by Susan Illene
Conrad held the shop door open, shooting me a warning look as I passed him. He might have finally accepted Aidan in our lives, but he didn’t think anything good could come from me having a relationship with a shifter. The logical part of my brain agreed. I had a job to do protecting humans and helping the Taugud clan solidify their territory. Once that was over, Aidan had to take me to my family in Texas. They needed me there. I couldn’t risk getting attached to someone when there was no chance we could be together on a long-term basis. The problem with that? It was a little too late. I honestly didn’t know how to handle my feelings for Aidan or what to do about how we’d taken our relationship to another level. We’d yet to have a chance to discuss it without prying ears overhearing us.
I pushed those thoughts aside and waited for my eyes to adjust to the dark interior of the store. Even Javier didn’t have electricity, which was partly why he closed shop after the sun set. If he was going to use up candles and lamp oil, he’d do it in the restaurant and bar where most of the humans preferred to congregate at night anyway. I hadn’t visited those places when they were open, but I’d heard about them from other people. Even Hank, the radio guy, touted the good food and drinks the sorcerer offered.
All you had to do was trade something Javier needed for some of the silver credit coins he’d manufactured. Then you could purchase whatever you wanted from his establishments. It figured the arrogant sorcerer would make his own form of currency that people had to use with him.
“Bailey, it’s been too long. What brings you here?” Javier asked, his voice coming from somewhere in the back of the store.
He appeared a moment later, walking up the aisle with a suave grace and confident smile. His skin had a medium tone, reflecting his Hispanic heritage, and he’d slicked his dark hair back. From what I’d learned about him, I estimated that he had to be in his early thirties. Javier was at that perfect age where his looks and body could leave most girls swooning, young or old. Except me, because I was already attracted to someone else.
The sorcerer had grown up in Oklahoma, but when he was halfway through college in Norman, he’d inadvertently crossed over into Kederrawien. That was when he’d learned he was a sorcerer—there’d been no magic on Earth for him to discover his abilities before. He met some sorceress over there who trained and guided him until he became powerful in his own right. Though Javier wasn’t exactly resistant to telling me his story, he tended to change subjects often, so it had taken some time to piece together everything. There was still a lot I didn’t know about him.
“How much credit can I get for all these scales?” I asked, holding up the two laundry bags’ worth I’d carried from the truck.
He made a tsking sound. “You know I will need to inspect those first before I give you a price.”
“I promise they’re good,” I said, though I knew it wouldn’t make a difference.
“Yeah, yeah. That’s what they all say, but seeing is believing.”
I handed the bags over, and he peered into each of them. “You got a lot, chiquita. How many dragons did you kill this time?”
“A few.”
He let out a chuckle. “Come to the back—just you.”
“I think not,” Aidan said, stepping around me.
Javier lifted a brow. “Surely a slayer doesn’t need protection from a shifter.”
“Where she goes, I go.” Aidan stood his ground.
“Really?” The sorcerer looked at me.
“Aidan and Conrad are kind of a package deal for this visit.” I shrugged.
“Alright, alright.” He sighed. “Follow me to the back, and I’ll see what I can do for you.”
He led us past the aisles stocked with food, toiletries, and other essentials. There were people starving around town, yet he had everything they could need right in his store. The second floor held even more, and I’d heard he used some of the other downtown buildings for storage. One day, he would run out of a lot of it as the town was depleted of its resources, but not for a while, and even then some things could be grown in gardens, hunted, or hand-made. Javier had made himself too useful for the shifters to kick out as long as he behaved.
We stopped by an empty table in the back. The sorcerer took one of the bags and dumped the green dragon scales on it. Conrad and I had taken extra care when removing them from the beasts I killed, making sure Javier couldn’t complain about their quality. Why they had to be in such perfect condition I didn’t know. He used them for protection spells against dragons, but he wouldn’t let me see how he did it.
“Not bad,” he said after sifting through the first batch. “You’re getting better at collecting these.”
“You mean I am.” Conrad crossed his arms. “Bailey sucks at pulling them off so I have to do most of the work.”
I cleared my throat and looked away. My knife skills were limited to sticking blades into dragons, not prying scales off. I was getting better, but it took me three times as long as Conrad to get them off without damaging them.
After Javier had finished going through the second bag, he looked at me. “I can give you two-hundred credit coins for these.”
It was a fair price, based on past deals I’d made with him. One credit coin bought you a drink—of the alcoholic variety—or a small meal.
I considered my options. “I’m going to need to use over half of that right away for food and a few supplies. The rest you can put as credit on my account.”
Javier was first and foremost a businessman. If you built credit with him, he honored it. Not to mention I was the only one who could get him dragon scales since he lost his previous connections in Kederrawien. He wouldn’t dream of screwing me over.
A sly smile came over the sorcerer’s face. “Going on a trip?”
“That is none of your business,” Aidan said with a growl.
Javier held his hands up. “Hey, man, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ve got a good thing going here, and I’m not trying to mess it up. It’s just that I hear things and my sources tell me Verena is wanting some mysterious artifact she thinks only the slayer can get. Since you’re staying at Bailey’s side, I’m guessing you’re making sure no one gets near her.”
Aidan’s eyes narrowed. “I suggest you keep that information to yourself.”
“Yeah, man, no problem.”
“Did you hear anything else?” I asked.
“Only that I’d rather you get that artifact before anyone else does.” Javier’s expression turned grave. “Even hearing about it freaks me out.”
“Seriously? Why?” I had no idea how his magic worked, but the sorcerer always seemed to know a little about everything.
“The magic surrounding it is dark—real dark. Mess with that kind of power, and you’ll lose your soul. I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I stay away from the things that will get me a ticket down to you know where.”
That was debatable, but we all had our own ideas of good and bad.
“You better,” Aidan warned.
It was time to change the subject. “Do you have a pen and paper? I’m going to write down the things I need from you. If you can get your people to pack it up, we’ll be by tomorrow afternoon to get it.”
Javier nodded and turned toward the shelf behind him, grabbing a notepad. “Whatever you need, I’m sure I got it.”
“Thanks.” I started writing down the food, fuel, and other things that would be important for a long trip.
The sorcerer watched. “If you tell the pendragon I helped, I’ll even knock twenty-percent off the price.”
“I will tell him,” Aidan promised, yellow eyes gleaming. He didn’t sound as positive about it as he should.
I finished the list and handed it over. “I’m pretty sure that’s everything.”
“Come by around 2 p.m. and I’ll have it for you.”
Chapter 12
Bailey
I gripped the satellite phone. “Mom, I’m going to be fine. I promise I’ll call you when I get b
ack.”
“Bailey, it’s too dangerous to be traveling. If something happens to you, we’ll never know, and there’s no way—”
“Nothing is going to happen. I’m not that easy to kill anymore,” I said in a placating tone.
“Are you still fighting dragons?” she asked. I could almost see her give me an accusing look despite the fact she was all the way at our ranch southwest of Dallas.
“Yes.”
“I told you to stop that.” She made an exasperated noise. “It’s bad enough your stepfather and older brothers are out doing God knows what. Between all of you, I’m going to have a heart attack.”
She wasn’t exactly exaggerating, considering she had a heart condition. I squeezed my eyes shut. The last thing I wanted was to be the reason my mother died, especially before I could get home. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and it would be months before I could finally leave Oklahoma for good. I needed to be certain she stayed safe until then.
“So what are Grady and my brothers doing that has you worried?” I asked.
“Oh, you know…” An awkward moment of silence passed. “Trying to be men who protect the family, I suppose.”
My mother could be rather old-fashioned at times. It was much easier for her to accept the men doing dangerous things than her daughter. “They aren’t trying to fight dragons, are they?”
“Grady refuses to tell me much,” she said, sounding frustrated. “But we aren’t discussing them, we are talking about you. Your stepfather and brothers aren’t going far from home like you are.”
Of course she brought the conversation right back around to me. “I promise I’ll be careful, okay?”
“I just miss you, honey,” she said, voice turning softer. “You’re still my little girl no matter how much you’ve grown up.”
My chest tightened. We’d always been close, and she hadn’t taken it well when I went away for college. Sure, I’d wanted to strike out on my own and become independent, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t still have a good relationship with my mother.
I turned and caught Aidan staring at me. He was supposed to be helping the guys load the trucks outside, but at some point he’d come to stand in the bedroom doorway, looking at me with a strange expression on his face. I might not have told him about radios, but I’d had to mention phones because there was no other way to explain how I stayed in contact with my parents. The satellite phones were still working, despite all that had happened. I had no idea if it was because there was no one to shut them down, or if the interim government on the East Coast had found a way to maintain them.
“I love you, Mom, but I have to go,” I said.
Aidan continued to stare.
“Be sure to take your vitamins, Bailey. You’ll need them.” Her voice hitched. “And dress warmly—it’s getting cold.”
We’d already depleted our vitamin stock except what Trish needed for her pregnancy. “Of course. I’ll take them every day, and I’ll bring a jacket.”
“Good girl. I love you and be careful,” she sniffled. “I need you to come back to me.”
My heart broke a little inside. Outside of my phone calls with her, I tried not to think about my family too much. That train of thought always depressed me.
“Tell Grady and the boys hello for me,” I said.
“You know I will. They miss you, too.”
It took another minute, but I finally hung up with her. Phone calls with my mom always left me feeling drained and like I’d been reduced to the state of a twelve-year-old again. All I wanted to do was go home to see her so she’d stop worrying.
Aidan came up and wrapped his arms around me, pulling my head into his chest. “She sounds like a lovely woman.”
“She is,” I mumbled. This was the first time he and I had been alone together since coming to Earl’s. The old man had made us sleep in different rooms and watched us like a hawk when we weren’t out with Conrad getting supplies for the trip. Earl was almost as strict as my mother.
Aidan sucked in a breath. “If all goes according to plan, you should be reunited with your family again in the spring.”
“Really?” I looked up. “Why then?”
“The Faegud have requested my brethren assist them with taking over the territory around Dallas. The battle is to take place in the spring, and if it goes well, it will allow us to reach your family’s ranch.” Aidan brushed a lock of hair from my face. “No matter what happens, though, I will get you back to them.”
“Even if it means never seeing me again?” That weighed heavily on my mind, and sometimes I worried he might try to talk me out of going.
Aidan gave me a weak smile. “What makes you think I would not come to visit?”
I rested my head on his chest again, enjoying the feel of him even though I needed to put distance between us. Aidan had always resisted getting too close unless absolutely necessary, but somehow, in the last couple of months that had changed. Wasn’t it supposed to be the woman who got clingy after sex?
He reluctantly let me go. “It is almost time. They have finished loading the trucks.”
We headed outside Earl’s house and found most of the neighborhood standing around, saying their goodbyes to those of us leaving on the trip. Just beyond them were the two trucks we would take. Miles had come through with his promise to find just the right vehicles for our trip, including a Volvo RV hauler with a sleep area in the back and a utility truck with plenty of storage bins at the rear, as well as a spare fuel tank. They could each travel for more than a thousand miles without stopping for more diesel. Both also had steel plates welded to their bodies for protection against bullets, and wire mesh on the windows to catch any flying debris. Seeing them was like looking at something out of a Mad Max movie. Between the two, we had plenty of room to store everything we needed and carry all our passengers.
Earl caught my eye as he walked up. He pulled me into a hug that crushed my ribs and made me wonder if he’d ever let me go. “You be careful now, you hear me?”
“I will,” I promised.
The older man squeezed one more time before pulling away. “And if you see anyplace with smokes, you get me some.”
“I thought you were going to quit cigarettes,” I said, teasing him. He’d cut back a lot, but he still had some stashed away that he lit up at least a couple of times a day.
“Not until I have to.”
Trish, who’d just joined us, hugged me next. “You better be back before the baby is born.”
I glanced down at the small rise of her stomach. At four and a half months along, she still had some time left. “You’re joking, right?”
“No.” She scowled. “I’ll hold this sucker inside if I have to.”
“It shouldn’t take more than a week.”
Trish blinked back the moisture building in her eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
We finished telling everyone goodbye and loaded up in the vehicles. I was driving the utility truck for the first leg of the journey. The interior wasn’t as fancy as the RV hauler, but it was better than most of the ranch vehicles my stepfather owned. I set my bag in the backseat and did a radio check with Miles. Both trucks had CB radios installed so we could stay in contact during the trip. His voice came over loud and clear, so I put the handset back in its holder.
Aidan appeared next to my window. “I will meet you at the location I mentioned before.”
“We should be there in about twenty minutes or so,” I said, turning the key in the ignition. The engine came to life, surprisingly smooth and quiet. Whoever the truck belonged to had kept it in good working order.
Aidan’s gaze lingered on me a moment. “I will see you then.”
Phoebe climbed into the passenger seat next to me. The interior upholstery for both vehicles had already been covered with camrium cloth to protect it when the shifters rode with us. Aidan’s sister would stay with our group while he met with the pendragon, his uncle, and the sorcerer to let them know we were on our way. Xan
ath was going to do some kind of spell over us so Verena couldn’t find us during our trip. He’d wanted to wait until the last possible moment since it had an expiration date on it.
“This is going to be fun,” Phoebe said, grinning widely.
“Yeah, maybe.” I only hoped I got a few dragon kills along the way because it had been too long since my last battle. With each additional day that went by without slaying, my nerves wound tighter and that could lead to trouble with the shifters if too much time passed. My control had its limits, even with Aidan. Other than that, though, I wanted the trip to be as uneventful as possible.
Miles pulled the RV hauler away from the curb, leading the way as we drove out of the neighborhood. I’d tried talking him into letting me drive it instead, but he hadn’t budged. It had a lot more amenities than the utility truck, including a mini fridge and bed in the back. Conrad and Danae were riding with him, of course. With no shifters in their vehicle, they could listen to Hank on the radio without them overhearing.
We slowly made our way through the streets. The group who usually set up ambush points didn’t have anything along our route, making things a little easier. The only thing to get in our way was the usual cracks and buckles in the roads and debris that had never gotten cleaned up. Conrad and I occasionally moved stuff out of the way when we were out hunting, such as tree limbs and trash bags, but we didn’t have time to deal with all of it.
Heading in a southeasterly direction, we made it to highway 9. Then we followed it for a handful of miles until reaching a closed gas station. Aidan, the pendragon, Kade, and Xanath stood waiting for us in the parking lot. They had a crate of supplies next to them for the shifters that I assumed had food in it. We’d been warned ahead of time and left enough room in the back of my truck for it to fit.