The Dragon's Warlock: A paranormal dragon shifter romance (Immortal Dragon Book 4)

by Linzi Baxter

  The young girl smiled at her dad before glancing in Diem’s direction. “Diem, trust your dragon.” She then turned her eyes on Gideon. “You think you know what you want, what you need. Let that go. None of this is going to turn out the way you want. It’s going to end up just the way you need. First, go to Florida. Then you’ll know what to do from there.”

  He was more than a thousand years old, and the little girl sent a chill down his spine. The air grew thick in the room. She was pulling on a force he didn’t understand. Gideon had spent years researching magic, and he couldn’t comprehend what the girl was doing, but he knew everything she said was the truth. She would make Kirin’s life challenging when she became a teenager.

  Diem’s bottom lip was between her teeth. Gideon wanted to reach over to her mouth and run his finger across her lips. The woman made his cold heart beat again. Truthfully, he wanted to know what her lips tasted like.

  Kirin cleared his throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Be safe on your trip to Florida. Talia and I will search for some evidence linking to Diem’s sister. If we find something, I’ll let you know.” He paused. “There’s a trinket shop on your way to Florida. I’ll text you the address.”

  Alida waved as her dad carried her out of the lab. Gideon hadn’t seen any cars in the front yard and figured the young girl would transport her father home.

  He knew it had been a long shot asking the dragon for a trinket. Money wasn’t something he had to worry about. Nobody lived a thousand years without having a hefty savings account. And the bank wasn’t the only place Gideon kept his fortune. His house in Ireland had a vault filled with gold. Dragons weren’t the only people to hoard gold. The need to find out what Diem wanted to hoard crossed his mind.

  “You guys are so lucky,” Lucy squeaked. “Once I’ve helped all the humans who were turned, Kia’s going to have to take me to the fairy garden. Then I can talk them into moving here.”

  “Fairies might have cute homes and love glitter,” Gideon replied, “but they aren’t the most trustworthy magical beings.”

  Diem huffed next to him. “And warlocks are trustworthy?”

  “I planned to call you.” Gideon had struggled with that each day. He hadn’t picked up the phone, because he wanted to prove she didn’t have a pull over him. Nobody would control him again.

  “Sure,” she grumbled and stood. “Lucy, do you have a room for me to sleep in? It’s been a long day, and I need a shower.”

  “We’re remodeling the guest rooms, but we do have one you two can share.”

  Gideon could sense the small lie. He thought about calling the little human out, but she turned and glared at him. He wondered why Diem couldn’t sense the lie. More than likely, she didn’t understand all of her senses. That was something they could work on while they drove to Florida. Sitting sixteen hours in the car with her would drive him wild. Just standing next to her, he felt the pull.

  “Thank you, Lucy, I’m sure Gideon will do fine on your couch.” Diem smiled at him.

  There was no way he would sleep on the couch or give her the satisfaction of trying to get one over on him. He didn’t say anything. She would learn quickly that he didn’t listen very well.

  Lucy smiled at Diem. “If you head down the hall, the first door after Kia’s lair is a spare bedroom. There should be fresh towels in the closet. My friend is still working on controlling her shifts. I keep a few changes of clothing in the room for her if you want to use those. Or I can send Kia up to the car to grab your bags.”

  “Thank you, but I don’t have anything.” Diem walked out of the room.

  “You’re going to have to help her,” Lucy pointed out.

  “I’m not sure I’m the best teacher.” Gideon couldn’t think of what he would have to offer her. “I’ll help her find her sister and bring her back here.”

  “You’re a horse’s behind.” Lucy shrugged and sat at her computer.

  “That’s not nice,” he shot back. “I thought humans were nicer than that.”

  “Dude, you called me a human. That’s rude.”

  It was his turn to shrug. “I never said I wasn’t rude.”

  “For being so old, I would think you wouldn’t fight the mating pull.”

  “Again, with the age comment. Maybe I’m wiser, and it will be easy to fight.” He stood. Diem should be out of the shower, and it was his turn.

  Lucy smiled. “The ones who think it will be easy to fight always fall the hardest. I just wish I could watch it happen.”

  It was no use arguing with Lucy. She’d made up her mind about what was going to happen. Gideon had gone more than a thousand years without a mate. He knew there was a slim chance Diem would want to be with him once she saw the man he truly was. Once his demons came out, she would run.

  When he reached the room, he didn’t bother knocking.

  “What the hell?” Diem squeaked and held the towel tighter around her body. “This is my room.”

  “Lucy said we could share, and I need a shower.” He pulled his T-shirt over his head and walked toward the bathroom.

  “Was that necessary?” she blustered.

  When he looked over his shoulder, he caught her staring at his ass, and her face turned the prettiest shade of pink. He closed the door and turned the water to cold. Nothing else would cool him down. The fresh water felt good as it ran down his body, but it didn’t help calm down his dick. He wrapped his hand around his hard shaft and thought of the blonde in the bedroom.

  When he’d walked into the room, he’d noticed the few drops of water still on her chest. His finger itched to help dry her off. Even her chest had turned a lovely shade of pink. He couldn’t help wondering if she turned that shade when she came. And that thought alone was enough to make him go over the edge like a teenager.

  Gideon turned off the water and grabbed a towel from the counter. He tied it around his waist and walked back into the bedroom. Diem sat on the bed, combing her hair as she looked out the window. He was a little disappointed to find her dressed in yoga pants and a T-shirt.

  “You need to put clothes on.”

  “I don’t see the point. I’m going to sleep naked,” Gideon said.

  “Nope,” she screeched. “I can’t sleep in the same bed next to you if you’re naked.”

  “I can control myself,” he taunted. “Unless—”

  “Can we go back to when you didn’t talk much and wanted nothing to do with me?”

  “Would it help if I put on shorts?” He walked over to the dresser and pulled out a pair of athletic shorts. They fit perfectly. When he turned around, Diem was staring at him with lustful eyes. And his dick was semihard again.

  “Better!” She moved to her side of the bed.

  He climbed in next to her and immediately knew he’d made the wrong decision. Her vanilla scent was the first thing to hit him, causing him to harden further. The bed was large, but he could still feel the heat coming off her body.

  She lay on top of the covers and rolled over. He couldn’t help but groan at the sight of her tight ass. It was going to be a long, painful night.

  5

  Diem

  “Seriously, how can you be hungry again?” Gideon asked.

  The night before, she hadn’t slept a single minute, even after Gideon fell asleep next to her. Each time she tried to close her eyes, images of his naked chest flashed through her mind. He didn’t look a day over thirty.

  “I can’t control my stomach. Maybe I should’ve had Lucy check for a hole.”

  Kia had cooked enough to feed an army. When Diem walked into the kitchen and saw a pile of pancakes, eggs, waffles, and bacon, she wondered who else was coming, but nobody else showed up. The food tasted so good she hadn’t even realized she’d eaten six pancakes, three waffles, and a large portion of the bacon.

  “If you let me drive, you could eat.” Gideon held up a candy bar. “Or you could take a nap.”

  “You just don’t like that I’m driving.”

 
“Jumping into the driver’s seat and locking the door was childish. This is my car.”

  “Did your mother not teach you to share?” She didn’t know anything about his family. In her short time in his house, she hadn’t seen a single photo.

  As for her family, the landlord had thrown away the only things she had that had belonged to her sister. Once she found her sister, she would do anything to make sure she was okay. Hopefully, the two of them would be able to figure out their new dragon sides—if she was also a dragon. Growing up, they’d figured out everything together. Her last night in the lab before she was shipped away, she’d caught a glimpse of a blonde who looked like her sister.

  Gideon’s voice brought her out of the haze. “I don’t remember much from my childhood, so I can’t answer your question.”

  “Do you remember your parents?”

  “Yes, but my childhood was different during that time. I’ve seen and done so much over the years. I don’t deserve happy memories.”

  Her heart ached for the warlock. Gideon was wrong. Everyone deserved a happy memory. She would figure out a way to make him smile more over the next few days.

  “Everyone deserves to be happy,” she said. “I’m sure you had a reason for all the bad you did over the years.”

  “Money and greed led me to do a lot of evil things.”

  “Then spend the rest of your life making up for it.”

  “It’s not that easy.” Gideon reached over and turned up the music. She guessed that was his cue. He no longer wanted to talk.

  Diem enjoyed watching the scenery pass by. When she’d been a pilot, she’d worked well over fifty hours a week. She’d spent more days in hotels than in her own bed—which no longer existed, thanks to Kael. When Gideon had killed the man, she’d felt no remorse.

  Relief and shame washed over her. He hadn’t gotten a trial. Kirin had brought in some man who made the decision that Kael would die. The supernatural world had its own set of laws, which she couldn’t find a book about.

  She still didn’t know if sitting in a car with Gideon for sixteen hours was the right decision. Her dragon thought it was and sat in the back of her mind, purring. Gideon was one thing Diem still didn’t understand. He’d confirmed they were mates, but she hadn’t gotten the full meaning of that. Lucy had said something about them being made for each other.

  Does that mean we’ll date, or is he going to ignore the fact that he demanded I have his kid? Over the years, she’d saved enough money and wanted a family but never found a man she clicked with. She’d had a plan to cut down at work once she was pregnant. Kayda kept telling her she was crazy for wanting to become a mom by herself. Now she still didn’t know if she would get to be a mom.

  Her foster parents had been neglectful. Diem knew what not to do. She just wanted to love someone. Maybe that wasn’t a good reason to get pregnant, but it was her decision.

  “Why do you want kids?” Gideon asked, breaking the silence.

  “Can you read minds like Kirin’s daughter?”

  “No. I was just thinking about what you said. I was curious why you went to the fertility clinic.”

  She had two choices: to have a conversation with Gideon or tell him it was none of his business. She found herself wanting to talk to him.

  “I wanted a kid.”

  Gideon didn’t respond immediately. He glanced out the window before turning his light-green eyes on her. “Then why didn’t you date?” he ground out between clenched teeth.

  “I tried dating over the years, and it didn’t work out. Kayda took me to the bar we were taken from to try one more time to hook me up. She thought I should find a man before having a kid.”

  “You should have.”

  “You’re showing your age with that comment. Women don’t need a man at their side to have kids. Plenty of women have done it on their own. Don’t get me wrong. I know it would’ve been a lot of hard work, and my kid would’ve asked questions, but I don’t need a man to define me or help me.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “You told Lucy you don’t want kids now.”

  “How can I? Nobody seems to want to help me with this whole shifter thing. I don’t even know if I would lay an egg or have a kid the normal way.”

  Gideon tilted his head to the side. “You could have a kid either way.”

  The car swerved for a second. She’d said the egg thing as a joke. When she saw the smile on his face, she knew he was kidding. “Who knew you had a sense of humor?”

  “Women dragons didn’t exist until you. There’re a few species that can lay eggs or give birth naturally. Since there has never been a female dragon, you would be better off giving birth naturally. The amount of time a pregnancy lasts can vary from shifter to shifter.”

  Well, shit. “So nobody has a clue how a dragon pregnancy will go?”

  “Correct, I only know a few things about dragons. They are very quiet with their secrets. A lot of shifters don’t even know dragons exist. They're rare, and that’s because of Kirin.”

  Great. I’ll have to ask Kirin and his family for more help.

  “I know you might’ve lost your house, and I’m sorry for that, but in the study, it was full of books. Were those shifter books or all kinds of books?”

  “It’s just a house, and I have plenty more. The books were about magic. One thing I know is dragons like to collect things. Have you had the urge to collect and store?”

  “Maybe.”

  Her dragon wanted to collect anything shiny, but she was staying in a hotel. She had to know where to store the trinkets or shoes. The high-heel pink Jimmy Choo shoes she’d seen flashed through her mind. Even if she had somewhere to store them, her dragon needed to learn the concept of money.

  “You need to collect,” Gideon said.

  “What I need is to find my sister.”

  “Denying your dragon its urge to collect can be dangerous. The human and animal need to create a give-and-take.”

  “What will happen if I deny the urge too long?”

  “Your dragon might take over and take what it wants.”

  Well, fuck. That was not what she wanted to hear. “The dragon seems to want a lot of trinkets. She also wants to find a cave. It’s not like I can pull up Zillow and see if someone is selling a cave.”

  Gideon chuckled, and she loved the sound even if he was laughing at her. “You’re right. They don’t sell caves on the open market. But I might have one I can give you.”

  Taking Gideon up on his offer meant she needed to trust him. “How do I know that you won’t steal my trinkets?”

  “You’re my mate,” Gideon replied as if that was the answer to the world’s problems.

  “You need to explain this whole mate thing to me.” She sighed.

  “We have time.”

  “Not telling me is so frustrating.”

  “Do you want to talk about it or get the present for the fairy?” Gideon pointed to the exit and a small shop off to the side. “That’s the place Kirin was talking about, but if you want to sit and talk, we can.” When Kirin had said the place would have treasures the fairy would like, Diem had expected a cute shop, maybe even with a fairy garden on the outside. Instead, the place looked like it was straight out of a horror film. Wind chimes hung from a massive oak tree in the front yard—not your everyday wind chimes. These were made of bone. A murder of crows flew over the car, adding to the scary vibe. The blinds were drawn back, and an elderly woman looked through the window.

  Diem hadn’t turned off the car. “I’m sure we can find a mall on our way. Even a truck stop will have better items than this place.”

  Gideon stared at the old building. “Things aren’t always as they seem. You wanted to learn more about the spiritual side. Now we’re going to have our first lesson. Tell me what you feel.”

  “You want to have a therapy session? If knowing my feelings really helps, I’m freaked. I don’t like haunted houses during Halloween and you expect me to walk into one in May?”
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br />   The man rolled his eyes. “I can tell you’re scared. When I asked what you felt, I meant the air and your surroundings. The dragon can sense things on a level your human side can’t. You two need to work together.”

  Her dragon huffed in her mind, so she let her sense reach out using her inner dragon. “The air has a heaviness to it.”

  “That’s good. She’s using a lot of magic to put a glamour spell on the place. It will keep people away who can’t see through it.” Gideon reached over to grab Diem’s hand. When their fingers brushed, he sent a shock through her system.

  “What the hell was that?”

  He ignored her question and gripped her hand. Gideon chanted something low. She couldn’t understand the words, but the longer he spoke, the more the air changed. It wasn’t as heavy. She could breathe better, and the darkness around the place lifted. She didn’t know what he’d done, but the fear of walking into the place went away.

  When she glanced back at the small shop, it no longer looked like something out of a Stephen King movie. The white paint was crisp. Pink and yellow flowers lined the beds.

  Gideon exited the car and walked over to her side. He held out his hand and helped her out. A woman walked out of the front door. Her hair was straight blond with pink streaks. She wore tight black pants and a pink top.

  She glared at Diem before turning her smile to Gideon. “It’s been so long. I’ve missed you.”

  Gideon squeezed my hand. “Can’t say the same, Ursula. When did you move to Georgia?”

  The woman crossed her arms. “After you left me. My mother died, and I came to take care of the shop.”

  “I never left you. We were never together.”

  Ursula glared at Diem. “How could you bring that thing here?”

  The dragon inside her didn’t like the way the woman was speaking, and she could feel the push to her skin.

  “Do you really want to have it out? You will not disrespect Diem. We came to pick something up, but if you have nothing to sell, we’ll be on our way.”