by J. L. Weil
“Sure. Whatever you say,” I replied with a bite I couldn’t mask, nor did I even really try to. “But after I’m done doing nothing but basking in the glory of being under the protection of dragons, then what?”
“You don’t give up, do you?” Issik remarked, his tone like ice snapping.
“I like to know what crazy shit I’m getting myself into, especially if it involves my blood.”
Jase blew out a breath. “Fine. Have it your way. On the next full moon, we’ll take you to the place on the island that has traces of magic—the temple of our fathers. There we will perform the blood ceremony in hopes that it will remove the shackles that bind us.”
Next full moon, huh? “How many days is that exactly?”
“Ten,” Zade informed me.
Right. That made sense. The winter solstice had been last night, December twenty-first. It looked like I would be spending Christmas with a pack of dragons. I wondered if they celebrated holidays. I’d seen no evidence of decorations or anything festive in the keep, suggesting they didn’t. Fine by me. I wasn’t feeling much in the giving spirit. “What am I supposed to do until then? Twiddle my thumbs?”
“The castle is yours to roam as you wish, but only the castle. You won’t step outside these walls.” Jase’s voice ended on a dark note of warning that I didn’t understand.
“What is outside these walls?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. Anything forbidden immediately piqued my interest. I was the kind of girl who went looking for trouble unintentionally because I didn’t like secrets.
Issik tipped his chin up, and the firelight sliced across his cheekbones. “That wraith last night was only a taste of the dangers you will find in the Veil.” Caution punctuated his words.
But I was like a relentless child, always wanting to learn more. “How do I know you didn’t say that to scare me into not running away?”
Issik’s brow rose. “The wraith wasn’t proof enough?”
Jase narrowed his eyes and folded his arms over his muscular chest. “Just stay put for ten days. None of us want to go chasing after you. We have enough to worry about.”
It wasn’t like they gave me much choice in the matter. I sunk into the fine leather couch, accepting that I wouldn’t be leaving this place anytime soon. But after ten days, after they figured out I was not the one they sought, I would find my way home.
Jase escorted me back upstairs to my chambers, and this time, as we walked, I made a mental map so I could find my way back to the first floor. It would be wise for me to learn the layout of the castle and would undoubtedly come in handy one day.
We stopped just outside the doorway, and Jase’s massive body seemed to relax. My skin tingled at his touch, when he invaded my personal bubble, brushing a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I tilted my neck to look him in the eyes, but the second ours connected, I realized my mistake.
“What is it about you that I’m drawn to? I can’t figure it out.” That made two of us. Something churned behind those stormy eyes, something that reached into my soul and wrapped around my heart, tugging me closer.
I didn’t want to feel anything for my captors, and yet, my body didn’t seem to share the same opinion. “It’s probably the shampoo.”
His chest rumbled against mine, reminding me how close he stood; my breasts tingled. His hand traced down my arm, making me tremble on contact.
Dear God. He is going to kiss me.
We stood with our eyes locked, and my breath stalled in my lungs. I didn’t dare move for fear he would actually kiss me… or that he wouldn’t.
“Go, before I do something neither of us would forget.”
I blinked, dropping my eyes to the rich wood covering the hallway as the air whooshed out of my chest. Did I want him to kiss me?
I was afraid of the answer.
Before either of us did something stupid, I turned and slipped inside, shutting the door quickly behind me, just in case he decided to follow. Alone, I dropped against the wall, giving myself a few moments to collect my composure, and when I could properly think again, without a dragon shifter messing with my head, I contemplated what I should do: to run or not to run.
Sounded like Shakespeare.
My life did feel like a screenplay, tragic and dramatic, I had nowhere to go. And the unknown of what I would face outside the walls of the castle was enough to keep me in the confines of the four shifters… for the moment. I needed to get my bearings.
I nibbled on my lip, running the conversation through my head again. I had asked for the truth. Hadn’t I? Staying was a risk, just as taking my chances out in the Veil were. Here, they could kill me. Serve me up on a silver platter as a sacrifice to the gods or Tianna herself—unlikely scenario, but then again, so were dragons. Or maybe it was all a ruse, and I was being punked. Or maybe I was reading the situation wrong. Or maybe this was the beginning of something monumental.
It didn’t take long for a headache to form, my brain whirling. My mind churned over what would happen after the ten days were up. I told myself not to think about how they would react once they figured out I was no one special. For the time being, I was going to appreciate having a roof over my head, and food to eat.
Just think of it as a vacation, Olivia. One hell of a vacation.
Lying down, I closed my eyes only intending to rest for a few minutes, but I awoke hours later with the sun sinking over the western sky. I turned my head to the side, gazing out the glass doors. Orange rays brightened the heavens, casting the clouds in deep cobalt and bright turquoise.
A brief moment passed before the clarity of my situation seeped in. It didn’t last but a few seconds, yet that was all it took for the pain of my life to come crashing down on me, which was then followed by everything else that had happened. I would never be back in my own room with Mom still alive.
Inhaling a deep breath, I rubbed at my eyes and sat up, swinging my feet over the bed. A tray of food sat on the little table beside me, letting me know I’d missed lunch. My stomach was used to skipping meals, but with the smell of something savory in the air, it rumbled. I lifted off the silver dome on the platter. A plate of bread and thin slices of meat laid waiting for me to enjoy. I tore off a hunk from the loaf and popped it into my mouth.
My gaze traveled around the room, really checking it out for the first time without fear or confusion distracting me. It was pretty, I guess—nothing grossly girly, but it had traces of a feminine touch. A fresh vase of flowers sat on the little wooden table beside the bed. Everything in the room looked handmade, from the sturdy oak bedframe, to the quilted white blankets wrinkled from my sleep.
I highly doubted Jase was responsible for the state of the room, which made me think the other girls here also helped keep up the castle. Slaves. Maids. Victims. The words rang in my head, and a surge of anger rose up inside me. I would be no one’s bitch, certainly not to a pack of egotistical, unnerving, drool-worthy dragon shifters.
Why did my brain have to add ‘drool-worthy’? Couldn’t it have just stuck to their less than redeeming qualities?
Taking another piece of bread and a bit of salted meat, I stood up, needing to stretch my legs. Outside my door, a group of female giggles and whispers floated by. They passed on, and I was curious who they were. It might be a good idea to talk with some of the other girls… besides Harlow.
Testing the door, I was surprised to find it unlocked. Maybe they had been serious about me not being a prisoner, or they were the worst kidnappers in the universe. I stuck my head out, looking left and then right, sighing in relief when I didn’t spot a mind-muddling dragon shifter keeping guard. Feeling pretty smug about sneaking out, I tiptoed into the hall, remembering the staircase was to the right. I edged around the corner, trailing my fingers along the cool, textured stones.
The voices carried down the stairwell, and I made sure to keep a safe distance. They were definitely female, but didn’t sound the least bit distressed. How had they adapted so well to their situation? B
eing abducted and tossed aside when they were no longer needed wasn’t something I could easily forget or forgive.
As I gnawed on my lip and had an internal conversation with myself about the stupidity of girls in general, I tripped over something that had no business being left on a staircase. I saw my life flash before my eyes. Who the hell left a shoe on the steps?
Holy shit. Oh shit. I’m going to break my neck.
Those were the thoughts repeating through my head as I started to fall forward.
A pair of arms swept around my waist, catching me before my nose hit the ground in a plummet that would have certainly shattered it. “And where do you think you’re going?” asked a smooth voice that wrapped around me like a cloak of silk as he lifted me off my feet.
I didn’t even bother to struggle. What was the point? The fire dragon, Zade, was superior in pretty much everything. “Nowhere. I was just doing some exploring.”
Zade pressed his lips together, holding back a smirk that teased the side of my ear.
Asshole.
“It’s probably not a good idea for you to go wandering off on your own.” His breath was soft and warm on my neck.
My teeth ground together. “You mean you’ve been assigned to babysit me.”
“Until the full moon, we agreed one of us should look out for you at all times.”
“Wonderful,” I mumbled under my breath, my feet still dangling as he carried me the rest of the way to the first floor. “So what? You just shadow me? Or do you also dictate where I go? And what happens when I have to pee?” I already knew what happened when I needed to bathe. They had no qualms about seeing me naked, and no respect for my privacy. Why should I have any for theirs? “Should I just follow you around like a puppy dog?”
His dark brows furrowed together. “You’ve made your point.”
Then why didn’t I feel victorious? I opened my mouth to say something smart that would have probably irritated Golden God, but my eyes shifted over his shoulder and I forgot what I’d been about to say.
I’d never seen anything so beautiful yet also wild and primitive. Through a pair of decorative doors was a circular courtyard showered with plants of vibrant colors and flowers as tall as me. Beyond the garden were the murky waters that seemed to surround the entire castle.
My feet were returned to the ground as I gawked, and I wandered outside, wanting to smell the exotic vegetation. “I’ve never seen flowers like this.” The plants seemed to sing a gentle song that was ancient and hypnotic. It hummed around me, engulfing me in their fruity fragrance.
“Each region of the Veil has plants and trees that are unique to the land. The same goes for the wildlife.”
I turned to see Zade watching me with a fascinated expression. What did he see when he looked at me? “Including the dragons,” I said with a smile.
His lips curved at the corners. “You’re not like the others.”
“You mean out of the gazillion girls you’ve stolen over the years, not one had a snarky personality?”
“Is that what you call it?”
Was this dragon shifter teasing me? I walked to the edge of the water and sat down on a dock, letting my feet hang over.
“I would think twice about sticking a toe in that water,” he warned me, looming over my shoulder.
“And why is that?” I asked, swinging my legs in the air—the tips of my toes so close to the surface because I enjoyed doing the exact opposite of what he said.
Zade watched me intently, almost as if he was afraid I would accidentally fall in. He had valid reasons to be concerned. “We’re not the only mythical creatures in the Veil Isles. Others are able to travel between realms, even in water.”
He suddenly had my interest. My mind immediately went to my favorite Disney movie as a kid. “Like mermaids?”
His lips quirked as if he’d read my mind. “Not the kind you think, but in essence, yes.”
I stared at the water with more intensity, pulling my legs up to my chest, no longer feeling safe. “Am I in danger here?”
“Always,” he said, sitting beside me on the wooden platform, and our shoulders brushed. Heat seeped inside my body like a roaring fire during winter, and the bits of anxiety I had felt slowly faded. He had done that. There was something about these dragons that made me feel safe regardless of how I came to be here.
Why?
“Jase said you would protect me,” I told him, needing reassurance.
“We will,” he answered with a fervor I found comforting.
“How many other portals are there?” I asked, satisfied with his response.
“Many.”
Not the straight answer I’d hoped for. “And mythical creatures?”
“Griffons. Sirens. Gargoyles,” he rattled off.
“Gargoyles?” I interrupted, my voice squeaking in disbelief.
A frown marred his face. “Nasty little buggers. They can be quite violent when not in their stone form, and stealthy as fuck.”
My eyes settled on the bright orange ball setting over the dark waters, and wondered what I would do if I came face to face with a gargoyle. I bet Harlow would squeal like the little girl she was. “What about all the other women you’ve brought here? What happens to them?”
Zade shrugged, his gaze following mine to the horizon where the sun was about to touch the gloomy waters. “They are given a choice to stay and live in any of our kingdoms, or the few who wish to return can do so during the solstices. Issik, Kieran, and I take them back.”
He made it sound as if most remained, and I couldn’t help but be inquisitive. If the Veil was so dangerous, why not return home? “Where are your lands?” I asked.
His hand lifted, pointing to the west where the shape of a volcano could just be seen through the misty fog. “The Crimson Keep sits just at the base of the Titan Mountain—the only volcano in the Veil.”
A puff of smoke drifted up into the sky in the distance. “Just a guess, but is it hot most of the time in your domain? Not just the volcano,” I added.
His eyes lit up. “Very.”
The sunlight hit something in the water, making it sparkle like glass through the mire. I couldn’t take my eyes off the object that lay just a few feet from me. Like the garden, a lulling melody seemed to emanate from the waters, luring me closer. I placed my hands on the ground and leaned forward to get a better look. What was it? I wanted to touch it.
“Olivia.”
I swore it called my name, and my hand reached out, itching to hold it in my hand.
“Find me, Olivia.”
I didn’t understand what was happening, only that I had to help.
Something splashed in the water near me, breaking the trance, and I more or less jumped into the dragon’s lap. His strong arms came around me automatically, keeping me from falling into the water. “Olivia.” Zade exhaled. “What happened? You wouldn’t answer me.”
“I-I don’t know,” I stammered. “I thought I saw something.”
Frowning, Zade situated me more comfortably in his embrace. “The waters of Wakeland are not to be disregarded. They are dangerous as is most of the Veil.”
Warning heard, and yet, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. After one more glance, I turned to face Zade, finding him closer than I expected. I had forgotten I sat in his lap, and suddenly I felt his presence everywhere. His fingers on my waist made lazy circles over the material of my dress, leaving behind a trail of fire.
His already warm eyes flamed, and I couldn’t look away. What was wrong with me? Ever since I stepped foot inside the Veil, I didn’t recognize myself. But one thing I knew for certain, he was going to kiss me.
The simple brush of his lips sent a stream of heat spiraling through me, like a firework. It was a quick kiss, but it caused my entire body to come alive. When he pulled back, I leaned in toward him.
A hint of a playful expression crawled onto his face before he lifted me off, and brought us both to our feet, leaving me breathless. “Are you ok
ay?” he asked softly, his cinnamon eyes bright as they searched my face.
I had just kissed a dragon. No, I wasn’t okay.
The disturbing part was I wanted to do it again.
I never got the chance to reply, and my tied up tongue had only a part to do with it.
“What the hell is going on?” boomed a voice.
Chapter Eight
I leaped out of Zade’s arms like I’d been burned with a frying pan… and maybe I had. My skin still radiated sparks.
Zade moved so he stood just slightly in front of me as if protecting me. Odd. Did I need protection from Jase? “Just making sure our little gem doesn’t get herself in trouble.” Zade cocked his head to the side. “Isn’t that what we agreed on?”
The tranquility-breathing dragon stood inside the arched doorway, glaring at Zade with a mean scowl—his eyes so dark they almost appeared black. “Yes, but that doesn’t include you seducing her.”
“Since when do you meddle in my extracurricular activities?” Zade challenged him, with an edge to his voice.
It was my turn to frown. I was no one’s extracurricular activity.
A growl rose up in Jase’s throat. He stormed to where Zade and I where awkwardly standing. “She’s off limits.”
Golden God’s lips formed into a tight line. “You forget, Jase, you’re not king. There is no single ruler of the Veil anymore.”
Things had escalated quickly, and I didn’t want these two going into the dragon ring over me. “Hey!” I yelled, stepping between the two. Not the brightest of ideas, but at the moment, it was all I could think to do. I didn’t want blood spilled over me.
A muscle began to thump in Jase’s jaw. “Keep your lips off her.”
Spreading my arms out wide between them, my hands flattened on their chests. “Okay. First off, I can kiss whomever I want.”
Jase’s glower deepened.
I rolled my eyes. This was ridiculous. Framing Jase’s face with both of my hands, I rose up on my toes and planted one on him, just to prove a point. The joke was on me.