Page 60 of Destiny of the Dragons

Let him try to attack her. She would remind him how powerful she was, and her problem of marriage would be solved.

The expression was gone almost as quickly as it had been there. “I’ll redouble my efforts at tracking down Mrs. Ryder. Consider it a wedding present.”

Cross closed the distance between them. Mia’s hackles raised, and she resisted the urge to go for the dagger again.

“No kiss for your fiancé before I leave?”

“You have tracking to do.”

Cross sauntered out of the shop, and Mia almost threw the knife at his back.

A few quick stabs and her new problems would be solved.

But it wouldn’t change her current situation and create more headache that it was worth. She would be in trouble for murdering the son of a powerful witch family.

Fear washed over her. If Smoke and Jace had killed Cross, she would be suspected. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t seen them in months, suspicion would fall immediately to her.

Jace and Smoke must have realized that.

They shouldn’t have stuck their nose into her business in the first place. Anger boiled inside her, underneath the heartache. They didn’t want her, and they were going to ruin everything she was doing to get away from her family.

She would ring their scaly necks.

Mia pulled her phone out and texted both of them in a group chat:My apartment at 5. Do not be late.

The thought of seeing them again made feelings swell inside her. She pushed it away. It was over, they just needed to stay out of her business.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and she rubbed her face. There was no room for tears, for regrets, for hope.

She would make it clear that Jace and Smoke would stay out of her life.

* * *

Mia paced across her apartment. The sun was touching the horizon, turning her living room the color of gold.

Months ago, she waited for them to arrive so they could have their first date. She thought it would be the first date of many, but like so many other things, she was wrong.

Mia didn’t bother to change after work. She didn’t want them to know how much she still cared, how she still cried herself to sleep at night.

Even as a young child, Mia knew there was something different about her magic.

An old vampire occasionally popped in on family gatherings. No one really remembered when they had adopted a vampire, vampires were reportedly eccentric, but Mia was glad for his presence.

He always seemed to be around when she needed someone who understood blood magic.

Their mother could cast the basic spells, and Charlotte had been able to keep up with her until she was seven or so. After that, it was all practice all the time.

The first time she’d cast a spell she didn’t even realize what she was doing.

She was dithering in the side alley behind the antique shop, delaying the time when she would have to go back inside. A tiny meow caught her attention, and she shifted through some cardboard boxes until she found a kitten.

It was injured. Gray fur matted to its frail body and blood seeped from wounds she couldn’t see.

She didn’t understand death at that age, but she felt the kitten’s pain coming in waves, tendrils calling to Mia's magic. Mia picked up the kitten, it’s broken body shaking.

“It’s okay.” She whispered. Her hands were wet from blood, and magic instantly rose up. No pushing the magic up, no dragging it out of her body like reluctant plants.

She was still a child, still certain she would have the answer to fix problems if she was just clever enough.

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