by Nicole Hall
“They returned as well. It was quite the surprise in the challenge ring, I’ll tell you that. Atraxa appeared with them. With the deaths of most of the council, Atraxa is already looking for replacements, including myself. I believe we’ll be attempting diplomacy this time instead of genocide. You did an excellent job, oracle.”
Dru sent her an incredulous look. “Back up. You finally have your mate back after a gazillion years, and you’re not going to immediately jump his bones? Why are you still here?”
“That’s an excellent question,” she mused.
“Keris, wait.” Samantha looked up as the former goddess paused. “Why did you help him?”
She glanced at Luc, unconscious, but alive, in Samantha’s lap. “He made a convincing argument. Take care of him.” With that, Keris disappeared, and Samantha frowned.
“How are we supposed to get out of here? There aren’t any doors.”
Dru chuckled. “I can help with that. Hold on to your butts.” She waved her hand, and a shimmering portal appeared underneath them.
Samantha drew breath to shriek as she fell, but she hit the ground before she could let it loose. They’d appeared in the disaster that used to be her kitchen with Luc still asleep in her lap. Dru followed right after, stepping carefully through the circle and onto the floor. She waved her hand again and the portal vanished.
“Trippy. Lucky for you I’ve been practicing.” Dru looked around and winced at the destruction. “Okay, I’m only doing this once for you, so no begging.”
She closed her eyes and raised both arms; in a flurry of motion, the room righted itself. The broken door knitted back together, the floor returned to its normal shine, and the shards of dishes became whole again. When Dru opened her eyes, the kitchen showed no signs of the battle that had raged there.
Tears threatened again, and Samantha marveled at the number of times she’d almost cried in the last twenty-four hours. “You’re spectacular, Dru.”
Her former roommate curtsied and kissed her fingers in a wave before disappearing into yet another portal. She really had gotten good at that skill.
It only took a few more minutes for Luc to stir. He groaned and tried to sit up before falling back onto her lap. Samantha chuckled at his frustration, overjoyed to feel him through the bond.
Luc tried again, and with some cursing, managed to prop himself against the cabinet with Samantha’s help. He leaned his head back with his eyes closed for a moment, then reached out and pulled her into his lap.
Samantha tried not to jostle him too much, but he held her tight and sighed into her hair. “That’s better.”
She had to swallow past the lump in her throat before she could talk. “How do you feel?”
“Not dead, so pretty damn good. What happened?”
Samantha eased back enough to see his face. “I went into the chaos and severed all the bonds the elders had made to steal other people’s power. It released Keris, the missing clan envoy, and the original inhabitants of the clans’ realm. When I got back, you used yourself as a human—demon—shield and got mortally wounded by Tamra.”
He laughed, then winced and clutched his side. “Still not a demon.”
She ignored him. “That was stupid by the way. Even if she’d gotten me, at least you could have healed me. I was helpless to save you.”
His jaw firmed, and he shook his head. “No. I will always stand between you and death. Besides, you must not have been helpless or I would actually be dead.”
“Dru and Keris saved you.” She wanted him to completely understand how little she had done.
“And you summoned them, I assume. The people that love you make you stronger because they’ll fight for you. Therein lies the ability to use the power of others. What of Tamra?”
Samantha dropped her head to his shoulder at his easy dismissal, but he wasn’t wrong. Without her, the other two wouldn’t have been able to reach Luc. Her guilt melted away in the face of his confidence. “After your heroics, I stabbed Tamra, and the dagger sucked out all her power, killing her. You lost a lot of blood. I panicked, a lot, then Keris and Dru saved the day.”
Luc kissed her temple. “With you.”
She nodded. “With me.”
“What happened to the dagger?”
Samantha shuddered. “I think we left it in the council’s chambers in Aecantha. Next to Tamra’s body. A resolution I’m entirely okay with. It was very happy to be covered in Tamra’s blood.”
He paused, then sighed. “In the interest of fully transparency, I’ve seen that dagger before.”
“You already told me you snooped through my stuff when I expressly asked you not to, and I’ve already mostly forgiven you.”
He raised a brow. “Mostly?”
“I reserve the right to hold it over you for sexual favors.”
“A bold move. I approve. But that wasn’t the incident I was referencing.”
Samantha leaned back and searched his face. He looked resigned to trouble, but she couldn’t think of a single thing he could tell her that would change her feelings for him—nothing she’d believe anyway.
“In my realm, the first oracle I encountered who foretold my death had pictures of that dagger all over her cell.”
Samantha frowned. “Cell?”
“Yes. I told you my people are in the habit of enslaving other races. She babbled often about a weapon that could only truly be wielded by an oracle, someone connected to the chaos.”
Samantha curled her hand around his neck and pressed closer. “What happened to her?”
“At her behest, I traded her freedom for information about my death. Then when I didn’t like her answer, I told the other lords about her escape. Upon recapture, she told them of our deal, and they took the opportunity to banish me for breaking the oaths among our kind. I don’t know her fate beyond that.”
His remorse came clearly through the bond, and she understood. Now that he saw oracles as real people, he blamed himself for whatever hardships the other oracle had endured.
Samantha framed his face and waited until he met her eyes before speaking. “She chose her fate. You couldn’t have known what would happen from your actions. Even oracles can’t accurately predict the future when magic has a will of its own.”
He threaded his hand through her hair and brought her mouth down to his in a soft kiss. “I know what’s in my future. I love you, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life convincing you to cry out ‘fire-caller’ in bed.”
Samantha smiled as warmth spread through her, from the bond and from her own heart. “I love you too, but that’s going to take a lot of attempts.”
The warmth turned to heat as his hand glided down her back, leaving a trail of fiery magic in its wake. “I believe I’m up for the challenge, love.”
Epilogue
SAMANTHA
“Hello? I know you’re in there, and we need to have a serious discussion about the state of my garden.” Dru’s voice echoed strangely in the row house, and Samantha suspected she was magically enhancing it to get their attention.
She pulled open the back door, letting in a gust of chilly air. “What are you doing out there?”
Dru breezed in and dumped a tote bag on the counter. “I told you before. I’m making my portals in the backyard from now on because I respect your need to get naked with Luc any time you want.”
Samantha raised a brow. “Since when are you trying to avoid seeing Luc naked?”
“Since I have my own man candy to stare at, thank you very much. How’s the co-habitating going?”
Several laughs from the other room had Samantha lowering her voice. “Luc has his own ideas about the house rules. We’re still ironing them out. For instance, he tried to insist that he didn’t need to leave for our girls night in.”
Dru pulled several pints of ice cream out of her bag, then spoke over her shoulder as she stored them in the freezer. “Is he here? I’ll bet he has great tips on skin care. That man is pretty.”
Samantha tilted her head. “I thought you weren’t interested in his man candy anymore?”
“I never said that. I just don’t plan to go out of my way to get a visual. If a visual happens…” She shrugged and sent Samantha a bright smile. “So is he here?”
“We compromised. He joined the guys for a manly night of man-bonding or something, and I agreed to ask Keris about the oracle dagger.”
Dru wrinkled her nose. “Ugh. That thing felt dirty, and not in the fun way.”
Samantha shook her head and led Dru into the living room where the others had gathered. “He wants to see if he can use it by accessing my magic. It doesn’t matter. I already asked, and Keris hasn’t been able to find it in the last couple of months.”
The former goddess sat in the single chair, reigning over the other two women giggling on the sofa. Dru pulled up when she spotted Keely sitting next to Janet. The strange woman had somehow added more scarves as well as an indignant iguana strapped to her chest in a baby carrier. Henry hissed his displeasure, but he seemed to be resigned to his fate.
Janet straightened and sent Dru a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you again. I hear your family concerns worked out for the best.”
Samantha stifled a giggle of her own at a speechless Dru. “Keely invited her. Apparently, they’re from the same hometown.”
Dru’s brow furrowed. “You’re not human.”
A playful twinkle filled her eyes. “I’m not not human.”
Samantha gave Dru a gentle shove into the room. “She’s complicated. Don’t worry, we’ll explain later.”
Dru took the last seat on the sofa and grinned at Keris. “Last time I saw you, you were off to spend some quality time with your mate. How’s that going?”
“We’re still in a period of adjustment. The elders held him in stasis, so he was surprised to find he had a fully grown son. He’s adapting.” A satisfied smile stretched across her face. “The quality time has been fantastic.”
Samantha leaned against the armrest next to Dru. “I’d like to meet Aiden one day. I’ve given you so much information about him that I feel like I know him.”
Dru sighed. “I have such an appreciation for the men of Aecantha, and Luc, of course. They should do a calendar. We’d make so much money.”
Keris cocked her head. “I didn’t think you needed money. I made sure all three of the boys had plenty to live in Terra should they choose.”
Dru waved her comment away. “We’re fine. Oren has more than enough in Terra for the times we’re here, which is not that often, unfortunately.”
Janet sighed. “It’s hard living in multiple realms.” She patted Henry, who may have been asleep at that point.
Dru sent Samantha a look that clearly demanded an explanation, but Samantha shook her head. She didn’t want to get into it when they were supposed to be relaxing. A lot had changed over the last year, and she wanted to have one normal night with her friends. And Keris. And Janet?
What a weird life she’d built. But she wouldn’t trade a second of it because against her better judgement, these women had become important to her. Turned out her better judgement was terrible because it had insisted she push Luc away for months, and now she didn’t want to go a day without him. The bond warmed inside her as he picked up on her emotions and sent her a burst of love.
As important as her friends were, Samantha knew if Luc had stayed, she wouldn’t have given them the attention they deserved. He’d teased her about remaining, but in the end, he’d given her a heated kiss that had promised later reprisal and done as she’d asked. She was really looking forward to that reprisal.
Keris pulled her out of her daydream by asking about Maddie and Aiden’s absence.
Keely fiddled with her engagement ring, spinning it on her finger. “Maddie wasn’t feeling well and didn’t want to travel. Aiden said to tell you they’ll be making a special trip to Aecantha soon.”
Keris nodded with a sly smile as Keely picked up her wine. “Of course, probably sooner than they expect as our kind don’t gestate as long as humans.”
Keely bobbled her glass and stared at Keris wide-eyed. “Maddie is human.”
“That shouldn’t make a difference.”
Janet clapped her hands and bounced in excitement. “You’re going to be a grandmother.”
A sharp knock interrupted the congratulations. Samantha frowned. She hadn’t expected anyone else, and the house protections, which she’d renewed with a special anti-magic wyrm coating, hadn’t warned her of any intruders.
The others went back to chatting as Samantha straightened to answer the door. At first glance, she thought a child stood on her stoop. He wore a bright blue jacket with fabric dinosaur spikes down the hood over dirty grey sweats and superhero sneakers. Samantha glanced around for his parents, but then he lifted his head and grinned, revealing completely black eyes and rows of pointed teeth.
He chuckled as Samantha narrowed her eyes. “Luc said you’d be home. The name’s Hank.”
Her brows shot up, but she didn’t open the door any farther. “Hank. Nice to meet you in person. Thanks for calling to warn me about the redcaps.”
“No problem. I got a little something for you.” He reached under his jacket, and Samantha prepared to throw up a shield if necessary. She’d been practicing to make it instantaneous.
Samantha’s mouth dropped open when he held out a curved dagger almost the length of his arm. The wooden handle gleamed in the porch light, and she could almost make out the runes along the blade.
He expertly flipped the weapon around so she could grasp the hilt. As soon as her fingers closed around it, he let go and stepped back. “Delivery complete.”
A fine mist of magic brushed her skin, and Hank pointed his chin at the dagger that was currently making happy vibrations against her palm. “Be careful with that one. Temperamental as all hell. Nearly had me shanking Vinnie when he said to put zucchini on the pizza.” The goblin shook his head in disgust. “Ain’t no vegetables welcome on my pizza.”
“Thanks?” Samantha didn’t know what else to say. She still had the sheath Luc had given her to quiet the dagger, but where had it come from? “Who sent this?”
Hank grinned again. “No refunds.” He waved, and the light caught him just right when he turned to hop back down the stairs, revealing a greenish sheen on his skin.
Several hours later, the ladies had left, the dagger had been put away safely in the sheath, and Samantha lay on Luc’s chest, sweaty and spent. He dragged his hand through her hair in a hypnotic rhythm, but questions whirled in her mind and kept her from sleeping.
“Who could have sent the dagger? And why would they want me to have it?”
He chuckled and his chest vibrated under her cheek. “You’re the oracle, love.”
“Is that relevant because I can use it or because I can search the chaos for the answer?”
“Both, but it would be nice to have a lull where no one I know is in danger of being killed. Perhaps we should wait for a bit to find the answers.”
Samantha propped herself up so she could see his face. “Hank said you told him I’d be home.”
Luc’s hand shifted to graze down her bare back. “He called me and asked. I saw no reason not to tell him. He failed to mention he had the dagger.”
A slow trail of heat followed his fingers down, then back up, spreading like wings. “You didn’t think he could be a threat?”
“It crossed my mind, but you could handle him, especially with a former goddess, a dryad queen, a multi-dimensional chaos dweller, and Keely in the other room.” He traced his way back up to her neck and stroked her cheek with his thumb.
The intensity of his feelings sometimes surprised her when they touched her through the bond. His confidence in her abilities, his utter faith that she belonged with him, and his overarching love for her. All of it mirrored by her own emotions and twined together.
Samantha tilted her head to kiss his palm, then leaned down to
press her mouth to his. “You’re right. No one wants to mess with Keely.”
Luc laughed and flipped her under him. “I love you.” He nuzzled her ear and left a trail of fire with his tongue. “Let’s see if I can distract you from your eventful evening.”
Streaks of pleasure left her gasping. “I love you too.” Samantha reached between them, teasing him until she found him hot and hard. “Show me what you’ve got, fire-caller.”
Thanks for reading the Modern Magic series! You can find more magic, sass, and love in my new series, Rise of the Lost Gods, starting with Muse Interrupted.
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A Note from Nicole
Thus ends the Modern Magic series…for now. I reserve the right to return to this fabulous world at some point in the future should the need arise. Thank you, dear readers, for coming along with me on this journey. I hope you’ll follow along for the next. You are the reason I write. As always, I have to thank my amazing editorial team, Nicole Schneider, Liz Gallegos, and Jolene Perry. I’d be adrift in a sea of adverbs without you ladies. Special thanks to Jesse Benitez for lending me his sassy one-liners. You can have them back when I’m done with them.
If you liked this series, check out my next one, Rise of the Lost Gods, starting with Muse Interrupted. The ancient Greek gods return to wreak havoc, and a lone Muse is tasked with sealing them back up using the combined power of a demigoddess and her fated guardian.
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