Chapter 5 #2
There was a sudden, crushing wave of compulsion, as if his patience had snapped.
Wynn sensed the magic slam into her, but astonishingly, she didn’t shatter beneath the blast. In fact, she managed to meet him glare for glare.
How dare he try to force her to bend to his will?
“It’s not here,” she said in cold tones.
“Then take me to it.”
“You’re not the boss of me.”
The magic vanished, along with the obnoxious arrogance, leaving behind a male who’d reached his limit.
“Dammit, Wynn, this isn’t a game,” he rasped. “Dragon relics are unique. The magic inside them can’t be used by demons or mages or witches. Those who try are eventually destroyed. But only after they are driven to madness.”
Wynn sniffed at the warning, acting like his words hadn’t touched a raw nerve. Was he right? Had she stumbled across an item that was infused with dragon magic and it was taking control of her? And were the nightmares a form of encroaching insanity?
“You’re trying to scare me,” she said.
“If I wanted to scare you, then I’d threaten to torture the information out of you.
” It wasn’t a warning. Just a plain statement of fact.
He was physically stronger than her, even in his human form.
And if he decided to shift into his dragon.
..well, she would be toast. Literally. She couldn’t squash her instinctive shudder and he clicked his tongue.
“Wynn, I have no desire to hurt you. Or to see you hurt,” he assured her. “All I want is the statue.”
She forced herself to meet his fierce gaze. He was right. This was no time for games. She needed to return to her search for the source of the magic plaguing her. And she needed to do it without Azh breathing fire down her neck.
“I don’t have it.”
“Then where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Wynn.” Her name came out on a low sexy growl.
Heat swirled through her, but she pretended her toes weren’t curling in response. “I truly don’t know, I swear.”
“Then how are you tapping into the magic?”
“I’m not,” she insisted. “I have no idea what it can or can’t do...wait.” Wynn’s protest faltered as she felt a familiar tugging inside her. As if the skipping stones were being activated. “What’s happening?”
Azh’s brows snapped together as he reached out, clearly intending to grab her arm. “Don’t you dare leave.”
“I’m not doing this. It’s the stupid dragon magic. It keeps doing weird things.”
“Wynn!” he snarled, his fingers brushing her arm just as the magic snapped into place and she was jerked through the darkness, hurtling to...
Hell, she didn’t know.
* * * *
Tia clicked her tongue as she stood in front of the Witch’s Brew.
Really. The place might delight the local humans, they seemed to adore all things cutesy-cute and downright sappy, but how could any self-respecting mage create such a travesty?
From the glowing neon light above the door to the front windows painted with bright flowers and butterflies to the smell of blueberry muffins, it screamed with a cloying sweetness.
In contrast, her own lair near Pike’s Peak in Colorado was an imposing castle surrounded by towering mountains and thick woods, not to mention guarded by a dozen demons.
She was one of the most powerful mages in the world, who ran a multimillion-dollar empire. She expected her lair to reflect the status she’d earned in blood, sweat, and tears.
It was a shame that Maya didn’t share her appreciation for creating the proper image.
Her one-time friend could be living in a mansion or a penthouse suite.
Especially now that she’d mated with a nasty leech.
Instead she continued to run a coffee shop and live in the basement like a savage.
If she’d stayed with Tia all those years ago, they could be ruling the world.
Or at least the parts of the world worth ruling.
With another click of her tongue, Tia laid her hand on the door and used her powers to smash through the protective layers of magic.
Over the past year she’d started the painful process of forgiving Maya for abandoning her just days after they’d defeated the monster who’d held them captive for decades.
And they’d started the tentative process of rebuilding a friendship.
Tonight, however, she was in a hurry and in no mood to play nice.
Stepping inside, she closed the door, glancing around the shadowed shop.
She hadn’t really expected to find the male she was searching for sitting at one of the tiny tables sipping a cappuccino and nibbling on a pastry, although she wouldn’t put it past him.
He was the most aggravating, unpredictable, elusive creature she’d ever encountered.
It would be just like him to fall off the face of the earth and then reappear, eating a blueberry muffin as if nothing had happened.
Focused on her dark thoughts, Tia abruptly cursed as an unseen magic brushed over her. The touch was as light as a feather, but she wasn’t fooled. She knew a snare when she idiotically stepped into one.
“What the hell?” Tia stood stiffly in the center of the tiled floor, refusing to embarrass herself further by struggling against the tentacles of magic wrapping around her. Instead she sent a silent command to Maya. “Release me. Immediately.”
Seconds later the steel door at the back of the room was shoved open. Tia’s talent as a dream teller meant that she could easily create a mental connection with anyone, although it made it easier if she was familiar with them. At one time she and Maya had often communicated without speaking.
The younger woman moved toward Tia, wearing a pair of white slacks and a yellow silk shirt despite the late hour. Her black hair was silky smooth as it framed her pale face, brushing against the scars that marred her jawline.
Scars Maya had received saving Tia’s life.
“Tia.” Maya arched her brows in surprise, although it was obvious by her clothing and the powerful snare that she’d been expecting company. “What are you doing sneaking around my coffee shop?”
“Clearly I’m here to see you,” Tia said in cold tones.
“Have you heard of knocking? Or better yet, sending me a text to warn me that you’re about to break-and-enter my lair?”
“Just release me.”
Maya ran a suspicious gaze over Tia, lingering on the white tunic dress that hugged her tall, slender body and the priceless pearl choker around her neck before lifting to study Tia’s narrow face dominated by dark eyes and stern features emphasized by her silver-gray hair pulled into a tight bun.
As if satisfied this wasn’t some sort of trick, Maya waved her hand in an impatient motion, releasing the snare.
“Fine. Now tell me why you’re here.”
“That exasperating male,” Tia muttered.
Maya arched a brow. “Ravyr is currently in Greece, so I assume you’re referring to some other exasperating male?”
“Joe.”
“The Watcher slash Benefactor slash pain-in-my-ass Joe?” Maya demanded.
Tia sniffed. Joe was a pain in the ass, but it bothered her that he’d been a pain in the ass to Maya first. It wasn’t jealousy. It was... Well, she wasn’t sure what it was, but she didn’t like it.
“That’s the one,” she said between clenched teeth.
Maya shrugged. “He left here after Ravyr moved in. The place wasn’t big enough for both their egos.”
“No crap.”
“Why are you looking for him?”
“He’s in trouble.”
“Joe?” Maya shook her head. “I don’t believe it. That guy is indestructible.”
Tia might have agreed if Joe hadn’t spent the past months popping in and out of her castle as if he were a welcomed guest. Slowly she’d become accustomed to his presence, and if she was being honest, even looking forward to the nights he would magically appear to lessen the echoing emptiness of her castle.
And during those nights she’d caught glimpses of the vast sense of duty that he shouldered and the relentless attacks against the peace he was struggling to protect.
He might be close to a god, but he wasn’t impervious to danger.
“He pretends to be indestructible,” she agreed, “but he’s not.”
Maya stilled, staring at Tia in confusion. Then suddenly her eyes widened. “Wait. Are you two—”
“No,” Tia snapped, battling the revealing blush that threatened to stain her cheeks.
It was nobody’s business if she spent her nights fantasizing about what she would do if she ever got the delectable male in her bed.
“You know my feelings about domineering, arrogant jerks who think they can control a woman.”
Maya’s lips twitched. “But you rushed here from Colorado to check on him?”
“Because he won’t get out of my head.” It wasn’t a lie. The whispers had started last night and continued through the morning hours. At last she’d ordered her jet to be prepared so she could track down the bothersome pest. “He keeps saying the same word over and over and it’s driving me nuts.”
“Okay. What’s he saying?”
“Run.”
“Run?”
“That’s all I could make out, but there was pain in his voice, as if he’s being attacked.”
Maya’s amusement faded. She understood the danger, just like Tia did. It was one thing for the mysterious Watcher to be annoying. It was another for him to be in a situation that was causing him genuine pain. What could hurt a god-adjacent creature who had seemingly limitless powers?
The answer couldn’t be anything good.
“Can you contact him?” Maya asked.
Tia shook her head. “No, and when I try there’s a weird static hum. Like something is interfering in our connection.”
“You can’t determine if it’s a demon or vampire that’s creating the interference?”
“It doesn’t feel like it’s coming from an individual creature. It’s almost as if he’s being smothered by layers of magic that’s continuing to spread. Which is why I have to find him. The sooner the better.”
Maya nodded in sharp agreement. “What makes you think he’s here?”
“I’m following the static inside my head.”
“That’s a sentence you don’t hear every day.”