Chapter 25
Rasmus
While sunlight wouldn’t kill me, it still burned. Over the centuries, I had adapted my lifestyle and become a card-carrying stereotypical vampire. One that slept during the day and made the most of the hours between sunset and dawn.
Now that I’d found my soul-bonded mate, living a twilight existence was no longer an option. She needed me. This rescue mission would require all her mates, and as the strongest, fastest male in her harem, there was no way I could sit back and let the others rush into danger.
The magical pull from our mate had led us to a rundown farmstead in the middle of the Arizona desert. The sun had risen over the horizon, painting the nearby mountains pink and lilac.
Under different circumstances, I’d have appreciated the view. It wasn’t often that I got to enjoy an attractive sunrise. But right now, we had a mate to rescue and a Mage Council leader to tear apart.
An enormous gold dragon swished its tail, nearly taking out a small copse of trees to our left. It had been at least three hundred years since I’d seen an adult dragon. I wasn’t certain, but I believed Olaf to be a descendant of Magnus and Isolde, the leaders of Clan Firestorm.
When this unfortunate turn of events resolved, I looked forward to speaking with the dragon. He seemed a wise old soul, if a little sad when he thought nobody was looking too closely.
Dragons lived long lives, much like vampires, so he must be lonely with no clan on this continent.
I averted my gaze when the dragon shifted back and pulled on some pants. He’d carried us from the location where the incubus landed. Thankfully the flight had been short and we’d seen no humans or magicals.
If what we all suspected was happening here, Vane had deliberately chosen a remote location, miles from the nearest settlement. When I scanned the area, there was nothing but rocky desert in every direction.
A rough track snaked away from the farm. No fresh tire marks meant Vane and his minions would almost certainly travel back and forth via portals.
“There are magical wards and illusion spells,” Olaf told us. “Even Kenji couldn’t breach them, but now that your witch mate has bonded with her final consort, we should be able to bypass the wards.”
“You knew about this place?” Maverick said, a hint of anger in his voice.
“I’ve known about it for some time, but until Kenji came and told me Vane had kidnapped his witch, I’d not tried to bypass the wards.”
“Did Vane take someone you care for?” I asked. It was becoming clear the mage enjoyed collecting rare magicals, and dragons were possibly the rarest of them all.
“Not someone. Something.” A plume of smoke drifted skyward as the shifter exhaled.
Heat radiated from him, making the air hotter than it normally would be at this time of the morning.
I stepped under a large tree, glad for the shade.
Even with a protection spell in place, my skin was beginning to burn.
“Some of your gold stash?” The incubus squinted in the bright sun. “Seems like you have plenty of that already.”
“No, not gold. Something far more precious than gold. Dragon eggs.”
My jaw dropped in surprise.
“Baby dragons in eggs?” Zane seemed intrigued. “So your females lay eggs?” His eyes widened.
Maverick shoved him hard. “Don’t ask such personal questions!”
“A female dragon lays eggs once a millennium. The eggs hatch when the time is right, which is something fate decides. Vane somehow located two eggs in a hidden cave deep in the northern islands. I was unaware of the dragon eggs’ existence until Kenji informed me.”
I had so many questions but now was not the time.
The tether in my chest yanked hard, provoking a pained wince. My mate was close, and while I still couldn’t pick up her exact location, I hoped that would change the minute we entered the building.
“Raven’s in trouble,” Kai gasped, his complexion a sickly green color. “I can feel her fear.”
“How do we get into this place?” Maverick’s leather pants split as his animal fought to break free. “My bear wants to kill them all.”
“Follow Kenji,” Olaf said, pointing to a spot near a tumbledown shed where the air shimmered unnaturally. Magic.
We followed the kitsune, and the moment we reached the area Olaf had pointed to, the farm and outbuildings disappeared to reveal a stark white building. Two mages carrying automatic weapons barely had time to blink before the dragon incinerated them.
“Cool trick,” Zane marveled as Maverick shifted and wrenched the door off its hinges.
“I’m coming for you, Vane,” I muttered under my breath before I shot inside.