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Maerlin, who’d watched quietly from the balcony, teleported to the group, surprising them with her sudden appearance. “I have a vested interest in the safety of this family. May I offer a blessing that might aid in your efforts?”
The panthers nodded in unison, amazed that life had brought them into the orbit of one such as Maerlin. Her blessings were the stuff of legends, and though she’d been around the palace for a while, it still struck them how incredible it was to be in her presence. “It would be the highest honor,” Uuka replied.
“Traditionally, the Queen’s Guard has protected dragons, who aren’t anywhere near as vulnerable as the human family who risked everything to bring peace to humanity and the magical people of the world. The task you face is greater than any Queen's Guards in history now that all know of the existence of this kingdom and its occupants.
“As we have seen, our enemies won’t hesitate to target these precious humans,” Maerlin continued. “My blessing will allow you to create a temporary portal that will take you one mile away and stay open for ten seconds. I’ve configured the spell so it doesn’t open into thin air or the middle of the ocean,” Maerlin added as she laid her hand on the chest of each member of Uuka’s pride in turn.
“That is a phenomenal gift,” Uuka mused, filled with wonder.
Maerlin glanced at Ash, Dani, Brian, and Melinda. “They are a phenomenal family.”
Uuka smiled at the woman he planned to make his mate at the first opportunity. “They certainly are.”
Maerlin asked for the badges of honor and held them in her glowing hand before returning them. “If you are in a situation where escape isn’t possible, hold this in your hands and think about the need for a safe place. It will form an impenetrable bubble into a pocket dimension only I can access. I will be notified and come to retrieve you. Use it only if necessary. The shift between realms can be hell on a mortal body,” Maerlin cautioned.
Uuka gazed at the family he’d sworn to protect. “I will keep them safe.”
Maerlin smiled at the panthers’ alpha. “I know you will, dear boy. It radiates from you like sunlight.” She shot Dani a knowing grin. “You chose wisely when you picked your panther.”
Ash stepped in. “Okay, everybody, it’s been a long night. Why don’t we break up this party and get some sleep? We’ve got lots to do tomorrow, and I need to start recruiting for SPARK.”
The group slowly dispersed, leaving Ash with Luca. She sighed. “I need to check in with Zia, but I can call her from our room. Let’s go to bed.”
Luca led her to their chambers, grateful for the moments they were alone. He’d been worried since she’d teleported out of the Interpol meeting, so seeing her alive and well had soothed his nerves.
“Zia, hi. I’m calling to check on how everything is going. Are you still at the construction site?” Ash asked when her second-in-command answered the phone. She paced, and Luca savored the opportunity to watch her move, admiring how she practically floated across the floor.
Then he realized she was floating an inch off the floor. He grinned and tried to keep his thoughts from distracting her through their bond. He could hear both sides of the conversation, but if she wanted his input, she’d ask for it.
“Yes. There have been a few important developments, but nothing worth interrupting you when we couldn’t find Dani. I’ve had our people out searching for hours. I assume you got her back. Is she okay?” Zia asked.
“Yeah. I had to heal a wicked head injury, but she’s fine now. Pretty sure she’s making things official with her panther as we speak.”
Zia chuckled. “It’s about time. The Horsemen returned from Paris with new recruits in tow, and they reported to me because you weren’t available. I put them in the caves. You aren’t going to believe what Maerlin did. I was there, and I still don’t believe it.”
“Should I be worried?” Ash asked.
“No, it was fucking incredible. She transformed the caves into a lightproof city you could comfortably house two hundred thousand night-bound vampires in, and she did it in a single day. Just reshaped the rock like it was clay. How is that real?”
“That’s Maerlin. She exists outside the laws of physics.” Ash grinned. “Moving to the vampire stronghold is optional, but it’s an enormous comfort to know I can provide a safe haven for those who choose to come.”
“You owe Magic Mama big time, boss. She didn’t just give your people a safe haven. It’s not grim, boxy dormitories. It’s full of houses that could support whole families. Shopping districts, places for all kinds of businesses—everything you need for a thriving underground city. She installed some kind of magical lighting and power, and there’s hot and cold running water. The architecture is beautiful, too.” Zia sounded amazed. “We’re talking about a new wonder of the world here.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I’ll portal over in the morning. I want to check in with the Horsemen and hear their full report. Did they have any major trouble?”
“Nothing you need to worry about tonight. Get some rest. I’ll see you in a few hours, boss.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Nadya’s Compound, Saturday, January 26, 2013, Morning
Maksim and Jules arrived at Nadya’s former home and found it as empty as Maksim had left it. They needed a location with the infrastructure to handle the army they planned to assemble.
Jules had picked up the emergency calls to the safe house’s address over his illegal police band scanner, so he figured the kidnapping plan was a bust. He was in a foul mood about losing his pack, and Mathis had probably been killed by whoever Luca had sent to retrieve the human. He’d thought the king wouldn’t bother to save someone with so little to offer. She was a damned human, for fuck’s sake. What could possibly make her worth the effort?
It didn’t matter. With the facilities Nadya had built, he had a place for the soldiers in his reserve pack to gather, and he would rebuild his army. Jules never thought about giving up after his failures, and he expected to suffer significant losses on the path toward his goal. As long as he survived to cross the finish line, it would be worth every corpse he had to crawl over to get there…if he and Maksim didn’t kill each other first.
They’d argued constantly since they’d heard about the abysmal failure of the kidnapping plan. Maksim had never supported it, thinking it a ridiculous departure from their true mission. He’d only gone along with it when he learned that their intended target was Ash’s human sister.
