Totally Spellbound

by Kristine Grayson

  Rob landed on the table in front of her, startling several Faeries, one of whom shoved him, and told him it wasn’t his turn. That was when he remembered that he still looked like them. He was tempted to undo Zoe’s spell, but he didn’t have time.

  He had to find Megan. He frowned at the mannequin in front of him.

  The likeness wasn’t very good. The face was waxy and the eyes were empty. They blinked much too slowly, which was the only sign of life, such as it were. Her breasts were too big (what a Zeusian touch!), her shoulders too narrow, and her spine too straight. Megan hadn’t sat up straight since Rob had met her.

  And even he could sense the emotion coming off this thing. It wasn’t one type of emotion either. The thing was broadcasting emotions like some kind of signal, probably to draw Faeries.

  He used a magic he hadn’t tried in ages. He touched the thing’s shoulder, startled that it was as hard as steel. The skin was cold, too, although the Faeries weren’t noticing.

  Under his breath, he recited a spell that would take him to the creature’s maker, and only as he was hurtling down a magical line, did he realize that he might have used the wrong spell.

  If Zeus hadn’t created this thing, just borrowed it or “improved” it, then Rob was going the wrong way.

  And wasting even more time.

  Of course, he wasn’t sure what he’d do when he found Megan.

  How did one simple mage take on the greatest of the Powers That Be?

  Forty-seven

  “….and you know, like, he kept saying how smart I am, how I’m, like, the most brilliant daughter he’s ever had, which isn’t true because I met Athena, like, more than once, and she doesn’t even have a mother, you know? She sprang from his mind, although she says forehead because, you know, coming from his mind is really icky…”

  Tiffany stood in the middle of the floor, tugging on her cornrows as she spoke. She looked at Megan, but every now and then her dark gaze would flick to her father’s face.

  Zeus still leaned against the door, his arms crossed and eyes hooded. He hadn’t moved since the girls started their tirades, and at one point, Megan worried that he had left a fake body there, and checked out.

  But he hadn’t. She sensed his anger and confusion and complete shock whenever she searched for his emotion.

  No one had ever confronted the old man like this — particularly not his daughters— not any daughter, from the ones Megan had heard of, like Artemis and the Muses to ones she hadn’t heard of (at least before today), like the Interim Fates.

  Zeus was handling this rebellion better than Megan had hoped. And his daughters—all three of them present here—were being as open as any client she’d ever had, letting him know his successes and his failures, although Tiffany was mostly reporting on the failures.

  Tiffany was the angriest of the Interim Fates, mostly because she was the responsible one who had done most of the work.

  “…so he says it’s not gonna be hard, you just gotta do what I say, little girl, and then he won’t say—”

  A large flash of light interrupted her and made her step backward. Megan’s heart slammed against her chest, but she wouldn’t let herself move.

  Had Zeus attacked?

  Then the light faded, and Rob stood where it had been. His left arm was bleeding (but it was just a scratch), his hair was mussed up, and he still looked like one of the Faeries, only sexier.

  “Oh, Megan,” he said with obvious relief and headed toward her.

  And because she was a professional, she had to hold out her hand and stop him.

  “You can’t be here,” she said.

  “What?” He looked around, saw Zeus leaning against the wall, the girls—two on the sofa, and Tiffany standing just behind him—and Megan in her chair. “Look, we’ll do what it takes to get you out of here—”

  “You can’t stay, Rob.”

  The girls looked stunned. Zeus raised his head, his eyes narrowing. He was going to unleash that pent-up anger on Rob.

  “What?” Rob said again.

  “I’m conducting a therapy session. This is private. You have to leave.”

  “But I came to rescue you,” he said.

  “And I’m just fine.” She hated her own tone, but she had to use it. She had to get him out of here before he ruined the progress everyone was making. “Can you wait outside until the session is over?”

  “Outside?” He looked around.

  “In the waiting room?”

  “Wait?” He repeated.

  Megan nodded. “Only family members can be here right now.”

  He frowned. “You don’t need rescuing?”

  “This is my office,” she said. “I never need rescuing here.”

  “Oh.” He ran a hand through his magically darkened hair, then looked at Zeus, who elaborately stepped away from the door. “You’re sure?”

  That last was addressed to Megan.

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  Rob nodded, then walked like a man who’d been banished from his own house. He opened the door and stepped into the waiting room, closing the door quietly behind him.

  Tiffany looked at Megan. “Can I go on now?”

  “Is everyone all right?” Megan asked.

  The girls nodded. Zeus sighed, but to his credit, didn’t speak. He nodded too.

  “All right then,” Megan said. “Continue.”

  Tiffany did.

  Megan tried to concentrate, but all she could think about was how strong Rob seemed, ready to take on even the Powers That Be to save her. She allowed herself one small, private little smile, before forcing herself to listen to Tiffany.

  “…and he never, ever says anything nice to my mother. He’s like a big bully who doesn’t care who he hurts…”

  It was going to be a long night.

  Forty-eight

  Rob closed the door behind him. The waiting room was empty but comfortable with two sofas, soft lighting, and shaded windows. Comfortable, and confusing.

  He stopped, rubbed his hand through his hair (which didn’t feel like his hair) and then frowned.

  He’d come to rescue a damsel in distress, only to discover that she wasn’t in distress, and she wanted him to leave.

  To leave?

  What did she think, that therapy could make Zeus change his ways?

  And what was Zeus doing? Playing along?

  Rob was. He didn’t want to argue with her—she certainly seemed like she had everything under control—but he wasn’t sure how she had done that.

  He shook his head, and looked at the couches, not wanting to sit down. At any moment, she would scream for help and he would have to go running.

  Or not.

  Then a thunderclap sounded beside him, and John appeared. John still looked too thin and too tall, his features pulled into a replica of Faerie features.

  “Where is she?” he demanded. “Is she all right?”

  “She’s in there.” Rob pointed at the door.

  “Do you need help breaking it down? Is it magicked?” John asked.

  Rob shook his head. “She’s conducting a family therapy session in there.”

  John frowned just like Rob had, then blinked, and stared at the door as if it held the answers. “Huh?”

  “She has Zeus in there and his daughters, and she’s making them talk to each other.”

  John’s mouth opened, and then he let out a loud, shocked laugh. “That woman has balls!”

  “That’s one way to put it,” Rob said.

  “So why aren’t you there?”

  “She kicked me out,” he said. “Said I don’t belong.”

  John’s grin widened. “I told you she was special.”

  “Yeah,” Rob said, still feeling shocked. “I guess that’s one way to put it.”

  “Listen,” John said. “Travers and Zoe are staying with Kyle, but the others are coming, and you’ll never believe—”

  More flashes of light, and the Fates appeared. They were wea
ring armor designed in the Trojan style, with the metal skirts, the high-lace boots, and the breastplates that accented the breasts. Their hair was pulled back, and they seemed more alive than they had since the day began.

  Rob was about to tell them what was going on, when even more lights flashed and the Faerie Kings appeared behind them.

  Rob grabbed John and moved him out of the way.

  “What are you doing here?” Rob snapped at the Faerie Kings.

  “We brought them,” Clotho said.

  “We’ve just finalized an alliance,” Lachesis said.

  “If that’s what you want to call it,” Atropos said, and all three Fates took the hands of the Faerie Kings.

  “If you’d’ve let me finish,” John said, “I’d’ve told you that the whole wheel thing was some kind of stupid courting ritual.”

  “It was destiny,” Clotho said.

  “‘The wheel shall bind the Circles of Faerie with the Fates of the world,’” Lachesis said.

  “Only these guys expected us to come after it,” Atropos said and grinned at the third king.

  “And then when we got it back, we expected them to come,” Clotho said, smiling at the first king.

  “And it wasn’t until young Kyle said we were all being stupid that we realized he was right,” Lachesis said, already smiling at her king. “So we went to Faerie, finished our alliance, and here we are, to rescue Megan.”

  “She doesn’t want to be rescued,” Rob said.

  “Nonsense,” Clotho said. “Every woman wants to be rescued.” And this time, the first Faerie King grinned at her.

  “Not in today’s world,” Rob said.

  “You still have a few modern things to learn,” John added, then ducked when he apparently remembered that they had their powers now.

  But the Fates seemed pretty happy, and so did the Faerie Kings. Which explained why none of them had fought Rob very hard, and why it had been relatively simple to get that dang wheel.

  “What we need to figure out,” Lachesis said, “is if we should go through a formal ceremony.”

  “We like the Heart of Elvis Chapel,” Atropos said.

  “It’s not owned by Faerie, which makes it independent,” Clotho said.

  “But we’re not sure any of us qualify for marriage licenses,” Lachesis said.

  “Or if we even need one, considering,” Atropos added.

  The Faerie Kings wrapped their arms around the Fates, and murmured something. Rob shot a confused look at John.

  “I thought you said alliance,” Rob said.

  “Well, they are uniting our world and Faerie,” John said.

  “But Faeries don’t feel emotion,” Rob said.

  “Technically not true,” said the first Faerie King. He had a deep voice that shook the room.

  “We feel many things, but our people just don’t accept those feelings as real,” said the second king, whose voice was even deeper.

  “So we believe that we must lead by example,” said the third king—and then all three kissed the Fates.

  “Yech,” Robin said and turned away. “That’s like watching your parents make out.”

  John had turned away too. “This has been one strange day. And now you’re saying that in there Megan’s taking on Zeus?”

  Rob’s stomach clenched. And he had left her alone in there. Zeus hadn’t magicked her, had he?

  At that moment, the door opened and Zeus strode out, followed by the Interim Fates, whose faces were tear-streaked. Zeus didn’t look much better.

  He saw the Fates kissing the Faerie Kings and let out a gusty sigh.

  “You failed,” Clotho said.

  “You should never fight Fate,” Lachesis said.

  “Because you’ll always lose,” Atropos added.

  “You don’t have to gloat,” Zeus said. “I’ve had a hard day.”

  “What’s going on, Dad?” Brittany whispered, tugging his sleeve.

  “Not only have my daughters rebelled—” And he sounded a little proud about that—“but my prophecy has just come true. The ascendancy of the Powers That Be has declined because of True Love.”

  He spat on the carpet.

  “We’ll treat you fairly,” Clotho said.

  “Which is more than we can say for you,” Lachesis said.

  Zeus glared at them. “I’ve got more important things to worry about,” he said, and disappeared.

  Rob let out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

  “Where’d he go?” John asked the girls.

  “To talk to all 500 of his other daughters to see if they’re as angry as we are,” Crystal said.

  “Most of them are angrier,” Tiffany said, and then she leaned back through the door. “Next week?”

  She must have gotten a response because she nodded at her sisters, and then all three of them disappeared.

  Megan hadn’t come out of the room, and Rob wasn’t going to let her banish him any longer. He didn’t care what she said.

  He was going in.

  And nothing she could say would stop him.

  Forty-nine

  Megan sat in her chair, feeling more drained than she’d ever felt in her life. At least they hadn’t killed each other. At least Zeus had listened.

  He’d actually looked crushed.

  Apparently, he had always thought he was a good parent.

  What a surprise to discover he was one of the worst in recorded time.

  She ran a hand over her face. Voices echoed from the waiting room, but she couldn’t place them. A little sleep would be nice. A little sleep and some reevaluation—

  A hand touched her arm. She lifted her head. Rob crouched before her. He looked shaken.

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. She couldn’t tell him much about the therapy session. Confidentiality and all.

  “I don’t know if you realize that you’ve just changed the entire magical system in this world. You’ve only known about it for twenty-four hours, and you’ve united the Faeries and Mages, dethroned Zeus, and helped the Fates take their jobs back, saving true love.”

  Megan smiled. “I didn’t do that.”

  “You did.” Rob took her hand in his. “You took on Zeus. You weren’t afraid of him at all.”

  “I think he was ready to change,” Megan said. “He’s the one who brought me here. You can’t help people who don’t want to be helped.”

  “Megan,” Rob said gently, “I’m trying to tell you that you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.”

  “Yeah, right,” she said.

  “You are,” he said. “No one has ever taken on Zeus and won.”

  She raised her gaze to his. Then she frowned. It hadn’t felt like she was taking on Zeus, although admittedly, she had yelled at him. He was just such a bully.

  She wasn’t very fond of bullies.

  “And,” Rob said with a soft smile, “no one’s ever told me to stuff it when I came to rescue them.”

  “I was working,” Megan said.

  “I know.” He went down on one knee, extended the other hand, and a box appeared in it.

  Megan frowned.

  Then he let go of her hand, touched his face, and cursed. “I look like—what would Kyle call it?—a dweeb.”

  He blinked, and all that magic that Zoe had done vanished, leaving him the Rob that Megan had met in the middle of the Nevada desert, one day and a million years ago.

  She had driven into a magical bubble and was going to stay there for the rest of her life. She’d already made a follow-up appointment with Zeus and the Interim Fates, who had resigned their job.

  Apparently, she wasn’t closing down her practice after all. She was just switching it to a newer—and needier—clientele.

  Then Rob took her hand again.

  “Megan,” he said, and he sounded serious.

  “What?” she asked.

  “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I also know you know how I feel, and tha
t I’ve never felt this way before—not for anyone.”

  She nodded, not quite sure where he was taking this.

  “When I thought that Zeus had you and I was never going to see you again,” Rob said, “I panicked like I never had before. I couldn’t lose you, not after just finding you.”

  “You didn’t lose me,” Megan said.

  He smiled. “I know. You were working.”

  Her face warmed. “I’m sorry. You know what I meant—”

  “Yes,” he said, “but what I mean is this.”

  He flipped open the box with his left thumb. Inside, a large and somehow not gaudy jewel-encrusted ring caught the light.

  “Will you marry me?” he asked.

  “Me?” she said, stunned. Why would someone like Robin Hood want her?

  He smiled. “Do you see anyone else in the room?”

  “Just you,” she said, and her voice shook. The perfect man. That’s what she thought when she first met him. He looked perfect.

  “Just me,” he said, “and just me would like to spend the rest of his long, unnatural life with you.”

  “But I won’t live as long,” she said. “You’ll get a mortal again.”

  “You’re going to live just as long,” he said, “if not longer. Not that it matters. I want to spend my life—and yours—together. So, let me repeat. Will you marry me?”

  She flung her arms around his neck, crushing the ring between them. A joy like none she’d ever felt filled her.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Of course, yes. Yes.”

  And then he kissed her, and the kiss built like their first kiss had, and the passion rose, and it wasn’t until John peeked his head in the door that Rob raised a hand, closing the door with a bit of magic.

  Then he picked up Megan and carried her to the couch. In the past, she wouldn’t have let anything like this happen in her safest room.

  But this was the man she was going to marry, the best person she’d ever met, and besides, the couch was right here, long and soft and inviting, and he was right there.

  She reached up and pulled him down beside her.

  “Lock the door,” she whispered.

  “Already done,” he said, and then he kissed her, and he kept kissing her, and she kissed him back, realizing, for the very first time, how lucky she was—how lucky the world was—that he and his modern band of Merry Men had helped her and her family save true love.