by Rain Oxford
“I like challenges.”
“I don’t want to be challenged all the time. I like to relax.”
“You don’t think you can relax with me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Try. If you can’t, just leave. It’s not like you’re wasting years of your life.”
“We live three thousand miles away from each other.”
“Brandy can take care of the bar herself. You can open another one near me. Or better yet, in White Hills. I can move my shop. You can be with your father and I’m sure the paranormal population would appreciate my work.”
“Are you actually suggesting we meet in the middle?”
He smirked. “I am not an unreasonable man. Stubborn, irritable, and hostile, yes, but not unreasonable.”
“You’re also blunt. I actually like that about you. Alright. We’ll both go home and I’ll call my father. He can find us a place to live in White Hills, as well as a bar for me and a shop for you. I’m going to miss my customers, though, so I’ll probably go back and forth.”
“That’s reasonable.”
“And I’m going to practice my thrall on you. If we face any more demons, I want to be prepared.”
“Yeah right. You just want to bend me to your will and make me a willing sex slave.”
“I can do that without thralling you.”
Chapter 12
“What happened?” Brandy asked, waking.
I explained returning to the bar to find her gone, Theo telling me where my father was, Logan dropping everything to help me, what my father had told me, and what Langril had done.
“So I’m not human?”
“Apparently not.”
“And you found your father. Where is he?”
“After fighting the demons, we walked to the city, found a store, and Logan called for a ride. We were in Phoenix, Arizona. Anyway, Logan got us a private plane and here we are,” I said, gesturing to the plane we were sitting in.
She straightened in her seat. “Wait. That can’t be it. What about the other demons? What about your father? What about you and Logan?”
“What about me and Logan?”
“You know damn well what I mean. You missed him. You like him. You should give him a chance.”
“I plan to.” We spent the rest of the plane trip talking.
* * *
When we finally arrived home, I felt worn out. Alex offered to stay for a few days and help. I readily agreed, because I didn’t want to get out of the shower for the next week let alone deal with the bar.
Alex had actually cleaned the entire place up and it looked great. How he fixed my furniture, I had no idea. Deimos and Phobos were recovering quickly, and were clearly happy to see me even though they didn’t get out of the bed. I just climbed into bed between them and fell asleep.
* * *
I was awoken by soft lips on mine and gasped, because although they weren’t terribly familiar, her scent was. “Astrid,” I said, breaking away from her kiss and sitting up. The boys were gone and we were alone in my bed, but I knew it was real. She was real.
She was a beautiful woman. Her long, dark brown hair was braided and her vibrant green eyes were striking. She wore a red leather jacket over a black satin shirt and black jeans. There had always been something wounded about her, but that was gone.
“You’re alive.”
She smiled. “Of course I am.”
“But you’ve been missing for months. Not even Stephen knew where you were.”
“It’s difficult to explain.”
“I don’t care. Tell me. I know you wouldn’t lie to me.”
“I was stuck on another world.”
“Dothra?”
Her eyes widened. “How do you know about that?”
“A lot has happened since you’ve been gone. “How did you get trapped there?”
“A wizard named Langril.”
I groaned and leaned my head on her shoulder. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Yes, we do. First, though…” she trailed off, looking uncharacteristically shy. “Do you remember when we were kids and you had a crush on me?”
“Yes, and I remember you turning me down because you were still in love with Devon. It broke my heart.”
“Well, Devon had a part in my rescue, and we talked. Devon and I have both changed as we grew up and we don’t think a relationship between us is a good idea. Then I started thinking about you and…” she trailed off again as she saw my expression. “I don’t mean to make that sound so rude. I just think… I was blind to other romantic opportunities… and now I feel like I should have followed my heart.”
“That’s not the problem,” I said, gently pushing her back.
“Oh. You’re not interested anymore. I understand. That was a long time ago.”
“If you had asked me six months ago, I would have been all over you in a heartbeat. But there’s a guy I’ve kind of agreed to move in with.”
“Wow. That’s a big step. You didn’t even live with Cody and you dated him for four years.”
“I’ve never felt as strongly for anyone as I do for Logan. That’s weird to say. It could end in disaster. I just… don’t want to miss out on something that could be great because I’m afraid it won’t be.”
“You’ve always known what you wanted,” she said. “I admire that about you. I’m glad you can be so honest about who you are. I think I have a lot to learn about myself.”
“It starts with friends who accept you for who you are.”
About the Author
Rain Oxford is a teacher who has been writing for more than half of her life. She does most of her writing in a secluded cabin in the woods with a four-pound Maltese as a companion. When she’s not teaching or creating worlds, she enjoys cooking, playing the piano, and photographing exotic wildlife.
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/rainoxfordauthor
Website: rainoxford.wordpress.com
Amazon Page: amazon.com/author/rainoxford
This book was made with 100% recycled electrons. If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review. Thanks for reading!
Books by Rain Oxford
Abyss of Shadows 1: Hunting Shadows
Abyss of Shadows 2: Whispering Shadows
Elemental 1: Dark Waters
Elemental 2: Hungry Earth
Elemental 3: Furious Flames
Elemental 4: Insidious Winds
Elemental 5: Soul Guard
The Sorcerer’s Saga 1: The Sorcerer’s Quest
The Sorcerer’s Saga 2: The Wizard’s Secret
The Sorcerer’s Saga 3: The Raven’s Curse
The Sorcerer’s Saga 4: The Dragon’s Price
The Sorcerer’s Saga 5: The Hero’s Peril
Casters of Syndrial 1: Book of Names
Casters of Syndrial 2: Sword of Draskara
The Guardian 1: The Guardian’s Grimoire
The Guardian 2: The Dragon’s Eyes
The Guardian 3: God of the Abyss
The Guardian 4: The Demon’s Game
The Guardian 5: The Wizard’s War