Chapter 14 - Camilla

Those two dark figures visit me again, in the sanctity of a dream I thought would remain sweet and picturesque after what happened between Stryker and me before I fell asleep.

This time, their blackened forms stand before me, stepping aside to reveal the dragon that comes flying forward, shifting into Stryker’s human form as he drops to his knees in submission before them.

No.

This can’t be happening.

Why is he willingly giving himself up to the dark figures?

As soon as he hangs his blonde head, I feel myself able to move again. Unfrozen from the shock I felt before, I take a step forward and feel the fear I’d previously been hanging on to dissipate.

One of the dark figures turns its head to me, the empty void behind the hood morphing into a face that’s familiar even if I haven’t seen it before. Straining my gaze, I watch as it removes its hood to reveal its face.

“Abuela…?” I gasp, but the woman smiles and gently shakes her head.

“No, child,” she responds, her accent thick and her voice as powerful as it is delicate. “But I share your blood.” The woman reaches between the folds of her black cloak, then produces a serrated blade and holds it out to me. “This is your destiny…”

There it is again - that one word that sounded freakishly sinister before. Now, it’s the weapon the woman holds out to me that has fear crawling up my spine. I look down to inspect the knife, noticing the engraving on the wooden handle and frowning.

I’ve seen that symbol before. It’s the pendant of the crescent moon and a shooting star that Abuela wears around her neck.

***

That’s when I wake with a start, groaning when I feel my head pounding as soon as I’m out of the strange dream.

I glance to the side and find Stryker sound asleep beside me. His face is angelic, sending a pang of guilt through me for what I witnessed in the dream. He appeared so vulnerable, hanging his head as if he was about to give up his life.

I do not know what any of it means, but I know that it’s tied to my grandmother. Maybe that’s why she had an instinctive feeling that I’d be captured by the fire breathing dragon. But why was the woman in my dream passing me a knife as if I was being offered the chance to take the dragon's life?

What did she mean that she shares my blood? An instinctive knowing has me suspecting that I was visited by my ancestor, who was passing me a torch in the form of a knife that bore the same symbol my grandmother wears as a pendant around her neck. How is everything linked? At the same time, the pieces of this puzzle don’t have a clear-cut picture.

I have to figure out what it means to have these recurring dreams that somehow tie into the supposed fate of being the dragon shifter’s mate.

Pressing my lips into a firm line as I stare at Stryker’s sleeping face, the tingling between my thighs stirs up the memory of our passionate tryst last night. Heat fills my cheeks, but the unruly shiver that runs through my spine signals my confusion about my strange dreams.

I already know what I’m meant to be to the dragon shifter. His mate. But why does it feel like I’m supposed to be afraid of him, wary, and unwilling to accept his claims that this is fate?

I need to speak to my grandmother, but I know he won’t let me go back. I no longer feel like a prisoner, having given my body willingly to my captor. But I still don’t know if I can trust him. Are my dreams telling me that I shouldn’t? Or is it just a confirmation that I am his fated mate?

Is that why I keep hearing the word “destiny” ring out?

Slowly sliding out from Stryker’s arm, being careful not to make any sudden movements that might wake him, I slip on a gown and quietly steal to the bedroom door.

It’s been more than a week since I arrived, and I haven’t left the bedroom I’d been imprisoned in. Even when Stryker stopped locking me inside, I’d been too afraid to see what was outside the door.

Now that I’m determined to make sense of my dreams and find the answers I’m searching for, I finally dare to walk out the bedroom door. Crossing the threshold into the unknown feels like I’m breaking through some imaginary veil, stepping into a larger embrace of luxury between the walls of a gorgeous hallway.

Wow…

This place is a fortress, the walls decorated with the finest paintings and the floors laid with the softest Persian carpets. The hallway is more extravagant than the museum where I work, and I spare a moment to appreciate the beauty of the quality of the paint on the walls and the low-hanging ceiling with a fine chandelier dangling near the elevator.

Stealing down the hallway in the early hours of the morning, I decide that I’ll find a phone or computer and get in touch with Abuela. Besides letting her know that I’m safe, I can question her about my dreams and put an end to my suspicions that I’m not really meant to be the dragon shifter’s mate. I can’t shake off the feeling that there’s something I don’t know.

Was Abuela trying to warn me against him because I’m not meant to be his mate?

The other human, Olivia, seemed fine.

During our passionate tryst last night, it felt like Stryker, and I connected in a way that outweighed all my doubts. Even the anger I felt before is gone.

But then, why did my ancestor pass me a knife? Was I meant to kill him?

Am I not to trust the dragon shifter?

Gosh!

It’s too much to process, and I need answers right now. I don’t have the liberty to appreciate the stunning hallway as I tread to the elevator and call for it to come to this floor. I watch it ascend, the screen above lighting up with numbers that count until eleven before it pings and the metal doors slide open.

Stepping into the elevator for the first time, I breathe a sigh of relief. After more than a week in this place, I’m leaving the confines of the bedroom to explore what else the castle has to offer. It’s almost as if I can’t truly trust myself when I’ve been unable to trust Stryker all this time.

Why was a knife passed to me in the dream? I can’t fathom being the dragon shifter’s enemy in that way.

I’d been determined to hate him for kidnapping me. But was I led to him for another reason?

What is my destiny? And why is it linked to the dragon shifter who’d abducted me?

From what I saw in the dream, it couldn’t possibly be because I was destined to be the dragon shifter’s mate. It felt like something more, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. But I’m determined to find out.

Once inside the lift, I press the ground floor button, and it sends the elevator on a descent toward the first floor of the castle. That’s a good place to start, I decide as I tap a barefoot on the floor, impatience building up with all the questions running rampant in my mind.

As soon as the elevator arrives on the ground floor, the doors slide apart, and I’m about to step out when Olivia blocks my path.

“Camilla!” she exclaims pleasantly with a broad smile. “You finally made it out of the room!”

I giggle nervously, pulling on the string that holds the gown in place. “Yeah… I erm—I need to use a computer.”

Olivia’s smile fades, replaced by a wary frown as she tilts her head to one side to regard me. She steps aside, allowing me to walk out of the elevator. “What do you need a computer for?”

“It’s not what you think, Olivia,” I explain solemnly, feeling like a deer caught in the headlights with the way she raises a brow at me. Driving in the guilt I’d been feeling ever since I woke up from this morning’s dream, I began to wonder if I was the intruder on the island.

Maybe I got it all wrong.

“I—” I gulp hard. “I don’t plan on outing the existence of dragons to the news stations if that’s what you think…”

Olivia gasps as she reaches out and reassuringly touches my arm. “That’s not what I meant, Cami,” she quickly explains, her eyes softening with remorse. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea for you to make contact yet. Not until Stryker permits you.”

“We had sex last night,” I blurt out before blushing profusely.

Olivia’s eyes widen with wonder, a sneaky smile lifting her lips. “Oh…” she giggles. “Oh, I see…” She grabs my arm and swiftly pulls me down the corridor. “You’re gonna have to tell me all about it!”

Still blushing uncontrollably as we make our way to the kitchen area, I go on to tell Olivia about my first time with Stryker, the guilt of my dream nagging in the back of my mind. I don’t even know how I’ll face him today, but I’m glad I have Olivia to keep me occupied and momentarily distracted from the questions that plague my mind.

She prepares a hearty breakfast for the two of us, and we take our seats behind the dining room table to replenish the energy we both spent last night with our mates.

Even with a baby, Olivia claims that Stryder is too insatiable when it comes to her.

“I’m glad you and Stryker can finally see eye to eye,” Olivia comments as she sips on her juice.

Hesitantly reaching for my glass, I keep my eyes lowered when I say, “Me too…”

“What did you need the computer for?”

“I needed to do some research,” I explained earnestly. “Like I said before, I don’t plan on outing the existence of the dragons.”

“I trust you, Cami,” Olivia assures me. “But you know what happened with Stryder and me in the mortal world. I wouldn’t want Stryker to get into any trouble.”

“Neither do I,” I whisper. It’s true—I don’t want him to get into any trouble.

Least of all by my hand…

I just need to put my doubts to rest.

“If you want to do research, I can show you to the library,” Olivia offers.

I nod. “That sounds like a plan.”

When we’re done having breakfast, Olivia shows me around the lavish castle on Aurora Island. It’s a stunning place doused in history. A museum of its own, and I find myself intrigued by the rich history the castle has to offer. With every room we pass, and with everything I learn from her, I realize that I could get used to being an immortal in this place.

Only if I’m not destined to kill the man who’s meant to be my mate.

In hindsight, the castle is the perfect place to become immersed in, and spend my time gaining more knowledge than I could ever dream of finding in the Fresno Museum. I just need to know what my dreams mean so that I can put my doubts to rest once and for all.

After witnessing and experiencing Stryker’s gentle nature last night, I saw the man I’d met in the mortal world. I have no regrets about giving my body to him, and until that dream haunted me again, I was convinced that I could open up my heart to him.

Now, with the cloud that hangs over me and the weight of that knife in the palm of my hand, I have to be sure that I’m not carrying some kind of curse that might distort my happy ending. As soon as we enter the library on the second floor, I’m mesmerized by the full shelves of books that might contain the answers I seek.

“I need to go check up on Blair,” Olivia says as she hangs by the door. “Please make yourself at home. As Stryker’s mate, that’s exactly what Aurora Island is to you.”

I offer her a wistful smile in acknowledgment of her statement as I wait for her to leave before embarking on my search for answers. The Aurora Island library is full of authors, known and unknown, books I’ve read, and many more that I would love to read. But my search takes me to the non-fiction section on the west wall, where books about the dragon shifter race are stacked.

Skimming a hand across the spines, I find myself relying on a deep sense of intuition that has me stopping at a leather-jacketed book near the end of the row. Taking a deep breath, I pull the book out and frown at the title.

The Grimoire.

I’ve heard that name before, but I only discover what it contains when I take the book to the chaise lounge beside the window and open the first page with the book on my lap. The subtitle reads, A Book of Spells , causing a gasp to escape my lips.

Upon further inspection, I realize that the book isn’t strictly about dragon shifters but about a certain species of great power.

Witches…

Turning another page, my heart begins to race when the image at the top resembles the engraving, I saw on the wooden handle of the knife the woman in my dreams passed to me.

The same image I recalled was the pendant hanging on Abuela’s neck.

“The Order of The Crescent Moon Coven” is printed beneath the image.

“Hi…”

I slam the book shut the moment I hear Stryker’s terse voice greet me from the doorway. Surprised by his unannounced appearance, I can only stare at him as images of our passionate tryst come flooding into my mind’s eye.

Gosh…

Seeing him with tousled hair and bedroom eyes shimmering in the dazzling shade of earthly green sparks awareness inside me, forcing me to squeeze my thighs together when I remember what it felt like having his face between them.

Whatever this book of spells contains as a link to my dreams, it doesn’t outweigh the force of the magnetic pull and attraction I feel for Stryker.

There’s no way that my destiny could be tied to the blade ending his life. All I feel right now as I watch him hesitantly enter the library is immense attraction, arousal pooling at my core and forcing me to clutch my thighs even tighter together. I’d neglected to wear panties in my haste to find answers, and now I can’t risk standing up to feel slick trickling down my legs.

“H-hi…” I murmur timidly, trying to keep the heat from spreading across my cheeks.

Stryker continues to maintain eye contact as if searching my soul for an answer.

He probably doesn’t understand why he opened his eyes this morning to find me gone. The awkward tension rising in the air is bittersweet as what happened between us looms over our shoulders.

I have so much to say, but I keep my lips pressed into a firm line and let the words dangle on the tip of my tongue.

Where would I begin?

I’ll just wait for Stryker to say something, but he seems to share my sentiments as he scans the library as if it’s his first time here.

In his nine hundred and ninety-five years alive, he’s probably been in this room more times than he cares to admit. If his keen eye in the Fresno Museum is any indication of his preference for the fine arts, I’m guessing he spent much of his time reading books. But right now,, he acts nonchalantly as he crosses the room to the window and gazes at the garden of brightly colored flowers.

“You’re up early this morning,” he remarks softly, crossing his arms and then unfolding them again. The tribal tattoo of a magnificent dragon swirling between accents of rainbow-colored smoke on his right arm reminds me of the way that same arm had me pinned to the bed when he took my virginity last night…

Gulping hard, I rummage through my mind full of sinful thoughts and images in an attempt to find a suitable response. All I can come up with is a tentative, “Y-yes.” before I gulp again and wait with bated breath for his next reply.

“Good.” He turns to me, his head hanging almost as bashfully as it did in my dream. “Would you like to join me for breakfast?” he asks.

I shake my head slowly, feeling a wave of regret washing over me and my fully sated belly. “Olivia and I already had breakfast. She insisted…” My voice falters off, and I can only hope he catches the feeble excuse as my form of apology.

It’s not that I wouldn’t have agreed to join him. But the build-up of resentment over the past few days that led to an unplanned bout of passion last night isn’t something either of us expected.

I only feel guilty because I’m not sure what my ancestors mean when they keep reminding me of some unknown destiny.

I need time to figure out what it means.

I need to speak to my grandmother, but I know it’s something that won’t sit well with Stryker. Not until he can trust me. Not until I can trust myself.

He clears his throat, turning back to the window. “I’m glad Olivia is taking good care of you…” he comments with a curt nod. “I—”

Stryker’s voice abruptly comes to a halt when a blaring screech outside rips through the air. His eyes widen, his shoulders squaring as he stares out and curls his fists at his sides. He’s quiet for a moment—too quiet until he turns petrified eyes in my direction.

The softness of emeralds turns almost jetted and glossy for a moment. When his eyes return to their usual glow, he seems to snap out of a daze and reaches out to me.

“You have to go now. I need to get you to safety,” he warns in a low, domineering tone.

Without protest, I slip my hand into his, glancing at the window to see a handful of dragons flying into the hemisphere of the Aurora Island sky.

My heart skips a beat when I recognize the leader of the group.

The same dragon picked me up from the alley and fought Stryker when he saved me.

Then it hits me.

Stryker did save me, after all.

Just as he does now, vying to protect me as he rushes me to the elevator.