Bene snorted. “You could have fooled me.”
Gen shook her head. “It comes and goes. I can barely control it.”
“Well, you’re a great artist,” Bene pointed out, upbeat as ever. “There’s that.”
She sighed. “Not super helpful when I’m attacked.”
“What other areas are spelled here?” Henrik’s casual tone didn’t conceal his interest, making my inner alarms clang.
“Oh, they appear here and there from time to time,” Gen said, keeping it vague.
Smart woman. Maybe even cunning. A woman I had definitely underestimated.
“Anyway, the magic is wearing out in places,” she finished.
“Maybe you could learn enough to revive it,” Bene said helpfully.
Damn the man. Always saying the right thing at the right time.Notmy strong suit.
Gen laughed outright. “Don’t hold your breath. I’m more likely to sprout wings and fly.”
The sorrow in her voice went right to my heart, as did her comment. Did she meandragon?
I think she would make a better tiger,my beast whispered hopefully.
I thought so too. Then I winced at a sudden burn on my shoulder.
“Antiseptic,” Gen explained apologetically. Then she stopped. “Wait. Does antiseptic even work against naga venom?”
It had better,part of me growled. Still, the sting was worth it for the rest.
She looked expectantly at Henrik.
He shrugged. “Why would I know?”
Ah, vampires. So fucking helpful.
She worked a while longer, then patted my back. “All done now.”
I frowned. So soon?
When I looked up, our eyes locked.Reallylocked, like two sides of a lifting bridge snapping together, clearing the way for a sudden rush of magic. Everything else faded away, leaving just me, her, and an inexplicable sense of belonging. An aliensensation, because tigers didn’t belong. We prowled around the edges of the action, keeping a safe distance — physically and emotionally. We avoided trouble. And, like soldiers, we protected ourselves.
Our hearts most of all.
“Are those nagas based around here?” Bene asked Henrik, yanking us both back to a world of harsh realities.
Henrik scoffed, as if no self-respecting supernatural would settle in such a remote region.
And yet, here he was. But that was the least of the mysteries that shrouded the guy.
“No,” he finished. “They’re based in Paris.”
“They followed us all the way from Paris?” Gen yelped.
My tail went from tapping softly to lashing in anger. Raising my head, I caught Bene’s eye.
He nodded and relayed my thoughts. “Roux would have noticed if they had. More likely, they had orders to lurk around here.”
