“He says he was here first.”
I glanced at the drake, who was now pointedly grooming his wings with an air of indifference that couldn’t quite hide the amused gleam in his eyes.
“Touché,” I said. “Though I reserve the right to revisit this conversation later in private.”
“I’ll consider your petition.” She sipped her tea, her eyes dancing with mischief over the rim. “Though I should warn you, my magic’s still unpredictable. Side effects may include spontaneous levitation, minor weather phenomena, and turning nearby objects into musical instruments.”
“This sounds wonderful.” My smile came through in my voice.
“Aren’t you frightened?”
“Terrified.” I caught her hand, kissing her knuckles. “And entirely willing to risk it.”
Her breath caught, and for a moment, we simply looked at each other, the air between us charged with something I was too scared to define.
Quandary broke the spell by knocking over the salt shaker.
“I should let you get back to work.” I rose from my chair. “I’ve kept you from your joy magic long enough.”
Cyrene stood as well, coming around the table. “Thank you for breakfast. It was perfect.” She rose onto her toes and kissed my cheek. The gesture unraveled me completely.
When she pulled back, I had to resist the urge to capture her mouth properly.
“You’re welcome,” I croaked out.
She smiled, a knowing gleam in her golden eyes. “I’ll see you later?”
“Count on it.”
I gathered the breakfast tray, painfully aware of her watching me as I headed for the stairs. As I descended, her humming resumed, the sweet melody following me down the spiral steps.
In the hallway below, I paused, noticing something new. Tiny golden flowers had sprouted along the stone walls, their petals catching the light. They hadn’t been there this morning. I was certain of it.
As I continued through the castle, I saw more evidence of Cyrene’s presence. The normally gloomy corridors seemed brighter. In the great hall, the ancienttapestries depicting vampire victories now shimmered with threads of gold that hadn’t been there before, and more than half of my ancestors were smiling. Even the guards at their posts seemed less severe, all nodding and grinning as I passed.
Her joy magic was seeping into the bones of my kingdom, transforming it breath by breath.
“Ah, there you are, Sire.” Captain Brishon strode over to join me. “We have an issue.”
“What kind of issue?”
He glanced around but we were alone. Leaning close, he spoke in a low voice. “One of the chambermaids was found unconscious in the garden.”
“Is she alright?”
He nodded.
“Unconscious? Not just sleeping?”
“It was difficult to rouse her.”
“Could she explain why? A health issue, perhaps?”
“Much of her life energy had been drained, and she had strange gray markings on her skin.”
Unease rose inside me. “You’re saying her magic was drained.”
“Yes. She’s much better now. We took her to the healers immediately and they said with care and rest, she’ll be able to slowly restore her magic.”
