by Bonnie Lamer
I grin. “Yes, you did.”
She closes her eye again. “I’m going to crawl under the covers and not come out for a year.”
I put my finger under her chin and tilt it up. “Xandra, open your eyes.” I wait to continue until she finally does. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You are absolutely beautiful, and the fact that you want to be with me as desperately as I want to be with you is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life.”
Her lips turn up a bit at the corners. “I’m glad. Do you think we could keep the whole sleep seduction to ourselves, though?”
The thought of bringing it up over dinner with Grandmother makes me laugh. “I think that is the wise thing to do. Now, unless you want to finish what we started before, I suggest we rise and go downstairs.”
She does not seem ready to face the world quite yet. I am about to suggest she take a long bath when her mother calls softly through the door. “Xandra, are you awake?”
After doing a quick check that we are both fully clothed, she says, “Yeah, come on in, Mom.”
Her mother floats through the door and stops when she sees Kallen. A frown scrunches her ghostly forehead into wrinkles. “I thought Isla had a strict ‘no sleeping together’ policy.”
“Um, Mom, there’s something I forgot to tell you.” I close my eyes. I know what she is going to say next and this is going to be ugly. I guess I wanted to assume that Xandra told her parents, which is ridiculous since I know she has not had the opportunity to broach such a difficult topic.
Because I am not a coward, I open my eyes. Her mother can already tell that she is not going to like what she is about to hear. “And that would be?”
Barely above a whisper, Xandra squeaks, “Um, Kallen and I are left hand-fasted.”
Before our eyes, her mother’s form grows until it is twice its normal size. Her voice loud and angry enough to make the windows come close to breaking, she screams, “You are what?!” Looking at me, she snarls, “How dare you marry my daughter without permission. She is seventeen years old and in our realm, she still needs a parent’s permission. This marriage will be annulled immediately!”
“Mom!” Xandra yells over her. “We’re not married.”
“What’s going on in here?” Xandra’s father asks as he floats through the door. He looks back and forth between his wife and daughter. “Julienne, what’s wrong?”
The words tumble out her mouth, stepping on each other to make it out first. “Your daughter got married!” I am hoping that if I stay perfectly still, I will escape this situation unscathed.
Looking at his daughter in disbelief, he says, “Xandra, is this true?”
“No, but Mom won’t let me explain.” Xandra is using her ‘daddy’s little girl’ voice. It works.
Turning back to his wife, he says, “Julienne, why don’t we let her explain so we can get this all sorted out.”
Xandra’s mother crosses her arms over her chest. I cannot even imagine the evil thoughts going through her mind right now. It may be wise for me to avoid her for a while. A long while. “Talk,” she demands.
“Perhaps, I can help,” Grandmother says from the doorway. I have never been so glad to see her.
The angry spirit swings around to her. “Yes, I would like to know why you thought it would be fine to let my daughter get married.”
Only the tightness around Grandmother’s eyes gives away how badly she would like to respond in kind to her rudeness. “Has Xandra explained to you that she is not actually married?”
“I tried,” Xandra mumbles and her mother shoots her a deadly glance.
“In our realm, courting is not as…,” Grandmother hesitates a moment. “As uncomplicated as it is in your realm.”
“Meaning?”
Grandmother inclines her head. “Meaning, the rules for interaction are more stringent here. It would be completely inappropriate for two Fairies not hand-fasted to be in each other’s company as these two are. And as you have already experienced, their desire to be in each other’s company is great, and apparently, unstoppable, but it defies the rules of this society. Therefore, a compromise was needed.”
“How is marriage a compromise?” Okay, she is trying not to understand now.
“Julienne,” her husband touches her shoulder, “we need to be patient. I’m sure Isla did not let the kids do something they may regret in a year or two.”
Grandmother gives a slight nod of her head. “Of course. In order to circumvent the rules of society that the two of them were constantly flaunting, they agreed to a left hand-fasting.”
Now that her mother has decided to stop being obstinate, Isla is able to explain what a left hand-fasting is. The tension level in the room drops considerably but I know that her mother is still not happy with the situation. I suspect some lengthy mother-daughter conversations are in Xandra’s near future. As for me, I am more than ready to move on to a new subject. One less likely to get me killed.
My relief is palpable when Xandra’s semi-mollified mother finally leaves the room with her husband. Xandra turns to Grandmother, “Thanks for helping with that. I’ve never seen my mom so mad before.”
Grandmother smiles. “As your father said, these have been stressful days.” Changing the subject, she adds, “Dinner will be in the formal dining room in half an hour. Please be prompt.” She turns on her heel and leaves.
With a big sigh, Xandra flops back onto the bed. “I thought I was a goner there for a minute.”
I laugh half-heartedly. “I believe I would have been the first casualty.”
Xandra turns her head to look at me. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I wouldn’t have been too far behind you, though.” Sitting back up, she says, “I should check on Alita if she’s still here. I hope her head is feeling better.”
Rising from the bed, I stretch the tension from my muscles. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Xandra checking me out. That sends a shot of heat through me. I hold my hand out to her and pull her from the bed. “Just one more kiss since you seem to find me so irresistible.”
Shooting a quick glance to the now open door, she smiles. This kiss is not the passionate ones we shared earlier, but it holds a sweet promise for the next time we find ourselves alone.
Ending the kiss slowly, I finally say, “Alita is just down the hall. I’ll see you downstairs in a few minutes.” I am in desperate need of a very cold shower first.
Chapter 10
Giving Xandra a chance to spend some time with Alita, I go to my room for a quick shower. Then I go in search of her little brother. From my own experience, I know how annoying it is to be kept in the house when all you want to do is explore and play. I find him standing near the door to the room he is staying in. I believe he is trying to sneak out while his parents talk to his aunt.
“If your parents say it is okay, I would be happy to bring you out to the beach,” I say to him.
A grin spreads across his face. “Mom, Kallen’s going to take me outside, okay?”
His mother pauses a moment, but relents when she sees the excitement on his face. “Okay, but don’t go in the water.” She gives me a look that lets me know she is still not happy with me.
“We should go before she changes her mind,” I say to Zac with a wink. He does not need to hear that twice. He is down the stairs in a heartbeat.
Out on the beach, I teach Zac how to build a sand castle. It is hard to believe he has never been to a beach before. I cannot imagine living so far from the water. A ping hits my heart as I think about Xandra going back to her realm and Colorado. I guess I have to imagine it because I am not staying here if she is going there.
I point out a sand crab to Zac and he is instantly fascinated. He watches it for a full five minutes before remembering we were working on a castle. I laugh when he gives me a sheepish look and then returns to finish it. It is just about dinner time when we are done. He is disappointed when I tell him we must go inside.
Xandra is coming
downstairs for dinner when we come in. Zac runs to her to share his excitement about the beach. “Kallen just showed me a crab! And he said maybe after dinner, he’ll take me swimming in the ocean! Will you come with us? Please? Pretty please?”
She laughs. “Yes, I’ll come with you. Providing Mom and Dad say it’s okay.”
He scrunches up his face. “Mom will probably say no, so I better ask Dad first.” Smart kid.
“Good plan. Why don’t you go wash your hands for dinner and then maybe Kallen can make you some new magic clothes.”
His eyes light up. “Really, he can make me magic clothes? What kind of magic will they have?” I laugh at his misunderstanding and try to cover it with a cough.
Xandra smiles patiently. “The clothes won’t be magical. They’ll just be made with magic.”
“Oh.” Disappointment shows in the slump of his shoulders. “That’s no fun.”
His sad little face is too much for me. “Perhaps I can make you a shirt that glows in the dark. Would you like that?”
The smile’s back. “Yeah, that’d be cool.” With that, he runs off to wash up.
Xandra wraps her arms around my neck and kisses me. “That was really sweet of you.”
I put my hands on her hips and pull her closer. “I am simply trying to stay in your good graces. Maybe if I tire you out enough swimming, you will become a sleep seductress again.”
She swats at me and steps back with pink cheeks. “We agreed not to talk about that.”
“No, we agreed not to tell anyone else. Personally, I plan to not only talk about it, but fantasize about it as well.” She gives me a dirty look but I still laugh.
“Well, you two look cozy,” Barb says as she comes down the stairs. She gives us a knowing look that somehow looks creepy on her. And it embarrasses Xandra even more. “I’m just passing through. You two go ahead and finish up your conversation.”
As soon as she walks by, Xandra buries her head in my chest. She is so cute when she is embarrassed. How can I not laugh when she is acting like this? She pushes me and I stagger back a little because I am laughing so hard now. Obviously, she is not amused and she turns and stomps out of the room. So cute. I follow her with my shoulders still shaking from silent laughter.
We are eating in the formal dining room tonight in honor of our guests. Even though two of them cannot actually sit at the table. Or eat. Though Xandra’s father does seem to be able to smell food. It can be a little annoying when he hovers over our shoulders to get a better whiff. Not to mention cooling the temperature of our food considerably when he gets too close.
I walk in just behind Xandra and hear Kegan complaining about the weight of the food tray he is carrying. “Whatever is in here weighs a ton, Tabitha,” he complains, feigning exhaustion. “I do not think I could lift another thing.” Tabitha ignores him and heads back to the kitchen.
I cannot let that go without comment; he left himself wide open. “That is because you are weak, cousin. Perhaps someone with more strength should help, like Xandra.”
Kegan is feisty tonight. Instead of just shooting daggers at me with his eyes, he sets the tray down and then creates one and throws it at me. I easily block it by creating a shield. Now he is angry. He creates several more daggers and proceeds to bombard my shield with them. I believe it is time to make a hasty exit. I tear out of the room and Kegan follows. With more daggers. I zig and zag through furniture to keep from getting hit.
I have a good enough head start on him that I am able to ambush him on the terrace. As he comes out of the door, I tackle him and we both go flying off the terrace into the sand. Since I land on top of him, all the air in his lungs is expelled in a loud oomph. I’m pretty sure the fight has been knocked out of him as I roll off from him. It sure feels good to blow off some steam like we used to do. I did not realize how much I missed our constant bantering and fighting.
“You need to go on a diet, cousin,” Kegan says when he rolls over and gets some oxygen in his lungs. He’s trying to get the sand out of his mouth through a combination of both spitting and wiping off his tongue with the back of his hand. “Your sheer bulk is enough to kill a Fairy.”
I stand up and offer him my hand. “You are simply too scrawny. If you had muscles under that skin of yours, you would not be so weak and easily tumbled.”
He ignores my jab and laughs as I help him up. “It is good to have you back, cousin. It was not that long ago that I thought we would never be sparring like this again.”
“I did not realize you were such a fan of being constantly bested by me. I will be happy to continue to oblige you while I am still here.”
After punching me in the arm, hard, he says, “Are you really going back to the Cowan realm?”
I shrug. “I admit, I am not looking forward to leaving here again, but I will go wherever my life with Xandra takes me.”
Kegan shakes his head. “You have it bad, cousin. I never thought you would be so easily led around by a female.”
I push him and he stumbles to the ground again, laughing that he got to me. “As if you would not do the same thing if given a chance,” I say with a glare.
He stands up again and brushes the sand from his clothes. “Oh no, I learned my lesson on that front.” His face becomes sober. “I really am sorry about that whole Xandra thing.”
My lips form a flat line. “I know. But I would prefer to put in our past, not keep it in our present.”
Kegan nods. “Me too. And if you are done being so dramatic, I am hungry and would like to join the others for dinner.” He laughs and rubs his arm where I punch him.
Chapter 11
Dinner consists of some of Tabitha’s favorite and best recipes. The food is great and the banter is fun, making it one of the best dinners I have had in a long time. The atmosphere is so jovial that it is hard to believe that three of the people sitting at the table have recently been in hell. Literally. I do not even mind Xandra’s father going around the table trying to take in every aroma. I have never been without a body so I am trying not to judge.
My hand eventually finds Xandra’s thigh under the table, earning me a smile. My god she is beautiful. Thoughts from earlier flood my mind and if I am not careful, everyone at the table will know what they are. I am about to whisper something sexy in her ear when Alita puts her hand to her forehead and grimaces in pain.
Xandra notices as well. “Alita, are you okay?”
She tries to nod, but stops abruptly because it obviously hurts. “Perhaps I should lie down again,” she says softly. Kegan gives a quick glance to Grandmother who nods her head. Standing up, Kegan offers Alita his hand and puts his other hand around her waist as she stands up unsteadily. They make a slow exit and Alita looks like she’s going to fall down any minute.
“Poor girl,” Barb says. “It would be awful to have such a delicate constitution.”
Xandra gives her aunt a funny look. “She’s not usually like this.” Barb gives her a doubting look in return, putting Xandra on the defensive. “She’s not.”
“Xandra, dear, I do not believe your aunt was trying to insult Alita,” Grandmother says in a way that obviously grates against Xandra’s nerves. I am surprised that a snarky response is not forthcoming.
The mood at the table becomes more somber as we all focus on our meal trying to avoid the big ball of animosity growing over the center of the table. There is very little talking for a while. The silence is broken when out of the blue Zac says to Xandra, “You smell funny.”
I cover a laugh with a clearing of my throat but Xandra is not buying it. Everyone at the table stops eating to see where this sibling discussion goes. The odd thing is Zac looks serious. I try to surreptitiously take a whiff of Xandra’s hair which earns me a slap on the chest with the back of her hand and a dirty look even though she is trying to do the same thing. She smells fine to me. Perhaps his senses have not quite fully returned since being reunited with his body. This whole situation is unprecedented so there could be all
kinds of side effects that may pop up.
“Zac, that’s not very nice,” his mother admonishes.
He shrugs. “I wasn’t trying to be mean. She smells different.”
I cannot help it. He looks so anxious that I need to help him out. “What does she smell like?” I ask.
Zac purses his lips and thinks a minute. “It’s like a mixture of skunk and rabbit farts.”
A round of laughter hits the table so hard that food and drink are escaping through noses and lips. Even Grandmother is biting her lip so hard trying not to laugh a little bubble of blood forms around her teeth. Xandra’s mother is trying her best to be strict when she says to her son, “Zac, that wasn’t very nice.” A slight giggle on the tail end of her sentence takes the stern right out of her words.