I swallowed hard, dread spreading through me.
Bree knew from experience, as it had happened to her. She’d even lost one of her powers as a result. She’d been too slow to adapt and had lost her power to throw sonic booms.
The transition was the scariest part of being a Dragon God. I wanted it to happen—it had to happen, or I’d fail the Academy and be out on my ass.
But it was going to be really freaking difficult. As new powers developed, they went out of control inside the Dragon God. If I couldn’t learn to control them, I’d end up losing all my magic. Which was like losing my soul.
Then I’d be so damned miserable I’d just want to curl up and die. I’d seen it happen before—it was a terrible fate.
“Has your magic been acting up in any other ways?” Bree asked.
“No. Not since that time last month, when the weird white light glowed from me.” We’d been in the middle of a terrible journey across a wasteland. Sickness wraiths had almost killed us, but I’d suddenly started to glow with a light that had repelled them. We’d thought it might be my Dragon God magic coming alive, but it had never happened again. “Just the one little premonition.”
“Be alert, then,” Bree said. “The change could be coming. And you’ll have to be ready.”
“Be careful.” Rowan’s eyes gleamed with worry. “We’re here for you if you need us.”
I nodded absentmindedly, getting up to go to the window. It was dark outside, but a full moon shed a bright glow over the amazing landscape.
I couldn’t believe I lived here. I loved it. This amazing place was my home. For all our life, we’d been hunted by an unknown threat that had killed our mother. We’d hidden from them for years, broke and scared. They were the ultimate bogeyman.
With the help of the Undercover Protectorate, we’d finally destroyed them. And here, we’d found a real home—a place where we were safe and could do good work. A place I loved.
I just had to make sure I didn’t lose it.
4
Of course I woke up to the sight of a cat’s butt right in my face. Bojangles turned around and looked at me with his crossed eyes, his little tongue lolling out of his mouth.
“Ugh.” I nudged him aside, and he flopped down and meowed, rubbing his head against my hand.
“Good morning to you, too.” A smile stretched across my face.
I completed my quick morning ritual under the watchful gazes of three cats. Since there was a carnage of ham bones on the kitchen counter, I had to assume that they’d fed themselves, probably with the help of Mayhem, the ghostly pug who followed Bree everywhere. Hams were Mayhem’s favorite, and Hans, the cook, seemed to have an endless supply of them.
Muffin, the scraggly hairless cat who sat on the counter, burped, his whiskers quivering. I laughed. I should’ve been annoyed about the mess, but I’d always wanted a pet. Our lives had been too barren before now to have one.
I gave Muffin a serious look. “Clean up after yourself.”
He meowed. Who, me? But I’m just a cat without opposable thumbs!
He even held up a paw.
“If you can run jewel heists, you can clean up your ham bones.”
Fine.
“Thank you.” I threw on a leather jacket and headed to the door. “And don’t wreck anything while I’m gone.”
Princess Snowflake III hissed, but the other two meowed their agreement.
My boots thudded on the stairs as I made my way down the tower. It was only a minute to eight, so I picked up the pace, racing through the old stone corridor and skipping down the wide, sweeping staircase.
Lachlan waited for me in the courtyard outside, the wind ruffling his dark hair. His dark eyes zeroed in on me, making me feel like a bug under glass.
But somehow, I didn’t hate it.
His attention might make me a bit nervous, but I found I wanted it. Probably because he was checking me out. From the way his gaze subtly covered my whole form, he was definitely checking me out.
The sun gleamed on him, highlighting the tightly leashed power that he possessed. His eyes glinted, almost cold, like Bree had said.
Not cold enough for me, though. He was dangerous, but I could get on board with that.
No! That was dumb and risky.
Better to play it distant and safe.
I slowed to a walk as I approached, my stomach full of flutters.
“Ready?” I asked.
He nodded.
A man of few words. I could work with that. More time for me to talk. And up close, his eyes weren’t cold. They were just blank. His face carefully controlled to show no expression.
“How are we getting to Paris?” I asked.
He didn’t answer, just held out his hand, palm forward. His magic swelled on the air, the scent of pine and the taste of caramel. I shivered at the feel of a caress, and watched as a gleaming silver light appeared in front of his palm. The light grew, becoming five feet tall and three wide. Then bigger.
“Holy fates, you can make a portal?” I demanded.
“Aye.”
I whistled. That was some rare magic. I’d never met a single Magica who could do that—and I’d even met a few gods in my day. I gave him an appreciative look.
He gestured for me to step through, so I did.
The ether sucked me in, sending me on a topsy-turvy ride through space. Darkness swirled, then the portal spit me out into the gloom of a stormy day.
Paris in the rain.
It poured from above. The sky was a tumultuous gray that suggested the only reasonable place to be was in bed. It was so dark that it appeared to be dusk.
Just our luck.
I shivered and stepped aside.
Lachlan appeared a moment later, right in the place where I’d been standing. A scowl creased his face. “Bloody hell.”
“Should have checked the weather.” I popped my leather collar up, but it didn’t do much to protect me from the cold rain.
“No need.” He waved a hand overhead, and a little clearing appeared.
The rain no longer pattered coldly on my cheeks, but it splashed into puddles just a few feet away. He’d created a clearing around us, protecting us from the rain.
“Wow. You control weather?” I asked.
“In small bits.” He gestured around. “Stopping a rainstorm around all of Paris is a bit above my pay grade, but I can handle this.”
I wiped the water from my cheeks. “Good. I like it.”
“Any idea where to go next?” His gaze studied me assessingly, waiting.
Suddenly, the bug-under-glass sensation didn’t feel so great.
I reached for my new magic, having no idea how to access or control it.
It lay dormant within me.
Was it even a new power?
I had no freaking idea. But it had quit working on me. “The spell you made packs some serious punch, right? So if there’s someone in town who keeps track of powerful new magic coming into town, they might be able to help us.”
Lachlan nodded. “If the spell actually is here, then Madame Alamedra might know.”
“Who is she?”
“A ghost at Père Lachaise.”
“The big cemetery?” Even I had heard of the massive cemetery in the middle of Paris. Mostly because it had one of the most active supernatural neighborhoods in all of Europe.
“The same. She knows all of the magical goings-on in the city, and if there’s something new here, she’ll know how to find it.”
“All right. Lead on.”
He nodded and turned, heading down the street with a quick stride. I hurried to keep up. His damned long legs were hard to match pace with, but I was determined to try, since the magical rain shield was only around him. Neither did I want to be a drag, slowing him down.
We cut through the bustling city. The streets were fairly empty, and much darker than usual, but still beautiful. I’d never been to France. I’d never been most places, unless it was to help Bree fight some bad guys.
I searched the skyline for the Eiffel Tower, but it was concealed in the clouds and rain.
“This way.” Lachlan waved for me to follow, and we turned to cross the street.
We darted in front of gleaming yellow headlights, stopping near a massive stone arch at the entrance of the cemetery.