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“DID LORD GILDEN GET married while we were gone?” Aurora asked after we’d climbed into the back of the dark gray SUV. Her wig was waiting on the seat for her and she quickly pulled it on.
The werelions exchanged a brief glance before Sherlock replied. “No, but we’re not supposed to talk about his engagement,” he said, but he clearly wanted to say more.
“The whole thing is a bit confusing,” Watson dared to say as he drove away from the shop. “We’re not really sure what’s going on.”
“Is he engaged to the weredragon who was at the party, or not?” Aurora asked. Her tone was persistent and she wasn’t going to let this rest.
“We don’t know,” Sherlock said at last. “It’s all a big mystery. All we know is that Lord Gilden has been in a bad mood ever since you guys left.”
Aurora had a pondering look on her face, but she couldn’t voice her thoughts, since they no doubt involved my brief dalliance with him.
“We shouldn’t be discussing this topic,” Ruen said primly. He unstrapped his sheaths and handed his weapons to me. I slid them into my backpack and opened it for him to take the scroll. Aurora held her backpack up to block what we were doing from the shifters. Ruen quickly transferred the fragment to his own bag before the faint blue glow could be seen.
My stomach remained in knots right up to the moment the SUV pulled up in front of mom’s bungalow. Ruen made no move to climb out with us. It seemed Drake hadn’t demanded our presence at his tower.
“I guess we’ll see you the next time we have a mission,” Aurora said lamely. Sherlock lifted his hand in a wave and Watson nodded. Ruen ignored us both as the vehicle pulled away.
“I’m glad we won’t have to suffer through a debriefing session with the dragon,” I muttered as we headed up the path.
“It would have been awkward,” Aurora agreed.
Mom yanked the door open before we reached it. “You’re finally back!” she exclaimed in relief. “I was starting to think you were going to miss out on Christmas.”
“Did you buy us any gifts, Pearl?” Aurora asked as my mom drew us in for a hug.
“Lots of them,” mom said with a grin, squeezing us both tightly. She’d hung a wreath on the door like most houses on the street. Lights blazed brightly in some yards, along with other Christmas decorations.
“I haven’t bought you anything,” I said in dismay.
“Having my girls back safe and sound is the only gift I need,” she said, sounding like she was close to tears. “Are you hungry?”
“Yeah and I’d kill for a cup of coffee,” I replied as we stepped inside.
“I’d kill for a burger,” Aurora added.
“Kye will be home soon, so you won’t have to repeat the details of your mission,” mom said as we headed for the kitchen at the back of her house.
“Do we have time to take a shower first?” I asked, touching my lank, greasy hair in distaste.
“If you hurry,” she replied.
“You go first,” Aurora told me. “Your hair is a lot longer than mine.”
I took the cup of coffee mom poured for me and headed downstairs to grab a change of clothes from our bedroom in the basement. Aurora took her wig downstairs and chatted with mom while I took a quick shower.
Kye had returned home when I was done. He gave me a hug, then we sat down in the living room to wait for Aurora to have her shower. I’d retrieved my phone from the charger and had paid Watson’s repair bill, so we were square now
If felt weird to be home again after being away for so long. I had to keep reminding myself that I lived here now. I’d grown used to having my own apartment. Drake had probably given it to one of his other employees. They’d most likely been sleeping in my bed and sitting on my couch. A scowl rose at the thought of strangers using my stuff and I couldn’t banish it from my face.
Mom cooked a huge meal despite the late hour. We carried the food downstairs and filled them in while we were eating. “The guardian was a lich this time?” mom asked in amazement. “Fate chooses strange beings to watch over the pieces of the spell.”
“I’m just glad the overlords haven’t figured out how to outwit the guardians,” I said, feeling full and content. I was on my third cup of coffee.
“I can’t believe you turned into a troll,” Kye said, shaking his head. “Pearl told me about the trolls she ran into in the catacombs years ago. I guess we know why they were so tough to beat now that you’ve had firsthand experience at being one.”
“You were lucky to make it out alive,” I told my mother with a shudder. “You would have died for sure if they’d been in their true forms.”
“Not if I’d known where their vulnerable spots were,” she said craftily. “A few stabs in their groins would have put them both down quickly enough.”
Kye cupped his balls protectively just thinking about that horrible punishment. “Sorry,” he said sheepishly at our amusement. “All guys would react that way if they heard that threat.”
“You should have seen Saige swinging Ruen over her head when we reached the cemetery where the portal was,” Aurora said with a snicker. “The maniac used his punishment to slaughter a bunch of zombies.”
“Tell me you’re going to fill a sketchpad with everything you saw in the fifth realm,” Kye said eagerly.
“Of course,” she replied with a smirk and cast a sly look at me. “I’ve already got a bunch of drawings I want to do.”
“Mekhi will be ecstatic to have you back,” mom said. “He’s called me a couple of times to ask when you’ll be returning.” I’d had to give Mekhi a contact number to call just in case something went wrong when he’d done my tattoos, so he had her number on file.
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“Just that you’d be back soon, but I didn’t know the exact date.”
“At least I won’t have to work tomorrow,” Aurora said, then checked the time. “I mean today,” she corrected herself, since it was nearly three in the morning. “Merry Christmas, guys,” she added with a grin. “Can I open my gifts now?”
“No,” mom said in exasperation. “You can wait until after we’ve eaten breakfast like an adult.”
Aurora pouted a bit, but she didn’t argue. She knew better than to sass my mother.
“You should get to bed,” Kye suggested. “You girls must be exhausted after your mission.”
We nodded in agreement and we all stood up. After another round of hugs, they headed upstairs with our empty plates and utensils.
Aurora and I changed into sleeping shirts, then turned in. I lay awake for a while, trying to settle my restless mind. My bestie had fallen asleep almost immediately. After a while, I finally managed to drift off.
My dreams were dark and grim. I watched the overlords amassing their armies in all nine realms. The rulers who’d died were alive and well in my subconscious. They had tens of thousands of minions of all descriptions ready to flood into my world.
Each overlord held a section of the parchment. One by one, they read the spell and nine glowing portals opened up. Wide enough to allow even ogres to pass through them, they weren’t restricted to only one traveler at a time. The armies raced through the doorways in a never-ending torrent, screaming in triumph.
I jerked awake with my heart pounding. The house was quiet, so I soon sank back into sleep again. This time, I dreamed about Drake. The weredragon was naked and fully aroused, but I wasn’t the one he was in bed with. I stood at the foot of a gigantic king size bed, watching him kissing the bimbo from the ball.
She moaned his name and rage overwhelmed me. Reaching out, my hand closed around her ankle. She let out a shriek of terror when I yanked her off the bed. My hand closed around her throat, but her face changed and I was suddenly trying to strangle myself.
I let go of my twin and she vanished. I clutched my head in bewilderment when I now saw myself in bed with Drake. I was pinned beneath him as if I hadn’t just tried to strangle myself. He plunged his shaft into me and my doppelganger groaned in pleasure.
The dragon’s head turned until he was staring directly at me as he pounded himself into my twin. “How long will you make me wait for you, Saige?” he asked me hoarsely.
“You should be dreaming about your fiancé, not me,” I said, knowing this was all in my head and that it was just wishful thinking.
Smoke wafted from his mouth as he neared the edge. “My patience is running out,” he told me, quickening his thrusts. My twin came, back arching and legs tightening around him. She pumped her hips until he roared in release. Smoke burst from his mouth to cast them both in a cloudy haze. He nuzzled her neck and I felt as if it was my skin he was touching. “Come to me soon, Ms. Sterling,” he said. “Don’t make me come to you.”
“You’re engaged to the bimbo!” I reminded him, feeling like an idiot for arguing with my former boss in a dream.
“She’s not the one I’m engaged to,” he said and my twin vanished. He smirked at my confused look and opened his mouth to say something else. Someone shook me awake before I could hear the rest of what he had to say.
