Origin of Magic (Dragon's Gift: The Protector #3)(43)

Oh. Oh. “Are you trying to tell me that you’ll get so turned on you’ll bite me?” I shivered at the idea. Liking it. And that wasn’t exactly smart.

“It’s not something I’m proud of.”

“No. You’re a big fan of control.” I kept my hands on his shoulders so he couldn’t step back.

“Exactly. And in this state, well, it’s not a good idea.”

“Would you, like, drain me dry?” A trill of fear skated over my skin even as my mind rejected the idea that Ares could hurt me like that. Vampires were deadly, but nothing in heaven or earth could make me believe that Ares would kill me.

“No. No.” Horror crossed his face. “But I could be… too enthusiastic.”

Excitement sparkled in my veins. Oh jeez. Was I for real? I shook my head, trying to knock some sense back into my brain.

It was a good thing he had my safety in mind, because I was an idiot. And with a guy as big and strong and fangy as him—one of us needed to not be an idiot.

“Okay then.” I exhaled, stepping back. He made a good point, and as much as I might want to jump his bones, I needed to respect his wishes, too. “Night, Ares.”

He kissed my cheek. The warm press of his lips nearly made me chuck my plan to take it slow and drag him in, but he disappeared a half second later, saving me from myself.

I leaned back against the wall, thumping my head against it. I was going nuts.

But then, I’d always been a little nuts.

Refusing to overthink things, I raced upstairs and into my apartment, heading straight for my trove. Now that Ares was gone, other desires tugged at me. The need to be amongst my preciouses was too strong to ignore.

After the stress of the last couple days, my soul desperately wanted to in my trove. Besides the ability to find treasure, there wasn’t much about me that was dragon-like. Except for my overwhelming need to sit on a pile of treasure.

I raced up the spiral staircase, taking the steps two at a time. As soon as I burst into my trove, I headed straight for the nearest table covered in plants. Though I loved my cars and weapons, it was the plants that called to me—green and vibrant and full of life.

I loved them more than ever, now, I realized. Though I’d always been drawn to them, something had awakened inside me. Just like my mother had said. All the power of Elesius flowing into me was only awakening. But it was doing it with a vengeance.

I ran my hands over the leaves and petals, gently stroking the life that I’d nurtured. My soul calmed just being here. My fingertips drifted over to the dragonfruit, one of my favorites. It was so strange with its round red and green fruit and the cactus-like stalks that held it. Light sparkled between my fingertips and the plant. I gasped. Well, that was weird.

I stared hard at the shiny green leaf. It drifted toward my hand, which I moved a few inches away. The plant leaned harder, clearly trying to reach me. Like a kitten.

So I stroked it. Comfort flowed through me. The plant seemed to sigh, though it made no noise.

“Whelp, I’m officially Poison Ivy.” Except she was kinda evil, right? I’d definitely have to not go that direction. But I did need to figure out my new powers.

This was just like what happened in my dream of being a child in the forest with Ademius. That little vine had been drawn to me then, too.

A pot nearby caught my eye. The plant was withered and dying. I hurried over, inspecting the irrigation nozzle. Something must have happened, because it was no longer releasing water.

Regret flowed through me as I petted the dying plant. It was too far gone for water and TLC to save. My heart hurt. My negligence had caused this.

Light sparkled at my fingers again, flowing into the plant. I gasped, but didn’t move my hand. Before my eyes, the plant began to strengthen. The withered stalk thickened.

“Holy fates,” I breathed.

It didn’t come all the way back to life, but it was good enough that water might now save it. Hands shaking, I fiddled with the irrigation until water flowed.

“There you go, fella.” My voice shook.

This magic was getting intense.

The comms charm around my neck crackled with power. Cass’s voice followed. “Nix, uh, there’s a lady here to see you.”

“And she looks a hell of a lot like you,” Del said. “It’s your mom, isn’t it?”

My heart leapt. “Maybe. I’m coming right down.”

Exhaustion fled from my limbs as I raced down the stairs. Cass and Del stood outside my apartment door, my mother between them. She looked out of place in her old-school warrior gear, but she also looked like a badass. After saying goodbye to Ademius, seeing her was a balm to my soul.

“Mum!” I hugged her. She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tight. Eventually, I stepped back. “You’ve met Del and Cass?”

“I have.” My mother smiled at them. “We’ll have to all get together sometime.”

The idea was so lovely that I almost fainted. My sisters by choice and my mother. Holy fates, I was lucky.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“I felt your magic surge and I wanted to check on you.”

She must mean the magic that flowed between me and the plants in my trove. “You could feel that?”

“Elesius can feel it.” My mother smiled. “Which means I can.”