Page 41 of Destiny of the Dragons

A punishment. She would not be meeting up with Jace and Smoke in an hour.

Mia just nodded, and got to work. Mother left without another word. Charlotte returned a little while later, with a cup of chai.

“They wanted to come back.” Charlotte was pale.

“What?” Mia was sore. Everything inside her hurt.

“I went to them, to make sure they didn’t come back.”

“Oh, thank you.” Relief washed over her. It would have been a disaster if Jace had returned.

“But Jace is furious and convinced that he’s getting you out, come hell or high water.”

Hope flickered inside Mia for a moment. Maybe…maybe, just maybe, she could tell them.

Charlotte put a hand on her shoulder. “You should take it, if there’s a chance.”

Mia shook her head. “Not without you.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“That’s a lie,” Mia said tiredly. “And I don’t know what his plan to keep the wrath of our family from coming down on our heads. It must be something big.”

Charlotte sighed, and handed Mia some medicine. “Whatever it is, it better be bulletproof.”

Mia sighed. She didn’t know what Jace thought he had over her family, but it had to be good.

Maybe it would work out. Jace found a priceless set of paintings at an estate sale. She texted Jace, telling him she would have to push lunch back to dinner, and spent the rest of the afternoon doing magic, no matter how tired and spent she was.

Jace paced his condo. Smoke sat in a chair, staring off into space.

Smoke told him earlier it was stupid confronting Mia’s mother without having all the information.

Jace didn’t care. He pretended he wasn’t hurt that Mia chose to follow her mother over him.

Maybe she didn’t understand how he felt about her. Maybe she didn’t completely trust him yet.

He would change that tonight. He touched the small box in his pocket. One for each of his jewels. He’d spent the afternoon sparring with Smoke, and now Mia was on her way with take out.

When she arrived, he pulled her into his arms.

She looked exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes, and she moved like she was stiff and sore.

Anger washed over him again. Her mother was a terrible person, and he would make her pay for hurting Mia.

Mia hugged him back.

“Mia, I’m sorry. I messed up earlier.”

“It’s okay.” Mia’s voice was scratchy. Jace led her over to the couch and set the food out.

Smoke sat next to Mia, and Jace took the other side. They ate in silence, but Jace kept rubbing Mia’s back or touching her side.

After they finished eating, Jace sat back on the couch enough that he could see both of them.

“I want to talk to you two. And I want to do a better job than what I was trying to do this afternoon.”

Jace pulled the boxes out of his pockets. Nerves fluttered in his stomach, worse than when he went to his mother and demanded a place on the chairman’s board.

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