any time soon.”
“They’ll retaliate,” Brandhart said, his voice dropping so low I could barely hear it.
“Then we’ll prepare,” Phaedra said. “In the meantime, there will be hundreds, thousands of witches out there who need our help. They’ve been stolen from and drained for years. We have to give them refuge.”
“Like Birch Haven,” I said.
Phaedra turned to me. “Yes,” she said. “It’ll be like after the Battle of Birch Haven. We’ve got refugees out there that will need a place to recuperate.”
“I want to help with that,” I said. I felt her then, my mother. As if she were looking down on me, smiling.
“We need to get back to Durness,” Gemma said. “I can feel some of them already. They’re on their way. I’m needed.”
“Then let’s go,” Brandhart said. He stepped away from us. I felt a different kind of magic surge. My fangs dropped. I took a protective stance. Then, I saw something that tore the breath from my lungs.
The air shimmered in a rainbow of colors. Finn Brandhart shifted. His dragon rose, topping the tallest trees. My God. He was huge. Colorful scales and a wingspan likely greater than a 747. He dipped his head.
“Does he actually think I’m going to...ride him?” I whispered to Phaedra.
She smiled. “It’s a sign of trust that he’s offering.”
I’ll admit, I was curious. But as the sun rose and Phaedra stood beside me, a different urge bled through me. I felt a small tremor of pleasure go through her.
“We’ll meet you at home,” Phaedra said. “Archer and I have some things to work out.”
Brandhart’s dragon spit out a small burst of flame. I took it as the warning I knew he intended. Alpha to Alpha. If I did anything to hurt his daughter, he’d make wolf jerky out of me.
Gemma came to me. She reached up, smiling, she cupped my face in her hands. “You’re a good man, Archer. And it took you long enough to find my girl.”
She gently pulled my head down and kissed me on the cheek. “Find your way,” she said to me. Then she went to Phaedra.
“Don’t take too long. I’ll need your help in Durness.”
“I know,” she said, hugging her mother. “Hurry back. I’m starting to feel the other witches too.”
They parted. Gemma turned. With fluid grace, she climbed up Brandhart’s offered wing. She straddled his neck, the wind whipping through her hair. Then the air shifted as Brandhart lifted off the ground.
My God. The power of it. For a moment, he was big enough to block out the sun. He rose so high he became a dot on the horizon. Then, I heard a sonic boom as he disappeared from view.
“Wow,” was all I could say.
Phaedra gathered my hand in hers. Her pulse beat true and strong. “Come on,” she said. “Take me home.”
I looked down at her, desire thrumming through me. “I’m going to get you the hell away from here. But there’s somewhere I’d like to stop first.”
She smiled. “It’s about time, my love.”
We walked out of the valley together.
I took her deeper into the woods, letting instinct lead the way. I knew where it had to be. Where it had always been. She had fire flowing through her veins. Today, my mother’s magic felt just as powerful within me as the wolf.
As the sun rose high, we made our way back to the river. I felt Phaedra’s breath catch as she realized where we were headed. God, I loved the feel of her. She slipped out of my hand and walked ahead of me. A breeze picked up, lifting her hair.
She was an angel. A marvel. Here in the open, with the Ring on the run, she hid nothing from me. Her magic coiled around her. Changed.
It was subtle. Something perhaps no one but me might notice. But Phaedra’s strength had grown. Her golden-red fire joined with blue and silver. Whatever happened when she touched the Source had altered her in tiny ways. Ways I hoped I’d get a lifetime to explore.
We got closer to the next ridge. It wasn’t just the river that called to me. This spot, with its rolling hills, lush green trees, jagged rocks reflecting the sun. It reminded me of Wild Ridge and the place where I was born. Maybe someday, I would take her there. I would show her the spot where my mother rested. Even as I knew a different future awaited me with Phaedra.
She turned. “Archer,” she said. “You belong in Durness.”
My love. She could