Page 38 of Must Love Dragons
“They’re selling it,” he said.“It’s worth a lot on the black market.But they’re also storing it up.”He coughed hard enough that she swore she heard his ribs crack.With a shallow wheeze, he continued, “There’s a large coven that controls a territory that’s rich in magical resources.Some kind of mineral or stone that’s used to amplify magic.They tried to take over, but the coven pushed them out, so they turned to dark magic.They’re going to use our blood to wipe them out.Power, money, dark magic that’s powered by dragon’s blood.They’ll be unstoppable.”
As Rorik’s last words hung in the air between them, fear gripped her.She was downright petrified for all of them.For Zay, for Rorik, and for herself, too.
She needed to break free, but how the hell could she do that when she didn’t have access to her magic?Shifting against the pillar, she winced as the cuffs bit into her skin.Her wrists throbbed, the metal burning her skin more the longer she was exposed to it.She tried to call on her magic again, hoping for anything, even a tiny spark that might weaken the metal, but nothing happened.
Her gaze flicked to Rorik.He hadn’t moved in a few minutes.She could see he was still breathing, but he looked worse than he had before he’d started talking.If Zay didn’t show up soon to rescue them, she wasn’t sure how much longer Rorik was going to last.
Swallowing hard, she tamped down the fear licking at her spine and strained her ears for any sound behind the occasional shuffle of boots outside and a drip from somewhere in the warehouse.The warlocks were all outside, and while she could hear some murmuring, they seemed to just be waiting.
For Zay.
For his blood.
Pulling at the chain again, she accomplished nothing but an ache in her shoulders.There was no chance she’d break the chain on her own without magic.She couldn’t break free, she couldn’t fight, she couldn’t even help heal Rorik while her magic was dampened.
All she could do was wait.
And hope that Zay wasn’t walking into a death trap.
Zay, in Kinsley’s car with his clan, had the pedal to the floor as he navigated to the port where he and Kinsley had nearly headed into the afterlife.
Behind him, her friends followed in the truck.
Lyra let out aneepas he took a hard corner.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said.“Your mind must be racing a hundred miles an hour.Like the car.”
He snorted and curled his hands tighter on the wheel.“Yeah.I’m kicking myself because I left her in the car to keep her safe and it ended up being the worst thing possible.If I’d been with her, I could have fought back and kept her safe.”
“Or they might have taken you, too,” Sierra said from the backseat.“There’s no telling what they would have done if you’d been out in the open.The warlocks are sneaky, powerful, and well-coordinated.If they were prepared to take Kinsley, they were certainly prepared to take you.”
He glanced in the rearview.“You think they were going to take her with me all along?”
“It seems like it.”
“Shit.”
He’d worried about her being in the fight with him, he hadn’t even anticipated that they wantedheras well.
“We’ll get your mate back,” Ronan said, his voice low with deadly determination.“And we’ll rescue Rorik and put an end to the warlocks once and for all.”
Zay stared ahead, his dragon ready for whatever might come.
* * *
Parking out of sight of the line of dilapidated warehouses, Zay got out and rolled his neck, inhaling and sorting through the scents that lingered in the night air.
Sulfur.
His dragon snarled, ready to fight.
He turned and walked toward the truck parked behind them.At the back, Venice had opened two trunks of weapons.
“What’s your pleasure?”he asked with a low voice.“I’ve got it all.”
“Nice,” Sierra said with a grin.
