Tahir lifted his head from my shoulder and sighed softly. I cupped his cheek and kissed him gently.

“Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to bring up anything painful.” I felt truly awful for bringing him near tears. It was clear that whatever history there was between Tahir and Popescu, it was a painful one. “I just want to understand what’s going on. My quiet little town is full of European magicians and dragons and there’s a cult that’s obsessed with my sex ...