I had forgotten how much light there is in the world, till you gave it back to me.

Ursula K. Le Guin

Rurik dug through Charlotte's purse, his dragon tense inside him, as though afraid of what he might find. His animal side wasn't used to fearing anything, but the idea of a drug that could suppress that part of him, even temporarily, was terrifying.

There were no weapons, no magical tokens or talismans to help her inside. Justthere it was

He pulled ...