It was the middle of the night as I approached the Valley, Ryker’s country, alone. That had been the deal with Ruck. I did the surveillance and chose which country we were going to rob. He’d agreed because it was the only way he’d get to rob a country.

There were only two countries close enough to get to on foot within a couple of days’ walk, the Valley and Dorley, the Ruined City lying in between the two.

The benefit of robbing the Valley was the place didn’t even have a wall. Before I’d headed out, I’d figured we’d hit Dorley for sure. When I got there, it was to find their wall had grown a few feet since the last time I’d gotten close enough to see it. The Valley still didn’t have one. I guessed you didn’t need a wall when you were Ryker.

I made my way closer, but stayed a good fifty feet shy of the nearest building. Most of the camp would be sleeping at this hour, but even Ryker would have a lookout set up. I tossed my sack to the ground and found a good climbing tree, a nice old oak, which would let me get high enough to see the layout.

A branch scratched my cheek and I lost some hair as I made my way up to the highest limb that was solid enough to hold my weight.

The place was enormous. It was still a far cry from the countries of old, but all the new countries were smaller. It had a watchtower nearby, but it wasn’t manned. These people were really slacking. There were three other towers, but none of them would be close enough to spot me in this tree in the middle of the night.

Now, which building would be holding their supplies?

“You can come down that tree now. Unless you want us to burn it down,” a male said from below.

I froze. Maybe they weren’t talking to me? Maybe there was someone else up a tree in the middle of the night? It could happen. The odds weren’t in my favor, though. Now what?

“You’ve got five seconds.”

I looked down and saw two shadows beneath me. For large men, they were sneakily quiet. How had I not heard them? Even now, the shifting of their feet was loud.

I saw one raise a finger, and a flame shot out of it. It wasn’t directed toward the tree, but it could be. Would they risk a fire this close to their home? The one guy was obviously Wyrd Blood, so he might be able to put it out.

The flame grew larger as I watched. Suggestion taken, I started shimmying down the tree.

I maneuvered myself so I’d be on the far side from them, and once I had only a ten-foot drop left, I jumped. I hit the ground hard and then ran.

A hand clamped around my arm within seconds, and I shot a zap to the area. It was enough to make whichever one had grabbed me let go as he cursed. I might’ve made it if they hadn’t gotten a grip on my hair. I knew I should’ve chopped it off. I spun to reach out and zap the one who had caught me, but he quickly readjusted his grip. His hand stretched out above my head, his reach much greater than mine.

My fingers went to my hip, grabbing the knife that hung there.

“I wouldn’t do that.” The tension on my hair increased until I was nearly on tiptoes. I released the knife and my heels found the ground again. Unless I wanted to get scalped, I couldn’t do much more than stand there.

They were both Wyrd Blood, but neither were strong enough to rile my magic. The one who’d lit the fire from his finger stepped closer. He had a trim build, but not the lankiness you normally saw. This was someone who was naturally lean, as opposed to malnourished. Light brown hair brushed his shoulders as he looked me over.

“What do you think, Burn?” the man holding my hair asked.

Burn leaned down, his eyes the color of warm whiskey, and I could feel the magic on him. I could feel the magic on them both. Why couldn’t this have been one of those times that magic meeting magic didn’t work out so well?

“My guess? She’s pretty strong, even if she doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

They had to insult me now too? Wasn’t my impending death or slavery enough? Fuck ’em. I was as good as dead now. No point in holding back. “Thanks, Burn. Great name. Very original.”

My barb didn’t even seem to prick his skin, as I felt his magic poking. It was the rudest thing you could do to another Wyrd Blood.

“Do you mind?” I asked. Luckily, it was an annoyance, since neither he, nor the guy holding me by my hair, had enough magic to make it truly uncomfortable.

“You think she’s the one Ryker’s been looking for?”

“Yeah, Sneak, I do.”

Sneak. If my head wasn’t stuck in one position, I would’ve shaken it. “Let me guess, you’re good at sneaking up on people?”

I couldn’t see Sneak’s face, but I heard the laugh. It seemed as if catching me had made their night.

After his laugh settled down, he said, “Are you going to walk back nice or am I going to be getting an arm cramp?”

“Wouldn’t want you to have to strain yourself.”

His hand dropped, along with the tension on my scalp. Sneak moved forward, walking ahead of me, Burn waiting for me to follow him so he could fall in behind. Just to screw with me, the sounds of our footsteps seemed to disappear on and off as we went.

I’d always imagined going down in dragon fire, with Ruck by my side. Not walking toward my end, already defeated because I’d gotten into a hair-pulling fight. This was pathetic.

* * *

They’d shoved me in a stone room with one door and no windows, but at least they’d left me my sack. They hadn’t even checked it. Not that I had anything that was going to help me much, just enough hollyhoney to keep me going for a little over a week. My knife was still on my hip, too. I wasn’t sure if I should be happy or insulted.

I didn’t know how long they’d leave me here, but I knew who I was waiting for.

I’d never met Ryker, but everyone in our parts had heard of him. I wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that people far across the land had, too. The one thing they said the most was that he was one of the strongest Wyrd Blood around.

Rumors, so often wrong, were correct this time. The wave of magic approaching was so potent that it stole the breath from my lungs. It hadn’t been an exaggeration. He was as strong as they’d said. My throat tightened as the possibility that I wouldn’t make it out of this room became the only thought I had. His magic might kill me. In the past, the threat had always been to others, not me. I’d always had more magic than them. No harm had been intended, but you never know how magic would interact.

The door swung open. The room filled with power like a punch to the senses, nearly knocking me off balance. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the worst as my magic rioted and bucked against his. It was like unintentionally throwing myself against a mountain. His magic didn’t push back or retreat, simply remained an immovable force that mine rammed against. His control was immense and the tension eased from my shoulders. If it had rammed back, I would’ve been dead. It took a few moments, but my magic slowly calmed down and flowed around his, like a stream passing around stone.

I tilted my head back, opening my eyes. He was standing across the room from me, leaning on the wall as I righted my senses.

Blackest hair I’d ever seen, harsh planes surrounding eyes so deep set that it was striking. The loose black shirt and pants he wore still pulled tight here and there, conforming to the chiseled hardness of a warrior.

But his eyes, a flash of blue ice—that was where the strength really showed. Another thing I’d often heard about people who had strong magic in their veins was it sometimes showed in the eyes. I’d never seen it until now. There was a lightness and a power there.

If anything, this man was more than the rumors had led me to believe. There was a reason no one messed with this place, and I should’ve heeded the warnings. I was outclassed in every way, and I wasn’t delusional enough to pretend otherwise. I’d made the worst mistake of my life, and it would probably leave me dead.

He stepped closer and then squatted next to me. That was when I realized his magic had brought me to one knee. A strange tingling feeling buzzed my skin, and I stumbled back before I got to my feet and moved away from him. “What was that?”

His expression softened and his mouth was turned up slightly at the corners. “Just making sure it wasn’t a fluke.”

I had no idea what he was talking about.

“She the one?” Burn asked, as he stepped inside the room.

“Yes, and I’m about to confirm it,” Ryker responded, not turning his stare from me. “Open your jacket and lift up your shirt.”

I pulled my jacket closer. “What are you, some sort of pervert?”

His head tilted just a hint to the side, as if he didn’t have time for my kind of stupid. “I want to see your mark, not your chest. You’re too strong for it to not be on your torso.”

At that moment, I would’ve rather him be a pervert.

That was the thing about magic. It always marked you. If you had a little, you were worse off because it liked to show up on the hands and fingers. If you had a little more, it might wrap its way around your wrist. The more you had, the closer the marking was to your torso and the easier to hide from a dull—and there was no shortage of dulls willing to sell information on a Wyrd Blood they stumbled across.

I’d never seen anyone else that had the marking on their back, as I did. I’d spent the entirety of my life hiding my back, hiding what was on it. Now they wanted me to display it to them.

Ryker took a single step forward. “I’m going to see it.”

It still took me a few seconds to move and to give Ryker his due. I was caught. Showing them now meant nothing. I turned and shrugged off my coat, then let it drop to the ground by my feet.

“What are you doing?” Ryker asked.

I lifted my shirt. “It’s on my back, not my chest.”

I didn’t see Ryker’s expression. I didn’t hear anything. The room was absolutely silent.

Finally, I heard Burn say, “Holy magic.”

I hadn’t seen it myself since I was five, so I didn’t know what it looked like anymore. I knew even then, though, how the markings would shimmer and almost seem to reach for the light when that skin was exposed to the sun, as if the markings were alive and flowing with platinum.

When I felt fingers tracing the vines on my back, I shoved down my shirt, ending the connection. I knew whose hand that had been by the strange current it sent into me, and the sizzle it sent through my body, as if his magic was trying to connect to mine.

I grabbed my coat from the floor, looking for another layer of protection. “Why did you do that?”

Ryker didn’t answer me, but nodded to the door, and Burn left, leaving it open.

“You obviously don’t want to kill me—not yet, anyway—so care to tell me what you do want?” I pulled my coat close around me as I waited to hear why he’d been looking for me.

“Did you know that you walked right through a ward to spy on me?” He went silent for a moment and watched me, tilting his head as he did. He leaned back, arms crossed, and I felt like every inch of me was being weighed and assessed in the most brutally obvious way.

He was right. I didn’t. Had I known I’d passed over one, I would’ve run for it. So I said nothing. Let him guess. I wouldn’t confirm a thing.

“Didn’t think so. I can feel the strength of your magic, but right now all you’ve got is parlor tricks. I’ve got a feeling you’ve got more than a few unintentional deaths in your past, as well.”

I did, but I wasn’t going to tell him that. I walked toward the wall and sat down. He could ramble on as long as he wanted. I wasn’t responding until he told me what he wanted.

“Your poker face isn’t worth the effort. How many have you killed as you’ve recklessly wandered around?” His eyebrow rose with the question.

I didn’t budge from my spot. Didn’t nod. Didn’t soften my expression.

“You’re strong and you’re stubborn,” he said, followed by a short laugh, as if my worst trait somehow amused him. Easy to laugh when you weren’t the one who’d stepped in it all the way up to their neck.

He pushed off the wall and then he was gone. He popped up so close to my side that I jerked away and had to put a hand out to support myself.

His forearms rested on his bent legs as he knelt just to the side of me. His eyes were on me, staring intently.

Regaining my composure, I kept my eyes straight ahead. He might break me with his magic, but his mind games were nothing.

“You’re going to use your magic to get past the wards of Bedlam. In return, I’m going to let you live.”

My brain had a hard time getting past Bedlam. Bedlam was a country to the north that even the strongest Wyrd Blood didn’t mess with. It was for one really good reason. They had dragons. They also were ruled by King Harvos, who was known for a sadistic streak a mile long.

I let out a laugh that held only mockery. “That’s a ticket to the underworld.” I stared back at him. Ryker hadn’t looked insane, but he must be.

“I don’t think so.”

“What do you want from there?” It had to be something near priceless to start a war with Bedlam.

“I can’t tell you that.”

I rolled my eyes. That answer certainly wasn’t inspiring. “Even if I was willing, I’m not capable of that.”

“You are and you will, because it’s that or death. Those are your choices.”

“Then kill me.” Hopefully it would be less painful than getting ripped apart by a dragon.

He shrugged. “No.”

“You said I had a choice.” Was I really arguing for him to kill me? I’d only said it because I was being stubborn, as he’d pointed out.

He stood and walked away from me. “I lied. You don’t get a choice.”

“If I won’t work for you and you won’t kill me, then what?”

“You change your mind.”

“I won’t.”

He smiled, and I felt his magic flaring hot in the room, pushing at my senses. “We’ll see.”

He didn’t wait for me to say anything else as he walked out and shut the door.