Alpha Island: My Unbearable Mate

Chapter 9 Magma

Kiara twirled her hair in her fingers as she flipped through another book. She had been reading and researching about curses. Specifically, exploding curses. She knew Loki and Shawna had a lot of knowledge about curses, but she wouldn’t just rely on them. She had to at least feel like she was doing something to help.

She closed another book and pushed it in front of her, standing up to go look for another. She climbed a ladder as she began to pick out more books. A couple were covered in dust. Looks like someone got a bit lazy when they were cleaning the library. With her hands full she balanced herself as she climbed down the ladder step by step. She reached the ground and bumped into someone.

“Well, that was disappointing. I was just waiting to catch you in my arms.”

She glanced up and gave Draven a crooked smile as he took some of the books off of her. “I’m not a princess that needs to be rescued. You’ll have to think of something else if you want to try to cop a cheap thrill.”

“Ouch…” Draven winced as he set the books on the table. “I hope I don’t really come across like that.”

Kiara laughed, shaking her head. “That has yet to be determined.”

“And what about the bear?” Draven eyed her curiously as they both sat down at the table.

She turned and looked at Draven with a serious face. “Eli, would never try to get a cheap thrill.” She stopped and pursed her lips together. She instantly came to his defense. She watched as he quirked his brow and leaned his chin on his hand, staring at her.

“Is he the reason you need a counter potion?”

“I don’t… know. Everything is just so weird and doesn’t make sense.” Kiara glanced over at him and her eyes met with his.

“How long have you known each other?”

“We met once last year and then again the day before we moved in at the university.” Kiara glanced at the table in front of her as she chewed on her inner lip. “I didn’t feel anything for him the first time we met, but now…” She looked over to see amusement in his eyes. “What?”

“So you think maybe you were given a potion to make you have feelings for him?”

“I don’t know but it has to be something magical. Something this intense doesn’t just come on. And it is the same for both of us.” She laid her head in her hands. “And I don’t know why I am telling you all this. I guess…” She peeked out through her fingers to look at him. “Right before I met Eli again, the man I was going to take as my chosen mate found his fated mate. He left me for her. At first, the pain was… horrible but after being with Eli… I don’t miss him anymore. I don’t have any feelings for him, but what is left…”

“The betrayal.” Draven said, clearly nodding his head.

“Yes. The feeling that…”

“I know Kiara.” Draven’s face grew serious as he gave her a sympathetic smile. “It’s hard to trust and have faith in others again after something like that. It took me a long time… I let it fester inside of me like a poison and it turned me into someone I hated. I didn’t recognize the person I was when I looked in the mirror. I hated myself. I took some time for myself and took on a solitary assignment. It gave me time to think and clear my head. And you know what, Kiara? It isn’t worth it. I didn’t do anything wrong, yet I was the one suffering. I decided I wasn’t going to let it affect me anymore. I was going to be true to myself. It’s work and sometimes I backslide but I catch myself before I fall again.” He smiled at me and placed his hand over mine. “Don’t let it fester, Kiara.”

“Now… about what else you said... any chance you and Eli are mates?”

Kiara looked at Draven with wide eyes and he laughed, sliding his hand away from hers.

“I’m just saying, that either your first chosen mate had you under the effects of a potion or Eli is really your mate. Those are two reasons you wouldn’t miss him and it makes sense for the strong feelings you both have for one another. And we are in a barrier right now… of course when you met before—”

“We were also under a magical barrier… but that shouldn’t affect my senses…” Kiara watched as he smiled and nodded his head.

“Because you are of royal blood. Which is why you know the warlock prince and fairy princess…” Draven smirked and she opened her mouth to respond, but he continued. “And naturally, for me to know those things, I must also be royalty.”

“The vampire prince of the Shadow Clan… I sort of figured that out too.” Kiara listened as he let out a low chuckle.

“Well… being royal, I can sense the barrier. It is a lot stronger than it used to be. I’m not sure even having royal blood would be enough. You would have to be the next heir to even have a chance.” Draven shrugged as his stormy eyes rested on her. “Not that I am pushing that on you. Just logically…”

“And if he is?” Kiara said as she frowned. “Does that mean I should just blindly trust and believe in him? Does that mean all of this…” She grabbed onto her chest, shaking her head. “…should just disappear? I don’t want to let it consume me or fester inside of me, but it just happened. I was honest when I said I would choose him. I would have rejected my fated mate for him. We promised each other…” Suddenly Draven reached out and pulled Kiara into his chest. He held her close and smoothed out her hair.

“Shhh… it is okay. It is going to be okay. I promise it will get better. I’m not telling you to push it to the side, but if you have a mate and want him… let him heal it. The mate bond is made for just that. And if he isn’t or you don’t want him… because you still have a choice… you can decide what you want. But if not him… maybe I can help you heal.” Draven whispered against her head.

“I don’t know if I want to know if he is because… if something happens again…”

“Are you never going to trust again?” Draven asked and she laid her head against his chest as she took in a deep breath. “What do you want?”

“I want… I want to believe it is real and that it won’t end.” She straightened herself up and stared into his gray eyes. “I don’t want to be consumed by these questions and doubts that plague my mind.”

“Then fight Kiara. Fight against the fear and doubts as if they are an enemy. Don’t let it win.”

“I’d never let it win. I just need to…” She shook her head. “Think about something else…” She laughed and she grabbed a dusty book in front of her.

“So what are we searching for? The Chamber of Secrets?” Draven gave her a crooked grin as he opened a book in front of him. Instantly he frowned and then snapped his head over to look at the other books. “These are…” He pursed his lips and glanced over at her as she flipped through the pages. “Are you looking to increase your power?”

Kiara turned to look at him laughing. “Do I really seem like that person?” She giggled and shook her head. Her face grew serious as she thought about Ava and Dylan. “I’m looking for a miracle to save my family.” She turned the page and her eyes landed on a red crystal. The Magma Crystal.

The Magma Crystal is rare. It takes years to recharge the crystal by drawing in energy. It was an old relic of the demon king that held enormous power. It could grant someone enhanced powers. It also had the ability to purify any curse, but only once, then it would need to recharge again. Kiara’s eyes traveled over the information as her breath caught in her throat.

The Magma Crystal was sealed away in the underground catacombs on Alpha Island in order to keep it out of the hands of evil. It is protected and anyone who attempts to retrieve it will meet death.

Whatever about the last part. If this crystal could help… if she could get it, then she could at least protect Ava. Then they could concentrate on finding a solution for the dragon princess.

“Don’t bother with it.” Draven said in a voice that was suddenly laced with ice. She snapped her gaze up at him.

“This is the answer I am looking for.”

“That is death.”

“It is also a chance at life.” Kiara watched as Draven scowled.

“Kiara, something like that will be well protected. It isn’t just dangerous, it is suicide.” Draven watched as a small smile reached her lips.

“Maybe it is… but some people are worth the risk. And that is me being true to myself and something worth fighting for.”

“It isn’t a risk, Kiara. It is death. There is nothing to fight… you will die.”

“Then I will die doing everything in my power to—”

“What is going on here?”

Kiara turned her head to see Eli holding a bag in his hand as he stared at her and Draven.

“Eli, I found a solution—”

“It isn’t one is what I am telling you! You will be killed… don’t let her waste her life.” Draven looked at Elijah. Elijah’s hazel eyes met with his gray ones before he stepped closer to the table. He reached out and turned the book, reading over the contents.

Elijah sighed and nodded his head. “I’ll check into it.”

“Uhm… no, I’m checking into it. I found it—” Kiara clicked her tongue as Eli’s eyes darkened as he looked up at her.

“I won’t let you waltz into danger.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Bear, but you’ll die too.” Draven said lazily as he tapped his fingers on the table. Elijah glared at him as Kiara reached out and grabbed the book.

“It only has one use and then it needs to charge. We still need another solution, but if I can find this, I can at least save Ava. The others can concentrate on finding another answer. I’ll let Kayden know I’m working on this—”

“No you aren’t,” Elijah growled.

“I am a general in the lycan kingdom and you can’t order me around.” Kiara snapped as Elijah straightened up pinning his eyes on her.

“Oh? So you are back to being a general now?” He growled and shook his head. “I’ll handle it. I am a leader, and I am not wavering on that fact. This isn’t your responsibility.”

Kiara gripped the book against her chest and scoffed. “Do what you want… but you can’t stop me.” She listened to his growl as she tried to step away but something held her in place. She glanced down, noticing the shadows covering her.

“Please… don’t go looking for the Magma Crystal. Please… I don’t want you to die.” She met with Draven’s eyes, and she gave him a small sad smile.

“I don’t want my family to die either.” She felt the shadows loosen their grip and she walked away, leaving the two men in the room.

“There is no chance… no one can survive if they try to collect the crystal.” Draven frowned as he looked up at Elijah.

“You know about it? What is protecting it?” Elijah asked as Draven looked down.

“It is protected by spells, curses, and guards. Not to mention it is hidden in the catacomb maze. The crystal itself has a curse on it. Anyone who touches it will die.”

Elijah sighed and he looked at Draven. “But the curse would only have one charge. So as long as I touched it first, Kiara would be able to grab it.” He watched as Draven’s lips parted in shock.

“You can’t do that to her. You will be leaving her alone. Besides… even if you did manage to get to that point, the guard would kill anyone trying to leave with it.”

“Then I’ll have to kill the guard first,” Eli smirked. There were counter curses for almost all curses. There were artifacts to protect from death curses. He would get one from Loki or Shawna and hope it would work. Now that he knew it had a death curse on it, he would be prepared. And in the very worst case, he would die instead of Kiara.

“Look—” Draven started to say, but Elijah shot him a deadly look.

“This doesn’t concern you… she doesn’t concern you.” Elijah’s voice was low and threatening as Draven scoffed at him.

“Really? Because if you end up dying, guess who will be picking up the pieces.” He smirked and shrugged. “Yeah… maybe go ahead and waltz to your death. Just make sure nothing happens to her.” He listened as Elijah growled and he stood up. “You are an i***t. Take the woman and run.”

“She isn’t the type of woman to run… she is a fighter. It is what I love about her… I love her fight.”

“You love her?” Draven asked as he studied Elijah’s face. “Don’t you think that is something… interesting? Maybe think about why that could be…”

“Are you trying to tell me something?” Elijah listened as Draven walked away laughing.

“Yeah, that you are a moron.”

Elijah turned and walked in the direction where Kiara had gone. When he reached the courtyard, he began to run, trying to catch up to her. He followed her scent in the wind and felt relieved when it led him back to their apartment.

“Kiara.” He said as soon as he opened the door. She was standing in the room, and it looked like she had just stepped inside herself. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her. “We will search for it together.” He wouldn’t tell her about the curse on the crystal. He didn’t want her to worry unnecessarily about it. He would find an artifact and retrieve the crystal. She didn’t need to concern herself with it. He felt her hand rest on his cheek, and he pulled back to look at her. She caught him by surprise as she lifted up on her toes to place her lips upon his.