Defying Eternity (An Obscure Magic Book 5) (11 page)

“I am just going to check on that and I am going to be right over if that is all right?”

“Of course! My house is your house.” Minny chuckled.

“See you in an hour.”

Leo took the blue dress back to the closet and found jeans, a soft blouse and some flats. It looked like Dorn had replaced her entire wardrobe one piece at a time.

The clothes she put on were worth more than she made in a week, but they fit, so Leo wore them.

When she was dressed and her hair was braided, she headed to the office and found a large note on her desk.
Spend the day with your sister. I will call if I need you.

Well, that was the confirmation she needed. She got her purse from the drawer where it seemed to magically return to, tossed in her phone and chucked in the summoner.

With her purse over her shoulder, she walked out to find Dorn. She found him in the kitchen with Lima.

“Hiya, Lima. Hello again, Dorn. Can you tell me where my car is? My old purse was in it, and I need some cash for tonight. I get to spend time with my sister, and I want to order in.”

“Why can’t your sister pay?” Dorn scowled.

“Because she is a single mother raising a daughter. Her money is for her family.”

He sighed, and Lima grinned as he led the way out of the kitchen, outside via a subtly placed entrance and, from there, into a garage.

Her sad little car was sitting in a corner, surrounded by large luxury vehicles. Leo opened the passenger door and opened her purse. She grabbed her wallet and credit cards, dropping them into her new purse. Her keys were dangling from the ignition, so she snapped off the house keys and left the vehicle keys where they were, stained with blood like the rest of the interior.

“Why do you need those keys?”

“They are for my sister’s house.”

“Didn’t she have the locks changed after the first night?”

Leo blinked at the thought. “I have no idea. I will have to ask her.”

Dorn nodded. “Do. It is a little-enough thing to do but vitally important.”

“You are absolutely right. Sorry, I have been a bit distracted lately.”

He laughed. “I believe you have a right to be. You are coping well and not nearly as invasive as I had first thought.”

“I am so glad. How do I get to the front rotunda from here?”

“Follow me.”

She stuck her hand in her purse and pressed the call button. When she fished it all the way out, it had three minutes on the clock.

She followed Dorn.

They arrived by the front entryway seconds before the car pulled up.

Dorn inclined his head. “Enjoy your visit.”

“I think I will.”

She looked at Nathaniel and noticed that there was a subtle difference to him. A suspicion for his around-the-clock service was starting in her mind.

“Good afternoon, Nathaniel.” She smiled as he held the door for her.

“Good afternoon, Ms. Wicks.” He winked and closed the door when she was settled.

“I am going to my sister’s place.”

“And I shall be glad to take you there.”

He put the car in gear, and they glided around until they were at the gate. He checked them out, and they were soon cruising familiar city streets.

It felt good to have her wallet and identification with her again. It made her feel like more of a person and less of a tool that Matthias could use as he pleased.

Yes, she had gotten herself into this situation, but the alternative had been too horrific to imagine.

She tried to imagine what Melody looked like now. It had been less than a week since she had seen her, but babies grew so fast.

When Nathaniel pulled into her sister’s driveway, Leo could barely contain herself. She yelled, “Thank you,” as she bolted out of the car and charged up the steps.

Antony waved at her as she waited for an answer to her knock on the front door. Minny came to the door with Melody on her shoulder, and Leo didn’t know which one to hug first. She settled for both.

She hugged Minny and Melody carefully and felt a warm satisfaction run through her.

“Come on, Minny. Let’s have a seat and you can tell me all about your day.”

“Only if you tell me first. I saw the paper. What were you wearing?”

Leela came out of the laundry room with a basket filled with small bits of clothing. She sat down and started folding them. “Do you mind if I am in here while you chat?”

Leo shook her head. “I don’t mind. You are family now. I am sure Melody has puked on you and that is equivalent to an initiation.”

They all laughed, and Leo got to hold her niece while she talked about the more public points of her new job.

Minny’s eyes were huge. “A vampire orgy? And you just had to sit there?”

“I didn’t
have
to sit there. Trust me. I wanted to be very still in a room full of predators. Oily, horny predators.” She made a face.

“Speaking of predators, what is the mayor like?” Minny bit her lip, and her eyes were gleaming.

“Not for you, Minny.” Leela laughed. “Vampire rules. No children.”

The mood suddenly dropped like a rock. Leo wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, that one we know. Speaking of that, has there been any disturbance recently?”

Minny reflexively reached for Melody. “Every few nights the guys tell us that there have been vampires sighted, but nothing ever comes of it.”

“Right. Well, speaking of humans and what makes us different, does anyone want some takeout? My treat.” She waggled her brows.

Minny chuckled. “You mean Matthias’s treat. I have accepted too much already.”

Leo was hurt. “I meant my treat. I went into the car and got out my wallet and cards for this.”

Leela cocked her head. “They kept it?”

Leo sighed. “For now. There is too much blood in it for it to be anything but a write off. Even my purse had to be scrapped, but I was able to salvage some of the contents.”

Minny frowned. “I didn’t mean to insult you, Leo. Leela made some stew and that was our current plan for dinner.”

Leo nodded. “Right. Well, I don’t want to mess with your routine. It’s important.”

Minny frowned. “You should stay for dinner.”

“It’s all right. I am sure that I can convince my driver to stop at Taco Taco Taco!”

“You will be eaten inside out if you stop at that place.” Minny scowled.

“Don’t worry about it. I am made of sturdier stuff than I was last week.”

She hugged everyone goodbye, even Leela. With the sun still bright, she decided that a walk might just clear her head.

* * * *

The knock on the door after dinner surprised Minny. “Maybe Leo came back for dessert.”

She opened the door and stared up at the seven-foot wall of icy muscle that was the Mayor of Redbird City. “Mayor Matthias.”

He inclined his head. “Minuet Wicks, I have come to offer you a new home nearer the manor house.”

Minny’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I wish you to be closer to Leonora. She misses you and your child with an intensity that is distracting to both of us.”

Minny looked back at Melody in Leela’s arms. “Leo didn’t say anything.”

Matthias pinched the bridge of his nose. Minny was amazed; it looked just like when Leo did it.

“Please come in and have a seat.”

He inclined his head and walked into the room, his head only a few inches from the ceiling. Leo had been right. He wasn’t for her. He was scary.

“I don’t want to move.”

He waved that away. “You would not have to do a thing, and you would be moved into an area with the finest schools and playgrounds, within walking distance for your sister.”

Melody started wailing. Minny reached out and took her daughter, but Melody didn’t want to be calmed. Her little fists stuck out, and her face turned beet red as she howled. This was definitely a new behaviour.

“Please hand her to me. I wish to continue this discussion.”

Minny could barely hear him over Melody’s screaming, so she handed her over. The baby quieted so quickly she gave herself the hiccups.

Matthias held Melody comfortably and rocked her lightly in his arms.

“Why are you so concerned for my location?”

He shrugged and Melody giggled. “If you are closer to the manor, it will be less of a commute for all of my staff, including your sister. Also, the grounds that you have here are difficult to ward sufficiently. While your lover and his maker have left the city for now, they will be back soon, and your safety is what is purchasing your sister’s cooperation. I would not be pleased if Leo were to leave my service.”

Minny finally began to put it together. “You have a thing for my sister.”

The vampire king and Mayor of Redbird City looked at her and smiled slightly. “It has not been called a thing in centuries, but if your sister finds her way into my bed, I would be very happy to have her there.”

“So you haven’t...”

“No. Nor will I until she comes to me of her own will. Unfortunately for me, the world is currently moving at a wild pace. I have not been able to apply my considerable charms to wooing her.”

Leela was staring at him. “You think she will stay?”

Minny was surprised by the nanny’s comment.

“She will stay. I can feel it. I just have to make everything conducive to that situation. That includes moving her niece into my neighbourhood.”

Minny tried one final stopping block. “There are no houses available on that block.”

He smiled tightly. “You are correct. I purchased the property next to the manor this afternoon. You will be moving in two days. Pack what you need immediately and the rest will be brought by secured movers.”

“Do I have a choice?”

He looked down at the baby in his hands. “This child means more to Leonora than her life, her dignity and her freedom. You have no choice. You will honour her sacrifice.”

He stood and handed the baby back to Minny. Melody had her fist to her lips, and she was staring at Matthias.

Minny looked at his face and the stone-cold determination that he was radiating. There was going to be no arguing with him on this matter, and she only had one question for him.

“Is the house mine?”

He smiled, a slow grin that took over his features and blazed his triumph. “It belongs to Leonora, but she will sign the agreement to let you have it, rent free.”

“She doesn’t know?”

“No. I wish her settled, and that means you must be settled.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out keys and a slip of paper. “Here you go. This is your new address and the security code is the year of Leonora’s birth.”

Minny stood with her baby in one arm and the keys and address in the other.

Leela smiled. “It looks like Melody gets to grow up in a better part of town.”

Melody getting to grow up was what had started this to begin with. Minny looked at the keys and smiled. Leo had a boyfriend.

Her throat was burning, her stomach was in shock and the soda did nothing. Leo smiled at the familiar feeling of the taco burn in her belly.

She was wadding up her wrappers and walking across the lot when an SUV pulled up and disgorged three XIA agents and a young woman.

Leo wiped her hands and dropped the parcel into the trash bin where a troll was obviously in residence. He rumbled, and she wished she had left more for him.

She smirked at her own fanciful thoughts and pressed the summoner. Now was the test to see if Nathaniel or his doppelgangers could find her without knowing where she was in advance.

Leo checked the timer and smirked at the seven minutes. She watched the group and saw the woman speaking to the goblin running the grill, and he looked past her before returning to work. Taco Taco Taco! Catered to every species, which was nice for Leo on occasion, but the spices were gruelling if she tried it more than twice a week.

The XIA agents were watching the woman with them closely, and Leo focused on them for a moment. They were a vampire, a lion shifter and an elf with a woman who looked human but definitely wasn’t. She had their undivided attention, and it seemed she didn’t even know it.

Leo watched them for a few more minutes until the black car cruised up silently. Nathaniel got out and opened her door.

“Where to, Ms. Wicks?”

“Back to the manor, please. I will take a walk in the gardens and rearrange my closet to drive Dorn insane.” She smiled slightly.

“You don’t want to go out with friends?”

She pursed her lips as he closed the door for her. “I don’t have any friends. I always did the working in the family.”

“Where are your parents?”

She chuckled. “They split. Neither of them were fans of being parents, so the moment I was old enough to take custody of Minny, I did and they divorced, going their separate ways.”

She shrugged. “They wanted to start again, and I think they did.”

He nodded. “That does explain your loyalty to your sister.”

“I am just a loyal person by nature. Even to my employers, if you can imagine that.”

“I can imagine it.”

“So, are you a twin, a triplet or a doppelganger of some sort?” She blurted it out.

Nathaniel chuckled. “Mind bonded triplets. Two of us are on duty at any given time.”

“Are you lying to me?”

“Maybe a little.”

She frowned at him. “I am going to figure this out.”

He winked at her in the mirror. “Good luck with that.”

She laughed and settled in her seat as he drove her back to the manor. Time for a single girl’s night in.

Leo got a glass of white wine and went for a walk in the Night Garden.

She followed the path to the centre of the maze and took a seat beside the fountain. She sipped at her wine and looked around at the glowing flowers. The moon was rising above her, and she felt still inside for the first time in a long time.

She set the wine down next to her and crossed her legs, putting her palms up on her knees. She inhaled deeply and drank in the night.

Leo sat there for hours, simply letting her thoughts drift and blow in the psychic winds.

When she opened her eyes, she wasn’t alone. Matthias was sitting across from her and watching her with the gaze of a lazy predator.