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  Cover Copy

  Aurora Firenze lives a quiet life hiding in a junkyard. Her repair shop is the last hope for gadgets and gizmos before they get tossed onto the trash towers. Fortunately, Aurora can fix almost anything, including mages, though repairing people with metal enchantments is highly illegal.

  Edmund Rallis, heir to the Rallis senate seat, has spent months hunting down his errant enchantress. He’ll play every game he knows to win her back and entice her to share the secrets she hides. But he’s inadvertently put her on the frontlines of a new game, one with an opponent who’s determined to destroy Rallis Territory and drive the Republic toward war. If the new enemy isn’t stopped in time, Edmund will lose his enchantress again—and this time there won’t be another chance.

  Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

  Books by Anise Rae

  Mayflower Mages Series

  Syphon’s Song

  Enchanter’s Echo

  Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

  Enchanter’s Echo

  Mayflower Mages Series

  Anise Rae

  LYRICAL PRESS

  Kensington Publishing Corp.

  www.kensingtonbooks.com

  Copyright

  Lyrical Press books are published by

  Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018

  Copyright © 2014 by Anise Rae

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

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  Lyrical Press and the L logo are trademarks of Kensington Publishing Corp.

  First Electronic Edition: February 2015

  eISBN-13: 978-1-61650-539-4

  eISBN-10: 1-61650-539-7

  First Print Edition: February 2015

  ISBN-13: 978-1-61650-540-0

  ISBN-10: 1-61650-540-0

  Printed in the United States of America

  Dedication

  For Lizzy and Charlie. Thank you for always being so excited about my good writing news and so appropriately disappointed about the bad news.

  Acknowledgements

  One of my favorite places is Columbus, Ohio. I only lived there for a year, but it still feels like home. That’s mostly because my mother lives there. Though the old saying goes that home is where the heart is, no matter how old I get, there will always be a part of me that feels that home is where my mom is. I’m so lucky to have her for a thousand reasons. The least of which is how willing is she to help me with the settings of the Mayflower Mages books. As I was writing this story from Georgia, I called and emailed her dozens of times asking for details about Columbus. On many occasions, she traveled around the city taking photos of various sites for me. Thanks, Mom.

  If you’re familiar with Columbus, you’ll likely recognize a few landmarks or streets. You might also notice that I’ve played havoc with some parts of the city, adding a large dose of magic to many locations and completely trashing others. For those of you who love the city, I hope you’ll forgive me for that last part.

  As for the other of the aspects of this book, Katie Askue read every word of the original manuscript, as she has with each book I’ve written. I’ve come to depend on her wise council, and I’m so thankful for her time and insight. Above all, I’m thankful for her friendship.

  I’m also grateful for my editor, Jennifer Herrington. Someone was smiling on me the day my manuscript landed in her inbox. This book matured greatly under her expert eye. She showed me how to ignite a spark in Aurora and Edmund that I couldn’t figure out on my own. I’m moving on to the next book a better writer because of her.

  I must thank my kids as well for putting up with an embarrassing number of take-out dinners while I was editing this book. In fact, life in our house got so chaotic that my ten-year-old said to me, “Mom, can you show me how to do the laundry?”

  Finally, thank you, dear reader. I hope you enjoy Aurora and Edmund’s adventures. As for the third book in the Mayflower Mages series, stay tuned. Gregor’s story is next.

  Chapter 1

  The keep-out spell awoke at her approach. The enchanted mesh of vines and branches that blocked the entrance to Rallis Territory’s forbidden forest vibrated in welcome as its creator returned. Aurora Firenze cast her vibes along the perimeter of her spell, testing and prodding. Its strength resonated back. It was as strong as it had been six months ago when she’d created it and hid her secrets within the forest’s depths. She let go of a relieved breath, but it didn’t cure her tension.

  Her nerves were strung tight, as if she’d spent hours placating customers in her repair shop. But the day had been quiet. She’d even made decent progress—fixing a curling iron with a too-hot heating spell and a stapler that had a bad habit of chasing the boss around the conference table. Yet a restlessness itched at her skin with an unpleasant persistence. She’d closed up early and headed out for the short walk to the forest. Within its heart, she’d find the peace to wash away this unease.

  She sent another stream of vibes into the keep-out spell. A discreet doorway formed. With a quick glance around the barren field and the junkyard behind her, she stepped beneath her illegal spell.

  As she brushed against the branches, a faint thump sounded at her feet—the soft crash of a pinecone or a weak branch falling to the ground. A normal forest noise. She flinched anyway. Her glitter puffed around her in an anxious cloud as her mage energy escaped her control. It was the fifth time today. Enchantresses did not make good criminals. She should probably let the other three in existence know, in case they were considering lives of crime. Those blasted sparkly clouds would blow their covers wide open.

  She lifted her foot to continue into the small forest that was tucked inside the territory’s capital city, but stopped. A proper lawbreaker should investigate mysterious noises outside her lair. She turned and scanned the ground for the culprit. A gold coin glinted in the crisp weeds. That wasn’t normal. She reached to pick it up, scanning the field and the junkyard beyond with a twitchy gaze. Empty. She was alone.

  Behind her, the forest shuttered closed, nearly catching her in its fortress wall. She jumped forward with a surprised lurch at the swat of vines and twigs. A basic rule of illegal enchantments: get out of the way or risk being incorporated into the spell.

  Ignoring the sting of the swat, she stared at the coin. It was tarnished at the edges, a used-up charm. See-me-not was embossed on its golden surface. She jerked her head up. A man stood ten paces away. He was tall, broad…beyond familiar.

  “Edmund,” she whispered. A shiver tiptoed across her shoulders like kisses, soft lips that hid a sharp bite. Her nerves stretched thinner yet, trapped in a battle between memories of lovers’ frolics and the promise of a dark fate that had just materialized from thin air.

  Behind her, the forest’s trees rustled with the wind, a warning to retreat, one she dare not heed. Not until she knew why he’d finally come searching for her. She hadn’t thought he’d ever come back.

  He prowled forward. “Hello, princess.” Though his words m
ight have held some affection, nothing of the lover she’d once known appeared in his countenance. He lifted his left hand to reveal a glowing ball of mage vibes in his palm. His blue eyes reflected the tiny flashes of energy, and his power snapped in the air like a miniature electrical storm. The heir to the most powerful territory in the Republic had quite a steam of anger built up.

  Dark hair waved across his forehead, and little curls peeked out at the edges of his neck. Though the wind buffeted and pushed at Aurora, winter’s boldness didn’t dare touch Edmund, not his hair, nor his dark gray suit or scarlet tie.

  The hard slope of his nose matched the sharp lines of his jaw and cheekbones. When he smiled, he was deadly handsome. At the moment, he was simply deadly.

  “Aurora.” He cast her name through the air and a piece of her soul tumbled away, as if it might dash toward him and cling like a forlorn, discarded lover. But he hadn’t discarded her….

  “You stand accused of melding earthen metals to human flesh with an enchantment.”

  Her heart thumped once, hard and loud, and then took off with a sprint, drenching her veins from head to toe with lightning sharp fright.

  Goddess, he’d found out. How?

  Even as she thought it, he revealed the answer. The glow faded from his ball of energy to reveal a small metal sphere. Her racing heart shriveled at the sight, pulling the rest of her organs with it, as if they thought to hide, seeking a chance to slip past this disaster unnoticed and, perhaps, survive. She shifted her feet on the ground, unable to resist the fear pumping through her core. Run, her gut whispered. She couldn’t afford to listen…not with the evidence sitting in his hand.

  The sphere was heavier than it looked. She knew that. After all, she’d made it...and thought it long gone. He closed his fingers around it, capturing her fate within his fist.

  “How’d you get that?” Her fast words shot out, hustling forward before fear, creeping up her legs with tingles and pricks, stole her voice.

  “You ought to be down on your knees thanking me for confiscating it.” His voice was sharp and cutting. He sounded like a stranger, his jokes and teasing wit long gone.

  “What did you do? Sneak into the junkyard and pluck his eye from his skull? Has it been hiding under your pillow for six months?” Not at all where she’d thought it was. Betrayal jolted through her. “Hardly actions befitting the heir of the mighty Rallis realm.” Her voice wavered.

  “You have no idea what I’ve done. This is a direct violation of the Law of Natural Physique.” He slipped his other hand from his pocket and wrapped it around the nape of her neck, threading his fingers through her red curls. The move was entwined with some of her favorite memories and a small part of her quivering heart wept that fear was drowning her senses instead of the desire and affection that used to burn between them.

  His energy rose around her. “You made this, didn’t you? Bound to plead true, speak, Aurora.”

  Compelled—a difficult spell, one not in her repertoire, but he cast it with ease, demanding her confession.

  Her answer boiled and bubbled inside her chest, pushing up her throat. She fought it, sealing her lips. They opened anyway…without her permission. His spell was too powerful.

  “Yes.” She gasped the word, then panted for air as if she’d run miles.

  “Foolish.” He shook his head, so close their noses nearly rubbed. Without taking his gaze from hers, he tossed the eye up and away. The air imploded. Thunder rumbled as the shockwaves undulated and grew with a tug impossible for her enchanter power to resist. She tried to pull back to see the damage, but he wouldn’t let go.

  The implosion strengthened. Its energy reached toward them with a threatening hand. Once begun, a destruere mage’s distinctive spell had no end. Not until everything in existence was destroyed. Not unless an enchantress stopped it. Without looking, she tossed a stream of power toward it, countering his destruction.

  Just like that, the evidence that would have earned her a death sentence no longer existed, at least not that piece of evidence.

  His pale eyes—anger always drained their bright blue—were too wide for mere fury. He was afraid, too. “Never. Again.” A slash of power vibrated through his hard words as if he’d bind her to obey with a mere command. Impossible without her willing vow. She’d never give him that.

  He leaned down, his grip softening in her hair though he didn’t relinquish his hold. He caught her lips with his. The renewal of their connection snapped through her, tempting her to give in to that hot thrill that was uniquely him. But she was too smart for that…too smart to let the whirl of heat rocketing beneath her skin take the lead.

  He wrapped his arm low against her hips, pulling her to him. The feel of his body against hers was all it took. As if he’d cast another spell, she turned to molten steel. He was the mold. They fit with precision.

  A good-bye kiss. That’s all this was. She hadn’t gotten one before…she was too smart to turn down this chance.

  As she lifted her hands to his arms, he closed his eyes. She kept hers open, wanting all her senses awake to drink in this last kiss, this last memory to add to her collection. She breathed him in and clinched at the fine wool of his suit coat, slippery and smooth. She gave herself over to the claim of his mouth, his heat, soaking every detail into her mind.

  “You missed me,” he whispered against her lips, then sealed their kiss tight again, stealing her chance to answer.

  No. Not one bit.

  Lie.

  He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, moving along the edge of her cheek. “Why? Why did you make that eye?”

  “Why destroy it?” she countered, her voice a breathy whisper. He was bound to uphold the laws of the Republic, not violate them by destroying evidence.

  “I’ve been searching the entire Republic for you since the moment you left. You weren’t here.”

  No, she hadn’t been. Not then. Not for months afterward.

  He shook his head, his cheek rubbed her temple. “I shouldn’t have quit checking. When I found the eye....” His soft words broke off as he brushed his lips against her ear.

  Her breath caught, taking his scent deep inside her.

  His teeth closed in a quick, gentle bite around her lobe. “I can’t catch you if you’re dead.”

  Every muscle clenched, her fingers tightening around his arms, an involuntary response. Catch me, and I am dead.

  He lifted his head, tensing suddenly, as if he’d read her thoughts, but Edmund was not a mind mage. Beneath her touch, his muscles went rigid even as he loosened his hold and set her gently away.

  If she thought he’d looked fierce before, he was vicious now. With his brow tight and his teeth clenched, he turned, as if his worst enemy had tapped him on the shoulder. But they were alone. She tilted her head away from the wind, straining to hear whatever she’d been too lusty to notice. Only the sounds of the forest and the city beyond reached her ear. No one approached unless another mage had a see-me-not charm. Considering the exorbitant price of the charms, that was unlikely in the Drainpipe, the second-rate neighborhood that included the junkyard.

  He pushed off the heel of his expensive shoe and sprinted away, conquering the crisp weeds of the dormant field that separated the forest from the junkyard. From the angle of his head, he was staring at the newest trash tower that dominated the landscape, far off to his right.

  What did he sense that she didn’t? She almost called out to ask, but whatever had him racing away was exactly what she needed.

  She needed him to never return. With that thought, a sudden heaviness pulled at her.

  Despite his speed and his distance, he looked back as if to say he’d do whatever he pleased, then he slipped his hand in his pocket. He disappeared just as a gang member rounded the tower he’d stared at. Another see-me-not charm must have waited inside his pocket. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Edmund could afford a treasure chest of them.

  “You o
we me.” He threw the whispered, panted words to her ear. She shivered beneath their touch. A blanket of heat wrapped around her with a graceful spell worthy of a first family—Edmund, warming her with his vibes. She brushed off his spell. With her lips still burning from his kiss, she needed to push him away however possible.

  She stood there, unable to risk going into the forest without ensuring he was truly gone. His charm made it impossible to know. Long minutes passed. Finally, a silver car pulled onto the small, gravel road that led out of the junkyard, passing by her repair shop. Naturally, his car was a Donninger 7AF. She recognized it even from afar. After all, she’d helped design it.

  Goddess, maybe she should have stayed in Noble Territory with old man Donninger. She could have played with enchanted metal—on the right side of the law—for the rest of her life.

  But if she’d done that, Lily would be dead. No one else would have fixed her or any of the others. Aurora had done the right thing. She straightened, still certain of that. The wrong part was the law and the senators who’d created it centuries ago, despite the fact that one of their revolutionary war heroes was famous for his enchanted wooden teeth. Nowadays, that too was a direct violation of the Law of Natural Physique.

  With Edmund out of sight, she gave a thorough glance at her surroundings. No one lurked nearby. Granted, she’d thought that the last time, too. Wary, she turned back to the forest. The enchanted vines and branches parted before her. She twisted through with a quick leap, and the spell snapped shut behind her.

  The shakes set in the very next moment.

  The Rallis heir had obtained evidence of her crimes and breezed past her first line of defense—the junkyard gang. Charged with keeping out trespassers from the junkyard and the forest beyond, the gang stopped anyone who ventured past the yard’s entrance without permission. They fought dirty and tough, but they couldn’t defend against see-me-not charms. Edmund had strolled in, right up to her second defense—her keep-out spell.