Amber patted her knee. “Right. You’re doing fine. As a minor goddess, I can go wherever I want, and as long as I stay in the ether, I won’t be seen. It’s imperative that humans don’t see me appear or disappear. The ether is that cool and foggy place we were in for a while.”
Kristine nodded as if all of this made perfect sense. “Continue,” she said and took another swig of her wine. She was going to need more than one glass if there were many more of these revelations.
“To make a long story short, I can go and get Ryanif he’s aloneright now. He works with the local volunteer fire department. Or I can get Chloe if he isn’t. I think she’s still decorating their home—a castle on the cliffs, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. You’ll have to see it someday. It’s stunning.”
Kristine scratched her head. “Sure, uh-huh.”
“Are you okay with me bringing them here? Either one can explain a phoenix reincarnation to you better than I can.”
Kristine took another generous swallow of her wine. Amber must’ve noticed because she rose and made her way back to the bar. Grabbing the bottle, she smiled in understanding and returned, plunking down the whole bottle on the coffee table.
Kristine took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Yes, I’d like to talk to them. Maybe it would be better if I talked to Chloe first. As I understand it, she’s Rory’s sister and a dragon too. So she might understand it from my perspective.”
“Good idea. Oh, and just so you’re not too surprised, she’s also a modern muse. The muse of fire safety. She does everything from alerting parents when their kids are playing with matches to suggesting people make sure their ovens are off. Even encouraging scientists who are working on better ways to prevent fires.”
Kristine worried her lip. “I’m not sure. Wouldn’t she—”
A pretty blonde woman appeared on the other side of the coffee table and startled Kristine.
“Did I hear my name? Is someone in need of the muse of fire safety?”
Amber rose and strode to her, clasping the woman in a warm hug. “Hi, Chloe. We do need your help but not in a professional capacity.”
Chloe gazed at Kristine. “Who is this?”
Amber gestured toward her and said, “This is Kristine Scott. You two have a lot in common. She’s a dragon and a firefighter who’s in love with a phoenix. Ryan’s brother, Jayce.”
“A dragon, are you? And a firefighter also? What a fine thing. Do you work for the Boston Fire Department?”
“No. At least not yet.” Kristine bit her lip. Should she have said that? She honestly didn’t know where she was going to wind up. A lot of that depended upon Jayce—and she still had more questions than answers.
This muse Chloe seemed nice enough. She had a lovely Irish brogue and a sweet smile. Remembering Rory saying that she was a queen and could be prickly made Kristine a little nervous, but the royal seemed plenty down to earth.
“Ah. Well, we can talk about work later. What is it you called me for?”
“I need to know about reincarnation. Jayce just… I just…” Kristine cast a panicked look at Amber. “A little help here?”
“Let’s all sit down.” Amber placed her hands on Kristine’s shoulders and steered her back to the sofa. Chloe sat in the adjacent armchair.
“Wine?” Amber asked Chloe.
“Thank you kindly, but no. I was using a nail gun. When I return, I want to nail the furniture, not me fingers.”
“You’re making your own furniture?” Kristine asked, incredulous.
“Indeed. There are custom touches needed in a castle—round rooms and such—and I enjoy doin’ it. But let’s get back to your story.”
Amber took a seat next to Kristine and nodded to her to go ahead.
With a deep breath, Kristine said, “Jayce got into a bit of trouble and had to be cremated—temporarily, of course. I need to know what will happen now.”
“What does ‘a bit of trouble’ entail?”
“Um…I kind of had to burn down a mansion, not realizing he was inside.”
Chloe shot to her feet. “Youkindahad to burn down a residence? Were there humans inside?”
“Well, yes. They were very dangerous psychopaths. It was the only way I could think of to stop them from hurting innocents.”
