We turned to look at the portal, falling for the oldest distraction game in the book. When our attention was on the portal, Peter lunged for me. Caught completely unaware, I flailed about while he pinned my arms to my side and used me as a shield.
Elias and Anthony roared their anger. Axoular’s head was nearly engulfed in smoke. Boudicca remained calm, still seated serenely on the floor.
She was the first to speak. “Riley, he killed your husband. He wants to use you to get him out of this mess, and then he'll most likely kill you. How does that make you feel?”
I blinked once at her. I was so damn angry! If he hadn’t killed Michael, the Junta might not have done it. Michael might’ve been beside me, he might’ve talked them out of their plans. Or Anthony and Elias might have saved him. Rage built inside me. Peter hissed as my skin grew hot under him, but he didn’t let go.
A thought burst into my mind, literally igniting my rage. I fucked him! With that thought, my entire body burst into flame. The anger I’d controlled since the day I came home to an empty house, more than five years before, came out of my skin in a thousand degree inferno. Peter was ignited and his screams were indescribable. His shrieks of pain didn't last long as the flames consumed him.
I stepped away from him, my body a pulsing blaze. Obsidian tears fell from my eyes—my anger giving way to sadness as I watched the body of my beloved husband burn. Elias and Anthony couldn't come near me, they even had to shield their extra sensitive eyes from my bright light, but Axoular and Boudicca held my hands as I watched Peter scream and burn. Retribution coursed through my veins. I knew one day I might feel guilt, but in that moment, it was worth it. It was good.
As the flames died on the charred mass that was Peter, they quieted and disappeared from my body as well. My emotional pain left with the flames. The numbness was back, I was empty inside again. The confusing maze in my mind was gone, static replaced it. I hung my head and discovered the flames burned my clothes off.
How do I always end up naked? I giggled again. Elias and Anthony approached me with caution, hands up in front of them. Watching them try to make sure I was cool enough to touch made my giggles turned into laughter. Seeing the pity on their faces made my laughter turn into sobs. The numbness never lasts long enough.
I heard Anthony ask Axoular, “Will she burst into flames again?”
“No,” Axoular whispered. “She'll most likely pass out. She used a vast amount of energy.” Those were the last words I heard. I saw Elias rush to grab me as I faded to black.
Epilogue
The sunlight was hot and comforting on my face, almost blinding through my eyelids. I threw a lazy arm up to rest on my forehead and shield my vision. Moving my arm caused my hammock to sway, so I waved it to and fro. Funny, I could walk through fire and burst into flames, but the sun still blinded me. The summer heat was heaven to me after my body changed. It made me energetic, almost like I drew sustenance from the sun.
“Mommy! Are you waving at me?” came a squeak of a voice.
“No, Kohbi, I was saying hi to the sun,” I replied with a laugh. I lifted my head to squint at my adopted daughter. Her heterochromatic eyes twinkled as she made a flower crown in the grass beside me. When she’d come through the portal, her hair was as white as pure snow, and her eyes were the color of her scales: one Jade, one Jasper. She adapted quickly to our world and she thrived.
It wasn't easy to come home. David and Daniel took the longest to adjust. They couldn’t understand how their Supay family kept them from me for so many years. Six months since I burned up their facade of a father, and they were still a little resentful toward their Aunt Tammy and Uncle Danyelus for lying to them for so long.
We held a massive memorial for Michael a couple of weeks after we’d returned home. It was a beautiful service, and was attended by Unseen from all over the world. Michael touched many lives in his relatively short time on Earth.
We were able to confront the Junta after the service. The Fae Leader himself came to the funeral. I thought Anthony was going to burst into flames himself when Alexander shook my hand for a tick too long.
We sat down to a formal dinner with Elias, Anthony, Axoular, and the council. They questioned Axoular and me extensively. We made it abundantly clear that we would love to incorporate into their council and world, but we would do it on our own terms. We hinted that we had the power for opening and closing the portals, and for creating new ones, even though we didn't have the first clue how to create a new portal. I wanted us to have a bargaining chip to plant Axoular in a spot on the council.
Axoular came home with us after sending Boudicca home to Galdiart. He spent some time devising ideas for saving his people, then we used the gateway in the basement to travel to the well-room in Bolivia with a massive load of supplies: food, medicines, blankets, and toys. While there, I brought the orphans back with me. Elias called a witch friend - Cindy - who came with us to Bolivia. When we were ready, she brought Elias, Anthony, me, the orphans, Axoular, and Axoular’s sweet little lavender-colored girlfriend, Minda, to the big manor house in Tennessee.
I’d not been able to get Kohbi off of my mind once Michael’s funeral was over. As we made plans help the Sárkány, I insisted that the twelve orphans from the village come home with us. Tammy agreed to help us care for them. Anthony’s little girl, Jaime, and Kobhi became fast friends. After Kohbi grabbed my heart in Galdiart, Elias, Anthony, and I asked her if she’d like to be our daughter. David and Daniel were head over heels in love with her and were wrapped around her perfect little fingers in no time.
The other orphans were adopted out to Unseen families. Children were cherished in the Unseen world, and most were happy to rise to the challenge. It became something of an honor to be raising one of the famed Dragon Orphans.
Tammy and Danyelus, childless, took in a brother and sister. The sister was an infant when they came to us, her mother had died only a few weeks before I first crossed over into Galdiart. Elias said he’d never seen them happier than they were with their new family.
Slowly, with Axoular’s help, we were bringing the Sárkány to Earth. We established identities and names for them all, but it took time. We didn’t want to flood the world with too many false identities at once, or it might be noticed somewhere. Boudicca was one of the first to come over. She and Morcan disappeared, searching for Boudicca’s descendants.
We kept the portal opened for the briefest amounts of time as we could. We didn't know for sure that every other portal was destroyed, and remembering Mama Pacha’s advice, we didn't want to let anyone or anything else cross over into our world. The Sárkány we could handle. We were mindful of Peter’s warnings about dissolving dimensions with the portal. Once the Sárkány were here, we would destroy this last portal.
We’d resolved our problems quite well over six months. All but one; I couldn’t shake my anger. I wanted to hunt down every shapeshifter in the world and set them on fire. Elias and Anthony treated me with kid gloves since the day I burned my husband alive. My head knew that the person inside the Michael-suit was not Michael, but my heart kept seeing my husband burning. I didn’t feel guilt, exactly, just pain.
A swift kick in my abdomen brought me out of my musings. “Kohbi, your brother is kicking again,” I called across the yard.
“It’s not a brother, Mommy! It’s a sister, for me and Jaime!” she yelled as she ran over to feel my stomach. “She’s kicking hard!” she giggled.
“Wait until she gets bigger,” I said. “You may be able to see her feet sticking out.”
Elias and Anthony walked out of the house with Jaime. She ran when she saw Kohbi touching my belly, her raven hair streaming behind her. It wouldn't be long until her Supay abilities manifested, and she wouldn’t be running like a typical little human girl any longer. I wasn't ready for any of them to begin to grow up.
I climbed out of the hammock and strolled casually toward my husbands. We were married as soon as we found out I was pregnant. We sti
ll didn't know if the baby was Peter’s or not, or why my birth control choice failed. It didn’t matter to us who the father was, except that if it was Peter, we would have to find out if shapeshifter babies required any special care. The DNA of my child didn't matter to me, it was still my child. And Eli and Anthony proved themselves capable of caring for each of our children; they loved them all the same.
Time would heal my anger and quell my need for revenge. My people were going to be safe. My sons were by my side. I gained two daughters and Elias's son, and a little one on the way. Bring it on, life. I can take anything else you’ve got for me.
Haven’t had enough of Riley and her guys? Dying to find out what happens to Axoular and Minda? And whose baby is it, anyway? Her heritage has been exposed. Her retribution was swift. Now, Riley will conquer new threats with the help of her men. Can she keep her baby safe in a world that grows more dangerous by the day? Read book 2 now: www.books2read.com/Leyak
Also By L.A. Boruff
SOUTHERN SOIL
Literary Yours
Snow Cure
THE UNSEEN WAR
War of Fangs
War of Fire
War of Wings
About the Author
L.A. Boruff lives in East Tennessee with her husband, three children, and an ever growing number of cats. She loves reading, watching TV, and procrastinating by browsing Facebook. L.A.’s passions include vampires, food, and listening to heavy metal music. She once won a Harry Potter trivia contest based on the books, and lost one based on the movies. She has two bands on her bucket list that she still hasn’t seen: AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Feel free to send tickets.
Visit L.A.’s website at https://www.laboruff.com and subscribe to the newsletter!
Tricking the Beasts
A Hybrid Trilogy Prequel
Aleera Anaya Ceres
Chapter One
Maude
There were some things I was absolutely certain of in my life. One, I would never be anything other than what I was; a maid. I could have been considered cynical, with my dark frame of mind, but I liked to think of myself as realistic. In the Broken World, and especially in the Ferguson clan, there was a hierarchy. The Hybrid King Ferguson and his queen were at the top, followed by Princess Keanna, who would soon rule, and her brothers, the princes. Following the royal line were the royal guards, the advisors, what few Lords and Ladies the clan had, and all the way at the bottom was me.
The queen’s lady’s maid.
I was not destined for great things like Princess Keanna. I would not wed a far away prince, and have important children. I would wed a farmer or the blacksmith’s son, and our children would be farmers, or blacksmiths, or maids.
It was the way of life, and I was fine with that.
The second thing I was absolutely certain of in my life, was that I was being duped.
I glared at the laundress, knowing that the expression hardening my features frightened her. I’d learned the art of glaring from the queen and princess, after all. It wouldn’t soon be long before she would spill her secrets to me.
“So?” I placed my hands on my hips to emphasize my point. When her response was to twiddle with her fingers, I pointed a finger at the dress displayed on the table. It was an emerald green and made of soft velvet—a rare material in this Broken World—the bodice ornamented with pearls. And it just so happened that a few pearls were missing. “Where are they?” I demanded.
The laundress stammered and twiddled her fingers a bit more. I was already growing impatient with her and was quite tempted to reach across the space that separated us to throttle her.
“This was how you gave the dress to me, Maude.” She finally found her voice.
I glared at her words and at the familiar use in which she spoke my name. We were not friends, nor would I ever be friends with a thieving liar. “You’re lying,” I said menacingly. “I have been in the queen’s service since I was a child, and before me, my mother tended to her needs. I know how many pearls this dress has down to the exact number. I remember the exact date I gave this dress to you, and I remember exactly the state it was in.” The laundress began to sweat. “There was a wine stain on the left side bodice, just below the pearls.” I knew this because the queen had spilled her drink when Princess Keanna had walked in—in the most unPrincesslike manner—and had startled her mother into spilling a single drop. “So I will ask you again, where are the missing pearls?”
“I don’t have them, I swear!”
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. “You leave me no choice but to call in the queen. I will not tolerate thievery in her household.” As I started to turn, the laundress reached out to me and gripped my arm tightly in her hand. I stopped and listened to her pleas.
“Please, Maude, I swear I didn’t take them. But I know who did…”
“Who was it, then?”
She took a deep breath, looked to her left and then to her right, though no one was down here but the two of us. Then, she looked me in the eye, and whispered… “The prince…”
I glared at her immediately. “You mean to tell me that one of the princes of our own kingdom stole from his mother?”
She nodded vigorously. “He did. I’m not sure which, though, as they all look alike…”
I was very aware that they all looked alike. They were triplets for gods’ sakes. Not even their mother could tell them apart. “I don’t believe you,” I replied, shaking her off. “And you will now answer to the queen and quite possibly her guards for what you’ve done.”
“No, please!”
I marched away from her. She could plead and cry all she wanted, but my position was on the line, and I would not tolerate lies, nonsense or thievery. The queen counted on me to have everything in perfect order. That meant ensuring that the staff was well equipped in their own jobs, as well as handling my own perfectly. I wasn’t just a lady’s maid. I was in charge of all the other staff as well, and if they screwed up, it would reflect poorly on me.
“What’s going on here?”
I came to a halt just at the entrance of the stairwell that led up to the kitchens, because in the entrance, stood Prince Ferguson, his wide body encompassing most of the exit space. He leaned casually against the doorway, one shoulder propped up against the frame, one ankle crossed over the other.
The prince—like his brothers—was handsome. He had a mop of orange curly hair that was done up messily and fell over his eyebrows slightly in a mischievous sort of gesture. His eyes were bright like those of his father, his body big and burly that had a way of making me feel too small.
I dipped into a quick curtsy before him. I was unsure as to which prince was before me now. It was always so hard to tell them apart when they were so alike in manner and dress. It seemed that they even took to pretending to be each other, if only to confuse their mother and father. Not even their sister, Princess Keanna, could seem to tell them apart, despite the closeness the four of them shared.
“Your Majesty,” I said, a little breathless. The laundress echoed the words behind me. I fought hard not to turn and glare at the girl. She was young, too young for the position that had been bestowed upon her. Her crimes would have her thrown into prison, and that was the most lenient of punishments. It could always be worse. She could be banished to become a nomad and face the dangers beyond our wall of protection. She could become food for the hybrids.
“Call me Adahm,” he said a little offhandedly. “What’s all the shouting for, Maudey?” the Prince asked.
My eyebrow twitched at the nickname. Him and his brothers always liked to tease. It was rather infuriating that at their ages of twenty-two, they still acted like children. I took a deep breath. “Your Majesty...I was about to fetch your mother and her guards…”
His eyebrows rose high on his forehead. His smile was slightly dimpled and mischievous. “Whatever for?”
I ground my teeth together. “I caught the laundress thieving your mother’s pearls. I sought the quee
n and her guards out to impart a speedy punishment and to recover her lost possessions.”
“Hmm…” The prince smiled wider, but gave no further reply. He pushed himself off of the wall and walked in confident strides past me and towards the laundress. I felt my heart suddenly thump a quicker rhythm in my chest as I turned and watched him step impossibly close to her, so close that their chests touched rather intimately. “Is this true, Cassandra?” he asked dangerously.
My hands tightened into fists. What all did I really know about the triplets? It was hard to tell. I wasn’t sure if they had tempers in the privacy of a solitary room. The way he pressed close to her, his posture menacing and dangerous, quite reminded me of a feline, ready to pounce on its prey.
I stepped up to them quickly and put a reassuring arm against Cassandra—the laundress, how was it I hadn’t remembered her name?—and squeezed. Her breathing was labored, and though she had a right to be frightened, I would not let the Prince harm her.
“Let us not do anything hasty,” I said in a firm voice. “Though she is a thief, she deserves a fair trial like anyone else in the clan.”
“Is that so…?” the prince murmured, but he didn’t look up at me. His eyes were intent on Cassandra and I saw his hand slowly go to his back pocket. What was he getting? A knife? Did he intend on gutting the poor girl in the laundry room? That would make such a mess…
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