by Sarah Noffke
“I don’t see how that’s possible,” Rory told her dryly.
“Ha-ha. So, what’s this something or another?” Liv inquired.
“You have to ask them,” Rory said firmly. “I refuse to speak on such matters. I just happened to overhear a conversation on a topic I knew Mum was well versed in, and I recommended her to help. She’s here now doing just that. End of story.”
“And you overheard this conversation about something or another when you were helping King Dumbface with his business ventures, right?” Liv asked.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“And that’s because you specialize in marketing, right?”
Rory shook his head. “No, Liv. I’m not telling you what I do for a living.”
Liv sped up and halted just in front of Rory, making him nearly plow her over. “Why?” she asked with her hands on her hips. “Why is it that most know what you do? I mean, Rudolf doesn’t even have a good understanding of the English language, and he knows. And Serena, well, she can’t tie her shoes on her own, but she knows. But me, the person who has been there for you since the very beginning—”
Rory lowered his chin, giving her a challenging look.
“Okay, I’ve been there for you for several months, but that doesn’t sound as good. Anyway, what’s the deal, Rory? Why are you so secretive with me?”
A rare smile flicked to his mouth before he strode around her. “Because it’s funny.”
Liv grunted in frustration and hurried after the giant. “Seriously. This is your idea of a joke? You really should take lessons in humor from me. I’m hilarious.”
“Hilarious? Really? And Rudolf is the one who doesn’t understand the English language?” Rory questioned.
Liv rolled her eyes this time. “Oh, you’re so funny. But seriously, you should tell me what you do. I want to know. I thought we were friends.”
“We are,” Rory said.
“Then why won’t you share that part of your life with me?” Liv asked.
He shrugged. “It’s more fun this way. Believe me, one day you’ll find out the truth, and you’ll wish we were still playing this game.”
“Oh, so it’s something you’re not excited about?” Liv observed.
Again, Rory halted, glaring down at Liv. “And you think I perform in local theater and bake on the weekends and do yoga in the evening because I’m fulfilled by my occupation?”
Liv was momentarily speechless. She suddenly saw Rory differently. He did have a lot of hobbies, and maybe that was because whatever he did professionally wasn’t fulfilling for him. Or maybe it was because he needed a girlfriend? Or both. There was that giant who worked at the barbeque place in Texas she’d been meaning to “accidentally” have her and Rory run into. Matilda was her name, and she would be great for Rory if he’d loosen up a bit and just be himself. Apparently, she’d have to have him work through some occupational stuff first, though.
“So you don’t like your job?” Liv said slowly.
He shrugged. “I mean, I guess. It is a family business that I inherited.”
“Wait, I thought you inherited sword-making. There was also a family business? Is it separate from sword-making?”
“Just because we’re giants, it doesn’t mean we just make swords and dance around bonfires,” Rory said with a sigh.
“Wait, you dance around bonfires?” Liv questioned.
He shook his head. “My point is that giants are professionals too. Or at least they can be. I inherited my business from my father. And although it isn’t really my interests, it pays the bills.”
“You mean that it pays other people’s bills,” Liv corrected. “I know you send all your money out to take care of the homeless and disadvantaged.”
“I don’t either.”
“Are you really going to lie to me? You’re better than that, Rory.”
“I’m not lying. I simply don’t send all my money out.”
Liv huffed. “Oh, fine. You’re talking semantics now. You send most of your money to charities. I’m sure you keep some so that you can buy wood for your bonfires.”
He shook his head, giving her an annoyed look. “Let’s not talk about this right now. Mum doesn’t need to know about my job dissatisfaction.”
Liv paused at the elevator, waiting with a large crowd of people. “Seriously, how many secrets do you keep from your mum?”
He glared at her in reply.
“Are you afraid that she’s not going to accept you if she knows you don’t love the family business and do love being a thespian?”
“You have met my mum, Liv.”
“And I know her to be a very tolerant and accepting person.” Liv couldn’t finish the sentence without breaking into a chuckle. “Okay, fine. I get it. Your mum isn’t the most understanding person.”
“She has been pestering me to tell her where you live so that she can break into your house while you’re asleep,” Rory stated.
“Really? Why? So she can take me out?” Liv asked.
“So she can brush your hair.”
Liv laughed, messing up her hair even more as they boarded the elevator. She was the last person to step into the compartment, having to really squeeze in tight for Rory to fit. She pressed the button for the top floor, where Rudolf resided. This superseded all the other floors, making those buttons dim. When the doors closed, Liv turned around to the silent crowd of people. “Thank you all for joining me here.”
All of the people on the elevator, many of them drunk, gave Liv questioning expressions. Rory, who had seen her do this a time or two, simply rolled his eyes and glared at the ceiling. “We have a very important mission. Everything is depending on us.”
The doors to the elevator opened at Liv’s back. She took a single step backward, stepping onto the top floor. “Please await further information. I’ll be in touch.”
Rory got off the elevator just as the doors closed, everyone on board still giving her curious stares.
Chapter Twelve
“That joke never gets old,” Liv said, still giggling from the elevator incident.
“It doesn’t for you,” Rory said dryly.
“Oh, come on. How can you get on a crowded elevator and not mess with strangers?” Liv asked.
“I simply do.” Rory opened the large door to Rudolf’s chamber, waving Liv through first.
She halted after stepping through, confusion suddenly crowding her brain. “Ummm…what’s going on here?”
Serena was lying on the ground, her arms and legs extended. A circle had been drawn around her, and there were various objects inside it. Bermuda stood to one side, reading from a book. Rudolf was sitting on a large beanbag, fingers tapping his chin like he was thinking, which was unlikely, Liv thought. He must have simply been in his usual daze.
“I’m doing a fertility ritual,” Bermuda explained, her attention on the book.
“Oh, that’s the something or other?” Liv asked, looking at Rory. He nodded in reply.
“I didn’t realize you two were having issues,” Liv stated. “Rudolf, weren’t you just confused about how babies are made?”
“I still contend that a fancy handshake can get someone pregnant. My mother told me that was how I came about,” Rudolf said.
“I think you misheard her,” Liv corrected.
“I didn’t. I remember what she said exactly,” he argued. “She said, Rudolfus Sweetwater, I made a deal with the devil when I had you. We shook on it, and then you were born, and I’ve been paying the price ever since.”
“I stand corrected,” Liv stated. “You misunderstood her, but whatever.”
“And even if handshakes would work, Serena would need extra help to get pregnant,” Bermuda explained. “It is very difficult for mortals and fae to breed. If it was easy, the population would have doubled long ago since most fae take advantage of mortals’ attraction to them.”
“So you have to do some sort of pagan ritual to help them have a baby?” Liv asked.
Liv smiled. “I thought you’d like my new do.”
“I don’t,” Bermuda said, returning her attention to the book in her hands.
Liv strolled over and leaned close to the giant. “How much can I offer you to not do this fertility thing right?”
Bermuda shook her head. “They may be dumb as rocks, but if they want to have a child, so be it. I’m not one of those bigots who think the races shouldn’t mix.”
Liv thought of Emilio Mantovani, who was apparently in love with a fae. However, his witch of a sister, Bianca, was firmly against the union and had forbidden him to see the girl. It was something Liv wanted to intervene on, but it was none of her business. That excuse was probably only going to hold her off for a bit longer, though.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Liv said.
“And you wouldn’t understand,” Rudolf said, leaning back on his beanbag. “It’s not like you and Stefan have to worry about interracial problems.”
Bermuda looked up suddenly. “What do you mean, ‘you and Stefan?’ You two aren’t having a love affair, are you?”
Liv grimaced. “Do you have to refer to it that way? And yes, we’re in a relationship, I guess.”
“Liv and Stefan sitting in a tree…” Rudolf began.
Bermuda shut the book, shaking her head. “Well, you’re going to have to break things off.”
Liv’s gaze darted to Rory and back to his mum. “Why? Do you not approve of him? I mean, that would be pretty much par for the course for you.”
“It’s not about who I approve of,” Bermuda began, “although I think he’s a bit too goth with his all-black clothing. And he apparently never learned how to brush his hair, about like you. However, it’s a matter of law.”
“Wait, there’s a law that I can’t be with Stefan?” Liv asked. “Why?”
Bermuda gave her son an annoyed look. “She doesn’t ever read books, does she?”
Rory’s face remained impassive. He obviously didn’t want to get mixed up in this argument.
“If you had read the laws for the House of Fourteen, you’d know the families are forbidden from entering into romantic relationships with one another,” Bermuda explained.
“Really? Why?” Liv asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Bermuda asked. “If the families bred, there would be issues with lineages, not to mention that it creates objectivity issues. There would be favoritism among Councilors and Warriors. And then there’s the matter of representation. If you two have a child, are they to represent the Beaufonts or the Ludwigs? No, relationships among the families muddy everything, and are not allowed.”
“So House law dictates who I can date?” Liv asked, her chest starting to ache suddenly.
“Of course.” Bermuda opened the book back up. “I advise you to break things off before anyone else finds out about it. Disobeying these laws could cause you both to lose your positions as Warriors.”
“But we can’t,” Liv argued, her heart hammering like a drum. “He’s the only eligible Ludwig, and I’m the only Beaufont who can fill the role. If we aren’t Warriors, our families will be replaced in the House of Fourteen.”
“Then you see how important it is that you end things,” Bermuda stated, her attention back on the book. “And really, child, you should have known this. There can be no fraternizing between families of the House of Fourteen.”
“But my parents were married and were Councilor and Warrior,” Liv argued.
“Yes, but they were appointed to their roles after they were married, which is perfectly acceptable. However, families shouldn’t mix. Bloodlines, like I said.”
“But it’s not like we’re thinking of starting a family,” Liv stated. “I don’t even like to see him every day. It ruins our thing.”
“Breeding is the ultimate result of two people being in a romantic relationship,” Bermuda explained. “That’s why House Royals also aren’t allowed to be with other races. Now, why did you come here and interrupt our fertility ritual?”
Liv had suddenly forgotten why she was there. She’d tried to downplay her relationship with Stefan, telling herself it wasn’t that big a deal, but the truth was staring her straight in the face now. She loved him, and she couldn’t have him. It swiftly broke her heart.
“It’s about chimera,” Rory said, sensing that Liv needed some help. “We’ve discovered that the Mortal Seven are each guarded by a chimera, which is disguised as an acceptable animal of some kind. Liv was hoping you could tell her how to unlock them, making them take their natural form.”
“Oh, that’s quite intriguing,” Bermuda stated.
“Can you help me?” Liv asked, her tone morose. She meant with the chimera, but part of her also meant with Stefan. How could she tell him this? It would hurt him. It was hurting her. Things would be very difficult for both of them.
“I’m afraid I can’t,” Bermuda answered.
Liv’s self-pity was enough to overwhelm her right then.
“However,” Bermuda continued, “I think I know someone who can.” The giant took off for the door. Liv went to follow her, but Bermuda stopped her. “Stay here, Liv. I’ll go and get the information from this person and be right back.”
Liv nodded, feeling suddenly lost.
Rudolf waved her over. “Why don’t you come over here and help me pick out baby names?”
Reluctantly, Liv dragged herself over to the fae lounging on the beanbag. Serena looked to have fallen asleep on the floor. Rory had taken a place at one of the desks set up toward the back and was inputting numbers into a calculator and studying a report.
“Why are you already picking out baby names?” Liv asked. “Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself?”
“Nope, I’m planning for the inevitable. That’s how the pros do it,” Rudolf stated. “Now, we’ve already picked out the first name for our firstborn son. I’m working on the middle name right now.”
“Okay, what do you have so far?” Liv asked.
“There are three options,” Rudolf began. “Either Long John Silver, Jack Sparrow, or Christopher Columbus.”
“Oh, God,” Liv said, shaking her head.
“Oh, yes,” Rudolf stated triumphantly. “I bet you can’t guess what the first name is going to be.”
“I bet I can,” Liv said darkly. “You’re really going to name a child ‘Captain?’”
Rudolf’s mouth popped open. “How did you know?”
“Wild hunch,” she answered.
“Well, it’s a pretty brilliant idea, isn’t it?” Rudolf asked.
“It’s an idea, for sure,” Liv stated. “Are you sure about this baby thing? Maybe you want to wait until you’re more used to your role as king and you’ve matured. Like in a few decades or so?”
Rudolf shook his head. “Serena doesn’t have that long. And I’m ready. I think you just know when it’s the right time to have a child, and I’m certain that it’s now. Or now. Or maybe right now. You get the point?”
“Unfortunately, I do,” Liv said, glancing at the door as Bermuda strolled back into the room.
She handed Liv a piece of parchment. “That’s got the name and whereabouts of a magician by the name of Rooster.”
“Please tell me he’s not a chicken,” Liv stated. “I am sort of done doing missions with poultry.”
“No, he’s not a chicken,” Bermuda assured her. “However, he’s not really a man anymore.”
Liv’s gaze swiveled to the ceiling. “Of course, he’s not, because you can’t just send me to a normal person for this.”
“Rooster is a shell of a man who endured a devastating heartbreak,” Bermuda explained.
“I can strangely relate,” Liv said dully.
“He’s not going to want to help you, though,” Bermuda went on.
“I would
expect nothing less.”
“And getting to his castle will be very dangerous.”
Liv nodded. “Of course, it will be.”
“But if you successfully get up there and find a way to fix him, he might give you the incantation for releasing a chimera,” Bermuda said.
With a heavy sigh, Liv slipped the parchment into her cape. Going on this impossible mission somehow seemed easier than what she had to do next.
Chapter Thirteen
The silence that continued to stretch between Liv and Stefan made her insides ache. He hadn’t said anything since she’d quit talking over two minutes earlier. His bright blue eyes had dulled immediately upon hearing what she’d learned from Bermuda.
It was almost worse that he wouldn’t look at her. Instead, he remained motionless, peering over the side of the skyscraper where they stood looking down on Los Angeles. What was supposed to be an adventurous getaway for the two of them had turned instantly melancholy.
At first, Liv had told herself she could wait to tell him the news. Let them have one last carefree afternoon together. She wanted to pretend this wasn’t the end of them, if only for a moment. She wanted to fool herself into believing she could forget what had to happen.
However, when he smiled at her as she stepped through the portal onto the rooftop of the building, she realized she couldn’t withhold the truth from him. Stefan had opened his arms to her the way he had been doing lately, his unyielding love for her evident in his gaze. And it crippled her resolve to stall the breakup.
She couldn’t pretend her heart wasn’t broken. And in truth, she was not going to be able to fool Stefan anyway. He knew something was wrong upon looking at her after she stepped through the portal.
When he dropped his arms and his smile faded, she began to crumble inside. Liv had been so strong all her life. She’d picked herself up after her parents’ untimely death. She’d faced challenges she’d never imagined after her siblings died. But somehow she’d opened herself up, allowing herself to fall for Stefan Ludwig. But now, she reminded herself why she’d walled off her heart for so long.
