“She sent Mavros back to the Abyss.” Malcolm’s voice sounded more human than it had on the mountain. “Then she held off the Nephilim’s attack, and I took her to the fairies.”
“The Nephilim agreed to let her remain free … for now,” Aurelia said.
I stepped back, and Cody loosened his grip on me. I brushed my thumb along his cheek and held his face.
“Your eyes.” He sounded hollow. “They’re different. Why?”
I slid out of his arms, walked over to the sink, and stared into the mirror. Black speckled the green of my irises. “Because I didn’t listen. I used my power to stop the Nephilim.” I lifted my hand to my face, then spun around. “Will it go away?”
Malcolm shook his head. “I don’t think so. I think that’s why the fairies were so adamant that you don’t use your magic again.”
“What’s going to happen to me?”
Aurelia strode across the room to me. She grabbed my hands. “As long as you refrain from using your powers, nothing will change.”
D
Malcolm, Cash, and Aurelia crowded around my family’s dinner table. Cody had ridden back to Bittersweet with me, but I’d dropped him off at his house with a promise to let him know if anything happened to me. As much as I wanted him by my side, I was glad he was with his family.
Turkey with all the trimmings covered the table. Pies sat on the counter. For six humans, there would’ve been plenty of food, but each of the dragons could easily devour several turkeys without even putting a dent in their hunger.
Trying to blend in, they put a little of everything on their plates. None of them had ever celebrated the holiday before, and they wouldn’t be now if they weren’t trying to make sure I didn’t use my power. They took turns draining my magic every few hours. By claiming it, I seemed to have unlocked unfathomable depths of magic. I could tell the dragons were concerned, but none of them would confide in me.
While we ate, my parents asked me how school was going. They discussed the weather and how weird it was to be empty nesters. Their eyes never met the dragons’, but they watched them.
After dinner, my guardians thanked my parents for letting them join us and insisted on clearing the table and washing the dishes. Mom, Dad, and I sat in the living room with the TV off. Logs sat in a fireplace that I couldn’t ever remember being used. Family photos hung on the walls along with a picture of the mountains I’d painted in high school. The blue couch and loveseat were the same ones we’d had since I was six. The room held memories, both good and bad.
Mom leaned forward and whispered, “You and Cody are still together, right?”
“Yes, Cash and Malcolm are just friends.” I looked toward the kitchen sure they were listening to everything we said. “Their families don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, so I invited them to come with me.”
“They’re a little intimidating.” Dad didn’t bother lowering his voice. “They look like they’d break someone’s kneecaps if they stepped too close to you.”
I laughed, but I’m sure it sounded as fake to my parents as it did to me. “Okay, Dad.”
“We know—” Mom’s gaze darted toward the kitchen “—they’re not human.”
Dad’s face paled, and he coughed. “Caitlin, I thought we weren’t going to talk to her about this.”
She fixed her pale green eyes on him. “If we don’t, we going to lose her, too.”
“What—” the word caught in my throat “—what’s going on?”
Dad seemed to shrink in on himself, but Mom sat rigidly. She nodded toward the kitchen. “We know your friends are more than they appear to be. We know there’s more to your life than you can tell us, but I want you to know that we’re here for you.”
I stared at them with my mouth hanging open. “What are you talking about?”
“Dacia.” Dad’s voice was stern. “Don’t act stupid.”
I jumped up. Magic flared along with my anger. Suddenly, three dragons stood in the living room with me. Malcolm grabbed hold of my hand. “Too much,” he said through gritted teeth.
Cash stood in front of me, blocking my parents from my view. He slid his fingers through mine. “Dacia, take a deep breath. Let it know you’re not in danger.”
I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. “How can you say you’re here for me?” Tears threatened to spill, but somehow, I kept them contained. “You’ve never been there for me.”
“Oh, Dacia.” Mom’s voice was heartbroken. “We thought that if we ignored it, it would go away.”
I pulled away from Malcolm and Cash. “Why would you think that?”
“It worked for me.” Mom stared at the beige carpet.
Aurelia’s head snapped toward Mom. “What did you say?”
“I had magic when I was little.” She looked up, and her eyes were lined with silver. “Every time I used it, my parents punished me.” She clutched Dad’s hand. “I thought that if we pretended you didn’t have it, it would vanish like mine did.”
“Oh, Mom.” I sat down and buried my face in my hands. “I wish you would’ve told me.”
“We see that now,” Dad said.
Malcolm knelt beside me and put his hand on my knee. “Your daughter is one of the most powerful witches I have encountered in my life. We”—he pointed at Cash and Aurelia—“came with her to keep her power siphoned while she’s here. She must not use it for a few more days.”
“What are you?” Mom asked.
Aurelia’s voice sounded threatening. “Are you sure you want to know?”
Mom nodded, and scales appeared along Cash’s neck and jaw.
“Dragons,” Mom whispered.
Dad looked at her like she was crazy. When he turned to me, fear widened his eyes. “Are you safe with them?”
“Safer than I am anywhere else.”
Cash huffed, and smoke rolled out of his nostrils. “She freed us from a madman, and we vowed to protect her.”
Mom nodded, then focused on me. “What
