Page 31 of The Dragon's Warlock

“No more food.” She laughed.

Diem stood and walked out onto the back balcony. When she glanced around, she couldn’t see another person for miles, so she slowly peeled her tank top over her head and worked her yoga pants down her body. Gideon’s breath caught as she turned and faced him. His eyes traveled up and down her body. The simple look was enough to make her insides feel like they were on fire.

“God, you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen. Now, hurry and change into your dragon before I drag you into the room and ignore everything the shaman made me promise not to do.”

Changing was the only thing she felt like she’d mastered. She closed her eyes, and her dragon took over her body. Everything was different when she was in her dragon form. The colors seemed sharper, smells were more robust, and her hearing was on another level.

“You’re going to have to bend down a little,” Gideon huffed.

She lay against the glass patio and hoped it was strong enough to hold her giant dragon. Gideon used her leg to boost himself onto her back. When his hand touched her scales, her dragon purred.

Not wanting to think more about his touch, she stood and pushed off the back patio. Her wings flapped in the warm air. With each stroke, the two of them went higher. Gideon didn’t say a word as she took them through the trees. When she dipped down and splashed water upward, he chuckled. When she flew through the sky, everything wrong in her life evaporated, and even time seemed not to exist.

She didn’t know how long they’d been up in the air when she heard Gideon say, “We need to head back.”

Her dragon fought her for a second, loving to be out and complaining because she didn’t shift enough. She promised herself that when everything was settled, she would shift more and become closer to her dragon side.

They made their way back to the patio, and she landed with grace. Gideon slid off her back, and she turned back into human form. She reached for her clothes, but Gideon drew her into his arms, and his lips lightly touched hers.

She drew back. “You said we had to wait. I’m only holding on by a thread.”

His eyes darkened to a forest green. The tension was thick in the air. He slid his hand around her waist, keeping her close to his body. His tongue pushed past her lips and explored her mouth with wild abandon.

With a groan, she wrapped her legs around his waist, and his hands cupped her ass. In that moment, everything disappeared. The only thing she cared about was Gideon.

He walked her backward until her back was against the glass door. She tugged upward at his shirt. He broke the kiss long enough for her to lift the shirt over his head. His chest pressed against her boobs. His fingers drifted lightly over her skin.

A throat cleared in the room, and Gideon pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. “If you don’t get the fuck out of here, I’m going to kill you,” Gideon said.

The man huffed. “I’ll leave, but remember, no sex, or it won’t work. You have two minutes to get dressed. We’re already an hour behind.” The door slammed a couple of seconds later.

Gideon slowly lowered Diem’s legs to the ground. They felt like jelly.

“You didn’t have to be so rude, Gideon.”

“Nobody sees you naked but me,” he growled.

“Silly man, you know I’m a shifter, right? That’s going to be almost impossible.”

“Nobody sees you naked but me, Diem. I will kill anyone who lays an eye on you.”

She thought about arguing but knew from the way his eyes were trained on her that it wouldn’t be an option. Instead, she pulled away, already missing the feel of his touch. She threw on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The ritual could last for eight hours. Nobody had told her what to expect, but she’d seen TV shows where people went on spiritual journeys. She hoped she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself and talk to a rock for eight hours.

When they opened the door, Ethno stood on the other side with a hemp sack. He frowned at Gideon. “You should know better. To get answers, you sometimes have to sacrifice the things you want.”

“Okay then, let’s go and get this done because I’m not going to wait too much longer to sleep with my mate.”

The shaman nodded and walked down a dirt trail. Gideon grabbed Diem’s hand, and they walked in silence. It gave her time to clear her mind. At the end of the tree rows, a large circle was carved into the ground. Around the ring were a few logs on the ground. Gideon walked her over to one, and she sat down next to him.

“What are you looking for, Diem?”

“I can’t remember how I got from where my sister was to West Virginia. I want to know where she is.”

Gideon reached over and squeezed her hand.

“The ayahuasca ritual will help you break down the walls your mind has put up. Today, you will be plunged into something deeper. This is your first time, so it might not send you to the point you want to go to. Tomorrow, we will do this again. You will learn to navigate your way through your mind. Your conscious mind keeps you from seeing what you want.”

“Why are we doing this during the day?” she asked. From the pamphlet, she’d read this was supposed to be done at night.

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