Page 53 of Prince of Storms
“Tor,” he said with a nod.
“It’s here?”
Tempest had been about to say something. He closed his mouth, then opened it, before nodding. “Yes. The mirror is in your room. But—”
“Great, thank you!” I said, slapping him on the shoulder and taking off past him, ignoring whatever else he had to say. Right then, the only thing that was important to me was finally catching a glimpse of my mate. I had waited too long. I should have done it before even leaving Storm Keep and the dragon realm. Now I had a chance to atone for that mistake and finally have someone to take my mind off Mia.
I vaulted down the stairs, out into the hallway, then down to my room. The door opened easily, and I paused.
There, propped up against the far wall, was the Watching Mirror. Each of the four dragon clans had its own. It was designed to help keep an eye on the various parts of the realms and to communicate with dragons. Nobody had ever used it to find their mate, as far as I could tell, until Ember of the fire clan. Now I and the other heirs were all using it for that reason.
“At last,” I said, eyeing the mirror. It was five feet tall, set into a dark gray frame made from iron, making it unusually heavy for a mirror. The surface showed nothing but the rest of the room, and wouldn’t, until I stood in front of it.
Behind me, I heard Ty and Tempest coming into the room.
“Tor,” Tempest said, but I raised a hand.
“Not now, T. I have to do this first.”
“But …”
“Not. Now.” I barked the order.
Tempest fell silent as I stalked the mirror, approaching from an oblique angle. It was time. The moment I saw the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. It was odd, in a way. I knew what I would see and what it would mean. But the woman on the other end, I would have to approach her, talk to her, win her over, all while knowing what she was to me.
That brought up a dilemma. Did I tell her? How soon should I tell her? What was that balance point between too soon and too late? How would I know when it was upon me?
The mirror beckoned, and I realized I’d been stalling. Delaying, dragging out this most important moment.
Steeling myself with a deep breath, I stepped in front of the mirror, staring at myself in the reflection.
“Show me …my mate,” I whispered, sending my command to the magical mirror.
It shimmered and darkened until it was nearly completely black.
Behind me, Ty and Tempest came closer, each eager to see what it would reveal, though neither of them waited as impatiently as me. The questions in my mind were endless. What would she look like? Tall? Short? Curvy and deliciously thick, fit and muscular, thin and lithe? What about her hair? Her eyes? What would her smile do to me when I saw it for the first time? And her skin? What color would it be? I couldn’t wait to see her finally!
All those thoughts and more zipped through my brain as the image in the mirror slowly resolved itself into a dim room. A cubicle, by the looks of it. Three walls of dark metal. The faint outline of a door on one of the walls. The image slowly rotated.
“What the hell?” I muttered as the image focused on a woman in black lying on her side, facing away from me. She had her head curled down into her body and her knees up toward her, obscuring her features. “What is this? Show me my mate!”
The image didn’t change. The woman lay on a metal slab that doubled as a bed. It reminded me vaguely of …
“Prison?” I said. “My mate is a thief?”
Beside me, Tempest hissed.
I looked over my shoulder at him. “What is it?”
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Tor,” he said. “I know this woman.”
“What? How? How could you possibly have met any humans already? Were you sneaking into Earth when you shouldn’t be?”
“No,” Tempest said. “I know her becauseIput her into that cell. Maybe ten minutes ago.”
“You … put her in there?” Abruptly, I realized why the room looked familiar. They were the prison cells below Fulmen Manerium. Designed to house dragons if necessary.
“Yes,” Tempest said. “I did.”
