I looked at Drace. "Are we good to go with Castleworth?" I still couldn't believe the man was a dragon shifter. His business skills were legendary. They were taught in my MBA classes. He was an example in my ethics seminars of professional conduct and sound judgment. Drace smiled. "Yeah, he's coming. He should be here by nightfall if he can travel with the setting sun."I tried to keep the smile off my face. This was not Christmas, and I was a grown ass man. Getting to meet one of my professional heroes should not make me want to jump up and down like a little kid. Or Stretch when she finally took her clothes off at the end of the day. "Wonderful. Then let's gather what we will need for training," Ari said. "I have not been able to locate a garden here. Gardens are necessary for magic."I shook my head. "We were going to get one put together for Hollyn, but we've been a bit busy. What do you need?"Ari's smile was a bit toothy. "I'll make you a list. I'll bring some clippin

I wrinkled my nose, coughed around the burn in my throat. "What is this? Fire water?" I clunked the glass back down on the slightly sticky table. I shook my head. "How the heck do people drink this? Why do they drink it?"Drace rocked to my side. She'd downed at least three of the little glasses full of pale amber liquid before I'd even taken my seat fully. "Cuz they like the effects, not the taste, corcra." Her shoulder bumped into mine as her fiery breath grazed my cheek. Ari smiled as she sipped from a bigger glass. The beautiful crimson liquid in it was a little mesmerizing as it dipped and flowed under the low lights in the bar. "Drace, why do you allow Finn to get under your skin?"Drace jerked upright as she tossed back another tiny drink. She narrowed her eyes at my grandmother. "Under my skin? The bastard owns my heart, don't think he doesn't.""He's your mate?" I asked. She shook her head. "No. He's promised to another, the fecking reptile. But I'll not be the tal

I forced the last bite of the steak between my lips. I figured my stomach could make room for it somewhere, because I certainly wasn't leaving it on the plate. I moaned as the perfectly seared and seasoned beef's flavor exploded on my tongue. "Mm, so good," I sighed as my eyelids fluttered closed again. It was like I'd never eaten anything this delicious in my life. I hadn't. That was the problem. I was going to make the guys buy me steak everyday if it tasted this good. I opened my eyes as I swallowed. Ari and Drace were just as lost in their own meals. I'm pretty sure Ari was swaying side to side slightly as her face showed her glorious rapture. Apparently, garlic parmesan chicken breasts were just as tasty as my steak had been. Drace forked up the last bit of her baked potato. Something else I'd never had before. We'd eaten potatoes in the Village, but they were either sliced up and fried in a vat of animal fat or boiled. I was not a fan of boiled potatoes. But these. Th

Agony ate at my brain. As if every single nerve in my body was singed, my body couldn't figure out which pain to listen to first. Even my eyelashes hurt. How do eyelashes hurt?Oh. Right. Get sucked through a magical vacuum thingy attached to a human stain and pulled through dimensional rifts. Or whatever the heck had happened. A familiar sigh sounded. "Hollyn, I know you're awake. Stop moaning and groaning," Lucinda, head bitch priestess said. I shuddered. Felt my soul crumple inside me. I was back. In the middle of my nightmare that never allowed escape. The Village. Easing my eyes open, I saw that I was back within the four walls that had been my physical cage for so many years. The only place in the room long enough for me to stretch out fully was laying at a diagonal from corner to corner. No windows. But the leaky roof did provide some measure of light and breeze. And rain when the gods blessed us with it. My grandmother's voice rang through my mind again. Do not li

Clapping my hands over my ears, I shuffled backwards from the barrier. Glaring at the sky for no particular reason, I tried to think over the shrill shrieking of the magical alarm. I pictured Thane's handsome face. His fiery orange eyes. His full lips. As I pictured him, his brothers came to mind as well. For others, only their expressions and eye color separated them. But I knew each of them by scent. By touch. By taste. My mind cleared and I saw that bright constellation in my mind. Our constellation. The grouping of stars that drifted across the sky of my mind no matter the time of day. I backed up a couple more steps. The alarm cut off mid shriek. I sighed at the blessed silence. If Merlin, Ari, and the rest of everyone else thought I was strong enough to harness the energy of the sun, then there must be something to the idea. Hell, even Merlin had said I could escape from here. That Patrick wouldn't be able to hold me. If there was even a smidgen of truth to that, then