by Jody Wallace
He could go back to Sal. He still had his reserves. Sal could wish him human-sized or wish Robair neutralized and learn to love Liam as a very short man. Only he wasn’t sure she’d cooperate. She’d love him, but she could also wish him back to the Realm.
The water was nearly black and relatively calm. He stared at it, mesmerized, as if the answer might be written in liquid words on the surface. He loved her with all his capricious leprechaun heart. What would life be like without Sal?
It would be like a cold sea, with no land in sight. Like this lake. But he was useless to her like this. He couldn’t protect her. Once he crossed over, there was no coming back. It was an inflexible law, set by the searsanach council long ago.
Unless…
Liam took a deep breath and jumped overboard. The icy water wrenched the air from his lungs. He shook himself and settled into a fast stroke toward the circle of power. Once he reached it, it was a small enough matter to use the magic for the one thing that didn’t require a Finder’s wish—going home.
Sal pried open eyelids that felt glued to her face, and the first thing she saw was Gram, pink and vital, playing solitaire on a laptop computer. She had on a green fuzzy robe and not a single tube attached to her body.
“Gram.” Sal’s voice was a painful croak. “You’re all right!”
“I told you not to use a wish on me,” Gram scolded, but she hugged Sal just the same, careful of Sal’s bandaged arm.
“I had a spare.” Sal inhaled the reassuring violet scent of her grandmother. “Did the doctors run a million tests on you when you popped out of bed?”
“Not many. I think part of the leprechaun’s magic mutes the spell to the rest of the world. No one seemed surprised.” Gram fingered the bandage on Sal’s arm. “Does it hurt, baby? You could have been killed.”
“You could have died too. But we’re both fine.”
“Your mother expected me on my deathbed and instead found her daughter with a gunshot wound. She’s convinced I was responsible somehow.” Gram sat back and wiped a single tear from her blue eye. “Did Liam…did he choose you?”
“I sent him home. I think he wanted to go. The man who shot me, Gram, was another leprechaun. I knew he’d never leave Liam alone.”
Gram nodded with understanding but no pleasure. “Robert Orland is in custody for attempted murder, resisting arrest, carrying a concealed weapon, and I don’t know what else.”
“What does everyone think about the fact he’s so…short?”
“I didn’t know he was tall before. Nothing on the news about it.”
It must have been like the spell on Gram, glossed over by the rest of the world. “He’s dangerous.” She glanced around the hospital room. No one else there. “I found him to make you better. He was going to take Liam’s magic, and I didn’t want a jerk like that to get a wish.”
“It’s a wonder Liam didn’t let us in on his identity before.” Gram closed her laptop and replaced it in its case. “My sisters and I had a good chuckle over that boy, strutting around like a rooster, thinking we didn’t know.”
“You knew? And you didn’t find him?”
“I’ve got everything I need, baby girl. Like I always told you, he was yours to find.”
“I’ll miss him.” Sal turned her head to the side so her grandmother couldn’t see her tears.
Chapter Twelve
Sal flung her pocketbook onto the couch and herself after it. She’d just testified at Robert Orland’s trial, held in Madison, and driven home despite her exhaustion, desperate to sleep in her own bed. The little man had been a tense bundle of resentment, dressed in a small, very expensive Armani suit and accompanied by five lawyers.Sal was so relieved the verdict was in and she could get her life back. The media had had a field day because he was some sort of real estate bigwig. In fact, they’d been lurking on her street for months, hoping for an exclusive.
She’d ignored the ones she’d seen today like she’d ignored all the others.
Now that it was over—except for those “Gunshot Victim Actually Daughter of Elvis” articles in the tabloids—Sal allowed herself a mean grin. She tapped the toes of her Manolo Blahnik pumps on the brown and red Oriental rug—pumps she hadn’t owned a couple days ago. When she’d taken the stand, she’d phrased one of her answers so that she’d found Ormand again and wished for expensive shoes.
He’d had just enough power to grant that wish. When he’d dissolved into a hissing, screaming ball of fury, it hadn’t helped his case one bit.
The incredible shrinking Ormand—at least the shrinking part—hadn’t made it to the tabloids. The case itself certainly had. One rag claimed he was an elf who’d met her on the Internet and fallen in love only to seek revenge when she didn’t return his affection.
That was her favorite. Elves in love. It always reminded her of Liam.
She lived in his house now, slept in his bed, and missed him every day. She’d retrieved his Cadillac from the shop, and the sleek green automobile purred like a happy tiger, which was puzzling, since it had given Liam no end of trouble. She’d thought about selling it, but she couldn’t bring herself to sell anything, not yet. It had only been six months.
A knock sounded at the back door. If it was a reporter, she was going to bean him with her Blahnik. They weren’t supposed to be on her property, much less the patio. Likely it was Gram asking her over for dinner.
Sal rolled off the couch and made her way across the living room. “Coming.”
The door opened before she reached it. A bouquet of pink roses in his hands, Liam Connell, otherwise known as Liamhnach Scolaidhe, stood grinning on her patio.
“I like the Manolo Blahniks you’re wearing,” he said.
“Oh, my God!” Sal jumped up, stumbled on the rug and fell into his arms. Flowers scattered across the floor. She kissed him so enthusiastically, their teeth bumped. “What are you doing here? You said you couldn’t come back.”
He showed her a round, intricate tattoo on the inside of his wrist. “You can if you’re part of the searsanach humanspace enforcement squad. Newly formed, mind you.”
Sal couldn’t restrain herself. She squealed and jumped up and down like a puppy, holding onto his arms, and he laughed. She loved his laugh. She loved him.
“I can’t believe you’re back! I missed you so much. Are you okay? You’re still tall. Is anyone after you? That guy Robert Ormand’s in jail. Oh, I thought I’d never see you again, Liam.”
“I missed you too.” They kissed again, this time with less teeth and more tongue.
Despite how nice it was to hold and kiss him, she broke it off and held him away so she could see his face. “Did you say you’re a cop?”
Rapscallion Liam a bastion of law-abiding society. Hard to picture.
“So to speak. By the spirits, I’ve missed you.” He nudged the door shut and started unbuttoning her blouse. “We’ve got all night for question and answer. Isn’t there something else you want to be doing? Like me?”
It was Sal’s turn to laugh. “Where have I heard that before?”
“Right before we made love the first, and last, time.” Liam pulled her blouse free and pushed it off her shoulders. He knelt to kiss her belly.
Sal’s heart raced. She was too flustered by his arrival to give in to the passion she felt. “Wait, wait. What does this mean? Can you stay?”
He glanced up at her between thick, dark lashes. Was his hair a little browner? Were his eyes a little greener? “I can even stay with you if you’ll have me, Sal.”
“I don’t understand. What happened to you in the Realm?”
“Not much.” He shrugged, but his smirk belied his casual words. “I completed my deuchainn, reported Robair’s activities, exposed the Faolain prìomh for contacting his son during deuchainn, gained a seat on the searsanach council, restored balance to the political system, helped form a humanspace enforcement branch and volunteered for this assignment. So here I am.”
“I want to hear about i
t all. Everything.”
“Later.” Liam rubbed his face on her belly, releasing a gusty sigh that tickled her skin. “Can’t we enjoy our reunion first?”
“Ormand’s in prison here. I told you that already. I’m safe—we’re safe. Oh, Liam, I’ve missed you!”
Liam rose to his feet, kissing his way up her body. That provoked another bout of kisses before Sal broke free. “What about your magic, your life span?”
“I have control of the magic, what there is of it.” He kissed her ear. “The only Finder I have to please now is you. I’ll sacrifice the life span to be here with you. What’s a hundred years?”
“Liam, you can’t—”
“Shush.” He placed a finger on her lips. “I love you, Sal. I think we should get married. I hope it’s all right if we adopt children because our genes don’t splice that way.” He lifted her into his arms and headed for the bedroom.
Since she’d never imagined her dreams would come true, she’d never considered children. But she’d learned in the past five minutes that dreams did come true, that anything was possible.
“What if I made a wish we could have children?” she asked. “You know, after you saved up?”
Liam dropped her on the bed with a wicked smile. “Then I’d do everything in my power to make it happen. Starting right now.”
About the Author
Jody Wallace is published in romance fiction under the names Jody Wallace and Ellie Marvel. She has always lived with cats, and they have always been mean.To learn more about Ms. Wallace, please visit www.jodywallace.com or the cat’s website, www.meankitty.com. You can also send an email to [email protected].
Look for these titles by Jody Wallace
Now Available:
A Spell for Susannah
Survival of the Fairest
No magic for two weeks? What’s a fairy to do? Go to Vegas, of course!
Survival of the Fairest
© 2008 Jody Wallace
Princess Talista of the fairy clan Serendipity has been sent, like all young fairies, to a remote forest in humanspace for mandatory survival training. But headstrong Tali’s got different ideas about where to spend two weeks without magic. What better place than Las Vegas to learn to live like humans, a true test of survival?
Tali might not blend, but she’d like to be shaken and stirred with stage magician Jake Story. Their attraction is instant and electric…and Tali senses there’s more to Jake’s show than flashy tricks.
Jake always knew he was different, even before he developed an unusual flair for hypnotism. He has no trouble mesmerizing the luscious Tali during act three, but the lights that appear around them when they kiss weren’t part of the program.
When the authorities from Tali’s homeland track the missing princess to Vegas, Jake and Tali end up on the run. In between magic experiments, evil gnomes and astonishing sex, Tali learns what it really means to be human—by falling in lust, followed closely by love.
But Tali’s not human. And Jake doesn’t believe in fairies. The truth will either bind them together—or tear the fairy realm apart.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Survival of the Fairest:
“The hotel with the red and blue spires.” Tali bounced in her seat, forgetting that she was belted to it, and the heavy strap bit into her shoulders. “Oof!”“What?” Jake snapped his cellular teley-phone closed.
Tali had listened avidly as he’d called his sibling, that copper fellow, and cancelled their appointment for the evening. The cellular teley-phone seemed almost as efficient as communication spells. She squirmed until she was more comfortable in the restraints. “The hotel that looks like a palace. Take us there.”
“The Excalibur?” Jake deftly maneuvered his automobile into the stream of traffic on the main road. The black car had darkened windows and room for five people. The soft seats were upholstered in leather, a rare material in the Realm now that civilized fairies were vegetarian hippies. A pleasant herbal odor emanated from a gaudy cloth bag that hung around the mirror on the front window, and the motor purred like a giant cat. Vast buildings towered behind the flashing lights and signs, inns Jake said were often full to capacity. People in showy outfits thronged the sides of the street.
There was no sign of Elder Embor and his menacing team anywhere among them. How in the world had they found her? Probably her obnoxious survival teammates back in the Bitterroot, though that didn’t answer how the Elder had known to transport to Las Vegas. Maybe a tracer spell of some sort. She wouldn’t put it past the Court to have bugged her or something.
Dang. Well, they couldn’t track her now that she wasn’t using magic.
A flume of brilliantly lit water caught Tali’s eye. “Look!” She pointed at a lake in front of the huge beige hotel glowing with yellow lights. “Waterspouts!”
“That’s the Bellagio.” Jake made a decent guide, if she ignored the sidelong glances he kept shooting her. He’d better not be thinking of kissing her again. She was having enough trouble putting it out of her head. “It’s one of the most expensive hotels ever built. There are about twelve hundred fountains in the lake.”
His tight black shirt outlined a taut abdomen and broad shoulders. When he shifted the right way, she could even see his nipples. Maybe she should quit trying to forget their embrace. What was wrong with a little kiss, anyway? So he sort of convinced her she wanted it with that hypnosis business. She’d kissed men before, lots of them.
No harm done. The spectators hadn’t found it odd or suspicious, which meant it was a normal human activity. Pleased with her deduction, she settled back, ready to relax and enjoy the scenery.
Tali rapped on the thin glass window. “Do I hear music?”
Jake clicked a button on the shelf between the seats, and the window sank into the door with a whir. Strains of instrumental music accompanied by a man’s rich vibrato drifted through the opening. The fountains soared higher into the air, mirroring the music, and crested above the lake. The humans standing on the sidewalk applauded.
The air breezing in smelled of metal and smoke and grease. She inhaled, exhaled. The music sounded like the symphony at home, but larger. Not many fairies were musically talented, but the ones who were received much acclaim. “That’s a fine tune. I can see why they like it.”
She leaned her chin on her hands and stared at the water arcing over the heads of the crowd. Perfectly lovely! She wished she could admire it more closely, but dawdling wasn’t a good idea at the present time.
She knew her punishment would be intense, but she had no intention of returning until her time was up. Her jig was jagged, so she might as well enjoy it. This would be her only chance to explore humanspace and advance her knowledge of blending funfirsthand. The game of cat-and-mouse with the Elder might even make things more exciting.
Speaking of exciting, she peeked at Jake under her lashes and thought about the kiss. The electric exchange of tongues and heat. The silken feel of his hair under her fingers. She was here to learn new things, right? To blend? A conversation with her sister about the sexual prowess of human males echoed in her mind.
It wasn’t as if Tali never planned to have sex, but it was difficult to relax when one’s partners all had political ambitions. Wedding a twosie guaranteed a higher position in Realm society. Even wooing a twin could boost status. Desire for advancement drove her suitors, not desire for her. Ani enjoyed the attention, enjoyed working through The Thousand Kisses, a series of mating rituals designed to enhance one’s chances of bonding, but the posturing, and the lack of actual affection, bored Tali to tears.
Fairies never knew whom they’d bond with, or if they’d bond with anyone. It was so...arbitrary. What if she ended up with a fellow she didn’t even like? Casual sex that could result in permanent bonding wasn’t something Tali had been inclined to try.
Jake, on the other hand, didn’t care about the status involved in courting a twosie. Didn’t hope they’d join forever and ever. Had no idea she was
anything besides a tourist and a woman.
She was fairly certain he was aware of her as a woman.
“How much further is it, Jake?” Maybe she’d ask him to stay in her hotel room tonight.
Jake glanced at her. His hair gleamed in the low lights of the car’s interior. Their car idled behind others in front of the waterworks. His dark clothes blended with the seat that cupped him, and the half-smile at the corner of his mouth fascinated her. No men she knew had that twinkle in their eyes or those perfect laugh lines. Drakhmore clan members were dark like him, a little scary, but Jake Story didn’t scare her. Exactly.
“A couple miles, but this traffic’s pretty bad. So what are your plans? What else do you want to do while you’re here?” he asked.
She hid a smirk and wriggled deeper into her cushioned seat. “I want to attend a water park, look through a humble teley-scope, surf on the Internet, visit the White House, shop at a supermall and see baseball.” She wanted to do the things normal humans were lucky enough to do every single day. She wanted to know how human technology had replaced magic and what it would be like to live here permanently. She wanted to know more about Jake Story and why he made her tingle.
“There’s a water park at the end of the strip called Wet ‘N Wild. I take my cousins’ kids when they visit. Malls are everywhere. The White House is across the country.”
“I was testing you.” Tali could never remember how far things were in humanspace. The land the fairies inhabited in the Realm didn’t correspond to the continent here. “What about a humble teley-scope to see the stars? I read about it in HumanWa…”—oops!—“a science magazine.” Tali waited to see if Jake would catch her slip.
He didn’t. “There’s a planetarium at a community college nearby. Their telescope is nice, though. I wouldn’t call it humble.”
