Dragon's Revenge
8.

"Help me explain what I just saw, Elodie. Tell me I misinterpreted something. A silver-eyed, black dragon killed you parents. You want to seek revenge on the Jebels."

"Jonah, please-"

"I'm a Jebel. That's why you want to destroy me." Unable to sit next to her, he pulls on his boxers and leaps off the bed.

She stands, covering herself with a blanket. "Jonah, you don't understand."

"I think I understand just perfectly. Your parents died. And now you want revenge, against my family. How can I ever trust you now, knowing that you swore a blood oath against my clan?" He pulls on his clothes, shaking his head.

She gets dressed too, trying to reason with him. "Jonah, shut up so I can explain myself."

"What did you just say to me?"

"You heard me. I need you to stop talking so I can explain what's going on!" She grabs Jonah's arm, stopping him from leaving. She takes a deep breath and spills the truth. "I always knew that I was a shifter. And that's because....." she looks away. ".....because I'm a member of the Aelon clan." Jonah's jaw drops, he's speechless. "I need you to know that I never meant to hurt you."

"But you did. You infiltrated my home and my clan with one thing on your mind, revenge. You wanted to hurt me, Elodie. And maybe you still do."

"I did, yes. But that was before I got to know you better."

"I don't even know you, Elodie." Hurt and frustration fills his voice. He looks at her, shame on his face. "Was there even a moment when you felt guilty about deceiving me? Were any of your feelings real, or was it all a lie?"

"I don't know what to say. It happened, it is what it is."

"That's all you're going to say? No apology for lying to me all this time?"

"If I had told you the truth at the Jebel compound, you would've arrested me."

Jonah opens his mouth to speak, but before he can, an electric bolt shatters the window glass. The bolt slams into Jonah's shoulder and knocks him back. He roars in pain. "It's the hunters! They've found us!" As more bolts shoot through the window, Jonah slams her to the ground out of harm's way. He crouches next to her, grunting in pain. His shirt is red with blood, his face pale.

"Jonah, you've been hit. Can you stand?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure."

She tucks her shoulder under Jonah's and lifts him up. He can't keep his legs stable and falls back to the ground. "It's okay. We'll think of something else." She scans her room, thinking of a way out. Meanwhile, a steady stream of bolts jet through the window, forcing them to stay low. "I need you to concentrate. We're surrounded by hunters. I need you to tell me what their weakness is."

"They're human. What greater weakness is there? They're not as strong or as fast as we are."

She looks to the window. The bolts of electricity are increasing in frequency. "We have to get out of here and you're in no state to fight."

"Then we don't fight." He casts a desperate look around, just as her gaze lands on the door leading to the roof.

"I got it! We can escape through my rooftop. The hunters won't think to follow us up there. They'll expect us to escape through the streets."

"If you think we can make it, then we can make it."

She struggles under his dead weight and studies his wounds, thinking the plan over. "You're injured. It's going to be too difficult to get to the roof. We should just risk the lobby."

"If that's what you think is best." She holds him upright and helps him shuffle out of her apartment. Inside the lobby, they move through it quickly, trying her best to stay out of sight. "They're here."

She looks up to see a team of hunters swing the door open and enter the lobby. A second later, one of them makes eye contact with her, right before shouting at the others. "Get them!"

She grabs Jonah and bolts through the side door, racing through the hallways, until she replaces an emergency exit and hurries into the alleyway. "Fuck! They saw us."

"It's okay, it'll take them a moment to catch up-"

"Elodie!"

She jolts when she sees Jebeem striding towards them from the side street. Jonah limps in front of her. "Who the hell is this?"

"My uncle, Jebeem. He's also part of the Aelon clan." She places her hands on Jonah's shoulder and he steps down. She faces the man. "Uncle, what are you doing here?"

"I was tracking a team of hunters who ended up here and that's when I ran into you."

"Your story sounds a little bit convenient, if you ask me."

"Jonah's right, it does. How do we know you're not working with the hunters?"

Jebeem doesn't answer, looking to the exit they came from. "We need to leave right now. Time is of the essence. You were spotted in the lobby and it's only a matter of time before you're tracked here."

Jonah reaches into his pocket and lifts his cellphone with a trembling hand. "I'll text my mother and let her know we're safe. I'll instruct her to send backup."

Jebeem knocks the phone out of his hand. "We can't trust anyone, not right now. You have a spy in your clan. My car's parked nearby, we can talk in the car." Jonah looks to her, she gives him a nod. Together, they both follow her uncle. Jebeem drives, while she inspects Jonah's wounds in the backseat. "How is he?"

She looks at Jonah, still drifting in and out of consciousness, his face even paler now. "He's lost a lot of blood."

"Where we're going, they'll have the tools to treat him. He just needs to hold it together a bit longer."

She applies pressure to the wounds as Jebeem floors it. "Uncle, tell me where you're taking us. I've been trying to reach you all night and then you show up out of nowhere, while we're being attacked! And now you're telling me you're working with a team of people?" He looks at her from the rearview mirror. "I need you to be patient. I'll explain everything once we're there, I promise."

~W~

An hour later, Jebeem pulls up to an abandoned backlot in front of a large, rundown stadium. He helps her lift Jonah. Together, they take him inside. "Careful, don't jostle him too much. He can't afford to lose more blood." Inside is a repurposed indoor stadium. It's mostly empty, save for a few people who smile. As they pass them, the same people shoot Jonah suspicious looks. Jebeem ignores them and continues. "Where the hell are we?"

"Welcome to Aelon headquarters. Or should I say, welcome to The Sanctuary."

"The, what?" She looks at him in shock. "There are more Aelons? It's not just you and me?" Jebeem guides her and Jonah into a small room within the bowels of the stadium, where Mino and Maria wait. Maria's still unconscious, but Mino smiles in relief when he sees Elodie and Jonah. "Mino! What are you doing here?"

"When we left the docks, we were attacked by the hunters and Jebeem rescued us. We owe him our lives, even though he won't tell us why he helped us." Jonah tries to hug Mino, but immediately collapses on the ground. Mino quickly tries to help him back up. "It's okay, we're all okay. You need to rest now, bro."

"Jonah, save your energy. We can deal with my uncle and the rest of the Aelon clan another time."

"That's easy for you to say, Elodie. You're not in enemy territory."

Jebeem hands her a first-aid kit. "Here, take this and help Jonah. I need to take Mino and Maria to get some additional aid."

"Maria hasn't fully woken up yet. Whatever the hunters did to her was potent." Mino frowns.

"But we're hopeful. She just needs extra care. And when I'm back, you and I will talk. I'll explain everything."

As Jebeem exits with Maria, Mino lingers back for a moment, struggling to speak. "I know I said some things before, but you two.... it's right. Look after him for me."

She nods and Mino leaves. Jonah, even paler than before, tries to reach for the first-aid kit. "I need to patch up this wound." But the minute he reaches it, he flinches and drops it. His jaw is taut with pain.

"You shouldn't do anything right now. I'll handle it." She takes the kit from him. Jonah looks up to her, his cheeks sallow from blood loss.

"Are you sure?"

She studies his wounds. "Actually, I'm not sure. I'm sorry. I can't risk injuring you further."

"What am I supposed to do now? Should I just stay like this?"

"I'm sure Jebeem will know when he comes back."

~W~

An hour passes by and Jebeem still hasn't returned. Finally, another doctor enters to help Jonah. He quickly stitches the wound shut, before continuing on to another injured shifter. Now that everything has settled down between them, they're finally able to process what happened.

"We have a lot to talk about, don't we?"

"We do, but I have a feeling that you already have a specific topic in mind."

"In your memories, was that your uncle I saw you swear a blood oath to?"

"Yes, it was." Jonah stiffens, clearly uncomfortable with her response. "You don't understand, I was hurting when I made that oath. My parents were just murdered and you would've done the same in my position."

Jonah is about to respond when he stops, frowning. Then she hears it too. The distinct roar of a dragon echoing through the walls of the stadium. "Shit. Come on!"

They rush through the bowels of the stadium, back to the entrance. They arrive just as the Black Dragon breaks through the glass ceiling, descending in a fury of fire and shattered glass.

"Quick, replace cover!" She grabs his hand and pulls him behind an overturned medical table.

The Black Dragon breathes a stream of fire in their direction and barely misses. It stomps through the stadium, right pas them. She's finally able to get a good look at it. That's when she notices the Black Dragon's glowing silver pupils. She turns to Jonah. He's covered in a sheen of sweat and clutching his wound.

"Elodie, we have to get you out of here, somewhere safe." Jonah tries to pick himself up, but stumbles back down.

She watches in fear as the Black Dragon wreaks havoc, burning everything and everyone within its sight. All of a sudden, Mino races into the fray, heading straight for Elodie and Jonah. "Keep him safe, I'll take care of this." Mino runs out to fight the dragon, but mid-transformation, the Black Dragon scorches him alive. "Aaaaahhhhh!" Before he can shift, he's engulfed in flames. Within seconds, he falls over, dead.

Jonah screams in pain and rage. "No!!' He tries to go after the dragon, but she holds him back.

"Jonah, you're injured! If you go out there, that dragon will kill you too."

"I can't just stand here! If someone doesn't do something now, it's going to kill us all-"

"I'll do it!"

"Elodie, are you strong enough? Because I can't lose you and Mino."

"You're right. Maybe I'm not strong enough. Look what he did to Mino."

Jonah's eyes well with tears at the mention of his younger brother. Jebeem races up to them, helping Jonah to his feet. "We gotta go and we gotta go now." He helps them out of the stadium to safety.

"Wait! We have to go back for Maria!"

"She's safe. My people are helping her escape, along with the other injured patients."

"But if that beast found us once, it can replace us again."

"Not if you follow me. Hurry! My car's torched, but we can head into the woods."

After a few more minutes of furious running through the woods, she forces the men to stop. "Jebeem, halt! I need answers. We need an explanation. Why is that dragon trying to kill us?"

"This is not the right time, Elodie."

"You said that before and look what happened! I'm sick of being told that it's not the right time."

"She's right. I just lost my brother and I deserve to know the truth. Please."

Jebeem lets out a defeated sigh. "I haven't told you the truth in order to protect you, both of you. Because I know who the Black Dragon is." He sighs again. "It's Morgan, Jonah's brother."