The Dragon's Warlock - Linzi Baxter Page 0,1

smooth liquor in one shot.

“That bottle cost me over a grand,” the tall, sexy warlock growled. “I don’t remember inviting you in.”

Diem shrugged. “Last time I checked, your men turned me into a dragon, not a vampire. And why would you buy expensive liquor when you can’t even get drunk?”

Gideon closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Unlike the open entryway, the study had furniture. Old books lined the walls. None of them had shirtless men on the covers like the romance books she liked to read. These books looked old and boring.

He walked over and poured himself a glass from the same bottle, but he took a sip instead of downing it in one gulp. “They weren’t my men. They belonged to Kael.”

She believed him. Given that she’d read every report she could get ahold of, Diem knew he hadn’t had control of himself during her transformation from human to dragon, but he’d been there when they put the needle in her arm that changed her life. He gave the order. When she’d woken up as a dragon, every instinct had pulled her toward the man.

She struggled to control herself around him. He didn’t show any sign that she affected him the way he affected her. The dragon within her thought he was hiding it. The human knew he wasn’t interested. But for some mysterious reason, he was the only person she felt she could trust. Maybe it was because she knew Kael had taken Gideon’s control away—somewhat comparable to what Kael had done to her.

She poured herself another drink. “Maybe they weren’t yours, but they listened to you.”

“It doesn’t matter now. What I want to know is why you’re here.” He walked over to a large brown couch and sat down. The energy vibrating in the room didn’t match his relaxed personality.

“We had an agreement.” Diem had tracked Gideon to a shifter bar and asked for his help.

“I didn’t say when I was going to help,” he said.

“My sister is in a lab. Who knows what they are doing to her—maybe creating a two-headed dragon.”

“Two-headed dragons don’t exist.” He shrugged.

“Six months ago, I didn’t think people could turn into animals, so give me a second to get caught up on what is far-fetched. The council is taking its time to find the other facilities. I know deep in my bones that my sister is alive.”

“What makes you think I can help you find them? I don’t work for the council anymore.”

“Because you’re an overgrown baby. You never should have quit.”

“I gave years of my life to the council.” Gideon’s eyes blazed green, and purple magic sparked from his fingers.

She never knew when to keep her mouth shut. He’d served on the council for years and claimed he was retiring because he’d served long enough and it was someone else’s turn. But she wondered if there was another reason for him retiring. “I’m sorry.” She let out a sigh. “Kayda is the only family I have left, and my dragon only trusts you.”

“Are you sure you want to know what happened to her?”

“I know she’s still alive. We’re twins, and the connection is still there.” Growing up, she could always sense when her sister was hurt or sad. Nobody believed she could feel these things, but she knew Gideon would understand. When she was in foster care, she’d been made fun of when she tried to explain the connection between her and Kayda.

“That connection you have with your sense is one reason they chose you. Not everyone can tap into that. But it doesn’t mean I want to go on a mission with someone who doesn’t understand the supernatural world.”

Diem’s blood boiled. “I wasn’t given a choice about being part of this world. And after my transformation, they didn’t give me a Dragons for Dummies book. Nope. I was sent on missions and told to grab people, and if I didn’t listen, I was shocked. Not the shock you get from the carpet. This hurt worse than a cattle prod.” The second foster family she’d lived with had used cattle prods for discipline.

“You’re right.”

She blinked a couple of times. He’d agreed with her. Maybe she was starting to sway him to help her. “So you’ll help?”

“What have you figured out so far? I don’t remember much from when I was controlled, so I don’t have the laboratory’s locations.” He downed the rest of his scotch.

In the files she’d hacked, she’d read that Gideon had undergone tests to