Page 74 of Silent Jay

Jay pushed out from under my wing, her phone already out with something written on it.

Jay:Did you see the brown eyes?

She stood stiffly, her gaze pleading with me to say yes.

“I did.” I pushed her phone back to her chest. “Spontaneous Ley Line magic isn’t a thing, right?”

Jay nodded, and my blood cooled.

“Someone else is or was in this cave with us,” I said. Jay shivered, and I pulled her in close. “We’ll figure this out, I promise.”

My wings were too big to fit through the hole at the top. I could retract them, but with a possible unknown in the cave, I wasn’t willing. Our only option was the entrance I came through. I shifted my eyes and prayed that our visitor hadn’t left a trap for us in the darkness beyond.

CHAPTER THIRTY

JAIYANA

Brown eyes with red sclera. Where humans were concerned, red replacing the whites of eyes pointed to possession—beings who inhabited other’s bodies. Which, except for very rare circumstances, was bad shit. I understood too well that good and evil were not black and white, but today’s morality aside, taking control of another was and would always be a full slide to the evil side.

Our new band name?

Really, this is serious, focus.

Red eyes didn’t prove possession. They also pointed to certain spells or possibly a ghost or demon. Hell, it could be a reflection from a different time.

“You look good in white,” Rehan said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I giggle-squeaked. Ha, white. The fire priestesses' costume should have caught fire against my sin-filled ass. I’d given up my uterus at age eleven for my first hit of power, given kids matured faster a thousand years ago. Life had been about survival rather than picking the right career path. But, even today, I’d make the same bargain. I closed my eyes, remembering my first zingsparking my natural gifts and racing through my veins. My mouth watered.

You’re a junky.

Probably.

“Hey, are you still thinking about those eyes?” Rehan tilted my head away from the mirror and the unnecessary poking I was doing to the complicated braid I’d stuck in my hair.

We’d gone over those eyes last night and again this morning. I didn’t know what they were, but it was clear someone watched me. A shiver ran down my back.

I needed more information, spell components, and to break my curse, which involved kissing Tyson.

Maybe I should have gone about all of this in a different order.

You think?

Rehan gave me a concerned look, and I smiled back, reassuringly, I hoped.

“You can’t take your phone with you.” He placed my device on the counter. “But once the ceremony ends, Tyson should bring you back here. Our deal with the fire dragons hasn’t changed.” He pulled out his man bun. “If he doesn’t, I’ll come for you.”

I reached up and ran my fingers through his shoulder-length hair. His gaze softened. I coaxed him into a chair and put a set of Viking braids down the side of his head, which matched my own. As much as I enjoyed Tyson’s banter, Rehan and I seemed to be able to say just as much without speaking a word. It made butterflies fill my stomach.

You’re falling in love.

Nope, just friends with benefits. We shook on it, and I’ll have the same conversation with Tyson.

Sure you will.

Rehan carried me to the border, and my transfer from one dragon to another was surprisingly quiet and respectful. Layers of white covered Tyson’s hips, leaving his chest bare. The two dragons exchanged unhappy but courteous nods. Their mutual respect over the ceremony made me feel a little guilty for not taking the priestesses' training more seriously, but not enough to change anything.

Unlike our other flights, Tyson stayed straight and true. We landed in the crater on the mountaintop, and the ground trembled under my feet. If anyone else mentioned it, they didn’t speak up, so I pushed the sensation to the back of my mind. The priestesses separated me from Tyson and fussed over my hair and clothing. Once satisfied, they directed me to my starting rune on the far left of the crater. Tyson glowed where he stood, bathing in the setting sun. His gaze glued to me as we both waited for the moment to be upon us.

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