by Viola Grace
Nessa looked at her first cup and the empty cups that he collected. “Uh-oh.”
Her mother turned and asked, “What is that?”
“This has the hallmarks of a three-cocoa night.”
“Five if we don’t pace ourselves. Don’t worry, Nessa. This is just our past being visited on you. We bit ourselves in the butt.”
Nessa followed her to the workshop. “Dad can do that, you know.”
Her mother chuckled. “Yes, I know. It reminds me of the day we met. Why I wanted a super sexy faerie who was after my magic was anybody’s guess.”
Nessa murmured, “It is because you got pregnant and wanted him to account for his actions.”
Her dad came in with another tray of cocoa. “I have been repenting twice daily ever since.”
Her parents kissed, and she smiled. For a love-talker to find a human attractive enough to bind to was exceptional. Usually, one of his kind just got her addicted and then let her pine for him once his touch was gone. The touch of a love-talker usually ended in fatality. Somehow, her parents were still in love after thirty-one years, and both were ridiculously healthy.
Her mother hummed and started with a flask and her book. Every potion started the same. Her father moved around the room and collected ingredients for the spell. Nessa sat back and drank the cocoa, trying to wash away whatever had been planted in her. It didn’t feel bad, but she could definitely feel it, like a set of shoes that didn’t quite fit. She widened her eyes. “They set the spell for a succubus.”
Her mom looked at her and laughed. “Well, in that case, drink this.”
Her mother handed her a vial of blue and crimson swirling fluid. “The whole thing. Bottoms up. The worst thing that it will do is give you the hiccups.”
Nessa nodded and opened the cork. The potion moaned, and Nessa laughed. Her mother did like her running gags. Nessa nodded and slugged the bitter solution down.
Her mother put her hand on Nessa’s chest and chanted rapidly. Nessa caught the gist of it. It was an order to shatter the link and seek another bond that met the criteria. She was chastising the spell itself, saying that it got the wrong number.
The spell inside her paused and then shattered. Nessa inhaled deeply, and her father caught her as she toppled toward the floor. “Easy, Nessa. Perhaps you should stay here for a few days.”
Kallie grinned and whispered into her hand before casting it behind her. “Your room is ready. Fresh linens and a change of clothes.”
Cian helped Nessa up and toward her childhood bedroom. “Come on, Nessa. You need to sleep that off.”
* * * *
When Cian returned, he saw his wife on her fifth hot cocoa. “Ouch. Is it that bad?”
“They aren’t going to stop coming after her, Cian. There was a lot of power in that spell, and he had practiced it until it was perfect. If he hadn’t guessed wrong, he would have been able to reel her in.”
“She’s an adult now, Kallie. She was an adult the first night with them, and it was ten years ago. As far as I can tell, she hasn’t had anyone since, so they made an impression on her. If she had been mad at him, she could have drained him and left him for dead.” Cian held her and felt her relax against him.
“Yeah, she could have ripped him right in the power bank. What about the Twilight dude?”
“She could have stunned him, but he is made of very particular stuff. I wonder why he didn’t grab her?”
“Well, she has her own signature. Maybe he was susceptible to her.”
Cian looked at his wife. “I am hoping he wasn’t. She needs more of a fight.”
“I don’t want her fighting. I want her swept off her feet.” Kallie grumbled.
“Dearest, you bespelled me and stood with a foot on my chest yelling that I had gotten you pregnant. I was flat on my ass, and I want that for her. The feeling of looking up at your mate and knowing that every tick of the clock has been leading to this moment.”
She turned in his arms. “You always know just what to say.”
He grinned. “It’s all in the description.” Inwardly, he was sighing with relief.
She sighed and held him until his hands started to move over her back and down to her butt. “Really?”
“You know how I feel about your spellwork.”
She looked up, and he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist as they walked to the bedroom. Cian chuckled inwardly. If Nessa hadn’t been there, he would have laid Kallie out on the workroom table, but his beloved wife got a little loud if he was doing things right. She needed a distraction, so he had to do things very right tonight.
* * * *
Tynan woke up with the flare of a headache and then nothing. He checked the clock. They had been out for ninety minutes.
Hector looked at him. “So, it wasn’t just me, right? You saw her.”
Tynan rubbed the back of his neck. “I saw her; I can taste her.” He looked at his friend. “I think I set the charm.”
“Well, where is she?”
Tynan frowned as he tugged on the tether that he had set. “It shattered. The spell is tiny fragments.”
Hector cocked his head. “That shouldn’t be possible. What would cause that?”
“The spell changed its mind. The only thing that I can think of is that we guessed wrong. Wait. Are the cameras still running?”
Hector grinned. “They have been set all day. Shall we?”
They opened up Tynan’s laptop, and at first, they watched the embarrassing march into the portal, but then, instead of closing, it remained open for a moment, and a female silhouette was highlighted against the portal before it snapped shut.
Hector nodded and grinned. “She was here.”
Tynan nodded and fast-forwarded a surprising ten minutes before a glowing woman herded them through. “That isn’t a succubus.”
Hector blinked. “That’s impossible.”
“What?”
“Love-talker. They are supposed to be all male, though.”
Tynan murmured, “I definitely remember her being female. How about you?”
Hector nodded. “That is my recollection.”
They watched her walk to each of the men, and one by one, the guys smiled. When it came to Hector, she brushed her hand across his shoulder as if wiping something away.
“She’s removing the trace that she left on us. Look, she is doing it to you as well. Whoa.”
Tynan watched as he lunged for her and kissed her. She staggered back as he dropped to the table.
Tynan murmured, “So, the kiss landed. What the hell?”
The glowing woman turned into a beautiful woman in a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers with a dozen pastel shades in her hair. She tucked her hair into her hood, pulled her hood up, and disappeared. The door opened and closed, and Tynan brought up the security cams.
Nothing. There was nothing. “Wait. There. The stairwell.”
“We are on the twentieth floor.” Hector was amused.
They switched to the main-floor camera, fast-forwarded, and the door burst open five minutes after she had left the boardroom. Tynan chuckled. “She has endurance.”
She was gone.
Hector nodded. “That explains it; she’s a shadow court faerie.”
Tynan shook his head. “Then and now, she tastes of wild magic and mage craft. I don’t think she is purely anything.”
“You know, until you said that, I had discounted the possibility, but there is one person who would know if there was a love-talker in town.”
“Who would that be?”
Hector smiled. “Another one of the same kind, and I happen to know where one is.”
Tynan looked at the other men in the room as they woke up and tried to clear their heads.
Anton looked up, embarrassed. “I feel better, but did anyone else cum in their pants?”
Tynan took stock, and Hector looked embarrassed. “Yup. I will take it as a mo
re benign side effect; now, let’s get to work.”
Once the project was finished, they could go in search of the other faerie. Hector might enjoy talking to one of his own.
Just before eight, they got the parcel sent off with the courier and were free to leave. They laughed and talked in the elevator when Meredith from the accounts payable department looked at them and grinned. “Oh. Good. It worked. She did it.”
Hector looked at the woman as the elevator descended. “Who did it?”
“I called my cousin. She’s excellent at this kind of thing. I asked her to help, and since your team doesn’t look like zombies today, I guess she managed it.”
Tynan smiled with what he knew was a predatory grin; his tone was sweet. “Meredith, who is your cousin?”
“Uh. Nessa Northern.” She smiled in a pacifying manner.
Hector asked her softly. “Where does she live?”
“She travels a lot. I didn’t get her location when I met her for lunch.” She looked flustered.
Hector smiled smoothly. “What is her cell number?”
Meredith rattled it off, and when the elevator disgorged them on the main floor, they had a solid lead.
Hector took out his phone and started dialling. Tynan smiled.
“Hello, Nessa. You didn’t stay to kiss all the sleeping beauties...” He looked at Tynan with a grin. “She hung up.” He tried to call again. “And blocked me.”
Tynan chuckled. “We will ask the other one and see if he can point us in the right direction. If there aren’t supposed to be girls, he might know where she is. Something like that stands out.”
Chapter Three
Mornings were always strange now that she was an adult. The likelihood of finding her parents in some degree of foreplay was high.
She was having her first cup of coffee of many that she had planned for the day. She didn’t want to sleep. The memory of two pairs of hands on her body was far too intense.
Her phone rang, and she answered it. “Hello?”
The voice on the other end was like audio velvet. “Hello, Nessa. You didn’t stay to kiss all of the sleeping beauties—” She hung up and blocked the number. Her breath was heaving in her chest, and one little fact stung her. Hector knew her name.
Did you give Hector my name and number?
Of course. They were asking me together and really hot.
You are getting married in ten days.
I would totally use my get out of jail free card for either of them.
Thanks.
Nessa pressed her phone to her forehead. “Shit.”
Her mother came in with her gardening apron and smiled. “Hey, you are awake. How do you feel?”
“Better. Coffee helps. Hey, if two dark and creepy handsome dudes show up, pretend you don’t know me. I will be in the garden pulling weeds.”
“I already pulled the weeds.”
“I will be in the treehouse!” She smiled.
“Fine. Take breakfast with you, or you can’t go.”
“Yes, Mom.” She moved around the kitchen and put a suitable breakfast together. She had coffee in a carafe and small containers of sugar and cream. She kissed her mother on the cheek and kissed her father as she passed him in the hall. “What’s up, Nessa?”
“They are on their way, Dad. I am hiding.”
“Good girl. I will bring you a sandwich at lunch.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
She scampered across the property with her tray, and then, she sent it up on the winch before she climbed up and pulled the ladder up behind her, just in case.
She sat and watched the TV that her dad had installed a few years earlier and let her mind go blank. They weren’t going to show up. She was just paranoid about the guys, but having a morning snack and TV moment was her favourite thing to do. Nothing like a private treehouse to lift one’s mood.
* * * *
Hector knocked at the door, and a smiling human mage greeted him. “Yes?”
“Excuse me, madam, I am looking for Cian.”
The woman smiled brightly and nodded. “Cian, you have scary company.”
Hector paused as the most stunningly beautiful man he had ever seen stepped toward the door. “Yes? What can I do for you?”
Tynan stepped forward. “We are trying to get information on a female love-talker that has been seen in the area.”
“Technically, that is impossible. Do you have a description of the woman you are looking for?”
Tynan smiled slightly. “Her name is Nessa Northern, and she is the same woman as the one in the picture on the bookshelf. And that bookshelf, and over there. I believe the woman in question is your daughter.”
“She’s not in the house.”
Hector asked, “Is that her car in the carport?”
Cian nodded. “It is.”
The woman came back and swatted her beautiful spouse. “Cian, what are you doing? She’s hiding!”
The faerie turned to his mate and stroked her hair. “She has to embrace what she is sometime.”
Hector watched the faerie emit magic toward his spouse.
The woman swatted his hand away. “Don’t come at me with that weak shit. You think you are so cute.”
“I am.”
She exhaled and waved her hands in the air and stalked away. “Fine, but she is going to shred them into bits if they piss her off.”
Cian smiled. “Gentlemen, would you care to come in? I can put some coffee on.”
The charming man opened the door, and Hector took the invitation. Their intended lover had at least one open-minded parent. It was best not to irritate him by denying his offer of hospitality.
In a few minutes, they were sitting and having coffee, and Cian was filling them in on anything that they asked. He was very direct for a fae that killed by creating a slow lust-powered drain on his lovers.
“So, you have a mate?” Hector asked politely.
“Indeed. She was travelling through my territory, and we had a lovely night together. Her energy fed me for weeks, so I was surprised when she attacked me and asked me what I was going to do about our child. I laughed, and that was the wrong thing to do. She blasted me, and down I went.” He laughed. “It was love from that moment, and I work to keep on her good side.”
“That... is Nessa’s mother?” Hector raised his brows.
“She is. Kallie Romarth agreed to be mine and I hers. She changed her name to Northern, and our one daughter was born. We balanced our power, and it was an excellent decision. Nessa has been a blessing and a joy if a little hard to hide from the world. How did you two stumble across her?” Cian sipped at his coffee.
Hector was nervous. Cian obviously knew that she had taken both of them as lovers, but what he thought of it wasn’t yet sure.
Tynan said, “We were at Skeller’s graduation party. She was on the deck getting fresh air. We saw her and went to talk to her; we didn’t talk long.”
Cian nodded. “It sounds like she made a choice.”
Hector nodded. “We didn’t use any seduction magic.”
“She thought you were a familiar at first. Not a lot of faerie would hang around with a warlock.”
Hector grinned. “We have been friends for a few decades. Finding a woman that we each found fascinating is rare. We checked her tolerances at several moments during our time together, and she had no objections.”
“I am not insinuating that you forced yourself on her. She could have knocked both of you down in a heartbeat. She has a lot of raw power at her disposal. Her inability to remove the traces of her energy from you left a mark and a memory.”
Tynan asked, “Why didn’t she?”
“She was young; it was her first time; she was learning to hide her traces.”
Hector paused. “First time? You mean the magic, right?”
Cian laughed. “No. That was not what I meant, but apparently, you treated her properly as she has
no grudges on that account.”
Hector exhaled. “Where is she? I would like to discuss things with her.”
“She’s hiding. It has become second nature by now.” Her father sighed. “It is what we are good for; we feed and hide in the shadows. It was only when Kallie demanded me that things changed.”
Hector narrowed his eyes. “I think I am understanding.”
Kallie came back with her arms crossed and scowled. “What he is saying is that love-talkers can choose a lover, but they can’t choose a partner. That is left up to the other side of the equation. They are definitely not chosen by members of the faerie courts.”
Hector looked at her in surprise. “You know who I am?”
“Yes, and my daughter is not a toy.” She was snarling, and Cian stood up to hold her back. He wrapped his arms around his wife and held her, stroking her hair as magic crackled wildly around her.
Tynan bowed. “Madam Nothern. We are not here to toy with her.”
Hector cleared his throat.
Tynan said seriously, “Fine, we are here to toy with her a little. She has kept us waiting for a decade, and we are pleased that she is now known to us.”
Hector nodded. “Not knowing where to start looking has been an issue for us.”
Cian inclined his head. “So, what do you have to offer her?”
Hector smiled. “Three homes in this realm and one in the realm of the faerie.”
Tynan chuckled. “We can help her study, expand her magic, and things of that nature.”
Hector looked at the angry woman and said, “We can be her companions. She won’t be alone.”
Kallie slumped, and Cian exhaled.
Tynan opened his hands. “And you might get grandchildren.”
Cian was able to walk his mate to the couch and settle her down. Cian shrugged. “She has been with Nessa longer than we were together. Her protective nature is hard to ignore.”
Kallie glared at the men. “Men have been trying to toy with her since she wasn’t even in puberty yet. I don’t like the faerie method of finding partners by stealth.”
Tynan raised his brows. “I could apply to the head of your family line and simply buy her if you prefer the mage method.”
