by Nicole Hall
“The last time I trusted them, I ended up in Terra. I won’t risk her.”
Keris shifted her gaze to search Keely’s face for a moment, then nodded to Seth. “I’ll take care of your human while you meet with the elders. No harm will come to her.”
Keely scooted around him to put her hand over the wild pounding of his heart. “What about him? Where’s his protection?”
Her concern reached through the bond, but Seth couldn’t tell if she worried about the danger to their charade or to him. He knew which he hoped it was. Either way, she played her role to perfection.
Keris tilted her head, approval in her golden eyes. “He won’t be harmed either as long as he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“And what if he does?”
Seth frowned at her. “Hey. I rarely do stupid things.”
Keely met his gaze with a look that clearly said oh really? “You were an invisible llama when I met you because you pissed off a powerful magic-user then lost a bet to her.”
Keris didn’t bother hiding her smile. “I like your human. She has courage. Come, Keely, the elders have no wish to harm him, and I trust that Seth can behave himself for a short amount of time. I wish to hear more of your meeting.”
She beckoned Keely to her side, but Keely only spared her a glance before stubbornly meeting his eyes. “If you need me to come with you, I will. Gods or not.”
Her fierce protective spirit touched him through the bond. He had his answer. She was concerned for him.
Given the choice, Seth would rather Keely be under Keris’ protection. His aunt had thwarted him many times, but she’d always had a fair and loving heart. She was also the most cunning person he’d ever met. Keely would be safe with her.
Seth cupped her cheek and dropped his forehead to hers. Stay with Keris. Don’t leave her side, and be cautious what you tell her.
Keely turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm. Only fifteen percent of the truth, I promise. Be careful, okay. I’d hate to have to find some other llama to kiss.
Seth grinned at her as emotion swelled in his chest. I’d better be the only llama for you. He kissed her then backed away before he changed his mind and rushed her back through the portal.
“She’s in your care, Keris.”
His aunt watched them with glittering eyes as Seth stepped away and let his hand fall. The second they broke contact, the forest disappeared, replaced by a dark room that smelled of must and candle wax.
Four hooded figures sat behind a long table at the opposite end of the room from where he stood. Several dusty books sat open in front of them, and light illuminated the pages though no candles were lit. Seth almost rolled his eyes at the theatrics.
Atraxa, the head of the elders, stood in the center in a plain white tunic and brown suede pants. The humans had once called her Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and Seth fought the urge to fidget like a trapped animal.
She motioned him forward. “Seth Morgan, you should know we have adjusted the magic of the doorways for your tricks. You will not find them so easy to pass in the future.”
The warning in her tone told him that he’d get more than rebuffed if he attempted again. He moved confidently to the center of the room and inclined his head. “I will endeavor to remember that.”
“The artifact remains missing, yet you are not in Terra. Have you come to return it?”
“You’re wrong about my crimes, but I’m still clan. If you remove the banishment, I can attempt to find it.”
“As we told you before, return the artifact, and we’ll lift the banishment. Only then, will you be clan again.”
Seth clenched his fists. They still refused to listen to reason. “And as I told you before, I don’t have it. I’ve never had it.”
“Our magic tells us otherwise. If you offer no other information—”
“I have a way to find it.”
Atraxa narrowed her eyes at his interruption, but waved her hand at him. “Continue.”
“I have another artifact, a necklace that prevents magical manipulation and enforces truth-telling. You don’t believe me, but I can prove my innocence. Lexi must have had the artifact last. I delivered her here myself last year, so I know you have her. Use the necklace on us both, and you’ll have your information. Do what you want with it after.”
Atraxa looked intrigued by the promise of another item of great power. “We will need to test your artifact.”
Seth pulled it out of his pocket and held it up. “Test it now on me. Give me the chance to prove myself.”
The elders looked at each other, speaking silently, then Atraxa met his eyes again. “We understand you’ve returned with a mate for the ceremony, against our decree.”
Seth dropped his arm and lifted his chin at the change in subject. “Yes. We want to partake in the ritual. She’s innocent in all this. It was my choice to return. Punish me if you must, but leave her be.” He thought he saw a softening of Atraxa’s severe expression, but it passed so quickly he might have imagined it.
“We have punished you. Our magic is tied into the preparations for the ritual tomorrow. Until then, you are free to roam Aecantha. The next day, we require you and the necklace to meet with us again. To ensure your cooperation, this agreement comes with a price.”
Seth held himself still, refusing to let them see his inner turmoil.
“We accept your offer of the necklace. Two days, we grant you as a mating gift, but with each hour after the mate ritual, your magic will wane. It will be stored in safety until we deem you worthy to have it again. We will summon Lexi and meet with you at the end of the spell, at your weakest, to test you both. If your claims are true or if the artifact is returned, so too will be your magic. Accept our offer, attend the mate ritual, and face judgement. Or return to Terra. You have one hour to decide before the doorway closes.”
His chest tightened. Even if the elders found the truth, they might still deem him unworthy. Removing his magic equaled a death sentence. And they’d said nothing of Keely.
“What about my mate?”
Atraxa spread her hands. “She is, of course, free to leave with you. If she should leave, you would have no reason to stay without a mate. Should you both stay, her choices are her own.”
Seth knew what that meant. If she chose to stay with him, chose the mate ritual, they’d be tied together. If he died here, he didn’t know how it would affect her. The last time he’d snuck in, the elders had closed the doorway for months. If they closed it again, Keely would be stuck in Aecantha alone.
If he left though, what would remain for him in Terra? Keely deserved better than an outcast with no clan, Lexi would get away with her crimes, and he’d never have a chance to find out what had happened to his parents.
Keris would protect Keely. He had to believe it. If he failed, she’d find a way to get Keely home.
“I accept the price.”
Atraxa smiled sadly. “Perhaps you should discuss this with your mate. The doorway will remain open for the allotted hour.”
She waved her hand, and he reappeared outside the building, blinking in the bright sunlight. They’d dismissed him.
His eyes adjusted quickly, and he realized they’d sent him to the fountain in the center of the village. Seth immediately spotted Keely and his aunt sitting at the edge of the water. The elders were right; he should discuss the situation with Keely, but not for the reasons they thought. He’d gotten the reprieve he’d hoped for, but at a cost he hadn’t anticipated.
Keely spoke energetically, her whole body engrossed in the story she told, then Keris threw back her head and laughed. Seth saw the moment Keely sensed him and turned to meet his gaze. A wide smile broke across her face, and she ran to him.
Keris followed more slowly, amusement in her eyes. Keely threw herself at him, and Seth caught her with a grin. There were no half-measures with Keely. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and he held her close. Tension he hadn’t realized he’d carried melted away as her
scent surrounded him.
“I was worried about you.” His chest muffled her words, but Seth knew the feeling.
He eased back to see her face. “We need to talk. Privately.”
Keris joined them and handed Keely her phone. “Thank you for sharing that moment with me. The elders have informed me that you may stay for the time-being. I hope you’ll agree to be guests in my home.”
“We accept your hospitality.” Seth nodded at Keris, knowing she’d offered more than a room to sleep in. Until his banishment was lifted, he remained an exile. The clan had the option of shunning him and his mate, but Keris’ actions would set the precedent for everyone else.
“You remember where it is. I have duties to attend to, so you’ll have the house to yourselves for a while.” She raised a brow. “Try not to cause any trouble.”
Keely snickered, and Keris shared a small smile with her before walking away toward the building that acted as a community center. Unless something had changed, Keris had an office there where she took care of the details of keeping their clan whole and healthy.
Seth frowned at her retreating back. Most of the clan, anyway.
“I don’t know why you’re so wary of her. She’s nice.”
He snorted and grabbed her hand to lead her the opposite direction to Keris’ house. “Right up until she decides to cause trouble.”
“Why would she want to cause trouble in the village she leads?”
Seth shrugged. “She can’t help it. Chaos is written into her blood.”
“Speaking of that, are all the people here gods or goddesses of some sort?”
“No. Ancient humans were easily impressed, and the term kind of stuck. Some of the more powerful among us became well-known, but while everyone here has magic, the level varies drastically.”
Keely’s smile faded into a pout. “You mean I won’t get to meet Hades?”
A pang of sadness hit Seth square in the chest before he could prepare himself. He’d had a long time to heal from the loss of his parents, but sometimes an errant comment or thought ripped open the scar.
He sent her a sidelong glance. “No. The man they dubbed Hades died a long time ago.”
“Too bad.”
“Why?”
“I always liked his passion for Persephone.”
Seth shook his head as they approached a cottage separated from the others by a fence and a line of trees. “You’ve been reading too many YA romances.”
Keely smacked him in the arm. “There’s no such thing as too many YA romances, and how did you even know to make that hideously rude comment?”
“I’m not blind. Your stacks of books are everywhere. Also, I may have borrowed one or two to see what captured your interest.” He opened the arched door and held it so she could walk through, but Keely stopped in the doorway facing him.
“You read my books just because I like them?”
He grinned, partly to banish the lingering pain from her mention of his father, and partly because he liked the surprised happiness he felt coming from her. “Of course. Books are your life. I wanted to know what they’d tell me about you.”
She stepped closer, her breath fanning across his chest. “And what did they tell you?”
Seth leaned down, brushing his lips across hers. “That you have a thing for dark, broody guys with strong protective instincts and questionable feelings for young girls.”
Keely blushed, then turned and marched into Keris’ house with her chin high. Seth hadn’t been inside since before his exile, but everything looked the same. Aecantha didn’t boast electricity, but light spells in clear globes worked the same way.
The entryway opened into a larger sitting room, both dim from the trees outside blocking the sun. Seth sent a flare of power to the closest globe, and the room brightened. A small alcove housed a kitchenette to one side and a short hallway led to two bedrooms on the other. Keely walked straight to one of the padded chairs and collapsed down, blowing loose strands of hair out of her face.
“Okay, step one complete. We’re here and not being tossed back into my world. What did the elders say?”
“We have until the day after the ritual.” Seth took the chair next to her and debated skipping the next part, but she needed to know all the potential consequences to protect herself. “They gave us an hour to decide if we stay until then or leave.”
Her brow furrowed. “Why would we leave?”
“Because every minute I stay past the ritual will suck more of my magic from me. It’s the price I have to pay for asking for a new judgement. If they rule against me again, my magic is stripped for good.”
“What happens if you lose your magic?” Keely’s fingers twisted together, and Seth wanted to ease her concerns.
He hesitated, but told her the truth instead. “The most likely scenario is I die a shriveled husk.”
11
KEELY
“What!” She shot out of her chair, her mouth open in indignation. “Well screw them. You’ll be safe if we just go home, right?”
Seth took both her hands and encouraged her to sit back down in the chair. “If we make it through the doorway before it closes, yes. But it’ll mean I can never come back here. That everyone here will forever see me as a thief and a coward. I’ll have no clan, no family.”
“What about Aiden and his mate, Felicité, Luc?” Keely twined their fingers. “What about me? You may not have an official clan, but you won’t be alone.”
He looked down at their joined hands and didn’t say anything for a long moment. Keely wanted to shake him. How was there even a choice here? When they’d talked about his plan to reverse his banishment, he’d never hinted that death could be a result.
Keely’s heart pounded in fear for him, and for herself. They may not have a future together, but she wanted him to at least have a future.
Seth met her eyes, and she knew he’d already decided. He’d decided before he’d left the elders. “I want to stay. I’m not a thief, and I’m tired of being a disgrace. We have two days, and I can change their minds.”
Her lower lip trembled, so she bit it to keep it still. He didn’t need her breaking down. “Two days to convince them not to kill you.”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t think it’ll come to that.”
Keely shook her head. Arrogant men were such a pain in the ass. “Your pride is not worth your life.”
He pulled away and stood to pace the length of the room. “You’re one to talk about pride. You’d rather move in with a complete stranger—a magical complete stranger—than go home and deal with what you think will be your family’s disappointment.”
Keely rubbed her face. “The difference being that I can avoid my family all I want without dying.”
“Because you were absolutely sure I wasn’t going to murder you?”
She didn’t want to talk about her reasons for signing on to Seth’s craziness, especially when he made logical sense. “It’s not the same.”
“It’s not. Death is a worst-case scenario. There’s a chance I simply end up powerless in Terra. If I fail.” He met her eyes from across the room. “I won’t fail, but if you want to return, I’ll consider the terms of our bargain fulfilled. The apartment is yours as long as you want it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why would you do that? Don’t we still need to do the mate thing?”
“Yes. It’s the only reason they let me stay.”
“Then we go back together or not at all.” Keely raised her chin. Time to woman up. “Okay. We get through today, do the mate ritual tomorrow, convince the elders to change their minds, and your exile is lifted. No problem.”
Seth smiled, but worry lingered in his eyes. Keely stood and picked up her bag from the floor where she’d left it. “Show me where we’re staying.”
He explained that they’d sleep in Aiden’s old room. Keely didn’t know why, but she expected to see a teenage boy’s room. Posters on the walls, junk on the shelves, random socks strewn
about. Except, Aiden had left more than a hundred years ago, and Keris didn’t seem like the type to create a shrine to her missing son.
The small room contained a bed, a side table, and a dresser. Nothing else. Not even a closet. The extra door in the room led to a tidy bathroom with a toilet and a shower stall. A stack of towels sat neatly folded on the lone shelf.
Keely eyed the mattress, much closer in size to her twin than Seth’s height of luxury, and tossed her bag in the corner. “Think we’ll both fit on there?”
Seth grinned at her, their previous argument seemingly forgotten. “Judging by your preferred starfish position, no. But I think we can work something out.”
A loud knock at the door made Keely jump. “Are we expecting visitors?”
Seth frowned. “No…”
Another knock echoed through the quiet house, quicker and more impatient than the last. Keely rolled her eyes when Seth stared at the hallway instead of moving. “I’ll get it.”
He followed her to the living room. If someone intended harm, they probably wouldn’t knock, but Seth’s presence reassured Keely anyway.
She opened the door to a tiny woman-child with loose, blonde braids and a bright yellow sundress. Big blue eyes blinked at her, then a huge grin spread across her face as she looked over Keely’s shoulder.
“Seth, you’re back!” She shot past Keely and flung herself into Seth’s arms.
He let her squeeze him, then set her back a safe distance. “Tamra, this is my mate, Keely. Keely, this is Tamra, and the hulking monster behind her is Oren.”
The giant of a man wore dark brown pants, a loose white shirt, and a cheeky grin. “It’s not my fault I’m bigger than everyone else.”
Keely looked up—really far up—to take in his blue eyes, massive shoulders, and utter absence of body fat. This guy could double as a superhero with no trouble at all. She was on the verge of imagining him in a spandex body suit when she caught Seth’s eye.
Jealous? Keely teased.
