"Well, interesting." Mynirva stood up and sauntered over from her chair. Alexi stepped back and let her step up to the pages. "You know, my dear, the most I have ever seen anyone summon of the Lexicon has been about the size of a Human phone book. For you to summon so much... I hope you and dear Megan here are planning on a dozen children, at the very least. The Fae need the power the two of you create, working together. That's all I can say."
"Power? Working together?" Alexi's frown cleared and he nodded slowly. "Of course. That makes sense."
"What?" Megan demanded. She really hated being left out of a conversation that was going on right in front of her.
"Ah, here it is." Mynirva nodded, pleased, when the pages stopped riffling. "Alexi, our family line does have a curse, but not to harm us. The label of Eclipse-level talent was created for the men of our bloodline. They have a vast quantity of power at their disposal and, I'm ashamed to admit, a predilection for infantile behavior and absolutely no self-control. It was necessary to put a geas on the men with Eclipse-level strength, to tone down their power as they grew older, so they wouldn't hurt anyone."
"My power has been diminishing as I got older," Alexi explained to Megan.
She bit her lip to keep from saying Duh! and reminding him that she had been able to see his magical field as it sputtered and turned sickly colors. After all, she hadn't exactly been forthcoming with him, either.
"However, there was an out clause," Mynirva continued. "Fixation was created specifically to help men in your uncomfortable situation. Total unity with a woman, giving her control over your magic, sharing and learning her discipline. Together, the two of you are stronger than if your full magical potential was unrestrained. But Fixation requires an emotional and mental link before it can take root," she added, a cat-in-the-cream smile brightening her face.
"Meaning?" Megan prompted.
"Meaning..." Alexi sighed, and that same smile grew on his face. "Meaning I didn't get Fixated on you until I started to fall in love with you. Maybe..." He stepped up to the Lexicon, trying to read over Mynirva's shoulder.
"Go on, dear." She slapped the Lexicon shut. "You don't need the Lexicon to confirm what you already know in your gut."
"Maybe I was getting frustrated with waiting. You kept pulling out of your dreams before anything happened, so I sort of, well, I nudged you into Need," he said, his voice dropping nearly to a mumble.
Alexi, Megan realized, was ashamed. Maybe worried? Afraid she'd be angry?
"Do you love me?" she asked, keeping her voice soft, because the alternative was to shriek. She had never felt so terrified of the wrong answer before in her life. And that was quite a long time, from a Human standpoint.
Maybe her problem was that she had been thinking from the Human standpoint for too long.
"Oh, yeah." Alexi met her gaze after a long, visible struggle. His eyes glowed, despite his fear of her response.
"That's good, considering you said somewhere a while back that we're getting married."
Alexi let out a triumphant yelp.
Mynirva nodded and winked at Megan. "You'll do very well, dear. Welcome to the family." She hooked her thumb at the dome, where the Fae interlopers were still held prisoner. "Send them home, would you?"
Alexi nodded and barely glanced at the dome. There was a loud pop, like an enormous balloon bursting, and the dome vanished.
"This is where I take my leave. Do invite me to the wedding, dears." Mynirva snapped her fingers and vanished in a shower of hot pink sparks.
Megan laughed when Alexi leaped and wrapped his arms around her.
"I should have married you the day we went apartment hunting."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." Alexi bowed his head to kiss her. He groaned when she pressed two fingers against his lips. "What now?"
"Two things. First, we have a show to finish." Megan giggled when he groaned louder and looked around at their audience. "And second, I should tell you that I refuse to marry someone unless I love him." She took a deep breath. From that gleam in Alexi's eyes, she suspected that the prediction talent worked both ways. "And I love you with everything that I have, everything I am, everything I--" Her words muffled in a squeak as Alexi captured her mouth in kisses.
Thanks to the time bubble, they didn't have to hurry to release their audience.
* * * *
Less than a week later, they were married. Albert insisted on hosting the party, since he considered himself their guardian angel. Desdemona, as maid of honor, dressed as Glinda the Good Witch. Albert, as best man, dressed as Gandalf. And the Justice of the Peace dressed as Elvis in his rhinestone bedecked best.
Megan and Alexi lived happily every after, with two shows every night and matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
About the Author
Michelle has been a story addict for as long as she can remember, discovering Narnia and Star Trek at an early age, and becoming addicted to Greek mythology. After discovering fandom in college, she published 40+ short stories in various universes including Star Trek, Highlander, and Stargate SG-1. This launched her writing career, eventually creating her own universes instead of playing in someone else's.
She has a BA in theater/English from Northwestern College and a MA in communication, focused on film and writing from Regent University. She continues to write and submit scripts for various screenwriting competitions.
In 1990, she broke into the public market when she won 1st place in the 4th quarter of the Writers of the Future contest, earning prize money, royalty money, and publication in that year's anthology. It took another 10 years before her first book contract, for Heir of Faxinor. Since then, Michelle has published 40+ books and novellas with multiple e-publishers, in science fiction and fantasy, YA, and many sub-genres of romance. She has been a finalist in the EPIC Awards competition multiple times, winning with Lorien in 2006, and The Meruk Episodes, 1-5, in 2010, and has garnered 4s and 5s from many review sites.
Her training includes the Institute for Children's Literature; 8+ years in advertising; 10 years at a community newspaper; and freelance editing for small presses and a major business publisher.
In 2008, she launched her own freelance editing business, offering proofreading as well as light or in-depth editing services on an hourly basis. Check her Web site: www.Mlevigne.com and click on the red pen to learn more.
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Uncial Press brings you extraordinary fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Put a world of reading in your pocket.
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