Page 24 of The Dragon's Warlock

8

Gideon

“This is bullshit!” Diem shouted.

He wasn’t surprised they hadn’t gotten an exact location with an arrow pointing to it. That wasn’t how readings worked. Seeing a shaman wasn’t something he’d expected to do, but it was something he’d done in the past, and it had helped.

The vision helped him find his way. Which he’d lost again. Maybe the drugs would help him figure out his future too.

Ethno was the same shaman Gideon had gone to centuries before. He was the only shaman who knew about shifters. There would be a good chance of a change during the ritual, and Diem wasn’t in control of her dragon. That could be dangerous to her and those around her.

He held back his smile as she stomped her little feet down the trail. She felt so small next to him. He also didn’t miss how she kept her hand on the gem he gave her. Deep down, he wanted her to have his cave on his property.

“Are you even listening to me?” she grumbled.

“Yes. You're mad. You didn’t get the perfect answer.” Gideon shrugged. “Like Alida couldn’t tell us the future even though she knows it. The fairy can send us in the direction we need to go.”

She ran her hand through her hair and sat down on the decorated bench. The garden had changed a lot since the last time he was there. More grass had been cleared out and more bright colors added.

“I thought I would be closer to finding her,” she said.

He didn’t like how sad her voice sounded. “I promise we will find her.”

“When? Am I going to go have this vision that will send me on another path that leads to another journey?”

“I don’t know, but the only way to find out is to go to Costa Rica.”

“How expensive is this shaman?”

The price for a human wasn’t bad. Ethno didn’t charge the same for shifters and humans. He tacked on a fee for shifters because there might be a chance they destroyed the hut or building.

“It’s been years since I went. If I had to guess, around twenty thousand dollars each, and if we don’t destroy the place, we get a portion of the money back.”

“I can’t afford that. And I don’t expect you to pay for yours.”

He had more money than he knew what to do with, and he wouldn’t hesitate to use it to help Diem find her sister. “Let me worry about the money.”

“I can’t let you pay. There has to be another way.”

“There’s not.” He pressed a kiss to the back of her hand.

His chest tightened as his lips touched her soft skin. He didn’t know how much longer he could fight the pull. Diem would be his, even if he wasn’t good enough for her.

“Why don’t you sit here and enjoy the view?” he said. “I’m going to make a few phone calls.”

“Okay.”

He didn’t leave the seat as he pulled out his phone. It didn’t take long before he’d found a private jet to take them to Costa Rica. The call to Ethno was a little harder. The man said they didn’t have any open spots. But when Gideon offered him a hundred grand, the spots magically opened.

“I think we should stop and grab some food before we head to the airport,” he said, and Diem tensed. “If we could drive, we would, Diem.”

“Try explaining that to my dragon.” She sighed.

The ritual might also help her become one with her dragon.

“Maybe if we fill you full of food, you can sleep on the plane. I would say you could fly us there, but I’m not sure your dragon could carry me on your back that far, and it would still take a few days.”

“Will you hold me on the plane?” Her face turned pink. “I meant my hand. When you touch me, my dragon is a lot calmer.”

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