Magic flowed around me as I stood at a table in my trove, pruning a desert rose. I snipped off a branch, and I swore I could feel the gratitude of the plant.

“My new magic is nuts,” I muttered.

Okay, crazy lady. Talking to myself wasn’t my thing, but oddly, I felt like I had company.

Ha. More like an imaginary friend.

Maybe I was just growing closer with my Life magic, the extent of which I still didn’t understand.

A fluttering sounded from behind me. I turned. The explosion of greenery sat still and calm—flowers, fruit, and trees all resting quietly. Not a leaf or petal moved.

Weird. I’d sworn I’d heard something.

Nah, I was crazy.

I shrugged and turned back to the desert rose, then snipped an errant branch, letting my magic feel the plant’s energy.

It’d been two days since I’d used my new magic against Drakon to destroy his mortal body and released the smoky dragon that was his true form. I hadn’t managed to figure out exactly how I’d done it, but I’d need to if I wanted to stand a chance against him.

Another fluttering sounded, this time from my right. I whirled to find it, but saw nothing. Just one banana leaf quivering in a nonexistent breeze.

I was clearly going nuts. It was impossible for anyone but me and my deirfiúr to enter my trove. If it were Cass or Del, they would call out to me. Had to be nothing.

I focused on the desert rose, enjoying the few stolen minutes caring for my garden. These were the only minutes I’d get.

I’d woken early to steal this time, but soon, I’d need to meet Cass and Del to start our work. Ares, too. We were staring down the barrel of another long day hunting Drakon and dragons.

The back of my neck prickled, the hair standing on end.

I was being watched.

I knew it like I knew my own name. I was not crazy. Despite my certainty that no one else could enter my trove, something was up. I spun around, searching. A flash of movement to the left caught my eye and I whirled.

It was gone.

But I wasn’t imagining things. I sprinted toward it, dodging a potted palm and jumping over a bag of soil. I skidded as I turned right, spying another flash of movement. Something small. Something flying.

Had a bird gotten in here? Occasionally, I opened the skylights for fresh air, but with the chaos of the last few weeks, I hadn’t had a chance.

I hurried toward the bird, darting around tables and benches covered with plants. A flare of red, then green, drew me toward the middle of my trove.

“Come out, little bird!” I called.

There was a strange hissing noise. Not birdlike. I shivered, but forced myself forward.

As I turned the corner, moving around a bench that held several tall palms, I caught sight of it.

My mind turned to static like an old TV.

That was no bird.

That was a dragon.

My breath whooshed out of my lungs. Holy fates.

The little dragon was only the size of a terrier. Its wings were a beautiful shining red and its body covered in glittering green scales. The belly was an opalescent white, speckled with black dots. Gleaming black eyes peered intelligently at me as the dragon fluttered its wings to hover in midair.

Then it disappeared.

Shit!

Where had it gone? I hurried forward, desperately searching for the dragon.

“Come back!” It had been real, hadn’t it?

Across the room, the huge leaves of a banana plant rustled. I raced toward it, catching sight of the little dragon as it darted around the leaves.

There was no way I was making this up, right? But where the heck had he come from?

By the time I reached the banana plant, the dragon was gone. My gaze caught on one of the pots that held my dragon fruit plant. At the base of the plant’s thick green stalk were the remains of a dragon fruit. The white flesh was gone, leaving only the red and green peel.

I bent down and picked it up, my brow wrinkling as I inspected the shell.

What the heck? I took better care of my plants than this—and this wasn’t how a dragon fruit looked when it fell off the stalk and rotted.

This was the same plant that I had touched a few days ago. My magic had sparked then, reacting to the plant. Oh, boy.

I looked up and around, searching for the dragon. But he was nowhere to be found. I looked for several more minutes, listening intently, but couldn’t find him.

Mind whirring, I hurried for the exit of my trove. I needed backup on this. A second set of eyes that would confirm I wasn’t crazy and inventing the little dragon.

As carefully as I could, I slipped out the door, determined not the let the dragon escape. I took the stairs two at a time, hurtling out into my apartment and racing through to the main exit. I sprinted down the stairs and out the door, turning right toward Potions & Pastilles. I was supposed to meet everyone there at seven thirty, and it was nearly that time.

The morning was cool and quiet as I hurried down the street. Across the road, newly placed guards lurked in the shadows of the trees in the park.

With Drakon on the hunt, Ares, Aidan, and Roarke had insisted on installing guards around our property. I was no idiot, so I’d quickly agreed it was a good idea. The vampires, demons, and members of Aidan’s staff blended with the shadows, waiting to ambush any of Drakon’s men, but they hadn’t had a chance yet.

For whatever reason, Drakon hadn’t made his move on us. And we weren’t ready to act as bait—we needed more information and a better plan first. And we had neither.

I pushed open the doors to P & P, and the warmth inside rushed over me, bringing with it the scent of coffee and baked goods.

Besides Connor, who was busy behind the counter, only Cass and Del were within. They sat in our favorite chairs, sipping from white mugs. Ares wasn’t here yet, but he’d planned to meet us. He’d spent the last two days hunting for information in the Vampire realm. They had their own seers and scholars who might know something. Though dragons were from our world and not theirs, everyone was interested in dragons.

I hurried over, panting.

“Whoa, you okay?” Cass asked.

“See a ghost?” Del asked.

“I don’t know.” My heart thundered in my ears. Words tumbled from my lips. “A dragon. I think I saw a dragon.”

Cass leaned forward, brow creased. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a little dragon in my trove. Not like the big ones we’re searching for. But a little one. Maybe made of magic, like your dragonet friends.” Cass had four magical dragon buddies who occasionally showed up when she was in a pickle. They weren’t the enormous flesh-and-blood dragons of old that had disappeared long ago, but rather little creatures born of magic and myth.

“Did you just see it now?” Del asked.

“Yes.” I nodded frantically. “I don’t know how it appeared in my trove, but it’s there now. You need to come look at it. You have to tell me I’m not crazy. This is important.”

“You’re not crazy.” Del stood. “And you’re right. It’s important.”

“Good.” Relief flowed through me.

Cass stood as well, and I turned toward the door. The little dragon appeared out of the air, fluttering in the middle of the cafe.

“Holy crap.” Del stumbled backward. “That’s a dragon.”

“Yep.” Cass’s eyes were wide as saucers. “He looks more solid than my dragonets.”

“Yeah.” I nodded. Hers were made of the elements—flame, water, smoke, and stone. This guy looked real almost.

I held out a hand, and he fluttered toward me. Up close, I could see that he was semi-transparent, but not quite like Cass’s dragonets. His red, green, and white scales shimmered in the light. He sniffed my hand, then backed up, inquisitive eyes meeting mine.

“What in the world?” Connor hurried over, stopping a few feet away.

The dragon looked at him, then back at me.

“Connor?” I said. “Could you bring out some food? A variety. Oh, and a dragon fruit if you have it.”

“On it.” Connor hurried away, glancing back over his shoulder at the little dragon.

“This is crazy,” Del said.

The dragon fluttered over to a chair and perched on the back. I sat in the chair next to him.

“What are you?” I asked.

The dragon purred. Like a cat. I reached for him, and he sniffed my fingers again, then let me pet him. My heart thundered as I carefully stroked his smooth head. Though he was mildly transparent, he was also solid to the touch. Magic sparked from him, like bubbles popping against my skin.

“Uh, this is a bit weird,” Cass said. “But I really think his magic smells a heck of a lot like yours.”

“Feels like it too,” Del said. “Like he’s your kid or something.”

“Really?” I stared at the little dragon. He felt familiar. I couldn’t smell or sense his magic, but maybe that was because it was like my own. I was just used to it.

“I’ve got an assortment,” Connor called as he came over. He set a heavy tray on the coffee table and stepped back, grinning. “Not often I get to serve a dragon.”

The little dragon showed no interest in the food, which looked pretty tasty to me. There were sliced apples, carrots, a cheese and potato pasty, dragon fruit, a variety of sweets, some little chunks of raw meet, along with some ham, and a bowl of water.

“Everything a dragon could possibly want.” I held up a piece of apple.

He ignored it. He also ignored the carrots, pasty, ham, and the water. He didn’t even want the dragon fruit, which meant that he probably hadn’t eaten the one in my trove. Though he might be full, I’d think he’d at least sniff it or look vaguely tempted. But he wasn’t into it.

“Maybe he doesn’t eat,” Cass said.

“Possibly. Especially if he’s made of magic,” Del said.

He gave me one last look, and poofed away.

“Where does he go when he does that?” I asked.

“Is he teleporting?” Cass asked.

“No idea.” I frowned. “I hope he comes back.”

“If he followed you here, I bet he will.”

“Yeah.” It didn’t feel like a full goodbye, at least. “I know we’re supposed to go hunt Drakon and the dragons today, but I’d like to go to Elesius for an hour. Just to see if my mother knows anything about this. She’s my only contact who knows about my Life magic.”

“I say do it,” Cass said. “We need to know more about your gift. And this dragon is a big deal.”

“We’re headed to Dr. Garriso’s anyway,” Del said. “He’s supposed to give us any info he has on the prophecy.”

Hopefully our friend at the Museum for Magical History would recognize the line from the prophecy. Deep in the place where the earth meets the sun and the mist meets the magma definitely sounded like a clue to the lost dragons’ location, though we couldn’t be sure.

“Perfect,” I said. “I’ll head to Elesius for an hour, then we’ll meet up and figure out what’s next.”

“Maybe you should wait and take Ares with you,” Cass said.

I looked out the window, searching for him. He should have been here by now. “He could be delayed. I’ll be fine alone.”

Cass frowned. “I know. I just worry, since I can’t see it for myself.”

“I’m sorry. But it really will be fine.” Ares could cross the barrier into Elesius because he was a Realm Walker. To get Cass and Del over would take some serious dark magic. Like the kind that had allowed Drakon’s men to ambush the place. None of us were willing to use that.

“Hang on.” I looked at Del. “Before we go, I wanted to ask. A couple of days ago, Ares healed you with his blood. Have you felt some kind of connection with him since then? Like an added awareness?”

“No.” Del shook her head.

“So it’s just me.” I leaned back in my chair, unsure if I was happy or sad about that. The blood Ares had given me to heal had also given me a greater awareness of his presence and emotions. In return, the process had given him the ability to find me wherever I was.

“Sorry, friend,” Del said. “Maybe it’s not such a bad thing.”

“Maybe not.” I just hoped my feelings for him were real. I thought they were—how could I not like a guy as honorable and good as Ares?—but it was impossible to know for sure as long as we shared this blood connection.

I stood and turned toward the door. Ares appeared on the street at that moment, having transported from somewhere. Likely the Vampire Realm. I hadn’t seen him in two days, and he was a sight for sore eyes. His dark hair was mussed as if he’d been running, and his clothes were slightly wrinkled. He’d been on the hunt for clues, too, utilizing every connection he had. Hopefully he’d had better luck than the rest of us.

“Good luck with Dr. Garriso.” I waved goodbye to Del and Nix.

Ares met me on the sidewalk, his eyes intent on me. “How are you?”

“I’ve got something amazing to tell you.”

“Could it wait just one moment?”

“Sure. For what?”

He leaned down and crushed his lips to mine. His body was so close that his warmth soaked into me, banishing the winter chill in the air. I wanted to press myself against the hard, muscled expanse of him. So I did, wrapping my arms around his neck and falling into the kiss. It took my breath away, until finally, Ares had to be the one who pulled back, his gaze hot on mine.

“I missed you,” he said.

“I miss you, too.”

“Though I’m afraid I haven’t learned much. I have one lead to pursue, but nothing concrete.”

Disappointment welled briefly, but it was tamped down by the memory of the dragon. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“I have a dragon.” The words spilled out as I explained my new friend. “So I’m going to Elesius to ask my mother if she knows anything about this.”

“You think it’s related to your new magic?”

“Maybe. That’s my working theory, at least.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“All right.” Truthfully, I was glad he was coming. Though I loved my home, seeing it dead and barren—because of me—was hard enough to do alone. With him at my side, it might be a bit easier to ignore the guilt. And the knowledge that if I wanted Elesius to survive, I’d have to return there to live out my days so that my Life magic could sustain the place. “Let’s go.”

Ares gripped my hand, his own warm and firm. “Lead the way.”

As my mother had taught me, I closed my eyes and focused on Elesius, envisioning the treeless mountains and beautiful stone buildings winding up the valley ridge. A moment later, the ether pulled me in, throwing me across space as I hurtled toward my destination.

I slammed into something hard, pain flaring in my nose and chest, then bounced backward onto the ground. I landed hard on my butt, temporarily blinded by the shock. Clumsily, I scrambled upright, blinking to clear my vision.

Ares rose from the ground to stand at my side, clearly having slammed into the same thing I had. I stared at it, confusion and horror turning my chest to a wasteland.

The dome-like barrier that protected the town had turned from a pearly white to a dark gray mist. I could barely see through it—just enough to make out that we were at the side street where the town met the barrier. I’d been here once before, with Moira and Orion.

The magic radiating from the barrier felt different. Dark and sick.

“This is weird. Something is wrong.” Hesitantly, I reached out to touch the magical barrier. Last time, it’d thrown me backward. That should probably be enough to keep me from touching it, but I had to know.

The smoky barrier burned my fingertips. I hissed in a breath and jerked my hand away.

“My mother never mentioned anything like this. The worst thing that is supposed to happen to Elesius is that it dies because it gave me the life and magic from all its plants.” And that was as bad as I could imagine. “But this is different.”

I sniffed delicately, trying to get a feel for the magical signature of the evil black smoke without taking it into myself. I’d had enough dark magic lately. I got a vague whiff of sulfur and burning rubber.

Ares stepped forward, his hand outstretched. His fingertips collided with the black smoke and he grimaced, then pushed harder.

“Don’t!” I reached for him.

“Wait.” He shuddered, the magic clearly affecting him, then pushed his hand through farther. It only went an inch into the smoke. His brow creased.

“What is it?”

He pulled his hand back from the smoke, his muscles straining and his face reddening slightly. It took ages for him to withdraw his hand. A small bead of sweat formed at his temple, testament to the pull of the smoke. Finally, his hand popped free.

“It’s essentially impenetrable,” he said.

I picked up his hand and inspected it. It looked all right, at least. Strong and broad, sculpted with tiny muscles that created a topography on his flesh. “That was dangerous.”

“I’m in the company of a dangerous woman,” he said. “Some of that must have rubbed off.”

I glanced up at him. “You were plenty dangerous before you met me.”

A seductive smile tugged at his lips, just briefly, before he turned to the barrier. “This is very wrong, whatever it is.”

I swallowed hard, cursing myself for the moment of flirtation. My mother and father were trapped in there. “We have to save them.”

“Then we need to determine what this barrier is made of. It’s a spell of some kind—a dark one. But for what purpose?”

“We need a sample of the barrier. Maybe someone can help us determine what the spell is.” I called upon my conjuring power, letting the magic flow through me, and envisioned a glass vial with a cork. The bottle appeared in my hand a moment later, and I uncorked it. “Cross your fingers that this works.”

I was operating on guesswork as I pushed the bottle through the smoke. Pain sliced up my fingertips as they collided with the black mist. I shoved hard, finally getting the mouth of the bottle into the smoke so that the black mist could flow into the glass. Ares was one serious badass—or masochist—for sticking his whole hand in there.

“I think that should do it.” I pushed my other hand into the smoke and corked the bottle without withdrawing it from the gray barrier. When I pulled the whole thing out, the vial was full of smoke and the magic heated the glass.

Ares took my hand and kissed the back. Then he took the other and kissed it.

My heart warmed. “Are you fixing my boo-boos?”

“Boo-boos?” He frowned, confused.

It was adorable.

“You know, when children scrape their knees and their parents kiss it away?”

Understanding dawned in his eyes. “Ah, yes. Yes I am…fixing your boo-boos.” A wry laugh escaped him. “If only it were that easy.”

“If only.” I looked back at the gray smoky barrier and the people within. What were they doing in there? Were they okay? “Then maybe we could fix them.”