“It isn’t moving now. That doesn’t mean it can’t move.” Hannah’s eyes went out of focus before her attention snapped back to the room around them. “No, that won’t work.”
“What won’t work?” Larisa’s instinct was to grab hold of Hannah and shake her until she made sense. She balled her hands into fists as she fought the temptation.
“Nothing, I was thinking out loud.” Hannah turned to face Larisa. “There is something we could try.”
“And that is...” Larisa followed Hannah around the room.
“At the moment Ivan can sense his treasure. It’s not so strong that he can’t control himself...” She spun around and headed back outside.
Did all fae and shifters act crazy? Larisa missed the days when all she had to deal with was normal humans. Life was a lot simpler when no magic was involved.
“What are you looking at?” Larisa stood next to Hannah on the porch as she stared at Ivan. “Oh, I get it.”
“Of course you do!” Hannah clapped her bony hands together.
“What’s going on?” Karros asked.
“Can you tell Ivan is a dragon shifter?” Larisa went down the steps to where Karros and Zara were watching over Ivan who was mumbling to himself as he turned slowly in a circle.
“No.” Karros shook his head. “Can you, Zara?”
“Sort of.” She frowned and focused her attention on Ivan. “But only because I know him so well. If I were meeting him for the first time, I’d probably be confused as to what he was.” She licked her lips. “I can’t taste him.”
“Taste him?” Hannah wrinkled her nose.
“Dragons leave a metallic taste on the tongue,” Zara explained. “Right now, I can’t tell what he is. I just know he’s a shifter.”
“Okay.” Larisa turned to face Hannah. “That’s good, right?”
“Yes.” Hannah nodded as she whirled around and went back inside.
“And why is that good?” Zara asked.
“Oh!” Karros nodded and grinned. “I see.”
“What do you see?” Zara asked hotly.
“The concealment spell blocks out his sense of where his treasure is. If we use it in a small enough dose, he’ll be able to hear his treasure but the fae and other shifters won’t be able to tell he is a dragon. He’ll still be able to guide us to his treasure.” Karros waved his arm at Ivan. “He’s just going to look like a crazy person.”
“Do you think it’ll work?” Larisa asked.
“Yes. I don’t see why not. We’re just going to have to be careful. And keep away from people as much as possible.” Karros headed toward the house. “We should eat and get ready to leave. As soon as Hannah has cast the spell, we should leave.”
Larisa went to Ivan and put his hands on his shoulders. “Come inside and eat, Ivan.”
Ivan blinked at her, his eyes focused on something in the distance. Did his treasure have more of a hold on him than the mating bond?
“Ivan.” She dug her fingers into him. “Wake up.”
He took a sharp breath as if she’d woken him from a deep sleep. “Larisa.”
“We need to go inside and eat.” She took hold of one of his hands. As their skin touched, he seemed to come back to himself.
“Sure.” He nodded. “I am hungry. What time is it?”
“A little after midday.” She tightened her hold on him. “What time did you think it was?”
“I don’t know. Everything was fuzzy.” He put his fingers to his head. “There was this sound. It filled my head until I couldn’t think of anything else.”
“It’s your treasure.” She stopped on the porch and reached for his other hand. “We’re going to go find it, but you have to get a grip.”
Ivan nodded and tensed. “I can control it if I use the techniques Fiona taught me.”
“Can you try that? It’s really important.” She watched his face as he struggled to relax. “You’re going to need to take small amounts of the spell Hannah is preparing. We must figure out the right dose so we can keep you hidden while you can still hear your treasure. Do you understand?”
Ivan nodded. “I can do this. I can control the urge.”
“Are you sure?” Larisa hated seeing him like this, it was as if he was being pulled in opposite directions.
“Yes.” He nodded and his features relaxed. “It crept up on me and took me by surprise but now that I know what to expect, I can control it.” He held her hands tight. “With your help.”
“I guess there is a reason why you found me when you did.” She laughed even though she didn’t find their situation remotely funny.
“You’re my anchor.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “You keep me grounded.”
“An anchor.” She led him into the house but didn’t let go of him. “Are you saying I’m a massive weight around your neck?”
Ivan chuckled, sounding more like himself. “You are what keeps me here. Without you, I’d shift into my dragon and fly as fast as I could toward my treasure.”
“Your dragon. How is he doing?” Larisa hadn’t thought about how the situation might be affecting Ivan’s other side.
“He’s okay. For now.” Ivan followed her through to the kitchen where Zara and Karros were preparing sandwiches with thick fresh bread and some kind of meat that Larisa didn’t recognize. But she’d tasted many foreign dishes before, and she wouldn’t say no to fae food.
“Okay. Here’s some coffee. I brought some with us since Grandma Hannah doesn’t always have any. And some honey cake and sandwiches and I found a box of chips in the cupboard. Eat.” Karros put the food in front of Ivan.
Larisa flexed her fingers as Ivan sat down on a chair. “I’m going to let go with one hand, do you think you’ll be okay?”
Ivan half-smiled and nodded. “I have it under control. But it’s mentally tiring.”
“Okay, well, once we’re in the truck, we can always tie you down,” Karros offered helpfully.
“It won’t come to that but thanks for your concern,” Ivan replied. “Larisa, you can let me go.”
She looked down at her hands and slowly let go of one of his hands. “You only need one hand to eat with.”
“Larisa, I’ve got this, you can let me go.” He stroked her cheek with his free hand. “Trust me.”
She stared at him for a moment and then reluctantly let go of him. “If I can’t trust my mate, who can I trust?”
He tensed, his muscles bunched and for a heartbeat, she feared she’d made a mistake but then he breathed out and picked up his sandwich. Biting into it, he chewed slowly, almost as if he was on autopilot.
Larisa met eyes with Karros who was seated across the small wooden table. Could he see Ivan’s dragon? Had the spell worn off completely?
“Eat.” Ivan’s tone made her jump. He pushed her plate toward her. “You need to eat.”
She swallowed and picked up the sandwich. Without asking what kind of meat was in it, she bit into the bread and chewed.
“What’s the plan?” Zara sat down next to Karros.
“I need to go find my treasure,” Ivan said.
“Do you know where it is?” Karros asked.
“Due west.” Ivan pointed at the cabin wall.
“And what about this fae Hannah mentioned? Should we go to him first?” Larisa asked. “He might be able to help us. He might have some information on your treasure.”
“Where is he?” Karros held out his hand. “Do you have the address Hannah gave you?”
Ivan slowly reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper with the fae’s name and address on it. “Here.”
Karros opened it carefully and stared at it before refolding it and handing it back to Ivan. “I know how to get there. It will take us the rest of the day.”
“We need to go to the treasure first,” Ivan said firmly, a hint of aggression in his voice.
“This fae Hannah wants you to visit is in the same direction as your treasure,” Karros answered.
Ivan dropped the sandwich he was holding and leaned forward. “This fae has my treasure?”
Karros shrugged. “It would seem like a really big coincidence.” He glanced toward Hannah’s workroom. “Why don’t we keep this to ourselves?”
“Don’t you trust Hannah?” Larisa asked.
“I trust her. Of course I trust her. But the fewer people who know where your treasure is, the better. If Hannah doesn’t know where it is then she can’t tell anyone.” Karros picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink, his expression filled with guilt.
“You’re afraid someone might make her talk?” Larisa hissed. “If she’s in danger, she should go somewhere safe.”
“She’s safe enough here,” Karros replied. “We’re fae. If anyone wanted to make her talk, all they’d have to do is feed her the right fruit or cast the right spell.”
“Wow. That is messed up.” Larisa put her sandwich down and eyed the food suspiciously.
“Don’t worry. There’s nothing like that in this food.” Karros chuckled. “But before we leave, I’m going to grab a few things from Hannah’s workroom. We need to be armed and I don’t mean with weapons.”
“I had no idea.” Larisa picked up her sandwich and started to eat.
“It takes some getting used to, doesn’t it?” Zara asked.
“It does.” Larisa nodded.
“I was like you. I had no idea about any of this until my brothers arrived on my doorstep a few months back.” Zara glanced at Karros. “Now the world is filled with mysteries and danger that I had no idea existed outside of TV and movies.”
“But it’s also filled with a love that I never knew existed, too.” Larisa glanced sideways at Ivan. “Which makes all the weird stuff worth it.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Zara winked at her mate.
“Glad to hear it,” Karros replied.
“Let’s hope we both still feel that way when this is all over.” Larisa put her doubts and fears to one side. There was nothing she could do to change the position she’d found herself in. All she could do was stand by Ivan’s side and protect him.
From anyone who could cause him harm. Did that include Ivan himself?
Chapter Eighteen – Ivan
“How are you feeling?” Hannah stared at Ivan as if he were her most prized specimen.
“Okay.” He nodded as he moved his head from side to side.
“Not so intense?” Hannah asked.
“No. It’s still there but it’s nowhere near as intense. Like a dull headache rather than a raging migraine.” He sighed and rolled his shoulders. Trying to control the urge to shift and fly off to find his treasure had been mentally exhausting. It was good to be able to relax again.
“Okay.” Hannah handed a couple of vials of the red swirling liquid to Larisa. “Take these. You’ll have to figure out the dose as you go. But a couple of drops in a cup of water seems to be enough to keep things under control.”
“Thanks, Hannah.” Larisa’s concern didn’t fade.
“And here’s one for you, Ivan. Keep it close at hand in case you need it.” Hannah took a couple of steps back. “I wish I had time to make more but I need to go out and gather some more ludlim. It’s the main ingredient for the spell but I’ve used all that I have.”
“You’ve done so much for us already.” Karros hugged his grandma and kissed her cheek. “Look after yourself.”
Their eyes met and Hannah nodded. “You are more than welcome. Now, safe trip.”
They were being dismissed. Hannah wanted them to leave.
“Thank you, Hannah. Perhaps one day, you’ll visit Wishing Moon Bay, and I can cook you something special.” Ivan hugged the fae wise woman, grateful that she accepted his embrace rather than pushing him away.
“I’ll hold you to that. Since you are the one who tempted my granddaughter to leave the fae realm.” Hannah patted him on the back. “Take care of each other. If you need to stop by on your return trip for another spell, I’ll have more of the spell waiting for you. Say hello to Gilliam from me.”
“We will.” Karros hugged his grandmother and then they quickly got in the truck. Zara inserted the key in the ignition and switched on the engine while Karros waved to his grandma. His concern for her safety was obvious and a wave of guilt washed over Ivan.
We should have left alone, his dragon said. Then Karros could stay here and protect Hannah.
No one knows we’ve been here, Ivan reminded him. The spell concealed us.
What if it didn’t fool everyone? His dragon puffed smoke out of his nostrils.
You’re overthinking things, Ivan replied. I also think that Hannah is probably capable of looking after herself. I doubt she’s lived out here all her life without coming up with a few ideas on how to defend herself from danger.
You’re right. His dragon settled down to sleep. He was exhausted. The call of their treasure had been hard on them both, and they welcomed the relative silence Hannah’s spell brought them.
“We’re going to drive to the location Hannah gave us,” Zara glanced in the rearview mirror at Ivan. “It’s due west, in the same direction as you sensed your treasure.”
“That’s a good plan,” Larisa agreed. “As we get closer, Ivan can tell us if we need to change direction.” She glanced at him warily.
“It’s okay. I’m feeling a lot better,” he assured her.
“Good, because you scared me. It was as if something was taking over you.”
In a way, she was right. As the spell wore off, the call of his treasure had gripped him so tight it was as if he’d never be rid of it. The sound in his head had obliterated everything else. Only Larisa’s touch had given him enough relief for him to regain control.
“That won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t.” She put her hand over her pocket where she’d put the vials from Hannah. In the opposite pocket was the pendant which she’d insisted on taking back. For Hannah’s safety as much as anything else.
Ivan reached into his pack and pulled out the map. “The other dragon doesn’t seem to have moved.”
“How long does this location spell work?” Larisa looked over his arm at the map.
“Hannah said it would take weeks for it to wear off. Enough time for us to find my treasure, speak to the fae and then get to the dragon isle.” Ivan rolled the map up and put it back in his pack.
“What are you going to do if you find your treasure?” Larisa asked.
“I hadn’t really thought about it.” Ivan had never expected to find more of his treasure, he’d assumed it was lost to him.
“Well, you might need to give it some thought,” Karros advised. “Depending on how things go with this fae we’re meeting, you might have to deal with it sooner rather than later.”
“I’ve managed just fine without my treasure so far.” Ivan sounded like a petulant child even to his own ears.
Child. His dragon snorted. This treasure is supposed to be passed from parent to child. We might not need it. We might not want it. But what about our children?
“We will figure something out if we need to,” Larisa assured him. “Even if that means you shifting into your dragon and us piling it all on your back. You could make a run for the portal and get through it before anyone even notices you were here.”
“If it’s not protected.” Karros turned in his seat. “We have to think this through. Your treasure could have been stolen and placed here.”
“And there was me thinking I was the paranoid one,” Larisa said.
“There’s a chance that your father was killed for his treasure and that the spell Hannah gave Gilliam was to conceal the murderer. They could have moved your treasure here where it would probably never have been discovered since dragons are not welcome here.” Karros had given this a good deal of thought.
“What are the chances that you would one day find yourself here?” Larisa asked. “The one person who could sense the treasure.”
“What will happ
en if we get caught, Karros?” Ivan asked.
“That’s a good question and one I’m not sure I know the answer to.” Karros glanced at Zara, who returned a worried look.
“Your best guess?” Ivan hated the idea of his friends and family suffering repercussions for his actions.
“My best guess?” Karros stared out of the window.
“Banishment?” Ivan prompted.
Karros frowned and pressed his lips together. “It’s a possibility.”
“Because you brought a dragon to your realm or only if that dragon attacks a fae?” Ivan wasn’t about to shy away from the difficult questions. They all had to be aware of the possible consequences of their actions.
“They would banish you forever?” Larisa asked.
“I don’t know. But it is possible,” Karros acknowledged.
“This is your home, Karros. I can’t ask you to be part of this.” Ivan allowed himself to focus fully on the call of his treasure for a moment before he shut it out. “We could turn the truck around now and go back to Wishing Moon Bay.”
“Is that what you want?” Zara studied Ivan in the rearview mirror. “You could go and forget about your treasure?”
“I could never sense it from Wishing Moon Bay. I could live with the knowledge it was here.” Ivan looked out of the window at the trees as they passed by. He needed to quieten his mind once more to shut out the heartbreaking song of his treasure. The closer they got to their destination, the louder it became. He should drink from the vial and dull the sound, but he didn’t want to block it out. Not yet.
“Why don’t we see how things play out, first?” Karros suggested. “What if your father brought the treasure here and put it under the fae’s protection in the hope that fate would bring you to it?”
“He has a point,” Larisa said. “You put so much faith in fate. You waited your whole life for your mate to come along. Why not trust in fate one more time?”
“I don’t want anyone else to get hurt because of dragons,” Ivan admitted.
“What if you’ve got it the wrong way around?” Larisa threaded her fingers through his and instantly the song in his head faded. He was no longer being called to his doom.
The Dragon Shifter's Desire: A Wishing Moon Bay Shifter Romance Page 12
