Once Upon a Dragon Heart (Once Upon a Dragon Series Book 2)

Constance got her thawed, but her vitals were low. She hadn’t woken up yet. She didn’t respond to the treatment that Constance had tried over the past four days.

Tabitha was missing. She flew like Dean said she would. Helmut’s fleet was looking for her.

It was a good thing that she wasn’t here.

They begged me to send her a message for her to get her ass back, but I knew I would rip her to pieces when she showed her face. So, for her own protection, I didn’t send that message.

Lucian sent her a message. Everyone that I knew had sent her a message.

The media did what I thought they would. It was all over the tabloids how the princess was fighting for her life.

I listened to the radio on my phone as I sat next to Elena’s bed. Everyone speculated on what we should do.

“Next caller is from Salvador in Areeth. Who am I speaking to?”

“It’s Belvedere Legrane. Why doesn’t the Rubicon just get this ability? Maybe the princess will ascend.”

The DJ chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t think it’s that easy, Belvedere, but thanks for that piece of advice.”

Could I force the ability, make it come faster? How?

I plugged the earphone out of my ear and went to Constance’s office, where she was busy doing research.

“You need to eat something, Blake. Rest.”

“Do you think if I get my snow, she will too?”

“Blake, we don’t know when you are going to come into this one.”

“What if I force it?”

Her eyes grew. “Are you insane? You can die.”

“I’m dead if she doesn’t wake up, Constance. I can’t live without her.”

She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair. “How?”

“How do dragons come into their abilities?”

“Blake, Snow Dragons are born with this?”

“No, something must trigger it. Anouk—”

“Is a Sun-Blast.”

“What did you do?”

“Took her to the volcano. One of Lee’s friends did as neither one of us was a Sun-Blast.”

“How old was she?”

“A month before the creepers. You are not a normal dragon, Blake. You are much more complex. We don’t know what it will do to you.”

“I have to try. She isn’t getting better. Please.”

“Cold, freezing temperatures. The cold you need. It’s not that time of the year, Blake.”

“The snow mountains aren’t the cold that I need?”

“No.”

“Then chef’s freezer.”

“Blake! This is—”

“I’ll die if she doesn’t live. What don’t you get? She is my Dent.”

She nodded and picked up the phone.

“Who are you calling?”

“My sister, Blake, she needs to know, as we do not know what is going to happen to you. It might never work.”

“I don’t have time. I’m going in that fridge and that is it.”

“Blake, please. Just wait for your mom.”

“She’ll find me in the freezer.”

I got up and walked with huge strides to the academy. It was late at night and didn’t need anyone’s permission.

I tuned in to find out where Chef was and was glad to find him still close to the cafeteria, cleaning up and prepping for tomorrow.

I opened the door with my telekinesis and rushed to the back of the kitchen.

“Blake.”

“I need your fridge.” I took off my shirt.

“For what?”

“I need to get this fucking ability. She is not getting better.” I was busy unbuttoning my jeans.

He put his hand on me. “Blake!”

“She is my dent, Chef. Please. I can’t just sit and wait.”

“The temperature that you need is ludicrous. You could die.”

“I’m already dead if she doesn’t wake up.”

Worried lines wrinkled his forehead, but there was compassion in his eyes.

“I sat and waited for four days. It’s time I get my snow. Please help me.”

He closed his eyes and walked away.

“Please!”

He stopped at the phone. “I need to take out the food in the fridge first and put it in another. I need hands.”

I nodded. “I’ll get you the hands you need.”

I dialed Lu’s number, and he picked up. “Is she awake?”

“No, I need many hands, many to clear out a fridge.”

“Blake, what are you—”

“Lu, please. Fast too.” I cut the call before he asked too many questions.

I started helping the chef and we unload the first few crates when Lucian showed up with Dean, George, Brian, Jeff, and a couple of other guys.

“What is the plan?” Lu asked.

“To ascend in my snow.”

“Blake, you don’t know—”

“I have no choice. She is not responding, Lu. It’s the only thing that will help now. She will ascend and will get better.”

He nodded.

The extra hands made the task go fast. Chef turned up the freezer to what I needed when my mother’s voice filled the kitchen. “Are you insane!”

“She is my dent, Mom. I’ll give my life to save her. Don’t. Please.”

Her lower-lip trembled, and I went over to her and wrapped my arms around her. “I’m the Rubicon. It will work.”

“Blake, you don’t know—”

“It will work.” I kissed her on top of her head.

“I’d set the fridge to the right temperature, Blake. Piece of advice, keep your other abilities dormant if the cold gets too much. It would feel as if you were going to die. It’s when a snow dragon comes into their ability.”

“How do you know this?”

“My time for when I lived in the colony. I was one of them that watched over the little ones. I hated the snow dragons, how cruel they were to their young. Some didn’t make it.”

I swallowed hard.

He tapped my face. “You are the Rubicon. You are the princess’s only hope.”

I nodded. “Don’t tell my mom that, please.”

He winked.

I shook Lucian’s hand. “Thanks.”

“Anytime. Go get your snow, Blake.”

I said thanks to all of them and then walked into the fridge.

It took a day for the freezer to reach the temperature. I shouldn’t have taken off my clothes, as my fingers and toes were turning blue from the frostbite, but nothing happened. My fire begged to be released to get some warmth back, but I heeded Chef’s warning.

I needed this ability.

On the second day, my mind sort of shut down from the cold and I dreamed about my Neverbreath again. She didn’t have red hair anymore. It was Elena.

We were probably busy dying, but I didn’t care. We were together.

“I’m so sorry that she did this to you?”

“Would you calm down? I’m okay.”

“You are not okay, Elena.”

“I’m okay. As long as I’m with you, I’ll be okay.”

A chuckle escaped my lips, and she grabbed my face. “As long as I’m with you, I’ll be okay?”

I frowned as her lips curved into a smile.

The cold seeped into my being, back into my lungs, my entire body burned, but it wasn’t from my fire. I didn’t feel my fire. This was cold. It was the frost.

Sight seeped through the blur, and solid ice covered my legs and arm. I was beyond shivering. I went through the horrible shivering. This wasn’t that. It was something else.

The darkness came back, and I found myself in the black pool of nothing. Elena didn’t come again.

She wasn’t wrong when she said as long as she was with me, she’ll be okay. I wasn’t with her that day. Was it regret, my guilt that made me think about those things? It had to be. I would never forgive myself or Tabitha for what she had done.

Light seeped through my eyes again. It was bright. I was busy dying, but the light looked wrong.

“Pete, it doesn’t look good,” my aunt said.

“It’s what happens. He is trying the impossible. In his human form, as my fridge isn’t too big for the dragon.” A sigh came from Pete’s direction. “Their eyes become that glassy, too. It’s almost over, Constance. The change will come. I’ve seen it.”

“Elena’s vitals are going backward. Not that she showed much to begin with. I’m holding her together with spells. What did this girl think?”

“She didn’t know, Constance.”

“It doesn’t matter. She broke one of the school’s rules. Cheng’s thinking of expelling her for real. The board wants her head. Jaco wants her head.”

“Calm down. We will see in a few days.”

“He is going to die.” Her voice faltered.

“Then they both die, Connie. He is her Dent. They can’t survive without their riders, you know that.”

She sniffed, and it became dark again. I kept focusing on Elena’s words. I wish I could see her again.

The image in my head changed once more to a field of snow. I was on top of a mountain. The wind howled in my ears, and my body shivered from the cold. My hands and feet were black.

A dragon’s figure walked toward me, and the feeling dipped. I know what this was. I was always in my dragon form when this happened, but right now, I was a human.

The figure came closer.

“This was not wise, Rubicon.”

“I had no choice. It’s my rider. She got hit by your kind’s ability. I don’t have it yet. I need it now.”

“Don’t yell at me.”

“She is my Dent. I’m the alpha.”

“You are not my alpha.”

“I’m still the fucking alpha. Give it to me, now!”

“You forgot the magic word.”

“Please.” The stuttering from the cold didn’t help.

“Your kind is impossible, and yet we can’t function without you. Never leave her alone like that again.”

“I promise, I won’t.”

“You are on the brink of death. You shouldn’t be in your human form.”

“The freezer was too small for my dragon form.”

“Freezer.”

“It’s summer.”

“Fine.” She lowered her head and released her breath on me. “Make sure she is close, otherwise she will never ascend. Do it now!”

I gasped and ice broke away from the abrupt movement and fell on the snow. “Chef!” A raspy cough rumbled through my throat as my lungs opened and took in the cold.

The door opened. Chef had a huge smile sprawled on his face. “You did it, Blake, you did it.”

“Bring her now!”

“Elena?”

I nodded, and he closed the fridge. It was quiet, and then my aunt’s voice yelled.

“This is insane. She is holding on by a threat.”

“Trust me. He has the ability. She needs to ascend. It needs cold, Constance.”

“Pete.”

“Blake demanded it. You did your part. Now let’s do ours.”

The fridge opened and Lucian walked in with Elena’s thawed body.

“Bud, you look like Jack Frost.”

“I’m fine. Give her here.” The shiver was still clear in my voice. I wish I could just shake it off.

“Blake.”

“I know what I’m doing. Close the door behind you and don’t open until I tell you, please, Lu.”

He nodded as I took Elena. More ice fell on the ground as my arm reached out for her. She looked like a sleeping doll, limp and feverish as the white drops on her head froze. She was still asleep as Lucian closed the door.

I wrapped my stiff arms around her and pulled her closer to my chest.

“C’mon, sweetheart. You need to ascend. That’s all you have to do.”

I blew on her, and her body shivered. My lips curved. “Finally showing some sort of life.” The stutter was still there. Why was I stuttering? The snow dragon released her gift. She breathed on me.

I pushed it harder and further into Elena and the bright light came again. Warmth seeped through me. It was not like the burn. It was a soothing warmth of the heat coming from a fireplace.

Elena gasped, and laughter bubbled out of me.

“You are okay.” I kissed her all over her face as she coughed. She turned her head.

“Where are we? Why is it so dark? What is wrong with you?” A terrifying tone asked as she touched me.

“I’m fine.”

“You are not fine. Where is your shirt, Blake? What is this?”

“Ice. We are fine.”

“Ice? You got the ability?”

“Sort of. I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you. Never again, okay. I promise.”

“I have ice?”

Joyous laughter seeped through me. “You have ice.” I pressed my lips on her forehead as the tear froze, rolling down my cheek. She was alive, and that was all that mattered. This nightmare was over.