The cup of steaming tea in front of her should have instantly made Leah feel better. After all, there was nothing better than a cup of tea with a good friend after having man trouble, and that was why Leah had run straight to The Enchanted Elm. Autumn was away picking up supplies for the store, but Summer was more than happy to listen.

“You know, you would think I’d be better at putting my psychic experiences into words if I’m supposed to be some sort of author, but I just can’t.” She concentrated on the heat of her cup, trying to slow her racing mind. “I just woke up with this awful feeling that Holden was lying to me. I reached out and touched his wrist, and I saw those dragons all over again. Except this time, Holden was one of them. He was this massive red dragon, but then he was stepping out of its skin and becoming the man I slept with last night. I have to believe that means he’s living two different lives.”

Summer pushed out her lips and twisted a length of pale hair between her fingers. “You know, a lot of people live dual lives, in a sense. They’re usually not the same person at work that they are at home, and then they’re different again when they’re out with their friends.”

“But this is different,” Leah insisted. “I felt it. And I know from my experience with Victor that I needed to have more than just a feeling and more than just a vision. That’s why I went downstairs and got the cards, but they just confirmed it, over and over. Whoever Holden really is, he doesn’t want me to know about it. He’s deceiving me in some way.” It made her feel sick that she had shared such a passionate night with a man like that. “I think I could just puke.”

“Then you’re probably right. It’s important to follow your instincts, even if you don’t completely understand them.” She stood up and went to a shelf. They were sitting in the stock room of The Enchanted Elm, and the shelves around them were stacked with boxes and bags. It looked like the inventory of any other store while it was still in its packaging, but Leah knew better. Summer plucked a small stone from a nearby box and handed it over. “Take this.”

Leah studied the smooth chunk of rock, the gentle striations of blue and white almost mesmerizing as they shimmered. “What is it?”

“It’s blue lace agate, and it helps discover the truth. That might be the truth about you or about Holden, but either way, I think it will help.” She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “It’s also good for bone strength, so that can’t hurt, either.”

Later that night, the three women gathered at Autumn’s house. It was a big place with an expansive back yard full of numerous plants. The craftsman-style home had exposed timbers on the ceiling, old wooden floors that had darkened with age, and built-in bookshelves that Leah was always jealous of.

“It’s been a while since we’ve talked to Naomi,” Summer commented as she set up a circle of candles and stones on the floor. “I hope she has more to say than last time.”

“She was always a bit cryptic, even when she was alive,” Leah pointed out. “It wasn’t until she realized who we were and what powers we had that she finally opened up. Oddly enough, it seemed even more strange that she could shift than that I could read minds or that you two could perform powerful spells.” Leah clearly remembered the day Naomi had discovered the other women’s abilities. They had expected her to scream or be angry—a common reaction when people didn’t understand—but she had simply laughed and hugged them.

“It takes a lot more power to control the body like that. Not to negate anything we do, but we’re pretty common, if you think about it.” Autumn had changed her usual professional attire out for a simple cotton dress in black. She took her place on the floor, folding her long legs underneath her and letting her hair down. “God, I wish we hadn’t lost her.”

“We really haven’t lost her,” Summer asserted. “We’re still able to talk to her this way, which is more than most people can say when a loved one passes away.”

In a circle on the floor, with the candles and stones at the center, the three women held hands and chanted their opening incantation. Leah hadn’t known much about Wicca before she’d met the sisters, but they had taught her a lot. At first, she had stumbled over the numerous spells and enchantments required to talk to someone from the spirit world, but now she found that they flowed easily from her tongue. She relaxed her mind, trying to add as much of her own psychic energy as possible to the recipe.

The candle flame stopped flickering, burning as a steady light that slowly grew brighter. It turned a pale shade of blue, and then snaked up through the air. The thin column of fire squirmed as it took shape until a long, thin face stared back at them. The scales that covered the cheeks and the rows of sharp teeth didn’t belong to the human form of Naomi that they usually knew, but they could still see her in the dragon’s eyes.

“Naomi, we really miss you,” Autumn said softly. “We’ve tried not to bother you too much because we know it must be difficult for you to reach out to us. But we can’t help but at least check in with you every now and then. How are you doing?”

The swirling blue flames flickered for a moment and then steadied once again. Naomi nodded. “As well as I can.”

“It’s good to see you,” Summer whispered, tears in her eyes. “We wish there was a way to bring you back. You belong here with us.”

“No.” The spirit’s voice was soft, but it echoed oddly in the open room. “Not really. I don’t belong anywhere; not anymore.”

“Don’t say that.” Summer’s emerald eyes were bright with tears seeing their old friend again.

“But it’s true,” Naomi’s ethereal form insisted. “The place where my people came from is gone. But you need to know that some of them are close; very close.” Those blue eyes stared pointedly at Leah, burrowing into her soul. “They’re trying to make a new home for themselves, just as I had tried.”

“I don’t understand.” Leah felt pain in her skull, a familiar sensation when new pathways were being forged in her mind. It was often painful, but it was a feeling that she was used to and that she welcomed. “We’ve never met anyone else like you.”

Naomi smiled and slowly blinked. “They’re dragons; shifters, actually. And they’re here to find refuge after the destruction of so many of our people. Right now, it’s much safer here on Earth for them.”

Autumn turned to Summer and raised her brow at that.

“Do you think we’d be able to recognize them at all as we go about our day to day business? How much of our lives can you see, anyway? I mean, when we aren’t in direct contact with you?”

Naomi’s thin form began to flicker. “No, they’re blending in with humans fairly well. And don’t worry, I can only see bits and pieces, Leah.” The dragon smiled, a stretch of her full, scaly lips. “I haven’t noticed you playing with your pocket rocket in the bedroom, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

The women all threw their heads back, sharing a much-needed belly laugh. But moments later, looking down at her lap, Leah admitted, “Victor and I are finally legally divorced. I know I should be happy, but my powers seem to be completely out of whack. I don’t get it; I don’t know what to do.”

“Nothing is simple, hun; you know that.”

The blue figure in the air slowly began to fade, and Leah furrowed her brow at the sight. “Naomi, wait! There’s more we’d like to say.”

“I’m sorry, but it’s time for me to go. Next time, love. Miss you, guys…” Naomi turned to Leah once again and gave her a wink, and then she was gone.