Free Dark Summoner (Relic Keeper Series Book 1) by D.D. Miers

necklace that you think might help someone defeat her? You people can’t be that crazy.”
    He let out a heavy sigh. “It’s our only chance. Your only chance.”
    “Wait. You said you’d only discovered my whereabouts a few days ago, but I met Reagan six years ago . . .” My voice trailed off as more questions filled my head.
    “Yes. Well, that’s a question I’ve been wondering for several days now. I’d recognized that she wasn’t a mortal, but I’d had no idea at the time she was a Triae .”
    “What’s a Treeay?” I butchered the word.
    Reagan answered, her fingers still strumming on her phone. “We’re wielders of ancient magic, both dark and light.”
    Did that mean good and evil?
    I looked to Dorian. “What’s your role in all of this?”
    “I’m a guardian—a protector of the Temple of Light. It’s my duty to protect and guide the Keeper, but most importantly to prevent the Relic from falling into the wrong hands.”
    “So let’s say I believe that I’m this Keeper, which I’m still not convinced of. How did they find me tonight?”
    “I don’t know. It wasn’t common knowledge and only a few very select people knew of your existence.”
    “Oh, I have an idea,” Reagan answered. “But you’re probably not going to like it.”
    I could tell she was trying to annoy Dorian. Whatever their history was, whatever sides they came from, it was clear they didn’t get along.
    “So who does she work for?” I asked Dorian.
    “You know, she is sitting right here and can speak for herself.”
    “Fine.” I twisted in my seat until I faced her, my eyes narrowed in anger. “You said it was your job to protect me. If you’re not a guardian and the Council didn’t hire you, then how did you find me so long ago?”
    “Yes, I’d like to know that as well,” Dorian said, his tone darker than before.
    She opened her mouth but snapped it shut. It wasn’t like her to think before she spoke. The Reagan I’d always known had been carefree and open. Maybe that was all an act.
    “You’re going to have to ask him that,” she said.
    “Who’s him?” I asked between an unexpected yawn.
    “He’s—”
    “No one.” Dorian cut her off.
    “You’ll find out soon enough. He doesn’t like people speaking for him anyway.”
    The two of them had another stare off in the mirror before the topic was dropped for good.
    “Where are we going? You said it’s somewhere safe?”
    “I’m taking you across the realm—to the Council. We don’t have time to wait for their next assembly.”
    I was too tired to argue or ask questions. “And where exactly is this other realm?”
    “It’s right here, all around you.” He waved his hands in a circular motion. “Think of our worlds like a braided piece of rope. They are intertwined and blended in several places. One does not exist without the other.”
    I leaned my head back against the seat, my eyes becoming heavy. “What happens if I’m not the Keeper?”
    “You are.”
    His words sounded distant as my mind reevaluated everything that had happened over the last several days. “So it wasn’t a coincidence that I ran into you at that shop or you asked me out, was it?”
    I could tell the accusation of my words made him uncomfortable.
    “No. Like the others, I knew of the prophecy about the Relic Keeper but I had no idea who it was or if it was even true. Not until that morning. I needed to get to you as quickly as possible. When I discovered your whereabouts, I made sure to beat everyone else there.”
    My voice had softened from the exhaustion finally catching up with me. “How did you know it was me, or where I was?”
    “I think right now is not the best time to explain my methods. For now, you’ll just have to trust me,” he said with his ever-present wink.
    A wide yawn stifled my words. “Why can’t I go back to my place?”
    “If they found you at the club, it’s highly likely they know where you live.”
    “And they didn’t grab me