Chapter 3
Azh kept his hand pressed against the barrier as he watched Wynn process the fact she was face-to-face with one of the most powerful beasts to ever walk the world.
Most creatures would have collapsed in terror.
Dragons might have been gone from the world since the Ice Age, but the memories of their savage battles with both vampires and demons lingered.
They were considered nightmares that were better left to myth and legend.
Not this woman.
Tilting her head to the side, she ran a bold gaze down his body, her fresh, floral scent untainted by fear. He wasn’t surprised. He’d been following her for days. Ever since he’d been stirred out of hibernation by the sensation of dragon magic moving through the world.
He’d watched with bemused curiosity as she’d scuttled through the city, creating a strange network of magic, like a spider weaving a web. Tonight he understood what she’d been doing. She was a thief, and the magical web was her escape route.
His dangerous fascination had only deepened as he followed her, but his reason to linger in this world wasn’t just because she was the most beautiful, unique creature he’d ever encountered. It was the trail of potent magic she was leaking.
When he’d first awakened, he’d assumed the queen had escaped her prison and was once again attempting to break the treaty.
Over a year ago, she’d used her powers to reach into this world and manipulate a demon to destroy the key keeping them locked in hibernation.
Since then, the ancient dragon had been carefully locked behind a powerful wall of magic.
It’d kept her physically sealed in place, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have other devious plots set into motion.
But instead of his queen, he’d found this delicate slip of a female with her air of human fragility and unexpectedly potent abilities. Add in the dragon magic and it was a bewildering combination.
He needed to discover exactly what she was, how she’d gotten ahold of the magic, and what she intended to do with it.
Something easier said than done if the current standoff was anything to go by.
“I didn’t know you guys could look like humans,” she at last said, returning her attention to his grim expression.
Azh shrugged. “We have many forms. I dislike being in this one, but it was the only way to follow you.”
“You mean the only way to stalk me.”
“Follow you,” he insisted.
She snorted, but she didn’t press the issue. “I thought the leeches locked you in the pits of hell?”
“The leeches have no power over the dragons,” he retorted, his tone edged with arrogance.
He’d be damned if he allowed her to think the bloodsuckers made decisions for his people.
“We are currently in hibernation. Once the terms of the treaty have been met, we will return to our place in this world.”
She pursed her lips. “So if you’re in hibernation, then why aren’t you snoozing?”
“I was awakened by the feel of mysterious magic moving through this world. The sort of magic that could tilt the balance of leadership among the demons.”
“Okay. So go find it and leave me alone.”
A growl rumbled in his chest. Leave her alone? Never.
He ignored the dangerous thought. “Where did you get it?”
“Get what?”
“The magic?”
She clicked her tongue, but her expression was suddenly distracted, as if she were concentrating on something more important than the dragon who had her cornered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If I had some sort of mysterious power, why would I be stealing junk to survive?” she demanded. “I’d just take over the world.”
He burned a hole in the barrier. She was up to something. He’d bet his favorite treasure hoard.
“A good question.” The hole was slowly spreading.
Too slowly. “Why are you stealing trinkets? And another question. Why did you have such an elaborate escape plan if you were just...” The truth hit like a lightning strike.
You didn’t work that hard to steal worthless baubles.
But you did steal worthless baubles to hide the truth of why you were sneaking into vaults.
“Ah. Of course. You’re searching for something else.
What is it? A potion? A charm? A rare artifact? ”
Azh felt a stab of juvenile satisfaction as the astonishing lavender eyes widened in shock. He was right. She was searching for something. Obviously something she didn’t find in the mage’s vault.
“I have everything I need.” She blatantly lied, holding up her hand that held the stone. “And it doesn’t include meddling dragons. Mind your own business.”
With a dramatic wave of her hand she disappeared. Just like that. One second she was there and the next she was gone.
Azh heaved a sigh. He could sense her magic, which meant that she was still in the city. But it was becoming a genuine pain in the ass to waste his time chasing her from one spot to another.
Turning on his heel, Azh prepared to track down his prey, only to come to an abrupt halt as a form appeared at the entrance to the alley.
“Stop, Azh.” The deep male voice echoed through the air, bouncing off the brick walls and resonating inside Azh like a drum. “We need to talk.”
Shit. Azh was frozen in place as the form strolled toward him. “That’s supposed to be my line,” he muttered.
The unwelcomed intruder stopped a few feet in front of Azh, wearing what looked like a pair of flannel pajamas with fuzzy slippers on his feet.
His head was covered by an old-fashioned night cap that he had pulled down to his eyes with a fuzzy ball dangling from the tip.
His lower face was hidden beneath a bushy beard giving him the vibe of a human Santa Claus.
He should have looked ridiculous, but there was nothing funny about the green eyes that blazed with an ancient magic or the displeasure that slammed into Azh with the force of a freight train.
“Why have the dragons broken their treaty?”
Azh held his ground. He’d never been face-to-face with the Watcher, but he recognized the elusive creature.
With a godlike strength the male maintained the peace between leeches, demons, and dragons.
Eons ago, the bloodbath created by the constant warfare had nearly caused a total collapse of all three species.
That was when the treaty had been created, forcing the dragons into hibernation until it was their time to once again roam free, and the leeches would become dormant.
A glorious thought.
“No treaties are broken,” Azh argued. “My people remain in hibernation as you commanded.”
The green eyes smoldered with ruthless authority. “And you?”
“The dragons are allowed to investigate if they fear a threat to their safety. It’s written in the treaty. And the reason there was an opening in the barrier for me to enter this world.”
The strange male scrunched his nose. “You didn’t create the opening?”
“Of course not. I’ve pledged to uphold the treaty. The opening was there when I awakened.”
The Watcher considered his answer for a long moment. Then he shook his head, the fuzzy ball on the end of his cap bouncing.
“What is the threat?”
“Don’t you feel it?”
“Fah. I feel many things. Be more specific.”
“It feels like...” Azh’s words faded. How did you explain a pulse of magic that was familiar and yet intoxicatingly mysterious? As if it had been created by his deepest fantasies.
“Yes?” the male prompted.
Azh shrugged. “I can’t explain it. But it calls to me.”
The Watcher tilted his head to the side. “The magic or the female calls to you?”
Azh jerked. The male had obviously been watching him for a while. An unpleasant realization. And a sharp reminder that he’d been doing the same thing. No wonder Wynn had been so pissy with him. It was unpleasant to discover that someone had been spying on him from the shadows.
“Both,” he admitted between clenched teeth.
The Watcher made a sound of exasperation. “Return to your slumber. I’ll deal with this latest complication.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
Azh’s fierce refusal was still on his lips when the world dissolved around him. A heartbeat later he was standing at the edge of the thick mist that formed a barrier between the dragons and the rest of the world.
Dammit.
Clenching his hands, Azh stormed through the marble corridors of the dragons’ hidden lair, his footsteps echoing through the thick silence.
Most of his people preferred to sleep through this time of hibernation, restoring their strength and repairing wounds from their last battle against the vampires.
On occasion they would awaken and move around the lair, some of them spending time with mates or polishing their fighting skills in the vast arena beneath the lair.
Azh preferred to devote his time in the massive library that held treasures far greater than any in his hoard.
But first, he had to reassure himself that the magic he’d felt hadn’t been a trap devised by Zanna, the former Queen of Dragons.
Turning into a side hallway that led to a forbidden area of the lair, he stepped through the layers of magic that blocked the crystal cell. No one could go in or out of the space. No one but him.
Once inside the prison, Azh blinked at the shimmering glow that filled the space. This area was devoid of power, but unlike many of his brethren he’d been unwilling to leave the traitor in complete darkness.
Not that Zanna deserved his sympathy.
She’d driven her dragons into a war with the leeches that had threatened their very survival, and refused to negotiate until her people had openly revolted. Even after she’d signed the treaty, she’d spent centuries plotting to break the agreement and destroy every living creature in the world.
That was when Azh had been forced to take a more dramatic action.