“You’re right about needing some alone time too,” he whispered in my ear.
Stepping out of Niki’s cocoon-like embrace, I knelt in front of my grandfather. And shivered when the warmth and security from Niki’s embrace leached away as I straddled the barrier.
“You look tired. Do you need to rest first?” I didn’t like how pinched my grandfather’s face looked.
“I’ll rest when I’m in the charm, not before. To answer your earlier question, we will be able to talk to each other mentally.”
I groaned. “Great. Just what I need, another voice in my head.”
He held the bracelet out to me and laid it in my palm. “You pick the charm. Hold only the one charm tightly in the palm of your hand—nothing else—or I will transfer to whatever other object you touch as well. If I’m split at the waist, we’ll be fine, but if I’m bisected down the middle . . . not good.”
Glancing down at the shiny silver chain, I immediately spotted the charm I was going to use. The imp charm’s emerald green eyes stared back at me. Up close, the small silver creature reminded me of Al. “Can I remove the charm?”
“I would prefer that, yes.”
Unhooking the small amulet, I dropped the rest of the bracelet into my jacket pocket. I closed my fist around the little imp.
“Relax and simply hold the charm. Concentrate on the metal. Imagine the center like a mist and open it up, dissipating the mist so only a hollow area remains. Once you’ve opened it up, I will apparate inside.” He leaned forward and gently touched my closed fist. “This is important, Johnna. To get me out again, you have to wish me out. Only a wish from the heart will release me.”
I smiled and kissed his hollow cheek, the skin dry and feathery soft under my lips. “The wish will be the easy part. Don’t worry so much, you’ll age faster.”
He laughed. Holding my chin between his thumb and finger, he gave my head a gentle shake. “I will never be able to repay you for what you’ve done for me. You’ve given me back laughter and hope, yet all I have to offer you in return is my thanks.” His hand fell away from my face, and he rolled back his shoulders, standing a bit straighter.
“It’s more than enough for me. Just stay safe.” I blinked back the infernal tears that kept appearing. “Let’s get this over with.”
He laid his hand on mine, and I heard a distant murmuring. The sound never got any louder as the ebb and flow of the chant’s strength rippled through me. I did as my grandfather instructed and pictured the metal inside the imp’s tummy as a swirling mist. It slowly disappeared, leaving an empty hole at the charm’s center with no mist, no light, and no sound.
I opened my eyes to find my grandfather gone. My fist unclenched, and I stared at the tiny silver charm. One emerald eye winked, and I wanted to cheer. “It worked.” I jumped up, uncaring if my scream startled both demons as I twirled around on the balls of my feet.
Niki held out his hand with a relieved smile. “Let’s go home,” he whispered.
The moment I placed my hand in his, the bleak landscape rolled away, the yellow and gray turning into a kaleidoscope of colors as we apparated. The skin of Niki’s hand was rough, and he had calluses on the inside of his knuckles. The strong grip holding me felt so right. I instantly regretted my earlier decision to keep things simple.
“We’re here.” His deep voice sent puffs of hot air inside my ear. I shivered as my arm hair rose and my skin prickled. I could get used to feeling like this—whatever this was. Maybe I was being silly and worrying about nothing. What could it hurt, having Niki as my boyfriend? Other than eventually getting my heart stomped on . . .
I opened my eyes to find us back at Lucien’s castle. Or, at least I assumed as much. It had the same rock walls and stained-glass windows. Glancing around, I decided this room was definitely cozier than the other one. The informal décor and masculine, earth-toned colors screamed Lucien.
One wall had been plastered and painted a forest green. A tan sofa and matching chairs were spaced comfortably in the center, with a rustic table in the middle. Dark mahogany shelves filled with books stood against the stone wall facing a beautiful window depicting a peaceful forest scene. Woodsy. I liked it.
We all sat. Niki and I took the sofa and Malachi grabbed a chair off to one side. I pulled the bracelet from my pocket. As I fastened the silver clasp around my wrist, Lucien strode in. His eyes were bleeding red, his mouth set in a straight slash.
Niki and Malachi both stood and bowed slightly. I wondered if I should do the same. Before I could ask, Niki placed his hand on my shoulder to keep me in place.
“What’s happened, my liege?” Malachi asked.
Lucien stopped in front of the other chair and fell into it, placing his heavy boots on top of the gnarly wood table resting between us. “I’m sorry. Nothing’s happened except my mother. She’s driving me crazy. For some unknown reason, she won’t let up about the thefts and is constantly wanting to know what I’ve found out.” He frowned at the two enforcers. “Sit down, both of you. What’s with the formal crap? Every time you do that, you give me bad news.”
I smiled ruefully and slouched further back on the sofa. What we were about to unload on him, I could guarantee would qualify as bad news.
Niki cleared his throat as he sat on the edge of the cushion, his hands clasped together on his knees. “Lucien, we talked with Maximilian . . . er, Max.”
Lucien looked blankly between them. “Gerard’s father’s name is Maximilian?” At Niki's nod, he grunted. “Wonder why we never knew?”
“There were many reasons, or so we’ve discovered.” The king’s brows rose, but he let Niki continue. “In short, your mother had an affair before you were born, which resulted in a child. She never claimed it, and gave the child to the father to raise.” He took a deep breath. “Lucien, Gerard is your older brother.” Niki leaned back and grabbed my hand, pulling it firmly against his chest.
The silence weighed heavy as we waited for Lucien to explode. Shock blasted through me when he only shook his head. “I always wanted a brother,” he murmured. “Now I understand so many things. So many. . .” He raised his hooded eyes and met mine.
Lunging from his chair, he abruptly pulled me from the sofa like a ragdoll, jerking me free from Niki’s grasp. Holding me in a tight hug, Lucien swung me around in a circle several times. He let my feet touch the ground, but I was still anchored against his chest.
His hard, muscled chest.
I refocused, realizing those thoughts were about my uncle. Eewww.
Make stop. Me dizzy, Al whined.
It’s okay, Al. Lucien stopped. No more spinning.
King Lucien is turning us? We in trouble?
No, silly. I think it’s because he’s just found out I’m family.
Ohhh, you is lucky.
“Dear God—I have a niece.” Lucien held me at arm’s length, wonder on his face. “You are my niece.” His emotional response overwhelmed me as he pulled me back into a tight embrace. This time my nose and mouth were flattened against his chest, and I couldn’t breathe.
I motioned wildly with my hand, my arm pinned against my side, and screamed at Niki in my mind, Can’t breathe . . .
“Lucien, let her go.” Niki's low voice held a bite of warning.
“Back off, enforcer. She’s my niece,” Lucien exclaimed.
“Yes, and she’s my true mate. You’re also smothering her.”
Lucien released me, and I found myself drawing great gulps of beautiful, fresh air into my very deflated lungs. “I’m your what?” I wheezed, coughing up what felt like one of those lungs as I tried to decipher Niki’s words. Taking slow, deep breaths, the burning in my chest finally went away.
“True mate? Are you certain?” Lucien asked.
“We mind speak, Lucien, and my eyes are yellow,
not black. The moment I touched her, I knew.”
Lucien dropped into the chair he’d vacated moments ago and stared at Niki, dumbstruck. “You didn’t change them? I thought you’d done it to appear more normal around her.”
Malachi chuckled, enjoying the whole situation entirely too much. “Yep, good ol’ Nik is always doing sweet things for people. Aren’t you, buddy?”
“Shut up, Malachi. You’re not helping.”
I glared at Niki. “You and I need to have a little talk.” I glanced back at Lucien. “You’re not mad? I figured you’d be furious with your mother.”
Lucien scrubbed his face with his hand, the small wrinkles around his eyes and lips more defined than a few seconds ago. “You’d have to know my mother. She’s that in title only. The only real mother figure I had died years ago—my nanny. She was always so patient and genuinely kind. Her mother was a dryad, who’d been seduced by a rogue demon. When the mother’s tree was felled, she came to live with us.” He gave me a sad smile.
“You also had my father.” My voice broke on the last word. Lucien’s story sounded so sad, yet very familiar. It was as if I already knew this man. My uncle.
“Yes.” One strand of his long black hair fell from where he’d tucked it behind his ear. My dad’s hair was black too. A wave of sorrow pierced my chest. I wanted my parents home. Safe.
Lucien’s obsidian eyes glazed over as his thoughts turned inward. Did he linger on memories, long treasured and tucked away? “Gerard has always been like my older brother. He’s rescued my ass time and again, taught me, both in school as well as life lessons. His advice has made me a better king.”
His eyes, brighter now, met mine. “No, little one, I am not mad. Unwittingly, the woman who gave us life gave us each other.” He chuckled, the smile only curling one side of his mouth. “In fact, it’s clear now why he was always able to keep her in her place. We always knew she didn’t like him, and he used it to his advantage. We just never knew why.”
Brows raised, his gaze finally settled on Niki. “You can mind speak?” At Niki's quick nod, Lucien smiled. “I’ve always wanted to be able to do that—with my own true mate, of course.”
Silence filled the room again, the only sound coming from the occasional clink of the charm bracelet as I moved my arm. I needed to tell Lucien about my grandfather, so he could approve of our plan. The longer I waited, a seed of worry niggled and grew inside my stomach, causing it to flip and churn queasily.
Screwing up my courage, I took a deep breath. “Lucien, there’s more you need to know. You’ve only heard part of it.” He groaned, and I continued without letting him interrupt, my confidence growing with each word. “Max gave us four clues, which we believe we’ve figured out. Right the wrong, fix the lies, find her love, and heal the pain.”
I glanced at Niki who nodded for me to continue. “The queen wronged our family by having the affair and lying about it. Her lies and deception resulted in my mother writing them in her diary, ultimately resulting in a curse on Max. We think it’s your mother who’s been trying to get the diary, so the truth will stay hidden about my dad. Who he is, and what she’d done.”
“You know better than anyone, she’s always been after power—and your throne,” Niki said.
“We’re going to need my grandfather’s help to trap her. In a twisted way, I believe it’s what the ‘finding her love’ part means.” I leaned forward in my chair, and implored, “Uncle Lucien, this has to be done to heal his pain. Heal everyone’s pain.”
The demon king sat unmoving, his face granite. Emotionless. If I hadn’t known he was alive, I would have thought he was a stone statue. He didn’t even blink. How was that possible? More disjointed thoughts tumbled through my head as we waited for his response, each worse than the last, until my hopes were pooling down in my feet.
Al stirred, pinching tighter around my neck. Unlike his normally calm demeanor, his anxiety speared through me, sending me into a panic of my own.
Al?
She comes, she comes, he screeched.
I grabbed the sides of my head and moaned, a cacophony of sound growing steadily louder. The noise was horrible, each note in extreme agony.
Lucien and Niki both reacted in unison. “Johnna?”
Niki's hand rubbed the back of my neck. “Imp, what is it?”
“Horrible . . . noise. So—So much pain.” I looked at him through slitted eyes. “Al is screeching right along with it—saying she’s coming.”
Lucien sank back in the sofa, his body stiff and his face dark. “Mother. Whatever you plan, it had better be good. Either do it now or as quickly as you can. You won’t have another chance. Somehow, she will find out. She always does.”
“Do you trust me, Niki?” I whispered, my brain still hurting too much to talk any louder.
“Yes, imp. You lead. We will follow. I will always follow.” His grin was so sexy, even in pain, my girly parts rejoiced. Tilting my chin up, he forced me to look into his eyes. “If you have any doubts, wait. Believe me, it’s better to be sure about what you’re going to do than go charging in against the queen with only half an idea under your belt.”
“You know me so well already. Any doubt and I promise I’ll wait.” I held up my first two fingers. “Scout’s honor.” I leaned closer and held his face in my hands, the skin of his cheeks warm and smooth. With my thumb rubbing the slight indentation of the scar, I pressed my lips to his. All the emotion bursting from my heart, I sent into my kiss, hoping he would feel what I couldn’t yet put into words.
When my eyes searched his, I found my answer. Deep in their bright yellow depths shone his quiet response, and the tender emotion caressed my skin like a warm hand. There in his eyes I saw his love. My entire body, soul, and mind sang. With the queen bearing down on us, I refused to let my doubts mar this beautiful moment. If whatever we had didn’t work out, I would always have this memory.
My joy, however, was short-lived when Niki swung me around as a fiery light popped into view, growing in size and color. Lasting only seconds and dazzling to behold, it reminded me of one of those flaming desserts served in fancy restaurants.
What emerged from the beam was another story altogether.
I know. Isn’t she so cute? My grandfather’s voice sighed in my mind.
Dropping onto the sofa, I made a disgusted, gurgling noise in my throat when she glared at me.
Grandpops, we need to have a serious conversation about appropriate relationships.
Silence, girl. Didn’t your father teach you to respect your elders?
The few brownie points you earned just went out the door the moment you started mooning over that. Now hurry up and tell me what I’m supposed to talk to her about.
She loves to talk about clothes, shoes, and home renovation—you know, girly things.
Excuse me? Did you say home renovation? Since when has tearing down buildings been girly?
Just talk to her.
Wow, I sure hadn’t seen this one coming.
Giselle’s narrowed eyes bore into mine. “Who are you?” She jerked her head toward Lucien and frowned. “I sense demon in you and something else . . . Lucien, why is this person here?” The furrows of skin between her pencil-thin brows deepened as she looked back at me. “What are you?”
I patted Niki's hand and stood, my eyes never leaving the queen’s plump face. The round cheeks and nose reminded me of a very fat pig. Her eyes were rather exotic, or would have been if she knew how to apply her makeup right. With dark eyeliner, she would have Cleopatra eyes, which was so unfair. I’d always wanted sultry, bedroom eyes.
A slight shiver traveled down my back, and I pasted on a smile and edged around the table in front of the sofa. “Hi. I’m Johnna, a friend of Niki’s. I’m part demon and mage, or so I’ve been told, but I haven’t come into my powe
rs yet.” I lied and glanced around, as if studying the room, then dragged my gaze back to the queen and hoped my ruse worked. “Did you decorate this place? It’s fabulous. You captured the true essence in here for men—a perfect blend of masculine and woodsy. It’s truly wonderful.” I held my breath.
The change on her face was incredible. A radiant smile replaced her sour look. I could almost see the hint of beauty my grandfather saw. Almost.
“That’s exactly the look I was going for. Dear girl, would you like to see the rest of the palace? I designed everything, you know.”
“Really? I would love to, but only if you have time. You must be incredibly busy.”
“Oh, pshaw. I’m as free as a bird. What’s the fun of being queen if I can’t change my own schedule when I want?” Her evil smile—with its touch of cheery on top—made my skin crawl. It took everything I had not to back away. Well, that and Niki’s hand plastered to my butt, keeping me from starting our war too early. “I never get anyone down here who appreciates true talent. Come, come, follow me, dear girl.”
I glanced down and met Niki's twinkling gaze, the smile not quite reaching his lips, and I followed Giselle through the door.
She briefly stopped next to the demon standing guard outside the room. If she was trying to be discreet with her whispering, she failed. I clearly heard her tell the guard to pay attention and their break time was over.
I followed her along the hallway, the zip tie around my gut loosening a couple of notches, as she chattered away. I swallowed a laugh. With her frizzy red hair and gauzy orange muumuu, she did indeed resemble an overly ripe piece of fruit—the science-experiment kind with a rampant case of fuzzy mold.
We traipsed from room to room, each one different yet nicely done. I genuinely was surprised. Too bad she was a wicked queen. She did have a flair for decorating. Giselle and my mother would have gotten along nicely if they didn’t hate each other so much.
In Mage We Trust (Of Mystics and Mayhem Book 1) Page 18
