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  “Third place. Eliza Strand.”

  A pale yellow veil rolled down from the sky, replacing the night with day and the strange hallucination-world with the beautiful Mediterranean kingdom I knew and loved.

  That’s when I finally understood what Catfish was talking about. We were on the edge of the sea, at the top of a tall bastion, clinging to the edge of the rooftop trusses.

  I’d never been particularly scared of heights, but when I looked down and saw nothing but rocky clifftops and crashing tides beneath me, I immediately felt sick. Diving for the potion had landed me in no position to move without plummeting to my death, and Catfish was so afraid of heights that he was literally petrified. His claws dug so deeply into the timber, I wasn’t sure he’d physically be able to remove them.

  We were stuck, and absolutely no one was around.

  The wood creaked again. I had thought it was all part of the illusion, the dock breaking. But in fact, it was actually the roof breaking. Not exactly a better scenario.

  The boards splintered, and the whole rafter shifted downward. I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut. The wood let out one last groan before snapping completely off and hurling me and Catfish to the shore below.

  A scream tore from my throat, practically shredding my vocal chords.

  My last thought was not wondering if I was going to die.

  It was calculating exactly how much pain I’d be in before I did.

  Chapter 9

  “Eliza!” Catfish bellowed in a panic. “You’re a witch! Use some damn magic!”

  Frantically, I searched the coastline, looking for anything to siphon energy from. Seaweed, fish, crabs, seagulls... they were all so small. I doubted they’d do much to ease our landing.

  But, all together?

  I had no idea if such a thing was even possible, or if I was powerful enough to pull it off, but we were clearly running out of time—again. Seemed like that was quickly becoming the status quo.

  With every bit of strength I had, I pulled from the world around me.

  “Creatures of the land and sea, save us with your energy.”

  Glittering dust rose from each plant and creature as they disintegrated and hastily sailed over to me. Energy flooded my body, so much so it seemed to push on the inside of my skin. Confidence charged my mind and electrified my limbs. I held tightly to the power within, and just before we hit the bottom, I released it. A shock wave lifted us upward like a plume of air, then dropped us softly onto the damp sand.

  Catfish shook worse than I’d ever seen.

  “I’m so sorry, Cat,” I apologized, even though I knew damn well it wasn’t my fault.

  None of this was. I never would have guessed the Trials would be like this. They were way more dangerous than I’d imagined, and I was utterly underprepared.

  “Why the fuck didn’t your parents better prime you for this shit?” he shouted in response to my thoughts, still strung out on our near-death experience.

  “That’s what I’d like to know,” I agreed, standing up and dusting off my tattered silk gown. Not that I wanted to blame them, but for fuck’s sake, they knew what these things were like! Mom had participated back in the day.

  A soft but high-pitched sound suddenly rushed to my ear. It grew louder and louder, until a dragon appeared soaring between the clouds. He dove to the ground and landed with an earthshaking thud, fluidly morphing back into his human form.

  “Eliza! Thank God!” Gage shouted, immediately pulling me into a bear hug. “They had some sort of barrier surrounding me until your trial was over, but as soon as I could, I tried to find you.” He pulled away and ran a hand through his dark hair. “I mean, fuck.”

  “That’s about how I feel right now,” I agreed, wistfully rubbing my arms where he’d touched them.

  “What kind of trials are these, anyway? Are your people insane?”

  “Abso-fucking-lutely insane!” Catfish yelled, but of course, Gage couldn’t hear it.

  I bent down and scooped my familiar up.

  “I don’t know,” I said, directing my attention back to the dragon. “I was certainly never trained to face this shit. Maybe there’s some rule against it? Maybe there is simply no preparation for something like this? I can tell you right now though, I don’t like what’s being thrown at me.”

  “Is there any way to change it?” he asked. “Complain to the old lady in charge? Tell her it’s bullshit that you both just nearly died to compete in a stupid game?”

  He handed me my bag, and I tucked it under my arm. A pitiful smile crested my face and I started walking, slowly leading us back toward town.

  “No. There’s no way to change it. It is what it is, and we all just get to deal.”

  Gage stared at the sand beneath our feet for a moment. “What if you die?”

  I swallowed hard. “What if you die? What if Catfish dies? What if innocent children and curious bystanders do? It’s absolutely terrible, and utterly terrifying, but all I can do is try my hardest to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

  I reached down, grabbed his hand, and squeezed. Determination solidified in my bones.

  “And I will,” I promised. “No matter the cost. I will win this competition, and I will keep you all safe.”

  To my utter amazement, he rearranged our fingers so that they were laced. “So, where are we headed?”

  I was grateful for the slight change of subject.

  “Back to the parliament building. I need to check on my sisters.”

  “You know Nerissa placed first, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, I heard.”

  Defeat smeared across my face like a literal pile of shit.

  “Hey, no worries,” he said, backtracking. “You’ll get her next time. I have faith in you.”

  “Thanks.” My response was definitely half-assed.

  “So,” Gage said, attempting to change the subject once more, “after parliament, you wanna grab some lunch with me?”

  “Oh my God, is it lunchtime already?”

  “Yeah, you were in that trial for a long time. And after using so much power, I bet you’re absolutely famished.”

  Now that he’d brought my attention to it, I noticed my stomach growling.

  “That sounds like a perfect idea. What are you in the mood for?”

  “You got any good steak houses around here?”

  I smiled, snuggling Catfish closer. “There’s a pretty nice place in the middle of town. “

  “Sweet. I’m starving. Dragons require a ridiculous amount of food—even in human form. I swear to God, I’m always eating.”

  My smile spread until it tickled my green eyes. Eyes that were currently roving over his muscled form. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him.

  “Could have fooled me.”

  He patted his washboard abs with his free hand. “Abs are made in the kitchen,” he quoted.

  I threw my head back and laughed. “I think that’s supposed to mean that you eat less food in general and more healthily overall.”

  He shrugged. “Whatever. It’s still true.”

  When we’d walked the few blocks back to the parliament building, most of the other competitors were done and had gone their separate ways. Only three princes were still waiting for their princesses—one of whom was Nathan.

  My stomach immediately twisted. At least Maren was out.

  Nathan stood with his arms crossed, waiting on Laken to finish. When he noticed us, he came right over.

  “Hey, guys,” he said, giving Gage a deliberate look. “Princess,” he added, kissing my hand. “So... what the hell is going on in there? Why isn’t she out yet? I mean, she’s all right, I’m sure. Right?”

  “She damn well better be,” I said.

  Laken was like the other half of my soul, my best friend. I’d never contemplated the agony of losing a sister in these stupid Trials. I couldn’t believe it was even a possibility.

  “The potion screws with your head,” I told Nathan. “I have
no idea if she’s seeing what I saw, but mine turned the whole world into a glowing mess of abstract images. Nothing made sense. Direction was practically inconsequential. I have no idea how I managed to get third place. I had to make some... difficult choices.”

  He nodded, bringing his hand up to rest under his chin. I had a feeling he was fighting the urge to bite his nails.

  “It’ll be okay, buddy,” Gage said, patting him on the shoulder. “These Strand girls are tougher than we give them credit for. Eliza fell from the roof of a tower, but she lived. I have no idea how. Magic, I suppose. I’m sure Laken is using magic to stay alive too.”

  “Great. Yeah, I’m sure she’s fine then.”

  His sarcasm made me smile. I cocked my head to the side. “You care about her already?”

  He lowered his hand. “I mean, I do like her. But honestly, no matter who my partner was, I’d be worried for their safety inside that damn bubble.”

  I glanced over, and sure enough, there was an almost invisible dome surrounding the city where the trial was taking place. Passersby were oblivious to it and completely unaffected by it. But for those who could see, it seemed to be a barrier to keep the participants in, and the nonparticipants out. That must’ve been what Gage had been talking about.

  “So I take it you don’t wanna grab lunch with us?” Gage asked Nathan.

  “No, thanks. I’d probably puke if I ate.”

  I might have, too, if I wasn’t already so weak. Hunger had gotten to the point of trumping anxiety.

  “Can I see your cell?” I asked him.

  When he handed it to me, I plugged in my number.

  “When Laken gets out, call me immediately, okay?”

  “Yeah, I definitely will,” Nathan said. He took his phone back, waved goodbye to us, and went back to standing right behind the ancient witch, scanning the bubble for any signs of my sister.

  I sighed and started walking once more. My steps were slower this time, and a little labored. My muscles ached, and my head had begun softly throbbing. I’d never felt like this after using magic before. But of course, I’d never used magic in such a way. It was all new, and completely unfamiliar.

  Gage pointed up ahead. “Is this the place?”

  “Yeah.”

  He raised a brow and his smile wilted. “You okay?”

  I nodded, but I felt like I was moving in slow motion. “I’m just... stupid tired all of a sudden.”

  He hesitated. “Do you need me to carry you the rest of the way?”

  I chuckled. “That’d be a sight for the news outlets. Everyone in the city would be talking about it, and I don’t think we need that kind of publicity.”

  “Um, as opposed to you running around in a tattered dress looking like you just got your ass kicked? They’re probably already talking.”

  “Shit.” I didn’t know if I had any energy left in me to fix the mess, either. Still, I looked around. “Do you see any extremely beautiful flowers anywhere?”

  The prettier the flower, the less I had to work.

  We both scanned our surroundings for a few moments, trying to decide if any of the plants we saw were worth using.

  “There’s a hanging basket with big pink flowers across the street,” he pointed out.

  I licked my lips and nodded. “Can you bring them to me? I’ll fix this dress up real quick so we can get to the restaurant.”

  He frowned. “Are you sure you have the energy for that?”

  I chuckled breathlessly. “No. But I need to get this taken care of. I don’t want bad publicity. It’s unfortunately one of those things a princess must always be thinking of.”

  He smiled, a sorry little pull of his lips. “All right then. I’ll be right back.”

  I pointed to an alley beside a nearby shop. “I’ll just hang out here until you get back, so fewer people see me.”

  “No moving,” he warned me.

  “I won’t.”

  And since he’d kept his word yesterday at the café in the Barge district, I wanted to make damn sure I kept mine. If we were ever going to make this relationship work, we had to base it on honesty and trust. The attraction was already there. Love could come a bit later... I hoped.

  I watched him jog across the street, wondering if he’d ever dealt with vehicles before. I hadn’t been in his world for all that long during the First Trial, but the people there had looked kind of primitive. Maybe my whole world was a giant enigma to him? He seemed to be adapting quite well, anyway. It was like nothing fazed him, even though he must’ve been pretty clueless.

  Suddenly, a noise to my right made me jerk. I caught sight of a dress trailing away down another alley. A green dress. Nerissa’s. My eyes lit up. We could follow her and gain more information about what she was up to.

  Gage showed up the next second carrying the flowers as promised.

  “I saw Nerissa,” I said, cutting to the chase.

  “What? Where?”

  I pointed down the alley. “Back there. I have no idea what she’s up to, but we need to follow her again.”

  Gage frowned. “Eliza, you really need to eat. You’re too weak to even move.”

  I sank my hands into the flowers, pulling the magic out in a glittery pink wave. I then washed it across my ruined gown and my face. It transformed into a brand-new dress, and my skin perked up and tingled.

  Then I got back to the topic at hand. “We don’t have time to eat. We’ll lose her if we don’t move now.”

  I started to make my way through the alley, but Gage grabbed my wrist. “Please, Eliza. I’m worried about you.”

  I glanced down at our physical connection. “I’m fine. Are you coming or not?”

  I couldn’t afford to lose my sister’s trail. I needed to know as much as I could in order to defeat her.

  Gage let out a frustrated sigh that might’ve been more of a growl.

  “Fine. Let’s go.”

  He followed me to the end of the alley, where I hung a hard right in the direction her green dress had disappeared to.

  But there was nothing. No sign of anyone or anything. Just cars driving by in the background, quieted by the sandstone walls on either side of us.

  I grit my teeth. “Come on. She was heading this way.”

  We darted around for close to half an hour, quickly moving from one alley to the next, trying to spot any sign of her—or even Julian, who would probably be tagging along too. But she’d practically disappeared. Hell, maybe she actually had?

  “Son of a bitch!” I cursed, leaning up against a stone building.

  My whole body was thrumming. I was breathless and tired, and my blood pressure was low. All the walking had spread my energy stores too thin. I put a hand to my forehead and felt a weak throbbing in my temples.

  “Eliza?” Gage asked, clearly hesitant after last time. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  But his voice had gotten far away, like he was in a tunnel, sinking further away from me. Then everything went black.

  Chapter 10

  When I awoke, I was sitting in a booth at the steak house.

  Gage was leaning over across the table with a spoon in his hand, just a few inches from my face.

  “There you are,” he said in a sigh.

  I blinked. “Please don’t tell me I passed out, and you had to carry me here—exactly like I didn’t want to see happen in the first place.”

  A smile ripped across his face, immediately creating those dimples I loved so much. “That’s pretty much exactly how it happened, yeah. Don’t worry, I smiled pretty for the cameras.”

  “Shit. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Open up,” he said, moving the spoon closer and ignoring my last comment. “You haven’t had nearly enough to eat yet.”

  I pursed my lips, trying to hide the grin that waited there. This was one of those moments I’d kind of daydreamed of having with him. But, you know, under different circumstances that didn’t involve a fainting incident on my part.

  Still, I
opened up and drank the soup he offered, savoring the rich beefy broth on my tongue.

  “Thank you,” I said with a smile. “I can probably take it from here.”

  I held out my hand for the spoon, but he pulled it away.

  “No way.” He smiled again, then scooped up another spoonful. “I hope you don’t mind, but I already ordered us lunch and I told them to put it on your tab.”

  I laughed right out loud, a feeble and raspy thing.

  “No, I don’t mind. I’m glad you did.”

  “Me too. I was starving.”

  I swallowed the next spoonful and grabbed a buttered roll, sinking my teeth into it as gracefully as I could in the face of famishment.

  After swallowing, I asked, “So, did you have a girlfriend back home? You know, before I showed up and kinda ruined your life.”

  He chuckled, blue eyes twinkling in amusement. “You didn’t ruin my life. I’m actually having a lot of fun with you so far.” He grabbed a chunk of meat from my soup and ate it. “And no, there was never a girlfriend back home.”

  I raised a brow. “Never?”

  “Nope.” He popped another piece of meat into his mouth and grinned. “Dragons are usually pretty solitary creatures. We get together to do the dirty, but never really make any commitments.”

  I blinked, momentarily taken aback. I wasn’t entirely sure what to say to that.

  “So... you don’t plan on ever being with just one woman forever?”

  He put both elbows on the table and folded his hands. “That’s kind of a trick question, isn’t it?”

  “How so?”

  “Because everything is different now. Before? No, I probably wouldn’t have chosen a lifetime mate. Now? I’m sort of bound to you by fate, aren’t I?”

  My stomach instantly sank. “So you’ll remain loyal to me, but only because you think you have to.”

  “No, that’s not what I’m saying. I mean, I feel bound to you. No. Shit. Sorry. Connected is maybe a better word. Like, I’m happy when you’re around.” He shook his head. “Does that make sense? Because it sure as fuck doesn’t to me.”

  I sniffed out a laugh. “I think I get it.”