Liz darted past Tremaine, sweeping her arm and James’ spell to the side. Her other hand came up with a bolt aimed at James. He took it in the chest and was flung into a tree. His clothes smoldered as he slid to the ground.
She let her magic engulf her arms, flowing up her body as she closed the distance and wrapped her hands around his throat. James’ grabbed her wrists, and instead of fighting, he flooded her with his curse.
Memories tore through her, all the horrible things she’d been through, but this time it pissed her off. She held on and reversed the curse, pushing it back into him. He cried out, his hands clawing at his face as the roots of the tree twisted and wrapped around his arms and legs.
His body burned, the tree caught fire as the trunk split apart to engulf him, pulling him into the depths of the trunk until the fire died.
Four arms pulled her from the tree. They dragged her back and she tried to twist free, to take her magic from them.
“Shh now, we’re fine,” Tremaine murmured, no trace of pain in his voice. She looked over and saw her magic twisting around him, not harming. She turned her head and found Robert staring at her with a look of astonishment.
Her magic died down, the wind settling, the fire dying, and the electricity fizzling. She panted as they enveloped her in their embrace, pinning her between their bodies. “You’re okay?” she whispered.
“We’re fine. I don’t understand it, but we’re fine.”
Tremaine murmured against her ear, “Thank you for not shutting us out for real.”
“I knew how ticked you would be if I tried that.”
“I would have, but Robert would have zapped us past the shield if it had come down to it.”
Robert nodded. “I would have, but we should find Amethyst, and see what happened to Jarvis.
* * * *
Amethyst sat huddled in the cave behind the waterfall. She figured it was the best place to stay out of sight. As soon as she shot off the top of the falls and started her dive, she felt her connection to Hayden slide back into place and felt him tense up even as she sliced through the water.
She knew he would come to find her, she knew it would be all right. Now, she had to wait.
The cry of a hawk startled her. Amethyst thought it sounded like Fallon, but she froze for a second, until she heard Brody call out.
“She down there?”
Amethyst dove under the falls and surfaced beyond where the pool had stilled. She swam to the boulder and climbed up to wave at Brody.
Fallon swooped down beside her and landed, shifting back to her natural form. Amethyst flung her arms around her.
“Thanks for scaring the hell out of me. That’s a really long drop,” Fallon grumbled
Amethyst laughed nervously, looking away as she stepped back. “It was the best I could do. I didn’t figure either of them were stupid enough to try to come after me if I dropped a hundred plus feet.
“I’m coming down.” Brody said. She looked up in time to see him headed down feet first into the pool of water. The splash flowed over both Fallon and Amethyst.
Fallon smirked at Brody. “You’re lucky I love you,” she teased.
He grinned. “Hey, Ame. I thought I could keep you company while my bossy woman goes to find Robert for a quick trip up.” He caught Fallon’s gaze. “There’s smoke though. I’m sure it’s some spell, but it’s been pretty dry.”
Fallon nodded. “I’ll be back shortly.” She shifted and flew up over the rise.
“You had us all worried,” Brody told her. “You okay?”
“Yeah, I got away before anything happened.”
“How did they get you?”
“Uh, there was a gunshot, or what sounded like a gunshot, and when I went back, it looked like Hayden had been shot. He was bleeding. I went back there, and as I stepped through the door, he shrank down to a man who looked like his skin was wax and had melted.” She ran her hands through her hair and looked up at the sky. “When I came to he was there with Jarvis.”
“They didn’t hurt you?”
“No. They scared me, and don’t tell Hayden this, but I had to let Jarvis think I might let him get somewhere with me. As soon as the iron cuffs were off I kicked him in the nuts and ran.”
Brody grinned. “You broke his nose too, Ame.”
She shrugged, her eyes darting away. “Fallon taught me to knee them in the balls, grab their ears, and ram their face into my knee. I didn’t want him coming after me.”
“Good, from what Preston said, the bastard deserved far worse, but I’m certain Hayden and Preston have that covered.”
She grimaced. “Somehow, I don’t doubt that. They can both be very protective when they feel the need.”
“And you can be very proactive. You got out of the situation without any harm.”
She grinned back at him. “Yeah, it’s good to have big tough teachers who can show me a thing or two.”
* * * *
Liz melted between them. Her head laying on Tremaine’s chest. She trembled as the adrenaline faded away. “You guys okay?” She asked.
“Yeah, and you’re fine,” Trem murmured into her hair.
“We’re fine.” Robert kissed her shoulder.
“Good,” she muttered. “You can loosen your grip then. You’re squishing me.”
“I felt that curse again. Is that why you’re trembling?” Robert asked softly, turning her face to get a better look at her.
“He tried, but I gave it back to him. And did I seriously make the tree eat him?”
Tremaine chucked. “That was some pretty freaky shit, but you got rid of him.”
“You were right.” She looked into Trem’s eyes. “I didn’t need a long drawn out revenge. I just needed him gone. And now he is.”
“Got that right.”
A hawk landed beside them, and then shifted into Fallon. Liz arched a brow. “Hey, find Amethyst?”
Fallon was busy staring at James hands and feet that were sticking out of the tree trunk. “Is that him?” She asked with wide eyes.
Liz sort of shrugged and nodded. “You can blame me for that.”
“That’s a druid thing, or sometimes fae.” Her brow arched. “But you’re a mage?” It came out like a question.
“Apparently, I’m a hybrid.” Liz snorted. “Is Amethyst all right?”
“Yeah, I need a little help. She’s at the bottom of the falls, and they are pretty high. Brody’s down there too. He didn’t want to leave her all alone.”
Robert shook his head. “He’s no better than Preston about the translocation.”
“Sure he is. He doesn’t complain if he throws up.” Fallon nodded in the direction had she flown from. “It’s not too far from here. Down the river, maybe a mile.”
“We’ll head back to Hayden and Preston.” Tremaine said. “At least I don’t hear Jarvis’ screams anymore.”
“Just one favor,” Fallon looked Liz in the eyes. “Don’t tell Amethyst how you killed James.” She glanced at the tree. “That would freak her out, because somewhere along the way she’s picked up a few tricks with plant life.”
Liz’s brow arched. “Don’t worry. I’m not one who’ll want to talk about it.”
Robert squeezed Liz’s hand. “We’ll be right back.”
* * * *
Preston sat against the wall of the shack, as far away from Jarvis’ beaten and battered body as he could. Hayden had gone ballistic, beating Jarvis until every last one of his bones were pulverized.
“I think he’s dead,” Preston shouted.
Hayden slammed his fist back down, splashing more blood before his gaze snapped up. His big chest heaved and he nodded once.
“Dude,” Preston grimaced, “you need to go take a dip in the river before you scare the fuck out of Amethyst.”
Hayden scrubbed a hand over his face, smearing the blood… And was that brains? The big fae looked down at his hand and winced. “You have a point.”
He lumbered to his feet and gave Pr
eston a dark look. “You may want to step back. I don’t want her to see this mess.”
Preston moved out of the way and walked toward the river.
He heard shifting dirt and creaking plants. He turned back to see the ground crumble away as the shack and the evidence fell into the sudden sinkhole. Preston stood frozen, watching as the ground closed over the mess.
“Now that’s handy.” Preston turned back to the river and dropped to his knees to wash his face and hands. At least, he had gotten out of the way before Hayden lost it and beat Jarvis into a bloody pulp… literally.
“Yeah, best if my little nymph doesn’t know all the details.” Hayden walked past Preston and dove into the water.
There was a pop, and before Preston could turn around arms wrapped around his neck. “I missed you.”
Preston turned to hug Amethyst back. “Missed you too. I’m sorry. I won’t shut you out again.”
“Good. It gets lonely when you aren’t being a turd.”
He grinned. “I’ll remember that, short stuff.”
Hayden emerged from the water. There was still blood on his clothes, but he no longer looked like the killer in a slasher movie.
“You okay, little nymph?” Hayden murmured. Amethyst was up and in his arms in an instant.
“Yes. I’m sorry. I thought it was you when I went out back. He looked like you, and you were bleeding. I should have felt for our connection first.”
“Shh, I got you. I’m fine, and I would have done the same thing. Did he touch you?”
She ducked her eyes. “Not much. I got out of there before he had a chance.”
Fallon landed beside Brody and shifted. She took his hand and leaned into him. He wrapped his arm around her.
Liz and Tremaine caught up with them. Liz took Robert’s hand. “It’s over. Finally.”
Robert nodded. “It is.”
“Just one thing,” Preston said. “With Draecyn gone, and Jarvis dead, who is going to head up the enforcer division? Because, I personally think you’d make a good leader, Robert. And you’d be traveling a lot less because of it.”
Robert’s brow arched as he looked back. “I don’t know about taking the reins. I’m not sure I even want to go back after everything. There’s so much that needs to change on the council.”
“And you could do that. I could help you, but I’m no leader.” Preston smirked. “Just imagine the trouble I’d stir if they put me in charge.”
Liz’s smile widened. “Robert could be Magister, and you, Preston, could be Lieutenant. I think you’d do better than you think.”
Preston snorted. “If you say so.”
Robert turned to Liz. “You wouldn’t be opposed to me taking that kind of role?”
She smiled back at him. “You would be stationed where you need to be, and it’s not like you can’t go wherever you’re needed when you have to be elsewhere. Besides, the idea behind the council is a good one. You have a better chance of making the reality line up with the idea.”
Tremaine nudged Robert’s shoulder. “I agree. I might even be willing to consult from time to time, if you were in charge. Though, I don’t want to go back full time.”
Liz shrugged. “Me too, if they won’t freak when they realize I’m alive. I don’t want to be made a target because I’m different.” She sighed.
Preston shook his head. “If we’re considering this, Robert and I can make that happen. Besides, I for one, missed you and your attitude.”
“You only like it because you can’t rile me,” Liz snipped back.
Amethyst sighed. “Can we get out of here? I feel weird standing where everything went down.” She glanced back at where the shack had been. Now there was just a mound of dirt. “Uh, this is where they held me, right?”
Hayden nodded. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”
Preston quickly added, “Yeah. It is.”
Chapter 33
Two weeks later and Liz was standing in front of the mirror, smoothing out the summer dress she wore for Fallon and Brody’s bachelor/bachelorette party. Tremaine sat on the bed watching her with a smile.
“You’re still stressing. He’ll be on time,” he told her.
She turned toward him, her hands squeezed tight into fists. “I’m not stressing over Robert. I know he’ll make this work. I’m proud of him stepping up and taking this role. It’s fitting for him.”
Tremaine stood up. He looked good in his linen pants and white shirt. He closed the distance and tipped her face up. “Then what’s bothering you, doll?”
She sighed. “I never really fit in with the council. Now I may have to work with some of them from time to time. I haven’t had to deal with those looks in a long time.”
“Yeah, but Robert already said you’ll only ever work with us and Preston unless you choose otherwise. Plus, he wants you as the druid/mage diplomat. Which is a new project that you will not only excel at, but learn a few things as well.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes. “I still have to confront Amalie. I wonder how she’s going to take the news that I’m not only alive, but with two mages? She never seemed to care much for our kind.”
“She’s a good woman, and I imagine she’ll be happy to know you not only lived, but you’re doing amazingly well for yourself.”
“Thanks to you.” She leaned in and kissed him soft and sweet.
There was a pop and Robert’s arms came around her. “Hey, love. I missed you.” He kissed her shoulder then leaned over to kiss Tremaine as well.
She groaned, it was so damned sexy when they did that. “How’d it go?”
“Well, everything is in place. We won’t be called away unless it’s an emergency. I’ll be here most of the time, but I’ll always be back if I do have to go out. And you, well, everything is taken care of. Just let me know if anyone says something they shouldn’t. I’ll take care of it.”
“No, I’ll take care of it.” She turned and straightened Robert’s tie. He wore slacks, with a button down shirt, vest and a tie, which she really wanted to wrap around her hand so she could bring his mouth back to hers, but they had a party to get to.
“I take it you want to get going?” He chuckled.
“I do.” She moved from between her two men and slipped her sandals on.
“Are you still going to talk to Fallon about training with her?”
“Yeah, because practicing by myself is getting weird. I need some guidance.” Liz shrugged and looked out the window. “I’m doing things I’ve never seen before.”
“You always did.” Tremaine chuckled. “It’s good though. Between the three of us, we can work some pretty impressive magic.”
She winked back at him. “Maybe we should all start practicing together.”
“Good idea,” Robert grinned.
* * * *
Tremaine watched Liz and Fallon talking under a tall shaded tree near the lake. He was starting to question his judgment in inviting Amalie, but he knew she was going to chicken out.
“Tremaine. You have news for me?” His stomach dropped. He wasn’t expecting Amalie quite so soon.
He turned slowly and forced a smile. “I do. Good news in fact. Your daughter is alive and well. You’ve even met her, and will be working with her soon.”
Her eyes swept to Liz. “Elizandra is Deidre?”
He nodded. “She doesn’t know I called you here. She’s worried you’ll want nothing to do with her after all this time. So I figured it best to bring you up to speed beforehand.”
Liz looked up and froze when she saw Amalie standing next to Tremaine. Guilt slammed into him, but this was a good thing.
Amalie smiled. “You know, calling me to tell me she didn’t know I know would have been wise. I can see the fear in her eyes. I won’t turn my back on her though.”
“I didn’t figure you would,” Tremaine told her.
“No, I won’t. I just have two questions. “When did you find out? And does Draecyn know?”
Tremaine l
ooked back over at her and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Draecyn is dead, but he knew. I didn’t realize he knew until a couple of weeks ago when I found out.”
She nodded. “He was probably wise to keep it to himself. Who else knows what she is?”
“Only a few people I can trust. I want to keep it that way.”
“So she does take after both of us?” Amalie looked back to Liz who was making her away across the yard. She snagged a glass of champagne on the way.
* * * *
Liz didn’t know if she should be annoyed, mad, or happy that Tremaine went against her wishes to invite Amalie. Of course, she should have known. He had her best interests at heart, but she was a chicken shit all the way.
“Hey, Amalie,” she said awkwardly, wondering if the woman knew she knew. God, what did Tremaine tell her?
Her smile brightened. “I’m sorry I didn’t know sooner, Liz.” Her eyes closed. “That wasn’t your name when you were born.”
“What…what was it?” Liz stammered.
Tremaine wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. He kissed her head, and she melted into him.
“Deidre. But Elizandra fits you. I wish I had never stopped looking for you. I wish I could go back and change things.”
“Thank you for that, but Tremaine said you found a body of a child. I can’t imagine what you went through, but I don’t blame you. Besides, dwelling on the past gets you nowhere. So let’s start here and now.”
Liz held out her hand, but Amalie pulled her into a hug. A lump formed in her throat.
Her mother murmured, “I look forward to getting to know you. Really getting to know you. Even if you don’t share who I am to you, I do want to know you as a daughter.”
“Okay, yeah. I just…,” she glanced back at Tremaine as Amalie let her go. “That sounds good.”
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