Jaime Rush - Dragon Awakened

Even that casual touch sent his energy into her body. “I can get one at the airport.”

“We’re not going via plane. We’re going via magick.”

Cyn outlined what they knew while sitting at the bar at Grayson’s. Grayson took a generous drink, obviously feeling the emotions zinging between Cyn and Ruby. “There was something on the news this morning about an uptick in people getting the flu. I don’t feel it, but I’m old. I’ll take you and come when you’re ready to return.”

“I understand.” For Cyn, Sanctum was a place of healing. For Grayson it was probably a reminder of why he’d needed healing.

Grayson slammed down the rest of his drink, setting it on the counter with a thud . “Ready?”

Ruby slid from the stool and grabbed the coat Grayson had borrowed from the lone female Caido in the building. She’d taken the whole Leap thing pretty well. Of course, compared to demons and finding out you were a Dragon, Leaping was pretty tame.

She put on the coat, then grabbed a small bag. Cyn had nothing but the clothing he wore and a long black leather coat.

Grayson stripped out of his shirt. Their “wings” weren’t the Mundane’s vision of the feathery kind. Even so, they still tore through clothing—and hurt like hell if his grimace was any indication. Ruby stared as he came around the bar, trying to see his back. She didn’t get a chance. He put his big arms around both Cyn and Ruby. “You’ll feel light-headed, light-bodied. It’ll pass.” In a flash of white, Cyn felt the very sensation Grayson had described.

Seconds later, they stood outside the remote commune known as Sanctum. A sign gave the impression that it was, indeed, some kind of private mental facility. Beyond the utilitarian entrance lay beautiful landscaping and buildings.

Cyn turned to Grayson, who was also taking in the place. “It calls to you already, doesn’t it?”

Grayson said, “Yes, which means it’s time to go.” In a flash, he was gone. Here, among only Crescents, no one had to hide their magick.

Ruby held out her hands. “I can feel a difference in the energy here. Is that what you mean?”

“Sanctum has an odd mix of natural magick and strong Deus Vis . You can see the aurora borealis here year-round, where it’s usually only visible in winter months. It’s a bit like the Thrall. The broken come here to heal, to become whole again. And you never want to leave.”

Now Ruby’s hazel eyes had the same effect, holding him in a different type of thrall. “Sounds like you’ve been here before.” She tilted her head, seeming to look right into his soul. “What did you need to heal from?”

“My life. My past. I made a little girl an orphan. I quit the only career I’d ever known. I gave up a lot for the Guard, and I caused loss and suffering in the name of duty. I ended up staying for a year. This place held me as a willing captive.” She was looking at him as though he were an angel. “Don’t let it suck you in.”

Ruby blinked at the directive. “No, of course not.”

He called Jay’s phone but it went right to voice mail. “Jay, this is Cyntag Valeron, a blast from the past. Listen, buddy, I’m here at Sanctum, and I need to talk to you as soon as you get back. It’s about Brom.” He disconnected. “I’m going to get a room so you can rest up until he gets back.”

“I could use a hot shower. But what about you?”

“Don’t worry, I won’t be around.” He looked at the familiar buildings and landscape, his soul taking comfort in just the sight. “I’ll give you some quiet time.”

Ruby took in the landscape as they headed to the lobby, her face lit with enchantment. “I haven’t seen mountains for years, when Mon dragged me all over Europe on his tours.”

Her nose was pink, the freckles across her cheeks standing out even more, and her delight filled him with some emotion he dare not name. Or acknowledge.

The woman at the front desk greeted them with a demure smile. “May I help you?”

Cyn pressed his hands on the granite counter. “Do you have a cottage available for the night?”

She clicked on the keyboard. “You’re in luck. I have one left but only for tonight. Starting tomorrow we’re fully booked with a waiting list. People are panicking about the solar storm, thinking the stronger Deus Vis here will save them.”

It might save them from far worse than the fluctuations of the storm. “We’ll take it.” Cyn handed her his credit card.

Ruby tossed her bag over her shoulder as they headed out of the lobby a few minutes later. “Where did Brom stay when he was here?”

He pointed to a building behind the one they’d just exited.

She stared at the three-story building for a moment, her expression pensive. “Now that one looks like a mental health facility. It’s even got gates around it.”

She continued down the winding path the clerk had highlighted on the map. He followed a couple of feet behind her, watching the way her braid slid back and forth with her movements. Remembering how he’d loosened it and buried his face in her hair. He stifled a sigh.

Some of the people they passed bowed in greeting, wearing the baggy cotton clothing Cyn remembered well. One man whispered, “Namaste.”

“Now it’s looking like a monastery,” Ruby whispered.

“It can be monastic if that’s what you need.” For Cyn, this wasn’t only a place of healing but of penance. He had lived like a monk in one of the many cottages scattered over the property, allowing himself little pleasure and no luxuries. His pace slowed, memories of walking down paths of sharp rocks barefooted to ground himself in his body, the hot springs in caves and cold showers outside the meditation hut, all coming back.

“Is that what you needed?”

“I had to come to terms with the fact that I’d killed a lot of people in the name of right.” He came to a stop at the edge of the labyrinth, short evergreen hedges that followed the concrete path in a round maze. In the center sat the meditation hut. “And that maybe it hadn’t always been so right after all.”

“ Brother Cyn ?” The words, dripping with incredulity, made them both turn at the man approaching.

He smiled at the sight of his sponsor and clasped the hand offered with both of his. “Brother Cameron, good to see you.”

Cameron was another old Dragon, though he only looked to be in his fifties. The bowl haircut made him appear even younger, the fringe of brown hair straight across his brow like a mod sixties haircut. He looked beyond Cyn to Ruby and said, “Did you bring us another lost soul?” He clasped her hands with both of his, giving her a warm smile. “Welcome, dear.”

Ruby glanced at him, then back to Cam. “I’m not lost.” She turned to Cyn. “Who else did you bring here?”

“Brom. I knew it was what he needed when he was falling apart.”

Cam nodded. “He stayed for a long time. Many people find they stay much longer than they intended. And that they are more lost than they realized.”

“We don’t have time to stay, unfortunately,” Cyn said. “We’ve got a problem in Miami, something I hope Jay Caruso can help us with.”

Cam gave Cyn a look that meant he was assessing him right down to his soul. “Maybe that’s why you think you’ve come.” He gestured to the hut. “Please avail yourself of our facilities. It looks like you could use them.” Compassion tempered his knowing smile. “You, too,” he said to Ruby. “There’s a women’s and men’s side for the springs and showers. The outdoor shower in the garden is open to both genders, so knock before opening the gate.”

Ruby turned to Cyn. “I’ll find the cottage and meet you there later.” She took the map and gave him no choice by heading off.