CHAPTER ONE

Deep in the Honduran Jungle

“Those vultures can’t be a good sign,” Nix murmured from behind me.

“Yeah. They know something we don’t.” I glanced up as I pushed my paddle through the muddy brown river. Vultures circled above us, black spots on the patch of blue sky visible through the gap in the jungle canopy.

Sticky sweat rolled down my back as I turned my gaze back to the wide river. The jungle crept in on either side, a brilliant green death trap. The scent of foliage, water, and mud was so strong that it drowned out the stink of my sweat.

Slightly behind me, Nix manned her own paddle.

“The vultures must mean we’re close,” she said. “We’ve been going for at least three hours. And my dragon sense is really starting to buzz.”

“Mine, too.” The treasure we sought was near. I’d read all about it in an old treatise I’d found in the back of my trove, which had given my dragon sense just enough of a clue to work. “And the magic is getting stronger.”

“No kidding,” Nix muttered.

The jungle’s magic buzzed along my skin, prickling like gnat bites. The farther we pressed on, the stronger it became—protecting the treasure we sought. The long-abandoned hidden city deep in the Honduran jungle had been built by supernaturals. Which meant there’d be some serious booby traps.

My ears strained as I searched the river and forest ahead. On either side of us, massive green leaves rustled in the faint breeze. The jungle was thick, the sounds of birds and monkeys like an out-of-tune chorus. Through the greenery, I caught sight of a flash of black. It appeared again a moment later, keeping pace with our boat.

I squinted into the jungle. The black glinted in a ray of light. Fur. Sleek, black fur. And a big yellow eye.

“We’ve got company.” I paddled faster. “A jaguar is stalking us.”

“Great,” Nix muttered. “Vultures and jaguars. The next thing we need is a giant snake.”

“Careful, or we’ll get one.” I knocked on my head, hoping to ward off the jinx.

Mountains loomed ahead, steep green peaks jutting up into the cloudless sky. My muscles tensed, awareness of surrounding threats keeping me on a tightrope.

“My money’s on the city being in the valley ahead,” I said.

“Not taking that bet,” Nix said. “I think you’re right.”

Thirty minutes later, the river had carried us deep into the mountains and we could see glimpses of white ahead.

“That’s it!” Nix cried.

We drifted down the sluggish river, mountains hulking over us like silent sentinels on either side. In front of us on the left side of the river, an abandoned city spread across the jungle. Small white buildings—houses, maybe— popped up between the foliage. The vultures overhead had tripled in number, and the jaguar stalking us still popped up now and again alongside.

Magic prickled fiercely against my skin. A warning.

“Stay alert,” I said. “Something’s coming.”

As soon as the words left my lips, the water ahead of us exploded in a massive splash, drenching us. I sputtered, heart pounding, and barely managed to keep my grip on my paddle.

I blinked the water out of my eyes, only to see a huge snake rising high in front of us, its beady black eyes riveted to our boat. I nearly swallowed my tongue, my gaze glued to the long white fangs protruding down from its mouth. Pearlescent poison dripped from the tips.

“Crap!” Nix cried.

The bottom half of the snake disappeared under the murky water. I couldn’t see, but the thing had to be at least fifty feet long given the size of the part I could see. Magic rolled off the snake, thick and pungent. Smelled like a freaking swamp.

“A booby trap to protect the city,” I said.

In a flash, Nix’s magic swelled on the air behind me, the scent of flowers strong. I followed suit, calling on my magic and letting the icy cold fill me as I started to shift to my Phantom form.

Before I could change, the snake struck, its huge head shooting toward us. I swung my paddle up and struck it in the eye. The thing hissed and reared back.

As the snake shook its head, I chucked the paddle into the boat and shifted fully, letting the ice fill my limbs as they turned transparent blue. My heart thundered as I reached out and drew my sword from the ether, the slender blade appearing from thin air. Fates, I loved that trick. This new sword was amazing.

Nix stepped closer to me, holding a massive spear that she must have conjured.

“I’ll—”

The snake struck, cutting her off. She thrust the spear up, piercing it high on its body. The thing hissed, and for the briefest second, it held still, stuck on the spear. I leapt up, turning corporeal long enough to slice my blade through the snake’s head. The massive thing dropped off, blood spraying me on the face and shoulder. I gagged as the head dropped into the water with a splash.

The huge body collapsed, yanking the spear from Nix’s hands. The splash that followed rocked our little boat, throwing me to my butt. Pain seared through my hip where I fell hard against the wooden bench, but I kept my grip on my sword. Nix landed beside me as water splashed over us.

“Not bad,” she said breathlessly.

“Nah.” I struggled to my feet, gazing out at the rippling water and trying to wipe the blood from my face. “I just hope there was only one.”

“We can handle another.” Nix stood and dusted off her hands. She strained and pointed to her face. Then to her head and shoulder. Finally, she gestured to her whole body. “You’ve got a little something there.”

“You don’t look so good yourself.” The spray had gotten her, too, speckling her brown hair and pale skin with red flecks. Her green eyes stood out starkly, an exact match to the green T-shirt she wore.

Nix stuck her tongue out in a gagging gesture. I returned my sword to the ether, then bent and scooped up some water, trying to get the worst of the blood off my face. Nix followed suit.

Once we were less gross, I said, “The spear was a good idea.”

Nix bowed low, grinning. “You did exactly as I’d hoped.”

I high-fived her, then looked up at the vultures circling overhead. “I bet they’re disappointed.”

“I’m cool with that.”

But the birds didn’t leave, which couldn’t be good.

I picked up my oar, then turned to shore. The city spread out before us, beckoning. The jungle had long since reclaimed the side streets, growing rampant around the buildings. But the avenue in the middle was still mostly clear. Perhaps a spell.

We paddled to shore, beaching our small boat at the edge of the river and climbing out. Mud squelched under my boots as I climbed onto firmer ground.

“Now what?” Nix asked.

“That way.” I pointed down the main avenue through town. A massive pile of white stone rubble lay at the other end.

Nix didn’t normally come treasure hunting with me, but she’d wanted to get out of the shop. I also had a feeling that Roarke had asked her to watch my back. My sorta-boyfriend/Warden of the Underworld was off dealing with some problem on his home turf in hell, so for the first time in two weeks, he wasn’t glued to my side.

Nix scuffed her foot over the packed-dirt road, which was firm despite the recent rains. “Has to be a spell.”

“Yeah.” Supernaturals had used all kinds of magic to keep the city looking nice.

Magic prickled on the air as we set off down the street. On either side, white limestone houses stood empty. They stretched all the way toward the mountains behind. A monkey peered out from the window to our left, chattering at us.

I waved at him, then continued on.

Pain lanced through my skull as a blue light flashed in my eyes. I stumbled, blinded, and crashed to my knees. For the briefest second, the blue flash brought with it a sense of familiarity. Then it vanished.

“Del!”

Woozy, I blinked, struggling to my feet.

Nix gripped my arms, her concerned gaze glued to my face. “What the hell was that? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Fine.” I looked left and right, checking for danger, but the only threat was coming from within my own head.

“What was that? A seizure?”

“No. I don’t know what it was. It happened last night, too, right as I got in bed.”

“Why the heck didn’t you tell me?”

“Didn’t seem like a problem.” I shrugged out of her grip. “We gotta get going.”

“Yeah, sure. But if that happens again, tell someone. It can’t be normal.”

I laughed. “Nothing about us is normal.”

“True.” Her grin turned serious. “But there’s quirky not normal and you need a brain scan not normal. So if it happens again, tell someone.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mom. Let’s go.” But she was right. There was something weird about that blue light. Once might be a fluke. Twice…

“Get a move on,” I said.

She punched me in the shoulder, then turned and started down the street.

We walked for another five minutes before we reached the end of the street.

“Oooh, that’s not good,” Nix murmured.

The destroyed temple loomed in front of us. “Sure isn’t.”

A wide moat stretched out before us, dotted in a hundred places with small slabs of stone. Prickly magic emanated from the pond, indicating some kind of protective spell. It surrounded a massive pile of rubble that had once been this society’s high temple. Like most supernatural temples the world over, this temple had once contained enchanted artifacts. The problem with enchanted artifacts was that the magic within them decayed over time. Once it reached the tipping point—boom.

“Definitely not good,” I muttered. “We’ll have to cross using the stepping stones. But there are so many that I bet you have to step on certain ones if you don’t want trouble.”

“This isn’t the kind of trouble I’m interested in.”

“Same.” I studied the moat, unable to figure out a pattern, then glanced at her. “Any ideas?”

“Nope.”

“Then let’s hope for the best.” Gingerly, I poked the nearest stone with the toe of my boot. When it held firm, I stepped on it. My muscles relaxed slightly when the thing didn’t sink, but tension still tightened my skin. I’d never walked on a frozen lake, but I’d bet it felt something like this.

“Follow me,” I said. “And if shit goes south, get out of here.”

Nix laughed. “Like I’d leave you.”

Slowly, we made our way across several stones. The fifth stone I stepped on vibrated the moment my toe touched it. Before I could pull back, the thing exploded, throwing me backward. I surged toward Nix, stumbling. She grabbed me, but not before my boot dipped into the moat. The rubber sole sizzled and melted.

“Shit!” I yanked my foot up, balancing with Nix on one stone, and bent my knee to peer at the sole of my shoe. The rubber had been eaten away almost to my sock. At most, there was a sliver left.

“The moat is full of acid.” Nix’s voice wavered.

“Yeah.” I tightened my arm around her waist as my skin chilled. “I don’t even want to think about what that would do to skin.”

“Eat it. Immediately.”

I swallowed hard, then jumped when a growl ripped through the air.

No.

Slowly, I turned my head. A jaguar crouched on the shore ten feet away, its gaze riveted to us.

“Oh, hell.” Nix’s arms tightened on my waist.

Trapped. We couldn’t go back to shore or we’d become Kitty Chow, and we couldn’t go forward because we didn’t know which stone would explode and chuck us into acid.

“He looks hungry,” Nix said.

“He looks like he’s never tasted human before, but has heard good things and is interested in trying it.”

Nix choked on a laugh before her gaze turned serious. “Turn into a Phantom. He can’t hurt you in that form, and maybe you can kill him.”

I flinched as the jaguar prowled forward. “I’d really rather not kill him.”

He was beautiful, ravenous yellow gaze and all. I really didn’t like killing animals. My deirfiúr Cass had once run into demon jaguars. It was okay to kill those, since they were technically demon shifters. But this guy was just a giant cat.

“Niiice kitty,” Nix murmured.

The jaguar growled.

“Shhh! He doesn’t like that.” I could draw my sword to be on the safe side, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t like that either.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a dusty footprint on a stone to the left. It was so pale that I hadn’t seen it from shore.

“I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Conjure a steak. A big one.”

“Okay.” Nix’s magic swelled as she unwrapped an arm from my waist. A moment later, a raw steak appeared in her hand. It had to weigh at least ten pounds.

The big cat’s yellow gaze snapped to it.

“Toss it to him,” I said. “Then conjure another.”

Nix tossed the steak. It landed with a thud on the ground next to the jaguar. He scooped it up in his jaws and chomped on it.

“You’re a handsome guy,” I said. “Smart, too, I bet.”

His gaze met mine like he understood me as his white teeth tore into the meat. I might’ve liked him, but I couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like to have those fangs chomp into me.

When he swallowed the steak, Nix tossed him another. It went down the hatch faster than the first.

“Is that your preferred cut?” I asked the cat. He didn’t respond, but I felt like maybe he smiled. Not that I believed he could speak English, but maybe he liked my tone.

“Another,” I said.

“‘Kay.” Her magic swelled, and she tossed another steak at the cat.

This one, he ate slower.

“I think he’s getting full,” I said.

“Good. I don’t want to burn through all my magic.” She eyed the cat’s fangs as they tore through the steak. “Although, it’s for a worthy cause.”

Once the jaguar had finished the third steak, it looked at us with a satisfied expression. At least, I assumed it was a satisfied expression. I thought its belly was looking a little fatter, and fates knew I was always satisfied when my belly was full.

I pointed to the pile of ruins on the other side, then looked at the jaguar. “Can you lead us there?”

The cat just stared, yellow gaze impassive.

“Can you take us across? There will be more steak.” I felt crazy for assuming the cat understood, but I’d always had an affinity for animals, and I had to try. Maybe I’d get dumb lucky.

The cat stood, then stalked over to the left about ten feet. Right near the dusty footprint.

“It understands!” Was I getting better at communicating with animals? I swore I could feel a connection with the big cat.

“I can’t believe this might work,” Nix said.

“Let’s try.”

We hopped back across the stones to the shore, then followed the jaguar across the path that he took. My heart was lodged in my throat the whole time, but eventually, we made it to the other shore.

“Oh, fates,” Nix said when she stepped onto solid ground. “I can’t believe that worked.”

“Me neither.”

The jaguar turned to us expectantly.

“But you’d better conjure another steak and pay up.”

“No kidding.” Nix did her thing and tossed a steak the jaguar’s way.

He leapt up and caught it in the air, then found himself a spot on a stone ledge and lounged with his prize in the sun, completely ignoring us.

My shoulders relaxed as I turned to face the temple. It was nothing but white rubble stacked in piles, destroyed long ago by the blast of decayed magic. There were a few short walls still standing, but not many. Flowers bloomed among the ruins, some kind of bright pink jungle blossom that I couldn’t identify.

“Shame it was destroyed.” Nix bent and picked up a hunk of stone that was carved like a monkey’s face.

“Not for long.” It was part of our new plan for our shop, Ancient Magic. To date, we only collected and sold magic from artifacts that were extremely decayed and about to blow.

But with my new power, why not try to collect magic from artifacts that had already self-destructed? All I had to do was bring the artifact back from the past. The bonus was that we could restore the temple to its former glory if we removed the destructive magic from the original artifact. With the magic gone, the artifact wouldn’t blow up and destroy the whole site. We’d bring back a piece of history. In a place as remote as this, no one would know who had done it.

Of course we wouldn’t bring the people back, since that was bound to be trouble. I wasn’t even sure what would happen if I tried to bring people back—it probably violated some kind of natural law.

“Let’s go.” I set off, weaving through the piles of rubble. “We need to find that giant monkey.”

According to the ancient treatise I’d read, this place was known as The City of the Monkey God, and a massive monkey statue had once held a place of honor in the temple. I’d bet my luckiest necklace that the monkey was the decayed artifact that had blown this place to bits after it had been abandoned.

“It’s pretty,” Nix said as we climbed over rubble covered in flowers.

Birds chirped in the distance, an ever-present jungle soundtrack. At one point, a monkey darted out and poked me.

“Haven’t seen people ever, I’d guess,” Nix said.

“Yeah.” I focused on my dragon sense, letting it tug me through the destroyed temple. It was a faint feeling, but strong enough to follow. A few minutes later, I stopped. “I think we’re here.”

“Yeah?” Nix looked around. “Looks the same as everything else.”

It did. Just piles of stone scattered here and there. “It was a doozy of an enchantment if it caused this much damage when it finally went boom.”

Nix stepped back. “I’ll just let you do your thing.”

“Thanks.”

The size of the place sent a niggling sense of doubt through me. Could I really bring back something this huge? And to the right time? The doubt was familiar, but I quashed it. I now had control of my magic. I could do this. It might not feel familiar to trust myself, but I was going to make it feel familiar.

Practice, practice, practice.

I sucked in a deep breath and closed my eyes, envisioning this place as it might have once been. I didn’t have a lot to go on. There had been no illustrations in my book, just a brief mention by a historian that an ancient culture had lived in a city deep in the Honduran jungle. They’d died out or abandoned the place around the turn of the first millennium. Sometime later, the magic in the monkey statue had decayed fully and exploded.

Magic thrummed beneath my skin, coalescing to form an orb of light in my mind. I used it to feel the history in this place and bring it back.

Sweat broke out on my skin as I pushed my magic, giving it everything. Though I had control of it now, it was still like a muscle, and I hadn’t worked out. Exhaustion trembled through my limbs as I worked, keeping ahold of my magic and molding it to my will.

“Whoa.” Nix’s quiet exclamation made me open my eyes.

The familiar blue glow spread out from me, reaching across the floor. Piles of rubble disassembled and rolled upward, forming walls. Stone animal heads that had broken off long ago returned to their rightful bodies. The place rebuilt itself, piece by piece, creating a massive room that was fit to worship any god.

My heart leapt. I’d done it!

In the center, a huge stone statue grew.

“The monkey,” Nix said.

I grinned as I let my magic flow, feeding the statue and bringing it back to life. The final result was over twenty feet tall, expertly carved and brimming with magic. In front of it, the air shimmered, roughly human shaped.

“Del!” Nix pointed to it.

Shoot. I pulled back on my magic, careful not to go too far. Last thing I wanted to do was bring back any living beings. The shimmer in the air faded, leaving just us and the monkey. Light streamed in from gaps in the wall near the ceiling, shedding light on the massive space.

Nix walked in a circle around the monkey. “This thing is bigger than I expected.”

“No kidding.”

“We’re going to have to change the procedure. Put the magic in something smaller.”

“Yeah. I’m not interested in trying to haul a replica of this guy out of here.” Normally, Nix took the magic from the original artifact and put it into an identical replica she’d conjured. This was not normal.

“How about a mini monkey?” she asked.

“Perfect.” I stepped back and pulled out my cellphone, then began to snap pictures of the monkey statue and the surrounding temple, keeping my ears perked for the sound of approaching footsteps. I’d brought this place back to a period when it should be abandoned—approximately 100 years after the last recorded habitation—but you just never knew.

Near the monkey, Nix set to work. This was her specialty. When we’d set up our shop, she had learned how to magically forge the artifacts Cass and I found so that we could put the originals back in their resting places. It kept our consciences clean and us on the right side of the law. Normally, she’d do it at the shop, but she’d been ready to get out from behind the desk.

Her magic swelled around her, the scent of flowers delicate on the air. She knelt and pressed her right hand to the monkey’s leg, then hovered her other hand over the ground. When she closed her eyes, the hum of magic grew.

Her left hand glowed. Beneath it, a small monkey statue began to materialize. A moment later, it appeared fully—a perfect replica.

“Now for the next step,” she murmured.

She bit her lip in concentration as magic flowed from the large monkey statue to Nix’s hand in the form of blue smoke. It hovered around her palm. Once she had gathered it all, she let it sit for a moment. She’d told me once that she infused it with a bit of her own magic to stabilize it a bit. Once the magic stopped shimmering and looked like simple blue smoke, she moved her hand to hover over the miniature replica and pushed it into the stone. Once it had disappeared into the replica, she picked it up and stood.

“Done!” She displayed the monkey. “The magic won’t last forever, but it’s stable enough that we should be able sell it and the buyer will have time to use it.”

“Good enough for me.” I spun in a circle, checking out the now intact temple. “And this place can now rest safe.”

With the dangerous magic now removed from the giant monkey statue, we’d changed a tiny bit of history. The magic would never blow up the monkey statue or the temple. We’d brought this place back from the dead.

“For a while at least.”

“Yeah.” Time would always win. This place would break down naturally as all ancient places did, but not anytime soon now that the monkey’s magic had been taken out of the equation.

Nix tucked the monkey into the pocket of her cargo pants and approached me. “You know, this wasn’t so hard. I don’t know why you and Cass always come back all bloodied and stuff.”

I groaned. “Jinx us, why don’t you?”

She laughed, the sound echoing in the massive chamber.

I knocked on my head for good measure and turned for the exit. We didn’t have any transportation charms, and like most magical cities, this one was protected against people just transporting in via magic. So the only way out was the same way we’d come in.

We hurried across the temple. The air in the temple was cool and the light dim. Stepping out into the sweltering brightness of the mid-day jungle was a shock to the senses. I blinked against the light, then gasped.

The courtyard all around us had returned from the past, just like the temple, and it was spectacular. I hadn’t realized my magic had traveled this far. The ground was paved in white limestone. Statues of animals and humans lined the walkway toward the moat.

“Nice,” Nix said.

Magic prickled on the air, and it wasn’t ours.

“Yeah.” My heart pounded. “You might want to conjure a weapon. I don’t know what kind of protective enchantments I brought back.”

“Oh, hell.” Her magic swelled slightly, and a moment later, a bow appeared in her hand. A quiver full of arrows materialized at her back. “You can’t just send this place back in time and get rid of whatever protective enchantments might try to get us?”

I shook my head. “Not now that we’ve taken the magic from the statue. We changed history. The temple compound was technically never destroyed because we took the magic that decayed and exploded.”

I eyed the statues warily as I stepped out of the temple.

The stone beneath my feet shot into the air, carrying me up with it. I stifled a scream. The statues weren’t the problem. The ground was.

“Jump!” Nix yelled.

I was at least eight feet in the air and rising. I leapt off, not wanting to find out how high this thing would take me. I stumbled when I hit the ground, going to my knees. Before I could rise, the stone I crouched on lifted into the air, taking me with it. I scrambled off. Every stone I walked on tried to carry me off, so I sprinted for it, leaping from stone to stone as they rose into the air.

“Come on!” I cried.

I could hear Nix behind me as we sprinted across the shifting ground. My breath heaved as I raced, my lungs burning. We’d made it halfway to the moat by the time the ground stopped moving. I skidded to a halt, panting.

“Oh, fates.” I panted, leaning over to prop my elbows on my knees.

Nix did the same.

Somewhere nearby, stone scraped against stone. I shot up in time to see a monkey statue come to life, rising up on two feet. It was easily ten feet tall.

“Now these things want to party?” I returned my sword to the ether, since it would do a fat lot of good against stone, and adopted my Phantom form.

The monkey clambered toward me, too fast for a thousand-pound statue, as far as I was concerned. I called upon my new ice power, letting the chill flow through me. When it had filled my limbs, making them heavy and cold, I threw out my hands and directed an icy blast at the ground in front of the monkey’s feet. Ice formed in front of him. When his massive foot hit the gleaming stuff, he slipped, crashing to his back.

“Nice!” Nix said.

Behind the monkey, a jaguar statue and a huge stone snake came to life. Their heads turned toward us, then they charged.

“Oh, hell,” I muttered. They were all enchanted, not just the monkey. “I don’t have enough power to defeat them all. We gotta run for it.”

“Yep!” Nix spun and sprinted toward the moat.

I followed, turning occasionally to shoot ice at the statues’ feet. They slipped and fell, but more kept coming. Another stone monkey darted out from my left side, swiping a massive paw through my Phantom form.

I shot ice at his feet and he slipped, crashing to the ground. When we reached the moat, we raced for the special stones.

“Which ones?!” Nix cried.

“To your left.”

She spotted the right one and leapt across. I followed, praying they still worked. My heart stayed lodged in my throat the entire time, but we made it to the other shore safely. When I turned to look back at the temple compound, all looked normal and quiet. The statues had returned to their proper places. My ice glittered in places, but that would melt soon.

“Whew.” Nix panted. “The spell died.”

“Yeah.” I propped my hands on my hips. “It looks so danged normal, you’d think we were freaking out for no reason.”

On the other side, the jaguar lounged, half his steak uneaten and his gaze on us. The expression on his face very clearly said, Overreact much, ladies?

One minute, you’re about to die, the next, a freaking cat is making fun of you. Life.

I stuck my tongue out at him, then turned to Nix. “What do you say we get back? I think I need a bath.”

“Yeah, you and me both, dude.”

CHAPTER TWO

By the time Nix and I arrived back in Magic’s Bend, we were dragging. Exhaustion was a monkey on my back—one of those stone monkeys we’d narrowly escaped back in Honduras.

But that didn’t mean we were sleeping. Oh no. It was party time.

I showered quickly, switched out my lucky bracelet for a lucky necklace made of fae silver, then grabbed my keys and hurried out of the apartment and down the stairs. By the time I stepped out onto Factory Row, the sun had set fully and the night was brisk. I shivered and zipped my leather jacket up to my neck, then turned left and headed to Potions & Pastilles.

Lights spilled out from the windows, illuminating the sidewalk out front with a golden glow. I pulled open the glass door and stepped into the warmth of the coffee shop. In honor of the occasion, the interior was done up in twinkle lights and balloons.

My friends had pushed the tables aside and were gathered in the middle of the room. Cass, Aidan, Nix, and Claire stood around the birthday guy, Emile. Connor, resident music expert, was in the corner fiddling with the sound system.

“Del!” Cass cried. “You’re back.”

“Yep!” I grinned as I approached. “Mission accomplished.”

“Nix was telling me.” Cass nudged Nix with her shoulder. “Not bad, all in all, huh? With your new power, the sky’s the limit in terms of the artifacts we can recover.”

It was a big responsibility, and normally that might have given me hives, but warmth filled me at the idea. I turned to Emile, the man of the hour. He was a skinny guy with dark hair and a kind face. A black and white rat sat on either shoulder, each wearing a tiny paper party hat that matched Emile’s. Emile was an Animus mage, and Ralph and Rufus were his buddies.

“Happy birthday, Emile!” I said.

He grinned. “Thanks.”

I scratched Ralph under the chin, then Rufus.

“They like you,” Emile said.

“I like them.” More than most humans, really. And it seemed that my connection to them was possibly growing.

Claire hiked a thumb toward the bar and grinned, her dark hair gleaming under the twinkle lights. “Help yourself. There’s a box on the counter.”

“You know me so well.” I headed toward the counter, grateful for my awesome friends.

I was fiddling with the spout on the box of red wine when Cass approached, silver can of PBR in her hand.

“So, when will Roarke show up?” she asked.

“Not sure. Once he’s done with the problem in the Underworld. Some minor demon uprising.”

“Those common?” Cass asked.

“I think so? I really need to ask more about it.” Roarke and I had known each other only a couple weeks. He wasn’t technically my boyfriend, but he was the closest thing I had to one.

I finally got the little tab of silver foil off the wine box spout. “Jackpot!”

“Any luck with your dragon sense and finding Draka?” Cass asked as I poured wine into the coffee mug I’d snagged from behind the counter.

My shoulders slumped slightly. “No.”

I’d been trying every day—every hour, almost—to get a hint of Draka’s location, but my dragon sense was too weak. Like always.

I tried to shake off the crappy feeling of failure. Moping would do no good. And it was possible that she was blocked from me somehow, which scared me more than anything.

Concern darkened Cass’s eyes. “You really think something has happened to her?”

I leaned against the counter and clutched my wine. “Yeah. I mean, I don’t know her well. Just through my dreams and the few times she helped me a couple weeks ago—but why the heck would she just disappear like that? She came to me as soon as she escaped the Underworld and helped me when I was in a bind. Then, nothing. Zip. Nada. She’s gone. And I’m really worried.”

Cass squeezed my shoulder, and I leaned into her touch, but it did little to banish the chill of concern that iced my skin. I just had this feeling. And for someone as superstitious as me, that meant something.

“You know we’ll do whatever we can to help, right?” Cass said.

“Yeah, I know.” I just needed to do more. It was my responsibility.

As I raised the coffee mug to my lips, the blue light flashed in my eyes again. My grip loosened on the cup, and it crashed to the counter, shattering. I staggered, my eyes blind. Cass’s grip saved me from cracking my chin on the counter.

I panted, blinking to clear my vision as Cass helped me stay on my feet. My knees felt like jelly.

“What the hell was that?” she demanded.

“Again!?” Nix cried.

Cass’s head whipped toward Nix. “What do you mean, again?”

“She did this before! Back in Honduras. And last night.”

Cass glared at me. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I didn’t think it was anything!” I rubbed my forehead, trying to dispel the ache that had set up between my eyes like a troll crouching under a bridge. “Apparently I was wrong.”

“What do you think it is?” Nix asked.

Behind her, everyone else had gathered, their concerned gazes glued to me. The front door opened, and Aerdeca and Mordaca stepped inside, looking like light and dark in their usual outfits of icy business woman and Elvira, respectively.

Great. Just what I needed. More people to witness my descent into madness. At least Roarke wasn’t here.

“Well?” Cass demanded. “What do you think it is?”

“I honestly don’t know.” I sighed. “But it’s getting stronger. And…and more familiar.” It felt crazy to say it, but it did feel familiar. “I don’t think it’s bad.”

“Hmmmm.” Skepticism flashed on Nix’s face, her brows drawing close and lips pursing.

Ralph and Rufus hopped off Emile’s shoulders and landed on the counter, then ran across and jumped onto me. They scaled the sleeves of my jacket, perched on my shoulder, and rubbed their little faces against my neck. Warmth filled my chest.

“Thanks, guys.” I stroked each on the back, then met the gazes of everyone staring at me. “Just give me some space, okay? I’ll figure it out.”

Everyone frowned, even Aerdeca and Mordaca, both of whom usually appeared aloof regardless of the circumstance.

I stared everyone down, and eventually the party started up again. Despite the drinks and music—curated by Connor, of course—there was a heaviness to the air. Like something was about to happen.

* * *

I collapsed into bed and slept like the dead.

Except for the dreams. Because of course I wouldn’t get a break. I almost didn’t even realize I was dreaming, except that I’d banished this place from my memories long ago.

But I was back there in my mind. Back where it was dark and cold. Darker and colder than any other place I’d ever been.

Damp stone, hard beneath my butt and back as I huddled against the wall of the cell. By memory, my gaze was trained on the place where the door was located. Not because I had any hope of escaping—there was no hope of escaping the Monster’s dungeon—but because I longed to see light when it finally opened.

Unlike my two fellow prisoners and only friends, I wasn’t afraid of the door opening, no matter how bad it was on the other side. I could be the one they dragged away next, but I didn’t care. I was so desperate to see light that I’d take the risk that they’d choose me next.

“How long have we been here?” whispered the girl next to me.

I’d only ever caught glimpses of her face in the flash of light from the door. Enough to know that she had pale skin and red hair and was roughly my age. I was about fourteen, I thought. That was the last birthday I remembered. Draka had been the only one there. My chest ached to see her again.

I reached for the girl’s skinny hand and gripped it tight. “I don’t know.”

“We’ll get out,” said another girl. Her fingers closed around my other hand.

She had brown hair. I tried to picture her face as I’d seen it in a brief flash of light, but that was all I could remember.

“But how do we escape?” I asked. However long I’d been in here, the time had stolen my hope of getting out.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But we’ll do it together.”

I squeezed her hand tight. Her words gave me a flicker of hope. No matter what happened, we were together. I wasn’t alone.

I leaned my head back against the stone wall and stared up at the dark ceiling.

I dozed off, as I often did. It was my only escape.

At first, I thought the flash of blue light was my imagination. But when the familiar sense of warmth and the smell of sweetness struck me, my heart raced. The air swirled with a blue glow.

Draka!

My friends whimpered and drew back, but I leapt up and raced into the middle of the small cell. The blue glow coalesced to form Draka’s dragon form. She wrapped her shining wings around me. Warmth and comfort surged through me, driving out the hunger and cold. We had a connection, Draka and I, forged by some magic I didn’t understand. She was always there for me. My true family.

“I’m here to take you home,” she said in my mind.

The ether tugged at me. Draka began to spin around me as a blue haze, igniting her magic. Pulling me away from my friends!

“No!” I cried. “I can’t leave them. They must come.”

“I cannot,” Draka said. “I am not strong enough.”

The ether pulled harder as Draka tried to use her magic to pull me away. I could’ve escaped! Gone home! Though the idea of escape made my heart sing, home was a much more frightening concept.

But it was better than this nightmare.

“Don’t hurt her!” one of my friends cried.

It snapped me back to reality.

“I can’t leave them!” I resisted Draka’s pull. I didn’t know where I was or how to get back to save my friends. And I couldn’t leave them here—not after all we’d been through. We were a team. I wouldn’t abandon them.

“Come back when you can save us all,” I begged.

“I cannot.” Sorrow echoed in Draka’s voice. “You must come now.”

I fought her, unwilling to abandon my friends. When the door to the cell burst open, blinding light flashed into the dark room. The guards shouted, throwing something toward us. Light burst again, this time from some sort of weapon. My skin stung wherever a fine mist hit it.

Draka hissed and disappeared.

No!

* * *

I jerked upright in bed, gasping. Tears streamed down my face, and sweat stuck my hair to my neck. The memory of the dream made my heart pound like an elephant’s galloping footsteps.

With a shaky hand, I pushed the hair off my forehead and glanced at the clock. Seven in the morning. I groaned and let my head thump back against the headboard. Pain shot through my skull and I winced.

I was a mess.

I climbed out of bed on trembling legs and dragged myself to the shower. The hot water blasted away some of the shakes that made me feel like a noodle, but my mind was still racing by the time I got out and dried myself off.

I pulled the fluffy robe off the back of the bathroom door and tugged it on. It was covered in little cartoons of dancing seals, but the familiar sight didn’t make me smile as usual. I’d just stepped out into the living room when a knock sounded at the door.

I frowned. It was way too early for Cass or Nix to be up.

“Who is it?” I called. No one else had access to the green door that led up to our apartments.

“Roarke.” His deep voice carried easily through the wood.

My heart leapt, and I hurried to the door and yanked it open. Who’d let him in? Probably Cass or Nix.

Roarke stood on the other side, two paper coffee cups and a paper bag in his hand. He grinned, so handsome in his black jacket that my head swam a little.

Mentally, I kicked myself. I really needed to get it together. Twenty-five years of not losing my head over a dude had given me weak resistance muscles. Ever since I’d decided I trusted Roarke—which wasn’t that long ago, in fairness—I’d been a freaking ninny about him.

“Hey.” My gaze roved from his dark hair down to the boots on his feet, taking in the height and muscles that made my blood race every time I saw him. We’d only ever kissed and shared a couple of exhausted, chaste nights in the same bed, so my stupid hormones were in overdrive.

This guy was making me act like a teenage boy.

He raised his brows. “Can I come in?”

“Uh, yeah.” I stepped back awkwardly, realizing that I’d been staring at him for who knew how long.

But hell, I wasn’t going to kick myself over it. After that shitty dream, I’d take whatever distraction I could get and be grateful for it.

Roarke stepped in and set his stuff on the table, then turned to me and pulled me close. My heart jumped as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

His kiss was firm and soft all at the same time, so perfect that my heart raced, and I had to grip his shirt to keep my balance. The sandalwood scent of his magic swirled with the fragrance of the soap he used, making my head spin.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. “I found that I missed you while I was gone.”

A smile tugged at my lips. “I missed you, too.”

And I had. More than I’d expected. Whatever was between us was casual. At least, it should’ve been.

Maybe it wasn’t.

Roarke pulled away, and his gaze met mine. Concern turned his dark eyes fully black. “Are you all right? You look a bit pale. I didn’t think my kissing was that bad.”

“Oh, it’s not.” I scrubbed a hand over my face. “Just a dream. I’ll be better with some coffee. Is one of those for me?” I pointed to the cups on the table.

He picked up the smaller one and handed it over. “Double shot of espresso. Motor fuel.”

“Thank you.” I took the cup gratefully and sipped, sighing at the familiar taste of Connor’s perfect concoction.

I reached for Roarke’s hand, then pulled him to the couch. He sat and I curled up next to him, close enough that my side was pressed against his. The contact made awareness prickle across my skin.

“Did you just finish up in the Underworld?” I asked. “All demon uprisings repressed?”

Wearily, he dragged a hand through his hair. “It may have been a false alarm. I couldn’t find anything when I reached the supposed location of the troubles.”

“Hmmm. That can’t be good.”

“It’s unusual, to say the least.” He took a big sip of his coffee, then looked at me. “Are you sure you’re all right? That must have been a terrible dream.”

“It was.” I polished off the last of my espresso, then reached for his hand. His strength gave me strength. And I wanted to talk about this. I had to.

“Do you remember how I told you about being held prisoner as a kid by a guy we called the Monster?” I asked.

“I do. Did you dream of it?”

“Yeah. I’ve never actually remembered what went on in that cell while we were held prisoner. It’s lost with all my other memories of the time before I woke in that field ten years ago. Cass has remembered some stuff, though. Like how he wanted us for our FireSoul powers and that we attacked a guard and eventually escaped. But last night, I dreamt of it for the first time. Draka tried to save me.”

“She did?”

I nodded, worrying my lip. “But I wouldn’t let her take me without Nix and Cass. When the guards came, they drove her away. The weird thing was—when she told me she was taking me home, I was afraid.”

“Of her?”

“No. She always makes me feel loved. It was the idea of home that was bad.” I frowned. “But then, all my memories of home haven’t been great.”

Roarke tugged me to his side and squeezed. I leaned my head against his shoulder and tried to absorb his warmth.

When Cass had recovered her memory, she’d learned that she’d had loving parents who’d died trying to save us from the Monster. But everything I was learning about my past made my heart feel like it was full of lead.

Suck it up. Plenty of people had crappy childhoods. I was here, wasn’t I? Happy and healthy, with friends and a great life.

I wasn’t going to let this crap drag me down. Draka needed me.

Which meant I needed to get back to trying to find her. However I could.

I patted Roarke’s thigh. “Thanks for listening. I’m going to go get changed.”

I stood and headed for the bedroom. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, pain tore into my mind, followed by a flash of blue light that was so bright I went immediately blind. My legs turned to jello and I fell, crashing to the ground on my hands and knees. But even they wouldn’t hold me. I collapsed to my front.

The pain receded almost immediately, leaving behind the most familiar feeling of comfort and warmth. And that memorable sweet smell.

Draka.

My dragon sense roared, latching on to her.

“Del!” Roarke’s voice echoed through my mind, like he was yelling from the other side of a football field.

I blinked, trying to push myself up off the floor. But I couldn’t budge. I was a noodle once again, and this time, I was about as lifeless as one. I felt Roarke’s strong hands as he rolled me over gently, then picked me up. He cradled me against his chest as my vision began to clear. He was walking. Taking me to the bedroom.

“I’m okay,” I croaked. I rubbed my forehead, which now only ached slightly.

“You don’t look okay.” He reached the bed and was about to set me on it.

I pushed at his chest. “No, set me on my feet. I’m not an invalid. I’m fine.”

Better than fine. I was great.

Roarke put me on my feet, and I clung to him, waiting for my legs to remember their job. The blue light had shocked my system, sending it into a tailspin.

“Draka contacted me,” I said. “I know where she is.”

“What? Just now?”

I nodded, grinning. “Yeah. The last couple of days, I’ve been seeing this flash of blue light. I didn’t know what it was. But it was her. It happened again just now, but this one was a real doozy. It’s like she finally succeeded in reaching me.”

To his credit, he didn’t look at me like I was nuts. He also didn’t let go of my arms, clearly afraid I would face-plant. I probably would.

“What did she say?” he asked.

“Nothing. She didn’t have to. We have a connection.” A memory from my dream flashed in my mind. I’d thought the same thing when she’d come to save me from the Monster’s dungeon. Now it was my turn to save her.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know, really. I think the connection was broken when I lost my memory. But it’s back, and she gave me a clue about her location. A place for my dragon sense to find.”

“That’s great. Where is she?”

“Close. Surprisingly close. Only a couple hours away.” I pushed away from him and wobbled over to my dresser, gaining strength with every step. I turned back to him and made a shooing motion. “Scram. I need to change. We have to leave immediately.”

“You’re not well enough. You’re walking like you just spent a year at sea.”

I turned. “I don’t care. She’s my family. I’m going to get her. Now.” I tested out a few small jumps, keeping my jello-legged wobbling to a minimum. “See? I’m almost back to normal. You can’t stop me, Roarke. Not when it comes to saving someone I love.”

Resignation sliced across his face. He nodded, his gaze solemn. “I get it. We just need to play it safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, but my mind was totally preoccupied with what it might take to save Draka. I couldn’t fail. I just couldn’t.

You can also to get a free copy of Hidden Magic, and learn how the deirfiúr got started in the treasure hunting business.