Aria had her arms wrapped around herself, shuddering softly. Only Tessa, sitting in the back, reloading her pistols, had clothes. Aria had checked her wounds. The burns were bad, but Aria didn’t think she needed a hospital. They’d found a medical kit in the Bronco, thirty years old. The antibiotic cream would probably do nothing, but they had some sterile bandages for Tessa. They’d wrapped her wounded leg and hoped for the best.

  The former barista was in good spirits, if a little pale and weak. “So,” she said, “are we going back for Mouse?”

  “We hardly have the Animus for another fight,” Aria murmured. She was bruised, burned, hacked, and magic missiled. She had bandages on her as well. They’d taken quite the beating.

  “Okay,” Tessa said, “I’ll blow you both. Then we go back.”

  Steven chuckled at that. It hurt to breathe, and he felt as banged up as Aria looked. What was Tessa thinking? She could hardly stand.

  “Tessa,” Aria said, “Mouse knew what she was doing. I doubt she could’ve survived that last explosion. She gave her life to save us. That whole Aerie is wrecked.”

  Steven clenched his teeth and swallowed down his grief. “All we can do now for Mouse is avenge her.”

  “I hate it that they caught us so unprepared,” Tessa complained. “Never again. I’m gonna magic up shit to warn us next time. And poor Mouse. Poor, poor Mouse. We didn’t see her die. She might still be alive.”

  Aria didn’t respond to that. Knowing her, she was already planning how to prevent another ambush in the future. “We should’ve bought high-end security equipment. My father in Mumbai lives in a fortress.”

  Steven shook his head. “My real father didn’t need it. He had his spells. I vote we do both. Magic and a high-tech security system. Overkill seems sensible these days. Besides, waking up to fight for your life puts a real damper on the day, so I’d rather avoid it if possible.”

  Aria punched him. Her words came out angrily. “And you. I heard what you said. You were going to try and fight them all yourself. Steven, we are your Escort. You are the male Dragonsoul that holds us together. It is our duty to sacrifice our lives for you and not the other way around.” She paused. “Mouse did what any of your vassals should. I didn’t think she had a heroic bone in her body, and yet, in our hour of need, she was there, her duty bravely executed.”

  Steven took a right and drove into Red Rocks State Park. He pulled off into a turnout. He needed a minute, and he had no idea where they were going. He took in a deep breath. “How about we take a moment of silence for Mouse.”

  They all went quiet. A bird chirped through the pine trees. Another flew onto a huge red rock formation. Noise from I-70 filtered through the stone valley where they sat. Tessa sniffed at her tears. She had such a gentle, loving spirit.

  Aria, though, was all strength and business. She sat stoically, staring out the window. And Steven knew she was going through a thousand scenarios on how to get out of the situation they were in.

  After a few minutes, Tessa spoke. “We need to contact Mouse’s parents and friends. They need to know she’s gone.”

  “There are none,” Aria replied. “Mouse made it clear that she was alone in the world. Her father, Cornelius Craygore, was the Prime of the Rocky Mountain Primacy but was killed by a young contender for the throne. Her mother died defending him. Mouse’s status fell, and she lost her friends. Being an unimportant wife to Mulk destroyed her. Hence, the drinking.”

  “So sad,” Tessa mourned. “I wish I would’ve been nicer to her. She was so mean, though.”

  “Agreed,” Aria said. “And yet, she gave her life to save us.” She paused, lips pursed as she surveyed the vast stretch of wilderness. “That is behind us now. We need to decide what our move is. And on that, I’m not certain.” They lapsed into an uncomfortable, tense silence.

  After a few minutes, Steven spoke. “So, it seems to me we need to drive down to the Colorado Springs Aerie, get set up there, and come up with some sort of warning system. We’re also going to need to be more aggressive on selling stuff. We need money and bad.”

  Tessa took off her gun belt and retrieved her phone. Leave it to the barista to have holsters for her pistols and her phone on the same belt. “There might be a problem there.” She thumbed her phone screen and pulled up an urgent news story. “I set up Google alerts,” she explained, “and it seems like Mulk didn’t just attack the Lookout Mountain Aerie. He also hit the Antlers Hotel. The normal news outlets are saying it was some sort of freak fire on the top floor. The indie pages are talking about lava.” She faltered, worry etched into the lines of her face.

  “Looks like the Colorado Springs Aerie is gone.” Tessa gulped back a sob as she scrolled down on her phone. “And they found an unidentified dead woman on the Lookout Mountain Road … blonde, slender, short. That doesn’t sound like the Dragonsoul I killed. It’s Mouse. Has to be. She’s gone. Really gone.”

  Steven felt his stomach drop into oblivion. Once again, they had nothing. The disappointment and dread he was feeling wasn’t new. Growing up on the edge of poverty, he and his mom had always worried about money. Every so often, they’d come up short. Steven would go around the neighborhood, asking to do chores for people, and his mom would go to a relative for a loan. They rarely gave her anything because her husband, Joe Whipp, had such a bad gambling addiction.

  Living so close to the edge, Steven had always felt desperate and powerless. Money had ruled his life.

  He’d thought he’d taken care of that with his newfound wealth. Now, that wealth was gone, either blown to bits in the Lookout Mountain Aerie or burned to cinders inside the Colorado Springs Aerie.

  Lava. In Colorado Springs. Steven tried to imagine what would cause that. Had Mulk destroyed it out of anger? But they said lava, not fire. Then he knew: a portal. His father must’ve put in a trap … a portal to an underground fissure of lava. Clever and devastating. Steven had avoided being hit by the trap because of the topaz pendant he had, now in the form of a mystical pen, which was currently attached to the Drokharis Grimoire safe and sound in Tessa’s satchel.

  Aria sighed, breaking him out of his reverie. “It is always the same for our kind. It is what your father told you to do, Steven. Gather your Escort, acquire your Hoard, and build your Aeries. Let nothing stop you.”

  Hearing those words undid the knot filling Steven’s stomach. They made him want to do wonderful, terrible things. “Yeah, you’re right, Aria. I thought I could skip over that whole ‘acquire your Hoard’ deal. But no, that’s part of being a Dragonsoul. I have my Escort—”

  “The beginnings of one,” Aria interrupted. “Two females do not an Escort make. You need at least six.”

  “Wow,” Tessa breathed. “That’s a whole lotta lovin’. Ae you up to servicing four other women, Steven?”

  He felt himself get excited, and he smiled. “Uh, Tessa, that won’t be a problem. But you two have to know that you’ll always be special to me, no matter how many wives I have.”

  Aria took his hand in hers. “I understand that. Do you, Tessa?”

  “I do,” the barista turned Magician said. “But it’s not like there’s a limited amount of love. In fact, it’s like Animus—the more love there is among us and Steven, the more powerful it becomes. I love sex, and I love people, so I’m excited to see who else we meet.”

  “And if you kill Mulk,” Aria added, “you’ll get his wives automatically. The transitions can be tricky, but when you are their Prime, they will eventually want you. It’s just the way it works.”

  “I’m not sure I’m on board with that.” Steven shifted uncomfortably. His naked butt cheeks were sticking to the upholstery. “I want my Escort to be with me of their own free will. If it’s some kind of magic tying them to me, that doesn’t sound like love. That sounds like Stockholm Syndrome.”

  “Yeah, that could definitely be a problem,” Tessa said. “But, Steven, you’re so sweet and giving. And hot to boot. You’re a nice package.” She stopped talking for a minute to let him blush. Then she went on. “I’m wondering if I could tweak the telepathic components of the Mind Wipe spells to lessen the effect of this Prime seduction magic. Or wipe it away completely. Then any new women you get can choose.”

  Steven groaned. This was all becoming so complicated. “Wait, wait, wait. We don’t need to worry about my Escort. Let’s work on the Hoard part. We need money—or, at the very least, clothes. If you want to work on spells, work on finding a way to hide us. I’m wondering if Mulk’s Magician has some way to track us.”

  “If he can, and if he knows who we are,” Aria said, “then he can go after your families. My people are back in India. But Steven, your mother might be in danger. And Tessa, your mother, your sister, and your brother could become targets.”

  Steven slammed his hand into the steering wheel. “Aria is right. This changes everything. We need to remove the threat. We need to strike at Mulk directly.”

  They all fell silent.

  Tessa sighed. “I just wish we knew more about how spells worked. For example, I thought our shield spells could protect us against any form of attack. But the Magician hit Steven through his defensive barrier, and the female dragon breathed fire on me—though in theory the force field should’ve protected me.”

  Aria nodded. “Magic was never my strength. Frankly, I’m as confused as you are, Tessa.”

  “Maybe my magic sucks.” Steven frowned. “But I don’t care. I’ll kill Mulk with or without spells.”

  It was tough talk, but right then, attacking Mulk seemed impossible.

  A new fear crept into Steven, but then it changed into anger, a fury so powerful it made him want to tear out the heart of the world. He’d failed to protect Mouse. He’d broken his promise. And he couldn’t stand it. One thing was certain: he wouldn’t let Mulk get the best of him again. That bastard was going to pay in spades.

  FIVE

  Tessa was having a hard time breathing. Red Rocks State Park was beautiful, and she had a million memories of concerts, hikes, and lazy afternoons hanging out with friends there. Yet those happy days seemed like they belonged to someone else.

  Her leg ached from the wereboar’s attack. Luckily, it didn’t feel broken, just pulverized. Her burn, though, sent screeching needles of agony through her nervous system.

  The physical pain was bad enough, but she also hurt emotionally. She felt awful about losing Mouse, but even worse? Mulk might be going after her family. If anything happened to her mom, her older sister, or her brother, it would destroy her. Up until now, her family had been the most important thing in her life. Her brother, Jared, was diagnosed with childhood MS when he was five. He’d fought the disease, bravely, but at ten he’d found himself in a wheelchair. By the time he was eleven, he needed constant care.

  She racked her brains for who to call, for someone who could help them. For some odd reason, she kept thinking back to the guy who had helped them before. Without asking Steven and Aria, she scrolled through her contacts until she found Bud’s number, then thumbed the call button.

  William “Bud” Novak had worked with her at the Coffee Clutch. He still worked there and went to the Metropolitan State University of Denver—Metro, to the locals. He’d been a total douche to Steven, but all that had changed when Steven had changed. During their final dustup with that psychopath Edgar Vale, Bud had helped them. Big time. Then they’d wiped his mind, so he knew nothing about the Dragonsouls. But, despite that, he’d proven himself valuable, reliable even … and besides, she had no one else. Not that could help with this.

  Bud answered. “Hey, Tessa. Don’t invite me to any more parties. My dental work cost a small fortune. Luckily, my dad had no problem paying for it. What’s up?”

  Tessa winced. “Sorry about that. It was a wild party. And you said it yourself. You can be a real asshole.”

  Bud chuckled. She could practically hear his shrug through the phone. “Eh, I am who I am.”

  “What the hell, Tessa?” Steven hissed.

  She held up a finger. “Hey, Bud, we’re kind of in trouble. No parties this time. Can you meet us?”

  “Who’s us?” Bud asked.

  “Me, Steven, and Aria. You remember her, right? The foreign exchange student.” Tessa couldn’t believe she was calling Bud. Again. But her instincts were usually really good when it came to people.

  “Yeah, I remember.” He paused. “What kinda trouble we talking about here?”

  Tessa wasn’t sure what to say. Dragonsouls and their society were a closely guarded secret for any number of reasons. She was still learning about the dragons on Earth, but she thought it had something to do with the Zothoric, evil demons in the universe. That, and the old clichés about governments researching dragons, too much PR, and the headache of the paparazzi. For whatever reason, Dragonsouls were required to stay hidden. The penalty was death.

  “Tessa?” Bud asked. “Are you still there?”

  “Yeah. As for what kind of trouble—it’s not really something I can talk about. Not over the phone. But … Please, Bud. It’s about my family. Please, can you meet us? Please?”

  Bud was quiet for a long beat. Finally, he sighed. “Man, am I gonna regret this. I just know it. But fine. Whatever. I’ll meet you guys. Where at?”

  “Coffee Clutch,” she said at once, “and seriously, Bud, thank you. Oh, and bring clothes,” Tessa added at the end. “For all of us. Steven and Aria are kind of naked at the moment and my dress is…I believe the term is battle-stained.”

  “Yep, seriously gonna regret this. See you guys there.” The phone clicked, the line dead.

  Steven had turned in the driver’s seat and gave her a long stare. He was clearly mad at her.

  “Yes, I know, I know,” Tessa said. “But we’re in trouble. The less our families know, the better. I’m a girl who goes with the flow. Bud helped us save Aria the last time we needed help. And Aria said it herself—Dragonsouls have human vassals. I think we should bring Bud in. Something tells me he can really help us.”

  “Bud is a total dick,” Steven said. “He bullied me for months on end. He’s like the required asshat you see in most teen flicks. Do you really think we can trust him?”

  “If he betrays us, we kill him,” Aria said simply.

  “Ouch,” Tessa muttered with a grimace. Aria, while superhot and phenomenal in bed, definitely had a brutal side to her. Tessa chalked it up to growing up in the constant warfare that permeated Dragonsoul culture. Primes were constantly fighting for territory, conquering other Primacies, and defending themselves from usurpers.

  “We’re not going to kill Bud,” Steven said flatly. “Might punch him in the teeth, but I won’t kill him.” He dropped the Bronco into gear and cruised out of Red Rocks, heading for south Denver—Broadway—to their weird rendezvous at the Coffee Clutch.

  Ignoring her pain, Tessa called her mom at work. On Wednesdays, Tessa’s sister, Abby, took care of Jared. According to Tessa’s mom, everything was just fine, no problems, nothing sinister. When she asked for more information, Tessa kept her answers vague. She hung up and called her sister. Abby also didn’t report anything suspicious. So far, so good, but she had a sinking feeling that wouldn’t last indefinitely.

  Steven had her call his mom next. Getting her on the phone tended to be almost impossible. Thankfully, they got lucky. Florence Whipp was at her job, cleaning the Denver airport. And better yet, she was also okay. At least for now.

  Tessa hung up and frowned. “This is awful. I’m fine fighting Mulk as long as I know our families are safe.”

  “You have taken well to battle and murder.” Aria nodded, though she kept her gaze fixed on the rolling foothills outside the window. “You killed those men who attacked us, and, yes, you weep, but you only mourn our fallen friend.”

  “Not really murder,” Tessa breathed. “They were trying to kill us. We defended ourselves. It wasn’t like I poisoned their soup.” She thought for a second longer. “But I would. This is total war with Mulk, isn’t it?”

  “It is indeed,” Aria said.

  “And that’s just fine with me,” Steven murmured, knuckles going white on the steering wheel as he tightened his grip. “That guy already has quite the butcher’s bill, and I intend to see he pays it in full.”

  ۞۞۞

  Steven pulled into the back parking lot at the Coffee Clutch. The little restaurant was busy, and four out of the five spaces were full of cars: Subarus and SUVs, the vehicles of choice for Coloradoans. He parked. Tessa was trying to keep a brave face, but her leg obviously hurt her. She had access to the Magica Cura spells, but the healing magic only worked on other people, and unfortunately, Steven didn’t have the mojo yet to cast level-two spells.

  Maybe with more study. Maybe once he leveled up a bit. Maybe.

  Steven pushed the thoughts away as Bud came ambling up, walking like a proud peacock who thought he owned the world. Seriously, the guy was six feet of douchebag, blond hair sculpted with product, wearing trendy jeans and a shirt that would’ve paid for at least one elective at Metro if not two. Instead of shoes, he wore hiking sandals. He carried a nylon bag from Whole Foods. Probably clothes for Steven and Aria.

  “I hope he brought underwear,” Steven said.

  “For you, maybe,” Aria answered. “I wouldn’t want to wear someone else’s undergarments.”

  Bud walked up to the driver’s side. His eyes widened. “Dude, Cool Whipp, you been hitting the steroids or what? You’re ripped.”

  Steven looked down at his flat abs. It was six-pack city, and he was the mayor.

  He flexed a bicep. “You know I’m letting you call me Cool Whipp out of the goodness of my heart, don’t you?”

  Bud paled and offered him a shaky grin. “Yeah, man. I’m good if you are. Look, Steven, I was a dick, I admit it. I’m sorry.” He then gave Aria a smile and stole a look at her naked body. “Hey, Aria.”

  Aria dropped her arms to expose her luscious breasts, nice and tight against her chest. She had thick nipples that pointed to the sky.