My turn to be shocked. “So, it’s a crime to make the deal, but forbidden to break it?” What kind of sense does that make?
Her head is going to fall off if she keeps shaking it like that. “It was not making the deal that was illegal. It was the changing history part. Any agreement, legal or not, made between two Angels cannot be undone. There is no way to break it short of ceasing to exist.” She raises an eyebrow. “I am assuming that is not the course you would like to take?”
I roll my eyes. “Of course not.”
She starts pacing again. “I cannot figure out why he did it. It is unlikely that you would be punished because you do not know all of our ways. It is still possible that you would be stripped of your wings. For Ambriel, he is not ignorant. He would have his wings stripped and would Fall. Without possibility of returning to us.”
Now I’m getting scared. “Can you help me?”
Her facial muscles relax and I can see her anger slipping away. “Xandra, you got yourself into a mess this time that’s too big to have an easy fix. You are part Angel, you have to honor your word or you will lose your wings.”
Lose my wings? Completely? “I want to keep my word. I want to marry Kallen like I was supposed to do if we had sex.”
She shakes her head again. “You cannot pick and choose who you keep your word to; you have to honor all of your agreements.”
Oh, crap. “So, I have to figure out how to get Kallen – and my family – to believe we have to get married and I have to honor my word to Ambriel and do two favors for him?”
She shrugs. “I do not see any way out of it.”
She’s not as much help as I hoped she’d be. “What do you think he’ll ask for?”
“Knowing Ambriel, it will probably be something ridiculous.”
“Like what?” I know she can’t tell me exactly what he’ll want, but I’m hoping she’ll have some idea.
She shrugs again. “Ambriel is odd. He hates his job, and he is constantly complaining that he is underappreciated. Maybe he will want you to take over his job for a while or something.”
Recording every bit of history? That sounds like a job that I would hate, too. “So, I have to suck it up and do what he wants me to do.”
“I fear that is so.” Worry has taken up camp on her face. “Be careful, Xandra. And know this – there are limits as to what he can ask you to do. For instance, he may not ask you to kill anyone. Nor can he ask you to give up your wings. But there are many other things he could ask of you that are not for the greater good.”
That’s good to know. I press my lips into a thin line. After a minute, I say, “What I don’t get is why he needs favors from me at all. What can I get him that he can’t get for himself?”
“That is what I am wondering, as well.”
Great. “So, is Ambriel a bad Angel?”
Adriel sighs. “Not that I know of, but bad is relative. He has never been in danger of having his wings taken. He has also never taken pleasure in his job. Like recording things is not better than stripping souls of their darkness.” Oh, is that bitterness trying to leap out of her mouth? “We all must do things to keep the cosmic order. That is the role of Angels in the big scheme of things.”
“Can you guys change jobs?”
“Not really. If we are truly miserable, it can be considered. But it is difficult to convince the Archangels that we are unhappy enough to warrant a change. Simply whining about it is not going to get them to move you to a new position.”
I should be taking notes on some of this stuff. I’m guessing there will be a quiz later. “Is there any way to get someone else to record what happened between me and Kallen?”
Adriel shakes her head. “No, each keeper is given an area, and only that keeper may record what has happened there.”
So, in other words, if Kallen and I were going to have sex, we should have done it in someone else’s area. If I had only known. “So I’m pretty much screwed, huh?”
She chuckles and it sounds like a little bell being rung. “I suppose you are. In the future, please do not trade favors with anyone unless you check with me first. I will tell you if you are making a good choice or not.”
My turn to laugh. “You sound like my mother.”
“Sometimes I feel like your mother. You are a walking magnet for trouble and poor choices. I am surprised you do not trip from the weight of them on your back.”
I give her a sour look. “Gee, thanks.”
She rolls her eyes. “As if you can deny the truth in that.”
She’s right. I can’t. “Well, thanks for your help.”
Adriel gives me a quick hug. That’s kind of surprising. She’s not really the touchy feely sort of Angel. And, I just remembered, she has soul darkness under her fingernails. Eew. I back out of the hug as quickly as possible without hurting her feelings. I’m not taking any chances when it comes to getting soul leaches.
“Be careful, Xandra. Ambriel must be up to something that he does not want the collective to know about.” She puts her hands on her hips. “Now, the next time you come visit me I would prefer you come for my company, not my Angelic knowledge.”
I smile warmly. “It’s a deal.” I really do like her. She reminds me a lot of me. Which is why we can’t spend a lot of time in each other’s company. It can be hard being around someone who is just like you for extended periods of time. “So, how do I get back without making a racket for all of you to hear?”
“Simply close your eyes and whisper softly in your mind. Your wings are in tune with your thoughts, so they will sense your desire…”
I don’t know what else she was going to say, because I have slipped out of Angel time and am back in the Fairy realm.
Chapter 3
“Xandra, are you planning to stand there all day with your eyes closed?” Dagda asks, with more than a little humor in his voice. To him, it’s like I never left.
I open my eyes. “I had to talk to an Angel friend of mine.” With a poof, my wings disappear.
He looks mildly shocked. “You went into Angel time and now you are back?”
I nod glumly. “Yeah, I’m trying to figure out how to undo what I did.”
Now, he looks even more shocked. He crosses his arms over his chest and gives me a long hard stare. It makes me feel like poking him in the eye with something. “You were telling the truth earlier?”
My shoulders slump. “Yes, I was.”
“You found a way to circumvent the magic of the ring?” He’s getting mad, now. “How dare the two of you do something like this? You have taken a time honored custom, a gift given to you out of trust, and you spit in its face because it didn’t meet your timeline for getting hand-fasted?!” His voice started to rise on the second sentence. He’s shouting now.
So will I, then. “I didn’t spit in the face of tradition. I panicked! For about two minutes. And some stupid Angel swooped in and took advantage of that. Now, I’m trying to fix it. But you won’t let us get married and I can’t undo the deal I made with the Angel or I’ll lose my wings.”
I wonder if there are any laws against the King and the Princess having a magical duel? Probably. Well, I’ve broken other laws today, so I might as well go all out. Besides, it wouldn’t even be the first time I’ve used my magic on him. Not even close.
Dagda points a finger in my face. “You put that magic away or I will never let you get married.”
His finger is within biting distance. I’m tempted. I refrain. “Then I’ll bring Kallen back to my realm and marry him there.” Hah, what does he think of that.
He lowers his finger and crosses his arms again. “And make him persona non grata here? I am sure he will agree to that.”
I mimic his stance. “He was willing to give up this realm for me before.”
He is so mad, his skin is turning black. Wait a minute. He’s getting hairier, too. No way. He’s changing into his animal persona instead of using magic. What, he thinks I’m going to be intimidated becau
se he’s now a huge black horse who is about to rear up and kick me? Okay, maybe a little. Enough to take a couple of steps back, anyway. He’s snorting heavily through his nose, and it looks like steam is coming out of it. Amazing how much he looks like a demon horse at the moment.
Damn it, I wish I had an animal persona so I could scare him with it. Suddenly, my wings are back. But they don’t feel right. They’re too heavy. And I feel kind of funny. I’m all tingly, like a million dust mites are tickling me with teeny, tiny little feathers. I have completely forgotten about Dagda now as I look down at my arms. White fur is growing on them. My body is elongating; I’m getting taller. My nose looks like Pinocchio’s, except bigger and wider. The wings don’t feel quite as heavy anymore, but I think that’s because my butt has become so big I have to bend forward to accommodate it. So, I’m concentrating more on that than my wings at the moment. My arms stretch to the floor and each of my fingers disappear, one at a time, becoming hooves. Oh my god. I’ve become a horse. With wings. I’m a Pegasus! My animal form is a Pegasus.
I’m so excited, Dagda isn’t even on my radar anymore. I prance around the room, knocking furniture over because I’m not used to having such a big body, but I don’t care. This is fantastic. I get to fly like Kallen and I won’t have to hide it. I rear up onto my back legs like Dagda did, and I almost topple over backwards. Okay, I’m going to need to work on balance and grace, I guess.
“What the hell?” Kegan says from behind Dagda. I hear Alita gasp. I can hear a lot better with these big ears on my head. I can even point them in different directions. How cool is that?
I turn to look at them, and my big horse butt hits a side table, knocking the vase and picture frames on it to the floor. Then, I accidently step on them with my thick hooves as I’m trying to back away from it. Ow, glass in hooves hurts. I think I’m bleeding. I bring my long face down to check, but I misjudge its new length and bonk my nose on the floor. Even if I had judged the distance right, my leg no longer bends the way it should for me to look at it myself. I twirl around in circles a couple of times to try to see it, but it’s no good. I’m like a dog chasing its tail. And I’m knocking a lot more furniture over in the process.
Lifting my head back up, my mane of long, white fur covers my face. That’s annoying. I shake my head to fix it. And hit my nose hard against a wooden Giant chair in the process. That is definitely going to leave a mark. Now, my hoof hurts and I think my nose may have a hairline fracture. I dance around a little bit, trying to keep off my sore foot, but there’s a reason horses have four legs instead of three. I start to tumble towards the floor, so I put my sore hoof out. It doesn’t hit the rug the rest of my legs are on. It hits the polished floor. Have you ever seen a Pegasus’ hoof slip on a polished floor? I sure wish I haven’t. My leg goes flying to the side, but my other hooves are on the rug, and don’t want to follow. So, I end up crashing the front right half of my body on the floor and my horse butt is sticking straight up in the air. I have no idea how I’m going to get up. Then, I remember I have wings. Spreading my wings wide, I start flapping like crazy; knocking anything weighing less than fifty pounds to the floor with the wind I’m creating. It works! I’m flying.
And now I’m not because I just hit my head really hard on the ceiling. I think I have a concussion. Even in a Giant sized house, there’s still not enough room for a Pegasus to take flight. I’m in so much pain, I forget to keep flapping my wings and I crash back to the ground. But, apparently, I did move forward some when I was flying, because my front legs hit the floor, the polished floor, and my back legs land on the Giant chair. And now I’m stuck. My back legs are hooked over the arm of the Giant chair, and I can’t get them free because my front legs have no traction on the polished floor. But, I can’t stop trying to push myself back up, because if I do, I’m going to go splat face first on the floor. So, I’m sitting here scratching my legs like crazy against the floor, looking like a Pegasus windmill.
I can hear the laughing now. Kegan is laughing so hard, I think he may have peed his pants. Seriously. I think I see a wet spot. Even Alita has to keep a hand tightly over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Dagda has changed back into his Fairy form and he’s laughing almost as hard as Kegan. The one not laughing? My boyfriend. Who’s standing behind them all with his mouth open.
“Is that Xandra?” he asks. He must have come in on the tail end of my little show. No pun intended. Alita nods her head and a little giggle escapes from underneath her hand.
Kallen shakes his head as he walks around the others. “I cannot leave you alone for any length of time for fear of what trouble you have gotten yourself into next.”
Hey, that was totally uncalled for. I don’t get into trouble every time he’s not around. Just most of the time. Crap, he’s right. But I pretend I didn’t hear him as I keep my front leg windmill thing going so I don’t further embarrass myself. I’m not sure it’s working.
When Kallen is right in front of me, he touches my nose to bring my face to his. Ouch. That’s where it hit the chair. And the floor. “Xandra, all you have to do is think about being yourself again. This is not complex magic. It should be as natural as breathing.”
Then breathing isn’t natural for me because I can’t turn myself back into me. At least, not while I’m trying not to fall. So, I’m going to have to suck it up and hit the floor. I close my big eyes, stop my legs and feel the chair tumbling down as I think about being me again. With a loud thud, I hit the floor. Painfully. The good news? I’m me again. The bad news? I’m buck naked.
Kallen sighs. I’m back in jeans and the t-shirt he made me earlier. He bends down and scoops me up into his arms. “Are you hurt?” he asks.
I nod with an embarrassed pout on my lips. “Yes, I think I have a concussion and a broken nose. And I have a cut on the bottom of my foot. I thought you were going for a walk?”
He raises a brow. “And miss the show? I would not dream of it. I was near the house when I heard everything crashing about in here. I figured it was you causing the ruckus.”
I stick my tongue out at him for lack of a better response. He just laughs and walks towards the door with me. “I can walk on my own, you know.”
He looks doubtful. “Have you healed your foot yet?”
No, I haven’t. But a tiny bit of sympathy instead of condescension from him would be nice. “Fine.” I close my eyes and imagine all of my bumps, bruises and cuts healing. It doesn’t take long before I’m pain free with no evidence I was even hurt. At least, physically. I believe I may be emotionally scarred from this whole incident. “You can put me down now.”
“Not yet,” he says, and Dagda, Kegan and Alita move aside so he can carry me through the door. I think Dagda has forgotten what we were talking about before my circus act.
Kallen keeps walking until we’re at the stairs. Then, he carries me up to the second floor and down the hall to our bedroom. All the while, he has his poker face on, so I have no idea what he’s thinking. He kicks the door closed after us and walks to the bed, where he unceremoniously drops me. Lucky for him it’s a soft bed.
He flops down on the bed next to me and he has a wicked grin on his face as he lies on his side, head propped up on his hand, and stares down at me. “You would drag me back to your realm to marry me, huh?”
I laugh. “You heard that? Where did you go for fresh air, the front steps?”
He does a half shrug with the shoulder he’s not leaning on. “You were yelling so loudly, I believe they heard you in the Giant villages.” That’s over a mile away. I’m pretty sure he’s exaggerating.
“I can open a gateway and we could elope right now.” I’d probably have to lie about my age, though. I don’t know anywhere back home where seventeen year olds can get married without their parent’s consent. I’m sure there’s somewhere.
He shakes his head. “I like having you here in my realm. It is far too cold where you used to live.”
My brows come together. “But, Dagda
is refusing to let us get married here.”
Again, a half shrug. “He will warm up to the idea, eventually.”
“Eventually? But, I want to get married now.” Yes, I’m awfully whiny for someone who tried to get out of it just a little while ago. I’m fickle, what can I say?
He laughs. “Yes, you have made that abundantly clear, and I appreciate it.”
I can’t help my bottom lip moving out in a pout again. “You don’t want to get married, now?”
He leans forward and kisses me. A long, slow, lingering kiss that takes my breath away. Eventually, he says against my lips, “You and I will be hand-fasted when the time is right. I only needed to know that it is what you truly want.”
I pull him back for another kiss. “It is what I want,” I murmur against his lips.
Blood of Destiny (Witch Fairy #6) Page 3