by Brenda Trim
The warm ocean water was another plus. Sirens loved spending as much time as possible in the water. And, the hunky males were another point in Khoth’s favor. It seemed as if she was surrounded by muscular, good looking males everywhere she turned in the dragon realm.
That made her think of the knights at the beach after the explosion. She couldn’t get the image of one of them shifting to human from his dragon. He had a massive tattoo of his beast on his chest with gem-like eyes. She’d love to see if Finn had a similar tattoo on his body. His brown eyes would look like chocolate diamonds on his flesh.
Once again, she wondered why the hell she was going to such lengths to spend more time with Finn. Aside from being polite and asking her what she saw at the scene he showed no interest in her. It had to be her year-long abstinence from sex that was making her act out of character.
Shrugging her shoulders, she continued on her path wondering if she could suggest public transportation or cars be introduced on Khoth. Walking everywhere was great for getting her backside in shape, but it made for long journeys to and from everywhere.
Expecting to see torches surrounding the stone structure, she was shocked by the seemingly modern lighting that lit the area as she approached. Lights in Khoth were similar to those on Earth, but there were no switches to turn them on. Seemed they were motion activated for the most part.
Another difference was the way they conducted electricity on Khoth. It seemed that most of their technology was fueled by solar energy which made sense when the sun always shone high and bright in the sky.
The massive double doors opened as she approached the castle and two Maahes stood there with stoic expressions on their faces. “What business do you have at Tatenen?” asked one of the knights.
Meeting his odd red eyes, she once again questioned her sanity. Holding up the platter of muffins, she pasted on her brightest smile and jiggled the fruity baked goods. “I brought Finn some muffins to say thank you for helping at the beach the other day. It was an awful situation that scared the crap out of me, and he was nice enough to take a few minutes to calm me down.” The stern, suspicious looks dropped from their faces as she spoke while their stance relaxed slightly, as well. It was a reaction she was used to, and she was glad to see that the dragons seemed to be less affected than humans. She didn’t care for the influence her voice had on some individuals.
Not that any of that mattered at the moment as she stood there babbling nervously. Clamping her lips together to keep from saying anything more, she wondered if they were going to let her in when a brown-haired male pushed between them and gave her a half smile.
“Well, hello beautiful,” murmured the knight with dancing amber eyes. The way he canted his body and leaned against the doorjamb spoke of his playful nature. “Are you sure you want to give those to Finn? Name’s Blaine, and I’m off in fifteen. Why don’t we take those sherulla muffins to my place, so we can enjoy them for breakfast tomorrow morning?”
Talysia liked Blaine. He was unapologetic in his flirting. It didn’t hurt that he was sexy and had a great smile. “Does that smile work with all the females?”
Affecting a dramatic expression, Blaine placed his hand over his chest and furrowed his brows. “Ouch, that hurts. I speak from the heart, Beautiful. And, I didn’t get your name.”
“Not many bring muffins to the castle? I’m Talysia.”
Blaine threw his head back and laughed at that. “Touche. The muffins are a first for sure. Pleasure to meet you, Taly,” he professed as he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it.
She liked Blaine’s confidence and nickname for her. Aside from her sisters, no one ever called her Taly, and she liked it. She had a hunch she was going to become great friends with this knight. “Is Finn here?”
Stepping aside, Blaine motioned her to enter through the doors. The entrance to the castle was not what she expected. The ruins in Scotland had similar structures that all opened to a great room. This one had a large entrance that immediately branched off to a hall that went left and right. The décor was very similar to tours she’d taken of some of the restored buildings.
Tapestries adorned the walls, along with, oil paintings of dragons fighting in the sky. There was also a table with a vase full of the ochillo flowers unique to Khoth. She loved the various colors and sizes.
“Finn is in the throne room,” Blaine informed her as he started down the hall to the left. The rough gray stone of the walls held the history of the Cuelebre dragons in their fibers. Talysia got impressions from objects. Not exactly images, but when she touched things, she learned some of its history.
“What brings you to see Finn?”
“He helped me the other day at the beach and I wanted to say thank you,” she told the knight.
Tossing her a smirk, Blaine chuckled low. His voice was deep and pleasant. “You mean he piqued your interest. Are you hoping for sexy times with him?”
Shaking her head, she couldn’t wipe the smile off her lips. “No!”
“Then hope isn’t lost for me. I can show you real sexy times, Beautiful,” Blaine murmured as he lifted one long strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers.
Talysia found Blaine attractive, but he didn’t rev her engines like Finn. That was a male that exuded confidence with more than a hint of killer instinct. It wasn’t until he was talking to her that her body stopped shaking from terror. Being surrounded by powerful, fire-breathing dragons and countless knights with swords hadn’t made her feel safe, where Finn did.
“Alas, I’m afraid there is no hope for us.”
Blaine staggered and gasped. “You wound me.”
Picking up a muffin, she offered it to Blaine. “Eat this. It’ll make you feel better.”
Talysia collided with Izzy when she rounded the corner at the same moment she and Blaze did. “Oh. Sorry. Hey,” Izzy said in greeting as she grabbed the platter before it fell to the ground. Man, the young female had good reflexes. Not even one muffin was lost in the incident. “Good to see you again. I never really said thank you for your help the other day, so thanks.”
Talysia smiled and accepted the tray. “It was nothing. I couldn’t let you guys stay there when danger lurked nearby.”
“Not everyone would have exposed themselves to help others,” Blaze added, drawing Talysia’s gaze. The young male she thought was running toward them was standing next to the prince. She felt bad for assuming he meant his friends harm.
“I did what anyone would’ve done,” she insisted. “Anyway, it’s good to see you guys again. I need to get these to Finn.”
Blaine was teasing Talysia as they continued walking, but she barely heard him. A face flashed through her mind when she saw the other kid, Troy. The male was angry, but she couldn’t recall many more details about him except his gray eyes.
“And, here we are,” Blaine said as he ushered her into a large room with his hand at the small of her back.
She had to blink several times as she realized they had gone from more modern lighting to candles and torches. Before she could question the reason for the drastic difference, Finn was hurrying toward them.
“Talysia, what are you doing here? Did you remember something?”
“She came to see you, jackwagon,” Blaine interjected in a teasing tone. “And she brought muffins. They’re damn good, too.”
The siren was as sexy as he recalled. More so, Finn thought as he noticed her face wasn’t sm
eared with soot and grime anymore. Her long hair was silky and straight now, as well.
“I did bring them for you, but I might have remembered something, too.” Her distraction didn’t fit with Blaine’s insinuation. Then again, Blaine tried to turn everything to sex when females were in the vicinity.
“What did you remember?”
“A male. He was angry and arguing with that kid, Troy, I think.”
Finn grabbed the platter from her and led her to the table at the side of the room where Angus and Legette were talking. “When was this? Troy was in the bathroom at the time of the explosion.”
Angus and Legette looked at them when Finn asked his question. Talysia hesitated and her eyes went wide when she saw the king. Angus didn’t wear formal clothing like his predecessors, but he was massive and there was no mistaking his mantle of power. Finn’s protective instincts rose to the surface as Talysia started trembling slightly.
They needed her calm enough to recall details. This was the first time they heard about this mystery male. Troy didn’t mention it. Setting the tray down, Finn introduced Talysia. “Sire, Legette. This is Talysia. The siren that was working at Medure Eats at the time of the explosion. Talysia, this is King Angus and his second in command, Legette.”
“Och, ‘tis nice to meet you, lass. Thank you for assisting my son and his friends,” Angus said with a tilt of his head in acknowledgment.
“Good to meet you, sir,” she replied as she curtsied. Finn led her to a seat at the table and offered her a glass of water.
“Tell me about what you saw,” Finn encouraged her.
Talysia’s gaze bounced from Angus to Finn and back again before she settled on him. Finn had no doubt she was waiting for Angus to take over the conversation, but that wasn’t how the king worked.
“It was a minute or so before the other kids passed by my window so close to the time the bomb went off. I didn’t think anything of it until I ran into Izzy, Blaze, and Troy in the hallway. Then an image of Troy standing close to the tree line arguing with a male popped into my head. All I recall is the male was older than Troy and had gray eyes. His hair might’ve been blondish-brown, but I’m not certain. I remember thinking his gray eyes reminded me of a storm at sea because he was mad.”
“Shite. Do you remember what he was wearing? Or, if he had any distinguishing features?” Angus asked.
Talysia cocked her head, clearly considering the question while she met Angus’s gaze. “Nothing else comes to mind. Sorry. I wasn’t really paying attention.” Her voice impacted Finn just as strongly now as it had the other day. Absolutely magical.
“There is nothing to be sorry for. You risked yourself to help others, and now you’ve given us a lead,” Angus assured her. “You’re an asset to Khoth. If anything comes to mind, please let Finn know.”
Tension Finn didn’t know he carried suddenly loosened as he understood what Angus wasn’t saying. The king initially considered Talysia a suspect but was now officially clearing her name from the list.
Finn picked up a muffin and held it in front of his mouth. “You made these for me?”
Talysia lowered her head and her cheeks turned bright pink. He noticed her hands twisting in her lap. Without looking up, she nodded her head. “I wanted to, um, thank you for taking the time to reassure me the other day. It was the last thing you had time for, and I appreciate it.”
An uncomfortable sensation filled Finn’s chest. He hadn’t really done anything except question Talysia and reassure her. Just as he worried about what his king and boss thought, murmurs started up around them. “I was only doing my job. It’s often hard for me to remember how it is for others. Helping Cambree years ago, I recall how frightened she was when she found herself in danger, so I make it a point to try and reassure civilians.”
“How do you do your job and not see enemies everywhere you look? If I saw the dregs of society in everything I did, I would lose hope and shut myself off,” she admitted with a shake of her head.
Finn smiled as he chewed the bite he took of his muffin. “Good treats help with that,” he teased. “In seeing the worst of others, you get a sense of what evil looks like and what it doesn’t. I know I’m not always right. There are those that hide very well, but I make it a point to never lose sight of the good in life. Like these muffins. Man, they’re delicious. You must be a great cook.”
“No. I’m definitely a good cook. There are a handful of things I make very well, but the rest is mediocre at best, but thank you,” she said with a smile in her eyes. “So, what do you do in the city for fun? My sister and I just moved here and are always looking for recommendations.”
Finn cocked his head to the side and wondered if Talysia was flirting with him. Blaine was behind her making crude gestures with his hands and fingers. The male really was a sket, but a good Maahes, nonetheless.
“Depends on what you like to do. If you’re into music, the club Toxic is a great place to hang out. We have movies and shows from Earth, but we don’t have a movie theater like you find there. Some locations feature plays from time to time if you’re into that sort of thing. And, then there’s the market if you like eating outdoors and finding unique gifts.” Finn enjoyed talking with Talysia. There was no discomfort or awkward silences between them. In some ways he felt as if he’d known her for a long time.
“I’ll have to tell my sister about the club. We love dancing. So, do you think it’s safe to return to work tomorrow? I’m scheduled to go in, but afraid of something happening again.”
“You will be perfectly safe. Angus is placing a knight on patrol there to help prevent an attack like this again,” Finn reassured her.
“Oh, thank goodness,” she said as she released a sigh. “I can’t afford to miss any shifts, but my gut clenches when I think about going back there.”
Finn hated hearing her so afraid. “I’m happy to escort you tomorrow, if that helps.”
Talysia laughed and lightly hit his shoulder. “I’m not that much of a chicken but thank you. Well, I better get going. Enjoy the muffins.”
Finn got up to walk her to the door, wondering how he could ask her out on a date. It wasn’t as if she was a client and it was forbidden. What would Angus and Legette say if he asked permission to take her out?
Talysia was out the door and gone before he mustered up the courage to do anything but ponder, and he wanted to kick his own ass for his stupidity.
* * *
Chapter 4
Sweat dripped into her eyes, and Izzy swiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Head throbbing, she tracked Troy as he circled her. Her life had been one battle after another from the time she was born. Seventeen long years of fighting and training, and sometimes she was just tired of it all.
She wanted to be like the rest of the females her age. Worried about whether a cute male would ask her to go out Friday night, or if he liked the new outfit she bought in hopes of drawing his attention. It was difficult to carry the weight of two realms on her shoulders.
Granted, she wasn’t entirely responsible for both Khoth and the Tehrex Realm, but she was the daughter of the Vampire King of the Tehrex Realm and she was basically the adopted daughter of the King of Khoth. When one added that Izzy was the manifestation of the Goddess Morrigan, it made her a constant target of one creature or another. There was little room for normal teenage activities.
Not that she could imagin
e or really wanted her life any other way. It was just hard knowing her best friend couldn’t train because he was recovering from injuries he suffered from the bombing incident. Plus, she missed her parents. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was a big sister yet.
Time passed far faster on Khoth than in the Tehrex Realm so what was a few months for her parents was about a year for her. The last time Izzy saw her mother she was very pregnant and glowed with the vitality of the new life growing inside her. Of course, her mother said she looked like a beached whale, but Izzy thought she was more beautiful than ever.
“C’mon Blaze,” she coaxed as she jabbed a fist toward Troy. “Join the fight. Let’s make this interesting.”
“No way,” Troy countered and glanced toward Blaze.
Taking advantage of his loss of concentration, Izzy jumped and landed a roundhouse kick to the side of Troy’s head. “What’s the matter? Afraid I’ll beat you?”
Troy growled from his position on the mat. She wanted to jump for joy over the fact she’d managed to knock her friend on his ass. “No. It’s against the rules, and you know it. Fight fair, Iz.”
Blaze stood upright from where he was leaning against the wall as he watched them with dispassionate eyes. Izzy knew what the furrowed brow meant. Blaze was agonizing over the incident at the beach. Izzy understood how he felt.
For the first time Blaze was being monitored by knights around the clock because everyone believed he was a target of the Unseelie King. It wasn’t easy being in the crosshairs and having an evil being hunting you. Blaze was already a tough fighter, but this robbed him of the remaining few years he had to be a young adult. Being forced to grow up too fast hardened you and erased most of your positive outlook. She related to that all too well.
