Dex’s heart thumped a little too fast as he and Elle climbed the spiral staircase attached to the outside of Apollo’s Apothecary. What the hell was wrong with him? He was normally so composed, so confident, and here he was making a complete idiot of himself in front of her. Chatting with strangers usually came easily to him. Perhaps because he knew it was unlikely he’d see any of them a second time. There was no pressure to impress anyone. Not that there was any pressure to impress Elle. Was there? There shouldn’t be, he reminded himself.

And what was he doing asking about her family? What a stupid move. Aside from hurting her by bringing up painful memories, asking about her family left the door open for her to ask about his family, and he certainly couldn’t go down that road. He should have kept things strictly non-personal. “You can’t get too close to her,” Xander had reminded him earlier this evening. Dex was aware of that, and he’d said as much, but Xander still gave him that look that said, I know you. Don’t be an idiot. Dex had to admit that Xander was probably right. He’d already crossed a line with Elle. He’d made a blood oath with her, for goodness sake. How many other strangers had he done that with? Precisely zero.

“I think it’s locked,” Elle said, and Dex realized she was trying the door at the top of the stairs.

“Let me,” he said, reaching around her. He placed his hand over the lock and uttered the charm Cress had given him. Something clicked, and when Elle turned the handle again, the door opened. They stepped inside, and he heard Elle’s quiet intake of breath as she looked around. Plants and flowers of all sizes, shapes and colors filled the circular space, separated by a few winding paved paths. White stone statues were visible here and there, and a fountain with water spilling over the edges of its three tiers sat at the center of the greenhouse. The domed glass roof let in some light from the moon and streetlights, but most of the illumination came from the numerous small lights placed among the plants at floor level.

Dex left Elle to admire the magnificent purple blossoms of a clem-fever bush while he headed for the pegasus statue between the phoenix leaf trees on the right. He bent down and reached behind the statue, expecting to feel a small paper-wrapped parcel. When his hand found nothing, he leaned further to the side and looked behind the statue. There was nothing there. “Dammit,” he muttered. Straightening, he brushed the sand from his hands and looked around.

“Is something wrong?” Elle asked.

“It’s supposed to be behind this statue here, but I can’t find it.”

“Can I help you look? How big is this parcel?”

“It should fit in your hand. Wrapped in brown paper.”

“Okay, I’ll—Holy stars!” Elle breathed. Dex looked up in time to see a large winged shape swooping overhead. “Am I imagining things,” she asked, “or was that a dragon?”

Dex swallowed. “That was a dragon.” He took a deep breath and resisted the urge to grab Elle’s hand and run back down the stairs. He couldn’t leave here without the astaleaf potion. Besides, maybe the dragon that had flown past wasn’t the dragon he was thinking of. Unlikely, his brain reminded him. There weren’t exactly loads of dragon shifters around.

Elle rushed to the edge of the greenhouse and pushed a fern aside as she looked down. “It landed in the street in front of the apothecary, but I can’t see it anymore. This is so crazy. I’ve never seen one so close before.”

“They’re just people, you know,” Dex reminded her, smiling a little at her awe.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry. I’m sure they don’t want to be gawked at by other races. I just think they’re so cool.” She turned away from the glass, scooping her hair behind one ear. “Sorry, we’re supposed to be looking for your parcel. Um, we can check behind all the other statues? Maybe you just got the wrong—”

“Dex, you’re here,” a female voice said. Elle whipped around just as Dex turned to face the door and the woman with sleek purple hair. “And you brought a friend,” she added, her eyes moving to Elle.

“A new friend,” Dex said, hoping Cress would catch his meaning. A new friend who doesn’t know anything about me, he would have said if Elle wasn’t within earshot. “This is Elle,” he added, moving closer to her. “Elle, this is Cressida.”

“Call me Cress,” Cress said, crossing the greenhouse and holding her hand out toward Elle. Gold bangles jangled on her arms.

“Um, hi,” Elle said, grasping Cress’s hand and shaking it. “Wait, was that—was that you? The dragon. I saw it fly overhead, and then it landed in the street in front of the apothecary.”

Cress seemed to examine Elle for several moments before answering. “Yes, that was me.” She smiled. “You look shocked, honey. Are you okay?”

“I’ve just never met a dragon shifter before. And I thought you were fae. Your ears …” She trailed off.

“I was born fae,” Cress explained. “Bitten when I was young. There aren’t many of us dragon shifters in Vale City—born or bitten—so I’m not surprised you haven’t met any.” Her eyes turned to Dex. “You look a little uncomfortable too, Dex,” she added with a knowing smile.

He let out a sharp breath. “I just didn’t expect you to be here, that’s all.”

“Right. I’m sure that’s it.” Cress’s eyes moved to Elle, then back to him. She smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not in the business of sharing other people’s secrets.”

Dex’s brows pulled lower over his eyes. Was it really necessary to say that? he would have demanded if he’d been alone here with Cress. Then he noticed the way Elle’s eyes widened, and suddenly he wondered if Cress might have meant her instead of him. Or had she been referring to both of them? “Have the two of you met before?” he asked.

“She’s come into the apothecary,” Cress said, at which point Elle’s lips pressed together and her cheeks turned pink. “Anyway, I need to speak with you, Dex. That’s why I’m here.”

Right. The astaleaf potion. He’d been so scared Cress might say something she shouldn’t that he’d almost forgotten about it. “I looked behind the pegasus statue, but—”

“It’s not there. I know. Come, let’s talk.” She ushered him to the far side of the greenhouse, and Elle, clearly polite enough to understand that Cress wanted to talk in private, didn’t follow. She might still be able to overhear them, but hopefully Cress wouldn’t give away anything too important. “I’m afraid I couldn’t get any shadowbane to finish the potion,” Cress explained. “I went looking again now, which is why I didn’t call you, but the plants are all bare. It’s the wrong time of month for the flowers to bloom.”

“Shadowbane. Is that an important ingredient?”

“It’s vital. Astaleaf is the major component, hence the potion’s name, but it’s ineffective without shadowbane.”

Dex felt invisible ropes tighten around his chest. “But this is urgent. I don’t have any potion left.”

“I’m sorry, Dex, but you didn’t give me much notice.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been distracted with all this vampire business. I didn’t realize I was almost out. How long do you think it’ll be before you can get this shadowbane?”

“I’ll look again tomorrow, just in case some of the plants bloom early, but it could be another four or five days. I’ll let you know as soon I’ve got some.”

Dex let out a long sigh. “Okay. Thanks. I guess I can’t ask for more than that.”

“Will you be okay? Perhaps you should stay home until I can get more for you.”

Dex looked across the greenhouse at Elle. If something went wrong tonight at the party … He shook his head, banishing the thought. “I’ll be fine. I had the last few drops this morning. That should keep me going.”

“For how long?”

“I don’t know. Tonight at the very least. Hopefully longer. But I’ll be fine. Xander and Olly are always nearby.”

After a pause, Cress nodded. Her bangles clinked as she patted his arm.

Dex looked past a giant-leafed pixie catcher to where Elle was standing, her arms crossed over her chest as she faced away from him and Cress. “I guess we should get to that party then,” he called out to her.

She looked over her shoulder with the kind of innocent expression that probably meant she’d heard every word he and Cress had spoken. “Ready when you are.”

They returned to the car, and Dex spent the entire ride to the Arabesque Hills waiting for Elle to ask what Cress had meant by keeping other people’s secrets. But she didn’t bring it up once. Which, he supposed, made sense if she had her own secret to hide. He certainly wasn’t about to ask though. He had too many of his own to worry about.