Dragon Awakened by Jaime Rush Read Free Book Online Page B

People like you , he’d said, as though they were in some cult. “You just wanted some young girl under your spell. Ew, you wanted me under your spell.”
    He gave her a look that reeked of disdain. “I would only want a grown woman under my spell. I consider you far too young for me. And, beyond that, not my type.”
    â€œI’m twenty-four years old. And you’re what, thirty?”
    His mouth turned up in a slow smile. “I’m two-hundred-and-sixty-something, but thank you for the compliment.”
    â€œHah, funny. Look, I really must be going. I’ve got employees expecting me back at work. Strong, big, muscular employees.” Well, Nevin counted as big, anyway. “Let’s just forget this little misunderstanding.” She grabbed the gun and magazine and tucked them separately into her waistband. See, no threat at all.
    â€œRuby, you don’t seem to get that everything changes now. First, I need you to understand what you’re dealing with. Your uncle kept you in the dark, one of those bad decisions based on emotions.”
    â€œMon was the least emotional person I ever knew.” He’d taught her to release her emotions by pounding on something rather than crying.
    â€œAs a master of illusion, he revealed only what he wanted you to see. He was a magician in the truest sense of the word. He used his magick for fame and fortune, which is generally frowned upon, but it helped that he performed in Europe. Did he ever reveal to you how he performed his illusions?”
    â€œNo. Well, he did say it was real magic. When I was a child, I believed him. As I got older, I knew there had to be tricks. I saw those shows where the guy betrays his fellow magicians and reveals how the popular tricks are done. I figured it was something like that. Wait a minute. You said danger was stalking me. Why would someone harm me?”
    â€œWhere do I start?”
    â€œThere’s a list ?”
    â€œFirst it was from the people who had your parents killed.”
    â€œKilled? Mon said it was an accident, that the authorities thought their boat hit something out in the ocean and sank.”
    Cyntag shook his head. “Someone ordered their deaths.”
    â€œThat’s as crazy as everything else you’ve said. More crazy.”
    â€œWe decided to let everyone think you died, too. Did you ever wonder why Moncrief adopted you so quickly, changed your last name to his, and took you out of the country? It was too risky for Brom to raise you since he was a blood relation and easily connected to you. Moncrief had lost his wife and daughter years earlier, and Brom knew he would do good by you. His most important illusion was hiding that you hold magick.”
    He slowly waved his hand in front of her face, his eyes staring straight into hers between his long fingers. “Crescents can identify one another by our eyes. Some are icy glitter, some swirling mist, and others burning embers.”
    Her heart hitched. Hadn’t she thought she’d seen a glow in his eyes? She looked again but couldn’t see it now.
    He lowered his hand. “Moncrief cast an illusion spell to hide the magick in your eyes. You looked like a Mundane, a regular human. Now that he’s gone, the spell is wearing off. Soon it will be obvious to every Crescent who sees you.”
    She walked over to a gilt-framed mirror on the side wall and stared at herself. No glow. He was full of it. “I don’t see anything like what you described.”
    â€œBecause you cannot see .” He came up behind her. “You have not been Awakened. Crescents are initiated in a ceremony at thirteen, when their powers begin to appear. It’s similar to those of many native tribes to celebrate a coming of age. But much more comes with being an Awakened Crescent.”
    Thirteen. She remembered a gnawing hunger deep in her belly and vivid dreams filled with colors and longing and…dragons.