“I’m allowing you two to stay under my roof in exchange for that, remember? Debt already paid.”
Raven narrowed her eyes and bared her teeth. “Then I guess I’ll trust Mother Nature and hope my body knows how to lay this thing when it’s time.”
“Be reasonable,” Tobias said. “Mother Nature didn’t do this. Magic did. There is nothing natural about this whelp.”
She glared at Tobias as if she could knock him down with a look alone. “Baby. My baby.”
“Relax. I wasn’t being insulting. A whelp is what we call a baby dragon in Paragon,” Tobias said. “This could kill you, Raven. What happened today, it won’t be the last time. Your human body isn’t designed for this.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
Raven turned toward Gabriel, but he was stunned silent. His face had paled to roughly the shade of the paper lining the examination table, and his eyes were far-off and vacant.
“Gabriel?” Tobias cleared his throat. Damn, if this had happened a few weeks ago, he’d have sent both of them packing. But now Tobias found himself staring at the monitor and questioning everything he used to believe. The steady whoosh, whoosh of the whelp’s heartbeat replayed in his head and he caught himself growing wistful, wishing things were different, longing for family.
It was Sabrina, he knew, that had changed him. She’d made him accept what he was because she accepted what he was. And accepting his dragon nature meant reconnecting with this, the reality of being a dragon, here and now, in the crazy city of Chicago.
Raven rubbed Gabriel’s hands between her own.
Slowly his eyes shifted to meet hers and Tobias watched the corners of his mouth lift upward. His eyes wrinkled at the corners. “We’re having a whelp.”
“Yes. A baby.”
“An heir. A boy… or a girl.”
“Yes!” She smiled wider.
“Gabriel?” A chill ran the length of Tobias’s spine. He couldn’t believe they were actually considering going through with this. Then again, he couldn’t imagine doing anything else.
Gabriel embraced Raven, almost lifting her off the table. When he set her down again, Raven’s eyes roamed the room behind Tobias.
“What happened to Sabrina?”
Tobias started and spun around. She’d been standing right behind him only a few minutes before. Now Sabrina was gone.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Tobias left Gabriel and Raven and exited the ultrasound room. “Sabrina?”
“In here.”
He found her in his office, her face in her hands. “What’s wrong? Have you been crying?”
“I asked you for one thing, Tobias. One thing.” Her voice broke. “I asked you to lie low. To not call attention to yourselves.”
“You saw the egg. She had no idea. It’s not her fault. She’s having some kind of reaction to her fetus.”
Sabrina’s shoulders slumped. “No. It wasn’t her fault. It was yours.”
Tobias winced. “What are you talking about?”
“You knew it would be safer for them if they left. You knew I was being followed and that this was a delicate time for me… for us! And you put them on display anyway.”
“I wasn’t planning on having Raven snap, crackle, and pop in front of a crowd, Sabrina. It was a mistake.”
“Well, it’s a mistake that has consequences.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Madam Chloe saw you. The humans that work for us saw you. We’re lucky that it was during the day and the vampires were asleep, but if anyone recorded it…”
“It happened quickly. I didn’t see any phones out—”
“It doesn’t matter, Tobias. Don’t you see that I can’t just sweep this one under the rug? I’m going to have to compel every human I can track down to forget they ever saw you there. Madam Chloe can’t be compelled. I’ll have to put the fear of the goddess into her. If Tristan learns what happened, the coven will tear apart the city looking for her. They will not stop until she’s dead.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “But it’s not like we did this on purpose.”
“Tell that to the torches and pitchforks.” Sabrina sighed and stuffed her hands in her back pockets. “Raven and Gabriel need to get out of town for a while. And if you were smart, you’d go with them.”
“Hey, I’m doing the best I can here,” Tobias snapped. “But let’s be honest—if it wasn’t for your coven’s draconian laws, this wouldn’t be an issue. You know, you signed up for that. I didn’t. I’m staying and so is my family.”
“It’s not safe!”
“I’m not caving to a maybe threat from an asshole vampire that may or may not know anything about us.”
Sabrina shook her head and headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” Tobias asked.
“To try to clean up your mess.”
“Wait? Can we talk about this?” Tobias hated to leave things like this. She was angry. Really angry.
She shook her head. “No. You need to give me space. Don’t call me. Don’t text.”
“You don’t mean that!”
“It’s not safe, Tobias.” Sabrina was yelling now. “It’s over. It’s for the best.”
Before he could say another word, she was gone.
Duty made the world go round. People had responsibilities. It was discipline, not desire, that made a community strong. What would the planet be like if everyone followed their whims?
Sabrina had a duty to report Raven to her father and while she was at it, Gabriel and Tobias. She was days away from being elevated to master. It was her responsibility to protect her fellow vampires. Tobias and his family were outsiders in vampire territory. She knew without a doubt now that Raven was dangerous; she’d heard Tobias say that the youngling would be powerful enough to flatten cities.
Only, if she told her coven, the vampires would tear the witch to pieces, and Sabrina couldn’t have that. The truth was, she liked Raven. The witch had saved her life. And she knew how much Tobias loved the woman and Gabriel. She loved Tobias. Which was why she had ended it with him.
She’d indulged her love for Tobias long enough. It was time to focus on doing what she had to do to protect him and his family, even if it did break her heart. She’d tracked down every human on their payroll and eradicated any memory they had of Raven, but there was one person left, and convincing her to keep her mouth shut might not be as easy.
She pushed open the door to Bell and Candle and strode into the occult shop like she owned the place. Nothing less than total confidence would get her what she wanted from the witch. Sabrina had to find out how much Madam Chloe knew about Raven, the dragons, and Sabrina’s relationship with them. She’d have no mercy on the witch if she’d told anyone anything.
“May I help you, Princess?” Madam Chloe hobbled out from behind the counter, her crippled arms tucked uselessly against her chest. She did not smile as she scanned Sabrina, her eyes sharply suspicious. “Was the river not what you expected?
“I have questions. Answer me honestly.”
“Of course.”
“Did you see anything unusual today by the river?” Sabrina’s gaze narrowed on the woman.
“If I did, wouldn’t I tell you, Princess? No one would dare keep a thing from your coven.”
Sabrina coupled her hands behind her back. “That’s not an answer. I’ll ask again. Did you see anything unusual today? Has another witch been in your shop, not a human practitioner but one with actual power like yourself? Tell me the truth. I will be master soon, and if you are not honest with me now, you will regret it.”
“There was one,” the witch said softly. “She said she needed help healing a vampire. I provided that help out of loyalty to you and your coven.”
“Which vampire?”
“I do not know.” Her eyes shifted away.
“Liar.”
Madam Chloe raised her eyebrows at Sabrina. “There is only one vampire who might be stabb
ed during the day in an area of the city where a witch could find and treat her. That vampire is you, Princess.”
“Now we’re getting somewhere. Honesty is important. So a witch was here and on the bridge today.”
“Yes,” Madame Chloe agreed reluctantly.
“I need someone I can trust. Can I trust you?”
“Above anyone.”
“Then answer me this. Did you tell anyone about the witch or my injury?” Sabrina focused her full attention on Madam Chloe, using her full power to read her emotional spectrum. The witch was nervous and more than a little angry.
Chloe scowled. “You vampires, the games you play.”
“What games?”
“I had to tell him something, you know. He knew you’d been stabbed and wanted an explanation of how you’d survived. There are only so many options.”
“He, who?”
“Tristan, Princess.”
“How did Tristan know I’d been stabbed?”
Chloe closed her eyes and shook her head. “It isn’t my place to speculate, but he was rather knowledgeable about the specifics regarding your wound. The exact specifics.”
“Please explain.”
“The ingredients to make Keetridge Solution haven’t been available in the Midwest for decades. My sources say the werewolves haven’t had access to it in even longer. The only place one could obtain it around here would be—”
“My coven. We kept some for executions.” Sabrina frowned.
“Tristan knew the dagger that stabbed you was soaked in Keetridge Solution. How do you suppose that could be?”
Sabrina growled. So it was true. Tristan didn’t just hate her. He wasn’t just following her and harassing her. He wanted her dead. She’d previously accepted that Tristan had tipped off the wolf who stabbed her, perhaps hoping to scare her away from becoming master. But this was far worse. What Madam Chloe was saying was that Tristan provided the wolf with the Keetridge Solution that almost killed her. Tristan, with premeditation and full knowledge of what he was doing, had endeavored to have her killed. Not a scare tactic but an attempt at eliminating the competition. She took a deep breath and blew it out.
“What exactly did you tell him?”
“I told him that a woman who might have been a witch came in for an antidote and that I gave one to her. I did not learn her name and my understanding was that she did not call Chicago home. My assumption was that you called her to the city to treat your wound and that she has gone home now.”
Everything inside Sabrina worked to parse out the truth of the witch’s statement. Her emotional spectrum was neutral, her heart rate steady. Sabrina’s nostrils flared as she searched the witch’s scent for any hint of untruth, but as far as she could tell, the witch was being perfectly honest.
“Was there anyone with the witch?” she asked softly.
“No,” Chloe said immediately.
This time she was lying. Sabrina detected a gamey aftertaste on her emotional palate, and there was a spike in the witch’s pulse. All at once, Sabrina understood.
“You liked her,” she said softly.
“Yes, I did.” Madam Chloe nodded her head.
“Then I will confirm that this lone witch is in fact gone from the area. And what happened today?”
Chloe nodded. “I don’t think anything happened today. The humans are wild this time of year. You never know what you’ll see.”
Sabrina nodded and offered Madame Chloe a warm smile. “I thought so. I’m looking forward to continuing our arrangement and getting to know you better once I’m in power. You are good at what you do.”
“Thank you.”
Sabrina pivoted and headed for the door.
“There is one more thing I must share with you, Princess,” Madam Chloe said.
Sabrina stopped short and turned back toward the witch, waiting for her to continue.
“The night Tristan came asking about you, he asked me for a containment spell, the type your coven has requested before. When used on the bindings of a supernatural being, it will render the prisoner powerless. I provided it. He did not say how he planned to use it, but I do know this: his thoughts of you were dark, Princess. I do not like him. I do not trust him.”
“I will take care of Tristan.”
Madam Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and bowed low. “Thank you.” When she straightened again, she met Sabrina’s gaze. “I was concerned when I heard your father was moving to the new territory. He was always fair and kind to me. I think you will be the same.”
Sabrina glanced down at the floor. “If I am half the leader my father has been, I will count my reign as master a success.”
Madam Chloe shook her head. “Just make sure you reign. Tristan has it in for you, Princess, and the last thing Chicago needs is him.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
New Orleans
Scoria had a job to do, but finding the witch named Raven had proven difficult. To be sure, he hadn’t believed a word the dark-skinned man and elderly woman had told him at Blakemore’s Antiques. The loyalty of the two humans toward Gabriel was evident by the way they spoke so warmly of him and the witch, whom he’d learned was called Raven. What he’d reported back to the empress was one undeniable fact: Gabriel, the heir to the kingdom of Paragon, had mated himself to the witch.
Mating with a witch was punishable by death. It was an abomination, a danger to the throne. Allowing the two to persist in this behavior put the entire land of Paragon at risk. As a member of the Obsidian Guard, he had a duty to eliminate the threat, to bring them to his queen, dead or alive.
Now he just needed to find the two lovers. The faster he performed his duty, the better the chance of catching the dragon off guard.
“The price is your blood.” The one who had introduced herself as Delphine wiped her wrinkled hands on her filthy apron and stared at him from the door of her hovel. The rumors he’d gathered from the underbelly of New Orleans had called her a Casket Girl, although girl was a misnomer. The woman was elderly, her hair almost entirely gray. Still, if the vampire he’d spoken to could be trusted, she and her sisters were the finest oracles in the city.
“How much blood?”
“Only a cup.” She smiled, showing all her teeth.
“I agree to your terms.”
“Come upstairs and meet my sisters.”
He followed her through the filthy, rodent-infested room and up two flights. There, in an equally filthy attic, two other elderly women sat crocheting by candlelight. One appeared so ancient as to be near death, and Scoria hoped she would live through the ritual to find the witch.
Delphine appeared with a chalice and a dagger. “Your arm.”
He offered his flesh to her tentatively. Scoria had no qualms about snapping her neck if she tried anything funny, lingered too long, or stabbed him in the wrong place. He watched her carefully as she drew the blade cleanly across his forearm and deep red blood flooded the gold and jewel-encrusted goblet. As expected, his arm healed quickly. He folded it toward his body as soon as it had stopped bleeding.
The old woman brought the blood to her lips and moaned.
“Sister,” the other women said in unison. They dropped their crocheting and hobbled out of their chairs. “Save some for us.”
A cackle rose up from Delphine’s throat, and before Scoria’s eyes the woman became young again. Her gray hair transformed to a lustrous black, her skin plumped to pink perfection, and her clothing became new again.
“You are witches?” Scoria hissed.
“No,” Delphine replied. “We are something else. Just three girls sent from our homes to this city and cursed with an illness that keeps us alive and in need of blood. Relax, dragon. Remember, you came to us.”
Now that the other two women had drank his blood, they’d become young as well. Young and beautiful. Their shapely figures swayed to a music he couldn’t hear, and they turned and danced before a fire that blazed to life inside a scrying glass at the center of
the room. An uneasy feeling ran the length of his spine. Witches could not be trusted, and he did not trust that these women were not witches.
“Who told you I was a dragon?”
“Your blood tastes the same as Gabriel’s. One does not forget the taste of dragon blood.”
“Gabriel is who I am trying to find! Along with that witch Raven.”
Delphine hissed. “Raven is a powerful witch. You must not reveal that we helped you. She would be displeased with us, and we wish not to enrage her.”
He nodded his head, although he had no intention of keeping a promise to these foul creatures.
He backed away from the three as their dance grew wild and uninhibited. With long, graceful kicks and majestic leaps worthy of the stage, they arched and spun around the fire, circling, pulsing to the music. As he waited and watched, their eyes turned black as obsidian and their dance became more aggressive until he considered descending to the exit. He glanced toward the boarded window, assessing ways of escape. But he didn’t need to take such drastic actions.
Abruptly, all three women stopped. They swayed before him like tall grass in a breeze. An image appeared in the scrying glass between them.
“Watch, dragon. Your mark is there.” Delphine pointed at the fire burning within the glass.
An image appeared in the flames, and Scoria moved closer to get a better look. The witch Raven was standing on a bridge in a strange land with bright green water. She became ill and sparks of light circled her body. Gabriel caught her before she collided with the walkway. And wouldn’t you know it, the male who comforted them both was none other than Tobias, another heir to the throne and now the enemy of the empress. There was also a female whom Scoria did not recognize. An ally. So the heirs were gathering forces.
He must tell the empress. This was far worse than they’d expected. Her children were uniting.
“Where is this green river?” he asked the strange sisters, trying to mask the disgust in his voice. His skin crawled when he looked into those black eyes.
Windy City Dragon Page 17