Page 28 of Must Love Dragons
Rising smoothly, she brushed her hands off and moved to the door.“It’s time to go.”
He didn’t move.
For a second she thought he might say something, anything, but then he stepped aside to let her pass.
Not a freaking word.
Coward.
She grabbed her keys, scooped up Nysa, and walked outside.Whatever mess was going on between her and Zay could be dealt with later.Right now, she had a warlock clan to track and an uncle to save.Buckling Nysa in the backseat so she wouldn’t go strolling around the vehicle, she waited for Zay to get in and turned on the engine.Spying the red mist in the air, she headed down the road, following it.
Fifteen minutes later, they passed into Mariner’s Bluff, the red mist leading them right to the port and disappearing into one of the warehouses.The row of warehouses was all dark, with broken windows and trash everywhere.She turned off the engine and got out, anxious to be free of the stifling interior of the car and the dragon who wouldn’t talk to her.She inhaled sharply at the dark energy that lingered in the air.Dark magic stained everything it touched, even the air.
When Zay got out of the car, she finally looked at him.He was tense, his expression still a mask of indifference, but his eyes were stormy with emotion.She could see his hands clenched at his sides, knuckles white as he dug his fingers into his palms.
He seemed to be barely holding it together.
For sure he was worried about his uncle, but it wasn’t just about him, it was about her too.She was so tempted to push him to admit that what they’d shared meant something to him, but she knew this wasn’t anywhere close to the time she should do that.They had bigger fish to fry.
First, she’d help him find his uncle, and then once they were all safely back in Sable Cove, she’d ask Zay why the hell he was so stubborn.
Even if she was pretty sure she wouldn’t like the answer.
She shook her head and focused on the red mist that led to a particularly dilapidated warehouse.Leaving Nysa in the car, because she didn’t know what they were going to be walking into, she reached into her pocket for the defensive ward—a smokescreen that would make it seem like they disappeared so they could get to safety if needed, and an offensive ward—a vial of a magical toxin that would blind anyone attacking them temporarily.
As she walked toward the warehouse, her gaze on the red mist, Zay joined her.“You need to be more careful,” he said with an aggravated tone.“You’re just walking over there like it’s a grocery store.”
“Excuse me?”she rounded on him, fury rising.“I’m the one who got us here, remember?And I have spells to protect us; I’m not skipping in there blindly.But sure, Zay, by all means, please take the lead.”
His jaw ticked.“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then say what the hell you mean for crap’s sake.”Her patience was fraying.She was stressed and brokenhearted, and underneath all that she was worried that it had been too long since his uncle had been taken and he might be dead.
For a moment his gaze softened, his eyes flashing to his dragon, and then just as quickly it was gone, and he shut her out again like a safe slamming shut.
Holding both wards tightly, she deliberately turned away from him and moved toward the warehouse, ready to face whatever was inside and hopefully rescue his uncle.
Zay walked with Kinsley into the abandoned warehouse.His head was on a swivel and his dragon was alert for anything that might harm them.He sniffed the air, finding it reeking of the sulfur scent of dark magic.He was uneasy, and it had as much to do with the dark magic in the air as it did with the female next to him.
Despite how intense things had been at her house, he couldn’t bridge the emotional gap between them.She was acting distant now, and he wasn’t surprised since he’d been distancing himself ever since they’d had sex.
She was a witch.
Filled with magic.
And it was good magic; he could feel that it was.Not tainted and twisted like the warlocks who’d attacked his clan.But he couldn’t bring himself to let go of the walls around him.Every time he got close to her, he felt like he was betraying his people.
How could he have a witch for a mate when magic was bad and dangerous?
Shaking his head, he pushed away the thoughts of his fucked up personal life and focused on the warehouse.He needed to find his uncle, but it didn’t look like there was anyone in the building.
Kinsley moved with purpose next to him, delicate hands wrapped around protective wards that he didn’t trust.He trusted his own power and strength.They searched the warehouse, and at the far corner, he pulled up short at what was before them.An altar, blood-stained and carved with symbols, reeking of dark magic.The air actually shimmered with the remnants of the dark magic used.
He shuddered, thinking of the last time he’d seen magic like that.
When his parents had been cut down in front of him.
The air hummed with malevolent energy, and he immediately wanted to shield Kinsley from it.Could she be tainted with dark magic?How the hell did a good magic user even become a dark magic user?
