Dragon King of Treoir

by Dianna Love

  Tzader said, “I’m pretty sure we wrecked that wall when we pulled you out of there, Daegan.”

  The dragon king nodded. “I hope so, but that will not prevent her from finding out through other ways. No secret remains hidden forever in our world. After today, she’ll be even more determined to find out what Kizira was hiding.”

  “Can she?” Evalle asked. “I mean don’t we plan to salt the ashes and spread them afterwards?”

  “Yes,” Quinn answered.

  Daegan continued on his line of thought as he stared at the fire. “Queen Maeve did not manage to keep her coven growing over thousands of years and reincarnate by luck alone. She’s a dangerous adversary who will not be stopped by a destroyed scrying wall.” The dragon king finally dropped it by saying, “We still have to figure out who was behind Lorwerth. I’m not fully convinced that it was Maeve, or at least not Maeve alone. Not after seeing her at the Tribunal. That will wait for tomorrow. We’ll meet to develop a strategy for hunting the girl then.”

  Quinn’s heart had beaten faster with each declaration Daegan made. Where would Kizira have hidden their child to keep her from all this bloody insanity?

  His gut twisted with worry for his daughter out there exposed to the predators of his world. Dark witches. Evil mages like the one who’d harmed Lanna. Demons, like the ones that hunted Reese.

  Where had Reese gone? Was she safe?

  He’d never find out.

  If he’d gotten to know her better, he might have asked her to use her remote vision gift to help him find Phoedra, but she’d vanished into the ether. Whoever had sent her to Atlanta had very likely covered her tracks when she returned home.

  What would that person say when Reese arrived empty-handed?

  As the fire burned, he said his goodbye to Kizira and swore he’d find their daughter. Now he just had to figure out how to make good on that vow.

  Yes, the Beladors had resources, but the world was a huge place and she was one small girl.

  Chapter 44

  Mosquito Mountain, Haida Gwaii Islands, British Columbia

  When the crazy fog of colors caused by teleporting ended, Reese was standing on Yáahl’s mountaintop.

  His pedestal boulder in the middle of the pond was empty.

  He had to know she was here.

  I’m not in the mood for his crap. She called out, “Can we get this moving? I’m tired.”

  Way above, the giant raven flapped slowly, circling the strange dome that enclosed his realm here. Yáahl continued spiraling down slowly until his raven feet touched the stone and he turned into his human form, all decked out in black.

  The guy needed some fashion tips.

  Holding his arms out, he asked, “What, no greeting?”

  She had little enthusiasm for playing his games, but in an effort to move this along she replied, “Hey, Yáahl.”

  This time she sounded like Paula Deen after a wedding cake had fallen.

  “I don’t see a body, Reese. Do you have Kizira tucked in a pocket?”

  Jimmy Fallon, you’re not.

  This was the moment she had to face never getting her powers back. Her stomach ached and her heart was in full depression.

  Ten years without her powers had been hard, but in the back of her mind she’d always had hope. Yáahl was a pain in her backside, but he was good for his word and ten years ago he’d said that when he thought she’d earned them back, he’d untether her powers.

  That was all in the past now.

  “No, I don’t have the body, Yáahl.”

  “Why not? What could possibly be more important than your powers?”

  She’d be asking herself that for the rest of her life and her answer would always be the same. “It wasn’t mine to give to you and it wasn’t yours to have. A lot of bad people were after Kizira’s body, but one man risked everything to protect her.” Reese’s eyes burned with tears she would not shed.

  Not here.

  She swallowed the disappointment and said, “It came down to a choice. I had to ask myself if I should take something important from someone else just to get what I wanted. A funny thing happened along the way. I realized I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did that. So, really the choice was whether I could take what I’d been sent for and leave without a conscience or leave that body with the person it belonged to and look myself in the mirror forever. I’m a fan of mirrors.”

  What she would not share with Yáahl was that she wanted to remember that image of Quinn’s face filled with the relief that he hadn’t failed Kizira.

  No man would ever care that much for Reese, but it was nice to know one man with a heart of gold existed. A man capable of putting the woman he cared for first.

  “You do recall our agreement?”

  “Yessss. If I did not return with Kizira’s body, you would never unbind my powers.”

  He frowned and rolled his head from side to side as if considering her answer. “That’s not exactly what I said.”

  She had to suffer being critiqued on a paraphrase?

  “In fact,” Yáahl went on explaining. “I said that if you allowed the body to fall into the wrong hands I would never release your powers.”

  She thought through that, trying to figure out his point. “And?”

  “My minions tell me the body was kept from the wrong hands.”

  She brightened. “Does that mean you’re going to free my powers?”

  “No.”

  She swallowed a curse, not in any mood to be punished by Yáahl’s landscape. “I’m not following you. Is this good or bad?”

  “Neither and both.”

  Did she mention how much she hated this crap? She stared at him, determined to make him explain, which he did.

  “You failed to retrieve the body, but you succeeded in keeping it from the wrong people. More importantly, you have proven you can change and that there is hope for you.”

  Don’t smart off. She kept repeating that in her head.

  “For that reason, you may yet receive your powers back,” Yáahl explained.

  That was good, right?

  So why did she still feel such loss after all that had happened? Maybe because she’d had a taste of her powers, just enough to miss them even more, plus ... she’d never see Quinn again.

  That was a stupid thought. She wanted nothing to do with men.

  But she had liked being with Quinn.

  It didn’t matter if she ever saw him again. She couldn’t compete with a ghost. Kizira had been a Medb priestess and from all accounts she’d read on the dark net, a beautiful one. It didn’t take much of a leap for Reese to realize Quinn had been in love with Kizira.

  Reese had no powers, was not a beauty and demons would still be hunting her. Not exactly a catch.

  She still wondered about something, though. It was like getting to the end of a story and finding the last pages blank. “One more thing. What about Kizira’s body? Is it safe?”

  Only an idiot would ask him about the body she’d failed to deliver, but she’d proven her lack of IQ back in Georgia when she’d gone into that demon-infested energy field.

  She’d do it again ... if she had Quinn at her side.

  “Kizira’s body is finally at rest and no longer under threat from her family. That is enough for me.”

  That was that. Now to get back to her life, but that wasn’t going to happen. Not in the same place she’d lived.

  She stated, “I’ll go somewhere far from my place in San Diego, but please don’t lift your protection from my neighborhood. It isn’t their fault I moved there.” Or that she’d made friends.

  And found a dog.

  Gibbons’s happy fur face popped into her mind.

  She struggled against tears again. Would she have to give up her dog? Of course she would, or some demon would kill him. Her friends would forget about her, but how could her sweet mutt understand why she’d abandoned him?
<
br />   Yáahl said, “I will agree to that, but I have no wish to spend my energy watching over your friends and that beast. You can do that yourself.”

  Her head snapped up. Had she heard correctly? “What are you saying?”

  “I’m sending you home and the area you consider your neighborhood will be repellent to demons. Step outside of that and you’re on your own. Understood?”

  “I get it. Thank you.” She was thoroughly confused on what he was up to, because Yáahl made no decision lightly. But if that made him happy right now, then going home to a demon-free zone worked for her.

  She lifted the medallion cord over her head and held it in her hand. A crow flew down, picked it up and flew away.

  Okay, then.

  “You’re definitely different,” Yáahl mused.

  Reese considered his words, but had learned less was more with him. She gave a noncommittal, “Uh huh.”

  “I think you met someone who made an impression on you.”

  “You think? Didn’t your minions report everything I did?”

  “They observe and return with specific details, but they could not observe you late in your visit.”

  He’d sent her into the middle of a bloody battle and called it a visit. What was he saying? Ah, the crows couldn’t keep track of her while she’d been inside the buzzing energy field.

  Not surprising, since other powers hadn’t worked while the energy field was active, but still ...

  Interesting.

  He suggested, “It’s not a weakness to care for someone again, Reese.”

  “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care for anyone.” She’d said that too quickly.

  Yáahl couldn’t possibly know that she’d had a momentary attraction to Quinn, and she would volunteer absolutely nothing.

  “That beast you feed. You care for him.”

  “Okay, I’ll admit that Gibbons matters to me.”

  “And your neighbors and dog sitter.”

  “Fine. Okay, my neighbors and dog sitter, too.” Her neighbor was her dog sitter. “What’s your point? I don’t want anyone harmed just because I’m around. It’s not fair to them.”

  He moved around on the boulder platform and even in human form he reminded her of a giant bird, stalking around as he thought.

  “Remember one thing, Reese, it is always easier to lie to others than it is to yourself. Perhaps Atlanta offers something San Diego does not.”

  Her heart moved around, trying to find a happy place in her chest when she thought about Quinn. He’d been nice to her even when he knew she wanted Kizira’s body, too.

  There was no future in thinking about him.

  She pushed off the silly attraction and said, “I have no interest in ever going back to Atlanta. I now have two reasons to avoid the place.” That city was bad luck for her heart. The first man she’d met there had gotten her pregnant then tossed her and her baby aside. The second one would never be hers to consider.

  “Then you have no desire to go back or to have anyone from there find you?”

  “Correct on both accounts. I want to return to my safe little corner of the world.” Besides, Quinn was never going to look for her. “Can I go home now? Are we done?”

  “You may go home. However, we are not done. You did not satisfy my request, but I’m generous in heart so I will allow you another opportunity to make good on your debt.”

  Reese rolled her eyes, not even caring at this point if she got swatted. She laughed to herself. If she had to deal with him again to get her powers, it couldn’t be as bad as this last trip, right?

  The lights dimmed in the dome. Her eyelids grew heavy and dropped.

  She tried to shake off the sluggish feeling, but she slept deeply until a honking horn woke her.

  Her eyes popped open.

  She was standing inside her apartment in San Diego. At least Yáahl hadn’t dumped her in the yard or the middle of the street. Gibbons!

  She couldn’t wait to get a big sloppy hug from her dog, but she was filthy and starving.

  After racing through a shower and throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, she was making a sandwich when the door opened and Gibbons came barreling in. She turned just in time to catch his paws when he jumped on her, whining and licking. Dogs were a gift to humans.

  They loved unconditionally and missed you when you were gone. Gibbons always knew when she needed a hug.

  Right behind him, a sweet girl with pink hair—this week—and a dazzling smile walked in carrying his leash and laughing. A tiny diamond in her nose winked. “I saw your Jeep outside and figured you’d be ready for company.”

  Yáahl had returned her Jeep?

  Without thinking, she glanced toward the corner by the sofa, where she normally kept her shotgun and short sword stashed. There sat the innocuous-looking backpack made of heavy, rip-proof canvas, with the lock fastened on the zipper.

  Well, well.

  Reese might just have to thank him next time they met if it wasn’t another ten years down the road. She said, “Yeah, just got back. How’s it going with your boyfriend, Snook?”

  “He’s an idiot. I’m on to the next one.” Snook made herself at home and fixed a half sandwich, then started chomping on it.

  Gibbons finally dropped down to stand shoved up against Reese’s leg. She buried her fingers in his thick, curly hair, so damn happy to be home even if she didn’t have her powers back.

  Snook asked, “How was your trip? We missed you.”

  Reese smiled at the fact that people did care for her. Yáahl had told her when she first left his realm to live on her own that she couldn’t have her powers back until she would respect them. He’d told her she was closed off from everyone and that a person didn’t need powers to be alone. Last, he’d said that powers shouldn’t be wasted on someone with a death wish.

  She’d left ten years ago, angry and determined to hunt demons in spite of his accusation.

  The burning anger had subsided.

  She’d fight a demon if need be, but after this last trip, she had no desire to hunt them.

  Maybe he’d been right and she’d had a death wish at one time, but now?

  Things did feel different. She felt different.

  She wanted more out of life than just existing. It had taken meeting Quinn and seeing herself in him for that to happen. He had so much life to live, but he was burying it under guilt.

  So had she. No more.

  Don’t think about Quinn.

  It hurt to put him behind her, but he was not part of her world now.

  Reese answered, “My trip turned out better than I would have expected. I missed both of you, too.” She was so damned glad to have her home and this neighborhood. “Want to have popcorn and a movie here tonight to celebrate my being home?”

  “Yes! Let me tell Donella you’re home so she’ll know where I am. Be right back.”

  Donella was her foster mother. The woman could be a bit stern at times, but Reese liked her, recognizing her maternal instinct and that she cared deeply for the girl.

  Gibbons barked at Snook.

  Reese said, “Now he misses you more than me.”

  “That’s only because I spoiled him at lunch.” Then she was gone. Reese and Gibbons went into the living room, where she found a houseplant in a painted clay pot, one of Snook’s signature creations.

  It had a small card sitting in front of it.

  Reese smiled. She’d been telling Snook that people spend too much time online and don’t appreciate the value of a written note until they get one. For the two years Reese had lived here, she’d been writing Snook notes.

  She always wrote a thank you note for watching Gibbons and sometimes included a gift card to Snook’s favorite clothing store.

  Opening the envelope, Reese warmed at the message from a young girl who was on her way to charming the world.

  Reese –

  Thanks for working so much thi
s summer on my self-defense skills. My ex-boyfriend wasn’t thrilled when I made him sorry for trying to stick his hand down my pants. You’d have been proud of me. My new boyfriend saw what happened and was very impressed with me, so he’s showing me a few more moves I’m practicing. Can’t wait to show you.

  Anyhow, please don’t kill this plant. It just needs a little love.

  Phoedra, aka Snook

  ~*~

  Grab a copy of Belador Cosaint: Book 9 for more epic adventure.

  Continue reading for a sneak peek at the next story.

  Note from Dianna

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  Sneak peek at BELADOR COSAINT

  Quinn moved with stealth toward a rusty railroad trestle ten feet high, which spanned a narrow creek feeding straight into the Chattahoochee River on Atlanta’s west side. The trickle of water barely qualified it as a creek.

  He held up a hand for Devon, the Belador warrior following him, to wait a moment. His other teammates, Evalle and Tristan, were approaching along the river from the other side of the railway. He had to give credit to the murdering trolls.