Shadow Warriors

Chapter seventeen

Jake gave Sarah his word that he would wait for them to return. He wanted to stay at her grandmother's house, to make sure Axin came back for him, but that was too much for Sarah to agree to. So he offered to stay in the car, outside, and watch the house in case his mother sent someone after her.

He was sure she would know by now that he had failed in capturing Sarah and that she would send more people after the elderly woman. Axin agreed with him, to her surprise, and as she watched Jake climb in the car, she reached out for Axin's hand.

"Sarah?"

She didn't look at him.

"God, I hope I'm right about this."

He pulled her closer to him, and lifted her chin with his free hand, forcing her gaze to his.

"I will send Raz to watch Jake. He will stay behind the veil, but he will be close enough that if Jake tries anything, Raz can grab your grandmother and get her out of here."

"Who is Raz?"

"Raztus. He's a good friend of mine. He's also on my team. I trust him with my life."

She nodded, trying to calm her racing heart.

Axin's hand moved from her chin to her cheek, the rough pad of his thumb stroking her lightly.

"This will work. I know I didn't believe it before, but I have a lot of reasons to hate Jake. But I saw it in his eyes. He's scared. I don't think he understands what his mother is. What she's done. It's too easy for her to blame everything on me and Nilu, especially to a child she is raising to be her soldier. If this works, then we have a real shot at taking her down, once and for all."

"Is she really as powerful as Jake said she is?"

He nodded. "Yes. Nilu used a massive amount of his magic to create and sustain the shadow world. It drains him every day just to keep the lights on. He can't fight her alone. But if Jake is willing to help us, then he will have someone to draw on. Jake has no idea how powerful he is. He's not just a witch. He's Dragon too. It's a potent combination."

"What about us?"

The question stunned Axin for a moment. He recovered, giving her hand a soft squeeze. "That's a longer conversation. We need to go see Nilu. We can talk about it later, okay?"

The urgency of the situation hit Sarah and she nodded.

Axin closed the tiny space between them, wrapping his free arm around her back and pulling her into him. She loved the warm, safe feeling it brought her. Dark smoke swirled around them, blocking out the street lights. A cool chill ran over her skin and she closed her eyes.

A moment later, the warmth of the sun heated her skin and she opened her eyes to find they stood in the same field as before. The cottage at the bottom of the valley, and lush green grass stretching as far as the eye can see.

Axin kept hold of her, staring down into her eyes. She didn't move either. Her left hand was still intertwined with his, and his other arm around her back. She had her right hand resting on his chest, and she felt the beat of his heart in her palm.

"We need to go," Axin whispered but didn't let her go. His soft red eyes watched her, the fire in them dancing with calm red flames.

"I know," she said with a breathless whisper.

He grinned, making her heart leap in her chest.

Sarah bit her lip, her gaze darting to his mouth for a second, then back to his eyes.

Axin's breathing grew faster. He swallowed, his tongue flicking out to swipe over his bottom lip.

A throat clearing behind Sarah made her jump. She turned to find a tall, muscular man with piercing green eyes and long white hair standing behind her. He'd crossed his arms with a small grin on his face.