Lost Read online

  “Something must have happened to the portal, and we got separated. We ended up on some street in London, and the Dark Ones showed up,” I said. “Idris had to pretend that he’d caught me.

  “You lost some of your magic and your bones are broken,” she pointed out.

  “Baxley was trying to get information out of me,” I said, using my internal voice once again. “And he tortured me.”

  Avianna understood and, in a way, I was glad that she didn’t ask any more questions. Deep down I was worried about Idris. Sooner or later, someone would figure out that he was on our side, but hopefully by then, the Dark Ones wouldn’t be in charge anymore. For now, no one suspected anything, and as long as he stuck to the plan, he would be all right.

  I must have drifted off, or it was Avianna who made me go to sleep, because someone nudged me only moments later. I opened my eyes, seeing that Avianna wasn’t on my lap anymore, and the van wasn’t moving. The smell of blood wafted through the air, and I felt sick to my stomach.

  “What’s going on? Are we at Idris’s place?” I asked, staring at Nicolas who looked pale and tired. It was still the middle of the night, and we were outside Idris’s apartment building. I instantly recognised the area.

  “We need to get inside and check you over,” Nicolas said. “Rhian is taking care of the warlock. She called some fairies, and they are on their way.” I stared at him for a moment, wondering what had gotten into him.

  “Why are you helping me?” I asked. “I thought you hated me.” He shook his head and then dragged his hand through his hair.

  “I don’t hate you, Fran. I was tired and angry, but we have to stick together. Come on, let’s get inside before anyone sees us. We can talk about this later.” Nicolas was right; we couldn’t stay out here, and I was dreaming of a warm, comfortable bed.

  The streets were empty, and it was probably sometime in the early hours of the morning. Maybe he still hated me to a point, but for now I just had to forget about it. Several minutes later, once we got off the lift, we walked inside Idris’s swanky apartment.

  The world around me started spinning as soon as I walked into the living room. Avianna was flying around, and I felt so sick.

  “I’m sorry, Nicolas. My relationship with Idris wasn’t planned. We just connected. I don’t want you to hate me for it. It’s not fair.” I was mumbling, not even knowing where this was coming from. My feelings for Idris were strong, and he had risked his life for me, his career, everything. Damn it, but Nicolas was a friend. We had been through a lot together, and I couldn’t imagine him not being a part of my life.

  “I don’t hate you; I had some time to think about everything, Fran. Just rest now.” His voice drifted around me. Darkness shaded me moments later as I drifted off to sleep.

  I didn’t know how long I had been asleep, but it must have been a while. When I woke up, it was daytime. Avianna was sitting on my bed, staring at me. My ribs were healed, and the pain was gone. I felt so relieved, and my energy was back. Thank Quesborth that our paths had crossed.

  “Did you heal me?” I asked her, and she flew closer. It was so good to have her with me again.

  “Yes, you were a wreck, and you slept more than twenty-four hours,” she replied using her internal voice.

  “Idris, where is he? Did he come back, and Harvey? What’s happened to him?”

  “Calm down, your heart is beating way too fast. I put you and your magic back together. I was super tired after that. Idris is fine; he’s downstairs with everyone,” she assured me.

  I nodded, and then realised I needed to pee. Every room in Idris’s apartment seemed to have an en suite, which was a good thing. My face was slightly swollen, but overall, I looked all right. Much better than yesterday.

  On top of everything, my hands were sparkling, my energy was rushing through my system again. I pulled off my clothes and then had a shower, thinking about everything that the Dark Ones had said. They were willing to infect the wardens on the north side of the city. It was barbaric, but they didn’t care about the lives of anyone, other than their own. Wardens were their enemy.

  Now I had my freedom, so I needed to prevent this from happening. I was back in London, but my home, the place where I grew up, was back in Draconia. Harvey was going to help me. The Draconians needed someone who could start an uprising, someone who could lead. Was I this person? I didn’t know, but my friend Daria had died because of those mother fuckers.

  After I was clean, I felt much better. Someone left a change of clothes on the bed, so I put them on.

  “You look so much better now. Rhian is all right, but she talks too much. She was trying to feed me dead ferrets. Can you believe it?”

  “Yeah, we need to go downstairs and discuss what’s next,” I told her, then quickly explained what I had found out.

  Avianna was shouting in my head all the way downstairs. I had been asleep for over a day and a half, but even now I couldn’t miss the smell of blood. Harvey was laying on the sofa half naked with a large bandage on his chest. Idris was staring out the window. My heart jumped in my chest when he turned around and looked my way.

  He crossed the room, and then wrapped me in his arms. Everything felt better when we were close. He grabbed my face, looking directly into my eyes.

  “Are you all right, little one?”

  “Yes,” I mumbled, aware that someone was watching me. Nicolas had only just walked into the room. He stared at me and Idris with an unreadable expression.

  “I told you she was going to be all right,” Rhian said. “This girl is a tough cookie, Idris.”

  “You with a half Dark One, and a dragon. Well, well, well.” Harvey spoke when Idris finally let go of me. I walked up to him and sat down on the sofa. Avianna landed on my shoulder at the same time. “No wonder Baxley locked you up. That bastard is obsessed with dragons.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not important right now, and you should be glad that we dragged you out of that prison,” I reminded him. “Where is the warden who drove us here?”

  “He was a human, and I altered his memories, so you don’t have to worry about him,” Rhian said.

  “Right, I helped Harvey because we all need him. The Dark Ones are planning to infect the north part of Draconia with Dragon Fever, and they want Idris to execute their plan,” I said loud enough for everyone to hear me. A cold shiver raced down my spine when I thought about what would happen if their plans where to come to fruition.

  “My father was found with other prisoners. He’s lost his mind, so he won’t be a problem for now and, as far as I know, Baxley is wounded,” Idris said. There was tension in his voice. “Fran is right. The elders came to me. They are afraid that wardens might rise up against the Dark Ones.”

  “And how can we be sure that we should trust you?” Nicolas asked all of a sudden. The awkward silence stretched for a moment as everyone stared at Idris. “As far as we know, you work for them. You’re a Dark One.”

  I glanced at Nicolas, wondering why he still didn’t want to trust Idris, even after everything that had happened between us. Idris went to Dimond City with me to get him out of prison, even if the tiny voice in my head kept whispering that I wasn’t supposed to entirely trust him. He had done so much for me, and I couldn’t doubt him now.

  “After what I experienced with the Dark Ones and learnt of all the lies that my father, along with the council had spread, I’m standing firmly on your side. The elders came to me, so I’m in the perfect position to help you guys from the inside,” he said, and I nodded.

  “Nicolas, come on. You need to chill out a bit. Idris has proven many times that he is on our side. He went to Dimond city with me to get you out, and it’s like you’ve already forgotten about it. We need to stop the Dark Ones from killing innocent wardens. We are the only ones who can change what is happening right now. My best friend died because of the Dragon Fever. We know where the eggs are, and once we gain control of them, they won’t be able to stop us,” I explained, looking around the room.

  Rhian was nodding, and Avianna was shouting in my head that she was going to kick someone’s arse with her fire. The warlock looked pale and a little bored.

  “This isn’t going to be easy, my dear dragon girl. The Dark Ones have most likely moved the eggs already. They don’t keep them in the same place all the time. And if you want to get other warlocks involved, you can forget about it. They won’t want to hear a word about it. The Dark Ones have been too powerful for too long, and your small revolution won’t change a thing,” Harvey said, instantly lowering the morale in the room.

  I exhaled sharply, placing my hands on my hips.

  “Can I scratch his face? There is a lot of negativity in him.” Avianna’s internal voice rang through my head.

  “We got you out, Harvey, and you’re going to keep up your side of the deal,” I said. “Just get me in front of them, and I will try to convince them. We, the wardens, have always been the original keepers of the dragons. The Dark Ones have to be stopped. The wardens don’t deserve a life like that; it’s no life at all.”

  Then I asked Idris for a pen and paper, because I wanted to lay down a plan.

  “Once the warlocks learn about the eggs, they will join us. I’m most certain of it. All you ever cared about is magic and power,” Rhian said, getting up and going to the kitchen. “So, I suggest you pull your head out of your arse and do what you can to get their approval.”

  “You’re all fools, and you, warden girl, you have a dragon that is just going to continue to grow even larger. Sooner or later, the Dark Ones will come for her. There has never been a free dragon, even wardens know about it,” he added, pointing at the creature flying around the room.

  Nicolas dragged his hand through his hair, like he understood him. I thought about Ally. We hadn’t seen her for ages, and I wondered if she was all right, but right now we had too many things to worry about.

  “He’s right, Fran. Warlocks won’t be interested in helping us. This whole mission might be doomed from the start.”

  “Not unless we promise them what they’ve always wanted,” Rhian added, walking to the middle of the living room.

  “Which is what?”

  “A seat on the council, the magic that comes from dragons. If they are going to matter, they will agree to anything,” she said, smiling widely. I glanced at Harvey who opened his mouth, but he didn’t actually make a sound. I could see in his eyes that what Rhian had said sparked his interest.

  Maybe this wasn’t going to be easy, but we all had to join forces to fight the enemy, to fight the mages who caused us harm.

  Chapter Six

  The first attempt

  I’d been having nightmares since I had escaped from that prison. I was too afraid to close my eyes and just drift away. Several times at night, I woke up screaming, drenched with sweat, thinking that Baxley was back. He kept torturing me, even in my dreams, and I couldn’t forget about the way he made me feel. Even Avianna wasn’t able to calm me down in that state.

  Idris assured me that no one knew about his apartment; apparently, he owned several properties in London. His sister was trying to get a hold of him, and he eventually answered her calls. I noticed that he was stressed out after he had spoken to her. He kept telling me that everything was all right, but I wasn’t too convinced. Maybe he was still trying to protect me.

  Things with Nicolas were awkward, too. Before he was imprisoned, we had been pretty close. I had always treated him like a brother I never had, but now he seemed to be avoiding me. Idris kept telling me that he would come around at some point and that I shouldn’t be worried.

  Eventually Harvey was healed. After two days, after our conversation about Draconia and other warlocks, he announced that he was leaving. He told us that he was going back to his apartment and his past life. It was about time.

  We had a plan and that was the main thing. We needed to gather enough warlocks and then return to Draconia. Harvey assured us that he was going to stick to his part of the deal, and I believed him. We all had to wait for his call.

  Rhian told me Nicolas was scarred both physically and emotionally. He had been in that prison for a very long time, and I needed to give him time to adjust.

  That evening when Harvey left to take care of his things and return to the life before he was arrested, Rhian made dinner. She was embracing her new life in the human world. There was a roast chicken on the plate with all sorts of different dishes. Avianna was already munching a huge bone on the floor. Harvey was right; she had grown a bit—it seemed to be over night—and she was already burning Idris’s furniture. I was anxious because she was becoming a problem. We needed to return to Draconia soon, we couldn’t risk staying here for another few weeks. I couldn’t hide her behind my collar any longer. She was simply too big now.

  “Right, I thought we’d all sit down for a meal before Nicolas disappears. The amount of food that humans consume really shocks me. Draconians are starving, and it seems everything is available in this world,” Rhian said, smiling. I glanced at Nicolas, and for a moment, we could all hear Avianna tearing the skin from a bone. She was a very noisy eater.

  “What do you mean, before Nicolas disappears?” I asked, staring at Nicolas, who was avoiding my gaze. It was tough having him around, especially when he saw Idris kissing me in front of everyone. We slept together, but we didn’t have much privacy. Avianna was always with us, and that made things difficult. She used her energy to help me, to help deal with my nightmares.

  “I’m going back to Ally. She’s on her own, and I want to make sure she is all right. I want to help, so just call on her house phone if you find out more. It will be good for me to get away,” he assured me, then started putting food on his plate.

  He was right. Maybe this was for the best; he didn’t want to interact with me, anyway. He and Idris didn’t have a great relationship. If I said that they disliked each other, that was putting it lightly.

  “Harvey should know something soon. For now, we all have to sit here and wait for his instructions. Promise me, Nicolas, that you will be careful. There are a lot more Dark Ones in the city now,” I said, and he nodded, giving me a weak smile. Things were going to go back to normal at some point, but for now we all had to take care of each other.

  “Fran, Ally is all alone. We need to take care of her,” Nicolas added, and soaring guilt came rushing back.

  After that, the atmosphere around the table was tense. Rhian was doing everything she could to entertain us, making jokes about the Dark Ones.

  I had no appetite, knowing that, soon enough, we were all going to be back on the streets of Draconia. I didn’t know if any of the wardens in the city would want to join us, but I had to at least try. People would rise against the Dark Ones if they knew what was going on behind their back, if they knew that Dragon Fever was created by the mages in charge.

  Nicolas went to his room, probably to pack his things, and I followed him. For a second, I considered going with him. I missed Ally but leaving the apartment could put others at risk. The Dark Ones could sense my energy, especially now after Avianna fixed the magic inside me. Idris was saying that the council had brought up more Dark Ones, and that his sister wasn’t speaking to him. Apparently, Baxley was in intensive care and none of the potions were helping. Harvey’s magic must have been strong.

  I took a deep breath and knocked on Nicolas’s door. He glanced at me but didn’t turn around.

  “Are you sure that you don’t want to return to Draconia? I hate that there is such distance between us,” I told him, rubbing my sweaty palms over my pants. I was supposed to be happy that I was in love.

  Idris was kissing me, taking care of me, and I was cold toward him.

  “Fran, I can’t do this now. I’m happy for you, I really am, but I need some time to recover,” he said.

  “Idris isn’t bad, you know. We were friends before he came into the picture. Is it about your feelings?” I asked and he turned around.

  “I can’t talk about this with you right now. I still don’t trust him and that’s the bottom line. He’s not good for you, Fran, not good at all,” he said. I didn’t respond to that and walked out of the room.

  I was pissed off, but it was better not to say anything. There was no point. Nicolas wasn’t right about Idris. He was simply hurting that I had chosen Idris over him.

  Idris kissed me, and magic crackled between us. I was wearing my nighty, and I couldn’t remember the last time we had been intimate. Harvey still hadn’t made any progress. He kept telling me that he was working on gaining us access to the other warlocks.

  Last night, a terrible nightmare woke me up, and it took me a really long time to get back to sleep again.

  Idris’s hands moved over my thighs, and a wave of heat rushed through my core. That man filled my soul with warmth and peace. Desire settled in the pit of my stomach. Luckily Avianna was downstairs, and Idris had locked the door to the bedroom with a spell. He moved himself between my legs and started kissing my neck.

  His other hand moved beneath my knickers, and I moaned. We were syncing with each other. I dug my nails into his naked chest, when an image of Baxley lowering himself over me flashed in front of my eyes. The pain came back for a split second, and my thoughts started racing. Then Idris’s voice distracted me.

  “Do you like that, little one?”

  I moaned when he caressed the throbbing spot between my legs. My voice was horse and I wanted him inside me. Then, a moment later, we heard a knock on our door and some scratching.

  “Fran, what are you doing in there? Why do you keep this door locked all the time?”

  Avianna was in my head again.

  “Because I need some privacy. Do you need anything?”

  “Hey, lovers, the warlock sent someone with a message. It’s time to get up. We have to get you prepared.” Rhian’s voice sounded through the door a second later. Idris pulled away from me and sighed loudly.