by Vella Day
He waved a hand. “Suit yourself.”
She straightened, but it was becoming increasingly more difficult to focus as something was affecting her balance and vision. “Why am I being held captive?”
He might be Prince Rathan Abercrombie to the constituents in Avonbelle, but that didn’t mean he necessarily held any power over her.
Rathan leaned back in his chair, looking way too confident. He wore an expensive blue suit and a white shirt opened at the throat. If he weren’t such a despicable man, she’d say he was almost handsome with his thick black hair slicked back and his rugged features.
“I need your help,” her cousin said.
That was a joke. A member of the Royal family never asked for help from a Guardian—not that he realized she was one. To him, she and her family were merely owners of a mine who possessed magical powers. It didn’t seem to matter that their mothers were sisters and grew up in this castle.
A snarky comment shot to her lips, but the old adage of honey working better than vinegar came to mind. Besides, with her hands in cuffs, she didn’t have much leverage.
For a moment she debated shifting and taking him on, until a flash of reason surfaced. That wasn’t an option in this room either. While she was confident the change would annihilate the cuffs, his office was a mere four hundred square feet and the ceiling only twelve feet high—three feet shorter than her dragon height.
Not only that, she was not at full power and she needed to be if she expected to defeat Rathan. The Royals compensated for not having as much magic as others by training intensely—like the American Special Forces. When she’d lived in Colorado, she read about them in the news.
Their extensive training made the Royals quite difficult to defeat, which meant fighting Rathan now would most likely result in her death. Even if she did manage to get close enough to attack, the two goons standing watch would charge in.
“What do you need from me?” She was pleased she managed to speak with a less acidic tone, though what she wanted to do was yell and spit in his face.
He nodded to the two men at the door. “Leave us, but don’t go far.”
“Yes, Prince.”
As soon as the men stepped outside, Rathan sat up straighter. “I’ll be honest. The dark lighters who have provided us with our magic are getting old. We need fresh blood.”
Her pulse soared. This implied that the adrenaline rush the Royals received with each infusion of magic was decreasing. Good. “And that would involve me how? My magic abilities are only used for good.”
He threaded his fingers together. “That can be changed quite easily.”
Kaleena’s legs weakened at what he implied. She took a step backward and bumped into the chair. A second later, her rear hit the seat. Kaleena had seen the spells put forth by the dark lighters, and they were incredibly powerful. She doubted they were growing weaker, only more taxed as more Royals were born. “Can you explain what you mean by that?”
“Oh, my dear cousin, you are so naïve. The dark lighters are trying to give us royal dragons what we need, but they are overwhelmed with work right now. Rest assured, we will soon be more powerful than any other dragon shifter—including you and your family.”
An intense spike of fear coursed through her. The only way her family could boost their abilities was to use dark magic, and they would never do that. Besides, the Guardians had no desire to conquer and were content with the magic Fate gave them. “You will never have more magic than us,” she said, hoping that statement was true.
He shook his head and blew out a breath, acting as if he were talking to a child. “Surely, you’ve noticed the Royals are on the rise. It’s only a matter of time before we take back what is rightfully ours—and that includes land and resources. With your help, we can do it sooner rather than later.”
He must be referring to her family’s mine, and that wasn’t going to happen. “Take back what is rightfully yours? That’s a joke.” He’d never get his hands on SinCas Mining and Gems. “You will never get what you want. The Guardians will help protect what is rightfully ours.”
“Guardians, ha. Let’s not belittle my intelligence. I know more than you think about those so-called saviors. Soon, they will have many surprises coming their way. Let’s just leave it at that, shall we?”
What an ass. He couldn’t know that she was one. Her family kept it secret that they were the protectors. Rathan was just testing her, but she wouldn’t fall for it. “Don’t think your constituents will give you any money either. They already pay more taxes than is fair. Hell, you practically torture a good portion of the human population to do your bidding and then tax the crap out of them so they can’t live any kind of life.”
He lifted his chin. “They are compensated. We provide some of them with living quarters.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s right. I can understand why you think it’s okay to treat humans so poorly. Most of them don’t fight back. Clearly, they’ve forgotten how the Royals of old kidnapped their ancestors from Earth and then turned them into slaves.”
Rathan planted a hand on his chest. “You’re so harsh in your assessment, my dear. In case you haven’t noticed, the Royals do a lot of good here in Avonbelle. Who do you think takes care of the roads, keeps the water clean, and the countrymen educated and healthy? We do! And that takes money.”
He was delusional, but she wouldn’t get into a debate about how poorly managed everything was. If it weren’t for her family’s help and that of the Caspians, no progress would have been made in Tarradon. To argue with him would do no good, however. “And the other dragons? How did you lure them into helping you?”
He waved a hand and lifted his chin. “Lure is such an ugly word. Those who joined us were the smart ones. Plain and simple. They saw the value in joining the winning side.”
Hogwash. Dragons always had a weakness for treasure. She was sure Rathan promised them riches for their loyalty, but she questioned how often he actually delivered. As interesting as this line of questioning was, it wouldn’t help her figure out how to gain her freedom.
“What did Aunt Teresa say when you told her you had kidnapped me?”
Rathan shifted in his seat. “She doesn’t know, nor will she ever.”
That didn’t surprise her. “How are you going to keep that fact from her?” Once her family realized Kaleena was missing, her mom would call her sister and ask for her help. All staff gossiped.
Kaleena suddenly realized the answer—he planned to use her then kill her. He didn’t care what his mother thought. Crap. She would have to escape sooner rather than later. Kaleena Sinclair wasn’t part white lighter for nothing. “You won’t get away with it, you know.”
“Just leave that to me. Shall we get down to business?” He smiled as if this were a friendly conversation about the weather. “Here’s what I need you to do for me. First, I will have my best dark lighter teach you how to reach your dark side. She’ll start simply by having you kill some small animals, and then we might move on to humans. After that…”
She couldn’t listen to anymore. Rathan explained acts of evil so horrific that Kaleena managed to shut off her brain until he stopped listing the litany of terrible deeds he expected her to perform. By the time he finished speaking, her hands were trembling. “I won’t do dark magic. It will kill me.”
“Come, come. Surely you exaggerate. I only need your help for a month or so. Then I’ll let you go.”
His eyes almost morphed into slits. She knew the signs. Rathan was working hard to keep control from all the lies he was telling. Without a doubt, he would kill her once she was no longer of use. First and foremost, Kaleena had to find a way to get word to her family. Given how weak she was though, escaping on her own now seemed impossible, but she wouldn’t stop trying.
He held up a finger. “I would consider letting you go sooner if you’re willing to pass your magic onto me right now. Just place your fingers on my temple to donate your abilities and say that magic
word only you know! Then I’ll set you free.”
If she did that, she’d lose all of her abilities. She hadn’t realized Rathan was losing his grip on reality. The man needed to be shown just who he was dealing with. Partially shifting and then shooting fire at him might make him think twice about keeping her jailed, especially if she caught him off guard.
Kaleena jumped up with the intent to distract him. “You’re insane, Rathan. I will never give you my magic or help you in any way. Trust me when I say once the king learns what you’ve done, he’ll be furious with you.”
She lifted her hands to partially shift and shoot fire, but nothing happened. What the hell?
Rathan’s eyes widened, probably matching her own surprised expression. He then laughed. “What’s wrong, cousin? Don’t tell me you were trying to shift? Can’t do it, can you? Not even partially. What a shame.”
The extent of his demonic ways finally sunk in. “What did you do to me?”
“Not much. Those cuffs are sending a bit of poison through you, just enough to keep that damn dragon of yours busy.”
Kaleena stumbled toward him and planted her palms on his desk. “You bastard.”
He smiled. “It’s for your own good. I don’t want you hurting yourself. Oh, and by the way, your magic has been bound as well.” He looked over at the door. “Guards, get in here,” he demanded.
The door flew open and footsteps sounded behind her. “You won’t get away with this,” she said between gritted teeth.
“I already have. I’ll be sending in one of our dark lighters to help you see a bit of reason. Please do as she asks. I’d hate to have to kill you.”
“Fuck you.”
“Tsk, tsk, such language.” Rathan waved his hand, and one of the guards grabbed her arm while the other blindfolded her again. This couldn’t be happening.
Help me, she begged her dragon.
I’m trying.
The two guards escorted her out through the door, each having a strong hold on her. Her energy waned with each step, yet somehow the trip back to her cell didn’t seem as far as the walk there. Possibly they took a different route to further disorient her. The sounds and smells intensified, implying her dragon was helping somewhat to fight off the effects of the poison, but it wasn’t nearly as fast as she’d like.
The cuffs were solid, about a half-inch thick, so how the hell were they poisoning her? She’d have to examine them once she reached her cell.
It’s dark magic, her dragon announced, sounding quite certain.
Of course it was. Rathan was a bastard. At her first opportunity, she would kill him.
The guards stopped and then opened her cell door. One of them undid the blindfold and then shoved her inside. Her knees crashed into the cot and she tumbled forward. Kaleena could endure pain. What she wouldn’t do was perform dark magic, partly because the more she performed it, the more her white light would disappear until eventually, complete blackness would kill her soul. She’d rather die than be evil.
Rathan would be sending a dark lighter to her soon, but whatever the woman demanded, Kaleena would resist, assuming she had the strength.
From the light coming in the windows in Rathan’s office, it wasn’t yet noon, but even if she could sleep and enter Finn’s mind, he wouldn’t be going to bed for many more hours. Damn.
Rest, her dragon said. I need to work at keeping this poison at bay to the best of my abilities. Mind you, these cuffs are thwarting me at every turn.
Only because she had nothing else to do did she lie down and close her eyes. Her mind instantly swam with unpleasant images. Rathan could have kidnapped other white lighters more powerful than herself, so why choose her?
The mole the Guardians had planted in the castle told of how Rathan’s father, the King, watched his wife very carefully and restricted her contact with her two sisters, Kaleena’s mom and Iona Caspian once they moved out of the castle. Maybe by harming Kaleena, Rathan was trying to get back at his two aunts for mating outside of the royal kingdom and leaving his mom alone.
But did her cousin’s motive really matter? She was here, and Rathan seemed determined to make her pay for something. Could she augment the magical abilities of the Royals? Sure, but she wouldn’t. Not ever.
Finn will save you, her dragon said.
As much as she wanted to believe her optimistic animal, she was a realist. The chances of him finding his way to Tarradon were slim. Even if he did, how could he find her? As a wolf shifter, it wasn’t as if he could fight dragons.
Well, shit. She never should have asked him to come, because the man she was falling in love with just might try.
By the time Finn returned home from his brother’s mating celebration, it was close to eleven thirty. Only thirty minutes to go before he would be landing on Tarradon. Unless that is, he’d been a naïve fool to believe the old witch. Could she really make the portal work? Ophelia said she would call him, but so far there had been no contact. If he had her number, he’d call her, but his brother’s mate and her mom were the only ones able to contact her.
Hoping for the best, he busied himself by packing a change of clothes, praying the preparation wasn’t for nothing.
But what if I imagined it all? he asked his wolf.
Stop doing this to yourself, his wolf said. Kaleena is your mate. You heard Connor. He and EmmaLee met a dragon from Tarradon. Kaleena is real.
You’re right. Sorry.
When eleven fifty came and went, and Ophelia had not contacted him as promised, a wave of depression set in. She’d always been so helpful to his family, so why did she have to pick now to lead a McKinnon astray?
Even if she arrived in the next few minutes, by the time they drove to this portal, it would be past midnight. He could only assume something had gone wrong. Finn picked up the bag he’d set by the front door and returned it to his room. He stared at the bed. Maybe he should try to get some sleep, in the hope that Kaleena would dream-walk with him again. He might even ask her to show him their waterfall haven so they could make love once more.
Someone knocked on his door, jarring him out of his daydream, jacking up his heart rate. He didn’t sense a shifter signature so it couldn’t be one of his relatives stopping by to check up on him. Finn rushed to the door and threw it open. It was Ophelia! Blood thrummed through his body, adding pressure to the growing headache.
“Better get out here, boy. We only have a few minutes left.” Ophelia turned and headed toward his front lawn, wearing only a thin gray dress. He hoped it wasn’t because she didn’t have enough money to buy a coat.
Move, his wolf warned.
“Let me get my case,” he called after her.
He ran back to his bedroom and grabbed his bag and jacket. Once outside Finn shivered as he rushed up to Ophelia. “So now what?”
“We wait here for the portal to open.”
That didn’t sound all that promising. He slipped on his jacket. “Are you saying it will open in my front yard?”
No one had accused her of being batty, but maybe old age had finally caught up with her.
Ophelia placed a hand on his arm. “I told you this is a special portal—one that will deliver you someplace safe. So, yes, it will be near. Now look for some air disturbances, and be quick. We only have another minute or two.”
Air disturbances?
Whatever. He’d humor her and look. With his overnight bag slung over his shoulder, Finn stepped back to the street in order to have the best view. His wolf growled and urged him to head toward the spare bedroom window. Finn wasn’t sure why, but he went with his animal’s instinct. When he drew near, a slight whirring sound made him stop. Did portals make noise? “Ophelia?” he called.
When she didn’t answer, he turned, only to find she was nowhere in sight. What the fuck? Had she walked around to the back of the house to look for it?
“Ophelia? Where are you? Did you find the portal?” he shouted.
No answer. A strong wind whipped around the
house and caused chills to race up his body, but he wasn’t sure if it was the cold or from nerves. No car sat in his drive, which meant someone must have dropped her off. If that person had picked her up just now, he should have heard the engine.
Finn rushed to the back and called out once more, but she wasn’t there. Fuck me. He’d been fooled by a diminutive Wendayan. Just as he was about to head back inside and figure out how to admit to his folks that he’d been duped, another whirring sound reached him, only this time it was stronger. Once more, it came from near the bedroom window.
Check it out, his wolf urged.
He agreed only because he wanted to make sure this wasn’t another trick by Ophelia. I’ll look one more time, and then I’m heading inside where I plan to get stinking drunk. Heaven only knows he’d never fall asleep now.
As Finn moved over by the bedroom window to investigate, his vision blurred and his body seemed to stand still.
“You must be Finn,” said a giant of a man, slipping out from behind a huge tree.
What the hell?
Chapter Five
The large stranger extended his hand, but Finn was leery of taking it. The moon backlit the giant, preventing Finn from seeing his features clearly. Bottom line, this guy was trespassing on his property.
Just as Finn was about to go on the defensive, he realized the air was balmy and smelled like pine and rich loom. What he could see of the dark landscape was lush, not stark like the trees in Tennessee. They were standing in a field. No streets visible. No streetlights. No other houses. His gut clenched at the differences.
Holy shit. The portal worked. Or was he just dreaming?
The man lifted Finn’s hand and shook it. Answer him, his wolf urged. “Yes, I am Finn. Who are you?” He hadn’t meant to sound harsh, but his senses had overloaded.
“I’m Jamison Sinclair, Kaleena’s father.”
Stunned, Finn struggled to say something coherent. “Her father?”
“Come. Ophelia wouldn’t tell me what was going on, only that you had some very important information for me regarding my daughter.”
