Skyborn(33)

She waved her hand. "Five hundred is fine."

My eyes bugged. Five hundred freaking dollars. That, plus the two  hundred, was nearly all of my gas and food money to get me to the  Colorado Mountains. But going to the mountains would be useless if I was  found.

"Okay," I muttered, and pulled out five hundred, leaving it on the edge of her desk.

She scurried around the office, grabbing a dash of this and a pinch of  that. At one point I saw her throw an unused match into the jar she  held. Man, sorcery was weird. I couldn't wait to be miles from here and  on my way to a secluded mountain retreat to live out eternity without  any of this bizarre crap.

"Ready," she crooned. "I just need a little drop of your blood."

My eyes widened and a small whimper escaped my throat.                       
       
           



       

Jeanine rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's tragic. Come on … " She waved my hand forward in frustration.

Logan said never to give a sorcerer my blood. Eva had agreed that I  should never give a sorcerer my blood-other than her of course. Yet here  I was, giving a sorcerer my blood.

Listening and following rules were not my best character traits.

Without really thinking it through, I extended my finger, and the gleam  in her eyes reminded me of Gollum as he caressed the one ring and called  it "my precious." I was a diehard Lord of the Rings fan who was  strongly considering getting a tattoo in Elvish. So, seeing this clear  sign of evil on her face should have deterred me, but I just turned my  head to the side as she pricked my finger quickly and squeezed it into  the jar.

She released my hand and I pulled it back swiftly, bringing my finger up  to my mouth to suck it clean. Jeanine's nostrils were flaring; her eyes  had rolled back into her head.

"Umm, are you oka-" I began, but her throat humming cut me off.

She was in a full-on trance and I was officially freaked the hell out.  The hairs on my arms were sticking up; the curtains on the windows had  started moving to an invisible wind.

Oh shit. What had I done? I was just figuring out whether I should cut  my losses and run when the match inside of the cup burst into flame of  its own accord, causing me to jump backward with a startled shriek.

Jeanine's eyes focused again; she stopped her humming chant as the  curtains went dead still. She approached me, the flame burning in the  cup illuminating her eyes in a ghastly glow. "Blow it out and breathe in  the smoke," she ordered.

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Do it!" she roared, and I could see the match was going to blow out  soon if I didn't. It was all or nothing. I was all in on this running  away thing. I took in one deep breath, and in that moment I was reminded  of when my dragon was in heat and Logan had put me in the deep sleep.  The way his breath felt on my neck, the way he smelled …

I pushed the past down and blew; a puff of bright yellow smoke wafted up  to my face. Against every instinct I had, against my dragon's cries  from within me, I inhaled the smoke. The second it hit my lungs, I broke  into a fit of coughing as it burned my throat with its acrid scent.  With a grin, Jeanine pulled her cup back and I felt a tingling working  down my arms.

Jeanine walked over to the phone on her desk and picked it up. "I'm  ready for my next client." Her eyes stayed on me the entire time she  spoke.

I finally got my coughing under control and asked her in a raspy voice if it was done.

She nodded and scooped up the five hundred bucks. "Yes. You may go now."

She didn't have to tell me twice. I wanted to get in my car and get the  hell out of here. I nodded to her and grabbed my purse, walking briskly  to the door. As I was reaching out, with my hand on the knob, her voice  came from behind me.

"Oh, Stacey?" she called out. I froze, not bothering to look back, everything within me telling me to run.

"Hmm?" I replied.

Her response made terror flush through my system faster than a bullet train. "I know what you are," she crooned.

My legs went weak with adrenaline and I spun the knob, ready to run my  out-of-shape ass out of there. But the second I threw the door wide, I  came face to face with Steven, the powerful druid who had chucked Keegan  across the room. Gone were his minions; it was just him and his greedy  gaze staring down at me.

I shrieked as he reached for me. I threw my right arm out, pushing with  everything I had, pushing my magic, my dragon, my sense of self  preservation. I just pushed. It felt like electricity had ignited along  my spine, and then a blinding purple fire shot out of my palm and threw  Steven back into the wall. The druid crashed halfway through the  drywall, getting stuck inside. Holy shit. I heard Jeanine gasp behind me  and then I ran. Instinct pushed me to run left, away from the club  entrance and the guards.

"Get her!" the druid roared to Jeanine from his place in the wall.

Oh hell no. I ran a few more feet and was then relieved when I looked up  and saw an emergency exit sign hanging over a dark metal door. I risked  a glance behind me and saw Jeanine running rather slowly after me,  yellow magic crackling in her hands.

Bitch, I want my money back.

I reached the door in record time and with one kick it burst open. I  jumped through and took a quick scan of my surroundings. I was in a side  alley; there was a heavy metal dumpster to my right. With all the  adrenaline running through me, and the fact that I was in fact part  dragon, and part druid for that matter, I decided to try and move the  trash can over the door, trapping these assholes inside.                       
       
           



       

"Ahhhhh!" I screamed as I used every ounce of strength I had. The moment  it slid over the door, I heard a loud thwack as Jeanine flew against  it.

"Quick thinking," the Irish druid's voice came from behind me.

I paled and probably peed myself a little as I turned around and faced Steven.

"How did you … ?" I was in shock, and he was blocking the damn street  opening, so I was against a brick wall. Trapped. My dragon was smashing  against my restraints and I let my guard down. Screw it. Let her come.  Maybe I could fight him and fly my way out of here.

I felt the familiar tingle and saw a few scales push up on my skin, but then they went flat. What the...?

The druid smiled, rolling out his neck. "Can't have you flying off now, can we?"

My dragon fell like a stone in my stomach as dread came over me. That sorcerer  …  she did something to my dragon.

Oh, Sloane, of all the stupid things you've done, this tops it.

Steven pulled a red glowing blade from behind his back and I knew this  was it. I couldn't fly or fight my way out of this. The last thing I had  in my arsenal was talking my way out.

"Do you know what I am? Really know? I'm half druid. I'm part you. I can join your side."

I was lying about joining his side obviously but desperate times called for desperate lies.

I was expecting him to be surprised or to show some consideration of my  terms. Instead he just tipped his head back and laughed. "You're  pollution on the bloodline of my people, and I will wipe you out and  take your power as an offering to the great Ardan."

Well, if I was going down, I might as well do so with gusto. "That  douchebag? I heard he was too lazy to kill dragons himself. Makes all of  his bitches do the dirty work."

That's right, bud. I just called you a bitch. I grinned for effect. Screw these racist jerks.

In one blinding move he jumped forward, face contorted in rage, arm  raised high. And that's when I heard the cry of a falcon overheard. I  covered my face and looked to the ground to protect my neck, preparing  for the slice of a knife on my skin. But the pain never came.

I saw the druid's feet lift up in the air and I dropped my arms, craning  my neck to see that he was airborne, flying across the alley, before  slamming into a wall.

My heart pinched at the sight of Logan, one fist clenched at his side,  the other holding a Glock to the druid's head. But his eyes, those green  eyes, were pinned on me, swimming with  …  relief. Sophie was in her  human form, holding her beloved harpoon gun, while the rest of the pack  was in their animal forms. I wanted to cry seeing Nadine's black wolf at  the end of the alley, sitting next to Coop's red fox. And my breath  caught in my throat seeing two large brown bears and lion, but …

They came for me.

Keegan's large grey wolf crouched in front of the druid and launched  himself right at Steven's neck just as Logan pulled the trigger. But it  was no use. One loud crack and the druid was gone-there against the  brick wall one second and gone the next. Like magic. Crazy, freaky,  unheard-of magic.