Dragon Mystics: Supernatural Prison #2

by Jaymin Eve

  Louis was standing in the doorway like the purple-eyed magic man he was. Somehow I just knew he was going to be the key to this being a success.

  Sure enough, the grin which spread across his face was my first indication that he was about to reveal the brilliant plan. “I will place a spell on you, somewhere concealed. Touch it and speak the activation words, and we will come for you.”

  Sometimes it was obvious how very lucky we were to have Louis on our side. For more than one reason it was a fortunate day when he decided that instead of killing me as a baby, he would big brother me.

  “Is it a tracker?” I wanted to know the exact specifications of the spell he would place on me.

  Louis nodded. “Yes, I’ll be able to track you, and once you activate the spell I can hear what is going on also. So try not to scream too loudly, I’m already going a little deaf in my old age.”

  I had no idea how old Louis actually was. He looked late twenties, so a few hundred years at least. I wiggled my way out of the depths of the couch, past the long limbs pinning me down. Maximus reached out and cupped one of his hands under my butt and basically threw me across the room. I stumbled only once before regaining my footing. Lucky I had supernatural reflexes, or I’d probably be facedown with my teeth through my lip.

  I arched my eyebrows at him. “Thank you for that, asshulk. Maybe next time a little less oomph.”

  Laughter rang out from various places around the room.

  Jacob was the loudest. “Asshulk…” He snorted. “She totally nailed you.”

  Maximus’ long arm swung around and clipped the fey right up the side of the head, knocking him completely out of his chair. Which did nothing to halt his snorting chuckles – though they were a little quieter to avoid a second smack from the muscled vampire.

  Ignoring the quads, I strode over to Louis. I was wearing jeans, shit-kicker army style boots, and a black tank. When we were ready to leave, I’d throw a jacket over the whole thing. Enough protection from whatever was coming at me. Although, I didn’t have many easily accessible spots for Louis to place this “help button” on me.

  I stopped right in front of him and he assessed me lazily, starting at my feet and working up to the top of my head. He was about halfway through when heat caressed my back and I knew we had a third in our little group – Braxton behind me, not touching, but staking his claim all the same.

  “You better think long and hard about where you decided to touch her, mage.” The tone was casual, but even a deaf idiot could hear the warning in his words.

  Louis’ grin got even broader. I really wished he didn’t find such joy in tormenting the quads. “Oh don’t you worry, lizard, I am thinking very long and hard about where to put my hands on Jessa.”

  I kicked Louis.

  He had been expecting the attack to come from Braxton, so my boot landed cleanly in his gut and knocked him five feet across the room. Loud clunks followed my footsteps as I stomped after him.

  The grin was still in place, although there was a little more feral in the eyes as he stared up at me. “Don’t, Louis.” Wisps of growl laced my words. “Just put the effing tracker on me.”

  He was on his feet like a bullet. I never even saw him use his hands or legs. “Apologies, I merely like to rile up the reptile. He is a little touchy where you are concerned.”

  Braxton placed both of his hands on my shoulders. “Touchy doesn’t even begin to cover my emotional stability when it comes to Jessa.”

  “I respect that.” Louis was suddenly somber, something I rarely saw, because he was always projecting an aura of jovialness. But I suspected we saw more of the real Louis in the brief moments he was serious than in all the other times put together. “I would not have approved of a mate for Jessa who showed anything less than the true devotion I see in your eyes. You are a worthy mate for her.”

  Jonathon laughed. “Why do I feel as if my father role has been usurped right out from under me?”

  I squeezed Braxton’s hands before turning and crossing the room to my parents. I hugged my dad, throwing my arms tightly around him. “Thanks for being so awesome. I take it for granted, but I appreciate you.”

  He hugged me back, and his strength made me feel safe. My dad had always been a hero to me, as if he could fix anything that broke. No matter what. Even when he was mourning for Lienda, he’d always been my dad.

  I smiled as we pulled back, my voice huskier than usual. “Thanks for not being a hardass. For respecting my ability to make my own choices.”

  His eyes flicked up over my head and he scanned the room, before coming back to me. “You already had four males following you around and keeping you out of trouble. I never worried, especially after my little chat with the Compasses around puberty. Once I explained how easy it was for a body to disappear, the dynamics worked perfectly.”

  A snort of laughter left me. I could just imagine my father lecturing the quads, all of them towering over him in height, but easily smacked down by his power. “Well, you all did good,” I said. “Really good.”

  Our family moment was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and boots clicking across the entrance. Three sets, and the scents were quite citrusy. Okay, they didn’t really smell like lemon and orange, but I knew it was them anyway. And Mischa.

  I closed my eyes for a brief second, before taking a deep breath and turning around to stand next to Jonathon.

  “Looks like it’s game on. Distract them for me so I can get the spell put on by Louis,” I murmured to my father.

  “You got it.”

  Jonathon intercepted the trio at the edge of the kitchen. Louis and Braxton strode across to me, using their bulk to help block us from the room.

  Louis peered down. “You ready?” I nodded once and lifted up the hem of my shirt. I had made the decision to have the mark on my stomach, it would be hidden but still easy for me to reach if needed.

  A warm hand landed on my abdomen, just above the line of my jeans. I flinched as the heat turned to burning and then a sharp jab followed. Louis removed his hand and set my shirt in place again.

  “All done.” His voice was low. “To activate, place your palm on the same spot and speak your mate’s name.”

  I smiled. Louis had picked the one person I’d be calling for if I ended up in trouble, no matter if it activated a tracker or not.

  As Louis and Braxton stepped clear, the twins nailed me with identical glares.

  “We have lingered for too long,” Orange said, standing arms akimbo, hands on hips.

  Both twins were dressed in black leather, right down to what looked like whips curled up on the side of their legs. I had a few daggers and knives scattered around my person, but I was guessing they had even more stashed on themselves. My sister was in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, all black, but thankfully she wasn’t part of the leather gang yet.

  The twins turned and made their way out of the room. Mischa followed, without even a glance for Lienda, who had been hovering close to her. The wolf-mama looked pissed, but there was also fear in those blue-green eyes.

  We all held the same worries, Mischa was distancing herself from us and that was bad for a pack animal. Rogue wolves were dangerous, humanity bleeding from them until they became more animalistic. She had the fruit twins, but when they abandoned her, and no doubt they would, the devastation to her animal soul would be monumental.

  I grabbed the trench style jacket that I’d left over the end of the couch, the lining thick enough to keep me warm in the snowy outer of the sanctuary. I found myself moving to hug Lienda before we left. When the hell had I became the hugger of the family?

  Her voice was low in my ear. “Be safe, and look after Mischa. But I want you to promise that you won’t save her over your own safety. Mischa is old enough to make her own decisions. I won’t lose both daughters.”

  I didn’t say anything, I just tightened my arms a little more. It was nice that Lienda made it very clear that she had no favorites between
us.

  Next to jump on the Jessa hug train was Jacob, his earthy scent familiar as he wrapped me in his arms. “I love you, Jessa babe,” he said, “you got this. Don’t turn your back on those evil bitches, and suspect everyone.” He sang me a few lines of my favorite song, and I was thankful for the moments of calm.

  I pulled away, leaving him with a kiss on the cheek. Maximus almost squeezed the life from me, and Tyson’s eyes flashed gold as he kissed the top of my head. I got a little emotional at that point and marched myself out of the room. I wasn’t pessimistic enough to think this was the last time I’d see them, but I didn’t have the best feeling about the entire thing. I didn’t trust the twins at all, and I knew anything could happen.

  Jonathon, Louis and Braxton were a few steps behind me; I fought to focus my emotions. Now was not the time to dwell on what might happen in the next hours

  I barely noticed the ride down in the elevator. All four of us were quiet, caught up in our own thoughts. Braxton’s warmth pressed along my side as we leaned back together against the wall. His presence worked better than anything at keeping fear at bay.

  Mischa and the twins waited for us in front of our building. Standing with them was Quale.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked the mystic. Yeah, it was blunt, but we had no time for niceties.

  He didn’t pretend to be a moron, answering me succinctly. “You need me to drop the magical barriers.”

  Right. I’d forgotten about that. Louis was going to create a step-though for us, but it wouldn’t work from within the sanctuary – the ancient magics which protected this place were too strong.

  “How come you could step-through to Faerie then?” I asked Louis.

  He shrugged. “It’s much more difficult from inside the barriers, I’d rather not expend that sort of energy right now. It’s easy enough to exit the sanctuary first.”

  Fair enough.

  We started to walk, following the gray-haired fey. I oriented myself to keep the fruit twins in sight. I knew they had something planned, I wasn’t letting them get the drop on me. I wanted a shot at preempting their next move.

  Mischa strode into view, and all of my worries returned. Just seeing her drawn features, the way she trailed those two bitches. This shit had to end.

  I caught up to her, reaching out to link my arm through hers. I spoke before she could.

  “Look, I don’t get what is going on with you, I have no idea what they offered you, but I need you to remember … you’re my sister. My twin. No matter what, you belong in our pack.”

  Mischa blinked rapidly before opening her mouth. I cut her off.

  “No, there is nothing to say now. You clearly have an alliance with them and we have no choice but to follow through on this promise. But you and I both know that once the dragon king is dead, they’re going to run their asses underground and hide for eternity.” If I haven’t already killed them by that point. “And then, Misch, I will be right here for you.” My twin was fighting an internal battle, now was not the time for me to turn my back on her.

  She bit her lip, suppressing whatever emotions wanted to emerge. We both knew it wasn’t the place to show our weaknesses, but I had to try. I had to extend a hand because I was pretty sure that should I lose my twin, the devastation would be all encompassing.

  With a last nod, I let go of her arm and fell back to Braxton. He ran a hand over my hair and I knew he was proud of my moment of maturity. As long as he didn’t expect them too often.

  We strode without pause through the center part of the sanctuary, weaving our way around buildings. Our group was quiet, watchful, each of us making sure the other didn’t screw with us behind our backs. I was thankful there were more people in this group I trusted than I didn’t.

  It took us longer than usual to reach the desert area. There were lots of supernaturals milling around in various activities, getting in our way. It seemed we were going to cross out of this place by the same route which brought us in from the mountain. I hesitated, just barely, before stepping onto the red sand. The temperature immediately changed, heat flooding through all of us. We were reasonably rugged-up to prepare for the chill of outside, so sweaty butt crack was now in all of our immediate futures.

  Awesome.

  Braxton moved to my side, and Louis on the other. I didn’t question their actions. They were on the same wavelength as me. This was where the dragons and jinn liked to play ball, and both of them had already proven that they had some sort of interest in me, and now was not the time to battle with either.

  We made it halfway through without incident. Braxton was the first to notice something amiss. I followed his line of sight and ground to a halt.

  “What the actual hell is going on here?” I said, breathless as I tried to wrap my head around the sheer amazement of what I was seeing.

  Orange actually gave me an answer of sorts. “They know we’re leaving the sanctuary, they’re acting as a guard. They are called to the four of the compass.”

  A line of dragons, I shit you not, at least twenty, and not all of them from the desert zone. I could see the wash of blue and greens on some who bore a distinct resemblance to ocean serpents, and the smaller dragons of dark greens and earthy browns who I recognized as forest dwellers, and lastly, the most magnificent were the icy blue of the winter beasts.

  Braxton seemed both awed and fierce as he tucked me in closer to his side. I could see a part of him wanted to run to the dragons, be with the wild brothers from which his animal descended, but the fear was real also. He was afraid to lose me, and I didn’t have the words to reassure him. I had no idea what the next few days were going to bring, and I especially didn’t want to be the north in the dragon king compass. Whatever the hell that meant. All I did know was that it looked as if it didn’t much matter what either Braxton or I wanted.

  Louis was blunt. “Let’s keep moving. They are merely curious for now, but we don’t have time if that curiosity turns into something more.”

  He ushered us along, silent Quale leading us through the rocky terrain. The tension radiating from Braxton was palpable, his energy actually tingling along my body everywhere we were touching. My eyes flicked back to the line of dragons, following, but never closing the distance between us. It did seem that they were protecting our backs, making sure we made it out safely.

  “I never wanted this for you, Jess.”

  I spun my head to find Jonathon close. His eyes were flashing with so many emotions. I had never seen the strong alpha so shaken. “This mark has taken so much from our lives, ripped our family apart, and now it’s as if we are all strangers.”

  I looked to Mischa. My twin was watching us closely, her eyes a little shimmery.

  “We should have fought harder to stay together. You and I should have run with Lienda and Mischa. I’m so sorry, I put my pack and council responsibilities before my family and I have never regretted anything more than that.”

  Louis moved aside so I could fall in next to my father. We hadn’t stopped moving, we were almost out of the desert now and approaching the stone spiraling path out of this sanctuary.

  I took Jonathon’s hand. “You did the best you could, Dad. I have no doubts, it’s easy to look back in hindsight, but you sacrificed a lot so that we might live and have a chance to rebuild our family. We have hundreds of years ahead of us, we just need to get past this tiny snafu in our path. I don’t blame you at all, and I love you as much as I always have.”

  I was speaking for Mischa as well, hoping she was holding on to the bonds of family, especially when it came to trusting her new buddies. Jonathon squeezed my hand, a smile blooming across his face as he released me. He had scented truth in my words, and it calmed his wolf.

  As we started along the rock, I glanced back over my shoulder to find the line of dragons had disappeared. I faltered minutely. What the … how could twenty or more massive lizards just fade out? With that level of mad skills, dragons could literally take over the world if th
ey had the numbers.

  Which is exactly what the king knew when he created the marked.

  My hand was in Braxton’s now, his thumb rubbing up and down the pad, the motion soothing. It reminded me of the millions of times he had calmed away my worries and hurts. I tilted my head up to him and he knew without any words what I wanted. He dropped the briefest of kisses onto my lips. Soft, with just the flick of tongue, it had me groaning very low under my breath. He would be the death of me, but shit, what a way to go.

  His grin was perfect as he pulled away, all dimples and flashing white teeth. He looked happy, which I was coming to realize made me pretty happy too. Yeah, I was a sap.

  In no time we reached the end of the path, the yellow barrier sparkling in the dimness. It felt like a thousand years ago that I ran out of the car and threw myself into this mountain. So much had happened, and yet it was really no time at all.

  Quale stepped closer to the exit. “Are you all ready? You must move through quickly so I can return the protections. The Four are out there, and should they make it inside, they’ll be too strong for us to battle.”

  The fruit twins scowled simultaneously at the mention of the hunter quads. If they’d all been born the same year, then no doubt they’d crossed paths with them many times, especially since they were marked, and those damn hunters were good at their jobs. I wondered who had hunted the marked before they were born, and how the twins had remained free, unlike so many other marked.

  Questions for another day.

  Quale muttered a few words and the barrier dropped. Wind howled. The real world appeared to be having a snowstorm of the ass-kicking variety. Awesome. The sanctuary was like being in another realm, one completely controlled by magic, right down to the weather. The seven of us stepped free, leaving the mystic behind. I noticed the brothers exchange a glance before the yellow shield was back up, blocking Quale from view.

  I hugged my arms to my body, and shimmied closer to Braxton. The warmth of his body was like stepping into a hot bath. Without saying anything he wrapped his arms around me.

  “Come on.” Louis had to shout to be heard over the temperamental weather, even with supernatural senses. Peering around Braxton’s bulk – although not removing myself from his arms because I wasn’t an idiot – I could see that Louis had the step-through already open.