Midnight's Captive(116)

“Great,” Britt said right before she was thrown to the left and crashed up against the side of the SUV.

There were going to be bruises all over her. She really should have put on her seat beat. It was a mistake she hastened to correct, but it took several tries before she got the seat belt clicked in place.

A moment later and Elena slammed on the brakes. The seat belt locked, preventing Britt from being tossed forward. Before she could get her bearings, Elena had the Range Rover in park and the ignition turned off.

Britt fumbled with the seat belt. “If I’d have known,” she mumbled.

Finally, she got it undone and quickly followed the girls out of the SUV and through a front door of a mansion. Where Britt came to a halt as she took in the grandeur before her.

“Welcome to Dreagan,” Elena said with a wink.

Cassie took Britt’s hand and pulled her forward as she began to walk. “Let’s find the others.”

They had gone through the foyer when a woman with short auburn hair and kind eyes came to meet them. She hugged Cassie and Elena before she turned to Britt.

“You must be Britt. I’m Jane,” she said in a refined British accent. “There’s a lot going on, so please let us know what we can do for you.”

“Where are the Druids?” Elena asked.

Jane pointed to the right. “Since the Warriors wouldn’t let them near the battle, they’re doing what they can to help.”

Britt quietly followed the three women as they spoke in hushed tones. She peeked around the door when they reached the parlor to see a group of women sitting on the floor in a circle with their eyes closed.

“Druids,” Cassie whispered. “I never thought they could exist.”

Neither had Britt a few weeks earlier. The same could be said for immortal Warriors and now dragons. What else was out there she didn’t know about?

She found herself dragged into another room that looked like an office of sorts. It was very male, by all the dark wood and deep coloring. The large desk was another indication of masculinity, but its impeccable desktop showed it was for looks and not use.

Everywhere she looked there were dragons. They were carved in the wood of the legs on the chairs, a metal dragon came out of the wall, a light hanging from its front claw, and then there was the tapestry hanging on a wall featuring a gold dragon in flight.

Some of the dragons were easy to spot, others—now that she knew what to look for—were more difficult to find. Anyone who took notice of all the dragons would think the residents of Dreagan were more than a little obsessed with dragons.

Britt found herself standing in front of a cabinet where several crystal decanters sat filled with liquor. Jane poured three glasses of some dark amber liquid and held one of the glasses out to her.

“Drink. You look like you need it,” Jane said.

Britt accepted the alcohol with hands that wouldn’t stop shaking. “I’m usually just a wine drinker. Every once in a while I’ll go nuts and drink a martini or margarita.”

Elena smiled as she lowered her glass from her lips. “This has a bit more of a kick. But trust us, it’ll make you feel better.”

Britt shrugged and did as they suggested. The first touch of the liquid on her lips was a little spicy, and it burned a trail down her throat to her stomach.

After she was able to stop coughing, Britt found her hands had all but stopped shaking as warmth filled her.

“We told you,” Cassie said as she lowered herself down on a chair, where she turned her gaze out the window.

Britt saw her reflection. The smiles from the women were gone, replaced with lines of worry. “This is worse than Aiden led me to believe, isn’t it?”

Elena finished her whisky and gently set the glass down. “Yes.”

Just one simple word, but Britt went from edgy to downright panicky. The women of Dreagan didn’t pull any punches, that was for sure. “Aiden is still out there. Why is he still out there? Couldn’t Hal or one of the other dragons get him in?

The three women simply looked at her with sad, pitying expressions. Britt’s stomach plummeted to her feet.

“Oh, God. Aiden’s bait to get Wallace here. Why didn’t I see that earlier?”

Jane was instantly at her side, an arm wrapped around her to steady her. “Banan won’t let anything happen to Aiden, but Aiden was insistent that you be kept safe above all else. Your knowledge and findings are too valuable to his family.”

“That stupid, idiotic man,” Britt said, and blinked away the tears that filled her eyes. “He should’ve told me.”

“He knew you wouldn’t leave him,” Elena said.

And Britt wouldn’t have. “I feel so helpless. I’m not a Druid. I have no magic or anything to help them.”