Dragon's Gift: The Amazon Complete Series: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set

by Linsey Hall

“We’ll stay here and try to find a way to break past their barriers and stop whatever they are doing.” Jude’s face paled. “Though you should hurry, Rowan. I don’t know that we have anything in our arsenal that will work, and if they keep going, the village will be destroyed.”

  I had a horrible feeling that the village would be a relatively minor casualty of what the Stryx were planning. Something far worse would happen if they succeeded in their goals.

  “I’ll go with you,” Maximus said.

  My gaze flashed to him. “You will?”

  “Why?” Jude asked, a glint in her eye.

  Oh yeah, she was onto the fact that there was something between us. Hopefully I wouldn’t get a talking-to about professionalism, given that he was my trainer. I’d have a hard time sitting through that and not saying something I shouldn’t.

  “The Order needs answers as much as you do,” Maximus said. “And my colleagues can help you try to find a way to break through the Stryx’s barrier. That’s not my specialty. But I could help Rowan. And I want to.” He turned to me. “I don’t want you going alone into the unknown.”

  My eyes flared wide briefly. We’d shared a kiss and some serious sexual tension, but this was practically a proclamation that he cared for me.

  And he’d said it in front of other people.

  I nodded, trying to keep my face set in professional lines. “I could use some help, and since Bree and Ana will be busy here…” I trailed off, making it a question.

  Jude nodded. “They will be.”

  “Then Maximus is definitely the perfect person,” I said. “We work well together.”

  He nodded.

  “Fine,” Jude said. “I like the idea of you having backup. And if today in class was any indication, you need to take every opportunity you can get to learn to harness your magic.”

  Her words triggered a memory of Hermes’s words. Before the magic devours you.

  I swallowed hard and nodded, determined to fix my magic—and stop the Stryx—before either of them had a chance to devour me.

  Jude looked at Bree and Ana. “Let’s get back to it.”

  I hugged my sisters hard, whispering, “Be careful.”

  “You too.” Bree squeezed my arms. “I know you can do this.”

  “No doubt in my mind,” added Ana.

  I smiled at them, blinking away the prick of tears and wondering why I was suddenly a bit weepy.

  They hurried up the hill, and I turned to Maximus, holding up the transportation charm. “Can we stop by the Protectorate to grab some potion bombs? Do you have a transport charm?”

  Maximus frowned. “You have your lightning and water magic now. And the death magic. Do you really need them?”

  I could hear what was unspoken. He thought the potion bombs were my crutch. And maybe they were.

  Still, I wanted them.

  I raised the special transportation charm Hermes had given me.

  “Wait a moment.” He strode toward me and gently gripped my arms. At his touch, I realized I hadn’t been alone with him in days. He gazed down at me, a crease of concern between his brows. His blue eyes were intense. Too intense to look away. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Really?”

  “If I’m not, I’ll be fine as soon as I figure out my magic.”

  A wry smile quirked up at the edge of his mouth. “You don’t let anything get you down, do you?”

  “I did once.” I’d been down the whole time I was held by the Rebel Gods. I didn’t want to end up like that again. “Keep on keepin’ on, right?”

  “It’s not the worst motto in the world.” He bent down and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

  I leaned into him, reveling in his touch. But it wasn’t enough.

  I tilted my head back and pressed my lips to his, stealing a kiss. Not from him, since he gave it willingly. But from time, because it seemed we never had enough. His scent and taste wrapped around me, momentarily making me breathless.

  The sound of an explosion tore through the quiet, making my insides vibrate.

  I pulled back, slightly breathless. “We have more important things to be doing.”

  Maximus’s gaze was hot as it met mine. “The only thing more important than kissing you is the end of the world.”

  I hiked a thumb over my shoulder. “Isn’t that what this is?”

  He nodded, his expression dire. “Indeed.”

  I stepped back and raised the transport stone.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” he asked.

  “Istanbul. He said this would take me to the Amazons.” I hurled the stone to the ground.

  A glittery gold cloud burst forth. Not the usual silvery gray of a transport charm, so it must have been something special.

  The ether sucked me in and spun me through space, then spit me out in the middle of a heaving, bustling city. Maximus appeared next to me, an anchor in a surging storm of people. I grabbed his arm as hundreds rushed by, all dressed in business suits.

  Mid-morning rush?

  I glanced up at Maximus. “Let’s get out of here.”

  We pushed our way to the edge of the crowd, which was flowing down the sidewalk in one long stream of people. We tucked ourselves into a doorway nook that led into a shop, and I surveyed the crowd.

  Where the heck were we?

  A scan of the city street showed tall glass buildings piercing the blue sky, imposing sentinels of businesses that could be located anywhere in the world.

  I had expected the Amazons to be ancient warrior women, living in some remote place and wearing old-school armor. Not these Amazons, though.

  “I guess this is the closest big city to the shore of the Black Sea where they used to live.” Given that most of my knowledge of the Amazons came from comics and Hermes, I was going to really need to bone up. “But where the hell do they live now?”

  The place was huge, with millions of people, seemingly everywhere I looked.

  “Hermes didn’t give you directions?”

  “He just said to look for a symbol of a warrior woman.” My gaze snagged on a massively tall building. Right in the middle was a huge crest—a woman holding two swords crossed over her head. I pointed. “And that is pretty obvious.”

  I pushed my way through the crowd, moving quickly toward the building that looked like it was a center of international finance or something equally boring.

  Seriously, what the hell were the Amazons doing here?

  Maximus kept pace behind me since the crowd was flowing too thick and strong for us to walk side by side. When we finally spilled out into the stone courtyard in front of the building, I sucked in air, grateful for the space.

  Huge glass doors beckoned, each of them two stories tall and etched with an image of ancient warrior women.

  “Not subtle, are they?” I asked.

  “I wouldn’t be, if I were them,” Maximus said. “And even if they’re trying to blend with humans, no one would guess they’re the real thing.”

  I stepped into the echoing foyer of the building. It was huge, seeming to take up the whole bottom floor, and nearly empty. The floor was a gleaming lake of black marble that shined under the modern steel chandeliers. A big granite desk occupied the middle of the space, and two women sat behind it, contemplating a chessboard between them.

  As soon as my foot hit the marble floor on the interior side of the doorway, they stood, quickly going to attention, their gazes fixed on me and Maximus.

  Well, they certainly weren’t dressed like secretaries. Instead of skirts and blouses, they wore black tactical gear. Each wore a strange golden crystal around her neck.

  Their stance was casually deadly, shoulders relaxed but hands close to the daggers sheathed at their thighs. It was hard to determine either woman’s age, but there was something ancient about them. Powerful. The warriors might look like they were in their twenties, but they sure didn’t feel like it.

  I began to approach, closing the twenty-
yard distance between us with Maximus at my side. My skin prickled with awareness. Familiarity, almost. The women raked their gazes up and down my form, clearly forming their first opinions about me.

  Both were over six feet tall. The one on the left had straight dark hair and even features. Her brow was set in a firm line over dark eyes that missed no details. The one on the right wore her red hair up in a high ponytail that trailed down her back. Her face was softer, with rounded cheeks and fuller lips. But no one would mistake her for the weaker one. No one would mistake either of them for weak.

  Real-life Amazons.

  “How can we help you?” The redhead had a deeper voice than I’d expected, but it wasn’t unfriendly.

  “I’m, ah—looking for the Amazons. Hermes sent me.”

  Their brows flew up, and they glanced at each other. When they looked back at me, interest gleamed in their eyes.

  “The new girl?” the brunette asked.

  “Maybe?” I honestly had no idea.

  The brunette’s hand went for the dagger at her thigh. Quickly, she drew it from the sheath. As the metal slipped free of the leather, it grew and lengthened into a wickedly long sword.

  Nice. The inane thought cut through my shock.

  She lunged, and there was no more time for shock. Her sword swiped out for my neck, and very briefly, my life flashed before my eyes.

  5

  As the dark-haired Amazon went for me, the redhead went for Maximus.

  My attacker was fast, her blade zipping toward my neck. At the last moment, I ducked, going low to avoid her blade. The steel whistled overhead, so close that it might have severed a few hairs.

  Heart pounding, I lunged away, catching sight of the redhead and Maximus fighting fast and hard.

  Dang. This is not what I expected.

  I reached into the ether and drew a sword, spinning to face the brunette who had followed me. She was fast and strong, swinging her blade like a pro as she bore down on me.

  I dodged the steel once, twice, then got in a strike of my own, forcing her to dodge backward. I pressed my advantage, lunging with another swipe. This one made her duck, and I swung again, determined not to lose my lead.

  But what should I do with it?

  I didn’t want to kill them. I needed to be here. I could feel it. These were my people, and information was within these tall glass walls. But if I didn’t decide soon, I’d lose this advantage. The Amazon and I were too evenly matched.

  Beside me, Maximus fought the other Amazon. She was strong and fast, but he had the advantage of height and strength. Their steel clashed as they parried, each taking the lead in turns.

  I looked back at the dark-haired Amazon, since she was the one with the power to take off my head. I lunged for her again, but she grinned and leapt backward, lowering her sword.

  I was still in strike mode and was barely able to pull back in time. I stopped right before my steel cut into her arm.

  She grinned as if she’d known I’d stop. “Not bad.”

  The redhead darted away from Maximus, clearly taking a cue from her colleague that the fight was over. “Her man isn’t bad, either.”

  My mouth opened. I almost said that he wasn’t my man.

  But then, was that even true? And I wanted him to be, if I were honest about it. Either way, that wasn’t what I’d come here to discuss.

  “What the hell is going on?” I asked.

  “Just seeing if you measure up.” The brunette stepped forward and stuck out her hand. “I’m Antimache.”

  I shook her hand, appreciating her strong grip but confused all the same. “Rowan. This is Maximus.”

  He just nodded his greeting, his eyes wary.

  The redhead thrust her hand out. “I’m Melousa. We’re glad you’re here.”

  I shook her hand, my gaze taking in the entire space. “Were you expecting me?”

  “Hoping,” Antimache said.

  “What is this place?” I asked.

  Maximus was being oddly silent, but I appreciated it. This was kind of my show, and he wasn’t the sort of man to need to be loud to make his presence known.

  Melousa gestured for us to follow her. “Come, we’ll introduce you to the queens.”

  “Queens? Plural?” Hermes had given two names, but I hadn’t focused on it at the time. I followed them across the gleaming stone floor toward a bank of elevators on the far wall.

  “Yes, plural,” Melousa said. “Cooperation and teamwork have kept us alive this long. No point in stopping now.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. It was how my sisters and I lived. Stronger together than apart.

  The elevator dinged as the doors opened, and we stepped inside. The far wall was made of glass that looked out onto the street. A harried businessman walked by, his tie flapping in the wind as he shouted into a cell phone. It was a strangely human, normal scene, considering that I was standing with the ancient Amazons.

  “Why did you move to a human city?” I asked.

  “It was closest to our homeland by the Black Sea,” Melousa said. “And it was time to get away from the countryside. We’re not like some of the ancients, clinging to the past. We’ve moved into the modern world.”

  As the elevator zipped upward, revealing an amazing view of the city below, I couldn’t help but agree. The Amazons had adapted, and they’d adapted well.

  In the distance, I caught sight of a massive body of water. The Black Sea that she’d mentioned? I really needed to brush up on my geography. I glanced at Maximus, who looked impressed but wary.

  Yep, just about how I feel.

  The elevator doors dinged, and I turned as they opened, revealing a massive office where every wall was made of glass. There were two large desks in the room, as well as furniture and one of those archery targets. The whole place was decorated with a modern flair, everything showing sleek, simple lines. Except for a few ornate statues that looked to be thousands of years old. Definitely originals, heirlooms of their past.

  No matter how far they’d moved into the future, they couldn’t let go of what had come before.

  I couldn’t blame them. Neither could I.

  Two women stood in the middle of the room, staring at the elevator doors as if they’d expected us.

  Magic fairly rolled off of them, smelling like a fresh sea wind and sounding like battle—the clash of metal, the sound of footsteps pounding on the battle field, the cry of the fallen. It felt like the cut of a blade and tasted slightly metallic.

  Whew. I would not want to mess with these ladies.

  They were taller than the guards, a few inches over six feet, and they were dressed in a similar tactical gear with identical golden crystals around their necks. Dark and practical, an outfit made for war. They looked to be in their mid-forties, each with a long mane of dark hair and clever eyes that seemed to see right into my soul.

  Without question, these were the queens.

  On instinct, I bowed.

  Maximus followed, his gaze assessing.

  The one on the right stepped forward. “Finally, you are here.”

  I just nodded, not quite sure what to say.

  “I am Queen Hippolyta,” she said.

  “And I am Queen Penthesilea.”

  Both of them had strong voices that echoed with command. They’d been queens for thousands of years, so I supposed it made sense.

  “I’m Rowan Blackthorn, and this is Maximus Valerius. Why did you call me here?”

  “You’re one of us,” Queen Hippolyta said. “We knew to expect you, but not quite when. Then you began inheriting your powers, and our seer could find your magical signature.”

  So it was timed with me becoming a DragonGod. Made sense.

  “You’re the only one of us born in the modern day.” Queen Penthesilea walked toward me and pressed her hand to the side of my arm, as if she wanted to test that I was real. “Original, unique.”

  “It’s been thousands of years since one of us was born,” Queen Hippolyt
a said.

  “But why me?”

  Both queens shrugged.

  “You must be worthy,” Penthesilea said.

  “I hope so,” I said.

  “It won’t be easy.” Queen Hippolyta’s eyes turned serious. “Your magic is not resting easily inside you. The powers of the gods are not settling in well because you have too much. And you are missing the power that the Rebel Gods took from you.”

  “I can’t change that.” The words snapped out of me as the memory of the stone sitting in my apartment flared in my mind. That stone contained the magic the Rebel Gods had stolen from me. My sisters had gotten the magic back for me and stored it in a hunk of rock. It was the only place it could stay now. Useless. “It’s tainted with their darkness. I don’t want that inside me.”

  I already had enough. I might not know how to get rid of the darkness the Rebel Gods had left within my soul, but I’d shoved it so far down inside me that it couldn’t come to the surface anymore. No way I’d add anything to it. That might upset the balance within me, turning me forever toward the dark.

  No way.

  “We know,” Queen Penthesilea said. “That magic is too dark. Without all of your birth magic, it will make it harder for you to learn to harness the magic of the gods, but you will manage.”

  “You must,” Queen Hippolyta said.

  I nodded. “But how?”

  “Prove yourself. Help us.”

  “Help you with what? What do you do, exactly?” From the look of their office, they were businesswomen. Yet they were dressed for war.

  “We run Amazonian Security and Defense,” Queen Hippolyta said. “We’ve decided to use our powers for good. After living for so long, seeing the suffering in the world, we decided to leave our settlement and help.”

  “But you’re in an office building?” I asked. It seemed like such a weird place.

  “Come, you’ll see.” Queen Penthesilea gestured for us to follow her to the elevator, and I did.

  At some point, the guards who’d greeted us had disappeared, silently melting away. I shot Maximus a look, but couldn’t read his expression.

  This was a bit like meeting his in-laws, though we weren’t really that far along in our relationship. But this was where I had come from, in a way.