Page 65 of Cherish

“No,” Hudson says, and my head whips to his. “One of them is definitely going to crash into the ground right now.”

I pivot back to the dragons and gasp. One very large, amber dragon is locked in a death spiral with an even larger green dragon. My hand flies up to my chest as my stomach sinks, neither dragon letting go as they spin round and round, speeding closer and closer to the ground.

At the last second, they both fly apart, swooping within inches of the rocky surface before rising back up again on opposite sides of a giant crater.

“For fuck’s sake,” I mutter, my stomach permanently in my throat.

Hudson just chuckles and tugs on my hand. “Come on. You can scold the kids later. We’re almost to the farm.”

I turn back to the road and realize we’ve actually walked quite a way now. We’ve only got about a quarter of a mile before entering the main property, and we both come to a halt.

Within seconds, the others swoop down next to us and land. Heather and Macy hop off while everyone shifts back into their human forms, and we stand side by side as we take in the view.

“Is that it?” Heather asks, moving a few feet closer to get a better look.

Hudson nods. “That’s it.”

“It’s bigger than I thought it’d be,” Eden comments.

“You’ll love it when we get there,” I tell her. “There’s a flower garden and vegetable patch that the owners have for their own personal use, plus several commercial crops as well. And there’s a gorgeous lake surrounded by the most amazing trees—”

“Sounds like you and Hudson had one hell of a vacation here,” Jaxon comments in a tone so brusque that it has both Flint and me turning to look at him questioningly.

He doesn’t say anything else, though. Which isn’t awkward at all.

“We only spent a few days here,” I start to tell him. “We had to go on the run because—”

I break off as Hudson shoots me a very clear what-the-fuck look. I’m not sure what it’s about—I was just trying to explain things to Jaxon—but since it’s the same look Flint is currently giving Jaxon, I decide to shut my mouth and keep it shut.

Because, apparently, there’s no winning about this right now.

The farm and its outbuildings become more visible to the non-dragon and -vampire folk as we near, finally reaching the outskirts of the farm.

As soon as we open the gate and step foot on the property, there’s a part of me that starts looking around for Tiola, with her overalls and braids and gorgeous little face. But she’s nowhere to be found, and neither is a certain umbra I’ve spent our entire walk obsessing over.

“It’s okay,” I murmur to Hudson, who becomes a little stiffer with each step we take. “We’ll find them.”

He nods like he believes me—like everything is fine—but I know it’s not. I know he’s as worried as I am that no one has come out to greet us. But just like with everything else, he’s determined not to show it.

“She’s going to be here.” I say it as much for me as I do for him.

Again, he nods.

“Who are you talking about?” Jaxon asks, looking around like he expects someone to jump out at us from any direction. “The farmer?”

I’m still trying to figure out how to answer him without upsetting Hudson when we make it to the edge of the field—and are bum-rushed by dozens upon dozens of umbras.

38

Under My

Umbra-ella

They pour out of the field from all directions, shadows of all shapes and sizes. Some are in the guise of animals—lizards and snakes, birds and bugs, squirrels and chipmunks and tiny rabbits—while others look more like roly-poly little balls and other shapes. They tangle around our feet, rush for our hair and faces, slither up our legs to wrap around our waists.

As they change color, from shades of purple to lavender gray and back again, my friends freak out. Start trying to fling them off themselves.

“Grace, look out!” Macy screams, fire dancing around her fingertips as she takes aim at a group of umbras near my feet.

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