by Lili Zander
Mateo puts his arm around me. “And your favorite pair of pajamas too? That’s a good idea, tesoro. Zyrian’s gone, but his castle might be filled with nasty surprises. We shouldn’t go wandering off on our own.” His blue eyes flash with wry humor. “Unless the Silver Mage wishes it. Then, evidently, we jump to her bidding.”
Tell me about it.
“If you’re going to magic up some sleeping bags, can you get us a couple of couches too?” Rhys asks with a grin. “We might as well make ourselves comfortable.”
Mateo nods. I can feel his magic swirl around him, strong and bright, absolutely crackling with energy, and then…
A red couch materializes into the room, hurtling toward us. I yelp and throw myself sideways, but Mateo isn’t quite as quick.
The sofa slams into his body, knocking him to the floor.
5
Casius
“What the fuck?” Bastian swears, his expression stressed. “What just happened?”
Mateo picks himself off the floor, shaking his head. “I don’t know. One moment, I was translocating the couch from Manhattan. The next moment, I was hitting the floor.”
Aria’s eyes are wide and worried. “Your magic didn’t feel different,” she says. “Well, it seemed shinier, but that’s because of the curse is broken, right?”
Realization dawns on me. “The curse. Of course. Mateo, you’ve been fighting the taint your entire life. Every time you do magic…”
“…I’ve spent part of my energy purifying it.” Mateo’s expression turns sheepish. “Zeus, that’s dumb. I should have seen that. Okay. Let’s make this room livable.”
Two hours later, the room is furnished. We’ve eaten our fill of pizza that Bastian ordered by phone and Mateo magicked here. Rhys has sweet-talked the Norm staff into telling him everything they know, which unfortunately is not a lot. Zyrian wasn’t in the habit of confiding in anyone. Lukus Hyde has taken Silas Archer back to Nome, along with the other injured wolves.
Aria, who’s already changed into her PJs, yawns loudly. “God, I’m lame. It’s five in the evening, and I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“It might be five in the evening here,” I say reasonably. “But it’s two in the morning in Germany. You’re not the only one who’s tired.”
She grins. “Really?” she teases. “I’m willing to bet that you’re itching to explore the castle and see if Zyrian had a library.”
“He does,” I admit sheepishly. “It’s supposed to be a treasure trove of rare manuscripts. Before he cast the curse, scholars would journey to Gideon Zyrian’s castle to pour over his collection. If it’s still intact…”
She gives me a fond look. “Go look,” she says. “And while you’re at it, if you happen to find the Runestone, you’d be making our lives a hell of a lot easier.”
Mateo’s sitting on the couch with his legs propped up on the coffee table. When I mention Zyrian’s library, his eyes gleam with interest. “I’ll come with you,” he announces, getting to his feet. “I can’t wait to see what Zyrian has hidden here.”
Zyrian’s vault and library take up an entire wing of the castle. I expect to have a hard time getting in, but Mateo opens the set of tall carved iron doors with ease. “This surge of power is disconcerting,” he mutters.
“You realize you’re now the most powerful mage in the world?”
He makes a face. “I’m trying not to dwell on that. I’m going to be overrun with requests for help. Shifters always think all their problems can be solved with magic.”
I step through the doors, and my reply dies on my lips.
When Norms think of dragon treasure, they’re picturing gold and gemstones, but that’s old thinking. In modern times, dragons put their money into the financial system, the same way Norms and shifters do. But in their vaults, they store their true treasures. The objects that are rare, one-of-a-kind, and irreplaceable.
“Wow.” Mateo’s voice is awestruck, and he makes his way to the nearest display case, one that contains an intricately carved horn. “Is that…”
I scan the label printed on the side of the case. Zyrian’s vault is far neater than I would have expected, and surprisingly well organized. “Gjallarhorn, the horn of Heimdallr.”
Mateo’s attention transfers to a leather-covered book in a neighboring case. “Fuck,” he swears. “I’ve heard rumors, but I didn’t think they were real. I would have sworn that this book didn’t exist.”
There’s a note of strain in his voice that causes me to look up. “What is it?”
He gives me a sidelong look. “Don’t you know?” he asks. “This is the only copy of the Grimoire Noir.”
He makes no attempt to open the protective glass case, which is uncharacteristic of him. Mateo loves finding old grimoires. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Not surprising.” His expression hardens. “This book should have never been written. This is the book that taught Zyrian to harvest magic by killing people and trapping their souls. Every dark spell, every wretched curse, every black hex and jinx. It’s all in this book.”
“You want to destroy it?”
“This book is darkness, Slater. It can’t be destroyed. Even worse, it’s imbued with its own magic.”
“What does that mean?”
“It chooses its owner.”
Dread trickles down my spine. “To create the next Dark Dragon?”
Mateo nods. “We have to lock this book up. Throw away the key. Nobody can be allowed to see it.”
“But every dragon in the world is probably on their way here.”
Mateo’s expression is bleak. “Trust me, I know.” He takes a deep breath and flexes his fingers. “According to Maija Essen, Zyrian hid the Runestone in the void. The space between. Somewhere in the castle, a strand of magic tethers it to our world.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“The only thing possible,” he replies. “The book needs to be lost forever. I have to drop the Grimoire Noir into the void.”
6
Aria
I wake up in the middle of the night.
The room is dark. My dragons are lying next to me. All except Erik. In the flickering light of the fire, I see that the hulking dragon is sitting in one of the armchairs.
I get to my feet and settle in the chair opposite him. “Hey,” I say softly, not wanting to wake the others. “Couldn’t sleep?”
He shakes his head fractionally.
“Want to talk about it?”
Erik and I had made love right before I’d left for Zyrian’s castle, but I’m not expecting him to tell me anything. One night of passion doesn’t magically change the habits of a lifetime. Erik doesn’t typically confide in me or anyone else.
“I wanted to kill Zyrian,” he replies quietly.
To avenge his mate, Gisele, the dragon that Zyrian had murdered in his first rampage against the families of the Council of Thirteen.
“You didn’t run after him.”
“You’re more important than revenge, princess.”
Aww. Heart melting. “I could have killed him too,” I whisper, staring into the flames. “Can I tell you something, Erik? I’m glad I didn’t. I don’t think I’m ready to kill anyone.”
“You’ve got a tender heart, princess. Killing changes a person. Stay pure as long as you can.”
“Tender heart?” I raise my eyebrow. “You just called me a softie, didn’t you? Take it back.”
His eyes dance with amusement. “Not going to. I bet you went through a vegetarian phase as a teenager too.”
I laugh. “Not even a little. I spent time on the streets, remember? I know better than to turn down a meal, any meal.”
His expression softens, and I change the subject, not wanting his pity. “The dragons are going to start arriving here to claim Zyrian’s treasure? How does that work?”
“You defeated him. By dragon law, his possessions are yours.”
Whoa. What the fuck? “You didn’t tell me that earlier,�
�� I accuse.
His lips curl up. “I knew you’d freak out,” he replies, not sounding the slightest bit repentant. “Much better to tell you after you got some rest.”
“That’s how it’s going to be, is it?” I tease him. “What’s the problem then? If everything is mine, why are the dragons on their way here?”
“Dragon law also allows them to challenge you for the treasure,” he replies.
“Challenge me how?”
“A fight, of course.” He gives me a reassuring look. “Don’t worry. You are permitted to appoint a champion to fight in your place. You have five mates, princess. If you allow us, we’ll gladly go to battle for you.”
I know that. Mild-mannered Casius threatened the head of the alchemists, borrowed her private plane, and they dropped everything to come to my rescue. They’ll fight to the death for me.
Except I’ve always fought my own battles. I’m never going to be the kind of woman that sits back and lets my dragons do my dirty work. “In this battle,” I ask Erik, “Am I allowed to use magic?”
He nods, his lips twitching. “You can use all the weapons at your disposal.”
Good thing I’ve been training non-stop. I’ve a feeling I’m going to need it.
Bring it on.
7
Aria
The next morning, just as we’re sitting down to breakfast, Mateo tells us about his discovery last night. “As soon as we’re done eating,” he says, “we all need to look for the void that’s holding the Runestone.”
Until Maija Essen mentioned the void, I’d never heard of the concept. It still seems hard to believe. The space between, Mateo had called it. Between what? That’s not as simple to understand, though the dragons seem familiar with the concept. “Can’t you create another one?”
He shakes his head. “Not quickly. A stable portal into the void takes months to set up, and we don’t have the luxury of time. We’ve got to get rid of the book right away.”
“Why?”
His expression turns hard. “Not all dragon mages are strong enough to resist the temptation of the Grimoire Noir,” he says. “If one of them shows up to raid Zyrian’s vault and finds the book…” He forces a smile on his face. “For the moment, I’ve cast a cloaking spell over the grimoire. But the sooner we get rid of it, the better.”
The stern-faced housekeeper bustles into the room, cutting off our conversation. She carries a large platter of eggs, bacon, and toast. Once she’s set the food down and departed to fetch a pot of coffee, I turn to Rhys, who’s sitting next to me. “Should we be eating Zyrian’s food?” I whisper. “What if they try to poison us?”
Rhys digs into his food, unfazed by my suspicions. “It’s not easy to poison a dragon,” he says. “Well, unless the alchemists get involved.” His lips twitch. “Although there was that one time when Bastian ate something at Hugo de Cardevac’s mansion…”
Bastian’s cheeks turn faintly pink. “Knock it off, Griffith,” he growls.
Rhys’ smile widens. “I have no secrets from my mate,” he says, sotto voce. “Do you, Jaeger?”
From the twinkle in Rhys’ eyes and the color on Bastian’s face, whatever story Rhys is telling is going to be a doozy. I lean forward, my lips twitching, and give Bastian an avidly interested look. “What happened?”
“I had a minor case of food poisoning,” Bastian mutters, his eyes on his plate.
“Is that what really happened?” Rhys asks innocently. “Because the way I heard the story, it was more like explosive diarrhea.”
I burst into laughter. Bastian is so controlled that it’s hilarious to think of him being at the mercy of something as mundane as salmonella. It’s made my morning, really. I’m imagining Bastian running to the toilet every three minutes, and I can’t stop snickering.
Poor Bastian. I wonder if Mateo has a magic solution. Magical Imodium, anyone?
“Should you really be telling tales, Rhys?” Casius asks with a grin. “Because if we’re in a sharing mood, do you remember that time…”
I never get a chance to find out what Rhys did, because the housekeeper enters the room, her face pale. “A pair of dragons just touched down in the courtyard,” she says. “They’re claiming the castle as their own.”
“So much for finding the Runestone,” I mutter under my breath.
Bastian gets to his feet, his face hard. My sheepish mate who was being teased about his episode of the runs is gone, and Dragon Prince Bastian Jaeger takes his place. “Did they give their names?”
“Yes, my lord,” she replies. “Andrei Ivanov and Natalya Ivanova.”
The names ring a bell. “Are these the Ivanovs that haven’t been seen in two hundred years?” I ask Erik.
“Yes,” he replies, his voice vibrating with tension. “That’s them.”
Mateo’s face is pale. “Natalya is a mage,” he says. “And she’s ambitious enough to use the grimoire. I really hope that cloaking spell holds.”
8
Bastian
Andrei Ivanov and Natalya Ivanova. Trouble, both of them, especially now that Zyrian’s been rendered powerless.
I go outside, Erik next to me. The twins are standing in the courtyard, unaffected by the cold. As always, they’re dressed in black. Andrei’s ice-blond hair is cut shorter than it was two hundred years ago, but apart from that, he hasn’t changed.
Natalya, the mage, and decidedly the more dangerous of the two, looks as she always has. Her long hair is pulled up in a bun on the top of her head, and the expression in her violet eyes betrays nothing. No astonishment that the curse—one that has affected her as much as anyone else—is broken, no joy that the Dark Dragon is defeated at last.
“Jaeger,” she says. “And Valder. Of course. I might have known. Which one of you found a mate to end the curse, and who is she?”
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I stoop to answering her questions. My shoulders stiffen, and I straighten to my full height. “You did not defeat Gideon Zyrian. You have no right to be here. Leave.”
“You’re wrong,” the male Ivanov twin replies. Too late, I remember that he’s something of an expert in dragon law. Fuck. If there’s a loophole, Andrei Ivanov will know it. “We have a claim. Zyrian murdered our father.”
I sense Mateo come up behind me. For a second, when she sees him, there’s a flicker of dismay on Natalya Ivanova’s face, but it’s gone in a flash.
Ah. She thought she could defeat me, but she wasn’t expecting to have to challenge Mateo. Good. Maybe she’ll think better of the whole thing and get the fuck out of here.
“Fine,” I reply dismissively. “I’ll take on Zyrian’s debt. The appropriate amount of gold will be sent to your estates tomorrow. Leave now.”
“No.” Natalya Ivanova’s voice cracks like a whip. “I don’t want gold. I demand entry into Zyrian’s vault. I will choose the treasure that will satisfy the debt.”
Hell no. She’s a skilled mage. If she enters Zyrian’s treasure-store, she will sense the presence of the Grimoire Noir.
“That’s not happening,” Erik growls. “All that is required under dragon law is gold.”
“Very well.” She inclines her head. “You leave me no choice. If you do not permit me entry, I challenge the person that vanquished the Dark Dragon. A duel to the death. So, which one of you did the deed?”
A clear voice speaks up, and Aria moves to my side, her head held high. “It was none of them. It was me.”
9
Aria
Natalya Ivanova—blonde ice queen—raises an eyebrow. “You?” she asks, her voice laced with scorn. “Don’t be ridiculous, child. You’re Norm.”
Bite me, bitch.
I force a bland smile on my face. “Doesn’t change anything,” I reply. “I broke the curse. I defeated Zyrian. Oh, and incidentally? I’m the mate of the dragon princes.”
Her eyes go wide with shock. She clearly knows Maija Essen’s prophecy. When the Dragon Princes find their true mate, the curse will be broken
, and the dragons will be restored to their former glory.
So much for keeping our relationship quiet until I’m ready.
She quickly recovers her composure. “Are you?” she drawls. “It doesn’t quite seem sporting to duel with a Norm, but if that’s what it takes…” She shrugs, unconcerned. “Let’s do it.”
“You touch a finger on Aria’s hair, and I will snap your neck like a twig,” Erik growls, his hands clenching into fists. Flames dance over his skin, and I know that his dragon is agitated, wanting to burst free and burn this woman to a crisp. “I will fight on Aria’s behalf.”
“No,” Mateo interjects. “Let me.”
Natalya’s eyes glitter with malice. “So many people willing to defend the poor, helpless Norm,” she says. “But I’m afraid I’m not interested in fighting Valder or Valentini.”
“It’s not up to you,” Bastian snaps. “By our law, Aria may appoint one of us to stand in on her behalf.”
Andrei Ivanov shakes his head. “Actually,” he says, sounding viciously pleased, “she cannot. Our laws don’t apply to your Norm mate, Jaeger. A dragon may appoint a champion, but your mate will have to fight her own battles.”
He tilts his head to one side. “But we are reasonable people,” he continues. “And my sister has no desire to hurt your mate. Allow us entry into Gideon’s vault. Let Natalya choose a bauble from there, and we will depart in peace.”
My mates stiffen. At my side, Casius inhales sharply. “I’m afraid he’s right,” he whispers to me. “Dragon laws, good or bad, don’t apply to Norms. Damn it.”
I hear a voice inside me. Maija Essen’s voice, to be exact. You’re going to have to fight her.
Because of the book? I ask.
No, Bastian’s mother replies. Because if you give in to Natalya’s demand, you will look like a coward.