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  He saved my skin for a reason. He didn’t do it out of the goodness of his heart.

  “Get us out of here, Avianna. Create a fire or something to distract them. We need to get to Nicolas. We’ve wasted too much time in this place,” I told her, staring at the man who I was never supposed to see again. Too bad, because I still hated his guts.

  Chapter Five

  The real explanation.

  After I let Lucas check over my wound, he finally left me and Idris alone. The werewolf bite was very deep, and it looked nasty. On top of that it hurt like hell, but I had to admit, the Dark One did a good job with the stitches and bandages. He was much more skilled than Aly, and he used magic to keep me alive. I felt a little guilty, because Aly was most likely worried sick about me.

  “I don’t know why you’re defending him,” I said to Avianna.

  “No, don’t be silly. Idris and that other Dark One helped us, so they can’t be that bad. I’m telling you, dude.”

  “The bottom line is, we shouldn’t be trusting him,” I said, communicating with her internally.

  “You have to listen to me for a moment, little one. I know you’re probably telling the little dragon to use her magic against me but hold your horses. She gave me a hell of a shock when she flew out of your backpack earlier on,” Idris told me, getting up. “I had no idea my father would show up on that bridge. Zuzanna must have figured out my plans.”

  “And you think I’m just going to believe you? I need to get out of here. Nicolas is in trouble!” I shouted, trying my best to roll off the table, but the dull pain in my arm forced me to stay where I was. This was freaking bad; my body refused to obey me, and I needed more magic to regain my strength. The tingling came back and when I lifted my fingers, they started sparkling.

  Idris narrowed his eyes and then helped me to sit up. I reluctantly accepted his hand. Avianna kept telling me that I needed to give him a chance, but Idris wasn’t going to fool me a second time. When our fingers touched, I was overwhelmed by a strong wave of heat. Suddenly, I remembered in detail that kiss, and his hands on my body. He made me feel wonderful and I nearly lost control of myself when I was around him. Man, he was hot, but there was no way I would allow myself to make the same mistake again.

  “I know where that beloved warden of yours is being kept, but in order for me to help, you need to calm down first, little one,” he said, penetrating me with his deep dark eyes.

  It took me a moment to realise that underneath the thin sheet, I was completely naked. My nipples were poking through and Idris noticed it. Embarrassment crawled up my face.

  The Dark One covered me with some clothes and I couldn’t get over the fact that I was completely naked underneath. Goosebumps appeared over the surface of my skin. Heat infused my cheeks, and I needed to quickly direct his attention to something else.

  “How do I know that there aren’t any more Dark Ones outside that door?” I asked. Idris and his friend, Lucas must have transported me into some basement flat. The windows were shaded with thick curtains. There were large boxes scattered around and a few sofas, too. The smell of blood made me a little nauseous. I wanted to regain my strength fast.

  “Don’t be childish, little one. If I’d conspired with my father, then you would have been dead already,” he muttered, and dragged his hand through his spiky dark hair. Avianna was staring at him with her red eyes, tilting her head to the right.

  This was absurd. We needed to disable Idris and then get the hell out of the there, but at the same time, he knew what happened to Nicolas. Helping him to regain his freedom was my priority; I owed him that.

  “My sister must have confided in her husband. I had to play my part earlier on. My father needed to believe that he could trust me, but I was never planning to hand you over to them. He still doesn’t have a clue how you managed to escape. I used my energy to push you off the bridge when your magic was in havoc. Everyone was certain that you crossed over to Draconia. You gave me a hell of a scare until the old lady confirmed that you were alive and well.”

  “What? You went to see Aly and she told you that I was okay?” I asked, thinking that I needed to have a serious talk with her. She wasn’t supposed to trust this arshole.

  “Despite what you may think, Alyson likes me. Well she threatened me with a gun first, but once I explained everything, she told me the truth. I used my connections in order to track you down all the way to Brixton. If I’d gotten there even just a few minutes later, you would have been as good as dead, Francesca,” Idris explained, and my stomach contracted with discomfort.

  I didn’t know what to think. Part of me wanted to believe him, the other thought he was feeding me with lies.

  Silence fell between us. Idris was one of them—the enemy—and it was better if I stayed away. We weren’t good for each other.

  “Where is Nicolas? He won’t handle prison very well,” I said. I wasn’t planning to thank him just yet. His own sister wanted me dead and his father was doing everything he could to keep the Dark Ones in power.

  “He was transported out through the crack to Sepulcrum prison. He wasn’t in very good shape, but overall, my father wanted him out of the human world,” Idris explained calmly. I clenched my fists, telling myself to stay calm. The bottom line was that Nicolas was still alive. “What about your dragon, little one? She seems all right. Are you guys still connected?”

  “See, he’s so worried about you. We don’t know anyone else in this huge city and he just told you Nicolas isn’t in this world anymore,” Avianna was telling me. It looked like Idris had charmed her, too.

  “I still don’t think we should trust him. There’s something that he wants from us, but you’re right. For now, I guess I have to accept his help.”

  “She’s doing well. She hatched out straight after we climbed out of the river. I nearly drowned, but her energy must have saved me,” I said, and touched her rough scales. My magic instantly rose, and I felt stronger. I could treat Idris with some energy and then run. It was an option, but I was still weakened from that damn bite. Everything happened so fast; the humans turned into werewolves within seconds and I was surrounded. The warlock must have done something to change his men to wolves. I had never heard of that kind of magic before.

  Then I thought about Nicolas and my stomach made a funny jolt. I’d heard about Sepulcrum; it was another city in the Lower World. Wardens there lived in harsh conditions. Most of the magic was sucked out of that territory a very long time ago, back when the dragons disappeared.

  “What about her magic? You said yourself that the dragon wouldn’t survive in this world. She must gain her strength from the centre of the Dimond city,” Idris said, and I began to wonder if he remembered everything I’d ever told him.

  “I don’t know what to tell you. Avianna is fine for now, but I have no idea if she can truly survive in this world for a long period of time,” I said. “She told me it takes two years for a dragon to fully develop, so I guess we have time.”

  Idris was making it seem like I didn’t care about the baby dragon, like Avianna wasn’t important. Deep inside I was scared, petrified to think that at some point all the reserves of her magic might vanish, disappear, and she would start getting ill. The Dragon Fever could affect her, too, and other creatures were becoming infected from what I’d heard.

  What if she was the last dragon left in the Lower World?

  No, I didn’t want to believe that; the council was breeding them somewhere far away from Draconia.

  “Little one, I’m on your side. I’ve been fed with lies, too. For years, my father was telling me that the dragons had been eliminated, that wardens were stealing our magic. I never cared about the Lower World. I lived like a human, but now, I’m done being part of that system,” he told me, and I was shocked to hear he wanted to change his life.

  I exhaled sharply, and part of the sheet dropped, revealing my thigh. Idris’s eyes drifted to my bare skin. More heat raced across my face, but I wasn’t g
oing to be intimidated by him at all. I ignored the lust that made me immobile. Idris had to have some kind of hidden agenda and I needed to be careful.

  “Fine, we can talk about this later. Just leave me alone for now. I have to get dressed and figure out what to do next,” I said, trying to make myself a bit more comfortable. Avianna spread her wings and released some smoke. She obviously didn’t approve that I wasn’t willing to believe his every word. Too many things had gone wrong in the past, and now Nicolas was sent back to the Lower World, to the place where he wouldn’t be able to survive for very long.

  “Of course, my queen, but Lucas is going to come back soon to check on you. You gave us both a big scare, but your baby dragon saved you,” he said, winked at me and then he was gone. Suddenly, I felt less anxious.

  I managed to climb off the table. The pain made me dizzy again, so I rested in the same position for a little while. When I started to put my clothes back on, I felt sick. This was a hell of an effort and staring down at my open flesh had never made me weak before. I didn’t want to be weak.

  “You weren’t very nice to him, Fran, and now we don’t even know if he’s going to bring us any food,” Avianna told me, stinging me with her soft fire.

  “I was almost naked underneath that sheet. I feel too venerable like that. I just couldn’t bear to ask him. Don’t stress. We both know that we can’t fully trust him. I just have to keep him on a short leash for now. Who knows what he actually wants from us?” I told her and looked around the room for the rest of my clothes.

  When Nicolas landed on top of me outside’s Aly’s house, he had been stabbed. Now I understood how he felt back then.

  Idris was right: heading over to make a deal with another warlock was a pretty stupid idea. I acted on an impulse. I found a man’s shirt folded neatly on the chair, so I quickly put it on. It was long, but at least it covered my thighs.

  I was really worried about Nicolas. He was a warden from the upper class, and he had never experienced being isolated from his magic. A shudder of revulsion crawled over my spine when I imagined myself in the past. I had spent some time in prison, and I knew not many wardens could survive there.

  Then minutes later, Lucas returned and shut the door behind him. My pulse jumped, because I still wasn’t used to seeing him in his true form. His skin was shimmering even more in the dim light and Avianna started flying around the room.

  He placed a huge plate of food on the table and smiled at me. The Dark One’s magic was addictive. I could sense his energy drifting around me, but my mouth watered at the sight of food on the plate. I was too hungry to worry about the effect he was having on me. Avianna instantly flew down and stared picking up what she could with her little dragon mouth, making some strange noises at the same time.

  “I used silver from fairies to remove the poison from your blood. I need to clean the wound once more to prevent infection,” he told me after I was done stuffing my face.

  “Why are you helping him? This isn’t normal. I mean, the Dark Ones are supposed to hate the wardens,” I said, wiping my mouth. Lucas was well built, but he was staring at me with a mixture of fear and admiration. My magic was apparent, rising and bouncing around the space.

  He smiled at me, and then switched his weight to the side as if he was intimidated by me. He was obviously a healer. I had never heard of fairy silver, but I wasn’t about to complain. He saved my butt, and I was grateful.

  “We’ve been friends since we were boys, and we have a certain bond. Idris asked for this favour and I couldn’t say no,” he explained. I thought that Idris was the black sheep of his family; his sister was the devoted daughter who always did what her daddy told her to. I was going to strangle that bitch with my bare hands. “Can you lie down? I really need to check you over. Idris would kill me if I wasn’t thorough with my examination.”

  Crap, this was awkward, and Avianna was polishing off the bread with the rest of the meat that was on my plate. I told myself the guy was only a healer and he’d most likely already saw me naked earlier on. I marched back to the table and managed to climb on top of it. The good thing was, that he kept my kickers on, otherwise this could have been mortifying.

  He came nearer and lifted my shirt up, so it still covered my breasts.

  “It was Baxley that urged Magnus to go after you on the bridge. Idris has always been isolated from his family. The man cares about you, but hell, don’t say I said anything. He would kill me if he knew I was talking to you about him,” Lucas said, moving the soft cotton ball over my wound. He made me feel extremely guilty for treating him so harshly earlier on.

  Chapter Six

  Nicolas’s replacement.

  After all, I enjoyed being looked after. Lucas knew what he was doing, and his magic gave me much-needed relief. He also handed me some white pills, that he called painkillers, for a long-lasting effect. Avianna was blowing fire everywhere, and I could have sworn she had grown a little more. It had been a few days since she hatched out from the egg. This time around, I was certain that I wasn’t just imagining things.

  Lucas mentioned that he worked with Idris in the office as a healer. He walked me to the bathroom located at the end of the long corridor. Apparently, I wasn’t the only warden he had helped to get better. Lucas was obviously one of those Dark Ones who didn’t agree with council rules, or their politics. Even with this knowledge, I knew I couldn’t be too careful. I had trusted too many people who’d let me down in the past. Because of this, I remained wary of him and Idris.

  I wasn’t willing to trust them just yet, especially after what had happened on the bridge. Later on, when I had a proper warm meal and managed to shower, my magical strength slowly started coming back to me. The meeting with Dexter and his bunch scared the shit out of me. I knew there were werewolves out there, but I never actually thought that I would be standing face-to-face with bunch of them at the same time. Normally I wasn’t adrenaline junkie, but I cared about Nicolas. He was ready to take a bullet for me, and I couldn’t stand that he ended up back in Lower World because of me.

  “You’re in my house, in the basement. I didn’t want to take any chances. You can leave whenever you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it. My father called for backup. He asked others to either bring them the egg or your body,” Idris told me when we finally left his basement. This must have been his second home somewhere on the outskirts of the city. Most likely no one knew about this place, even his sister, and that was good enough for me.

  Avianna was flying above me, still spreading her fire everywhere. The horns on her back and spine were changing colours to show a light red. I hoped that she wasn’t going to change too much more.

  “So, you’re loaded then? This is an expression most humans use,” I said, looking around at his super cozy living room. I didn’t know why he needed to have more than one house, but it was none of my business.

  He started looking for something in the kitchen, while our magic was drifting, buzzing in my ears. I decided to accept his help for now, but that was all. We kissed once, and I’d already erased that moment from my memory forever, at least I was trying to. I was going to keep telling myself that until the memory was gone completely. I couldn’t be involved with anyone right now. No one in Draconia knew what was going on, but then my voice of reason reminded me that I needed to take one step at the time. I was only one person. I wouldn’t be able to change the system that everyone was so used to, but wardens deserved to know the truth.

  “I can’t complain. I had a successful business before I joined the dark forces, but after my divorce—”

  “You’re kidding me, right? You were married before?” I asked, and then realised I was way too excited about this. Who cared that he was with someone else before? Our kiss was long forgotten, and yeah, I had to admit that even now our chemistry was off the charts. This is me, forgetting, erasing it from my memory.

  “It doesn’t matter. It was a mistake on my part and there’s no need to talk about it. What
do you want to do about that warden?” he asked, sounding irritated. He seemed to be pissed he’d let it slip that he was married before. I wasn’t really interested anyway.

  “No wonder he’s so distant. I bet that woman cheated on him. You two really need to get together,” Avianna was telling me and then a second later, she sat on Idris’s arm.

  ‘Traitor.”

  “You’re just jealous that’s all.”

  Idris looked amused and I tried not to show my irritation.

  “I have to get him out. We came in here together, and he wasn’t even supposed to be on that bridge,” I said, feeling so guilty. I should have listened to Idris. He told me himself that it would have been better if Nicolas stayed behind. “We need to head over to Sepulcrum, I think it’s our only option.”

  “The cracks leading back to Draconia are controlled by the Dark Ones, although new ones keep appearing every week but entering Sepulcrum can be done, you just need to know the right people.”

  “And I presume you know these people? Why didn’t you stop them on that bridge? What happened once I was in the water?” I asked, feeling it was time to start asking questions.

  Dara and other wardens were always talking about other cites, abandoned places in the Lower World. Apparently, the magic was almost nonexistent there; it died when the dragons vanished. Now I knew the dragons were the answers to all of our problems. They could help us to restore the order in the whole Lower world, but they were under control of the Dark Ones.

  It was a hell of a risk, trying to get to Dimond city, besides Nicolas was being kept in different place. And on top of everything Avianna was exposed. She had to be watched because of her magic. She needed it in order to survive, so I had no idea how long this could go on.