6.3

"I forced him to accept what happened to him," I tapped my fingers some more, "I altered his mentality temporarily so he'd accept the drastic changes that had been made to his body. He wasn't even allowed to come to grips with the changes on his own."

"That doesn't sound so bad," Calen shrugged.

"I just turned you into a horse against your will," I tried to keep the bite out of my words, "You now have a completely different body, and mentality, but you don't even get to morn your old body. You just instantly accept what you are, and lose any, and all connection you used to have with your own race." his face had darkened considerably, "For months afterward every single time you think of what's been done to you, your mind just flicks off of the subject without you being able to think about it seriously." I cocked my head slightly at him, "Had I not done it he might have killed himself. It was necessary for his survival, but that doesn't make it any less wrong."

"I still find it hard to believe," Calen spotted the dark expressions on both Savannah's, and Ethan's faces, "But if it is true it would explain why he's trying to be so friendly with us."

"This information isn't meant for anyone's ears except your own," I stated bluntly.

Calen nodded.

"Now to the subject of his bonded," I changed subject smoothly, "Dragon's can very, possessive."

I saw the look on Calen's face. He believed that much at least.

"Although," I continued before he could interrupt, "What we consider valuable is far different from what the fantasy stories depict. Our mate is the most valuable thing to us. If we have one. Followed by our bonded. After that it depends on the individual dragon." I looked over to Wyatt's bonded, "In other words. These three children are Wyatt's most valuable possessions, and are considered closer to him then family." I returned my focus to Calen, "Most of the time he'll respect the wishes of his bonded, and allow them to fight on their own, but should one of them be severely harmed or killed."

"It wouldn't end well for whoever's involved," Calen nodded in understanding.

"Should he survive the next hundred years it will cease to be much of a problem," I snapped my fingers, "I doubt there will be anyone stupid enough to fuck with him when he's matured into a proper dragon king."

Calen looked at me a bit funny.

"How long do dragon's live?" Calen asked.

"A smart dragon usually lives about four hundred years," I waved my hand in an offhand manner, "The younger dumber dragons don't usually live past two hundred though."

"How old were you when you died?" Calen looked a bit stunned by my first answer.

"Me?" I held my hand up to my chest, "I was eight hun..."

My body tensed suddenly as my consciousness was starting to be pushed aside by Wyatt's slow awakening. I slammed both chairs back into the ground, and reverted to dragon form. The less confusion that Wyatt experienced when he awakened the better. Calen looked more then a little surprised. My consciousness faded as Wyatt's retook control.

"What's going on?" I shook my head in confusion.

"Good to have you back," Ethan smiled.

"Where'd I go?" I rubbed my aching head.

"That's not important," Savannah brushed the question off, "We'll explain everything after Calen leaves."

That was the first time I'd noticed Calen there.

"What's Calen doing here?" I snorted.

"She's right," Calen cut in, "They do have a lot to catch you up on."

I turned my eyes back to my bonded. Letting Calen leave quietly.

"What happened?" I snorted.

"Well," Savannah smirked.

She launched into a long winded explanation. All of which confused, and agitated me. Regala? Former dragon queen? Killing the priestess.

If it weren't for my new level I wouldn't believe any of it. The priestess, and the lizardmen gave me a ridiculous amount of XP. I definitely did some serious fighting while I was out. Then there was this new resonance spell, and the pain I was in.

"What caused the pain then?" I rolled my muscles.

Stretching them before relaxing, and laying back down slowly.

"I think Regala called it Resonance," Savannah's bruises were still visible where her clothes didn't cover, "She said something about you not being old enough or strong enough to control the spell properly. Something like that. I don't remember exactly what she said."

My wings twitched. I didn't understand how the spell worked, or why it worked, but if it hurt my bonded then I didn't intend to use it. I'd gotten a nice boost in mana from whatever she did as well. I walked back to the corner I liked sleeping in, and settled there. I needed some time to rest, and recover.

The others needed time to rest, and recover as well. I needed time to absorb the the information they'd given me. The part I found the most surprising was the fragment of Regala that was resting within me. She might be in my inner world now. That was concerning in itself.

I didn't know how I was going to react when I enter my inner world. If she did in fact go to my inner world I was going to be forced to talk to her whenever I fell asleep. If she was half as powerful, and knowledgeable as I thought she was then this was going to be a fun conversation. I was a learn by doing kind of guy. If she was the book smart type then she was going to make me feel as if my brain was melting at night whenever I entered my inner world.

It would be a bad idea not to talk to her though. If she was half the dragon she used to be I could use whatever she had to teach me. My magic skills could definitely use some polishing, and a proper teacher. My bonded needed that kind of help as well. Jax in particular was the type that required a guiding hand.