by Livia Quinn
Dylan said, “When he wakes up, we’ll tell him everything he wants to know, if he’s not too chicken to hear the whole truth.”
Chicken, huh? He stood over me, only his hands in my vision. “If he’s not on board, Tempe, he’s a problem.” Whoa. Maybe this was where he killed me. I reminded myself that my status here had just changed along with my circumstances. I didn’t doubt that Dylan could take me out. But then Tempe surprised me.
She drove to her feet and got in his face. “You will not let anything happen to Jack.” A growl sounded in Dylan’s throat and pressure stopped my ears up as if the barometer had taken a sudden dive. I got the feeling he wasn’t used to being threatened and she’d done it—to protect me. For a few seconds, they had a stare-off and I halfway expected a bear/stormwitch mini-war to commence but then he backed off, verbally at least. She must have bigger bolts in her bag of weather tricks than I’d seen.
“There’s no time to coddle him,” Dylan said. “We have plans to make.”
This guy just kept pissing me off. I may not understand what was going on exactly but coddling isn’t in my DNA. The inspector and I were going to have a conversation.
“You heard me,” Tempe said. Dylan seemed to realize Tempe was prepared to do battle over this, over me. “Besides,” she continued, “Aurora said we’ll need our mortal friends during the Para-moon. I have to believe Jack will come around, especially after he’s had a chance to regroup and realize that Paramortals are actually just like him—defenders of the weak—not monsters. Just… not mortal.”
Not monsters, eh? What did she mean by Paramortal and what was a Para-Moon? The Destiny dictionary was obviously different than Webster’s. Maybe I should get a copy. Damn, I was losing it. Concentrate.
Tempe sighed, “I still can’t believe it—Dutch, alive. Why didn’t he come out of hiding earlier to help me find River?” Her voice cracked when she said, “Every one of you were in on this.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Dylan. I want to see Aurora. Of all people to lie to me.” She stooped once more by my side. Her fingers touched my neck to check my pulse, then after hesitating briefly, she rose and walked to the door.
“I’ll call you after I’ve talked to your sheriff,” Dylan said.
The door opened and Tempe said, “You better ask him if he’s my anything.” Then she called out, “I’m going now, Jack,” and the door slammed. A chuckle sounded above me and I pushed off the floor squeezing the “rain” out of my hair with my hands, slapping my sopping hat against my wet pants leg.
Dylan leaned against the opposite wall, unsurprised. “Playing possum?” He looked like Diablo now, just a man, albeit a dangerously intense one. I wondered if some of that aura of danger came from the monster inside him.
I didn’t want to believe what I’d learned today. This town wasn’t what I’d expected—understatement—but it was the first place Jordie and I had been able to even think of calling home since I’d left for the service. I couldn’t accept or reject what I’d seen until I got the facts but I realized now there’d been things happening in Destiny for months, small things that hadn’t made sense. I crossed my arms and looked at Dylan. “So, talk.”
* * *
Tempe
I was sure Jack had been pretending, his pulse halting under my fingertips when I touched him. He’d been listening to every word, waiting for me to leave, and while I was relieved, I understood why. He was horrified at seeing the freak I’d become in front of his eyes, not to mention Dylan’s Finrir. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. Zeus, I hope I was right about him.
I got in my truck, but before I even started the engine, my phone rang. It was Dylan. “Jack’s fine. I told him if he was just going to wallow, he might as well leave. We don’t have time for his pity party.”
I smiled. Knowing Jack and his pride, that had probably been the perfect thing to say. I heard him curse in the background. Dylan said in a low voice, “Don’t worry, I’ll make him see reason.” He must have read my mind because he added, “I won’t hurt him.” Jack said something else and Dylan growled, “Unless he does something stupid.”
I gave a heavy sigh as I cranked my truck. “What about Dutch?”
A pause, then Dylan said, “What about him?”
“When will I see him?” I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice.
“When he’s ready, Tempest.”
We’d see about that. I was going to get some answers, but more importantly, we had to find River before his life ebbed away. Surely, my father could help.
At the end of the driveway, perched atop the clubhouse mailbox, sat Marty. I drew to a stop, my window level with the box, and rolled it down. As if he’d never had a problem with my truck—the little diva—he took hold of the top of the door and swung in, dropping lightly onto the seat.
I pushed the accelerator and drove out of the subdivision. The truck swayed and bucked, but Marty floated on air, unaffected by the truck’s movement. He tilted his head back against the doorframe, studying me as I drove, an odd feeling let me tell you, being under the microscope by a thousand-year-old mini-demon. Okay, so he’s not actually a demon, but with his pointy tail, skin like a wrinkled mushroom, bright amber eyes and sharp teeth, he’d pass for one.
“I’ve been remiss in my duties. The family would be very upset with me if I let something happen to you,” he said.
I gawked. Since when had Marty become a member of the family? He hung around River a lot… “What?”
He cocked his head and the skin above his eye wrinkled. “I’ve been serving your family for a very long time, Tempest.”
Now, all of a sudden, everyone was calling me by my full name. What was up with that? All I’d gotten from Dylan was that cryptic, It’s not necessary anymore.
I pulled into the driveway of an abandoned house and parked, leaving the engine running. Exasperated, I turned to the Imp. “What are you getting at, Marty?”
He uncrossed his legs, climbed up onto the back of the seat, wrinkly butt in the air, and retrieved a package from the mail tub. Seating himself on the square box, he placed his hands on his knees and leaned forward. Let’s get serious, his posture said. “You need me to make sure you stay out of trouble.”
Helloo. Pot—kettle! I couldn’t dismiss what he said though. This ugly little creature might be a bit on the unpredictable side, but he did have resources. He’d already unearthed one clue, and his connection to River and Dutch had to be an asset.
His little wrinkled snout turned up. “I’m not ugly. That hurts my feelings, Tempest.”
You can read my mind, I thought toward him with all my strength. Marty just tilted his head. I focused my eyes on his. He stared innocently back at me—a word that doesn’t apply to Imps.
Shrugging, I said, “I guess we could give the familiar thing a try.”
He stuck his arm out. A human sized hand morphed out of his pointy paw like some elasto cartoon character’s. I guess that meant we had to shake on it. Then, flipping the hand over, he spat into the center.
Eeeuw! Imp spit. I looked Marty over closely. His loose flappy skin was the color and texture of wet Louisiana gumbo, giving him an unpalatable veneer. “I have two stipulations.” His hand shrank back a bit.
I said, “This is only temporary, until we find River.” He nodded. “And, you have to have a new look.”
“What’s wrong with my ‘look’?” He posed, twisting back and forth, the other hand on his hip. Finally, he stilled. “What do you have in mind?”
“You decide, but it has to be something that doesn’t call attention to you or look odd to humans.” I thought about it. “You could just be Rogue. Now git, I’m busy.”
He poked his hand at me again. I looked down at that nasty looking wad in his palm, thought of River, and took the rubbery appendage in mine, only to find my hand captured and held as he met my eyes. “Everything is going to be okay, Tempest.”
Tears sprang up, and
I blinked. I wanted to smart off to this tiny unexpected source of compassion, but his sincere expression made that impossible. He seemed so sure. I closed my eyes allowing hope to rise up. I cleared my throat and asked, “How do you know?”
He squeezed my hand. “Trust me, Tempe. Over the centuries, we’ve been through tougher challenges than this. Against overwhelming odds, we’ve faced fae wars, Para-moons, and evil you can’t imagine. You and River, even your lover, are but infants in our Paramortal world. There are always changes, but remember, much remains the same.”
He winked and poofed away before I could ask what he meant by “even your lover”. Who was he referring to? Dylan and I were no longer lovers and Jack… Maybe the Imp could see the future. I hoped so.
I continued downtown to Aurora Borealis. I had things to discuss with Aurora. Things like—why I’d been left in the dark for starters. Things like—why she had let me believe the worst about my parents. My heart leaked tears at the agony I’d felt over my father’s death, at my mother’s withdrawal. I was going to have to reconcile twenty years of pain, disappointment and false reality with the truth… that my parents had distanced themselves from us to keep us safe.
There were only four days left until the beginning of the full lunar moon cycle, when we might be better able to contact my brother’s weakening force and according to Dylan, we had plans to make. What plans exactly?
Dylan was right about one thing. While Jack had come to Destiny looking for a normal, ordinary town to raise Jordie, someplace like Mayberry, I’d had a major case of denial, pretending to be normal.
But Destiny isn’t Mayberry. It’s more like… Middle Earth. I finally understood what Aurora had been telling me for weeks. My future and that of my family might depend on embracing my birthright and accepting the past.
Jack had a lot to accept as well. He’d told Dylan he wanted to know everything. He’d also promised me we’d find River. I can’t help but wonder if he stays, and if we find River alive and well, will he still want to take me to the Mardi Gras ball?
Menori isn’t holding her considerable breath ‘cause there’s a lot of everything.
The Paramortals are in for a wild ride on their journey to their destiny. Ready for next Paramortals book? Get Cry Me a River at your favorite ebookstore now.
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Glossary of Beings & Terms
Good and Bad POPs (Jack’s term for “People of Power”)
Paramortal – beings who are bound through their ancestors by blood or spell to The Pact and called to defend all manner of innocent beings
Coincidence or Para-moon – When the Paramortals’ moon, Cache and earth moon are full at the same time. The last time was 400 years ago. Exact arrival and strength is unpredictable.
Chaos – 24 hours when blood Paramortals lose their power or suffer ill effects and their enemies take advantage of the power-down to grab power and eliminate good guys
The Forge – a super pulse of leylines that runs through Destiny. Its center is the swamp behind Tempe’s house
Collecte – the ancient members of the original Pact and their descendants.
Tempestaerie – A being that can control water and air and affect earth and fire while manipulating wind and weather.
Djinn – a fire elemental with the ability to grant wishes
Finrir – a shifter, eight-foot tall wolfish creature with a grizzly head. (Think Wolffie from Star Wars)
Vouivre – a four elemental water dragon that appears as a naked blonde on the bank to catch ‘food’
Fae – the Bright Fae (good) and the Dark Fae (bad)
Nucklavee –an ugly, mean creature that can take any form. When it dies it smells like dead fish and rotten eggs
Goofus – a species of flying creatures that look like pterodactyls, come in many sizes
Shmoo – smallest goofus that spews poisonous fluid
Squonk – a larger goofus, which can also fly backwards
Fengbo –looks like a flying head with wings for ears, has a square mouth and fat sharp teeth. It feeds on the organs of its victim while it’s alive, then carries the remains under its head until it finds a replacement.
Walking dead – well, you know, they used to be people, and now they’re not.
Paramortal Language/Terms
* * *
Qi- core source of power within
Para – two, side by side; to shelter, protect, or defend
Vyal k’allanti The Paramortal quickening, the change, literally ‘find his destiny’
Aq’ligeameile (Aqua-le-me-elay) Paramortals, defenders of humans
Menori – Tempe’s life force or qi
Deremelei – living skin, the sign of a new Paramortal
Dovelo – from do’vel, clueless, literally in denial
Allanti - Destiny/ Fate
Vel lua – I love you (to a friend)
Jah’allantiduen - The Convergence – literally ‘as prophesied all will come together’
Jahlua – The Collecte - All allies
Aretuu – All Paramortal enemies, literally ‘he hates’, includes variants
Meile q’lije (parablood) – blood of the defenders, all blood Paramortals have meile q’lije at birth
Vazar Aquilei vel Aq’ligea meile - (Loosely paraphrased) Fae, get your asses over here and defend your Paramortal brothers
Meile - Blood, life source
Aqi’lei – Fae, literally ‘one who shines’
Jahdo v’allanti - sign of fate
SOAPs Sisters of the astral plane
Races - remein, Djinni, larein, ilein, qivan, belojah and velczhan
Aqiva’ni The race of changers, shifters
Larai’ni ‘less than dead’, Jarai’ni ‘more than dead’ - Vampires
A‘ni - same qi – same species
Ameile – one blood - human
* * *
A delij k’alant, cin valo ne kant deligda.
“One meets his destiny on the road he takes to avoid it.”
Livia moved from D.C. to Louisiana where the weather and culture of the region inspired her writing, including her storm faerie, Tempest, and her contemporary romance series. She’s stored up fodder from her jobs as mail lady, salesperson, plant manager, business owner and professional singer to share with readers. Think of her as her characters’ biographer! On the bayou, she is protected from the alligators and bears by her husband and feisty Pomeranian, Dusty.
The no drama way to follow me and get my updates is to visit my Livia Quinn Writes blog
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As they say in one of my favorite places. . .
Caide Mile Failte’, A hundred thousand welcomes.
Livia
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Did you love Storm Crazy? Then you should read Cry Me a River by Livia Quinn!
Destiny - It's not Mayberry…
Isn't it just like a man to exit a relationship when he finds out a woman has a few little secrets? The last time I'd seen Jack Lang, he'd gotten his first glimpse of my Paramortal talents—a few measly bolts of lightning aimed in his general direction. Sheriff Lang is finally on board with our search for my brother, but time is running out with the Chaos approaching. River had been kidnapped, and due to my rejection of my Tempestaerie heritage, I fear I'm partially responsible.
In the course of the investigation my relationship with Jack has gone from attraction to suspicion, support to friendship, and romance to oh-my-god-get-away-from-me revulsion.
Jack's an ex-Navy pilot. He says he wants to know "everything". Dylan, my ex-lover, says after we answer Jack's questions, he'll either join us, or grab his daughter and take the first jet out of Middle Earth. He may stick around, help me save my brother and discover the whereabouts of my parents, but I doubt he'll still want to take me to the Mardi Gras ball, once he knows "everything".
