“You’re right,Egan. I have to find her.” He leapt off the sofa. “Thanks for thepep talk.”
Egan rolled hiseyes and chuckled. “Anytime. I sometimes think I’m only herebecause I help you through your woes, oh, magnificent one.”
“You’re herebecause you are my brother,” Nix said sincerely.
“Half-brother,don’t forget.”
He squeezed hisshoulder. “No, you’re my brother in every sense of the word, and Iwouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
“No need to goall mushy, mate; I get it.”
“There is.You’ve no idea how much this means to me.” He grinned. “Sorry, butI’m going in for a hug.” Nix embraced his brother, emotion catchingin his throat.
Egan laughedand returned the hug, slapped his back.
After a fewmoments, Nix pulled away. “I’m going to find her, Egan. I haveto.”
“I know. And Ithink I know how.”
“What do youmean?”
“Don’t tellme—you were going to go dragon and fly around looking for her?”
“Yes,” he saidslowly, failing to see what was wrong with that.
“She lives intown, right? What did you think, you were just going to spot herfrom above as she goes about her daily business? What if shedoesn’t go outside much?”
“What do yousuggest then? Without an address, it’s all I’ve got.”
“No, there isanother way. Love Bites.”
“The datingagency? What has that got to do with anything?”
“They must haveher address from when she signed up.”
His heart beateven faster, filled with renewed hope, but something else too. Aniggling sensation in the pit of his stomach, like something, waswrong. He ignored it and focused on how he could find Katarina.“Okay, how do we get on that website thing?”
“Wecan’t do anything—since you’re living in the Dark Ages without amobile phone—but I can.” Egan fished his phone from his pocket andtapped the screen. “Looks like it’s little brother to the rescueagain.”
Nix craned hisneck to see what Egan was doing, but he was tapping the screen toofast for him to read it. There were several messages in speechbubbles, though, and Egan kept typing, so he assumed he was havingsome kind of conversation.
“Damn, shewon’t give me her address,” Egan said.
“Whowon’t?”
“Jamie. Theonline coach.”
He had no ideawhat an online coach was.
“She says it’sconfidential.”
His shoulderssank a fraction, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. “I guess I’llhave to find Katarina the old-fashioned way then. Thanks fortrying.” He headed towards the door and called on his dragon. Theniggle in his belly upped its tempo, twisting inside and instillinghim with a sense of foreboding. He cradled his stomach, shuttinghis eyes to concentrate on what his dragon was trying to tellhim.
Find her.Find her now.
“Are you allright, Nix? I’m sure we—”
He opened hiseyes. “No, I’m not. Something’s wrong. I think Katarina might be introuble.”
“How can youknow that?”
“Katarina and Iare connected, or we were in the past. I can’t explain it properly,but before the curse, our souls were one, and after, our connectionwas lost.”
“Still notfollowing.”
“The connectionis back, Egan. I can feel her.” Sprinting out of his front door, heyanked off his robe and morphed into his dragon.
Egan ran afterhim. “Nix, wait. You still don’t know where she lives.”
He lifted hisgiant head and sniffed the air. “I will find my soulmate,” hisdragon roared, extending his powerful wings to full span.
Phoenix soaredinto the sky, every one of his dragon senses alert and zinging withdetermination.
Within tenminutes, the town spanned below him.
Even if hehadn’t heard the police sirens and an explosion, the stench of darkmagic was unmistakable. The aniseed odour wafted up his dragonnostrils, bringing with it the memory of where and when he’d smeltit before.
The day thesorceress cursed him and Katarina to live an eternity apart.
Selene.
ChapterEleven
Phoenixfrowned. What the hell?
First Katarinaturning up in the town next to where he lived, and now that evilwitch? What were the chances? Nix hadn’t seen or heard of her forcenturies, so why would she be here?
His instincts,both dragon and human, told him this wasn’t a coincidence.
He shook hishorned head, fighting the urge to seek out the jealous sorceressand give her a piece of his mind. What he wouldn’t give to burn herto a crisp—and he’d tried his utmost to do just that back then—butthe last time he’d set his flames upon her, Selene had surroundedherself with some kind of protection spell.
No, as much ashe despised her for what she did, his priority was to findKatarina.
As if on cue, awoman screamed somewhere below, the sound filtering from anapartment block.
He’d recogniseher scream anywhere. His stomach churned with unease. His soulmatewas in trouble.
“Katarina!” Nixswooped downwards and landed with precision, despite his size, onthe top of the apartment building. He folded his wings into hisback and transmuted them into his human form. As much as he neededthe strength of his dragon right now, he had to be cautious.
Katarina didn’tknow he was a dragon. The last time he’d seen her, his dragon eyeshad terrified her. He had to assume she didn’t know what she waseither, or maybe she didand was confused at the very least. What ifshe didn’t want to accept the truth?
He balled hisfists by his side. One problem at a time.
The sirens gotlouder. The police were outside the building.
Without amoment to lose, Nix spotted a washing line on the rooftop andgrabbed the first thing that came to hand; a woman’s pink dressinggown. He cursed. It was better than running through the buildingnaked, he supposed.
Another blastsounded from inside the building.
Nix slippedinto the garment and legged it down a set of concrete steps towardsa fire escape door.
After yankingit open, he sprinted through the corridors, searching for hissoulmate.
He didn’t haveto look for long; rounding a corner, he collided with Katarina, hereyes wide with fear. Her Westie, Toby, was tucked under herarm.
Behind her, atthe end of the corridor, he spotted her.
Selene.
Flames of wrathflicked at the back of his throat.
The evilsorceress readied an energy ball in the palm of her hand.
“Nix, lookout,” Katarina shouted.
Selenehesitated as she saw him.
Phoenix didn’tgive the witch more than a fleeting glance, not with Katarinabeside him.
