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Rowan sighed and dragged the grimoire closer to her, not missing how Cherry flinched.

“I’ll take care of it. I promise.” It was the softest tone she had ever used with the witch, and when she saw the woman relax, she knew it had been the right move.

XOXOXOXO

Alessandro had used his proficiency with earth magic to help his dragons rebuild the Draconis Estate to its former glory of sprawling houses, libraries, and dining halls. He was sweating; the combination of physical action and the cold, ambrosia-laced beer in his hand had cooled his temper

Night was overtaking Black Cove, and lanterns were the only source of light as he wrapped up his speech to the Thunder.

Yes, they had been attacked, but it was only because they’d been unaware of a threat out in the world that would dare to entice their wrath. Now that they shook off their complacency, it was time to tighten security on Draconis Estate, and a select few would investigate more deeply into what had caused them to attack one another.

Naseem would lead that expedition, while Alessandro took charge of the other threat they faced, one that he hadn’t voiced but one that his dragons had brought to his attention. What of the elven woman?

It had been too easy for her to take their magic, and if they hadn’t been hurt from their battle with each other, he had to know if she was a threat against their physical prowess.

As he considered how best to test the woman, a familiar ripple of power hit the barrier he had reinforced around Draconis. With a wave of his hand the witch appeared before him, his bald head shining with the moonlight peeking through the redbuds, his eyes half hooded with drink and a goofy grin that didn’t quite go with his giant viking beard or towering body lined with muscles.

“Japhet, thank you for answering my call.”

“Of course, Dragon King, our friendship is worth too much for me to ignore you in your time of need.”

Alessandro wanted to sneer. Friendship? Their relationship was just one favor, gained and paid for over two centuries, and Japhet knew it was Alessandro’s turn to demand payment.

“The Coven has its eye on an elf. One who has powers beyond natural elven limits?” Alessandro went straight to the point. If he wasn’t careful, the witch would go on a tangent that would last several hours.

Japhet seemed to only comprehend what he wanted after a minute of silence.

“Do you mean the Dahl girl?” His voice showed that he was reluctant to talk about her.

“Yes, your one and only apprentice.”

Japhet, whom Alessandro had known as brash and impulsive, was behaving too calculated to fit his normal MO. “What did she do to bring the Dragon King’s wrath to her doorstep?”

“Drained the natural magic reserves all over Draconis and called the roots from my trees like they were twigs.”

Japhet’s nose flared. “The Coven won’t let her get away with that. Do you know how tenuous peace has been betweenthem and the Eastern Elven Kingdom since that elf got into Spellcasters?” Japhet demanded “I keep telling them, they’re going to provoke the Bloody Elf too much one day and I doubt they’re going to let her just be now.”

“Kyron, the Bloody Elf?”

During the elven-dwarf wars, the Bloody Elf had become well-known for his ruthlessness on the field. A war of territory. Alessandro doubted the Bloody Elf appreciated one of his subjects being eyeballed by the Coven.

“Is there another Bloody Elf I don’t know about?” Japhet asked dryly, and waved off the glare Alessandro sent him. “Yes, Kyron the Bloody Elf. That’s the one.”

“So tell me about the woman, Japhet.”

Japhet sized the dragon up, perhaps trying to determine his intentions. Alessandro was sure the witch counted on his massive body to be an intimidating factor to push people to do his bidding, but the Dragon King was full of his own muscle along with magic so ancient Japhet’s would wither before he so much as finished his first spell.

“She isn’t a threat to you, if that’s what you’re trying to figure out.”

Alessandro raised an eyebrow. “I would prefer to be the one to determine that.”

Taking a seat on one of the bistro tables, Japhet put his feet up and turned his head towards the sky, “When she was younger, she saved a witch. One of my wards. Perhaps you’ve heard of her? Chloe Darling?”

“The null.” Alessandro nodded his head. He’d heard the woman’s abilities to cancel out magic had been extraordinary,to the point she could null a Master Spellcaster’s power at the tender age of six. As an adult, she had harnessed that power into everyday jewelry. Her Darling brand was a household staple among humans and weaker magicked mystics.

“During a visit to Incindria in the winter, Chloe had been playing in the woods that separate it from the Eastern Elven Kingdom with some children. She had gotten so lost that she found her way into troll territory during mating season. As I’m sure you know, aggression levels in trolls are high during that time, and one of them caught her.”

Yes, Alessandro had an unfortunate memory of his own troll encounter tucked in the back of his brain. If he really thought about it too hard, the stench of their nests would come back to haunt him.