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I woke in my bed, the stitch in my side a not so gentle reminder of where I’d been. My body was unclothed, and the white nightgown I’d gone to bed in was tossed in a heap on the floor. My heart pounded violently in my chest, and when I got shakily out of bed, I saw the sheets had been scorched by fire.
ChapterFourteen
There was no way I’d be able to go back to sleep, so I splashed cold water on my face and dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black T-shirt. I slipped on a pair of black ankle boots, and left my hair loose around my shoulders.
It was still shy of noon and my stomach rumbled loudly, but I wasn’t ready to face Julian just yet. Where had the blue fire come from? As soon as I got home I was going to do some digging in our archives. I’d never seen it mentioned in anything I’d ever read, and with my luck any mention of the mating fire was probably in the archives that had been stolen by Dimitris. But if the mating fire meant what I thought it meant, I knew I wanted to take no part.
I picked up the black cell phone from the desk, and turned it over and over again in my hands. The temptation to call Noah was overwhelming. I wondered what he’d say if I told him pursuing me was pointless because I was already mated to a dragon. Nothing good, that’s for sure. I put down the phone and picked up the gold pen and a piece of stationery instead. I needed a plan, a visible list of goals to help me stay on track.
The number one thing on my list was to get out of Belgium, but I crossed it off and deemed it impossible for the time being. With the power Julian wielded, it would be impossible to leave without his permission.
The second thing on my list was to stay away from Julian. I also crossed that one off the list. As much as I wanted to keep my distance from the man who could literally become “the old ball and chain,” I still needed to ask him a few pertinent questions. Our discussion during the dream had been interrupted much too soon.
I was finally headed in the right direction with my next idea. The best thing I could do with my forced time in Belgium was to talk to Julian’s clan. They’d give me a little insight into their leader, and one of them might know something about the disappearances. Gossip was rampant among the Drakán, especially with the use of the internet. There was a good chance somebody had overheard something about the missing Drakán.
Satisfied with the idea, I left the privacy of my room in search of food. I jogged down the three flights of stairs, lost in my own thoughts, so I was taken by surprise when I almost ran into a child no taller than my shoulders and dressed like a gypsy. I did a double take when I realized it wasn’t a child after all, but a woman.
Her pale skin was smooth and flawless, her hair as red as flame and her eyes emerald green. She wore a skirt of filmy layers in shades of red and a white peasant blouse that hung off her shoulders. Her feet were bare, her toenails painted a wicked red, and a silver toe ring wrapped around her pinkie. There was a wisdom of age behind her pleasant expression. I knew at once she was an Ancient.
“You’re quite right,” she said. Her teeth were small and square and very white. “I’m terribly old and quite set in my ways.” Her voice was husky and smooth like fine cognac and her power felt me out, testing my strengths and weaknesses automatically.
I ground my own teeth together in frustration. It was starting to get on my nerves how easily my enemies read my mind. I’d never faced anything like it before, and I was starting to wonder if my own clan was really that much weaker than Julian’s or if something else entirely was going on.
“You’ve always been very critical of yourself. But don’t worry. I have an unfair advantage over you. My mother was Faerie and my father was Drakán. Faeries are impervious to dragon magic, so you’re an open book to me. And before you ask, Julian sent me to keep you company over breakfast and answer any questions you might have about our clan. We’ll have a nice chat, and then you can go prepare for tonight’ssfara.He feels badly that you were not given the proper ceremony for your arrival last evening.”
“I just bet he does,” I growled.
“He also requests that you wear black, as is our tradition at such gatherings.”
“Black is not the color of my clan. He presumes too much.”
It wasn’t unusual forsfarasto be color mandatory. But I wasn’t a member of Julian’s clan, and it was an insult for him to request that I wear his colors. Each clan was recognized by the color of their dragon scales. Alasdair’s was red, which worked out well because he thought it appropriate for his clan to represent the blood of the hunt. I knew from experience that fresh blood was almost black and dried dark brown. It was my firsthand experience that made the upcomingsfarathe last place I wanted to be.
“He wants you to feel at ease. Wearing your own colors will only bring animosity toward you from the others.”
“It doesn’t matter. Everyone will know who I am. They’ll smell my clan on my skin. I will always be the daughter of Alasdair, and wearing Julian’s colors won’t stop their hatred or their curiosity. I’ll not bend to Julian’s will. Red is the color of my clan, and that is what I’ll wear.”
“So be it,” she said, a measure of respect in her eyes and an odd smile. “Now, let’s see about getting you something to eat. We’ve got many things to do. My name is Esmerelda, by the way”.
She took my arm and led me to the solarium. It was the only room on the main floor I’d seen that wasn’t black. Watery light filtered through the large expanse of windows that overlooked a lush garden. There was green as far as the eye could see, and no sign of the city traffic that bustled just outside the gates. The rain fell hard, and I watched as fat leaves bounced rhythmically beneath the assault of water.
The tile in the solarium was textured and the color of sand. The walls a buttery yellow. An oblong table made of dark wood sat in the middle of the room and was already laid out with food. Esmerelda gestured to a seat, and I gladly sat down to satisfy my hunger.
“I don’t mean to be rude,” I said, lifting the lid on one of the silver platters, “but there are some things I need to see to today. I don’t know what Julian has put you up to, but I believe whatever it is, is probably unnecessary. I don’t need a babysitter.” I heaped my plate full of bacon and sausage. I sniffed at the scrambled eggs and curled my lip, but I put some on my plate anyway. I needed the extra protein.
“Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to speak to other members of our clan. They wouldn’t talk to you anyway without Julian’s permission.”
I narrowed my eyes as she read my mind again. My shields didn’t seem to work with Fae magic, no matter how high I built them. I’d never had anyone break my shields before I came to Belgium, so it was a new experience for me.
“I understand why you can read me,” I said. “Fae magic is not something I understand. But why can Julian and Xana read me? I know my abilities are strong.”
“I’m afraid they’ve got you at somewhat of a disadvantage. Julian is a very powerful Ancient. His father was a pure blood and his mother was a Drakán Descendent. One of the lost powers from our Realm was the ability to absorb another’s powers. It was a trait of only those of royal blood. So he uses my Fae magic whenever he feels it’s necessary.”
“So my powers are useless here?” My mind was screaming in revolt at this revelation. No wonder the Council was afraid of him and didn’t like to meet. They ran the risk of Julian absorbing their powers.
“Not completely. You need a mentor. Julian is concerned by your lack of power. He does not wish to have a mate who turns her back on her dragon and therefore closes off the potential to further her powers. And he’s right. You’ll eventually end up dead.”
“I have no intention of becoming Julian’s mate.”
