Someone stepped on his tail. Neko hissed out of shock, but Dorian was already moving on. Neko could feel a sense of relief all around him as he bounded up on the counter where he belonged. A few pixies arrived in a flutter of light and color. They gave tiny screams of delight and rushed back toward their attic, leaving a glowing rainbow in their wake.
Neko found very little had changed, although there were a few signs that others had been working here. Dorian was already sending out word to their fae friends not to come in -- in fact, to stay clear.
Yes, there would be trouble not far behind them. Neko felt one surge of anger, but it died away a moment later.
"This is nice!" Shosha exclaimed with a wave at the bookstore walls. "I never realized there could be so many books in one place!"
Luna and Shosha were so much a part of the group that Neko had forgotten they had never been here. A glance at Merlin showed he didn't look displeased. He even nodded as he scanned some titles -- the ones that most people never noticed because of their protective spells.
"Made it," Colin mumbled as he put the last seal on the door. He slumped into a chair. "I think if anything comes pounding on the door, we should ignore it. We all need rest."
Shosha apparently agreed. She left Luna's arms and curled up on the counter like she lived there. Good thing she was so cute. Neko decided it looked like a good idea. Sleep called to him.
He should have known it was a trap.
"You will let me in," a voice said. This was not Maude, and it was more than the deep bass that told him so. "There is no use in fighting it."
Neko suspected they had reached the next level above Maude. Great.
He was still asleep. He could almost see the bookstore through a gauze of white clouds. They spread out farther than the building, and something lurked at the outer edge in a band of gray. It moved, clouds shifting around it.
This one oozed power and self-confidence. It also betrayed a disrespect for the two small creatures who had fallen so easily into his trap. Neko admitted it had been a stupid mistake. That didn't mean he and Shoha were always stupid.
Shosha appeared to still be in her kitten phase, which meant she had not loosed her rage, though Neko thought he could see a pulse of red in her fur. He had no time to waste on games. If he didn't, Neko knew he would have to deal with his friend and their enemy.
Then he heard a distant voice and knew Colin was looking for them. Their fae friend gave Neko far better hope than his ability to take on Shosha in a bad mood.
They had been home. For a few brief minutes, he had felt safe. How had someone got past the shields? How had it gone unnoticed?
Impossible. The enemy had already been inside. That was the only answer. They had left fae to protect the place. Did that mean they couldn't trust the fae?
Or was that what something wanted?
No one else --
Pixies were easy to trick. If someone -- or something -- was patient enough to put up with the constant giggles and pranks, they might find a flaw in the spells the fae wove --
Colin was still yelling, but he sounded more distant. He sensed Reggie closer, but silent. Which one was the diversion? It didn't matter because Shosha was about to explode with rage. Neko had no time to figure out what the others were doing. He gathered all the power he could and launched himself at the white fur ball.
And he hugged her.
Neko couldn't remember ever seeing anyone so shocked. For a half dozen heartbeats, he feared she would explode and take him with her. Then she sighed and snuggled closer.
"Nice," she whispered.
He would have held on if the enemy hadn't launched itself at them. Larger than he had expected. By the time it cleared the gray area, it was already too large to make any sense of it. He concentrated on the long snout and dagger teeth while he pushed Shosha behind him.
He wanted her to run to Colin, but knew that she would not. Instead, she growled and raised a paw with claws unsheathed. The creature -- a dragon, Neko realized -- countered by opening his mouth wider.
"Neko! Shosha!" Colin shouted.
The dragon's mouth snapped shut without any cats inside. He backed up while making strange gasping noises. He paid no attention at all to Colin and Reggie when they arrived.
Instead, he bowed with his head to his paws.
"Oh," Reggie said in a tone hinting that he knew what was going on.
"I am unworthy," the dragon proclaimed. "I beg your forgiveness, honorable parents."
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