The cursor blinked on my screen as a migraine pulsed at my temple. I closed my eyes for a second to massage the area, and when I opened my eyes again, I was staring at the face of my nightmare. I screamed and jerked back, falling out of the office chair I was sitting in. I picked myself back up and edged back to the desk. I peered over the arm of the chair to check if the threat was still there. Never in my wildest dreams had I expected to see him again. I had run from my past for a reason. I hadn’t seen him in hundreds of years. Why was he here now?
“Emmaline, you look lovelier than you did back then. I know you’re there so come out of hiding.”
I sat back on the floor and tried to calm my heart and breath. It was coming too fast. It was all too fast, too much. I couldn’t breathe... Then I felt the magic surge. A hint of fuchsia traveled up my arms and into my eyes, calming my racing heart. I closed my eyes, counted to three, and stood to face the man I thought I had escaped.
“Darcy. How did you find me?”
“That doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I need a favor.”
“You need a favor? Why now?”
“Emmaline, you left me. The least you can do me is the honor of a small favor for breaking my heart.”
The power inside me rose up again, and I inhaled to keep it at bay. I laughed. Power made my giddy. Power made me sick.
“Breaking your heart? It was the least I could do for what you did to me.”
“What I did… Emma, I did nothing but love you.”
“Love me? No, you ruined me.” My finger hovered over the escape button, ready to close down the video chat window. But his voice did something that made me take my hand away. I sighed. Damn. This man would be the death of me.
“What do you want, Darcy?”
“I need you to track down your ancestor Evaline and her Dragon Shifter lover. They’ve roamed over to the human realm.”
“Ah, yes. I thought I could feel the shift of magic. I’ll deal with it. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you. And when you do find them, come find me.”
I closed down the chat and whispered to the black screen, “Not even in your dreams.”