His gaze changed from serious to concerned. He looked sorry for me. "How about this? You can have the compass."
"Nothing is free, dragon. What do you want?"
He shrugged. "What's a compass to you if you don't know how to use it?"
"I'll find out how. I'm a witch, remember? I'll activate it with a spell…once I figure out what the spell is.”
"Oh, no…" He shook his head. "That's no witch's compass; therefore, your magic won't activate it."
"How do I know you're telling the truth?"
He held out his palm. "Give me the compass."
I retrieved the compass from my back pocket and dropped it into his palm. The moment that happened, the compass sprung to life. The needles spun like crazy for a few seconds and then remained stilled.
"This is the compass of a realm guardian. I don't know exactly how your family came in possession of it, but I do know that it's not yours."
I snatched the compass from his palm. "So, it's not mine. Now what? Are you going to take it from me?" I asked.
"No, I'm not. Finders keepers, right? What one finds, one keeps." He cast her a devilish grin. "But you're going to help me with something else."
"I don't have time for this," I told him again. "If you're a realm guardian, you must know about the demon breaches and the pending second wave."
"What does a realm guardian's compass have to do with it?" he asked.
"I need to open a portal into The Void."
He grimaced and his brows arched downward. "The Void? Why would you want to go there?"
"I'm not going to stand here and explain to you about what I can see so you can laugh at me."
"I promise I'm not going to laugh, but what makes you think that going into The Void will help you. Do you know what happens when people fall into The Void? They never return."
"That's not entirely the truth. Some have returned and lived to tell about it," I said.
"Are you going to let more demons out?" he asked.
"Heck no. Why would I do that?"
"Then what do you plan to do once this portal is open?" he inquired.
"Get what I need. Once I have it, there will be no more Blackwald demons raiding Earth," I stated, firmly.
"I see…" He observed me silently, a bit of skepticism lurking in his demeanor.
I folded my arms across my chest. "This has nothing to do with you. You can't kill them one by one. That would take years. We don't have years. They just keep coming and breeding and slipping through the breached portals. We're dealing with mass level infiltration here. That means something has to be done on a massive level."
"I have a witch who stole a compass from a realm guardian and knows how to open a portal into another realm. Coincidence?"
"For the record, I didn't steal a compass," I stated. "Is that why you stole me from the hotel, so you can show me how a compass works?"
"No, I didn't steal you. I took you."
I rolled my eyes. "Same difference."
He frowned. "Same difference?"
I shook my head. "Steal. Took. What difference does it make?"
"Whether you did or did not steal the compass or whether I took you or stole you from your Crow vampires is beside the point right now. What I do know is that our goals align," he said.
"How so?"
"The thing you seek…" he started. "If you're correct and it's in this realm, you might be able to open the portal, but you need the compass to find it. That's a realm guardian's compass. I've already demonstrated that you'll need my help to make it work."
I smiled. I didn’t know whether to slap him, kiss him, or thank him. Every since he walked in the hut, my emotions had been in a rut.
Chapter 16
Leona
The rain didn't stop; it got worse. Every time lightning struck, the ground rattled, the hut shook, and almost everything inside vibrated. It seemed that Carrick, the dragon, wasn't worried about me trying to escape at all. The curtains were pulled back to let some light in and front door was wide open. I stood out on the mini porch while glancing out into what appeared to be thick forest and large boulders.
"Nice view, isn't it?" Carrick walked up behind me and set a stool out on the porch.
"You dragged me out here for the views?" I asked.
Not really," he said. "Have a seat." He pointed to the chair.
I sat down. "Where are we anyway?"
"About one hundred miles from civilization. If you're thinking about escaping…well, if I were in your predicament, I wouldn't even try it."
"Are you always this arrogant?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Depends on who you ask."
"Well, I'm asking you."
"We're in Texas," he said.
"Is this your home?"
He leaned on the porch railing adjacent to me. "It's not a home. Just a resting place. My job once required me to move from place to place a lot."
"Realm guardian, right?"
He nodded.
"That's why you're hiding."
He frowned. "Excuse me?"
"I know the story. I know that your Council got scared and banished the realm guardians from serving at their posts because of your demon blood. Your Council is barking up the wrong tree. They're killing the wrong people."
"If only the people on the Council would listen," he remarked.
"They wouldn't listen to a Trillium witch anyway. They think we're all crazy with our prophecies and such," I said.
"If there were solid proof, they'd have no choice but to see the truth," he said.
"Well, they will. I'll drag the truth out and in time, they will."
Carrick unfolded his arms and turned around to lean on the railing and peer out into the storm. I took in his stance, his wide back, the muscles on the back of his neck and arms. He was solid like stone. Suddenly I wished that I had been conscious when he flew me all the way to Texas to this claustrophobic little hut.
"When you came down in the basement of that hotel, I didn't detect a demon vibe from you. I probably would've fried you like the others if I did." I grinned.
He turned back around with his left eyebrow raised by just a fraction. "You're a violent little witch, aren't you?"
"Depends on who you ask."
"For what it's worth, I probably have about a fourth of demon blood in me. That's pretty hard to detect."
"Yes, I know. There's an elder in my coven who would've known within seconds."
"Are there lots of elders in your coven?" he inquired.
"Too many to name," I said. "They're probably looking for me, right now."
"Somehow, I don't believe that you're in all that much of a rush to get back to them," he replied.
"Honestly, I wanted to do this mission on my own anyway. In my visions, there aren't any other Trillium witches with me when I accomplish this task. I want to do it right, so I planned to escape last night when everyone one else was taking shelter from a hurricane that wouldn't have come anywhere near the mainland. Maybe the fates sent you to me."
He smiled. "Maybe they did."
"Well, I was tired of taking buses and ferries anyway. Are you certain your dragon will take me anywhere I want to go…on any realm?"
"He may need convincing and a bribe or two," Carrick teased.
I blushed. I couldn't help myself. "When will your dragon be ready to fly again?"
"I spot easily during the day. Nightfall is in seven hours. We'll fly out then. In the meantime, if you trust me enough, I caught and cooked some food."
No, I didn't trust him enough. But I didn't tell him that. I could tell that Carrick had been around the block enough to know that if he had any ill intentions, then he'd end up like the demons back at the hotel. Didn't matter how much demon blood he had in him. All I had to do was say the words and he'd either be ashes on the ground or a stone dragon.
As I passed the threshold into his hut again, I saw the way he looked at me. His bold gaze roved across my body and lazily assessed me
. I was powerless to resist the attraction I felt toward him. He was intoxicating—this dragon, this creature.
I wouldn't let my guard down. Not now. I needed the Grimoire more than I wanted to deny that I had a weakness for this man. And like he said, he was possibly the only one that could help me maneuver the dangerous parts of The Void. I certainly didn't have the time to find another realm guardian who could. He had shown up at just the right time and place.
Chapter 17
Carrick
I couldn’t sleep, but that didn't surprise me. My sleeping cycle was all fucked up because of my time in Bursgate. I wouldn't sleep at night because I could never predict when a volcano would erupt or demons would come spilling out. And I couldn't nap during the day either because that was almost the only time that I could hunt food. So, most days and nights, I learned to go without sleep. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who was restless. I heard the door to the cabin open. The witch, Leona barely made any noise, but her sweet scent drifted beneath my nose.
I wanted to see if she would attempt escape, so I kept my eyes closed, hands behind my head, as I lay out on my back on the grass beneath the tree waiting for the sun to rise.
Her essence grew stronger as she neared me. I waited.
A long minute passed and then a twig cracked near me. A soft gasp followed and my eardrums adjusted to pick up the synchronized rhythm of her heartbeat.
Leona examined me but wasn't aware that I knew it. I could feel it in my gut. I held back a grin and didn't move. She was a silent observer and probably could rob a man blind, but not this man. My time on Bursgate had taught me many things. One of them was how to detect someone trying to sneak up on me.
Her feminine scent was strong and sweet. I recalled holding the lost gray scarf to my nose several times after I had found it. The innocent scent couldn't have belonged to someone getting ready to commit mass murder. I was in denial. Thus I labeled her a danger to my sanity. I wasn't the man I used to be from years past. I used to take advantage of beautiful women nightly, but I made sure that I didn't become attached. It was always one night in bed with them and then I was off to a different city or town the next night.
"Carrick. Are you awake?" she whispered. Her voice wrapped around me like a blanket.
What would it be like to wake up to a voice so sweet every morning? To kiss lips as perfect as hers?
Cold, delicate fingertips came into contact with my chest and my breath hitched sharply. Why wasn't I afraid when I knew she was a Trillium witch with the power to kill me in seconds. Perhaps I didn't care if I died. Maybe I wanted her touching me just as badly as I wanted to live. It had been so long since anyone had touched me this way. The gesture put me at ease.
I opened my eyes, and empathy ran through me at the innocence etched on her face. "I'm awake."
She removed her hand from my chest. "I'm sorry if I scared you, but you looked so...still."
"Is everything alright?"
She nodded.
"Well, what's wrong? Scared? Still hungry? Changed your mind? Bed not comfortable enough? Water not hot enough?"
"No, that's not it. I took a shower and the water was warm enough. I couldn't sleep," she said, quietly. "It's so quiet here. I'm used to a lot of racket and commotion. After the disaster, my coven took up residence on an old college campus. And there's a military base across the street. It's always noisy."
I smiled. "Would you like me to make some noise? I could sing if you like, but I'm not very good at it."
She laughed and sat beside me under the tree. "That's okay. I had some time to think today after our meal."
"And?"
She wrung her hands in her lap. "I'm wondering if I'm getting my visions all wrong. If this is all a terrible mistake."
"It's perfectly normal to feel this way. You're taking on a big task. I truly can't imagine that your coven would give you such a huge responsibility."
"I'm to be Queen one day and if I live through this, I'll have to do a lot of things on my own," she said.
"Probably not as life altering, yes?" I asked.
"I hope not."
She lifted her hands again to rest on the scars that marked my bare chest. I bit my lips as her fingers grazed the healed welts. When the shock of her touch faded, warmth replaced it. Among the other gifts she possessed, her ability to soothe was one of them.
"These scars...the ones on your back and here on your chest...who did this to you?"
"I'm a former realm guardian, remember?"
"Yes, but some of these look terrible," she said, and then cupped her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry. That was rude."
"No, it wasn't. Scars are ugly for a time, but I get used to them. I've been attacked by demons and other supernatural species more times than I can remember."
She turned to face me and traced the longest scar from torso to shoulder. "They're jagged. Not straight like a knife wound. Kind of like claws."
She was very clever for a young witch. I wouldn't be able to withhold anything from her. Why try? I wanted to confess to her. Needed someone to understand what I had gone through in the past.
"Battle wounds," I told her. "Supernaturals don't always use weapons. Some of my scars are from fighting in dragon form."
"I thought your kind could kill anything with dragon fire. What creature would you be fighting in dragon form?"
"Another dragon."
She looked at me in confusion. "You'd fight your kind like that?"
"I'm a fire-breather from Kastanbul. There's another type of dragon. The ice-breathers from Nimroid. The two realms aren't exactly on peachy terms. Sometimes we bump heads on issues and we fight. But we never lose sight of the fact that we have a common enemy—the Demon King."
"An enemy that can never be allowed to walk freely throughout the realms again. A long time ago, the Demon King tried to use my ancestors to raise him. That plan fell through, but we're facing the same threat again. It's what started this mess in the first place. His demon army is trying to pave the way for him to become whole again. They breach the realms and eat souls on a massive level and the Demon King draws power from his army," she explained.
"That's why the realm guardians were so important. We cut the demons down before they ever had a chance to break free of Blackwald," I said.
"But your Council panicked and persecuted everyone with demon blood without understanding that the Demon King needs purebreds who can eat souls and bring them back to him. He has no use for living Cross Breeds…unless they're dead, of course."
"How did you come to know so much?" I asked.
"The knowledge is passed down through our bloodline. Unfortunately, my ancestors were the Shadows, the same race of witches who sought to raise the Demon King centuries ago. But your Council thinks we're hypocrites. They don't listen to us. It's been that way for centuries too. Why do you think no one of the Trillium bloodline has a seat at the table?"
"Witches are still considered human, but with powers," I countered. "Doesn't mean that I condone the decision to leave out humans, but that's the way I understand it."
"But there was a human before on the Council," she said.
"Yes, he sat there for two decades and then died. That's what mortals do, unfortunately. They die sooner than they expect. The seat opened up and some other supernatural claimed it. A vampire to be exact. And now he's one of the supernaturals that speaks for the humans on Earth."
She smirked. "A vampire representing the humans. Wouldn't you say that's a little unfair?"
"Yes, I would. But besides a human, what other supernatural race depends on the human population for survival and continuity?"
"I still think it's unfair," she said.
"A lot of things are unfair," I said.
"You know, I still wonder what your true intentions are for helping me," she said.
"You'll find out soon enough, Leona." I stood up and then reached down to pull her up. "I demand that you get some rest before we head out. Actually, I could
probably use a quick nap too."
"Yes, let's do that." She looked at the sky with a worried expression on her face. "I think by now my uncle has probably released every hunter under Trillium command. He never wanted me to proceed alone. I told him I had to."
"I could see why he wouldn't want you to be alone. If I were in charge of keeping you safe, I'd never let you out of my sight," I told her.
She shrugged. "He didn't have a choice. As I said, I'm to be Queen soon, if what they say about my mother is true."
"What of your mother?"
"I'm a little tired. We can talk about both of our mothers later. Okay?"
She yawned and began walking toward the hut. I let her go. The more I learned about Leona, the less I was convinced that she was the evil witch that my father painted her to be.
Chapter 18
Leona
Carrick was waiting for me by the hut standing under the same big Elm tree where he'd been napping yesterday. He was shirtless and I just couldn't help myself as I gazed at his bronzed, taut muscles once again.
"Ready?" he asked, walking toward me with the compass I'd shown him yesterday.
"I think so," I breathed.
He'd turned the compass into a necklace somehow and handed it to me.
"Wear it," he said.
I took the necklace and placed it around my neck. He helped me tighten the straps of the backpack he'd given to me to store food and water. He had a similar pack on the ground, but I already knew that his contained nothing but weapons and the same set of machetes that he had on the first night I met him.
When he rose again, I felt the change in the atmosphere and between us, and when I looked at his flesh again, I witnessed as black scales began to emerge on his chest.
I gasped and tried swallowing down my fears. I'd heard about dragons, had seen a man who I once knew was a dragon shifter but had never seen one in their true form. All I could remember when he'd flown me away from New Orleans to Texas was the wind rushing violently against my face, but I thought I'd been dreaming.
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