Page 4

Tari

M y mother’s loud voice startled me awake, and I slowly opened my eyes and rolled onto my side. Ash sat on the floor opposite my sofa while the girls quietly played on the rug beside him. Helian paced the floor like a caged dragon, watery, pink sunlight striking his silvery hair, giving it an ethereal look. Shiri, Drae, and Blaze were sitting at a table on the veranda outside, their silhouettes visible through the sheer curtains covering the double doors.

When I sat up with a groan, Helian raced to my side. “Darling, don’t sit up too fast.”

“I’m fine.” I rested my head against his solid chest, relishing in his warmth.

The girls jumped up with squeals and ran toward me, though Ash scooped them up before they could climb into my lap.

“Give her a chance to wake, you wild wolves,” he said on a growl before spinning them in a circle.

They giggled when he fell into a nearby chair, climbing all over him like he was an oak tree.

“How do you feel?” a woman asked as she held a goblet toward me.

I blinked at her, instantly recognizing the dark-haired beauty’s familiar smile, alabaster skin, and silvery blue eyes. “Cassandra? You’re safe?”

She forced me to take the goblet. “I am.”

I took a slow sip of the mildly sweet and refreshing juice. Then I drank several more gulps. I’d never tasted anything so delicious. It certainly beat the stale tea Shiri and I had been forced to drink while growing up. “And what of the other priestesses?”

“All safe.” She sat beside me, patting my knee. “Thank you for asking. I see you’ve accepted your old body.”

“I have.” I repressed a grimace, remembering how I’d acted the last time I’d seen her, refusing to accept my true body while chasing after Helian like a lovesick fool. “Thank you.”

Cassandra got up as Ash took her place beside me on the sofa, the girls still attached to him like wyverns clinging to tree branches. “Aurora needs to bring Shiri, Drae, and Blaze to your family cabin and then get the dragons,” he said while detaching the girls from his back, setting them on the sofa between us. “We wanted to wait until you woke before they left.” Then he gave Aurora a dark look. “Be gentle. Remember, Mommy carries a babe in her tummy.”

I clutched my stomach when the realization hit me. I’d almost forgotten I carried Helian’s child.

Cassandra gasped, her hands flying to her face. “I’m going to be a grandmother again?”

Before I could answer, my mother cut in. “A boy with silver hair.” She triumphantly turned up her chin. “I saw him with my magic.”

Cassandra smiled at Helian, who blushed in return. “A future king,” she said, her voice taking on a more somber tone.

“I will make sure he’ll be nothing like his grandfather,” Helian mumbled, his cheeks turning even brighter. “Or his father.”

Crossing over to Helian, Cassandra took his hands in hers. “He would be lucky to be half the Fae his father is.”

Helian dropped his head, releasing a breath. “You and I both know his father is a stubborn fool.”

“It comes with youth,” she said softly. “We grow, and we learn.”

When Cassandra caressed Helian’s cheek, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling as if I was intruding on a private moment between mother and son.

Then I let out a grunt when Aurora kneed me in the side while climbing into my lap.

The wolf flashed in Ash’s eyes. “Easy, child!”

Clinging to my neck, she looked at her father as if he’d kicked a puppy. “I just wanted to say goodbye to Mommy.”

Ash instantly relented, stroking her back. “I know. Just be gentle.”

A vise squeezed my chest when Shiri, Drae, and Blaze came into the room. Blaze and Drae were shirtless, their wings tucked tightly behind them, revealing swirling tattoos on their broad, tanned chests. They wore leather pants with all kinds of straps and blades attached to the sides, and Blaze carried a pack for travel. My baby had to go. I kept telling myself I shouldn’t worry. My sister had been keeping my daughters safe these past two years. Still, the thought of parting with either of my children was a poison-tipped arrow straight into my heart.

“My precious girl.” I kissed Aurora’s cheek while clinging to her. “Listen to your auntie and your uncles. Do exactly as they say, and don’t dally for any reason.”

She pulled back, flattening her palms against my chest, appearing far too serious for a child so young. “Yes, Mommy.”

“Where is she teleporting them?” My mother walked in front of us, crossing her arms and scowling down at me. “I thought I heard Asher say the family cabin?”

“Yes,” I answered, “our old home in the Periculian Forest.”

Her jaw dropped. “She can teleport that far?”

“She can.” I cut Shiri a look when Mother’s eyes widened, then narrowed.

Why doesn’t our mother know about Aurora’s powers? I asked her through thought.

Shiri rolled her eyes. Do you even have to ask?

There was obviously a lot my mother didn’t know about my children. Why? Was it because she’d ignored them while Shiri did all the work raising them, or was it because Shiri had forced my daughters to hide their magic from their grandmother? I’d never hated Thorin more than at that moment for taking me from my family and erasing my memories, making me forget I had a family for two years while hiding me in the human lands. So much precious time I’d missed that I’d never be able to reclaim.

“That’s not safe.”

My gaze shot to my mother, who impatiently tapped her foot while giving me an expectant look. Did she really think she had the right to tell me what was safest for my children after she tried to get Thorin to spin their minds? “She’ll have two firemages and a white witch with her.”

When she made a sputter of protest, I held up a silencing hand. “You don’t get a say, Mother. Not when you’ve already proven to have terrible judgment.”

“That’s not fair, Tari.” She pouted. “Thorin tricked me too.”

Unwilling to get into it with her again, I ignored her while hugging Aurora goodbye once more. I did my best to will back the tears, though a few slipped out. I reluctantly let Ash take my child from me, and she hugged her sister before letting Shiri pick her up.

My mother tried to get between them, but Drae and Blaze blocked her with their outstretched wings, devious grins etched into their faces. Had I mentioned how much I liked my sister’s mates?

I stood, brushing a strand of Aurora’s chin-length hair behind her ear. I wasn’t ready to let her go. Ash hoisted Ember into his arms, his strength pouring through me when he squeezed my hand.

I swallowed back a knot of panic. “Remember, darling,” I said to Aurora, “if there is danger, and you get separated from them, you come right back here.”

She glanced from Ash to me. “What about Auntie and Uncles?”

“You leave us, sprite,” Drae said as he pressed against Shiri. “Your safety is most important.”

She shrugged. “Okay.”

My heart raced and my throat constricted when Drae and Blaze each wrapped a wing around Shiri’s back. Any second, and they would vanish.

I blew Aurora a kiss. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, Mommy.” Aurora blew a kiss back, then waved to her sister. “Bye, Em.”

Ember pulled her thumb out of her mouth long enough to wave.

“Guard her with your lives,” Ash said to my sister and her mates.

Drae placed a hand across his heart, bowing slightly. “With our lives.”

And before I could tell Aurora I loved her again, they vanished, leaving nothing behind but the smell of sulfur and the memory of my child’s canine smile. Oh, my mother’s heart. I wouldn’t be able to rest until I was holding her in my arms again.

* * *

Shiri

A FTER LANDING HARD in the dirt, I rolled onto my side with a grunt, thanking Blaze when he pulled Aurora from my arms and Drae for helping me stand. Drae released me and summoned his flames, twin beacons in an otherwise gloomy forest. My nose instantly wrinkled at the smell of mold and smoke. I’d almost forgotten how much I loathed the only home I’d ever known until my mates had taken me to their ancestral home of Abyssus. How I longed to return there and resume snuggling with my mates in Drae’s warm, feathery bed, the invigorating smell of fresh, piney air, and Cook’s sweet and savory tarts. Abyssus was where I belonged, not in some rundown cabin in a dark, dank forest.

My mates both swore as we gaped at the overgrown weeds where the pigpen should have been and the ash that was once our house. The grain shed and outhouse were gone, too, and several trees had been blackened, their limbs stripped bare.

I clutched my throat. “Elements, what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Auntie.” Aurora hung her head while clinging to Blaze. “Thorin scared us, and I dropped the lamp.”

“Oh, that’s right,” I said. “I remember now.” She’d told me about the smoking house before, but I’d been so relieved that my nieces were safe that I’d forgotten.

When Aurora let out a sob, I took her from Blaze, rubbing her back as she buried her face against my bosom. “Darling, please don’t cry. Someone should have burned down that shack years ago.”

I couldn’t deny that, even though she was upset, some selfish part of me was glad to be holding her in my arms. I rocked her back and forth, trying to quiet her while whispering soothing words.

She finally pulled back, blinking at me with watery eyes. “You’re not mad?”

“Of course not.” I dried her tears with the pad of my thumb, just as I’d done for the past four years, loving my nieces as if they were my own children. “All I care about is that you’re safe.”

“Darling,” Drae whispered at my back. “We should go. It’s not safe to stay here overly long.”

A loud, deep bark startled me and Aurora. My mates jumped in front of us, flames arcing off their palms at the sight of the big, shaggy silhouette with the scraggly tail.

Aurora squealed. “Wolfy!”

One second, she was in my arms, and in the next, she’d teleported to our old hound, falling to her knees and throwing her arms around his neck.

“Oh, Wolfy!” she cried. “I’ve missed you.”

I brushed past my mates and knelt beside the hound as he slathered Aurora’s face with kisses while Blaze walked the perimeter of the yard, his flames illuminating burned branches and brush.

I pushed back Wolfy’s big snout when he tried to lick my face. His breath was rancid. No doubt from his favorite pastime, eating his butthole. “Easy, Wolfy,” I said with a laugh. “I’m already taken.” Then I rubbed his mangy head. “Hey, boy. What are you doing here by yourself?”

“Your parents left him?” Drae asked at my back.

“I guess so,” I said as he cast light over us, illuminating Wolfy’s matted, dirty fur. Normally wiry and black, his fur was gray from the dirt and ash that coated him. I fanned my face when I was hit by his stench. He smelled like he’d rolled in skunk piss, his second favorite pastime. “I thought they’d left him at one of the nearby farms.” Though I wouldn’t put it past my parents to abandon our family dog. Add it to their long list of transgressions.

I yelped when I felt a pinch on my finger and pulled back to see my hands and wrists had several flea bites. “Aurora, let him go.” I pulled my niece off him. “He’s covered in fleas.” I turned my head when his pungent odor hit me again. Forget skunk piss. No, this was far worse. Maybe skunk piss and decaying buzzard food. “And he smells.”

She turned to me with a pout. “We can’t leave him here.”

No, we couldn’t, though I wasn’t sure what to do with him. Leave him at Abyssus?

“I’ll give him a bath,” Aurora blurted while scratching her arms.

“Malvolia doesn’t allow dogs in her castle.” Drae frowned down at our old mutt. “We’ll have to leave him at Abyssus.”

Aurora jutted both hands on her hips, scowling at Drae as if he’d suggested we take Wolfy to the butcher. “What if he runs away from Abyssus?”

Drae knelt beside Aurora, waving his light over Wolfy’s back, causing several fleas to jump for cover. “It’s walled. He can’t.”

Crossing her arms, Aurora stomped a foot. “I want to keep him with me.”

“Okay.” I let out a groan. “Okay.” Hopefully, Malvolia’s servants had flea ointment, and lots of it.

Drae clucked his tongue. “You aunt will be angry.”

“I don’t give a damn.” He should’ve known I didn’t give one troll fart what Malvolia thought anymore.

Blaze cleared his throat as he returned to us. “It’s not safe here. You have to go, and I have to start on my journey.”

It felt as if a giant was sitting on my lungs as I watched my mates extinguish their flames and share a hug, their shadowy figures outlined by rays of waning sunlight that cut through the trees.

“Elements protect you, brother,” Drae whispered to Blaze, his voice strained.

Blaze nodded in my direction as I clung to Aurora. “Protect them with your life.”

Drae turned toward me, holding out his hand. “You know I will.”

I stumbled to my feet, taking Aurora with me and handing her to Drae, my gaze tunneled on Blaze as if we were the only two Fae stuck in a fathomless abyss. The darkness that surrounded us no longer frightened me, even if the trees hovering over us looked like skeletal phantoms reaching into a crypt.

I brushed his messy hair from his eyes before feathering a kiss across his lips. “Come back to me, my love.”

He pulled me tight against his hard chest while wrapping his wings around us, sealing us in a feathery cocoon. “I will, darling.”

And then his mouth found mine, branding my lips in a heat-searing, bodice-melting kiss that swept me from this moldy forest into heaven in his arms. His hands were all over me, my breasts, my face, my hair, as if he was committing to memory my body by touch. It was the most erotic thing ever, making me wish our house was still standing, so I could drag him inside and have my way with him again.

I let out a cry of protest when he broke the kiss, untangling his hands from my hair. “We have to go, my love,” he murmured against my lips.

We couldn’t part. Not yet. First Nikkos, now Blaze. It was hard enough being separated from one of my mates. How would I endure missing two?

I tightened my hold on him, refusing to let him release me so easily. “I miss you already.” Pressing a palm to his warm, hard chest, I traced the tip of one swirling tattoo. “I wish I could go with you.”

He slanted a sexy smile, making me want to shove him to the ground and ride him like a dragon. “I wish I could take you, though I’ll have to settle for a lock of your beautiful hair, if you’ll let me.”

A sigh escaped me when his warm fingers traced my neck. “Of course.”

He slipped a blade from his pocket and quickly sliced off a lock of my chestnut hair, rubbing it between his fingers before stuffing it into his pocket with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

“Hurry back,” I pleaded.

He dragged calloused knuckles down my cheek, causing my eyelids to flutter. “As fast as my wings will allow.”

I let out a gasp of protest when he released me, handing me over to Drae, who wrapped a wing around me while balancing Aurora with one arm. And then, before I could stop him, Blaze shot into the sky so fast, I saw only a shadowy blur.

“He’ll be fine, darling,” Drae whispered while tightening his grip on my shoulder. “He can outfly any danger.”

Go now. This place is cursed . Blaze’s dark warning echoed in my skull, indicating he projected his thought to his brother too.

Drae ruffled Aurora’s hair. “Ready, sprite?”

She nodded, then let out a sharp whistle. “Come on, Wolfy.”

Our loyal hound pressed against my skirts, looking up at me with big, trusting eyes. My fingers itched the moment I grabbed on to his leather collar. It was going to take more than one bath—perhaps even magical intervention—to get rid of his fleas and the moldy stench of this place.

* * *

Shiri

O UR LANDING WAS MUCH smoother than before, so smooth, in fact, that I stood rooted to the spot, afraid I’d fall over as I blinked at the dragon trio who gawked at us as if we were ghosts. Radnor, the largest of the three, with glistening crimson scales, had an annoyed look in his hooded, golden eyes. Drakes were known for their short tempers and dragitude, and Radnor was the grumpiest of them all. The only non-dragon he liked was his rider, Helian. He only tolerated Tari and me because we were bonded to his mate, Isa. And he put up with my nieces because they were bonded to his hatchling, Triss.

Wolfy let out a startled bark. When all three dragons eyed him, the hound was smart enough to hide behind my skirts.

Radnor turned a snarl on me. It’s about damn time you came for us, witch.

I jutted one hand on my hip. “Nice to see you too.”

When I’d first heard Radnor’s telepathic thoughts in my head, I had considered myself privileged, for dragons could usually only mindspeak their riders. But since Tari and I were bonded to Isa, we could also speak to our dragon’s mate. Now I realized that privilege was more of a pain in my behind. I’d rather pick fleas off Wolfy than listen to Radnor complain.

I gasped when Triss let out an excited squeal and bounded toward us. The hatchling was as big as two horses and didn’t know her own strength. When her mother stomped on her tail, jerking her to a stop, she flopped onto her back with a wail until her mother released her.

Isa hovered over her hatchling, appearing like a snake prepared to strike, her large, crimson eyes narrowing to slits. Your tantrum doesn’t work on me, child. Control your excitement before you crush someone.

The hatchling’s jaw was in danger of scraping the ground as she sat up with an exaggerated pout while giving her mother a pleading look.

Isa lovingly rubbed her snout against her daughter’s side. Play gently, child, and keep to the ground.

Grunting her understanding, Triss jumped to all four paws and carefully stomped over to Aurora, her wings pinned behind her. Then she lowered her head, and Aurora climbed onto her scaled back with all the dexterity of a squirrel scaling a tree. Aurora giggled while Triss hopped around the garden, Wolfy yapping as he chased the hatchling’s swishing tail. Dodging the old hound, Triss let out a roar of delight. She jumped a little higher with each hop while slyly keeping one eye on her mother.

Isa had finally had enough, stomping on her child’s tail again. I shielded my ears when Triss let out a wail like a dying cat in heat.

Steam pouring from his snout, Radnor hovered over Triss. Mind your mother, hatchling, else you deal with me.

Aurora fanned her face with a frown. “Yuck. Dragon breath.”

Radnor arched back, golden eyes narrowing as he snarled at my niece.

I tensed when Aurora stuck out her tongue at him, gasping when Radnor puffed up his chest, a ball of flame racing up his throat. Wolfy yelped in terror, running fast for an old dog, leaving his human masters to fend for themselves. Drae jumped in front of Aurora and Triss, twin flames sprouting from his hands before I had a chance to blink. Radnor let out a roar, then threw back his head, blowing smoke and fire into the sky, blocking the falling embers with his wide wings. I grabbed Drae’s wrist, my gaze imploring.

When Drae put out his flames, I faced the drake while summoning my siren. “How dare you threaten a child! Stand down, Radnor!” I commanded, my voice ringing like a clap of thunder. That damned dragon made me so angry, I was seeing red.

Radnor snarled again, though he backed away. I only intended to scare the child, witch. His deep rumble echoed inside my skull. I’m not that much of a monster.

I wagged my finger at his chest. “Go!”

He let out an aggravated huff before turning his back on me, his tail nearly swiping the top of my head as he stomped to the other end of the garden.

Drae pulled Aurora off Triss’s back. Her eyes were wide as she sucked on her thumb.

Aurora was usually the brave, defiant niece, but Radnor’s threat had been enough to instill terror in the poor child. I gently brushed the hair out of her eyes. “Auntie would never let him harm you, darling.”

My heart ached when her eyes glossed over, and she trembled against Drae. She swiped at her eyes. “I would’ve gone back to Aunt Malvolia’s castle, just like you said.”

Drae adjusted her in his arms. “Smart girl.” He gave me a questioning look, and it took me a moment to remember my mates couldn’t mindspeak the dragons.

Radnor said he was only trying to scare her , I said to Drae through thought.

Drae shook his head, snickering.

Isa hovered over us, the shadow of her long neck and horned snout blocking out the sun. My mate would never harm a child, Goddess , she projected to me. Then she narrowed her eyes at her hatchling. Go make up with your father.

Triss let out a whimper, then skulked toward her father, her tail dragging the ground.

Drae’s fiery gaze swept the garden. He eyed Radnor for a long moment before handing Aurora to me. “My love. Do you mind if I speak to the captain of the guard?”

“Why would I mind?”

He nodded toward Radnor. “Just say the word if you need me to stay.”

I laughed. “I can handle one stubborn drake.”

Aurora squirmed out of my arms, running to Wolfy, who was hiding behind a bush. Drae kissed my cheek and jumped into the air, flying toward the tallest tower along the wall that shielded Abyssus from the Periculian Wilds. Wolfy took that moment to showcase his bravery and bark in Radnor’s direction before ducking back behind a bush.

Isa gave the dog a curious look. Do I want to know?

“Not really,” I answered.

Her laughter rang in my skull. Any problems from the sorceress queen?

I cringed at the mention of my aunt. “Other than her trying to seduce Helian?” I answered aloud, so Drae could still feel like he was part of the conversation.

I’m not surprised , Radnor projected to me from across the garden. My rider had a long line of satisfied lovers before your sister shackled him. I should’ve bit the queen in two last I saw her.

I pretended not to hear the annoying dragon as I turned up my nose.

He responded with an indignant huff as if I, a lowly white witch, had the gall to ignore him.

How fares your father? Isa asked me.

“Alive,” I answered with a grimace, “but demon possessed.”

Another?

“Afraid so.”

She ruffled her wings, the waning sun shining through her golden, translucent membranes. Is the city secure?

“For now, yes,” I answered, “but Mortimus was killed by the demon wyvern.”

She arched a scaled brow. Frode?

It took me a moment to remember that Beau and Frode had been the same wyvern. “He’s not Frode anymore,” I said, an ache in my chest at the thought of Tari losing one of her beloved wyverns. “He’s a demon living inside Frode’s body.”

Isa flashed her fangs, her low growl rattling the ground beneath my feet. Malvolia was unhinged before she found Mortimus.

I heaved a weary sigh. “So I’ve heard.” I couldn’t imagine my aunt being more unhinged than she’d been last I’d seen her, but I supposed we were about to find out just how much of a bitch she could become.

Radnor stomped back toward us, his hatchling trailing behind him like a kitten chasing a ball of yarn. Once the dragons reached us, Radnor glared down at me. If you’re through ignoring me, it’s time we join the others.

I squinted into the sunlight as a winged figure approached. Drae landed beside me with the dexterity of a feline jumping from a tree. “We ready?” Drae asked us.

Radnor snarled when a howl sounded from somewhere beneath the castle. I flinched, remembering our two prisoners that would have to return with us—Helian’s former betrothed, Arabella, now possessed by Empusa, a powerful demon sorceress, and our brave wyvern friend, Enso, who was being possessed by the tricky demon, Nox. Goddess help us all. How was I going to get the demons out of them without killing them?

I whistled for my niece. “Aurora, darling. It’s time to go.”

She bounded up to me as if she hadn’t a care in the world. I sucked in a hiss when I saw the red welts running up her arms. After we rid Wolfy of his fleas and stench, we’d probably have to burn our clothes.

“We’ll get your mommy to heal your itchies,” I said as I took Aurora in my arms. “You’ll have to bring one dragon at a time and then return for the prisoners.”

Let’s hurry. Radnor’s grumble echoed in my skull. I don’t like being separated from my mate and hatchling.

I glared sideways at the drake. Goddess forbid Radnor be separated from his mate and child for five whole seconds, while I wouldn’t see Nikkos and Blaze for days or even weeks. And to think, we’d have to put up with a grumpy dragon in addition to tiptoeing around Aunt Malvolia’s moods while also battling demons. This shouldn’t be hard at all.