“Training?” Rikyava glanced to Layla’s Moroccan cuff. “You’ll have to remove that first if you want to have Layla do any training, Dusk.”
“I know.” His words were quiet. “Hence, needing the Vault.”
“You think she’ll shift?” Rikyava’s eyes narrowed, shrewd.
“I’m not taking any chances.” Dusk glanced at Layla with something sober in his eyes – and Layla realized that tonight was going to be a lot more challenging than she had initially thought. Suddenly, learning how to fight with her magic didn’t seem like so much of an adventure as worry began to gnaw Layla’s gut. The last thing she wanted to do was shift into her Dragon, or almost shift again. That had been fucking painful and had taken days to recover.
“You need backup? I can be done soon.” Rikyava stated, watching Dusk.
“No, thanks.” Dusk smiled and it was kind, something tender in it for Rikyava. “Layla and I need to do this alone.”
“Ok, whatever.” Rikyava glanced between them, though her gaze was searching. It was clear she wasn’t about to just let them waltz down to the Hotel’s strongest maximum-security room without a thorough explanation. She was good at her job, and her job included asking questions when something was out of the ordinary. Which Layla was realizing this little visit truly was. “You want to tell me what this is all about?” Rikyava quipped, though her violet gaze was penetrating.
“Personal protection.” Dusk was slightly curt with Rikyava. He was smiling, but had essentially told Rikyava that she didn’t need to know why Dusk was training Layla all of a sudden. It struck Layla that Rikyava wasn’t party to Dusk and Adrian’s plans. Though she had heard everything King Arini had spoken in Layla’s room about the void-shadow, Rikyava wasn’t in on the whole meal deal – and from Dusk’s stonewalling, Layla realized he wasn’t going to tell her right now.
“Oh-kay.” Rikyava’s lavender gaze soured on Dusk, though she turned to Layla with a tight smile. “Clearly I’m not going to get any answers out of this asshole. But Layla, if you need anything, just ask. If you want to learn how to spar magically or physically, or learn to use firearms or whatever, I’m happy to help. We’ve got a lot of guys down here who would absolutely love to train with the Royal Dragon Bind.”
Rikyava gave a wink, but glanced one last time at Dusk, pointedly. Something passed between them, bristling like a lover’s quarrel. But when it was obvious that Dusk wasn’t going to be forthcoming, Rikyava at last gave a hard sigh. Rolling her eyes, she beckoned for them to follow her as she proceeded to the last door in the hall, set into the furthermost wall of the vaulted catacomb.
Made of solid sapphire rather than steel, this door showed a small softly-lit grotto through the blue, with steps that corkscrewed down to darkness. Setting a hand to the door’s smooth surface, Rikyava closed her eyes and murmured a phrase, then breathed on the door. The sapphire door seemed to ripple in its frame, like a giant version of the mirror-trick that hid the safe in Layla’s room. With a mighty crack, the sapphire suddenly split in the middle, sliding back into its frame on both sides. Blue sigils flowed through its depths, curling like fire in the sea.
Dusk nodded his thanks, then stepped into the dim grotto beyond. Beckoning for Layla, he glanced to Rikyava. “Lock it. I’ll let you know when we’re done.”
The Head Guardswoman’s eyebrows climbed her forehead as her gaze moved to Layla. “Layla. I need your permission to lock this door. Once you’re inside… if I magically lock this door behind you, I’m the only person who can open it. Not you, not Dusk, not anyone else. If something happens in there and this door is locked… you get the idea.”
“So what you’re really asking me is how much do I trust Dusk?” Layla glanced to him. He kept silent, watching her.
“And how much you trust me.” Rikyava nodded, her violet eyes careful.
Glancing between them, Layla realized she did trust them both. Dusk had been her ally since the moment she had set foot inside the Hotel. Other than testing her and withholding a few truths because of Adrian, Dusk had been stalwart and honest with her. And Rikyava had been a friend since the beginning. Upright, protective, kind; Rikyava and Layla had bonded tremendously. As Head of the Guard, the Blood Dragon had earned her position here at the Hotel, and Layla knew it was merited.
“I trust you. Both of you.” Layla murmured. “If Dusk says lock the door, then lock it.”
“As you like.” Rikyava’s lips curled in a smile, her eyes pleased. She reached out, squeezing Layla’s hand. “If you need anything, if anything happens, just run back up the stairs and signal at the door. I’ll station two guards here, and I’ll be close by. They’ll come get me if anything goes wrong in there, ok?”
“Ok.” Layla breathed easier, nodding at Rikyava, glad that her friend had her back.
“Ok.” The Blood Dragon squeezed her hand. She let go with a pointed look at Dusk, basically saying that he was so on her shit list if anything bad happened during their training. Then she turned, whistling for two grizzled veterans standing by watching – one of which was Lorio.
“Lorio, Ben. Watch this door. Anything goes wrong, come get meimmediately.”
“Yes, Captain.”
She gave them a stern eyeball, then a last one for Dusk, then beckoned Layla inside past the sapphire doors. Layla went, stepping into the cool of the Vault, Dusk just behind her. Rikyava beckoned Layla and Dusk back a few steps, then set her palm to the sapphire still visible at the edge of the stone door-frame. Closing her eyes, she murmured a phrase, then breathed on the door. With a rumbling, grinding sound, the door slid shut.
Layla could still see Rikyava and the Guards on the other side through the smooth blue depths, though sigils still curled through the massive gem. Rikyava locked her gaze to Layla, then lifted her palm and slapped it hard to the gem’s surface. A shockwave blasted through the stone, igniting the sigils to a pure blue-white fire. Blazing, they dazzled Layla, then bled to a deep, murky red. The central seam in the stone disappeared and Layla felt a cool mist roll off the gem, as if she’d been locked inside a medieval dungeon.
Her heart panicked, racing, her stomach in her throat. She was locked in. Locked up.
But Dusk’s hand found hers in the bloody blue half-light and Layla felt a smooth vibration ease into her from their touch. Stepping close, he took up her other hand also, gazing down. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you while we’re training, Layla. I promise.”
“But what if I shift down here? What if my Dragon rises?” She spoke, fear coiling though her gut and tightening everything inside her body – not in a good way.
“I won’t let that happen. And if it does…” Something dire eased through his sapphire eyes in the murky light. “If it does, I can protect myself. And make sure you don’t get hurt either.”
“Are you sure?”
“Almost.”
