The Dracove (The Prophecy series) Read Free Page A

part of that inheritance I received. Do you think you could tell me how old it is? Everything in that trunk is really old.”
    “Do you know anything about it?”
    “Just that it belonged to someone in my family back in Ireland. I wish I could find out where it originated.”
    Ana frowned. “I thought you didn’t have any family.”
    “Well, I’m the only one left now,” she said with a shrug. “And I still have you.”
    Ana smiled and took the necklace from her. “That’s right, you do. And you always will.” She studied the piece carefully, leaned over to pick up her jeweler’s loop, and peered through it at the detail and the stone.
    “This is beautiful. It may be two or three hundred years old, possibly older.”
    “Really? Don’t fuck with me, girl.”
    “No, really, look at the detail on it. These small scrapings and scratches in the design indicate it was made by hand. I’ve rarely seen a piece like this—obviously custom and certainly very old. I’ll have to run some tests on the metal to more accurately tell its age, if you’re okay with that.” She moved closer to Kylie. “You see this symbol on it? It’s some sort of magical symbol. I know I’ve seen it before, but I’m not exactly sure which one it is.”
    “When you figure out what it means, let me know because it’s the same as my birthmark.”
    “It is?” Her brow crinkled. “Oh my God, it is. I’ll check it out for you.” She looked up from the necklace again. “How long do I have?”
    “Is a day or two enough?”
    “Thank God for the Internet. Sure I can’t have it longer?” Kylie hesitated and Ana smiled. “Guess not. Are you going next door today, or was this a special visit for me?”
    “Going next door, but you know I love you. What are you doing for lunch today?”
    “Don’t know.” Ana looked at the stone more closely. “This has to be the most incredible garnet I’ve ever seen. Why? Are you gonna be down here for a while?”
    “I’m going to paint today and I thought we could check out that new place down the street for lunch.”
    “Sounds good.”
    “Great, I’ll come back when I’m finished at the studio.”
    “How ‘bout if I come over there when I get hungry? I know how you get when you start painting.”
    “Yeah, sure. I’ll talk to you at lunch.”
    * * * * *
     
    Kylie strolled through her studio and turned on the lights. The gallery occupied the front part of the building, where her paintings hung on light gray walls. She had a few others propped up on easels throughout the place. There were a few plants, one in each corner around the studio to give a little more life to the place, even though her paintings were quite lively.
    She walked around one of the freestanding walls and adjusted the light so it would shine down on the painting below.
    Heading to the back of the studio, she set up a large canvas and prepared the colors she thought she would need. Within moments, she threw a flurry of color on the palette. As always, she painted with an idea in mind, though she was never certain what would appear on the canvas before her. Sometimes that was how it worked.
    The dream worked its way into her thoughts. She shuddered at the thought of the menacing reverie. Everything about the dreamscape was so much more real this time. Her brush moved furiously. Images clouded her mind’s eye. She had no control over the brush as it dipped into the black and the yellow, then the red, and the red again.
    In the back of her mind, a flash of the dream appeared—his unusual eyes. She’d been looking into those eyes most of her life. There was something enigmatical about them. The brush magically placed the sapphire gems upon the canvas. She watched the brush attack with a frenzied passion. It was as though someone else was painting and she stood behind them watching it all unfold.
    This hasn’t happened in a long time . The first time was when she was a child.
    She sat on the window seat, looking out at