Kindred: Book 1 A Realms of the Otherworld Book (26 page)

(Ashlinn)

We are up bright and early the next morning preparing for the day ahead. We were able to get through some of the information that was left for us about our bindings but did not really uncover anything that we didn’t already know. I’m dressed today in a pair of skinny jeans and a tank top as I’m determined to begin my training today and Alaric is in his brown leathers. I’ll have to have Claire set me up with clothing fitting for sparing, after I apologize for my behavior the other night.

“
Mo grá, slow down, we have time.”
Alaric says
.

“We have a lot to accomplish moving forward but first I’m famished. Feed me Elf Man.”
I say thru our bond.

“Then let’s get you to breakfast.” He wraps his arm around my waist securing me to his side as we walk into the dining room. Jasmine is the first to notice our arrival and squeals in delight making all heads turn in our direction. This morning there’s a full house and I can’t help but blush as all eyes turn to us with knowing grins on their faces. Tolin and Torin are about to comment when Alaric raises his hand and says, “Save it.” At that the entire Guard breaks out in laughter and I can’t help but smile a little bashfully. Things are a little different now that everyone knows the binding is complete. Before I can ponder on that too long my stomach decides to growl rather loudly announcing to everyone in attendance how hungry I am. Ever since my first shift I can’t seem to get enough to eat. Not that I have really been focused on eating in the last day or so.

Rhespen clears his throat and says, “Daughter you must eat. Come. Fill your plate, you need lots of protein and then we’ll talk, you too Alaric.”

At that Alaric and I say almost in unison, “Good morning everyone.” Surprising one another and then we set about filling our plates with eggs, bacon, sausage, and biscuits and gravy. I see pancakes and my mouth begins to water but I have no room left on my plate so I go to sit down. I realize that Alaric is still filling his plate. I never noticed him to be a big eater so I’m a little surprised. My plate is almost overflowing and once again I’m a little embarrassed. TNT are snickering across the table.

“My, my Ash do you think you have enough food on your plate? Let me know if you need help eating all that.” Tolin says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Before I can say anything Jasmine pipes up, “Leave her alone boys. We all know that shifters have a fast metabolism. This is all new for her so don’t embarrass her.” She’s flittering about in front of the elf men of the guard pointing her tiny finger at each of them as if daring them to disobey her.

“Thanks Jas.” I say as another much louder rumble issues forth from my stomach making those around me chuckle. Jasmine pipes up again and says, “Well feed your inner beast, Ash she’s obviously hungry. What have you been doing for the last day? Oh yeah, that’s right, someone’s been busy…”

“Oh my gods, Jasmine, please shush.” I say quickly as I feel my flush radiating off my face. I quickly take her advice and before Alaric even sits down I find that I’m devouring the food on my plate. I’m about half way thru all the yummy goodness when Alaric takes his seat beside me and I notice he has three plates of food and think that is a bit unusual as I continue to scarf down my breakfast. The table has become quiet as I look up to see all eyes on me. Everyone has varying looks of astonishment on their faces. Danu looks a little mortified. On the other hand Dagda can barely contain his mirth as Rhespen gets up to grab another plate. “What?” I ask.

Lexie is the first to speak up, “Ash, that was just… different. Don’t be offended but I think your mouth may have just become a vacuum for food. You didn’t even come up for air.” The look on her face tells me she’s worried that she has hurt my feelings. While others at the table are snickering as I realize I have just devoured a heaping plate of food and still want more.

“Hey Ferg, I think that maybe Ashlinn here is going to be able to surpass even you in the eating department if she keeps up at that rate.” I hear Tolin say.

Ferg retorts, “I seriously doubt that she can hold her own with the likes of me.” And the banter continues around us as we make our way through our meal.

Through our bond Alaric says, “
Eat. I got you an extra plate under the plate with the pancakes. I know you wanted them. You were practically drooling over them, so eat.”

He doesn’t have to tell me twice as I push my previous plate away and dig into the heaping plate of pancakes leaving about half for my mate. I douse them in syrup and dig in. I catch myself moaning over how amazing they taste. I hear Alaric chuckling beside me as he leans in to whisper in my ear. “And I thought that you only made that sound for me.” I blush furiously but smirk as I whisper back, “Maybe we should have some maple syrup brought up to our chambers?” At that Alaric sucks in a breath and gets choked. Laughing I reach over to whack him on the back before I finish off the plate of pancakes. My empty plates somehow manage to disappear without my notice and another heaping plate of food appears before me. I look up to see that Rhespen has seated himself again to my right with a new plate for himself and one for me.

“Father, I can’t possible eat another bite at this moment.”

“Daughter it is not uncommon to have a ferocious appetite after your first shift. From here on out, you will have to, not only, eat at breakfast, lunch, and dinner but in between meals as well. That goes for you as well Alaric. It will take a lot more protein and carbohydrates to satisfy your feline. Do not be embarrassed at the large quantity of food it will take to satisfy your hunger. Over the course of the last day and a half I doubt that you have eaten nearly enough so you’re now playing catch up. You have probably even lost weight since your first shift.”

He’s right. I had noticed that the jeans that I’m wearing that normally fit very snugly were rather loose fitting this morning. I hadn’t really thought about it until now. If I were being honest with myself I would admit that I was indeed still hungry. I look over to see that Alaric is polishing off his third plate of food which includes the pancakes and I’m a little disappointed that none are left. He looks down at me and smiles and for a moment there is no one else in the room. It’s just the two of us connecting over our ravenous appetites. I can’t help but laugh at the most cheesy unromantic moment, probably in history, but it’s our moment and it’s perfect. I look back at the plate that my father has prepared for me and dig in with renewed vigor, all the while Alaric has grabbed yet another heaping plate. I’m about half way through my third plate of food when I notice that most everyone has cleared out of the dining room leaving Alaric and me to finish up the largest meal I have ever eaten in my life. Just another new facet of my life that I’ll have to adapt to, if I were being honest with myself I would have gone back for more pancakes but enough is enough.

“So where do we begin?” I say to those that are left in the room.

Dagda speaks up and says in his booming Irish voice, “Let’s take our leave to the library. We have brought the others up to speed of the obstacles that we face. They will be waiting for us there.”

We follow Dagda, Rhespen, and Danu out of the dining room to meet up with the others. As we enter the library I realize that I have yet to see this room and for me it’s love at first sight. The room is huge and spacious with a large rectangular shaped mahogany table in the center of the room that is littered with open books, manuscripts, and even scrolls. The walls are lined with bookshelves from floor to the fifteen foot ceiling. There’s an over large fireplace on one wall with couches, chairs, and end tables arranged around it. On the outer wall there are doors that lead out to a terrace that overlooks the lake and the waterfalls in the distance.

Alaric speaks to me,
“You like it mo grá? I thought you might.”

“I love it. It’s probably my favorite room so far in the keep. I can’t believe you didn’t show me this room the other day.”
I chastise
.

“As you recall we were distracted by our unexpected guests.”

Suddenly my worry over this whole situation can’t be denied. Aloud I say, “Things have been happening so fast since the accident. Is there any way to slow things down? I mean, I just really need to catch my breath. We’ve just found one another and completed the binding. We should at least be able to have time to be happy and enjoy this time together. Instead we’re worrying about the possibility that we could be ripped away from one another. If that happens I could find myself on the wrong side of the war that’s coming, without a single person to rely on in an enemy camp. I don’t think I’m strong enough to bear that.” I realize that I’m clutching Alaric’s hand in mine in a death grip as I pronounce my revelation. Everyone has stopped to listen. But I don’t care, it’s the truth and I’ll never be ashamed of owning up to the truth. The men in the room all stand as Alaric pulls me into a hug that I didn’t know I needed until just then. I look around and everyone has gathered around us. Lexie reaches out a hand to take one of mine in hers. Jasmine lands on my shoulder. All are seeking to give me comfort. I realize in this moment that my family has just grown again and I smile blinking back unshed tears. “Thank you all for trying to comfort me. You have no idea how much that means to me. So enough of the pity party, we have work to do. Don’t we?”

Dagda speaks up, “My dear, it’s understandable that you’re feeling vulnerable right now. But if we do our job then we’ll come out on the right side of things. The Realms are depending on it. And you can depend on us to do right by you ceann beag.”

Before I can respond I see Danu making for the door, “Where do you think you’re going? You’re staying right here to help us figure this mess out.” She hesitates and I realize for the first time that she’s not confident in her place here as she struggles to appear like the in charge deity that she has always been. For whatever reason, I take pity on her dilemma. “It’s okay mother. You are both needed and wanted here. Please stay.” I say taking the high road by offering an olive branch.

Danu looks uncertain as she addresses me, “Daughter… Thank you. I… Could we take a walk out to the terrace? I just want a few moments of your time. Will you allow me that?” She asks hesitantly.

I give her a long hard look and then remember how upset she was last night when she confessed what she had done. She didn’t have to do that. She could have kept all that information to herself. It would have been easier for her if she had. With that thought, I feel that I need to give her this time. “Yes. Danu. Will you all give us a moment?” I ask everyone. The two of us walk to the terrace. Danu is tiny in stature but still taller than me and I have to wonder where my height comes from. Before I can help myself I blurt out, “So why am I so short? You’re a goddess and from what Nemus told us the other night that means that you were originally one of Gods angels so my lineage on your side really ends with you. Rhespen is probably taller than Alaric. It doesn’t make sense. I should be much taller.” I say, pouting.

Danu smiles at me and then sadly shakes her head before speaking, “In order for the enchantment to keep you hidden in the mortal world for an extended period of time it had to have energy to draw from. The only energy that it could draw from was you. By rights you probably should be much taller. When we placed the enchantment I thought it would pull energy from your majic but I think that we may have bound your majic to tightly so then it pulled from the only thing it could, you. It may have stunted your growth instead. I’m sorry for that.”

“Wow. Then I’m really glad that you didn’t want to wait till I turned twenty five for my big reveal. I could have been pixie sized by then.” I say with a bit of humor. My mother laughs at that. I mean really laughs and I see her beauty in this moment. I look back into the library and Alaric is of course following my every move but Rhespen is enthralled by my mother and I smile for just a moment. I will have to revisit that, a little later.

“Danu, you wanted to speak with me?” I ask.

“Would it be too much to ask of you to call me Mother? I understand if you have reservations about forging a relationship with me. Especially after everything that I have done, I have not really been the best role model after all. I am so very sorry. All of this is my fault. You know He warned me not to play god. He said, “Don’t get so full of yourself that you lose sight of the objective.” That is exactly what I did. I miss Him and wish that I could have council with my Creator. I need to know how to fix my mistake. I need to know how to fix the wrong that I have inadvertently placed on you and Alaric. It was never my intention to keep you from your kindred. But in my short sightedness I never for one moment thought you would ever find your kindred. It is so very rare now days.” She says.

“Rare? Really…? Why would you think that? I found Alaric. Lexie has found Declan. That doesn’t seem rare to me.”

“What you and Lexie have experienced is a bit of an anomaly now. Initially, in earlier days, those that were kindred souls found each other and binding ceremonies were celebrated frequently but as the years went by fewer and fewer kindred bindings took place. There are of course binding ceremonies when two people fall in love but there hasn’t been a true kindred pair in some time now. I’m really not sure what to make of it.” She says.

I ponder what she has said and then feel the need to call on Clíodna. Before I know it, she’s here on the terrace before us. The two goddesses are like night and day in comparison to one another, one with darker hair and eyes and the other with all that white blonde hair and violet eyes. Clíodna does not acknowledge Danu as she inclines her head to me and says, “Good morning High Princess to the Realm. I am so very happy that you and young Prince Alaric took my advice to complete your binding. Are you ready for your public ceremony? Is that why you summoned me?”

I look at Clíodna questioningly, “I summoned you? I’m so very sorry, I’m not sure that I understand exactly how I did that.”

Clíodna studies me for a moment and then looks toward Danu, “She has much to learn sister and not a lot of time to do so. How are we going to remedy this problem? On another note, how are you going to right the wrong you have caused? I told you the bargain you struck was ill advised and as always you disregarded my counsel. Now the fate of the realms is in jeopardy.” The goddess glares at Danu.