Her Elemental Dragons: The Complete Series
Her Elemental Dragons: Shake the Earth: Chapter 17

Slade’s village, Clayridge, was to the west of the Resistance hideout, and as we flew toward it, anxious butterflies flittered around my stomach at the thought of meeting his family. I’d already met both Jasin and Auric’s parents, but for some reason this visit made me the most nervous. Maybe because I sensed how close Slade was with his family and I desperately wanted them to accept me. I worried too that the Dragons had found out who Slade was and done the same thing to Clayridge as they did to Stoneham. I could only pray that his family remained anonymous and safe.

Jasin and Auric flew high, their wings brushing the clouds, to avoid us being detected. Parin’s words made us cautious, knowing that rumors were already beginning about us—rumors that could bring the Dragons after more innocent people if we weren’t careful.

When we flew over Clayridge and saw it was still intact, I let out a sigh of relief. From where he sat behind me, Slade gave me a slight squeeze of his arms. His family was still safe from the Dragons—now I just needed to get them to like me.

My dragons discreetly set down in the nearby forest and returned to their human forms, and then we walked toward the town. Clayridge was about the same size as Stoneham, but it was set up on a hill with a river flowing down below. The terrain was especially rocky, but Slade led us along a well-trodden path up toward the village. Red clay roofs began to appear as we crested the hill, and soon I could see a cluster of stone buildings with a thick wall between them and us. A wall that was meant to protect against elemental attacks, dotted with braziers that could be lit at any moment and large buckets likely filled with water.

A lookout guard stood on top of the wall near the gate, and called out to us as we approached. “Slade, that you?”

Slade chuckled softly. “It’s me, Lon. Let us in, will you?”

“Aye!” the young guard called out, then disappeared from view. The gate slowly creaked open moments later, and we were quickly surrounded by cheery dark-skinned men and women who all wanted to welcome Slade back to the village. He greeted each of them with a kind word, a pat on the back, or a warm nod as he led us inside. My nerves wound even tighter as I smiled at everyone, who would no doubt know who we all were by the end of the night. In a small town like this, nothing remained a secret for very long.

As we moved inside the village, more people came out of the houses and shops to give Slade a wave and a fond greeting. Everyone seemed to know him and love him here, and with each step some of his hard demeanor melted away. It made me wonder what he was like before he’d been sent to replace me against his will. Or before Faya had broken his heart.

Ahead of us, an older, sturdy woman with warm brown eyes rushed out of a small house. “Slade! You’ve returned!”

“Mother,” Slade said, as a smile lit up his face. An actual smile. Had I ever seen him truly smile before? Not like this, certainly.

The two of them collided in a tight embrace, and then she pulled back and took his face in her hands. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re safe. Let me look at you.” She patted his cheeks like he was a boy, even though he towered over her. “We were all so worried after you left. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” He turned toward us as if to begin introductions, but was interrupted by another woman leaping out of the house and running toward him.

“Big brother!” the young woman cried out. She was about my age and strikingly beautiful, with smooth dark skin and braids piled atop her head. Like Slade, she was tall, but she had also the curves of her mother. I remembered Slade mentioning his younger sister was a troublemaker, and I suspected part of it was because of the way she looked—she would always turn heads.

“Leni!” Slade laughed as he swept his sister up in his arms and twirled her around.

More people streamed toward us, enveloping Slade and giving him warm hugs and kisses on his cheek. I sensed family resemblance in most of them, and a sense of longing spread through me as I watched awkwardly from the sidelines with Brin and my other mates. We were outsiders, forced to watch the celebration, and it was a keen reminder that I didn’t have a family anymore. And even when I had one, it had been nothing like this.

Jasin glanced at the others and cleared his throat, before speaking to me. “I think we’ll go replace an inn and get some rooms while you meet the family.”

I started to protest, but then saw how tight Jasin’s face was and remembered how he’d been upset around Auric’s family too. His own parents had betrayed us not long ago, and seeing this probably reminded him of what he’d lost. Explaining the situation to Slade’s family would be easier without my other mates at my side too.

I gave Jasin’s arm a quick squeeze. “All right. I’ll replace you later.”

The four of them slipped away, leaving me alone to face the crowd. I swallowed hard and plastered on a smile, unsure of what else I should do.

Eventually Slade was able to break apart from his family. He moved to my side and took my hand in his, sending a signal to all of them that we were close. Warm happiness filled me, even as color spread to my cheeks. “Everyone, this is Kira. She’s the one I was sent to replace by the Earth God.”

“Kira, welcome to Clayridge,” Slade’s mother said, as she moved forward to embrace me in a warm hug. “I’m Yena, Slade’s mother.”

“It’s so nice to meet you,” I said.

Slade brought two women over to me—the curvy sister I’d seen before, and another one who was a little more plain but had the same striking green eyes as Slade. “These are my sisters, Leni and Wrin.”

“Hello—” I started to reply, but Slade was already continuing his introductions.

“And this is Wrin’s husband Merl, and their son Tam,” he said, indicating a lighter-skinned man and a boy I guessed to be about five. Slade then pointed to more people surrounding us. “I’d also like you to meet my aunt Edda, my uncle Heim, and their son Noren, who took over as the town’s blacksmith for me.”

I quickly nodded at a woman who looked a lot like Yena but taller and thinner, an older bearded man, and a young man who had Slade’s muscles and gave me a kind smile. Slade then went on to introduce me to a dozen other cousins, distant relations, and friends of the family who had joined us—so many I knew I would never remember anyone’s names. They all gave me hugs or shook my hands, and it was both overwhelming and wonderful. With so much love it was no wonder Slade had never wanted to leave this place.

“Get back, let the poor girl have some room to breathe,” Yena said, as she forced her way through the crowd to me. She interlocked our arms and began to lead me toward the small house I assumed was her own. “Come now. We must have dinner, and then you can tell us everything about yourself.”

Everything? I swallowed hard as the nervous butterflies returned to my stomach. Now the interrogation would begin.