Born in Fire

She gestured toward the sword. “This was delivered later that same day. It matched her description perfectly, down to the last detail.”

“I’d actually ordered a different one,” Dizzy said, looking down at it. “This was a mistake. I asked Callie to help me send it back—”

“He still doesn’t know how to process a return. How, I don’t know, because we’ve done it a million times—”

“—but she insisted we keep it. After I heard the story, it was hard not to agree. And here you are.”

“You’ve just said that it siphons too much power.” Darius touched the small of my back, still leaning in too closely. “It is too dangerous, and you are wasting my time.”

“This is why I leave vampire clients to Dizzy,” Callie muttered to me. She patted my arm. “You had to push power into the other sword you used, right?”

“Yes. That’s how my power works.”

“No. That is how your power works with the wrong instrument. What about portable magic storage?”

“The casings don’t work for me. My magic eats them away.”

“Typically, yes, that’s what I would expect. I have one that might hold up, though. I can make more as well. He can afford it.” Callie hooked a thumb toward Darius. “Eventually you’ll meet someone who has more power than you.” She gave a pregnant pause, and shivers coated my body. For the second time, I wondered if she knew the truth about my father. And if so, how soon before she’d try to sell me out and I’d have to kill her.

“You’ll need the extra boost,” she finished. “Try the sword.”

“Be cautious here,” Darius said, still acting like an umbrella. Perhaps this was the real reason why he didn’t want a bond-mate—his level of protection was stifling.

“How do you not have more problems with your children rebelling? This is ridiculous.” I elbowed him again.

He pushed my elbow away. “My children have some sense.”

“They became vampires, and you think they have sense?” I muttered, my hand near the hilt. A feeling of friendship stole over me, almost like the sword welcomed my touch and was inviting me closer. Taking a deep breath, I complied.

The second my fingers wrapped around the leather, I felt the minimal suction. My arm acted like a straw, drawing forth the magic from the rest of my body. With very little effort, I stopped the flow. It required no fight—less effort than pushing magic into my other sword.

I put it into my scabbard, a little loose-fitting, then drew it out again. Light and agile, it was an improvement over the last one. The magic was still stored inside, not that it should’ve gone anywhere in that small span of time.

“Seems to work.” I shrugged. “It’s light and pretty, too. So that’s nice.”

“Voila.” Callie patted my arm. “Let Reagan test it, Dizzy. I’ll go get the little brooch. It’s ugly as sin, but it’s great for heavy magic users, trust me.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Darius asked as Dizzy headed into his shed.

A cooling sensation spread through me as I let the sword take more magic. When the magic depleted from my body and the sword began to draw on my life force, the cold turned into frost, highly unpleasant. I cut off the draw, and the feeling subsided.

“Seems like there is a built-in warning.” I made a duckbill with my lips and waved the sword, nearly nicking Darius with the tip. Finally, he stepped back. “It’s really nice. Like the Cadillac of blades.”

“Cadillacs break down,” Darius said.

“Helpful.”

“I love mine,” Dizzy said, holding a small sphere between his thumb and forefinger. “My Cadillac, I mean. I don’t have a sword. That I use. Anyway, the car has lasted a long time. Callie insists I get a new one, but mine works just fine. Ready, Reagan?”

“For what?”

“To test it out, naturally.” He threw the casing at the ground and hastened backward. It cracked like an egg. In a few seconds, a twenty-foot-high, ferocious green dragon grew from a puff of smoke. It roared, a sound that shook the ground.

“Oops. Shoot. That’s going to wake the neighbors.” Dizzy rushed into his shed.

Darius ripped a spell out of his satchel, pinched it, and spoke it alive. A red blob flew up and fluttered open, unfurling into a large, flat surface that hung over half the backyard, dragon spell and all, before draping down. He was trying to diminish the sound for the neighbors. It did nothing to block out the sight, I didn’t think. Hopefully no one would peek out their windows and catch sight of the giant mythical beast in their midst.

The creature stomped at me. I dodged easily but didn’t stab. I was feeling out the vibrations from the spell, learning how it was constructed. It had a hefty amount of power and incredible finesse, clearly created by two masters. What I wouldn’t give to afford their designs on a regular basis. It would make my life so much easier.

The tail swung around, long and thick, with three-foot-long spikes on the end. I jumped over it, rolled to the side, and ducked under the return swing. The thing didn’t have a pooper, but otherwise the dragon looked remarkably real. Solid, with colors that stayed in the right areas.

“Reagan, we are short on time.” Darius lazily avoided a stomping foot.

“It’s a bit slow, this dragon, isn’t it?” I touched the leg and felt a painful zing through my arm.

“It’s made to distract,” Dizzy yelled as he came out of his shed. He noticed the spell Darius had thrown. “Oh.” He ducked back in, yelling, “If an opponent thinks the creature can be beaten, he will engage because of the size. If he thinks it cannot be beaten, he will resort to extreme measures to find a way around it. Or run. So you see, a large beast, that looks real, is a better—”

“We understand,” Darius interrupted. “Reagan.”

“Yup.” I let the tail smash into me, and was rewarded with a very solid hit that hurt like the bejeebus. I rolled backward onto my head, sword still in hand, before hopping to my feet. “I thought it might pass through me.”

“We do not create weak spells, young lady,” Dizzy said disapprovingly, outside his shed again.

“Now I know.” I ducked under a smashing foot and hacked into the leg, not even thinking about enacting the magic within my sword. Much to my delight, it still worked. The sword sliced through the spell, tearing it open and burning the edges. The blade glowed a soft blue.

“The sword is designed to sense any extreme temperatures and show a color connected to the opposite spectrum. That crazy crystal ball reader said we should incorporate that,” Dizzy said. “Clearly your magic is made up of extreme fire and heat.”

Yes, it was, and now everyone knew. Darius had gained another piece of the riddle. Thanks, Dizzy.

“Of course…” Dizzy’s eyes crinkled. “I don’t think you’ll fight the same person often enough for them to catch on. Or you wouldn’t be your mother’s daughter.”

The dragon unraveled like a sweater before finally puffing out, leaving a big pile of residual magic that wafted sulfur.

“The smell is intended to be a further distraction once the dragon has been taken down,” Dizzy said, reading my mind. Or maybe my scrunched-up face.

Darius held up his used casing and spoke what sounded like Latin. The red spell shimmering above us sparkled before folding back into the casing.

“Oh, that’s handy,” I said. “And a money saver. Do you have to speak Latin to use it?”

“This one, yes. Which is why very few people steal my best spells.” He tucked it into his satchel. “It’s doubtful those who do will be able to use them. I will not be angry if they are returned.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. I doubted he knew that I had pocketed the spell he’d given me in the unicorn paddock, but he’d clearly noticed the ones I’d used my five-finger discount on in his chamber. I mean, they were just sitting there, staring at me as I made my out. “That was a dig at me, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” he said.

“I got a call about the noise,” Callie said to Dizzy as she made her way out of the house.