Page 71 of Red Dragon’s Flame

All the things they might never have.

Flames blossomed around them, mixed with the blue fire of true mated love, waiting to be claimed. If only they got the chance. They had to get the chance.

It couldn’t end like this.

They were lying entwined, holding each other close in the dawn light, when the outer door to their living room burst open and they heard Michelangela’s voice.

“Sorry about your orgasms and all, but this is killer important. Blaze and I have been working all night with Tyr, and we think we have something that will save Devon.”

They met back in the guest suite the Greystones were using, along with Emon, Trish and Zakerek. Half the living room seemed to be covered with drawings, parchment, ancient tomes and spell books.

Blaze nodded to Michelangela. “Okay,” she said. “I was thinking about magical tattoos, and how they can embody magical items—or basically any power that can be put into a magical item.

“The phoenix is doing some super-complex stuff within Devon’s nervous system, which we can’t replicate with one item, and anyway external items are too iffy because things can happen to them. But then I thought, what if we did a series of magical tattoos, right down Devon’s spine? Each one could target different nerves, bridging the gaps like the phoenix does, with backup spells to keep each system working. The nerves haven’t died or atrophied, because the phoenix’s energy has been keeping them alive. Tyr thinks it will work.”

Mikah looked at Tyr, and then at Blaze. “Are you serious? You think this could be done?”

Blaze nodded. “Michelangela and I spent all night designing tattoos, and Tyr’s sorting out spells and items that can be incorporated into them. We both think we could do it.”

“But what about the phoenix?” Devon asked. “She couldn’t tolerate all that alien magic. She’d freak.”

“Well, that’s the part that might be hard for you,” Tyr admitted. “We’d have to try to explain it to her, and get her to leave your body before we do the procedure. We’ll have to keep you on life support while we do the tattoos. It will be a long procedure—eight to twelve hours, at least.”

Devon thought about eight to twelve hours of helplessness, and shivered.

Tyr said, “We can put you in stasis, or do a sleep spell, if you want.”

Mikah added, “I’ll be there. The whole time. I won’t leave your side.”

Trish said, “My concern is getting the phoenix to understand what we’re doing, and leave Devon in our hands. I’m not sure she trusts us to protect her.”

“I can talk to her,” Michelangela said. “She likes me.”

Emon looked dubious. “It’s a big ask.”

Tyr said unexpectedly, “I think she can do it. One of her white wolf powers seems to be an affinity for elementals.”

“Excuse me?” Emon said. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?”

“No one knew,” Michelangela admitted. “I didn’t even know. But the phoenix didn’t seem to freak out about me the way it did with everyone else. It talked to me, and I mostly understood it.”

“And it seems she’s picked up a zefir,” Tyr added dryly.

Everyone stared. Michelangela said, “Um. Not my fault? It followed me home from the Greystones’, the night we found Devon.”

Emon gave a soft whistle. “I’ve never heard of a zefir serving anyone but a dragon.”

Michelangela gave her trademark smirk, the one she’d gotten from her dad. “What can I say? I’m irresistible.”

Emon looked questioningly at Tyr.

“I’ve never heard of it either,” he said. “But that’s two different kinds of elementals—fire and air—that respond to her in a way they don’t to anyone else.”

“Shit,” Zakerek said. “Don’t get her wet. Hell only knows what she’ll pick up from water.”

Michelangela shot him the finger. Zak laughed.

Emon said, “If you all think this will work, I’ll provide any resources you need. Financial, magical—just name them.”