Chapter Twenty-Eight

ERIN

My hands shook on the steering wheel as I sped up the rise, my gut roiling in a mix of fear and rage. I’d really, really had enough of Harlon’s bullying.

Vroom! I roared right up to the front grill of Harlon’s fancy Range Rover. Angelina was in the passenger seat, and, oh, the sweet satisfaction of watching her go pale, yell, and brace her arms against the dashboard for impact.

Okay, okay, she was always pale. But I swear, she went even more white.

Harlon remained perfectly calm, which only angered me more. He thought I wouldn’t dare?

I rammed into his bumper. My Chevy was already beat-up, and he had to know I meant business.

I left the vehicle there, bumper to bumper, and slid out coolly.

“Oops,” I said without so much as a sideways glance.

Nash joined me, looking wide-eyed, like Harlon. Good to know I’d impressed them both.

Angelina slid out of the Range Rover, gesticulating. “Are you crazy?”

I shook my head. “No. Just fed up with your games.”

“They’re not games, I assure you,” Harlon growled, as menacing as the clouds swirling behind him.

“No? Then cut the mighty warlock act,” I demanded. “It doesn’t scare me.”

“It should,” he rumbled, drawing a snarl from Nash.

A shadow raced overhead, making me look up. A third dragon raced in, followed by a fourth. They soared over the ranch, sending the horses into a panic.

My gut dropped, because my sisters and niece were down at the ranch too. That was one reason I’d driven up to face Harlon — to buy Abby time to hustle Claire to safety while Pippa hurried into position, according to the rough plan we’d settled on the evening before.

The dragons circled in opposite directions, crossed paths, then landed, each settling down beside one of the original two. I expected them to roar and spit fire, but they did something much scarier.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They just sat there as quietly as Alfred Hitchcock’s birds.

I scanned the horizon, wondering how many others waited in reserve.

“Interesting spell you have here.” Harlon waved around. “Child’s play to crack, but interesting, nonetheless.”

Had he broken the privacy spell entirely or simply found his way around it? Either way, I was fuming.

“You have some nerve—”

“No, I have a final offer,” Harlon cut in. Switching tactics, he flashed a winning smile. “I like you, Miss Sattler. I really do…”

He did, I realized, feeling sick.

“…and I would prefer to do this in a way with the best possible outcome for you.”

“You mean, I keep the ranch, you disappear, and never come back? Perfect.”

He shook his head. “Unfortunately, this land has something I need.”

“Well, too bad for you.”

“Ah, but this property isn’t just yours,” Harlon pointed out. “Your sisters’ names are on the deed too.”

“They agree with me.”

“They shouldn’t,” he grunted.

“Because…?”

“Because I would hate to see someone hurt.”

I snorted. “Then don’t hurt anyone.”

Harlon tilted his head. “I wouldn’t dream of it. But if an unfortunate accident were to occur, or even a natural disaster…”

My heart dropped as I thought of the cliffs above the ranch. If Harlon brought them down in a giant rockslide, would the rubble reach the main house?

Still, I kept a brave face. Or so I hoped.

“And no one will question the likelihood of another ‘natural’ disaster on the heels of yesterday’s storm?” I challenged.

Harlon shrugged. “Climate change. Maybe people will finally take action to undo the mess they’ve made of this earth.”

“Says the man who travels by private jet and creates his own flash floods,” I muttered.

Angelina huffed. “Enough talking. Let’s get this started.”

“Before the agency arrives and catches you up to no good?” I shot back.

Angelina flashed a wicked smile. Truly wicked, with her canines extending into sharp fangs.

“The agency is not an issue. Well, not for me.” She shot Nash a knowing look.

“What about Harlon?” I turned to the warlock. “So far, you’ve managed to stay off the agency’s radar. How eager are you to appear in their records now?”

And, bingo. A tiny scowl played at the corners of his mouth. Then, with a glance at Angelina, he declared, “The agency will not be an issue.”

Hmm. Was he counting on Angelina to sort things out for him? Bad idea.

Then he went on, making my blood run cold. “Not an issue, just like this friend of yours.” With a glare at Nash, he motioned to Angelina.

She flashed a crocodile smile and turned her attention to Nash. In one instant, her too-red lips went from scowling to puckering into a coy, sensual heart. Canting her hips to emphasize her curves, she slipped into full-on seductress mode.

“You don’t need to be involved in this, Nash,” she said in a singsong tone. “In fact, you need to leave, because the agency is coming for you.”

Ha. Did she think she could enthrall Nash? He was a dragon shifter, not an unwitting human.

But, shit. His gaze grew vacant, his body still.

“You never really had an interest in Sedona,” Angelina went on, practically caressing him with her words.

Something flashed behind her. A bolt of lightning, half hidden in the dark clouds. Clearly, Harlon didn’t like Angelina looking at another man like that .

Neither did I, at least when it came to my man. But I was sickened too. Did I mean nothing to Nash? Was he so easily swayed?

“Why don’t you head back to California?” Angelina suggested, touching his shoulder. “Life is so much better there.”

Nash turned west, as if in a dream.

“That’s right,” Angelina purred. “Back to California. Remember that little place we stayed in by the ocean? You could go there. I could meet you there.”

Her voice dropped like she meant it, and ugh. Maybe she did.

I pictured Nash’s arms around me after we’d made love. Then I pictured them around Angelina, and bile rose in my throat. How could he have fallen for her — then or now?

“That’s right,” she coaxed him into another step.

The nearest dragons swung their heads forward, and their eyes glistened.

No, no, no! I wanted to scream. Those dragons wouldn’t even have to fight Nash. They could simply kill him while he was in that state. That would leave me alone, and I would be forced to negotiate. And if I didn’t…

Storm clouds swirled, hinting at the destruction Harlon would wreak.

Down at the ranch, the dogs barked wildly. The barn was a quarter of a mile away, but I could hear the horses pace and fret. We only kept the oldest few in there, and now, one whinnied, while another kicked at the stall door.

Harlon’s eyes shone, telling me, There’s so much you stand to lose. Do not test my patience any longer, you weak little thing.

All the self-doubts I’d ever harbored crawled out of their hiding places in my mind. I had powerful parents, but no powers of my own. I couldn’t shift into a different body or conjure a single spell. I could try as hard as I wanted to get ahead, but I would never succeed…

I cut off those thoughts and rolled my hands into fists.

I wasn’t weak. I wasn’t insignificant. And I would not be cowed into letting Harlon get the better of me.

He sighed. “My patience has its limits, Miss Sattler.”

The wind swirled, rattling the shutters of the main house.

Meanwhile, Angelina remained focused on Nash. “Just walk away. No reason for you to get involved here.”

I hated her for toying with Nash, and I’d hated him for having fallen for her. But maybe Nash hadn’t fallen for Angelina so much as fallen for her trickery. She’d used her vampire charms to lure him in, and her bite had made him a marionette.

Rage swirled through my veins. How dare Angelina? How dare Harlon? I bared my teeth, wishing I could spit fire.

I couldn’t, but ouch. My throat burned in a way it never had before.

“Last chance,” Harlon warned.

“Or you’ll what?”

His nostrils flared. “You don’t want to know, Miss Sattler. You really don’t want to know.”

I itched to slap him, but I didn’t. Why, dammit? Why? Men like Harlon could be assholes, but women had to be polite?

My hands shook with fury. I’d waged the same inner battle countless times in my life, but I’d never, ever broken those unspoken rules.

Until now. I wound up, formed a tight fist, and let a punch fly.

And, crack! My knuckles screamed in pain, but there was nothing more satisfying than the sight of Harlon’s head snapping back.

Slowly, he blinked, rubbing his jaw. When he looked at me, evil glittered in his eyes. “Oh, you’ll regret that.”

Angelina went on crooning to Nash. “You can forget everything that ever happened here. You can be free of all this.”

The dragons around us opened their wings, ready to swoop down on their prey.

“I want to be free.” Nash stepped away dreamily. When he turned to look at Angelina, I was sure I’d lost him forever.

But his eyes snapped into focus, and his voice was loud and clear.

“I want to be free of you .”

He didn’t finish with bitch , but he did shift and spit a massive plume of fire.

I was no expert, but wow. I’d never seen a shifter change forms that fast.

The flame was huge, its heat scorching. I leaped aside. Angelina screamed and threw up her hands. The fire crackled and whirled, wrapping her in a fiery tornado. Meanwhile, Harlon jumped to safety, showing where his priorities lay.

It all happened so fast, I froze. Then Nash — huge, angry, dragon Nash — cut off his flame and looked at me.

As a dragon, he couldn’t yell Run! But the scary expression he flashed, full of teeth and sparks, made that perfectly clear.

I took off running.

Nash’s roar shook the earth. Then he leaped into the sky, beating his wings so hard, the rush of air made me duck.

Harlon hissed at Angelina. “Control him!”

“I’m trying! But it’s not working!”

I peeked through my whipping hair, taking stock. Nash had four dragons to deal with. That left me to take on Angelina and Harlon.

Yikes.

Luckily, they were distracted — for now. Angelina crouched, gasping, while Harlon bent over her, checking for injuries once Nash’s fire died out. I dove into my pickup and revved the engine to life.

Harlon and Angelina looked up, eyes wide.

You wouldn’t dare, Angelina’s expression said.

I backed up ten feet, then roared forward, heading straight for them.

Oh, I would dare, all right.

Harlon thrust out his hands, conjuring a spell. But either his magic didn’t apply to engines or he was too slow, because a moment later, he dove out of the way. Angelina jumped clear too, so I spun the wheel and rammed the side of the Range Rover instead.

The impact nearly made me face-plant into the steering wheel, but heck. The adrenaline rush was worth it.

Hooting like a banshee, I took another shot at Angelina, then sped through a U-turn and raced toward the ranch. Harlon was raising his hands in another spell, and something told me to get as far as I could.

Furious, boiling clouds packed the rearview mirror and spilled over the edges, reflecting on the inside of the windshield. I wasn’t even halfway down the hill when rain — no, hail — began to spatter, then pound the pickup’s roof. Hurricane-force winds roared, jostling the vehicle as much as the bumpy road. Tumbleweeds raced past, faster than my poor old Chevy, and—

Crack! The rear window exploded, piercing my ears with sound, if not glass. I screamed and ducked, making the car spin out.

A second bolt of lightning struck the ground, even closer than the last. Clearly, Harlon was angry. Well, so was I. Even more so when the engine quit and refused to restart.

I looked around. I couldn’t sit there helplessly while Harlon hurled an entire weather arsenal at the car — lightning, thunder, maybe a landslide…

I pushed the driver’s side door open and told myself, On three. One…Two…

A bolt of lightning speared down, shoving me back.

After a deep breath, I threw myself out the passenger-side door. Lightning bolts followed me like machine-gun fire. I sprinted toward the cliffs, carving sharp turns all the way like a skier.

Boom! A lightning bolt fried the prickly pear cactus to my left. The next torched a juniper on my right. It sizzled despite the downpour that plastered my hair and clothes to my skin.

I ran on with a single goal in mind. The vortex.

What exactly I would do once I got there, I had no idea. But instinct screamed for me to get there, and fast.

So fast, I would have slammed into the cliff face if I hadn’t thrown my hands up in time. My left hand slapped down an inch from the spiral symbol, and I yanked it away. Sensing another blast coming, I cringed and closed my eyes.

Lightning flashed inside my eyelids, and every hair on my body stood. I spun around, staring.

Harlon stood on the rise, gesturing madly, throwing everything he could at me. A line of hail accumulated inches from my feet, and a residual breeze bit through my soaked clothes. But whatever Harlon tried, he couldn’t invade this safe haven.

Meanwhile, an aerial battle raged beyond the perimeter of that compact storm. Five dragons whirled and gushed fire, creating their own fiery tempest. One screamed, then plunged toward the ground in a blur of flames, wings, and a desperately whipping tail.

Then, boom! Bone and sinew crashed, making the ground shake.

My heart leaped to my throat. Was that Nash?

Then I exhaled. Nash was still up there, a flash of determined bronze battling his remaining three foes.

My foes, actually. I turned back to Harlon, ready to put an end to this. But how?

I cowered against the cliff face, watching Harlon gesture and fling. Dragon roars filtered through the noise of the storm, and I looked up. Another dragon had just arrived, circling those locked in combat.

Really bad had officially gone over to worse now. And where was Pippa? We’d agreed to meet at the vortex while Abby took Claire to safety, but she was nowhere in sight.

At least the horses had broken out and scattered. I prayed they hadn’t injured themselves in the process.

Beside Harlon, Angelina pointed so furiously, I could picture her shrill commands.

Get her! Get him!

Harlon flashed a sour look, and his lips moved, grunting something along the lines of, You said you would take care of the dragon .

I threw a grateful look at Nash. I had no idea how he’d broken free of Angelina’s hold, but he’d done it. And boy, was he mad.

And he wasn’t the only one.

Slowly, I moved my right hand toward the spiral symbol and sent it a silent plea.

All right, vortex. Time to show your stuff. Please.

When I edged my hand closer, a burst of energy shoved it away. I shook my head and whispered, “I don’t want to fight you. I don’t want to use you. In fact, I’d rather not bother you at all. But I need you. We all do.”

The vortex thrust my hand away, refusing to cooperate.

My voice grew tighter, more desperate. “If you don’t help me, you’ll be dealing with Harlon next.”

Again, the vortex pushed my hand away, clearly wanting no part of this mess. And, heck. I could relate. But some problems didn’t go away on their own. Sometimes, you had to dive headfirst into a battle and fight until you won — or lost.

And I sure as hell was not going to lose, not with everything I held dear on the line.

I braced myself and covered the spiral, fighting the force this time. Eventually, I was able to flatten my hand against the rock, though it took every scrap of energy I had.

Dammit, where was Pippa?

“I need your help. Please, just this once. Help my family,” I begged.

Still, the vortex pushed back. It pushed images into my mind too — a blur of all the people who’d lived in this quiet, dusty corner of Arizona, from my great-aunt’s time to her aunt’s and her ancestors before that — all the way back to pioneer times and beyond. I saw the familiar outline of the ranch shrink, expand, and shrink again in a bewildering rush of time. The vehicles parked outside changed from the Chevy I’d inherited to a rounder, 1940s model, then a wagon. My cabin faded away, as did the barn, while the main house changed from its familiar form, with one addition after another chopped off until it was reduced to a mere shack, then nothing at all.

For a moment, all I saw was swaying grass and silent rocks. Then people appeared — smaller in stature, but not in pride, and deeply bronzed by the sun. People who planted, sang, and carved symbols into stone. I saw harsh winters, brilliant springs, and towering lines of corn tangled with bean vines. Then those people faded away too, and I caught a brief glimpse of a different, migratory clan, before nature reigned, and reigned alone.

I moved my hand away from the spiral. Yeah, I got the message. I was only the most recent in a long chain of inhabitants. Not the first, nor the last. When my time was up, it was up, and that was that.

I smacked my hand back over the spiral and pointed the other into the storm. “Harlon isn’t just coming for this land. He’s coming for you. For your power.”

The energy surged as if to say, Let him try.

“He will,” I hissed. “He will try and try, and this land will never know peace again. He will bring in others to draw from your power too. Greedy souls who will mine you for any advantage they find.”

Harlon gestured again, and the storm intensified.

“Please,” I whispered. “Help me keep this place safe from him. Not just for me, but for you.”

My fragile hopes plunged when the energy under my hand ebbed. Was the vortex shutting down altogether?

But then it came bursting back out in an entirely new way. Instead of pushing my hand aside, the energy flowed in and tingled all the way up my arm.

Do it, I imagined an earthy voice mutter. Get rid of him, and fast, before I change my mind.

I stared at my hand in one of those terrifying moments that followed getting what you wished for. Because, yikes. The power flowing into me was intense . Invasive, almost, and I feared the side effects of calling it forth.

But, heck. I didn’t have much choice.

Keeping my right hand over the spiral, I inched away from the cliff and reached my left foot and arm back into the storm.

Angelina shouted to Harlon in warning.

He lifted his arms and thrust forward. A lightning bolt formed out of nowhere, blazing directly at me.

I held my breath — and my ground — praying my gamble would work.