Dragon's Gift: The Amazon Complete Series: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set

by Linsey Hall

  My heart ached for him. “Did you ever see them again?”

  He shook his head. “They were gone by the time I escaped and was sent forward in time. Which is fine. It wasn’t the forest so much as the freedom that I wanted.”

  “So you’re not scared here?”

  He looked at me, his gaze calm. “I’m not scared much of anywhere. Nothing compares to the Colosseum.”

  “Except helicopters.”

  A smile broke out across his face. “Exactly. Helicopters are the devil himself.”

  I laughed.

  What’s so funny?

  Romeo’s voice sounded from my feet, and I looked down. He trotted alongside us, with Eloise and Poppy next to him.

  I smiled. “When did you get here?”

  Just now. Danger coming.

  “Danger?”

  “What danger?” Maximus asked.

  “Romeo says danger is coming.” I looked down at the raccoon. “What kind?”

  Don’t know. Just felt it.

  Well, shit. That wasn’t good. I stayed alert, inspecting the forest as we walked. We were still headed away from the river as Actaia had suggested, but I had no idea if we were getting close. The forest all looked the same.

  It was silent except for our footsteps. Maybe too silent.

  The hair on my arms stood on end as we walked. I couldn’t hear the threat, but I could feel it.

  “Do you feel that?” I whispered.

  “The forest doesn’t like us,” Maximus murmured.

  “Or something in the forest.” I peered through the trees, trying to spot anything that was a threat.

  The Menacing Menagerie skulked along, their fur raised on their backs as they warily eyed the forest.

  A sense of deep unease washed over me, along with the feeling of being watched. My skin prickled under the weight of dozens of eyes. I knew there were dozens. They lurked in the forest.

  We neared a clearing where the trees were particularly fat and gnarled. They looked like sentries guarding a place I never wanted to enter.

  “Let’s go around this part,” I said.

  “I like that plan.”

  We moved left, but a low growl sounded.

  I stopped in my tracks, my muscles tense.

  “Who’s there?” Maximus demanded.

  The growl came again, followed by another. And another. Soon, there were dozens, the sounds coming from all around. But I couldn’t see them.

  Animals. Not monsters. Romeo arched his back, his gray hair standing upright. Eloise hissed, puffing up her fur. Poppy pulled back her lips, revealing little fangs.

  From behind the trees, animals crept out.

  Wolves and stags, bears and large forest cats. Dozens of them. They surrounded us in a circle, all growling. All with their eyes on us.

  All looking a hell of a lot like they wanted to eat us.

  I swallowed hard.

  Shit, we were screwed.

  9

  There were so damned many.

  How were we supposed to fight them all?

  We couldn’t. If they charged, we couldn’t take them all on. Not to mention, I wasn’t keen on killing a bunch of forest creatures, even if they were in a bad mood and wanted to kill me back.

  Maximus and I stood shoulder to shoulder, each vibrating with tension. My fingertips itched to draw a blade, but I didn’t want to show any signs of aggression.

  I’ve got this.

  I looked down at Romeo, who had flattened his fur in an attempt to not look scared. “What do you mean?”

  Just watch. He walked toward the animals, then sat on his butt, holding up his front paws. We come in peace.

  Two wolves in front of him lunged, teeth bared and growls low.

  Whoa! Romeo darted back toward my legs.

  The wolves stopped, their lips still up and their rumbles of aggression rolling through the forest. The fur at their backs stood straight up. Around them, the rest of the animals were poised to attack.

  I don’t think I’ve got this.

  “It’s okay, Romeo.” I looked from him to the animals, suddenly very annoyed. “What the hell is your problem? We’re just walking through.”

  They growled louder, and it just pissed me off even more. “Are you guarding something?”

  More growls. I had no idea if they understood me, but I could feel their angst. They were pissed I was here. It was obvious, not just from the sounds they made, but from how they felt.

  Hang on.

  How they felt?

  Was I feeling what they were feeling?

  Magic prickled through me, filling me up with a sparkling sensation of knowing. Like I was connected to the animals.

  You are.

  I blinked.

  The voice sounded in my head again. Command them.

  Holy fates, I was getting another DragonGod power. From a goddess this time, if the tone of the voice was any indication. Artemis, I had to assume. She was goddess of the hunt. She held dominion over the animals of the forest.

  The animals prowled closer, fangs and claws glinting. They did protect something in this forest, though I had no idea what. The Hesperides?

  “Stop it.” I imbued my voice with command.

  They just growled louder.

  Embrace your magic.

  I called upon the new magic that bubbled within me. It was a less aggressive power, more elusive. It floated through my being like smoke, hard to grab ahold of. So I didn’t fight it. Instead, I let it fill me, relaxing my whole body and embracing the idea that I could share a connection with the animals.

  I already felt their annoyance with me. I wanted to feel more. Their hopes and desires and fears. I wanted them to feel connected to me as well, so they’d listen to me.

  Slowly, Artemis’s magic filled me. As it did, my hearing improved. Suddenly, I could hear heartbeats beneath the growls. I could smell warm fur and musk over the aroma of fallen leaves.

  Was I getting the powerful senses of some of these animals?

  Jackpot.

  There were at least thirty of them here. I didn’t need to count—I could feel their life forces, connected to mine.

  “Stop growling,” I said. “We’re not here to hurt anyone.”

  The growls slowed, but didn’t cease. I reached for the magic that had filled me and pushed some of it out toward them. Instead of moving powerfully, like most of my magic did, it drifted calmly on the air. There was a faint sparkle to it, and it rolled over the animals. As it passed them, they relaxed, their fur flattening out and their growls ceasing.

  They still looked at me with wary eyes, but they seemed to get my point. We really weren’t here to mess with anyone. None of them stepped forward, wanting to be friendly and let me act out my fantasies of being Snow White with a bunch of forest friends, but at least they weren’t attacking.

  Now what?

  I looked down at Romeo. “No idea. I don’t think they’ll attack.”

  “They won’t, as long as you keep control of them.” The feminine voice came with a good dose of godly power. It rolled over me, making my insides shake.

  I turned, catching sight of a tall woman wearing a knee-length white dress. It flowed easily around her, made of minimal fabric and with no frills that would get in the way. A golden bow was strapped across her back, along with a quiver of arrows. Her dark hair was tied back from her face.

  “Artemis?” I stepped forward.

  She nodded. “Indeed. And you must be Rowan, the DragonGod.”

  “I am. Thank you for giving me your power.”

  “You fight for a worthy cause.” Her assessing gaze traveled to Maximus. “And you travel with a worthy companion.”

  “I couldn’t do it without him.”

  “Perhaps you could, but not as quickly and not as easily. You make a good team.” Her gaze moved back to me. “But you haven’t fully embraced your magic, yet.”

  “I used my lightning. And my water gift. And the one from you.”


  “But not the gift of Hades. The one that you fear.”

  My cheeks burned. “No.”

  “The magic of the gods can sense your fear. You must overcome it if you wish to succeed. Prove yourself, here in this forest, or you will never achieve your goals.”

  “I have to succeed. The Amazons need me. The world needs me.”

  “Then prove you aren’t afraid.”

  “How?”

  “Use the magic. Use it with confidence and make it yours. No more cringing back.” She smiled. “Now be careful in the forest. It is a dangerous place, even for a DragonGod.”

  With that, she disappeared.

  I turned to Maximus. “I think she showed up just to give me a lecture.”

  His lips quirked up at the corners. “It seems so. But she has a point. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met, Rowan. You don’t need to be afraid of your magic. You can control it. You’ve done it before.”

  I swallowed and nodded, knowing he was right. It wasn’t regular, healthy fear that I was feeling. It was a holdover from my time with the Rebel Gods.

  “When I was a captive of the Rebel Gods, I was swallowed by their dark magic. I don’t want that to happen again. Not with the dark magic that is inside me. I can’t go back to that.”

  “You won’t have to. You can control it.”

  I had to. I needed this magic to save the Amazons and to save that village from the Stryx.

  Wimping out wasn’t really an option.

  “Okay. I’ve got my act together.” I looked at the animals who still surrounded us, their gazes calm and waiting. “Lead us to the Hesperides, please.”

  I made my voice firm, but polite. The animals would know every inch of their forest, so I might as well use their expertise.

  As a group, they bowed their heads, then turned and began to walk slowly through the trees.

  Nice trick. Romeo gave me a thumbs-up. I’d like to be boss like that.

  I chuckled and followed the animals, Maximus at my side. As we walked, my newly improved animal hearing picked up on the dozens of heartbeats all around. I heard the slight whistle of the wind through the trees and the crunch of leaves beneath a wolf’s paw.

  This was badass.

  Slowly, I drew in air through my nose, focusing on the different scents. Dirt, leaves, grass, fur, water. I could pick out each, and it was incredible. Of all the new powers I’d been given, I might like this one the best.

  The animals led us through the trees for a while. With every mile we walked, the sky seemed to grow a little darker. It wasn’t night yet, but it was close.

  When we entered a clearing, I stopped abruptly, gasping at the sight within.

  A castle made of thorns occupied the space, the dying yellow sunlight making it gleam like a deadly trap. It was about a quarter of the size of the Protectorate castle, which made it still pretty big.

  “What is this place?”

  “It looks like it’s been here a long time,” Maximus answered.

  Slowly, I approached it. The thorns were pale and sharp, all of them protruding off of thick vines that looked almost dead.

  I turned to a wolf who had stopped next to me. “Are you sure this is it?”

  He stared intently at the structure, standing stock still.

  He seems sure. Romeo touched it, then shivered and withdrew his hand. Eloise and Poppy were too smart to even bother.

  “The Hesperides must be inside.” My gaze traveled over the entire thing, and I frowned. “Did it grow up around them?”

  The animals gave me no clue.

  “What if the vines have grown through the doors and windows? If we try to break our way in, we could pull the wrong vine and hurt the Hesperides,” Maximus said. “Move one vine the wrong way, and the thorns could stab them.”

  He was right. This was a delicate operation.

  I reached out and gripped the vine with my hand. They looked dead, but life flowed through them.

  We needed the vines to remove themselves, withering away harmlessly.

  There was one way to do that.

  I swallowed hard, dread uncoiling within me.

  Carefully, I drew in a steady breath, forcing the dread away. I still felt it, but I could pretend I didn’t. Mostly.

  “I think I can do it,” I said.

  Maximus squeezed my arm, understanding. “You’re strong, Rowan. You’ll be fine.”

  I nodded, my gaze glued to the vines. I’d done this before, when my life was at stake. I’d been fine. I could do it again. Especially when other people’s lives were at stake.

  I trembled, tightening my grip on the vine. I just had to access the death magic. That was all. Not the darkness from the Rebel Gods or any old nightmares. Just Hades’s death magic.

  It was natural. Right?

  Take their power. Use it. Send them to the underworld. The words that Hades had once whispered in my head echoed through me.

  When I’d practiced the magic before—the one time, on the plant in Maximus’s house—I’d imagined my death magic as residing in a bottle with a stopper. I did the same this time, carefully uncorking the bottle in my mind. The magic hesitated at first, as if it knew I didn’t want it.

  I didn’t.

  But I needed it. And life wasn’t always about getting what you wanted.

  Come on.

  I reached for the magic, envisioning sucking the life from this plant so it would wither away. The magic rose up within me, dark and bright, like it had been before. It seemed like an impossible concept, but it wasn’t.

  This wasn’t necessarily an evil power, but it sucked.

  I drew in a shuddery breath and directed the magic toward the plant. Sweat dripped down my temples, and my muscles shook as I carefully fueled the death magic into the plant. I didn’t want it exploding out of me like the lightning had, killing anyone it touched.

  Before my eyes, the vine began to wither. It shrunk in on itself, flowing out of the plant and into me. I grew stronger as it happened, feeling like a parasite. A strong parasite.

  Damn, I could probably lift a car right now. Though I hated stealing the energy, there was one positive aspect. It made it easier to control my magic. I funneled more and more of the death magic into the vine, taking its life in return. The idea made me slightly queasy, but my muscles felt great. I was no longer trembling or sweating.

  Fates, if I didn’t have a conscience, this could become addictive.

  The vines withered faster and faster, shrinking on themselves until they began to crumble away. The structure beneath was made of marble. Beautiful columns surrounded a temple, deep in the forest. They were dull with age and lack of care, but the building itself was sound.

  “You’ve almost got it,” Maximus said.

  I fed a bit more magic into the last of the vines, forcing them to wither and draw back. Finally, the last of them faded away. I removed my hand with a gasp. Energy flowed through me, strength and power. I felt like I’d had a twelve-hour nap and a good breakfast.

  I turned to Maximus. “I don’t like that power.”

  “It’s not evil.”

  “But it’s not fair. I shouldn’t take the life from other things.” I looked at the remains of the withered vines. “It had to be done here. Those vines were trapping the Hesperides. But I don’t like being the one to make the call. Even if they are just plants.” Because what if they aren’t just plants?

  Maximus squeezed my arm gently, and he didn’t need to speak to convey his thoughts.

  Someone always had to make the hard call. And sometimes, that someone would be me.

  Well, I’d done it. And I was going to forget it.

  I turned to the animals. “Thank you for your help.”

  The crowd of predators stared at me, some inclining their heads.

  “You may go.”

  They turned and disappeared into the forest. Okay, so I wasn’t Snow White. They weren’t volunteering to do my chores or sing a duet with me. At best, I had their begru
dging allegiance. Since the alternative was them trying to eat me, I’d take it.

  “Let’s get inside before it’s dark,” Maximus said. “I don’t think we’ll like this forest in the dark.”

  I shivered. He had a point. The animals might not attack us, but there was plenty of dangerous magic here.

  I looked down at Romeo, Poppy, and Eloise. “Thanks for coming, guys. Don’t feel like you have to stick around.”

  We’ll see what kind of trash they’ve got, then we’ll bail.

  I grinned. “Fair enough.”

  I turned and followed Maximus up the steps that led to the temple. There were only three, but they were wide and grand. Eight marble columns bordered the front of the building, and the massive door that led to the inside was an intricately carved wood. Three maidens danced upon it, surrounded by the light of the setting sun.

  The door creaked as Maximus pulled it open, and I’d bet twenty bucks it weighed hundreds of pounds.

  We stepped into a massive empty room. Another collection of thorns sat in the middle of the space. It was a pile about ten feet tall and eight feet wide, the vines twisted over each other in a horrible knot.

  “Shit.” The space was so quiet that my words echoed off the walls. “There’s no one in here.” I eyed the thorns with dread.

  “They’re in there,” Maximus said, pointing to the thorny mass. “Why would it be there, otherwise?”

  I shivered as I stopped in front of the thorns, feeling the dark magic that radiated from them. Someone had put a curse on the Hesperides, trapping them within this horrible little prison. I prayed I’d find them alive.

  I didn’t hesitate this time, though I still didn’t like it. I pressed my fingertip to one of the thorns. It was easier to call upon the magic inside me, feeding death into the wicked plant.

  The vines withered quickly, breaking away to reveal three frozen figures, trapped for ages in a state of shock. The Hesperides were beautiful, three women in bright white dresses trimmed in gold. Dead roses were twined in their hair, and their faces were frozen in an expression of shock and horror. One had brown hair, one blonde, and the last had hair of flames.

  The dark magic that I’d felt earlier surrounded them, trapping them. As the last of the vines withered away to the ground, the magic snapped, blowing me backward on a rancid wind.