He only hoped he could keep that promise.
***
Something was wrong.
Sure, he’d been excited about his new ability to tap into his own magic with her tech. She’d been ecstatic, too. Not only could he see magic, he could use it himself. No need for a wizard “master” to drain it from him. While she regretted the loss of her drones, she could build more. The loss was a small price to pay for Aiden’s new abilities and confidence.
But after his initial euphoria, he’d been quiet, subdued, and withdrawn. Something was on his mind, but when she’d asked about it, he’d brushed her off and told her it was nothing. Her initial response was to get angry while calling him out for his failure to communicate.
That got her exactly nowhere and led to more uncomfortable silence while they both sulked on the drive back to his place.
When she pulled up to his workshop, he hopped out and started unloading their equipment without speaking, scowl still painted across his handsome face as his muscles strained against the weight of his burdens. Damn him, how did he manage to enchant her out of being angry? Was it his striking features and powerful body? Was it his carefully guarded heart? She was supposed to be mad at him. She was mad at him. And she still wanted him.
“What?” he growled. Uh oh. He’d caught her staring. He put the box holding her functional drones down and crossed his arms. His tracery gleamed prominently through his skin, as it always did when his emotions ran high.
“I could ask you the same,” she said, jutting out her chin and crossing her arms to mirror his pose.
His gaze dropped to her chest and one corner of his mouth rose into a crooked grin. She glanced down and made a note to wear the thin, white cotton tank she had on as often as she could. It framed her girls nicely and apparently inspired lustful appreciation in her dragon man.
Speaking of dragon men, back to the subject at hand. “You’ve been grumpy ever since you got that call from Rocky. What’s going on? And don’t tell me it’s nothing. I may have only known you for a little over a week, but I’m a quick study.”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, muttering something about her being too smart for her own good. While she was pleased with his appreciation of her intelligence, his refusal to answer her questions left her irritated, confused, and a little hurt. Did he not trust her?
When he finally met her gaze again, his held grim resolve. “I need to try something, and I’m going to need your help.”
“Okay,” she said, wondering why he seemed so apprehensive. Of course she’d help him. That was what she’d been doing all week. Working on the enchanted gear also restored her confidence in herself and her work, both magical and practical, but ultimately it was for Aiden and his protection.
With a deep breath he said, “I need to tap into my powers.”
Now she was even more confused. “No problem. Isn’t that what we’ve been doing today? If you’re worried about controlling them, I’m sure it’ll get better with practice. I’m still learning, too.”
She walked over and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him. “We can learn together.”
He placed a hand over hers and said, “It’s not that. Not entirely. I need to do something a bit more difficult. I need to try and access my gift of prescience, the power that’s unique to silver dragons.”
Wow. So he wanted a glimpse into the future. It was both an irresistible and frightening prospect, since he had no way of knowing what he’d see or if he’d like it. What if he foresaw some horrible natural disaster, or the death of a loved one, or his own death? Yeah, prescience wasn’t a gift to be taken lightly.
“Why now?”
“That’s easy,” he said, a wry smile painted across his face. “I just found out I can actually use my magic—maybe. I still don’t know whether I’m just tapping into the magic you’ve placed in your equipment, but that doesn’t matter. It seems to work. So it never occurred to me to try and use my own special magic until today.”
“Makes sense.” She couldn’t fault his logic, but something about his stiff demeanor still made her uneasy. “What do you want to see?”
“I want to make sure no one else has come through the portal. Rocky mentioned some suspicious visitors in town. We think a wizard might have come here and brought battle dragons with him.”
Alarm shot up her spine. From what Aiden had told her about his dimension and what had happened a few weeks ago with his sister, no good could come of a wizard visiting Earth. “Does he know about you?”
He hesitated. “I’m not sure. That’s why I want to look.”
Was he lying, or was he just worried? No matter. They’d sort it out later. Right now she needed to help him. She ran over to the van and grabbed her prototype glasses. “We’ll start with these and see if I can direct the magic to help you see into the future.”
He smiled and relaxed his stance in apparent relief. “Good deal. Let’s go back to the house. I’ll need to do some set up. From what little I know about silver magic, it requires concentration and a soothing environment for the wizard and the dragon.”
They locked up the workshop and Gillian tapped into the electronics within the garage door and sensors to create what she hoped would be a magical alarm system. Good thing it wasn’t manual. She couldn’t cast wards. Her magic was limited to devices that ran on electricity or battery power. Maybe that’s why she’d been drawn to engineering rather than baking or gardening like her aunt and sister.
Speaking of her sister, she could really use some advice and guidance right about now. Gah, they’d spoken shortly after she’d signed Rocky’s contract. Though Amy assured her that all was forgiven, guilt still gnawed at Gillian’s gut whenever she thought of how she’d rejected her family’s calling, ridiculed it.
And now she needed to ask for help.
It would be tough, but this was for Aiden, her courageous dragon.
“Babe, could you give me a sec? I’m going to call Amy and see if she has any advice on how to tap into your gifts.”
Aiden didn’t respond, just stared at her, his expression filled with surprise and something else she couldn’t identify.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“You called me babe.”
Heat crept into her cheeks. Maybe he wasn’t fond of pet names, or maybe they didn’t do that sort of thing on Tarakona. “Yeah, um, sorry?”
“No one’s ever called me that before,” he said, his voice husky. He closed the gap between them and put his arms around her.
Wow. Returning his surprisingly fierce embrace, she said, “Is that okay with you?”
He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and said, “More than okay. Now call your sister.”
She watched him walk off to his part of the workshop, enjoying the view. She especially loved the rear view. How could someone so sexy, so powerfully and adorably shy by turns, be hers?
She shook her head. If she wanted to keep him and keep him safe, she needed to quit stalling and call Amy.
“I need something,” Gillian said when her sister picked up the phone. Noting the alarm in her voice, Amy asked, “What? Are you okay? Is it Aiden?”
“I’m afraid so. We think someone from his dimension is visiting Magic and might be looking for him.”
“That can’t be good,” Amy said. “What are you going to do? You’ve got weapons, right?”
“Oh, yeah,” Gillian said, some of her confidence returning. “I made him a suit of armor—enchanted and electrified—and he has the glasses. You should see him in action. He banks like a fighter jet and corners like he’s on rails. He may not be a warrior dragon by nature, but he can more than hold his own.”
Amy chuckled. “You’ve got it bad. Not that I blame you. So why are you worried?”
“He wants me to help him access his gift. Silver dragons have the gift of prophecy. He wants to look into the future to find out what the wizard is going to do and how to stop him.”
“Sounds like
a good plan, if a little scary. What’s the problem?”
Gillian took a deep breath and said, “What if he sees something bad? Or what if he can’t see anything it all? Apparently it takes years of training for a wizard to use silver magic. It’s very complex.”
“As it should be,” Amy said. “Anything as powerful as prescience should be difficult to access. But if anyone can do it, you can. You need to shake off this crisis of confidence thing and use one of your gadgets to tap into your magic. And his.”
Some of the tightness eased in her chest. She could get used to these pep talks from her big sister.
And…Amy just had to go and open her mouth again. “Gil, you can do this because you’re a witch. We’re witches, sweetie, and you just need to put on your big girl panties and do it.”
“Thanks,” Gillian said sardonically. “I needed that.”
“I’m here for you,” Amy answered, not bothering to hide her chuckle, the shithead. “Now, if you’re done whining, go help that fine dragon man of yours.”
“Will do!” Gillian said.
And she would.
She had Aiden test her wards out. When he tried to enter the workshop from the outside, he was immediately hurled back from the door as a jolt of magical energy hit him in the gut. Good. It worked. After helping Aiden to his feet, and giving him a kiss to make him feel better, they walked back to his home and prepared to look into an uncertain future.
Chapter Eleven
Aiden tried to relax, to ignore the icy ball of dread that had settled in his gut since Rocky’s call. Instead, he focused on Gillian. She’d thrown herself into the task of preparing a quiet, comfortable space with ruthless efficiency. That was her greatest talent—not the engineering prowess or magic. Amazing as those skills were, they paled in comparison to her drive, her sense of duty, and her unwavering dedication to use her skills to do what was right and to help others.
To help him.
He swallowed his apprehension and remembered why he was doing this, risking a glimpse at the horrors that could be unleashed on Earth by Tarakonan wizards. It was to protect her. It was to protect Rocky, and Flo, and all of the townsfolk in Magic. It was to protect everyone on Earth, his home, the place that gave him shelter from slavery and exploitation in Tarakona.
He’d never been one for crusades, or heroism, or touchy feely shit. He’d always been a keep-to-himself survivor type. Now he realized how selfish and cowardly he’d been. He had plenty to fight for, and so many to protect. Gillian’s courage inspired him and would serve as an example in the battle ahead. No sacrifice was too great to save the Earth, to save the town, and to save her.
After she finished lighting candles and dimming the lights—with her powers—she sat down next to him on the couch, took his hands, and asked, “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.” He had minimal idea what to do. Nadia had told him a little about how Victoria, her former master, had channeled her gift. It had taken years to perfect the method, apparently.
They had hours.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
He reluctantly took his hands out of hers and handed her the glasses—his pair. “Just do what you normally do, I guess. Direct your magic to let me see the future using my magic.”
She nodded, closed her eyes, and appeared to concentrate. A few sparks came from the glasses near the bridge and the temple. That must be where she’d installed the electronics, though how she’d managed to make them so tiny was a mystery. The woman was a genius.
After holding onto the glasses for a few more moments, she said, “I did my best. Give it a try and see if you get anything.”
He put the glasses on and closed his eyes, clearing his mind so he could focus on the task at hand. He pictured the town and willed his magic to show him what would happen in the immediate future in Magic. He hoped whatever vision he got would give him some idea of how to stop the wizard, too.
Nothing.
Fighting frustration, he tried again. He visualized Kokopelli with its eclectic Southwestern décor and patrons in their natural forms. Then he formed an image of the town square, of Rocky’s office, of the homes, businesses, and landscape. Come on, show me something. Tell me where the wizard will be. Fates, nothing appeared.
“Anything?” Gillian asked, hopeful.
“No,” he growled. “It’s not working.”
He opened his eyes and stood, pacing and rolling his shoulders. Though he recognized his expectations for what they were—unrealistic—it didn’t curb his anger and frustration. Facing a seasoned wizard with two battle dragons in his thrall would be foolish without the advantage of his prescience or perhaps some military issue tanks. If he was captured, the wizard in question would gain the ability to outmaneuver his rivals on Tarakona and enslave the entire population.
Or he might focus on Earth.
Either way, it was a no-go. He couldn’t let himself be taken captive. He’d have to use the death potion if he failed to defeat the wizard.
“Try again,” she said.
He suppressed a growl. She was right, of course, but what if he couldn’t manage? He’d told her that the definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. True, this sort of magic required practice, but he’d expected…something. Shouldn’t there be some sign that he was on the right track?
“Aiden?”
He turned to face her, her beautiful face painted with an expression of grim determination.
“You told me only wizards could access dragon magic on your world. I know you’ll probably find the idea abhorrent, but maybe you need help with this.”
He balked. “I used magic earlier today. And anyway, what are you suggesting? That I stroll back through the portal, stop a passing wizard, and say, ‘Your Honor, might I ask a favor? Will you please delve into my magical essence to foretell the immediate future so I may defeat a fellow wizard? And if you could see fit to allow me to escape after we’re done rather than trying to enthrall me, that would be capital.’”
She jumped to her feet, scowl plastered across her face and hands on hips. “No, jackass. I’m suggesting you let me help you.”
“Oh,” he said, somewhat abashed. Still, there was one glaring flaw in her thinking. “I…appreciate the thought, but I’m not exactly mechanical. Your magic works on gadgets and tech.”
“Yeah,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Hence the glasses. They’re a conduit. Sit.”
“I’m not a dog.”
“No, you’re a dragon. And a jackass,” she said. Then she flashed a wicked grin, bowed, and added, “If it pleases the highly prized and rare silver dragon, I would be delighted to assist in tapping his magical essence to foretell the immediate future so that we may defeat the evil wizard. Is that capital enough for you?”
He didn’t know whether to kiss her, fall on his knees and thank her, or bend her over his lap and give her a few whacks that they’d both enjoy, the saucy witch. For now, he’d simply have to obey and hope this mad genius could pull off some seriously complex magic.
“That’ll do,” he said, fighting a wry chuckle and then planting ass back on his sofa. When she placed her fingertips over the glasses, he added. “If you could possibly stop yourself from setting my head on fire, or, you know, blowing it to smithereens, that would be a bonus.”
She flashed him a mischievous smile. “Temping, but we’ve got an evil wizard to catch. Don’t worry, though. I’ll work out a suitable punishment for your sass later.”
He hoped there would be a later.
“Now,” she said. “I’m going to do the same thing as I did before and concentrate on willing the glasses to let you see a little way into the future. You relax, concentrate, meditate, or do whatever you think will best help you release the magic and receive the vision.”
On impulse, he leaned forward and placed his lips over hers, teasing her with light brushes and gently seeking entrance. It earned a muffled
protest from his lady, but she acquiesced and deepened the kiss, moving her fingers from the glasses to run them through his hair, down his neck, and over his shoulders.
Too soon, she broke off the kiss and gave him a mock glare. “That’s not going to help either of us relax.”
He lifted the corners of his lips into a smirk. “Kisses are the oldest form of magic. Isn’t that what happens in all of your fairytales? Kisses wake sleeping princesses and break evil spells. Why can’t they wake sleeping magic?”
She placed her hands back over the glasses and, in a curt voice that brooked no argument, said, “Close your eyes and focus.” He closed his eyes. She tugged at his head and pulled him down. Her soft lips landed on his forehead.
Then the world exploded.
Heat, sand, and rock engulfed him. He was in the desert, just north of the portal. The sky blazed with the midday sun. No clouds offered respite from the blistering heat. Sweat poured from his body, along with blood, and his very bones screamed in agony from exertion. Blue sparks flashed around him.
Gillian!
No, she wasn’t there, thank the Fates. At least she’d be safe in spite of his failure. The red dragons circled above while he staggered on the ground in human form, weighed down with his enchanted suit of armor that offered little protection from the threat before him. The magic that had coursed through the armor was gone. He hadn’t been able to activate the electrical shield, hadn’t been able to channel the magic to deflect their blows or mount a counter attack, and they’d knocked him out of the sky.
He hadn’t been able to fend off the battle dragons. What hope had he against their master?
The wizard’s red hair whipped around his face and his fine robes undulated as he approached, talisman held at the ready to wield the magic drained from other dragons against Aiden. Not to kill, of course. The wizard wanted to jab a thrall crystal into him. Enslave him. Aiden would be powerless to stop him.
Silver Unleashed Page 9
