“No witches?” Although I was happy for them to remain here on the island to protect our people, I also felt uneasy about embarking on this excursion without even a single wielder of magic. Out of all of our missions in the past, I couldn’t recall a single one where we hadn’t had at least one witch present.

“Jinn and witches are born enemies. If a witch entered the realm of jinn, it’s unlikely that they would ever make it out again, even with our help.”

“I see.” I looked the dragon in the eye. “I appreciate you stepping forward.”

“Although I’m unable to make any promises that we can free your son, I feel we owe you our help. I’m grateful for the hospitality you have extended us, and the happiness many of us have found here with the island’s maidens.”

I nodded, still caught up on the idea of traveling without witches. “This means everyone who comes will have to travel on your backs.”

“Of course,” he said. “So… you would definitely like to go through with this? I’ll need to speak with my companions.”

I would have preferred that my wife was present so I could discuss it with her. But although I still felt uneasy about so many things about this plan—what kind of hostility we might find at our destination, leaving our witches behind, and the fact that I desperately wanted to be here for my sister when she gave birth to my new nephew or niece—I felt that I had no choice but to take the dragon up on his offer there and then, while he was feeling generous. I didn’t want to risk delaying my answer in case something caused Jeriad to have second thoughts and withdraw.

And so that night I agreed to the fire breather’s plan.

Chapter 28: Jeramiah

I stared down at the injured mermaid I’d found washed up along a beach near The Shade’s port. Bending down, I placed a finger against the side of her scaly neck, checking for a pulse. She had one, albeit weak. It was surprising considering the amount of blood she had lost. Her left arm had been ripped open, and the sand beneath her was stained with the dark liquid.

Removing my shirt, I wiped her down, then wrapped the fabric tightly around the gash to help stem the blood flow. I picked her up and hauled her over my shoulders, confident that she was too weak to do anything to harm me as I carried her.

She and a merman had gained entrance to The Shade the same way Amaya, my witch companion, and I had. We had been carried through the boundary via the submarine Benjamin had been navigating. I’d known as soon as Nuriya had revealed to me back in The Oasis that my cousin’s submarine held merfolk that they could be of great use to me. I had expected to have to catch them, however. It was a pleasant surprise to see one practically delivered to me on a silver platter. I thanked whatever creature had attacked this mermaid as I made my way back toward the temporary residence Amaya and I had created for ourselves.

I was just approaching the Port when I noticed a crowd of people gathered in the clearing in front of the jetty. I stopped in my tracks. I spotted my uncle, Derek Novak—whom I had identified during my first few days on this island when I had scoped the island out along with its residents.

Next to him stood Sofia herself. Wife of Derek Novak, she’d been the one my father had desired so deeply. And now she was my aunt.

Standing next to the redhead was Vivienne. Now a human, and heavily pregnant. She stood beside her husband—my second uncle—Xavier Vaughn.

I also spotted my cousin, Rose Novak—Benjamin’s twin. She stood next to a man whom I’d come to learn was her newlywed husband, Caleb Achilles.

And then there was Aiden Claremont. One of the first of my extended family I’d encountered on arrival. I’d been tempted to stake that vampire as he slept the night I realized who he was. But I was glad that I had refrained from temptation. Acting impulsively would have been detrimental to my plans in the long run…

Behind my family were other vampires and werewolves, most of whom I didn’t recognize—and frankly had little interest in—and what appeared to be a crowd of perhaps one hundred dragons. I’d gathered that they had taken up residence in lavish apartments especially carved out for them within the Black Heights by the witches. I wouldn’t have been surprised if every single dragon who inhabited this island had gathered there in the clearing.

They looked fiercely imposing even in their humanoid forms… I’d known from the start that these shifters were my biggest obstacle.

But as I began to pay attention to the conversation my family was having, I was delighted by what I heard.

Derek was addressing Xavier. “We’re going to try to make this as brief as possible.” His eyes fell on his sister. I’d have to be blind to not notice the adoration he held for his twin. He drew her in for an embrace and kissed her cheek. “Just hang in there, Viv. Xavier will be here, and so will the rest of the witches.”

Vivienne cast her eyes nervously toward the dragons. “Must you really take all of them?” she asked.

“It’s what Jeriad wants, and since he’s leading us there, we can’t really argue.”

Xavier wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay, darling.”

She nodded, but still looked uncertain.

Then, to my alarm, her eyes shot toward where I stood on the beach. She was looking so directly at me that for a moment I feared that perhaps the invisibility spell Amaya had placed on me had worn off. But looking down, I couldn’t see my feet, and since I was making contact with the mermaid, her body was also invisible.