For the first time in months, I sat at the desk in Ancient Magic. I’d spent the entire day here, dusting the place while waiting for people to figure out we were once again open.

After the excitement of the last few months, it was almost eerily quiet to be back in my normal life, tending the desk and protecting the wares.

But it was a good kind of quiet. The kind I’d chosen for myself. And soon enough, demons or other bandits would try to break in and steal the magic from our shelves. Little did they know that I could now turn into a phoenix and chomp their heads off.

But I didn’t look forward to it. I really wouldn’t mind if there wasn’t any drama for a while. I had a life to catch up on. And if I wanted some excitement, I could join Cass and Del on an artifact-hunting mission.

“Is this a real Ming vase?” asked the man who stood in the corner. He’d entered the shop about twenty minutes ago and had been browsing since then.

“No. Just a replica. But the magic inside is legit. Once housed in a real Ming vase, if that helps any.”

He shrugged, then put down the vase.

Fine by me. If this dude wanted real artifacts, we couldn’t help him with that. It was illegal, and we didn’t deal in that shit. He continued to browse, finally settling on a small locket containing a concealment charm. I rang him up, then he was out the door right before Cass and Del came in.

They were windblown and red-cheeked, still looking out of breath. My eyes riveted on the box in their hands.

“You get it?” I came out from behind the desk.

“In the nick of time,” Del said. “The magic feels really unstable in this one.”

It’d been two days since the battle with Drakon. We’d gotten back to normal life quickly, with Del and Cass going out to hunt an artifact for the shop today. All was right with the world.

Cass pushed her red hair back from her face and looked at the clock over the desk. “Almost five. Time for drinks with Connor and Claire. They invited us over. You want to wait to transfer the magic?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I’d like to do it now. A little piece of real life. Then you can take the original back to the site tomorrow.”

“And with Drakon dead, no one will come after it and destroy the site.” Cass grinned. “Thank God the bastard is dead.”

“No kidding.” I took the box from her and carried it to the desk. “I just can’t believe it’s all over.”

Cass and Del followed me, stopping at the front of the desk while I walked behind.

“It’s been a long year,” Del said. “The three of us, with our three tasks. But I think the Triumvirate can have a break now.”

“After what we just went through—after what Nix just went through, jumping into that pit—I think we all deserve a break,” Cass said.

“And this was the first day of the rest of our lives. Our normal lives.” I opened the box and revealed the wide silver bracelet. Magic radiated from it. It was silver with a blue glint, a bit like one of the dragons. I smiled at the memory of the beasts. “I can’t believe dragons are flying through the world now.”

“At least there’s been no news stories about humans freaking out,” Cass said.

“Seriously. There are enough about the supernaturals going nuts.” It’d been all over the news.

“I don’t think humans can see them,” Del said. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“And thank fates for that. Dragons would really blow our cover.” If they could see the dragons, it’d be impossible for humans not to realize that magic was real.

“So all is well with the world.” Cass grinned. “Thanks to us.”

“No time for modesty, I see,” Del said.

“Ha.” Cass laughed. “As if I have time for modesty after what we’ve been through.”

“Though I do wonder what the Order will say,” Del said. “Or the Alpha Council. They had no idea that such bad shit was going down. Not until they showed up for the final battle.”

I shivered. They still didn’t know what we were. But some of their mercenaries had to have seen me transform from a phoenix. That alone was weird magic, and the Order didn’t like weird, unfamiliar magic.

“I can’t imagine we’d be in trouble,” Cass said. “Not after all we’ve done.”

“I hope you’re right.” The Order had never been very logical though. But I couldn’t focus on that now. I wanted to live in the present—in the amazing life we’d saved for ourselves.

And the present meant transferring the magic from this bracelet to a replica. Because Cass was right. The magic in the bracelet was old and really unstable. Felt like it was going to blow any minute.

First, I conjured a replica—an identical silver bracelet made of one wide piece of metal. Then I hovered my hand over the original. Blue light glowed as I drew the magic out, then transferred it over to the bracelet. It felt good to be back to normal life.

When the magic had flowed into the replica, I removed my hand and smiled, satisfied. “That’s a cool one. I think it will repel any spell if the wearer holds it up.”

“Like Wonder Woman’s arm bands,” Del said.

“Kinda. But silver. And for spells.” Actually, I really liked the thing. I ran my fingertips over the bracelet. Maybe I’d keep it.

“Ready?” Cass asked. “It’s already after five. Time for drinks!”

I shook my head, the spell broken. “Yeah. Ares is supposed to meet us there.”

“You’re in loooove.” Del grinned as I put the two bracelets on the shelf behind the desk.

I shot her a wry look. “So are you, dummy. And this isn’t fifth grade.”

“No.” She smiled wider and shook her head. “But I’m just happy, is all. Happy that everything is fine. We’ve feared for our lives for months. Death lurked around every corner. And now it’s over.”

I looped my arm with hers and followed her outside, stopping to turn around and ignite the charm that protected the shop. When I was done, Cass looped her arm around mine.

The three of us walked arm in arm down the sidewalk. It was already dark because it was the dead of winter, but the streetlights cast a warm glow over Factory Row.

Our home was safe, and I couldn’t help but admire every inch of it. Everything was back to normal. True, I did have to pay back Artemis by helping her find something, but other than that, all my obligations were complete.

The familiar glow of P & P spilled out onto the sidewalk, welcoming us forward. As we neared the glass windows, I realized it wasn’t nearly as empty as I’d expected. I’d been anticipating just a few friends … but it was everyone.

We walked through the door as everyone shouted, “Surprise!”

“It’s not my birthday,” I said.

“Kinda is.” Claire stepped forward. “You were born as a phoenix a couple days ago.”

It was so wonderful to see all of my friends smiling and laughing and just plain old not dead that I shrugged and grinned. “Okay!”

Claire handed me a glass of Four Roses, while Connor passed a PBR to Cass and a mug of red wine to Del.

Before I could speak, everyone raised their glasses. “To the Triumvirate!”

Jeff, who hovered in the air as a small dragon once again, blew a blast of flame in celebration.

My eyes teared up. “Thanks, guys.”

Cass and Del mirrored the sentiment. We met each other’s gazes, then we all drank.

From the corner, Magisteria and Doyen raised their glasses to me. Dr. Garriso, too. All the FireSouls. Aerdeca and Mordaca, who were once again dressed in their signature black and white.

Ares came over to hug me. I leaned against him and sipped my bourbon, enjoying being around my friends. The night passed in song and gaiety. Around ten o’clock, Cass, Del, and I were standing near the open door for a breath of fresh air when an unfamiliar man walked in.

I turned to face him, catching sight of the badge on his jacket.

Order of the Magica.

I swallowed hard. He wore the neatly pressed suit of a courier. His gaze landed on the three of us, recognition flaring.

“Just who I was looking for.” He handed out an envelope. “You’ve been summoned.”

“Summoned?” Cass asked.

With a shaking hand, I took the envelope.

Claire bustled up behind us. “Richard, what is this?”

The courier turned to face Claire. “Claire. I’m just delivering a message from the Order.”

“I get that, but this is a private party.” She hustled him to the door. “It could have waited.”

Out on the sidewalk, he turned to face us. His dark hair gleamed in the light, and his expression was sober. “It really couldn’t wait.”

I opened the envelope, revealing a thick piece of parchment. My breath held as my eyes raced over the script. “It’s a summons to the council chambers. At eight tomorrow.”

Del’s pale face met mine. “Why?”

“Doesn’t say.”

“They must know what we are.” Cass’s voice shook slightly. “We’ve used so much crazy magic lately.”

“Yeah, but they already knew we are capable of crazy magic,” Del said. “Their mercenaries have seen us use it before. That doesn’t mean they know what we are.”

“But they’ve never called us for a meeting before,” I said. “This is different.”

Our identity as FireSouls was a secret. It was no longer as closely guarded as it had once been—the trials we’d faced these last months had ensured that—but we didn’t need to be walking into the council chambers of the Order of the Magica with that secret potentially out in the open. Still….

“We have to go,” I said. “It’s not guaranteed that it will be bad.”

“No, you don’t have to go.” My mother’s voice sounded from behind me. “You can come live with us.”

I turned to her. “We can’t run any longer. I fought hard for this life here in Magic’s Bend. As much as I love visiting you, this is my home now. I can’t run. ”

She smiled, nodding her understanding.

“I agree,” Cass said

“No more running,” Del said.

“I’ll go with you,” Ares said.

Aidan and Roarke stepped up behind Cass and Del, putting their hands on their shoulders. It was clear—they would come as well. And they were good allies. We had loads of good allies.

If it didn’t go in our favor tomorrow—we’d fight our way out. Then we’d start again.

But I really didn’t want to start again.

* * *

The next morning, the six of us stood in the waiting room of the council chambers. I’d never been to the Order of the Magica headquarters. Hell, none of us had ever been here.

We avoided this massive brick building like the plague, living our whole lives under the radar. Even Del, who worked part-time as a mercenary, had avoided this building and worked solely through intermediaries.

But here we were, in the fancy waiting room done in gleaming wood and gold. When we’d walked across the courtyard twenty minutes ago, I’d seen friends loitering on benches and leaning against trees.

Connor and Claire sat on the hood of a car, Aerdeca and Mordaca on a bench. My parents at a cafe. Pond Flower with Emile, her keen gaze on us. Quite a few vampires were there as well—even Doyen and Magisteria, though they waited in the deep shadows of trees to avoid the sun. Even Jeff sat in an oak tree, small and hidden in the leaves.

They all waited as backup, in case this went south.

We had friends. Help. Always.

I drew in a shuddering breath, my gaze riveted to the door to the main chamber. It was an ornate wooden affair, screaming wealth and power. We’d never had much use for the Order other than to avoid them. I appreciated that they kept law and order, but I didn’t want them keeping it with us.

Ares squeezed my hand, a silent gesture that we’d get out of this intact.

“It’ll be all right,” Aidan said.

“You know that?” I asked him. He had contacts here. Maybe…

“No. But have faith.”

I nodded, meeting Cass and Del’s eyes. We’d flown under the radar for so long. Please don’t let this be the end.

Finally, after a decade of waiting, the door creaked open. A slender young man dressed in a somber black suit stepped out. “It is time.”

We followed him in, my heart in my throat.

Somehow, this was more frightening than facing Drakon and his army. These people could take my whole life from me. It was somehow more real than my own death. Hell, I’d come back from my own death. But I couldn’t rebuild this life in Magic’s Bend.

The main chamber was a large, rectangular room. A massive, glittering chandelier shed light on the long table in front of us. Seven figures sat behind it, four men and three women. Each was dressed somberly, their faces stern.

In front of them was a row of six chairs. Like the principal’s office, but on steroids. We approached, stopping behind the chairs.

An older, white-haired gentleman stood. His dark gaze was hard, his face devoid of pleasantness or levity. He gestured to the six chairs.

Suddenly, I was annoyed. My fear was drowned out by disbelief.

“You’ve got to be kidding, right?” I said.

No way I was sitting in one of those little chairs. Whatever they were going to throw at us—it was coming. But damned if I’d sit in the naughty kids’ chair only days after I’d thrown myself to my death to save the world.

The man coughed and shifted, suddenly uncomfortable. “Yes, yes. Clearly that was a poor idea.”

Confusion flared. Yeah, I knew that had been a shit idea. But that he agreed?

“We are creatures of tradition here, you see,” he said.

“And tradition is to try to make everyone who visits seem small?” Cass asked.

Del made a tsking noise. “It’s an old trick. And not a very good one.”

As much as I was scared witless of what these people knew about me, I wasn’t about to play their games. I’d faced worse than them, no matter how much control they might have over my life and booting me from the home I loved. While I was terrified of that outcome, I couldn’t bear to bow to them.

Not after everything that had happened.

“Ah.” The Order leader hesitated, then seemed to catch himself. “Tradition,” he boomed.

Tradition was them harping on their own power while being afraid of everyone else, but whatever. I stood silently, waiting for him to get it over with.

“Tradition says that FireSouls are evil,” he continued.

Shit.

“But we may have been wrong.”

My brows arched.

“We’ve had our suspicions for some time about you three.” He shifted. “At first, you seemed weak. Normal. But over the last year, we have noticed that your power has grown. Quite substantially, according to our sources.”

Their sources had to be the mercenaries that they’d sent to help us fight impossible battles. It’d been a risk to solicit their assistance, but it’d been necessary. We hadn’t been willing to risk the safety of the world to save our own hides.

Apparently that was biting us in the ass now.

“What is it you’re trying to say?” I asked.

The woman next to him stood. “What we’re trying to say is, thank you.”

“Thank you?” Shock dropped my jaw.

“Yes. We’ve pieced together a bit of what you’ve done. Not a lot, but enough that we realize we must change our ways. Therefore, we are pardoning you.”

“Pardoning us? From being what we are?” I appreciated that I wasn’t in trouble—but the wording was crap. “We saved your asses. There’s nothing wrong with FireSouls.”

“Get ‘em,” Cass whispered.

“We see that now. Mostly.” The woman’s face firmed. “We thank you for what you’ve done—saving the dragons, and us. Our fear led to prejudice, and that was unfair to you. We recognize that now.”

“What about other FireSouls? Are they safe from you?” I thought of the League of FireSouls. They’d made as many sacrifices as we had.

The solemn figures behind the table hesitated. Finally, the man spoke. “We cannot guarantee anything. Change is slow to come. Rest assured that you are safe. And the others, we will be more lenient.”

“Good.” I frowned at them all. “Because they saved you too.”

“We must be wary of power unchecked,” the man blustered. “Balance is key. Balance is safe. It is our job to ensure it lasts.”

The woman stepped forward. “But we will try. Be assured of that.”

It was clearly the best that I would get out of them. I nodded, then turned. It was time to get the hell out of here. There wasn’t much left to say anyway.

We walked out of the room as a group. The back of my neck burned all the way to the main door, but the air outside was sweet.

We were free.

As the heavy wooden door slammed behind us, I turned to Cass and Del.

“That’s it.” I laughed.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Del said. “We don’t have to be afraid of them anymore.”

“No more hiding,” Cass said. “No more running.”

“What were they going to do to you anyway?” Ares said. “Nix came back from the dead. The three of you are all more powerful than everyone in there. You have allies everywhere. They can no longer touch you.”

“It was a smart move on their part,” Aidan said.

“They didn’t have much choice,” Roarke added.

“You’re right. But still…” I thought back to their faces. “I do think they were truly grateful to us.”

“They were,” Cass said. “And after the sacrifices we’ve made, it’s clear we mean them no harm. Their stupid prejudice is crumbling.”

“We made that happen,” Del said. “And it’ll keep crumbling. They’re afraid, but they’ll have to get over it.”

“I think they will.” I hugged my deirfiúr, memories of our pasts racing through my mind. We’d been through so much, good and bad. And we’d come out the other end. The world was a better place. And I was here with them now, safe. All of us were safe. And the whole world was ahead of us.

* * *

Ares and I sat on the hillside overlooking my village below. All around us, grass bloomed in profusion. The trees sprouted buds, and flowers grew along the streams. I’d even seen the forest spirit. She’d looked much more substantial. Down below in the village, people sang and danced.

Elesius was recovering. Growing again.

“I’m so glad there weren’t many casualties.” I leaned against Ares, absorbing his warmth.

“I’m glad that I didn’t lose who I cherish most.” He wrapped an arm around me and squeezed. “Your plan was a good one. Waiting for the dragons saved all the fighters. As a team, they were victorious. But you… You risked your life. Died for your cause.”

“I had to. There was no other way.” I smiled. “And it’s hard to lose a battle with three dragons on your side.” I thought back to the fight. “And the demons were fighting for a shitty reason. Our side, however … They were fighting for something real.”

“No kidding.” Ares kissed my head. “And they had a good leader.”

I grinned up at him. “Not me. I was hardly there at all. That battle was a team effort. Everything we’ve done is a team effort. I was busy throwing myself into a pit.”

He shuddered, pulling me close. “I should have realized you’d do that.”

“I’m just lucky I came back.” I smiled.

“Phoenix. Your name is apt. And I’m grateful I fell in love with a woman who can come back from the dead.” He shuddered. “I can’t bear to think of the alternative.”

“I wonder if my mother knew I’d come back?” Though Cass, Del, and I had thought we’d named ourselves for the stars above when we’d woken in that field with no memory. We’d been wrong. My mother had given me that name, and I’d remembered.

“I think she may have,” Ares said. “She’s a stoic woman, committed to duty. But she’s committed to you above all.”

I nodded. “And this whole time, when she spoke of sacrifice and doing our duty … That would have been terrible if she’d thought I’d die. That we’d all die.”

“Exactly. So I think she may have known. Or sensed. Or hoped.”

“Whatever the case, I’m glad it worked out.” I played with the grass at my side. “And now Elesius can grow again. And thrive.”

“No more battles.”

“No more war.” I turned to him and kissed him. “I’m glad I found you. And that I have a life left to enjoy with you.”

“Your whole life?” The corner of Ares’s mouth tugged up.

“I was thinking maybe, yeah. Give it a try.”

“Good. I was thinking the same. I’ve lost you once. I don’t plan to lose you again.” He pulled me close and kissed me hard, his mouth warm and skilled.

I wrapped my arms around him and sank into the kiss. After a moment, I pulled away. “I’m glad we’re fated. It feels right.”

“Even if it weren’t fated, I’d make it so. I want to spend my life with you, Nix.”

“Likewise.” I looked down at the valley below. “I can’t believe how lucky I am. I found you. My deirfiúr and I are alive. We get to have our home in Magic’s Bend. Even Elesius is thriving.”

“Lucky, maybe.” Ares squeezed my hand. “But I think a person makes their own luck. And Nix—you’ve definitely made your own luck.”

I looked at him and smiled. “I want to keep making it.”

“You will.”

I kissed him again, then turned my gaze back to my town. I leaned against him, enjoying the view. It still amazed me—everything that I had. We’d have dinner with my parents later, then go back to Magic’s Bend and have drinks with Cass and Del.

This was my future. I’d made it through the dark part and arrived, along with everyone I loved. I couldn’t wait to see what was next.

~~~

Thank you for reading! If you haven’t read Hidden Magic, the story of how the FireSouls got into the magic hunting business, you can and get it for free. Turn the page for an excerpt, and for more info about future adventures.