Free Defying Eternity (An Obscure Magic Book 5) by Viola Grace

change.”
    Leo snickered. “Well, if I don’t see you before I leave, have a nice weekend.”
    “Oh, you will see me. As I am sending you into the lair of a vampire king, you will bring a gift from me. It might not be enjoyable to deliver it, but you are my assistant.”
    With that cryptic mention, he walked away. She decided not to worry about what she had to bring.
    As Leo stepped into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, she sent a text to her sister. Tonight, I get to ride in a helicopter! Wheeee!
     

Chapter Ten
     
     
    Matthias slid his hand under her hair and kissed her wildly. Leo froze in shock for a moment until her heart started pounding and her palms found themselves pressed against his chest. When he let her go, she looked at her guards, and they both had politely disinterested looks on their faces.
    “I am supposed to give that to Olvadi?” She licked her lips, and his eyes lit as he watched the movement.
    “Oh, no. I have a lily watered with my own blood.” He waved his hand, and Dorn walked up to them with the lily in his hands.
    She frowned. “Then what was the kiss?”
    “Practice. I will see you when you get back, Leonora.”
    She took the lily and walked to the helicopter that was sitting in the centre of the huge lawn.
    Leo sat between Lima and Coren. She was a dwarf and he was a pixie. They both looked like they ate horseshoes for breakfast.
    She put on the protective headphones and sat back as the blades of the helicopter began to whirl. She dug her phone out of the purse that Coren was watching over, and as they lifted off, she took pictures of the manor, the city and the skyline.
    When she had finished being a tourist, she put her phone away and sat there, rubbing her fingers over her lips for the rest of the one-hour trip.
    The city of Arbor was lovely, and the skyscrapers were attention getting. Redbird seemed small in comparison.
    “Where are we going to land?”
    Coren grinned. “On the tower of the dragon of Arbor.”
    The tower in question was a mirrored-glass building that spiked the sky. The helicopter lined up, and the pilot landed them efficiently.
    Two figures were waiting for them on the helipad.
    Lima got out and held out her hand. Leo took the hint and exited the aircraft. Coren carried her bag and her computer.
    A woman with long black hair came forward with a smile. “Hello. You must be Ms. Wicks.”
    “I am; you can call me Leo.”
    “I am Zora; this is Regick. We will be your hosts for the next two days.”
    Leo shook Zora’s hand and then turned to the man with golden skin next to her. “Pleased to meet you.”
    He looked her over, and his lips quirked in a smile. “Matthias has surprised me again.”
    He extended his hand, and she took it. The power that he exuded was palpable; it went along with the easy attitude of control.
    She brushed off the comment and smiled. “These are my... companions. Lima and Coren.”
    Zora nodded; a gust of wind whipped her hair around Regick. Surprisingly, he smiled.
    Leo blanked her face. “Please, lead the way.”
    She wasn’t going to involve herself in their lives, as curious as she was about their relationship. She had never met a dragon shifter before. The final briefing that she had gotten in the yard before she left had told her one thing—mind her own business. Some species didn’t enjoy questions.
    She followed her hosts, and her guards followed her. They were basically with her to make sure that she ate regularly and was not molested in a permanent fashion. Apparently, temporary molestation was fine.
    They headed down to a living level—a penthouse that was completely astonishing in the views that it afforded of the skyline.
    A gargoyle was waiting next to a stack of documents at a wide table, and when she sat down with the dragon, his wife and the gargoyle, she found out what they were willing to pay for the freedom of Octavia.
    When she had all of the information, she finished the cup of tea and checked