Blood of Time: Book 18 of the Witch Fairy Series

by Bonnie Lamer

  “Make yourself visible?”

  Gabriel nods. “Yes. In my natural state I am invisible to humans.”

  Weird. And then it hits me. “The magic surrounding you keeps you visible.” When he nods, I add, “If I push against it too hard with my magic, the spell will shatter. You’d go back to being invisible.”

  “Yes,” Gabriel confirms. “I am only allowed one chance to make this work. If anyone not of magical origins discovers who I really am, I must leave this place. Anyone.” His point is clear. Even Aunt Barb can’t know.

  I guess suddenly becoming invisible would give away his otherworldly origins. I consider him for a long moment, trying to decide if I believe everything he’s saying. “Absolutely no magic was used to make Aunt Barb fall in love with you.”

  A pleased grin spreads across Gabriel’s face. “Eros offered, but I declined. I wanted her to love me because she saw me for who I am. Because she wants to be with me.”

  That’s a relief. I find a grin spreading across my own face. “Well, I think you got your wish.”

  Gabriel’s eyes find my aunt again. “I believe I have.”

  Growing serious again, I ask, “Will you be able to keep her safe when the Council comes for us?”

  Fire bursts to life in Gabriel’s chocolate brown eyes when he turns to face me again. Really. I can actually see flames burning there. His expression grows fierce, and an electric energy surges around him. Wow. Guardians can throw off some power. I’m not the only one who feels it. Suddenly, both Kallen and Dagda are by my side. Kegan takes a protective stance next to his family. The kids are trying to keep Aunt Barb occupied while giving us furtive glances, hoping we don’t ruin the spell.

  “What is going on here?” Dagda demands. He’s talking to me, but his eyes never leave Gabriel. Kallen slips his hand in mine and is just as ready to face off against the Guardian as my father is.

  “It’s fine,” I assure them both quietly. “He’s not angry with me.”

  Ignoring the two Fairies at my side, Gabriel’s blazing eyes find mine. I can feel the heat from the inferno burning inside him. Seriously. I could probably roast a marshmallow or two. He might want to tone that down a bit before he’s the one who burns through the spell surrounding him.

  In a voice that rumbles so low and deep that I can feel the vibrations of sound in my chest, he vows, “I will bring the fury of the Titans down on anyone who tries to harm her.”

  Okay then. I’m convinced. Now, it’s time to get the big guy to calm down a little. I nod and say solemnly, “Then your secret is safe with me.” Well, that’s not entirely true. I plan to fill the rest of my family in, but I won’t tell anyone non-magical. Especially my aunt. So, I clarify. “For the most part.” I nod toward the confused Fairies standing next to me.

  The fire in Gabriel’s eyes recedes, and the warm, chocolate irises I’m used to return. “Fair enough.”

  “Take care of her.”

  He nods once in confirmation. A flicker of those Guardian flames resurfaces to also give me a reassuring nod. So weird. “I will,” Gabriel promises.

  I smile and give him a quick hug. I’m careful not to let my own magic react to the magic surrounding him. I don’t want to affect its stability. “I know you will.” Stepping back, I turn to the others in the room. “Time to go,” I call out.

  As much as I’d like to celebrate all we learned today, there’s no time. Now that the genetic stuff is no longer a concern, we have a war to plan for. Lucky us.

  Chapter 15

  I can’t help but smile as I step back onto our familiar beach in the Fae realm. I take a moment to breathe in the salty sea scent and the smog-free air. Each trip back to the Cowan realm reminds me how much more the Fae realm feels like home to me. Sure, I sometimes miss modern conveniences like television and movies, but just about everything else I miss from my childhood can be created with magic. Plus, Tabitha is a much better cook than Aunt Barb or my parents, so the food is definitely better here. I will never miss the taste of frozen waffles. Ever.

  Kallen’s arm slips around my waist, and he pulls me close. “Are you okay?” he asks.

  Nodding, I wrap my arms around his neck and say, “I’m just thinking about home.”

  “You miss it?” he asks. The barest hint of a shadow of disappointment passes over his face.

  Moving onto my tip toes, I give him a kiss. Pulling back, I smile. “I did. But now I’m back.”

  The shadow on his face is shoved aside by a massive grin. “How do you always know the perfect thing to say to make me love you even more?” he asks.

  I shrug and maintain a straight face as I say, “Easy, I studied the cheat sheet Raziel gave me.” I burst out laughing at the stricken expression on his face. “I’m kidding,” I assure him. When I spy the lingering doubt in his eyes, I pull him down for another kiss and murmur against his lips, “I just know. The same way you know how to make me love you more every day. Besides, you know Raziel would never give me a cheat sheet.”

  A knowing chuckle rumbles in my gorgeous husband’s chest, his doubts completely erased now. Leaning down, he captures my lips and kisses me like there may not be a tomorrow. Because once again, there might not be.

  “Oh gross! I’m going to vomit right here on the beach if you two don’t stop that. At the very least, I’m going to gouge my own eyes out,” Zyla cries in disgust. She even goes so far as to make retching noises.

  Her brother joins in. “I’ll gouge yours out and you can do mine,” he says to Zyla in sibling comradery. It’s true - twins really do want to do everything together.

  Pulling back slightly, I look Kallen directly in the eyes and ask, “Are you certain you want children?”

  My gorgeous husband chuckles. “I believe it is a done deal. But it is a nice day for a swim, don’t you think?”

  I like the mischief in Kallen’s eyes. “It is. A quick dip in the refreshing water cures everything. Especially obnoxiousness.”

  “Oh crap,” Xavion mutters. He grabs his sister’s arm, and the two of them start running toward the house.

  Unfortunately for them, they can’t outrun my magic. I scoop both of them up, gently of course, and enjoy the sight of their flailing arms and legs as they head toward the water. I stop just short of dunking them. They’re dangling just inches above the cool ocean water. Turning to Kallen, I ask, “Should I?”

  “You wouldn’t!” Zyla cries from her magic cage. “The water is too cold. We’ll freeze to death!” Her brother, on the other hand, is laughing. Mostly at his sister’s distress.

  Pretending to think about it, Kallen finally nods. “Tabitha always says that a brisk swim every day keeps you healthy.”

  Turning back toward my children, I let my magic go and watch them fall into the water. It’s not deep where they are. The water barely reaches their chests. Still, Zyla resurfaces sputtering and splashing as if I dropped her in the middle of the ocean. Xavion, who doesn’t resurface right away, makes things worse by tugging on his sister’s leg and pulling her back under. She brings a large mouthful of water with her.

  Behind me, I hear their cousin laughing hysterically. Out of the corner of my eye, I note the look that passes between Kallen and Kegan. Combining their magic, they create a slingshot of sorts. Suddenly, Keelan is joining his cousins in the water. Alita laughs as she watches her son resurface with a grin on his face. The three kids are now in the middle of a splash fight as the boys try to keep Zyla from making it to shore.

  Not one to be picked on for long, Zyla puts an end to things when she creates a mini cyclone and pushes the boys several yards from her. This gives her enough distance to make a dash for shore. Dripping wet, she stalks out of the water and onto the sand. Turning with her hands planted on her hips, she sticks her tongue out at the boys. They just freed themselves from her magical wave and are swimming to shore.

  “The years ahead are going to be filled with great joy,” my father murmurs beside us. More to himself than to us. I turn surprised
eyes in his direction and find a happy, relaxed smile on his face. Not a frequent sight, that’s for sure. There’s also the tiniest hint of sadness in the corner of his eyes. I believe he’s thinking about all he missed out on with me being raised in the Cowan realm.

  I reach out and give his hand a squeeze. “Let’s make sure of that,” I say. Dagda nods and pretends to wipe a piece of sand from his suspiciously watery eye.

  “If you children are done trying to drown each other, we have work to do,” a gruff voice calls from the terrace. Tabitha is standing there wiping her hands on a towel and trying to suppress a smile.

  I am amazed at how the three kids instantly stop fooling around. All three of them mutter, ‘Yes, ma’am,’ under their breath and start trudging toward the house. How does the old Fairy do it?

  Zyla, her defiant side flaring to life just a little, points at Kallen and me and declares, “They started it.” When all Tabitha does is quirk an eyebrow in my daughter’s direction, Zyla presses her lips together and keeps walking.

  “That old Fairy is a wonder of nature,” Dagda chuckles under his breath, shaking his head in amazement.

  Her eyes narrowing in his direction, Tabitha growls, “I heard that.” Considering the distance, I suspect she either read his lips, or just assumed that he said something snarky. Either way, my biological father’s lips press together just like my daughter’s did. Tabitha really is a wonder of nature to get them both to shut up in a matter of seconds. I need to start taking notes.

  Chapter 16

  On the way back to the house, all three kids dry themselves with magic. Again, I’m amazed at how my children have more control over the smaller aspects of their magic than I do. As I gaze at them in wonder, Kallen gives me a knowing smile.

  Pulling me to a stop, he leans down to whisper in my ear, “I believe it is because as individuals they are powerful, but not as powerful as you. At least, I don’t sense that they are. It is when they combine their magic that it becomes so extreme.”

  Now I’m gazing up at him in wonder. “How do you always know what I’m thinking?”

  A grin spreads across his face. “I have found it better for my health and personal safety to understand how your mind works.” When I glare at him in a ‘your personal safety is seriously compromised at the moment’ kind of way, he just chuckles. “Also, I was wondering the same thing. How could these children who can rip holes in multiple realms all at once be able to use such fine-tuned magic as they just did without serious repercussions. That was what I came up with.”

  I consider his theory and nod. “That does make sense. Plus, they’ve been using their magic since birth.” I’ve only been using mine since my seventeenth birthday. While that feels like a lifetime ago, it’s only been a few years. They have a lot more practice than I do.

  Kallen rests a gentle hand on my abdomen. “I believe they began using their magic before birth.”

  Remembering my unexpected ride into another realm, my stomach churns a little. “Right again.”

  Wrapping an arm loosely around my shoulders, my gorgeous husband practically glows with pride, and a tad more ego than I care for, as he encourages me to start walking toward the house again. “Finally, the acknowledgements of my superior intellect begin rolling in.”

  I elbow him lightly in the side. “When you say superior, you better not be implying anything about my intellect.”

  Barely keeping a straight face, he teases, “Would I do such a thing?”

  “Yes, all the time.”

  Kallen laughs and pulls me closer as we climb the terrace stairs. At the top, he spins me around and kisses me. Against my lips, he murmurs, “If you were not my equal or more, I would not love you so much.”

  “Darn you for always knowing what to say to melt my heart when I’m annoyed with you,” I laugh against his lips. I kiss him again for several long minutes.

  When we finally pull apart and follow the others, Kallen and I are the last to enter the house. Inside, we find Dagda and Isla having a tense conversation in the corner of the large living room. Neither of them seems to notice our entry. I glance around for the kids and Kegan and Alita, but they must have already moved on to the kitchen. Wise move. No one wants to get sucked into an argument between Isla and Dagda.

  Pretending we don’t see them, Kallen and I pick up our pace. We move into the hallway toward the kitchen as quickly as we can without drawing attention to ourselves. We breathe a sigh of relief when we finally get out of their possible line of sight.

  The kitchen is a much livelier place than the living room. Xavion is by the stove where Tabitha has been busy cooking while we were away. The older Fairy pretends not to notice when my son sneaks a taste of the soup that’s just beginning to boil.

  Stealth is not his strong suit, though. “Needs more salt,” Xavion insists.

  Tabitha glares at him, but she doesn’t insist Xavion leave the kitchen. Nor does she threaten to never feed him again as she would have Kallen or Kegan. In fact, after a minute or two of grumbling, and then her own taste test, Tabitha slyly adds another pinch of salt to the broth. Xavion grins in smug satisfaction, and I shake my head. The kids already have Tabitha wrapped around their fingers and technically, they’re not even born yet. What chance do Kallen and I have of raising children who will not be spoiled? Zero. Then again, from what I can tell, they’ve turned out pretty good so far. Maybe a little bit of spoiling will be okay.

  Zyla and Keelan are sitting with Garren, Mom, Dad and Tana at the counter. Keelan is telling Garren and Dad about the huge fish they will catch when they bring him, Xavion and Zyla fishing. Huh, I never would have guessed that Zyla enjoyed things like fishing. Garren is beaming proudly at the kids, happy in the knowledge that his place in the family will eventually be accepted and cemented. Dad gives him a good-natured pat on the back. No one is more aware than Dad of how important it is to feel as if you fit in, considering he’s the only Cowan in the house.

  I glance up at Kallen and find him staring at the scene, as well. Something shifts in his eyes. A softening toward Garren, the Fairy whom Kallen has been slow to welcome since the older Fairy and Isla reunited and wed. Aw.

  When Kallen notices my gaze, he clears his throat and grumbles under his breath, “He is still an idiot.” I try not to smile too broadly in response as I pull out a stool and join the conversation.

  Finally, Isla and Dagda enter the kitchen. Isla stares at the kids warily, but the outright disbelief she wore earlier is gone. Glancing around the room, she asks, “Where are Kegan and Alita?”

  “They went upstairs to put…um…me…down for a nap,” Keelan tells her, obviously having trouble talking about himself in the third person. Or is it the first person? Time travel is tough on narrative and grammar.

  Clearing her throat, Isla tries to soften her expression as she takes in each child individually. “I would like to apologize for not believing you earlier,” she tells Xavion, Zyla and Keelan. “Your sudden appearance was a surprise. Considering all of the unpleasantness that has occurred in the last few years, stories I am certain you have heard over the course of your childhoods, I hope you can understand why I was hesitant to believe you.”

  Her eyes never drift in my direction as she says this, but it’s not difficult to read between the lines. “An apology and an insult all in one. Charming,” I mutter, taking exception to her calling me out for everything that has happened since I came into the picture. It’s not my fault she was wrong and hates admitting it. She doesn’t need to make me her punching bag.

  “Never mind her,” Tabitha says, bringing the boiling pot of stew to the counter and setting it on a small rack she creates with magic. “You know how she hates to be wrong.” Guess I’m not the only one who can read Isla’s surliness for what it is.

  Isla narrows her eyes in Tabitha’s direction. “I do not recall it being a pill easily swallowed by you, either.”

  Unruffled, Tabitha shrugs. “That is why I am never wrong.” This garners laug
hter from around the room as we all grab for the bowls Xavion has brought over. Tabitha starts ladling out soup rich with chicken and vegetables into each of our dishes. It smells heavenly, and I can’t wait to dig in.

  Deciding it best to change the subject, I ask, “Where did Raziel and Adriel disappear to?”

  Isla glances around the kitchen as if she expects to find them lurking in a corner somewhere. Not likely. The only time Angels of Death lurk is when they are impatiently waiting for your soul to arrive so they can strip away it’s icky bits.

  With a slight frown, Isla says, “They were in here when I came to greet you.”

  I open my mouth to comment snarkily on the difference between a greeting and an angry confrontation, but then my eyes fall on my children. I bite my tongue. Zyla, it seems, has picked up enough of my snark. No sense in teaching her more.