Page 91 of Touched By Moonlight

The very same mist Kallan had used at Crossroads to attackme.

He was back, and had found me oncemore.

No weapons. No human ones. I ran to the row of cabinets beneath the sinks and opened them, pawing through for a knife,anything.

All I could find were those little sporks, which are useless to eat with, let alone fight a dark FionnFae.

Gray mist lazily drifted in my direction. I had a choice, run and abandon Kara to dark forces, or use my powers and riskit…

A lump constricted my throat. I thought I’d have more time. More time to lead a somewhat normal life, more time to enjoy life instead of constantlyrunning.

Leaving Kara here to confront evil was not an option. I headed for the vending machines, set down my bag and drew a deep breath. Broken glass hurt, and I planned to break plenty of it. Already I envisioned spears of it sailing directly at myenemy…

I raised my arms, ready to call forth the power burning insideme.

The cafeteria door opened and Kara burst through. “Sienna! Get out ofhere!”

My psyche was prepared to fight. “Getback.”

“Get out!” She tugged at myarm.

“The vending machines…” Startled, I lowered myarms.

“Are you going to fight her with Doritos? Bad idea.” Kara pulled me out of the cafeteria and we ran down thehallway.

We turned right and then left. Halfway down the second hallway, she yanked open the door to a storage closet and herded me inside. “Safest place fornow.”

“What are you?” I demanded as she slammed the doorshut.

Kara blinked again, her pupils turning to slits. No optical illusion this time. “Guess.”

“Aw shit. You’re a fuckingdragon?”

“Better than that Fae out there.” Kara pulled me away from thedoorway.

Trapped, nowhere to go. Mist drifted beneath the door, fogging the air, turning it icy cold, freezing everything in itspath.

My teeth chattered. Freezing to death in the company supply closet was not the way I’d anticipated dying. I could have called upon my powers to fight Kallan’s magick, but in this vulnerable position, he might leech magick fromme.

“Stay back,” Karawarned.

She stretched out her hands and fire leapt from her manicured fingertips. Fire that burned away the ice, turning it into warm water and moist air. Bottom shelves filled with supplies gotsoaked.

“I hope you don’t need any binders or file folders,” she said with typical wryhumor.

Sloshing through the water, Kara kept going until she reached the door. She splayed her palm against it. “I’ve been watching Lavender since I started working here and underestimated her powers. Damn. That’s so unlike me. I thought we’d have moretime.”

Happy to see her, disturbed that she had hidden her magick from me, I packed the expansive closet. “How did you get here and why are youhere?”

“I’m a mercenary dragon, hired to protect you.” She fished her phone out of her skirt pocket, glanced at thescreen.

“Hired by… Answers, damnit. Who hiredyou?”

“Grayson.”

Shock slammed into me, and yet, somehow I had already known theanswer.

I sagged to the floor, leaning against the rows of metalshelving.