by Bianca D'Arc
CHAPTER TWELVE
The next morning started out a bit like the previous one, but after Josh woke alone, cleaned up and made breakfast for Deena, they actually got to eat it this time. They spent a bit longer at the table than strictly necessary, but Josh liked the sort of goofy way Deena was looking at him. He liked teasing her too. She responded to him so beautifully it was hard not to make love to her right there on the kitchen table.
He was contemplating how to go about it when Deena straightened, and Josh felt the influx of familiar magic a moment later. Duncan was back. The wards were functioning, alerting them both to the fey man’s arrival, but they didn’t keep Duncan out. He’d helped build them, so he was one of the few who would always be allowed in.
Though Josh’s plans for seduction were foiled by Duncan’s arrival, Josh was curious to find out if Duncan had learned anything from Reggie and Felicia. Josh followed Deena to the front door, where Duncan was waiting politely on the front steps.
“Come in,” Deena invited after she’d opened the door. Duncan inclined his head in greeting as Josh nodded, just once, at him. “We’re just finishing breakfast. Can I offer you anything?” Deena led the way back into the kitchen.
“Just some coffee, if you have it,” Duncan replied, following her. Josh brought up the rear, after securing the front door, keeping an eye on Duncan and Deena as they moved through the house.
“I think that can be arranged,” Deena said as they entered the big kitchen.
She went straight to the coffee pot and poured a fresh cup for Duncan. She then refreshed Josh’s cup before her own and set the pot back on the warmer. Duncan sat comfortably at the table, seeming to savor the first sip of Deena’s excellent dark roast.
After a moment, he set the cup down and looked at them both, his expression serious. “I wanted to let you know what I’ve discovered so far from your attackers. They came here specifically for you, Deena.” He let that sit for a moment before continuing. “They definitely are members of the Venifucus order, and they report to another mage who is even higher up in the organization. I’m still working to get information on him, and more about the order in general, but the really bad part is that they knew all about you, Deena. Reginald had been specifically tasked to watch for your power, and apparently, he’d noted a flare of it the night before last. He figured between himself and Felicia, who he called in at the last minute, they’d be more than a match for you. They hadn’t bargained on your abilities, Josh, so that was a break for us.”
“There wouldn’t have been a flare of magic if not for me, though, so I’m really to blame for all of this,” Josh admitted, putting it out in the open. The attack had been his fault, at its core. Reggie wouldn’t have spotted Deena if Josh hadn’t been there… If they hadn’t made love and caused the power surge that brought her to Reggie’s attention.
Deena reached out and covered his hand with hers on the tabletop. What a soft thing she was, both physically and emotionally. Deena was the beating heart of him, and she made him a better man. That she would so easily forgive him bringing her to the attention of their enemies—even inadvertently—meant a more than he could say.
“Believe me,” Duncan said to him, “sooner or later, something would have happened, and they would have found her. Much better that you were here to do what you did. The two of you, working together, were able to defeat Reginald and Felicia, which is a feather in both of your caps. They weren’t just simple foot soldiers. They were highly-placed Venifucus mages. It’s a coup that you were able to defeat them, and a good result for our side. So, well done.”
Duncan took a sip of his coffee and went on. “They realized a bit too late who you were, Josh. Reginald was highly-placed enough to have heard about the rogue wolf-mage—which is what he called you—that some of the lesser mages had been hunting. It sounds like they lost your trail and didn’t know you’d be here.”
“Son of a…” Josh muttered. He’d hoped the enemies he’d had to fight on his way to this place had just been random opportunistic magic users. To learn he’d truly been hunted made him really mad, and it infuriated his inner wolf. He wasn’t prey!
“If they’d realized sooner who you are, and that you were here, they would’ve come with a posse to capture you both. As it was, I think we caught a few breaks here, for which we should be very grateful.”
“Oh, I am,” Deena said at once. “The Mother of All has been watching all of this much more closely than usual. She even appeared to Josh, which was unexpected.”
Duncan looked at her, then at Josh and turned the conversation on end with two simple words.
“I know.”
Deena frowned, and Josh sensed a change in the air. “How could you know that?” Deena finally asked. “We didn’t tell anyone. Josh, did you tell Duncan?”
“Nope,” Josh answered her, eyeing Duncan with interest. He definitely had the air of someone who was about to reveal something that might just be life-altering.
“She said you would be tested, did She not?” Duncan asked. Slowly, Josh nodded. “Facing those mages was part of your test, but merging your magic with Deena’s was the really telling part. As a priestess, Deena has sworn her life to the Goddess. The Mother of All saw into your heart through Her connection with Deena, and found your soul to be pure.”
“How—?” Deena started to ask, but Duncan raised one hand to cut off her question.
“Because you passed the many tests laid before you, Josh, I am empowered to discuss a greater opportunity for you to serve the Mother of All…if you want to.”
Josh was intrigued. “Tell me more.”
Deena had long suspected there had to be more to Duncan than met the eye. For one thing, it was unusual for a fey to stay so long in the mortal realm without some greater purpose to fulfill. Deena’s grandmother had been here for centuries, but she was a priestess of the Lady, a servant of the Mother of All. It was the will of the Goddess that kept Deena’s grandmother here, doing the Goddess’s work and helping those who served Her.
Duncan hadn’t seemed to have the same kind of ties. Though Deena knew all about how he had come into the mortal realm almost accidentally when a powerful young priestess had inadvertently opened the portal to bring him through, Deena had no idea what he’d been doing—other than house sitting and watching over an old vampire friend.
This was the first indication that there might be some higher purpose to his presence. If Duncan was aware of what had happened between Josh and the Lady, then Duncan, too, had to have a strong connection with Her. She had to have spoken to him directly. Somehow.
What was he that he spoke to the Goddess without the intervention of a priestess?
“Have you ever heard of a Chevalier de la Lumiere? Literally translated, it means a Knight of the Light.” Duncan looked down, taking a breath, then looked up again, pinning Josh with a suddenly intense gaze. Bright golden light shone out of his eyes and began to surround his entire body. “I am one. As is your sire.”
“My father?” Josh asked, seemingly dazed by the transformation happening before their eyes.
Where Duncan had sat, in plain modern clothing, the light enveloping him revealed something very different. The golden glow showed a man in armor of pure energy, arcane symbols lighting his breastplate and gauntlets.
Duncan stood, and Deena could see the sword of light forming at his side. It was like a visual overlay. Underneath the glowing armor was still the man who had entered her kitchen, still wearing the dark pants and shirt in which Duncan had arrived. Over that, now, was an encasing golden light of pure magical energy. Goddess touched, Deena could tell.
Josh stood, too, facing Duncan from across the big farm kitchen.
“Yes, Josh. Your father is a brother to me in the sacred Order that serves the Lady. He is a Knight of the Light, but like me, he has been trapped in the fey realm for a very long time. I was able to break through the barrier evil had placed around me when a new and powerful priestess unwittingl
y called for my aid. Since then, I have been here, in the mortal realm, where I can actually do some good in the fight against evil. Your father still needs rescue, and I believe it is something you can accomplish—you and Deena together—with your joined, amplified power.”
“Why can’t the Goddess just bust him out?” Josh asked. It was a rather irreverent question, but Deena had been wondering the same thing.
Duncan shook his head. “She is all powerful—within certain constraints. Her influence in this realm is much greater, for example, than in those realms which are still clouded by strong magic. Faerie is practically built from magic alone, and those with evil intent—like Elspeth and her followers—have made the most of that over the centuries.” Duncan sighed.
“So, my father was trapped? That’s why he abandoned my mother?” Josh asked, his voice sounding strange to Deena’s ears, as if he was trying very hard to control his emotions.
Duncan nodded. “He loved her. He still loves her. She was his mate, in the truest sense of the word. It broke his heart when he realized he couldn’t come back to this realm.”
Josh was overly calm. Deena wanted to go to him. She stood, but she found she couldn’t go far because she started to feel funny.
She recognized the feeling, though, and didn’t worry. She gave herself up to the sensation and knew that Duncan and Josh would be speaking with a much higher authority at any moment.
Josh felt something happening with Deena through their new connection and turned just in time to see her eyes change. Deena was somewhere else, and in her place, the Goddess had come to call. Again.
“Rest easy, young Joshua,” the Goddess said through Deena. “All is well, and you have passed the many tests placed before you these past few months. You never once wavered toward evil, and you have shown yourself to have a pure and giving heart. We have watched over you for a long time, Joshua, and We would have you as one of Our Knights, if you are willing.”
Josh was floored by the offer. The Goddess was singling him out as something special? Him? The lone wolf who had no friends and no ties…
But he was tied irrevocably to Deena now. Maybe it was time to start forging some other bonds. Who better to serve than the Lady, Herself?
Josh had never been overly religious in an outward way, but his faith in the Goddess had seen him through tough times more than once. He had always striven to be the kind of man his mother would be proud of, and his mother was a deeply devout woman, filled with faith, even in the darkest times.
Josh sank to one knee before the Goddess in Deena’s form.
“Milady, I have always sought to live my life in service to Your Light.”
The Goddess smiled, and Josh felt the warmth of her radiance.
“We have seen that truth in your actions. You need to know that those of fey blood must choose to serve Us. We cannot command those of the immortal realms the way We can those of the mortal realm. You are a child of both places, Joshua, so it is your decision…as it was Deena’s…and her grandmother’s…and Duncan’s…and your father’s. We fear dark times are ahead of all beings of the Light, and We seek your alliance and service to help combat the evil that will come against you. Will you serve the Light as a Chevalier?”
Josh looked up at the Goddess, sure of his decision even before she asked.
“I will, Milady. It will be my honor.” Josh bowed his head and felt a magical benediction rain down around him.
The Goddess’s blessing energized him and brought him something…more. Something he didn’t quite understand yet, but he assumed he’d have to learn how to master before he could truly serve Her.
“Good. Then, rise, Sir Joshua, and be clad in the Light.”
Josh got to his feet, an aura of power gathering around him. Though he couldn’t see all of himself, he was aware of the shield of light that formed around his legs and arms. Unlike Duncan’s golden armor, Josh’s was the pure white he had seen the few times his magic had risen with Deena’s. White sparkles surrounded him, coalescing into a kind of energy shield that surrounded his body, following its contours faithfully.
“Duncan will be your first teacher, but We want you and Deena to work on something special. And thus, We set you your first task in Our name,” the Lady told him. “We wish you to open the barrier between this realm and faerie, just enough to pull your sire through. He has been trapped long enough and has missed too much of your life. He is also more familiar with your particular brand of energy and will be better able to teach you how to master it.”
“I’ll do my best, Milady,” Josh replied, feeling a bit lost because he didn’t even know where to start to try to do something like that. He hoped Deena had a clue. Or maybe Duncan.
“We leave you now, Our newest Knight. Welcome to the Order, and Our deepest thanks for choosing to serve the Light. We will need your strength in the battles to come.” The Goddess left Deena, and as before, Deena swayed, and Josh caught her.
He placed her on her chair, crouching beside her while he monitored her return to her own body. He held one of her hands and stroked her cheek with his free hand.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was him. Her eyes widened.
“Josh, you’re glowing!”
“Very sparkly, indeed,” Duncan agreed with a grin. “But perhaps we should tone down the armor for now. Follow my lead,” the fey warrior said, doing something with his magic that Josh could just about follow after the days spent observing and practicing with Deena.
When the glow had receded, Josh realized the barrier around his body was still there, just not visible. That would be handy if he kept getting attacked by mages. Of course, he’d just agreed to be a Knight. Chances were, battle would be in his future more than not.
His inner wolf wanted to bat at the encasing energy at first, but once he got used to it and realized its protective properties, he made peace with it. The wolf seemed to recognize the flavor of the energy with its enhanced senses, and Josh understood that the protection was of the Goddess, but also part of his own energies…and Deena’s. The wolf rumbled with happiness. Already, he was joining more closely with his mate. The wolf liked that. A lot.
“What happened?” Deena asked, sitting up straighter as she recovered.
“Well, you know the Goddess came through you again, right?” Josh started, not really sure how to break the news of his elevation to knighthood to her.
“Yeah, I felt what was about to happen. What did She say?”
Josh was still at a loss for words. Duncan cleared his throat, and both Josh and Deena looked over at him.
“The Lady saw fit to ask Josh to join Her elite warriors and pledge to train as a Chevalier, like myself and his sire.” Duncan bowed his head briefly.
“Really? So, did you do it?” Deena wanted to know, looking back at Josh. “Of course you did,” she answered her own question. “Oh, Josh! I knew you were even more special than I first thought.” She reached out to him, throwing her arms around his neck. He moved closer so she wouldn’t topple off the chair, hugging her close.
“You’re not mad I didn’t consult you about my decision first?” he asked quietly, needing to know, despite Duncan’s presence.
“Not at all,” she answered just as quietly. “You know my heart.”
His breath caught at her intimate words. “You’re right,” he answered. “And you know mine. I love you, Deena. More than anything or anyone.”
He kissed her softly, just a quick peck to solidify his words. Duncan was still there, but this needed to be said right now, before more time passed. So much had happened in such a short time. Emotions were running high and needed to be acknowledged.
When they moved apart, Deena looked into Josh’s eyes. “I love you too.”
“That’s good, because it’s a little more…complicated for shifters than I’ve probably led you to believe. When we fall in love, it’s a lifelong thing. It’s a mating thing. Deena. Mating is for keeps.” He took a breath for coura
ge. “Will you be my mate?”
Joy lit her face before she breathed the word that completed his world.
“Yes.”
EPILOGUE
“I’m sorry I couldn’t come back to visit the calf until today,” Grace said in her sweet, high voice as she stroked the calf’s nose. Josh was standing in the doorway to the barn watching Deena and their young visitor. “Mama said you had visitors and I wasn’t to interrupt, but when my brother saw that the car by your mailbox was gone this morning, Mama said it would be okay to come over for a little while. She said to ask about your houseguest, though.” Grace’s small face scrunched up with puzzlement. “Is he a relation?”
Deena chuckled and glanced back toward Josh. She’d known when he’d arrived, but apparently Grace hadn’t. He walked closer and took Deena’s hand in his very deliberately. He noted Grace’s start of surprise when he appeared and her inquisitive expression when Josh took Deena’s hand.
Josh was glad they’d never really explained who he was supposed to be in relation to Deena, because the cousin story would never work. And it would’ve made things awkward now. As it was, Deena’s neighbors would probably be a little shocked by the suddenness of his appearance on the scene, but that couldn’t be helped.
“Josh is my husband,” Deena replied, before he could say anything. His inner wolf wanted to howl his happiness. This was the first time Deena had claimed him as her mate in front of witnesses.
Sure, Duncan probably knew they were mates, but the actual words had remained pretty much unspoken for the most part. This declaration was something fresh and shiny. A set of words that meant something spectacular because of the context.
Grace might only be one little girl, but it was clear that Deena’s warnings about the Amish grapevine were spot on. They’d been keeping an eye on her house and knew when there was a vehicle that didn’t belong. While it was reassuring in a way that Deena had such interested neighbors, it didn’t do much for Josh’s peace of mind that nobody had come over to see if she was okay. In fact, they’d stayed away while her visitors were present. If Deena had been all alone, or in real trouble, how long would it have been before someone checked on her? Josh didn’t like to think of the answer to that question.