“Or we could go to Caro’s? Is it almost lunch time? She does amazing sandwiches and I—Corin, you’re back already?”
Corin got out of the car that had just pulled up and ran to her side. His expression was thunderous.
Her heart thudded. One emergency wasn’t enough, huh?
“What did the Dans do?” she asked in an undertone.
“My mother isn’t saying.”
“The same way she didn’t tell you she knew they were messing with your hoard—with the other stuff?” she asked.
“Exactly. And another dragon has just arrived. I want you by my side when we go meet them.”
Her heart thumped. “Another dragon?”
Her mother hissed in a breath. “What—”
Oh no.
“Please excuse us,” Corin said. “I’ll return Maya to you and Tomás in a few minutes.”
There was no time for explanations. He rushed her into the car.
“But my Mom and Tomás—” Maya worried out loud.
“So long as she keeps telling him how wonderful his human form is, I doubt he’ll transform,” Corin said. He sounded distracted. Which meant whatever they were heading for was worth being distracted by.
Shit.
“Who is it?” she asked.
“A Montfort.”
Maya’s blood chilled.
The Montforts were the Blackburns’ most hated rivals. And Hideaway had good reason to mistrust them, too—Saint-John Montfort had literally attacked the town in his dragon form when his plot to take it over had fallen through. “Is it Saint-John again? Or someone else?”
Corin frowned. “I can’t tell yet. They’re being secretive.”
“Can’t be Saint-John, then.” She tried to smile, but the memory of the day she’d run away from one dragon only to have another attack the town she’d sought sanctuary in twisted in her chest. “Corin—what are we going to do, when we find them?”
He pulled over to the side of the road. “It won’t be like the last time one of them came here.”
She managed a wobbly grin, this time. “Of course not. The Dans have the property damage market tied up already.”
“We are going to talk. There may be some ridiculous draconic bluster and posturing. I apologize in advance for that. But there will be no violence. I promise. I would not bring you into a situation that was unsafe.” He took her hand. “Apollo and Felicity will use their magic to expel any unwanted visitors. I won’t use mine.”
She squeezed his hand, equal parts reassured and unhappy he thought she was worried abouthismagic.
They reached the crest of the hill, and the town’s magical border. The border itself was invisible, though sometimes Maya pretended to herself that she could see a golden shimmer in the air.
How had the Montfort visitor known where it was? It had to be Saint-John. He would remember exactly the limits of the magic that had literally thrown him out of town last time.
“No sign of anyone here,” she said, getting out of the car. To one side, the hill dropped down to the rooftops of the town; to the other, open land was dotted with shrubs and trees that grew thicker further inland. She rubbed her fingers together anxiously. “Are they hiding? Could this be some sort of ambush?”
“What would be the point of ambushing us within the hearthfire dragon’s protection?”
“Why knock on the magical door and run away?” She frowned. “Unless they didn’t know it was there, and smacked their heads against it. Wait. Is that a car behind the bushes over there?”
