“I think we are done for now. Just remember, if you choose not to do as asked, she won’t survive and I can’t guarantee you will either,” said the doctor as he reached for the sliding closure to the hole.
Deo looked back at her. She didn’t exactly look healthy as it was.
“What have you done to her?” he asked, as if he could help without any medical equipment.
Dr. Rollings stepped forward. “I don’t have to answer to you, dragon. But if you must know, it’s a little concoction of my own. You’ve seen a variation of it in my other daughters, although one is much more successful than the other.”
Deo knew he meant Lilly, and his stomach churned again. This man was much worse than they’d given him credit. A far larger threat than originally thought.
Against his better judgement, Deo realized he couldn’t conceal this from his brothers. He couldn’t allow them to be subject to another surprise and it looked like surrender wasn’t going to be an option for him either.
Deo backed away from the door, the whites of the doctor's eyes the only thing he could see through the square hole.
Walking back to the girl, she flinched.
“I don’t want to die,” she said, her words feeble.
He nodded. “That is not in the plan.”
She smiled and stood up. Brushing herself off.
“I want to say I am a big enough person to just let you do what they ask and then leave so at least one of us gets out. But would you come back for me?”
He shuddered. Yeah. She was cute. Yes, the thought might have crossed his mind as one of a million options that wouldn’t work. He wouldn’t touch her, he couldn’t. His heart was claimed, even if she didn’t want him anymore.
“That also isn’t an option. Just hold tight.”
15
Her stomach wretched as she tried to stand up. Nothing came out. It couldn’t. She was down to stomach acid and vital organs. None of which would settle her.
Pulling herself up the banister, her legs wobbled. What had just happened? Her hands white-knuckled the wood as she fought to keep herself up. This felt like carbon monoxide poisoning. She’d had that once long, long ago. To this day, she couldn’t forget it. Only thing was, none of her detectors had gone off.
Looking around, her eyes tried to focus on what was missing. Something was missing. Her lungs burned as she sucked in air. Deo. Deo was missing.
The flood of nightmares, or rather questionably lucid memories broke free of a mental dam creating a deluge of everything that had happened.
She jumped as electric shock pricked against her skin, up and down her arms, along every nerve. She screamed out in pain.
The edges of her vision clouded as she tried to focus on the hall.
Slowly, though, the pain subsided to a memory.
Holding up her hand, she studied it. Nothing seemed different, but as she studied her own skin, she saw it. Her skin had a faded halo around it.
She wiped at her cheek as she realized a tear had escaped. No. She didn’t cry.
She was fine.
But what was going on? Her magic flared along her fingers.
Swallowing, she thought back, relying on the little knowledge she had about being a witch. She didn’t know anything complex, most of her training had been independent and revolved around healing magics.
Her throat burned as she swallowed again, realizing a desperate need for water. This felt like a damn hangover now. What had happened?
She’d seen the creepy guy, seen a few other shadowy men, but what was the magic that could bring Deo to his knees?
Memory spells. She knew something like that. Mumbling a few words, she watched as the surrounding air shifted and restructured into muted visions of what had happened.
The creepy guy from the lab. His mouth moved but sadly the memory had no sound. Well, shit.
She squinted, trying to read his lips.
Remember. Why couldn’t she remember this? She’d been there. He was talking to her. Maybe? Turning her head, the vision of Deo charging him in near slow motion choked a sob in her throat. He was trying to save her.
Her hand flew to her chest as she watched him, her huge warrior, her dragon brought to his knees.
It was then that she saw the strange distortions in the vision. What was there? She couldn’t make it out. Something didn’t feel right.
Standing there, she watched the memory replay again and again. What was it?
Her phone. She could call the other dragons. They would help her.
Stepping back from the banister, she pushed herself up the stairs to where her phone should be. Her breathing grew heavier as she moved the lead weights of her feet up one step at a time.
Pausing on the top step, she stopped and caught her breath. Her magic was still sparking around her, warning her? No. Maybe? She didn’t know. It wasn’t like her being a half human-half witch hybrid ever got her accepted into any magical schools. Or, well, perhaps it was the fact her dad didn’t exactly know what to do either.
Something had drugged her. She needed to heal, later. Deo first. She needed a plan. Grab her phone and then head to the kitchen. She knew how to flush the system against certain magical toxins and the more she listened to her magic the more it made sense. Demonic magic. That’s why nothing seemed like it should, there were traces of demonic magic here, in her, around her. It made sense that something not from this world would be able to take down Deo.
Nothing else could have done something like that.
Phone. She needed to get to the phone.
A few more steps and she leaned on her doorjamb. So close. She bit back the stomach acid trying to come up.
No. She wasn’t getting sick, again. Not while Deo was missing. That’s what the pain was. It wasn’t the demonic magic; it wasn’t her own magic; it was that he was in trouble.
She didn’t know why she knew that. The mark on her shoulder tingled as her magic danced around it.
Of course she knew- she was connected to him. Right. Mated. She needed him. She wanted him back.
Stumbling to the nightstand, she grabbed at her phone and sat on the bed, or more like flopped. The scent of Deo on her sheets caught her off guard and she gasped for air as her throat grew tight. What if he wasn’t okay? What if she’d really screwed everything up? But she hadn’t. She hadn’t accepted that asshole's offer, but she also hadn’t been honest with Deo, not right away.
Her eyes blurred as she tried to scroll through her phone to look for the number he’d given to her. She prayed someone answered.
It rang. She focused on the sound, trying to control the panic swallowing her.
More ringing, until, finally. “Hello?”
“Oh, thank God. Deo is missing.”
Silence met her. Did he hang up? Whoever answered better not have or she would kill them, later of course. She didn’t even care who answered; it had to be one of the dragons.
“Is this Eadric? Hello?”
Finally, his voice answered. “This is Cy. We will come to you.” And without another word, he hung up.
Cy? Who was Cy? How many of them were there? Whatever. Didn’t matter, she supposed.
Okay. What did she need? Pants. She needed pants. The room suddenly seemed chilled. Was it her? Or was it the absence of her dragon?
Her body shivered.
Taking all of her energy she stumbled to her closet and grabbed whatever was closest. Who cared what she looked like right now.
Stumbling out, she struggled to get one foot in front of the other quickly. The room spun a bit, but she refused to give in.
“Shit,” she said as she just barely made it to the bed where she face-planted.
“Aisha? Wake up.”
She rolled over, her head splitting.
“Oh, thank goodness. You’re alive,” said the same female voice.
“Of course she’s alive, she was breathing,” said another female.
Aisha blinked away the sleep, or haze of whatever
had just happened.
“Is that you, Maddie?”
The voice came into focus.
“Yes. Lilly too. The boys are downstairs, waiting.”
She rolled her head to one side. “Waiting for what?”
Maddie’s wild eye expression came into focus.
“For you. They need you to track Deo.”
She shook her head. “I can’t feel him.”
Aisha didn’t need to see the look Maddie was giving her. It was either a big you’re stupid look, or one of pity. She didn’t want either.
“Yeah. They’ll explain. Let Lilly and I help you downstairs.”
Slowly, Aisha pushed herself up.
“I really think I screwed up. Why can’t I feel him? Shouldn’t I be able to feel more than whatever this is?”
Maddie and Lilly looked at each other.
“Let’s get you downstairs and maybe they can answer your questions,” answered Maddie.
A subtle nod was all she could manage as the two women put an arm around her.
She was okay. Her legs no longer felt weighted down. That was good. The stabbing pain in her chest grew though the more she sobered up, as if whatever the magic that had put her in her drugged state had also suppressed her connection to Deo.
She bit down on her lower lip, holding the pain in.
“Aisha, tell us what you know,” asked one of Deo’s brothers.
She shook her head. There was no way she could tell them what had happened. Instead, she pulled away from the two women and took a deep breath as she called on her newly found magic, one that flowed through her much stronger than ever before.
Flicking her wrist, the images of earlier replayed. Each of the warriors jumped at first, moving out of the way.
The same image of Deo being brought to his knees played again, and it was almost too much to watch. She’d failed him and he was paying whatever that price might be.
They each watched as the series of events replayed once more, over and over. This was being caught in her own nightmare.
Hugging herself, she sucked in the pain.
Searching within her she tried to use her magic to call out to him. It wasn’t like she understood what his mark meant, but she should have something. He’d said as much. She’d watched Lilly and Maddie, there should be something else there. But nothing.
Aisha had never felt this alone, not even when she had been single and her father hundreds of miles away. This was the feeling of true emptiness, like part of you was broken.
“This is the doctor,” growled one of the men, Kal, she thought she remembered. As Maddie walked to his side Aisha was certain she was correct.
“How did he survive?” asked another, one that she didn’t think she knew. Maybe that was Cy? His voice was familiar.
Lilly came from around Aisha. “I don’t know. He’s a monster, I don’t know that there is an easy answer when it comes to father.”
Eadric closed the gap between Lilly and himself, passing Aisha in the process and her shattered heart. He reached out for his mate and held her. Something Aisha desperately needed from Deo. Regret for even considering selling the chip joined the endless parade of pain and sadness.
But, no. This might have still happened. If only she’d destroyed the chip somehow instead of keeping it just in case she figured out that last missing compound. Her drive to not fail, caused her to lose the most important thing. Love.
She’d been so focused on herself. On her work, on her need for Deo, and her need to ensure that she would get what she wanted, that in the end she failed to see all the signs around them. Failed to see a monster in human skin.
She jumped at Eadric’s hand on her shoulder. “Aisha, can you tell us where he is?”
She swallowed a sob and called on her reserve of strength. “No. I don’t know. I just have a number to contact that, that thing. Doctor?” She pointed to the magical representation of the guy.
Eadric didn’t remove his hand, and although Aisha appreciated the comfort, it was wrong. It wasn’t Deo.
“Call out to him, here,” he pointed to her temple.
She lifted a brow. “In my head? It’s that easy?”
Lilly gave a reassuring half smile.
Closing her eyes, she tried.
Deo? Are you there?
Nothing. She tried again.
Deo? Please. Answer me.
Nothing. She held herself tighter as the churning in her belly worsened.
“What happened before he was taken? He did mate you, did he not? We can feel the bond, his scent is all around you,” Eadric said.
Aisha wanted to be offended, but that wouldn’t do them any good. “Yes.” She pointed to her shoulder.
Eadric lifted a sleeve on her other arm. “Sorry, but I needed to check. His marking is here as well. Your mating has been completed. You should be able to communicate with him-“
“Unless,” said another.
She shot a steely look at the guy. “Unless what?”
A man, a dragon with more gray eyes than orange held his hands up, palms out.
“Unless you rejected him?”
Her eyes flew wide. “What? No. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. Can a woman even do that after this point?”
The man shrugged. “There are rumors of how a rejection might work, it’s just never happened. A fated mate is chosen by the goddess. There should never be a need. But you’re pale and you stink of something sour.”
This time she snarled. “Well excuse me for not looking my best after being attacked and losing the love of my life only a few hours after figuring it all out. I didn’t reject him. This man, this doctor. He offered me money, loads and loads of it and all for Deo. And I said no. I didn’t know he was here. I didn’t know he followed me. Or, or maybe it was this stupid fucking chip.” She shuffled over to the door where her bag lay on the floor. She yanked at it and pulled the dish out and thrust it at the man accusing her. “It wasn’t my fault. It was that guy. I mean, how was Deo not strong enough to beat him?”
Lilly stepped forward. “Aisha, calm down. No one is accusing you. It’s okay. We’re just trying to understand. But I think I can help at least.”
Breathing heavily, Aisha returned her arms around her body, suddenly realizing the cold seeping back in. Emptiness.
“Do you see those figures in the, well, this magical thing?” Lilly asked.
Aisha shook her head in unison with the lot.
“Those are demons. I. Hold on,” Lilly said as she stepped over to Aisha. “May I?” She motioned to Aisha’s arms, and all Aisha could do was shrug.
Lilly placed both hands on Aisha’s forearms and closed her eyes. Aisha’s body heated, slowly at first until it reached an uncomfortable level. Sweat beaded on her brow and a scream caught somewhere between her mouth and throat as just as quickly as the heat grew to a blaze, it backed away.
“Sorry,” Lilly mouthed.
How much more was she supposed to take as her legs wobbled. Aisha appreciated the firm hands holding her up. Not the right hands was all her brain could think, but at least she was upright.
“Do you feel the magic?” Lilly’s voice broke through the haze.
Aisha felt nothing, literally nothing. The cold empty creeping further into her body as she started to shiver.
“I feel it. Do you?” said someone.
“Yes. Demonic traces. Deo would know exactly what this was. Who else knows about this shit?” boomed another.
Lilly’s soft voice spoke again. “It’s a sleep demon. My father used them on me sometimes. I remember now. He stopped using demons when he figured out I could do things I wasn’t supposed to be able to.”
Everyone turned to Lilly and stared like they had never heard anything so crazy before.
“Okay. So, we have a demon tamer and dragons. Maddie, what do you do?” Aisha asked.
She flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I, my dear, am a witch, but I think you might know that. You’re one too, aren’t you?”<
br />
Aisha faltered. “I. Well, yes. But I’m not powerful.”
Maddie took a few more steps forward. “This kind of magic,” said Maddie, pointing to the memory spell. “Is not from a weak witch. I bet you just didn’t know. Fate plays tricks on us. Sometimes we can’t see who we really are until we’ve found the one that brings the true us out.”
The ache hit Aisha hard, the cold finding the core of her soul and pushing out the remaining fire in her soul. Buckling over, she let out a strangled cry.
Words flew around her, but she couldn’t focus on who they came from.
“What’s happening to her?”
A male voice said, “She’s ice cold.”
Another voice said, “Deo’s in danger, that we can be sure of.”
“Aisha, I need you to focus on the source of the pain. We will need you to help direct the others. He isn’t answering anyone.”
She nodded as someone grabbed her, helping her out the door. She barely focused on anything other than someone was picking her up.
“Hold on, okay?”
A familiar texture of rough scales met her hands as she sat atop not her blue dragon, but a more purple tinted almost black dragon. Aisha didn’t have time to think as she nodded and focused on the pain. What did it mean?
The dragon jerked beneath her and she squeezed her legs tight around him, leaning close to his body. This felt wrong, but there was no other way. She understood that, but it felt wrong.
“Aisha, which way?” yelled Maddie as an orangish dragon came up next to them.
If she wasn’t in so much pain, this would be the most beautiful and unbelievable sight.
They circled the sky as Aisha did as asked and felt with her soul. After two full rotations, she finally could feel the difference and pointed into the direction where she could feel what she thought might have been his heartbeat in her soul.
16
Deo tried to reach out to his brothers. There was nothing. Strange.
Dragon Wanted: A Dragon Shifter Fated Mates Novel (Space Dragons Seek Mates Book 3) Page 11