Fortunately, our eyes locked before I could look down.
“We were going to fix this world together, starting with me.” A lifetime of resignation filled his words, sinking into me.
The glowing pale pink drained from his gaze, leaving simple brown behind. His gaunt face filled out. For a brief moment, a young man looked at me. He mouthed two words that could have been either ‘thank you’ or ‘fuck you.’
The gold flurries froze in place. Cold nipped at my nose before the air heated as if a bomb had gone off. Instead of exploding, the magic filling the air rushed toward my hand and surrounded Professor Holiday in gold light.
A tornado of power spun, yanking my hand away from where the professor had been. Cayden pulled me backward, and the two of us stumbled against Ezra’s chest before the magic in theair vanished with a pop. Right where the professor had been, among a pile of fibers and scraps of leather, stood a dragon no bigger than a house cat, jewel-toned wings twitching, every scale too sharp, too real. The horns along its back twisted with dark gem colors and ended in a small, spiked tail.
Feeling rushed back into my hand. I took a deep breath and studied the newest byproduct of my magic.
Cayden squeezed me, and I realized he’d never seen this side of my magic.
“I made it. It’s not my first one.” I clasped his arm around my waist. “But the others were just little shadows.” I pointed. “Look at the scales and those eyes! He could be a real dragon. Why is this one different… Oh.” I swallowed my question and leaned toward the dragon. “Professor Holiday?”
The dragon exhaled a small puff of rainbow-colored smoke. It spread its wings and darted toward me, then nuzzled into my chest, its spiky, horned nose narrowly missing my skin. My heart raced in my chest. I looked past him at the pile that used to be a monster, and his even bigger monster, and my anxiety soared.
Cayden’s blood-spattered face slid in front of me, blocking my view. “Quinn.”
He said my name like it shattered him, voice breaking into tears. The last time I saw him killing his father filled my memory. Whatever I’d just done to Professor Holiday tumbled to the bottom of my list of shit to deal with.
Cayden needed me. I dropped the dragon to throw my arms around my best friend.
“We’re okay. It’s okay,” I said over and over.
Cayden shook in my arms, dropped his head to my shoulder, and cried.
I held him as tears streamed down my face, too. Rowan’s warmth supported my back. I don’t know why I expected Xan and Ezra to join our little reunion. But when I looked up, Ezrahad already retreated to his lover’s side. Xan had his TB in his hand, and the general spoke with one of his five.
My heart cracked wide. For a single moment, Ezra had been everything; now he was already gone, back where he belonged. Our moment was over. Maybe it never should have happened. I looked away.
XanRa had each other. I had to stop forgetting that. Instead of letting hurt sink in, I leaned on my friends, who needed me as much as I needed them.
Chapter 9
Ezra
Yearsago,deepinthe tunnels under The Mile, Xan and I decided to create our family. Until this moment, I’d never once regretted my part in it.
‘You don’t feel any intrusions in her mind?’I asked again, unable to stop myself.
‘No. I do not,’my lover replied, his tone edged with impatience.‘There’s no cerulean-blue magic clinging to her. Whatever you saw, I can do nothing about it until it reappears.’
Seconds dragged. Her dragon darted through the air, restless and unpredictable. The pure energy inside it could level thecastle, I was sure of it. But if my lover were worried, the dragon would already be contained. I needed to trust my lover, but…
‘What about the dragon?’I asked, unable to stop my concern.
Xan side-eyed me, splitting his attention between our internal conversation and my officer’s report.
I never questioned my lover. But I did now. For the first time since I lost everything, I was worried about someone other than him.
‘The dragon’s a byproduct of her Majekah and currently isn’t threatening her. Leave it.’
I barely kept my scowl in check.
Brit and Joe, who had moved away from the trio, briefly blocked my view as they joined us. By the time I could see Quinn again, Cayden had lifted his head from her shoulder, and it took all I had not to step back into her shadow and pull her into my arms, where I knew she’d be safe from him, the dragon, and everything that made my skin prickle uneasily.
‘Keep your distance,’ Xan pressed. ‘They have to see she stands on her own.’
