Chapter 10

I woke up slowly, a little dazed. I brought a hand to my eyes to cover the crack of light coming through the half-covered big window to my left.

Why was I feeling so groggy and sore?

Then it all came back to me and I tensed, my heart speeding up.

I inhaled deeply and forced my heart to calm down. I was in my bed in the Grand Eternity Hall, wearing the nightshirt I always did, with the fluffy, soft covers up to my chest.

In an armchair beside the bed, with his elbow on the chair's arm, and his fisted hand on his temple, Levi slept.

I turned to my side, tucked my hands underneath the pillow, and watched him. He probably arrived back here with me hours ago, in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but ripped pants.

But now he was crispy clean in slacks and a button-up shirt, with not two, but three buttons undone.

Even though he had been busy when I called him, he had dropped everything and come to save me.

This time, I had saved myself.

Though I was glad he had come to collect me. I had no idea how I would get back here if he hadn't.

And now here he was, watching over me as if he cared.

What had he said last night?

That's my girl.

Right. Like calling me sweetheart, that was probably what he said to all females that got too close.

Still, I couldn't help the pull inside my chest and the little sliver of pride. It had taken almost everything in me, but I had beaten three supernaturals by myself.

And they?—

I sat up with a jerk. "The witches," I whispered, remembering everyone in the hall had been put to sleep by the necklace.

"They are fine," Levi answered. I looked at him and he was sitting up on the chair as if it was his throne. No one would ever know he was just sleeping. "Once we arrived, I destroyed the necklace and they woke up."

"And Mrs. Dennis?" I asked.

"I wanted to kill her on the spot, but she asked for forgiveness, and Abbie let her go. Though she's not welcomed here anymore."

I nodded and remembered the library. "Oh, shit, they broke the dome!"

"Abbie already fixed it."

I guess sometimes it was useful to be a witch.

I felt a little pinch on my shoulder. I glanced at it, and only saw some redness that would probably go away soon.

"I'm assuming Lacey healed me … and changed my clothes."

"If you recall, sweetheart, I've seen you naked before, but you're right. Lacey healed you and Abbie helped her get you cleaned up and changed."

I propped some pillows between the headboard and me and leaned back. "Thank you … for dropping whatever you were doing and coming to me."

His jaw ticked. I knew that meant he was angry or holding back, but it was so damn sexy. "It was stupid of me to go."

"Why did you?"

He stared at me. "I had business to take care of."

"Right. Big, evil demon stuff."

"Something like that."

I sighed, almost used to this. One moment, he was taking care of me, or helping me, or doing something that at first glance benefited me, and the next, he was killing innocents and torturing his enemies.

I had to remember he only came to me because of the bond.

"What did you feel?" I asked, curious about how the bond had changed. "Did it hurt a lot?" I frowned. "Wait. How did you find me?"

As usual, he looked at me and didn't answer right away, as if weighing whether to tell me the truth.

"When your feelings are intense, if I focus, I can track them," he explained. "The closer I got to you, the more I felt your emotions and your pain. It hurt, but it was tolerable."

"I'm sorry."

His brows curled down. "For?"

"For messing up the ritual, for not having broken the bond, for hurting you, for forcing you to come to me because you have no other choice." He had said the other day how confusing the bond was, and he didn't know what was real anymore.

If there was no bond, he would never feel anything for me.

All of it was the bond.

"I can handle it." His voice was tight.

"Just … hang in there, okay? I promise I'll break the bond as soon as I can, but first … I really need my magic back." My chest expanded as the feelings from last night flooded my system. "I'm so sick and tired of being a victim and needing help. I used to be so badass, and now I'm always the damsel in distress. I hate it."

"Last night, you weren't a damsel in distress."

"Yes, I was. I was able to save myself, but if I had had my magic, I would probably have not been taken. Those lion shifters would never have gotten the best of me like that."

And to think they could have done worse if they wished. They could have hurt the Evermores and Lacey, stolen precious books and dangerous items.

Thinking small, they had only come for me.

"You're doing well, sweetheart, and with the Evermores' help, you'll get your magic back soon." He was being kind and I wasn't sure I liked that. It confused me. He cleared his throat. "We can break the bond later. I'm not worried."

Why wasn't he worried? He was probably dying to get rid of me.

Suddenly, he shot to his feet and walked to the window. He opened the rest of the curtain, letting light stream in, and stood there, bathing in the glow.

It was such a beautiful scene, it was almost painful to watch.

To occupy my thoughts before he felt them, I reached for the nightstand where my cell phone was. I picked it up and cursed under my breath. The screen was broken.

"Where was it?" I asked. In the panic, I didn't even remember dropping it.

"By the bookshelves, near the stained-glass window."

Right. When I was about to hide between the shelves, and then opted for flying instead.

I gasped, remembering my wings. I reached back, to feel the faint scars on my skin. "One of my wings was broken."

Levi glanced at me. "Lacey healed your wings too."

"Can she do that?"

"She found out last night that she can."

"That's good." I almost smiled. My wings were fine, I was fine, the Evermores were fine, and even the glass dome was fine.

I threw the covers from my legs and scooted to the edge of the bed.

Levi turned fully to me. "What are you doing?"

"I'm getting up."

"But you almost died last night, and it took a lot to heal you, and?—"

"Levi, I'm fine. If I stay in this bed, I'll go crazy. If you're so worried about feeling my pain, then I promise to take it slow and stay seated on a couch while I help Abbie scan through the books."

His frown was back.

I stood up, and his eyes went to my legs instantly. Oh, yeah, he had seen me in this shirt before, and he knew it was short. For some reason, I liked when he looked at me like that. It made me feel strong. Sexy.

I walked past him, my steps deliberate, and went into the bathroom.

I heard Levi's groan three seconds before the door opened and closed.

A small smile adorned my lips. Yes, the bond affected him, making him want me, but I still liked it.

* * *

Forty minutes later, I had taken a shower, washed my hair, changed into clean clothes—my usual leggings and a long-sleeved tee—and stopped by the dining room for breakfast, even though it was already late morning.

I halted two steps in and tensed, remembering the scene from last night. Light, it had been horrible, seeing all of them like that. For a moment, I thought they were dead, and it would have been because of me.

With that in mind, I ate my breakfast, which appeared in front of me, and even though it was delicious, it didn't sit right with me.

I ate quickly and went to the library, knowing I would find everyone there. Abbie was hunched over the books, Maggie was sorting them, while Lacey and Levi gathered the books on dragons. On the landing on the second floor, Belinda taught a lesson to Gwen, Britt, and Trent.

I had no idea where Magnus was and I didn't care.

When they saw me approaching, everyone stopped what they were doing.

"Ariella!" Maggie hurried to me and gave me a big hug. "Are you all right?" She pulled back quickly. "Damn, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

With a small smile, I shook my head. "No. Thanks to Lacey, I don't feel anything." I looked at Lacey. "Thank you."

She pressed a hand to her chest. "My pleasure."

I cleared my throat. "I need to say something. I'm the one to blame for last evening, and I'm so sorry. Everyone here was in danger because of me, and I will understand if you prefer I leave. I just ask you to let me continue the research somehow?—"

"That's nonsense!" Maggie exclaimed.

"You're not going anywhere," Abbie said.

"But they tricked you, me, they could have?—"

"But they didn't." Abbie sounded so much older than she was. "For the time being, we aren't allowing visitors."

"Again, because of me."

"Well, it has been proven to us again and again that it might not be safe to allow visitors," Abbie said. "We'll need to rethink that, but for now, we have work to do." She pointed to a chair across from the desk. "Now sit down and help me or it'll take us two years to recover your magic."

Hiding a smile, I walked to the chair, sat down, and grabbed a book from the pile.

Another thought came into my mind. "Wait, doesn't the Grand Eternity Hall have security or wards? How did those two lion shifters manage to disarm you with a necklace?" If this place was so special as everyone said, that should have been impossible.

"It turns out the wards and spells around the hall have to be replenished every couple of years, or they become less effective," Abbie said. "I learned about that last night when I picked up one of my mother's diaries." Her lips pressed tight. "I'm glad she took note of everything in her diaries, because she didn't have time to teach me everything herself."

I almost crossed the table and gave her a hug, but she looked like she was trying to hold on, so I followed her lead. "And you spent the night redoing those?"

She nodded. "I need some special ingredients for some, and a few potions I started brewing, but later this week, we'll be all good again."

I scoffed. "They were lucky, then."

Maggie leaned closer and whispered to me, "Lucky, or they knew about it."

"Maggie!" Abbie snapped. "None of us knew about this. How could someone have told them? And no one here would have done that."

"I know, I know, but it's strange," she muttered before returning her attention to the books in front of her.

"Anyway, it's solved now," Abbie continued. "We're all safe and sound." She turned the page of her book. "And we should get back to work."

Silence reigned in the library, except for the occasional voices coming from upstairs, when one of the kids answered about their lessons.

First, I tried getting a good bearing of what was right in front of me. Abbie had separated the books about magic absorption and transference to one side of the table, the dragon books to the other, and she had lots of open notebooks and handwritten notes in between.

I read a few of her notes.

Some dark witches can absorb magic. Most of the time, it's partial and doesn't last.

Some kinds of witches can lend magic to other supernaturals for a brief period of time.

Some higher demons can absorb a supernatural's power and have it for as long as they live. But Paimon was Prince of the Underworld, he probably could do that and more.

Dragons are the most powerful supernaturals. They can absorb and return magic at will. Some dragon shifters can do something similar but on a much smaller scale.

Some fated mates can transfer magic to each other, or they can combine their magics to be stronger.

Pixies and sprites can absorb nature's magic.

It was impossible for another supernatural to hold too much dragon's magic. See about Ariella's friend.

I frowned, thinking about Raika. I had told them Raika had absorbed the entire dragon's magic and more. But I had left shortly after that, feeling sorry for myself for having lost my magic.

I didn't know what had happened after.

Curiosity took hold and wouldn't let go. I picked up my phone, walked to the far end of the long table, and sat in a chair beside the stained-glass window.

Though I had changed numbers, I had transferred most of my contacts. I confess, there was a minute there that I almost didn't, but now I was glad I had.

I called Raika's number, but to be honest, I expected her number had been disconnected, or that Shane would answer.

I was pleasantly surprised when she answered on the second ring. "Hello?"

"By the light, Raika, you're alive!"

There was silence for a moment. "Ariella? Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me."

"By the moon! We're so damn worried about you! What the hell is going on? Wait …" Her voice sounded far then. "I need to take this. I'll be right back." Five seconds passed and she continued, "All right, I'm here."

"Listen, if I caught you at a bad time, I can call later."

"No, it's fine," she said. "It's just a boring council meeting. Shane can handle it without me." I nodded to myself. "Are you okay?"

"I'm … okay. Still without my magic, but I got my wings back."

"You did? That's great!" She really sounded happy for me. "I'm glad you're calling, but I know it isn't just to tell me that. What's going on?"

"First, whatever the angels are saying, I didn't do it."

"They aren't saying much," she told me. "They haven't said anything, actually. They sent messages to the supernaturals that you're dangerous and need to be captured."

"Has the reward increased?"

"It has."

"Damn it. I'll tell you the abridged version: they are saying I killed some angels during a mission, and I didn't. I know who did and he's trying to silence me before I can tell the others why."

She was silent for a handful of seconds. "I believe you."

Just three simple words, but it filled my chest with relief. Maybe all of my friends believed me and would side with me if needed.

I swallowed the emotion and continued, "I want to expose the truth, but I can't do it without my magic."

"The magic my father took from you."

"And then you took it all from him. Raika … may I ask how you survived?"

"Oh, sure. The dragon my father killed? She laid eggs! The goblins from the mountain found them and brought them to us. I was able to transfer the dragon's magic to the eggs."

"Oh, so my magic went to the little dragons."

"Yes, I'm afraid I was only able to keep my darkfire and wolf shifter abilities. I'm so sorry, Ariella."

"No, it's fine. If it means you survived, I'm glad they have it." It was the truth, but it still hurt.

"Is there anything we can do for you to help with your magic, with the angels, whatever?"

I considered. Too many people were involved. The less people involved, the better. At least for now.

"I think I got what I need at the moment, but thanks for the offer. If I need help, I'll call you."

"Please do. I mean it, Ariella. We're here for you."

She meant it. They all did and that warmed my heart a little more. "Thanks," I muttered.

I ended the call before she asked more questions.

My mood soured.

I glanced at the table, where all the books were, waiting for me to go back to them. I had hoped Raika would have a solution for me, but I should have known better.

Levi was beside the books, looking at me.

He probably felt disappointment in me, and the sudden will to give up on all of this. Thankfully, he didn't say anything. He picked up a heavy book and extended it to me.

With a sigh, I pushed up and walked to him. I took the book and sat down across the table from Abbie. Levi pulled up a chair, sat down, picked up another book, and started skimming through it.

I watched him for a moment. What the hell was he doing? He shouldn't be this nice to me, damn it. It made the bond act up, and my feelings stir.

His eyes met mine, the blue suddenly dark. His jaw tight, he reached for the book on my lap, opened it, and pointed to the page.

I chuckled, and I almost kept staring at him to contradict him. But I wasn't ready to deal with that can of worms, so I glanced down at the book, determined to focus.

The book was about dragon eggs and baby dragons. I frowned and considered throwing the book across the room. Instead, I took a long breath. It wasn't the fault of the little dragons that they had gotten my magic. It wasn't even Raika's. She had done what she had to survive. I would have done the same in her place.

Reluctantly, I skimmed the page.

I got to a chapter about growing eggs and slowed down to read it. Apparently, the eggs needed the constant influx of their mother's magic to grow strong and make it to the end of the cycle and hatch. If the mother died, the eggs rarely made it.

Other dragons could give them magic, but since it wasn't the same, there was still a good chance the eggs would perish.

And if other supernaturals tried to infuse them with magic, it was considered a foreign power, and the eggs stored it away, keeping the dragons safe. When the dragons hatched, this foreign magic was stored in their bones, where it couldn't hurt them.

"When a dragon dies, isn't his magic stored in his bones?" I asked out loud. I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear it from someone else.

"Yes," Abbie and Levi said together.

My magic was a foreign power the eggs had gotten from Raika, and supposedly, it was now either stored inside the eggs, or if the eggs had hatched, inside the dragons' bones.

A feeling started deep in my gut, and I tried keeping a lid on it before I got excited and lost it.

"What is it?" Levi asked, probably feeling it.

I told them what Raika had told me and explained to them what I had just read. By the time I was done, Maggie and Lacey stood around us, listening too.

"The dragons might still have my magic," I finally said.

"That sounds possible," Abbie agreed.

"That is great!" Maggie exclaimed.

"What are you going to do now?" Lacey asked.

I picked up my phone again. "I'm going to make another call."