by Juniper Hart
“Our blood is magic,” Lane explained. “I suspect that he was searching for a cure for an ailment of his own. When I found out he had bitten you and you hadn’t died, I realized what had happened.”
“What?” Malik, Arden, and Gena chorused in unison. “What happened?”
Lane grinned and nodded at Theo.
“Helios has been infected with aranium,” she said. “He bit the wrong woman, I’m afraid. He seems to be getting himself a reputation doing precisely that.” Theo laughed, and Lane giggled, but the others could only gape at them.
“Anyway,” Lane said, sensing that her audience wasn’t in the mood for jokes. “A combination of Millie’s spell, the aranium, and the demon bite did something ethereal to your body. You absorbed the healing powers of my cousin and the defensive powers of the aranium and the immortality of the demon. You are, basically, a strange hybrid, the likes of which the Enchanted have never seen.”
“So she’s a demon?” Malik offered, needing to put a label on it.
“Put on your listening ears, Malik. She just said that Gena is a hybrid. She’s as much of an Aldwin witch as she is a demon.”
“I-is that even possible?” Arden demanded. “Witches can’t be turned. Demons can’t be turned…”
“She’s neither a demon nor a witch,” Lane said patiently. “She simply has absorbed some of their powers. She healed you, but she can’t cast spells.”
“And she’s immortal?” Arden asked, barely able to believe what Lane was saying. Slowly, he closed the short distance between himself and Gena to snake his arm around her waist.
“Yes,” Lane said, smiling warmly. “She is.”
Gena gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as she stared at Arden.
“Oh, my God!” she breathed, the shock almost tangible on her face. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” Theo said, rising. “Because this isn’t all good news. Arden, you and I are going to have to discuss your punishment for withholding the news of your weakness not only from the pack but from the Council of Seven.”
“That can wait, Theo,” Lane told him softly, laying a hand on him and shaking her head slightly. “Give them a day to absorb the news. It’s a lot to take in right now.” Theo grumbled incoherently but didn’t argue as Lane led him toward the entranceway. She paused to smile at Gena. “Thank you for saving my cousin,” she called. “Millie couldn’t have bequeathed her powers to a better candidate, even if she didn’t do it intentionally.”
The duo left before Gena could respond, and she turned to look at Arden in disbelief.
“So it’s true,” she sighed. “I did heal you!” He nodded, pulling her toward him to brush his lips against hers.
“You healed me in places I didn’t even know needed it,” he replied gruffly. “I am forever indebted to you.” Their eyes locked, and Arden could read the love shining in Gena’s eyes.
“Ahem.” Malik pretended to clear his throat. They grinned at him without breaking their embrace.
“What? You need part of this group hug?” Arden teased. Malik shook his head.
“No,” he snickered. “But…” Arden raised an eyebrow.
“But what?” he demanded.
“Does this mean you’re coming back to LA now?” he asked hopefully.
“Always the Hollywood agent,” Arden laughed.
“Is that a yes?” Malik insisted.
“That’s a maybe. Ask my wife-to-be.”
Malik looked at Gena. “Well?”
“I think it’s high time I got out of Apple Orchard,” she agreed. “But honestly, I don’t care where we go—as long as I’m with Arden, I’m good.”
Arden’s smile widened. “As long as we live, we will never be apart. You’re going to be stuck with me for a long, long time.”
Epilogue
“You look beautiful, Gena,” Shawna told her, adjusting the simple white dress about her slight shoulders. Gena smiled at the older woman and impulsively gave her a hug.
“Thank you for everything, Shawna,” she told her earnestly. “If it weren’t for you and Malik…”
“Oh, I don’t know if that’s entirely true, Gena. Fate has a way of working itself out. If we hadn’t been here, something else would have ensured you and Mr. Morrow got together.”
Gena smothered a smile, thinking about what it had taken to get her there as it was. I can barely believe all that’s happened in such a short time. I am literally a new person; happier, brighter… different. She had yet to experience everything that her newfound abilities had given her, but she knew she had all the time in the world. Arden is fine now, and we are going to conquer the world together, one day at a time. My life is just beginning.
“Will I be calling you Mrs. Morrow now?” Shawna teased, primping the train around her face, and Gena chuckled.
“Hasn’t he asked you to start calling him Arden yet?” she asked, slightly annoyed.
“Actually, no, he hasn’t,” Shawna replied, and Gena grunted aloud.
“Please start calling him Arden. I have a hard enough time with this entire fairytale situation as it is. Every time you call him Mr. Morrow, I cringe.”
“So, I guess we’re not calling you Mrs. Morrow, either, then,” Shawna concluded. Gena had to admit the sound of her new name gave her shivers of pleasure she had never known. She had never felt this way about Chad, not even in the beginning of their long relationship.
This is what love is supposed to feel like. Arden calls me his mate, and I have to agree, that’s how it feels—like we were destined to be together.
The housekeeper’s cellphone chimed. She glanced at it, and out of the corner of her eye, Gena thought Shawna’s brown irises were about to pop.
“What’s the matter?” she asked worriedly. “Is it Arden?”
Shawna laughed.
“Remember that fairytale thing you were having a problem with? Well, hold that thought a minute.” Gena arched an eyebrow, expecting an explanation, but Shawna did not elaborate. “Are you ready?” she asked. “Your chariot awaits.”
Gena followed Shawna into the hall and took a deep breath. As they descended the stairs, Shawna spoke again.
“Malik and Mr. Mo—”
“Arden,” Gena interrupted smoothly. Shawna giggled and blushed slightly at the reminder.
“Malik and Arden,” she corrected herself, “are in the barn. Shall we?”
They enlaced arms and headed out the back door through the kitchen. They opened the barn doors, and Gena felt her breath catch in her throat. At the far end of the stable was Arden in an old-fashioned suit and top hat, sitting atop a glorious stallion. A hand flew to her mouth as she smothered a gasp.
“Do you like him?” he asked, dismounting the beast as she approached. She nodded, tears shining in her eyes. “He’s yours. I wanted to name him Malik, but Malik got offended for some reason.”
Malik scowled, and Gena knew that Arden wasn’t joking. She grinned at the agent.
“I can find a more fitting name for him,” she told him. “How about Jespers?”
It was Arden’s turn to scowl. “First rule of this marriage, that woman’s name is never to come into this house again.”
“That may be difficult, Arden, considering you slapped her with over forty million dollars in personal lawsuits,” Malik said smugly.
“Did I?” Arden asked, his face registering surprise. “Funny, I don’t recall doing that.”
“When I say ‘you,’ I mean ‘me’ acting as your power of attorney,” Malik replied. “Same thing.”
“Enough about Shari Jespers!” Arden boomed, and the justice of the peace cleared his throat meaningfully.
“I was just about to suggest commencing the ceremony,” the judge said. “May I?”
Happily, Shawna stepped back as Malik led the horse away from their makeshift altar. Gena did not hear a word the man said as she found herself lost in Arden’s eyes again.
Everything is going to be okay for once, she told
herself. We are going to be fine. The Council has spoken, and Arden is well. The fates are done conspiring against us.
The love in Arden’s eyes was genuine, and the pessimistic voices in her head seemed to have disappeared for good, like they had been consumed by the goodness surrounding her. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that she was over two weeks late.
That’s just another thing that time will tell, Gena thought, a serene smile touching her lips. Let’s see if fate made us parents.
Doctor Enchanted
Revenge of the Bears
Prologue
Helios was sicker than he wanted to admit, his face an unhealthy pallor of pea green, tinged with opaque. His crystalline eyes seemed to float in a sea of nothingness, the veins of his face crisscrossing hideously to make a terrifying mask. Gone was the golden boy who had charmed everyone for centuries. In his place was a monster not unlike the half-formed demon he called his sidekick.
I’m dying, he thought, staring at himself in the mirror over the chipped sink of the dingy hotel room. They have finally managed to kill me. It only took a thousand years, but they have finally found a way to end my life.
The quarters were hardly befitting anything cleaner than a cockroach, but the filthy room was truly the least of Helios’ problems for the moment. It wouldn’t matter where his corpse was found, after all.
Two failed attempts to avenge Carina had left him seething but weak, and he stared at himself, feeling the aranium seeping through his system. He hadn’t noticed it so much at first, the substance assimilating with his blood cells and overtaking his DNA. It was akin to the mortals’ disease of cancer. Each day, his demon genetics were being taken out by the aranium, scraping away at his insides to bring him closer to the end. He needed to find a cure for the poisoning, and quickly.
A knock at the door announced Vaughan’s arrival, but Helios didn’t bother to call out for him to enter. There was no point in wasting his breath—he wasn’t sure how many more he had left.
“Sire, you look terrible!” the half-formed demon cried when he set his eyes upon his master’s face. “You are even worse than when I left you last night!”
Helios spun. The abrupt movement alone was too much, and he fell forward, face-first, into the twin bed, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
“SIRE!”
It had all been too much. The bite in Paris had poisoned him, and the attack in British Columbia had failed miserably, thanks to Gena Averson. He always seemed so close to his goals, yet somehow, they simply kept slipping out of his grasp.
But those experiences had not deterred Helios as much as they should have. In fact, they had given him a brand-new idea as he managed to stumble out of Hodgeson Memorial and out of harm’s way for the second time since coming out of hiding. Maybe he had failed there, but there was another place that could help him so that he wouldn’t fail again.
Despite his depleting energy, Helios formulated a new plan, one which didn’t involve violence or physical force. At least not yet. There will be time enough for that later… provided I survive this.
He needed to do nothing but heal, hence the reason he was in that dingy motel room in Portland. The drive down the coast from BC was barely memorable, his mind slipping in and out as the deadly toxin continued to eat away at his demon cells.
Helios had no idea how much longer he had left. He just knew his life was slipping away with each breath he drew. The sword that had killed Carina had done so instantly, but his circumstances weren’t the same. He hadn’t ingested the poison through the wicked, horrible blade, fashioned by corrupt wizards and scheming Enchanted creatures. Whatever revenge he had plotted would need to wait. Not even his fury could motivate him to do anything other than get well.
And if I can’t get to an Aldwin witch, I’ll need to do what I can without one.
Carlingview Hospital was the answer.
For half a century, the Enchanted had been using the private facility as a testing ground for various experiments—secretly, of course. Helios had reason to believe that if there was a cure anywhere, it would be there. It might be a longshot, but it was still a better one than trying to find another Aldwin witch on that side of the planet.
Traveling was no longer an option for the weakened beast. He needed to restrict his movements to a minimum.
“Sire, what can I do?” Vaughan moaned, bringing Helios back to the present. “You are ghastly pale—”
“Did you find another Aldwin witch nearby?” Helios croaked, interrupting Vaughan’s whimpering.
“There is only Lane Aldwin, Sire, and getting to her—”
“No, of course it can’t be Lane,” Helios snapped, annoyed that Vaughan had even mentioned her. The risk and the temptation were equally great, but he wasn’t on a suicide mission. “The Council is already out searching for me. I won’t bring them directly to my doorstep.”
“What will you do?” Vaughan seemed crushed to find his master in such a pathetic state, and the realization infuriated Helios.
I am Helios. I will reign over the Enchanted and mankind one day, after the blood of my enemies has been spilled to pay for Carina. However, he was getting ahead of himself. He was secretly relieved to hear that there wasn’t another Aldwin close enough. He wasn’t sure he would be able to take one on in his condition. That left him with one easy choice.
“Sire?” Vaughan prompted, his hands fluttering nervously. “What say you?”
“Is your vehicle out front?” Helios asked. Vaughan’s eyes widened.
“Yes, but Sire, you are in no position to move. You’re injured and sick!”
“Are you questioning me? Again?” Helios hissed, and as he always did, Vaughan balked. The milquetoast never learns. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he was a masochist.
“Of course not, Sire. I-I am just concerned about you, is all!”
“Concern yourself with my army,” Helios retorted, slowly ambling to his feet. His massive body shuddered with the effort, but he willed himself not to think about the damage his form had endured over the past months.
Vaughan’s face lit up at the mention of his army, and he nodded eagerly. “Yes, Sire. Our numbers are growing daily, and not only demons, but Lycans, vampires, and dragons also. The witches and fairies seem quite committed to the Council, I’m afraid. I am confident that when you are well, we can commit to a strike.”
“What do you expect from silly, vapid females?” Helios snorted. “Only demon women have any fire.”
“Agreed, Sire.” The words pleased Helios immensely. He had been worried that he was losing momentum, not gaining it in his cause. He gave Vaughan a rare smile, the mere action causing Vaughan to swoon.
“Good,” he purred as Vaughan hurried to assist him. “Then I have one thing left to do.”
“What is that, Sire?”
Helios’ grin faded just as quickly as it had come, and he scowled angrily.
“Recover, you fool!” he spat. “I need to recover.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Vaughan muttered. “How will we make you well, Sire? Tell me what I can do. Anything, Sire. Anything at all.”
Helios exhaled in a grunt. “You must take me to Carlingview Hospital,” he told Vaughan. The smaller demon gaped at Helios as if he’d heard the request wrong.
“But Sire!” he breathed. “That hospital is rife with the Enchanted.”
“I know it is,” Helios growled back. “That’s why we need to go there.”
“It’s far too risky!” Vaughan cried. “There are Enchanted doctors, nurses—”
“And hopefully an antidote to the aranium poisoning,” Helios finished. “This is my only hope of recovery, short of kidnapping Lane Aldwin.”
If possible, Vaughan paled more. “Obviously, that isn’t an option, Sire,” he mumbled, and Helios could see he was worried that was even a consideration.
“We’re in agreement, then,” Helios said, but he didn’t care if Vaughan conceded or not. He was go
ing to Carlingview to seek treatment. There, they would treat him as they ran tests, and Helios hoped to be long gone before those results came back. All he needed was access to the labs underneath the hospital and a Band-Aid solution to get him strong enough to get to them. Everything else would hopefully be child’s play.
I’ve thought that before, he cautioned himself, but this time, he wasn’t going permit himself failure. This time, he was going to see his plan through and make everyone pay as they so deserved.
“Sire, there is a team actively looking for you. Between what happened in France and Canada—”
“Then I will need a disguise, won’t I?” Helios replied, his face twisting before Vaughan’s eyes, and suddenly, Helios was no longer himself. In place of his waxen, sickly complexion was that of a handsome, sparkling-eyed stranger with intense brown eyes and a dazzling smile.
“Sire! You can’t do this now!” Vaughan was aghast. “You know how much energy shifting will take from you. It will never last.”
“It will last long enough,” Helios barked back, annoyed that Vaughan was playing devil’s advocate. “I lived as others for centuries—or have you forgotten?”
“I didn’t forget, Sire, but I remember how you exerted yourself when you did! You were unable to use your powers for decades sometimes!”
“This is temporary,” Helios snarled, angered at Vaughan’s constant need to be contrary. “Now go get the car.”
Vaughan didn’t move immediately, his eyes trailing over the strange man standing before him, but when his gaze rested on Helios’ eyes, he abruptly spun to obey, sensing the danger lurking inside them.
“Yes, Sire,” he mumbled, shuffling away and leaving Helios to stand on his own, shaky feet.
Helios knew Vaughan’s concerns were real, but so was the threat of death. Inhaling deeply, he forced himself toward the door and followed the path that Vaughan had taken. Although every step was bitter agony, he had to forge through.
I’ll check myself into Carlingview and find the cure to my ailment. Then I will be out of Portland and back on track to finish what I vowed to do all those years ago. He paused to catch his breath, a slow smile forming on his lips. And not just me this time, he thought slyly. Me and my army. We’ll take them all down once and for all.
