Chapter 74

SAGE

I looked back down at the girl in my arms; she was weak for using everything she had inside her. I could feel the magic swirl around her.

I glanced back at the dragon and bear shifter, giving me strange looks. The dragon looked like he wanted to rip me apart while the bear was fighting or even considering believing me.

We don't have time for this.

"We need to leave," I said, staring between the men. "We are in the open, and they will come back."

"We will go, but not with you," the dragon said through clenched teeth.

I stared at him.

"I haven't done anything to hurt you or the white wolf," I said. "I would never hurt her. We want the same thing."

The dragon lets a snarl through. "What do we both want the same thing?" he asked.

I sighed. "The death of Aria," I said. His eyes stayed on me, but I could feel the change in the atmosphere. I stared at him, I heard the stories of the dragon that Aria has, and she would be looking for another one soon.

"You're a witch. How do I know you are not working for her?" he said.

I could feel anger swoop in, and I was getting angry with all the remarks he was spewing from his mouth. "I can tell you one thing now," I said as I could feel my magic boiling within. "I hate Aria, just as much as you do and possibly more. The mere mention of Aria makes my blood boil. She took everything from me."

I placed the girl gently on the ground and stood up. I couldn't keep holding her, knowing I would probably hurt her, especially when my magic was flaring up. "I might be a witch, but Aria is not a witch; you can't even put her in the same category as witches. She made every one of us look bad. She is not a witch; she is an imposter, a fraud. She would never be one of my kind," I yelled. "I came here to help the white wolf, I knew she was coming, and I know of her journey that she needs to go on. She needs my and my sister's help; we can help her with her power, train her, and show her how to use it."

I stopped talking and stared at them for a few moments before. "Dragon, I'm not the enemy here," I said, pleading for him.

The dragon looked at me and turned to his friend. "You mentioned that you knew three witches," he said. I glanced at the bear shifter, who was shifting from one foot to the other.

The bear shifter looked at me. "You're safe," he said. I stared at him without saying anything.

The bear shifter watched me but sighed. "I know Silas," he said. My stomach went into knots at the mention of the name. He told someone about me, but he promised.

The bear shifter cleared his throat. "He told me that you and your sisters wanted revenge," he said. "Revenge on Aria, and all three of you want to help the white wolf to defeat her."

I stared at him.

"Archer," he said, glancing toward the dragon shifter and then back at me. "He's her guardian, we will go with you, but we need to know more about what you know."

I sighed. "I will agree to tell you everything I know, and so will my sisters," I said. "But we need to leave now."

After I said that, there was a howl a few miles away. I looked to the men, but they nodded.

"We will take my car," the bear shifter said as he walked up to me.

Archer walked up to the white wolf, knelt, and picked her up. He looked at me, "she is everything to me," he said, sounding like a proud father. "You better not portray us."

I shook my head and looked toward the girl in his arms. "She is the key to undo or even start all that is meant to come," I said.

I turned and followed Archer and the girl to the car, which the bear shifter had started. I climbed into the front with the bear shifter while Archer held the girl in his arms in the back. We both closed the doors, and the bear shifter sped away from the motel.

"Where are we heading?" asked Archer.

I could feel the bear shifters eyes on me from the side. I stared straight out of the windscreen. "We keep on this road; we have to make sure they head away from the direction I need to take you," I said as I glanced at the bear shifter. "Keep on this road for twenty miles," I said. "I know a long way to get to my sisters, but we must go through two towns and a werewolf pack to get there."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" he said, frowning.

I shrugged. "We need to ensure whoever is following you is far from us," I said. "My sisters can help her use her magic more carefully, but what I witnessed moments ago, she needs a lot of help, and if Aria feels her magic, she will come for her."

There was silence, but I assumed everyone was on board.

I turned in my seat and stared out of the window.

The darkness was coming in, and we needed to keep going. No stopping.

I knew we would reach my sisters by early morning this way.

"What did Aria do to you?" asked Archer.

I didn't say anything at first, trying to find the right words for my hatred toward the woman.

"She killed my family and coven," I said weakly.

I could feel wetness on my cheek as a lone tear slid down my face.

I keep my eyes on the open road. "My sisters and I all have our own story about Aria," I said. "We will tell you all you need to know when we get there."

I could feel Archer's eyes on the back of my head. Something about him, his loyalty to the wolf, and the love he held for her. I needed to know more about them.

"How do you share a closeness with the white wolf?" I asked, not taking my eyes off the road.

Archer stared at me; I could feel it once again. But he sighs, "as you said, we all have our own stories to tell, and I will explain everything to you when we get to your sisters, as I feel I will need to tell you everything when we get there," he said. "As for my little dove, she lost her family due to that witch and family. They took me in when I needed protection. I repaid my dues, and I'm only loyal to her."

I could feel his love for her like a father would a child.

No more words were spoken in the car, and I could sense the dragon within him. He was the powerful one, but he could not be controlled. I guess she went after someone he cared about and someone much weaker than him.

"Who did she take?" I asked.

I could feel the tension in the car heat up.

"What are you asking?" Archer asked.

I moved in my seat and turned to look at him. His eyes were on my face, but his eyes were glassy.

Someone close.

"Who does she have instead of you?" I asked. "The blood she needs for half that she is doing needs a resource of a creature known to be within the fae community. The only ones I can sense and know about are dragons as the fairies never stayed."

Archer's eyes stayed on me, but he never opened his mouth.

I looked toward the girl in his arms; her face was pretty. She looked so young, nineteen maybe, but her aura showed that she went through more pain than anyone I have ever encountered.

"Does she have a mate?" I asked, trying to make conversation. This car journey will be long, and not talking will make me feel more uneasy.

"She does," he said. "But there have been some complications with that, and when Mila is ready, she will tell you about it."

I looked up at him; his eyes were holding so much.

"And she has my brother," he exclaims.

I watched as his eyes close.

I move in my seat and turn, but the bear looks at me. "Lucas, his brother, has been in dragon form for a while," he said. "He has reached out to Archer once, but Archer can't seem to get hold of him again."

I nodded. "His dragon may have taken over," I said. The bear shifter turned to look at the road, but he nodded. "Fargo, his dragon, is one dragon that no one can contain, and if that witch keeps him in dragon form, Fargo will be more feral."

I stared at him.

That's not good; if the dragon has been in his proper form longer than the human, it will take over and become like the beast it is meant to be.

I moved to face the windscreen again. "You may want to put your foot down," I said. "I may be able to help with the dragon by showing the white wolf how to get it to bow to her."

"How can you do that?" asked the bear shifter, but I could feel Archer's eyes on me again.

"The legend of the white wolf," I said. "It states she can help and restore balance to the supernatural beings around her. If, as you say, Lucas is still in there, then she can help get him back, but they will have to fight."

I could hear a growl.

The dragon wasn't happy with what I said.

"I know you have more questions, and we can give you all the answers to them," I said. "I think Archer should rest, and when we get to the place we are going to, my sisters and I will tell you everything you need to know."

There was no more talking in the car.

I needed the silence, it was calming, but I knew I needed to be prepared for when the white wolf woke up.

She and the dragon would need all our strength and guidance in finding the children.

I know I never mentioned the children, but they are the critical source of the white wolf too.

But I needed to keep my mind focused; this was just the beginning before the big storm that would come for us all.