Well Jax and Kaine pretty much just tied again so I just did a double update with a short chapter for Kaine and then a short chapter for Ash (I was going to do Jaxon but I did his POV just a chapter ago)

******

This should not be this difficult.

It's not difficult at all, you just suck at magic, Lucifer snorts.

I can control fire better than Jaxon!

Maybe when you were ten. He's been way better than you for years now, he scoffs.

"Everything okay?" Syrra asks.

I glance up. "Yeah. Lucifer's just an asshole."

Hey! he growls.

Oh don't even try to deny it.

Fine I'm an asshole and you're stupid, he snarks. Good luck doing fire magic without my help.

I roll my eyes and sigh heavily. "Gods he's such a big baby," I mutter.

Syrra laughs. "You're both babies sometimes," she remarks.

"I'm not a baby!"

"Kaine you practically threw a tantrum when Jalen said you're not allowed to train for another two weeks."

"I did not throw a tantrum," I growl.

"Well you tried to punch him and then threw a spell book at his head, that's about as close to a tantrum as you can get without stomping your foot," she sighs.

I scowl. "I did not throw a tantrum."

She rolls her eyes. "Let's take a break from magic," she says, taking the book out of my hands.

See even she thinks you suck.

Are you done yet? I growl.

"Hey!" Syrra puts her hands on either side of my face. "Stop letting him screw with your head. You've worked so hard to get him under control, don't let it go to waste."

I feel myself relax almost instantly. "You help more than anything," I murmur and she smiles.

"That's what mates are supposed to do," she says and I lean forward to kiss her softly on the lips.

"What are we gonna do now?"

She shrugs, standing up and brushing off her dress. "I don't know. I wanted to train today but you're supposed to be resting so that's off the table."

"I can still train, I just can't push myself too hard."

"Well do you want to go for a run? I can show you the rest of the territory," she offers.

My eyes widen. "Gods how big is this place?" I mutter.

"Well it used to be bigger than dragon territory but your mother expanded a few years ago—dragons need a lot more space than witches do so I gave up some of my territory to her as a sign of good faith. That area is the only part you haven't seen yet."

"What's over there?"

"The forges."

"Forges?" I echo.

"Yeah that's where the weapons are made. The element masters are hundreds of years old, they can make nearly anything," she says. "They're the ones who made your sword."

"Okay about my sword—my mother said the blade was unlike anything she'd ever seen, but I can't figure out what's so special about it," I say.

She smirks. "Your sword is like mine. It's blade will capture energy from the souls of the people it kills. The more you use it, the more powerful it becomes."

I gape at her. "My gods that insane, there's no way—that's impossible," I mutter.

"Well you better start believing that nothing is impossible, otherwise you're going to constantly be surprised," she grins.

******

The cat pads down the steps, its glowing blue eyes fixed on me. Small black rosettes are scattered across its gleaming white pelt; its fur thicker than any I've ever seen.

The leopard saunters across the snow-covered clearing before coming to stop in front of me. That's when I notice the three faint runes running along the feline's spine.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

She chuckles, her tail swishing back and forth, casting flurries of snow into the air. "I told you months ago that I'm a shapeshifter."

My eyes fly wide and I take several steps back. "Okay I know for a fact that's not possible," I murmur.

She tilts her head. "A shapeshifter is a different breed Kaine, there is much I can do that a normal leopard cannot. Talking for example," she says. Her voice sounds almost the same, but there's a growling undertone that's making Lucifer go crazy.

"Can you shift into anything else?" I ask.

"At the moment? No. Shapeshifting is one of the more difficult skills to master. It can take centuries to be able to shift into more than one creature, I've only been at it for about a decade," she tells me.

I nod, barely able to comprehend how a single person can have so much power. And lucky me gets that person as my mate.

Think about how powerful your son will be.

What?

Syrra said the spell takes the abilities of both parents and combines them in the child. Your son will be a fury dragon-werewolf hybrid that can perform blood magic and shapeshift and possibly more depending on what else she is hiding, Lucifer chuckles.

I don't want to think about that now, I tell him.

Why not?

Because it's absolutely terrifying.

"Kaine if you want to see the forges we should get going before it starts snowing again." Syrra's voice drags me out of my thoughts.

She looks up at me expectantly.

"Yeah okay," I mutter. I let Shax take over and grit my teeth as my bones start to crack and rearrange themselves. I shift completely, groaning at the ache in my body.

You need to shift more, Shax growls.

Yeah thanks I realized that, I snap.

I look to my mate and give her a nod. She turns and takes off, leaving behind a trial of paw prints in the snow. I shake out my fur before following.

The ache slowly fades with each bounding step and energy starts to flow through my limbs. I push myself harder until I am right on Syrra's heels.

She glances back at me and I swear I see her smile but then she turns back and races even farther ahead.

How the hell is she beating us?

Lucifer snorts. A leopard is faster than a wolf, especially in the snow.

I have alpha blood though.

That doesn't mean you can outrun a leopard, Shax replies.

I cannot catch up again but I manage to stay fairly close, close enough that I don't get lost somewhere in witch territory.

My gaze snaps to the dark towers of rock suddenly looming over us. My pace slows as ice creeps into my veins. I don't like this place.

It's darker here. And colder. Much colder.

"Don't fall behind Kaine," Syrra warns, climbing up the hillside.

As we come over the top I am bombarded by the harsh sound of metal hitting stone. Each bang sends a shudder through my body.

My eyes wander over the valley. It is nearly black here. All I can make out are hundreds of flames in a dozen different hues. Some are small specks of light but others are blazing beasts that cast massive shadows onto the rocks.

"These are the forges."

Syrra stands beside me in her human form, a thick fur cloak draped over her shoulders. I shift and immediately swear at the freezing wind that whips across my skin.

She waves her hand and clothes appear on my body. "Thanks," I mutter.

"Come on, this place is terrifying but I think you'll find it fascinating as well," she says, taking my hand and leading me down the stone steps.

My eyes slowly adjust to the harsh light of the flames and I can start to make out the forge masters. They wear black cloaks that completely cover their bodies and—

"Are those masks?" I ask.

"They all wear them. A forge master is easily the most dangerous person in the world. They have to give up their identity to become one so that their abilities cannot be used improperly. It happened once and I will not let it happen again," she growls.

"You mean with the dragon hunters?"

She nods. "Without the cold iron weapons, they never would have been able to destroy the dragons. The wolves figured out how to make cold iron weapons themselves with the help of a forge master. Your mother killed the master and removed all of the weapons from the werewolves' territory so they would never have that kind of knowledge or power ever again."

"So this is where cold iron is turned to weapons?" I ask.

"Yes," she says, motioning to the closest fire.

As we move nearer I realize the flames within the stone well are red. A single figure stands in front of the flames, dumping something into a bucket that sits above them.

He bows as Syrra approaches, then quickly returns to his work. "What is he making?" I ask.

"A special type of sword. Its blade is curved and jagged and it is used by the angels," the masked figure explains.

"Wow even the angels get their weapons here," I murmur.

She grabs my arm and tugs me away. "Come on I want to show you the shadow pit."

"The what?"

"The shadow pit. It's where dæmons are made."

"Made?"

She weaves through the forges and pulls me past dozens of dark figures. We come to a stop in front of what looks like a massive well. I glance around and realize we are in the center of the valley.

"The shadows come from inside the well," Syrra tells me.

I start to move forward but she pulls me back. "What?" I ask.

"I would stay away from it if I were you. Untempered shadow is extremely dangerous."

I frown. "That sounds so strange," I mutter.

She shrugs and motions to a nearby flame. This one glows green.

"This is where shadows are forged. Rexall was created here," Syrra says.

There are two figures in the light of the flames but only one is masked. The other wears a crown I'd recognize from a mile away.

"Mom?" I call.

The figures head snaps up. "Kaine?" She asks.

I walk over, Syrra at my side. "What are you doing here?" I ask, my eyebrows furrowing deep in confusion.

She smiles a little. "Well it's nice to see you too."

I step away from Syrra to hug my mother tightly. When I pull away she frowns, looking me up and down.

"Gods you need to stop getting taller," she mutters under her breath.

"Okay seriously, what are you doing here? And how come you didn't tell us you were coming?" I ask.

"It was kind of a last minute decision on my part. I needed to get away from everyone for a while and I planned on coming here weeks ago but I became distracted," she sighs.

"Are they making something for you?" Syrra asks.

My mother nods. "Two weapons and a dæmon."

My eyes widen. "What do you need a dæmon for?"

"Oh it's not for me," she tells us quickly. "Your brother's birthday is approaching and I decided a dæmon would be the perfect gift seeing as him and his mate cannot have a child."

I smile a little. "That's actually kind of adorable," I chuckle.

She grins. "I thought so too."

"What creature did you choose?" Syrra asks.

"I haven't chosen yet. I asked for the weapons to be made first while I am trying to decide."

"What are the weapons?"

"A set of small blades for Fara and a bow with arrows for Ash. I'm hoping it will help him move on a little. The dragons could really use a skilled archer like him but he refuses to even touch one at the moment," she mutters.

A cloaked figure appears beside my mother and speaks to her in a low, indiscernible voice. She sighs again. "I still don't know what creature to choose. Do either of you have an idea?" She asks.

I glance at my mate and suddenly an idea pops into my head. A smirk crawls onto my lips. "How about a leopard?"