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SIX

T he delicate scroll in Xai Emberwylde’s hands burst into flame.

“Damnation,” he muttered, dropping the ancient parchment onto his desk where it continued to smolder. With a flick of his wrist, he extinguished the tiny inferno, but not before it had reduced Elder Tygra’s petition to partial ash.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. A thin stream of smoke escaped his nostrils, rising toward the vaulted ceiling of his office. The antique chandelier above his desk swayed slightly in the heated updraft.

“That’s the fifth one this week,” Noven remarked from the doorway, not bothering to hide his amusement. “The admin department is starting to ask questions about our unusually high paper budget.”

Xai leveled a withering gaze at his security chief. “Do you need something?”

Noven sauntered into the office, dropping into one of the leather chairs across from Xai’s desk with the casual ease of someone who’d known the dragon elder long enough to be immune to intimidation. He glanced at the ruins of the scroll, then at the mountain of paperwork threatening to topple off the massive mahogany desk.

“The Fangcross petition—was it really that bad?”

“She wants to ban non-council-approved businesses from operating within three hundred feet of any recognized ley line junction.” Xai gestured to the ash. “Which would effectively shut down half the town, including establishments that have stood for centuries.”

“And you responded by... setting it on fire?”

“It was unintentional.” Xai straightened his charcoal tie with precise movements. “My temperature regulation occasionally... fluctuates when I’m irritated.”

A grin spread across Noven’s face. “I remember when your ‘fluctuations’ melted that bronze statue during the Midsummer Council of 1862. Old Fenris still brings it up every Winter Solstice.”

“He commissioned that wolf monstrosity specifically to provoke me, and you know it.” Despite his words, the corner of Xai’s mouth twitched upward briefly. “Centuries of life, and I’m reduced to playing referee for supernatural squabbles that wouldn’t challenge a hatchling’s intellect.”

“The burden of leadership,” Noven said, his tone momentarily serious. “Though I suspect there’s more to your current mood than Elder Tygra’s petition.”

Xai’s golden-brown eyes narrowed slightly, an ancient, predatory focus sharpening his gaze. “What do you mean?”

“Six days, four hours, and—” Noven made a show of checking his watch, “—seventeen minutes since your last flight. I’ve known you long enough to recognize the signs. Your inner dragon needs release before you carbonize the entire filing system.”

The tension in Xai’s shoulders eased fractionally. Noven was right, of course. The primal beast within him had grown restless after days of confinement to his human form. Perhaps that explained his shortened temper and lapses in control.

“I’ll make time this evening,” he conceded. “Assuming I survive the afternoon’s appointments.”

“About those.” Noven rose, moving to the wall of windows that offered a panoramic view of Enchanted Falls. The town sprawled below them, a picturesque blend of historic architecture and natural beauty, all shrouded in the protective magic that hid it from human eyes. “We should leave soon for the inspection at Purrfect Oasis.”

“The spa inspection.” Xai shuffled through several documents, locating the application file. “That’s not until?—”

“Two o’clock,” Noven finished for him, tapping his watch meaningfully.

Xai glanced at the ornate grandfather clock in the corner. 1:47 PM. He muttered something in ancient Draconic that would have shocked the council elders.

“I take it you forgot?” Noven asked.

“I didn’t forget. I was preoccupied.” Xai stood, his six-foot-three frame unfolding with controlled grace. He smoothed nonexistent wrinkles from his impeccably tailored suit jacket. “The inspection is a formality. The application was thoroughly vetted. Ms. Parker’s qualifications are?—”

“Impressive for a twenty-eight-year-old with no formal education beyond high school?” Noven supplied, his tone innocent but his eyes knowing.

Xai paused in the act of organizing the papers on his desk. “You’ve read her file.”

“I’ve read the summary. You’re the one who ordered the comprehensive background check, including that fascinating study of her family’s historical contributions to Enchanted Falls’s protective wards.” Noven leaned against the window frame. “Quite thorough, even for you.”

“Standard procedure for any business operating above a Class 3 ley line junction.”

“Of course.” Noven’s expression remained neutral, but his eyes danced with barely suppressed mirth. “And naturally, you requested equally exhaustive reports on the fairy nail salon and the gnome haberdashery that opened last month.”

A leather-bound tome on Xai’s desk began to smoke.

“We should go,” Xai said, grabbing the Purrfect Oasis file off the desk. “I wouldn’t want to be late for a standard inspection.”

“Heaven forbid,” Noven murmured, falling into step beside him as they exited the office. “Though I can’t help but wonder why Elder Lysander’s most recent complaint about ‘the lioness spa’ triggered an actual flame rather than your usual smolder.”

“It didn’t,” Xai replied stiffly.

“Mmm. My mistake.” Noven grinned. “Must have been a trick of the light that made your eyes go full dragon-gold when I mentioned it.”

Xai shot him a sideways glance as they descended the grand staircase of the town hall. Several centuries of friendship had earned Noven the rare privilege of speaking to him with such familiarity, but sometimes he wondered if he should reconsider that concession.

“The fox elder’s concerns are baseless,” he said after a moment. “The Parker family has guarded this town for generations. Both her parents served with distinction on the Council of Peacekeepers.”

“Tragic, what happened to them,” Noven said, his voice softening. “That attack in Africa—she was rather young at the time.”

“Twenty-one,” Xai said. “Then she inherited their estate and began preliminary work on the spa concept the following year, though the actual construction didn’t begin until—” He stopped at Noven’s raised eyebrow. “It’s in the file.”

“All of it? Even the part about her favorite coffee and her childhood habit of sleeping partially shifted during thunderstorms?”

Heat crept up the back of Xai’s neck. “You’re exaggerating.”

“Am I?” Noven laughed. “I’ve never seen you this interested in a council inspection. It’s... refreshing.”

Before Xai could formulate a suitably cutting response, a soft voice interrupted them.

“Elder Emberwylde.”

They turned to find Willow Waters regarding them with knowing eyes. The elder witch who represented Enchanted Falls’s magical practitioners stood in the arched doorway of the council chamber, her silver-white hair arranged in an intricate braid that cascaded down one shoulder. Despite her apparent age, her eyes shined with vibrant energy.

“Elder Waters,” Xai inclined his head respectfully. “I trust the ward reinforcement proposal met with your approval?”

“Indeed.” She moved toward them with a grace that belied her years. “Your modifications to the eastern boundary were particularly insightful. The hawthorn anchor points should strengthen the barrier considerably during the next equinox surge.”

“The previous configuration was fundamentally unstable,” Xai said. “We were fortunate no humans breached the perimeter during the last three cycles.”

Willow’s gaze drifted to the file in his hand, her expression turning thoughtful. “Ah, you’re heading to inspect young Zina’s establishment.”