Chapter 35
Thirty-Five
VAUGHN
“All right, gather around,” Ryker orders.
Shit, I’m not really keen to get near him. Besides, I need to call Sophie. “What for?”
“You’re going to transport us where Solomon is, aren’t you?” Karl says.
Ryker nods. “Precisely.”
Saxon steps close to me and asks, “Do you enjoy roller coasters?”
“Yeah. They’re fun. Why?”
He clasps my shoulder and smiles like a fiend. “Then you have nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I lie, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows it.
“You haven’t lived long enough,” Lucca pipes up. “Enough with the chitchat. If Solomon still has the Nightingale relic in his possession, we need to retrieve it now.”
No one argues with his bossy tone. We form a circle around Ryker, and then the warlock’s magic surrounds us.
His eyes glow an eerie green, making him look otherworldly.
Everyone believes I don’t know what’s about to happen, but this isn’t my first rodeo.
Only, this time, the trip is way more intense than when Ryker sent Sophie and me to the forest behind Bloodstone.
My body feels like it’s disintegrating, and it’s the worst sensation in the world.
When the trip finally ends, I want to throw up.
“Holy hell,” I blurt out, resting my hands on my knees. “That was nothing like a roller-coaster ride.”
“I know.” Saxon laughs.
Asshole.
“Where are we?” Vivi splits from the group to investigate our surroundings.
I look around too, but there’s nothing familiar about our location. Ryker is already on the move, though, and he doesn’t bother to answer her. We follow him before he vanishes on purpose.
“Man, he’s not very friendly, is he?” I mutter.
“I haven’t met a warlock who is,” Karl replies.
“That’s not true. I’m not an asshole,” Aurora butts in.
“No, but you haven’t had your training yet,” Lucca adds. “I think it changes them, almost like it takes away part of their souls.”
“What the hell, Luc?” Saxon complains. “Why would you say something like that?”
Aurora raises her chin in defiance. “They’ve already taken so much from me. I’m not going to let them change me on top of it.”
Her comment flies right over my head, but having spent some time with her mother, I can guess that she’s had to make many sacrifices. Magic, even if innate, comes with a price. Sophie passed out after she helped the High Witch reinforce the wards.
I pull my phone out. Now is as good a time as ever to text her.
Hey, something came up. I’ll be a bit late.
I stare at my phone screen, waiting for her reply, but my message remains unseen. Disappointed, I shove my phone back into my pocket before someone asks me who I’m texting.
“I thought we were going after Solomon,” Saxon pipes up.
“We are,” Ryker replies. “Apparently, he has a second home.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Aurora shakes her head.
We follow the warlock through thick branches until we reach a clearing with an old cabin in the middle.
“I didn’t know this was here,” Lucca says.
“It looks exactly like his dwelling in the old country,” Karl adds.
Light is coming from inside the building, which means someone is there. Ryker takes the lead and knocks on the door.
“I didn’t know you had proper manners,” Saxon says. “I thought your MO was to drop into people’s living rooms unannounced.”
“The old familiar has wards all over this property.”
“Of course he does,” Karl mutters.
Solomon opens the door slowly, and only partially. “What do you want?”
“It seems you’ve been keeping a secret from everyone, Corvicus.” Ryker braces his hand against the door and pushes it open all the way. He strides in, and we quickly follow.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu visit?” Solomon asks, looking at us in a cagey manner.
Karl steps closer to him. “The gag spell you put on me is gone. They know you have another Nightingale-made mirror.”
Solomon’s bushy eyebrows arch, meeting his hairline, but the expression of surprise comes and goes supersonic fast.
He releases a sigh, shaking his head. “I knew you would figure out a way to remove it. But it’s too late now. I no longer possess the mirror.”
He turns toward a wooden table and pours himself a drink that smells rotten.
“You’d better not be lying, Solomon,” Lucca snarls. “My sister’s life is at stake.”
Solomon tosses the drink back and then looks over his shoulder. “Yes, and so is Karl’s life. That’s something you vampires always seem to forget.”
“I didn’t forget it,” Lucca grits out.
“The familiar is not lying,” Ryker chimes in. “He… lost it.”
Solomon takes a step back, glaring at the warlock. “Stay out of my head, fiend.”
“How could you have lost something so powerful?” Vivi asks.
Looking ashamed, he turns away and pours himself more of his stinky drink. “I lost a bet and had to give up the mirror.”
“Son of a bitch.” Karl rubs his face.
“I would have come forth with the mirror if I still had it. Surely you know that,” Solomon adds.
“Who did you lose the mirror to?” Saxon asks. “Maybe we can get it back, or at least borrow it.”
He snorts. “Good luck with that.”
“Solomon,” Lucca says with a hint of warning in his tone.
“Fine. I lost the mirror to the Elder dragon.”
“A dragon?” I blurt out. “That’s just great.”
“Who is the Elder dragon?” Aurora asks.
“She’s the dragon who lives deep in the Indigo Mountain,” Lucca says. “I’ve never seen her, but Uncle Raphael mentioned her name on a few occasions.”
“She’s an oracle for the dragons. Old and powerful and, most importantly, as mercurial as they come,” Ryker replies. “Getting the mirror from her will require a miracle.”
Karl presses a closed fist against his forehead. “If the only way to open a portal to Ellnesari is using the mirror, we don’t have any other choice. We must head to Indigo Mountain and deal with her.”
“I can take you there, but I’d suggest leaving your girlfriends behind,” Ryker says.
Aurora places her hands on her hips. “What kind of sexist bullshit is that?”
“The Elder dragon doesn’t like females, but she has a weakness for pretty boys,” Solomon answers. “Your chances of getting the mirror increase a tiny bit if you and Vivi aren’t there.”
I swallow hard. “When you say the Elder dragon likes pretty boys, you mean she likes to hang out with them, right? Not eat them?”
Ryker cocks his head. “That depends.”
“On what?” Saxon asks.
“On whether you piss her off or not.”
Aurora crosses her arms. “I don’t like this. I say we should all go. We can wait by the foot of the mountain.”
“I don’t advise it,” Ryker replies. “The Elder dragon is not the only dangerous thing living in the area. It helps no one if your boyfriends have their attentions split.”
“It’ll be okay, Rora.” Saxon steps in front of her and cups her cheek. “We’ll be back before you know it.”
“Vivi and Aurora will stay,” Lucca says, his tone hard, which means that’s his final word.
Man, he doesn’t know what he’s doing. When Vivi gets angry, you don’t want to be in her line of fire.
“I didn’t agree to that,” Vivi replies through clenched teeth. “I’m no longer a damsel in distress who needs saving. I can handle myself.”
“I’ll go alone,” Karl says.
“What? Karl, you can’t go by yourself. It’s dangerous,” Vivi retorts.
“Manu is my problem. If anyone has to risk anything, that person is me.”
“You’re forgetting that she’s my sister,” Lucca cuts in.
“I’m not. But you’re needed here. If something goes wrong and you get hurt…”
If Lucca gets hurt, we’re cooked. Jacques won’t stop until he has control of the vampires, even if that goes against what Tatiana wants.
“Take me with you, Karl, for backup,” I say. When he looks like he’s about to reject my idea, I add, “I have nothing to lose, and no one needs me here.”
A total lie. I have Sophie, and my mom and sisters. But I already choked once by not crossing the portal to Ellnesari. I want the chance to prove to myself that I’m not a useless idiot.
“Vaughn, that’s not true.” Vivi looks at me with kindness.
I shrug. “I know I’m a complication you didn’t ask for. Who has time to train a newbie bloodsucker when the world is about to blow up in your faces?”
Ryker studies me for a moment. “It’s not a bad idea to bring the young vampire. He’s attractive enough. He can distract the Elder dragon with his pretty looks.”
I grimace. I so don’t want to know how he thinks I can distract the Elder dragon.
“Fine, Vaughn can come,” Karl finally agrees.
Ryker nods once. “Let’s go, then. I’ve lingered here long enough, and I don’t remember signing up to be at the vampires’ beck and call.”
“You can’t open a portal inside my home, so shoo.” Solomon makes the motion with his hands.
Ryker quirks an eyebrow. “Shoo?” He then grabs the male by the back of his collar. “You’re coming with us.”
Solomon struggles against Ryker’s hold. “The hell I am! Let go of me, you brute.”
The warlock ignores Solomon’s protests and drags him outside. Damn, things escalated fast. He turns, and with just one look, I know he wants Karl and me to step closer.
“What about us? How are we getting back to the house?” Saxon asks.
“You forgot how to walk?” Ryker cocks an eyebrow.
“We don’t know where we are.” Saxon throws his hands up in the air. “We could be miles from home.”
“Stop being so dramatic,” Solomon barks. “You’re behind the institute. Head east and you’ll find the main road.”
“You’ve enchanted this area,” Karl says. “That’s why we can’t pinpoint our exact location.”
“Finally, someone figured it out.” Solomon breaks free from Ryker’s grasp and fixes his clothes. “I don’t think the Elder dragon will appreciate me dropping by unannounced.”
The warlock rolls his eyes. “She’s going to appreciate it even less if I show up with a wolf shifter and a newly minted vampire. They need an introduction.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
Ryker’s lips twist upward. “She likes me even less.”