“So what clues do you have that led you to Blue Creek?” Feno asked as he sat across from Willow. They had finally made their way out of his bedroom.

If they were going to search for Delia, they would have to start off by leaving the bedroom. As much as he loved tasting what was between her thighs, he certainly wouldn’t find her grandmother there.

“I had a dream,” Willow announced, sitting back in the plush chair.

“A dream?” he asked. He rubbed his face, cringing at the stubble that met his hands.

She came all the way to Blue Creek because of a dream?

“I’m a powerful witch, as is my grandmother. Her voice whispered to me repeatedly, and I dreamt of the town for a week straight.”

“You sure it was your grandmother talking to you through your dream?” He knew that Delia was very powerful, but could she really reach out to her granddaughter through a dream?

As if sensing Feno’s doubt, Willow explained. “My parents disowned me when I was a little girl because I was a witch. For some strange reason, my mother doesn’t have our gifts. She should, but she doesn’t. My father brainwashed my mother into believing that witches were evil spawns from hell. So they sent me to live with my grandmother. Delia and my uncle took me in and raised me. They sensed that I was going to be a powerful witch, which I’m not arrogant when I say that I am.”

“And the elders of your coven don’t appreciate that you’re probably more powerful than them, and younger.” He looked over at her to see her nod.

“They’ve been trying to do everything in their power to ban me. Now that Delia’s been kidnapped, they’re trying to blame it on me. My uncle is the only reason I’m not already banned. In order to ban a witch from the coven in the absence of the high priestess, all the elders have to agree. Of course, my Uncle Tade wouldn’t banish me.”

“How long has Delia been missing?” Feno stood up and began to pace. He may have to call Vander and Jodos in on this. The more dragons they had to find Delia, the better. They could quickly find her and bring her to safety, then Feno could concentrate on mating with Willow.

“A week and a half,” she answered, watching him. “Can I ask you a question?”

He paused his pacing and eyed her warily. He knew the questions that would be coming. He would never lie to his mate.

A dragon was to cherish his mate, protect his mate, provide for his mate, and spoil his mate. He refused to start off their relationship by telling her untruths. Whatever she wanted to know, he would be an open book.

“Your power…it’s the strongest I’ve ever encountered. You’re no regular shifter. What are you?” Her eyes were brimming with curiosity.

“Dragon.”

Her head jerked back, as if he just hit her in the face. Slowly standing from her chair, she walked over and stopped in front of him. Staring into his eyes, she raised her hand and held it in front of him. His dragon wanted him to move so that her hand could connect with him.

He could feel the heat of her power at her fingertips, but it was waning. He knew that Delia pulled her powers from the moon, and he assumed that Willow would be the same. He knew where he could take her to get her closer to the moon to rejuvenate her powers.

Dragonstone Hold.

His castle in the mountains.

“But dragons are a myth. At least that’s what I’ve always been told.”

“We’ve always been around. It’s been too dangerous for us to be out in the open over the centuries. But even though we’ve stayed hidden, we’ve been protectors of the human race and paranormals.”

“But, how have you stayed hidden?”

“We can rearrange memories. In our human bodies, most paranormals can sense our powers just like you’re able to, but when we’re in our dragon forms, we’re at our most powerful. And most times, we’ll alter memories of whoever looks up and sees the shadow of our beasts.”

By this time, he had moved forward and pulled her to him. His dragon was fully attached to her. He would have to tell her soon that she was his mate.

“What happened with Delia?” he asked gently.

“Before she disappeared, we had an argument. I’m a second-level witch, and I’m to finish my studies for high priestess. She wanted Elder Mystia Dupree to be my preceptor. I didn’t want to learn under Mystia, I wanted my grandmother to teach me. I accused my grandmother of not truly believing in my abilities since she didn’t want to train me herself.” She looked away, but not before he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

She pulled away and walked over to the window, and he instantly missed her warmth. The pain in her eyes caused a pain deep within his chest. His dragon demanded that he go to comfort her, but the human side knew that she needed a little space. So he leaned against the wall instead, and waited for her to continue.

“I never should have said those things. Now that I look back, I know that Delia does everything for a reason, but I was desperate to train under the great Delia. I wanted to make sure that she knew how hard I’d worked to master our craft. I should’ve just been obedient and let Mystia train me.”

“You didn’t have anything to do with her disappearance,” he reminded her. He could smell the scent of despair on her, and it killed him to stay on the other side of the room.

“I stormed out of her house after our argument. The elders knew that we’d argued. I didn’t stay quiet about demanding that my grandmother train me herself. I went back to her to apologize, and that’s when I found her house ransacked and her gone. Traces of power still lingered through the air. The elders wouldn’t let me be a part of the investigation. They accused me of taking Delia out so that I could rule the coven,” she cried out, gripping the windowsill.

He flew across the room, no longer able to stand by as she rehashed the events. He could see that it was tearing her apart. She turned to him, allowing him to wrap her in his arms. Her tears soaked his shirt, but he didn’t care.

Feno wanted to rip the elders apart. How dare they accuse her of destroying her grandmother. His chest rumbled at the thought of shifting and flying to meet her coven head-on, but knew that would not get Delia back.

“It’s going to be okay. If you said Delia came to you in a dream, then she’s still alive,” he murmured.

“I would never do anything to hurt my grandmother. She raised me, always believed in me. I don’t know what I would do without her. Please, help me find her.” Willow sniffled, pulling back from him. He nodded his head and reached out to wipe the tears from her face. Her red eyes and tearstained cheeks almost brought him to his knees.

His dragon roared at her pain. Their mate should never feel pain such as what she was going through.

“Who would assume control of the coven if you and your grandmother weren’t there?” he asked softly.

“Tade or Mystia. I know Mystia’s been jealous of how quickly I moved through my training. That was another reason why I didn’t want her training me. I’ll admit that I didn’t want Delia to know about her jealousy. I didn’t want to put a strain between the elders and Delia, so I just kept it to my feelings and wants. Tade has always been like a father to me. He’s always pushed my training and helped me move through the coven.”

“Blue Creek is home to a large coven. I’m not familiar with their high priestess, but I can take you to a high-ranking member here. We’ll see if she can help.”