Page 73 of Red Dragon’s Flame

Even after they’d decided to do it, it wasn’t as simple as that.

Thorne and Tyr insisted that the best place for the procedure would be in the Greystones’ lair, back on earth.

Thorne said, “We can give the phoenix a protected space where she can go through her rebirth. Or, if she chooses to go free, we can make sure it’s in a place that’s not near humans.”

Tyr added, “My lab and healing center has Draken wards and safeguards, and we also have the largest collection of healing artifacts and information outside the Dragonlands. If anything goes wrong—or if we need to put Devon in stasis for a longer period—we can do it there.”

Devon held tightly to Mikah when he said that. If worst came to worst, if the phoenix left and the tattoos didn’t work, Tyr could put her in sort of a magical coma—only one where she didn’t need to breathe or have her heart beat. Sort of like suspended animation, until they could figure out a way to help her.

She knew the very thought of that made Mikah and his dragon almost insane with worry and protectiveness. All they wanted was to keep her safe and protected, and this was something they couldn’t protect her against.

And they couldn’t start right away. Tyr needed time to prep everything, and set up the spells they needed to put in the tattoos. Plus they needed magical inks, and who knew what all else.

And Michelangela needed food and rest. She’d been up all night with Blaze working on the tattoo idea.

Every time Devon thought of that, she got all weepy-eyed. And she couldn’t do that—she needed to be as brave as she’d asked Mikah to be.

But every minute that went by wore away at her. She could feel the phoenix getting stronger, getting hotter, getting restless. She was near her time, and she couldn’t hold out much longer.

The hours dragged on, but finally it was time to go. This time the portal wasn’t on the rooftop—there was a room on one of the upper floors of the castle where the permanent portal to the Greystones’ place whirled mistily at the bottom of a huge amphitheater. It was guarded by people and magic, the wards shining brightly in the gloomy room.

That made total sense to Devon. This was the Al-Maddeiris’ back door—their one vulnerability. If anyone was going to hack their interdimensional bubble, Thorne’s lair was the only way to do it.

She hoped his defenses were as good as everyone said.

There was a bigger crowd than she’d expected: not just Blaze and Michelangela and Brock, and Cazbek and Zakerek. She was awed to see that Emon himself was coming, with all his magic, plus his sister the worldwalker—Kira, the one Devon hadn’t met yet.

Mayah would stay behind, getting ready to impersonate Devon at the midnight meeting with the Allohim. Emon, Kira and the other red dragons—except Mikah—would return in time for that.

Devon gasped when she saw Kira—lean, lithe, badass, and dressed in black leather from head to toe. With weapons. She whispered to Mikah, “Damn. She looks like my avatar.”

Mikah gave a little grin. “I never thought about it, but she does.”

“Mmm. She’s not really a deadly assassin, though, is she?”

Mikah compressed his lips. “Um. Actually, I’m afraid so. But I think she’s retired.”

Devon edged closer to him. “You think she’s retired?” Sheesh. Mayah was the only one of the three siblings who wasn’t utterly terrifying. She was short and curvy with a friendly manner and a face full of mischief. She and Tristan had come to see them off—he was Michelangela’s uncle, she remembered, and strongly resembled Mikey’s mother. Tall and slender and wiry, with long platinum-fair hair braided halfway down his back.

Put some pointed ears on him, and he’d make a perfect Elf Lord.

When everyone was assembled, they started through the portal. Blaze, Thorne, Tyr, and the Al-Maddeiri dragons went first, with Emon’s mate Trish. Mikah and Devon next, with Michelangela on Devon’s other side.

Brock, Cazbek and Zakerek brought up the rear.

Devon felt grateful and a bit guilty that so many people were doing so much to help her—even though she suspected it was more for Mikah as for her.

No matter how scary they were, these shifters were fiercely loyal to each other.

She clutched the night light Mikah had made her. He looked down at it with a little smile. “They have lights in Thorne’s lair,” he said.

“I know.” She stroked the dragon with her fingertips. “And I know you’ll be there with me. But…” She shrugged self-consciously. “It makes me feel better.”

He put his arm around her and gave her a quick hug.

As they walked through the portal, that strange feeling of nothingness rose up around her. She was walking, but she couldn’t feel the ground under her feet, and the swirling mist had no substance.

Devon shivered. She didn’t like this, and neither did the phoenix. They wanted to be somewhere. This place…