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what Alfred said was true. He hadn’t realized how badly he’d wanted this second chance with Jessica. He wished he could undo the past.
    “Go now,” said Alfredo, waving his hands at them. “Shoo. Shoo. I see you soon, eh? Yes. You come back for the engagement ring.”
    Garrett guided Jessica out of the shop and one of the elaborate fountains that sat a few feet away. She took the envelope and opened it. “You’re almost there, the game’s nearly done, by now you should know two is better than one.” She turned it over. “Go to the lobby and claim your prize.”
    “It’s the easy? We ran around Vegas for an artifact that sits in the lobby of Caesar’s Palace.”
    “Thanks for the heads-up,” said Lise as she plucked the envelope and cardstock from Jessica’s fingers.
    “Where the hell did you come from?” Garrett asked, making a grab for the clue.
    Lise jerked out of his reach. “I can’t believe it’s come to down to badly written rhymes and shitty clues. What the hell was Aiden thinking?”
    She stalked off, melting away into the crowd before Garrett and Jessica could take a single step to follow her. Jessica’s disappointed look made him want to give her the world.
    “Don’t worry, love,” he said, grasping her hand again. “The game’s not over yet.”

Chapter Seven
    “ L ise !” Syneca stared at the Black Flame enforcer in surprise. The poor dear really should reconsider the black-leather look. The color and material did nothing good for her pale complexion. “I haven’t seen you since … well, I can’t really remember.”
    Lise thrust the pink papers at Syneca. “ This is the way we find our kind’s most precious possession? In a fucking hotel lobby ogled by humans?”
    “Oh, Lise. You didn’t.”
    “Didn’t what?”
    People milled around the lobby, some waiting to check-in, and some meandering around to look at the décor. Thick red velvet curtains draped most of the walls, the floor was black tile, and the low lights that dotted the ceiling changed colors. In a way, the lobby resembled a low-key disco.
    Lise, caring nothing for protocols, opened her mouth to issue black flame at the box displaying what the humans believed to be a Faberge Egg. Syneca grabbed the woman’s arm and slapped her hand over Lise’s mouth. “This is not meant for you.”
    Lise jerked out of Syneca’s grip. “Any dragon may claim the egg, including me.”
    “It’s not—“
    “You!”
    Syneca and Lise spun to face Jessica and Garrett.
    Syneca watched in amazement as Jessica fisted her hand, hauled back, and punched Lise in the jaw. The woman fell to the floor, as useless as Jell-O in a microwave.
    “Hello, Jess.”
    “Syneca. It’s lovely to see you.”
    Garrett retrieved the two pieces of pink paper dropped by Lise, the prideful look he sent Jessica not lost on Syneca.
    “What is this really about, Mother?” He looked at the jeweled egg in its plastic casing and frowned. “This can’t be Giselda’s Egg.”
    “It’s not,” she confessed. “It was a ruse.”
    “What?” Lise struggled to her feet. “It’s not real?”
    “The game wasn’t created for you,” said Syneca. “Aiden and I planned it to bring Garrett and Jessica back together. Your banishment has been lifted for weeks. I didn’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to find love. Jessica’s the one, isn’t she?”
    “Oh, holy hell. You people suck.” Lise spun on her booted heel and stomped away.
    Garrett and Jessica looked at one another and grinned. “You are the one for me,” said Garrett.
    She said the words he’d been longing to hear. “I forgive you.”
    “You mean it?”
    “As long as you promise to never, ever, under no circumstance, leave me again. I don’t care how noble you think you’re acting.”
    “Deal,” he said.
    “Excellent,” Syneca said. “Here’s the card key for the hotel’s penthouse suite. I would not be at all offended if you gave me