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"It shouldn't be possible," Achlys said flatly. "Which is concerning."

They were both silent. My mother was probably pondering where the emperor would get such powerful magic. I wasn't sure if she knew about Robin's birthright. But I knew Sanka and I were thinking the same thing; the emperor had probably used stolen dragon magic for whatever impossible spell he had worked on my mother.

"Here you are, Ruya," Josh whispered, touching my hand so he could guide it to the cocoa mug he held.

I reached out, a soft smile of thanks on my face, even as I tried to figure out why Sanka and Achlys sounded so worried and what it might mean if someone could manipulate a banshee's song. But I was sidetracked when the mug I was about to take jerked out of my hand and sloshed scalding hot cocoa all over my arm and leg.

The mug hit the floor with a thump, and Josh's voice spoke from much closer, lower than he should be, as if he was kneeling on the floor. "Ruya! I'm so sorry. Damn it."

"Yukio!" Sanka shouted. Then I heard him approach. He gently wiped the cocoa off my skin with what felt like the throw from the back of the couch, as he spoke to Josh. "You okay, bud? You got real pale all of a sudden there."

Josh's voice was shaky. "Yes. I… felt dizzy suddenly. But it's passed now. Oh, Ruya, I'm so sorry. Your poor skin is scalded."

It hurt. But I was more concerned about Josh. Goddess knew I had felt worse pain in my life. But I was getting a weird feeling from him. I could usually tell if someone needed healing, even without touching them. Especially if it was a major illness or injury. This didn't feel like that. But something felt… off.

"What did you do, clumsy human," Yukio's satiny voice was full of disdain, as usual. But I knew he was just worried about me. There was some shifting around, and a cool touch skimmed over my arm, Yuki's frosty magic soothing the angry heat there, then moving to my leg to do the same. "This should help with the inflammation," he murmured to me.

Then he stood and started berating Josh for his clumsiness. Sanka cut him off. "Oh, leave off, you fuss bucket. He isn't feeling well. Come on, Josh, let's let Ruya take a look at you, then I'll walk you to your room. Maybe all the stress just got to you."

Yukio huffed. "Why are humans so delicate?"

I reached out my hands for Josh, eager to figure out what was wrong. He took my hands and gave them a gentle squeeze as I sent out my healing abilities, searching for illness or injury. But there was nothing there. A bit of fatigue, perhaps. I poured healing into him anyway, bolstering him and making sure he was in peak health. Then I released his hands.

"I don't sense anything," I said slowly. "Maybe Sanka's right and you just need to rest." But that didn't really feel right.

Josh thanked me and apologized again, then let Sanka beta him, ushering him out of the room and into bed. Yukio muttered something about changing my clothes, so I didn't look like a child bathing in my food, and my mother excused herself to go to her own room, probably to deal with the memories I had stirred up with our discussion.

I stood and made my way to my room, but I wasn't as happy about that as I would have been half an hour ago. I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I really hoped it was all in my mind, and not one of Achlys's supposed witchy premonitions.

Chapter 17

Ruya

Ilet out a sigh of relief when I finally reached my bedroom. The wild fae had treated us well, but the fae enclave hadn't really been home. And yet, that relief was short-lived.

The elder's bargain and his warning still hung over my head like a dark omen. Finding my birth mother and hearing her heartbreaking story was a huge revelation for me, but I found it hard to pay attention to that when this whole thing with the emperor and the fae bargain might cost me not only my own life, but also the life of the man I loved. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to do what the fae elder asked of me. I was a healer. How was I supposed to murder the magic user who ruled the area's entire paranormal syndicate?

And on top of that, I was worried about Josh. Something about his sudden dizzy spell was bothering me. My magic said he wasn't ill or injured. But some deep sense told me that something wasn't right with him.

I was happy to be back home and in my own space, but the knock on the door was a welcome distraction from my jumbled thoughts and mounting worries. "Come in," I called as I kicked off my shoes and went to my dresser to find clothes to replace the strange, lightweight fae clothing I still wore. I sensed Martina's warm alpha aura as she came in, and heard the soft sound of the door closing behind her.

A soft meow let me know Lily had accompanied Martina. And the chittering reply made me smile and kneel to reach for my furry friends.

"I hope you appreciate my favor, witch friend," the cat complained. "I am not a transportation service, I am a queen!

"Yes, of course your majesty," I said, suppressing a grin. "I am ever so grateful."

Reaching out, I felt along the cat's fluffy back until I was met with delicate clawed feet and leathery wings. "Missed you so much," Vlad the fruit bat was saying, completely ignoring Lily's lecture on how to treat royalty as he transferred from her back and into my hands. "Did you bring back figs from your trip? The others say you were with the nasty wizard man, and the fae."

I chuckled, giving Lily one more soft pet before I stood. Vlad crawled up my arm and onto my shoulder, where he tangled his clever hands in my hair. "No figs, I'm afraid," I informed him. "I'm sorry. But I'll make sure we buy fruit the next time someone goes out for groceries."

Lily huffed from somewhere behind me, probably settling in to nap on her fancy cat bed. "Noisy winged rodent."

"It's okay, witch friend," Vlad said as he started scaling my hair to the top of my head. "The big warm one fed me while you were away. And the pixie one made a place just for me in the kitchen. He says I am only allowed to eat there. He gave me all the best fruits."

I grinned at that. I wasn't surprised Sanka had made sure Vlad got fed while I was gone. But the idea of Yukio fussing over the bat made my day. "How sweet," I said, suppressing a laugh.

"He caught the bat trying to get a banana out of the fruit bowl. Said he didn't want disgusting rodents all over his kitchen counters," Martina said dryly. "Then he set up some big elaborate feeding station for him on one end of the countertop so the bat can get whenever he wants." I could hear the grin in her voice. "You know how Yukio is."

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