Mated to the Earth Dragon (Elemental Mates 2)

“After this, we rest,” he agreed, then turned to eye Braeden. “After we’ve repaired your cell, that is. Either that, or the chimera can babysit you himself.”

The fire dragon scowled, and Autumn had to bite back an exhausted smile. These two really were like fire and water.

Then Damon stopped so abruptly that Braeden barreled into him. Damon’s grip on Autumn’s hand tightened so that she gasped in shock, expected another enemy to attack at any moment.

“What’s wrong?” Her heart was racing as she looked around the cave.

Damon nodded to the side of the huge cave.

Frowning, Autumn followed his gaze. There was nothing there to see. No fire dragons—just the stone plinths that had always stood there.

She skimmed past them—then froze and inspected them again.

There was the first plinth with the symbol of air. Next to it, the plinth with the symbol of earth. The third plinth, with the glowing symbol of water.

Those had been all that was standing in the council chamber when she’d first arrived with Damon. She was one hundred percent certain of it—the event had been scary enough that it had burned itself into her memory.

But now, a fourth plinth had appeared out of nowhere.

It rose out of the stone of the cave like the other plinths. It was intimidating in size, made for the body of an adult dragon to perch on.

There was no symbol on it. Even so, it looked exactly like the other three.

“Things are changing,” the voice of the chimera boomed out of the darkness. “Things are changing, and I don’t like it at all. Prisoner, do you have any idea about this?”

“Wait,” Autumn said, her heart beating in her throat as she turned to stare at Braeden. “Earth, water, air—and fire. Aren’t those the four elements?”

Braeden remained silent as he stared at the fourth plinth, his jaw clenched.

“No.” Damon’s voice was little more than a growl. “It’s some trickery of the fire dragons who got in. There hasn’t been a master of the fire for a thousand years. And there won’t be. Not if I have any say in it. There’s no place for those murderous fire dragons on the council, and there’ll never be.”

As Autumn watched, Damon reached out with his powers. Through their growing bond, she could feel the strain it put on him to send his energy into the large plinth.

Sweat was running down Damon’s face as he struggled. Every muscle in his body tightened, his eyes turning dark like the rock that had risen from the ground. In her mind, Autumn could hear a strange buzzing, echoing from somewhere deep inside Damon.

“Oh, stop it before you hurt yourself,” the chimera growled out of the shadows. “Do you think I haven’t tried myself to make it vanish?”

The chimera’s voice rose all of a sudden. “I am the master of the council,” he roared. “I will not allow any treachery to undermine the council of elements. You seek to rule the earth and subjugate all humans. Fire will have no seat on the council!”

At that exact moment, the fourth plinth began to glow. Autumn felt her stomach twist with shock when she saw the symbol which had suddenly burst into brilliant light.

Fire.

It was the outline of a flame that now glowed in the rock of the new plinth.

Somewhere behind her, Braeden had begun to laugh.

“You,” Damon growled, twisting around and reaching out to grab the fire dragon’s arm. “You know what’s going on!”

“I haven’t got the slightest idea,” Braeden said, still chuckling. “Like I know anything of importance! But I do know that you’ve got a problem now.”

“There’s more to this.” Damon glared fiercely at the captive shifter. “You’re of the fire as well. You’d know if there was a new master of the element among you. There hasn’t been one for as long as the council has existed.”

“Seems like that has changed.” Braeden shrugged. “I know nothing about a master of the fire. No one among us went by that name, as far as I know.”

“But there’s a leader among you?” Autumn demanded. “You’ve got to have someone who planned all of this.”

Braeden’s mouth snapped shut. He stared at her for a long moment, then guiltily looked away. “He’s never called himself master of the fire. But... he’s powerful. More powerful than me, or anyone else I knew.”