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

by Ashley Meira

  Adam rolled his eyes. “I’m not stalking anyone. I wanted to make a good impression, so I came to your favorite cafe to pick up some breakfast. Ollie and I ended up making small talk.”

  “And I like him,” Ollie said. “He has my stamp of approval. I expect your firstborn to be named Oliver.”

  “I hope you have good insurance, because I’m burning your cafe to the ground,” I said.

  “If you don’t, I’ll help pay for damages,” Adam told him.

  Ollie grinned. “Thanks, dude.”

  “No problem, bro.”

  They were bonding. Nothing good could come from this.

  I took the cake box Ollie offered with a glare and placed my pie in it. “Adrienne’s shop opens at nine. Do you have any early meetings tomorrow?”

  “No. I cleared my entire week,” he said, swiping some whipped cream before I could close the box. “Want me to drive you home?”

  “No, I feel like walking.” Being near Adam made it hard to think clearly. “You’re not going to follow me in secret, are you?”

  “Well, it is pretty late—”

  “Adam—” I frowned. “Do you have a middle name?”

  “Liam.”

  “After his father,” Ollie said. “His brother’s middle name is Elan after their mother.”

  I raised a brow.

  “Elaine,” he said.

  “Stop being friends,” I said. “It’s scary.”

  Adam chuckled and stood. “I’ll meet you at Adrienne’s at ten. Bye, bro.”

  “Later, dude,” Ollie called.

  I jabbed him with the blunt end of my fork.

  Fiona was sitting on our couch with a tub of ice cream when I got home. She didn’t need to ask. I just collapsed on the couch, placed my head in her lap, and started talking. By the time I finished, half the tub was gone, and my throat was sore.

  Fiona tapped her chin. “Guess I have to call your second child. I don’t care if it’s a boy. Name him Finn or Firion — something like that.”

  I sat up and glared at her. “Not funny. I thought you were suspicious of Adam.”

  “I was. But I changed my mind.”

  “Do tell,” I said flatly, grabbing the tub of ice cream.

  “First, Ollie thinks he’s cool—”

  “Oh my god—”

  “Second, you wouldn’t still be hanging out with him if he was bad news. You’d have killed him on that mountain.”

  “I’d have tried,” I admitted.

  She gestured to my body. “And would not be in such pristine condition if you had.”

  “Maybe I just haven’t found proof he’s evil yet.”

  “And you might find something later. But until then, I’m operating on the least stressful idea.”

  “And that is?”

  “Adam Pierce wants to date you,” she squealed.

  I smiled despite myself. Her excitement was contagious. Deep down, I didn’t think Adam was involved with our kidnapper. But it was hard to shake the suspicion completely. The possibility that I was only clearing his name because I liked him weighed on me. Almost as much as the realization that I actually liked him did.

  “Adam Pierce.” Fiona sighed and fanned herself with a magazine. “You’re so lucky.”

  “Give me a break.” I grabbed her magazine. Damien’s Witch Mode. “It’s concerning you always have this.”

  “Soul mates always find each other.”

  “Very concerning.” I touched my communication ring. “Give me a second. I want to call Symeon. Maybe he knows something about the Heart.”

  “Fine. I’ll call Ollie. Maybe he knows how to get you and Adam together.”

  I glared at her as she walked into the kitchen, waving her phone like a weapon. If she kept it up, she’d see how useful a phone was against a sword.

  Magic thrummed around my pinky, but no one answered. Sighing, I decided to try again later. I learned long ago to never show up at Symeon’s uninvited. The first, and last, time I did, I walked in on an orgy. Pretty sure half the stuff I saw that night was illegal. And scarring. Very scarring.

  Fiona peeked her head back in. “Are we friends again?”

  “Depends.” I scooped more ice cream into my mouth.

  “Ollie said he can come over for a movie night,” she said. “He’ll bring food.”

  “We’re friends again.” I groaned, slumping against the seat. “A movie night sounds great. It’s the perfect thing to get my mind off of Adam. The proximity is messing with my head.”

  “That’s not all it is,” she said.

  “Yes, it is.”

  “You like him.”

  “Yes, but I realized: this is just a fling. A crazy weekend—”

  “It’s Tuesday.”

  “—dalliance. It’ll pass.”

  “No.” She took my ice-cream-carton-turned-shield away. “You really like him. I’ve never seen you like this with a guy.”

  “You haven’t seen—”

  “You’re trying to distract me. You never did answer Addi, you know. About being lonely.”

  “I’m not lonely.”

  The look in her eyes told me she didn’t believe me. I didn’t either. Admitting I was lonely felt like saying Fiona wasn’t enough. She was my sister. Our bond had been forged through pain and suffering. Of course she was enough.

  “He told you about his mom.”

  “He—”

  She raised her hand. “Look, I know he didn’t give you her autobiography or anything, but he opened up. The Pierces are private people. Even that Witch Mode interview Damien did — he managed to answer all the questions without revealing anything about himself. And Adam seems way more private.”

  “How—”

  “I spoke to him a bit when he came over, remember?”

  “Are you going to let me finish—”

  “No,” she said, her cheeks puffed out. Crap. That was her stubborn face. “He took you to a fancy dinner. At the restaurant he went to all the time as a kid. He held your hair and rubbed your back when you threw up. He got you food. He was scared when you got hurt.” Her expression softened. “I’m not saying marry him, okay? All I’m saying is give him a chance.”

  My eyes were burning by the time she finished. She hit on every point I was trying to ignore. Being with Adam made me happy, but his ability to sense what I was also scared me. He was like walking whiplash. It was too much. I needed to get my head on straight and wean myself off him. Fireborns had addictive personalities. Magic was bad enough — I didn’t need another fix to crave.

  “It’s too dangerous,” I said softly. “I can’t.”

  “You deserve to be happy, Sophia.”

  I shook my head.

  “I date. It’s not illegal.”

  “You’re not illegal,” I said, unable to hide the resentment. “You don’t suck the magic out of people with the slightest touch. You aren’t hunted by the Council for the crime of being born. I am. And it’ll be all my fault if you get thrown in the Black Citadel for harboring a Fireborn. Fiona—” my voice cracked “—I’m scared.”

  “I know.” She pulled me to her. The doorbell rang. “Come in!”

  “I didn’t have time to make another key lime pie,” Ollie said, kicking the door shut behind him. A dozen plastic containers were balanced in his arms. “Are you crying?”

  “No.” I sniffled, wiping my eyes. “I’m almost crying.”

  “I didn’t bring alcohol.” He sat on my other side and pulled me into a hug. “Want me to make a run?”

  “We have box wine,” I said, wrapping my arms around him.

  “I’ll go get it,” Fiona said.

  “Is this about Adam?” he asked. “He’s cool, but if he did something, I really will poison him.”

  “He didn’t do anything except be nice.”

  “Jerk.”

  I snorted. “Thanks.”

  “I’m sorry if I came on too strong before.” He gave me a squeeze. “I just want you to be happy. He r
eally seems to—”

  “Care about me.” I nodded. “So I’ve been told.”

  “Did Fiona tell you I was choosing the movies tonight?”

  “Harry Potter?”

  He grinned and handed me one of the containers he brought. “Cookie for you.”

  “And wine for all,” Fiona said, carrying over two boxes of red. “You have to get the ice yourself.”

  Ollie frowned. “I forgot you put ice in your wine.”

  “It tastes better that way.” I didn’t know why. It just did.

  “Shame you’re not a mage,” he said.

  I froze. “What?”

  “Then you could summon ice cubes.”

  “Oh.” Thanks for the heart attack, dude.

  “She’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way,” Fiona said. “Let me guess: Harry Potter?”

  “Yes,” we said with matching grins.

  “Wow,” Fiona said through a mouthful of cheesecake. “I forgot what a bitch Umbridge was.”

  “I haven’t,” I said, drinking my iced wine. “Though I’m always surprised I want to kill her more each time. You’d think my rage would max out at some point.”

  “There is no limit to the Umbridge hate,” Ollie said, frowning at my offered cookie. “No, thanks. I’m kind of sick of dessert.”

  Fiona and I gasped.

  “I need grease,” he said. “And fat.”

  “And meat,” I said.

  “And cheese,” Fiona said. “Pizza?”

  The doorbell rang. We looked at each other, trying to remember if we’d actually ordered pizza and forgotten. It wasn’t until Fiona opened the door and his magic wafted in that I realized who it was.

  “Hey, Adam!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered Adam missed me enough to visit after such a short period of time — well, as short as five Harry Potter movies were — or concerned that he was visiting me so late at night.

  “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” Yes, I was a hypocrite.

  He smiled at me from the doorway. “We slept on the plane.”

  “No one read into that,” I said.

  “Fine, but let him in,” Ollie said. “I smell pizza.”

  “No.” I crawled over the back of the couch. Then kicked myself for not walking around. He was still messing with my mind. “We’ve spent, like, three days together. There’s got to be some boundaries.”

  “Like a safe word?” he asked.

  “Hers is pumpernickel,” Fiona said, pulling him in. Actually, she pulled the pizza boxes in, but Adam was holding them, so he got a free ride.

  “Seriously?” He grinned. “I’d love to see you try to make me say it.”

  “Dude,” Ollie chimed in, “I know I said to date her, but keep those details to a minimum.”

  “Sorry, bro.”

  “Hand me the pizza, and we’re good.”

  Men. “Don’t bribe my friends with pizza.”

  “Don’t be a spoilsport.” Fiona sat back down, a pizza box in her lap. The smell of melted cheese and pepperoni was making my mouth water, but I forced myself to stay strong. “It’s Pizza Wednesday anyway.”

  “It’s Tuesday.”

  “It’s 2 a.m.”

  “Why is it Pizza Wednesdays instead of a weekend?” Adam asked.

  “Wednesday is two for one day at Blood Hut,” I said. “Which is still a terrible name.”

  “As terrible as trusting vampires to make your pizza,” Ollie said, pouring himself another mug of wine. Yes, mugs made boxed wine taste better too. Mugs and ice.

  “You love Blood Hut’s pizza,” I said, nodding toward the kitchen. “We can talk in there. Assuming you’re here to talk.”

  “If you’re not—” Fiona pointed to the stairs “—her bedroom’s at the end of the hall.”

  “You will never see my bedroom,” I told him as we entered the kitchen. I locked the door behind us, glaring at Fiona’s smug grin.

  “Fine. You can see mine.”

  “I have,” I said, crossing my arms.

  “Guest room,” he said. “And plane. Neither count.”

  “That’s plenty.”

  “Are you sure? My bedroom is very nice. I even have silk sheets. You know that jacket Symeon gave you? It’s ten times as soft as that.”

  That sounded like the best thing in existence. If someone broke into his house and stole his sheets, would he suspect me? “Why are you here?”

  “The plateau with the barrier is still intact,” he said, leaning against the counter. “My people checked satellite images.”

  “Could you see the space past the barrier?”

  He shook his head. “Interference.”

  “Damn it. And I’m guessing there’s no way to land on the other side of the barrier?”

  “Smart and beautiful,” he said with a proud smile.

  I scowled to cover my own smile. “How are you? Fully healed?”

  He sent his magic out, letting it dance around me, narrowly missing my skin. “You tell me.”

  “If you can be an ass, you’re fine.” My Fire writhed at his magic’s teasing touch. “Put that away. It was nicer when you kept it locked up. I forgot it was there.”

  “I don’t believe that,” he said, but pulled his magic back anyway. “How are you?”

  Shrugging, I said, “Fine. I’ve been fine. You’re the one who went all firebird. What’s the deal with that anyway?”

  “You seemed to enjoy it. I seem to recall a lot of ‘pretty birdy’ and petting.”

  “I don’t recall any of that.”

  “Guess it wasn’t as good for you.” He took my hand. “Do I get a second chance?”

  “Are you asking me to pet you again?” Damn, that sounded dirty. My Fire hummed in approval. How much water would I need to drink to douse it completely? My Fire hissed.

  “Are you offering?” he asked as he began massaging my sword arm.

  I bit back a moan. My sore muscles practically wept at his touch. “Maybe.”

  He was quiet for a moment, his fingers working magic on my abused limb. “I burned Damien’s hair off.”

  And I thought I had no control over my magic. “But the gallery is okay, right?

  He laughed, pressing my arm against his chest. The warmth and his magic fingers made my bones feel like jelly. Why couldn’t he be a pompous douche? Things would be easier if he were.

  “He was eight. I was twelve and had just shifted for the first time.” His fingers traced patterns on my skin. “He cried for days. I wanted to shave my head to even things out, but my father lost his mind when he saw me with the razor. Mom told Damien he could burn my hair off when he shifted for the first time. She had no idea he’d turn into a dragon,” he added with a chuckle.

  I smiled despite myself, pressing my palm against his chest. The strong rhythm of his heartbeat thrummed under my hand. Even his body was good at making me feel close to him.

  “Did he burn your hair?”

  “I don’t care what he says — being bald at fourteen is worse than being bald at eight.” He rolled his shoulders. “I’m glad those pictures never made it into Witch Mode.”

  “I’m not. It’d have given me a reason to check past the cover.” More of a reason. I still hadn’t looked though. Fiona would never let me live it down if I asked to borrow her copy.

  “You haven’t looked inside?”

  I shook my head. “Though I do think it’s very sweet you two helped build homes in Africa.”

  “It’s nice to give back,” he said. “I don’t have a lot of time to do that, but I try to help in other ways.”

  “Like overpaying me for a simple recovery job?”

  He scoffed. “Simple? Nothing about this is simple. Though you do seem to enjoy making things more difficult.”

  I wrenched my arm back. “What is that supposed to mean? And why are you here? It’s not to tell me stories about your past.” Wow, that was mean. Even for me.

  “I coul
d hear the gremlins in your brain telling you to pull away from me. Thought I’d try to win you back,” he said.

  Didn’t think I could feel worse, but I did. “There’s nothing worth winning.”

  Self-disgust washed over me. Being Fireborn didn’t make me less of a person. And people who were afraid of Fireborns weren’t evil. They had good reason to be scared. Hell, after my experience on the mountain, I was scared. But that didn’t mean I deserved to be imprisoned. Or that I could risk Adam finding out what I was.

  “I look forward to proving you wrong,” he said, his voice full of confidence. “As for the difficult part, here’s an example: your arm is sore because you stabbed all those golems instead of blasting them with magic.”

  I groaned. “This again? I’m fine. My arm doesn’t hurt. Everyone likes massages. You’re good at them.”

  “You only compliment me like that when you’re trying brush something off.”

  “You don’t know me.”

  “That’s not my fault,” he said with a pointed look before nodding to the shelf above us. “If your arm is fine, grab the can up there.”

  “I’m too short for those shelves. That’s Fiona’s stuff.”

  “Just try.”

  With a mental groan, I rolled my sleeves and reached for the shelf. My arm was barely straightened before strain pulled at my muscles.

  Adam pulled my arm back. “You look like you’re about to hurl.”

  “That’s from seeing you.”

  “There would be less strain on your body if you used magic.”

  “I’m a mercenary. Bruises come with the territory.”

  “They don’t need to be.”

  “Maybe I’m into the rough stuff.”

  “Good to know. Do you also like being on top?”

  I punched his arm. Pain rippled through my arm, and I winced. “Fuck.”

  “See? Let me train you.”

  “No,” I said, cradling my arm. “It’s my problem.”

  “We’re working together, so it’s my problem. I want you at your best.”

  “I’ve been holding my own just fine.”

  He stepped closer until all I could smell was his pine-fresh scent. “You’re putting yourself in unnecessary danger. I don’t like it.”

  “Well, suck it up. This job is almost over, and we’ll never see each other again.” Screw water. Those words smothered my Fire just fine.