by Antara Mann
“And what would you like, ma’am?” the waitress prompted me.
“Um, I still haven’t decided, but for now one Magic Nights smoothie.” I was leafing through the pages, but nothing caught my eye.
“Okay, I’ll come by later.”
She left us and the fae said, “You ought to try McIvy’s pizza — you’ll love it.”
“Mm, sounds promising.” I searched for the name on the menu.
“So, how did it go with the chiefs back at the Veil?” he asked.
I took a moment to gather my thoughts. “Well, not bad. Actually quite good; the Morrigan offered me a job at the Council, and also said she’s going to call a meeting where she’ll raise the issue of me joining her court.”
Kagan studied my face for a few long moments before asking, “And what did you choose?”
I sighed. “I haven’t yet. I’m going to think it over and give her my answer in a week. She gave me her email address to let her know. I’m pretty exhausted and can’t think straight right now.”
“I thought you might be. I’m happy to say I’ve got the perfect present for you.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope and handed it to me. When I looked inside, there were two airplane tickets and a hotel reservation. I looked at him questioningly. “A holiday in Bali is just what you need,” he said. “You’ll get recharged and refreshed. There are interesting spiritual and local customs over there, the food is delicious, and the weather is divine. You’ll be reborn.”
I looked at the ticket. The idea of Bali was very tempting, and yet… “Who is the second ticket for?” I asked suspiciously. Something told me he intended to accompany me.
“Well… in the best-case scenario, I’ll be your companion, but you can take whomever you like.”
“Even a guy?” I teased him.
He frowned. “Well, I was thinking of a friend — a girlfriend, that is.”
“I don’t think Naomi can come with me. Someone’s got to take care of our shop.”
“Find another employee. By the way, have you heard from that guy you were so suspicious of? Desmond?”
“No, but Brendon told me he wasn’t in the shop when it exploded. It makes me wonder where he is now.”
“He’s probably traveling back from the paranormal conference he visited in Dallas.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
The fae shrugged. “I was a bit suspicious of him as well, so I checked him out. He was at that conference yesterday, and should arrive in your town at any moment.”
“That’s good to know,” I remarked. The waitress returned, bringing a candle and lighting it, and served my smoothie and Kagan’s pint of beer. I ordered the McIvy’s pizza, and she wrote it down and went to another table.
“A very good choice. You won’t regret it.” The fae smiled at me. “So, what have you decided about your trip to Bali?” he persisted.
“I’ll talk to Naomi; maybe another friend of ours can fill in temporarily, or we can find another occult enthusiast. We’ll have to come up with something quickly.”
Kagan gently laid his hand over mine. Not taking his eyes off mine, he said, “I want you to have a real nice rest. You know this isn’t over. Garrett — or whatever his real name is — and his inferni master won’t stop here. They’ll strike us again.”
My mentor had used almost the same words! It freaked me out a little.
“Yes, I know that.” I pulled back my hand and took the smoothie. It tasted of yogurt, honey, raspberries, and ice cream — a pretty good combination — and I felt a light sizzling across my tongue. I put the drink on the table and looked back at the fae.
“I don’t quite get it, Kagan. What’s your angle here?”
“What do you mean? My family has sworn to protect both worlds and keep the peace not only between humans and supernaturals, but between gods and demons too.”
“And you have no ulterior motives at play? I mean, apart from trying to get into bed with me.”
A faint smile flickered across his face. “No, not at all.”
“Here’s your dish, Mr. Griffith.” The waitress appeared as if out of nowhere and served him a big plate of what looked like mashed potatoes, vegetables, and minced beef. She flashed him a smile, but left without even a glance at me. I got it: I didn’t matter here. A few moments later, she reappeared with my pizza. I took a bite of it and wasn’t disappointed — the food was very good indeed.
“Yum, delicious!” the fae exclaimed and devoured his mouthful greedily. “One of my favorite meals, ever since I was a small kid.” Between bites he said, “There’s nothing you should be wary of about me wanting to help you get some rest. You’re a valuable investigator, fought well, and thwarted Garrett’s plan. You deserve a holiday in Bali more than anyone.” The music in the bar grew more lively as if to confirm his statement. I regarded him, and had to admit: It felt nice here, in this place. The vacation he was offering me seemed like a gift from God, and besides, he’d helped a lot during the investigation. So what was bothering me?
There’s something else at play here, the voice inside my head chimed in. I hadn’t heard it all day. Maybe it had also needed a recharge.
What’s that? I asked.
You’ll learn when the time comes. For now, relax: Your boyfriend’s right. The voice chuckled inside my head.
I snapped back, He is not my boyfriend!
Whatever, love.
I gave up arguing with it. In the meantime, Kagan had gotten up from his chair and was beckoning me to join him on the dance floor. I followed him and for the first time in a long while, I felt happy. Tonight, I was going to have some fun.
Thanks For Reading
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About The Author
Antara Mann started writing at the age of seven. Nowadays, when she's not reading and writing, you can find her practicing yoga, as she has developed a keen interest in self-improvement, spirituality, and becoming a better human being. She enjoys writing fantasy and paranormal suspense stories and believes in unity in diversity. In her opinion, the best books and stories are crossovers between genres.
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