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Epilogue 1: Everett
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56
CooperWell, Ancalagon isn't in a good place when we start his book. One more epilogue to go.
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The Gentle Dragon Epilogue 2: Kaylani
Six months later School is in full session. We nearly tripled the number of students in this semester’s classes. A large portion of those are werewolves, which has brought an entirely new set of problems and solutions to our growing school. Cedric wanted more protection around the school, so he added werewolf patrols. Sometimes, those wolves take their jobs too seriously and not only keep others out, but try to keep the students in. And while I don’t want students wandering around on their own outside the school boundaries because it’s unsafe, I also know that a lot of our hybrids were held captive and knowing the are free to leave at any time goes a long way to making them feel safe here. Thankfully, Cedric and Tana manage the wolves and Cedric holds them accountable when they become overzealous about not letting the students out of the territory. The other group that has added to our numbers this year is the elves. We had several already, but now most of the troupes have sent at l
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 1: Kaylani
***This is Book 4 of the Elemental Dragon series. While this book can be read as a standalone novel, it is meant to be read as part of a series. References will be made to events in the other books without specific explanation in this book. If you would like to read the series from the beginning, start with The Arena.**I wake up alone to the shouts coming from just outside the main doors of the school. We opened our doors three months ago and everything was great…for about five minutes.Who knew that including all shifters, elves, and our current residents of laboratory created dragons and hybrids could cause so much chaos? Not only that, who knew that in our very first year, that we’d have to start a waiting list? I had no idea that a university for shifters was so desperately needed. We’ve already started plans to build an addition to the main hall and to build out a separate laboratory for Everett, moving his current medical space out of the main hall and giving us a couple more r
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 2: Everett
I’m furious that this child threatened Kaylani. I may not feel worthy of her, but I feel an extreme amount of protectiveness for the beautiful dragon. My mate.In the privacy of my own mind, I can call her that. I can’t say it out loud, can’t let her have hope that we’ll ever be together. I have no idea why she was mated to someone like me, but I do know that she deserves a strong, powerful protector for a mate, not some weak human that can’t even claim her properly.“Fenian, is it true that you threatened Kaylani?” I ask him as we walk back inside.“I wasn’t going to hurt her,” he grumbles.“You, an elven teenager, threatened a full-grown dragon? Do you think that was wise?”He shakes his head, no. “I was angry. I didn’t mean it.”I stop and turn to him. “And yet, you continue to pick fights with the others, call them names, demean them. Do you know, in my experience, it’s the bullies that have no self-esteem. They have to make other people feel bad so that they can feel better about
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 3: Kaylani
I watch Everett and Fenian walk inside before turning back.“He’ll figure it out eventually, Kaylani,” Kenna says kindly.“I doubt it,” I say, turning to her. “What brings you to the school? Registering for classes?” I ask, smiling.She growls at me, but I just look at her. She needs to be here as much as anyone else. Yhendorn will as well once she’s old enough.“Given the waitlist you already have, I think that’s a good idea, Kenna,” Yhendorn says to her.“You can’t be serious,” she snaps at him. Fire dragon and Lycan. She’s a powerful hybrid and in her current youthfulness, I lot of that burns as fiery emotions.Her mate, however, not only loves her fire, but seems to know how to stoke her flames without allowing them to burn him to ash.“I want to be a good mate to you, Kenna. Always. There are many things that I don’t know about you and that you don’t know about me. We have time, but sometimes the expectation of what is to come becomes overwhelming the closer you get. I don’t want
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 4: Everett
“As you all know, this is Eric, a 12 or 13-year-old male, found by Ishir and Zephyr in the laboratory where the hybrids escaped. He was the only survivor still in the laboratory. Zephyr found him having already shifted and we quickly identified that he had been injected with polar bear and kamado dragon DNA. The kamado dragon DNA is the biggest problem, being that his human and polar bear DNA are both warm blooded animals. I added Kaylani’s DNA, and it has bonded to his human DNA, allowing him to shift back. The polar bear DNA also bonded to Kaylani’s DNA, but the kamado dragon DNA is still a problem. Until I can figure out how to bond that DNA to the others, I’m keeping him sedated.”“What about elf DNA?” Fenian asks. “From everything I’ve learned so far, it seems that elf DNA is the best bonding agent of DNA.”“In general, you’re correct, Fenian. But we already have one hybrid that can shift into two different animals, not including her human form. I’m concerned about giving Eric to
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 5: Kaylani
I work with Naida until I have to shift and get ready for class. I’m an animal, I’m used to being naked. The elves, however, are not as used to nudity and I find them staring, not just at me, but at all of the shifters when they shift. Being the mother of a teenage daughter, I find it uncomfortable that teenage elvish boys are staring at my naked daughter when she shifts. I need to talk to Yhendorn about that while he’s here.I wait for Naida to shift and watch as Aithlin openly stares. I growl at him, just as Tesha smacks him in his chest.“Get lost, perv. Naida doesn't want you gawking at her naked body.”Naida turns to look at Aithlin who has turned an uncomplimentary shade of red. He drops his gaze and races off. I hand her my clothes to put on since hers shredded when her dragon answered Ancalagon’s call.As we walk inside, I send Naida to her room and I head to mine, quickly getting dressed before heading out to my classroom. Because today's class is Elemental Manipulation and t
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 6: Everett
After Kaylani leaves, I check on Eric again, just to make sure that he’s settled for the night. Usually, I sleep in here with him. It’s easier to sleep on a cot in a medical room than it is to sleep in my own bed without Kaylani. Nothing feels more empty or alone than my bed when I sleep without her. Not that I let myself sleep with her often. I have no willpower when I do, so I try, so hard, so stay away. But I know it’s hard for her too and that’s what ultimately breaks down my walls. A beautiful dragon shouldn’t look tired or sad.I set up the alarms, in case something should happen overnight, but he’s been in this coma for so long that I feel confident that I can leave him for one night. Then, I head to my room.I can smell the food before I get there. Kaylani has brought up what used to be my favorite dish, chicken parmesan. However, now, because I know how much she loves nearly raw meat, I enjoy eating steak with her. That’s my new favorite, because I get to watch her enjoy her
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 7: Kaylani
I wake up, having slept better than I have since, well, since the last time I slept with Everett. I reach out and feel that the bed is warm but empty, just before the sounds of the shower reach my ears.I know that as soon as we walk out of this room, all of Everett’s walls will go back up. I know that he will push me away and try to keep his distance. But I also know that every time he breaks and spends the night with me, there is less time before the next time.The first time we were together, I thought he had finally given in, finally agreed to be my mate. I was so hurt when he went back to acting normal the next day. I know he loves me, he’s told me, but only when he thought I was dead, when I was paralyzed during an attack on the scientist’s lab. He has never said the words to me in the throes of passion or just because he wants me to know how he feels.After the second time we were together, I realized that he can’t resist me. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t push me away f
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The Gentle Dragon Epilogue 2: Kaylani
Six months later School is in full session. We nearly tripled the number of students in this semester’s classes. A large portion of those are werewolves, which has brought an entirely new set of problems and solutions to our growing school. Cedric wanted more protection around the school, so he added werewolf patrols. Sometimes, those wolves take their jobs too seriously and not only keep others out, but try to keep the students in. And while I don’t want students wandering around on their own outside the school boundaries because it’s unsafe, I also know that a lot of our hybrids were held captive and knowing the are free to leave at any time goes a long way to making them feel safe here. Thankfully, Cedric and Tana manage the wolves and Cedric holds them accountable when they become overzealous about not letting the students out of the territory. The other group that has added to our numbers this year is the elves. We had several already, but now most of the troupes have sent at l
The Gentle Dragon Epilogue 1: Everett
I’ve been working as many hours as I can without taking too much time away from my mate and our newborn twins. I’m exhausted, but I can’t stop. I can’t figure out what Oliver did to cause the problems in Ancalagon’s DNA. What I do know is that his attitude has become abhorrent. He’s gone from the sweet, kind dragon that he used to be, to an arrogant, asshole prick who loses his temper over simple things. Yesterday, he blew his fire over the hybrids and it was only because of Ajax and Elio that he didn’t burn some of them alive. The three of them, Cal, Jax, and Elio, had started to get closer as friends, but now, I’m not sure if that will last. Ancalagon is being an equal opportunity jerk, lashing out at the elves, the werewolves, the hybrids, the lab dragons, the elemental dragons, and even his friends. The hardest part is that those who have dragon genetics in them feel the draw to answer to him because he’s their Alpha, no matter what kind of prick he's being. I’m not sure how I d
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 65: Kaylani
I stayed at home one more week after Everett returned to work, taking care of the twins. Once we got them on the same feeding schedule, it got easier. And then, by the end of the second week, we began supplementing my milk with formula, giving Everett a chance to help me feed our babies, but also giving me the opportunity to go back to work. Bajaro and Kayid had reached out to the shifters in the forest and there were several who had lost families or were alone who liked the idea of living among a bunch of young supernatural beings in a place that felt safer to them. We quickly renovated mine and Everett’s old rooms into a nursery where all of us could drop off our babies while we are teaching class, or for me, when I’m working. It’s a good thing that so many shifters wanted to come work for us, because we have a large number of babies with the possibility of more coming next semester. Before the end of the semester, all of the elemental dragons agreed to add in a class for claiming
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 64: Everett
Having a baby is exhausting, everyone says so. Having two….yeah, this is exhaustion like I’ve never felt before and I did my residency in the emergency department of a hospital. As a resident, I always got put on the night shift. There’s no such thing as sleep when you’re a resident. Of course, I’m older now, but, wow! I’m not sure if I’d prefer my babies be in sync and both want to be up at once, or if it’s better that one is just finishing when the other starts to cry. Then when that one is done, the first one is ready to eat again. Even as babies, my dragon babies have a voracious appetite. I’m rocking Ebba after she’s finished eating. Again. I’ve learned how to slide down in the rocker so I can hold her while she sleeps and still catch a little sleep myself. As I rock, I feel my mate put her hand on my arm. “Don’t, Kaylani. You’re feeding two dragons and sleeping less than I am. Don’t you dare push your strength into me,” I say, tired enough that I don’t bother opening my eyes.
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 63: Kaylani
The very next day, we implemented a requirement that any dragon claim, whether hybrid dragon, laboratory dragon, or pure dragon had to be requested. Any claim not going through the proper request would be stopped, by force if necessary. Ancalagon had snorted at the pure dragon wording in the decree. “Who would be stupid enough to claim me?” he asked. “Anyone who is power hungry enough to want the strength that only you can give them, Ancalagon. You’re the Alpha of us all. Controlling you means that someone could conceivably control all of us. That is a scary thought, considering the Chief and Oliver haven’t been dead that long,” I tell him. “What about Sunshine? Does this clause include her?” The way he asks, it’s as if he expects that it doesn’t include her. “It includes all dragons, Ancalagon,” Zephyr says to him. “So, if say, a certain white dragon tried to claim her, and I came across them, I could stop the claiming?” he asks, as if the rest of us don’t understand what he’s a
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 62: Kaylani
Tana’s delivery was a bit more intense than Zephyr’s. Being a fire dragon, her emotions literally run hotter. Add to that, Cedric missed the birth of his first two children, and he becomes very possessive when Tana is delivering a baby. After warning him twice, I finally had to wash him out and threaten to keep him out of the room if he couldn’t control his temper and his fire around Everett. All of our mates are possessive, but Everett is a doctor and Cedric can get over it. No one threatens my mate. After Tana snarled at him to get his shit together, he finally settled and Everett delivered their baby girl, one with a Lycan gene this time. They named her Aithne, which means fire. By the time we had delivered two babies, I was exhausted and so was Everett. As we walked back to the main house, Everett scooped me up. “You don’t have to carry me,” I tell him, but my head falls on his shoulder. “I know I don’t have to, but you’re exhausted.” “So are you,” I mumble. “Rest, my dragon
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 61: Kaylani
It was a long night. None of us were willing to go to bed while Ancalagon, Avani, and Zephyr were out. When they finally returned, we were all exhausted. I did find out from Zephyr that Ancalagon blames himself and realizes that Eliane probably blames him for what happened to her. Ancalagon had cried his dragon’s lament for hours, devastated with the news that Everett had given him. There are so many problems with the mate bond between Ancalagon and Eliane and I have no idea how to help them come together. “I wish I could do that thing that Merethyl does, where she says ‘peace’ and it flows through the person she wants to calm. I may only be human, Kaylani, but I am your rider. So, peace. I need you to relax. You’re carrying our twins and that’s already a lot of stress on your body,” my mate says once we’re back in our room. “I’m so tired, but I don’t know how to shut my mind off, Everett. This situation is terrible, putting brother against brother for a mate, one fated, one possib
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 60: Everett
I watch as the dragons work together to calm Ancalagon. His anger is something to behold and it never occurred to me that as the manipulator of four elements, he could, quite literally, destroy the earth. As I watch, it makes me even more concerned that his DNA is breaking down where his mate bond should be. If his brother intends to fight him over his mate, would he really kill him? What would that do to Avani and Zephyr? Zephyr’s mental state isn’t as steady as the others, although Ishir keeps her mind from breaking. How would something like this affect her? How would it affect Ancalagon? And how would it affect Eliane? When Merethyl and Zephyr finally calm him enough, I walk up to him and put my hands against him, wanting to heal him with my element. It’s the first time that I’m attempting to do this with such massive injuries, and I know Zephyr is also pushing her element into him to heal him, but as soon as I open myself to my element, I can feel Ancalagon’s power and the heat o
The Gentle Dragon Chapter 59: Kaylani
“Kaylani, can I talk to you?” Tesha asks, as she knocks on my door. “Hey Tesha, come in,” I say, getting up from my desk and coming around to hug her. She looks like she needs a hug. “Do you want me to close the door?” She nods. I close the door and then lead her to a couch where we can sit together. “What’s on your mind, Tesha?” She looks everywhere but at me, before focusing on my stomach. When her eyes finally meet mine, I’m pretty sure I know what’s wrong. “I’m pregnant. I mean, I think I’m pregnant. I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant,” she huffs, then looks at me. “I’m pregnant and I don’t know what to do.” “What happened to the condoms?” “They burned off. Every time we used them they burned off. Then Fenian started pulling out but sometimes…” she scrubs her hands over her face. “I had no idea how strong the mate bond is. How good it would feel to be with him. In that moment, I don’t want him to pull out any more than he does, and now…” “Have you been to see Everett? Just to con
