Hidden Dragon (The Treasure of Paragon Book 7) by Genevieve Jack (best book club books .txt) 📕

Sylas glared at her. “She can’t control what she sees, Raven. But as visions go, I’d think that one would give you a small measure of comfort.”

He was right. She was being a complete bitch. No one promised her this would be easy. She’d faced Eleanor before. She’d seen the wickedness in the woman. Ever since she’d mated Gabriel, she’d known what she was signing up for. This relationship would never be a house in the suburbs with a fenced yard. Being married to the heir of Paragon meant taking risks and doing what was right. It meant trusting that she’d figure things out, whatever might come.

Charlie though had made all the difference. When she’d mated Gabriel, she hadn’t thought children were possible. And now she was trying to mother a dragon/witch hybrid. They didn’t write a “What to Expect” book on her situation. It was all too much. When Charlie’s hands had passed through the orbs, she’d realized that her baby girl was part of all this. She couldn’t hope to leave her safely on the sidelines of this war.

“I need some air.” Raven rushed from the tent and ran. She didn’t stop until her feet met sand and the ocean lapped toward her toes. She found a shady place next to the beach where she leaned against a palm tree and braced herself on her knees.

“I know you want to be alone, but I need to tell you more about what Aborella told me.” Avery’s tone left no room for delaying the conversation, and when Raven turned around, she was surprised to find Clarissa had come as well.

“Don’t look at me for answers,” Clarissa said. “Avery practically dragged me out here with her.”

“I thought there might be more to Aborella’s vision,” Raven said. “But I couldn’t figure out why you’d hesitate to tell the others.”

Avery dug the toe of her sandal into the sand. “Because it was about us. It was about the three sisters. It’s the type of thing I think we should decide how to handle before we tip our hand to the boys in charge.”

Clarissa crossed her arms. “Colin isn’t the boss of me.”

“Exactly.” Avery cracked her neck.

Raven exhaled and readied herself for whatever news was about to come out of Avery’s mouth. “Go ahead. Don’t keep me in suspense.”

Avery licked her lips. “Aborella didn’t just say that Medea assumed we’d have pieces of the tanglewood tree. She specifically said we can’t translate the scroll without it. We need pieces of the tree for the enchantment to recognize us as the three sisters.”

Raven groaned. “The tree is gone. Believe me, I know. I saw it burn under my feet when Crimson pulled me into the past.”

Avery shook her head. “I thought so too, but Aborella told me that the sisters saved some of it and left it behind for us. She confirmed that what we need has been carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation.”

“Oh no.” Raven’s head bent back, and she looked up at the sky, wishing she didn’t know exactly what Avery was about to say.

Clarissa cleared her throat. “Do you mind filling in the most recent Tanglewood sister on why you both look like you are going to die?”

Raven rubbed her face. “There is one thing that has been painstakingly preserved and passed down for generations in the Tanglewood family. One weirdly enforced thing that has been a constant in my life and Avery’s life since the day we were born and now is part of your life too. It is the one thing that existed when the original three sisters lived in New Orleans, and it is still there to this day.”

Clarissa’s eyes widened. “The Three Sisters Bar and Grill!”

Both Raven and Avery nodded their heads. “All the female descendants have had to keep the Tanglewood name, and the property has passed from matriarch to matriarch.”

“Which means…” Avery shook her head like she couldn’t quite believe it. “Somewhere in that bar, a part of the tanglewood tree remains, and it is exactly what we need to translate the scroll and open the tomb.”

A burst of laughter came from Clarissa’s mouth. She stopped, her lips straining, and then gave in to the urge and let it all out. She doubled over with body-shaking guffaws.

“What is so funny?” Raven asked.

Clarissa composed herself. “After all that mess with Avery basically telling your mother that she never wanted to work at the Three Sisters, you two have to come up with an excuse to go back to New Orleans and see our mom.” She laughed some more. “And let’s face it, you are going to have to ask for her help because she’s your best bet at determining what part of the bar might hold said tree parts. And…” Clarissa gave Raven a pitying look. “She’s going to want to see the baby.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Raven fell on her ass and beat the ground with her fists. “How am I going to disguise Charlie? She looks too old. She has wings for heaven’s sake!”

Avery groaned. “Mom is going to assume I’m considering coming back.” She plopped down beside Raven shaking her head. “You know she isn’t happy with how things went down.”

Still chuckling behind them, Clarissa said, “Oh, come on. It won’t be that bad. Sarah seemed completely reasonable when I met her.”

Raven gave her a withering stare. “You know you have to come too, right? We have to stay together.”

Clarissa stopped laughing. “Right. Sure.”

“And our mom is going to want to introduce you to our dad,” Avery added.

That sobered Clarissa directly. She sat down in the sand next to them, suddenly contemplative. She’d never met her real father. This would be quite a visit for all of them.

“Hey, look at that,” Raven said. She gestured toward a palm tree only a few yards from them.

“Look at what? It’s a palm tree. They’re all over the island,” Avery said.

“The falcon in the branches. Black head, gray feathers. I haven’t seen one