I hide in the trees, hoping if I stand perfectly still, he won’t be able to see me. The sun is high overhead, and the air carries the bite of winter. I wonder how many days I’ve been hidden away in that cave. Not for the first time, I wonder if I traded one prison for another.
“Please, Dacia, I need to see you … to know you’re okay.” His desperation nearly undoes me. I can feel you, Dacia. You need to wake up. Go back to sleeping at night. Maybe I can give you a few days’ rest that way. He’s getting impatient.
Why are you trying to help me?
Wake up!
His scream jarred me awake. Malcolm stared at me, his eyes knowing. “He found you?”
“Yes.” I sat up and pulled my hand through my tangled mass of hair. “He told me to start sleeping at night again. Said he might be able to buy me a couple days.”
“Why?” Cody’s voice was groggy.
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I have no idea why he’s trying to help me. Maybe he does want to help. Maybe he’s just playing a game. Either way, I think I should listen.”
“Well—” Malcolm walked over and handed us a box of donuts “—let’s wear you out so you can sleep tonight then.”
We ran through the cave. Malcolm told me to keep the illusions up on the chamber we were calling home. He also had me light our way, teleport the three of us ten to twenty feet along the passageway, cool the tunnels with a breeze, and transform my features. One time, just because I could, I turned myself into a wolf and shot him a toothy smile.
By the time we got back to the cavern, I had to have Malcolm come along to keep me protected while I bathed. I still heated the water for both Cody and me and kept the cavern lit, but I figured it would be better to have him along in case I’d worn myself out more than I thought.
That night, I laid my head down on the pillows, and Cody wrapped his arms around my waist. Peacefulness and exhaustion washed over me, and I was asleep within minutes.
L
“He made me, Dacia.” Mavros stands above me. His hand is transformed into claws, and silver lines his eyes. “My powers are stronger at night. I couldn’t pull you out of your dreams during the day.”
I scoot back. The pine needles and rocks bite into my back. “I trusted you.” My voice shakes, and anger swells inside of me. How could I have been so stupid? I wonder as I prepare myself to fight him.
“I know you did. I am so sorry.” He sounds so sincere, but I don’t know if it’s real or an act.
The muscles in his arms go taut, and the tendons in his neck bulge. I think about glaciers, wintertime, and snow-covered mountains. Frost spreads over my hands, coating my arms, and climbs my neck. My entire body turns to ice, but the frost continues spreading into my mouth. It coats my throat, freezing my breath.
No! I scream inside my head. You are mine. I control you, nobody else. I look up into Mavros’ eyes. His are panicked as he watches me struggle with my powers.
My breath hitches. Tiny shards pierce my lungs, and the ice slowly fades from my limbs.
Mavros watches as the ice recedes, then he grabs hold of me.
Cold air struck my body, and I shivered in response. A million stars lit up the night sky. The Milky Way was a bright streak illuminating the darkness.
Freeze, Mavros shouted in my head. He held his hand back. His claws were extended. The tips of them glinted.
I willed my body to turn to ice, but my powers were not mine to control. Mavros swiped his claws across my chest. They tore through my skin, ripping into my lungs, shattering my ribcage. Pain sliced through my body. I sucked in a startled breath, and the blood pouring from my wounds bubbled.
Mavros’ eyebrows pinched together, and his mouth turned down. He stretched his hand toward me, fighting some invisible force.
Great wings beat against the air. My vision darkened. Blood spewed out of my mouth when I tried to breathe.
The ground beneath me shook, and a gust of air blew across my body. Mavros reached down. His hand brushed across my arm. A breath filled my lungs, and I disappeared.
The massive silver dragon with rheumy eyes stepped up beside Mavros. His voice was ancient and angry. “Where is she?”
Mavros knelt down. “I did as you said. I attacked her. She couldn’t breathe, yet somehow, she disappeared.”
The beast lowered its head and licked my blood from the ground. His eyes rolled back in his head as if it was the best thing he’d ever tasted. “Find her, and bring her to me. No more excuses, Chaódis Skotádi.”
Mavros’ eyes flicked to me, but the dragon didn’t notice. Go. His power shot through me, and I clung to it, using it to teleport me away from them. My body stretched and pulled, and agony shot through me. Lights flashed in my vision, pulsating with the pain.
I landed flat on my back in the snow visible once again. I looked at my chest. My shirt was shredded. My chest was torn open, but I could breathe. Blood seeped from my wounds. Malcolm —I sent him a vision of where I was—help me.
I thought about life until darkness took hold of me.
Chapter 27
Betrayal
Voices.
They were so far away. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I felt compelled to answer them. It seemed like they were searching for something. Frantic. Terrified. They drifted away, and I was left alone.
D
“Dacia, I know you heard him.” Mavros’ voice fills the darkness, but I can’t see him, can’t respond to him. “You can use my name. You
