Listening in to someone’s mind took great effort. I must go hunting after this to replenish my energy.
“How about focusing on sealing your bond with him so we can get out of this dreadful place?” Storm licked her paw nonchalantly. “The elf will teach you how to guard your mind. He’s quite good.”
I remembered the first time I met Storm, when she’d cowered under the dumpster back in Seattle. She hadn’t taken to Padrick at all.
“Yeah, we had to come to an understanding,” she filled in. “I didn’t trust him at first. Too many disguises and lies shrouded his true soul. He’s a deceiving fellow, but his heart is pure. He will do anything for you, so I eventually approved.”
Well… I didn’t know what else to say, or think, for that matter.
“Shall we?” the dragon said.
“I need to give you a name.” I focused on him. “You’re silver and white. Argo?” I said it out loud. “Argo.” I had to hear it.
“Fitting,” Storm chimed in.
“Argo.” The dragon’s voice deepened. “I like it.”
I placed my right hand on his head. “Argo it is. We are bound by blood and fate.”
“And by fire and destiny,” he added. “One cannot live without the other. Together, we are stronger, and the bond is sealed forever.”
A burning sensation seared across my palm where it touched his scales. Through my third eye, I could see blinding, white light escaping from between my hand and his head. The intensity grew with each passing second, but I refused to remove my hand.
Just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, the burn faded.
I pulled my hand away and gasped at the symbol on my palm. It was the same one that was on the portal into this room, and on my mother’s pendant, her journal, and Eva’s gravestone.
I opened my physical eyes to make sure it was real. My third eye shut instantly, but in the eerie light of the cave, I could still see the glow of the symbol on my palm.
Storm stared at the mark on my hand intently before she hopped off my shoulder, landing on the ground, and then headed-butt my arm.
“Finally.” She purred. “Can we leave now?”
I ignored her and turned to Argo, who sat quietly on my lap. His red eyes met mine.
“You are my master. I’m here to do your bidding.”
“I’m not your master,” I gawked. “We’re equals. Partners.”
“Ah, but that is not how it works. He, or she, who claims a dragon egg and releases the babe within controls the beast inside.”
“That’s ridiculous. Who made that rule?” I blew on my newly-seared mark.
“Our creator.”
“And who would that be?”
“I don’t know. That memory was never passed down.”
I heard Padrick’s footsteps long before he walked into the room.
“Well done.” He clapped his hands. “And now we need to get going. It’s only a matter of time before your father tracks us down.”
From his pocket, he pulled out a paper-wrapped piece of tuna and tossed the meat to Storm as soon as he unwrapped it.
“That should give you enough energy to withstand the next leg of our journey.” Padrick turned to me. “And you need to hunt. We’ve got a long way to go. I’d wait until we’re out of this valley, though—we don’t want to accidentally kill one of the longhorns who have been guarding this mountain for thousands of years.”
“What about Argo?”
Padrick grinned. “What a fitting name. He must eat once we’ve cleared this valley, too.”
Ugh, I didn’t feel like moving. My body still hadn’t recovered from the energy I’d spent to hatch Argo, let alone all the mental communication and the bonding. Oh, a long nap in my coffin sounds so good.
“You can nap when we get to our destination.” Padrick pulled another piece of meat from his pack and tossed it to Argo.
It landed next to my leg, and Argo seized the raw steak in a blink without ever leaving my lap.
“Can you read my thoughts, too?” I asked Padrick, closing my eyes and willing my third eye to open, but nothing happened.
“Yes, but I’ll train you how to block inquiring minds.” He threw me a bag of blood, which I caught with my left hand, as my right still felt sore from the mark. “That should keep you going until we get out of this valley. But we need to hustle.”
“Why the hurry?” I bit into the bag and sucked down the red liquid in one long pull.
“While you were bonding, someone must have noticed the massive exchange of energy, and Octavian will want to investigate. I felt an unfamiliar presence in the valley and then disappear.”
“Oh, goody.” Storm scratched her neck with one of her back paws and yawned. “Here come the sheep. Baaaah.”
A thunder of hooves came roaring through the tunnel. Ten seconds later, two dozen longhorns appeared, along with the king.
“You must leave now. Take the tunnels through the ancient city and stay underground. The mountains are being watched, both by witches and human military surveillance,” the king said. “We’ve sealed the outer exits—we need to stay hidden for a while.”
“How long is a while?” I wrapped a protective arm around Argo.
“A few months,” the king replied.
“But what will you eat?”
“We have grain reserves we’ll ration.” The king stomped his front hoof. “Worry not about us. You must take this beast away from here before he grows too large and decides to feed on us.”
“They do look tasty,” Argo whispered in my mind.
“If I were larger, I’d try to take one down,” Storm added.
“Shh, both of you,” I scolded the cat and dragon.
“Everly, why are you still sitting? Did you not hear the king? We must go.” Padrick locked the waist straps of his pack with a click. “Chop-chop.”
I stood up and set Argo down long enough to grab my pack and buckle the straps. I turned to the sheep king.
“Thank you. I owe you a great debt and I will repay it when the time comes.” I bowed to him.
“Oh, you will. But now you must go.”
A brilliant idea flashed in my mind. Why didn’t I think of this before?
I fell to my knees, my palms flat on the stone floor of the cave. All around me, bones riddled the surface.
So many have died, but from death comes new life.
I closed my eyes and called to the mountain—to Earth. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but you’ve responded before, so I’m calling you now. Please feed these kind creatures who have sheltered us and guarded my Argo all these years.”
I imagined the earth softening underneath my hands and knees. I visualized tiny blades of green grass popping out from the darkened soil, bringing new life to this old tomb.
“You must give of yourself,” a familiar voice spoke inside my head.
I smiled at the sound of her deep rumble and lifted one of my wrists to my mouth. One bite, and two drops fell to the earth before my skin mended itself.
“Is that enough?” I asked.
The response came not in the form of a voice, but of soft gasps let out by the sheep. Argo let out a squeak, and Storm purred louder. I was afraid to open my eyes to see what had happened.
“Great, now you expended more of yourself,” Padrick grumbled from behind me.
My eyes popped open, and I whirled around. I was about to make a smartass comment, but the vibrant green covering the entire floor of the cave had me gawking in awe.
“It worked.” I covered my mouth.
Argo wrapped his white tail around my legs. “You are amazing, mistress.”
“I’m not your mistress. Partners, remember?” As I sent the thought his way, I realized I’d communicated with him without the rigorous concentration I’d needed to use before.
“Partners.” Argo leaned his head against my thigh.
“The elf is right,” Storm interjected. “We need to get out of here.”
; “Thank you.” The sheep king spoke. “Your gift is much appreciated.” This time, he bowed to me. “Consider your debt paid.”
I stood up. “This was nothing, I’m still in your debt. If you ever need anything, you know how to contact me.” I bowed again to the king and then grabbed Argo.
Padrick picked Storm up, and we started toward the entrance. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“You’re going the wrong way.” The king turned his back and pointed his horns to the opposite side of the cave.
He let out a loud bleat, and the walls of the chamber rumbled. Where there had been solid rock, a small opening now stood.
“That will take you down to the ancient city. Continue through the tunnel to the northern gate and follow the passages to the sea. Sirens will meet you there and take you to your destination.”
The king turned and exited the cave, his herd following him.
Sirens?
There was no time to ask questions, though. We needed to go.
I took one more look at the carpet of green grass that now covered the ground. Not a single bone lay in sight. My heart felt good. For the first time, I’d created something using my own magic and helped someone.
Chapter 9
The ancient city turned out to be the biggest archeological wonder I’d ever seen in my life. How can this place exist without humans knowing anything about it? Who built this fortress?
“Aliens,” Storm answered from on top of Padrick’s pack, where she’d positioned herself once we got going.
“How do you know?” I asked.
“How do you think we got here, witch?” She lashed her tail out in my face as I followed behind Padrick.
“Seriously?” I dodged the fluff with one duck and turned my attention to the stonework of the surrounding walls.
“Cat and spaceship jokes exist for a reason.” Storm settled onto the soft part of the pack.
Ever since the night at Lakeview Cemetery in Seattle, I’d oscillated between feeling like I was in a dream and worrying I’d stepped into some epic fantasy nightmare. Now things were shifting more toward sci-fi. Between the old Atlantean outpost we’d been hiding in over the last couple weeks, to otherworldly technology that both Padrick and Octavian used, and the history of extraterrestrials manipulating DNA in labs to create legendary creatures, I didn’t know what to believe. It all sounded too far-fetched… but then I remembered I should be dead, buried six feet under.
Yet, here I am. A blood-drinking, fire-sparking witch with a cat, and now a dragon, as my companions. Not to mention the elf.
I followed Padrick through the labyrinth of stone walls and arches. Remnants of the civilization that once lived here were sparse, but I still found some indications. The rare rusty switchboard here, and a pipe with water trickling out there… The evidence was clear that whoever built this place had the technology and advanced civil engineering skills.
But why create it so deep underground? However, despite its location, Padrick seemed to really know his way around here. Hmm.
The slow burn in my throat squashed any further questions. I hadn’t fed since we were back with the longhorn sheep and we’d been traveling for hours now. Padrick had warned me I’d used too much energy, but I had blown off his comment, thinking I was stronger than he gave me credit for. But now my body felt weak, and I grew hungrier with every step we took.
He’d given me the last blood bag before we left, and we were miles underground. I hadn’t even seen cave-dwelling critters since we’d left the sheep.
“You can have some of my blood.” Argo licked my chin.
I tightened my hold on him. “No. Out of the question.”
“I am not donating my blood. Sorry.” Storm turned her head and glared at me with her blue eyes.
“What the hell? Why would I take your blood?” I stared back at her incredulously.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Padrick stopped. “How can I concentrate on getting us to the north gate with all of your chatter back there?”
“Sorry. I didn’t realize we were talking out loud,” I cringed. I kept forgetting he could hear our thoughts.
“The same way I can hear when you use your mouth.” He glanced at me over his shoulder. “My mistake for not packing enough blood for you. I didn’t realize you would gobble it all up in twenty seconds. I also didn’t plan on you bleeding yourself out for this little beast either.”
Argo growled at him and sent a puff of smoke in his direction. “It’s rude to eavesdrop on private conversations.”
“If you must know, I didn’t listen in, but all the same I can hear your brains buzzing away like a hive of bees.” Padrick continued forward. “We need to keep moving. I don’t trust this place.”
The moment those last words left his mouth, I felt a shift in the air. So did Padrick.
He halted and held his hand out. My feral instincts kicked in and I sniffed the air quietly. The burn in my throat grew instantly.
Humans.
Three men were about to enter through a passageway about a hundred yards ahead of us. I could tell by the smell of testosterone coming off their bodies.
Shit.
I’d gotten accustomed to the human servants in Romania, and Dara, the slave Octavian had assigned me in Africa, but I’d also had a regular diet of blood and was never around them when I was hungry.
“What do we do?” I focused my thought to Padrick.
“Your earth-moving skills. Although, this could solve your meal problem…” he replied.
“What?” I gawked.
“Shh.” Padrick whirled around to glare at me. “Sound travels in these tunnels.”
I lowered my voice to an inaudible whisper that only the elf could pick up. “I’m not feeding off a live human. I could kill them.”
“They should not have found this place. I can erase their memories, or you can cause a little accident that would make them turn around.”
“I’m not hurting them.”
“I didn’t say ‘hurt’. And would you stop talking out loud?”
“Fine.” I glared back.
“You and the elf have issues,” Argo added.
“Yeah, he gets a little testy, but he’s alright,” Storm chimed in.
“As soon as we get out of this situation, I’m teaching you how to block your mind, so I don’t hear these guys through your brain.” Padrick pointed his finger at me. “Now, use your power to block their path any farther. If you can’t, I’ll go take care of them my way.”
“Don’t hurt them,” I pleaded.
“I will not hurt them. I am, however, going to lure one of them here and teach you how to feed without killing.”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “I’ll be fine until we get to ground level.”
“She won’t,” both Storm and Argo spoke at the same time.
My jaw dropped in disbelief. “Hey, I thought you were supposed to have my back.”
“We do,” Argo said. “That’s why you need to eat.”
“Agreed.” Storm decided to lick her back foot at that moment.
“I don’t know if I like this telepathic communication much.” I frowned. My head to hurt from all the mental talk and the energy it took. I rubbed my temple with my free hand.
Argo, seeing my distress, jumped down and lay at my feet.
“Obviously, you are not in any shape to move earth around.” Padrick took his pack off and set it down with Storm still on it. “I’ll be right back.”
Aw, shit, I thought as he disappeared around the corner.
“It will be okay.” Argo brushed his head against my thigh. “You rescued me, and now I will rescue you. I won’t let you drain the human completely.”
“Aw, thanks,” I sent sarcastically.
“No, really, I’ll bite you if you lose control.”
“Even better.”
How had my life gone from crazy to absolutely batshit crazy so quickly? I should have thought this whole dragon thing through, but it was too late no
w. He was here, and we were bonded—if I died, he died, and vice versa. Padrick had drilled that rule into me the whole way to the French Alps.
I crouched down next to my dragon. Storm jumped off Padrick’s pack and curled at my feet. I should have been focusing on whatever Padrick was doing to those poor men, but my mind wandered over to Traian. I hadn’t felt his pain since Argo hatched.
Did he sever my bond to Traian by accident?
“No,” Argo answered. “I’m blocking his pain from you.”
I peered down at the silvery beast. “Why?”
“To preserve your energy. I know you visit him in your sleep, and you can still do that, but for now, you need to keep going until we’re in a safer place. You need to focus on that.”
I placed my hand on his scaly back. “Thank you.”
“I would have done the same, had I been with you this whole time.” Storm head-butted my shin. “I miss him too.”
“Thank you.” I scratched her furry head, appreciating the different texture.
We stood still and waited. I listened in to the conversation coming from further down the city tunnel.
“Dude. This is it.”
“Holy shit.”
“They will never believe us.”
“That’s why I got my camera.”
“They’ll still think it will—”
The man’s words were cut off, and silence followed.
I cringed, thinking about what Padrick was doing to those poor humans, but mostly about what he would want me to do when he brought one here.
“You really should just embrace your strigoi nature. It will save you loads of self-inflicted anguish.” Storm’s ears twitched as she peered down the dark tunnel. “And us the secondhand experience.”
“She’s right,” Argo agreed. “The three of us are connected through you.”
“I still don’t understand how I can only now talk to you, Storm, and not before?”
The cat never once took her eyes off the tunnel. “When you hatched this fire-breathing, flying lizard and bonded to it, you finally unlocked the part of your brain that would help you communicate with your familiar—me—and your companion, him.”
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