by Lora Edwards
“Will they be good to her?”
Delphine smiled. “Of course. Perhaps we will ask Amora and Michael.”
“I will miss the little tyke.”
“For now we will ask Teagan and Bran if they are willing to keep her while we go to find the society. We will deal with the adoption when we return.”
“Good news on that front—Erik has been poring over the papers found in the manor house and thinks he may have found the place where the society is.”
“When do we jump,” Delphine asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
“Whoa there. Now that you have woken from your beauty sleep, I will contact the others. Erik and Ovidia should return tonight. They have gotten all of those caught by the society back with their own people. The institute of that time will continue to gather evidence of what the society was doing and get it to us to use on our mission. We will have our history debrief with Teagan tomorrow, give you one more day to rest, and then jump the following day.”
“I don’t need an extra day of rest. We can jump tomorrow.” Delphine stood shakily from the bed.
“Please, Delphine, just humor me. Besides, it will give us an extra day with Esme.” Flynn winked, knowing he had her.
She narrowed her eyes, a smile creeping onto her face. “All right. Will you bring her to me later? I need to get into the ocean, as it will help me get stronger. I will eat after a swim—I’m starving.”
“I will contact Mrs. Sanderson and have her come whip you up a meal. She has been beside herself with worry for you. I will get Esme from Teagan and the three of us can have dinner together.”
“Perfect, thank you—for everything,” Delphine said, moving into his arms and laying her head on his chest. He pulled her tightly to him and stroked her long blue hair, kissing the top of her head.
“Anything for you,” he said softly, kissing her deeply when she looked up at him. “Go, be in the water. I will bring Esme around six for dinner.” He gently pushed her toward the bedroom door.
She walked with him to the foyer and after another passionate kiss, he left her. Delphine stood for a moment, holding her hand to her tingling lips, and smiled. An idea had started to form in her mind, and after they had completed this mission, she would run it by Flynn to get his thoughts.
Smiling at the prospect, she opened the door to her private room and stepped from cold polished wood to sun-warmed sand. Standing there listening to the waves and feeling the sun beat down on her face, Delphine felt herself steady. Walking toward the water, she slipped out of her clothes and dived deep into the turquoise ocean water, bringing her other form to bear with a thought. The pain of the change quickly faded and she dived deeper, reveling in being back in her true form once again. She drifted on the water, thinking about the events of the past few days. She felt her anger rise at what the society had done to those of her kind and other supernaturals. Her thoughts turned to Esme and how much the little one had lost. She found herself envisioning a future with the child. Delphine leaned forward and smiled. She was in love with the child and couldn’t let her go. She would adopt her; they had already formed a bond, one Delphine wasn’t willing to sever. The baby had already had experienced enough loss, and seeing her be ripped from the only people she knew was something Delphine’s heart just wasn’t prepared to take. Smiling and feeling in her soul she had made the right decision, she leaned back into the waves, closing her eyes and enjoying the feel of the sun on her face.
Delphine came out of the bathroom, rubbing a towel over her wet hair, and she heard the opening of the door to her apartment. “Knock knock,” came Flynn’s voice, followed by the babble of a baby. She walked around the corner and Esme squealed, holding out her chubby arms. She took the child, giving her several kisses and hugging her as she smiled at Flynn.
“Thank you for getting her,” she said, kissing him softly on the lips, causing the baby to giggle.
“I had to pry her away from Bran and Teagan. They are really enjoying having her,” Flynn replied.
Delphine was sure the little girl reminded them of what was in store for them in a few short months.
“Mrs. Sanderson should be here shortly to make dinner. She said she was thinking a good old-fashioned chicken dinner.” Flynn walked over and sat on the couch as Esme squirmed in Delphine’s arms until she let the baby down. Esme toddled over to the small mountain of toys in the corner of the room and began playing with the blocks stacked there.
“Baked chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls—I can’t wait,” Delphine said with a smile.
“Me either.” Flynn smiled as she joined him on the couch. Delphine leaned into him and they spent a quiet hour snuggling on the couch and playing with Esme. The crackle of the fire chased away the damp London weather still seeping into their bones. Delphine could picture the two of them there with an older Esme, along with other little Siren-shifter babies. She needed to talk to Flynn about Esme, about her plans to adopt her. She believed she and Flynn belonged together. Even though they had only known each other a short time, she knew he was it for her. Rescuing the people the society had captured and seeing the dead had reminded Delphine that life was short and could change on a dime. She would tell Flynn of her feelings after Esme was asleep for the night, would tell him of her plans for the future.
With that decided, Delphine accepted the block Esme handed her and looked forward to many more nights with the three of them relaxing at home.
Chapter 16
“I think she finally fell asleep,” Flynn said, coming out of Delphine’s bedroom. He had volunteered to rock the baby to sleep while Delphine sat on the couch sipping a glass of wine, watching the fire dance in the fireplace, and wiping her sweaty hands on her legs.
Flynn sat next to her on the couch and smiled. Then a frowned marred his face as he looked at her. “Delphine, what’s wrong? You seem upset.”
She screwed up her face. He knew her so well. In the short time they had known each other, he had learned to read her moods and her face. She felt a sense of homecoming any time she was with him. She was about to take a big leap of faith and hoped he felt the same way about her.
She took a deep breath and a big gulp of wine then turned to look into his concerned face.
“I have something I want to talk to you about.” She looked away, not able to stare into his eyes while she made her declaration. “First of all, I am going to adopt Esme. I know this job requires a lot of travel, but the thought of not being able to see her grow up—it makes my heart hurt. I believe it was fated that she come to be with me.” Delphine stopped and looked at the grin that spread over his face.
“I am so happy to hear you say that. I was just sick at the thought of having to let her go. I thought about taking her in myself but I didn’t know how the Siren or mermaid community would feel about her being raised by someone not of their kind.” Flynn reached out and hugged her tightly.
“Flynn, adopting Esme is not all I want to share with you,” she said, taking another deep breath and another gulp of wine. “I know this is going to seem sudden and it’s probably too soon, but I can’t make myself wait. When we were at the manor house and I saw all of those people who had died, knowing they were just carrying on with life until they were snatched up and tortured…I just need to tell you how I feel now and not wait because we never know what is going to happen. I know if I don’t tell you and something happens, I will regret it for the rest of my life.” Delphine looked into Flynn’s eyes, taking in his serious expression, and then she took the plunge. “I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life, grow old with you, raise Esme with you, have other children and walk through all the trials and tribulations as well as the joys of life by your side. I know this is sudden and we have only known each other for a short amount of time, but when I am with you, I feel like I have come home.” She stopped talking abruptly, her words having come out in a rush.
Flynn just sat there staring at her before he blew out a breath out a
nd ran his hand through his hair. Delphine felt her stomach hit her feet. He didn’t feel the same way, and she had now ruined an important friendship. Things would be awkward between them from now on. She felt the first tears well up in her eyes and drop down onto her hands as she stared at them. She was humiliated and couldn’t bring herself to look at him.
Flynn placed his large warm hands on her face, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears. He was silent, and she still couldn’t look at him, couldn’t bear to see the pity in his eyes and the wariness she knew would be there.
“Delphine, look at me,” Flynn said softly, using one hand to nudge her chin up so she was looking into his eyes once again. His face was serious, without a hint of joy in sight. “You stole my thunder,” he said, clearing his throat and causing her to frown.
Stole his thunder—what did that mean?
“I had it all planned out how I was going to charm you, woo you, and make you fall in love with me because I couldn’t stand the thought of being without you. I had grand gestures planned, fancy dates, and then when the time was right I was going to get down on one knee and ask you to be my wife because the thought of a life without you was unacceptable.”
Delphine stared into his green eyes, reading the truth of his statements in them, and she felt her heart soar. He smiled and brought her closer. He felt the same way she did.
“You feel like home to me too, Delphine. I want to spend the rest of my life making you and Esme and any other children we are blessed with happy. This is one of the best moments of my life.” His voice was becoming hoarse with emotion.
Flynn reached over and placed a soft kiss on her lips, then another, and then a deeper kiss. Delphine leaned into him and lost herself in his kisses. Flynn stood and held his hand out to her. She looked up at him, the love shining out of his eyes, and took his hand, standing as he led her toward the bedroom.
The fire was crackling and the room was warm. Esme slept away in her crib in a little alcove one of the mages had made for her.
“We are going to need to expand this apartment,” she said, looking up at him as he took her in his arms once more.
“The three of us will need a little more elbow room.” Flynn chuckled as he lowered his head to kiss her again. Just then there came a tiny cry from across the room and a small head peeked out over the crib.
Esme babbled at them and held her arms out. Delphine smiled and Flynn laid his forehead on hers, groaning in frustration.
He walked over and scooped the tiny girl out of her bed. She immediately yawned and laid her head on his chest, smiling smugly over at Delphine.
“Oh, she has your number.” Delphine laughed as Flynn walked over to the plush rocker Delphine had put in the room. He began rocking Esme as he and Delphine quietly spoke of their plans for the future. Esme snuggled into Flynn’s muscular chest, the beat of his heart and the low timbre of his voice sending her back into dreams.
Delphine flashed a grin at the imposing admin that sat at the desk guarding Armand’s inner office. Cleo looked up and stared at Delphine’s sunny smile, continuing to sharpen long lethal nails painted a blood red.
“What are you smiling about?” Cleo put a little sneer in her voice.
“Is Armand ready for the briefing? Am I the first one here,” Delphine asked, ignoring Cleo’s previous comment.
“No, he is on an important call. You can sit over there and wait.” Cleo gestured to a red velour fainting couch. Delphine sat and looked around. She had been in this room several times since joining the institute but was always in a hurry and had never had the time or taken the time to look at it fully. It was a cross between an old-time bordello and a pirate’s treasure cave. The walls were covered in blood red silk moiré wallpaper, and heavy gilt sconces held the lights, giving it a shadowed appearance even in the bright light of the morning. Floor-to-ceiling windows were covered in black silk curtains held back with blood red ties, the windows letting in the murky light as rain spattered on the window, evidence that it was again drizzling outside.
Pictures in heavy gilt frames, one of St. George and the dragon, made Delphine’s lips curve into a smile. Another was of a sensuous woman stretched out on a fainting couch clad in an outfit that left little to the imagination. Upon closer inspection, Delphine realized it was a painting of Cleo—she would recognize that smirk anywhere. There were heavy tables done in the same gilded finish with jewels embedded in the sides and tops, along with large chairs covered in red velvet like the couch she sat on. It fit the woman who occupied the space perfectly.
Cleo continued to ignore Delphine, filing her nails and humming an exotic tune under her breath. Delphine finished her perusal of the room just as the large onyx doors swung open.
Ovidia swung in, teeth bared in Cleo’s direction. Delphine watched with wide eyes as her friend pulled her sword from the air beside her and marched to the desk where Cleo continued to file her nails, looking unconcerned about the angry handmaiden of Odin bearing down on her.
“What has your dander up now Valkyrie,” Cleo asked in a bored tone.
“You will stop flirting with my husband,” Ovidia said through clenched teeth, her hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly.
Cleo merely batted her lashes. “I have no idea what you are talking about. If you are having trouble holding your man’s interest, don’t blame me.” A smirk slid across lips, which were painted blood red to match her nails.
Ovidia roared, lifted the sword high, and prepared to swing. A light flared deep in the midnight pools of Cleo’s eyes as a great shimmer obscured her form and a roar shook the room, causing plaster to rain from the ceiling.
Delphine dived under the fainting couch she been sitting on and stared at the sight before her. Where there had once been a sensual and gorgeous Asian woman was now a towering dragon. The light glittered off scales the color of onyx, and a bright intelligence shined from the being’s slitted eyes.
“You do not threaten me in my own lair, Valkyrie,” came a deep voice that shook the rafters of the building.
The door to Armand’s office opened just as the rest of the party came through the double doors.
“Bring your worst, dragon. May the best woman win,” Ovidia snarled, her violet eyes lighting up with the spirit of the berserker warrior, the sword in her hand glowing softly.
The dragon took a step toward the Valkyrie and Ovidia held her ground, ready to do battle.
“Enough,” roared Armand, his eyes blazing red as he strode in between the two foes, holding an arm out to each. “This is ridiculous. Ovidia, you know she is only picking a fight with you, and Cleo, you know better than to go after the mate of a Valkyrie.”
Ovidia continued to glare at the dragon in front of Armand, holding her fighting stance, sword at the ready.
Erik stood there with an amused smile on his face while Teagan rolled her eyes and Bran tried to hold back a laugh.
Flynn looked around the room and spotted Delphine underneath the fainting couch. He strode over, holding out a hand to help her up.
“It’s fine, love,” he murmured into her hair as he wrapped her in his embrace.
Erik strode up to Ovidia and put his hand on her sword arm, the other around her waist, and murmured in her ear. She turned and stowed her sword in order to jump into his arms, holding him tightly to her as they shared a deep kiss.
Behind the embracing couple, another shimmer of light cascaded over the massive dragon. The creature disappeared and in its place stood a woman with luscious curves and straight black hair cascading down her back. For one brief moment, a flash of want and hurt appeared in her eyes. It was as if she wanted what Erik and Ovidia shared.
“Now if we are done with the entertainment portion of the morning, can we please get to work,” Armand said dryly, looking in the direction of Erik and Ovidia, who were still plastered to each other.
Flynn tugged at Delphine’s hand and led her into Armand’s office, followed by Teagan and Bran. At the threshold, Teaga
n turned around and looked at Erik and Ovidia, still in their lip lock. “All right guys, you have proven your point. Now get in here so we can discuss how best to take down this society before it wipes all supernaturals off the planet,” Teagan said, her sharp voice causing Erik and Ovidia to part.
They held hands as they walked past Cleo’s desk, where she was once again filing her nails. Ovidia bared her teeth at the dragon and Cleo ignored her as they walked into the office and shut the door behind them.
Armand walked around his desk and sat down, wasting no time in getting to the point of the meeting. “Due to Erik’s diligent work, we have a location for the society.”
“Where are they,” Flynn asked.
“1901, Bath, England,” Armand said as he sat back in his chair, steepling his fingers.
“Why there,” Delphine asked, confused. She was new to the wider world and had no idea why they would have chosen that location.
“According to the journal entries I read, it was a time that was close enough to theirs that they believed they would not have trouble acclimating and blending in. Also, Bath was at the height of its popularity during that time. Many of the ton, the upper crust society of London, would go there to take the waters for their healing properties. A large number of unknown people showing up there wouldn’t cause a stir as it was booming with people coming from all over,” Erik finished, sitting back in his chair as if his small speech had exhausted him.
“Erik, I think that is the most I have ever heard you speak. You would make a great researcher.” Teagan grinned at him.
“Not bloody likely,” Bran said next to her as Erik nodded in agreement.
“Teagan, I will need you to gather research on the city of Bath. Erik, Ovidia, Flynn, and Delphine will go on this mission together and bring the society down,” Armand said, his eyes hard and his voice cool. “I will not have them taking the lives of any more supernaturals. Tomorrow you will meet with Teagan and the wardrobe department to get prepared for the mission. You jump the day after, so get your affairs in order.” Armand looked at each of them then glanced at the door.