I didn’t know if the contest organizers could hear me, but I really wasn’t in the mood to stand guard over the lion in case he woke up and I had to knock him out again. “I could kill him, but I won’t. So come and get him. He doesn’t stand a chance.”

  The air shimmered to my right, and four Fae appeared. They were each dressed in the pale blue and silver uniforms that seemed to be the official outfits of the palace guards who were working the competition. They approached at a swift pace.

  I stepped back and waited as they took the shifter away. It didn’t take them long to bundle him up and get him out of there. One of them approached me and handed me a pack.

  “For tonight,” the tall guard said.

  I took it, and he left. As he walked away, I peeked inside the pack. A sleeping roll and a light dinner of bread, cheese, and fruit.

  Yep. Looked like I’d be spending the night here.

  Once I had the place to myself again, I inspected every stone carefully. It wasn’t until I climbed to the top of the center stone, my ribs aching from the lion’s blow, that I saw the tiny flattened area right in the middle. The perfect size for my little golden charm.

  I pulled it out of my bra and put it in place, where it fit perfectly.

  I grinned, then retrieved the stone and hopped down, wincing slightly at the pain in my ribs. When it was closer to dawn, I’d put it back in place.

  I returned to the shadows of the grove, which seemed like a good place to wait out the night. It gave me a view of the stone circle and a bit of protection from the elements.

  I sat against a tree and ate my dinner as the sun set. Birds chirped and fairy lights filled the sky.

  Suddenly, I felt like I was being watched. Not the normal prickling sensation of the audience watching, but something else. In fact, I couldn’t sense the audience at all.

  Tarron.

  It had to be. He made it so they couldn’t see.

  I stood and spun in a circle. “You’re spying on me and it’s creepy.”

  “Hardly spying.” He stepped out from behind a tree about fifteen feet away. “Just enjoying the view.”

  “And I’m the view?”

  He shrugged, an elegant gesture that somehow only made him look more deadly.

  “You tried to keep me from reaching the Finfolk. Why?”

  “I didn’t try to stop you.”

  “You lied to me about their location, then you created the wind that made it nearly impossible to approach. If I hadn’t been able to transport, I wouldn’t have made it. Why are you trying to stop me?”

  He prowled closer, moving swiftly and gracefully until he stood right in front of me. “Being the king is boring. This is entertaining.”

  There was no way he did things just for entertainment. This was a man with a mission. The way he held himself, the way he spoke, his constant alertness. “No, you’re after something.”

  He was trying to figure out why he felt so strongly about me, but he also had ulterior motives. I could feel it.

  He should be sitting in the stands, watching. But he wasn’t. He was manipulating the competition. Trying to manipulate me.

  I shifted back from him, wary as a cat and hating myself for the attraction that made my heart race and pulse pound. The tension that tightened the air made my head fog. It was an electric current that lit me up and was impossible to ignore. What was it between us that made it like this?

  He might have felt the fated mate connection when we’d first met, but did that mean I should feel it as well?

  “What is it about you?” he murmured.

  My gaze moved to his lips.

  No.

  I took one more step back, bumping into the tree trunk and wincing again at the pain in my ribs.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Nothing.”

  “You’re injured.”

  “Just a rib. That lion hit me pretty hard.”

  His green eyes glinted with concern. “I can heal it if you’ll let me.”

  I frowned, debating. “Healing power?”

  He nodded. “It’s common among the Fae.”

  He would probably have to touch me to heal me. That’s how it usually worked. I wanted him to touch me. For all the wrong reasons.

  But it would be nice for my ribs not to hurt.

  That was a good reason, right?

  And I was protected by my spell. He hadn’t realized I was his Mograh when he’d picked me up out of the lake.

  I drew in a deep breath. “Okay.”

  He held out his hands, reaching slowly toward me. As if he knew I was the type to bite if someone touched me unexpectedly.

  He was right about that.

  “Which side?” he asked.

  “The right.”

  When his hands landed on my ribs, I stifled a gasp. His touch was warm and sure, his hands strong. When he began to feed healing energy into me, my skin tingled all over.

  The pain faded as he worked, replaced by intense awareness of his touch. The magic created a connection between us. I could almost feel his intention to make me better.

  I shook my head.

  Wishful thinking.

  “Better?” he asked. His scent wrapped around me, and I breathed it in. Fresh water and the forest. And something masculine that was unidentifiable.

  “Better.” I almost vibrated from my desire to lean into him and press my lips to his. What was it about this guy? I’d never felt like this with anyone. He must have had some kind of ability to enchant or hypnotize, because his words made my head go slightly fuzzy.

  No. Dangerous.

  But I wanted him so badly.

  He’d saved my life.

  All I could see were his lips and eyes. I swayed toward him, unable to resist.

  His mouth pressed to mine, hard and fierce despite the softness of his lips. It was a magical combination that made my breath go short and my skin tingle.

  His hands came up to wrap around my waist, strong and firm. He pressed me back against the tree, pinning me. I moaned, desire shooting through me. He was an expert at this, and I could feel every inch of his hard body against mine. He towered over me, and something purred to life inside me.

  An awareness.

  A connection.

  As my head spun, his heat seeped into me, making my heart race. I shifted so I could run my hands over the broad planes of his back.

  He growled low in his throat and pulled me closer, his lips dropping to my neck. He ran his tongue along my skin, making a shiver race through me. He bit down, and I cried out.

  I wanted to tear off my clothes. From the way his hands were moving beneath the back of my shirt, trailing sparks across my flesh, I thought that he might want to do the same.

  Abruptly, he pulled back.

  I gasped, my gaze flashing up to his.

  “You.” His eyes flashed with shock. They were entirely black, as if he’d begun to shift as he had last time we’d kissed. “It’s you.”

  Horror plunged me into cold water.

  Shit.

  I’d forgotten.

  I’d forgotten. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “You don’t look the same, but I’ve kissed you before. Recently.”

  Oh fuck.

  “You’ve taken off your makeup, and your hair is different.” His gaze dropped to my chest. “Less of that as well.”

  “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

  “Don’t play dumb.” His gaze moved over my face. “You thought you were hidden from me. I can see it now. Your Mordaca disguise did an excellent job.”

  I scoffed.

  “How did you hide the fact that you are my Mograh?” he asked. “I should have been able to sense you.”

  “So you’ll admit it now?” He hadn’t when I’d asked him about it in my workshop.

  “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m not looking for that.”

  “So you’ll just ignore it.”

  “I’m sure as hell going to try.”

  Because I was a Dragon Blood. I deserved a medal for being so stupid. I’d gotten so used to him here in the woods. He didn’t seem quite like the suit-wearing king who’d come to me for the amplification charm two days ago.

  My spell and disguise had worked so well that I’d just forgotten.

  Moron.

  What would it cost me?

  I glanced at him, wondering if I could take him out.

  “Thinking about trying to kill me, Dragon Blood?” he asked. “Make sure the information dies with me?”

  I scowled at him, irritation rising within me. I lashed out, saying the worst thing I could think of about him. “You killed your brother.”

  Something flashed in his eyes. Pain?

  I couldn’t tell.

  “I did,” he said, making no excuse. But his face closed up and his eyes turned dark. “I’ll be going now.”

  With that, he disappeared.

  I sank back against the tree, gasping.

  Idiot. He might have saved my life, but he’d killed his brother. And he’d done everything he could to get me out of this competition. He was dangerous, and I’d been a fool driven by attraction and my own cockiness that my disguise would hide me.

  I’d been wrong. And I’d been wrong to trust him—even if it’d been just for a moment.

  After an uncomfortable night’s sleep on a sleeping pad in the woods, I rose in the near-dark to the sound of morning birds.

  Groggy, I sat up and rubbed a hand over my face.

  Memories of Tarron haunted me, but there was nothing I could do about them now. Dawn was coming, and I needed to get a move on.

  As soon as I had the Wish Stone, and a way to get rid of the crystal obelisk, I’d interrogate the hell out of Tarron. I wanted to know what he had to do with it and what he planned to do about it. Then I’d deal with the fact that he knew I was a Dragon Blood.

  I turned to face the stone circle. The sky was turning from black to blue. The sun would come over the horizon soon. I dug into my pocket and pulled out the golden charm, then started toward the middle of the stone circle.

  Magic sparked against my skin as I stepped inside. Quickly, I climbed to the top of the center stone and put the golden charm in place.

  There were already two there, each with a little protective barrier of magic covering them.

  I looked around, searching the forest nearby. The other two competitors were out there somewhere. They’d laid down their keys before me and hidden themselves away.

  I hopped down and brushed off my hands. At least I knew what I was up against. Luna the Fae and Cardin the fire mage, whom I didn’t know or care to know.

  As the sun rose, I waited at the edge of the stone circle. Every second that passed made tension tighten within me. This was it.

  When the sun broke over the mountains at the horizon, one piercing beam of light struck the golden keys at the top of the center stone. Magic sparked on the air, and the bright glow nearly blinded me. It expanded outward, gleaming molten in the middle.

  A portal.

  I sprinted for it, spotting the other two competitors running from the other edges of the circle. I put on a burst of speed, grateful for my Dragon Blood. I plunged into the portal, and the ether sucked me in, spinning me through space toward places unknown.

  12

  The ether spat me out on a huge beach made of gray pebbles. The ocean sparkled blue and bright at the edge, and three boats sat on the shore. There was an island in the distance.

  We needed to get there. It all but glowed with promise, and even my seeker sense tugged me toward it.

  I sprinted for the closest boat, glancing behind me in time to see Luna pop out of the portal. The fire mage appeared next, then Tarron, appearing just as the portal snapped out of existence.

  Tarron.

  That stalker.

  What was he doing?

  I turned back and raced for the boat, then shoved it into the water and leapt on board. I grabbed the two oars and began to row. I had a head start of a few yards and was determined to keep it. Luna reached her boat and took off. A half second later, Tarron leapt into the stern of her boat. She didn’t complain, just kept rowing.

  What the hell?

  He was so not just here for the entertainment.

  Could the audience see him?

  Clearly things were getting weird, because Tarron was helping Luna. Or just hitching a ride in a contest he had no part in.

  Cardin the fire mage leapt into his boat and took off with powerful strokes with the oars. The bastard looked strong. He was almost as big as Tarron, with fire red hair and black eyes that burned with the intense light of competition.

  I pulled on the oars, using my increased strength to try to keep my lead. Tarron held out his hand, and a blast of wind hit my back. It pushed my boat in the water, killing any lead I’d gained.

  Luna and the fire mage were pulling up alongside. I looked behind me to see if the island was close.

  Shit.

  Miles away yet, and I was losing ground.

  And there was no way I could keep up this speed with Tarron blasting me with wind.

  I scowled at him and shouted, “You’re a bastard.”

  It was personal now. Normally I’d just kick ass, but if I was wasting time slinging insults, it meant I was pissed.

  Should I hit him with a potion bomb?

  But he was the king. Would he disqualify me? Could he?

  He’d killed his own brother, so yeah, anything was possible.

  No, there were other ways to do this. Surreptitiously, I sliced my thumb with my fingernail. Blood welled and pain smarted. He already knew what I was, but I still wanted to be subtle, just in case the audience was watching. I needed just a little bit of new magic, just a little bit of an advantage…

  I called upon my Dragon Blood, envisioning the power of water. The ocean surged around us, and I focused on it. Soon, I could feel it beneath the boat. Feel the force and power of it. I commanded it to push my boat ahead.

  The vessel jumped forward. It fought against Tarron’s howling gale, and I poured more magic into it. The boat won out, pushing through the water. I pulled into the lead again, gaining by several yards. Then a dozen.

  The fire mage shouted, irritation in his cry. He raised a hand and shot a fireball right at me.

  “Shit!” I hurled the oars into the boat and called upon a shield from the ether, lunging it in front of the fireball before it smashed into the bow. The force of the blow shook my arms, and I shuddered.

  I couldn’t row and defend at the same time, so I used my magic to propel the boat forward. It took so much power that my strength began to flag, but I pushed on.

  The fire mage continued to throw his blasts in between strokes of his oars. He nearly hit me a half dozen times, but I was quick with my shield. Every time the fire slammed into it, my arms shook. I gritted my teeth.

  At one point, Tarron blasted him with wind as well, trying to force him back.

  Because the mage had to contend with the Tarron’s howling wind, Luna pulled into the lead ahead of him.

  I was barely able to keep my lead, and by the time I neared the shore, my magic was nearly tapped out. When my little boat finally surged up onto the beach, I jumped out without a backward glance. Luna and Tarron were only seconds behind, with the fire mage close after.

  I sprinted up the beach and past the dunes, reaching a massive field. There was only one thing on the island—a grove of trees, right in the middle. My seeker sense dragged me toward it. I tried to transport, but a spell blocked me. So I ran for it, pushing myself as hard as I could.

  Tarron reached my side and kept up easily. I pushed myself hard, sprinting as fast as I could. I looked back and spotted Luna. The Fae was fast, and she did have wings. Beautiful blue ones that carried her swiftly through the sky.

  Shit.

  She was catching up too. I sucked a breath into my burning lungs and ran faster, headed for the grove of trees. Rowan trees, just like the seer had said.

  I reached the tree line just as Tarron and Luna did. She landed and ran in alongside us. I dodged trunks and leapt over fallen limbs, heading for the powerful magic that I could feel within the glen. It pulled at me, beckoning me nearer.

  On foot, I was faster than Luna, taking the lead. Tarron kept up without trouble, which irritated the hell out of me. He tried to trip me twice, but I was too quick, leaping over the roots that he forced out of the ground. Finally, we spilled out into a huge clearing bordered on all sides by more rowan trees.

  In the middle of the clearing stood the biggest tree I’d ever seen. The ones in the Fae realm were huge, of course, but they were taller than they were wide. This was a rowan tree that had to be hundreds of feet tall and wide.

  The magic was coming from it, though I had no idea what to do.

  Then the earth beneath my feet began to shake. I stumbled, grabbing onto a tree limb for support. The earth around the huge rowan broke apart, and it began to rise up, revealing the roots. They twisted and turned through the ground, and as the tree rose, they formed holes and divots big enough that a person could climb in. One even looked like a tunnel. Magic billowed out from the earth.

  We were supposed to go in there. There was no question.

  As the tree rose up, so, too, did new creatures. Monsters formed of tree roots and dirt climbed out of the ground. Some had three legs, some had four. All were totally unrecognizable. Each had two eyes made of dark black gems, and they turned them toward us.

  Shit.

  I called upon my bow and arrow, though I had my doubts about their effectiveness.

  The creatures roared and charged, at least a dozen of them. I fired three arrows in quick succession, aiming for the first dirt monster. The arrows slammed into the beast, but it kept running.

  As I’d thought.

  I stashed the weapon away and called upon a baseball bat. I rarely used it, but for close-range attacks against magical creatures that needed to be smashed into oblivion, it usually worked like a charm.

  I charged the nearest one, raising the bat high. The monster ran on three legs made of twigs and dirt, its black gemstone eyes riveted to me. A mouth full of thorns gaped wide, and each brown point dripped with yellow liquid.

 

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