Conjuring Dragons by Chante Francis (surface ebook reader TXT) 📕

“I’ve been looking all over the house for you my dear.” He said taking shape.

“You’re not welcome here.”

He ignored me, “Although our little pastime of hide and seek has been fun over the years, I’m running out of time, as I’m sure Veronica’s noticed by now. Your sister has always been smart and observant. It’s one of the things I liked about toying with her.” He reached out and ran a hand through my hair leisurely, “The new friends I’ve brought along with me this time are just one of the changes I’ve made to our game of chess.”

“Don’t touch me!” I snapped, moving out of his reach. He smiled and shot me a condescending look as he continued.

“You will find that I now have the ability to do whatever I want to you without opposition. Unless you’ve had a change of heart and don’t mind having the death of many on your hands?”

“What?” I immediately started to feel nauseas.

“The pale look just isn’t your thing baby.”

“What do you mean death of many?”

“Right to the point as always.” He sat in one of the chairs near the fire place. “Take a seat with me and I’ll tell you. Wouldn’t want you fainting before I explain just what type of position you’ve put yourself in.”

I sat across from him in the other chair. It was still too close for my liking though, so I pushed it back a few more inches. He chuckled at my discomfort, his face contorting in a disgusting way, “You have something I want.” I opened my mouth and he raised his hand to silence me, “You have something I want, and I have something you want. Someone.” He laughed at my confused expression, “Quite a few people actually.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I forgot I was dealing with the idiotic twin.” I narrowed my eyes as he grinned, “You will give me the immortality you and your sister waved before my eyes as you brought me back. When I have been fully returned to this world, you will give me your life.”

“Fat chance.” I snorted.

“You will give me your life, or I will take the lives of all those I captured tonight. Starting with the little one called silly and ending with your sister.” A vicious smile spread across his lips, “You have one month to gather everything and return to where the spell was first cast. No tricks or you will watch as I snap Veronica’s neck.”

I stood quickly and felt myself get lightheaded. I’m not sure why I thought I could get my hands around his scrawny neck, but I still tried to throttle him. He moved and I crashed into his seat. Whipping my head round to the fire place I watched him dissipate with one last warning, “Tick. Tock. The countdown is starting and your time is running out.”

“Jypsie!” I heard Silvana yell from another room. Without hesitation I began walking backwards to the door and away from where Troy had evaporated. “Jypsie quick!” Reaching the entry way I turned and ran towards her voice, hoping I was going the right way. I was dodging fallen bodies and furniture left and right in my haste to get to her. “Jypsie!” As I jumped over a large man on the floor spanning the hallway he reached out and grabbed my leg. I stumbled to the ground and had to scrabble around for purchase before I could turn towards him. Dark soulless eyes stared at me unblinking. I felt my breath leave me and heard the pumping of my own heart in my ears as he slowly pulled me towards him. Too late, I noticed the wood sticking out of his back and the sharp fangs he was going to attempt to tear into me with.

“Jypsie!” She called, breaking into the trance. I tried pulling my leg out of his grip in fear. He squeezed down and the pain shooting from my ankle through my body had my heart beating even louder in my ears.

“Please,” I whispered, knowing that if he bit me I would surely lose my life. “Please,” I cried a little louder as he opened his mouth wider to feast on me.

“Gosh darn it Jypsie! I need you here now!” Panicking, I started lashing out as hard as I could with my free foot. I didn’t take the time to aim, I just started kicking him anywhere I could reach in as damaging a way as I was capable.

Relief rushed over me sweetly as I felt his hold slacken before ultimately vanishing. I looked up and saw Cassie leaning heavily on the wood now completely embedded in his body. “Are you ok?”

“Jypsie!” Silvana’s voice had me jumping up and once again speeding in her direction. Even with my new limp, I thought I had reached her with great timing, considering she still had the capacity to yell.

“What’s wrong?! Who’s trying to attack you?!” I said wildly looking around for a threat.

“I’m so sorry Jyps,” She said looking down towards the floor near the open front door. Finally seeing what captured her attention, I felt myself freeze. Many bodies of different coloring and sizes littered the front entry way, but only one seemed familiar.

“Jypsie!” Cassie yelled running into the room behind me, flanked by Eleanor and my adoptive mother. I felt my legs give out completely as Gianna identified the body I had just been pressed up against not too long ago. “Oh shit,” Cassie said from somewhere in the room.

I didn’t hear anything else as I crawled towards the man lying face down in a pool of blood. A large piece of glass sticking up out of the right side of his body, below his ribs. I barely noticed the small pieces of glass cutting into my palms and knees as I moved towards him.

“Jason” I whimpered quietly, hoping beyond all reason that he was miraculously okay. It wasn’t until I was close that I saw his chest moving up and down slightly, but I still couldn’t tell if he was ok or not.

“Get up. They’re gone and it looks like they took some souvenirs with them.” Carter said coming into the room, “Jypsie, I can’t find Veronica. Where is she?” The tears started flowing immediately. I tried to talk but found that I couldn’t say it out loud.

He took her too.

Chapter Seventeen

Carter just stared at me like he couldn’t understand a single word I'd said, “What do you mean he took her? Who?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes sir? I’m not sure what you’re asking me right now.”

“I’m asking you where the fuck my wife is.”

“He took her.” Carter just stood there in the doorway a moment before walking into the room towards me. I opened my mouth to tell him to back off and found that I couldn’t. It felt like something was caught in my throat; it took me a few seconds, but I finally realized I couldn’t hold it back. He stopped when I stood, I ran towards the door when he opened his mouth.

I’d managed to reach the door before he grabbed me, “Stop fucking with me, I haven’t the patience for it.” He took a threatening step forward into my space and then a forced one back. A few harsh breaths and a false calm to his voice, which fooled no one, he tried to pretend he wasn’t seconds from losing it. The dark look that clouded his eyes gave him away completely. “Where is Veronica?”

“Troy took her. He said--” A sob tore through my throat and took over my speech. It was all I could get out for the moment.

“What do you mean Troy took her?! Stop bullshitting me. If he had been here he would have taken you too!” I couldn’t even breathe and he was trying to make me talk? He shook me by the arm he was surely bruising, “Why would he take her? It doesn’t make any sense.” He had to be questioning himself now, thinking out loud. “He should have taken you instead.”

“I wish it had been” He let go of my arm as if my quiet agreement had physically shocked him.

“Enough.”

Now I believe in miracles, kind of comes with being magical and all. Sometimes incredible and unexplainable things happen. So yes, I most certainly believe in them, but even I thought I was hallucinating when I turned around and saw Jason sitting up. Spear still seemingly impaling him. It was so astonishing I thought I would faint. It was too bad though, that Carter had decided to let my arm go. I could have really used his strength to keep from crashing to the floor.

I’m sure I was only out for a couple seconds, so I definitely did not appreciate the clobbering I was getting from Cassie and the close up of the inside of Silvana’s well-kept nostrils. “You guys wouldn’t believe the nightmare I just had.” I pushed Silvana’s face away with one hand while swatting at Cassie with the other. “This evil nut took my sister, my adoptive family’s house got destroyed, Jason was impaled by a spear,” I stood and quickly had to shut my eyes. I reached out for one of them to grab onto as my legs tried to give out on me and my stomach rolled. My head had taken on a very foreboding lightness.

“Are you ok Jypsie?” Even though I’d only met him yesterday or so, I’d know that voice anywhere.

“Jason?” My eyes flew open before I had even finished calling his name. “It wasn’t a dream…” Considering there was still a weapon sticking out of his chest, I think I was perfectly justified in my loud reaction. Cassie on the other hand, was definitely in the wrong for slapping me once again.

“Cassandra!” Gregory yelled, voice both equally reprimanding and startling.

“What? I heard that’s what you’re supposed to do when someone’s having a panic attack.”

“I was not having a panic attack!” I made sure my retaliation was swift, leaving a red print on her cheek to match the other. She pulled her fist back as if to punch me, but found herself immobilized by Gregory’s grip.

“We don’t have time for this. We can’t afford anymore useless injuries on those we have left capable of fighting.” He let her go with a warning glare more effective than his gasp had been. Both of us cooled off immediately with that despairing dose of reality. “All the injured civilians are being moved into the kitchen and surrounding areas to have their injuries looked at. Silvana, Cassandra, I suggest you join them and find out how you can be of use. Jason, Jypsie, we’re joining the security team, council members and pack leaders in my office. We need to discuss tonight’s attack and set in place plans to make it never happens again. We also need to retrieve everyone that was taken as soon as possible.”

“I just need to find Carter to remove his spear and we’ll be there.”

“Carter is already in my office. We’ll go now.” He spun on his heel