Chapter 7
Azh allowed Wynn to take the lead as they raced out of the crumbling building and through the dark streets. He concentrated on creating a web of smoke around them. The thin layer didn’t make them invisible, but it would mask their scent and hide any tracks in case someone was hunting them.
He didn’t know what had happened to the demons. The plague. A curse. Dark magic. He’d never seen anything like it. But he did know that they were dangerous. And that they were somehow connected to Wynn.
Which meant they had to be destroyed.
The question was how.
Remaining on high alert as they left the elegant neighborhood and headed north, Azh was caught off guard when Wynn veered into the parking lot of a cheap motel.
The single-story building stretched at an angle between a trailer park and an auto shop.
The bricks had faded to a dull orange and the roof was missing several shingles.
It looked like the sort of place where the dregs of human society would gather.
Or demons who wanted to avoid the attention of the Vampire Cabal.
“Why are we here?” he asked, frowning as she halted in front of the door at the end of the building.
“This is my current lair.” There was a tingle of magic before the steel door swung open.
Arching a brow, Azh stepped into the small square dominated by a double bed and a cheap dresser with a television precariously propped on top of it. There was a closed door on the far wall that he assumed led to the bathroom.
“Sparse,” he murmured, silently noting the frayed canvas bag tossed in the corner. It was the only personal item visible.
Of course, she presumably had the ability to use dragon magic. That would give her the talent to hide dozens of items in the room. Or even on her person.
He had an assortment of weapons concealed by his weaves of magic, along with the history book he’d brought through the small portal.
Wynn snorted, heading to the fridge next to the dresser to pull out a bottle of water. She tried to act casual, but Azh didn’t miss the pallor of her skin and the way her hands trembled as she lifted the bottle to her lips.
She was still freaked out by the glowing green demons.
Draining the water, she at last sent him a chiding glance.
“We can’t all have mysterious bat caves with fancy libraries and marble walls,” she said, obviously taking full advantage of the portal he’d opened to peek into the dragon lair.
“You probably have a dozen slaves to cater to your every need.”
Azh resisted the urge to try to comfort her. Wynn didn’t want to share her emotions. She wanted to be a tough, kick-ass warrior. Better to distract her.
“No slaves, but I do have a large harem.”
As he hoped, she was immediately furious. “Ew, I knew you—”
“I’m kidding,” he interrupted her looming tirade. “Dragon females are the most dangerous creatures in this world. Any potential lover goes in with the understanding that they don’t take shit from anyone, including their mates.”
Her temper eased and something flared through her amazing eyes. Was that...gratitude?
“Good for them,” she retorted.
He folded his arms over his chest. She was still pale and shaky, but they couldn’t waste time. He had to have the answers he was seeking.
“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
He made a sound of exasperation. “Wynn, it’s too late for lies.”
She tossed aside the bottle. “It’s not a lie. If I knew what was happening I’d make it stop.”
She sounded sincere.
“Okay then, where’s the dragon statue?”
“I genuinely don’t know.” She spread her arms, glaring at him. “Look around if you don’t believe me.”
Azh didn’t take her up on her offer. He wasn’t in the mood for a game of hide-and-seek.
“I can sense the magic,” he stubbornly insisted.
“Where?” Slowly she peeled off her coat and tossed it onto the bed.
He paused at her sharp question, forcing himself to concentrate on the hum of power. He’d assumed that it came from an object that Wynn was carrying with her. Or the residue of magic that clung to her because she’d been in close contact with a dragon relic.
Now that she’d removed her coat that was obviously layered with spells of protection, he could finally pinpoint the source of the magic.
“It’s coming from inside you.”
“Exactly.”
Azh frowned. “How?”
“It’s a long story.”
“You aren’t old enough for it to be very long,” Azh pointed out in dry tones.
“I have no idea how old I am. Honestly I don’t know what I am.”
His frown deepened. “You lost your memory?”
“I guess.” She shrugged. “I woke up one day with no idea of who I was or where I came from.”
“Wait.” Azh held up a hand. He was genuinely confused. Memories could be stolen. And sometimes altered. But only humans suffered from amnesia, and this woman most certainly wasn’t a human. “Start at the beginning. What do you first remember?”
“I opened my eyes and discovered I was lying on the banks of the Thames on the outskirts of London.”
“How long ago?”
“Two centuries.” She wrinkled her nose. “Give or take a few years.”
“And you have no memories of your life before you woke up?”
“None.” Her tone was flat. Her eyes smoldered with frustration. “I managed to find shelter in London and for a while I assumed I was just another poor human woman who’d been attacked and left for dead. There was a lot of crime during that time.”
“How did you realize you were something more?”
“When I started seeing auras around some people. I thought I must have brain damage when no one else noticed them.”
His confidence that she wasn’t mortal was confirmed. Humans couldn’t detect the auras that surrounded supernatural creatures. Even mages didn’t see them until the wild magic flared through their veins, igniting their primitive powers.
“I would say you have a trace of demon blood that you couldn’t sense until you were inside a Gyre, but you don’t have the scent of a goblin or a fey.” He studied her with a brooding intensity. “That means you have to be a mage.”
“I don’t have any magic,” she protested.
Azh stepped forward, careful to leash the heat that could singe her delicate skin. Why was she being so stubborn?
“You really do think dragons are stupid, don’t you?”
She blinked, as if caught off guard by his burst of annoyance. “I mean I don’t have magic in my blood. Not like other mages.”
Azh forced himself to take a calming breath. He was more on edge than he realized. “A witch?” he guessed.
“That’s what I hoped. I even sought out a local coven in London.”
He didn’t miss her shudder at the mention of the coven. As if the memory still caused her pain.
“That didn’t go well?”
“They tied rocks around me and tossed me into the river. They wanted to drown me before I could attract attention that might get them burned at the stake.”
Azh wasn’t surprised. Witches had blamed mages for causing them to be hunted by both humans and demons from the beginning of time. Personally, he thought they were jealous of the rare members of their covens who were blessed with the ability to tap directly into their primal magic.
Still, if she wasn’t a witch or a mage or a vampire or a demon or a dragon...then what the hell was she?
“How do you create spells?” he asked.
“From objects that hold magic. Amulets, crystals, charms, relics.”
“But you need magic to tap into the spell or power.”
“I don’t tap into it. I absorb it.”
Azh swept his gaze over her face, which had thankfully lost its pallor. This cramped room that reeked of mildew and echoed with the sounds of voices from next door appeared to give her some sense of safety.
Or maybe it’s my presence that eased her fears, a hopeful voice whispered in the back of his mind.
His heat flared as a razor-edged excitement sliced through the layers of indifference that had wrapped around him since the dragons had gone into hibernation.
This woman. She fascinated him in a way he couldn’t explain.
Maybe because she remained such a mystery.
He’d never encountered anyone like her. Of course, he’d spent the past centuries locked in his lair, he reminded himself.
He could glimpse the world and keep track of the changes in society and technology, but they’d had no effect on him or his people.
Not until the dragon magic had stirred him fully awake.
The thought was an abrupt reminder that now wasn’t the time or place to become lost in his obsession with this woman.
Later, however, he intended to indulge his desires. Vociferously and with exquisite attention to detail.
He smoothed his expression as he realized she was staring at him with a hint of suspicion. No doubt she’d sensed his dangerous distraction.
“You said you absorb the magic.” He forced out the words. “There’s a difference from what mages do?”
She slowly nodded. “I’ve never created a spell like a regular mage, but I know they use their magic to release the power stored in the object. When I am near one, the power simply seeps into me.”
“And then you can use the magic?”
“Yes.”
“How long does it stay?”
“It depends on the object. The more powerful the magic, the longer it stays. There are some spells that have been with me from my earliest days in London and other magic that disappears as soon as I use it.”
“I knew you were unique, but this...” Azh was young in dragon years, but he’d been alive a very, very long time. Wynn continued to surprise him. “I’ve never heard of anyone who could store magic from another creature. Is it different if the object was created by a demon or a human?”
She considered the question, as if trying to recall if there’d been a notable variance in the powers she absorbed.
“Not that I can tell,” she at last decided. “Witch magic isn’t as strong and usually fades the fastest, but otherwise there’s nothing to reveal who placed the spell in the artifact.”
“What about potions?”
She looked confused. “They take magic to create, but anyone can use them. Even humans.”
“Yes, but do you absorb the power from the potion?”