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The ground rippled again, the vibration soft and barely noticeable, but there all the same. “What’s going on? I—” My hand flew to my chest, fisting my shirt as Martin’s piece of magic flared with alarm. “Something’s happening. Martin’s upset.” He wasn’t just upset. Martin was scared. “I need to get to him.”

I twirled and ran back down the hall. My mind raced as I tried remembering all the twists and turns I’d taken. Why the fuck hadn’t I brought my phone? If I had my phone, I could call Martin and find out what was going on. I nearly slammed into a wall, two choices available as one hall led off to the right and another to the left. Fuck, fuck, fuck. “Which way?” I was starting to panic. The floor vibrated again and Martin’s fear escalated.

“Calm down,” Henry ordered. “I don’t know how, but since you anchored with Martin, you’ve always been able to find him before. You just gotta do it again.”

Henry was right. With a herculean effort, I forced my racing heart to calm and focused on the bit of Martin’s magic I carried with me. The effect was immediate and I took off running again, left this time.

“I’ve got him,” I told Henry.

“Good. Now, put those giant-sized legs to use and get us there.”

I didn’t have the heart or time to tell Henry that by nearly every other standard, I was far from giant-sized. Size was relative, and in Henry’s perspective, I might as well have been ogre sized.

This time, the shaking floor nearly sent me to my knees. Small pieces of rock and plaster fell from the walls and ceiling, kicking up clouds of dust.

“Dammit! Look at this mess. It’ll take me years to clean all this shit up,” Henry lamented. “I don’t know what’s doin’ this, but when I find ’em, I’m gonna give ’em a taste of my claws.”

I had no doubt Henry would do just that. I only hoped he didn’t get himself killed in the process. As another jolt of fear lanced through Martin’s bit of magic, I growled, “I’ll hold them down for you.” My mind spun, my chest ached, and my heart hammered with fear. Whatever was threatening Martin was about to have a pissed-off will-o’-the-wisp and house dweller on their hands. Most wouldn’t consider that much of a threat, but I had to think desperation and intent magnified our abilities by at least a hundredfold.

Twenty-Five

Martin

I’d rarely heard that ringtone on my phone. It was the one that meant danger. It was the tone I’d programmed into my phone long ago and hoped to never hear. The last time it sang its hated melody was the day Huxley attacked. Strangely, it was Huxley himself that had recommended the number with the threatening sound attached. During a truly dire situation, there was a chance Elvira couldn’t be spared to come and get me. When I was in my tree form, if I heard that sound, I knew there was trouble and that I was needed. I should have changed the melody. On a long list of objectives, that one had somehow fallen through the cracks. I regretted that lack of foresight now.

Quickly reforming into my humanoid body, my gaze traveled around my courtyard, looking for a presence I already knew was missing. Gray wasn’t there. He wasn’t anywhere close. I remembered him telling me he was unable to settle and that he was going for a walk. I’d asked if he wanted company and he’d lovingly patted my trunk and told me to stay, that I needed to recharge and relax and that he would be fine.

Examining the piece of his magic I held, I could tell that Gray was indeed fine. He was content and there was no fear or trepidation. Whatever was going on, thankfully, didn’t involve him. At least, not yet.

I grabbed my phone just as that horrid tone sounded again. Quickly hitting the accept button, I was unable to get out the slightest greeting before Keir said, “I need you. My quarters.” And promptly ended the call.

Pocketing my phone, I barely noticed Gray’s phone sitting on the side table. He’d left it behind. It was strange how we could mentally communicate in our other forms, but not when we were humanoid. If lack of communicative abilities kept him away from whatever was taking place, then I’d be thankful he’d left it behind.

Racing from my rooms, I took off for Keir’s. Nearly to the door I almost ran into a breathless Tabitha. “Jima and Elvira are already inside,” Tabitha said before she grabbed the doorhandle and pushed into Keir’s space. Neither of us bothered with knocking.

“What’s going on?” Tabitha asked before I could.

Tension filled the stuffy room. Lazarus stood, somehow managing to loom over Keir and the wyvern eggs at the same time. Jima stood by the edge of the couch, twisting his fingers together while his feet shifted uneasily. Elvira was a stoic presence, her form nearly solid. Tabitha must be feeding magic into her. That was rarely a good sign.

Keir waved us in. The eggs were safely tucked into their makeshift nest. They appeared safe enough. I’d been afraid something had happened to them. Maybe Helios had returned and decided he wanted to see what kind of pets wyvern made. I was relieved Helios was nowhere to be seen, although I’d heard that didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t nearby.

“Verona is here,” Lazarus answered instead of Keir.

I blinked while absorbing that bit of information. It took a few seconds before my scattered brain matched that name with something meaningful. “She’s back?”

“Why is that a bad thing?” Jima asked, evidently not aware of Verona’s earlier visit.

Smoke huffed from Lazarus’s nose. “Verona is…reactive.”

“Reactive?” My gaze ping-ponged between Lazarus and Keir. “That’s what we’re calling her?”

“Perhaps I should have said that Verona is volatile,” Lazarus amended.

I couldn’t exactly place the look on Keir’s face. It seemed stuck somewhere between bitter acceptance and rage. “Lazarus, could you please explain Verona’s reason for banging on our doorstep?” Another mini-earthquake shook the compound, forcing me to add, “An abbreviated version.”

“I will endeavor to make the telling short.” I’ll give Lazarus this, he did indeed manage to shorten the tale. In the end, he was very succinct.

During the telling, Keir sat, leaning forward and running his fingers along the edge of one of the eggs. Most likely it was my imagination, but I swear I saw the egg pulse or maybe flare with light. I would have dismissed it if Lazarus hadn’t deeply inhaled, his body tightening with something that appeared vaguely like pleasure. Considering Lazarus nearly lost his shit when anyone else came close to the eggs, it was interesting he seemed to have no problem with Keir’s attentions.