Chapter 17—Gage

“Where is your ex?” I asked, scratching my head. So many people crowded around us in the markets, stepping on my feet, talking non-stop.

Reed lifted his chin, staring past the mass. “Just farther down this aisle.” But just as he finished, a blonde with the brightest yellow cat eyes stepped in his way, glaring. Her lips twisted into a crooked line. In an instant, her palm struck out and slapped Reed across the face. Loud and sharp. I cringed on the inside. The woman stormed off, vanishing into the crowds.

“Oh, damn, is that your ex? She hates you.” I clapped Reed’s shoulder. “What the hell did you do to upset her?”

“That’s a different ex,” he grumbled and rubbed his red cheek. “Fuck. She wanted me to marry her after we dated for two weeks.”

I laughed, my stomach rolling with way too much enjoyment. “She’s one of those loonies,” I said. “You’re better off. It’s the clingy ones who sneak into your house at night to kill you. I had one who insisted on being with me every hour of the day, and it drove me crazy. This one time I went to work, and I discovered her hiding behind a curtain, convinced I was cheating on her.” I made a circular motion with my finger next to my temple. “A man needs alone time, you know? But damn, you didn’t mess around.”

Reed huffed and marched through the hordes of people, and I tracked after him. I shouldn’t make fun of him because before I’d met Elliana, I’d had a different woman every few months, searching for the right person to love me, to help me become complete. With each girl, I’d expected this instant electricity and bang—I’d be a dragon. But after years of misfortune, not only had I given up, but I’d been resigned to the fact I would never be more than a mutant with wings.

Elliana had changed my world. I craved her beyond just finding a mate. She’d had me hyped up on adrenaline to get under her skirt at first, but it was more than that. I’d grown delirious with curiosity to discover who she was and adored our in-depth conversations about the history of Haven Realm. Why were there seven territories? Where had all the different races come from? My theory was that Haven Realm was once of a larger landmass that had broken up into multiple continents and drifted apart.

What I’d discovered was that I’d focused on the wrong element—finding my true mate had been about the practical need to transform and belong. Not because I loved the women. Until Elliana. Now, whether I transformed or not was inconsequential. I’d accepted that fate long ago.

Reed halted near a baker, and I scanned the market stalls around us. “Is she here?”

“At the end of this row,” he said.

I glanced past several people to find a woman wearing an ankle-length black dress glued to her body, revealing every curve. Her chestnut hair was drawn into a messy ponytail. Dark makeup lay smudged under her eyes. She stood behind a table, shuffling a deck of cards.

“So she’s a fortuneteller,” I whispered toward Reed.

“A soothsayer.”

“All right. She can tell us if we’ll succeed. Excellent. Let’s do this.”

Reed didn’t move. “When you’re near her, keep your mind blank. Don’t think about anything.”

“How am I supposed to do that?” Not a moment passed where I wasn’t pondering the miracles of life…or more like remembering Elliana’s tight pussy gripping my cock. I adjusted myself. Fuck, shouldn’t have thought that.

“Look.” Reed lowered his voice. “She knows many witches and will gossip with anyone who listens, and we don’t want the reason we need Vanore spreading to the purple-eyed demon, so focus on birds or how you collect gold.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Don’t tell me you believe that shit?” I didn’t horde anything shiny in my tree house. And yes, I lived out of reach to avoid anyone finding my home—plus, I loved the height.

Reed’s gaze dropped to the buttons on my shirt, then to my shiny buckle with an accusatory glare. “Yeah, right.”

“Don’t judge, man. You’ve been dating every crazy in Tritonia.”

His mouth opened, but instead a female voice called out, “Reed!”

We both twisted toward the dark-haired beauty, who beckoned him over with a curled finger. Just seeing her piercing eyes on Reed had me wanting to back away. Seemed every female dreamed of mating with a lion leader, that or it was something in the Tritonian water. I bet if I showed my dragon wings, I’d have them swarming all over me too. But my heart belonged elsewhere.

Reed closed the distance to his ex, and I followed suit, passing a stall selling animal bones for spells. Yep, I’d need nothing from that shopkeeper, unless they had a small enough bone to pick my teeth with.

“Ally.” Reed turned on the charm, as if he genuinely were pleased to see the woman.

She smiled and rounded the table, drawing him into a hug. But without warning, her mouth pressed to his. She gripped his shoulders, pressing herself against him. Reed pushed against her arms.

I approached to help a friend from the leech woman when they broke apart, Reed recoiling.

“Now that’s what I call a reunion. Better than a slap in the face,” I said.

Ally stood inches from me. Before I could respond, she snaked her iron arms around my neck and hauled me closer. Our mouths clashed, and a charge shot through my body, paralyzing me on the spot.

Sparks of panic detonated in my head, firing off scenarios of Reed’s psycho ex prying into all of my thoughts. The time I’d stolen a treasure box from a group of pirates after I’d gotten drunk. Not my brightest moment, but I’d been sixteen. Or the time I’d dated two witches at the same time and sworn if they ever found out, they’d hex me into a frog. Then I remembered Reed’s words about clearing my mind. Fuck. Okay, birds. Freaking big-ass vultures circling the skies, looking for carcasses to devour, like me. No, not me. Shit. Doves. Yes, they were sweet until they pooed on your head. Eagles were more like it. Gliding through the heavens, diving for prey. Now they were regal creatures.

At once, the frozen sensation melted off my body, and I stumbled backward, coughing to catch my breath. “What the fuck?”

“He’s interesting.” She licked her lips, flipping her hair over one shoulder. “But he has a strange obsession with birds.” Her voice squeezed, as if she were a chipmunk. Now that tone alone would have me running for the hills because while I was a patient man, pitched voices were my no-go zone. They drilled into my eardrums.

“Ally,” Reed began, guiding her behind her desk to an area clear of crowds. They were chatting out of earshot, and I stood there, unsure if I ought to follow. Or would she read my mind up close? Unless only the kiss of doom gave her insight?

So I pushed those thoughts aside and contemplated why chickens couldn’t fly when they were in the avian family. With my mind distracted, I strolled toward Reed. In that exact moment, Ally slapped Reed, and I burst out laughing. Okay, call me a sadistic son of a bitch, but I couldn’t help it. How many times could a man get hit by females in a night? Counting, we were at four for Reed. Never met someone who’d upset so many women in the same area.

Ally shoved past me, her bony elbow connecting with my ribs, and I winced, holding my side.

“What are your bones made of? Iron?” I called out.

Reed turned to me, his cheek bright red, and a growl rolling though his chest. His eyes shifted ever-so-slightly to his amber lion pupils, then back. “Don’t say a thing. Let’s leave. We have a lead on Vanore. She hangs at the Moss Pit, a tavern on the water’s edge in the cove.”

While interest burned through me, I kept my trap shut and we made haste to leave behind the market before any more of Reed’s past showed their faces and beat him up. I smirked to myself.

By the time we’d taken flight, me gripping on to Reed tightly in my arms, curiosity killed me. “Okay, spill. What did you do to make her hit you?”

Reed sighed. “She promised to tell me where Vanore was seen last if I told her why I split up with her.”

“And? What’d you say?” This drama was damn addictive.

“That I found her needy and didn’t enjoy our kisses, knowing she pried into my thoughts.”

“Ouch,” I said, thrashing my wings as we glided downward. “You’re lucky she didn’t knee you in the balls.”

“But it’s the truth.”

“For someone who’s dated a lot, you’re clueless. Have you heard of tact?”

He grumbled under his breath. “It’s done, and I have zero intention of ever returning to see her again. So let’s pretend that never happened.”

Oh, I’d never forget that. I grinned widely as we glided onward. A light breeze buffeted under my wings, sending us into a turbulent ride.

“Keep going.” Reed pointed ahead. “See the ocean bay? There should be a tavern close to the beach.”

I rushed us forward, my breaths quickening and sweat dripping down my spine. The shore came out of nowhere fast, and I backpedaled, only to hit the sand in a crash landing. Reed tumbled from my arms and dropped to his knees. Barely catching myself, I gripped my hips and filled my lungs.

“That was a shit landing.” Reed unleashed a snarl, and the night must have been taking its toll on his preciousness.

“Hey.” I gasped for air. “You’re lucky you didn’t end up in the water.”

Nearby, foamy waves crashed against the coast, pulling at everything like greedy fingers, then dragging it back into its grasp. The briny smell wafted through on the breeze, and for those few moments, I had the urge to sit out here and dunk my feet in the sea. It wasn’t often I visited the beach. When I was a child and went swimming, a damn jellyfish had stung me on the ass.

“You know mermaids live out here.” I stared out, searching for a splash or tail, but the ocean lay tranquil tonight, the moon sitting high above the horizon and glistening across the surface of the water.

“As do mer-soldiers who’ll stab you in the throat for laying eyes on their maidens.” Reed strode up the beach and vanished into the forest, so I chased after him until we reached a wooden shack in the middle of nowhere.

The building stood wide with a sharp, pointy roof, encased by enormous pines. The veranda out front circled the house, the four windows glowed alight. A couple spilled out, arm in arm, stumbling down the steps, chuckling. They tripped, both crashing into a shrub. Reed hurried toward them until it was clear the pair had wasted no time and locked lips. My thoughts wandered to Elliana…What was she doing now? Was she still safe? Reed insisted Kahlo would check on her, which eased my worries, but only slightly.

We climbed the steps to the porch and entered. A young, beautiful female sang a harrowing ballad on a small stage at the rear of the room, and I drifted toward her, drawn by the tune. She wore a tight dress hugging her slender figure, her pearly white hair draped over her shoulders, and she poured her heart out into her song. Her fae ears poked out, one side pierced with several gold hoops. Their race was common in Tritonia and Darkwoods, but they kept to themselves. Their voices were angelic and hypnotized even the angriest beast. I swayed on the spot, my toe tapping the wooden floor. She met my eyes and winked.

So much mystery surrounded their race, but the juiciest rumor surrounded the death of one of the most powerful royal fae families. Apparently, the surviving princess was blamed for killing her parents and siblings. But before they could capture her and uncover the truth, she’d vanished, and many believed her to be hiding amid the normal folk. Whether she had committed the murder or not was up for speculation. Gossip insisted the other royal families in Haven Realm had put out a warrant on the princess. The person who brought her back alive for judgment would claim a portion of the riches that had once belonged to the fae royal family. Tempting, if I didn’t feel pity for the princess—if she were alive.

Now if she had been framed, which had always been my thoughts, then I hoped the poor princess remained hidden. She’d had everyone chasing her down to capture her and then her relatives would murder her to claim the throne. Luckily for her, no one knew what she looked like. Fae princesses were forbidden to leave the kingdom and from showing their faces before wedlock.

I took a last glance at the woman on the stage with a thin waistline, decent boobs, and pale blue eyes. The sadness in her words mirrored in her gaze. I turned away.

Reed carried two metal mugs to a table in the far corner of the room. I sat across from him and drank half my homebrewed ale. Bitter, rich, and delicious.

“So what does Vanore look like?” I asked.

“Dreadlocks, dark skin, swirled tattoos across her cheeks, and golden canine teeth.”

I doubted I’d miss anyone with those features. Several men slouched at the bar chugging down drinks, a sword at the hip, and wearing baggy pants and shirts. One wore a cap, his skin tanned, and he bore scars on his flesh from many battles. Most who lived by the water in Tritonia were pirates, voodoo witches, and mer-people. All kinds were welcome, unlike in Terra. The bigoted priestess deemed only humans pure and prohibited other races from entering their territory or her people from leaving. Didn’t stop them, but they did so at the risk of life imprisonment.

“You think Elliana’ll be okay until we return?” I asked. “I know Kahlo’s there, but neither of them stands a chance against a witch.” I shifted in my seat as Reed swung back his drink and waved at the barman for another round.

“We’ll find a solution for Elliana and my pride if we have to visit every tavern in Tritonia.”

I prayed it wouldn’t come to that.

The barman arrived. He smiled with yellowed teeth and placed two drinks on the table. When he leaned over to collect the old mugs, his long beard brushed my arm. It was like barbed wire, and so bushy one could lose a bird in there. Behind him, a serving girl carried three plates piled high with fried shrimp, bread and butter, and a small roast. She set down the food and left us.

“A man of my taste.” I ate a salty shrimp, the oily coating melting on my tongue. Gods, I was in heaven, and I went in for two more.

“Are you going to pay the nice man?” Reed eyed one of my buttons. I gritted my teeth as the lion cut a large chunk of meat and placed it between two slices of bread.

I ripped off a button, but I might as well have worn nothing now, as the shirt lay half open. “Here you go. Should cover us for the food and many more drinks.”

The man studied it as the other food merchant had and left us with a huge smile.

“My gold isn’t a free-for-all.” I reached out for the bread and made a shrimp sandwich with a lathering of butter. Despite my earlier meal, I salivated for more. “This is damn good.”

Reed hummed as he took a big bite. The waitress returned with more plates, piled high with dumplings, stew, and a fragrant spicy rice dish scattered with diced sausages. I paid for the food.

“You know, Kahlo once ate two whole leg roasts on his own. The man can put away food.” Reed ladled himself a bowl of stew and ripped the bread into chunks for dipping.

“That’s nothing,” I added. “I got invited to a bear wedding and those shifters scoff down everything in sight. Anyway, their banquet was exquisite, and let’s just say I went through twelve chickens marinated with a spicy coating. A guard checked on me as I sat there with a mountain of bones, curious who I’d butchered.”

Reed’s laughter came from deep inside his chest, his whole body shaking. “You’re actually a decent shifter. Sorry for giving you shit before about your dragon side. Just never know who you can trust these days.”

Filling my plate with rice and dumplings, I shrugged. “All water under the bridge. Plus, you’re helping Elliana and that means the world to me.” Something about bonding with Reed over a meal warmed me. “Count me in to help save your sister and pride members once we help Elliana.”

“Appreciate it.”

We finished every morsel of food, and I slouched in my seat, my belly exploding. I contemplated loosening my belt, but I worried Reed would pawn my flame-shaped buckle for more food. Voices hummed through the tavern as more people swarmed the place.

“Ey, Ariella girl, hope I didn’t miss your singing.” A woman’s voice reached me from two tables away, and I twisted my head to find the singer from the stage chatting with an older woman in a long dress leaning on a cane for balance. Dreadlocks hung down to her waist. When Ariella hugged the lady, they turned enough for me to see the tattoos on her cheek.

Fire hit my chest, and I waved at Reed, but he was already on his feet, heading their way. So I grabbed a nearby chair and piled the plates high on one end to make room to welcome her.

The middle-aged women eyed our plates. “How much in hell’s name have you two been gorging?” When she spoke, her golden canine teeth shone in the candlelight. Yep, we had the right person.

“Vanore.” I pulled out a seat for her to take.

“How do you know my name?”

I lifted my chin. “We’re friends of Elliana, who I believe you know?”

She stared at me long and hard as if any moment now she’d deny knowing Elliana. With a small nod, she balanced on her cane, her other hand gripping the table, and sat in slow motion. Guess for a voodoo witch, she had little to fear if with a few whispered words, she’d curse us, so no wonder she came over to talk to us with such ease. Plus, we were in a packed tavern with Ariella singing once again from the stage.

“Ariella is beautiful, ey?” Vanore stated, reaching over and cupping my hand on the table with hers. “That child comes with death, and you have enough danger in your life, boy.”

I squinted, trying to decipher her words. Had she sensed my thoughts about Ariella from our touch? My skin crawled, and I slid my arm back while she grinned, the corners of her eyes crinkling. The depth in her gaze told me this wasn’t a woman to be swindled. She watched every minute detail and struck before you made a move.

“Told her why we’re here.”

Vanore’s nose creased. She glanced around the room and out the window. “You give your word no stone monster follows you tonight?” Her voice quivered.

“I swear on my grave,” Reed whispered. “You’re safe.”

“The devil broke me, and nothing will fix my ruined back. I want nothing more to do with that creature. So does Elliana send you to fulfill her promise of payment?”

“We have the money, but considering the last spell didn’t quite go to plan,” Reed explained. “We’ll pay you the full amount owing for a new spell.”

Vanore cleared her throat. “No deal. I provided a spell and got hurt for doing so. So if you want a new potion, pay me for the first one, and then we’ll talk.”

Reed shifted in his seat and dumped Elliana’s bag of coins on the table in front of her. “There.”

She was quick to collect the money before tucking it into a pocket in her dress.

Without waiting, I detailed our situation with Elliana, how fucked-up the initial incantation had gone. “Can you assist her again please?”

Vanore huffed and laid her folded arms across her belly. “My whole life I’ve been able to tell what people were. Take you two, a lion and dragon shifter. Your auras reveal your real forms, but Elliana was the only person I could never work out. She was human but is morphing into something else from all the magic twisted into her soul.”

I could only imagine the enchantment had integrated into her so much, it had become part of her somehow.

“For a price, I will create a potion to deal with the gargoyle, but there is nothing I can do to eradicate the full hex. Just so you know, the witch who placed the curse will always remain connected to Elliana until whatever she cast is erased.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Anything you can do to free Elliana from the gargoyle gives us a fighting chance.”

“Yes, part of a solution,” Vanore said. “The witch who hexed Elliana owns the gargoyle and she holds the true power over the creature. I cannot break that bond. But I can strengthen my magic to block the resurrection of the stone monster. I can’t guarantee it won’t eventually be broken because I don’t know this witch’s ability, but I’ll use each of your blood to bind it with my power. It’s the best I can offer. It might give you enough time to destroy the witch while keeping Elliana safe.”

Dread circled in my gut like those goddamn earlier vultures on my mind. I exchanged looks with Reed, who asked, “Is there anything you can do about the witch? A spell to kill her? Something to freeze her? Maybe we can lock her up somewhere? She’s kidnapping shifters and using magic to turn them into her slaves.” His voice had dipped, and his agony came through his strangled tone. He was a shifter who lived by loyalty and keeping others protected.

“Ey, if I kill a witch, every magic caster will hunt me down. We have rules we must abide by. The most I can do is offer a hex for the gargoyle.”

“So there’s nothing you can do?” Reed’s face tightened, and I tensed. “For Elliana’s safety. Do you want her to die?”

Vanore sighed, leaned forward, and scanned the room. “Few know this, but killing a witch is close to impossible. We wear a lot of protection armor, but I’m only telling you because I adore Elliana, and it kills me to see someone torture her this way for all these years. Chop off a witch’s head and burn her to ashes. Only then will she die. Don’t leave behind a single bone or she will return.”

No one spoke a word, but I stiffened in my seat, ready to do the deed.

“Now payment,” Vanore said. “What will you offer me?”

“Gold,” I said. “As much as you want.”

She shook her head and stared at Reed. “I choose his mane.”

I shuddered on the spot and Reed leaned back, his face blanching. “What do you mean?” he asked. “As in, cut off my hair while I’m a lion?”

“No. You come to my home, and I put an incantation on you where you give me your mane.”

He moved around in his seat, uncomfortable.

“What does that really mean?” I asked. “When he turns into a lion, he has no mane?”

“He won’t have the ability to shift into his lion form.” Her tone remained calm, despite just admitting payment to help Elliana came at the price of Reed losing his shifter side.

“No!” Reed declared.

Vanore raised herself to her feet, leaning on her cane. “Then you are wasting my time.”

I took her wrist, stroking her hand, coaxing her to sit back down. If this gave Elliana the chance to gain freedom, even if it just gave us enough time to take her from the witch’s grasp until we came up with a plan to kill the bitch, I refused to walk away. What if Kahlo couldn’t find the dagger? What if the blade claimed the person who killed the stone creature, as it had Dustin?

“I’ll offer you something else.” The rest of my response refused to surface. It lingered on my mind, but this wasn’t about me. “Take my dragon wings.” Just hearing the words left me exhausted and shaking.

Vanore stared at both of us, and her wry smile didn’t comfort me in the slightest. “You both care for the girl—that is clear. But I have no need for your wings.”

“Your price is too steep,” I said, my voice climbing. “Your spell isn’t permanent and can be overruled, and yet you would take Reed’s lion self forever?”

Reed stared down at his lap, shadows marring his features.

“That is my fee. I seek what he has, and you ask what I want.” She remained calm and not bothered in the slightest that she’d asked for a man’s dignity.

Fire sped through my chest because this was ridiculous. “Dragon wings are rare.” Silence. My skin pricked with anxiety.

“I’ll throw in a magical knife that bursts into flames when it skewers someone,” she said.

“A blade? We’re talking about someone’s shifter ability. Reed is a pride leader. How can he rule if he’s turned into a human?” I inched to the edge of my seat, searing fire curling in my chest.

Reed spoke up, his voice dark and distant. “I’ll do it.”

Vanore lifted herself to her feet, as did Reed.

“You sure about this?” Unease settled in my stomach. Lions were proud bastards. “You’re risking everything for a chance.”

He looked my way, his face ashen, and eyes barren. “Elliana risked her life by entering the mansion. Now it’s my turn.”