Absolutely Captivated

by Grayson, Kristine

  Bartholomew wiggled his way toward her, his tail at half-mast, his entire body an apology for something she didn’t yet understand.

  Travers was sitting on the side of the bed, talking softly. Zoe could see Kyle’s bare feet, which looked oddly red and swollen. She hurried to Travers’ side.

  Kyle was leaning against the pillow, his skin an alarming shade of red. He obviously had the same problem with sunburn that Travers had. Only unlike Travers, Kyle’s face beneath the burn was pale. He looked very sick, and Zoe couldn’t tell why.

  “What’s going on?” Zoe asked.

  “Don’t feel good.” For the first time since she’d met him, Kyle sounded like the little boy he was. His face was tear-stained and a teardrop hung on the bottom of his chin like a reluctant skydiver.

  “Sunburn?” Zoe asked Travers softly.

  “Severe,” Travers said. “I’d ask for more of that miracle lotion, but I’m not sure it’ll help. I’m going to have to take him to the emergency room.”

  “Let me try first,” Zoe said.

  Travers scooted aside to allow Zoe space on the bed. Bartholomew sat at her feet, whining. The Fates still huddled in the doorway.

  Kyle moaned.

  “That doesn’t sound like sunburn,” Zoe said, wondering how she knew what sunburn sounded like.

  “It isn’t,” Travers said, apparently understanding her. “It’s—what, Kyle?—three milkshakes, a burger, fries, and more things than I want to think about.”

  “A stomachache and a sunburn?” Zoe asked.

  Kyle nodded miserably.

  “Yep.” Travers’ tone was lacerating. “I come home worried that my son is under magical assault and I discover instead that he’s just struck by good old-fashioned adult incompetence.”

  Zoe glanced over her shoulder at the Fates. They bowed their heads, and looked as miserable as Kyle. She didn’t try to defend them, even though she could have argued that they wouldn’t know better. After all, they weren’t used to dealing with mortal children. They were used to dealing with highly temperamental mages.

  “It wasn’t their fault, Dad,” Kyle said. “I forgot the sunblock.”

  “No,” Travers said, “it was mine, and I’m sorry.”

  His hand hovered over Kyle’s arm, as if he were afraid to touch him.

  “I’ve never seen a burn quite this bad,” Travers said.

  “Here,” Zoe said, “let me.”

  “Zoe, I think we should let doctors take care of this,” Travers said.

  “And have Kyle be miserable for days?” Zoe leaned against Travers. “Let me, and if it doesn’t work, then I’ll take him to the emergency room myself. Is that okay?”

  She asked this last of Kyle.

  He turned those miserable eyes on her. His expression looked so much like Travers’ that for a moment, she thought she was seeing double.

  “It’s okay,” Kyle said to Travers.

  Travers nodded, and she felt the depth of his worry. Sunburn these days carried more than discomfort with it. People now understood that a few serious sunburns in a lifetime could result in skin cancer later on.

  Zoe would reverse any damage, though, and then she’d make extra sunblock for Kyle, with a lot more healing power than she’d used on Travers. Maybe she’d redo his, too. If he had the same kind of skin when he was young, he probably suffered through burns like this, too. He was probably at risk as well for serious side effects.

  And that explained his curtness. He understood, better than anyone, how painful such a sunburn was.

  “I’m going to have to touch you,” Zoe said to Kyle. “It’ll be uncomfortable at first, but I promise it’ll get better.”

  “Okay.” Kyle’s voice was little more than a whisper. He closed his eyes.

  Zoe started with Kyle’s belly. The poor boy’s stomach was distended, probably from gas and discomfort, and it radiated pain. Zoe laid her hand on it, and spelled the pain away.

  Kyle’s eyes fluttered open. There were tears in the corners. “What’d you do?” he whispered.

  “Just eased the stomachache,” Zoe said.

  “Man, you should bottle that.” Kyle smiled at her. “That’s a lot better.”

  “Good,” Zoe said. “Now just relax.”

  She created more skin potion and conjured it in a plastic bottle that looked like Spider-Man, because she knew about Kyle’s love of comic book characters. Then she squirted some of the lotion on her fingers.

  As she worked the boy’s skin, taking the heat and pain and damage out of it, she felt a tenderness that was foreign to her.

  Her hand caressed Kyle’s face. His eyelids fluttered, and the tears in the corners fell against his skin. She wiped them away, then continued to rub the lotion on his temples, watching the redness recede and his normal light skin tone take its place.

  She didn’t give him a tan like she had with Travers. A tan left some of the damage, and she didn’t want to do that. Not with Kyle.

  Travers had no idea how lucky he was. He had a chance to live a normal life, have a family, raise a child—and he had the opportunity to live magically for centuries.

  Zoe had never really thought about how good the system that the Fates and the Powers That Be (under the leadership of Aphrodite) had created was. It gave mages a taste of the normal mortal life if they chose to try it, and they also had the chance to live creatively with their powers.

  Her fingers slid through Kyle’s hair, catching the burned scalp there, too, feeling the raised blisters. If she hadn’t been here, Travers would have had to take Kyle to the hospital, and there would have been a week of treatment or more.

  She was glad she was here. She was glad she could make Kyle feel better.

  “Wow,” he whispered. “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

  Travers was still standing beside her. “It looks better,” he said, not willing to say that it was better.

  Zoe nodded, then slid her hands out of Kyle’s hair. “It is better. I think I reversed all the damage. If not, I’ll catch the rest when we see it. But he needs something to drink—not a milkshake. Something like Gatorade, and he needs to sleep.”

  “We’ll get the Gatorade,” Clotho said.

  “No,” Zoe said. “I think the three of you need to stay indoors.”

  “I’ll call for it,” Travers said. “The hotel can get it for us.”

  “Dad?” Kyle’s eyes fluttered open. They looked clear, less pain-filled, but very exhausted.

  “What is it, kiddo?” Travers’ voice was gentle.

  “Aunt Megan called. She’s going to call back. She’s trying to rearrange her schedule.”

  Zoe shook her head slightly. What a great kid. He was nearly dead with exhaustion and he still remembered to give his father a message.

  “Okay,” Travers said. “I’ll call her.”

  “And Dad?”

  “Yeah?”

  “All day, there’s been these three guys, following the Fates.” Kyle’s eyelids slid closed. The last word almost didn’t come out of his mouth. He fell asleep while he was talking.

  “Three guys?” Travers asked.

  “He’s asleep,” Zoe said. “Let’s get the Gatorade.”

  “What about these three guys?” Travers asked.

  “Let’s talk to the Fates.” Zoe set the Spider-Man bottle next to the bed. “After we get the Gatorade.”

  Travers picked up the phone and put in a call to the desk. Then he shut off the light, and headed out of the room.

  Bartholomew looked at the bed, then at the door, then at the bed again. He whined.

  “It’s okay,” Travers said softly. “I’ll wager that Kyle would love to have you stay.”

  The dog’s tail wagged and he jumped on the bed, careful to stay away from Kyle’s skin. Even though Kyle felt better, it was clear that Bartholomew knew what the problem was.

  Travers headed for the door. The Fates scurried for the main room as if they saw a tidal wave approaching and were trying to get out
of its way.

  Zoe took her time leaving Kyle. She had a hunch she needed to go into the living area to moderate the conversation, but she wasn’t going to enjoy the role.

  Thirty-one

  “Those men are nothing to be concerned about,” Lachesis said. She was standing behind the couch, her hands resting on it as if it were a shield.

  Atropos stood beside her, and Clotho stood on her other side. None of them were sunburned, even though they all seemed to have tanned at some point during the day.

  Travers forced himself to relax his clenched fists. “I’m not concerned about the men.”

  “Good,” Atropos said. “Kyle was worried about them, but really, they’re not important.”

  Zoe closed the bedroom door. She walked into the room, and leaned against the armchair near Travers. He was grateful to her, more grateful than he wanted to admit. When she had eased his sunburn, he felt like she had given him a gift, but now, she had done something truly miraculous.

  She had made Kyle better. Whenever Kyle was sick, Travers felt completely helpless. Zoe made that helpless feeling go away, and she made Kyle’s skin better. The doctors wouldn’t have been able to do that. They would have eased his pain, but not reversed the sun damage.

  “The men,” Travers said, “are welcome to you. I’ve had enough.”

  The Fates lowered their heads.

  “What does it take to monitor an eleven-year-old boy? He didn’t need any sun and he certainly didn’t need that much food. Didn’t you realize he was getting sick?” Travers tried to keep his voice down, but the panic he had felt earlier was in every word.

  “We have never cared for children before,” Clotho said.

  “At least, not without magic,” Lachesis said.

  “He never did say that he was feeling ill,” Atropos said.

  “He was turning the color of a strawberry. Didn’t anyone think that was a problem?” Travers was shaking, he was so angry.

  “No,” Clotho said. “We used to turn ourselves all sorts of colors.”

  “Clotho’s favorite was purple,” Lachesis said. “It made her hair look like the sun.”

  Travers closed his eyes, biting back the irritation. These women wouldn’t understand. They couldn’t understand. They had no comprehension of real life and real problems. Their entire world revolved around spinning wheels and magical power struggles, not the health of a little boy.

  “Well,” Travers said, opening his eyes. “We can’t leave him alone with you anymore. I thought the only risk would be some kind of magical attack. I had no idea that you failed to understand the most basic rules of child care. I mean, it didn’t bother you that he drank three milkshakes in the space of an hour?”

  “He wanted to have fun,” Atropos said.

  “In your movies, food is always a way to have fun,” Clotho said.

  Travers let out a small hiss of breath. He whirled away from them, afraid of what he would do if the conversation continued.

  “Please, Travers,” Lachesis said. “We like Kyle. We meant him no harm.”

  “Let us continue to take care of him,” Atropos said. “We’ll do better.”

  “Our care of Henri’s kittens improved, over time,” Clotho said, referring to the kittens that they’d had at the wedding. “Of course, Henri had left us books on cat care.”

  “Books!” Travers exclaimed. “Books are no substitute for common sense. Don’t you realize that the sunburn alone could have caused Kyle problems for life? I almost had to take him to the hospital. I would have, if it weren’t for Zoe.”

  Lachesis gave Zoe an imploring look, but Zoe didn’t move. She watched the entire proceeding as if it didn’t concern her.

  Perhaps it didn’t. After all, she never had to worry about a child and her magic. Travers had no idea what he would do now. He and Kyle straddled two worlds and neither of those worlds was safe.

  A knock echoed in the room. At the same time, the phone rang.

  “I’ll get the door,” Zoe said. “You get the phone.”

  Travers reached for the phone as Zoe hurried across the room. The Fates kept their distance from Travers. The couch remained a barrier between him and them.

  Good. At least they understood how angry he was.

  “Hello,” Travers said, trying hard to be polite.

  “What is it with you two?” The voice on the other end of the line was Megan’s. “You and Kyle sound so somber. I thought Vegas was Sin City. I thought it was supposed to be fun.”

  “We’ve—um—oh, hell, Meg. I’ve got some problems here.” Travers felt relieved to hear his sister’s voice. He sank into the armchair that Zoe had been in not moments ago. The cushions were still warm.

  “Sounds serious,” Megan said.

  “Serious and confusing,” Travers said. “I almost wish Great-Aunt Eugenia were alive.”

  “That is serious,” Megan said. “You always thought she was a flake.”

  Travers winced. He had had that judgment of everyone who believed in magic. Served him right, he supposed, for his entire life to go topsy-turvy.

  “Can you come out here?” he asked. “I have to stay a few days, and I really need someone to watch Kyle.”

  “I rearranged my schedule,” Megan said. “You’re lucky you caught me. If this had been two weeks ago, there would’ve been no way. But I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to take a vacation after Viv’s wedding, so I booked light this week.”

  Vivian’s wedding seemed so long ago. Travers rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He wasn’t sure how he’d manage Megan, the magic, and the Fates, but he’d find a way. Maybe Zoe could help him figure it out.

  “When can you get here?” Travers asked.

  “Late tonight if you book me a room,” Megan said. “I prefer to drive after dark anyway. I avoid the traffic and the heat.”

  “That would be marvelous,” Travers said. It would take the pressure off the next day. Maybe with those things that Zoe had bought at that weird shop, they could settle the Fates’ spinning wheel problem, Travers could get some minor training, and he could leave Vegas.

  The thought didn’t make him as happy as he expected it to.

  Zoe was coming back into the main living area now, carrying a bottle of Gatorade and some soda crackers. She nodded toward Kyle’s bedroom, apparently wondering if she should give him some Gatorade now. Travers held up a single finger. He wanted the boy to sleep a few minutes longer.

  He and Megan finished their plans as Zoe listened. Travers told Megan where he was staying, and promised to book her a room. He also gave her directions to get here. She said she’d meet him for breakfast in his room, and he told her that he’d hold her to that.

  Then he hung up, called the front desk, and reserved the room next to his for Megan. He would also get an extra key to his room for her, but he could do that later.

  “How will she handle the Fates?” Zoe asked when Travers hung up with the front desk.

  Travers looked at the Fates. They were still standing behind the couch, looking very subdued.

  “She won’t,” Travers said. “Her job is to watch Kyle, take him out on the town, and have a good time.”

  “Don’t you think someone should keep an eye on them?” Zoe asked softly.

  Travers shook his head. “They’re adults. They say there’s nothing to worry about. Maybe we should take them at their word.”

  Zoe turned so that she could look at them. She clutched the Gatorade and crackers to her chest. “Who are those three men?”

  “We’re not sure,” Lachesis said.

  “They look like people we used to know,” Atropos said, “but that was centuries ago.”

  “So they could be anyone,” Zoe said.

  The Fates shrugged in unison. Travers suppressed a sigh. He did feel responsible for these women. His anger was dissipating; the mistake had been his, ultimately, not theirs. They had warned him that they knew nothing of this world, of the places without magic.
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  “We’re sure they’re from the Faerie Kings,” Clotho said quietly.

  “Why would the Faerie Kings follow you?” Travers asked.

  “We’re not sure it’s them,” Lachesis said.

  “We think the Kings sent them,” Atropos said.

  “They’re too young to be the Kings,” Clotho said.

  “You still look young,” Zoe said.

  “We haven’t wasted as much magic as they have,” Lachesis said, and she didn’t sound judgmental. It simply sounded like she was speaking fact.

  “So we believe they’re bodyguards or something,” Atropos said.

  “Which still begs the question,” Travers said. “Why would they follow you?”

  “We don’t know for sure,” Clotho said, “but we think that they want to know if the rumors about us are true.”

  “Rumors?” Travers asked.

  “About the Fates not having powers.” This time, Zoe spoke up. “It’s all over Vegas now.”

  “You see,” Lachesis said, “if we do have powers, then we’re a threat.”

  “We’re on their turf,” Atropos said.

  “But if we don’t, well, we’re no different from all the other mortals who come to this city to get lucky,” said Clotho.

  They were different from all the other mortals. Very different. And Travers had to keep reminding himself of that. If he had thought of that from the beginning, then Kyle wouldn’t have had such a difficult day.

  “What if they are a threat?” Travers asked.

  “Neither you nor Zoe could combat them,” Lachesis said. “We would be on our own in any case.”

  They raised their chins—in unison, of course—and looked at Travers. It was as if they were forgiving him, instead of the other way around.

  That would have made him angry a day or so ago. Now it just tired him out.

  “They might even protect us,” Atropos said. “They certainly don’t want anything to happen to us here.”

  “Why not?” Travers asked as Zoe nodded. She clearly understood, but he didn’t.

  “Because,” Clotho said. “The Powers That Be might take any excuse to attack Faerie. And we would be a very good excuse.”