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36
The blindfold fit snugly around Jessie’s head.
It had been a month since the battle in the woods, and everyone was only just beginning to relax and get back to normal…whatever normal was on a planet where people transformed into dragons and witches roamed the land.
For a time, strict restrictions had been implemented, forbidding anyone from entering the forest alone. This time, Jessie had grudgingly obeyed. She was adventurous, not stupid. Having retreated as soon as the other dragons had arrived, Rathmort was still out there, along with a handful of his cohorts who had managed to escape with their lives still intact.
Though there had been no sign of them thus far, it didn’t mean they’d moved on. They could be close by, plotting, waiting for their next opportunity to strike. If Rathmort was a fanatic—and something she’d observed in his glossy eyes that night convinced her he was—he’d be unmoved from his perceived destiny: his divine right to rule over this clan of dragons, and perhaps even every other clan as well.
Though he had lost the battle, his war might only be beginning.
Some part of her suspected she’d only been able to fend him off that night because she’d stunned him again and again with her unruly and unexpected power. Her father had once said to her, “It is better to let an opponent believe you are weak until the time comes for you to inform them you are not.”
Rathmort had been informed. And he would not underestimate her again.
Ever since she awoke from hermagic coma(only two days this time; not bad), she’d spent every spare moment of her time working to improve hermystic arts, which was what she began calling it, since the mention of magic tended to trigger any dragon in the vicinity. Plus, it just sounded so much more dramatic.Watch it, or I may destroy you with my mystic arts. Eat my last cupcake, and I will eviscerate you with my mystic arts.She also enjoyed delivering the occasional retort, “I can blow you up with my mind.”
When she said that to Orik one evening, he’d simply replied, “How about we removed theupfrom that statement?”
And then they had devoured each other.
She told him of the vision she’d had of her mother just after the car crash. Now they both suspected her mother may have had some affinity for magic as well. A talent that could have been passed down to Jessie, but at this point it was only a theory. Sometimes she gazed up at the stars, wondering if her mother was watching over her, and if so, whether she was proud.
The mark on her hand was still there, though it no longer burned. Orik often glanced at it with disdain—as did Jessie herself—but he remained positive, suggesting they’d find a way to remove it. He’d even sent an entreaty to the coven of witches who had been living peacefully nearby, seeking their help. Cursed hand aside, she was eager to meet these new witches and judge them for herself.
Orik’s sudden and complete acceptance of her abilities was a complete one-eighty. Somewhere between saving his life and being kidnapped, he’d decided it was a good thing that she was such a powerful badass…especially since she was “a bit reckless”and“a magnet for trouble.”
When her blindfold began slipping down, she reached up with both hands to adjust it.
“Ah, ah, ah,” June scolded, rushing to fix it back into place. “No peeking.”
“I’m not,” she defended. “Honestly, is this necessary?” It was a little unnerving, knowing Orik and his extended family had prepared a surprise for her and were eagerly awaiting the reveal. Edel had put together Jessie’s ensemble, which, amazingly, was something she would have selected for herself: a white long-sleeved shirt, a zip-up, soft gray vest that matched her slick new hiking boots, and off-white trousers that fit likebuttah.
Methinks the lady and I might just get along.
The outfit said a lot about what the surprise was…or rather, what itwasn’t. This was no Cinderella ball. If it was anything like a soiree, or, say, a wedding proposal—not that she was expecting one!—no way in the nine circles of hell would Lady Edel, Queen Mother with an obvious addiction to fashion, have allowed her to wear such pedestrian attire. No, this outfit screamed “outdoor fun.”
Jessie was practically giddy with anticipation.
They led her out onto the balcony, her refuge over the last month. Orik had packed it with so many plants that it was now a garden in its own right, and she’d managed to subdue her craving/need for the more robust wilderness that seemed to bolster her ma—mystic arts. He’d even had a modest greenhouse built for her, where she propagated and coddled her new favorite plant breeds.Hello, Audrey Two.
To her delight, a nest of adorable little pixies had made a home under the roof’s northern overhang.
Because Orik and the others had brought her out here, she assumed he was surprising her with a scandalous bareback flight to some previously approved private location where they could hike and explore and just be together with no one else around. Where they could climb mountains and make love on summits and stare up at the stars and hide away if a sudden storm brewed.
If any nefarious witches dared to interrupt them, she had her Ka-Bar with her and she’d skadoosh their asses into the next solar system. According to Orik, it had returned to its original shape when she’d passed out, but it no longer felt like she carried a memento of her father. The blade fully belonged to her now and contained a bit of its own magic.
She caught Orik’s scent on the breeze. He was near. To her embarrassment, her body responded with a wave of heat. Over the last few weeks, he’d been insatiable, barely able to keep his hands off her, worshiping her with his lips, his hands, his dirty words, and all his other tantalizing parts. And she’d reveled in worshiping him back.
He didn’t know it, but she credited him with giving her the strength to fight far past her breaking point that night, beyond where she should have collapsed. Losing him had not been an option, and her magic had responded to reflect that sentiment with a ferocity she still couldn’t fathom.
Even in this moment she could barely believe she’d managed to pull off some of the stunts she’d performed, calling on animals and creating a sword of pure blue flame that had managed to mow down a field of trees with a single swipe, as well as lop off the head of a sumo dragon.
Inside the apartment, the door opened. Muffled voices filtered in.
“You got it?” She heard June ask from the balcony threshold, followed by some scuffling. “Wow, that’s big. Set it up over here.”
“Are we sure this contraption will work?” Edel sounded concerned.
