Leaping forward, Maya knocked her friend to the ground, barely avoiding the blast of fire that sizzled an inch above their heads.
“Dragon,” Tia hissed, rolling to the side and throwing her handful of potions toward the shadowed form that darted through the fog.
There was a roar of fury as the beads exploded to send nasty shards of magic sailing through the mist. The creature had been wounded, but it was doubtful it was more than an annoyance.
“Move out of my way or die,” a female voice commanded from the mist, more flames flowing in their direction.
Maya lifted her hands to weave a complicated shield that diverted the fire to the side. The emerald that hung from the chain around her neck glowed in the darkness, amping up her power. Thank the goddess she’d taken the time to restore the magic stored in the gem before she left New Orleans.
“I’ll shield, you kill,” she said between clenched teeth.
Trusting in Maya’s ability to keep the fierce flames from toasting them into tiny bits of charcoal, Tia rose to her feet and called on her magic. She whispered the ancient words as she released a mire spell, spinning the magic toward the form that suddenly halted as it was trapped in the silvery webs.
“No.” The fire came again, but this time it was directed toward the unconscious male. “He’s mine.”
Maya barely managed to deflect the flames. “I’m guessing she’s not a fan of your Watcher,” she muttered.
The mist parted to reveal the tall female surrounded by a blindingly powerful aura. It was hard to imagine how she’d managed to keep herself hidden despite the thickness of the fog. Maya blinked, her eyes slowly adjusting so she could make out the sheer satin robe that the woman was wearing. It was flimsy enough to reveal the bronzed scales that protected the dragon skin while her brilliant red hair was left to hang down her back. Still stuck in the mire spell, she continued to send bursts of fire toward Joe.
“The bastard imprisoned my people and turned my own son against me,” the female hissed. “I will destroy him for that.”
“Zanna,” Maya muttered in disbelief. She should have suspected when Azh showed up that his mother wouldn’t be far behind. The one-time Queen of the Dragons had made it her ambition to destroy the Watchers since theyhad forced her to sign the dragon/vampire treaty eons ago. And nothing was going to stop her. “How do you keep escaping out of hibernation?”
Zanna shrugged. “I used the magic I could sense attacking that annoying creature.” Her too-beautiful features twisted into an expression of evil anticipation. “It allowed me to slip through the barrier. Now I at last will have my revenge.”
Tia sent another weave of magic toward the dragon, but with a wave of her hand Zanna managed to unravel the spell. At the same time, she broke free of the webs holding her captive.
Maya barely noticed. Instead she glanced back at the pool of sludge that was fading to a sickly shade of ash. More importantly, it no longer bubbled with power. It was being sucked back into whatever hole had allowed it to enter the mist.
“You’re connected to the sludge?” she asked.
“Sludge? It’s dragon magic,” Zanna snarled. “The most powerful I’ve ever felt.”
“Yeah, well, it’s also dying.” Maya pointed out the obvious.
“What?” Zanna’s brows snapped together as she glared toward the pool. Then her eyes widened, genuine fear rippling over her face. “No.”
“Maya, get out of the way!”
It was Tia’s turn to knock Maya to the ground as Zanna screamed in fury. The dragon unfurled her wings that had been tucked against her back, in an effort to halt being pulled into the rapidly emptying pool. Maya was forced to turn her head as the wings beat with enough force to send clouds of choking dust in her direction. She didn’t see the moment that Zanna was sucked into the hole, but she knew when it happened.
One second she was covering her face with her arm, the searing heat squeezing the air from her lungs, and the next she was lying on a filthy linoleum floor next to Tia.
With a groan, she sat up and glanced around, her nose wrinkling at the smell of moldy food and old sneakers. Thankfully the stench of evil magic, along with the metallic tang of dragon, was completely and blissfully gone.
Turning her head, she watched as Tia scrambled across the sticky floor to lean over Joe, who was just opening his eyes.
“Good thing Skye sent me, right?” Maya demanded, cautiously rising to her feet.
It was a relief when her knees held her weight and the dizziness slowly receded from her weary brain.
Tia didn’t glance in her direction. Instead she brushed her fingers over the strange man in flannel PJs, clearly searching for injuries.
“Go away,” she commanded.
Maya smiled, not blaming her friend for needing to reassure herself the man she loved had survived yet another disaster.
“Gladly.” Maya headed toward the door. Soon Ravyr would be home and she intended to spend every minute reacquainting herself with his delicious body. Until then...it was time to relax and recover. “I’m finally going to have that hot bubble bath and glass of wine I’ve been promising myself. If there’s another disaster, don’t call me.”
