howling at the moon, biting Joie’s neck. And, just for the record, stay the hell away from mine, Traian. Having a woman bite my neck might be a turn-on—kinky, maybe, but I could handle it. Having a man bite my neck is out of the question. Doesn’t do a thing for me,” Jubal said dryly.
“Ouch. That hurts, Jubal,” Traian said. “I was really looking forward to a snack later.” He leaned down to brush the top of Joie’s head with his chin. He had to touch her, keep reminding himself she was real. Even when they were speaking telepathically while he searched the complex of caves for whatever the vampires were frantic to find, he almost believed he had made her up.
Gabrielle managed a grin. “Well, he fits in with our weird family, Joie. I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s reaction.”
“I need to seal this area off, slow the vampires down, and get all of you out of this cave,” Traian said. “I’m not so eager to leave,” Joie responded, studying the huge body of the dragon. “This is a treasure. There must be other fascinating things down here.”
“You are being hunted,” Traian said severely. “I am getting you out of here now. I will come back later and find whatever the vampires want so badly.”
“When you’re alone,” Joie said.
“When I am alone,” Traian confirmed. He urged them through the narrow hall. “You must not touch anything, no matter how inviting it appears,” he added as a precaution.
Jubal glanced at Joie. “It isn’t like you to agree to stay behind. Are you certain he doesn’t have you under a spell?” He groaned. “That sounds so melodramatic and stupid. I can’t believe I said it.”
“I’m a professional, Jubal, and I don’t need to make a point. This is his area of expertise, not mine.”
The hall opened into a gallery. Tall columns in a Gothic style were carved into the walls. The high cathedral ceiling was impressive. Pillars of ice and crystal formed two rows down the room, each holding several round globes of varying colors. Joie peered into one of the largest, a milky blue natural sapphire. As she stared at it, the color deepened, darkened, began to swirl with alarming speed. Mesmerized, she moved closer. The ground beneath her tilted, rippled. She felt a pulling, a drawing as if the swirling sphere called to her.
Traian clapped his hand over her eyes and pulled her away from the globe. “Do not look at them. Gabrielle, come away from there.” There was urgency in his normally calm tone. “Jubal, just pull her with you. I can feel the aura of power in all of these objects. Until we know what they are, we need to give them a wide berth.”
Joie was stunned that she had been so quickly pulled into the globe’s influence. “I thought wizards were supposed to be good.”
“Absolute power corrupts. It is something one learns when one’s life spans hundreds of years.” Traian crowded close to Joie, keeping his body between her and the tall pillars.
Joie laughed. “Don’t let Jubal or Gabrielle hear you say that. If you tell them you’ve been alive for a few hundred years, they might change their minds about us.”
“I heard it already,” Jubal said. He was pacing right behind Gabrielle, pushing her through the long, wide-open room. There were clear crystal sculptures of mythical creatures. Small, blood-red pyramids made of stone were set into chiseled-out archways in the walls. It was difficult not to stare at the gems and strange objects surrounding them, but Traian was obviously fearful of their safety, and they were ever conscious of the deadly creatures following them.
A deep boom shook the network of caverns. They stopped in the last one and stared at a solid wall in front of them. “There has to be a way out,” Traian said. “Wizards were not able to shape-shift or fly. They were much as you are. There must be an opening leading to the surface.”
“We have our gear,” Joie pointed out. “We can use it to climb.”
“Not
“Ouch. That hurts, Jubal,” Traian said. “I was really looking forward to a snack later.” He leaned down to brush the top of Joie’s head with his chin. He had to touch her, keep reminding himself she was real. Even when they were speaking telepathically while he searched the complex of caves for whatever the vampires were frantic to find, he almost believed he had made her up.
Gabrielle managed a grin. “Well, he fits in with our weird family, Joie. I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s reaction.”
“I need to seal this area off, slow the vampires down, and get all of you out of this cave,” Traian said. “I’m not so eager to leave,” Joie responded, studying the huge body of the dragon. “This is a treasure. There must be other fascinating things down here.”
“You are being hunted,” Traian said severely. “I am getting you out of here now. I will come back later and find whatever the vampires want so badly.”
“When you’re alone,” Joie said.
“When I am alone,” Traian confirmed. He urged them through the narrow hall. “You must not touch anything, no matter how inviting it appears,” he added as a precaution.
Jubal glanced at Joie. “It isn’t like you to agree to stay behind. Are you certain he doesn’t have you under a spell?” He groaned. “That sounds so melodramatic and stupid. I can’t believe I said it.”
“I’m a professional, Jubal, and I don’t need to make a point. This is his area of expertise, not mine.”
The hall opened into a gallery. Tall columns in a Gothic style were carved into the walls. The high cathedral ceiling was impressive. Pillars of ice and crystal formed two rows down the room, each holding several round globes of varying colors. Joie peered into one of the largest, a milky blue natural sapphire. As she stared at it, the color deepened, darkened, began to swirl with alarming speed. Mesmerized, she moved closer. The ground beneath her tilted, rippled. She felt a pulling, a drawing as if the swirling sphere called to her.
Traian clapped his hand over her eyes and pulled her away from the globe. “Do not look at them. Gabrielle, come away from there.” There was urgency in his normally calm tone. “Jubal, just pull her with you. I can feel the aura of power in all of these objects. Until we know what they are, we need to give them a wide berth.”
Joie was stunned that she had been so quickly pulled into the globe’s influence. “I thought wizards were supposed to be good.”
“Absolute power corrupts. It is something one learns when one’s life spans hundreds of years.” Traian crowded close to Joie, keeping his body between her and the tall pillars.
Joie laughed. “Don’t let Jubal or Gabrielle hear you say that. If you tell them you’ve been alive for a few hundred years, they might change their minds about us.”
“I heard it already,” Jubal said. He was pacing right behind Gabrielle, pushing her through the long, wide-open room. There were clear crystal sculptures of mythical creatures. Small, blood-red pyramids made of stone were set into chiseled-out archways in the walls. It was difficult not to stare at the gems and strange objects surrounding them, but Traian was obviously fearful of their safety, and they were ever conscious of the deadly creatures following them.
A deep boom shook the network of caverns. They stopped in the last one and stared at a solid wall in front of them. “There has to be a way out,” Traian said. “Wizards were not able to shape-shift or fly. They were much as you are. There must be an opening leading to the surface.”
“We have our gear,” Joie pointed out. “We can use it to climb.”
“Not
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