Gloria walked out carrying a tray with a pitcher of orange juice and three glasses. Belatedly, I saw the fourth tiny glass for Finn, and I smiled up at the poodle shifter, grateful that she’d heard us from the kitchen. Trying to appear casual, I resituated Finn’s table and chair closer to me. As Gloria removed my coffee mug and Finn’s tea cup, I introduced her, not surprised when neither did more than give her a cursory glance.
From one corner of my eye I caught sight of Sebastian’s dark form lounging in the shadows of the dining room doorway. Dorn spotted him, too, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the rest of the windows and doorways.
“I’ll take it from here, Gloria. Thank you.” She dipped her head, catching my eye briefly before turning back to the house. She would be keeping an eye and both ears on us, I knew. Sarah and Michael likely already were. Looking out toward the stables, I was mildly surprised that the horse shifters and Rand weren’t making their way across the yard. Despite not having heard the two approach, I knew I was well-protected from nearly every quarter, though I was pretty sure I didn’t need said protection for whatever this was.
I reached out and poured two glasses of juice, sliding one of them over to Arella. Raising my brow at Dorn, I waited for his response. He gave a slight shake of his head and then went back to watching the area around us. He must be on bodyguard duty for this visit. I filled Finn’s small glass and set it in front of him. He looked relaxed, so I took my cue from him.
“Was that you I saw in the water this morning?” I asked, taking a sip of my juice.
She pursed her lips and nodded. I waited, but she didn’t say anything more. Okay, then. This was going to be quite the one-sided conversation. I tried to gauge her. She didn’t seem angry, she seemed . . . worried. Or maybe just timid. For a second, I wished Tess was out here with us. She could draw almost anyone out of their shell. Since it was just me, I decided to be more direct.
“So is this simply a friendly introductory visit, since we weren’t properly introduced this morning?”
She looked back at Dorn, who nodded to her encouragingly. When she spoke, her words were not only heavily accented, but halting, as if speaking were difficult for her. “My people need your help. The pixies,” she glanced fleetingly at Finn, “you help them, yes?”
In spite of the accent, her voice was soft, hardly louder than a whisper. I had to focus hard to catch each word.
“What kind of help?”
She frowned, lowering her eyes. “Our children, they go missing. They were . . . taken.” She slapped the table, looking frustrated. When she raised her eyes back to mine, there were anguished tears in them. “Stolen.”
What? I thought back to the conversation with the water fae this morning. The king had mentioned problems with fertility and other issues, but he’d said nothing about stolen children.
“I don’t understand.”
Arella looked torn. “My king, he is too proud to ask for help. I am not.”
I recalled Olen’s urgency this morning. No wonder he’d been in such a hurry to get back to the water. “What happened and when? Do you have any idea who took them? How many have gone missing?”
Arella motioned impatiently to Dorn. “Three,” he answered. “I’m sorry, but my queen still has some difficulty with this way of speaking.” The woman’s eyes remained on my face as Dorn spoke. “It happened two days ago. The incident was made to look like the children had wandered too close to the shoreline and . . .” he trailed off at Arella’s broken sob. He placed a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure you can figure out the rest. There was blood. From the scent of it, it was one of the children’s blood, but there wasn’t enough of it to account for an alligator or other predator. You must realize that our young are trained from a very early age to avoid areas where predators are known to dwell. We have several safe areas along the banks, both within and just outside your protection, that are heavily patrolled. We are vigilant in keeping it clear of anything large enough to be a threat to our young and our youngest are never unsupervised. These children were old enough to go for short periods without supervision. They know the dangers. All three have accompanied our adults out to the ocean more than once, to acclimate their systems to the sea water. We have no idea who could have taken them without leaving some sign behind. Our warriors have scoured the entire area and found nothing. There were no scents other than those of the children. The king still searches.”
That must have been the urgent matter he had to leave to attend to. Why hadn’t he said anything to us then? My throat tight, I asked, “How old were—are the children?”
It was Arella who answered. “Two are four years old. The third child, Kylen, is almost six. He is my sister’s child.”
My heart skipped a beat. That was so young, for all of them. But how could I possibly help? Especially in the water? I could barely do more than dog paddle. When Sam and I used to kayak, I was never without a life jacket, just for that reason alone. Now Sam? She could swim like she was born to the water. Tess was a pretty good swimmer, too.
Arella tapped Dorn’s hand, moving her fingers so rapidly, I could barely follow.
“As this happened within your territory, and just outside your protection spell, we recognize that you must be made aware of it.”
Ah. There was the crux of it. Sam should definitely be out here for this.
“You have fought the two Turned witches in the territory to the north and won. You were recently attacked by a large force of magick users and won. Our people know of what you did for the pixies, so she knows your heart is good and you will be willing to help us find our children.”
Briefly, I wondered why he’d used the term magick users instead of witches. The bodies had been disposed of and I wasn’t sure if there was a way to verify anything once they were dead anyway, but Danai had bound the magick of the one we’d left alive. Before I could dwell further on that, he began speaking again.
“We will, of course, assist you in any and every way we can.” Arella’s flashing eyes and determined head nod accompanied Dorn’s words.
It was all I could do to tamp my relief down when Sam and Tess strode out through the dining room door, likely notified by either Gloria or Zara. I saw both Arella and Dorn stiffen.
“Arella, these are my friends, Sam and Tess,” I said quickly. “You’ll remember them from this morning, Dorn.” When he relaxed slightly, I introduced Arella as Sam and Tess pulled chairs up beside me. “Would you mind if I bring them up to speed with what’s happening in your colony?”
Arella studied the two women before turning back to me. “They are human.” She said this as though the idea of including them was ludicrous.
“Sam is human, yes, but she’s also a lawyer and works closely with witches and shifters. Tess is a healing witch. Or she will be soon, anyway. She just hasn’t fully come into her magick yet. Both helped me to, er, fight the Curtens. And everything else since then. Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Visibly surprised, the queen looked at them with consideration that held a little more respect before finally nodding her assent. I told them what Dorn and Arella had shared with me in as few words as possible. When I was done, I glanced over at the two water fae to make sure I hadn’t left anything out. Arella’s eyes were tearing up again, but Dorn inclined his head to me.
“Who would want to take the children and why?” Sam asked gently. I hadn’t noticed the pen and pad of paper she’d brought with her until now. She had taken notes on everything I’d recounted.
Arella gave a shake of her head. “No one. Our people are very careful to hide our existence. We have several small glamours to help with this. Few besides our own know of us and we restrict our contact with others to only those who are necessary.”
Remembering something Finn had mentioned once, I asked, “Some of your people have contact with the shifters in the marina at Jeremy’s, don’t they? Is it possible they could have been seen during any of those interactions?”
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Arella looked up at Dorn inquiringly. Sighing, he said, “There are . . . some . . . who have discovered modern conveniences and use them, yes. But they assure me they take precautions to ensure they are not seen by humans.” The widening of the young queen’s eyes told me she knew nothing of this.
“Okay,” Sam mused. “Maybe the kidnappers aren’t humans. They could be other paras or . . . witches with an agenda. What value would these children have to them?”
Indignation flared in Arella’s eyes as she leaned forward. Before she could answer, Dorn quieted her with a firm hand on her shoulder. “As far as magick goes, our young do not come into their full magickal abilities until they reach puberty. This occurs between the ages of twelve and sixteen for most. Before that, they have only the most basic magickal abilities needed for survival. The strength of that magick varies between family lines. Though two were half-breeds, all of these children came from strong lines and will be valuable assets to the colony when they come of age. Had they been but just a few years older, they could not have been taken at all without great risk of injury to any who attempted them harm.”
Sam caught my eye, and I knew what she was thinking. Could this be the work of our blood magick witches? Or was it completely unrelated?
At another hand tap from his charge, Dorn said, “We must return to the water now. As a female, Arella has the ability to be out of the water much longer than I do, but she reminds me that my time is nearly up.” He helped Arella up from her seat and we got to our feet to see them off.
Arella met my eyes one last time. “Please. You must help us.” With those parting words, she preceded Dorn down the terrace stairs and was gone from our sight moments later.
I sat down heavily and looked around at my friends. One look at their faces and I knew—for I was sure there would be no keeping either Sam or Tess away from this—what our answer would be. “Thoughts?”
Sam held up a finger, going back to her notes. Tess was reading them over her shoulder and shook her head. Finn’s wings fluttered before he spoke. “It could be anyone. We already know there are the blood magick witches. Any fae, young or not, would still have enough magick in their blood to be of use to them.”
“Okay. They’re at the top. But how would they know about them? Arella said their people are cautious.”
Sam tapped her pen on the pad of paper. “I know he said otherwise, but it’s still very likely they could have been seen at the marina.”
Finn nodded in agreement. “They do often pick up packages there. But how would they be followed back here through the water? That’s a good distance and anyone following them would have been noticed.”
“How did those blood magick witches know where to lay that trap for Tess and Danai? What if . . .” her gaze wandered off into the distance as she thought. “What if they were tracked? A GPS tracker in a package would do it. They could note the location the packages stopped at and simply follow later at their convenience.”
“Wouldn’t the wards and protection spells on the estate block something like that?” I asked.
Tess shrugged. “We get cable and satellite. And phone signals. Why wouldn’t a GPS signal go through?”
The thought made my blood run cold. “Do you think someone stuck a tracker on the Jeep?”
Tess’s eyes widened. “We did stop for lunch that day. But the Jeep has a protection spell on it, so nobody could have done something like that. Could they?” She looked at us uncertainly.
Zara padded out of the house. If there was a tracker, that would explain much. If the witches had a human place the device . . . Or if they themselves did it only with the intent to track firm in their mind, without any thoughts of harm—there are ways around these things, though it is tricky to put them into practice. I shifted in my chair to allow her room to jump up on my lap, stroking her head when she settled. A glance back at the doorway showed Sebastian was no longer there, so he must be minding the kits.
The Jeep was still in the city being worked on. Sam picked up her phone, searched through the contacts for a moment, hit dial, and put the phone on speaker. After a few rings, a gruff voice with either a faint Scottish or Irish brogue answered.
“Merv’s. How can I be of service?” Merv ran the garage Clyde and Dutch had recommended. They’d had the Jeep towed there, where it had sat since that horrific day. Neither horse shifter had mentioned exactly what Merv was, just that he was ‘one of us.’
“This is Sam Stone. I’m calling to check on the progress of Madame Devraux’s Jeep.” She smirked as I rolled my eyes at her.
“Aye, Ms. Stone. I’m just waiting on a few more parts, and she’ll be good as new. They should be in early next week.”
“That’s great. Have you seen anything, well, unusual either on it or in it?”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, more cautiously, he asked, “What kind of unusual? Is there something I should be watching out for?”
Sam raised her brows at me, asking permission. Which still felt weird to me, since she used to be my boss. I nodded. “Would you mind checking it over for a tracking device while it’s there? We’re not sure if there’s anything there or not; we just want to rule it out as a possibility.” Merv knew enough about what had happened that she wasn’t giving him anything new or information that might endanger him.
“Aye, I can do that. What would you have me do if I were to find something?”
“Let me know right away, please. Don’t tamper with it or try to remove it.”
“I’ll look at it within the hour and call you straight away if I find anything.” He grunted. “I’d probably better call you regardless, just so you’ll not be wondering in either case.”
Leaning forward, I spoke up. “Thank you, Merv. We appreciate it.”
“Madame Devraux.” His voice sounded surprised. “It is my honor.”
Sam’s eyes danced with amusement. She knew this type of thing made me uncomfortable. I stuck my tongue out at her, but she didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll wait to hear from you. Thank you so much.” She disconnected the call.
“Heads up,” Tess said. “Here come the guys.”
The three of us watched as the men walked at a relaxed pace across the lawn toward the house. Clyde and Dutch were deep in conversation, towering over Rand’s five foot ten form beside them. His eyes found me, even from the fifty yard distance. Toby trotted happily by his side, but Jake was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’d tired himself out and gone back to the grey. Without taking my eyes from Rand’s face, I said, “Finn, you said the pixies use the computer in the stables to place orders for the colony.”
“Yes. We have for years.”
“And you order things for the water fae, too?”
“Yes, sometimes. There are a few water shifters and fae that come up on land to place orders themselves—usually the ones that can be away from the water for more than twenty or thirty minutes. Many place orders through Jeremy Crow, as well, when they return from their ocean runs.”
“Could you get me a history of any orders that have been placed as far back as possible? Companies and points of contact are what we’ll need to look for, I think. What was ordered might be helpful, as well.”
Finn started to answer just as Rand, Clyde, and Dutch made it to the top of the steps. The three men stopped in their tracks after one look at our faces. Clyde and Dutch raised their faces, sniffing the air. Horses had a keen sense of smell, and I didn’t doubt a horse shifter’s was every bit as good as, if not better than, that of a regular horse. Rand took his cue from them and scowled, his gaze scanning the area, searching for threats. The Draftmans followed suit, looking every bit as dangerous as I knew they were.
Seeing nothing that could be construed as immediately threatening, Rand’s gaze came back to rest on me. “What happened?”
Giving him a small smile, I motioned to the table. “Pull up a chair. We had visitors.” I paused long enough to let them get situated before I launched into t
he details all over again, with Sam and Tess interjecting additional information here and there. By the time I finished, Rand’s jaw was tight and I could almost see the wheels turning in his mind.
Finn’s wings fluttered nervously at the obvious tension. “I’ll see what I can find out right away.”
“And I’ll see if Jeremy can help us from his end,” Tess offered. “I’d like to head into town to see Gretchen and Wade, anyway. Maybe they can keep an eye out for anything unusual going on at the park.”
I tore my gaze from Rand’s to stare at her, noticing Sam frowning at her, too. After what had happened on her last trip, we had started taking extra precautions again whenever any of us had to go into New Orleans. Or anywhere, really. Sam still insisted on going to the firm at least three or four days a week, but she always had an armed escort pick her up if Clyde or Dutch weren’t with her.
Tess looked back at us, her brows skyrocketing up. “I’m not going to hide here forever.” She gave a little shake of her head. “There are children missing and you know how that works. I’m sure it’s the same for paranormal kids as it is for any other kind. The longer they’re gone, the less chance we’re going to have of recovering them.”
Sam ran a hand down the side of her face, her gaze moving to me. “She’s not wrong, you know. Every second those kids remain in the hands of whomever took them . . .” Her words trailed off, but we all heard what she left unspoken.
Zara shifted her weight on my lap. “Ideas anyone?”
Tess, ask Jeremy about Margo. I am not sure if this could have anything to do with her, but after she sent those bumbling fools here to fill the housekeeping positions, I don’t trust her. She has been involved in many things that could be considered gray before, but Stella never thought Margo would betray her as she did. Margo must have worked to make Stella believe she was a friend. I never had a chance to read her, as I had not gone into town with Stella in years. She only came here once, and that was to deliver the idiots. I couldn’t read her then, though I tried. Even if she is not directly involved, she may know something about who is.
MAKING MAGICKAL ALLIANCES: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel Page 6