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CHAPTER 1
I paced the graveyard a few miles from Dragonrider Academy, feeling a mixture of things.
Discomfort.
Anxiety.
A general sense of this-is-the-creepiest-thing-I’ve-ever-done.
“He’s late,” Jasmine complained as she dangled her feet over the side of a gravestone.
She didn’t like anything related to death, which was probably why she was making light of where we were.
But I knew how all of this was probably affecting her. She’d lost her entire family to the Wild Dragons.
Family that should have lived for hundreds, if not thousands, of years, given what they were.
I’d only recently learned about her supernatural background. I had wondered if she was a Nephilim like Killian, but her green eyes suggested she was something different.
I’d thought she’d just had a bit more human in her to account for the color of her irises. The truth was that she was part of a nearly-extinct race of fae. One that didn’t have pointed ears, but were known for their lithe strength and no-nonsense attitude.
She wasn’t human at all. Not even a sliver.
Which explained a lot.
She didn’t like to talk about her background. I only knew her history now because the connections with our home realms were now coming into play.
Tonight was Vern’s turn. Jasmine’s bondmate, which was the only reason she was here.
His dragon, Obsidian, kept close to his rider. His maw rested on Vern’s shoulder and drifted smoke into the chill air.
Because Vern’s background was related to the Shadow Realm.
The birthplace of vampire magic.
Or death magic, to be more accurate.
Vern leaned back onto his dragon and stared into the center of the cemetery that was too dark to see anything, at least to my eyes. “Vampires aren’t known to be punctual. They’re one of the few true immortals around. They have all the time in the world.”
Scratch.
Slice.
Killian broke the tension in the air as he shaped a wooden stick. He ran his knife over the end until it looked sharp enough to pierce flesh.
Or a vampire’s chest.
“Fine by me,” Killian said with a gruff voice. He wore a cloak that hid most of his features in shadow. But I could still spot the burns on the right side of his face as he glanced up. “Gives me more time to prepare.” Our dragons, Solstice and Topaz, patrolled the air while Jade and Obsidian kept us company.
Topaz was by Jasmine’s side and flicked her tail, reminding me of an impatient cat. She was no doubt mirroring Jasmine’s emotional state.
Vern rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to need a stake, Killian. Frederick is family.”
Fred the vampire.
Sounded terrifying to me.
Killian gave the stake another purposeful slice of his blade, then blew the end. “Forgive me if I don’t take your word for it, Vern. I can’t say I’ve heard anything good about vampires.”
