Elle had never dreamed she would fly one day. She’d imagined what it might be like, shifting into a dragon and taking to the skies, but at no point had she ever considered she might one day know firsthand what it felt like.

Now, as she sat in a small lounge at the back of Apollo’s Apothecary while Cress tended to Dex in the adjoining room, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relive the thrill of swooping through the air. She imagined the chilly night air whipping past her, and the feel of Cress’s dragon hide—knobbly, but also smooth and slippery—beneath her fingers, and the glittering city rushing beneath her.

“Elle?” Elle’s eyes jerked open as Cress said her name. Anxiety returned instantly, blotting out the delight that had lifted her spirits at the memory of her first—and probably only—flight.

“Is he okay?” she asked, standing as Cress entered the lounge.

“He will be.” Cress slid her fingers through her purple hair before folding her arms. “Right now, he’s still asleep. Though I suspect it won’t be long before he wakes. He’s still much stronger than the darkness trying to eat away at him. And, fortunately, I had just finished gathering the final ingredient necessary for his potion when you called.”

“So … wait, what did you say about darkness eating away at him?” Elle asked. “What’s wrong with him?”

Cress hesitated, looking over her shoulder into a second lounge where Dex lay on a futon amid a mound of colorful cushions. “It isn’t my place to say. He can tell you, if he chooses to.”

Elle nodded slowly. “Okay. Can I sit with him until he wakes?”

“Certainly. I’m going to tidy up my workshop. I tend to leave quite a mess when making potions in a hurry.” She turned away, then looked back. “Had any luck collecting more Essence for that third-tier wish you so desperately want?”

Heat gathered in Elle’s cheeks at the reminder of her ugly secret, but she was fairly certain by now that Cress wouldn’t tell anyone. “I’m working on it.”

“Good. I hope you’re successful.” With that, Cress left the room.

Elle padded across richly colored rugs toward Dex. Scarves were draped across the windows of the second lounge, while numerous leafy plants placed on shelves and tables around the room provided some relief from the riot of color. Elle perched on the edge of the futon and watched the last of the faint, rippling shadows disappear from Dex’s skin. Her eyes traveled down to his hand, and she wondered if she should hold it. She wanted to, but that would be weird, wouldn’t it? Holding hands with someone she barely knew. They’d held pinkie fingers earlier, but that was only because he’d been trying to comfort her as a vampire who thought she would ‘taste delicious’ came closer and closer to finding her.

Before she could decide whether touching Dex was appropriate or not, he sucked in a deep breath and shifted. His fingers clenched briefly, and then his eyelids squeezed tighter before opening. He blinked a few times, a deep frown forming across his brow.

“Oh. Hi,” Elle said, surprised he’d woken so quickly. Feeling suddenly as if she were sitting way too close to him, she slid backward a little on the futon. “Are you feeling okay?”

Instead of answering, Dex looked around. Recognition settled in his gaze. “Apollo’s,” he murmured.

“Yes. Cress brought us here. She made more of your potion, which I’m guessing is what she gave you now.”

Dex pushed himself up so he was sitting instead of lying down. “You didn’t run,” he said quietly.

“What? No, of course I didn’t run. Why would I leave you in a state like that?”

“Because … I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair. His gaze moved around the room, never landing on Elle. “I thought you’d be scared. All those dark shadows on my skin, and my black eyes. I thought you’d want to get far away from me.”

“Of course I was scared. But I wasn’t about to leave you on your own like that. I thought—I thought some evil magic entity was attacking you or something. And then I figured out Cress might be able to help. I thought it might be something to do with that potion you were supposed to get from her the other night. So I used your phone to call her. I’m sorry, that was probably a violation of privacy, but I was kind of desperate in the moment. I figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“I—no, I don’t mind. I’m grateful. Thank you.”

“Is … is it a curse?”

Dex shook his head, still not looking at her. “No.” He reached for the glass of water on the low table beside the futon and took several long gulps. He set the glass down. When he made no move to explain further, Elle decided not to ask. He would be forced to tell the truth, and he clearly didn’t want to share any more about this mysterious malady.

“Okay. But you’re feeling all right now?”

He nodded. “I think so. Pretty much back to normal.”

“What’s wrong then? Why won’t you look at me?”

He covered his face with his hands and groaned. “I’m sorry. This just isn’t right.”

“What isn’t?”

“You shouldn’t have had to see me that way.” He dropped his hands into his lap and looked toward the ceiling. “I’m supposed to be … not helpless.”

Elle finally realized what the problem might be, and her lips curved into a wry smile. “So it’s fine if you save my life, but it’s not fine if I save yours?”

He sighed, his eyes finally settling on her. “Something like that.”

She couldn’t help laughing. “You need to let go of gender stereotypes like that.”

He gave her a rueful smile. “I know, I’m sorry. And it’s not even that. Not really. I don’t have a problem with strong women. This is more about … me. I just hate how out of control I end up when this … thing happens. I didn’t want you to see that.”

Elle leaned back on one hand. “You should try being human sometime. It’s good practice for that whole out-of-control thing. When every other race is more powerful than yours, it’s a feeling you just have to get used to.”

His smile stretched a little wider. “You may be human, Elle, but you don’t seem like someone who’s out of control much.”

She groaned. “If only you knew.”

He raised an eyebrow and shrugged. “You could tell me.”

“Maybe another time,” she said, knowing it was a lie. “We’ve had quite a night already.”

“True. Apparently it’s possible for vampires to acquire magic, but that wasn’t shocking enough to keep you from daydreaming about kissing me while we were hiding from said vampire.”

Elle’s mouth fell open. “That is not what happened. I was merely commenting on the difference between the reality of our situation versus the exact same situation if it were in one of those silly movies Sienna likes to watch.”

“Oh, I see.” Dex nodded. “So you don’t want to kiss me?”

“I—I didn’t say that either.” Imaginary flames engulfed her face, and she decided it should be criminal to have eyes as captivating as his. They held onto her, refusing to let her look away. “What?” she asked, her voice coming out embarrassingly breathless. “Stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” he asked with a grin.

“Just … like that.”

His eyes dipped down toward her lips. He leaned forward, and his hand gently grazed her chin.

“Wait, um—”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” He leaned back. “I shouldn’t have assumed—”

“No, no! It’s fine! It’s just … what if I’m terrible at it?”

Confusion crossed his face. “Terrible at what?”

“I mean … ugh.” Elle buried her burning face in her hands. She couldn’t believe she was about to admit this to him. “Iveneverkissedanyone,” she mumbled.

“What was that?” He gently removed her hands from her face, interlacing his fingers with hers.

“I, um …” She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”

A beat of silence passed. Then: “How?”

She looked at him. “What do you mean how?”

“Well you’re … you’re beautiful and funny and interesting, and I can’t imagine how no one’s—”

“I’ve just—been busy.”

“Too busy to kiss anyone?”

“Yes. Busy with more important things. I haven’t had time for boys. I mean men. I mean—” She rolled her eyes. “Whatever. You know what I mean.”

His fingers tightened a little around hers, and his smile melted something inside her. “Do you have time right now?”

“I … I do,” she said faintly.

With his eyes on her lips again, Dex moved closer.

“But what if I’m really bad at it?” she whispered, and he paused a few inches from her mouth.

“If that happens to be the case, I don’t mind practicing until you get it right.”

Elle smiled and let out a quiet laugh. “I guess that wouldn’t be so—”

Bright, hot pain bloomed out of nowhere, searing her right ankle. She jerked back, sucking in a breath against the pain. “Stars!” she hissed between clenched teeth. “No, no, no.” She reached for her ankle, slipped off the edge of the futon, and landed on the floor.

“Elle!” Dex pushed himself forward and crouched on the floor beside her.

She gripped her leg just above the pain. “Crap, no,” she gasped. “What’s the time?”

“What? It’s—I don’t know.” He looked around the room, and his eyes landed on something behind her. “It’s midnight. Elle, what’s wrong?” She let out a wordless moan as the burning intensified. “What’s happening? Tell me what to do.” She shook her head, her hand squeezing tighter around her calf. Dex looked down. He reached for the lower edge of her jeans.

“No, no. It’s fine. Don’t—” But she couldn’t pull her leg back in time, and before she knew it, he’d pulled her jeans up a few inches.

“You’re a slave,” he whispered at the sight of the gold chain-shaped tattoo glowing on her skin. “But … how … who did this to you?”

She couldn’t answer. She couldn’t explain. The pain was too intense for her to do anything except try to breathe her way through it. But Dex was looking at her in horror, and she had to get home. That was the only way the agony would end. Somehow, she found the strength to push herself up. She launched toward the door.

“Wait, where are you—”

“Leave me alone,” she gasped. He knew the ugly truth now, and there was no going back. No chance at a kiss. No chance at anything more. Not that that was ever a real possibility.

She hurried out of the apothecary as fast as possible, half running, half limping. Movement didn’t make the pain any worse than it already was, but it was blinding, sickening, and as she lurched her way around corners and through alleys, steering away from any main streets, she struggled to keep her balance.

She couldn’t tell if Dex had tried to follow her. Probably not, because surely he would have caught up to her by now. She’d told him to leave her alone, and he’d listened. For some reason, that hurt almost as much as the pain of the slave charm.

The night seemed to press in on her. The moon grew dimmer. She staggered onward for another minute or two before the agony finally consumed her and the cobblestones of whatever street she was in rose to meet her face.