He smiled.
“You wouldn’t tell me even if you knew, would you?” she asked.
He arched an eyebrow at her. Curiosity filled his tone. “How did you know I didn’t know?”
She tapped her forehead. “Seer. Remember?”
“Ah. Right.” He returned his focus to the skillet. “I suspect our relationship will be far different from the one I had with Baba Yaga.”
“She’s not exactly warm and fuzzy.”
“Not quite.”
“Prickly is a start.”
“Yes, well, she does have age and experience on her side, does she not?”
“Any idea where she is?”
Despite having a great poker face, she spotted the slight pause in his gestures.
“What’d you do?” she asked.
“Whatever do you mean?”
“You talked to her. You know where she went.”
“I didn’t say I know where she is.”
“You didn’t say you didn’t.”
“I don’t know where she is.”
“But you talked to her before she left, didn’t you?”
“That habit you have of reading me is rather annoying, my dear.” His light tone belied his words.
She shrugged. “Get used to it.”
A smile curved his lips. “This is definitely a new regime.”
“So what did you and Lina discuss? And why didn’t she discuss it with us?”
“Well, it’s a lot for any one person to take in, for starters. I basically explained to her who I am and what I do.”
“You’re the Devil, and Hell’s on Earth.”
“Not exactly accurate in description, I’m afraid. We call it ‘The Firm.’ And there is no Hell, as people think of it. There are basically three realms on this plane—sky, water, and earth. My domain, as it were, is the earthly realm.”
“Uh, water as in mermaids and crap sort of like that?”
He nodded. “Crap exactly like that.”
She blew out a long breath but let him continue.
“There are many layers and levels of beings above me. As powerful as I am here, there are those who are more so, but their sphere of influence is far smaller.” He moved the skillet from the burner, switching it off before tipping up the lid on a pot on another burner and taking a peek at whatever was bubbling inside it.
“Think about how vast our universe is,” he said. “We are but a speck in that universe. However, imagine countless layers of universes overlaying each other.” He gave the pot a stir and replaced the lid. “For every plane, there are its own laws, its own corporate structure, as it were.”
He turned to Elain. “I think Lina had a bit of trouble grasping the sheer magnitude of it. I don’t claim to have all the answers throughout the universe, only the ones I need to know here, for this plane, to do my job.”
“Which is?”
“Our primary job, on this plane, is to keep the bad things out that wish to come here and wreak havoc or take over when they have no business doing so.”
She felt a little ill and suspected it wasn’t from tardy morning sickness, either. “How often does that happen?” she weakly asked.
“More often than I’d like, I’m afraid. As I told Lina, I believe the person who cast the curse into Callie was not originally from this plane. Powers work differently in different planes. Some beings come from planes with little or no power and arrive here with great powers. Sometimes, it’s the reverse. Time flows differently in different planes, as well. Some are close to ours, some are not.”
“Wow.”
He smiled. “Do you understand? Because I suspect she is still trying to wrap her head around it.”
“Uh, yeah, I can see why.”
“That’s why my job cannot always be helping you out. My job is far larger in scale. I can do some things, pitch in as a friend, as it were. But in some instances I am bound by my own limitations and jurisdiction to stand by and not step in simply because it’s a matter between beings of this plane only.”
“Then why are you helping me now? As a friend?”
When the dark scowl creased his face, she suspected more. Eventually, he answered. “I am not certain, but I strongly suspect there might be another off-Earth tie that I am not yet aware of. Besides the being who threw the curse into the Cailleach. If that is the case, then it might possibly be within my purvey to assist.”
She held up her hands and motioned to him to give her the rest of the story.
“Between you and I?” he asked.
She nodded.
“Not even Lina knows this part yet, but I am strongly beginning to suspect the cockatrice might have gotten their origins as a species with a little help from an off-Earth being. Until I am certain, I must continue researching the matter.”
* * * *
Ryan had made a delicious sautéed chicken and vegetable dish with a savory lemon crème sauce. As they sat and ate, Elain realized this was probably about as normal as her life would ever be again.
“Baba Yaga told me,” he said, “that she was going to take a little time off. When she departed—without confiding her purpose, I might add—I cannot be sure where she went, but I suspect it was off-Earth.”
Elain nearly choked on her food. “She can do that?”
“Oh, absolutely. Where do you think her house is located? She created a little pocket for herself that doesn’t reside exactly within this realm. For some reason, she has a special affinity for the dragons. That is why they are able to visit her, if instructed how to do so by her.”
Elain wondered why Baba Yaga had a “special affinity” for them. Especially wondered if it had anything to do with why the Immortal had taken a dragon as a lover eons ago. “And now me,” she said. “And Lina. We can visit her.”
“And likely Mai, in time. Don’t forget Callie and Gigi.”
“But Gigi and Callie didn’t do that. Create special alternate worlds for themselves.”
“No, they didn’t. I don’t believe they know how.”
“How’d Baba Yaga figure it out then?”
He shrugged. “My father was in charge of The Firm at that time, and he is rather tight-lipped on the matter despite my previous inquiries.”
She froze. “Your father?”
“Yes. Hades.”
A grin split her face. “Riiiight. Good one. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that your mother is Persephone.”
“She is.”
When Elain started choking on her food, Ryan handed her glass of water to her. As he did, the unbuttoned collar of his shirt opened a little and she spotted what looked like a dark red garnet amulet on a chain around his neck.
Once she finally pulled herself together, she stared at him. “Holy shit,” she whispered. “You’re not kidding, are you?”
“Absolutely not. Why would I kid about such a thing?”
“But…” She didn’t know where to go from there.
Apparently, he did. “The Cailleach might not be so well known in these days, especially to Americans, but she was once very much a part of local lore in many parts of the world, under different names and guises. As was Brighde. And Baba Yaga.”
“So… What you’re saying is that the myths…aren’t?”
He smiled.
She rested her head in her hands. “Shit,” she muttered.
“See why Lina came back a little tipsy?”
“I don’t understand why she didn’t come back totally schnockered,” she moaned. “And I can’t even drink. I’m pregnant. The poor kid will have enough to deal with without me stunting its growth with booze.”
“Finish your dinner,” he said, pointing at her plate with his fork. “You’re eating for two now, you know.”
* * * *
Ryan Ausar completely blew Elain’s brain with more arcane knowledge by the time they finished dinner and cleaned up the kitchen.
She walked him to the door.
“Try to get a good night’s sleep, E
lain. While I have no powers of precognition such as yours, I do know that tomorrow is another day.”
“Gone With the Wind?”
“Well, I hadn’t intended it to be, but yes, I suppose so.” He smiled. “I meant that perhaps things will make a little more sense once you’ve had a night to sleep on them.”
“I think I’ll sleep like the de—” She swallowed. “Like a rock. Thanks for today. Really. I appreciate it. I hope I didn’t interrupt anything important.”
He offered his hand and they shook. “Not at all. It’s been a pleasure. I look forward to working with you in the future. Eh, well, you understand what I mean.”
She smiled. “I do.”
He opened the door and stepped out. When she closed it behind him, she realized she didn’t have her car back. She opened the door again to ask him if he could take her to it so she could pick it up, and found herself standing alone on the porch.
And her car sat parked in front of the house.
Of course.
I really need to buckle down and figure out how the hell to do that poofing in and out trick.
“Thank you,” she called out to the deepening gloom before going back inside.
It was a little after seven by that point. Elain settled herself on the sofa with a mug of hot tea and her cell phone and called the house number. Brodey picked up on the second ring, sounding breathless, like maybe he’d tried to kill someone in the process of answering.
“Babe?”
She couldn’t help but chuckle. “How you doing, Brod?”
“When are you coming home?” The underlying whine in his voice made her want to roar with laughter, but she held it back to spare his feelings.
And his pride.
“Please tell me you didn’t just run over Mom or Mai or someone to answer the phone,” she said.
“Just Cail. Well?”
She knew he wasn’t going to like her answer. “Not sure yet, sweetie. Soon.”
The snort made it all the way from Florida to her ear in Maine as if he were standing right in front of her. “Why the hell can’t I fly up and join you?”
“Give me the phone, Brod,” Ain said in the background.
“Hey, I answered it! It’s my tur—”
There was the sound of a brief scuffle before Ain came on the line. “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Poor Brodey.”
“Poor Brodey, my ass. I’m about ready to order him out to the barn to sleep with the horses. Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just taking care of some…stuff.” Right now, she wasn’t sure what she was taking care of next, and she damn sure didn’t want to admit to how she’d spent her day.
All she knew was that her instincts told her she couldn’t return home yet, that there were still things she needed to do.
“Stuff, huh?” She could mentally see the slightly irritated, slightly playful smirk on his face just from his tone.
“I’m fine. And please don’t make Brodey sleep in the barn.” She felt a little guilty about holding back the fact that she was pregnant, but there were things she had to do first.
Like confirming it with Dr. Alberto, the ob-gyn who’d delivered Lina’s and Mai’s babies, and who was now taking care of her own mom.
Just in case.
Although she suspected Lacey’s accuracy rate regarding babies over the years was probably better than any over-the-counter home test.
If she told her men she was pregnant, they would either beat feet to fly up and join her and not give her a moment’s peace, or they might try ordering her home.
Which would start a fight she frankly didn’t have the heart to get into right then.
“No, we won’t,” Ain said. “Might relegate him to the couch, though. Make him snuggle with Juju and Bea.”
She missed her puppies, although the Labs weren’t exactly puppies any longer. “Lacey asked if I’d bring Jasper home with me and keep him for her for a while.”
“She did, huh?” His tone changed, concerned. “She coming back from her little junket?”
“I think so. Eventually. She needed a vacation.”
“So were you asking me if you could bring him, or telling me you’re bringing him?” More smirk in his tone.
“Either. Both.”
He outright laughed, finally, a little of the stress leaving his voice. “I don’t mind. I doubt Brodey or Cail will, either.”
In the background, she heard both brothers ask, “What?”
“If she brings Lacey’s dog back with her from Maine. Lacey asked her to.”
“Oh, sure,” Cail said.
“That’s fine,” Brodey added.
“I guess that means we have a guest dog for a while.” He hesitated. “Any idea when?”
“Soon.”
His sigh pierced through her heart. She wanted to crawl through the phone and be with him.
All three of them.
She also knew the mental wall between them would make it impossible right at that moment. What she needed was space and time to process everything she now knew.
And she couldn’t do that with three horny father-to-be wolves breathing down her neck.
Literally.
“I miss you, babe,” he softly said. “We all do.”
“I miss you guys, too. I won’t stay away any longer than I have to.”
“Okay. I won’t edict you, but please, stay safe.”
She knew how difficult it was for her Prime Alpha wolf mate to make that concession. “Thank you. I promise, I will.”
“Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
“Here’s Cail.”
“Hey,” Brodey complained in the background. “I was on there first.”
Cail came on the line. “Yeah, and you knocked me over to get to the phone. Hi, sweetheart.”
“You all right?”
“Yeah, nothing that won’t heal up by morning. I think he nearly dislocated my jaw.”
“Sorry.”
“Eh, life with the bonehead. I guess it wouldn’t do me any good to ask when you’ll be back either, will it?”
“What do you think?”
“That’s what I thought.” Another sad sigh. Between those, and Brodey’s whining tone in the background, it nearly shattered her resolve. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” Now she felt lonelier than ever. Alone in Lacey’s house, in Maine, in the woods.
Even if she was home, however, she’d still be alone. Deep in her thoughts, outside the reach of her men.
Unable to share any of this with them.
“So what’s the weather like up there?” he asked, a smile in his tone.
“Really?” Brodey hollered in the background. “Give me the fucking phone, bro.”
“Not bad. A little cooler than Florida.” She imagined the scene playing out at home, Cail walking around the house, holding Brodey off with one arm, while an amused Ain watched.
“So Jasper’s going to come home with you, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe we can take them all to the dog park or something—”
“That’s it,” Brodey said.
Sounds of a scuffle ensued. Someone grabbed the phone, and a moment later, Ain came back on the line. “Hi again, babe.”
“Are they fighting?”
“Yep.”
“I hope they’re not scaring BettLynn.”
“Mai put her down a little while ago.”
“Don’t let them destroy the house, please.”
“I won’t.”
Before long, Micah, Jim, and Mai’s house would be finished, and they’d move across the yard and into it. While she’d miss having them there, it would be nice to have the house to themselves.
Eventually. That was, after her mom and dad finished their house, and Lina and her guys built theirs.
They’d have their own Florida shifter compound on Lyall land. Lina and her guys already had plans to buy more land adjoining the Lyall property. No
t as isolated and private as the Maine wolf Clan compound, but at least they’d all be close.
Then she could sit back and watch her guys duking it out. The first time she saw them do it, it bothered her. Now that she understood her own inner Alpha wolf a little better, she didn’t worry about them doing any serious damage to each other.
Her furniture however…
“Ask Brodey if he’d rather fight or talk to me.”
Ain snickered. “Hey, Brod? You want to talk to her, or should I hang up and let you finish getting the crap beat out of you?”
“Give me that damn phone.” A second later, his voice sounded clearer. “You just enjoy teasing the crap out of me, don’t you?”
She giggled. “You make it too easy sometimes. Sorry.”
A little growly tone crept into his voice. “Yeah? Well, you just remember that when you get home and I hold you down and fuck you senseless and don’t let you come.”
Again she struggled not to laugh. “Oh, I know you won’t do that to me. I simply won’t give you any.”
From growl to whine. “Come on, babe. I’m just joking.”
In the background, she heard Cail and Ain start laughing.
Deciding to take pity on him, she adopted a sexy tone. “Then you should sweet-talk me and not threaten me.”
“Babe, that’s playing dirty. Don’t torture me.”
“Torturing you would be telling you about how when I get home, I’ll lick your cock and keep you on the edge for hours and hours.”
“Baaabe…”
“Or how I’ll climb on top of you and fuck your brains out.”
“Aw, babe, come on.”
“I can always play dirtier than you, sweetie.”
He sighed. “Yeah, you can.” He laughed, but it sounded sad, as did his next comment. “But I’m not the one who can’t rub one out until you get home. Remember, you agreed to that little edict.”
Yes, she had, but rubbing one out was currently so far down her list that it wasn’t even on the first page. She was many things, but horny was not one of them. “Love you, Brod.”
“Love you, too.” His sad tone further ripped at her heart, but she knew she had to hold on to her resolve.
“Let me talk to Ain one last time.”
“Okay.”
When Ain returned to the line, he sounded like he was trying not to laugh. “What’d you say to him?”
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