26. Chapter 26 #2
“Your brothers didn’t like you holding my hands earlier. They definitely wouldn’t like seeing us embracing.”
Her eyes flashed in defiance. “Last time I checked, they weren’t in charge of me.”
He sighed. “Sienna. My first priority is breaking this curse. I can’t…” He stopped, not knowing how to finish his thoughts.
“You can’t what? Allow someone to comfort you? To feel something that isn’t anger and guilt?”
Her words were like a punch to the gut. “I can’t afford to be distracted right now.”
Instead of being upset, Sienna smiled, her eyes dancing. “You saying I’m a distraction, Mr. I’m-A-Cranky-Island?” She chuckled. “Whoa. That frown is next-level scary. Good thing you don’t scare me, Unka Gumpy.”
What the hell? There was no protection from this female.
Her phone pinged and she pulled it out of her pocket. “It’s a text from Jonas. The three H brand is for an antiquities company called Hocking, Hartford, and Hollingsworth. They have a website. Their auction house is located in Brentwood.”
“Except we don’t know if they’re legitimate or not.”
She nodded. “I’ll have Jonas dig some more into the business. Do you have something else in mind?”
“I know someone I can reach out to. He’s based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and is also known for procuring items at a cost. Maybe he can tell us if these guys are legit.”
“Procure as in steal?” she asked.
“I didn’t say that.” But that’s what he meant. The less Sienna knew, the better. He walked over to his journals that were sitting on the desk and picked up the most recent one. Flipped through the pages until he located the name and number he needed.
The male he was reaching out to was a demon.
After being alive for over four hundred years, John had dealt with a variety of surprises.
Surprises he wasn’t planning on telling the others.
Yes, demons, vampires, and shifters who could turn into non-mythical animals existed, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be a part of their business, or on the flip side, clue them in to the fact that dragons and witches existed.
As best he could tell, the powers of these supernaturals were not magic-based and therefore not impacted by the curse.
From what John had gathered over the years, the vampires thought they were in charge, while the demons argued among their various clans, and the shifters were a secretive bunch dealing with their own issues.
All of them were too busy hiding their existence from humans.
And he suspected they would not be happy to find out witches and dragons existed.
He was sure Megan would be over the moon to know the truth and would also have various theories about why magical and non-magical supernaturals were ignorant of each other, but John would not be sharing the truth.
These other supernaturals were too caught up in their own drama and, strangely enough, didn’t believe that magic was real.
Which was ridiculous but worked in John’s favor.
He just wasn’t sure how much longer dragons and witches would remain under the radar from humans and non-magical supernaturals if their magic continued to fail.
Of course, if it totally failed, there would be no witches or dragons left, so moot point all around.
He rubbed his temples. How did they expect him not to be grumpy with everything going on around them?
He sat down, pulled out his burner phone, and dialed, putting the call on speaker.
“Doyle here.”
“Hello, Doyle. This is John Harper.” Sienna’s eyes widened at the different name. If she only knew how many times he had changed it. “I don’t know if you remember me, but you helped me procure a painting a few years ago. I was wondering if you could help me with something.”
“I do remember you, John. But I’m out of that business now.”
John wasn’t going to give up that easily. “You might still be able to help me. I’m actually looking for information.”
“I can try. What’s up?”
“I know that the antiquities business is a tight-knit community. I was wondering if you ever had any dealings with Three H Antiques, which stands for Hocking, Hartford, and Hollingsworth. They’re located in Brentwood, Tennessee, which is outside of Nashville. I was curious if they’re legitimate.”
“I recognize the name. If my recollections are correct, I would say they’re about eighty percent legit.”
“And the other twenty percent?”
“Nothing too out of the ordinary. Not procuring things illegally so much as selling a bill of goods to susceptible people. They’re known for selling items that are supposedly magical for all the people in the world who think witches and Wicca are real.
” He snorted slightly. “But then you know what I mean. I’m sure you sold that painting I procured for you for a pretty penny to someone, right? ”
John chuckled as well. “I sure did. Thanks for the info.”
John hung up and waited for Sienna to say something. Her eyes had narrowed the longer the conversation went on. He was curious as to what she would ask.
“Did he steal the Death of Magic painting for you?”
So she was going with the hard question first. Why didn’t that surprise him? “I didn’t ask. But he probably didn’t get it through legal channels.”
She swallowed. “And you’re okay with that?”
He leaned back in the chair and hesitated.
Not because he didn’t know the answer, but because he wasn’t sure she would like what he was going to say.
“The painting has been hidden away and passed down through generations of witches. If we don’t figure out how to break this curse, dragons won’t be the only ones who disappear.
And if the witches are too shortsighted to try and do something about it, then I will.
In order to save your future, I had to be willing to make hard decisions.
So that is a long-winded way of saying that I am fine with it. ”
She looked at him. Really looked like she was trying to burrow into his brain and understand him.
“Stealing is one thing, John. But at some point there has to be a line that shouldn’t be crossed.
” She leaned forward and rested her hand over his on the table.
“And what you’re doing is to save our future.
Breaking the curse will free you as well. ”
He nodded. Because if he spoke, the truth would spill out. His sacrifice would give everyone else their future. And he was more than okay with the trade-off.
After bowing out of an invitation to dinner, John walked behind the clan house toward the path that led to the cabin.
He heard a methodical thumping, and when he rounded the corner of the house, he saw Ryan flying around the heavy bag in the courtyard outside the training facility.
He stepped closer and simply watched with a twinge of jealousy at Ryan’s agility in the air. He flew like a pro.
After a few minutes Ryan dropped down and wiped his face with his forearm. “How long you been standing there?”
John shrugged. “Awhile. Didn’t want to interrupt. You had a rhythm going.”
He furled his wings. “Helps me think. You’re more than welcome to work out.”
John shook his head. “No, thanks. Bet it keeps you in shape too. Important part of being a guard, right?”
Ryan nodded. “Yes. Sienna is very important to the clan.”
“And to you,” John pushed.
He paused before answering. “And me.”
“She was very distraught when you drove off using yourself as bait.”
“It was necessary.” Ryan gave him a hard stare. “And I knew you had her back.”
“What is your relationship with Sienna?” John cursed himself for asking—no, blurting it out.
Ryan’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you ask Sienna that question?”
“I did. She said you’re best friends.”
Ryan pulled off his gloves. “And you question that?”
“I question how you can spend so much time with her and…” His words petered out. What the hell was he trying to say here?
“And not love her?” Ryan finished his muddled thoughts. “I do love her. I have since the first day I met her.”
Of course he did. John’s chest tightened at his announcement.
Ryan reached for his water bottle. “I was playing in the yard here waiting for my father, who was training. Sienna walked up to me and announced that I was her new best friend.” Ryan chuckled.
“I told her that boys and girls couldn’t be best friends, and she told me I was being silly.
She was right. And she’ll tell you she’s always right. ”
John felt like he was swallowing gravel. “Then why aren’t you with her?”
Ryan gave him a long look as if weighing what to say. “Because I’m not in love with her. My heart belongs to someone else, and he’s not getting the message.”
John’s chest loosened and he sucked in a breath. He should want Sienna and Ryan together. That would tie up things in a neat little bow and make all his unwanted, dangerous feelings take a hike. Hadn’t he just convinced himself that he needed to keep his distance from her?
Ryan narrowed his eyes at John’s silence. “We going to have an issue?”
“About you being in love with a man? No. If I’ve learned anything in my centuries on this earth, it’s that people are too caught up in what they think a relationship should look like.
Personally I think all the damn judgy words like ‘proper,’ ‘correct,’ and ‘appropriate’ need to be chucked in the garbage.
Seems like the only people who use them are the ones who need a lesson in humanity. Love is a gift.”
And he should damn well know, since he’d never experienced it.
Never had someone to care for him during the centuries.
Yes, he thought his parents had loved him, but he didn’t remember them.
His dragon grandfather had put up with him.
Whether it was duty or just to spite the witch clan, he’d never know.
And of course he couldn’t forget his witch grandmother…
Even if he wanted to love someone, he wasn’t sure if he knew how.