Kiss of Frost (The Dragon Stone Saga Book 1)(11)

"Maybe I should go try and he—" Before Jem can finish her sentence, a disgruntled-looking Kay and a frazzled-looking Ann walk into the room.

"Ann says you think you're all witches. Is that true?" Kay crosses her arms over her chest and squares off in front of me.

"We are witches." I try to soften my tone. "I know it's a lot—"

"It's completely insane. You're all insane. There's no such thing as witches."

"We can prove it to you," I argue.

"Okay, let's see it then. Turn Jem into a toad."

"How about not," Jem mutters.

I snap my fingers and fire appears, the flames dancing at my fingertips. "You see, magic."

Kay's jaw drops and she stares at me.

"We don't use magic to harm people. In fact, we only use it for good. For healing. And sometimes for protection, but we don't believe in harming any living thing for fun or for gain."

"Then what about the people who have my family? Ann says they're witches too."

"No. They're mages. They practice the dark arts. And they do harm people. Unfortunately, everything that is good can also be bad. The universe is full of black and white, yin and yang."

"So what does this mean? I'm the reason my family was taken? Because I'm a witch? I didn't even believe in magic until five seconds ago." Kay throws her hands up in the air dramatically.

"No. You didn't do anything at all."

"Then what is it? Why are they doing this?" Kay's voice breaks and tears form in her eyes.

"I think that somewhere in your lineage, you have dragon blood." Beck steps forward, speaking up before I can call off the rest of what has to be a painful and confusing conversation for Kay.

"Dragon blood too? Is there anything else?"

"We're not sure. But there is a way to test it to find out. Are you open to that?"

"I guess. Will it hurt?" Kay looks to Ann, who smiles reassuringly at her.

"It won't hurt. All I need is a drop of your blood to test my theory," Beck replies.

"Gross," Kay mutters before looking to the three of us.

"Go ahead." I nod. "It can't hurt to know."

Kay pricks her finger with the needle Ann hands her and then squeezes it over Beck's palm. As soon as her blood touches his hand, it sizzles and bubbles.

"You have dragon blood, Kay. I'm not sure how far back, but it would seem that you will be very powerful. The witches probably sensed it in you and that's why they sought you out."

Kay rubs at her temples. "This is all too much." She stands up and walks from the room.

"I've got her." Ann follows after her and I look to Jem.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."

"No problem. I know you're not yourself." She smiles.

"You can say that again."

"Why would she say it again? She just said it," Beck asks and we both chuckle.

"It's an expression, Beck."

"Oh." He shakes his head before turning to the next box and looking through it.

"What are we going to do about Kay?" I ask Jem.

"We're going to get her family back for her, and then we're going to get rid of the threat to them."

"How are we going to do that? We won't stand a chance against them if they're practicing the dark arts."

"We've got a dragon. He can just light them on fire or something."

"I don't breathe fire," Beck growls.

"Turn them into giant Popsicles then. I don't care what you do, so long as you get rid of them. We can worry about the rest later."

"I must find my brothers and my sister," Beck adds.

"We'll add it to our to-do list," I assure him.

"Let us hope that we find them first. My brothers are just as powerful as I am. My little sister was still learning, and young, but she'd still be able to find all of us if she needed to."

"How could she find you if you were stuck in a necklace?"

"Blood calls to blood. Just like Kay's blood sizzled when it touched my skin. It's something you can sense in another person, just like witches tend to stick together or know when another witch is about."

"That's true. Makes sense." I stand up, rubbing my hands together as I think. Sparks fly between my hands as I play with the pent-up energy coursing through me, and Jem snickers.

"She's all frustrated thanks to you, Beck."

Beck frowns at her and then eyes me closely. "What did I do this time?"

"Nothing. I'm just thinking."

"Why are you playing with a ball of sparks then?" he asks.

"Because I'm trying to get rid of some extra energy."

"What are you thinking about?"

"I'm wondering about how someone would know that Kay and her family have dragon blood if they didn't even know it. Like, what, did they prick her hand and do a test? How would these witches know this?"

"I'm not sure. Usually only a dragon would be able to sense another dragon. They could have captured another dragon while they were searching for us." His tone is less than enthusiastic at the prospect.