Chapter 16

The next morning, Abbie opened a portal to Savannah, Georgia. She crossed it first, then Lacey and I came last. Maggie stood there, watching us with a pout. She had wanted to come, but Kaz had only allowed two of them, and Lacey pulled the longer straw.

We crossed the portal onto a private pier—Kaz had sent a picture of the pier to us—at sunset. We glanced around, but there was only sand and ocean nearby.

And a demon.

Levi stood on the pier, waiting for us.

I frowned at him, surprised and a little irritated. "What are you doing here?"

He flashed me that incorrigible half grin. "Protecting your pretty ass, sweetheart."

As I suspected, whatever had happened yesterday was forgotten and he was back to his annoyingly charming self.

"I told him where to meet us," Lacey explained. "He's strong. If anything happens, we'll need his help."

I frowned. Nothing would happen, other than meeting the dragons and getting my magic back. Unless we did something to offend the dragons, and Kaz had no other choice but to attack us.

Which was ridiculous and wouldn't happen.

I stared at Levi, trying to control my feelings. Right now, I was mad at him, and yet I couldn't help noticing how good he looked. He wore a black suit, a dark teal shirt with two undone buttons, and no tie. His hair was combed back, showing more of his handsome, dangerous face.

"I know it's entertaining to stare at me, sweetheart, but don't we have a meeting to get to?" he asked, still smiling.

By the light, I wanted to punch him.

Suppressing a groan, I let my wings out. Levi took off his suit jacket and his shirt, handed them to his sister, and called on his wings. They were bigger than mine, and bat-like, with talons on the joints and tips.

I pushed off, flapped my wings, and took to the sky. Levi followed me, a few feet behind. We flew low, near the water, in case there were any boats on the ocean.

We followed Kaz's directions, and sure enough, about ten miles off the coast, we saw a small island. It was round with sparse sand, a rocky shoreline, and little vegetation. If I had to guess, I would say the entire island was about ten acres in area.

In the center of the island were five stone pillars in a circle, and right beside them was Kaz and two other dragon shifters, Evelyn and Ash.

Levi and I landed ten feet from them.

Evelyn smiled at me. "I see you got your wings back."

I tucked them behind my back. "I did."

She stepped forward and hugged me tightly. "It's good to see you."

Ash came to us and patted my shoulder. "Everyone is worried about you."

I almost rolled my eyes. "I know, but I'm good, I promise."

I pulled back to see Kaz fuming at me. "I think I said only you and two witches."

Kaz was an impressive dragon shifter. Tall and wide, wearing a leather vest that showed off his toned arms, and a large crossbow on his back. He had long brown hair on top with the sides shaved short, his eyes were dark green, and he had a light red scar across his left eye and eyebrow.

"I know but?—"

"I'm Leviathan, a higher demon, and I'm bonded with Ariella," Levi said, in his most charming voice. "I'm here merely for her protection."

"Is this true?" one of the other dragon shifters asked.

"Yes, we're bonded," I said, the words sour in my mouth.

Evelyn looked at me as if she wanted to know how that had happened. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell her.

"Ariella, this is Trolin and Velak," Kaz said, gesturing to the two older dragon shifters. Trolin had auburn hair tied in thick braids, and Velak had the sides of his head shaved and the remaining black hair in a mohawk. "They are part of the council."

I frowned, taking in their leather clothes, their weapons, their hair. These dragon shifters sure looked like Vikings. I made a mental note to one day, when things were peaceful again, look up if there were any historical connections between Vikings and dragon shifters.

"We're here to make sure you don't take more than you need," Trolin said. Clearly, Kaz had to convince them to do this.

"I assure you I won't," I said, firm and yet gentle.

I closed my hand around the coin Abbie had given me and the portal opened. Abbie and Lacey stepped through, and I introduced them to everyone.

"Wait." Ash frowned. "The Grand Eternity Hall is a real place?"

Abbie nodded with a proud smile.

"What is the Grand Eternity Hall?" Evelyn asked.

"It's a place of great knowledge and power," Abbie said. "Imagine the ultimate supernatural library, museum, and prison all into one."

"Wow." Evelyn glanced at Ash. "And you knew about this place?"

Ash nodded. "Yes, my mother and sisters mentioned it a couple of times. Apparently, some old and powerful grimoires are in here, and they often joked about trying to steal them."

"We do have many powerful grimoires," Abbie said. "And thankfully, none have been stolen."

"Oh, I would love to see those someday."

Trolin and Velak cleared their throats.

"All right, we should get started," Kaz said. "Evelyn and Abbie will perform the spell. Are you all ready?"

"Give us five minutes to talk about it," Abbie said, approaching Evelyn.

The two of them walked among the five pillars, followed by Lacey and Ash, and I took a good look at the place. The pillars were made of smooth black stone, like the floor among them.

"Is this a special place?" I asked Kaz.

"It's a meeting place," he said. "For when we need to talk to other supernaturals."

Right. Because the dragon shifters and the dragons didn't want anyone to find their mysterious hidden island. For good reason. I bet dragons would be in terrible danger again if everyone knew where to find them.

Speaking of which … "Where are the eggs and the little dragons?"

Kaz took a large step to the side, allowing me to see past him. Down a short hill were the four eggs and the three little dragons playing with each other.

One was a dark blue, the other was a dark green, and the third one was black. Their scales were shiny, and they looked like oversized stuffed bears—but with sharp teeth and a breath of fire.

The blue one jumped on the green one. The green let out a small puff of fire that touched the tail of the black one, who turned to the other two and lunged, biting the wing of the blue one. They rolled together, play-fighting like any other animal.

It was a magical, surreal moment.

"They are incredible," I whispered.

"They are." Kaz crossed his arms. "You should have seen Evelyn when she first saw them. She freaked out. Even Ash did."

"Has she visited your island?" I asked, my gaze on the little dragons.

Kaz shook his head. "No, the council won't allow it."

"She's a witch, a stranger," Trolin said, his tone harsh. "We don't allow outsiders in."

"But she calls when she finds bones with magic, so I can take them to the island and give them a proper rest," Kaz said. "We always meet here."

I nodded. Poor Evelyn. It must kill her to know there was a hidden island out of reach where the creatures she loved so much lived together.

"Here," I heard Abbie say.

I glanced at them. The three witches finished drawing a pentagram on the smooth black floor connecting all five pillars. Evelyn put small white crystals on the inside corners of the stars, Lacey spread some powder along the lines, and Abbie placed a pink crystal the size of a football right in the middle of the pentagram.

"We're almost done here," Evelyn announced.

At that, Kaz and the other dragon shifters went down the hill. They picked up the eggs, while talking to the little dragons. The black one snapped at Kaz, but Kaz was firm with him, and he dropped his head low.

Reluctantly, the little dragons followed the men to the pentagram. Kaz and the others put the eggs down, right in the center, and Kaz told the little dragons to step in and stay.

My nerves picked up as the witches grabbed my shoulders and pushed me inside the pentagram too, right beside the dragons and the crystal. I stilled as they looked at me, their heads tilting to one side or the other, curious. The "little" dragons couldn't be more than a few weeks old and they already reached my chest. If they stretched their necks up, I bet they would be taller than me.

"This should be simple," Evelyn said. Right. Because everything in my life had been simple so far. "I'll pull the magic out of the dragons, and as it's coming out, Abbie and Lacey will split it. Ariella's magic will go back to her, and the rest will go to the pink crystal."

Since we were taking my magic out, Kaz had asked if we would take all of the foreign magic from the dragons and the eggs. But I also didn't want any magic that didn't belong to me, especially because Paimon probably had absorbed a lot of dark magic, and I didn't want to deal with that.

So, Abbie had brought a special crystal where they would store the foreign magic, and then she would take that to the Grand Eternity Hall and hide it from the world.

The witches stepped out and stood outside the drawn line while the others—Levi, Ash, Kaz, Trolin, and Velak stayed outside of the circle created by the pillars.

I glanced at Levi, knowing he could feel how nervous I was right now. His brows were curled tight, but his gaze never wandered away from me.

"Ready?" Abbie asked.

I inhaled deeply and nodded.

The dragons looked at Kaz. "Just stay there," he said, then repeated it in their language.

Evelyn, Abbie, and Lacey held hands, closed their eyes, and Evelyn started speaking Latin in whispers—the spell.

A hum started under the pentagram and the magic swirled around us. The eggs trembled and the dragons squawked.

"I can feel it," Evelyn said, her eyes still closed. "There's a lot of foreign magic here." Her brows turned down. "I got it from the eggs!"

The pink crystal shook and then I felt something, like an invisible snake, slithering around my ankles, up my legs, around my middle. I did my best to stay still, but my nerves were frayed and I didn't like the way this magic tightened around me. It wrapped around my chest and my shoulders, covering every inch of me. Then, it pressed against me. I groaned as the magic seeped through my skin and my muscles, pooling at my core.

I wobbled with the sudden burst of energy inside of me.

"No! Stay back!"

I looked at the voice and saw Lacey pointing her finger at Levi, who was halfway from the pillars to the pentagram, his eyes on me.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice rough. Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was feeling yet. Was I fine? I seemed to be.

"We're not done yet," Evelyn said. She kept her eyes closed and I knew she was going for the dragons. She groaned and the dragons squirmed beside me.

"What are you doing?" Trolin asked, his voice high.

"I'm not hurting them, I promise," Evelyn said. "It's just … I can feel the magic, but it's hidden." She groaned more and the little dragons let out faint cries. One flapped his wings, almost knocking me out of the pentagram.

"Hang on," Kaz told them. "Just a little longer."

"There!" Evelyn said. "Found it." In my mind, I imagined Evelyn's magic wrapped around the foreign magic like a hand grabbing a piece of fruit, and then pulling it out of the bag.

The dragons squawked again, jumped, flapped their wings. The dark blue one let out a small cloud of smoke from his nostrils, and the dark green one sent a thin jet of fire toward Evelyn. Lacey put it out before it reached them.

"Almost there," Evelyn said with a groan.

The black one let out a cry and jumped at me. I took a small step back, careful not to leave the circle and raised my hands. He closed his mouth on my lower arm and twisted.

I cried and fell to my knees, and the dragon let go of me.

A darkfire bolt zoomed where the dragon's head had been. I snapped my head at Levi, who was standing a few steps behind the witches and ready to send another bolt if the dragon tried anything.

"Don't," I told him, my gaze firm.

By then, Kaz had reached him, and the two of them started arguing about it.

I tuned them out, then finally, the dragons stopped and the invisible snake once more wrapped around my legs, torso, arms … this time, it was stronger, tighter, and I felt like I was sinking into the depths of a dark ocean.

The magic pushed inside me, found the other pieces, and when they came together, my chest seized in an implosion and I fell back at the pain. My vision went black and my breath hitched.

"Ariella!"

I didn't know who had screamed, but suddenly, everyone hovered over me.

Levi was the closest. Knelt beside me, he pressed a hand to my forehead. "Can you hear me? Sweetheart?"

I tried nodding, but that only made my head hurt.

"What's going on?" Lacey asked.

"I think," Evelyn started, "that after months divided, her magic had some sort of burst when they joined again."

Abbie nodded. "That's possible." She held the pink crystal and it pulsed with supercharged magic. She put it inside a bag and slung it over her shoulder. She patted it, as if making sure it was still there.

I inhaled deeply and felt my magic stirring inside of me, a little lost, a little rebellious, and a little afraid. But it was my damn magic, I knew it, I could feel it, and it made me happy.

I held on to Levi's arms. He understood what I wanted and helped me sit up. I looked at my hands and saw a faint glow to them. My chest squeezed with relief, but then soreness spread through me. The glow disappeared.

That was when I saw the bite mark on my lower arm and the blood staining my sweater. It stung, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it had been.

"Lacey," Levi said.

"On it." She knelt on my other side, gently got my arm in her hands, and healed the bite. The sting was gone, but the soreness continued.

"Can it hurt her?" Levi asked.

Evelyn shook her head. "No, it shouldn't. It is her magic."

"But it can feel strange for a little while," Abbie said. "It's like when you don't exercise for several months, and then suddenly you're back, and everything hurts and you're weaker than before."

"Yeah," Evelyn said. She knelt beside Levi and looked at me. "Your magic will probably feel unstable for a while. I suggest you train so you can get used to it again."

"And the magic to you," Abbie added.

Evelyn nodded.

Levi's eyes roamed over my face, my body. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

I took another deep breath. This time, nothing really hurt, I just felt the soreness, but if I had understood what they were saying, that would stay until I started training again.

"I'm fine," I said, my voice rough. "Help me up."

In one swift movement, Levi supported my back and pulled me up. He kept one hand on my lower back as I glanced at everyone around me. "Thank you. Seriously, this means a lot to me." I made a point to look directly at Kaz and Evelyn and hold their gazes for a few seconds. "Thank you."

Evelyn smiled. "My pleasure."

Kaz nodded. "This was in our interest too. I could feel the foreign magic in them. It bothered them, but I couldn't take it out. It also never occurred to me that some of it was your magic."

"I'm glad we helped each other, then," I said.

"Are we done here?" Trolin asked, sounding bored.

Kaz looked at Evelyn and me.

"I think so," I said.

"We are." Kaz turned to the other two dragon shifters and the three of them picked up the eggs and ushered the little dragons. "We're going home now."

Kaz and the other dragon shifters released their leathery wings.

A sound like a rocket cutting through the air echoed through the island, and we all looked up as a dozen angels flew toward us at impressive speed.

Kaz turned to me, his eyes pained. "I have to keep them safe."

"Go," I told him. "Be safe."

They pushed off and flew away, in the opposite direction from the angels. Though two of them broke off from the group and went after the dragons.

"No," I whispered. I started calling my wings, but Levi was faster.

"I've got this," he said as his wings appeared behind his back. He zoomed after them.

I felt divided, wanting to help, but the angels landed not fifteen feet from the rest of us. I recognized Julien, Izrail, and Mihael, who had been hunting me a few weeks ago. And right in the middle was Archangel Sariel. My father had been her mentor after she graduated from the academy. When my father died, Rhodes became her mentor.

"It has been a while, Ariella," Sariel said with a friendly smile.

"Not long enough," I said. "How did you find me?"

"We've been looking all over for you," she said. "There are plenty of supernaturals helping."

"Someone saw me," I said.

She shook her head. "Actually, this time, I sensed your aura a few hours ago."

My eyes widened and I felt so stupid. Lacey had told me I wouldn't need to drink the potion to hide my aura while I was in the Grand Eternity Hall. I had gotten used to it, and on my first foray outside, I forgot to take it!

"Lucky you," was all I said, though I was berating myself on the inside.

"I don't have time to waste, so I'll get directly to the point," she said. "Come with us and we won't hurt your friends."

Which meant, if I didn't, they would kill everyone.

Beside me, the witches conjured bolts of their magic and held them above their hands, and Ash drew his sword.

"I guess you have your answer," I said, reaching for my magic, but it swirled out of reach. Damn it!

"So be it!" Sariel snarled and lunged at me, light magic shooting out of her hands.

At the same time, the other angels attacked and my friends met them head on.

I jumped back, avoiding a big bolt that would definitely have hurt, and called on my new, beautiful sword. I almost sighed in relief when it appeared in my hand.

Sariel, though, seemed taken back and she slowed down her momentum. "I heard you lost your sword." She brought hers up and then down on me.

I parried her strike. "You mean, Rhodes told you Molraz destroyed mine?"

"Something like that." She stretched her arm, her hand glowing, and tried touching me.

I pushed her sword with mine and kicked her hand away. "So, you're Rhodes's lackey now?"

That seemed to anger her. She let out a scream and threw her magic at me. I spun to the side and deflected one of the hits with my sword. I braced myself, expecting to be pushed back, but the blade absorbed most of the impact.

I almost laughed. Light, this sword was awesome!

Sariel let out a furious groan and threw several light bolts at me, one after the other. I moved my sword, trying to catch them all, but she was too fast.

I twisted out of the way, but she followed.

I called my magic and created a shield. Or tried to.

The magic sparked at my fingertips and then fizzled out.

What the hell?

Sariel came at me, her sword raised high. She rammed into me, making me lose my balance and fall on the rough ground. I kicked her shin, and she stumbled back.

I looked to the sides—Levi wasn't back yet, and everyone was engaged in a fight. Two angels were on the ground, immobile, and my heart sank.

No one should die, especially not an angel.

This was so wrong.

Sariel brought her sword up again and let out a scream as she brought it down on me. I moved as fast as I could, came up to my knees, and lifted my sword above my head.

The sword clanked and shook with the impact.

I stood and kicked Sariel in the chest.

She staggered backward, and almost lost the grip on her sword.

"I don't care if they want you alive," she said with a cry. "I'm done with you." She conjured a light bolt and threw it at me.

I lifted my sword.

A big shadow fell over me; Levi stood between Sariel and me in his demon form. He deflected Sariel's magic with a blade made of darkfire.

She stared at him, her eyes wide.

"Levi!" someone shouted.

I followed as Levi glanced to the voice—Abbie. She nodded at him once, and he nodded back.

What?

Before I could ask anything, Levi sent out a wave of darkfire, tall and powerful. It hit the angels and flattened them to the ground. Darkness was left in the wave's wake, thick and potent. He had used this once to hide us from supernaturals at a park.

He grabbed my hand and pulled me with him.

A few steps to the side, all of our friends gathered in a circle.

Abbie opened a portal. "Hurry, let's go."