follow me to hell and back if that’s what it took. Hopefully, it wouldn’t go that far.
Chapter 13
Anna
I walked across the lawn, tired after a long day. I already checked on Jessica and let her know I might be gone for a couple days. She’d thrown a dramatic fit, of course. But I’d seen the worry in her eyes.
The breeze was crisp and refreshing, and I took a deep breath. The combined scents of forest and ocean tickled my senses, and I smiled into the darkness. Maybe I should try to talk the twins into an evening run? I could use some time in my wolf form to relax tonight before our journey in the morning.
I felt a magical presence to my left before I saw him. Drake stepped out of the shadows, and his dark eyes glinted at me in amusement.
“Drake,” I hissed as I threw up a rapid shield.
Drake held up in hands in a gesture of surrender. “Anna, darling,” he purred. “I’m not here to fight.”
I huffed in disbelief and gathered more of my magic, preparing for an attack. We were about to go to war against his mother, so she’d probably be delighted if he brought back my head.
“Really,” Drake insisted. “I just came to talk.”
“So talk,” I told him with narrowed eyes.
“Make it bright?” he asked. “You’d be surprised how much can be overheard while in the shadows. I’d do it myself, but I wouldn’t want you to mistake it for an attack.”
I watched him warily as I created a ball of light strong enough the banish the shadows from the expanse of lawn we were standing on.
“Why are you here, Drake?” I asked suspiciously.
“I missed you,” Drake said as he circled around me.
“Bullshit,” I said flatly. “Who else is here with you?”
“I’m alone,” he said as he stopped moving a pace away from me.
“Who made a gateway for you?” I asked. Drake needed someone else to transport him from his world to this one as he couldn’t do it himself.
Drake smiled, and he looked so pleased and smug that I felt a trickle of fear slide through me.
“That’s not necessary any longer,” he said in a low voice as he took a step closer to me. “I’ve evolved into something more than fae. The shadows don’t just speak to me, they also carry me. Wherever a shadow lies, I’m just a step away.”
My eyebrows shot up. Drake just became infinitely more dangerous. I had to hope that his obsession with me would keep me from harm. For now, anyway.
“That’s a gift from your mother?” I asked worriedly. “Can she do the same?”
We were in trouble if the Morrigan could hear everything we said by listening to shadows. Most of our planning was done at night.
Drake shrugged, but I saw the tension in him.
“Things not going well with mommy?” I asked sarcastically.
Drake smiled at me, but I could see the tightness in his eyes. “My dear mother doesn’t appreciate the finer things in this world. I don’t share her desire to destroy human civilization and bring humans back into the dark ages.”
“And you don’t share her desire to be worshipped?” I asked pointedly.
Drake gave me a charming smile. “I’m perfectly content to remain in the shadows and feed off the excess energy that humans generate.”
“I doubt that,” I said drily.
Drake took another step towards me, and I raised a hand in warning. Drake was a lot of things, but straightforward was not one of them. Who knew why he was really here?
“Why did you come to me?” I asked.
Shadows flashed through Drake’s dark eyes, and I tensed.
“Because I’d like to become your ally,” he finally said. “It’s in my best interest to see my mother return to Winter. That is your plan, isn’t it?”
“Maybe,” I said warily. “But once she’s there, how do we get her to stay there?”
“Oh, Anna,” Drake said with a sigh. “Don’t play coy with me. I already know you’re working on finding a way to seal the gate back to Winter.”
“And you’re okay with that?” I asked in disbelief. “If you were stuck on this side, wouldn’t that be a death sentence for you?”
“Perhaps, if I were only fae. But I was born as half-god and am now imbued with the power of a full god. Plus, if I had a reliable connection to anchor my fae side to the earth here…”
I frowned at him. “The connection you were trying to forge with me under the guise of training?”