Sparks Fly: A Novel of the Light Dragons by MacAlister Katie Page A

companionship. But just because that friend is a man doesn’t mean anything to me, nothing at all.”
    Pavel’s eyebrows rose.
    “He really said no? To you? Right to your face?”
    He nodded.
    I ground my teeth and continued up the stairs, intent on informing Baltic once and for all that I had no outlandish sexual fantasies, and the sooner he admitted that, the happier we’d all be. I paused quickly to check on Brom, mentally organizing several arguments that Baltic would be unable to dispute.
    Brom’s room was empty, although judging by the notebooks, pamphlets, clothing, and assorted detritus usually associated with my son that was strewn around the small bedroom, he had been there recently.
    I continued on to our room, dropped off the shopping bags, and collected the laptop that Baltic had purchased the week before; then I headed down the front stairs to the private room that Baltic tended to use as his office.
    “…Don’t care what you say it used to look like, I’m telling you that no one has a moat anymore. It’s all high-tech security these days, dragon.”
    “I can have a high-tech moat,” Baltic insisted, tapping an architectural plan that was spread out on a small round table. “I do not intend for the new Dauva to be anything less than what it originally was.”
    “I thought we’d been through this already,” I said as I entered the room, pausing to glance around it. “Back when you were having the plans for the new Dauva drawn up. Where’s Brom?”
    “That design had too many faults,” Baltic said, holding out his hand for me. “I want it redesigned.”
    “Two days before we’re due to start clearing the land.” The builder, whose name was Murphy, stabbed his fingers through his hair. “This is why I don’t like working with dragons! You’re always expecting me to work miracles.”
    “Where’s Brom?” I asked again as Baltic’s fingers wrapped around mine.
    “Upstairs in his room. Mate, do you not think that four towers—”
    “No, he’s not upstairs. I was just up there. Brom?” I released Baltic’s hand and went out into the corridor that ran between the main section of the pub and the side rooms, quickly checking the rooms for signs of him. Seeing that they were empty sent a chill down my spine, my belly suddenly feeling as if it had been gripped with a clammy hand. I ran to the main room of the pub, hurrying over to the bar. “Angela, have you seen Brom?”
    “Not since this morning, luv,” the short, round woman said, wiping off a tap before handing over a pint of dark ale. “Oh, but someone left a letter for you. Let me see, where did I…Ah, here it is.”
    She handed me an envelope before turning to the next customer.
    Baltic appeared in the door to the pub, a frown pulling down his dark chocolate eyebrows. “Did you find him?”
    “He’s not here. Baltic—” A wave of fear crashed over me, making my skin crawl. “You don’t think Thala—”
    “No. She would not,” he said with absolute conviction, but that did little to ease the panic that clutched me. I ran past him to the door of the pub, quickly searching the parking lot and the street for signs of Brom.
    “Where has he gone?” I wailed to Baltic, spinning around, unsure of what to do, or where to look for him. “He doesn’t just wander off like this, not when he knows how worried I am!”
    Baltic had his cell phone to his ear, his eyes darting around the street. “He does not answer his phone. Where’s the tutor?”
    “Gone off to deal with some family situation.” I reached toward my pocket to yank out my own phone, but the letter Angela had given me was still in my hand.
    “What is that?” Baltic asked, frowning.
    “I don’t know. Angela said someone left it for me—” I froze, my horror-filled gaze meeting Baltic’s for a momentbefore I shredded the envelope in my attempt to get the letter out. My hands were shaking so badly, Baltic had to pull the paper from the envelope.
    My stomach