Page 11 of The Mating Claim

But I am stilldragon.

I can stillfly.

Banking with the wind, she finally arrived at the rundown house much further north in Florida owned by her foster mother. Boards covered the windows, a few shingles were missing from the roof. Weeds grew amidst the knee-high grass on the half acre ofproperty.

She landed on the gravel driveway, and shifted back into human form, clothing herself by magick in tan shorts and a white tank top. A bicycle lay on its side, rusting and abandoned. Lacey went to the bike and kicked thetire.

“Stupid bike,” shewhispered.

Melanie had given it to her for her tenth birthday, along with a beating from her leather belt. Ten licks for ten years, the woman had told her.That will beat the witch out of you. Then she sent Lacey out to ride the bike, but Lacey had been too sore to remain on the seat forlong.

Never again had she ridden abike.

Lacey climbed onto the porch. Heart beating fast, she pried loose a board and peeredinside.

Then she removed a few more, taking care to avoid the rusty nails, and climbed inside. The stench of mold slammed into her, making hercough.

No one had lived her in years, not since the day her foster mother had whipped her and the Silver Wizard removed her and Evie from the home, taking them to live with Lacey’s realmother.

Not even rats lived here now. A faint air of malevolence lingered in the air. Shuddering, she scurriedoutside.

Then she shifted into dragon again and took to the air, hovering above the house and staring down atit.

I should have done this a long time ago. Diving down for the kill, Lacey opened hermouth.

Red-hot flames poured forth on the aging roof. Fire caught quickly, consuming the white clapboard, eating away at the rottingwood.

Brief joy filled her.Burn baby,burn.

But as she watched the fire take hold and destroy the structure, she felt emptiness replace the joy. It was only a house, afterall.

Melanie was the true culprit, the person who deserved to go up inflames.

How many other foster children had she gone on to torment after Lacey and Evie left her care? She didn’t know, for Tristan had shielded that information fromher.

She couldn’t even locate Melanie Thomas through ordinary Skinmeans.

But now she had the Book of Shadows, and she would track down her foster mother and deliver a littlepayback.

No sirens screeched, no neighbors came out to look at the fire. Alarmed, she saw sparks leap off the roof and set the dry grass alight. It was May and this area was under adrought.

Terrific. Now she would burn the entire field andforest.

She flew downward, tried beating out the flames with her wings, but only succeeded in spreadingthem.

I can’t do anything right. Lacey searched the area for any approaching help, but the fire hadn’t caught anyone’s attention. She could fly to a nearby fire station, but the flames would spread far bythen.

Terrific. Now I have to call upon Drust to put it out. I’d be better off asking a pyromaniac forassistance.

Thinking of Drust made her stomach roil, and not unpleasantly, either. It made no sense. She should hate the wizard deeply for how he’d ruined herdreams.

She did feel guilty about this fire, especially if it raged out of control and encroached on someone else’sland.

Shifting back into her human form, she sighed, ran a hand through her hair and muttered, “Hello? Help? Tristan? 9-11? Got a little fire here that’s raging out ofcontrol.”

Instantly there was a soft pop of air, a mist of silver and Tristan materialized before her. Damn, this was not good because she’d barely muttered his name, which meant he’d been keeping close watch overher.

Lacey hated it when any of the immortal wizards kept an eye on her. Especially now with the Book of Shadows in her possession, a book they knew shehad.