“When?” I asked.
“While I was there. She left me with some books and little direction as to what they were for, then said it was time. She died in my arms with no warning whatsoever.” There was a flash of emotion in her face I’d never seen before, and for the first time, I could really tell how much Ophelia had meant to Phox.
Raegan’s jaw twitched, and I couldn’t tell if she was fighting back tears or frustration. Probably both, because we needed all the help we could get, and we’d just lost the most experienced seer.
Talon and Gemma slid in next to me and caught on quickly to what had happened. Phox continued to speak of the happenings in Drakken and feared they weren’t prepared for what was to come.
“So, what did you see that you needed permission to share with us? I mean, we appreciate all the updates, but what about Malina?” Gemma asked.
“What day is it?” Phox asked.
“September Twenty-Sixth. Why?” I asked.
She sighed like I was an idiot. “Time is everything in my world.” Then, she disappeared.
All eyes turned toward JayLeigh, but she held her hands up in mock-surrender. “I have no idea what she knows. I just met her this side of the portal when I felt the energy shift. She asked where you all were, and I led her here.”
Something shady was happening, and I was worried we weren’t going to find out until something drastic happened.
Moving closer to Raegan, I wrapped an arm around her shaking form. She was pissed off and I didn’t blame her. So was I and made sure JayLeigh knew it. “So, we’ve waited weeks for Phox to come back with information, and now we’re expected to wait some more when we have no idea what could be coming for us around the next corner?”
JayLeigh patted my shoulder. “You’re a smart little elf.” Then, she disappeared as well, but Raegan wasn’t accepting that.
With cat-like reflexes, Raegan moved and yanked on JayLeigh’s invisible form. How she knew where the dragon was, I had no idea, but literal sparks flew between them as Raegan forced JayLeigh’s body into visibility again.
“How the hell…” JayLeigh gaped.
“No, what the hell?” Raegan snapped. “I’m done with the games, JayLeigh. I refuse to continue to play them. Not for Malina, the council, you, or Phox. We’ve done nothing but work our asses off, and for what? To be treated like we’re children who need to have more patience? Well, excuse me, but fuck that.”
Ah, there was my little spitfire dragon. Raegan’s emerald eyes were beginning to split, and I knew Chelle was close to the surface, but Raegan maintained control, and I was damn proud of her.
Before the shock wore off from JayLeigh’s face, Phox reappeared. “Raegan, come with me. The rest of you, we’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? What do you need my mate for that will take all night?” I snarled, not at all okay with her demands.
“It’s not what I need, Elf, but what everyone else needs. Now, go blow shit up in the forest for a release if you need to, but your mate is required elsewhere.” Phox leveled her stormy eyes on me. Being the shifter she was, I knew she was trying to throw alpha power at me, but it didn’t work. I would never obey her, and she was no queen.
Turning Raegan toward me, I made sure I had her complete attention. “Do you want to go with Phox?”
“If it means one step closer to destroying Malina, then yes.”
“Do you want to go by yourself?” I asked.
“No, I’d always rather have you at my side, but I trust her enough, and if it’s the only way to hear what she has to say, then I’ll be fine.” Raegan’s chin tilted up as she held my stare. There wasn’t an ounce of fear rolling through her. I, on the other hand, was about to lose my shit.
It wasn’t often I let her out of my sight for more than a few hours, but for a whole evening? It hadn’t happened in almost a year.
“Okay, but come back to me soon,” I all but begged.
She caressed my cheek. “Go with Talon, take Phox’s advice, and let some aggression out. Morning will be here before you know it.”
Gemma scoffed. “Just because you don’t get your man, doesn’t mean I have to go without as well.”
Talon grinned. “We won’t be long, and I promise to make it worth the wait.”
“Well, I’ve had enough.” JayLeigh gagged. “The four of you are repulsive.”
Peyton grunted. “Try hanging out with them every day, all day.”
“Hey, we’re not that bad,” Gemma said, and continued defending us, but I stopped listening.
Phox stepped forward and whispered something in my mate’s ear that had her stiffening before Raegan met my stare. “We have to go. Keep your phone on you, and I’ll call you as soon as I can. Be safe and I love you.”
Before I could respond, they both disappeared, and there was no reaching out to grab Reagan like she had done with JayLeigh. No, they were gone into thin air like they’d transported.
My chest rumbled, and the air grew chilly around me. My elf powers gave me a link to the elements, but not really any control over them. Marek had been trying to teach me how to tap further into the resources, though all my trainings had really done was amplified my connections when my emotions were escalated, still with no control.
“Come on, bro. Let’s go let off some steam.” Talon gripped my shoulder until I calmed down and the weather around us went back to normal.
I still wasn’t okay by any means, but I had a better handle on the rage within.
Talon said bye to Gemma while the girls made plans that had him grinding his teeth. “You owe me for leaving her with JayLeigh. That dragon is a bad influence.”
My laugh was dark. “While I’d love to agree with you, none of them are bad on their own. It’s only when they’re together that they feed off each other and we have to watch our balls.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
We ventured into the forest like Phox had suggested. Not that I wanted to listen to her after she’d taken Raegan away, but blowing up a few boulders did sound like a good use of my unexpected free time.
We headed toward a creek, and I decided to see what I could do with the water and the new magic I’d learned. “Feel like experimenting?”
Talon smirked. “As long as we’re still blowing shit up, then hell yeah.”
Moving toward the water, I dipped my fingers in and felt the power rolling through the stream. Marek had taught us that everything had its own magic, whether it was created by paranormal means or nature. We just needed the patience to access it.
Using the magic Phox had taught us on the first day combined with what I learned from Marek, I wrapped my energy around the water source and drew it toward me. Deciding to show off, I created a trident with the liquid.
“Overachiever,” Talon grumbled as he half-shifted and tossed a ten-foot boulder into the sky like it was nothing.
Focusing on the rock, I waited until the perfect moment to fling the water weapon at my target.
The trident sliced right through the rock, and the weapon exploded, but only water rained down on us, making me think it didn’t work.
That was until the boulder landed with a thud then split into two perfect halves.
Before I could inspect the damage, clapping sounded from behind us, and my entire being changed when I heard the cackle that went with it.
Slowly, I turned around and came face-to-face with Malina, though I wasn’t sure if it was actually her, because I couldn’t sense the evil that normally permeated from her.
“You’ve come so far, Lorynzo. I can’t wait to see what else you’ve learned,” she cooed while flicking her long dark hair back.
“How did you get in here?” Talon snapped while I continued to watch her. There was something off, but I couldn’t place it.
“Shadow Veil isn’t as safe as you believe it is, dragon. Come with me, and I can show you just what I mean.” Malina’s hands began to move in a pulling motion as if she had a tether directly tied
to Talon.
His face turned every shade of red as he fought her pull. He was already half-shifted, so I assumed he’d finish and bring his dragon out, but no such luck.
“Did you really come here for him, Malina? This doesn’t seem like you to sneak around. Or has time weakened you and you’re no longer so sure of your abilities,” I said, hoping to draw her attention.
It worked. A little too well.
One hand continued to tug at Talon, but the other flung out toward me, and an invisible force knocked me back a good twenty feet.
“You’re an idiot if you think I’ve weakened in the slightest.”
Getting up, I didn’t bother to dust myself off. “Then why are you hiding? You’re holding back. I can sense it. Maybe you’re just scared.”
She laughed as she waved her hand, opening a portal next to her. “No, I’m just smarter than the rest of you, and I know what and when things need to be done in order to get what I want. You all just lack the patience and power to do the same. Now, I’m going to take this dragon and be on my way.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I growled.
She raised a brow at me. “And who’s going to stop me?”
There was no point in responding to her question. It was what we’d spent the prior weeks training for. What Emmett believed we could do.
Only, we weren’t facing her together as a team, and I wasn’t stupid enough to believe I could defeat her on my own, but hopeful enough that I could at least prevent her from getting hands on Talon.
Drawing on the water and air around me, I pulled as much energy into my core as I could in the shortest amount of time and, without pause, created another trident and threw the weapon toward Malina’s form.
She twisted to avoid a direct hit, and the tip grazed her arm which only served to piss her off more. I hadn’t done enough damage to break the hold she had on Talon, but there was a weird spark when my magic collided with her.
“I don’t have time for you,” she roared, walking closer to Talon and further from the portal.
Charging for her, I had no idea what I intended to do, but I couldn’t just stand there any longer. She paid me little attention, and I soon realized why.
Just as my body should have smashed into hers, her form shimmered, and I moved right through her.
“Portal,” Talon managed to say through gritted teeth.
Taking one look back, I realized there was someone trying to come through, a vampire with disturbing red eyes and a scar across his cheek I’d seen before. Knowing he had to be dealt with later, I focused on destroying the portal, so neither he nor anyone else could sneak in.
Gathering enough power to take a building down, I threw it toward the opening and enjoyed the shouts of the vampire as my power pushed him back and the portal closed.
But my celebration was short lived when I turned toward Talon again. Malina was ripping scales from his arm, and I didn’t understand how she could do that when I couldn’t touch her and she wasn’t touching him. It was like she was suctioning them off.
An idea formed, and I hoped Talon would forgive me because we were running out of time.
Without pause, I aimed for my target and fired off several rounds of magic toward my friend. When his form crumbled to the ground, his half-shift disappeared.
“Maybe you’re smarter than I gave you credit for,” Malina snarled, “but I have what I came here for. Taking him would have just been an added bonus.”
“We’re coming for you, Malina. You can’t hide forever.”
“Who said I was hiding?” She winked, and then her body disintegrated into a pixelated dust before completely disappearing.
Chapter 12
There had been only one way Phox was going to get me alone, and she knew it. She used my desire for more information against me and I played right into it like a fool. I had assumed she was taking me somewhere private to tell me about her “surprise information”, but instead, we ended up in Marek’s room.
“Phox, nice of you to knock,” Marek said before noticing I was standing there, too. “Is everything okay?”
She shrugged. “I need you to keep Raegan’s dragon contained for another thirty or so minutes.”
My body tensed. This was no surprise. This was a kidnapping.
Taking two steps back, my hand reached for the door, but Phox yanked me back toward her. “Marek, tell her she can’t leave.”
“I need more information than that before I demand my dau—her to do anything. You know I don’t like to take people’s free will.”
My heart fluttered at him almost calling me his daughter. I knew he would have if I wasn’t there, and he’d only corrected himself because we really hadn’t talked about what our relationship was or could be. One day, when there wasn’t chaos all around us, we’d have to air things out.
“What about if it prevents her from getting taken by Malina?” Phox countered.
Marek’s eyes widened as he mumbled an apology to me before uttering his next words. “Raegan, you will sit on this couch and not leave it until I say you’re allowed to. Any attempt to fight my command will only resort in pain for yourself. Please don’t fight it.” He was practically begging me when he finished, and I tried to be pissed at him as my legs involuntarily took me to the couch, but I didn’t have the energy.
“One of these days, I’m going to kick your ass, Phox. More importantly, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of it,” I grumbled. Suddenly, the love-hate relationship I had with her was strongly leaning toward hate.
“I eagerly await the day. Now, who wants to know what I know?” she asked with too much enthusiasm.
“What’s going on? Why would Malina have a chance at taking Raegan?” Marek asked.
“Well, she’s on the grounds of Shadow Veil right now. A version of her anyway. She has managed to create a magical replica of herself that we can’t physically touch, but defensive magic will weaken the temporary form.”
“And where exactly is she at?” I asked.
“She’s headed for Enzo and Talon in the forest. It was the best place I could send them with the least number of casualties.”
Every muscle in my body fought to move, but with every centimeter I gained, anguish tore through my chest.
“I’m sorry, Raegan. Please, stop fighting it,” Marek pleaded.
“Let. Me. Go,” I snarled.
Phox slapped her hand over Marek’s mouth. “Nobody will die today if we do not interfere. You have to trust me.”
He glared at her but nodded his head. “You better keep talking,” he demanded once his mouth was free.
“Well, I’ve had a few visions. Even more since Ophelia passed on.”
Marek stopped her. “What? When did this happen?”
“Umm, a few days ago? Hard to tell with travel time. She was ready to go, and it was her choice, so don’t feel sad for her. We will properly celebrate her life as soon as this is over.”
I knew Phox was crass, but she seemed to have little remorse for the elder dragon seer’s death, and I suddenly questioned how much we could trust her. Something happened in Drakken, and she had changed for the worse.
I knew death had a way of changing those left behind, and with Phox being so closed-off, I doubted we would get anything that was actually helpful in understanding just how Ophelia’s passing was really affecting her.
“Fine, keep going,” Marek grunted.
Deciding there really was no choice but to listen to her, I held my tongue about Ophelia. Though, I was still fuming from knowing Enzo was going to be near Malina without any backup. We’d been training for this. There wasn’t any reason why our team couldn’t have descended wherever Enzo was and stopped Malina right then.
Phox rested her hand on my shoulder. “Raegan, calm down. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m helping you. Talon and Enzo are fine. If you want to win the war, you have to let Malina win this battle. I promise.”
“I will calm down when you tell me
what the hell is going on and Enzo is back safe inside this school.”
She let out a frustrated sigh and walked to sit in front of me, while Marek took the seat next to me. “So, I left here because I had a split vision: two different potential futures. One where we were attacked at the academy and another where the fight was taken to New Orleans.”
“Which is the one where we win?” I asked.
“I don’t know, but I can tell you that if you fight within the academy, it will fall. Even if you stop Malina, you will have nothing left to protect.”
Marek leaned forward. “What are you saying, Phox?”
“I’m saying that there will be several battles between now and then. You will not win them, but there is a chance to still defeat her.”
My chest physically hurt. Worse than when I found out Enzo had been working for Malina. Worse than when my parents died, because this time, it sounded like I could lose everything, and that scared the hell out of me.
The door opened, and Jules came twirling in without looking up from her phone. “Hey, have you seen my—” Her voice cut off when she noticed Marek wasn’t alone. “What’s going on?” she asked after recovering from the surprise.
“Malina is apparently on school grounds right now beating the shit out of my mate and Talon, but since supposedly they won’t die, it’s totally okay, and I’ve been forced to sit here and do nothing. Oh, and we will lose every fight headed for us. Except maybe not the final battle, which should take place in New Orleans. Otherwise, everything goes to shit regardless of who wins.” My head turned toward Phox. “Did I miss anything?”
She shrugged. “You got the important pieces.”
“What the hell? Why didn’t anyone call me?” Jules asked as she squeezed in next to Marek.
His hand reached out to hers, and I could see the tension between the two of them. Had I missed something? Possibly. Or maybe it was just the shitastic situation we’d found ourselves in. Either way, I didn’t have time to dissect whatever may or may not be going on between them.
Daring Provocation (Shadow Veil Academy Book 3) Page 9
