AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked up at the house once I was standing. It was big, and I figured there was probably at least this much hidden underground. I knew they’d kept a lot of people from other groups safe during the battle, which meant there was likely an underground stronghold somewhere on the property.
Cora and Kirsten walked to us, and Ryan and I met them partway. “Welcome to Homewood.” Cora said, looking at us both, and then she met my gaze. “You’ve met Kirsten. Come, and we’ll introduce you to her men.”
“I know the Amakhosi, but I haven’t met Mordecai.”
Ryan and Kirsten hugged, and then she stepped to me and pulled me into a hug as well.
Her energy certainly felt of divinity, but with a twist of human. This was why so many referred to her as a demigoddess, I supposed.
“I know what your talent is,” she said when we were no longer touching. “You don’t feel the opposite of Marco. I didn’t even realize that’s what I’d expected until I was surprised when you didn’t.”
“Opposite?”
“There are only two emotions, really. All other emotions stem from either love or fear. Jealousy is a fear of being alone, anger can always be traced back to either love or fear though it’s usually the latter, spite is always fear, obsession is fear.” She sighed. “Much of the time, a negative emotion is simply the fear of not being loved.”
“So you think that Marco and I are, what, yin and yang?” Love didn’t equal lust, so the premise was faulted from the beginning, but it wasn’t the first time I’ve been told fear is the opposite of love.
“Maybe. You’re friends of old, and that by itself is a powerful connection. Add in your talents, and I expected the two of you to function as a battery, of sorts.”
I sensed her energy while we weren’t touching, and I understood even more why so many people called her Mother Nature, because she was connected to the trees around us like some kind of divine mega-dryad. Her energy was also full of both wolf and lion, and I followed the connections to the Amakhosi and to Cora. I now understood what I’d felt in Cora that had made her so interesting — it was the mix of energy she got from Kirsten.
“Did you know you have more wolf energy than some wolves?”
I sensed telepathy, and couldn’t tell who she was talking to until her energy felt a little more of divinity than before. Had she checked in with Mordecai?
“No, I wasn’t aware. Thanks for letting me know.”
“You seem annoyed.”
She rolled her eyes. “The men who love me like to keep things from me to keep me safe. I’ve just about broken them of the habit, but...” She shrugged. “In this case, I think it was just something they sensed but hadn’t realized it might be something I’d like to know.”
“You carry a lot of lion energy, but not enough someone might mistake you for a lioness.”
“She knows she smells of divinity,” Ryan said from beside me. “I never thought to tell you how much wolf you have in your energy, either. It’s been part of who you are since a few weeks after the bond with Cora was fully seated. It wasn’t strong enough for someone to possibly mistake you for a wolf back then, but it’s grown. I’m not sure I can tell you when you hit that threshold.”
Another car drove up, and Cora smiled. “The last of our guests have arrived. We’ll do introductions, and then we can go inside and cut through to the backyard. It’s a nice evening to sit outside.”
It seemed too cold for the human, but I assumed there would be a heat source, so I didn’t say anything.
Ranger wore black jeans and a charcoal shirt, and the two men with him wore jeans and clingy t-shirts. The woman, Bethany, was a gorgeous redhead who made my mouth water even more than her men. I’d seen extensive files on them all. Ranger was former special forces, and Mac was retired from the CIA. Both now worked for Drake Security, and both were wolves. Jonathan, a leopard shifter, had also been special forces, and he was the lead bodyguard for Aaron Drake’s wife, who happens to be the Swan Queen. The sole human in our little gathering, Bethany, was a massage therapist, good enough at her job to work for professional sports teams. She wore black flare-legged pants, an ivory colored silk shell that showed lots of creamy cleavage, and a slightly darker cardigan sweater. I looked down and saw her boots were a shorter version of mine.
Everyone came to the front yard, there were hugs, handshakes, and introductions, and we all trooped into the house. A female wolf pulled trays from an oven, and several male wolves carried them outside.
“We have snacks and finger foods for those who eat solid food, and wine with a mix of deer shifter and elven blood for the vampires,” Kirsten told us.
I’d never had elven blood. I’ve paid for fae blood a time or two, and it’s extraordinarily good. There’s a reason vampires aren’t allowed in faerie — we frequently lose control when we drink the blood of the Aos Sí.
I looked to Marco, and he smiled. “It’s a special treat, but there isn’t an issue with control, as there is with the Fae.”
“Thank you for being so considerate.” I wasn’t sure who to address, but since elves live in Alfheim, and Kirsten is the queen of that realm, it seemed wise to look at her.
“Basic hospitality,” the Amakhosi said from the other side of the room. “We’re friendly enough to do this casually, and it’s nice to be able to do so without the rigidity of formal rules, but some things must still be observed. Tonight’s purpose is to begin socializing us as a group, so when the bad stuff happens, we’ll have a measure of each other.”
“I appreciate your candor, Your Majesty.” When I’d had occasion to be in the same room with him before, he’d only spoken enough to barely cover the most basic of social norms. He’d been on the edge of rude, but tonight, he seemed relaxed and approachable.
He shook his head. “Nathan. In private, amongst friends, please call me Nathan. I’ll need you to follow protocols around others, at least for now, but the conversations we’re going to have tonight mean we should be on a first name basis.” He looked to Ryan, who was sitting inches away from me, and then met my gaze again. “I hadn’t expected you to bring the slayer, but perhaps it isn’t terrible for him to hear what we have to say.”
I was as guilty at calling him the slayer as everyone else, but he was here as my date, and customs dictated that I not allow him to be insulted or disrespected. “His name is Ryan.”
