Mike’s soft whisper in her ear woke Marina from a sound sleep. She sat up and blinked in surprise, feeling more refreshed than she had in over a year, and…

“It’s still dark,” she whispered in amazement, turning to look up at Mike with shining eyes. “I don’t feel the weight that normally drains me.”

Mike’s eyes glittered for a moment before he concealed his anger. “It is all the positive mojo I was giving you while you slept,” he teased, shifting and rising to his feet.

She took the hand he offered and stood as well. They both stretched. For the first time, Marina could actually see Magna’s spell swirling like fine threads through the air. The threads recoiled whenever they brushed close to Mike. Curious, Marina took several steps away from Mike. Gasping, she stumbled back against him. Once again, the vivid red threads recoiled.

“What happened?” he asked, holding her close to his body and looking around.

“I can see Magna’s spell,” she said, tilting her head.

“You can see…? You couldn’t see it before?” he asked, puzzled.

“No. I can see a person’s magic, but never the actual spell,” she replied.

Her fingers itched to touch the threads and see if she could tell how the spell was created. For some reason, the spell was repelled by Mike. Turning, she looked at Mike. Her eyes widened when she saw a shimmering white glow surrounding him.

“What is it?” he asked in an uneasy voice.

Marina lifted her fingers to trace the glow. “I see your magic,” she breathed.

Mike shook his head. “I don’t have any magic,” he started to protest before he looked at his arm, then lifted it to see better. He breathed out a soft curse. “What the…?”

“It’s your magic,” she repeated.

The vivid colors of her magic spiraled outward, touching and entwining his. Her magic changed as they combined, becoming brighter and sparkling with the same light as the stars on the water. Curious, she slowly backed away from him. She stopped when she was halfway to the water. All around her, the sparkling, soft-white glow of his magic clung to her, protecting her from Magna’s spell.

She felt stronger than she ever had. Running back up to Mike, she threw her arms around his neck and held him. She didn’t understand what had happened, or why this time was different, but she was grateful.

“Thank you, Mike. You have truly given me a priceless gift,” she said in a voice filled with awe and joy.

* * *

Mike started to correct her. Relief flooded him at the sight of Marina’s glowing face. She had scared the crap out of him when she collapsed earlier. Emotion choked him. Unable to voice the overwhelming feelings coursing through him, he bent his head and captured her lips. He honestly didn’t care what it was or what she called it—magic, aura, a gift—he was just thankful that she was safe from the spell’s horrible drain on her body.

A slight change in the cadence of the waves caught his attention and sent a flare of warning through him. Releasing Marina’s lips, he instinctively turned, placing his body between Marina and the beach while his hand reached for his gun. He relaxed when he saw Orion and a group of men emerging from the sea.

Drago’s dark shape suddenly appeared out of the night sky to land on the beach nearby. The relieved smile on his lips turned into a scowl when Drago’s light chuckle was swept away on the breeze.

“Shit! Damn it, Drago! You are practically invisible at night,” Mike snapped.

“It wouldn’t do me much good if my enemies could see me coming,” Drago replied with a toothy grin.

Mike shook his head. “Do you have any idea how weird it is to hear your voice coming out of a dragon’s mouth? Hell, what am I saying?! The fact I’m talking to a dragon is weird enough,” he retorted, running a hand through his hair.

“Nali, Koorgan, and Ashure have arrived at their designated positions on the east, west, and south sides of the kingdom. They will begin moving in shortly. If Nali and her monsters need assistance in protecting the statues, Ashure will be the closest and he has assured me that he could be here quickly,” Orion stated.

Marina bit her lip. Mike could see a troubled expression in her eyes. Reaching over, he grasped her hand.

“What is it?” he prompted.

Marina looked between Orion and Drago. “King Ashure must not be allowed anywhere near the palace,” she softly informed them.

“Why?” Orion asked in surprise.

Mike watched as Marina hesitated and looked out to sea. The memory of Ladonna’s warning flashed through his mind—Keeper of the Lost Souls. Ashure must be the one who Ladonna warned them about. For some reason, Marina—and obviously Ashure—didn’t want his particular talent to be public knowledge.

“You know what palaces normally have inside them. Can you image what might be left after Ashure went through it?” Mike joked.

“Gold,” Orion dryly remarked.

“Jewels,” Drago snickered.

Marina drew in a breath and smiled. “I’m sure my Queen and King would appreciate not awakening to an empty treasury,” she reasoned.

Mike bit back a chuckle when he felt Marina squeeze his hand in thanks. A part of him felt sorry for helping ruin the Pirate King’s reputation, but something told him Ashure would rather be known as a thief than a soul collector.

“We need to move. It will be near dawn by the time everyone is in place. We do not want to strike too soon. I have no doubt that Magna would use the innocent lives of your people to protect herself if given a chance,” Orion said.

“I can feel the black magic. It has the same taste in the air as it did during the wars. You should have killed the bitch when you had a chance, Orion,” Drago snorted, looking at the thick tangle of trees before his gaze moved up the rocky face of the cliff. “I’ll save you the trouble this time,” he added, looking back at Orion.

Orion grimly nodded. “I feel the dark magic as well. I have fulfilled my obligations to the laws of my people. If you want to kill her, I will not stop you, but be warned that even with her death the spell she cast over your people may not be broken,” he cautioned.

The large dragon nodded his head before turning his gaze to Mike. Drago stared down at him with intense eyes that glowed with an internal fire, sending a shiver of unease through him. Mike wanted to groan when Drago bared his teeth in warning before he spoke.

“Speaking of mates, when this is over, don’t try to talk my mate into returning to your world. She isn’t going, even if she did threaten to if I didn’t come back. Dragons don’t give up their treasure, and Carly is mine,” Drago informed him.

A sudden acuity struck Mike as he gazed at the huge dragon—Drago was afraid of losing the woman he loved. It dawned on him that his sudden appearance in this world had deeply shaken Drago and Orion. He couldn’t believe that he was just now comprehending that they were worried that his presence might somehow jeopardize Carly and Jenny remaining here.

The thought hadn’t even entered his mind—well, not for long anyway. It hadn’t taken him long to see that both women were where they wanted to be. Besides, he reasoned, who in their right mind would argue with a dragon? After seeing Carly Tate in her dragon form, he wouldn’t want to think of the damage she could do back home after some of the stories he had been told. He could just imagine the whole west coast going up in flames if she caught a cold!

“Like I said before, my job was just to make sure she was safe. I’m glad she is here and not dead. I can close the case, that is all I care about,” Mike assured the dragon.

“Good. Orion, I’ll wait for your signal above the palace,” Drago replied.

Drago turned and walked several yards down the beach before he took off. “Is he always this pleasant before a battle?” Mike asked with a hesitant laugh.

“I think the better question to ask is if he is ever pleasant. Of course, he is probably scared and doesn’t want to admit it. You saw his three children. Drago is probably terrified he would get stuck with them alone, especially Little Jenny-Roo. Drago told me she is a lot like her mother. Drago had to fireproof the paper birds the last time Roo was sick,” Orion chuckled.

Marina smothered her laugh. “If you follow me, your Majesty, I will show you and your men the way to the river,” she said with a sigh of apprehension.

Mike could feel the adrenaline kick in. It was showtime. He turned and walked back to the tree where his jacket and Mr. Bow were lying on the grass. Picking up his jacket, he slipped it on, double-checked his gun to make sure the safety was on, and picked up Mr. Bow.

“I feel normal,” Mr. Bow exclaimed.

“It must be my magical mojo,” Mike chuckled at the excited hum of the bow. “I just hope you feel that way when we get to the palace.”

Mr. Bow quivered. “You stay near Marina and I’ll fire my arrows,” he promised.

“Deal. Whatever you do, make sure you protect your mistress,” Mike quietly ordered.

“Always,” Mr. Bow softly answered.

He returned to Marina where she was quietly talking to Orion. She reached for Mr. Bow, smiling at Mike when she felt the familiar hum of magic in the wood. He nodded in acknowledgement.

“Mike and I will find the King and do everything we can to keep him safe,” Marina finished.

Orion nodded and turned to his Captain of the Guard standing silently behind him. “Kapian, just in case, have two of the men fall back and cover the rear. I do not trust Magna. She could have some of her other unnatural creatures patrolling the inner perimeter of the palace.”

“Anything made of magic will be weakened,” Marina said.

Orion pursed his lips and shook his head. “It is her non-magical creatures I worry about. The inky blackness that attacked me in the throne room was not made from Magna’s magic. It was something else. She will keep whatever it is close to her,” Orion replied in a terse tone.

“I know that the Hellhounds are not easy to destroy. I have only seen the other creature once, the day the Sea Witch changed my brother to stone,” Marina responded in a solemn voice.

“We will do everything we can to stop her and restore your people, Marina. Kapian, make sure the men use full charge on their tridents,” he ordered.

“Full charge, men,” Kapian ordered the men standing behind them.

“Lead the way, Marina. We only have a few hours until sunrise,” Orion said.