At least there was nothing here about how her father and mother had died. “What happens in Moncrief’s story? What’s she going to need spirit for?”
She rubbed her temples. “The prince trains Garnet, Awakens her, and then they fight a monster. It kills her precious bird…like the demon killed the Elemental at the library.” That made her brow crease in a frown.
“You said Garnet kills the prince.”
“Not on purpose. He accidentally ends up in the stream of their Breath. The Dragon spell wears off. Garnet has to fight using magick, because she’s really a Deuce. She defeats the monster and saves her kingdom. It used to annoy Mon that I wanted him to bring the prince back.” She snorted. “No wonder.”
“Why did you want him back? You made it sound like he was arrogant and annoying.”
She gave him an assessing look. “In some ways, yes. But he was alluring, protective, and he loved Garnet. And despite everything, she loved him back.”
Those words trickled through his veins. “Moncrief clearly elaborated on Brom’s vision. We’ve not seen a dove. There are no castles. Dragons don’t drool or smell. So unfortunately we can’t rely on his prejudiced version.”
“Not ‘unfortunately.’ The prince dies, after all. Did Mon hate you that much?”
“We had no use for each other. Like many Deuces, he disliked Dragons in general. Given his version, he wished you were a Deuce, though he obviously loved you.” He rubbed his hand over the page of Brom’s book. “The real vision is in this.”
Before their eyes, another few words appeared: Ruby’s destiny. Also double underlined.
Cyn leaned closer. “He must have given this to Moncrief to translate for you, and he did it in the form of fairy tales. He figured if you weren’t Awakened to Dragon, he could thwart fate.”
She stared at the words. “My destiny.” She stood, searching his eyes. “What is my destiny?”
“To face a monster, hopefully in a metaphorical way. To slay the person or people who ordered your parents’ murder.”
“With you. Because I need you.”
The way she said those last words tightened his chest. He had to force his gaze to their names on the page, linked with the plus sign. “For now.”
Her expression hardened. “Don’t worry. I have no intention of clinging to you.”
“I have a prophecy for you, Ruby. You will be the one to walk away from me.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Trust me on this. Remember, when our Dragons are pulling toward each other, you will walk away and never look back.”
Confusion creased her face. “Because I finally get my fill of your arrogance and the way you’ve shuttered your heart and cloaked your feelings?” She studied him, the hardness in her expression gone. “I’ve seen the wild flicker in your eyes, Cyn. I know you haven’t buried your feelings completely. You don’t have to be bored and alone.” She turned away from him, tucking the book into her bag. “Just saying.”
It wasn’t his Dragon who ached at those words. He had found the perfect woman, the one who could bring his passion back to life…who had definitely brought his body back to life. And he couldn’t have her. Fucking karma. Fate. Destiny, whatever.
He glanced at his watch. “We’d better go. Grayson’s a busy man.”
She hefted her bag, following him out. “Does this Grayson work for the Guard, too?”
“He has nothing to do with the government, which suits me just fine.”
“Is he a Dragon or a Deuce?”
He led the way through the house toward the garage entrance. “Neither. He’s a Caido.”
“Mon didn’t have any Caidos in his stories.”
“He had angels, right?”
“Yeah, but he didn’t have a lot to say about them, only that they had a weapon that looked like some kind of light.”
“Legend has it that Luca, the supreme god of Lucifera, sent angels to police the situation after the gods became physical. They became physical, too. I imagine it was hard to resist temptation with gods partaking of carnal pleasures all around them. The angel/human offspring are called Caidos, which is ‘fallen’ in Spanish. They tend to keep to themselves for good reason.” As she started to open her mouth to no doubt ask why, he added, “Which I will not divulge.”
“Not even later?”
“Not even then.”
“Do they have wings?”
“Sort of. Like our tattoo that becomes Dragon, their tattoo becomes wings. Not feathers though. More like energy.”
She shook her head, her eyes wide. He enjoyed her reactions. Everything was old to him, but it was new to her, whether beautiful or terrifying. “What you do need to know before you meet Grayson is that he’s a very old and powerful Caido, so don’t piss him off.”
“Now why would I go and do that?”
He raised his eyebrows. “You have a way about you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, probably ready to say something acerbic. But she may have remembered some of the things she’d done, because she only said, “I promise I won’t hold a gun to his chest.”
“That’s a start.” They walked into the garage, and he popped the trunk, then took her bag and set it inside. “Not that you’d survive a second after that. The only reason I didn’t wipe you was because I knew who you were.”
“Awfully nice of you.” The sarcasm melted away. “Though now that I know what you are, I feel quite lucky.” She meant it.
“Caidos are also sensitive to emotions, so try to keep yours tamped down. The emotional Dragons—Citrines and Carnelians—are particularly troublesome, and you, Ruby, are a Carnelian. And don’t get caught up in the Thrall.”
“The Thrall?”
“People get mesmerized just looking at them.”
She leaned against the passenger side of his car. “So I should restrain myself from drooling, as Dragons are apt to do.”
He laughed, because damn it, she had a way of making him laugh like no one else. “Yes, please.” His humor died quickly. “There’s one more thing you should know about Grayson. He doesn’t like Dragon women.”
“Why not?”
“A female Dragon captured and tortured him for years. I think the experience warped him.”
“Oh, goody. Some guy who can probably incinerate me with a look.” She gestured to her clothing. “But I’m the least seductive person around. Well, not the least certainly, but still.”
He got in the car and, when she got in, said, “Don’t underestimate your seductiveness, Ruby.” She had other effects on him, too, besides making him laugh. A deep wanting. Throbbing ache. Effects he also hadn’t experienced in decades. Or longer. He tended to lose track.
She closed her door. “He tolerates you then? I mean, not because you’re…intolerable or anything. Well, you can be. But you being a Dragon and all.”
He simply smirked at her and backed out of the garage. Once he’d closed the door, he sensed their surroundings. “There’s magick in the air.”
“Oh, now you’re being romantic?”
“Not that kind of magic.” He got out of the car and fought the urge to Catalyze. Even though his yard appeared private, he couldn’t take a chance that some Mundane gardener was trimming bushes or that someone on a boat was out there with binoculars.
He saw the orb skitter across a branch just as Ruby, who’d gotten out of the car as well, said, “Are you hunting bugs again?”
“Scry orb.” His Dragon led him to a large banyan tree at the corner of the property.
“That’s what you killed in the back of my truck, right? The spy orb?”
“Exactly. Which means Smith has found my home.”