Hidden Magic: A New Adult Urban Fantasy Novel (Touched By Magic: Dragon Book 1)

by Ashley Meira

  I banged my head on the window. Things were simpler when Cyrus was throwing rocks at me.

  “You okay?” Adam asked.

  I nodded stiffly. “We need to go higher.”

  The familiar magic tugged me forward, bringing back memories of when I first woke up. Alone, scared, confused…. The ring room — armory. The armory. The creepy masks, the drawers inside with the names on them. Other children. Were they even children? Were they alive when I’d escaped, or had they been used for the Boss’ experiments?

  I didn’t think so. The guard said branded people were special. And why give a prisoner a drawer if they weren’t special? Why leave an insanely expensive ruby ring in there? I’d been yelling at the Boss. That’s something else the guard said. Maybe I’d only been locked up because I made him mad? Then why was Fiona locked up?

  And what did the Boss want, supposedly, with the Heart? Damien claimed not to know what it did, but if they were working for him, then why hire me to recover the Heart at all? To trap me? Why go through all this trouble?

  Adam squeezed my shoulder. “Sophia?”

  I looked into his eyes. They seemed sincere. And concerned. I didn’t want to believe he was betraying me.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, rubbing circles against my back. “Talk to me.”

  “Mr. Pierce?” the pilot called. “I can’t go any higher. You’ll need to climb the rest of the way.”

  “Can we get there by foot?” Adam asked.

  I nodded.

  He didn’t take his eyes off me. “Land as close as you can. We’ll hike the rest of the way.”

  I pulled away and prepared to disembark. We landed three minutes later, our boots sinking deep into the snow.

  “We’re maybe forty minutes away on foot,” I told him, pointing forward. “That way.”

  “The pilot can’t stay,” he said, waving at the helicopter. “He’ll come pick us up when this is done.”

  Both of us? So I wasn’t going to die on this mountain. Or would I be coming down in chains?

  We trekked on in silence. The snow covered Adam, making him look like a yeti. I fought back a laugh. No positive thoughts about him. Not now. Not ever. My Fire wavered. It didn’t like that idea. Neither did I.

  “How’s your friend?” he asked. “Fiona, was it?”

  “She’s my sister. I can put her on if you like,” I snapped. My Fire wilted further. I wish it stuck up for me this much. “Sorry. A lot on my mind.”

  “I noticed,” he said. “If this is about last night—”

  “It’s not.” If only. Being upset about kissing the hot rich guy would be great compared to the mental fuckfest I was having now.

  He grabbed my arm and turned me to face him. He’d shaken off most of the snow, leaving him as perfect as ever. I’d almost forgotten how attractive he was. So pretty I could cry was a good description.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “You want to talk or you want the Heart?”

  “Talk.”

  It was stuff like this that made me want to trust him. “It can wait.”

  He looked as convinced as he did yesterday when I told him the fireball hadn’t hit me that hard. “Is there anything I can do now?”

  “Not unless you can airdrop one of Ollie’s enchanted lattes.” I peered at him. “Can you?”

  “Sorry.” He chuckled as we continued walking. “Is his coffee that good?”

  “He’s half green witch and half goblin,” I said. “That’s, like, a fifty out of ten on the deliciousness scale. Food and drinks and Rice Krispie treats.”

  “Those are elves.”

  “They’re gnomic elves. Besides, have you tasted elven food?” I wrinkled my nose. “It’s so…grassy. Their barbecue is great though.”

  “It’s healthy.”

  “So’s salad. Which is also grassy and not eaten by me. Ever.”

  He chuckled. “Noted. No salad, tons of coffee.”

  “It has to be enchanted coffee, and it has to be Ollie’s,” I said. “And who says there’ll be a next time?”

  “I do. I want to see more of you.”

  I slipped, tumbling down the slope in a mess of leather, hair, and snow.

  “Sophia!” A pair of strong hands pulled me up. “Are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine. Shame I’m not wearing white,” I grumbled, dusting snow off my butt. It was soaked. “You’d definitely see more of me.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.” He nodded toward the cave mouth ahead. “Is that our destination?”

  “The Heart is further away, but we’ll have to pass through here.”

  Entering the cave felt like entering another world. The vaulting walls of ice changed the way everything sounded, giving the wind outside a more ethereal quality. Stalactites hung from the walls like giant teeth, and the entire ground was coated in a thick pile of snow.

  My Fire blazed, reacting to the burst of magic Adam had let out. I stepped away, afraid to absorb the flame dancing in his hand.

  “Thought you might be cold,” he said, his eyes fixed down south. “Your butt is soaked.”

  It was, but his focused stare was quickly heating things up. “Keep your hands away from my butt.”

  “Even without the fire?”

  I glared at him, trying to block how nice that had felt last night. “Keep walking.”

  He did but didn’t snuff the flame out. It danced between us like a deadly wall.

  Rocks fell from the ceiling, coating our hair and shoulders. Walking through this cave felt creepy, and the acoustics weren’t doing it any favors. The howling wind outside was a feral screech in here, like ghostly nails on a chalkboard. It rushed in from the cave’s openings, nearly knocking me off my feet. Adam’s flame flickered against the gale.

  He shivered, the flames wavering further. “Is it getting colder?”

  “The wind feels stronger. It starts blowing any harder, and I’m going to be airborne.”

  “You do this a lot. Do you think something’s wrong?”

  I’d never climbed the Pyrenees before, but I’ve had to crawl my way through enough ice tunnels to know a drop of temperature is never good. Hell, a sudden drop of temperature anywhere was never good.

  I readied my sword arm. “Yes.”

  Before Adam could ask, a blast of icy air swept in and snuffed out his flame. Harsh winds buffeted our skin with tiny shards of ice, and a dozen high-pitched rasps encircled around us. The drastic dip in temperature was the only warning I had before a mob of ice wraiths closed in.

  Ice wraiths were spirits of people who froze to death. They looked like pale blue snakes with translucent scales, making it near impossible for prey to see their floating bodies among the snow. Their long, serpentine bodies flew toward us, fangs bared.

  We split up, avoiding a direct hit by a trio of ice wraiths. They sank into the snow, vanishing into the ground.

  “They’re only solid when they attack,” I told him. “Otherwise, they’re intangible, like ghosts.”

  Flames circled up Adam’s arms. “They are ghosts.”

  “Hence the description.” I swiped at a passing wraith, watching my sword go clean through. “They’re protecting their territory. They won’t chase us if we leave the cave.”

  “Are you sure?” He slung a fireball, scattering a school of the ghostly serpents.

  “No,” I said, eyeing the exit. We were fifty feet away. “Run!”

  Running through snow was easier said than done, especially with dozens of ice wraiths chasing after you. They kept appearing, their ghostly shrieks past deafening. It shook the walls, leaving cracks in the ice. Stalactites dropped from above. I rolled forward, narrowly avoiding being impaled.

  “This place is coming down!” Adam called.

  I swung my sword around to keep the wraiths away. They needed to be solid to hit me, and being solid meant getting sashimi’d by my blade. I was halfway there, but Adam was lagging behind. Taking aim, I threw my sword at the cluster of wr
aiths surrounding him.

  Something hard slammed into my lower back. I went flying, my elbow cracking against something hard. Another ice wraith hit me before I could get up. And another. And another. The wraiths’ sharp scales shredded my jacket as they pounded me into the ground. The cracking sound got louder with each hit, but it didn’t feel like any of my bones were broken. It wasn’t until I slid across the ground that I realized what the sound was.

  Ice. Hidden beneath the snow.

  Shit.

  “Sophia!”

  “Adam, don’t—”

  A suffocating burst of magic flooded the cave, leaving behind a giant phoenix. He swooped toward the wraiths above me, destroying them all in one hit.

  His magic swept over me, the burning ends of his tail nearly touching my stomach. My Fire danced at the sensation, crying for more. I reached for it, but the intense heat from his body melted what was left of the ice.

  Water engulfed me. I swam up, but dagger-sharp teeth dug into my ankles and pulled me down even further. More wraiths swarmed me, biting into my arms and legs as they dragged me to the depths.

  Being Fireborn, the icy water wasn’t an issue. But the blood loss and lack of oxygen were making it difficult to move. I summoned my sword and started swinging. The underwater pressure combined with the pain in my bite-ridden arm made it feel like I was swinging a warhammer, but I kept going.

  The already dark waters turned black as oxygen left my body. My swings got slower, and the water got colder as more wraiths gathered for the feeding frenzy. Water flooded my lungs. I couldn’t keep my grip. My sword slipped from my hands as my eyes slipped shut.

  Chapter Thirteen

  My eyes snapped open, and my Fire screamed in bliss at the surge of magic. The world was white before an entire rainbow burst in front of me. Everything was sheer color. Formless waves of pinks, golds, and greens merged into abstract patterns before melting back into the stream.

  I blinked rapidly, my breaths coming out in pants. Shapes came back into my life. First in the form of a giant bird, then in a burst of flame. The phoenix vanished a moment later. Adam ran toward me, his large hand grabbing my wrist and pulling me up.

  I let him drag me along, pretty colors still dotting my vision. Another burst of fire flew from his hand, roaring amidst a riot of shrieks. Sunlight hit my face, and snow seeped into my pants as I collapsed into a thick pile of it. The rumbling of rocks drew my attention, and I turned just in time to see the exit get blocked off.

  Adam knelt before me and grabbed my shoulders. His mouth was moving at breakneck pace, but I couldn’t hear a thing he was saying through my high. I reached up and ran my trembling fingers over his perfect cheekbones before sliding them into his hair.

  “Soph—”

  “You’re pure magic,” I said in awe. “Magic birdy. Pretty birdy.”

  He brought my hands between us, rubbing them vigorously. “Are you okay?”

  Was I okay? I was great. I was freakin’ amazing. In phoenix form, Adam’s body was pure magic. Every little bit of it was sheer perfection. And he’d pulled me out of the frozen lake with it. His claw had touched me, and that direct contact….

  It was the best thing I’d ever felt in my life.

  Adam held his hand out, and a flame appeared. I jumped, wrapping my arms around his chest and pressing against him.

  “No,” I whined. “I don’t want it.”

  He wrapped his free hand around my waist. “Sophia, you were underwater for a while. I thought I wasn’t going to make it in time—”

  “Make it stop,” I whimpered, nuzzling into his neck. My Fire disagreed, flaring and pushing my magic out like grasping hands. It wanted his flame, wanted more of his magic. I wanted it too, and if he kept it there, I’d face-plant right into it. I was high, but I still knew that’d be bad. “Very, very bad. But also good. Very good.”

  “Tell me about it,” he breathed before prying my head away from his neck. “Wait, what the hell am I doing?”

  I giggled as he pulled me back to him. How could I have doubted him? No one with magic this yummy could be bad.

  “Thank you for saving me,” I said into his neck.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, his arms tightening around me. “I didn’t see the lake through all that snow. I knew the walls wouldn’t collapse, but if I’d known there was—”

  “I’m wet,” I said sadly.

  He froze. “What?”

  “From the lake.” I waved a hand over my clothes. “Everything’s soaked. I have a great idea!” I tugged on his shirt. “Give me your clothes, and you can go phoenix the rest of this trip.” Then my clothes would be dry, and I’d be surrounded by that delicious magic again. Perfect. “Gimme.”

  “How about this instead?” He brought his flame-swathed hand closer to us.

  I pressed against him once more. “You just want me to get closer to you.”

  “In every sense of the word, beautiful. But right now I want to prevent hypothermia.”

  I’d worried about that when Fiona and I first escaped our prison. Until she’d recovered enough magic to use her portals again, we’d had to trek through the snow barefoot. Rather, I’d had to trek through the snow while carrying her on my back. Her toes had turned blue, mine hadn’t; no hypothermia for me.

  “Ever. I hope,” I mumbled into his skin.

  He pulled back and touched my face. “You don’t feel too cold.”

  “You do.” I cupped his cheeks. “Maybe I should be warming you up.”

  His eyes darkened, and he let out a soft growl. “What’d you have in mind—” His eyes widened. “Shit.”

  “What—”

  He grabbed my right arm and turned it around, frantically searching for something. After he was satisfied, he clutched my arm to his chest with a sigh of relief. Then he tensed and rolled my sleeve back.

  Still high, I reached up and tapped his nose. His pretty, perfect nose. “Are you real? So pretty. Don’t worry. It’s a manly type of pretty.”

  “My phoenix form is made entirely of—”

  “The best magic in the world.”

  “Fire. When I realized what happened to you, I didn’t think. Again.” He frowned, his brows knitting together. “I just dove in and grabbed you. My claws should’ve burned right through—”

  “Ice water, silly.” I tapped his nose again. It was very tappable. All of him was.

  “I carried you after that too. God, Sophia, I was so scare—” He cleared his throat. “Worried.”

  Magic was ringing in my ears and rushing through my veins. Little spots of color were still dancing in the corners of my vision. My fingers were still trembling. I wanted nothing more than to roll around building snowmen and making snow angels. Or roll around with Adam making something else.

  Now I was really distracted.

  I poked him. “Pay attention to me.”

  He gripped my waist and pulled us up. “I like you this way.”

  My Fire buzzed. “What am I forgetting?”

  “Your sword?”

  “My baby,” I gasped. I curled my finger and a heavy weight settled in my palm. Deciding I shouldn’t be playing with pointy objects right now, I sheathed it. “There’s still something I’m forgetting to do.”

  “You’re forgetting to—” He peered at me, the gears in his mind turning. I stared into his eyes — his sexy, smoldering eyes — trying to figure out what I was missing.

  “It was so important, Adam.” And about him. What was it?

  “I know, beautiful.” He patted my head. “Can you track the Heart? I want to get this done quick so I can get you home.”

  “To do what?” I giggled. “Oh! That was it. The Heart. Wait, no. That’s not it. More important.”

  “Sophia,” he said, tilting my chin up. He was so tall. I liked it. “The Heart.”

  A path curved up the mountain, barely wide enough for two people. “Up there. Ten minutes, maybe. More if you carry me.”

  “Do you want me to ca
rry you?”

  I grinned.

  He smiled back, and I almost crooned at the sight. It was like the sun. “Walk, missy.”

  “You move,” I huffed. “Wait, never mind. If you’re in front and fall, I’ll get squished.”

  He chuckled as I took the lead, marching through the snow. The familiar magic’s presence got stronger with each step, but I was feeling too good for my heart to ache. Adam’s magic was the perfect pick-me-up. I should start bottling it for bad days. Maybe I should just keep him around. Yeah, that sounded nice.

  The niggling reminder I was forgetting something was driving me crazy, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew it was something about Adam. And magic. And me.

  The further we went, the harder it became to think. My mood plummeted as the dark magic from my childhood draped itself around my shoulders like a diseased scarf. It was the magic I’d woken up in. Not the direct source, but the remnants it left behind. The Boss had been here. Was he still here? Was Adam leading me to him?

  No, Adam wouldn’t do that. Would he? Magic wasn’t a match for my dark thoughts. They forced the high down until I could barely manage a smile.

  “The magic here is disgusting,” Adam said. “Have you been sensing this the whole time?”

  “It’s gotten worse.” Enough to stifle the effects of Adam’s magic, and he was one of the most powerful mages in the world. If the Boss was stronger than him, I was in deeper shit than I thought.

  My foot caught on a crack in the ground, and I fell forward. Adam grabbed my elbow before I hit the ground.

  “You okay?”

  I nodded. Kicking the snow away revealed more cracks in the ground. The rock looked fractured, like an earthquake had hit. Even the snow here was different. Darker, more like sludge than actual snow. It clung to my boots like sticky rice, and I mourned the loss of another pair. Even if I could clean them, there’d be no removing traces of the disgusting magic that lingered.

  “This isn’t natural,” Adam said. “The dark magic around is affecting the terrain, polluting it.”

  “Can you sense if it’s still here?”

  He shook his head. “Something’s interfering. Be prepared for a fight either way. Are you ready?”