Page 5 of Destiny of the Dragons

“Petty.” Jace heated his hands, melting the ice off his face.

The steps ended at a large stone archway, carved with intricate runes. Not for the first time, Jace marveled at the feat of magic it had taken to create a pocket dimension. It was far beyond what most supernaturals could do these days.

They walked into the Troll Market, a gust of warm air blowing in his face in contrast with the tunnel.

It was always twilight here. A long winding path cut through the main street. Shops crammed together, wooden signs advertising their wares, or simple scarves with runes embroidered into the cloth. You could buy anything in the Troll Market if you were willing to pay the price.

Along the streets were carts selling all sorts of goods: trinkets, spell scrolls, and colorful piles of spell ingredients.

Lanterns hung on the corners, colors shifting in a kaleidoscope that could mesmerize if you stared too long. Some buildings were tall enough to have two stories, with a stone archway over the streets to allow people to pass over.

Jace rolled his shoulders, unfurling his red wings. He kept them close to his body, but it was still damn good to have them out.

The air was scented with spice, sex, and sweat; a heady aroma. The dragon inside Jace clicked his talons. He would need to stretch his wings soon, preferably on a good trek over the Spring Mountains. Maybe he could do a fly by on the wolf shifters and annoy them.

Smoke took the lead, cutting through the crowd. People took one look at his face and moved out of the way.

A man hung on the corner, dark hair and eyes, major fuck off vibe. It was the third time Jace had seen him. Jace sniffed, his nose telling him about foreign spice and fire, but he wasn’t a dragon.

Jace frowned. Smoke caught his glace, and gave a half shrug. “I don’t know. Phoenix maybe? Wyvern?”

Jace didn’t know and looked away. It was better not to stare at strangers.

A couple of vampires hung out on the corner, their charm out in full swing, and a few fangbangers looked at them with awe.

Jace snorted. Amateurs. The vampire monarch was in town, so it would be interesting to see if he actually managed to clean up the vampire problem in Vegas.

They headed for a small café a few streets over. Huong’s was a popular meet up spot for shady contacts. Smoke stopped halfway down the street and slid next to a stall. They were early, and Smoke preferred to watch before they entered.

Jace leaned against the building next to him.

Several rows of spell components crowded the street. One old crone’s cart was a long tray of what appeared to be spices, each a bright color piled high. Jace scanned the patrons, until a woman turned to the side and he caught her profile.

Jace sucked in a breath. His internal fire roared into an inferno, a trickle of smoke curling out of his nose.

She was beautiful, with a heart shaped face, and thick brown hair. Her eyes were bright blue. Electricity shot through him. He took a step forward before he realized what he was doing. Behind her, someone covertly made the sign of the Evil Eye.

Caragvaggio, his brain supplied. With blue eyes like that, she had to be one of the Caravaggio witches. Mostly seers, but with blood magic in their history.

Fire blazed through him, scorching everything inside. He wanted to pick her up and carry her back to his apartment where he and Smoke—

Jace looked at Smoke, to get his attention, but Smoke had already seen her.

Smoke didn’t pay attention to women, or men for that matter. Jace was an exception, which had always made his ego happy. Smoke stared at the witch, his gazed riveted on her face.

She was medium height, and curvy. She wore tight, dark blue jeans, but he couldn’t get a good look at her ass, thanks to the stupid fashion that was all the rage. Her black sweater was long enough to hit her thigh, but at least the tank top she wore under it only hit the top of her jeans. When she shifted, he got a glimpse of skin.

Blood raced from his head to his cock. He would lick that small slip of skin, make her pant, lick her lower.

The witch glanced their way, like she could feel the weight of their gaze. The weight of her gaze landed on him like a blow. Her blue eyes widened and her mouth parted.

Sparks ignited inside him. He needed her more than he needed his next breath. He didn’t have to take his gaze off her to know that Smoke was in agreement. With this jewel, they could make a Treasure.

Someone screamed.

Startled, Jace moved in unison with Smoke to close the distance between them.

One of the vampires from the corner was in the middle of the street, his fangs extended. There was blood on his mouth, but the fangbangers were nowhere to be seen. He was of average height and build, with medium brown hair. The only thing going for him was his supernatural charm.

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