Page 10 of Dragon Falling (Dragon Intelligence Agency 1)

As the motion all around her started to slow, Ellie took another deep breath. Stepping out of what her mom had always called their very own Enchanted Highway, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was more beautiful than she ever could have imagined.

White, yellow, and purple flowers, every variation, every hue, every size, all stretched their delicate petals tall in hopes of touching the brilliant rays of the setting sun as they broke through the enormous trunks of the giant redwood trees. More majestic and ten-times bigger than Angelica had talked about, the Redwoods were amazing, but it was butterflies, dragonflies, and more than a few Fairies and Pixies dancing from flower to flower, chittering to one another and pointing in her direction that made the young Witch smile.

Slowly walking closer, not wanting to scare them or provoke them in any way, Ellie stopped several feet from the closest Fairy and, in her softest, most nonthreatening voice, asked, "Do you know which way it is to the resort?"

“They sure do,” came a chuckling reply that sounded like the tinkling of silver bells.

Turning towards the voice, Ellie smiled and squealed as she ran across the meadow. “Oh, my Goddess, Angelica. You look amazing.”

And she wasn't exaggerating in the least little bit. Angelica Fairway seemed to get more beautiful and more powerful with every passing year. Always discounted by other races because of her short stature and petite frame, they only had to wait for half a breath, and the true depth and magnitude of the power she exuded would envelop them. But she wasn't threatening in the least little bit - quite the opposite. She radiated positivity, friendship, and a true feeling of calm. Angelica was the best, and Ellie hadn't realized how much she missed her until she laid eyes on the Witch's short, black spiky hair.

Running into Ang’s open arms, Ellie hugged her tight, accepting the warmest of embraces from one of her sister’s best friends, a woman Celia affectionately called her sister-from-another-mister. Squeezing hard, letting go of all the nerves and tension she’d been feeling before stepping into the portal, Ellie murmured, “It isso goodto see you.”

Leaning back when Angelica did, loving that the older Witch kept her hands on her shoulders, Ellie relaxed even more as Ang's swirling gray eyes sparkled with mischief as she giggled, "Yeah, well, I hear tell that it darned near took an act of the Goddess herself to get you here."

“Now, that’s not…”

Arching a single eyebrow and tilting her head to the side, Angelica Fairway took another step back, hands sliding off Ellie’s shoulders as she moved. Lifting the index finger of her left hand, she tsked, “Now, you know your nose will grow if you tell a fib.”

"It will. It really will," the tittering of Fairies and Pixies behind Ellie had her looking over her shoulder and winking.

Turning back towards Angelica, she chuckled, “I see you’ve got your backup waiting in the wings…literally.”

"Ha. Ha. Ha." The older Witch tried to frown but instead ended up laughing out loud, "Sadly, you've got your sister's sense of humor." Stepping towards Ellie and spinning on her toes at the same time, she ended up at the young woman's right side before slinging her arm over Ellie's shoulder and adding, "Let's see if we can at the very least get you some new material while you're here."

Laughing right along, Ellie teased, “I keep telling Cel that I’m gonna teach the baby all my bad jokes.”

“HA! That’s got to be better than buying the babe a bunch of loud, clanging and banging toys.”

“Oh, I plan on doing that, too.”

Giving her a squeeze, Angelica whooped, complete with a fist pump of her free hand. "I've already got a cart full of the toys on Amazon just waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl."

Putting her finger to her lips, Ellie shushed, “Shhh, don’t tell anybody, but me too. I’ve tried everything to get Celia to find out the sex of my very first niece or nephew, but she adamantly refuses. Says it’s better if it’s a surprise.”

"I tried, too. Guess there's nothing we can do since it's her baby. However, we will have to compare notes on the toys to get the maximum bang." Nudging Ellie with her elbow, the Witch waggled her eyebrows, "Gotta be sure that baby has all the loudest, most obnoxious toys we can find."

“You know it.”

Following where she was led, listening to Ang talk about the resort, the grounds around it, and all the amenities, Ellie’s senses were swamped with the wonderful scent of fresh mesquite and a campfire on a cool, fall evening. She hadn’t smelled anything like it for…

“Is Ranger Evans here?” The words were out of her mouth before her brain had even registered what she was thinking.

Shaking her head and pursing her lips, Angelica stopped then shook her head again. "Name doesn't ring a bell."

“You’re sure?” Ellie had to know. She didn’t sense a lie or any hidden agenda on Ang’s part, but she had to be sure. She couldn’t take the chance of running into him. Not now. Not so close to her Awakening.

Emotions played a huge part in her body's acceptance of the full force of her magic. Ellie had to have a clear mind and an open heart. Her soul had to be as unburdened as possible. Having Ranger anywhere near would not be good. Not the way she felt about him now. Not with the resentment she was harboring mixed up with love and lust and just everything. It would… It would…

“Yep, I’m sure. I didn’t see his name on any register or in the reservations manifest.” Shrugging, she added, “I mean, Jianna is the owner and manager. The only way I wouldn’t know he was here was if she’d added him last minute, but even then, she at least leaves me a message.”

“Okay,” Ellie replied, trying not to make a big deal or draw any more attention to something she definitely did not want to talk about as her heightened senses searched for the source of the enticing aroma.

He’s not here. You heard Angelica. Stop looking for him. You say you don’t want him here, but you know you do. You can’t lie to yourself. But he’s not here. He’s off somewhere - only the Goddess knows where. He’s…

"You wanna tell me what's going on?" Angelica inquired, her brows furrowed and her lips in a tight, thin line.

Forcing out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, Ellie shook her head. “It’s nothing. I just thought… Well, I caught a scent… Oh, shit.” She ran her free hand through the curls hanging over her shoulder. “I thought my Mate was here." Pulling her fingers from her hair, she waved them in the air towards Angelica. "Smell that?"

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