Hera found herself walking in a desert. Ahead of her was a town with familiar lights and buildings. This was Earth! She sucked in her breath. She knew this place, grew up here and thought she had family here, but the name and family escaped her. There were answers there. Answers she desperately needed.

She ran toward it, but with each step she took, her legs grew heavy, and it was as if she was sinking in quicksand.

“No!” she cried, but her voice fell on deaf ears.

She lifted her leg, and it sank deeper and deeper–all the way to her knee. When she tried to hoisted her leg up, it failed to budge. She was stuck.

“No!” She raised her clenched fists. “Is anyone there? Help me!” She thought of Zalara and the Orion. “Damon, where are you?”

She looked to the skies for a dragon but didn’t see one. Disappointment seized her. Mist slowly covered the sleepy town. She was so close.

Something moved within the fog. A bear prowled toward her. Fear sent her pounding heart running down to her feet, but then the form seemed to change to the shape of a slender woman. She must have been imagining the bear.

Hera waved her arms over her head. “Please, help me!”

The woman moved toward her, but the fog disguised her. “Hello, Hera.”

Hera wracked her brain. She knew that voice, but it had escaped her. “I…I know you.”

“Yes, you do, but I’m not ready for you to remember everything…just yet.”

She gritted her teeth. “Why?”

“Oh, my dear. You were a naughty little witch.”

The woman’s porch light was on, but no one was home. “I’m not a witch.”

“Yes, you are. I stripped you of your powers.”

“Because?”

“You hurt people in our little community. Or at least you tried. I cast a spell on you to make you forget until you redeemed yourself.”

Her pompous attitude ruffled Hera’s spine.

Hera glared. “So, why am I here, Spell-Girl?”

“I see your smart-alec attitude is still intact. However, instead of thinking of yourself, you’re risking your life to save the Zalarians.”

“You know of the planet Zalara?”

“Yes, we have a fellow resident who is a Zalarian.”

“You do? Who is he?”

“His name doesn’t matter. Besides, his parents wanted him to be anonymous. The important thing is what you’ve done. I’m neutralizing my spell. Tomorrow when you wake up, you’ll find something you’ve been missing.”

“What?”

The woman laughed. “You’ll see. Good night, Hera. We’ll meet again. If you play your spells right, I’ll return something else you’ll need. However…” Her superior voice turned hard. “You must do something completely out of character for you.”

Hera woke up, wildly gasping for breath, her body soaked with sweat. She thought she was about to have a heart attack, but her frightened brain slowly realized that Damon’s strong arms cradled her against his chest. His soft snores eased her terrified heart. She sighed in relief. At least she was safe.

Great balls of fire, had that been a crazy dream or a vision? She swore she knew that town and that woman, but a black blanket slammed over her memory, and she couldn’t remember a thing. The woman had to be a witch and cast a spell on her, claiming she’d been a bad witch. What the hell did that mean?

If she was under a spell, would Cosima have the power to break through it? But what if she discovered that she had been evil? What if she’d hurt people? Would Cosima banish her? Worse, what would Damon do?

Damon released a soft snore, and she stared at his peaceful face. His eyelashes graced his cheeks, and he looked so young and all his worries were gone. Her inner thighs were still sore from their passionate lovemaking. How could a man make love like that with a woman and not care for her?

He was possessive of her, but it was only because she was his mate. As far as she could see, Zalarains didn’t have to be in love with their mates, which sucked. Because obviously her silly heart didn’t beat that way.

She snuggled closer to him; his arm draped over her. She was about to fall asleep when she noticed a book on the nightstand. It hadn’t been there before. The heebie-jeebies slowly crept down her spine like spiky spiders. Goosebumps exploded all over her, and she shivered.

“Are you cold?” Damon whispered in her ear. He nuzzled her neck. “Do you want me to make you warm?”

She couldn’t take her eyes off the red leather-bound book. “Damon?”

He jerked his head up. “What’s wrong?”

“Is that your book?”

He followed her gaze. “Hell, no. That’s not mine. How’d that get here?”

“Damon, I had…a dream…or a vision. I’m not sure.”

He frowned. “Tell me what happened.”

Hera quickly relayed the dream.

“What’s a witch?”

“Someone who is gifted and can do magic.”

“That I believe. But what’s with the book?” he asked, as he grabbed it off the stand.

She scooted out from underneath him and picked up the book. Memories slammed into her of casting spells, performing magic, dancing under a full moon. Electric shocks zapped her fingers. She cried out, but couldn’t let go. The book wouldn’t let her go.

Damon grabbed her arms. “Hera, are you hurt? Answer me.”

But she couldn’t. Her teeth rattled uncontrollably. A fast moving electrical current raced through her hands, up her arms, then pulsed through her body, sending her in to violent convulsions.

Damon immediately jerked the book out of her trembling hands. He threw it onto the floor, as if it had bitten him.

She gasped. “No, stop.”

He ceased shaking her, but concern filled his eyes, and he dug his fingers into her flesh. “Talk to me.”

Pain throbbed in her shoulders. “Ow, you’re hurting me.”

He released her. “I’m sorry, but you’re scaring the hell out of me.”

She put the back of her hand over her forehead. “It’s a spell book. My spell book. I think I might be able to conjure a spell to capture the king.”

“Are you sure?” he asked excitedly.

“I’m sure. That means my dream was real–the woman was real, the place was real–my family was real.”

“You had family there?”

“Even before the woman said it, I knew it looked familiar, and I could feel my family, but I still couldn’t see them. I probably wouldn’t recognize them if I saw them.”

His eyes turned stony. “You want to find them, don’t you?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

He reached over the bed and grabbed the book. “Yeah, I would.” He thumbed through the pages. “There’s strange ingredients in here, or at least nothing like this is on Zalara.”

“Damon, there’s more. The woman cast a spell on me.”

He turned away from the book. “Why would she cast a spell?”

“She made it sound like I’d done something bad with my magic. I hurt people.” She frowned. “Maybe I wasn’t a good person.”

Damon put the book aside, then rolled gently on top of her, forcing her to look at him. He stroked her hair. “I don’t know what you were like in your other life, but I know what you’ve been here–I’ve liked what I’ve seen. You’re a good person, Hera. You didn’t deserve to be cursed.”

He was so sincere, and she desperately wanted to believe him, but what if Cosima found out differently? “But you don’t know what I did. Fiddle-dee-dee, I don’t even know what I did.”

“Maybe she was an evil witch.”

She thought about the woman in her dream then shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“Cosima would be able to decipher whether she was a threat or not.”

“She didn’t seem evil, but she was powerful. I could feel it emitting from her. If she’d been evil, she could have easily killed me. No, I think she wants me to learn a lesson.”

“What lesson?”

“I think I have to make amends for my past.”

“How can you do this if you don’t even know what you did?”

“Well, I must have done something right, because she returned my spell book.”

He kissed her hungrily. “As far as I’m concerned, you do everything right.” He ran his hand down her side, sending chills through her.

“I’d better get up and start practicing. Taog will want to know if I mastered this.”

“You’re probably right.” He sighed, then rolled over on his back. “If you don’t get dressed–” he flicked his gaze over her– “Taog will have a major disappointment.”

Heat burned over her at the desire in his eyes. She quickly got out of the bed before he made good on his wicked threat.

He laughed as she nearly fell, dragging the blanket to cover herself.

“Let me get you one of my shirts.”

He rolled out of bed, perfectly comfortable in his nakedness. She couldn’t help but admire his beautiful body. Not many women she knew got to sleep with Adonis.

“Here.”

“Thank you.” She slipped it over her head, then sat cross-legged on the bed. When she picked up the book, tingles swept up her arms, but this time, they weren’t violent. She ran her finger down the leather spine, and she swore the book shivered. There was definitely a connection between them, but she had no idea on how to wield it. She flipped through the pages that didn’t have words, but had pictures of plants and flowers and animals and different geometric designs, trying to see if anything sparked.

“Hera, Hera?”

She glanced up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you.”

“Obviously. I’ve been asking you for the last five minutes if you’re hungry.”

She smiled. “I’d kill for a cup of coffee with cream.”

He bowed slightly. “Your wish is my command.” He quickly got dressed, then headed out of his quarters whistling.

He might as well announce over the loud speaker that he’d gotten lucky last night. She needed to forget how delightfully sore she was between her legs, how her skin was chafed from his beard, and how much she got all gooey when he looked at her.

The book vibrated in her lap, then landed on a page that had a picture of cotton flying through the air, chasing away her hot thoughts of Damon. Was it trying to tell her something?

“Fiddle-dee-dee, I need to try.”

She looked around the room for something to levitate–her tennis shoe was near the door. She wasn’t sure if it would work. Glad that Damon wasn’t in the room in case she failed, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. She put her finger on the words and uttered the spell.

“Flickering flames, Flying cotton, Fall leaves blowing in the wind, Shoe–I command you to rise.”

The shoe remained stubbornly on the floor.

“Damn it!”

Damon walked back into the room with a cup of coffee. “Something wrong?” he asked, as he handed it to her.

“I can’t do this.”

“Yeah, you can.” He took a sip of coffee. “This drink is actually good.” He licked his lips. “Has anyone ever told you how sexy you look wearing my shirt with your hair tousled?”

“Thank you,” she murmured. “But I’ve got to figure this out.”

“Then try again.”

“I did try.” Frustration bubbled over in her voice.

He sat on the bed. “This time, do it with me.”

She looked away. “It’s embarrassing.”

“You’re not going to get any better unless you try.” He squeezed her knee, sending reassurance through her.

She inhaled a deep breath, then stared at the shoe, focusing all of her energy. She exhaled sharply, her eyes nearly popping out of her head. “Great balls of fire!”

“I’ll be damned,” Damon whispered.

The shoe slowly rose, fluttering in the air, but then it flew across the room and crashed into the opposite wall. She jumped into Damon and landed in his lap. Her heart nearly stopped.

Her cheeks warmed. “Sorry.”

He wrapped his arm around her and gave her a quick hug. “Believe me, you can sit in my lap anytime.” He captured her lips and kissed her, then slipped his hand into her shirt and cupped her breast, his thumb brushing over her nipple. “I told you that you could do it.”

Desire kindled inside her at his caress. “Damon, I made a shoe fly across the room and slam into the wall. I didn’t have any control over it. This magic isn’t going to capture your king.”

“So pessimistic.” He kissed her briefly again, then removed his hand. Cold brushed over her breast where he’d provided warmth.

She softly moaned. “I wish we could stay in bed all day.”

“We will when the king and queen are saved.”

She pretended to pout as she dragged herself off the bed. “Slave driver.”

He followed her, but then leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. “Try again.”

His voice was so low and husky she couldn’t resist.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Make the shoe fly back to the door.”

“Fiddle-dee-dee.” She took a deep breath, then closed her eyes, blocking out all the sounds in the room–Damon’s breathing, her rapid beating heart–thinking of only the shoe. She drew on her power, then opened her eyes. In a loud clear voice, she uttered the spell.

At first the shoe failed to move. Disappointment sank to her gut, but she refused to give up. She concentrated, repeating the spell over and over in her mind, her eyes never leaving the shoe. Sweat dribbled down the sides of her temples, stinging her eyes. The air in the room crackled, and sparkling stars magically appeared. The shoe trembled and soared across the room toward Damon.

“Blazes!” He ducked just as the shoe whizzed over his head.

The shoe hit the door then crashed onto the floor.

She rushed over. “Oh, Damon, are you all right?”

He laughed. “Remind me not to make you mad.”

She smiled. Like a shape-shifting dragon would be afraid of her.

“You need to try another spell. If you can master it, I’ll call Taog.”

Her stomach twisted at failing in front of the stern captain. “Don’t you think that’s rushing it?”

“We don’t have much time. The queen could die.”

“Of course.” She hoped her voice sounded strong, since her heart had just severed. She thought after last night and the bond growing, his feelings for the queen might have diminished. What an idiot! No, the best thing was for her to return to Earth, but her dreams fragmented into a zillion pieces.

She flicked through the spell book, wondering if she could turn the queen into a toad, then claim it was a mistake. “What about invisibility?”

“Invisibility? You can do that?”

She glanced up. “Great horny toads, I don’t know! It’s in the spell book, so I reckon I could have conjured it in another time before I became the ditzy witch of outer space.”

He rubbed the back of her stiff shoulders. “I know. Please try.”

Her cutting voice didn’t seem to daunt him, and his magic fingers released the tension buried inside her muscles.

“For this spell, I need a few things.”

He stopped massaging. “What things?”

She tilted her head around, cracking her neck. “I need two thick candles, a bowl, olive oil, and a long piece of string.”

“I think that can be arranged.” He kissed her on the cheek. “If you’ll excuse me.”

After he left, she read over the spell, not sure that she could do it, but she had little choice. Sweat stuck to her weary body. She needed a shower to wake her up, so she didn’t utter the wrong word and cause a climactic consequence, and turn them all into frogs.

She walked into the bathroom, relieved the shower wasn’t hidden in the wall. It looked like any ordinary bathroom with a toilet and a sink, but the valves were missing on the shower wall. When she opened the glass door, water immediately pulsed down from the ceiling as if by magic, splattering onto her head. She squealed, then immediately jumped back. The water shut off.

Her hair was plastered to her head. She shivered as she shed her clothes, then stepped inside the shower. The water turned on to a perfect warm temperature, and she twirled around, enjoying the pelting drops to gently massage her.

“Would you like me to scrub your back?”

“Damon!” She whirled around.

He leaned in the bathroom doorway, watching her through the glass shower door. “Everything’s on the table next to the spell book. By the way, just tell the shower what temperature you want and it will adjust automatically.”

His hot gaze flamed her rising desire, and she almost asked him to join her, but sex was the last thing she needed. She wished she could be one of those women who could sleep with someone without any commitments. But that wasn’t her.

Mischievousness crept into his eyes. “Cold.”

The minute he said it, the water turned to ice. She squeaked. “Damon! Warm.” The frozen pelts turned balmy warm. “I’ll be out as soon as I wash my hair.”

He winked. “Anything wrong?”

“You’re incorrigible,” she said, as she quickly washed her hair. “I’ll be out in a sec.”

He laughed. “Don’t hurry on my account.”

Between the strands of her hair, she stole a peek. He was so handsome with the steam making his hair sleek, and the mist only made him look more mysterious. Her throat turned drier than the Mojave Desert as she thought of what he could do to her in the shower. The juncture between her legs ached for his touched.

Under her breath, she mumbled, “Cold.” The temperature turned frosty cold. She bit her lip to keep from crying out.

She turned off the water and shivered. When she opened the door, he handed her a towel. “Here.”

“Thank you.” She quickly wrapped it around her body. “You better get out before we do something stupid. Or do you want to disappoint your captain?”

“Damn it,” he said, but he turned and left.

She half-hoped he’d forget everything just to be with her, but it was foolish wishing. She got dressed as fast as she could, ignoring her heavy heart.

When she came out, she headed straight for the table. Cold air glossed over her wet hair, making her shiver. Damon was going through the spell book.

“I can’t believe how many spells are in this book.”

“I know. But I just need to perform this one. If this works and I can help you capture your king, will you send me back to Earth?”

His cheek twitched, and he looked at her with no expression in his eyes. Instead of answering, he picked up the candles as if to examine them. “When will this be done?”

She wanted him to beg her to stay with him and promise he was no longer in love with the queen. But that was a fleeting thought. “Soon.” She motioned with her hand. “Do you mind?”

“Sure.” He slid out of the chair and put the candle down.

She re-read the spell, which was simple enough, or at least she hoped it was. She poured the oil into a dish, then twirled the string in it.

“Do you want me to light the candles?”

She shook her head. “According to the spell, I have to do it.”

She clicked her tongue and moved her hands over the unlit candles over and over.

In a strong voice, she said, “Black as night, light as day, mask of power, blind the eye with the shrouded flame.”

The air buzzed around her hands. The skin across her chest tightened. She took a deep breath and blew on one candle. As if by magic, a flickering flame appeared.

She put her hand over her thundering heart. “Well, I never–”

“See, I knew you could do it.”

She smiled nervously. Not wanting to lose her momentum, she exhaled onto the other candle and the wick crackled, then a flame She took the soaked string with her hand shaking and held it between the flickering flames then released it. She gasped, as it hung in the air. Sparks ignited on each end.

She looked at Damon and thought she detected pride in his eyes as he watched her every move. “Shrouded flame, hide Damon.”

He jerked to attention. “What?”

A yellow aura formed around him, then he slowly faded.

“Blazes, you did it! I’m invisible.”

For the first time, she hadn’t been a failure. Maybe she could do magic. She was busting with joy and couldn’t stop smiling. “Let’s call the captain.”