by Melissa Haag
“We’re ready,” Piepen said, flying into the room with Merri. Her messed hair and red lips gave away what they’d been doing.
I shook my head at the pair.
“Hurry up before he needs to go again,” Megan said, motioning to us.
We all stepped close as her wings flared into existence. There was only a mild rush of warmth as they wrapped around us. The lights went out, and it felt like we were falling fast for a moment before the air changed to cold then warm and fresh. The flames vanished, revealing a rolling hillside covered in rows of still dormant grape vines.
“Our chateau is just over this hill,” Megan said. “Ready?”
Merri looked around her and sniffled. Piepen quickly hugged her close and stroked her hair. I couldn’t hear what he softly whispered to her, but she nodded and pulled back to give him a watery smile. Then she looked at me.
“Thank you, Eliana. It’s everything.”
They flew off to look at the grapes, and Fenris took my hand.
“Never thought I’d see Italy because I told that little flitter to go find a girl. Think she’ll be pregnant before the trip’s over?”
“Why do you think I wanted the spell? She’ll hold out until we start touring China. She knows we’ll be home two weeks after that.”
“Twenty dollars says the Great Wall has sparkles on it before we leave,” Megan said.
The three of us quickly said we weren’t taking that bet.
The chateau came into view as we topped the hill, and for a moment, the sight of what lay before us stole my breath. Fenris stood there with me, his arms encircling my waist from behind.
“You’re not the only one who thought they’d never see Italy. I thought I’d never leave Uttira.”
He leaned in, brushing his lips over the back of my neck and breathing in my scent.
“Thank you for finally running for me. I hope the event itself was as impressive as getting to see Italy.”
I turned in his arms and ran my fingers along the scruff decorating his jaw.
“More impressive. Thank you for waiting until I was ready.”
“Always and forever,” he said tenderly.
Then he playfully licked my nose.
“Chase you to the chateau.”
I grinned, gave him a push, and took off running.
Behind me, a howl rang through the spring air.
Seven years later…
* * *
“Mom, Dad’s making me wear this,” Tenna said with a pout.
I looked over at her, noting the pink dress she had on.
“It’s very pretty.”
“I don’t want to wear it. Grandma Nikky says that if we were meant to wear clothes, we would have been born with them like Leaf was born with fur.”
Her little brother, having heard his name, let out a high-pitched yowl, which set off a chain of howls inside our home.
“What did Grandpa Jason have to say about that?” I asked, used to the noise.
“He said that modesty is a virtue and that covering something precious makes it a gift. Do I have to be a gift?”
“Yes. Until you’re at least seventy-five,” Fenris yelled from the other room.
“Good,” she shouted back. “Grandpa Piepen said I’m already sixty-one.” My five-year-old daughter crossed her arms angrily.
Fenris poked his head around the corner and looked pointedly at my rounded belly.
“That one better be another boy.”
“The father chooses the gender,” Maddie said, setting her hands on her hips. “Grandma Nikky told me and Auntie Laura so.”
Born only a few months after my half-sister Laura, Maddie spent a lot of time with her closely aged aunt and my parents. Dad taught them basic primary school skills, such as reading and writing, while Mom worked at the club. He adored his time with both of them and tried to keep the succubus knowledge exchange to a minimum. But Maddie still learned plenty.
“I won’t survive,” Fenris deadpanned after a glance at his oldest daughter.
“What happened to the free-spirited man who said he’d be fine if I chose buffet-style eating for the rest of my life?”
He fully stepped into the doorway, his arms filled with the soon-to-be two-year-old twins while Leaf, our almost-four-year-old, clung to his leg.
“Woman, you get enough to eat. Look at all these kids.”
I grinned at him.
“You mean the ones who aren’t dressed for Grandpa Piepen’s party at Auntie Megan’s?” I asked.
Leaf yipped and hopped off Fenris’s leg.
“I’ll be right back.” He raced away with more grace than a human four-year-old would have managed.
The kids loved Megan and Oanen. Over Christmas, Fenris had teasingly said it was due to the closing age gap between Maddie and Megan. With each of my pregnancies, she’d grown more and more aware of how she was stuck at seventeen while Oanen and the rest of us continued to age.
When she’d said she was ready to move on to the next phase, I’d happily agreed to “endure” yet another pregnancy. As an only child himself, Fenris had willingly agreed six kids would be a perfect number. I wasn’t sure if I had his optimism that it would be another single pregnancy. I felt huge. Although, Megan was just as big now.
I took one of the twins and wrestled him into an outfit. Fenris finished first, shouting and high-fiving Forrest. I wrinkled my nose and licked Flint’s.
“It wasn’t a race,” I told him.
Ten minutes later, the seven of us were in the van and headed to the marshes. A swarm of brownies waited by the reeds as we parked. One familiar face flew slowly toward me. At one hundred and five brownie “years,” he was the longest-lived brownie in their recorded history. A history he had them start recording when he and Merri formed their brownie Council years ago.
His gossamer wings barely had the strength to keep him aloft now, but I could still see his youthful soul within his time-worn gaze.
“Princess. You came.” Piepen tittered to himself, and a few of the younger brownies rolled their eyes.
“Of course I did, Piepen.” I patted my stomach. “I have the perfect spot for you, today. I think you’ll ride comfortably here.”
“I think I just sparkled my pants,” he said with a knee slap that caused him to lose several inches in altitude.
He righted himself and weaved his way to me. He landed with a sigh, his wings drooping mightily. I smiled down at him, feeling a sharp pang in my chest.
Over the last few months, I’d finally understood Adira’s cavalier attitude toward the brownies. Their lives were too short to care about them so deeply. It brought so much pain to see them age and watch them die. It wasn’t a lesson I learned alone, and I knew it was one of the reasons Megan was just as pregnant as me.
Losing Merri so soon after losing their oldest boy had devastated Piepen. He’d spent three days lying on my shoulder as I took away his pain. The birth of his fifth great-great-grandchild had brought him around a bit, but I could still sense his sorrow. I didn’t try to take it, though.
He’d asked me to leave what remained with him. That it was part of remembering and missing them. That he wanted to miss them.
I did my best to respect his wishes while still easing his pain.
“Who has his fermented poppy?” I asked.
A little boy zipped forward.
“Here you go, G.G.G.G.P.” He handed over an oversized-for-a-brownie flask and returned to his parents.
Piepen said his thanks and took a sip as his extended family piled into the van. The twins laughed and gently shook their heads to the cheers of the brownies who’d taken roost there.
“Will Nicolette be there?” someone from the back asked.
“What about Megan?” another asked.
“What about Kelsey?”
“Do you think the dragon will let us—”
“Quiet,” Piepen yelled. “An old man can’t even hear his own thoughts over all that yapping.”
> He looked up at me as I carefully took my seat and closed the door.
“Who will be there?” he asked me.
“Everyone,” I said.
“They better not jump out at me and yell in my face. I hate that.”
“This isn’t a surprise party, Piepen. You know about it.”
“Good.” He took a sip from his flask and struggled to flutter as Fenris navigated us to the main road. When he was a few inches from my face, he fell with a plop into my cleavage. “S’more comfortable here.”
Fenris snorted, and I could feel the humor rolling off my mate. I felt the same as I looked down at the tiny old man who’d once tormented me so. He’d taught me so much over the years.
The best lesson was to cherish every second with the people you loved.
I couldn’t wait to see Ashlyn.
Author’s Note
There are so many things I need to say here. Okay, let’s see… First, thank you for reading Eliana and Fenris’s story. I love writing in this world and watching the relationships grow between the couples.
It was so fun to revisit Megan and Oanen and show Oanen’s desperate need to keep Megan safe and how having found his mate didn’t ease his need to shelter Eliana, his surrogate sister. There’s no changing his protective griffin nature. But don’t worry. His phone stealing didn’t torment Megan as much as her methods to keep him distracted tormented him. ;)
Between Megan, Oanen, and Piepen, there were enough playful elements to balance the core of Eliana’s story, which wasn’t easy to write. Eliana was a complex character deeply scarred by the expectations of two conflicting societies. I hope her trials and struggles resonated with you in some way. And boy, did she struggle. Between morality conflict, adults trying to control her, and heart-wrenching uncertainty about a love interest, the fates threw it all at her.
But she wasn’t as alone as she thought. She had her group of friends and Fenris. Oh, Fenris. I hope he had you rolling with laughter as much as he made me laugh. He was the perfect mix of playful and giving that she desperately needed.
Speaking of giving...are you curious how Fenris collected the Eliana-essence for Zayn’s spells? I wrote a Book Extra for that! Be warned though; it’s not rated for young readers or those offended by or uninterested in reading explicit details of sex. That’s all the extra is--Fenris and Eliana moving along to second and third bases. If that’s your thing, check out the book extras on my website.
And that’s not the only extra bit of writing that stemmed from this story. Did you catch that hint about Kelsey at the end there? Yep, she’s getting her own side story. Remember Kelsey and Zoe’s neighbor in the black leather jacket who fell from the sky? Well, he’s a cranky, hot-as-sin sort with two bored, curious neighbors. I’m sure you can imagine the kinds of trouble that will happen. Lol. And, of course, Ashlyn’s books are coming your way. (How could I not after Eliana finally figured out where Ashlyn was, right?)
Be sure to keep reading for more information regarding, Going to Hell, book 1 in the In Fire and Ash trilogy.
With so much happening in this world, be sure you sign up for my newsletter via my website at melissahaag.com/subscribe so you don’t miss a thing! I might even manage to find some time between projects to write Fenris and Eliana’s mate run. So to avoid missing out on any interesting extras, be sure to sign up!
Until next time, happy reading!
Melissa
Fenris’s Cake Tastes
Spice cake - Lust/passion
Death by Chocolate cake - Devotion/loyalty
Boston cream pie - Need/longing
Lemon cake - Possessiveness
Lava cake - Adoration/love
Angel food with strawberries - Acceptance/Surrender
Tiramisu - Admiration/pride
Baklava - Desperation
Vanilla mousse cheesecake – Playful
Going to Hell
Be careful what you wish for.
* * *
The children of the gods, creatures hidden within this world, have claimed my family one by one. Trolls, goblins, mermaids, and more crave humans like me. Only in my home am I truly safe. Yet, I would give anything to escape this isolated existence. Anything but my life.
* * *
When a spell steals Ashlyn’s voice and rips her from home, she finds herself in a labyrinth of dark rooms with no idea where she is or how to escape. However, she’s not alone. There are creatures in the dark. One talks to himself like he’s crazy. He thinks she can’t see him, but he’s wrong. She sees them all and knows what they want.
* * *
Ashlyn needs to find a way home before she becomes a meal for the children of the gods, because here in the dark, she can’t even scream.
* * *
Read More
More Books In This World
Mantirum World Trilogies
Of Fates and Furies
Fury Frayed
Fury Focused
Fury Freed
By Kiss and Claw
The Howl
The Hunt
The Hunger
(coming soon!)
In Fire and Ash
Gone to Hell
Raising Hell
Hell on Earth
Other Series
Also by Melissa Haag
Judgement of the Six Series
(and Companion Books) in order:
(more shifters to make you “grr”)
Hope(less)
Clay’s Hope*
(Mis)fortune
Emmitt’s Treasure*
(Un)wise
Luke’s Dream*
(Un)bidden
Thomas’ Heart*
(Dis)content
Carlos’ Peace*
(Sur)real**
*optional companion book
**written in dual point of view
Other Titles
Touch
Moved
Warwolf
Nephilim
