The Quelling Tide (The Gifted Realm Book 7)

by Jillian Neal

  “Rainer, man, you gotta come back. Cal’s been killed in Berlin and Em’s in the hospital.” Garrett had barely managed to get the words out.

  Throughout her recovery, the day of the funeral, and the day Rainer had left her to keep her safe, she’d projected all of the horrifying feelings, the energy that her body could barely contain, into the unbalanced, violent, electromagnetic energy of the storms.

  While sliding the last of the plastic sheeting into place, he kept his eyes locked on hers as he moved back to her. He wondered why he’d never thought to try and replace her harrowing memories of storms with something much more pleasant.

  Removing his cutoff shorts and boxers, he climbed into bed beside her. She clung to him fiercely.

  “I’m right here, baby.” He slid his hands down her torso and removed the shorts and G-string she was wearing. “Just be right here with me, baby. I’ll never let anything hurt you. I’ll always keep you safe.”

  Sam and Aida

  ~Dan Vindico~

  “Good morning, Mrs. Vindico.” Dan kissed his way down Fionna’s temple to her exposed shoulder.

  “Mmm, I love Saturdays that start out like this.”

  Dan loved them as well. He was thrilled that she didn’t have to go back to the stadium until the next Monday, that Aida had slept through the night, and that Fionna was naked and curled up next to him, after he’d rocked her luscious body with his own the night before.

  “Would you like coffee in bed before our sweet little girl gets up?”

  “You know you’re spoiling me rotten.”

  He continued his kisses. “I thought that was my job.”

  A few minutes later, Dan returned to their bed carrying large mugs of coffee. Fionna gave him that dazzling smile that lit his entire world as he handed her the mug. He wrapped his arm over her as they sipped the warm soothing liquid.

  Deciding that heaven couldn’t possibly be much better than this, he reveled in the contentment he felt holding her safely beside him as Aida slept soundly in the room across the hall in her fairy princess bed.

  “I love you,” Fionna whispered. Peaceful satisfaction was evident in her tone.

  “I love you too, so much, Fi.” He willed her to understand the depth of his devotion to her.

  Suddenly, her cell phone rang on the bedside table. It was barely seven o’clock on a Saturday morning, and irritation pulsed through Dan. He’d been thoroughly enjoying a little time all alone with his wife. He wanted her full attention and he wanted to give her his.

  “Great,” Fionna sighed as Dan saw his mother’s name pop up on her screen.

  He pulled the phone from her grasp and narrowed his eyes. “Mom, come on. It’s seven o’clock on a Saturday morning.”

  “Daniel, I thought I might ask Fionna a few things about the invitations. I just got them back from the printers. I don’t understand why she has so many middle names. The engraving looks odd, and they need to go out tomorrow.”

  Deeply regretting for the hundredth time agreeing to this reception, Dan sighed. “Mom, we told you whatever you want is fine. Just tell us when to be there. Right now, we’re in bed.”

  A warm heat glowed in Fionna’s cheeks. Her giggle churned his blood. He fought not to moan.

  Dan had phoned his mother and apologized for blowing up at their dinner and had given her the parameters for agreeing to their reception.

  He and Fionna were not to be bothered with planning or details of the party. They were spending all of their energy on establishing a firm family foundation for Aida, discussing Dan’s future career, and helping Fionna effectively and gracefully end hers. They were also trying very hard to get pregnant, but he’d left that information out when he explained his priorities to his mother.

  As planning and executing the reception down to the most minute detail was precisely what his mother wanted, she’d agreed immediately. However, she’d still taken to phoning incessantly to let Fionna know what she was planning in effort to receive praise.

  “If she could just leave off Halia, it would look much better. I could rush another printing.”

  “Mother, leave Fionna’s names just the way they are.” He commanded.

  “Well, you know, I could use a little help with all of this.” As the martyrdom spewed forth like an erupting volcano, Dan clenched his jaw lest he inform his mother precisely what he thought of her last statement.

  “I’m sure you’re thoroughly enjoying yourself, but like I said we’re busy. Bye, Mom.”

  Fionna was still laughing as she laid the phone back on the table by the bed. “I’m glad we were just drinking coffee this time.”

  Wednesday evening, his mother had phoned six times while he and Fionna had been in the shower doing a whole lot more than drinking coffee. The calls had come after ten at night, so Dan had implemented a curfew when they’d emerged from the shower to find the missed calls lined up on Fionna’s phone.

  Clearly he was going to have to make a schedule for her. She’d be allowed to phone Fionna once each day between noon and 12:05 he decided.

  He pulled Fionna back to his chest and they finished their coffee. They discussed everything and nothing and enjoyed the serenity life had afforded them recently.

  Just as they were pulling on clothes to lounge around in, a timid knock sounded on their door. Smiling, Fionna let Aida in and they all returned to the bed.

  “Are we still going to get a whole new car today?” She asked excitedly.

  “We are going to get a new car.” Dan assured her. “What kind should we get?”

  “Will it be your car or Fionna’s car?”

  Fionna’s left eyebrow raised as she gave Dan a mocking grin. He’d wanted to sell his Ferrari. He’d argued that he wouldn’t ever be able to take her and any of their children in it at the same time, but Fionna insisted that they could have a family car that she would drive and that he could keep his Ferrari at least until they had another child.

  “Fionna will drive it most of the time.”

  “Will my pink flower seat go in Fionna’s new car?” She was very attached to the car seat they’d purchased her the day they’d adopted her.

  “Yep, your pink flower seat will go in my new car just like in Emily’s.” Fionna kissed Aida’s cheek as she wiggled further down in Dan’s arms.

  “I think we should let Fionna pick out the car because she picks everything perfect just like my pink flower seat.”

  “I think that is a very good idea.”

  After taking his girls out to breakfast and watching Aida inhale fried eggs, bacon, and a chocolate chip pancake, Dan drove Emily’s Hummer out to Sam’s lot.

  Fionna had requested that she be able to drive her beloved Solstice, Lola, one last time. Dan followed her to make certain that nothing went wrong. Sam had found a buyer that wanted the frame and parts and didn’t mind replacing the engine for the deeply discounted price.

  Fionna had admitted that she would miss Lola, but that Lola wasn’t her anymore and that she was ready to move on with every aspect of her life.

  Sam sauntered out of his shop sporting a broad grin. He was wiping his hands on a shop rag wearing his signature coveralls.

  “Well, if it isn’t Big Man Vindico and his sweet baby girls. Hello, Miss Aida.”

  “Hi, Sam. How did you remember my name?”

  Sam feigned shock. “Well, Miss Aida, I always remember the pretty girls’ names.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, ‘um, I do. And who is this?” Sam touched the top of Sophie’s plastic head.

  Aida’s eyes lit as she cradled Sophie in her arms. “This is Sophie. She’s my baby. Emily gave her to me, and I’ve never had my very own baby doll before.”

  Sam let a low whistle slide between his teeth, and Aida grinned from ear to ear.

  “Well, Sophie looks like you must take real good care of her. You must be a very good mommy.”

  Aida nodded. “I give her, her bottle, and I put her dresses on very carefully, and I
cover her up with her blanket when she needs to take her nap, and I pat her back like this.” Aida flipped Sophie over and demonstrated patting her back as Dan and Fionna chuckled.

  “Mm hmm, I knew it. I says to myself, Sam, Miss Aida, is just the little girl to take care of Sophie. Now, should we maybe let Dan and Fionna look at some cars to drive Sophie around in?”

  “And for my pink flower seat.”

  Chuckling, Sam nodded. “Well, of course. Can’t have a little girl and no pink flower seat.”

  Sam turned to Fionna. “All right, Mama V, what gone drive Miss Aida and all of the up and comings ‘round in?” He winked at Fionna as she beamed from the thought alone.

  “Something safe, but you know, maybe just a little sporty.”

  Dan chuckled as he kissed her cheek.

  “Come over here Sam’ll take good care of you Miss Amazing wife that don’t want no minivan.” He led Dan and Fionna towards the small gravel lot beside his shop.

  “Now, let me tell you mama, if you gone let him get his way and you gone birth him some boys that gon’ be his size we might as well go ahead and get you a school bus.”

  Dan and Fionna laughed and gazed adoringly at one another.

  Aida lagged behind picking dandelions as they walked.

  “All right, well, Mrs. Vindico says, Sam something sporty. Big man says, Sam, I want her in tank, but you can stick a fancy emblem on the hood if that’d make her happy.”

  Dan nodded his adamant agreement.

  “Sam has to try and make Mama and Daddy happy, so let’s sees what I came up with.” He gestured grandly to four, brand new, large SUV’s lined up on the lot.

  Dan couldn’t help but chuckle as he recalled driving Fionna home in one of the Iodex Expeditions and her comparing it’s size to that of a plane.

  “If it didn’t get no five-star safety rating before Sam works on it, I didn’t even look. We gots your Mercedes, your Lexus, your Toyota, and your Infiniti, any of which should make Mama smile and keep Daddy feeling like his sweet girls are safe. They all got plenty of room for the Big Man and several little ones, along with Mama’s shopping bags, groceries, and even luggage for taking the babies to the beach.”

  Dan laughed. “I don’t know, Sam. You’ve never seen her shop.”

  Fionna feigned offense and slapped Dan playfully on the chest.

  “Careful now, boy. Don’ be saying things like that. She might just decide to go out and melt yo credit cards.” Sam warned.

  Aida approached with a small bouquet of dandelions that she’d gathered on her slow journey. Biting her lip hesitantly, she edged towards Sam and presented him with her gift.

  “Are those for me, Miss Aida?”

  She nodded excitedly.

  “Well thank you, sweet girl.” Sam took the flowers and fixed then in the pocket of his coveralls showing them off proudly.

  “I made them for you because you remembered my name, and you said I was a good mommy for Sophie, and because I like it when you smile and call me Miss Aida.”

  Sam leaned down and embraced Aida tightly. She squeezed him back and Dan knew that a very special bond had just been formed. Two souls that the world had taken so much from had just met one another.

  After driving and re-driving all of the SUV’s, Fionna selected the deep grey, Mercedes GL with all of the upgrades.

  After signing the check, Dan agreed to bring it back Monday for Sam to add the enhanced safety features he wanted.

  He relocated Aida’s pink flower seat from the Hummer to the Mercedes. She was almost as delighted with the new car as Fionna.

  “Should we take the Hummer to Rainer and Emily’s before we go home?” Fionna quizzed.

  Between the Ferrari and his Agusta they were out of garage space. “Not unless you know how to get it in the garage. I don’t want to tip the press off as to where they’ve moved.”

  The press was frantic to know where Rainer and Emily were honeymooning. Several papers had been promising location and photographs in the next few days, though Dan was certain they were claims made only to sell papers.

  Fionna sighed. “I can get it in the garage, but I don’t want to open their garage door just because it used to be mine. Every paper and tabloid I’ve seen lately swears they know where they are, but the only pictures are old and obviously taken when they vacationed at Virginia Beach ages ago. We can just leave my car out until they get back. I’m not going to help people hound them relentlessly.”

  “They’ll be back next Saturday, but I really think we need to hide the Hummer as long as we can.”

  By the time Dan pulled into the garage and Fionna and Aida spilled out of the Mercedes, they were both grinning ear to ear.

  “Tell, Dan.” Fionna guided Aida.

  “Fionna says that because we’re girls, we get to name our cars! So we decided to name the new car Lilah because she’s Lola’s big sister.”

  “I see.” Dan chuckled. “All right, Lilah it is.” He brushed his hand on Aida’s back as she bounded up the stairs in from the garage. “I’m gonna get the paper and mail.” He halted Fionna on the bottom step to gain himself a moment with her lips.

  “Do you know what Lilah means?” Fionna rewarded him with her naughty grin.

  “What’s that?” He’d been certain that Aida hadn’t come up with the name on her own.

  “Temptress.” Fionna waggled her eyebrows.

  “Then I’d say it’s perfect for you, my sexy little seductress.”

  Fionna’s energy spun in elation as Dan swatted her backside as she headed in the house.

  Finding it oddly satisfying that he could actually receive mail and newspapers at his home now, Dan worked his way through the flash of panic that would sear through his mind as he pulled open the mailbox. He’s dead, and they’re all in jail. She’s safe that part of your life is over. He repeated his daily mantra as he gave a friendly wave to one of their neighbors who was mowing his grass. A man that Dan was certain he’d seen dozens upon dozens of times over the last nine years, but had never interacted with in anyway at all.

  What a Tangled Web

  He laid the bills and junk mail on the table and opened the paper. Fionna carried two mugs of the vanilla macadamia nut coffee they’d purchased in Kauai and they settled on the sofa with the large weekend edition of the Realm Times.

  “What’s my baby girl doing?” Dan quizzed as he flipped through the paper.

  “She built a car out of the chairs that go to her coloring table that Daddy got for her in her room. She’s pretending to drive Sophie around. It’s adorable. She puts Sophie in the back then stops somewhere and puts her in her stroller and they go shopping. She has that old purse I gave her.”

  Dan tried to listen, but his eyes goggled and his heart seized when he read the headline. “Stories on the Realm’s Mind: The Times has Answers”

  The stories were broken down into a kind of timeline, and Dan felt nauseous. His picture was on the frontpage, the one that had been on his Elite Iodex ID badge. It gave a synopsis of the days events that lead to the Tantra takedown.

  The next page contained pictures of Dan cradling Fionna in his arms as he raced her into Georgetown Hospital.

  “What happened inside the Tantra Gentlemen’s Club that had Chief of Iodex Daniel Vindico resigning from Iodex and making his relationship with Angels Lead Receiver Fionna Styler (Vindico) known to the Realm?”

  There were then three possible scenarios given by three different reporters.

  Fionna sighed as they began to read. One alluded to the fact that Dan might’ve killed Dominic Wretchkinsides, whom they assumed had fired the shot at Fionna. The reporter suggested that the Crown Governor, who was also present, hadn’t agreed with Dan’s reasoning and had summarily fired him.

  Another felt that Dan was vying for Fionna’s attention against Garrett Haydenshire, and that they’d fired at one another, and Fionna had gotten caught in the crossfire.

  Fionna gasped. She shook her head in outraged disbelief t
hat someone actually thought that either her husband or one of her best friends would have fired a shotgun in her general direction.

  “Un-fucking-believable,” Dan spat.

  The third reasoned that someone who’d known about their relationship had phoned Fionna stating that Dan had been injured in the takedown and that she’d flown to his side based on the misinformation and had been shot in the confusion.

  The next question on the Realm’s mind, it seemed, was whether or not Fionna would return for a ninth season on the Arlington Angels.

  He started to close the paper, but Fionna stopped him. “No, I want to know what it says, and look, the next story is about Rainer and Emily.

  She pointed to a photo of the two of them taken with a long-range lens as they’d said their vows a week before.

  It’s certainly been an eventful few months for Angels Lead Receiver Fionna Styler recently (Vindico) the story began. After being named best Receiver in the Realm and receiving a large bonus check for her title, Fionna Styler was involved in the dismantling of the Interfeci criminal organization, which culminated in the Tantra Gentlemen’s club.

  Fionna was shot and immediately hospitalized where the Realm learned that she was not only long term girlfriend of Chief of Iodex Officer Daniel Vindico but that she’d been carrying his child.

  It seemed former Officer Vindico didn’t always play by the rules when it came to Fionna. Hospital personnel stated he was overwrought after her injuries and deeply devoted to the newly minted Mrs. Vindico.

  He went so far as to bar anyone from her hospital room that he didn’t give personal permission to enter and to use his Father’s position as one of the Realm Governors to make certain that Fionna had her own personal Medio around the clock.

  Rolling his eyes, Dan didn’t give a damn why the papers thought that Fionna had Adeline all to herself, but he did want to know who had supplied that information.

  The Times learned just a few hours after she’d been admitted to Georgetown that Fionna had suffered a miscarriage of Vindico’s child due to the injuries she’d sustained at the Tantra. So, will Mrs. Fionna Vindico continue her successful career with the Angels, or has the notoriously gruff, to the point some would call him militant in his running of Iodex, and the obviously controlling, Dan Vindico decided it’s time for her to hang up her halo and start him a family. The couple apparently wed on the shores of Waikiki in a private ceremony that even the Governor did not attend.