Page 11 of Dragon My Crazy

I turned to my brother instead. “You let a human dictate what happens in your realm?”

Desmon snorted. “Seth is responsible for my safety when it comes to magic, and if he does not trust your wizard to open a portal here, then I agree with his analysis.”

“Why don’t we take a trip over to your place instead?” Seth said, casually sliding off the desk. “I heard you’re accumulating quite a collection of magical beings under your wing.”

He was talking about the magical small town that popped up near my lair.

“What did they call themselves? Solstice. I heard it’s a great place for magical creatures to settle down if they’re sick of city life. Small, quaint, and very welcoming.”

“Come by this weekend,” I suggested, taking the offer even though it definitely felt like bait. But what was the trap?

At this point, I’d do anything to give Melantha the jolt she needed to find her human side. She’d spent time with these people before she hatched, even the mouthy wizard. It could only help.

“Except don’t we have that trip to that Future Proof Forum or something?” Seth asked.

Desmon grumbled. “We do. A waste of time if you ask me. But Carly and I are visiting Paris after.”

“Oh, right! Our trip! I haven’t even packed!” Carly looked chagrined.

I turned to Elana. “You can still come to visit,” I said, hoping I didn’t sound too excited. “You can visit with Melantha and see how she reacts. And we can explore Solstice together.”

I admit, I’d been wanting to explore the growing town. But a lone dragon tended to make people uncomfortable. And it would be worse if my wizard tagged along. And Leroy would probably throw Luella at me anyway.

She was quiet for a moment before she nodded. “I’ll come. But only for the weekend.”

“Wonderful!” Seth clapped his hands together. “It’s decided then.” He turned to Elana. “You’re due for a vacation anyway, and some mountain air would do you good.”

Then the naughty wizard stepped right up to me, and I couldn’t help but eye the spiked collar around his neck. The man hadballs going face-to-face with a dragon. “And I expect you to keep my mother safe. Or else the world will be down one dragon.”

Then, like he hadn’t just threatened a dragon, he poofed out of existence, and I was left staring at the smoke he left behind. I was too dumbfounded to speak. What the fuck? The nerve!

“That’s my boy,” Elana said with pride on her face.

Chapter 7

Elana

Isteppedoutofthe portal and found myself staring at a giant wrought-iron gate that looked like it had come right out of a gothic horror novel. Next to my shoulder on either side floated fiery red ifrits, shrunken down to about the size of Ken dolls. Since neither Seth nor Desmon could be there personally to ensure my safety, they’d sent Flame and Blaze, two fire ifrits, along with me for protection.

Seth had also placed a spell on me that would hide my magic for the duration of the trip. He’d assured me that I still had it and could access it should I need to. I’d had to stop myself from asking him why I’d ever need it since I couldn’t even control it for a simple spell.

Seth had also warned me to stay away from Emmett’s wizard. Just because Leroy wasn’t officially part of the old boys’ club called the WEC didn’t mean he wouldn’t subscribe to the same beliefs. He didn’t need to ask me twice; I had enough wizard trouble to last me my entire life.

Finally, he gave me several spells that I could use to call for help and protect myself if I needed them. And that had confused me, because if he thought I might need them, then why was I going to Emmett’s lair on my own? Okay, so I wasn’t really on my own since I had Flame and Blaze. But still.

There was a chime, and the iron gate started to swing open. I’d expected to see a human member of his staff, or maybe even the dragon himself, but what greeted me was a goblin. I hadn’t met many of those in my life despite having been exposed to magic and monsters from the day I was born. Usually, goblins were rather crude creatures, grotesque-looking, their faces a caricature of a human’s, about chest-high or shorter on an average human. They liked to band together in roving gangs. There was a group that caused much mischief and petty crimes in Darlington.

But this one was different. For one thing, he looked a lot more refined than any I’d ever seen. His black jacket was impeccably tailored, the fabric clinging to his lean, wiry frame as if it hadbeen made for him. Every seam was well pressed, and every button polished to a mirror shine.

He had the typical greenish-brown complexion of his kind, along with the exaggerated, almost cartoonish humanoid features, but none of the mean sneer that often twisted their faces.

“Good morning. I’m Nak. Welcome to Dragon Manor.” He bowed low.

Blaze and Flame exchanged a fiery stare, and I could feel the heat of the tiny fireballs bounce behind my head.

That had the goblin frowning. Ah, there was that look that identified them! But it was brief. “Are your pets housetrained? We’ve already replaced several sets of curtains due to fire damage.”

Flame bristled at being called a pet. “Now see here…” He swelled to full human size, towering over the goblin.