Once we were dressed, Carrie led us to another elevator platform. The front doors were made of bars, and they clasped together in the center, like elevators from the early twentieth century.
Alice pulled the lever, and we started our descent. We didn’t stop until we reached the bottom.
Brightly colored fish swam in the crystal clear lake, which reflected the city, making it look twice its actual size. There were even small parks with short bushy trees.
People chatted happily as they walked, many of them carrying baskets of what smelled like freshly baked bread and sweet fruit. Mainly women, but I spotted some men, too. The ground floor was all restaurants and shops, just like most major cities, and they were busy with customers.
“Quit dallying,” Carrie said. “You’ll have plenty of time to explore later.”
We walked along a path next to the lake, then branched off and headed toward a wide entrance to a cave.
Mira stopped and bit her lower lip. “We’re leaving the city?” she asked.
“As its name implies, the men’s chamber is in a separate magma chamber from the main city,” Carrie said. “We have to walk through a lava tube to get there.”
Mira nodded, put on a brave face, and we continued forward.
The dampness inside the tunnel clung to me as we walked, and the surrounding rocks hummed with energy that warmed my skin. Orange orbs along the ceiling lit the way.
Three women passed by on the right. They smiled politely, and as I nodded back in greeting, I inhaled a sharp, metallic scent. I recognized the scent—from Ethan’s house.
Ethan’s house that he’d lived in with Rosella.
Rosella, who was a vampire.
I waited until the women were far enough away, then turned to Harper. “They’re vampires, aren’t they?” I asked.
“The smell’s impossible to miss.” She crinkled her nose and smiled.
“So vampires smell metallic, and witches smell floral,” I said, guessing that the sweet smell of the witches wasn’t perfume. She nodded, and I continued, “What do dragons smell like?”
“Spicy,” she said. “You and Mira smell mainly like dragon. It covers up your witch smell so much that I wouldn’t realize you had witch blood if I didn’t know otherwise.”
“Spicy,” Mira repeated. “Like Ethan’s cologne?”
“I don’t wear cologne,” he said with an amused smirk. “Never needed it. This spiciness is all natural.”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Mira groaned. “I’m gonna be walking around smelling like cologne?”
“Would that be so terrible?” Ethan asked.
“Yes. It absolutely would.” She ran her fingers through her hair, as if trying to mask her dragon scent with the lavender smell of her shampoo.
“Then it’s a good thing that all supernatural scents can be either masculine or feminine,” he said. “You and Gemma smell like fresh cinnamon rolls. It’s nice.”
Mira reached for my arm, held my wrist up to her nose, and sniffed. “It does smell nice.” She smiled. “I suppose I can live with that.”
The tunnel widened, and we stepped out into another chamber—a much smaller one than we’d been in before. Like the other chamber, stacks of stone houses climbed up the walls. In the center of it all was a park.
Men strolled along the pathways with women—sometimes with one woman, but many with two or three. A few women walked with multiple men, too. And the men only wore animal skin pants—their chests were bare. Their perfectly defined bodies had to either be from hitting the gym, or from magic.
“I told you they’re all attractive.” Harper grinned.
My cheeks heated, and I yanked my gaze away from a man in his twenties who was passing by with a woman on each arm.
Tanya led us down a path to the tallest stack of houses, although it was only a fraction of the height of the ones in the main chamber. “This is where we house the older teens,” she said. “Let’s head in and get Ethan situated.”
13
Gemma
We entered into the common area of the building, which had the same hardwood floor, low ceiling, and stone walls as the quarters where I’d be staying with Mom and Mira. But this space was much larger, with multiple groupings of sofas and chairs. Men in their twenties sat around some of the tables, and they all turned to look at us as we entered.
But I didn’t pay them much attention. Because bookcases lined the walls, and I hurried to the nearest shelf to examine the spines.
They were mainly thrillers, mysteries, and what looked to be military science fiction. I’d read a few of them, but none of the military stuff, since that wasn’t a genre I liked.
Someone walked up beside me—Harper. “Come on,” she said, and she tugged on my hand. “I want you to meet one of my best friends, Benjamin.”
She dragged me to one of the central seating areas, where Alice was standing with a tall, blond guy who looked to be a few years older than us. He was so muscular that he could have been a cover model for a male fitness magazine.
The adults had all stepped to the side, giving us our space.
“Benjamin,” Harper said excitedly when we reached him. “These are my new friends—the twins I was telling you about. Gemma and Mira.”
“Welcome to the man cave.” He flashed us a pearly white grin.
Despite still not knowing what I thought about the whole “human men’s chamber” thing, I couldn’t help it—I laughed.
His blue eyes twinkled, like my amusement made him happy. “How are you liking Utopia so far?” he asked.
“It’s… different,” I said slowly.
“It’s cold,” Mira said. “And cramped.”
“I take it you’re not a city girl?” he asked.
“I’m not an underground girl.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “Earth must not be one of your elements.”
“You know about our magic?” I asked.
“Harper filled me in.” He smiled at her, and she nodded encouragingly. “I needed to know what I was getting into, since Ethan and I will be sharing a suite.”
“We’ll see about that,” Ethan said.
“Damnnn.” Benjamin clutched his hands to his heart, like he was wounded. “We’ve only known each other for a few minutes, and you’re rejecting me already?”
“Nothing personal,” Ethan said smoothly. “But I’m going to be staying with the twins.”
“Really?” Benjamin’s confidence gave way to confusion.
“No.” Alice sighed and crossed her arms. “He’s going to ask the queen if he can stay with the twins, and she’s going to say no.”
Benjamin’s lips curved up into a small smile. “Don’t be so sure of that, little witch,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because this chamber is for the human men. And our new heartbreaker here is far from human.”
Mira stepped closer to Ethan and reached for his hand. “Ethan won’t be breaking any hearts here,” she said.
Benjamin raised an eyebrow. “The two of you are together?”
“I’m the twins’ protector,” Ethan said before Mira could answer. “My focus is making sure the twins are safe, and teaching them how to use their magic. My place is with them. With both of them.” He glanced at me after saying that last part, as if making a point that I was just as important to him as Mira.
My eyes locked on his, but Mira frowned, and I looked away.
“The answer to your question is yes,” Mira said to Benjamin. “Ethan and I are together. Which is another reason why he shouldn’t be living in this… place.” She looked around in distaste.
“No problem,” Benjamin said. “I prefer brunettes, anyway.” He winked at me, and I froze.
Ethan took his hand out of Mira’s and stepped closer to me. He said nothing, but the way he stared Benjamin down said it all.
Don’t even think about it.
“Whoa.” Benjamin held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t realize you wer
e with both of them. My bad.”
“He’s not with both of us.” Mira sneered. “He’s my boyfriend.”
“But I’m here—in this realm—with both of them,” Ethan said. “To protect them.”
Harper glanced worriedly between the four of us. “Gemma’s single,” she said quickly. “Right?”
A sharp tug at my chest wished I could say no. With Ethan standing so close to me, and with the pull I felt toward him, it felt like I should say no.
But Benjamin was watching me, waiting for an answer.
They were all waiting for an answer.
“I am,” I said, and I forced what I hoped was a pleasant smile. “But we really are here to learn how to use our magic. Our lives depend on it.”
“I get it.” Benjamin quickly regained his cool, confident air. “But if you ever need to take a break and are up for grabbing a drink, just let me know.”
Ethan watched me closely, and his jaw muscle tightened.
“Maybe,” I said, getting a small thrill from the annoyance that crossed Ethan’s eyes. “I’ll see how things go.”
“Great.” Benjamin’s smile widened. “You know where to find—”
He stopped speaking mid-sentence, and his gaze went to the entrance of the building.
A tall, commanding woman stood at door. A vampire, judging by the metallic scent that overpowered the room. She wore animal skins like the rest of us, but she also had multiple belts around her waist, with dried, shrunken heads dangling from them. And her lips were stained red with blood.
Revulsion passed through me, but I swallowed it down. Because a crown of bone and teeth sat on her head.
She had to be the queen of Utopia.
Everyone in the room stopped talking, stood, and faced her.
She focused only on me, Mira, and Ethan.
Alice hurried forward and lowered her head in respect. “Your Highness,” she said.
“Alice,” the queen replied, and Alice looked back up. “I just finished a meal, and I heard you were here.”
“What can we do for you?”
“Since I was already passing through, I’ve come to fetch you, Harper, and our new guests. Because now that they’ve settled into their quarters, it’s time for me to welcome them to the kingdom.”
14
Gemma
The queen escorted me, Mira, Ethan, Mom, Harper, and Alice out of the men’s chamber, and through a lava tube that tilted downward, deeper into the volcano. Mira’s breathing shallowed, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.
I desperately wanted to know why the queen only wanted Harper and Alice to come with us, and not their moms. But Harper and Alice said nothing as we walked with the queen, and the three of us did the same. I had zero intention of breaking royal protocol around a vampire queen with bloodstained lips and shrunken heads hanging from her belts.
All of the shrunken heads were male. If she tried anything against Ethan…
Fire sparked inside me at the thought.
Because if she tried anything against Ethan, I’d burn her like I’d burned that griffin.
The lava tube gradually became larger, and we emerged into a small cavern held up with columns of rock. An arched stone bridge with no handrails led the way over a narrow canyon, to a throne inside an open-mouthed dragon skull.
The skull was huge—about three times the height of the throne. Its sharp teeth pointed downward, and the roof of its mouth created a canopy above the throne.
“The dragon bones were gifts from your ancestors,” the queen said as she made her way across the bridge. She stopped a few meters away from the throne, her back toward us, and admired the massive skull.
“Our ancestors knew dragons?” I asked, my voice amplified by the acoustics of the cavern.
The queen turned around, smiled, and sat on her throne. “I will answer your question,” she said. “But first, we must break bread. Rosella is a trusted friend of mine, and I’ve promised her that I’ll keep you safe during your time in my kingdom. So come closer, and stand before me.”
Mira’s grip around my hand tightened. Her face was so pale that she looked like she was about to pass out.
“It’s okay,” I whispered to her, softly enough that I hoped the queen couldn’t hear. “She wants to help us. Plus, we have our magic. And there’s air and earth all around us.”
If it hadn’t been for the slight breeze against my skin, I wouldn’t have thought she’d processed my words.
She inhaled, and together, we walked across the bridge. The others followed, until we stood in front of the queen.
She reached into a satchel hanging next to one of the shrunken heads and pulled out a few small crackers that looked like communion wafers.
Harper walked forward, her long black hair shining under the magical orange light, took a cracker, and popped it into her mouth. Alice did the same.
Ethan pushed ahead of me and Mira to go next.
Probably to make sure the crackers weren’t poisoned.
He finished his cracker, then turned to face us, and nodded.
Mira and I approached the queen together. My heart pounded so quickly that she must have been able to hear it.
“Gemma.” She looked at me, then at my sister. “Mira. Welcome to Utopia.” She held out the crackers, and Mira and I each took one. I tried to stop myself from shaking as I popped it in my mouth.
The cracker tasted as bland as it looked.
The queen nodded, and we joined the others. Mom took her turn, and then the queen popped the final cracker into her mouth, chewed, and swallowed.
“Back to your question,” the queen said, her hard gaze focused on me. “The witches of the Gemini circle bonded with dragons for the short time that dragons lived on Earth. They were dragon riders, and they helped the Nephilim kill the last of the demons.”
Demons. Nephilim.
How many types of supernaturals were there?
“What year was this?” Mom asked.
The queen opened her mouth to answer, but Ethan jumped in first. “My ancestors ventured out of Ember to explore Earth in the late fifth century,” he said. “But once the demons were gone, the Nephilim turned on us. So, after only a brief time on Earth, we were driven back to Ember. We’ve been trapped there ever since.” His eyes darkened, like they did every time he mentioned his home realm.
Why are the dragons trapped in Ember?
But I knew Ethan wouldn’t answer.
So I turned to Mom. “Was that when the dragons gifted our ancestors with their magic?”
“Much information was lost between then and now,” she said. “But yes, that would make sense.”
“My people started talking about the prophecy of the Dragon Twins after they were driven out of Earth,” Ethan said. “It lines up.”
“It does.” The queen nodded. “And speaking of the prophecy, I’d like to see what the two of you can do.”
“I was gifted with control over fire and earth,” I said. “Mira has air and water.”
“I didn’t ask you to tell me what you can do,” she said. “I asked you to show me.”
“We haven’t trained. I don’t want to accidentally hurt anyone…”
“I’m an original, immortal vampire.” She bristled. “Nothing you can do will hurt me.”
I thought back to how I’d charred that griffin down to the bones, and wasn’t entirely sure that was true.
Ethan turned his palm up to face the sky, and a small flame danced in his hand. “You’re a natural,” he said to me. “You’ve got this.”
I took a deep breath, turned my palm to the ceiling, and stared at it. I imagined a flame dancing on my skin, like it had for Ethan.
Nothing.
Why isn’t it working?
The queen crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in her throne. “I’m waiting,” she said.
A spark lit up inside me, and I reached for it, pushing it up toward my hand. A tiny flame emerged from my palm… but it died ou
t a second later.
I sucked in a sharp breath, shocked and embarrassed.
Then something cracked to my right.
I looked over just as a few stones broke off the nearest column and tumbled to the bottom of the canyon.
I shuffled my feet and rubbed my still warm palm against my skirt.
“Fire and earth. You have work to do,” the queen said, and she turned to Mira. “Your turn.”
Mira stood completely still. She was barely even breathing.
“Ethan,” I said quickly. “Light up your fire again, and let Mira use her air magic to blow it out.”
He nodded and did as I asked. The fire lit up his eyes—or his eyes were glowing from using his magic.
“Think about what it felt like when we fought the griffin,” I said to Mira. “You can—”
“I can do this.” She sounded stronger now—more like the Mira I knew. “I know.” She raised her arm so her palm faced Ethan’s flame, stared at the fire, and narrowed her eyes in concentration.
I thought the fire swayed toward Ethan, but I couldn’t be sure.
A breeze prickled my arm, and the fire moved again. It nearly blew out, but like those trick candles Mira had bought for our birthday one year, the flame didn’t extinguish completely, and it rose back up.
Ethan closed his fist, and the fire snuffed out.
“I suppose that was good enough for now,” the queen said with a bored sigh. “You said you can control water, too?”
“There’s no water in here.” Mira looked around helplessly.
“There’s water in the air. Humidity. Do something with that.”
“That’s highly advanced water magic,” Ethan said. “She’s not at that level yet.”
“Yet, Gemma was worried about losing control of her magic and possibly hurting me.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why such confidence when you clearly have much to learn?”
“I shot blazes of fire at the griffin,” I said. “Ethan and I burned it to a crisp.”
“And now you can barely create a flame?”
“It could have been the adrenaline.” I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
The Dragon Twins (Dark World: The Dragon Twins Book 1) Page 6
