Page 140 of Marked By Moonlight

It has to be out there somewhere, I recalled him saying.

It is, Dad,I wanted to whisper.And I saw it. In person.

I held Marius’s phone tightly. Why was I the lucky one who got to glimpse the painting, instead of my father? And would he celebrate the discovery or mourn my failure?

Sometimes, I had the feeling destiny enjoyed tying up loose ends. Other times, the universe seemed cruel and random.

I lay there, feeling a mixture of both. Lucky yet guilty. Happy yet yearning.

Then I wrapped my arms around Marius, reminding myself what the real masterpiece was. Love. Commitment. The chance to build a future together.

“Good present?” he asked, wiping away my tears.

I nodded quickly. “Best present ever.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

One week later…

I’d never appreciated Auberre as much as I did in the week after we returned from London. No crowds. No traffic. No criminals waiting to ambush me. Just a sleepy little town with one bakery and acres of peaceful forests and vineyards. Best of all was Château Nocturne — a safe, private world of its own where I got to make the rules and invite or exclude whomever I wanted.

But the week since we’d returned — and my first week of mated bliss — hadn’t been as peaceful as I’d hoped. First, because my dragon side had emerged much more quickly than expected, and it was all so new to me.

“Feet out. Wings back. Back!” Marius roared as I plunged toward the ground in what was sure to be a disastrous landing.

And, yikes. I was still reeling from the fact that I’d managed to get aloft in the first place. I’d only meant to shake out my wings after my first shift, but my inner beast had had other ideas, taking off for several out-of-control loops over the château. If Marius hadn’t shifted and caught up to coach me, I would have died in the first few minutes.

At one point, I nearly crashed headfirst into the château’s central tower. Then I’d come within inches of clipping a chimney. Now, I was plummeting to certain death.

Whee!my inner beast squealed happily.

“Steady out! Tail straight! Steady!” Marius hollered in dragon-talk that my mind immediately translated.

Steady would be great, but I was wobbling like an albatross.

Then,thump!My teeth jarred as I touched down — to put it mildly — and tumbled head over heels over the south lawn. When I finally came to a stop, it was just inches away from the ballroom windows. Big windows with arched frames that cost a king’s ransom to replace.

I picked myself up off the ground, cursing every bruise on my leathery body.

“Amazing — shiftingandflying only one day after the bite. Must be a new record,” Marius had announced proudly when the dust had settled.

A day later, my landing was a little smoother, and the one after that was even better. Encouraging enough that I let out a victorious roar afterward. I wasn’t just a mixed-up relic with magic that came and went unpredictably. I was a dragon shifter too, and those skills came to me quickly, even naturally. So much that I started to believe I might be able to harness more magic if I really put my mind to it.

But that would have to wait, because adjusting to the new me wasn’t the only thing on my mind that first week back at home. The police championships were rapidly approaching, and we had a hell of a lot of work to do to get ready.

On the plus side, that kept me from worrying about Celeste. Word was, she’d returned from London, acting innocent as a lamb, then departed Paris — quickly — once Gordon started asking her hard questions. Where she was now, and what Gordon planned to do about it, I had no idea. But it worried me.

For now, though, I decided to focus my nervous energy on the police championships.

“Today’s the big day!” Bene announced cheerily that morning.

I was anxious as hell — hence the lecture I delivered over an extra-early breakfast.

“Swear to me you’ll all be good,” I demanded.

Marius and Roux nodded earnestly. Henrik made a face.

“Goes without saying,” Bene promised.