Page 54 of Cursed

“I doubt that.” Her hands land on top of mine, and I want to sing with joy. “Now you’re just trying to make me not feel like a failure.”

“But you’re not a failure, and I wasn’t that great at it at first.” I sigh and look down at her knee, where we’re touching. “I think, partly, it was because I was arrogant, thinking I didn’t need to work on my mage abilities because I was a badass dragon.”

“I get that.” She laughs. “Because your dragon is a badass.”

He rumbles with preening pride in my chest. Shayla and I both laugh.

I turn serious, “But I don’t think we’ll be able to rely on just one power to face what’s coming.”

“I have that feeling too.” She squeezes my hand. “Thank you for helping me. Because I don’t want to live in fear of fire for the rest of my life. I think taking your advice and framing fire in a different context will help me get over my hesitation.”

“I doubt you would have been in fear forever, but I’m glad I could help.”

I reach out and tuck a stray lock of hair from her face.

Shayla leans into my palm, then looks at me like she did that first night.

As I move in to kiss her, a flower faerie flies up next to us. “Sparkle Mage!” Tavi says, then sees the moment she’s interrupted and pulls back a foot or two. “Sorry. I have news from the others. Your friend in the hospital appears to be waking up. And…” She glances around and lowers her voice as if the enemy were breathing down her neck. “And one of us overheard the wicked ones talking. They plan to take her. Kill her.”

“Shit!” Shayla launches off the rock and then spins back to the faerie. “Thank you. Thank everyone for me please.”

My mate races off to the cottage.

“She’s going to stop them, isn’t she?” Tavi asks me with a regretful tone.

“I’m afraid so.” Dread fills me. I don’t expect this to go well.

17

ON A MISSION

SHAYLA

Icrash through the front door of our little cottage and find Landis and Arden dozing on the bed. Branden is reading a book. Quade is nowhere to be seen. The three startle.

“What’s wrong?” Arden is the first to pick up on my anxiousness.

But I can tell the others are not far behind him, sensing me through their bonds. I suppose they expected me to be upset with today’s fire lesson—and they were right.

However, they all instantly realize something else is going on now.

Rourke follows me in and drags his hand through his blond hair, looking scared.

Quade bursts through the door and instantly glares at Rourke, assuming he’s the source of my obviously elevated stress.

“It’s not Rourke,” I say quickly. “It’s Myra. The faerie network says that she appears to be recovering and waking up. There’s also talk of her being kidnapped and killed to keep her quiet.”

“Fuck.” Quade begins to pace the small room. “The magic draining ring must believe that Myra can identify them. Otherwise, why not just leave her be so she can recover?”

“We can’t let her be taken,” I say.

“You can’t go.” He waves me off without even looking at me.

“Uh, yes, I will go,” I argue. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“A few of us will grab her. You’ll stay behind and stay safe.”

I cross my arms. “No.”

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