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“It’s very pretty,” she said, confused as she looked at the hand painted enamel.
“Open it, silly girl. Seriously, you’re not normally this daft, but I’ll let it slide considering the circumstances,” Leraie joked.
Jezzie snorted, but did as she was told. Inside the mirror swirled before coming into sharp focus.
“Uncle!” Jezzie gasped.
She expected Leraie to shush her and scold her, but instead she received a chuckle.
“Soundproof bubble, little one. You aren’t the only one who can do so, remember?” Leraie reminded her.
“Jezzie, my dear girl. I wish I was coming with you. Oh, to see them all again. Since I cannot go, and I can’t even give you a hug, I’ll settle for some gentle words of encouragement and advice. Keep an open heart and mind. I’m sure it’s all going to be a bit of a shock. But I’ll be here if you need me. Finding out you’re a dad with a teenager is hard enough, when they’re all grown up and mated to two of your best friends, well, shit could get ugly before it gets golden. I love you, my niece. I’m glad you have three great males on your side. I’ll see you soon.” Uncle Micah’s face went blurry before disappearing completely, leaving behind the reflective surface of the mirror.
“Took him fifteen tries to record that message, by the way. Stubborn man kept trying to slip in code words for Roth and Athon, innocuous ones you may have inadvertently let slip. I also had to remind him they wouldn’t hear or see him either. Then he kept getting teary and saying it wasn’t right he couldn’t hug you goodbye and finding the right words was impossible,” Leraie sighed softly.
“Tell him it was perfect, and I love him too, please?” Jezzie asked.
“Of course, my dear. Keep the mirror. You can send him and Tana messages, but they will not be able to reply until the time comes. Understood?”
“Yes, Leraie. Thank you,” she said, throwing her arms around the older, regal woman.
“And, Jezzie . . . Be brave. He’s not as scary as he looked. It’s not in your nature to back down from a fight, so give it all you’ve got. He needs a bit of a bitch slap back to reality. Tell him I said ‘hi’ and ‘you’re welcome’.”
Striding back toward the portal Leraie clapped her hands, and they all fell silent.
“Time to go, ladies and gents. Slap each other’s asses, buss each other’s cheeks, whatever it is that’s the done thing these days, and get your booties through my portal. I need my beauty sleep and I have a date with some ice cream, some wine, and the most humble, sexy man on earth. Yes, Keanu Reeves does have a new movie out, and I am not going to miss it to watch you guys cry in a circle for another five minutes. So, in you go,” Leraie winked at Jezzie and Tana with a teasing glint in her eye.
Jezzie couldn’t blame her, they had to leave, it had to be now, and Keanu was one special human male.
With one last goodbye and a kiss on Tana’s cheek, Jezzie stepped forward toward the portal. Nithe grabbed her right hand, Athon her left, and Roth stepped up close behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.
And together, as one unit, they stepped into whatever future awaited them on the other side.
Apparently traveling by Leraie’s portals was a hell of a lot more enjoyable than her own, Jezzie reflected as she landed softly on her feet in a large living area. It was like landing on a cotton cloud rather than the ankle jarring thud she was used to. She’d have to remember to ask Leraie for some tips the next time they saw each other. It was almost as good as flying.
“Where are we?” she asked no one in particular. It was Roth who answered her.
“Home. We are home.”
“Well, our home,” Athon clarified. “Welcome to Hell and the Shadow Hound Fortress.”
“And I’m pretty sure this is the suite Leraie was telling us about while the guys were talking to Dair and the guys,” Nithe noted.
“What suite?” Roth asked.
“Leraie created it for us here. We each have our own rooms for whenever we need them, and apparently one large central bed to snuggle in,” Jezzie replied with a wink.
“Yep,” confirmed Nithe. “Snuggles, sure, that’s totally where all our minds went.” He chuckled.
The living space was large and well lit, despite having no windows. She tilted her head to look at the ornate white ceiling and noted the lack of lights turned on, or lights period. Must be magic. The large circular couch looked super comfy and the dark red material popped against the light cream walls, and the dark wooden coffee table. Tall bookcases lined one wall with a rolling ladder at one end. Walking over, Jezzie ran her fingers lightly over a few of the spines, her eyes taking in as many titles as they could as she moved from one end to the other. All of her favorites were there. From classics to Sci-fi, Horror to children’s books she’d loved as a little girl, and romance novels of every kind. The names of her most beloved authors popped out to say hello like long-lost friends and her heart gave a jolt as she realized all the characters she’d met before were welcoming her home. Along with a myriad of new ones for her to discover.
When she came to a halt at the ladder she smiled and jumped lightly onto the lowest rung. With one foot she pushed off and rolled slowly sideways.
“Never is as good as the movies make it out to be, I suppose.” She sighed in disappointment. “Definitely not the fairytale zooming I was expecting.”
“It’s a good thing you have your Prince Charmings to make up the deficit caused by such a lack of zoomability, don’t you think?” Athon joked.
“Charming, are you? And here I thought you were the damsels in distress.” Jezzie winked and ran for the closest door, Athon and the others hot on her heels.
