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“This is it,” Holly breathed, looking at Synora.
“We just need a few herbs,” Synora said, scanning over her papers. She looked up at her mother’s dead plants in the windows.
“Could we get them from Greta?” Holly asked, distracting Synora’s gaze.
“Probably.” Synora smiled.
Holly returned her smile. “Let’s do it, then.”
Synora handed Holly her pants. “You might want to get dressed first. You’re too distracting as is.”
Holly blushed as Synora laughed at her, but she pulled her pants on with an extra shimmy that had Synora’s eyes darkening. “No distractions now.” She wagged her finger at Synora.
Synora pulled her in close for a quick kiss. “You’re always distracting to me, in the best way.”
CHAPTER18
“And that should be it,” Synora said, crushing the last set of herbs in Holly’s travel mortar-and-pestle set.
They had gone to Greta, who thankfully had all the herbs in stock, and had swiftly made their way back to the portal and the rest of her mates as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Synora and Holly were working in a grassy patch of ground next to the portal, combining the herbs in order of her mother’s recipe.
Holly took the ground herbs and mixed them into the bowl sitting on her lap. A slightly bitter aroma rose up from the bowl, and Holly tried not to wrinkle her lips. She was already going to have to negotiate with Luca’s dragon to get him to take this. No need to give him extra ammunition to refuse.
She rose to her feet, the bowl balanced carefully in her hands. Luca eyed her warily as she approached.
“I need you to drink this,” Holly said as she approached him.
Luca turned his nose away from her. “Please?” Holly softened her voice. “For me? It’s so you can stay closer to me.”
Luca snaked his head back to face her. He sniffed the bowl in her hands, and his lip curled at the smell. “I know. But you can do it quickly,” Holly assured him.
He sent her an image of Holly sleeping next to him. He wanted a night with Holly.
“That’s fine,” Holly said, hiding her smile. One night next to her dragon wasn’t going to be a hardship.
Luca grumbled but opened his mouth so Holly could pour the concoction in. He swallowed it quickly, and Holly watched him expectantly. Synora’s mother’s notes didn’t say anything about the reaction to the herbs.
“How long is it supposed to take?” Kieran asked.
Holly looked at Synora, who shrugged. “My mother’s notes didn’t say.”
When ten more minutes passed and nothing happened, Holly bit the inside of her cheek. “Maybe it didn’t work?”
“Maybe.” Synora studied the notes again. “We followed the recipe.”
“Well, either it takes longer than we’ve waited, or it didn’t work,” Kallan said succinctly. “Either way, we can’t afford to wait much longer.”
Kallan smacked him on the arm, likely for his blunt words, but Holly understood. “The witches’ territory isn’t that far away. We could fly or walk.”
“How long is the walk?” Kallan asked, giving Luca a dubious look.
Holly bit her cheek to avoid laughing. Her stoic warrior mate seemed to have a thing about heights. “A few hours on foot. We should get there before dark.”
“Let’s get walking, then. Just in case the herbs start working on our way there,” Kieran said. He held out an elbow to Holly. “Milady.”
Holly curtsied, playing along. “Good sir.”
They set out toward the witches’ territory, following the faded path between the two territories.
