Free The Witch Thief (Harlequin Nocturne) by Lori Devoti
Authors: Lori Devoti
to him.
Interesting. He had been to the human world only a few months earlier, but aside from that it wasn’t a place he’d visited much. There really wasn’t much here for a dragon. Actually, the place made him uncomfortable. It was the only one of the nine worlds where he was expected to hide his powers. It was a bit of an unspoken law—hiding from humans the existence of the other eight worlds and the beings that populated them.
He found it tiresome.
With a resolved sigh, he stepped onto the sidewalk and leaned against a deserted brick building. If Amma was going to follow, she would be along soon.
If she wasn’t… He twisted his lips to the side. Where would she go? And did it matter? As he’d admitted to himself earlier, he didn’t need her, not with someone offering to hand over the chalice. But he’d gone to so much trouble to catch her, letting her go had seemed wrong.
Something gouged into his back—a rock that had been embedded in the concrete to add decoration to the building. He adjusted his stance and resisted the urge to calculate how long he had been waiting.
If she came through the portal, would that mean he should trust her, or question her motives all the more?
Something flickered, a flash in the darkness and a faint whirring noise. The portal, surely.
Joarr tensed but didn’t move. He didn’t want the witch to think he was eager to see her—but he was. With that disturbing realization weighing on him, he waited for Amma to appear.
Someone short and dressed in black stepped into the street. Glancing from side to side, scanning the area for something or someone, the being stepped forward. A neon sign that had previously seemed dead flashed to life, catching the all-too-clear profile of a dwarf in its glow.
A trap. The witch had tricked him.
* * *
Amma stepped through the portal. She hoped she’d made the right decision. She had waited until it was almost too late, until two elves had approached and asked for passage. The garm had given her a now-or-never look, forcing her to stop thinking and just move.
As her foot landed on wet pavement, something hit her from the side, knocking her to her knees. She cursed and pulled the tiny reserve of power she’d gathered into her hands. Arms wrapped around her, shoving her to the ground. A hand covered her mouth. She cursed again, then unwilling to let go of her magic until absolutely necessary, she found bare skin and bit down.
Joarr hissed against her ear. “Surely you can do better than that. Call off your partners or I’ll blow an arctic wind through your skull.”
She twisted her head to the side, pulling her face free from the dragon’s now-bleeding palm. His blood clung, thick and warm, to her lips. She rubbed her mouth across her shoulder. “What is wrong with you? I thought you wanted me to follow you. Is this how you make it worth my while?”
“Don’t play games. You fooled me once—you won’t again.”
Something whizzed overhead.
His hand on the back of her neck now, he shoved her lower. “I don’t know what deal you’ve made, who you are working with or why, but you might want to rethink your partnership. They seem as willing to take you out as me.”
“Maybe because I have no partners.” She flung back an elbow, hitting Joarr in the gut. “I’m here of my own free will, to work with you…for pay.”
He raised his head. Cold air flowed from his mouth and with it, balls of ice that smacked into a metal trash can a few feet away.
Three bodies rushed forward. They were short and dressed in black and in their hands were axes and swords.
“Dwarves,” she muttered.
“Yes, dwarves. What else?” His hand moved to her back and with a hard thrust pushed her flat on the ground. Above her she heard a roar, then crackles. The temperature soared. A few feet away there were screams. Then the unmistakable stench of burning flesh. The dwarves were toast.
She pressed her palms onto the pavement and pushed herself up. Joarr didn’t stop
Interesting. He had been to the human world only a few months earlier, but aside from that it wasn’t a place he’d visited much. There really wasn’t much here for a dragon. Actually, the place made him uncomfortable. It was the only one of the nine worlds where he was expected to hide his powers. It was a bit of an unspoken law—hiding from humans the existence of the other eight worlds and the beings that populated them.
He found it tiresome.
With a resolved sigh, he stepped onto the sidewalk and leaned against a deserted brick building. If Amma was going to follow, she would be along soon.
If she wasn’t… He twisted his lips to the side. Where would she go? And did it matter? As he’d admitted to himself earlier, he didn’t need her, not with someone offering to hand over the chalice. But he’d gone to so much trouble to catch her, letting her go had seemed wrong.
Something gouged into his back—a rock that had been embedded in the concrete to add decoration to the building. He adjusted his stance and resisted the urge to calculate how long he had been waiting.
If she came through the portal, would that mean he should trust her, or question her motives all the more?
Something flickered, a flash in the darkness and a faint whirring noise. The portal, surely.
Joarr tensed but didn’t move. He didn’t want the witch to think he was eager to see her—but he was. With that disturbing realization weighing on him, he waited for Amma to appear.
Someone short and dressed in black stepped into the street. Glancing from side to side, scanning the area for something or someone, the being stepped forward. A neon sign that had previously seemed dead flashed to life, catching the all-too-clear profile of a dwarf in its glow.
A trap. The witch had tricked him.
* * *
Amma stepped through the portal. She hoped she’d made the right decision. She had waited until it was almost too late, until two elves had approached and asked for passage. The garm had given her a now-or-never look, forcing her to stop thinking and just move.
As her foot landed on wet pavement, something hit her from the side, knocking her to her knees. She cursed and pulled the tiny reserve of power she’d gathered into her hands. Arms wrapped around her, shoving her to the ground. A hand covered her mouth. She cursed again, then unwilling to let go of her magic until absolutely necessary, she found bare skin and bit down.
Joarr hissed against her ear. “Surely you can do better than that. Call off your partners or I’ll blow an arctic wind through your skull.”
She twisted her head to the side, pulling her face free from the dragon’s now-bleeding palm. His blood clung, thick and warm, to her lips. She rubbed her mouth across her shoulder. “What is wrong with you? I thought you wanted me to follow you. Is this how you make it worth my while?”
“Don’t play games. You fooled me once—you won’t again.”
Something whizzed overhead.
His hand on the back of her neck now, he shoved her lower. “I don’t know what deal you’ve made, who you are working with or why, but you might want to rethink your partnership. They seem as willing to take you out as me.”
“Maybe because I have no partners.” She flung back an elbow, hitting Joarr in the gut. “I’m here of my own free will, to work with you…for pay.”
He raised his head. Cold air flowed from his mouth and with it, balls of ice that smacked into a metal trash can a few feet away.
Three bodies rushed forward. They were short and dressed in black and in their hands were axes and swords.
“Dwarves,” she muttered.
“Yes, dwarves. What else?” His hand moved to her back and with a hard thrust pushed her flat on the ground. Above her she heard a roar, then crackles. The temperature soared. A few feet away there were screams. Then the unmistakable stench of burning flesh. The dwarves were toast.
She pressed her palms onto the pavement and pushed herself up. Joarr didn’t stop