Page 160 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“Thank you.”

“So it’s five of us now in the circle,” he said in wonder. “The five intrepid—fact finders!” he said triumphantly, then his face fell. “No that’s terrible. I’ll have to work on it.”

Nyx shook his head, but Luka didn’t notice. He was too busy thinking up a name for our little crew of secret investigators.

He mindlessly toyed with the chain around his neck as he muttered to himself, pulling out a pendant that looked like a vial of sand.

“Are you still wearing that thing?” Nyx asked incredulously.

Luka glanced down at the pendant he was holding. “Listen, it’s not doing me any harm, and if you think I’m letting your dragon fire right near my face, you’re insane!”

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s a pendant that blocks magic. They made all the members at their coo-coo cult wear it so that they could manipulate their kids’ realities and have no magic in their lives.”

“That—“ I paused.

“Disturbing,” Nyx finished for me

“Yes.”

“Don’t you want to know if you have magic? Goddess, you could be destined to be a ryder, and you don’t even know it.”

“You found Zaria while she was wearing hers,” Luka argued. “And if I have a dragon out there that is destined for me, they too could find me and take it off themselves,” he said defiantly, clutching the pendant like it was a security blanket.

“Our bond had awoken before the pendant was put on her, and besides, I didn’t find her, the pendant did its job. My brother stumbled upon her and he alerted me. If not for that, I may never have found her.”

“Perhaps the Goddess put your brother in her path. If I’m supposed to be something else, I’m sure she will do the same for me, and it won’t involve me getting my face melted!”

I laughed. He was strange, but I liked this fae. He could be part of my fact finding circle of five if he wanted.

Yeah, that name really sucked.

SIXTY-ONE

KIERA

Ipushed through the door to the apothecary with an armful of books and came to an abrupt halt.

Vanya was perched on the edge of the counter, head thrown back in ecstasy while a dark-haired male was on his knees feasting on her.

“Goddess!” I gasped, dropping my books, and Vanya’s head snapped up.

“Kiera!” she yelped, yanking down her robes to cover herself.

The male jumped up, pulling down her robes the rest of the way, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Then he turned.

Koen stared at me with a hard look in his eyes, and for a moment, I felt like we were back to the days where Ihad to fear him. I muttered my apologies and fled, leaving my books on the ground.

“What’s wrong, Firefly?” Jaxus asked with concern when I burst back into our rooms.

“Nothing, I—” I pressed my palms to my warm cheeks.

He was before me in a flash, peeling my hands away so he could look at me. “Are you hurt?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”