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“Eat, Jezzie. We’d rather not be subjected to a Hishaladap mating call while trying to eat, ever again.” Damn, Shaggy actually cracked a smile. Straight, bright white teeth and all.
She should’ve felt embarrassed as they all started laughing uproariously, but she was too damn hungry to pay them much mind. Bacon and waffles were calling her name.
“Do you think she’s actually going to come?”
“Tana should have received the message by now, Dair. Hopefully she comes, but I wouldn’t put it past her to toy with us a while, although she could very well end up telling us to fuck off. So, who knows?” responded Thad.
When Jezzie was sure she couldn’t swallow another bite she leaned back from the table and heaved a sigh worthy of an overstuffed dad unbuttoning his pants after Thanksgiving dinner.
“Thought you might be hungry, Jezzie,” commented Rian. “What with not seeing you and Nithe for the last two days. Plus from what the gossipy gorgons were whispering, you two worked up quite the appetite.” His mischievous wink made him look like a kid, though with his youthful fae-like features it would take him forever to look his actual age.
“Lay off it, Ri.” Dair shoulder bumped his cheeky friend playfully.
“Come, let’s all go to the library. There’s so much we need to discuss. So much you probably don’t know. Hopefully, we have a little time to fill you in.”
Theus led the way to the large wooden doors of the library in silence, even his footsteps made not a sound. Pushing the doors wide open he bade them all enter, shutting them securely, before a gorgon tried to slither in.
The cream painted ceiling was home to an elegant chandelier which cast a bright light around the room. Jezzie took in the floor to ceiling bookcases along every wall, ladders and spiral staircases leading to the upper levels of the three-story room. Books filled each shelf almost to overflowing. She damn near fell to her knees and begged them to let her stay there forever. She was sure if she was alone, without Rian and Thad looking at her knowing, she might damn well have had a bookgasm right then and there. This room was like a dream come true.
A large oak desk sat before a massive bay window. Overlooking what, she couldn’t tell, the heavy dark blue of the velvet curtains impeded the view. Though, she doubted it was a very pleasant one anyway.
The wing-back leather chair positioned behind it was facing away, as though whoever had last sat there had swiveled as they stood and left before righting it. As she had the thought the chair swung toward them. She jumped back, Ni’s hand steadied her as she landed on his foot. The other men? Well they all but purred.
“Well, well, well, look what the Princes of ‘Castle Fuck-a-lot’ dragged in. Strays, boys? Surely you have more pressing matters to attend to than your duties? Or are you banging these two as well?” The husky, almost smoke roughened voice of the cloaked woman purred sarcastically.
The stranger sat behind the desk as if she owned it. Owned everything within this realm, including the princes who ran it, and maybe she did.
When she lifted her head, Jezzie gasped. It was like looking into a mirror. Not an exact copy, but those were her cheekbones, nose, and her stubborn chin. The similarities ended there, from what she could tell, anyway.
The woman’s vibrant purple hair peaked out from under her hood and framed her face, swirling eyes of blue and amethyst judged them all.
“No offense to the two of you, I’m sure you’re stand up . . .” She inhaled deeply. “Hmm, a dragon mixed with an angel? Never heard of that before,” she queried, as she gestured at Nithe, who was standing slightly to the side of Jezzie.
“But you,” she said, pointing to Jezzie. “You smell more familiar. More like me. Oh, I do love a good mystery . . . Fine, I’ll take them to him. Come on.”
No one moved, except Tana, who jumped up from her seat and made for the door.
“That is what you wanted me to do, right? The whole reason you dared send for me? I mean, if not, no skin off my nose. Just wasted half my day for nothing. Not like I had anything better to do. I’ll just be getting back to Doc for some more fun.”
The poor princes all started talking at once, until Jezzie whistled loud enough to burst eardrums, luckily only human ones.
“Hi, Tana, is it?” At her nod Jezzie continued. “We don’t really know what’s going on, but I’m pretty sure we are supposed to go with you. Right, guys?” More nods, this time from the now silent princes. “Right. So, if you could please escort us, that would be great. We just need to grab our stuff and we are good to go. Also, we’d kinda like to know exactly who this mysterious ‘he’ is, or at least how he’s going to help us. I’d rather not walk into another trap if I can help it. I’ve definitely met my quota for this century, fuck the Fates very much.”
“I won’t tell you who he is. He won’t hurt you though. Not if you mean no harm. Still want to go?” Tana watched them expectantly.
Jezzie looked at Nithe, he nodded slightly. She looked back at Tana and conveyed their agreement. Tana pushed back the hood, freeing her wavy blue streaked purple hair, nodded, and walked out the door.
Taking hold of Nithe’s hand she followed Tana out of the library, only to stop short as a heavy pack slammed into her midriff. Nithe’s accompanying grunt told her she wasn’t the only one. Good thing they packed them up before they sought out food just in case. The gorgon’s cackle of glee as she slithered away set Jezzie’s anger on fire. Not fast enough, though, you bitch, Jezzie thought as she trained her magic on the evil cow and slashed at her ass with a crack of whip-like shadows. Flesh and scales, there one moment, and gone the next. The creature’s shriek of pain sent satisfaction and happy chuckles through the shadow link. One more thing to add to the growing list of abnormal things happening to her lately. A shadow link she could actually hear.
“Nice. I could totally get to like you. So long as you haven’t let these pricks wet their wicks, that is,” Tana wheezed between belly clutching laughter.
“Maybe next time give us some warning, Jezzie. So we can crack open some windows. ‘Cause that shit stinks. Fried gorgon is definitely not a delicacy I want to try in my non-shifted form, thanks.” Grimm grimaced.
“Let’s go, kids. I said I’d be back before lunch, so we need to hotfoot it, pronto,” Tana stated, skipping her way to the main doors.
“You seem awfully happy all of a sudden, Tana. Jezzie and Nithe will make it to him safely, right?” Thad softly interjected.
“You have no idea, Jezzie, how long I’ve wanted to do something like that to one of those venomous, hussy, bitches. You know, Thad, I am mostly happy these days, just not around any of you assholes. They’ll be fine.”
