“I’m getting there.”
“That is good.” She smiled and Isabel just smiled from behind Lucian’s mom.
“Now we have a couple of theories for how you can get through the Creepers. Blake will break them down when the time comes. Don’t be scared. I know you can do it, just like you have done everything else.”
“I hope you are right, they scare me to death,” I said and Blake’s mark popped into my head.
How we were going to get through the Creepers, now that was the million dollar question.
King Helmut spoke softly to Blake.
“When you come back, you need to come and visit us, Elena,” Isabel said. “The manor has been so quiet without you.”
“I will,” I said, not knowing how on earth that would ever work with Blake there, but I felt bad for not keeping in touch with any of them.
“Right here,” King Helmut said and I saw a limo parked on the edge of some trees.
I looked back again to Queen Margerite as the forest from that night popped into my mind. Paegeia had way too many trees that could hide anything.
She just stroked my arm. “Be safe, sweetheart.”
“I will.” I smiled back.
“Oh, before I forget. Her axes, Helmut.”
“They are safely in the back, in their box, don’t worry.” He put his wife at ease.
“Okay.” She smiled. She hugged me again and Isabel gave me an awkward hug bending over Queen Margerite.
She bent over toward Blake. “Be safe, please.”
“Mom!” he sounded annoyed and King Helmut started to laugh as Blake parked the SUV.
“I know you are the mighty Rubicon, but you are also my son and I’ve just found you again. I’m not going to lose you, right?”
“No.”
“Okay.”
Both the women climbed out and King Helmut said his goodbyes with a wink. “She’s the last of the bloodline that has kept our world safe,” is all he said to Blake and I could see Blake shaking his head.
He stayed until they left and I put on my hoody again.
“You want to come and sit up front?” Blake asked.
“No, back is fine,” I said and put my ear buds into my ears and turned on my music.
I laid my head back and closed my eyes as he pulled away.
Day one of this crappy mission to save Etan had just started.
HE DRIVE WAS long and boring. I let out a huge breath and stared out of the window. The sun was busy coming up and my music had just run through all the songs I owned. Three happened to belong to Blake.
I would get a dose of goose bumps every time he sang and I hated that.
I missed Lucian again.
I didn’t know why everyone insisted that we keep on taking his SUV. As if it was the only four-wheel drive available in all of Paegeia. It only brought back memories that I didn’t want to remember.
When my eyes felt too heavy I tried hard to keep them open. I knew the minute I failed, I would dream the awful dreams again.
I was worried about Annie, about Charles and August, about so many people, all of them on the farms. If they were not going to be safe, I feared for the worst.
I knew Seymour wouldn’t leave it alone, especially after three of his men disappeared.
I feared that he’d make Annie pay for it. Was she even still alive?
My eyes closed again and this time they didn’t open.
I found myself inside a cave with large metal cuffs around my wrists.
Paul’s laughter filled my ears. The entire motley crew was there.
Billy was looking more and more like Blake but I knew it wasn’t Blake.
I drowned out their words and knew that at any second, Lucian was going to barge in. The dream had changed so much from what had really happened that night, changed for the worst as I knew for a fact that it wasn’t about Lucian anymore.
My heart started to beat frantically.
An explosion went off and the entire wall on one side of the cave burst open.
Everyone jumped out of the way to miss the boulders. Little pieces of rock fell on me. It didn’t hurt but I looked away as Lucian’s words of blowing up another cave entered my mind.
The Rubicon destroyed everything and I woke up with a jolt. The sun was setting again, and my body felt stiff. I glanced over at Blake who was still driving. My playlist was still playing and I pulled out my ear pieces. Blake was listening to other music.
I shifted my legs down the seat and stretched my arms over my head.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“She speaks. Welcome to the living,” Blake joked and I rolled my eyes. “We are almost at point A. Close to Areeth.”
“Areeth?” I asked. “Why didn’t we use the elevators?”
“Because I don’t trust the elevators.”
“So I’m stuck on this long boring drive, just because you don’t trust technology?”
“Okay someone woke up on the wrong side of the SUV.” He was teasing me again.
I sighed.
“We are almost there, don’t worry.”
“Sure,” I said.
I just wanted to get there and not be in this SUV a minute longer.
When the moon started to shine, Blake took the SUV off-road. I looked at him and my heart beat fast.
Blake didn’t say a word.
“Where are we going?”
He didn’t answer.
“Blake, where are you taking me?” My voice sounded more alarmed and still he didn’t speak. I touched his arm hard and he looked at me. His peacock blues were gone and they were a muddy brown. Billy.
“You really thought you could escape me, Elle?”
My heart raced and then he stopped on the side of the road.
Both the doors opened and Seymour climbed in next to me with the other man that had gotten away with them that night.
This wasn’t happening.
The doors locked just as I went to get out.
“Hello, bird,” Seymour said and I looked at the sky. No stars. How could this be?
He touched me hard and I slapped at him with everything I had.
“Elena, wake up.” My eyes opened and Blake grabbed both my hands that were still slapping him.
I looked at him, his eyes were blue again, there was nobody in the front and nobody next to me.
“It was just a dream. You are safe.”
I stared at him. That had felt so real.
“You are safe,” he said in a softer tone.
I nodded and he let go of my hands and moved his body back into the driver’s seat.
He started the car again and carried on driving.
“This is the first time I’ve woken up.”
“What?”
“Nothing.” I lay back in my seat and he handed me a bottle of water from the front.
I took it, opened the cap and gulped down half of it.
That dream, why did I dream that?
“Where are we?”
Don’t say Areeth please.
“We are in-between Areeth and Tith. Our accommodation is just up ahead.
I nodded.
Areeth was mentioned but so was Tith. That dream wasn’t real, it wasn’t a prediction of the future, it was just a dream.
I drank some more from the bottle and I still felt tired.
Half an hour later small lights started to shine in the distance.
Road signs pointing out Lake Gazeba started to pop up every mile or so and Blake took the turn-off.
We entered something that looked like a village. It had a night market and plenty of festive people. There were small houses everywhere and a huge hotel up front. He pulled in front of the hotel. I got out with him and put my hoody back on my head.
He took out my pink backpack and a small bag from the back as I waited on the third step for him. I could hear the SUV beep.
A valet ran down the stairs and Blake threw him the keys without saying a word and stepped through th
e revolving doors. I followed.
“Just sit here, I’m going to check us in,” he told me and I sat down. I hated being ordered around, but this was his turf, so I listened.
I watched him speaking to one gentleman and heard another coming from the opposite direction. “Blake, so glad you made it.”
He shook hands with the man with a beautiful smile that made me look away.
“Your room is ready.”
Room?
“Rooms, two please.”
“I see.”
Blake just chuckled.
“You need help with the princess?” the other man asked gently.
“The princess isn’t helpless, she can handle herself,” Blake answered and he gestured for me to come.
I got up and walked toward them. The man only noticed me when I stopped inches from Blake.
“This is Gilderoy, he is the manager of this wonderful establishment.” Blake introduced me. “The princess.”
The man realized then what Blake was doing and he just stared at me.
Blake chuckled one more time.
“Sorry, my apologies, Princess. This way.”
He walked toward the elevator and Blake just shook his head with a grin on his face.
I followed him to a huge room and a part of me didn’t like saying goodnight to Blake but I had no choice.
“Will you be okay?” he asked and I nodded, not really sure if I would be.
“I’m right next door if you need anything. Just yell.”
“Sound proof walls,” Gilderoy said.
Blake looked at him, not happy about that small piece of information. “You should put that on your website.”
“I’m sorry, is there a problem?”
“Yes, a huge one. Let’s go.”
“It’s fine, Blake.” I could tell he needed his rest. “I can take care of myself.”
He just stared at me and gave Gilderoy another look that I was sure would incinerate him if he was Clark Kent and not Blake Leaf.
“Right next door, Elena.” Blake showed with his finger which way and I nodded.
I closed the door as he left and I took a deep breath. “You can do this. You are safe.” But I had to admit, I didn’t like this sound proof thing either.
The phone rang and I pinched myself to find out if I was awake. This could be another fucked up dream. I picked up the phone.
“Yes.”
“I don’t like this. Open a window or something, just so I can hear.”
I huffed. This was so not like him. “I can take care of myself, Blake.”
“I know, Elena, just please, I’d be able to sleep better if I knew I’d be able to hear you.”
I sighed and my eyes landed on the couch in the room. I didn’t like it one bit, but if it put his mind at ease, then he’d most likely shut up as well. “There’s a couch in this room that you can use if it will help you sleep better tonight.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said and a couple of seconds later two knocks sounded at the door.
“Look who’s the baby now,” I said, my voice laced with sarcasm.
“Whatever.” He grunted and went directly for the couch.
I closed the door and walked to my room.
“Sorry about this.”
“It’s fine. How long are we staying here?”
“Till breakfast and then we leave. Say eight?”
I nodded and closed my door halfway so that he could at least hear when I started to dream again.
I took a shower and crawled into bed.
It was warm and I felt stupid that I’d forgotten to ask him if he had any blankets.
I went back to the small living room and found him sleeping in his boxers. He was passed out already.
The mark on his back was big. I felt bad that I’d been so stubborn and pulled an extra blanket from my bed to cover him.
I switched off the lamp and went back to bed.
I’d slept the entire day and didn’t think I would be able to sleep again, but before I realized, I’d yawned again and drifted away.
At least he wasn’t cruel, I knew he would somehow wake me up if they came again.
I woke up and light streamed into my room. The clock on the wall said eight-thirty and I jumped out of bed.
Shit, I was late. I pinched myself first and I was awake, for real.
When I walked into the living room, Blake was still passed out and I didn’t know how to wake him. He was snoring softly.
“Blake.” I shook him softly. No response.
“Blake!” I yelled and he woke up and looked around him. “It’s eight-thirty.”
“Shit,” he grunted and jumped up. “Get ready, I’ll meet you downstairs at breakfast.” He jumped into his pants and put on his shirt. He paused as he looked at something on the couch and left.
I quickly put on today’s clothes and put everything into my backpack and went downstairs.
The restaurant was full, but I was hidden again underneath my hoody. I was used to this trend.
I found a table near the window and put my backpack down. The buffet line was huge and had so many different kinds of food that it could fill an entire house.
“I’m telling you that is what I heard,” a woman at the buffet line said.
“What would they be doing here?”
“They left early yesterday morning.”
I rolled my eyes as I put fresh fruit on my plate.
“Well if she is, I bet you she won’t be down here.”
I had to warn Blake somehow. If they saw him, they were going to see me. I was so not ready for the public.
I took my plate and turned back to my table.
I didn’t have to warn him as he was already sitting in a chair with a hoody covering his face too. I guessed the idiot wasn’t so stupid after all.
I put down my plate as he was busy checking something on his Cammy.
“You need directions?”
“I told you my tracking ability isn’t what it used to be anymore.”
“Sorry, I forgot,” I said and took the seat. “Go eat something.”
He looked up at me from underneath his hoody. “You are worse than my mom.” He grunted but got up after a few minutes and went over to the buffet line.
He came back with a heaping of food on his plate.
“Don’t look at me like that, apparently I’m still growing.”
“Awesome.” I sounded sarcastic wondering how on earth I was ever going to ride him. I froze as I thought about that. He isn’t your dragon anymore, Elena. There would be no flying with him.
After breakfast we checked out and the SUV was waiting in front of the hotel again. I handed him my bag and he put it in the trunk with his. I chose the front seat today.
“Yay, I am no longer a personal driver,” he said softly.
“I can always sit at the back again.”
He chuckled. “You can do whatever you want, Elena. I really don’t mind.”
“Why are you always so mean?”
“I’m mean? Okay,” he said again.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Well maybe this is just a reaction, Elena.”
I huffed. “You know what, fine, whatever. If we can’t even pretend to get along then I don’t see how the hell we are going to succeed at this.”
“Fine, I’m great at pretending,” he said and started the SUV.
He seriously knew just how to piss me off. He was really great at that.
“ELENA.” I FELT someone touching me and my eyes flew open.
“We are here,” Blake said and when I looked out dawn was breaking over the horizon.
Why couldn’t I ever stay awake in a car? Especially on long roads.
Blake got out of the SUV that he had parked near a forest. I hated fucking forests. He walked to the trunk and opened it. He took out a mother of a bag and my pink backpack and chucked it onto the floor. I got out slowly, letting my legs adjust from the long car ride.
; “Where is here?” I asked looking at the forest.
“Our next destination is that way,” he said and my eyes followed in the direction he pointed. There was a huge hill and that was it. No hotel, no lodge, absolutely nothing.
“So why are we stopping if the destination is that way?”
“Because over that hill, there is nothing, just canyons.”
I got what he was saying. “We’re flying.”
“Sorry about that but it’s the fastest way to get there.”
“Fine.” I sounded like a five-year-old that wasn’t getting her way.
He started to walk to the forest. “You are more than welcome to come with, I’m just going to change.”
“No, it’s fine.”
He shook his head and I squinted at him. Idiot.
I looked up at the hill. It didn’t look like there was anything beyond it and the forest trees rumbled slightly as birds took flight.
My heartbeat rose again as a huge, HUGE dragon walked out. Becky hadn’t been kidding when she said not to fear him. He was much bigger than the last time I’d faced him inside the ring.
When was he going to stop growing?
“Good morning princess, long time no see.” He was chirpy and I squinted.
I immediately thought about Cara, I missed her so much.
“Good morning to you too, sunshine.” I sounded sarcastic, knowing that Blake was really the Rubicon.
He gurgled which I assumed was a laugh. I knew that gurgle from when I’d trained with him.
“Sorry about the flying part. It won’t take long.”
I smiled. “I heard. Congratulations on being the fastest.”
“How kind,” he said and I shook my head trying to not show him the huge smile on my face. What was this? Why was he so friendly now?
He hooked his back paw’s talon into his bag’s handle and clamped it down with the others so that the now small bag was secure.
Then he walked on three legs – still extremely gracefully for a creature of his size – and stopped right next to me. It felt as if I should shout at him.
He lifted up his front paw closest to me and cupped it, making it look like a basket. “Just like old times.”
“Are you going to drop me again?”
“No, dropping days are over, that is a promise.”
“Okay,” I said picked up my bag, and climbed onto his talon sitting in his paw. It started to close and it was really dark.
Moonbreeze (The Dragonian Series Book 4) Page 35
