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rough night, being that someone kidnapped me and all.” She walked toward the front entrance and faltered when the psychic’s booth came into view.
    Bending over, she rested her hands on her knees. “I’m not seeing this. I can’t be seeing this. It doesn’t exist. It’s some sort of trick. There’s no such thing as flying, fire-breathing dragons.”

Chapter Seven
    Cold air hit Cherie hard as she approached the door and someone walked in. Cherie couldn’t take her eyes off of the thing in the front window. It couldn’t possibly be a dragon, but that’s exactly what it looked like.
    The thing, toy, whatever, breathed fire again, roasting a marshmallow just before it dove down, landing on the stick that held the sweet treat. It devoured the toasted candy before flying back up to perch on the umbrella over the woman’s head.
    “What—” Swallowing, Cherie cleared her throat and pointed at the creature. “What is that and where did it come from?”
    “I have no idea where they come from, but that is a dragon. It’s a soothsayer’s link to the otherworld. The dragon flies from this world to the next and then back to the psychic who…” he left off with a smile. “…Isn’t really psychic and tells them what to say through some sort of mental communication.”
    How did they get the thing to eat the marshmallow as though it was real? “Like I believe that,” she said with a snort. “Dragons don’t exist and if they did, I’m sure they wouldn’t fly from one dimension to another like some sort of strange messenger.”
    Hunter walked to the door and opened it. “Why don’t we see what they have to say about you?”
    “Okay. I’m game.” She shrugged. “While I’ll admit that it took me by surprise, it’s just a toy that someone managed to animate, making it appear real.” She’d seen enough of those at comic and anime conventions. The amount of people who spent hundreds of dollars on things like that never ceased to amaze her.
    Cherie followed Hunter out onto the sidewalk, wrapping her arms around herself, trying to stave off the cold. Whatever made her think she would get anywhere with no coat, no money, with nothing but the clothes on her back and her house slippers? She looked down at her feet, realizing for the first time that she wasn’t wearing her shoes, but her little bootie slippers. While they kept her feet warm inside, they did little for her in the chilly outdoors—even in Virginia. It was still late December. She frowned. At least she thought it was still late December.
    “Happy New Year,” Hunter said as he approached the woman. He glanced toward Cherie and pulled out his wallet. “The lady would like a reading. Could you do one for her, please?”
    “Of course.” The woman looked at Cherie with a smile. “Would you like a one day read or something more comprehensive?”
    “A one day read should do.” He folded a fifty-dollar bill and stuck it into the slot of a metal box the psychic kept on the table.
    “Okay. A one day read it is.” She closed her eyes. “Samri, please tell me about this woman.”
    The dragon hopped from its perch on the umbrella and sat on the table staring at Cherie. It moved its head back and forth the way she would expect a lizard to do while it twitched its tail behind it.
    How the woman managed to control the thing so expertly while her eyes were closed, was a mystery. She shouldn’t be sitting at a table on the sidewalk in front of a hotel. The woman was so good, she should take her act to the stage.
    “Cherie Gardner is her name.” The woman rocked back and forth. “She comes from very far away.” She jerked in place then gasped. “ Very far away.” Tears leaked from her eyes and ran down her face. “She has lost someone so very precious to her. Her sister, a child. She is so alone.” She shook her head. “No one should be so alone.”
    At first Cherie had been certain that Hunter had filled the woman in before she’d awakened from