books 1 - 3

by Ella J. Smyth

Adi was waiting for them in the reception area, her arm heavily bandaged. There were rings under her eyes, and her face looked pinched and haggard. John nodded politely at the red-headed nurse who helped Adi fill out some paperwork.

  “Hi, Lori. How’s the patient?”

  Adi grumbled, “The patient is ready to go home, thank you very much.”

  The middle-aged woman tried hard to hide her eye-roll. Honi grinned. That was his Adi—he knew she wasn’t the easiest patient. Lori stood up and pulled down her green tunic. She addressed John quietly.

  “She was lucky. We’ve never had a Gila monster bite. We didn’t even know what it was at first. Only that the new head of staff used to work in Arizona and recognized the bite pattern. Once we knew what to test for, it was easy enough to treat.”

  Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely loud enough for Honi to hear. “He said he’d never seen a bite that large. She could have lost that arm, you know?”

  John nodded, throwing a quick glance at Adi. She looked back defiantly.

  “I can hear you, you know.”

  Yep, Adi was fine. Honi’s grin widened. Time to go home. He pulled her gently to her feet and placed her into the wheelchair Lori provided. Adi had had enough experience with hospitals to know that resistance was futile. She lowered herself, plopping the last few inches with very little grace, grimacing.

  “Let’s go home.” She sighed. Honi nodded and pushed her to the waiting car, while John said goodbye to Lori. Adi waved, then looked around her.

  “What are you looking for? Did you forget something?”

  Adi shook her head but couldn’t hide the disappointment in her face.

  “I just thought…,” she said quietly. Then she sighed. During the hour in the car, she was more pensive than Honi was used to. She’d been through a lot. She’d tell him when she was ready.

  For the rest of the day, they hung out at John’s place. Adi wasn’t in any mood to reconnect with Honi’s parents. He didn’t blame her. It would take some time to forget how badly she’d been treated. He’d spoken to his mom and dad, and they’d understood.

  His mom had had tears in her eyes. They blamed themselves, and Honi didn’t know how to tell them Nina had been the cause of all of this. He’d have to tell them that Nina was dead. Honi swallowed. He could barely wrap his head around that.

  “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Adi said.

  He nodded.

  “It’s okay. You were in love with her once.”

  “I was. That was a long time ago. You know that I love you now, right?”

  Adi stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  “I love you, too. I couldn’t have done this without your help. I’ve never felt more alone and lost than when I thought you wanted me to leave. That was terrible.”

  Her slight shoulders shook, and Honi pulled her tight, resting his head on top of hers.

  She mumbled into his chest, “We need to go back to Faerie.”

  Honi pushed her away so he could look at her face.

  “Seriously? Why?”

  “I don’t know where all of this left me with the queen. Am I still enthralled to her? Diarmuid was able to lift the bane on you, but what about me? Do I have to worry about what she’ll want me to do next for the rest of my life? Don’t you think she owes me?”

  Honi nodded. Adi was right. The queen owed both of them. Maybe they could bargain for Adi’s freedom. What they’d been through had to count for something.

  John agreed that now was the time to demand concessions from the faerie queen, as much as anything could be demanded from the capricious creature. What worked in their favor was that the queen treasured loyalty and honor above all else. Maybe it was enough to get Adi’s freedom back.

  41

  When somebody pushed his side with a foot, he grunted. Toes poked into his ribs. Honi growled before grabbing the offending ankle and pulling. With a squeak, Adi landed on top of him.

  “Hey there, sleepyhead.” She laughed. Honi looked around him as Adi snuggled into his chest. Back in the spirit world. Twice in one day? Unusual. But then, these were unusual times. All irritation fled his mind when Adi tickled his lips with her tongue. Her body molded to all the concave and convex lines of his body in a seriously distracting way.

  Without a second thought, he opened his mouth and let her in. Their tongues met and glided against each other, while his arms tightened around her, and his hips rocked against her soft shape. Damn, he’d missed this.

  “Oh, really. I leave you alone for a few hours and come back to this?”

  Honi pulled away from Adi’s delectable mouth and gritted his teeth.

  “Can you come back later?” he growled at Diarmuid.

  “Sorry, no can do. My lady wants to see you. That’s why she called you both back here.”

  Honi dropped his head to the ground and smacked it twice more against the surface just for emphasis. Diarmuid burst out laughing.

  “What are you, human? A child? Come on, the queen is very grateful and wants to reward you. No need to be afraid.”

  Adi had already jumped up and hugged the warrior. Honi watched the scene with a raised eyebrow. Diarmuid and Adi seemed to have bonded while Honi had been unaware of his girlfriend’s ongoing connection with Faerie. There was a lot they needed to talk about once this was over.

  Soon they were back in the queen’s chambers. The regal posture of the faerie creature was ruined by a white she-wolf licking the ruler’s face. Honi had never seen her this relaxed and playful. Neither had Adi, judging by her big eyes. When the queen saw them, she pushed the animal away, and straightened up.

  “Welcome back, my friends.”

  Friends? Honi could barely hide his shock at her words. He looked at Adi, waiting for her cue. She seemed just as stumped as his was. Eventually, she cleared her throat.

  “Friends? With all due respect—you’ve never treated us as friends. Allies, yes. But you made it very clear that we humans are so far beneath you, you only just tolerated us.”

  The creature laughed, her melodic voice chiming like the sound of wind against a glass mobile.

  “You are right. Most of your existence is worthless. You live in the mud, barely raising your heads above, and then only to see who’s closer to the sun so you can tear them down.”

  Honi frowned. She wasn’t far off the truth. Still, his heckles were rising on principle to be so summarily dismissed as a species.

  The ruler laughed again. “Come now, Honi. Don’t look so angry. You both have taught me a valuable lesson. You may look puny—”

  “Hey,” Adi interrupted.

  “—but you have proven yourself to be courageous, loyal, and strong within your limitations.”

  Diarmuid snickered before quickly hiding his amusement.

  The queen continued, “When I needed your help, you came to my aid without hesitation. In the process, I discovered you are strong enough to absorb my power. I did not think I would ever find a human like you, Adi. This changes everything.”

  Honi and Adi exchanged glances. Adi moved to his side and took his hand. He squeezed it, projecting all his love and support towards her. Whatever was coming next, whatever the queen was building up to, they would face it together.

  While they were focused on the faerie ruler, the white wolf squeezed between them and sat down on her haunches in front of Adi. Ho’neo copied her position in front of Honi. Honi looked down at the two animals, then did a mental face-palm.

  How had he not seen this? It had been so obvious, ever since the white wolf showed herself. The way she pushed back against Adi’s legs, the way her hands rested unconsciously on the animal’s neck… Adi had found her spirit animal. Finally.

  “Do you understand now, Honi?” the queen asked softly. “Adi is coming into her full powers. She had to go through all of this, to be forged and beaten, to make her strong enough to fulfill her destiny.”

  Honi grinned when Adi mumbled, “Always with th
e drama.”

  After a dirty glance, the ruler continued, “Adi. You are freed of our contract. You no longer owe me servitude.”

  She shook her head, and with a wry smile added, “Not that I got much of that.”

  Then she drew herself to her full height. Her white gown glittered like snow in the sun. Her strange pupils swirled and pulsed with the never-ending blizzard that had had Honi so enthralled when he’d first encountered the creature.

  “Since you’ve proven yourself strong enough to hold my powers and control them, I declare you my heir.”

  Adi gasped. “What?”

  “As my successor, you will become a denizen of Faerie when my time comes. You will rule as the Protector of the Worlds, responsible for keeping the balance until you yourself find an heir.”

  Adi’s knees buckled, and Honi barely managed to catch her before she fell.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  Honi’s pulse was beating so loud and fast in his ears, he barely heard the commotion in the room. Adi’s wolf and Ho’neo were growling, and Diarmuid said something that was inaudible to Honi. A cold hand touched his cheek, and his head flew up. The queen stood above them both, her other hand on Adi’s face, wiping away her tears.

  “Child, this will not happen immediately. Maybe not for many of your human decades. In the meantime, you will live a happy life, protected by all creatures under my control. Honi will be by your side as long as he or you wish. And when the time comes, he may join you here, as your consort.”

  Diarmuid moved next to the queen. “It is not a bad life. We have seen many wonders throughout the centuries. When my lady’s ready to move to the next world, I will join her gladly. She once said she didn’t believe love existed. She may not call it that, but I will never desert her, nor will she be without me.”

  The Queen blinked. A smile appeared on her stern face, so small and tender that it put a lump into Honi’s throat. She held Diarmuid’s gaze for a long while, before turning back to Adi.

  “I will send you home. There are many dangers abroad you know nothing about as of yet. You are under my protection, but remember, I have limited powers in your world. Stay close to your young friend, Con. His destiny is closely aligned to yours, but I cannot foretell the future. You must be vigilant.”

  42

  Adi stood at the edge of the mesa. She’d miss the view from up here. Every day, she noticed something else. People said Oklahoma was flat and boring, but here, at the foot of the Wichita Mountains, she couldn’t agree less.

  Once the sun had cleared the tree tops behind her, her shadow grew to gigantic proportions in front of her. It reflected off Lake Lawtonka and beamed off the windows of the boats sheltered in the marinas along its shores. Honi had asked her to come with him in early summer next year. Maybe they’d get to swim in the dark-green waters.

  She wore Honi’s winter jacket, a padded denim monstrosity. It was so big, it came nearly to her knees. Adi tilted her head into the collar and took a deep whiff of her boyfriend’s scent.

  After many conversations, Honi had convinced the elders that he wasn’t going to finish his law degree. Without Nina’s influence, the discussions had been conciliatory. Still, Adi and Honi weren’t any closer to figuring out their way forward. How they would earn their living. How best to use their unique talents.

  Today was the day they’d set off for a new life together. They’d agreed they’d needed to find someplace that wasn’t tainted by bad memories. Maybe up north, Washington, Oregon—someplace where they could stay for a while and plan what to do next.

  Even though the queen had released her, Adi knew there might be more dangers out there. Maybe untrained spirit walkers whose very existence could pose a danger to the balance between the worlds. Or maybe power-hungry walkers who wanted to use their abilities for their own selfish reasons, like Nina.

  And then there was Con. His mom hadn’t returned. That wasn’t unusual if she’d gone on a bender. Her abandonment when he was injured, when he had needed her, had hurt him deeply. He was done with her and had asked Adi if he could come with them.

  “Sure,” she’d replied. “When you’re eighteen.”

  He wasn’t happy with her answer, but it was the best she could do. She didn’t need the law to come after them for kidnapping a minor, even though he was close to adulthood. Besides, they all had to find their own way first. John had approached the elders about Con. They’d agreed to let him live with John and Nora for now. The time until his eighteenth birthday would fly, and John promised to train Con the way he’d trained Honi at the same age.

  A warm weight pushed against the back of her knees. Adi still wasn’t used to having her own spirit animal. The white wolf inserted herself into her thoughts, her dreams, her every day. Last night, she’d told Adi her name.

  ‘Bainne. My name is Bainne.’

  ‘Bonya? That’s a weird name.’

  ‘It means “milk” in Irish. Get used to it.’

  When she’d told Honi about the conversation, he’d bent over laughing.

  “Wow, your spirit wolf has the same snark as you do,” he’d wheezed once he got his breath back.

  Adi couldn’t deny that he was right. Absentmindedly, she petted the wolf’s coarse neck fur. The sound of footsteps announced Honi’s arrival. Ho’neo padded to Bainne’s side. His pink tongue flicked at her lips, before Bainne playfully nipped at him. Honi watched the display with a frown before his expression turned to shock.

  “Adi,” he whispered. “Do spirit animals mate?”

  Adi giggled. She had no idea, but the horror in his face was too funny.

  “Why don’t you ask Ho’neo?” she suggested.

  Honi stared at her, then shook his head violently.

  “Not a conversation I’ll have with my sacred companion. Ever.”

  He grinned. “Besides, it won’t be Ho’neo who’ll end up having a litter of pups.”

  Adi’s face fell. Oh crap.

  “Bainne, come here. I need to talk to you!”

  Bainne and Ho’neo ignored their two humans, frolicking amongst the rocks, playing and chasing each other.

  “Not like they’d listen to us anyway,” she said resignedly.

  Honi nodded and pulled her towards him. Together, arm in arm, they stood and watched the rising sun transform the valley below them. The color changed from shaded blues to golden yellow to the kind of clarity only cold temperatures made possible. Winter had arrived in southern Oklahoma. They would return next year. And one day, they might even stay in Honi’s homeland.

  THE END

  THE SPIRIT WALKER SERIES

  by Ella J. Smyth

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book onscreen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  About the Author

  Ella J. Smyth is an author living in Germany. She makes her online home at www.ellajsmyth.com. You can connect with her on Twitter at @ellajsmyth, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ellajsmyth, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/ellajsmyth and you should send her an email at ella@ellajsmyth.com if the mood strikes you.

  You can follow her convoluted and fantastical flights of fancy on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/ellajsmyth where she casts her heroes and heroines in the most amazing places on earth.

  The very best way to stay in the loop is through Ella’s Facebook Group. Here, she runs competitions, post
s naughty pictures, tells jokes, and generally has fun with her readers. Join up at Ella J. Smyth - Unapologetic Romances Facebook Group!

  www.ellajsmyth.com

  ella@ellajsmyth