“You can’t do this alone.”
“I can’t wait for the others.” Jason shook his head and pulled his elbow from Silas’s grip.
“Just… give me until tonight.” Silas strode quickly, side by side with Jason. “Let me talk to Gerty and Grateful. I’ll put together a team.”
Jason ground his teeth.
“Promise me you’ll wait. Just until tonight. Until we have a plan.” Silas was asking for his trust. His brother had earned that much. And his logic was sound.
Jason nodded. “What other choice do I have?”
Silas paused and pulled Jason into a hug. “We’re going to get her back, brother.”
“Right.” Jason parted ways with Silas, heading for the parking lot while his brother took off toward Rivergate Manor. Thank the goddess his brother hadn’t given him a direct alpha command. He hated to lie, but when it came to Selene, Jason was singularly focused. “Sorry, brother, but I made this mess—now I intend to clean it up.”
“Doyou have anything in this hoarder’s dream of a shop that can kill a dragon fae?” Jason asked Ryker. Selene’s ponytail was draped across his hands, her soft hair a gauntlet thrown at his feet. At least there was no blood. Nickelova could have left her entire head. No, this invitation was also a promise, although one he assumed had a time limit.
“Many things in my shop could be used as tools capable of killing a dragon fae, but wielding them is another matter entirely. All work in the same way. A dragon is immortal until you cut out its heart.”
“A sword or a dagger, then?” Jason perused the stacks of dusty artifacts around him. “Which one won’t curse me like the ring you sold me?”
Ryker’s dark eyes flashed. “I warned you about the ring. You wouldn’t listen.”
Jason nodded. “Yes, yes, you warned me. Excuse me for being moody. A dragon has my girlfriend, Ryker. I need help and I need it fast.”
“I thought I recognized this as Selene’s,” Ryker said, stroking the hair. Jason yanked the ponytail away from his fingers. “Pity. I liked the girl. She had pluck.”
“So, find something to help me rescue her.”
Ryker’s tattoo glowed and his eyes flashed with red fire. He scanned the stacks of seemingly unorganized artifacts. Blowing like a dark wind through the narrow aisles, he stopped at a shelf and selected a short silver rod. “Try this.”
Careful not to touch anything, Jason navigated the stacks and caught up to Ryker. “What is it?” He gingerly lifted the cylinder between his thumb and forefinger like it might explode in his hand at any moment. The metal baton was about four inches long with a one-inch diameter. Aside from possibly being used to bludgeon Nickelova, he couldn’t think why the item would be useful at all.
“Well? Give it some intent,” Ryker said. “And your full grip.” He tucked the cylinder into Jason’s palm and squeezed.
Reflexively, Jason raised the hand holding the silver cylinder, withdrawing from Ryker’s tight grip. Jagged blades emerged from each end, thin and razor sharp, with a metal-on-metal clang that resounded through the store. Jason laughed and loosened his grip. The blades retracted into the weapon.
“That’s better,” Ryker said. “This is the bladed staff of Ocebel, the ancient siren goddess. It will react to your intent and increase the speed and accuracy of your strikes when near water. Water magic is a counterbalance to fire magic. You’ll find this helpful in more ways than one. I recommend bringing some of the wet stuff with you.”
“So I cut out her heart and that will kill her?”
Ryker laughed. “No. Removing her heart will make her mortal and give you power over her.” He floated between the stacks, his body going misty at the edges. “Once you have her heart, you can kill the fae if you so choose or manipulate her to do your will. The heart itself has magical properties, even if the fae is deceased, but keeping her alive and holding her heart will make her your slave.”
“So I remove her heart.” Jason rolled the cylinder in his palm. “And then I can kill her. Sounds easy enough.”
Ryker laughed. “You do know that dragon fae can shift into actual dragons at will, don’t you? Although, she’ll avoid the shift if she can. If she shifts, she gives up human logic and consciousness.”
“Just like a werewolf,” Jason muttered.
“Exactly. If she shifts, she must rely on her dragon instincts. Not ideal in all situations. But make no mistake, those instincts will protect her heart with three tons of scaled muscle, razor-sharp teeth, and a barbed tail.”
“Why can’t anything be easy?” Jason activated the bladed staff again, testing its weight in his hand.
Ryker stroked his hairless chin and stared at him for a moment. “No offense, but playing the hero isn’t exactly your modus operandi. This girl must be special.”
Jason locked eyes with the demon. “She is. Saved-my-life, keep-her-forever special.”
“I was surprised how eagerly she risked her life to find you the night she came to me.”
