Vek trailed his fingers along Dria’s spine and marveled at the shiver of pleasure that tingled up his own back. Even knowing about mates, he’d never imagined being so closely bound to another person. Echoes of her thoughts hovered at the edge of his mind, and if he stretched, he could probably share some of her memories. Not that he would, at least not on purpose. She deserved her privacy.
“That was…” Her soft chuckle tickled his chest. “I don’t have words for what that was.”
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Fortunately, we don’t seem to need words any longer. Perhaps that will save us from arguments.”
Dria snorted, though he could sense her amusement. “I doubt it.”
“Alas, you’re probably right.”
They were alike enough in temperament that clashes were inevitable, but reconciliation would be delicious. Vek nuzzled the top of her hair until she slid down to rest against his side. For a moment, there was perfect peace, their bodies warm and content. No sounds except their steady breathing and the nearby drip of water filled the room. It seemed nothing would ever intrude.
Until Fen’s presence tapped at the edge of Vek’s shields.
Vek sighed. “Duty calls.”
Dria tipped her head up to look at him. “How so?”
“Fen wants to talk,” Vek answered. “Hold on.”
Vek opened a link before his nephew became more insistent. “What?”
“Sorry,” Fen sent. “Kinda important. We didn’t find anything in the cave, but I just got a text from Maddy.”
Vek frowned. “A text?”
“You know? A message on my phone?”
“I’m aware of what a text is, Fen,” Vek snapped. “What did it say? I’m assuming it’s important if you’re bothering me now.”
Fen hesitated. “Well. There’s someone on the Market Street Bridge threatening to electrocute anyone who comes near. Might be relevant to our interests since the person in question had lightning shooting from their hands.”
Vek’s arm tightened around Dria’s back. “We’ll be right out.”
“It seems there will be no mates’ retreat for us,” Vek said aloud. “Not even an hour’s worth.”
Dria pushed herself up with one arm. “Mates’ retreat?”
“A few weeks where no one bothers a newly formed pair.” Unable to resist, Vek ran one finger across her breast. “Maybe once the crisis has passed.”
Dria swatted his hand away. “Don’t start what you can’t complete. What’s going on now, and why wasn’t I notified?”
With a resigned sigh, Vek swung his legs over the side of the bed. “It’s not here. Fen received word from Maddy about an incident in the human city. It appears that someone is threatening people with lightning magic on one of their bridges.”
“Iron in the heart,” Dria cursed. “Is there no one above who can take care of such a thing?”
“Magical energy has increased, but magical knowledge hasn’t.” Vek scanned the empty floor. “Where did you send our clothes?”
Dria slid to the side of the bed and darted over to the chairs on the other side of the room. Oh yes, the Divine was real. Nothing else could be responsible for the full, perfect globes of his mate’s ass. His body began to stir until he forced his attention away. Lightning. Innocent, clueless humans.
“Here,” Dria called, right before she tossed his clothes at his head.
Vek snatched them from the air and tugged them on with haste. Unfortunately, he’d have to run upstairs to change if they were going to the surface. He wore the tunic and pants he preferred, not Earth clothes. And Dria had nothing suitable, as far as he knew.
“You’re not going to blend in,” he said.
Dria settled the folds of her dress around her legs. “You think I should go personally?”
He shrugged. “I plan to. This is the first time someone has overtly used magic where anyone can see. It may not be a coincidence if our adversaries are recruiting.”
A line formed between her brows. “True. I… I haven’t given much thought to going above. Looks like I’ll just have to stand out.”
After they pulled on their shoes and Dria retrieved a pouch from her trunk, they headed toward the door. Sensing Fen near his room, Vek started up the stairs, but he paused at Dria’s groan. She stopped beside him, bending down to rub at her calf. If she hadn’t been fond of the steps before, she certainly wouldn’t be after her injury.
“I could carry you again,” Vek offered.
“Tempting, but no,” Dria replied. “Just a cramp. I guess you didn’t do a good enough job earlier.”
“Perhaps when we return, ahmeeren.”
Dria grinned at him as she straightened, but the desire she sent along their bond was far from humorous. This time, he was the one who cursed. Laughing softly, Dria darted up the stairs while he was distracted, but he followed more slowly. Thanks to his mate, climbing was a bit more…difficult.
He had a feeling that was going to be a persistent problem.
Fen, Inona, and Delbin were waiting in the hallway in front of Vek’s room. Dria motioned them inside as Vek caught up to her, and she couldn’t resist another smile at his aggrieved energy. Blasted man deserved to be tormented now and then. Maybe it would keep him humble.
Or something resembling.
As soon as Dria and Vek marched in, Delbin’s and Inona’s gazes landed almost instantly on the medallion visible on Vek’s chest. Inona’s eyes widened, and Delbin grinned. But neither of them mentioned it. Fen, on the other hand, was not so circumspect.
“Thank the gods,” he said with a broad smile. “You’re lucky she decided to put up with you. I wouldn’t.”
“For fuck’s sake, Fen, you’re my nephew.” Vek scowled. “I would hope you didn’t think of me that way.”
Fen merely laughed. “You know what I meant. You’re not exactly easy to deal with when you’re annoyed. Which is a solid seventy-five percent of the time.”
“That’s all?” Dria asked, smirking.
Vek gave her a heated look. “I could adjust that ratio for you.”
“Gag,” Fen said. Then he pulled a rectangular object from his pocket and pressed his finger against the side, causing it to light up. “Maddy says they have a news crew filming from a nearby bridge, but the woman isn’t budging despite the humans’ presence.”
Dria’s brow furrowed. “How long will it take us to walk to this market bridge?”
“Quite a while, even at our run speed,” Fen answered. “Probably more than an hour to drive, too. If we could even get through the traffic with one of the main bridges over the river blocked.”
Inona tossed her long braid over her shoulder with a restless flick. “Selia could make a gate to Vek’s house. Maybe that gas station where we stopped, but I don’t think that was a great deal closer to the bridge.”
“Not nearly close enough,” Delbin said.
Dria tapped her fingers against her upper arm as she considered the problem. She could make a portal without too much difficulty, but she had to be familiar with the destination. Could she glean a proper image from one of the others’ minds? If they’d misremembered something important, it would spell disaster. Mages were trained to make careful note of gate locations—most people didn’t.
“Wait,” Vek said suddenly. “What about The Magic Touch? The shop isn’t far from Market Street, is it?”
Fen shook his head. “No, it’s an easy walk.”
“I could form a portal to her shielded room.” Vek grimaced. “I’m not as fast at the spell as Dria or Selia, but I think I could manage.”
Dria nodded. “If Maddy is amenable.”
“Hang on,” Fen answered.
He lifted the rectangle in front of his face, and a touch of energy flowed between his fingers and the small box. Then his thumbs tapped across the surface. Dria studied the shiny silver case beneath his fingers. It must be a communication device, but if she’d ever learned the name of it, she couldn’t recall. A curious invention, but wouldn’t a mirror be easier?
“What the hell did you just do?” Delbin asked as soon as Fen lowered the device.
Fen blinked. “I sent a text. The same way you’ve done on your own phone.”
“No, that little surge. It wasn’t like the spell I use to charge my phone.” Delbin peeked over the other man’s shoulder. “You have a full signal. Did you amplify it?”
“How else do you think I’ve been getting texts in a cave?” Fen asked, laughing. “I mean, it won’t work if we go much lower, but we’re pretty close to the top here. Just takes a little boost.”
“Sonofa—”
A chime rang from the device, and Fen tapped at it again. “We’re good to go. Maddy says you can cast the spell when you’re ready.”
“When Dria gives the go-ahead,” Vek said.
“Orders first.” Dria lowered her arms and straightened her spine. “Fen, you are not to leave. I want you to keep patrolling the outpost for more incursions involving earth magic, but try not to get too close to any of the guards. Just in case your illness worsens. Inona and Delbin, I want you to protect the surface entrance. I’ve already assigned the mages to scan the corridors and tunnels on a regular basis. Vek and I will do our own scouting of the tunnels once we’ve resolved this problem.”
As the others scattered to their tasks, Vek rushed to change into Earth clothes, seemingly uncaring of any who might see. Dria didn’t mind, considering she was the primary one to benefit. No one else even bothered to look at the wonderful sight on their way out of the room. Too bad she didn’t have time to do more than ogle, but their troubles wouldn’t wait.
When he rejoined her, she had to admit his soft, muscle-hugging shirt had its advantages. “Let me know if I start messing this spell up,” Vek said. “I almost lost control of it last night.”
“Sure.” Dria wrinkled her nose. “Though I’m hoping you do better this time. Less work for me.”
Laughing, Vek closed his eyes and lifted his arms. Dria switched to her mage sight, analyzing his power as it uncurled around him, the tail forming a door-shaped gash in the surrounding energy. He poured more magic in, but it was a rough attempt. The edges wavered as he struggled to transfer enough power from himself into the spell.
Without hesitation, Dria linked her mind with his, reinforcing the portal with her own energy. It flared and would have exploded if not for her experience, though he still held the main link. Patiently, she guided his mental hand until the vision of the location he sought became as real as the cave around them. Then together, they completed the portal link.
Dria blinked, and her vision returned to normal. Her hand was clasped in Vek’s, and light glowed steadily from the gate they’d created. Clechtan, she hadn’t meant to take over. But Vek only kissed her on the cheek with a whispered “thanks” and tugged her toward the room on the other side.
A slight wrench as they crossed the threshold, and they were on the surface of Earth.
Curious, Dria peered around the small room where they emerged. The table and chairs were fairly typical, if boring in design, but she didn’t recognize the large, metallic box on top of one shelf. Why would someone put a window and numbers on the side of a box? And although the floor of the room was made of normal-looking wood, the walls were plain. Utilitarian, truth be told. Was this how humans lived?
Vek closed the portal a moment before the door in the wall opened. Maddy slipped through and closed it quickly behind her, fabric draped over her arm and a worry pinching her brow. Her odd, tall shoes clicked against the floor as she rushed over.
“We’ve got the news streaming on the back computer,” Maddy said. “The reporter swears she spotted a fireball, but I didn’t see it on camera.”
Dria huffed. “I didn’t understand much of that besides ‘fireball,’ but it sounds serious.”
“It’s as though someone pointed a communication mirror at an event so you could see it, too.” Maddy held up the bundle of fabric, shaking the folds loose. “I brought an Earth-style dress. Fen said you might want a bit of camouflage.”
Shrugging, Dria pulled her robe over her head and draped it over the back of a chair. Maddy, her skin as red as her hair, averted her eyes as she held the dress out at arm’s length. Vek chuckled, but Dria didn’t bother to ask why. She could find out what Earth rule she might have broken while they walked. Perhaps nudity was frowned upon?
The fabric hugged her upper body and then fell in a loose drape from her waist to her knees. It was comfortable enough, if cut oddly. Maddy glanced back at her, but the brightness in her cheeks barely dimmed.
“I take it Moranaians don’t believe in underwear,” Maddy muttered. “Well, at least it’s not cold outside.”
Vek almost choked on his laugh. Dria elbowed him in the side and smiled at the half-Sidhe woman. “I’m sorry if I bothered you.”
Maddy sighed. “Don’t worry about it. Just trying to remind myself that I have a girlfriend. Besides, I don’t think blood elves share their mates.”
“It’s been known to happen,” Vek said lightly. “But not in this case.”
The door opened, and a man stuck his head around the edge. “Whatever you’re going to do, get to it. I saw a fireball that time.”
Dria didn’t stop to ask questions. She could find out what the others were talking about later. Right now, they had a battle to end.