Dragon's Gift - The Valkyrie- Complete Series Page 17

  Shock dropped my stomach to my feet. I glanced at Ana. Only our mother knew that we had those marks.

  Our mother had truly believed that revealing our species would get us killed. Yet she’d told Arach. She’d trusted Arach.

  “If she sent you a letter before she died, why did it take you so long to find us?” Ana asked. “That was ten years ago.”

  “After she died, you ran immediately. When we went to the homestead in Alaska, you were gone. We finally found you about a year ago. Then we watched, waiting to see if you were worthy. That you were who your mother said you were. But when we realized that you were being harassed by Ricketts’s men, we sent Cade and his fighters.”

  Good timing. “Did you determine that we are who our mother claimed?”

  “You are. When your magic became unreliable, Bree, we knew that the change was coming. And I can feel that you have more magic now. Another power?”

  I hesitated, but only briefly. Arach was no con-dragon. “I can control water now. It just happened. But I don’t know why.”

  Ana shot me a WTF? glance.

  Arach smiled. “You will be powerful. But you must learn to control your magic. Else it will devour you. Body. Mind.”

  “Devour?” Ana’s voice quavered. My insides did the same.

  “Yes. Unknowns have great magic that manifests later in life. Bree, you are going through that change now. If you can learn to control it, your true species will be revealed. If you cannot…you will stay an Unknown. A dead Unknown, because your power devoured you from the inside out. Like a dying star. Though the process may not be quick. It is different for everyone.”

  Shit.

  I’d know about the changes coming—not about the potential dying. “Can you help me learn to control my magic?”

  She nodded. “We are your best hope. You will have to train hard. And you, as well, Ana. Not just for your own benefit, but so that you can one day join one of our divisions. It is a great honor, but you must prove yourselves worthy.”

  I glanced at Ana, my head reeling.

  “How many Unknowns are there?” I asked.

  “In the last hundred years? Just you two.” Her expression sobered. “Three, if you count your sister.”

  My heart leapt at the mention.

  “Do you know where she is?” Ana demanded.

  “Is she alive?” I asked.

  “I do not know,” Arach said.

  “Would you help us find her?” I asked. That would be huge.

  Arach hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Yes. You must focus on mastering your power. That takes precedence. But we will help.”

  That was fine. I didn’t want to collapse in on myself like a dying star, so I was happy to make the deal. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t keep negotiating.

  “How’s the pay?” I asked.

  “Quite good, depending on which division you join. Not what you used to earn in Death Valley, but you wouldn’t need as much. We’ll take care of concealment charms, if the one that Ricketts gave you has faded with his death. It is vital that you continue to hide what you are from the outside world.”

  “Our mother’s prophecy is true?”

  “Yes. Someone will seek to use you—even kill you—for what you are.”

  Not great.

  “But not you?” Ana asked.

  I wanted to fist bump her, because that was a damned good question.

  A small smile creased Arach’s face. “I hope that it will be mutual. We will help you master your powers, and in return, you will work for one of our divisions, helping to protect the magical world.”

  “We’ve never worked for anyone else,” I said. “I don’t really want to. And frankly, I don’t think I’d be any good at it.”

  “Once you’re trained—which I imagine you won’t like, as you will have to take orders—you will be on your own. Most jobs are self-driven here. You do it as you see fit. We’re built on trust.”

  Trust. Just as Cade had said.

  “Don’t forget that you could have friends here. Security. A life.” Arach’s eyes seemed endlessly knowledgeable at this moment. Like she knew what we lacked.

  She did. Because this was sounding tempting.

  I looked at Ana, who gave a tiny nod.

  I met Arach’s gaze. “A trial period. Two months.”

  Arach smiled and nodded. “Excellent. I am glad to hear it.”

  Happiness burst inside me. I might be conflicted about working for someone else, but I’d really wanted to stay. At least for now. I don’t think I’d realized how much.

  A quiet knock sounded on the door.

  “Perfect timing.” Arach rose, and drifted toward the door. We stood and followed her.

  “So, you really built this place?” I asked.

  “Yes. The magic was a gift from the other dragons, before they went for their slumber. But this place is built from my blood and bones, and now my spirit guides it.”

  “Wow. That’s a serious gift,” Ana said.

  Arach smiled and opened the door to reveal Caro. “Caro here will show you to your new apartment. Remember—train hard, and be worthy.”

  Caro waved to Arach. I turned to say goodbye, but the dragon spirit had disappeared into the air. Immediately, the immense magic that had filled the room faded a bit.

  Caro bounced impatiently from foot to foot. Her platinum hair was in wild disarray and excitement gleamed in her steely eyes. For someone with such a terrifying and deadly magical gift—not to mention a stone-cold attitude in battle—she was much more chipper and lighthearted than I’d expected.

  “So, what’d you think?” she asked, her brows wiggling. “You got to meet Arach! She normally never comes to see new members.”

  “Yeah, that was wild,” I said.

  “I had no idea that the Protectorate was this cool,” Ana said.

  “It is.” Caro’s face sobered a bit. “But she means it. You really do have to train hard and be worthy. It’s our motto, and boy, do they mean it.”

  We had excellent motivation to try, at least.

  “Since you’re staying, let me show you to your new apartments!”

  I glanced at Ana, intrigued. “All right.”

  Caro led us up the great stairs and through a maze of hallways of all styles—some done with silk wallpaper and chandeliers, others still in their original castle form, complete with flickering wall sconces. At one point, the Pugs of Destruction raced by, each carrying a large ham in its mouth. The last one—the winged pug—farted as it ran by.

  “Watch out for them,” Caro said. “They’ll steal the beer right out of your hand.”

  As we neared the back of the castle, mullioned glass windows provided a view of the grass lawn and an ancient stone circle.

  Cool.

  As a girl who’d lived in shitty wooden houses in the middle of nowhere her whole life, it was pretty danged awesome.

  Caro stopped in front of a wooden door painted deep blue. “This one’s for you, Bree. Ana, yours is the one next to it.” She pointed to a door about twenty meters down. “Come on. I’ll show you up.”

  We followed her up the spiral staircase. The space was empty for the first thirty feet, with glowing yellow lights dotting the walls, and we only reached an actual room near the top. Caro pushed open a door to reveal a round living space.

  I stepped in, my heart fluttering in my chest. I hated myself for it, but I honestly felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

  The space was round, with a beautiful living room on one side and a kitchen on the other. Gorgeous. Until now, all we’d had was shitty hand-me-down furniture that had been crap fifty years ago.

  This was so perfect, and so pretty, that I could hardly believe it.

  “It’s amazing,” Ana said.

  “No, this is amazing.” Caro strolled toward one of the windows on the wall and waved us forward.

  I followed, my head buzzing slightly. When I caught sight of the sweeping view of the cliffs and ocean at the bac
k of the castle, I gasped. The stone circle sat right below my window.

  “See?” Caro said. “Nice, right? Each tower is enchanted to look the way the inhabitant wants it to.” She spun around, gesturing to the decor. “Apparently you like the modern contrasted with the historic. Very nice, if I do say so. Mine looks like a pixie unicorn vomited rainbows all over it.”

  “I wouldn’t peg you as the type,” Ana said.

  Caro shrugged. “We like what we like.”

  If someone had asked me what my design aesthetic was, I’d have said something like “not broken.” Apparently, this tower knew me better than I knew myself.

  “This is insane.” The luxury of this place boggled my mind. “Are you freaking serious? They let you live here?”

  “Why not?” She shrugged. “People give up a lot to work and live here.” She hesitated. “Well, honestly, most of us are losers and loners, so this is an upgrade. But still, there’s nothing wrong with living in a nice place. It helps with recruitment.”

  “I’ll say.” Ana roamed toward the spiral iron staircase that led upstairs, presumably to a bedroom.

  “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it,” Caro said. “You know which door is yours, Ana.”

  “Thank you,” I said.

  “No problem. I’m glad you’re here!”

  She hurried out of the room and down the stairs. Ana and I were silent until we heard the bottom door slam.

  Then we turned to each other. I wanted to go check out her apartment, but the elephant in the room was about to trample me.

  “Can you believe we’re doing this?” I was still kind of shocked. We were survivors. Together, we could handle anything. We’d made it on our own all this time. But now, maybe we didn’t have to?

  “I can’t believe it. No, I can.” Ana shook her head. “It’s a game changer. This place is amazing. And the Undercover Protectorate. That’s really cool. Being a part of something like that.”

  “If we pass the training.” I wanted to. I wanted to get ahold of my magic. And if this was as cool as it seemed, I wanted a place here. “Having a purpose other than survival would be…awesome.”

  We could help people who were as scared as we’d been. As we were. Because the threat wasn’t over yet.

  “Let’s focus on the survival part, first,” Ana said.

  “I’m worried about what Ricketts said before he died.”

  “About the woman.” Ana nodded. “I think you’re right. He wasn’t acting on his own at the end there. Someone had gotten to him. He didn’t want money anymore—just my blood for some kind of ritual.”

  “We need to find out who.” Not knowing was an axe hanging over my neck. “But at least now we have some help.”

  “And help finding Rowan.” Ana spun in a circle, taking in the amazing view from all windows. “Rowan would love this.”

  Tears pricked my eyes. Rowan was the only thing that could make me cry. “She would.”

  “We’ll find her.” Ana swallowed hard. “If she’s alive, we’ll find her.”

  I reached for Ana’s hand, squeezing tight. “I love you, nerd.”

  “Love you back, double-nerd.”

  I grinned. “Let’s go check out your room.”

  “Yeah.”

  We walked out of my apartment and down the stairs, both quiet. Thinking.

  Whatever came at us, we would figure it out. Together.

  Epilogue

  The day after we moved into our new apartments, Cade and I returned to Venice to help Squido clear out the remnants of Ricketts’s underground lair so his family could return. A crew from the Protectorate hauled off the stuff that Hedy might want to check out, and the Order of the Magica had agreed to make this a protected area for the Italian Kappis. All in all, a win.

  After we finished, Cade and I sat on the steps of San Zaccaria, catching our breath from the work and watching the sun set in a brilliant display of orange and pink.

  “I think you’ll do well at the Protectorate,” Cade said.

  “Thanks.” We watched the sunset in silence for a while before I spoke. “Why didn’t you tell anybody about my new power?”

  Arach knew. And everyone else would eventually, as my powers manifested. But he hadn’t spoken of it to anyone.

  “It’s not my story to tell.”

  I smiled, liking that answer. A cool breeze rustled over my face, smelling of flowers and night and happiness. The last one was weird, but I swore it was true.

  The colors had faded from the sky and Cade stood, reaching down for my hand to help pull me up.

  I took it, his large palm swallowing my own, the strength in his touch sending a frisson of pleasure zinging up my arm. I let him help me to my feet, my mind buzzing with awareness.

  He stood so close that the scent of his skin wrapped around me, bringing with it the smell of a storm at sea. It soaked into me, making my head spin. Heat seared, warm and fierce, sinking into my muscles and sending electricity blazing through me.

  I licked my lips, so intensely aware of him that it felt like we were one, and glanced up.

  His gaze was on my face, heat in his green eyes. Tension pulled at his jaw, as if he were resisting.

  What? Me?

  His full lips parted, just slightly.

  He wanted to kiss me.

  With all the stress of the past few days—the past few years—riding on my back, all I wanted to do was forget. To do something fun and spontaneous and totally free.

  I wanted Cade. And he wanted me. The heat that burned me came directly from him. From the grip of his strong hand that still cradled my own, a point of contact that seared me.

  I threw my arms around Cade’s neck and kissed him.

  Once, hard on the mouth.

  His lips were full and soft, giving me a buzz unlike any I’d ever experienced. It spun through my head and veins, lighting me up like a live wire. He groaned, low in his throat, and his hand tightened on mine.

  I pulled away, panting.

  He swallowed hard, gaze hot. There was desire, but also something else in his eyes. He swallowed again, regret flashing across his face.

  “That can’t happen again.” His voice was rough.

  Shit. “You didn’t like it?”

  “I wanted it. But you’re a trainee with the Protectorate now,” he said. “It’s…a conflict of interest.”

  So he did like it!

  But then my face flamed. I’d just made an ass of myself. And he was right. It was a conflict of interest. I wanted a place at the Protectorate—or at least to earn the right to be there and find Rowan, even if we didn’t stay forever.

  So making out with Cade was a terrible freaking idea. Not to mention the whole trust thing. Growing close to Cade was a one-way ticket to a giant mess.

  I stepped back, nodding. “You’re totally right. Bad idea. Very bad idea. Sorry. I should have asked before I kissed you.”

  “Don’t be sorry. I should have said no, but I didn’t want to.” His voice was low. Warm.

  Oh, hell. I stepped back a foot.

  My new life was confusing enough. New home, new job, new threat to my life. But then he had to go and say something like that? Something that made it so clear that he actually did want me?

  “Ready to go?” My voice squeaked. Awkward.

  “Aye.” His lips quirked up in a devastating smile.

  We turned and walked away from the church, headed to the boat waiting in the canal. As we silently crossed the square, tension thrummed between us like a living thing.

  Oh my fates. With this between us, it was going to be damned hard to work with him in the future. Whatever the future might bring.

  Academy of Magic

  Dragon’s Gift: The Valkyrie Book 2

  1

  The beast’s eyes glowed, fierce and red.

  I crouched lower in the bushes, peering through the leaves and praying it couldn’t sense me. The creature was made of magic, not flesh and blood, so I actually had no freaking clue w
hat it could sense. But better safe than sorry.

  And hey, maybe it was like a T-Rex. If I didn’t move, I’d be okay.

  “How’s it going?” Ana’s voice whispered out of the comms charm around my neck that the Protectorate had given me for this test.

  “Not a great time, Ana.”

  “Well, you’ve only got fourteen minutes left, so pick up the pace. The flag should be just beyond the portals.”

  She was right. If I didn’t get that flag, I failed. I’d been training at the Undercover Protectorate Academy for two weeks, and I was determined not to blow my first real test. All I had to do was make it through the enchanted forest and retrieve the scrap of red cloth.

  No big deal.

  Except magical monsters kept jumping out at me, forcing me to use my shaky magical power.

  I drew in a steady breath and called upon my gift. I was no longer using an amulet to help control my sonic boom—so this was all me. The magic thrashed around inside of me as I tried to get a grip on it.

  The beast roared, great jaws opening wide to reveal gleaming white fangs. Its body was made of black smoke that smelled of sulphur and death.

  I gagged.

  A monster from hell.

  It charged, massive claws digging up the dirt as it pounded toward me. I leapt up from behind the bush and hurled my magic, the sonic boom exploding out of me.

  But the boom veered right, missing the monster entirely and blowing up a Scots pine.

  Shit!

  The monster was so close I could see the flickering fire in its eyes. I jumped, grabbed onto the tree branch above me, and scrambled onto the limb. Rough bark scraped at my leather pants. The creature leapt, jaws snapping right beneath my perch. I climbed onto the next branch, panting.

  I clung to the tree, sweat forming on my skin. Below me, the four-legged smoke monster lunged, growling and snapping, its breath so bad that my eyes watered.

  I had less than fourteen minutes to snag that flag and prove I wasn’t the disaster student some people believed I was.

  And I was hiding in a tree.

  Right—this wasn’t my greatest moment.