I just hope he gets tired of me and wanders off before Jessica comes back, because there is only room for one blue-haired ghostly companion in my life.
The pedestrian light changes. I walk across the street, trying not to flinch when someone else's emotions scrape against my lungs like tiny needles. They're in the car, stopped at the light, and they must be having a horrible day. I fight frustrated tears on their behalf as I hurry away, swallowing down the anxiety that haunts me every time I leave the house right now without the charm Silas is working on.
"And what about my friend? The warrior?" Athanis checks.
Right. Thenakedwarrior.
Hubba hubba.
Last night, in the dark and quiet restlessness of my bed, all I could picture was that gorgeous ancient shifter who had so many intense feelings. I almost passed out from the sheer magnitude of everything he was inexplicably feeling toward me—and thatwas after the shock of seeing him turn into a freaking black dragon.
With his warm skin and long, gorgeous black hair and those deep brown, deliciously hungry eyes—and my gods, those cheekbones that must've been sculpted by angels…
Thatbody.
The ravenous hunger that had flooded my system.
That feeling that I belonged to him, completely and totally.
Not your feeling, I remind myself firmly.None of those were your feelings—they were his.
Of course, I don’t belong to that guy. He's an ancient warrior—a dragon shifter, for crying out loud. According to Silas, the last known black dragon shifter was killed off well before humans began sailing to the Americas to try to escape the monsters in the Old World long ago.
Everyone at the excavation was pretty shaken from the sleepers getting loose, especially because five of the fae were killed as a result of Nivarrah making everyone see all kinds of insane things. But even for how shocking it all was, Silas had a strange reaction. He kept dodging questions about the ancient warrior shifter and not meeting my eye after the other fae put the two remaining sleepers back to sleep.
Maybe Silas just noticed how…ahem.Excitedthe ancient warrior was to see me.
And maybe I should have been terrified of him, but I wasn’t, and neither was my inner animal.
It’s good that I have a therapy appointment first thing this morning. Maybe I can mention to Dr. Sergeeva that I’m having trouble separating my feelings from the emotions of a very confused, disoriented,attractiveancient dragon shifter warrior.
When my brother lovingly but firmly strong-armed me into going to therapy a while ago, he made sure to find the best, most discreet legacy therapist in Chicago. Doctor Sergeeva is ablunt, talented sorceress who specializes in therapy for atypical casters and empaths. Except for avoiding discussing my time in the Nether with her, I'm pretty honest in her office.
"Elise? What about my friend?”
I blink back to myself, smiling at the ghost drifting beside me. Legacies live longer than most humans, and I'm always terrible at gauging their age, but Athanis died looking like a human does in his early thirties. He's tall and slim with a narrow nose, a defined jaw, serious eyes, and hair silky enough to star in a shampoo commercial.
Not my type, but I bet he had his pick of the fae maidens back in the day.
Or maybe he didn't, since he was a priest. They were celibate. Right? Or maybe it's the prophets I'm thinking of…
I clear my throat. “Sorry, I got distracted.”Thinking about your ridiculously sexy ancient warrior friend."I'm really sorry that your friend was still taken by the fae yesterday. He's in their facility near Syracuse right now, still asleep. Maybe I can figure out a way to ask my brother to pull some strings and get him set free.”
Athanis seems distracted, but nods. “Syracuse. I see.”
Rubbing the chill from my nose as I keep walking toward Dr. Sergeeva’s office, I start typing out a message to Everett to ask about maybe getting the black dragon shifter away from the fae facility. I'm still trying to figure out how to word it when a new message from him pops up.
Big Kahuna: Where are you right now?
Me: On my way to therapy. Why?
Big Kahuna: Cancel for today and go home. Get out of the public eye ASAP
Me: ?? Why? Did something happen??
I can see that Everett is typing, but strong emotions suddenly crash into me, shattering my concentration like a thin pane of glass. I stagger back, winded from the anger, aggression, determination, disgust, resentment?—
"Elise?" Athanis checks, alarmed.
