a spark of joy bubbled up through the darkness swamping him.
Masaru could say what he wanted, but they knew the truth. Drayce would always have a home, family, and honor. If it helped to erase the memory of the Takahashi, Caelan would happily claim him as a Talos.
But those thoughts were shoved aside when a man garbed in black climbed onto Drayce’s back. In one hand, he carried a scythe that was easily six feet in length with a long, curved blade. The silver caught a flash of lightning as he raised it in the air. Caelan’s heart stopped, his eyes locked on the path of the blade. The gods screamed in his mind as it came down, amplifying his pain and demanding he act.