by Bonnie Lamer
Josh stops wiping at his nose to reply. “It was definitely interesting.” His eyes swing to Eliana before going back to their friend. She gives him a slight nod, and he fills Jenna in on the secret that even the Fairies didn’t know before now. “It seems Ra was the one who gave the Dragons their fire breath.”
“What?” Jenna gasps. “Really?”
Eliana nods. “Ra confirmed it.”
With a grin, Josh adds, “So, now they worship Eliana.”
Her face turning red, Eliana shakes her head. “No, they worship Ra.”
“Who is now manifested as you,” I counter. “Don’t knock it. The Dragons can be real jerks. It’s awesome that you can get them to do anything you want.”
“What is this?” Dagda calls from the terrace. He caught the tail end of the conversation. “Who can get the Dragons to do anything?” His voice is dripping with disbelief.
Kallen joins him on the terrace and explains what happened. By the time he is finished, Sam, Isla, Tabitha and Garren have joined us, and everyone turns surprised eyes toward Eliana. My biological father is the first to see the potential this revelation could have for the Fairies.
Dagda’s eyes quickly become calculating. “When the Phoenix problem is resolved, I would like to sit down and discuss how we could convince you to join us in this realm.”
Eliana smiles politely. “I appreciate the offer, but just as Xandra has a job to do, so do I. Ra chose me to protect the Cowan realm.”
Disappointment clouds Dagda’s eyes now, but I can tell he will not give up. He does drop the subject for now, though. Turning to me, he says, “The Centaurs and Sasquatch grew tired of waiting and sent envoys. I explained the situation and they have both agreed to help.”
“I got to see a real Centaur,” Sam stage whispers to Josh. “So cool.”
Relieved we don’t have to travel to either of those realms, I tick off on my fingers who we have on our side now. “Okay, we have an Angel, a Giantess, a Mermaid, a Siren providing they agree, a Dragon, a Goblin, a Centaur, I assume a Faun, and a Sasquatch. That leaves an Elf, a Pixie and a dinosaur.” If anyone had asked me before my seventeenth birthday if I would ever utter something like that, I would have thought they were crazy. It still seems a little crazy to me.
A harried looking Sindri, Dagda’s assistant, steps onto the terrace. “I have had word from our ambassador in the Elf realm. The Elf Queens have offered whatever assistance you may need.” Of course they have. They are being total suck ups right now.
“Great, thank you, Sindri.” I try to thank him whenever I have the chance because Dagda rarely acknowledges how hard his assistant works.
“We will retrieve Raziel’s dinosaur last, so we will not need to go to that realm until tomorrow morning,” Kallen says. Good plan. We don’t want to get it only to lose it in the Fairy realm. I wonder if the thing can be leash trained for our trip to the Phoenix’s lair. I’ll have to ask Raziel. Not that walking a pterodactyl on a leash would be any stranger to a Cowan than seeing one flying in the air. But hey, with a Centaur and a Dragon walking next to it, who would actually notice the winged dinosaur?
“Okay, we just need a Pixie then.” My words come out almost giddy because I am so happy not to have to keep realm hopping. We might actually get a little time to relax before facing the Phoenix and her Cosmic Fire again. I don’t know why I would tempt the universe with a thought like that, though. Now, something is bound to go wrong tonight. I try to push my pessimistic thought aside and focus on what my father is saying. He seems to be speaking to me.
“I have developed a report with the Pixies,” Dagda says, shooting me a look. “I will be able to convince them to help.”
Scowling, I mutter, “It’s not my fault they like to argue with me.”
My unhelpful husband suggests, “You could try not taking the bait they offer.”
With a shrug and a grin, I reply, “Where’s the fun in that?”
“What should we do now, then?” Eliana asks.
“I suggest you relax. You may have quite a fight on your hands tomorrow,” Dagda replies.
“You suggest we relax and then stress us out in the same breath,” I complain.
Unsympathetic to my whining, Dagda intones, “I cannot change the truth.”
“The four of you should freshen up. I believe Tabitha has lunch ready,” Isla says.
With a grin, Kallen wraps an arm around his grandmother’s shoulders. “Are you implying we are not the freshest smelling?” he teases.
Lifting his arm from her as if it’s contaminated, Isla grimaces. “The Goblins do leave their mark.”
“They cannot help the way they smell,” Tabitha huffs. I will never understand why she has a special place in her heart for the Goblins, but she does.
“No, they cannot,” Isla agrees to avoid an argument. Her nose is still wrinkled from smelling Kallen’s arm, so she doesn’t sound very convincing. “But the rest of us can.”
There’s no arguing with that logic, so Tabitha doesn’t. “Show our guests to their rooms,” she instructs Kallen and me as she turns toward the house. “Lunch will be in fifteen minutes.”
“Can you make it half an hour?” I beg. “Our skin is going to need some extra scrubbing.”
Tabitha shoots me a dirty look, but says, “Twenty minutes.”
I’ll take it. “Thank you!” I call after her. Kallen and I lead the way inside the house with Eliana, Josh, Sam and Jenna trailing after us.
When we are upstairs, I let Kallen lead the way because I am not sure which guest rooms were prepared. He must have checked with Tabitha earlier, because he goes straight to a door toward the end of the hall on the third floor. “Sam and Jenna, you will be in here.” Moving on to the next room, he tells Eliana and Josh, “This will be your room.”
“Wow!” Jenna exclaims when she peeks inside the room. “Impressive.”
Kallen smiles with pride. “Tabitha makes sure all of our guests are comfortable.”
“Meet us at the stairs in fifteen minutes?” I ask the four of them. When they agree, I hold my hand out to Kallen and we make our way to our own room.
Inside our bedroom, I lean back against the closed door. “I’m already exhausted and we’ve barely just begun,” I complain. Pushing off the door, I shake the whininess out of my voice. “Sorry, I promised myself I’d stop being such a whiner.”
Wrapping his arms around me, Kallen grins, “I would appreciate that.”
Giving him a playful swat, I threaten, “Maybe we need separate bedrooms.”
Chuckling, Kallen leans down and kisses me. A long, sultry kiss. When he finally lets me up for air, he murmurs against my lips, “Should I move back to my old room now?”
“Never,” I smile and kiss him again. After a moment, I pull back. “You do stink, though. So do I. We really need a shower before our fifteen minutes are up.” When his eyes light up, I add, “Just a shower. We don’t have time for anything else.”
The disappointment in his eyes mirrors mine, but he knows I’m right. “Fine,” he grumbles.
With a simpering grin, I tease, “Who’s whining now?” With a playful growl, my gorgeous husband chases me into the bathroom and we take a quick, but not as innocent as I first suggested, shower.
19 Chapter
As I towel dry my hair, I say to Kallen, “I’m surprised Isla was okay with them sharing rooms since they aren’t married.”
Kallen shrugs. “She understands that things are different in the Cowan realm.”
“I was from the Cowan realm,” I point out. “Why was it different for me? We had to practically threaten mutiny to sleep in the same room and had to follow the marriage rule.”
Quirking a brow, my gorgeous husband asks, “Are you saying you did not want to get married?”
“No, of course not,” I assure him. “I just think it’s a double standard.” Then again, none of them are planning to sleep with one of Isla’s grandsons. I suspect that is the greatest difference.
“Don’t you dare,” I laugh. I drop the towel on the floor and Kallen makes it disappear. Magic makes staying tidy so much easier. I run a quick brush through my hair before declaring, “I’m ready.”
Kallen leans down and brushes a kiss over my cheek. “You are beautiful,” he murmurs.
His breath tickles against my skin. “Mmm,” I sigh. “Keep that up and we won’t leave this room.”
With a soft chuckle, Kallen leans back and purrs, “You, my love, are a temptress.”
I am about to wrap my arms around his neck and forget about the rest of the realm when we hear voices in the hall. The others are out there waiting for us. “We need to go,” I sigh in disappointment and tug him toward the door.
In the hall, we find our friends freshly showered and smelling of the lavender, honey and lemon soap Tabitha makes. A huge improvement from Goblin funk. “Hungry?” I ask, leading everyone toward the stairs.
“Always,” Sam grins.
“Good, because there is always plenty of food.”
Isla and Garren are already seated at the table when we arrive. “Dagda has returned to the palace,” Isla says in lieu of a greeting. “He will return in the morning unless he is needed before then.”
“I am certain something will come up in the middle of the night,” Garren grumbles next to her. Isla scowls at him, but since he is busy buttering a roll, he doesn’t notice. Besides, he’s right. It’s happened too many times in the past to deny the likelihood.
“Let us hope not,” Kegan says from the dining room door. He has Keelan in his arms. “I am sleep deprived enough already.” Out of everyone in the room, he gives me a pointed look. Okay, the middle of the night things usually do have something to do with me.
“Stop complaining,” Alita tells him. Her wide yawn afterward proves she is just as sleep deprived as her husband.
“Have a seat anywhere,” I tell our guests who are hanging back by the door. “We don’t have special places.” Except Isla, who always sits at the head of the table.
“Where are Mom and Dad?” I ask Isla.
“Your mother wanted to do some research on the Phoenix,” she informs me. “She is working with the scribe in the archives. Your father went with her to check on Zac.”
I smile. “Dad was probably trying to stay out of the way.” He often doesn’t know what to do with himself when we have a magical crisis. It must be hard for him being the only non-magical being among us. I glance at three of the new faces at the table. He’s not the only non-magical being anymore. I really hope those of us with magic can keep them all safe.
“I told him it was unnecessary,” Tabitha says as she bustles into the room with a platter piled high with sandwiches. “He always makes himself useful.” I appreciate her being supportive of my dad. Everyone has made him feel welcome. Even Dagda has made a real effort. Especially since Dad has gained the ability to hold a fishing pole.
“I see the Angels have made themselves scarce,” Kallen notes. “Where did they go?”
“I believe Raziel was collecting supplies you will need when travelling to the dinosaur realm,” Garren tells me.
“Supplies? Like what?” I ask, reaching for a sandwich. I really hope one of those things is a pterodactyl leash.
Garren shrugs. “I have no idea.” Helpful as always.
Conversation ends until we have all loaded our plates. As we dig in, Eliana turns to me and asks, “How soon can we return to the Cowan realm?”
My hands freeze in place with my sandwich halfway to my mouth. Panic begins to build up inside me. She wants to go home? What happened to make her change her mind? “Um, I thought you were going to help us with the Phoenix?”
Shaking her head and smiling, Eliana clarifies, “I am not giving up. I just assumed that we needed to get Jadyn. Or are we doing that tomorrow, too?” Ah. Our female Skin Walker. I almost forgot. So much for being done with realm hopping for the day.
“There are other Skin Walkers we could ask for help,” Isla points out. “There is a small colony in this realm.”
I shake my head. “We know Jadyn and trust her. I don’t want to take the chance of bringing in a Skin Walker who likes to be a trickster.” Something that once got the Skin Walkers kicked out of the Cowan realm. Those who didn’t leave were forced into hiding.
“I agree,” Kallen concurs. “We do not need to add any more uncertainty to the mix than we will already have.” Meaning, who knows how all these beings are going to get along. We need them all to behave. That may be asking for too much from some of them. The Elves come to mind. And the Sasquatch.
Sam lets out a low whistle. “Liza is going to be mad.”
Josh grimaces. “Yes, she is.”
“It can’t be helped,” Eliana tells them both. “She will just have to deal with it.”
“I’ll let you explain that to her,” Josh replies with a wink and a grin.
“Thanks,” Eliana says dryly.
Biting my bottom lip, I debate whether or not to ask the question on the tip of my tongue. Who am I kidding? Of course I ask it. “Will your families be safe if you go against her wishes?”
This gets Isla’s attention. “This person has threatened your families?” There is a hard glint in her eyes that makes me glad that I’m not Liza. Then again, meeting Liza made me glad that I’m not Liza.
“Not her personally,” Eliana rushes to say. My eyebrows rise at that, and she adds, “I mean, she wouldn’t hurt our families. But, she has made it clear that the government would not be happy if we suddenly disappeared.”
Everyone jumps when a glass is slammed down on the table. “How can you work for those barbarians?” Tabitha demands.
“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Josh attempts, but he knows his argument isn’t going to convince anyone.
“Because we want to help as many people as we can, and working with the government gives us the opportunity to do that.” Her voice developing a hint of steel, Eliana adds, “And there is no way I would let them harm anyone in our families.”
“Your families are welcome here,” Isla reminds her, “if you feel they may be in danger.”
Eliana shakes her head. “No, Liza will find a way to explain our absence. I’m not worried.”
Wanting to get off the subject I started so Eliana is no longer on the defensive, I announce, “We’ll go get Jadyn after lunch. Then we’ll have the rest of the day to relax.” I doubt we’ll get much relaxing done with the threat of the universe ending hanging over us, though. Things like that are not conducive to relaxing.
The others take my cue and the rest of our lunch conversation veers away from this topic. Most of it involves the back and forth of questions to appease everyone’s curiosity. Isla has a lot of questions for Eliana, as the former has never met anyone with the essence of a god, or two, inside of her before. Sam and Jenna have the most questions, though. Garren, who loves to hear himself talk, takes it upon himself to answer most of them. Kallen rolls his eyes as the older Fairy drones on and on, but our guests seem fascinated by the information he imparts. Finally, Garren has an interested audience. How nice for him.
When the last bit of food is seized and eaten, it’s time to go back to the Cowan realm. Managing to get Eliana away from the others briefly, I ask quietly, “Are you sure about this?” I really don’t want to invite another Skin Walker to go with us, but if it will make Eliana’s life easier, I will.
Eliana gives me a reassuring smile. “It’ll be fine.” She seems to actually believe it, at least my internal lie detector indicates she believes it. So, I decide I will, too.
“Are we ready?” Kallen asks with a raised brow. He knows what I was asking Eliana. He would have pulled her aside himself if I hadn’t.
I nod. “Yup.” My gorgeous husband scowls at me. He hates that word. Actually, most Cowan slang bothers him. I try not to
let his bother bother me, though. I gotta be me. Another phrase he hates. The grammar, not the essence of it. He agrees with the latter.
Turning to Jenna and Sam, I ask, “Are you guys okay hanging out here, or do you want to go home?”
“Here!” they both respond in unison.
With a grin, Josh punches Sam in the arm. “Try not to get too spoiled.”
“With food like Tabitha makes, how could I not?” Sam replies with a toothy grin in Tabitha’s direction. The older Fairy actual blushes a little bit.
“Not to mention all the things we are learning from her,” Jenna points out, not wanting Tabitha to think that they only like her for her food. Tabitha blushes even deeper. She must really like these guys because only people who have wheedled their way into her heart can make her blush. The old softie.
“Come on, let’s go before Tabitha becomes the color of one her tomatoes,” I laugh. I hurry out of the kitchen before I get a smack to the back of the head. My intent was to be funny, not stupid.
20 Chapter
After opening yet another passage to Colorado, I then teleport the four of us to Eliana and Josh’s living room. Since I am not familiar with the layout, Kallen ends up stumbling over the edge of the coach. Fortunately, he catches himself before he cracks his head on the end table. “Sorry,” I mouth.
“My car’s in the garage,” Josh says, grabbing his keys from a hook by the door.
“It would be faster to teleport,” I point out.
With a chuckle, Josh replies, “Yes, but that might cause several of our coworkers to have mild strokes.”
“It’s true,” Eliana confirms. “Especially Roxy.” Josh nods in agreement. “I’ll call Jadyn and give her a heads up that we’re coming to get her.” Eliana puts her phone to her ear after pressing a few numbers. A look of surprise washes over her face. “Liza?” Eliana pulls her phone away from her ear and stares at the screen to be sure she called the right number. Putting the phone on speaker so we can all hear, she asks, “Why are you answering Jadyn’s phone? You’re on speaker, by the way.”