“So I’ve been told.” Tasha looked really embarrassed about it, still keeping her eyes down as the pink in her cheeks darkened to rose. I had no clue why, because I thought it would be a cool ability. One I’d love to have, especially if it allowed me to turn into a tiger.
Where the hell did that thought come from? I blinked. Had I just felt a squirmy sensation in my middle? Hey, are you awake?
I wasn’t sure if I imagined the faint feeling of amusement or not, so decided to ignore it. It was slightly more interesting to watch Rourke stare the other three male wolves down. Nick dropped his eyes to the ground first, and strangely enough, Grigory was second. Patrick didn’t, but he did blink before smirking. “It’s not a problem for me. You moving to Santo Trueno may be, though.”
“These two,” Rourke slid his arm around Tasha and placed his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Are my pack.”
Now intensely curious, I ‘pathed Logan What the hell is the deal?
Alpha male posturing. Rourke’s more alpha than they are. Though, his tone grew thoughtful, Patrick’s a strong alpha. He’s warning Rourke not to get any ideas about challenging for leadership of their pack.
Oh. Now I was curious about a related idea. Are you alpha?
Logan’s chuckle broke the developing tension in the air as all eyes turned our way. He covered by giving Rourke a grin, which the other returned. I’d walk away in one piece if I had to fight any of them, except Rourke. I don’t think tangling with him would be in anyone’s best interests.
My new thing learned for the day: my boyfriend was well aware of his limits. He’d only expressed a misgiving one other time about going one on one against another shifter, and that guy had been a walking advertisement for steroids.
I rubbed my cheek against his shoulder. “Okay, if that’s what we’re doing, let’s get doing it. I’m sick of the dark and rain. Seeing the sun again would be awesome.”
Also more than a little tired of hanging out with a bunch of naked people and having to make sure and keep my eyes above everyone’s shoulders. Maybe one day, I’d grow accustomed to casual nudity with my clan, but I was never going to be comfortable hanging out with naked strangers, or my naked ex and his naked brother.
“Come on, sugar,” Rourke said, dropping his hand from Josh’s shoulder to touch Tasha’s back. “Let’s get changed. Josh, you can wear my jacket. Would you mind keeping hold of my clothes for me?”
“Nope, don’t mind. Thanks.” Josh’s face was glowing with what I suspected to be massive hero worship when he looked at Rourke. Their little family’s dynamics weren’t any of my business, but I was curious anyway. It’s not as though I’d met any other natural mages who weren’t solidly bonkers before.
Rourke looked at Cressley next. “I’ll carry you, little one.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Everyone climbed to their feet, and the cave soon filled with the crackling noises of shifters shifting. Tasha didn’t undress or shift like real shifters. I watched from the corner of my eye as she closed hers, and a pale blue glow seemed to exude from her pores. Within seconds, the glow had completely enveloped her, grew brighter, and went from being a horizontal oval to a vertical one. It faded away, and she was revealed as pale gray wolf with white points and blue eyes.
“That is so freaking cool.” I slapped my hand over my mouth when she looked at me, her tail and ears drooping. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop myself from watching.”
“It is freaking cool.” Josh grinned at me while rolling up Rourke’s clothes. Rourke had shifted, and in spite of being shorter than the other male shifters, proved to be as big a wolf as Grigory. His shaggy coat was dark gray fading to white the closer it was to the ground. He and Tasha made a good-looking pair of wolves.
Cressley looked positively adorable once perched on his back.
Logan bumped my arm with his giant tiger head, and I felt a shameful flash of satisfaction that he was larger than the other shifters. “Time for us to mount up.”
The teen nodded, moving the bundle of clothing from side to side as he slipped his hero’s jacket on. It was leather, and had hung to mid-thigh on Rourke. The sleeves were a little too short, but the shoulders were too broad, so it almost fit Josh correctly. Close enough that he wouldn’t get completely soaked again.
Logan lay down, and I threw my leg over him, settling in the spot just behind his shoulders previous experience said offered the most stable ride. The teen followed suit, tucking the bundle between us, and hesitantly placed his hands on my sides. I looked over my shoulder at him. “You’re gonna want to scoot a little closer and get a better hold. I don’t want you falling off and taking me with you.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He obeyed, a deep red blush crawling up his neck. I rearranged his hands across my stomach when he again placed them on my sides.
He’s at that age his hormones cause embarrassing reactions, Logan said.
That’s fine. I really don’t want to fall in the mud. I’m dirty enough. “Okay, we’re set.”
We were off once again.
I hoped that this time, our stopping point would be the one we wanted.
I’d reached the point of misery and slid way past it within a couple of hours. The rain had turned to heavy sleet, and it felt like tiny knives slashing away at my exposed skin. Logan had tried to stay undercover during breaks, but it hadn’t worked. My butt, groin, and legs felt frozen. The only good thing about the weather change was Josh got over his shyness or worry and was doing a decent job of keeping my upper back warm.
A shout from the front of our line lifted my head. “What?”
We’re there, Logan said. We made it.
“Oh, thank God. We made it,” I said, to pass the info to the teen.
“I hope it’s warm. I’m freezing my nu... um, my... I’m freezing.”
I did not laugh. Logan did, and I hoped that Josh didn’t know what his chuffing meant.
Roughly three minutes later, we were sliding off and hurrying through an opening in a large tree trunk. Taenallen and Cressley were already descending the spiral staircase that was placed in the middle of the hollow area. I waited for the others to change back to human, and did my best not stare at Tasha as she did. I did watch again though, and discovered she switched back exactly in reverse.
Damn, that is so cool.
I thought you preferred the shape you were used to. Logan kissed my cheek.
Yeah, but... it’s cool.
He smiled and took hold of my hand. “Let’s go find out what the hell’s been going on.”
Down we went. The staircase was wood, burnished to a soft gold from use. I lost count of the steps after one-fifty, but only because we’d dropped below the ceiling of the main access point. It was a huge room, and best of all, there were a lot of people present.
“Mother!” Cressley jumped from the third to the last step to run to Maggie. I smiled, but my attention went to a short, stout figure with flaming red hair sticking up every which way. The dwarf was ranting, shaking his fists and sometimes, a finger, under the noses of three elves.
Logan put his lips close to my ear. “That’s Kiffle.”
Yikes.
Chapter Thirteen
“Husband.” Maggie’s first call didn’t get Kiffle’s attention. She cleared her throat and bellowed, “Husband!”
Kiffle stopped ranting, wheeled about, and in a mild tone said, “Yes, dear?”
I fought a laugh, turning my head to press my face against Logan’s arm. He chuckled, and led me down the last few steps.
The dwarf spotted his daughter. “Ahh! Come give me a hug.”
She was quick to do so, and he lifted her off her feet for a quick twirl. “Tell me where’ve you been.”
“I was walking from the kitchen to home, and it all went strange. Logan and his friends found me not long after that,” she loudly told him.
Kiffle looked up from her face and Logan waved at him. “Logan! Found my child again, did you?”
&
nbsp; “I did. Didn’t even know she was lost this time.” Logan lifted our joined hands. “This is Discord.”
I was actually ready when the dwarf bellowed my name. “Discord! Pleased to meet you, sorry about the gigantic mess.”
I tried to match the near shout the others had used when speaking to him. “Nice to meet you too. Um, here to help?”
“Good! First, maybe some dry clothing and a hot drink or two?” Kiffle stomped toward us, Cressley following in his wake like a duckling. He didn’t have a long beard. His was short and neatly trimmed. “Wife!”
I heard Maggie sigh. “Yes, husband?”
His tone turned mild again. “Would you mind attending to our guests here until I’m done with,” he hooked his thumb over his shoulder at the elves, “these tall lumpkins?”
“Not at all.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Kiffle kissed her cheek, nodded to us, and spun around. He was bellowing at the elves again before he completed his first step in their direction.
Maggie smiled after him and then gestured for us to follow her. “You’ll have to forgive my husband. He’s gotten hard of hearing over the centuries, from all that banging on metal he’s done. Lost his volume control along with his hearing.”
“Oh. No problem.” Hell of an occupational hazard.
“I’ll get you all sorted, and explain what’s happened while I’m at it.”
Yes! We’d finally know what the hell was going on.
Maggie led us to a side room. “Here’s our gathering kitchen. We’ve pressed it into service as a cleaning spot.”
There were two double sinks on either side of the room, and stacks of clean, pale yellow towels waiting on stone countertops by each set. A wooden prep table in the middle of the kitchen held stacks of clothing. “After you’ve washed up, take your pick. I’m not sure you’ll all find boots to fit, but we’ve more in the stockrooms.”
“Thank you.” I wasn’t the only one saying it.
“Ladies take this one,” Maggie pointed to the closest double sink. “Men, that one. I’ll be watching, and will thump the head of anyone who peeks while you wash up.”
That took care of my privacy concerns. I released Logan’s hand like it was a hot potato and made a beeline for the designated sink, catching the arms of Tasha and Irina as I went. I had no problems sharing. I just didn’t want to end up being the last to get clean. “Hot water. Dry towels. Clean clothes. We want those.”
“Shoo now,” I heard Maggie say from behind us, but not wanting to risk getting thumped by her, didn’t look back.
She began speaking as soon as the water began to run. “It seems we weren’t told everything about this realm of ours. We were told the old elves created it, those that’d left their clans for a place of their own. It was a half-truth. It was created by an elder elf, but not them. They found it, and took it for themselves.”
I was struggling with my wet jeans, having already stripped off my jacket, shirt, and bra. My running shoes were probably ruined.
“Seems they believed the former master of the realm was dead. ‘The construct told us’,” she said in a high falsetto. Irina giggled, and Maggie resumed her story. “Well, the construct was wrong about its former master. He isn’t dead.”
I’d just worked my jeans and panties down to my knees. “Oh, I don’t think I’m going to like what this former master is.”
“Not if you’ve ever heard of his kind.”
I closed my eyes. “Dark elf?”
“You picked a smart one, Logan. Keep her.”
“I plan to,” he said. I wanted to look at him, but instead, sent him a mental kiss while opening my eyes.
“Yes, a dark elf, and his steed is a drake. They had to have been bespelled, entombed somewhere we never discovered.” Maggie’s tone was dour. “Not a simple matter, those two combined.”
“Lady Discord drove the drake off.” That was Taenallen. “She and her friends saved my life.”
Maggie said, “If you don’t keep her, I’ll spend a week thumping you about the head and face. Or maybe a month.”
Logan laughed. I finally managed to peel my jeans completely off. Tasha was still struggling with hers, and I gave her sympathetic look. She smiled and kept at it. “Logan and I have faced a dark elf before.”
Of course, we’d had the help of a god, some elves, and two humans, all of whom had been taken over by said god’s Hunt.
“You’re both still breathing. Guessing you won,” Rourke said.
“Ah, we did have help.”
“There’s elves here,” I pointed out. “And if one natural mage is good, two has got to be better.”
Tasha nodded. “I’ll do what I can to help.”
“We all will.” That was from Patrick, his tone rather snide. I realized none of us had paid much attention to the four wolf shifters since we’d left the rock cave.
“And we’ll need your help,” I assured him. We definitely would, even if I could somehow get Sal’s or Cernunnos’ attention. And if I did, there was no guarantee either god would actually help.
“No one will be doing anything until we manage to locate the dark elf.” Maggie harrumphed. “That’s one of the subjects my husband’s ranting about.”
Yeah, that could be a problem.
“I feel a thousand times better.” I wiggled my clean toes inside the thick, clean socks I’d picked out, and kept running the brush Maggie had given me through my clean hair. “And warm.”
The clothing selection had been limited to breeches, long-sleeved tunics, socks, and belts. Logan pulled a pair of boots from the pile the dwarven woman had delivered. “I think these will fit you.”
“Thank you.” I held out my hand, and he gave the boots to me. “Found yourself a pair yet?”
“Still looking.” He went back to his search.
“How old is this realm? I mean, how long have they,” I waved my hand at the kitchen’s door, “been in charge of it?”
“Ah, I think about three thousand years.” He lifted a black boot. “Here we go.”
“So this dark elf is super old, and has no idea his kind have been annihilated? Boy, he’s going to be more pissed off than he already is.” I made a face. “That’s going to make things fun.”
We were the only two left in the kitchen, the others having finished and gone out to have their hot drinks in the big room. Logan found the other boot of his selected pair. “At least he hasn’t left the realm yet.”
I winced. “Yeah, that would be catastrophic.”
Santo Trueno was the closest large target. A pissed off dark elf on a drake could do a lot of damage... “Hey, wait a minute.”
“What?”
“Lord Kadon.” I put the brush down and dropped the boots before bending to try them on. “Does a dragon beat a drake?”
“Yes, but you’re forgetting what Maggie said. The realm’s locked down. Our new host wants to make certain he kills all of the intruders, meaning us, before he rides off to find his people.” Logan grimaced. “This was supposed to be a nice, relaxing, romantic weekend. And yet, we’ve ended up in another life or death situation.”
The boots fit. I straightened and shrugged. “I warned you I was a crazy magnet. You didn’t listen, Mr. Sayer.”
He snorted. “This isn’t your fault.”
“I didn’t say it was my fault. I said I’m crazy magnet. There’s a difference.” I lifted my right leg. “They do fit.”
“Good.” He leaned against the prep table’s edge to pull on his. “And I don’t care if you’re a crazy magnet, Miss Jones.”
“Good, because if you don’t keep me, you’re gonna be in huge trouble with Maggie.”
Logan straightened and snagged the front of my tunic. “Come here, you.”
I went, smiling, and put my arms around his neck. “Yes?”
“I’m going to keep you as long as you’ll let me. Are we perfectly clear on that, my queen?” He bumped my nose with his.
“Hm, I think I need a little
more convincing you really mean it.”
“Well, how about this?” He tilted his head, captured my lips, and proceeded to make my bones melt away. A good minute passed before we heard a cough at the door and realized someone was trying to get our attention. Logan softly growled, ending the kiss and turned his head to frown at whoever it was. “Yes?”
“They found him.”
Aw, crap. It was Nick.
“Okay, thank you. We’ll be there in a minute.”
I watched Nick scowl before leaving the doorway, and sighed. “He’s another reason to hurry up and get this mess taken care of.”
“Did he give you a hard time?” Logan searched my face.
“No. I mean, he tried to be overprotective but I made him quit.”
The corners of his lips quirked. “Did you threaten to teleport him into a wall and leave him?”
“No. I kind of, uh, punched him in the face.”
Logan pressed his lips together, and his face began to darken. I shook my head. “Don’t laugh. I feel a little bad about it.”
He nodded, but the corners of his lips were twitching like mad. His dark green eyes glistened with more moisture than usual. I rolled my eyes. “Oh, whatever. Go ahead.”
His laughter burst out, loud and clear. He had to let go of me and turned, bending over the prep table’s top. There was fist pounding.
I realized I was grinning and close to joining in on his hilarity. “Okay, okay, hurry it up. We have a bad guy to take care of.”
“Sorry.” His apology was garbled. “You go ahead.”
“Fine.” I hurried out before I began laughing too, and I didn’t even get the joke. Sure, I guess it was funny I’d punched a shifter instead of using my abilities. But it’s not like he hadn’t seen me kick Thorandryll in the crotch.
“Discord!” I flinched, waved back at Kiffle, and speed walked over to join him and the others as Logan’s laughter echoed out of the kitchen.
“He’s moving this way. We think the construct informed him that all the survivors have gathered here.” Taenallen’s expression said his next words were going to make the situation worse. “We have perhaps fifteen minutes to prepare for his arrival.”
Just Like Magic Page 8
