by Amy Sumida
“I didn't think you had anyone serious enough to label,” Torin growled.
“I'm not a nun,” I huffed.
“You have multiple consorts?” Calex asked me. “How did that happen? You couldn't even commit to a single relationship with me.”
“Oh, this is the most awesome day ever,” Cerberus murmured to Odin.
Odin rolled his eye.
“I wasn't able to commit back then,” I said as gently as I could to Calex. “I'm sorry about that. You know that I cared for you.”
“But not enough to marry me,” Calex growled. “It looks as if you simply didn't want to settle for one man.”
“That's not how it was,” I said firmly.
“Really?” Calex's eyes started to glow. “Because from where I stand, it looks as if you have yourself four boyfriends without any commitment at all.”
“Watch it,” Gage snarled as he stood. “That's my mate you're talking to. For your information, we're all committed to Elaria, and she is to us.”
“Wow.” Calex whistled. “And you have them trained too.”
I closed my eyes and sighed as Gage punched my Drachen ex-boyfriend in his handsome face. The next thing I knew, all of my lovers were piled on my ex while Cerberus cheered them on (I'm not sure who he was cheering for), Odin groaned, and Ilis gaped. The other Drachen who were strolling through the cavern stopped to stare as well, and some of the men began to break away from their families to approach us.
“Enough!” I shouted. “We are guests here. Get off of Calex and act like mature adults.”
My consorts eased off Calex—who had fared pretty well for having been on the bottom of a shining one/Blooder/griffin pile. Ilis ran over to her brother and fussed over him, while I just shook my head at my men.
“What the fuck is wrong with you guys?” I asked them.
“We were defending your honor,” Torin huffed.
“You were defending your pride,” I corrected. I turned to Calex. “Calex, I have multiple lovers because I was the victim of a spell which requires me to be connected sexually and emotionally to numerous men. Okay? It's nothing personal about you, and I am committed to them. So, please don't insult my consorts any further.”
“Her consorts and our guests,” Ilis added in a chiding tone.
“Ilis,” Calex looked at his sister as if she'd just betrayed him.
“You know the laws of hospitality,” she growled. “You offered the first insult. You must make amends.”
Calex huffed and opened his mouth, but I rushed over and took his hand.
“That's not necessary,” I said gently as I waved Ilis down. “Things didn't end well between us, and I regret that. You were important to me, Calex; I swear that you were. If I hadn't been such an idiot, I would have made a life with you, but I wanted to be my own woman. I wanted to sing and support myself. I didn't want to be someone's wife. I'm sorry.”
Calex took a deep breath and let it out slowly before nodding. “I'm sorry too, Elaria,” he said. “I shouldn't have said those things. Not now, and not back then when you left me.”
“Let's call it even,” I offered.
“Even,” he whispered and then pulled me into a hug. “I have missed you, Ellie.”
“I've missed you too,” I said as I eased away. “I'm glad to have run into you.”
“Yeah.” Cal frowned and looked around the gathering. His gaze stopped on Cerberus. “Why are you here, Cerberus?”
“That's a long story,” I answered for Cer. “But I'm sure no one would mind if you wanted to hang around and listen.” I glared at my men. “Right?”
They all grudgingly nodded.
“Oh, this has got to be good,” Calex said as he escorted his sister back to her seat. Then he sat beside her. “Go on then; proceed as if I'm not even here.”
“Yeah; like that's going to happen,” Cerberus muttered gleefully.
Chapter Forty-Five
After we finished explaining things to Ilis—while her brother listened with wide eyes—Ilis took us to her private quarters. We passed through polished stone hallways; walking by the entrances of rougher-looking tunnels which, Ilis said, led to the hibernation caves. When the weather turned cold, the Drachen hibernated or left for warmer worlds. This was what had prompted their visits to Earth.
Finally, Ilis opened the door to an expansive chamber filled with beautiful pieces of artwork, plush carpets, and silk-covered furniture. When Drachen weren't in hibernation, they liked living it up. What immediately caught my eye wasn't the art, though; it was the glass apothecary jars full of gemstones. They weren't cut into sparkling pieces yet, but they had to be the famous Drachen diamonds. When I saw Odin's eye twitch over to the display, I knew I had assumed correctly.
“Why didn't you have the diamond locked away?” Calex asked Odin as we all settled onto some couches.
Ilis went to a nearby fireplace and blew a stream of fire over the waiting logs. The wood caught, and the fire started to spread its warmth through the room. Ilis sighed and stretched her shoulders while Odin watched her with a half-lidded eye.
“Odin.” Cerberus elbowed the Witch.
“Huh?” Odin blinked rapidly as he looked away from Ilis. “What's happened?”
“Cal asked you why the diamond wasn't locked up,” I repeated and then pressed my lips together to keep from laughing.
“Oh.” Odin cleared his throat. “As far as I was concerned, it was. No one got into my private rooms without an invite, and the door down to my workspace was warded.”
“The problem was; we put the thief into one of Odin's cells, which are within his workspace.” I grimaced. “It wouldn't have been an issue if Mimir hadn't also rigged Odin's cells to open for a Copper Shining One.”
“This God is cunning,” Calex murmured. “Perhaps I should lend my strength to this endeavor.”
My lovers tensed.
“Ah; we're okay, really,” I hurried to say. “I wouldn't want to put you out, especially when we're already imposing on your sister.”
“It's no imposition at all,” Ilis said sweetly. “We dragons love a good hunt. This is exciting. In fact; instead of trying to track the diamond from here and then simply giving you the coordinates, I'll go with you, and we can hunt this thief together.”
“Ilis, I couldn't possibly draw you into this,” Odin said gently. “It's bad enough that I've allowed your diamond to be stolen.”
“Nonsense,” Ilis huffed. “As I said; this is exciting. Let me just change into something more appropriate.”
She got up and headed to another room.
“I shall change as well,” Calex said as he strode to the door. “Do not leave without me.”
“Cal, you really don't need to do this,” I protested.
“Elaria,” Calex said gently. “I never got a chance to see you work. I'd really like that.”
“All right.” I sighed.
Calex left smiling, but my men glowered at me.
“What was I supposed to do?” I asked them.
“Warn us that we might run into one of your ex-lovers when we came to Drach, for one thing,” Torin said.
“Torin, we are currently chasing one of your ex-lovers, so you don't have room to talk,” I growled. “Anyone else?” I looked around at the other men, and they shook their heads. “Good; because the only one here who hasn't had old girlfriends pop up is Gage. We're immortal, gentlemen; it happens. Now, deal with it.”
“Fuck; she told you.” Cerberus chuckled.
“Cer, do you want to talk about Thor?” I asked him.
Cerberus stopped laughing, and Torin started.
“That's right,” I said. “You're just like them, so maybe you should practice the better part of valor and shut the fuck up.”
Odin burst out laughing. “Now,” he said, “she told you.”
“Yeah, yeah, we've all been told,” Cerberus grumbled. “When do we get to hunt?”
“Right now, Hound of Hades,” Ilis proclaimed as she
came striding into the room.
We all gaped at her.
Ilis was dressed in red leather; a bustier that looked more like a breastplate, pants that clung like a second skin, and bracers that laced over her lower arms. She had a sword strapped to her waist on a belt, and her hair was braided away from her face; enhancing his sharp beauty. She looked amazing.
“I think I may need to have a leather outfit commissioned for you, my love,” Declan murmured to me. “In red.”
“Shit,” I huffed. “I think I may let you.”
Ilis smiled smugly as she sauntered over to the open-mouthed Odin. She pushed his chin up with one finger and then laid a chaste kiss on his cheek. Ilis murmured something in Odin's ear that had him swallowing convulsively, and then she sashayed away.
“Well?” Ilis asked from the doorway. “Are you coming?”
“Oh; that's the wrong thing to ask this crowd,” I muttered as we headed after her.
We were halfway down the hallway when Calex caught up with us. He was in a male version of Ilis' outfit, except his was black. His bare arms looked immense without his silk tunic covering them, and his chest strained at the leather he wore. I'd forgotten how fit he was.
“What did I say about not leaving without me?” Calex growled.
“We were going to wait for you outside.” Ilis rolled her eyes.
Even Drachen siblings messed with each other.
“Yeah, right,” Calex muttered.
“Now, maybe you can stop giving me hell over my clothing,” Gage said to Banning with a pointed glance at the Drachen.
“No; now, I've got another man to make fun of.” Banning smirked.
“Only if you have a death wish,” Calex said calmly.
“Best not to poke at hibernating Drachen,” I said to Banning.
“Let sleeping dragons lie,” Cerberus reworded it. “Yeah; I like that.”
“It's a good motto for those who enjoy breathing,” Ilis said in a sweet tone. “But you shouldn't go poking awake Drachen either.”
“Okay, then,” I interrupted. “So, how are we going to start this hunt?”
“It would take me hours to find the stone from here,” Ilis said as she led us to the mountain entrance. “But if I go to the location it was taken from, I'll be able to find the trail immediately.”
“You can find a trail from an inanimate object?” Gage asked with interest.
“Oh, yes,” Ilis said. “Everything that has magic releases tiny pulses of power constantly. If you're connected to an item, you can sense these pulses. I will simply follow those breadcrumbs to the diamond.”
“So, we're going back to Coven Cay?” Banning reaffirmed.
“If that's where the diamond was.” Ilis nodded.
“Wonderful!” Odin exclaimed as we stepped out of the mountain. “Thank you, Ilis. We're very grateful for your help.”
We pulled out our traveling stones, preparing for the journey back to Earth.
“You can thank me later,” Ilis purred to Odin, “when we're alone.”
Odin's eye sparkled as he smiled slowly. “I will look forward to thanking you over and over again.”
“We know you're talking about sex,” Cerberus huffed. “You might as well just speak plainly.”
“Half of wooing a woman is in the way you word things,” Odin said to Cer. “If you don't know that, I can't imagine how you've ever managed to get a woman to bed you.”
“I have a huge cock, and I know how to use it,” Cerberus said just before he used his stone to travel back to Coven Cay.
“Well, Odin,” I said cheerily, “now, it looks as if you've been told.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Once in Odin's work area, Ilis went straight to where he had kept the Drachen Diamond without being told. She stroked her hand through the air, over the spot it had occupied, and closed her eyes. As she focused, Calex eased up next to me. I glanced over at him askance.
“You're happy?” He asked in a whisper. “Living as you do?”
“Very.”
“Okay.”
“How about you?” I asked him. “Did you find someone else?”
Calex just stared at his sister for awhile, and then he answered without looking at me, “For a short time. But she wasn't...” He scowled.
“What; she wasn't a Drachen either?”
“No; she wasn't you.” He glanced at me and then away. “You're not easily replaced, Elaria.”
“That's nice to know,” I murmured. “But I hope you do find someone, Cal. Not to replace me, but to take her own place—one far more important than the one I had.”
“Thank you,” he said stiffly.
Ilis started walking out of the cavern, and we followed her. Up the stairs, and out of Odin's rooms she went. As soon as we were beyond Odin's personal space, Ilis stopped and turned to us.
“The thief traveled through the Veil from here,” Ilis announced. “Your wards must have prevented her from leaving while she was within your chambers.”
“Just so,” Odin agreed. “Can you see where she went?”
“I'm sensing it.” Ilis frowned and closed her eyes. “Just give me a few moments longer.”
We all waited anxiously; watching her eyes move behind her closed lids. Finally, her ivy-colored eyes popped open—flashing for a second.
“The diamond went to Utgard and then returned here,” she declared. “It's now in Nevada.”
“Nevada?” Cerberus growled. “Where in Nevada?”
“Las Vegas,” Ilis said.
“Freya!” Odin and Cerberus said together.
Then Cerberus looked at Odin in surprise. “Why are you worried about Freya?”
“Cer, he's Odin,” I said simply.
“I know Freya well; we've been friends since she arrived on this planet,” Odin added. “And I also know of the animosity between her and Mimir.”
“There's bad blood between my girlfriend and this giant asshole?” Cerberus snarled. “Oh, this fucker is going down. First, he messes with my best friend, and now, he's messing with my girlfriend.”
“Cerberus,” I whispered in horror, “he may have started with Freya.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Cer snapped.
“Son of a bitch!” Banning exclaimed as he looked at my other consorts.
The men made their own curses and shook their heads.
“Are you guys just trying to piss me off?” Cerberus shouted. “What do you mean he started with her?”
“The thefts from Torr-Chathair,” Banning said.
“Fuck!” Odin exclaimed. “Mimir helped Eileen abduct the monsters! Of course, he did. Mimir's plan took time to set in place, and so did Eileen's. She went straight from attacking Onyx to hiding in Primeval. So, with both her and Mimir executing their plans, there would be no time for them to meet. They had to have known each other before this began—all of it; including the monster thefts.”
“This woman steals a lot of unusual things,” Ilis murmured to her brother.
“Fascinating,” Calex murmured back.
“You're saying that the reason Eileen set those fucking Grabboids on Freya was because of Mimir, not because she had a grudge against Elaria?” Cerberus asked with dangerous calm.
“Most likely, it was a combination of both,” I said gently. “They probably found a common enemy in Freya; just as they found one in me. Two birds with one herd of grabboids.”
“Not just two; a whole fucking flock of birds,” Cerberus corrected me. “They've also tried to hurt you, all of your dudes, your family, Odin, the Witches, the Shining Ones, and Primeval.”
“These people sound truly despicable,” Ilis said gleefully.
“Then why are you smiling?” Torin asked her in horrified confusion.
“Because it makes the hunt so much sweeter,” Calex answered for his sister. “Violence and justice; we don't often get those two together.” He shared a look with his sister before mumbling, “Usually it's just violence.”
“Call Freya,” I said to Cerberus. “Make sure she's okay.”
“Yeah; good idea.” Cer pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
We all waited while Freya's phone rang and rang. Finally, Freya's voice told Cer to leave a message. Cerberus started to get the look he gets just before he tears someone into tiny pieces.
“We don't know for sure that anything has happened to her,” I said calmly. “Let's just get over there and check things out before you lose your shit.”
“Okay,” Cer whispered, but I could see how much it cost him.
“Save the doom for Mimir,” I went on.
“Oh, I will,” Cerberus growled.
“Let's travel to Onyx, and then we can go to Vegas from there,” I said.
“What are you talking about?” Ilis asked.
“Elaria has given us Shining One traveling stones,” Odin explained as he held out the stone I'd given him. “That way, I don't have to cast an elaborate spell to move through the Veil. But the stones are used for crossing the Veil only, so we must use them to travel to a location in another realm before we can travel back to this one.”
“Don't be silly.” Ilis chuckled. “We have our diamonds; there's no need for all this jumping about.”
She pulled a long chain out of the neckline of her bustier, and a sparkling diamond the size of a robin's egg popped free and twirled about. A golden cage surrounded the faceted, oval diamond. Calex pulled a similar pendant out of his tunic and dropped it on his chest.
“We can go straight from here.” Calex held his hand out to me. “I'll take half of us while my sister takes the rest with her.”
“Diamonds are a girl's best friend,” I declared merrily.
But before I could take Calex's hand, Declan did. Then he grabbed my hand. Declan smirked from the Drachen to me and back again.
“No offense, Cal,” Declan said, stressing my nickname for Calex, “but I'd rather you didn't hold hands with my consort.”
“I understand,” Calex said with his own smirk. “I would be worried too, if I had someone like me for competition.”
Declan let go of Calex so he could clench that hand into a fist.
“Hey!” I pushed between them as Declan pulled his fist back. “Cut it out! Freya may be in trouble, you fucking toddlers! This is not the time to get into a brawl!”
