Page 35 of Oracles Always Win

I’dlain awake too long after climbing in bed, thinking about the strange magic, the bold guy, and that kiss, to get up this early.Wasit even five thirty yet?Igroaned again and pushed the covers off.Ididn’t bother looking at the time.Iwas awake, so it didn’t matter.

Iwasn’t ready to face my team, though.

Icouldn’t stop myself from moving to the cabinet beside my bed whereIkept my research.Iretrieved the most current box of mapsI’dbeen using.Iset the box on my bed, then removed the lid.Thedocument sitting on top of the heap was my first priority.Iunfolded it and spread it out across the comforter.Thismap was one of hundreds, or perhaps even thousandsI’dused over the years.Itook a plain pencil and updated the drawing with the approximate location of our campsite.ThenIdrew another circle around the town.

Mypalms grew sweaty asIreached for a second map, which was the one whereI’dcarefully marked out all the locations where demons had tethered.Iwiped my hands hastily over the cotton sheet before gently unrolling the ancient map.Somelong-ago magical map makers had surveyed ley lines all around the world and that’s whatIused as the basis for my work.I’dreplaced it a few times over the years, and this version would need to be replaced soon too.Thepaper was yellowed, the ink was faded, and the fragile edges were starting to rip and crumble.

I’dmemorized the locations of each demon stronghold long ago, butIlet my gaze drift from one to the other in a nearly ritualistic pattern.ThenIlet my gaze settle onWillowLake, or my best estimation of whereWillowLakewould be if it was populous enough to show on a map of this scale.

Myeyes caught on the spot, andIswallowed.

“Nowonder the energy of the place is so…”Ilet my sentence trail off, not sure what the right word might be.Ichecked the location again.Therewere ley lines running through the area.Alot of them.

Myheart thudded hard in my chest asIstudied the other demonic sites.Theytoo were all found where ley lines crossed.Iknew that… of courseIdid.I’ddevoted my life to finding a place to tether.Leylines were an obvious place to start.Butthis was the first timeI’dbeen to a spot whereI’dfelt the essence of the place so strongly.

“CouldWillowLakebe mine?”Iwhispered.

Orwas it a false lead like so many others?

Istared at the map for a long, long time.Then, reluctantly,Icarefully returned my maps to their spot in the built-in cabinet beside my bed.Itwas still early yet, soIpulled out a paperbackI’dbeen reading.Iflipped through a few pages, but it wasn’t holding my attention.Itossed it aside.

AllIcould think about was that damn magic inWillowLakeand that sexy man who’d kissed me.

Thequestions aboutWillowLake, though, those could change my life completely.Couldthis bemyplace?Demonsdidn’t get scared or nervous, but the unfamiliar, almost painful pressure in my chest felt a lot like whatIimagined anxiety would feel like.

Isat on the edge of the bed and let my demon form wash over me.Mylimbs lengthened and my vision sharpened.Thebiggest change, though, was my wings, which unfurled behind me and fluttered softly in the quiet of the room.Oncein this form,Icouldn’t stand in here or squeeze through the narrow doorways, butIcould still sit on my bed.Thiswas one of the few placesIregularly allowed my true form out.Arush of power surged through me with the change, but it was all neatly contained and controlled.

“See?”Iwhispered. “Everythingis fine.Justas it should be.”

Iclosed my eyes, not needing to see the little details my improved eyesight would give me.Myhands with their long, thick claws rested on my thighs in loose fists.AsIbreathed in deeply, then exhaled, my forked tongue curled and uncurled in my mouth.

“Iam in fucking control, damn it.Iam in fucking control,”Imuttered over and over.

Iwasn’t convinced meditation worked for my kind, butJeremyhad suggested it and he nagged me untilIgave in and agreedI’dtry it.EversinceAdrianhad told him about the deadly promiseI’ddemanded from my team, he’d been determined to stop my end from happening.

Icould pretend he was worried about me, butIknew his primary concern was for his mate.Jeremydidn’t wantAdrianto be forced to kill me.

So, to protect myself and, more importantly, my team,Iwas willing to do anything that might delay the inevitable, even meditating and chanting personal fucking mantras.Icouldn’t afford to be proud or dismissive.Pridewasn’t helpful.Justask my father.Oh, right, you couldn’t because he was dead.Perhapsif he’d done something like this, things would have turned out differently for us all.

AfterIfinished,Ilet my demon form fall away.

Nowwhat?

MaybeIshould try sleeping again.Ihad the feeling this was going to be a long day.

Istretched out over the covers and closed my eyes.Myeyes snapped open.Thiswasn’t working.

Ididn’t want to fall asleep wondering if this could bemyplace.Magiconly knew what the hell that would do to my dreams, soIpulled up a memory of the quirky man who’d demanded kisses from me.It’dbeen a long time sinceI’dtaken anyone to my bed, and the prospect of seeing him again gave me something to look forward to.Iwanted to demand my own kisses next time.Iwanted his lithe body under me.Iwanted him moaning my name and begging for more.

Isettled back and let the fantasy distract me.

WhenIemerged from my bedroom at the back of theRVsome time later,Nelsonwas already up and in the kitchen area, waiting for me with coffee brewing.Theothers might choose to sleep in tents at night, but most of theRVwas available to everyone on the team any time they wanted it.Theonly place off-limits was my bedroom.

“You’reup early,”Isaid.

“Thedamn birds woke me,” he muttered in disgust.

Igrunted in agreement asIpoured my coffee.