match.{• This female is no ordinary mortal. She was born of fire.
•}@MatthiasDragon looks shaken.{• “Are you saying…?”
•}My eyes light and I lean closer.{• Summon your brother. His match, should you accept her, is a Phoenix.
in intrigue.{• “Go on.”
•}I spell it out for @MatthiasDragon.{• While she is not a virgin, she should be quite capable of bearing dragonlings.
•}The full story can be told in @DrachenDragon’s presence. For now, I tell Matthias the detail I know will sell him on the =
chosen is on the fringes of Acadia.
•}@MatthiasDragon seems to suck in a breath and hold it.{• I come to you as clan leader. •}I’m careful to use preferred words for his kind.{• This female is special and a fitting mate for one of your brother’s status.
•}His brow lifts =
dais and offers his arm.{• “Lady Tate.”
•}We move to a small seating area and he kindly helps me to a chair.{• “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
•}I want to tell @MatthiasDragon to can the formality, but I let it go.{• The prophecy has been fulfilled. @DrachenDragon’s =
•}@MatthiasDragon is the leader of one of four dragon clans. He has refused to take his own mate until @DrachenDragon was bonded to his chosen one. Foolish dragon.
In the throne room, I curtsy as low as my old back and knees allow. Matthias, ever courteous, comes down from the=
and Drachen on my own.
•}@ILikeHimALatte opens her mouth to protest.{• I have spoken. You’ll stay here.
•}I travel across the veil and find myself at the Dragon’s Keep. The guard bows deeply, as is fitting of my age and status.{• I’m here to see your lord and master. =
join me, but I still her fingers before she can snap into her scarlet robes.{• Not this time, child. You must look after @BeastsPhoenix.
•}@ILikeHimALatte frowns.{• “But, Auntie…”
•}I shake my head.{• This meeting is many years in coming. It’s best I speak to Matthias =
•}I consider my next words carefully.{• Darling, @BeastsPhoenix is more than we originally believed. I need to speak with @MatthiasDragon immediately.
•}My old bones creak as I rise from the chair. With a snap of my fingers, I am in my white robes. @ILikeHimALatte moves to =
“That if Olivia hadn’t killed this man - even by accident - that Drake would have done it to keep her from further harm.”
•}There are some things that @ILikeHimALatte can’t see despite her gifts. I don’t believe she is far from the truth.{• You care deeply for both of them. =
•}Magic, like love, can do many things. I watch my niece tend to her new friend and marvel at her tenderness. But it isn’t just @BeastsPhoenix that @ILikeHimALatte is thinking about.{•
“I want to think that none of this would matter to @DrachenDragon.” •}Stella murmurs.{• =
boy.
A smile spreads on my face. I clap when the man’s hand closes around @BeastsPhoenix’s wrist because I know what’s coming. The cat is displeased with my excitement until I start petting her again.{• It’s like our very own soap opera.
gold when he sees the threat.
For her part, @BeastsPhoenix flits like a humming bird. She hides her face beneath a hood, the jacket concealing her slender form. It blocks out the wet and keeps @DrachenDragon from noticing her beauty. From his vantage point, he likely sees a =
what happens in the city unfold on the screen as if I am there.
A dark cloud swirls. Something wicked lurks in the shadows. It isn’t Ragnar. @DrachenDragon senses it. Draped in dark leather, his blond hair falls over his forehead. It’s the color of wet sand. Blue eyes flash =
remote as I stroke the cat’s soft, inky fur.{• Drachen won’t see this coming.
•}I turn on the television and @ILikeHimALatte appears. She winds her way through carts and tables of various vendors who are out despite the rain. From the comfort of our cottage in Acadia, I watch=
until he is gone.
•}The cloaking spell would conceal @ILikeHimALatte, but I have a trick she doesn’t know about. Midnight jumps into my lap. She rubs the top of her head beneath my chin before settling into my lap with a contented purr. Putting my feet up, I reach for the =
it in my bones.
@ILikeHimALatte slips on her shoes. She moves with a grace that belies her clumsiness.{• Make sure he doesn’t see you.
•}Stella laughs as her hand closes around the doorknob. She fades from sight, becoming invisible.{• He won’t see me. And neither will she =
won’t like. I will have to go to the eastern reaches of the realm to bring @MatthiasDragon’s mate to him. It would take a powerful union to stop Ragnar.{• Ensure Olivia Rhodes crosses Drachen’s path.
•}I won’t fail this time. @DrachenDragon would accept @BeastsPhoenix. I feel=
is starting to slip through his fingers like sand.
The connection between @DrachenDragon and @BeastsPhoenix was the beginning. It would be the spark to light candles of hope and love across the kingdom. It would restore @MatthiasDragon’s faith.
I have a plan. It’s one Stella =
Focus, my little witchling. •}I watch as @ILikeHimALatte pulls her hair back. The ring has faded back to a soft glow. We must focus on the task at hand. I would deal with @MatthiasDragon in time. He would not settle until @DrachenDragon was mated even though his hold on Acadia =
the first part of her journey. It was up to @DrachenDragon to take the last steps.{•
I want you to befriend Olivia Rhodes and bring her to the shop. •}It would not be hard to convince @BeastsPhoenix to accept the dragon as her mate. @ILikeHimALatte rolls her eyes playfully.{•