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The tall, thin man Rehan described to me clapped. A crisp white shirt and black slacks underplayed the vast amount of jewels hanging off him. He put his ring-covered hand on the back of Caoimhe’s chair. Metal clicked against wood, and the axinite gem on Caoimhe’s chest glowed.
“That’s the guy from the bar,” Og whispered.
The mage.I wanted to correct Og, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I hadn’t done a bloody thing to help them learn about the world outside their island. Fuck me.
The barrel of a gun prodded me forward, and I stepped into the massive center of the fortress with Lux and Og at my heels.
“Dragon Shifters,” the man said. “I’m going to make a fortune, maybe even keep one of you for myself.”
My blood chilled. It hadn’t only been Caoimhe sitting in those bars, but my mates. Dragon shifters who hadn’t been seen in the world in over a hundred years. Anyone with a third eye would have noticed how unique they were. Even the dumb Orcs in London figured it out.
I should have known better.
Rehan was right. I hadn’t given anything a second thought. I just kept running forward like that would fix everything.
Now you’re getting it, Jay. Remove head from ass.
Drukpa looked at Tenzin like the dragon shifter was a prize bull. I wanted to be sick. Slavery. Drukpa wanted to do the exact thing I feared I’d done to them.
Og pressed into my side, and I found the barrel of a colossal gun pressed to his very human temple. Several of the gunmen stepped back and went down on one knee, keeping their massive 375-caliber rifles meant for elephants aimed at my dragons. The magic wielders, their power growing out of the rings and thick bracelets on their wrists, stayed close. Magic of every color sizzled in the air.
I didn’t have magic.
I didn’t have a plan.
I failed my guys in every way possible.
I swallowed down bile and forced myself to take a deep breath. Despite my calming ritual, my knees still trembled. When I got my magic back, I was cutting out and selling whatever organ forced me to feel emotions.
That’s your brain, babes. Good luck with that.
Drukpa walked past Caoimhe and descended a short flight of stairs. One of the many rings on his finger glowed yellow, and he stepped through whatever spell held Tenzin in place. The dragon shifter twitched, still fighting but with little to show for it.
Drukpa’s third eye blazed to life on his forehead in a ball of sickly yellow. I purposely kept mine closed and tried to look small. He studied each of my mates, his grin growing wider and wider before his gaze came to rest on me.
He closed his third eye and cocked his head to the side. “You. I recognize you. You stole my piece of Goram’s Casket.” He snarled. “You used a portal to break through layers of security. Took out two of my best men and exited without leaving a trace.” His nostrils flared as he searched my body for any sign of my supernatural abilities.
Suddenly, his gaze darted around as if realizing not all the dragon shifters he’d accounted for were present. I watched as his arrogance melted into something I was more familiar with… fear.
“Kill her, now!” Drukpa yelled as four of the bracelets on his wrists glowed and surrounded him in layers of magical shields. “Don’t harm my dragons.”
Every gun and prepared spell instantly focused on me. Although I had a snarky comment on my lips, I abandoned it in favor of a running leap for the bar.
It always comes back to alcohol with you, doesn’t it?
Bullets and magic whizzed past me. I managed to get a layer of Lux’s air magic around my legs just as a projectile sunk into my calf. Pain blossomed, but no blood ran down my skin. I hit the bar hard, bouncing off the top, and rolled behind it. Glass bottles clinked in my wake, juxtaposing the blooming chaos.
A literal storm of wind and lightning crashed around Lux while the ground rocked and rolled under our assailant's feet from Og’s earth magic. Although Drukpa’s minions turned their attention to me, they now fought for balance. One of Drukpa’s minions pulled the trigger of his massive gun. The shot went wide, hitting a short magic minion. The side of his headexploded. Blood and brain matter flew into the air and the body dropped lifeless to the floor.
I froze. That would have taken out one of my mates even covered in scales.
Girl, that could have been your head.
I was still wearing my little jean shorts and a tank top…what was I doing?
Drukpa bellowed and charged through the storm. He rammed Lux, making the air dragon’s wind magic fail. Og screamed and, with claws extended, swiped at Drukpa’s exposed back. But the jewelry-covered mage was ready for it. Something glowed a dirty yellow from under his white shirt, and a ghostly hand surged out of his back and grabbed Og by the throat.
My warlock’s earth magic dropped, and the floor stabilized. One of Drukpa’s magic users had been waiting for it. He bellowed. A stream of white-hot magic zapped Og, who arched up in pain as he dangled from the hand of the shadow jutting out of Drukpa’s back.
