Chapter Fourteen
“Remember what we talked about,” Gillian said to Katia as she handed her a battery pack. “When the light turns red, that means the power is nearly gone. You’ll have to come back and recharge your glasses and armor.”
The tall woman frowned as she examined the battery pack. “This is like a talisman of magic, that I, a dragon, can utilize?”
“Not a bad description,” Gillian said. “Sure. That’s what it is. And it will need to be refilled.”
“I can do that,” Katia agreed. “I will return to you through the portal when the crystal becomes red, Your Honor.”
“Just Gillian, please. I’m nobody’s honor.”
She wished they would spend more time in the Earth dimension so she could teach them more about the technology. Invent new things with them, and for them. For now, however, equating the battery power with talisman magic, something a Tarakonan native would find familiar, was good enough.
“One of us will stand guard on the other side of the portal,” Alliah said. “We will send word once we’ve contacted the Dragon Liberation Front and tell them of the wonders of your magic.”
“But not about Earth,” Aiden cautioned. “Not yet. Our worlds aren’t quite ready to collide, and until that day, we—the four of us and whoever else we deem, ah, worthy—will serve as gatekeepers. Such as my sister Nadia. You will recognize her. She looks as I do, but smaller.”
A feminine voice echoed through the portal. “Not in dragon form I do not.”
A lovely blond woman emerged from the portal. Dressed in a fine gown and sporting a sisterly smirk, she launched herself at Aiden, who caught her with a broad grin. So this was Nadia. Had to be. She was basically the female version of Aiden, right down to the silver tracery that undulated beneath her skin.
Another figure emerged from the portal, this one male. Handsome devil, tall with medium brown skin, broad shoulders, and tight, dark curls peaking out from underneath an elegant top hat. He seemed to have a thing for bling, though. At least a half dozen objects dangled from leather strips and bounced against his chest. No tracery, but a familiar energy seemed to emanate from them. She recognized them for what they were, then. Talismans.
Oh. My. God.
“Aiden!” she shrieked. “He’s a wizard.”
She gripped her cell phone and prepared to blast the bastard into oblivion, but Aiden released his sister and reached her in two long strides and gripped her wrist. “This one’s on our side,” he said.
“Oh, um, sorry.” Gillian lowered her phone and tried to surreptitiously shake off a few sparks behind her back.
“Not at all,” Aiden replied, scowling at the wizard. “I would gladly let you knock him on his ass, but my sister seems to like him.”
Nadia slapped her brother on the shoulder. “Stop it. He’s mine. Are you going to introduce me to yours?”
Aiden’s scowl relaxed and he nodded. “Nadia, this is Gillian, my…”
“Girlfriend,” Gillian said, fighting the urge to squeal. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Nadia.”
Nadia took both of Gillian’s hands in hers, shocking the hell out of Gillian. For a dragon to touch a witch was a sign of great trust and respect. Nadia had rendered herself and her power vulnerable to Gillian through physical contact. Gillian pulled Nadia into a fierce embrace and whispered in the dragon’s ear. “I’ll take good care of him. I promise.”
“I know you will, my good sister,” Nadia replied. Then she added in a louder voice, “Stubborn fecking fool that he is, you shall no doubt have much work and many trials ahead of you.”
“Language!” Aiden said. Then, with obvious discomfort, he extended his hand to the elegant wizard. Obviously taken aback, the wizard took his hand and shook it.
“This is Barnabas Courtier,” Aiden said. “He’s my sister’s…wizard. Barnabas, meet Gillian Hohenwald, the most amazing witch this side of Tarakona.”
“I’m not sure about that.” Gillian extended her hand to Barnabas and said, “Pleased to meet you.”
Barnabas took her hand and bowed low, brushing his lips over her knuckles. “Enchanted, Mistress Hohenwald. Your magic is truly remarkable.”
Aiden growled. Barnabas grinned. Freaking men. “We have two new recruits for you,” Gillian said. Nadia had already joined the pair of reds and was engaged in animated conversation with them. She was glad Katia and Alliah would have escorts back to Tarakona and introductions to the DLF and other free dragons.
“They’ll guard the portal from your side while we work on closing it. And we’ll pass any intel we get to you and the DLF through them,” Aiden said.
“Rocky is wrangling more folks from Magic to help guard the portal on this side, too.”
Aiden jerked back, startled. “When did you talk to Rocky?”
Well, at least his mind was off male posturing. She placed a hand on his hard bicep and patted. “Oh, you know, when I was looking for you after you sent me off for food while you snuck off to take on a wizard on your own.”
“Yeah, ah—”
“And then later after we defeated said wizard so I could let him know you were okay and he could call off reinforcements. You’re in big trouble, mister.”
He had the decency to look contrite. Of course, he changed the subject and launched into a lengthy discussion with Barnabas and the reds about plans for the immediate future. Gillian beamed with pride. While part of Aiden longed to join the red dragons in the fight to free their kind in his dimension, he understood that his presence posed a greater risk in Tarakona than it did on Earth. They had all agreed that the four of them would protect the portal from both sides, at least until Gillian figured out how to secure it remotely with some new magical device. Then they could control who visited Earth and when.
He would also work with Gillian to tap into his gift of prophecy and pass along intelligence to the rebellion through their new allies on the other side. Coupled with the technology Gillian would construct and provide the DLF, they had a real chance to end the oppressive system in Aiden’s birth dimension and change things for the better. And he’d be working with Nadia and Barnabas Courtier, his sister and the progressive wizard she loved. Aiden didn’t quite accept Barnabas—yet—but he respected him and what he’d done for Nadia. It was a start.
He’d come around.
“And I will work with the pixies on thrall crystal extraction methods, but I fear they cannot function far away from their native magic,” Gillian said. “At least that’s what I think they said.” The pixie-to-human cellphone translation program she’d been tinkering with was far from infallible. At one point she thought they’d claimed she was pregnant, but that was ridiculous.
Alliah, who had joined them along with Katia and Nadia, nodded and accepted her battery pack. Gillian hated to see her prized glasses go, but she could build others. These two brave red dragons needed them more since they were returning to hostile territory. As long as they held their electrical charge, they’d hold the enchantments Gillian had placed upon them and would allow the dragons to see magic and magical threats. Having seen them in action, however, she was certain they could hold their own.
“Then we shall bid you both farewell for now.” Katia, in a gesture that mirrored Nadia’s, took Gillian’s hands in her own, allowing their skin to touch. “Thank you for our freedom…Gillian.”
Gillian giggled. “Thank you for saving Aiden—and Earth—from your…former employer.”
Alliah flashed a feral smile. “Torren the Wicked is no longer our master, nor will he master another living creature.”
Gillian shivered. Yeah, these two red dragons could more than hold their own.
They all exchanged farewells before Katia and Alliah slipped through the portal with Nadia and Barnabas. Aiden’s sister and her wizard had promised to visit soon. Guard duty would begin tomorrow. Thanks to the pixies, Aiden and Gillian would have a much-needed break before the long, hard work began.
She couldn’t wait to get to work. Aiden had done that. He’d given her purpose, partnership, and his love.
There was just one small matter to resolve before they got started. She stood beside him, reached her hand around, and smacked him hard on his butt cheek.
“Ow!” he yelped. “What the hell?”
“That,” she said, turning to face him, “was for lying to me. I owe you another from Rocky, too. This,” she added, slugging him in the shoulder, “is for running off to sacrifice yourself instead of trusting me to come up with a better plan.”
“Is it always going to be like this with us?” he said, outrage warring with amusement and affection.
“Probably.” Then she grabbed him and pulled him down for a deep, sensual kiss.
He leaned back and smiled, arching a brow in question.
“That,” she said, “is for everything else. I love you, dragon man.”
“And I love you, geeky witch.”