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“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Maerlin. I believe you knew my great-grandfather.” He offered her the respectful smile he would give any dignitary. He’d been alone for a long time and believed he was an old man, but he couldn’t deny his body’s response to the beautiful woman before him.
Her smile was filled with affection for her old friend. “Kairzundien was a good man. The world owes him a debt that can never be repaid. You look so much like him that it’s eerie.”
She held her hand out to shake his, but he bent at the waist and pressed a kiss to the back with the gallantry of a bygone era. When his skin touched hers, a shock ran through him, and he jumped. A tingling coolness spread from the point of contact over his entire body, and he felt almost drunk. Euphoric. Reckless. Flirty.
“I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that. I was thinking about my friend’s death, and when my emotions get stirred up, my magic can go wonky. It won’t hurt you, I promise. You’ll probably be lucky at whatever you attempt for the next few days.”
“’Probably?’” Ash asked, looking amused and concerned.
Mikhail aimed his silver fox charisma and charm at Maerlin, who blushed and looked embarrassed. “Lucky, you say?” He let a sultry smile curl the corners of his mouth. “I can work with that. Gods, you’re beautiful.”
Viktorija burst out laughing, having walked into the room in time to catch her grandfather’s flirtatious comment. “What the hell did you do to Mikhail? Is he drunk? We can’t get drunk.”
Maerlin groaned and covered her face. “I am so sorry.”
Mikhail threw an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, milady.” He leaned in to stage-whisper, “That’s not a lance in my pocket. I’m happy to see you.” He chuckled, and Maerlin turned a deeper shade of red.
Maerlin was not unaffected by the handsome man. She might even flirt back if he wasn’t punch-drunk from an unintentional zap of her magic. This was agony. Ash and Dani were giggling in the corner at Mikhail’s antics, and Kittania looked at the older dragon like he’d grown another head. She might laugh at the story…in a couple of centuries.
She desperately wanted Ash in a happy, relaxed mood. When Luca returned, Maerlin had to drop serious truth bombs on her. She couldn’t deny the joy of seeing her daughter happy and thriving and the need for her to continue doing so. Now immortal, Ash truly was one of Maerlin’s children and more of a hybrid than she imagined. However, she could leave Ash in the dark about her heritage for a little longer.
Maerlin was saved from having to respond by the entrance of the kitchen staff to deliver a vast selection of gourmet snacks. Maerlin smiled gratefully and slipped toward the food. She moaned in delight when she tasted the first treat and loaded her plate. She stopped to personally thank each of the servants who’d delivered the food and asked that they pass along her sincere thanks for the best viands she’d tasted in centuries.
“Fucking hell, that looks and smells amazing,” Ash grumbled under her breath from the other side of the room. “I miss food.” Her words came out in a wistful sigh.
Maerlin hid her smile, happy that there was one perk she could offer Ash amid the chaos she was about to dump on her.
Elsewhere in the palace, Benji stood from the reading table and stretched. His stomach rumbled, telling him he needed to find something for lunch. As usual, he took four or five books with him, leaving the bag behind to haul the entire stack. While walking toward the kitchens, Benji heard voices and laughter from one of the smaller dining rooms. Curiosity was fundamental to who he was, so he knocked and poked his head in when someone called for him to enter.
The first person Benji saw was a blonde woman who blazed with more power than he had ever seen. She must be the king’s mate, though the woman was not a vampire. He’d met plenty of those during his time at the palace. He saw a human couple in their late forties he didn’t recognize, the palace's favorite human Dani, the surviving members of the royal family, and…
His gaze stopped on Maerlin, who turned around with her plate. She felt his regard and met his gaze. The owl froze, his yellow eyes going wide. Then they rolled back in his head, and he collapsed with his stack of books. Maerlin caught him before he hit the stone, eased him down, and cradled his head.
“That was an unusual reaction.” Maerlin looked concerned. “Is he okay?”
When Benji regained consciousness, he saw that Maerlin held him and fainted again.
She levitated his body to one of the sofas and moved toward the door to be out of his sight. “Perhaps it’s best if I’m not the first thing he sees when he wakes up. I’m sorry. It’s always weird when I’m around new people. I swear I didn’t do any magic.”
An amused laugh sounded behind her, and Maerlin turned to find Luca standing in the doorway. “Don’t worry. It’s not magic. Benji’s your biggest fan.”
The owl in question gasped and sat bolt upright, his sand-colored hair disheveled and his face frantic. “Where is she?” He jumped up and anxiously looked around the room until he saw Maerlin.
“Oh, my. You’re really here,” he marveled. “Why does everyone think you have a beard?”
Maerlin burst out laughing and shrugged. “It was a phase, but it seems to have made an impression.”
Benji was on the verge of dropping to his knees. Ash caught his elbow before he could, moving without thought. Don’t. She hates that.
Benji shot her a grateful smile. He realized who she was a second before he realized what she was. Another voice entered his mind.
I haven’t told her yet. Please, let me.
He gave an almost imperceptible nod and turned back to Maerlin. “How can you be here?”
With Benji distracted, Ash was across the room and in Luca’s arms without consciously moving. She was just there, looking up at him with all her love.
“Honey, I’m home.” He claimed her mouth for a kiss.
