by Aaron Crash
Jared laughed. “I am totally stealing that. I play the games of video and violence. Yes.”
Mouse made a big play of rolling her eyes at him. “Whatever, kid. We were so worried, Jared. And your sister totally almost lost it. She was no fun. I couldn’t even improve her mood with Corn Nuts!”
It was Jared’s turn to feign shock. He put his hand to his cheek. “No? Corn Nuts didn’t help? The shame!” He relaxed. “You guys, I’m fine. This was not a big deal.”
Tessa stood. “You are an unreliable narrator. I’m going to check the brain trust in the house. You’re the brawn, obviously.”
She left them and walked into the kitchen. Abigail hugged her and then Mom did. Tessa held them close. “Oh, you guys, that was so scary. So was he really dehydrated? Was that why he lost his vision?”
Abigail pulled back. She couldn’t talk. Tears shined in her eyes.
Mom steeled herself. “The IV helped, but his condition is getting worse. He gets weak sometimes, and so tired. Just the other day, he didn’t want his friends to come over. He just didn’t have the energy. His vision might be going. We don’t know yet.”
Tessa didn’t know what to say. But she knew what to do. She was going to figure out how to cure her brother with magic.
The doorbell rang, and a second later, the door slammed. Florence Whipp let out an excited squeal. “Steven! It’s so good to see you! And Aria... and, and, and... I’m sorry, dear, I can’t remember your name. It’s not Moose, is it?”
Tessa snorted. She’d have to tease Mouse about that later.
Florence gasped. “Steven has so many friends, I can’t keep up.”
Abigail blinked away her tears and chuckled. “Friends? Does she have any idea of your arrangement?”
“She does,” Tessa affirmed. “She’s just trying to be tactful.” She glanced at her own mother, uncertain for a second.
At her heart, Mom was fairly conservative, but raising Tessa, she’d had to become more flexible or lose her daughter.
“Flo and I have talked ad nauseum about the arrangement,” Mom said. “You all seem happy, and what more could we want? I’m not sure how marriage is going to work, but I would imagine we’ll get grandchildren at some point. A lot of grandchildren. That will be fun, and a lot of work.”
“Are you and Phil planning a big family?” Tessa asked her sister.
Abigail looked about as surprised as Tessa felt. “Uh, first things first. We’re still looking at a date for the big marriage thing. We missed the ball on June, but we’re thinking end of August maybe. Or September.”
Tessa let out a breath. “Yeah, let’s have Abigail do the ‘M’ word and babies. I’m still, uh, kind of... well...” She had to stop talking. Marriage. Babies. Family. She was on a quest for the Holy Grail, and that was enough for her. Also, something inside of her was changing, and she wasn’t sure if it was for the better or for the worse. Her powers were increasing, she had started smelling like cherries, which was oddly disconcerting, though it meant less cash on perfume, and there was something else. She’d started to miss the fighting. It had been six weeks, and she was jonesing for the adrenaline and the Animus hit when she took a life. That was rather unsettling.
Mom saved the day. “Tessa, sweetie, we love you. We respect your life decisions.”
“We had to!” Abigail said with a little laughter. “Or you’d have lived in your car forever.”
“You’re not wrong,” Tessa replied, glad to have an escape route out of the conversation. Marriage. Babies. Whatever.
Mom finished off the drinks, adding sparkling water to their freshly squeezed lemonade. They took the drinks out to the rest of the house. Haru had come in, and he’d brought pizza rolls. He was like the best, most fun-loving uncle of all time. He was caring, protective, funny, everything.
Tessa felt so much better with him around.
While they all chatted, she closed her eyes and used AnimusChain to feel magical cores around her. Steven’s black sphere, Aria’s red sizzle, and Mouse’s amber swirl all spun correctly. Haru, though, had a light blue core, and it was off-kilter, sputtering. The food, though, added to his mystical energy, and she watched it increase as he ate pizza roll after pizza roll. He loved to eat, that was clear. Steven had talked to her about adjusting the energy of Uchiko and the rest of the Onari Guard. She could see how that might be possible, and if they could link the change to the bodies of the failed Dragonskins, they might be able to make the change permanent.
Mom’s Animus was dim, a tiny little light purple spark, but that meant she did have some Alpherian blood in her. Abigail’s core was a bit brighter, and it was a rosy pink color, deep and pretty. Lastly, she saw into the heart of her brother. Jared’s Animus burned the brightest, a dark, dark red. That didn’t surprise her a bit. Of course he would have such a strong core. He was so brave, so full of good-natured cheer, powerful in his own way. If only his body hadn’t betrayed him. Tessa let out a breath and let her mind go further. The energy mixed with the cells of his body, and it was a dance of energy and matter, Animus and flesh, and that was the secret of FleshForge. She could see the connection.
She also saw how with some practice, Jared could improve the spin of his Animus, collect it from the love of his family, the food he ate, the air, the grass, the sphere of life the Earth provided. Liam Strider said that Animus filled the entire world; every blade of grass, every creature—worm, dog, and cat—exuded the mystical energy. And in the emptiness of space and the unlikelihood of life, planets like Earth were rare, wonderful, and full of power.
Her concentration was broken when Steven’s mom asked him why he was so confident. Tessa switched her attention to Florence. Her body was filled with energy, but where her Animus core should have been was just a little bump. She was fully alive and vibrant, but in the end, she was the most human person in the room.
Mouse jostled Steven, spilling his drink a little. “Steven is full of confidence. We’re all running around with self-doubt, and he’s Mr. Hold-My-Beer cool.”
Steven wrinkled his nose and shook his head. “I’m not that confident. Remember I couldn’t...”
That was a sentence he’d better not finish. At this stage, their families didn’t know about the secret society of Dragonsouls around them. For Florence and the Rosses, Steven was a self-made billionaire who was in a polyamorous relationship with a bunch of women. That was it. Haru and his brothers and sisters were simply gardeners, housekeepers, and security. Steven had hired them with his money, money which he got from the stock market and risky cryptocurrency bets that paid off. Then he’d used the money buy property that more than financed their lifestyle. That was the story at least. For now.
Steven cleared his throat. “There were some things I had trouble with. You guys have seen me struggle. Mom, you know, you saw me at my middle school geekiest.”
Florence’s hair was white and wild, frizzed out and crazy. Her eyes were blue and full of love. “But Steven, you were always so serious and so focused. Even when you were a geek. Do you know what I remember?”
Steven squinted against the coming embarrassment. Yeah, your mom could tell any number of really cringy stories about you.
“We were going to be late on our mortgage,” Florence said. “It was Joe’s debts. They finally caught up with us, and we couldn’t get out from under them. But you saved us.”
Steven’s eyes dropped as the memory came to him. “I was in the eighth grade, and it wasn’t just a single payment. It was our last chance to save the house. Dad, uh, Joe Whipp was gone. It was just you and me.”
Florence smiled warmly at her son. “You went around to every neighbor we had, asking what you could do for them. You worked, day and night. You’d get up early and come home late, and when our neighbors ran out of stuff for you to do, you posted the work wanted signs, you walked miles, and knocked on door after door. Where did you get the confidence for that?”
They all waited for Steven to respond.
He k
ept opening his mouth and closing it. Finally, he said, “Look, it wasn’t confidence. We had to get money, and I could work, so I did.” He laughed. “I’m really good at lowering my head and doing what needs to be done. If I do everything I can to get the job done, then it’s not a matter of confidence, it’s a matter of pigheadedness. I’m not confident. I’m just stupid with stubbornness. Back then, either I’d get the money, or I wouldn’t, but sitting around with self-doubt wasn’t an option. Mom, you taught me how to work. Thank you for that.”
Florence shook her head. “Yes, we are workers. But the things you had to do were...it was kind of horrid.”
“Like what?” Tessa asked, curious.
Steven paused for a minute. “Normal stuff like mowing lawns, raking leaves, but I did have to go through a box of old Good Housekeeping magazines to find brownie recipes. Thirty years’ worth. Then there was the guy’s toilet. He hadn’t cleaned it since his wife died. Pretty gross. The same guy had me empty rat traps he’d set in 2010. That was fun. Nothing like rotting rats. He was a total hoarder. He didn’t want to throw away a big sofa bed, so he had me use a hacksaw to cut it apart. That’s how I spent the night, chopping up a sleeper couch for twenty dollars. I wasn’t too smart, but it was money, and he had a world of stuff for me to do. Another woman had me clip her toenails. She, uh, couldn’t reach them. That took five minutes, and it was another twenty.”
Mouse started laughing and couldn’t stop. And the more she tried to control the giggles, the more they came. She laughed so much, everyone started laughing along with her, especially Haru, who was always looking for an excuse to chuckle.
“What? What is it?” Steven asked.
Mouse was nearly on the floor. She wiped away her tears and tried to explain herself. “Here you are, this amazing guy, one of the richest men in America, and you’re clipping some fat old lady’s toenails. Stupid with stubbornness. Yeah, that’s you. You see a brick wall, and you won’t necessarily see the best way around it, but you’ll get through it by will alone. It never occurs to you to stop. That’s so you, Steven.”
He got serious. “And it’s Jared. He’s as tough as me. If not tougher. And it’s Tessa, and it’s you, Mouse. We know what you’ll do to win. And it’s Aria. Once she starts something, she won’t stop. She took such a chance on me. And Mom, it’s you as well. We’re all stubborn. Not sure that’s confidence.”
“I have you all beat,” Tessa’s mom said. “I had to raise Tessa Ann Ross, and let me tell you, that was never, ever easy.”
Abigail beamed. “I was the easy one.”
Tessa gave her sister a smile. “No, I was the easy one. All the boys said so. You were the good one. There’s a difference.” And then the doubts came. Was Tessa bad?
No. Eve Downfyre had said Tessa could decide who she wanted to be. She scanned the faces of the people in the room. With friends and family like the ones she had, she could be anything and do anything. Steven had proved that.
She let out a sigh. If they were going to find the Holy Grail, they had to be better and stronger than ever before.
Chapter Nine
STEVEN DROVE THEM AWAY from the 7-Eleven and back onto I-25. They grabbed I-76, going north. It was a little after ten o’clock when they left the lights on the last fringes of Denver. The fields around them were dark, but their headlights flashed on the dry grasses and cottonwoods, still skeletal from winter. Barbed wire fences marked farmlands. Lights twinkled in little houses in the distance.
Steven loved being back on the highway. Road trips were kind of their thing.
Mouse rode shotgun, with Tessa and Aria in the back along with their stuff. The barista had her phone out for light, reading the legends of the Dragonknights she’d gotten from Eve and Agatha of the former Deseret Primacy. So far, she’d remained quiet, as the thick book had gotten her attention.
They would reach Ogallala around 1 a.m. Of course, Zoey would be awake, waiting for them. They had kept their cell phones quiet, but Sabina reached out with her mind to get an update. The twins, Sabina, and Zoey had reached Nebraska and were in their rooms. No issues. They checked in separately to keep a low profile. However, every man on staff was abuzz with how gorgeous the four women were. Keeping the Wayne twins hidden wasn’t going to last long. Maybe they could engineer an illusion to cover the sisters until after they found the Holy Grail.
No sign of Uchiko, but Steven knew she was somewhere near the hotel, watching over them all.
Before they left the Cherry Creek compound, Tessa had grabbed some old silver dollars she had. She’d enchanted one and given it to Haru to hold onto. She’d hooked his Animus into the coin and then set up a signaling system. If any magical creature—Dragonsoul, Magician, Warling, or Morphling—managed to get past the walls and the security, Tessa would know. And then she planned on casting Portal to get there and put a hurt on anything or anyone that threatened their family.
Steven liked that a lot, but the spell put a strain on Tessa, since her Animus was low, and they had to fix that and soon. He saw a familiar dirt road coming up and knew the perfect place. He turned off the highway and drove out into the empty fields to a place where they’d been before. He recognized the black ring of scorched rocks. Split pine logs lay next to the firepit along with two full pallets. Teenagers came here to party and make out. Farms were nearby, but they seemed abandoned.
“What is the meaning of this?” Aria asked in a stern voice. “We need to get to our people in Nebraska. And I long to stay in the Traveler’s Roost again.”
Tessa laughed. “I don’t believe that for a minute. Aria, don’t you remember this place? You should. When we slept here before, you were awake the entire night. I slept like a baby in the back with you and Steven, all tight and cozy.”
Mouse turned to Steven. “I think I know why you’re stopping.” Her voice came out thick and husky.
“It is good,” Aria said. “Tessa and Steven have been casting very powerful magic. If we are attacked, and you both don’t have Animus, we might not survive. We should have sex. For safety reasons,” she added with a small smirk on her face.
They all got out. The stars were bright in the sky, but it was chill. Aria fixed that. She took off her red dress and let it fall to the ground. After shifting into her Homo Draconis form, she took the pallets and pulled them apart easily with her claws. She shredded the wood and tossed it into the fire pit. A bit of Inferno Exhalant soon gave them a good warm fire to fight away the cold.
Meanwhile, Tessa got blankets out of the back of the car and laid them down on the ground. She cast aside her serape, so she only wore her T-shirt, jeans, and boots. Steven felt the buzz of his libido, watching Tessa work. It got even more intense when Aria shifted human. She stood next to the fire, her perfect breasts rising from her muscled stomach while her hips flared out around the triangle of hair between her legs.
She raised her hands to cup her breasts and then slid those hands down her stomach until her right hand touched her sex. Her eyes were bright. “I like you watching me, Steven.”
Mouse stood awkwardly to the side. “Uh, yeah, I’ll go for a walk. Or something. Or wait in the car.”
“You don’t have to,” Aria said. “You are invited to stay with us. I’m sure in your history with Primes, you aren’t a stranger to a situation like this.”
The petite blonde frowned. “No, not a stranger, but I’m not gay. And I don’t know, I don’t want to be pressured. I was pressured before.” Her brow furrowed as she twisted her hands together.
Tessa went to her but didn’t touch her. “Look, Mouse, we respect what you want. I feel bad, though. Most of the time, when we have sex with Steven, you have to wait. How about you go first? Aria and I can take the walk.”
Steven knew enough not to say a word. Tessa was brilliant when it came to making people comfortable with their sexuality.
Mouse thought for a long moment. “No, you don’t have to go. I love you guys, and you’re right, this won’t be new. And for the lo
ve of biscuits, I listen to you fuck all the time. There are times I want to join you, but I’m never sure of myself. I trust you and Aria. Hell, I trust you more than I have anyone in my entire life.” She smiled. “And to be honest, I’m feeling a little kinky tonight. Maybe watch me with Steven? Just watch?”
“We can do that.” Aria slid up behind Tessa and reached up to cup her big breasts underneath her Black Symphony T-shirt. They were about five feet from Steven and Mouse, on the same side of the fire, standing at the edge of a blanket.
“Can we play while we watch?” Aria asked.
“Yes,” Mouse said breathlessly.
Steven took her hand. “Are you sure about this? No pressure.”
Instead of answering, she kissed him, hard, wet, with lots of tongue. She sucked on his lower lip before breaking the kiss. “I didn’t come here to fuck a snake. I came here to fuck you. I know what I’m doing. I love them, and I love you, so let’s give these horny bitches a show. Let’s make them drip.”
Her words made his jeans tighten uncomfortably.
Mouse lost her top and cast aside her bra. Her nipples stood out proudly in the cold. She still had her skirt and tights on, but her shoes were gone. She got on her knees in front of him and unzipped his pants. She pulled them down to his knees, fully exposing him. The air warmed by the fire felt good on his exposed skin.
Aria had pulled Tessa’s shirt above the barista’s bare breasts. The Indian woman cupped a breast with one hand while her other hand was down Tessa’s pants. Tessa worked her hips. The fire made Aria’s skin seem darker while it glowed off Tessa’s pale flesh.
Mouse bent and inhaled. “I love the way he smells, don’t you, Tessa?”
“Yes,” the barista said sharply. “Are you going to suck on him?”
“I am,” the petite blonde purred. “He’s ready, but I don’t care. I like the way he tastes too much not to give him a little lick.”
She licked the sensitive head of his shaft. Then she engulfed him in her mouth. He had to close his eyes for a second, the feelings were so intense. When he opened them, Tessa had her jeans and panties pushed down to the boot on her left foot. Her right boot was off. Her toenails were painted black. Strange thing to notice at that moment, but Steven wasn’t thinking too clearly.
