Page 98 of Dragon Tempted

He nodded and stood in the door while Mia walked farther into the storage area and Sienna and John followed her.

Mia strode over to the corner of the room and pushed aside a bunch of tools in order to pull out a flat metal box.

“What is that?” Sienna asked as she held her breath.

Instead of answering, Mia opened the box, and John staggered back a step. Inside was a metal dagger with a dragon sentry symbol engraved on the handle.

The box started to shake in her hands. Mia’s eyes widened. “I think it recognizes John. I guess that validates my theory.”

Sienna looked at John’s pale face and her heart sped up. “What theory?”

“That it’s the dagger my grandmother used to start the curse,” John answered, his voice like gravel.

Mia nodded. “And as far as we know, no one has held it since John’s grandmother cast the spell.”

“What are you talking about?” Sienna asked. “You’re holding it now.”

“I’m holding the box. If I try to touch the dagger, depending on its mood, it will either block with a force field, shoot across the room, or if it’s feeling especially nasty, it will let you almost touch it before shocking the crap out of you.”

Sienna shook her head. “You talk about it like it’s alive.”

“To a certain extent it is. And it’s the only thing that will bring the curse to its knees.”

“And now you’re acting like the curse is a living, breathing thing as well.”

Mia looked at John. “It is.”

The words hit Sienna’s chest like a blow to her solar plexus. She tried to gulp air as she also turned to John and looked into his pale blue eyes. Eyes that held no shock at Mia’s announcement.

“It only makes sense that I need to die in order to break the curse,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

It only makes sense? Seriously? Her head jerked from side to side. “But you can’t die.”

“Up to this point there hasn’t been anything that could kill him,” Mia said. “But I believe that this dagger can. And now that we have the dragon sentries once again, if anyone can wield this dagger, it’s them.”

The sentries that she had brought to life. “You want my brothers to kill John?”

Mia’s eyes flashed sadness for a brief moment before she schooled her expression. “I think that is the only way to end this, yes.”

Sienna backed away from her. “No.”

John rested his hands on her arms and turned her to face him. “Sienna, the Templars can’t get me. If they do, everything will be lost. They will hide me away, and we’ll never stop this. All dragons will cease to be.”

Sienna’s heart thumped so loud she felt it in her ears. “We don’t even know if they’ll be able to touch the dagger.”

Mia closed the box. “You need to take it with you and have them try. We’ve already been down here too long.” She held it out, and Sienna felt her stomach threatening to rebel.

“Why should I believe you? Maybe killing John will keep the curse alive forever.”

Mia shook her head. “It won’t. I can’t let them win.”

“Why!” Sienna yelled.

“Because they killed my husband! The electrocution wasn’t an accident. Lily drew a picture of my husband lying on the ground with a man standing over him with a Templar cross on his chest. When I refused to quit my job and change my life for them, they got rid of him and destroyed my life. Now you need to go.”

Sienna’s brain was on overload, and it was hard to grasp what she was saying. “Wait. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to lead them away from you and buy you some time before the Templars realize the dagger is gone. They’ve been planning on attacking your clan house. And now that they followed me here, they will be coming for you more than likely later today. I’ll try to warn you when they’re on the move.” She pressed the box into Sienna’s hands before reaching around her back and pulling out a gun. “Turn right out the door and head a quarter mile down the tunnel. There is a stairwell that’s unlocked. Head upstairs. When you get up to ground level, your earpieces should be working again.”