Page 13 of The Dragon's Warlock

“Mates don’t have the choice to walk away,” Alida said with a smile.

“Did you just read my mind?” Gideon muttered.

“What did I tell you about reading people's thoughts, Alida?” Kirin frowned at his daughter.

“He’s stubborn,” the young girl said.

“The things in my head are private,” Gideon said. He’d given Diem advice to keep her mind clear, and he hadn’t done the same.

“Your thoughts are loud!” Alida huffed.

“Is this how the guy on TV claims he sees your deceased family? He can read your thoughts and knows what to say?”

Alida giggled. “They can’t read minds. They do research on the audience before they show up.”

Lucy walked back over. “I still think Talia should open up a shop and do readings, but Kirin has her too busy at the council. As for your blood tests, I hope to have some answers in the next couple of days.”

“I don’t want to wait any longer to find my sister,” Diem whispered.

This was his chance to delay even longer. But when he saw the moisture pooling in her eyes, he knew he wouldn’t deny her anything. “We’ll leave in the morning. Kirin, do you have any rare trinket I can buy from you? I need something for Emma.”

Kirin tilted his head to the side. “Does Emma or Arrow know you're going to Cassadaga?”

“No.” Maybe it was time he made amends for some of his past actions, but Diem came first. “I’ll figure it out. Hence the reason I need a rare trinket.”

He knew it was a long shot asking a dragon for an ornament. They collected them and never gave them up. Even something worthless was hard for a dragon to ever get rid of. If Kirin turned him down, they would look for something on the drive.

“I’ll take a look tonight,” Kirin said.

“Maybe Conley would give you one of his trolls.” Lucy laughed. “I’m sure a fairy would love a troll to protect her little yard. Kia showed me pictures of the fairy gardens in Cassadaga. I can’t wait to go down there. I’ve been on the lookout for my gift ever since he told me about them.”

“Conley won’t give up a troll,” Alida said. “He’s still angry I asked about them. He’s the one who got excited when we were in the mall and he found one with rainbow hair. I didn’t know it was his dragon’s secret.”

Kirin reached down and swooped his daughter into his arms. “I’m sure Conley isn’t mad at you.”

The young girl smiled at her dad before glancing in Diem’s direction. “Diem, trust your dragon.” She then turned her eyes on Gideon. “You think you know what you want, what you need. Let that go. None of this is going to turn out the way you want. It’s going to end up just the way you need. First, go to Florida. Then you’ll know what to do from there.”

He was more than a thousand years old, and the little girl sent a chill down his spine. The air grew thick in the room. She was pulling on a force he didn’t understand. Gideon had spent years researching magic, and he couldn’t comprehend what the girl was doing, but he knew everything she said was the truth. She would make Kirin’s life challenging when she became a teenager.

Diem’s bottom lip was between her teeth. Gideon wanted to reach over to her mouth and run his finger across her lips. The woman made his cold heart beat again. Truthfully, he wanted to know what her lips tasted like.

Kirin cleared his throat, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Be safe on your trip to Florida. Talia and I will search for some evidence linking to Diem’s sister. If we find something, I’ll let you know.” He paused. “There’s a trinket shop on your way to Florida. I’ll text you the address.”

Alida waved as her dad carried her out of the lab. Gideon hadn’t seen any cars in the front yard and figured the young girl would transport her father home.

He knew it had been a long shot asking the dragon for a trinket. Money wasn’t something he had to worry about. Nobody lived a thousand years without having a hefty savings account. And the bank wasn’t the only place Gideon kept his fortune. His house in Ireland had a vault filled with gold. Dragons weren’t the only people to hoard gold. The need to find out what Diem wanted to hoard crossed his mind.

“You guys are so lucky,” Lucy squeaked. “Once I’ve helped all the humans who were turned, Kia’s going to have to take me to the fairy garden. Then I can talk them into moving here.”

“Fairies might have cute homes and love glitter,” Gideon replied, “but they aren’t the most trustworthy magical beings.”

Diem huffed next to him. “And warlocks are trustworthy?”

“I planned to call you.” Gideon had struggled with that each day. He hadn’t picked up the phone, because he wanted to prove she didn’t have a pull over him. Nobody would control him again.

“Sure,” she grumbled and stood. “Lucy, do you have a room for me to sleep in? It’s been a long day, and I need a shower.”

“We’re remodeling the guest rooms, but we do have one you two can share.”

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