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

by Ashley Meira

  “Sop—”

  “Seriously, I love her, but she’s like a bottomless—” I looked up to see an empty doorway “—pit. Adam?”

  He reappeared and stepped over, scooping me into his arms. Before he carried me out, I looked at the shower with regret. Like bras, I also had a large collection of animal print PJs. I’d taken a break between throwing up to put on my reindeer set, but I was still covered in sweat and sludge.

  “Nice PJs, by the way.”

  “I’m not all ripped jeans and broken boots.”

  “Of course not.” He set me down. “You also wear lace.”

  “Do you need me to feed you?” He sat across from me, an expectant look on his face.

  “Only if you want to die from having too many eclairs shoved down your throat.”

  “Would you really waste all that food?”

  “It’s not a waste if it shuts you up. But no.” I grabbed my spoon. “And thank you for all this.”

  His gray eyes sparkled as I dug into my soup. He had his own bowl, and at my lead, began eating too. A silence fell over us as we ate, but it was comfortable. Being with Adam was always comfortable. And that made me uncomfortable. I ate faster.

  “If you eat too fast, you’ll get sick again.”

  If I slowed down, I’d think of how nice it was being with him. “I want dessert.”

  “Slow down, or I’ll take the dessert away.”

  “Take the dessert away, and I will kill you — eclairs be damned.”

  “Bring it,” he said. “I’m almost back to full strength. I can take you.”

  The cheese turned to mud on my tongue. He wouldn’t still be recovering if I hadn’t stolen his magic, essentially bleeding him dry. I had hurt him. I was poison. Fiona denied it, and I’d believed her. But now the truth was clear.

  “Sophia?” His eyes glistened with concern.

  “I’m flattered you think you need to be in such great shape to fight me,” I said, stirring my soup.

  “And?”

  “And you don’t.”

  “Something else is bothering you.”

  “Do you ever let up?”

  “Not when I want something.”

  “I’m sure a lot of women find that charming. I am not one of them.” I downed the rest of my soup and reached for an eclair.

  He pulled the plate back. “Tell me first.”

  Unable to meet his eyes, I stared at the prancing reindeers on my shirt. “Are you really okay?”

  “I am. Napping helped. Even if it was on the floor,” he added with a chuckle. “I’ll be fine after a full night’s sleep.”

  “Good.”

  A slow smile curved the corners of his mouth. “Were you worried?”

  “I don’t get paid if you die.”

  “Damien’s paying. The Heart belongs to him.”

  Shit. “Guess I wasn’t worried.”

  He caught my hand when I reached for another eclair. “I appreciate the concern.”

  “I’d appreciate that eclair.”

  “You’re more of a guy about your feelings than most men,” he said, but didn’t look upset.

  “And you’re kind of a chick about yours.”

  “Well, one of us has to be.” He gave me the eclair.

  The moan I let out surprised me. Another bite, and I didn’t care. Did they put crack in their food or what? Was this what they served at Crystarium? Maybe I should check them out. Urgh, Ollie would kill me for even thinking that.

  “The desserts at Crystarium aren’t as good.”

  “I said that out loud?”

  He nodded.

  “Tell Ollie anything, and I’ll end you.”

  “You almost did with all that moaning,” he said in a husky voice. “What’s your friend’s problem with Crystarium?”

  “Nothing. It’s their problem with him. Or their customers’ problem. He’s half goblin, half green mage.” Mages looked down on interspecies relationships, especially with non-humanoid beings. So Ollie was a great target for their ire. It pissed me off. Judging people for their heritage was a stupid, jerky thing to do.

  “Ah. Bet that goes over well. Relax,” he said as I sat up. “I don’t care what he is.”

  I grabbed another eclair and eyed him suspiciously.

  “He’s your friend.” Adam shrugged. “Considering how suspicious you are of people, he’s got to be cool.”

  “That’s big of you,” I said.

  “Why?” He pulled the tarte Tatin toward him. “Blood doesn’t determine good breeding.”

  Huh. That was sweet. Sadness took over as I watched him cut into his dessert. It was touching how he ordered that to remember his mother by. She must’ve meant a lot to him. Did my parents mean a lot to me? Wouldn’t I have remembered them if they did?

  “I want to ask, but I don’t think I’ll get an answer,” he said.

  “I think it’s very sweet you order that in honor of your mother.”

  He froze, a pensive expression on his face. “So, the trick is to not expect an answer?”

  “Deflecting with humor is my thing.”

  “Humor?”

  “I think it’s funny.”

  “You’d have to.”

  “You’re lucky these eclairs are too good to throw.”

  He grinned and swiped the last one, popping into his mouth. Before I could summon my sword and stab him, he slid the plate of lava cake in front of me. I attacked it with extreme prejudice, drooling at the sight of all that oozing chocolate.

  “What about your dad?” I asked.

  “I don’t recommend throwing pastries at him. Or anyone on the Council. Though according to Symeon, Reginald Hollingsworth might be into that.”

  “Grossing me out isn’t going to get you more dessert,” I said through a mouthful of cake.

  “Says the woman who asked if I wore a saddle to bed.”

  “I’d eat cake off you too—” I froze mid-bite, completely embarrassed. The did drug their food. They had to. Otherwise, I had no excuse. “Please pretend you didn’t hear that.”

  “I can’t. And I don’t want to. But if it helps, I won’t comment.” He grinned. “For now.”

  “Stop picturing it.” But he’d made me picture it.

  “That wasn’t the deal. Why are you asking about my father?”

  I like to know about the people who want me locked up. “You never talk about him is all.”

  He shrugged, the movement stiff. “Not much to tell. As a member of the Council, his biography is public record.”

  “Yours too. One day. Oldest child gets the chair, right?”

  I could see the headline now. “Former Witch Mode model takes office. Rumors claim he was involved with abomination Sophia Sinclair before he discovered she was Fireborn and threw her in prison — or killed her.”

  “Unless he’s unfit.” He shrugged. “But considering the skeletons in the current Council members’ closets, I’m not worried.”

  “Until they hear about the saddle.”

  “Even then.”

  “That just proves my point about rich people being into weird shit.”

  “What do you want to know?” he asked. “About my father, not rich people kinks. Unless you’re asking about mine.”

  Yes. “No,” I asserted. “I’m surprised you’re letting me ask.”

  He leaned forward. “Prefer to find out firsthand? Bed’s right there.”

  The temptation was overwhelming. “About your father.”

  “That wasn’t an answer.” He winked, but thankfully kept his magic contained. If he hadn’t, tonight could’ve gone a different way. My Fire blazed. It wouldn’t have minded different. “People usually want to ask me about my family. So go ahead. As long as you don’t want me to set you two up.”

  “Do you really get asked that?”

  “As much as I get asked the same about Damien.”

  “I find it hard to believe they’re not interested in you.”

  “Are you interested in
me?”

  Yes. Too much. I kicked him under the table. My foot hit the table leg instead. “Ow.”

  To his credit, he tried to stifle his laugh. “When I turn them down, they ask about the other two. Happens to Damien a lot too.”

  “And your dad?”

  “Never asked.”

  I thought back to my meeting with Damien. “I find it hard to believe Damien says no to gorgeous leggy blondes. Or that you do.”

  “Not interested in gold diggers — or fame diggers. And what makes you think it’s leggy blondes?”

  “Tons of groupies swarmed Damien’s gallery before he upped security. They weren’t all blonde, but they were leggy.” I shuddered. “Dark days. No one could pass through the street. Almost had to give up Ollie’s coffee. Thank goodness Fiona could open a portal for us.”

  “Does that mean you never tried sneaking a peek at the infamous Damien Pierce?”

  “Couldn’t see over the leggy blondes.” I grabbed the mug he’d placed by my side and took a sip. Cocoa. Nice. “Tell me about Damien.”

  “He has his moments. Still young, so he likes the attention. But he’s getting more serious about work. Natural progression for Pierce boys, I guess.”

  “So you did play around.”

  “Sure. The lifestyle is fun for a while. Are you telling me you wouldn’t want to try it out?”

  “For a while,” I admitted. Distracted, I drew patterns in the chocolate sauce with my fork. Adam as a party boy was kind of hard to imagine, but something about me liked how he grew into a respected businessman from that. It was mature and…totally hot.

  Apparently my thing was sexy, responsible guys who liked wearing saddles.

  “Want me to order more?”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re staring at your plate.”

  “We still have other stuff. Plus, I just estimated how much you spent on all this. Never thought I’d feel so guilty over dessert.”

  “It wasn’t that expensive.” He frowned. “Is money such an issue? The Guild would pay more if you told them about your magic—”

  Abort. Abort. Abort. “Do you still want the Heart?”

  He raised a brow. “Yes. Not just for Damien. The magic up there was dark. Really dark — and it was just remnants of someone’s power. Plus, you don’t put up a barrier that strong just to protect a hunk of brass. Whoever stole the Heart knows what it’s really capable of, and I doubt it’s anything good.”

  I sipped my cocoa. “ I don’t think the Heart’s moved past the Pyrenees, but the trail dies out past the barrier. We need to get through for me to find more.”

  “Can you find another path up?”

  I nodded. “Might be a little more roundabout, though. We still need to find a way through the barrier.”

  “No problem. I can blast through it.”

  I nearly dropped my mug. “Hell no. You caused an avalanche the last time you did that, you psychopath.”

  “Mini avalanche.”

  “No blasting the barrier. No touching the barrier. Hell, I don’t even want you looking at the barrier.”

  A hurt puppy look spread across his face.

  “Relax.” I rolled me eyes. “It’s not like I said you couldn’t touch me— Mean. Mean people.” Clearly, the cocoa was drugged as well.

  “Smooth.” His eyes were sharp, but he didn’t press the issue. “Any ideas on how to get through then?”

  “Not unless you want me to throw up again, then maybe explode,” I muttered under my breath.

  Getting slammed into that barrier had done nothing to it. Its magic had wobbled a bit, but I hadn’t absorbed enough to make an impact. If I were stronger, I could probably handle the absorption better. But at my level, I didn’t want to think of how bad the aftershock would be. Besides, how would I explain what I was doing to Adam?

  I sighed and fiddled with my ruby ring, twisting it around my finger. It was apparently worth a fortune. If I sold it, Fiona and I wouldn’t need to work anymore. We could get a house in the countryside and just relax — enjoy ourselves and live the peaceful lives we never thought we’d have.

  But if I sold it, I’d be giving up the only link I had to my past. A man who kept prisoners around for experiments and locked up teenage girls wouldn’t give a ring this valuable to me. But my parents could have. It could lead to information about who I was.

  I wanted to move on from my past. But first I had to find out what it was.

  “Family heirloom, right?” Adam asked.

  I shrugged.

  “You didn’t steal it, did you?” he teased.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t remember?”

  “No.” That one little word felt like the world. I was letting him in. I wanted to let him in. But I couldn’t. “Probably did steal it though. Can you imagine me decked out in fancy jewelry?”

  He eyed me carefully and held out his hand. Unable to resist, I took it. My Fire crooned, enjoying his warmth.

  “Looks good on you,” he murmured, stroking my knuckles. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.”

  I snorted to hide my embarrassment. “Yeah, I can see it now. Diamonds earrings and pearl necklaces—” I squeezed his hand as an idea hit me. “Pearls. Beads. Nullifying beads.”

  “Not exactly fancy,” he said. “But useful.”

  “Adrienne said she had a shipment of nullifying beads,” I said, bouncing in my seat. “They can break through the barrier!”

  “Excellent.” A satisfied smile spread across his face. “Will they be powerful enough?”

  “Adrienne doesn’t do cheap. Can we fly back now?”

  He nodded. “We should already be refueled.”

  “Excellent.” I stood and stretched. I was going to sleep well tonight. “You can take the bed this time.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “If you don’t sleep in that bed, I’ll sleep on the floor.”

  “You’ll get rolled around.”

  I crossed my arms. “I rode a phoenix away from an avalanche today. A little rolling is fine.”

  He walked around the table and stood before me, leaving barely an inch of space between us. “Did you not enjoy the ride? Can I get a do-over?”

  Heat spread through me. I cleared my throat. “Planning on causing another avalanche?”

  “If it’ll get you to ride me again.” He kissed the tip of my ear. “Or we could roll around on the floor together.”

  My lips grazed his jaw. Who wouldn’t want to ride a phoenix?

  Chapter Fifteen

  I didn’t ride a phoenix. Or roll around on the floor with one. And I regretted nothing. At all. Not even a little.

  Well, maybe a little.

  The large window in front of Adrienne’s shop was filled with tastefully placed antiques. During business hours, they gleamed under the light, enticing passersby. Now, they were bathed in shadow along with the rest of her store.

  “It’s closed,” I told Adam.

  “I can see that,” he said dryly. “Can you call her?”

  “I already did. She didn’t answer. Maybe Ollie knows.”

  “Okay. Let’s go to Lucky Cat.”

  He was halfway down the street before his words sunk in. Hell no. I rushed after him, but it was too late. Ollie was crossing the street, balancing a stack of boxes higher than his head. He smiled when he saw me. “Hey, Sophia. On a date?”

  “Do you see flying pigs?”

  He snorted. “She’s mean to people she likes.”

  “Good to know.” Adam smiled and reached for the boxes. “Let me give you a hand.”

  “Thanks,” he said.

  I grabbed a box and followed them through Ollie’s shop into the kitchen. We placed the boxes where Ollie told us to and stepped back into the main area. I sat at the bar and licked my lips, eyeing the key lime pie in the corner of the display. Ollie placed the pie in front of me. I gave him a huge grin. I was a big fan of people bringing me food. Especially his food.


  Adam sat next to me, brow raised.

  “Food is a big part of my life,” I said through a forkful of pie.

  “Yep.” Ollie called from the kitchen. “An entire third of it. Eat. Sleep. Kill.” He came out and placed a bottle of Corona in front of Adam. “And it sucks. Take her to a movie one day. Ice skating, a walk on the beach. Anything.”

  I smacked his arm. “Don’t tell strangers to take me out.”

  “He’s not a stranger,” he said. “Besides, I was going nuts trying to get his order back there. Took me a minute to realize the thing he wanted most in here was you.”

  I choked, reaching blindly for Adam’s beer. He handed it over, and I chugged it. “Green witches can’t tell that kind of stuff!”

  Ollie turned to Adam. “Am I wrong?”

  He shook his head. “Good call on the beer too.”

  “See?”

  “Wish I couldn’t,” I mumbled.

  Ollie rolled his eyes. “I like him. Let him take you out.”

  If he found out I was Fireborn, he would take me out. “Butt out of my love life.”

  “You have no love life.”

  “And no energy to deal with this. I just got home, and you’re ambushing me.”

  “You woke up less than an hour ago after a full night’s sleep,” Adam said. “And I’ve already taken her on a date.”

  Ollie’s brows shot up. “Really?”

  I smacked Adam’s arm, holding back a pained grunt at the impact. Between stabbing Cyrus’ golems and the ones on the mountain, my arm was ready to break. “You guys are way too friendly for people who just met.”

  “We’ve met before,” Adam said, patting my back as I choked on more pie. “Where do you think I got those muffins from?”

  I frowned and mentally smacked myself. “I knew they tasted familiar.”

  “I’m a little offended you didn’t recognize them right away,” Ollie said, placing a latte in front of me. “Sorry for the delay.”

  “Sorry for not recognizing your muffins,” I said, wincing at the taste. Mixing coffee and beer was a bad idea. “Why are you stalking my friend?”