“We both want that stone.”

  “I can’t wait to find out what it does.” She headed into the darkness of the tunnel.

  “Like I said, it’ll make it so we can turn when we want to—not based on the moon, or in my case, emotions.”

  “I was under the impression you weren’t fully sure.”

  “Well, it is all a mystery but I like to be positive.”

  “I don’t blame you. I can’t imagine having no control over my fangs.”

  “It definitely sucks to be controlled by the moon.” It sounded noisy at the end of the tunnel. “Is it a busy city?”

  “It’s one of the more popular ones, full of more species than just dragons. They used to be against anyone else. We actually had to wear dragon-scented coats or they would go crazy.”

  “We need to get together sometime and exchange wild stories.”

  “That would be fun. Okay, we’re almost there. Just stay close to me.”

  “I thought it was safe,” I said.

  “It definitely is, but the city is so beautiful it can be mesmerizing. We don’t have time to stop and admire.”

  “Sure, no problem.”

  The tunnel grew brighter, and we stepped out into the light. The city was just beyond where we stood, and it shone with every color of the rainbow and then some new ones I’d never seen. I’d never seen anything like it.

  Hale pulled on my arm. “Do you want to sightsee or find that stone?”

  My head snapped to attention. “The stone.”

  “Then I suggest keeping your eyes on the road.”

  “Good plan.” I followed her, keeping my gaze averted from the magnificent underground city. The street was paved with a glittery gold. It was hard to stay focused on just paying attention to it. The dragon city was grander than anything I’d ever dreamed about.

  Everything grew louder as we neared the city. We stayed on the outskirts, though. The noise died down, we passed a castle, and finally came to another ornate door.

  “This leads to the main tunnels,” Hale said. “We’re going to run to Iceland. You promise your wolf will follow me without biting me?”

  “You have my word.”

  “And you can shift back before we enter the dragon city under Iceland?”

  “After all that time, no problem.”

  “Time is weird in the tunnels.”

  I arched a brow. “What do you mean?”

  “It’ll only feel like an hour.”

  “I’ll be able to turn back no problem. No biting, either. I swear.”

  She opened the door and we stepped into a tunnel. It was much brighter than the one leading into the city. The walls and ground were made of dirt, but something kept it well lit.

  Several of my ribs popped, followed by a knee and an elbow.

  Hale’s eyes widened. “No offense, but that’s kind of creepy.”

  I stretched my neck. “Says the girl who grows fangs and drinks blood.”

  She snickered. “Fair enough. How long’s this going to take?”

  “Not long.” I pulled my shirt off and handed it to her. “I’ll need you to carry my clothes, otherwise things will get awkward when I turn back.”

  “Sure, no problem.” She folded the shirt and stuffed it in her large purse.

  I took everything else off and gave it to her as the noise from my bones transforming grew louder. The popping turned to crunching as they started breaking. I threw myself to the ground and gave in to the pain as fur sliced through my skin. I closed my eyes as a human and opened them as a wolf.

  Hale’s eyes were wide. She gestured for me to follow her down the tunnel. I jumped to my feet and she burst into a run, going so fast I almost couldn’t see her. My muscles ached for a moment as I ran after her, but then all pain melted away. It felt so good to be in wolf form, running freely. I relaxed, letting my wolf take over for the long sprint.

  Chapter 114

  Toby

  I hesitated, not wanting to leave the air-conditioned cab. I’d barely just cooled down from the heat of the desert.

  Johan handed the driver a stack of bills, and they exchanged a brief conversation I couldn’t understand.

  We exited, and the heat covered me like a heavy blanket. I turned to Johan. “Do you always keep Egyptian currency on you?”

  “Only when I know I’m going to be here.”

  I glanced around, not seeing any springs. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”

  “This is as close as we can get with a vehicle.” He threw me a bottle of water.

  It was icy cold. “Thanks. Where are we headed?”

  “That way.” He glanced toward a hill with a steep incline.

  Of course. I opened the drink and swallowed it in one swig. “Let’s get started.”

  We started up the daunting sandy hill. My feet nearly slid out from under me. It took all my effort just to walk steadily. Twenty minutes later, we neared the top. My pulse raced with eager expectation. Would the spring be on the other side? Even better yet, would it be fresh water that we could drink?

  Finally, we reached the top of the hill. The only thing on the other side was more hills, several even higher than the one we were on.

  “Where’s the spring?” I exclaimed.

  Johan turned to me. “We’ll find out if we keep going.”

  “There’s no chance of using a rune on the other side of all that?”

  He shook his head.

  “We’d better get going.”

  We traveled down the other side of the hill, slipping and sliding on the sand. There wasn’t much in the way of things to grab onto—just a few small plants which were too small to hold our weight.

  When we got to the bottom, I looked around. We had our choice of about three equally daunting hills to climb. My parched mouth begged for more water.

  “You ready?” Johan asked, wiping sweat from his brow.

  I spun in a slow circle, studying each hill.

  “Let’s just keep heading in the same direction. We should take that one.” He gestured toward the hill directly in front of us.

  “Wait. Do you notice anything about that?” I nodded toward the one on our left.

  His forehead wrinkled as he studied it. “No.”

  “Part of it doesn’t look right. I want to take a closer look.” I didn’t wait for a response. I headed straight for it, focusing on the base, which was a slightly darker shade of tan than the rest of the hill.

  “If you want a rest, there are shadier areas.”

  I shook my head and stopped in front of it. The color difference was subtle, but it was there. “This has to mean something.”

  “What? That this part hasn’t fully dried since the last rainfall?”

  “No, because then the other hills would look the same.” I pressed my palm against the hill. It was just warm sand.

  “Did you see that?” Johan exclaimed.

  “What?” I looked around, seeing nothing.

  “Do that again.”

  “This?” I pressed the sand. It burned against my skin.

  “That’s amazing.”

  “What is?”

  “The sand is getting darker. Do that again.”

  I pushed again, this time with both my palms. The hot sand was almost too much. Johan clapped. I couldn’t see anything different.

  “Turn around,” he said.

  Keeping one hand on the hill, I slowly turned. The bottom of the hill we’d just climbed had opened like a sliding door. It led to a bright tunnel with hieroglyphics on the wall.

  My mouth dropped open. “Did I do that?”

  “It would appear so. Come on.”

  I let go of the hill and the tunnel’s door started to close.

  Johan’s eyes widened. “Run!”

  We both bolted inside, making it just before the door closed behind us. I didn’t want to think about getting out since the “key” to opening it was outside. But I didn’t care—the air inside was so cool, it may as well have been air conditioned. I wiped sweat from my forehead and closed my eyes, enjoying the icy air.

  When I opened my eyes, Johan was reading the ancient writing.

  “Do you know what it says?”

  “Instructions for opening the door from the inside.”

  “That’s one less thing to worry about, at least. Do you think the healing springs are in here?”

  “There’s only one way to find out.”

  We walked down the tunnel. It remained lit from an unknown source. We followed the path for what felt like hours, twisting and turning, going up and down. If we weren’t heading for a secret spring, I couldn’t imagine what lay ahead. A long-forgotten pharaoh? Treasure?

  Soon, the sound of water swirling sounded faintly in the distance. Johan and I exchanged a curious glance and kept going. The water grew louder with each passing step. We rounded another corner and came to a big, open area with an enormous, swirling pool in the middle. The water was crystal clear and sparkled like nothing I’d ever seen.

  “Toby!”

  I scanned the springs until I saw Soleil sitting at the far edge. Her legs were immersed in the water and she ran her fingers over the top, causing a wave of ripples.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “How’d you find this place?”

  “It wasn’t easy.” I scurried over to her.

  She studied me with bloodshot eyes. The skin around them was red and puffy, like she’d been crying a lot. “Sorry for taking off like I did. I know I should’ve said something, but I just couldn’t take it. I thought the spring could help, but it doesn’t appear to heal a broken heart.”

  I rested my hand on her shoulder and sat next to her. “Speaking from experience, I don’t think anything does. Not even time, though many claim otherwise.”

  She sighed. “I don’t know what to do with myself. In all my years, I’ve never felt anything remotely close to the way I feel about Brick. Now he’s gone with no way of returning.”

  I squeezed her shoulder and took her hand. “I’m sure he misses you just as much as you miss him.”

  Soleil looked away and then turned back to me. A tear clung to her eyelash. “You’re here to bring me home, aren’t you?”

  “I am. I was hoping you could help me with Victoria.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have you heard of a wolf essence stone?”

  She shook her head, her eyes wide. “No, but I know about other essence stones, and they can be deadly in the wrong hands.”

  “Long story short is that many believe it can reverse the curse of the moon. Many have gone after it, never to return.”

  Soleil’s eyes widened. “And Victoria?”

  “She has ‘the fever’ all the others have had—the unquenching thirst to find it. A wild look in her eyes. Jittery at times. She tries to hide it, but I can see past her efforts. And since you know more about essence than anyone I know, I thought you might be able to help.”

  She scrambled to her feet. “I’ll learn what I can about it. Tell me everything you know.”

  I rose and explained what little I knew.

  “It definitely sounds dangerous. I’ve got to help her.”

  Relief washed through me. “I can’t thank you enough.”

  “I’d do anything for you guys—you know that. Let’s head back to Moonhaven. I’m a little low on essence, though.” She glanced at Johan. “Even if I borrow some from you two, I don’t have enough to travel with both of you.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” Johan said. “I’m going to stick around and find a place to leave a rune. My Gessilyn needs to come here for some R-and-R after all the training she’s been through. I’ll catch up with you two later.”

  I turned to him. “I can’t thank you enough, either.”

  “Don’t mention it. Just give me a call if you need anything.”

  I nodded, then turned to Soleil. “Take what you need.” I closed my eyes. A swooshing sound behind her meant her wings had sprouted out, and the breeze confirmed it. My mouth opened on its own, and I felt a tugging sensation as Soleil drank from my essence. The silky feeling drew from deep within, up through my throat, and out my mouth.

  Almost as soon as it had started, it was over. My essence snapped back into my mouth. I stumbled back and opened my eyes, just in time to see her enormous wings retract. She wiped her mouth and met my gaze, her eyes glowing an electric green.

  “Did you get enough?” I asked.

  She nodded and flipped her blonde hair behind her shoulders. “Take my hands and close your eyes again.”

  I glanced around to say goodbye to Johan, but he was already out of sight, in search of a mirror to leave a rune. “Sure you don’t need more essence?”

  Soleil nodded and grabbed my hand. “Close your eyes.”

  I did, and another breeze whipped around us. A dizzying sensation ran through me.

  “You can open them.”

  My head reeled. I took a deep breath and then opened my eyes. We were in the living room at Moonhaven. Soleil sat on the recliner and took a deep breath.

  “Do you need more essence?” I asked.

  She shook her head.

  “Something to eat?”

  “I’m fine.”

  Laura ran in, her eyes wide. “What just happened?”

  “We just flew in from Egypt,” Soleil said. “And boy, are my arms tired.”

  Victoria’s mom gave us a double-take.

  “We really did just come from Egypt,” I said.

  “But it’s not my arms that are tired.” Soleil closed her eyes.

  “Do you know where Victoria is?” Laura asked.

  “At the vampire castle.” I sat on a couch, trying to adjust to being home. My mind was swirling—not that it was any surprise after traveling to Egypt via runes and then back to the Pacific Northwest with a valkyrie.

  Laura shook her head. “Someone just called and said she was seen in Iceland.”

  I gave her a double-take. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. She was traveling with a young royal vampire.”

  Soleil’s eyes flew open. “We’d better find out what we can about that stone.”

  Chapter 115

  Victoria

  Hale and I stepped outside into the fresh Icelandic air. I tightened my hoodie around me and breathed in the fresh scent. A breeze brought the salty smell of ocean air with it. Woods stretched out before us as far as I could see.

  “I didn’t expect so much woodland here,” I said.

  “It wasn’t always this way,” Hale assured me. “There’s been a lot of crazy magic recently, and some of the oldest enchanted forests have been restored from thousands of years ago.”

  “You’ll have to tell me about that some day.” Something within me vibrated. “The stone is close. I can feel it.”

  Hale turned to me, her eyes wide. “You can?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “It’s been calling to me. I can’t explain it. Everyone else says I have ‘the fever,’ but it’s the other way around. The stone wants me. I have no other choice but to find it.”

  “You make it sound alive.”

  “Maybe it is.”

  Her eyes widened. “Well, let’s find that thing. You can feel it—where is it?”

  “I wish I knew. I can just tell that it’s close.”

  “What do we do now? Follow your senses?”

  I closed my eyes and focused on the inner vibrations. They didn’t give me any sense of direction. I opened my eyes. “Sorry. I’m not going to be of any use. We’re going to need a locator spell.”

  “Why are you looking at me like that? I’m no witch.”

  I laughed. “Of course not. Do you know any around here?”

  “Not personally. My parents could help with that, but they’re in the middle of a mission somewhere in Asia. I’m not to disturb them unless it’s life or death. I don’t want to bother the queen. Let me think…” She tapped her chin.

  “I’ll see if anyone from Gessilyn’s coven can help.”

  “Gessilyn?”

  “Yeah.” I pulled out my phone.

  “You know the new high witch?” Hale exclaimed.

  “She’s friends with Toby.” I found her number and called. It went to voicemail.

  “Not there?” Hale asked.

  “I’m going to try one of her sisters.” I called Roska.

  “Hi, Victoria,” she answered. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I just need a locator spell. I don’t suppose you have a few minutes to run one?”

  “Well, I would but I’m in Iceland with my cousin who’s helping me gather ingredients for one of Gessilyn’s spells.”

  “I’m in Iceland!”

  “Wait, what?” she exclaimed. “Where?”

  “I just came out of a dragon tunnel.”

  “What’s going on?” Hale asked.

  I held up a finger at Hale and asked Roska, “Can you help us?”

  “Who are you searching for?” she asked. “Do you have something that belongs to them?”

  My heart sank. “I’m looking for an item. I don’t have anything that goes with it.”

  “What is it? I might be able to help, anyway.”

  “The wolf essence stone.”

  She swore.

  “What?” I exclaimed.

  Roska took a deep breath. “I’ve heard that thing is dangerous.”

  “And I’ve heard witches fly around on brooms, cackling like lunatics.”

  Hale gave me a funny look.

  “I’ve got ten minutes, and I’m not too far away,” Roska said. “Head east. I’ll meet you by a small village of cottages.”

  “Thank you!” I ended the call, grabbed Hale’s hand, and ran east.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Gessilyn’s sister is going to run a locator spell for us.”

  As we ran, everything passed by in a blur. A few minutes later, a cute little village came into view.

  Roska appeared around a corner. Her blonde curls bounced on her shoulder as she ran toward us. “Let’s hurry.”

  I made quick introductions.

  Roska held out a map. “I’m going to have to use some of your blood. That’s the only thing I can think of. You’re wolf, it’s a wolf stone. If this doesn’t work, I’m not sure what to tell you.”