by Julia Mills
The death of Master Eaton had been devastating and proven that Kyra was definitely one hundred percent with the Dragon Guard. He had tried to find out who the older witch that had helped her was, but was still no closer to an answer. One good thing had come out of it; all the wizards had looked to him as their new leader and Andrew had embraced the role. He had even gotten John into the mansion, hidden behind a full beard and horn-rimmed glasses, but at least they were under the same roof, eliminating almost all the 007 spy bullshit. With John readily accessible day and night, they were making real progress deciphering the Prophecy.
Just that morning, John had come to him with a complete translation of the portion pertaining to the Earth element. He reread the script, confirming what he already knew. A powerful white witch, sworn to the Earth, of long regal lineage made whole by human love, must mate a dragon of royal descent marked by devastating loss and the heart of not one clan, but two. It was obvious to him after seeing the connection between Kyra and Royce that they were the two referred to in the ancient text.
He had told John to use every available wizard to locate the other texts and knew his second in command would do whatever it took. For some reason he could not explain, he knew that the Prophecy was the key to his future and there was no way he was giving up until he knew every word. Of course, that did not mean that he wouldn’t try everything in his power to bring down the ones that had betrayed him and left him for dead if the chance presented itself.
Mr. A had made it clear that as long as they continued to provide magical cover for his operations, he would provide muscle for Andrew’s. So in the last six months, while he and the wizards had searched for a way to take down the dragons and amass as much dark magic as possible, Mr. A had kidnapped young men and women and shipped them to buyers overseas with little to no detection from the authorities. Amazing how much easier it was to transport victims that had been subdued with a Stunning Spell as opposed to tied up and threatened.
There had been accidents….. victims had been accidently killed or scarred and unable to be sold, in which case Andrew tried to save them by giving them the chance to learn magic. For some it worked and for others…well, they became collateral damage. A few times someone that actually showed promise was hit by a stray spell and maimed or killed. One such young woman had been struck down, and no matter what they tried, she had remained comatose.
Andrew felt so bad for the beautiful young woman with long brown hair and delicate features, that he’d had John and another he trusted drop her at the hospital. He knew it was stupid and made him look soft, but she was sweet and he could tell that she had never hurt anyone in her life. She had also displayed a high degree of magical talent and her accident had been a loss to his cause. There had been something familiar about her, not familiar as in he had met her or her people before, but that something inside her was something he had encountered before.
The parchment pages of the archaic grimoire crinkled as he turned them. He recognized the smell of old blood and stale magic on every page, making him pay closer attention to the spells, sure something contained within could help him in his bid to destroy the dragon shifters once and for all. He was just about to call it a day when the Latin words for forever death and shapeshifter caught his eye…mortem in aeternum and versipellis… mortem in aeternum and versipellis…
The words echoed in his mind as he made his way through the mansion in search of John. If his instincts were right, this was the break they had been waiting six fucking months for, and he was not wasting one more damn day sitting on his ass.
~~~~~~~
The concrete beneath her back was hard, damp, and cold. The iron shackles that were locked around her wrists and ankles burned along with the chain that weighed heavily across her chest, stomach, and thighs. As long as she didn’t move too much, the chain stayed on what was left of her clothing and she avoided further injury. It had been at least a day since her captors had made an appearance, and she was so dehydrated that her lips cracked with the slightest movement. Even when they did appear, they only fed her two or three crackers and a piece of cheese, followed by warm water that tasted like a plastic bottle. Hunger and thirst had become her constant companions.
Opening her eyes and seeing nothing more than she did with them closed because of the complete darkness, she let them slide shut and prayed for the millionth time to the Goddess. She had tried to count days and it was difficult with the light depravation, but she was pretty sure she had been locked away for about six months, give or take a week or two. All thoughts of rescue had left her a long time ago, her prayers had turned dark, and all she wished for was a quick death.
As she finished her plea to her Maker, the sound of the key in the lock of the large iron door signaled the arrival of her captors. She knew there were always two by the sound of their heartbeats and that one was a woman by the smell of her perfume, but only one ever spoke, and it was always the man. The creak of the heavy door and six footsteps on the concrete floor and then the voice that she would never forget sounded. “Good evening Calysta, how are you this fine evening?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am a sarcastic, sometimes foul-mouthed, and not afraid to drink a beer, always southern woman, with 2 of the most amazing daughters in the world.
I have a voracious appetite for reading and decided it was time to write the stories running through my brain.
I read my first book, Dr. Suess' Cat in The Hat, by myself at 4 and was hooked.
I believe a good book along with shoes, makeup and purses will never let a girl down and that all the heroes of all the books I have ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to my daddy! I am a sucker for a happy ending and love some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance in my books.
I am still working on my story but you better believe it will contain all of the above with as much SPICE as I can work into it. MUCH LOVE! BIG HUGS!
