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Chapter One

Hazel

I crouched behind a rusty blue mail drop off box and held my breath

It wasn’t theplaces, but it was closer to the smelly, dank alleyway I intended to hide in than any of my other cover options

I rit it smeared on my hand, but carefully peered around the side of the box

Gideon of House Tellier—or as I called hiinally hidden outside the bank across the street

It was now or never

I scuttled into the alleyway that cut between a popular café, Drea of a now defunct newspaper I had to pick s of trash that bubbled over from the café’s duly of coffee grounds and al food

It wasn’t too bad a place to hide I’d been in a lot worse

I circled around to the back of the café—which was supposed to be a neutral zone Actually, all of doas neutral, but tell that to the clowns of House Tellier or any of the other wizards who thought they could push me around

At twenty-two, you’d think I’d be past the age of bullying, but the supernatural coest thrive while the rest are all dinner With ic, I was lower than dinner I wasn’t even a snack

My cellphone erupted in a cheerful and loud song I bit back a curse as I yanked it out of my jacket pocket and fumbled to silence it

When I caught a glance of the caller ID, I swiped to answer I doubledlot and hopped on the boardwalk that stretched around the perimeter of the lake that squatted in the middle of town “Hey, Mom”

“Hello, my sunshine! How are you?”

I glanced back over my shoulder, but I didn’t see Gideon the Idiot, so it was safe to follow the boardwalk away frouely Whenever possible I tried not to let my parents know about my…run ins with some of the wizards frory, but it wasn’t like they could do more than they already had It wasn’t their fault I had such sucky ? I’m on my way back to the House”

“Yes Your father and I need to talk to you”

“Okay I’ll find you when I get back”

“No, we’llthe one publichall, court, and safe house for anyone in the ical community, so it was pretty weird for us to meet there as opposed to House Medeis, which ay more private

I peered back overokay?”

“Of course!” my mother said in a cheerful voice that sounded totally fake “It’s just…we’ve realized we need to es”

“Change can be good,” I said carefully

“Yes, it will be for the good of the House,” she said “Though I don’t know that anyone is going to like the scale of it But we’ll need your help”

“Uh-huh,” I doubtfully said

“You’re the Heir, Hazel,” my mother said—as if she needed to remind me It’s not like I wasn’t painfully aware I was the weakest Medeis Heir in our centuries-old history or anything “You can do so much You’ll see how House Medeis will rely on you, and your father and I have a lot we need to talk to you about”

“Okay,” I said, still not believing her

She and Dad always told me I needed to acceptto crouch behind rusty mailboxes and frequentlyto celebrate, apparently

The boardwalk creaked as I et my car The Curia Cloisters are too far away for me to walk”

“There’s no rush,” Mo there noe’ll reserve aroom while ait for you”

“Gotcha I’ll call when I’m closer”

“Okay, drive safe”

“Love you, sunshine!” Dad shouted, barely audible from Mom’s end of the phone

“Love you both! Bye”

I hung up and slipped my phone back into my pocket I stepped off the boardwalk—I had left the hum of don traffic behind and had entered the quieter suburbs House Medeis was still a good fifteen-h the quaint streets filled with old Victorian houses, brick mansions, and colonial style homes

I stopped dead in y prickle of wizard ic

Without hesitating I burst into a run—I al shoes for this very reason—before I risked a glance over my shoulder

Nothing

I frowned and ran sh to rival a defensive line off him with the force of my own momentum

He caughtsomewhere, Medeis?”

“Let go of me!”

“So you can run again? Nah” He held his free hand out and gathered ic that flickered like fire in his palm His wizard mark—which was distinctly spiky anddown his cheekbone anda break toward his jawline

Ho boy This did not look good

I kept eted, readjusting my stance so I faced hi hts”

Gideon held his palic crackled inwhat should be obvious,” he said “You shouldn’t be the Medeis Heir You’re too weak Your House will never be able to depend on you”

“That’s House Medeis’s business, not yours” I restedclosest to Gideon and drew the other back, lining my shot up

He didn’t see air in and snapping ic I could channel froers where I turned it into a tiny flame that I flicked at him

Gideon scoffed as the flame hit his t-shirt and fizzled, easily put out with a firm snap of his shirt “No,” he scoffed “It’s all wizards’ business Allowing one of the oldest wizarding Houses in the Midwest to be run by a wizard with your level of power stock, and we’re already considered the weakest in our society” He pointed to the tiny patch of blackened fabric for evidence ofball he held in his open palm

The heat ofin the mirror was a stark black and ht eye—slowly faded froic “Ahhh,” I said “I understand now”

Gideon squinted down at me and cocked his head in his confusion

“It’s because you’re co,” I seriously added

“Why you—” Gideon ic into ree burns, if not worse But I was ready I s as hard as I could

Gideon’s leg buckled, and he tipped forward, off balance enough that I was able to rip rasp and scramble backwards

He took a swipe atit

I fled, the horrible s behind me as Gideon roared

“You’re going to pay for that, Medeis!”

I didn’t even bother to see if he was following—his thundering footfalls chased after rassy park

Three ladies and their kids stood in the woodchips surrounding the park playground equipazed at Gideon onder

They had to be regular humans—no one else would look so awed

A few of the kids shrieked and clapped in joy “Wizards!”

I glanced back at Gideon—whose entire fist was now encased with ic

He , it’s necessary,” he lied

I snorted and jumped a park bench

Even though supernaturals were “public”, and had been for alic around The last thing anted to do was frighten the huical species and could potentially exterminate us if they felt threatened

Apparently, our coiven that none of the mothers or their kids seeuy with a fistful of fire chase ht

When I reached the sidewalk on the opposite end of the park, Gideon chucked the fireball

I tried to dodge it, but I wasn’t fast enough, and it hita hole in my clothes, and it was so hot it baked my skin I bit down on a yelp—that would have made the sicko happy—and inhaled air in a sharp hiss between clenched teeth

My shoulder throbbed, but if he caught me, it would onlyup speed as I shook it off

Unfortunately, iven Gideon time to catch up with me

He was almost on me as I sprinted up the block I calanced up the road

Acloser A fancy emblem was emblazoned on the sides of the front car—a limo—but the rest were all unmarked SUVs

I saw the black dragon roaring at the center of the drawn emblem, and my heart stuttered er One