13. Zero

Chapter thirteen

Zero

I t’s been days. Literal fucking days. Dante must be one smart vampire mother fucker because he paid some dirty witch a shit ton of money to perform several spells for him, preventing him from being tracked.

Then he killed her before she could even take advantage of her big payout.

We have my whole team on this mission to find Calix, but we don’t have a single clue. The asshole owns several properties, and my teammates have raided all of them. The only reason I haven’t been able to raid the houses with them is because my dragon goes on a rampage anytime we get a certain distance away from Heart’s Hollow.

I punch a hole in a wall inside my house. Luckily, I can tell that Calix is alive, but barely. For some reason my mate keeps going in and out of consciousness, so there’s no real way for me to communicate with him.

I have only ever been this terrified once before in my life—fifteen years ago, the first time Calix was taken by this mother fucker. My only flicker of hope is the fact that my dragon doesn’t want to leave the general area, which gives me the feeling that my mate is still relatively close. The only problem is where? With literal spells preventing us from tracking Dante and Calix, we don’t know where to look, not to mention it feels like we’ve already looked everywhere, anyway.

“Where the fuck is my mate?” I snarl at the moon.

Taking a deep breath for what feels like the millionth time, I concentrate on my inner dragon and what he senses. That’s when I feel some type of magical tug.

Excitement rushes through me. I immediately text my team, telling them to track me through my phone. Then, I follow the tug like an enchanted trail of breadcrumbs. When I leave my property and start walking down the street, the pull gets stronger, causing me to break out into a jog as I leave my neighborhood. I weave my way through the ‘downtown’ of Heart’s Hollow, hopeful that I’m onto something.

I pause in front of a random shop. Everything in me can sense a strange power encouraging me to walk through the door. I glance up and realize that I’m back in front of The Magic Shop. I try the handle, and I’m shocked to find the door unlocked.

Walking into the dimly lit shop, that sense of rightness hits me. The familiar, comforting scent of incense and books fills my lungs, but disappointment washes over me at the same time—Calix isn’t here.

“Welcome back, young dragon.” The Owner descends a staircase and walks up to me. He’s dressed to the nines in his fitted black suit, top hat, and all.

I open my mouth to correct him, but he holds up a slender hand. “Zero, yes. I remember.”

A sense of defeat hits me. Calix isn’t here. I can feel the bond straining, indicating that I’m now further away from him. If I can feel this, then why the hell can’t I pinpoint his location? Is it the spell Dante is using? Or maybe the fact that we aren’t fully bonded?

Frustrated, angry tears fill my eyes. Why the hell didn’t I tell him I loved him? I just got him back, and now he might be taken from me again. Trembling with rage, I collapse in a heap on the floor next to The Owner. All this rage, and nowhere to put it. All this fear and emotion rampaging through me, and I don’t know what to do with it.

My amethyst scales ripple across my arms and I fight my dragon, willing him not to shift.

“I sensed you coming, Zero,” The Owner says, kneeling close to me. Our eyes meet and his black eyes search my face.

“I need your help,” I croak. “My mate. A rogue took my mate. Again .”

When realization suddenly dawns on me, a few tears escape. “I’m that seventeen-year-old kid again, and the same rogue vampire has destroyed my world, has taken the one person who is my everything away from me. Fifteen years later, and I’m still completely helpless.”

My dragon tries to shift again. I fight it.

The Owner continues to study me silently before he finally speaks. “Do you remember what I told you about the judgment card?”

I nod, closing my eyes.

“Why did you run out of the store that first day we met? The day you reunited with your mate?”

I purse my lips, not even shocked he somehow seems to know everything. “I think I ran because I realized I was the one who pulled the card in reverse.”

The Owner nods. “And what did I say about your card? What message did you absorb?”

“Self-doubt. I’m my biggest critic, and I must be the one ignoring my true calling.”

“So then, stop ignoring it,” he says simply

I blink.

The Owner points at the scales rippling across my arms. “Stop fighting your shift and doubting yourself.”

My mouth falls open as everything falls into place like tiny puzzle pieces finding their match. I throw my arms around The Owner and kiss his temple. His top hat tips to the side, but he catches it with a laugh. “Now, go find your mate, young dragon.”