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AVERY

“T here he is, he’s coming around,” I heard a familiar voice say. “Thank goodness you got him here in time, Kaitlyn.”

“ Just in time,” another voice said. “It was touch and go for a while, to hear the Healer tell it. She had to work several blood transfusion charms on him.”

“But he seems okay now—don’t you think?” a third voice asked anxiously.

I opened my eyes and saw three familiar faces hanging over me like a trio of pretty moons. Megan, Kaitlyn, and Emma were all looking down at me with anxious expressions.

“Girls,” I said groggily. “What are you all doing here?”

“We’re here to make sure you didn’t kill yourself doing Blood Magic,” Megan said tartly, but I could see how worried she was. “Goodness, Avery—don’t you know you’re only supposed to shed a drop or two? Not drain yourself dry!”

“We’ve been scared to death for you!” Emma added. “You’re lucky Kaitlyn and Ari followed you to the Sky Lands and pried that awful Curse Breaker out of your hand or you really might have died .”

“Well, I knew that was a possibility,” I admitted.

“What?” all three of them exclaimed at the same time.

I winced. It’s all very well to have a like-minded coven until it’s turned on you.

“Take it easy, you three! Yes, I knew—there was a warning in the family Grimoire about it. The Curse Breaker was listed under the Forbidden Magic section of the book. But I also knew that this was the only way to free Saint’s Drake of his curse—which I’m reasonably sure I did.

” I looked around hopefully. “Er, is he here?”

“I’m afraid not.” Kaitlyn looked troubled.

“His father’s men came and took him away, like we told you.

” She shook her head. “I don’t understand why he didn’t Shift into his Drake form and fight them.

Maybe he was too upset—I’m pretty sure he thought you were…

” She hesitated but I knew what she meant.

“Goddess, he thought I was dead, didn’t he?” I demanded. “I have to go to him—I have to let him know I’m alive!”

I tried to get up but all three of them pushed me back down on the healing bed I was laying on. Honestly, they didn’t have to push very hard—I was still weak as a kitten.

“Not so fast!” Megan said bossily. “You might be alive but you nearly died not that long ago. You’re not going anywhere for the foreseeable future, Mister.”

“But I have to let him know I’m alive and I still love him!” I pleaded with them. “Where is he?”

“Still in the Sky Lands,” Kaitlyn said sadly. “But I tell you what—Ari has promised to go tell him that you’re still alive. And if there’s any way to get him away from his father, he’ll do it.”

“I don’t like being separated from him.” I squeezed my hands into ineffectual fists, cursing my weakened condition.

“You girls have to understand—what if someone took your men away? What if someone kidnapped Griffon?” I asked, appealing to Megan.

“Or how about if Bran and Laughlin were stolen away from you?” I asked Emma.

Tears filled her gorgeous purple eyes but she shook her head.

“I understand what you’re saying, Avery—really, we all do. But the Healer says it’s not safe for you to go anywhere for a while.”

“She told me if I’d gotten you here just an hour later you would have been dead—for good this time,” Kaitlyn told me. “I promise you, Ari is going to make the trip really soon. He just needs a little rest before he can make such a long flight again.”

“But—” I began.

“Be reasonable, Avery—you know Saint’s own father won’t hurt him,” Megan told me. “They’re probably just keeping him locked away somewhere. And even if you were well enough to go to him, there’s no way those homophobic Drakes would let you see him.” She glanced at Kaitlyn. “Er, no offense.”

“None taken—you’re absolutely right, they’re awful ,” Kaitlyn said grimly.

She looked at me. “You’re just going to have to be patient and let things die down for a minute, Avery.

Ari has promised to do everything in his power to bring Saint back.

Maybe now that the curse on his Drake is broken, his Sire will let him come back here and attend Nocturne again. ”

“I doubt it,” I said darkly. “He’s hates gays almost as much as my own father. The two of them ought to get together and form an anti-LGBTQ club.”

Just at that moment, right outside the healing room where I was currently trapped by my own weakness, someone cleared their throat. It was a deep sound—and familiar. I had heard it every morning growing up. Goddess, was it?—?

And then my father put his head in the door.

“Excuse me, girls,” he said formally to my coven mates. “But I’ve come to see my son.”