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ALEX’S SURPRISE QUICKLY turned to excitement. “If I’m immortal, then it won’t kill me to get someone to dispel these enchantments!” she exclaimed and pointed at the tattoos on her right arm.
“Queen Lauryl is the most powerful faery in existence and not even she was willing to try,” I reminded her.
Raina’s head snapped to me and she scanned my memories. “The Queen of the fae cast the blessing on your parents?” she asked in amazement. “She must have foreseen that the existence of all dimensions linked to our world would be in peril to have granted them such a boon.”
“Can you scan my spells?” Alex asked, unwilling to give up all hope yet.
“Of course,” Raina said. I sensed her resignation that she wouldn’t be able to do anything to help my sister. Alex and my mate stood up and went into the kitchen. Yas and Ike followed them, then stood as a barrier when Alex took her shirt off.
“I like Raina,” Syd said in approval. “She must be tough to have survived all on her own since she was a kid.”
“We’re all glad you found her and brought her home,” Brynn added.
Raina glanced over her shoulder, eyes shining with tears that my friends and family were welcoming her so quickly. Then she returned to delving Alex.
“What’s the verdict?” Crowmon asked when they all returned to their seats. His pale green eyes were sharp as he waited for her answer.
“The enchantments would do far worse than merely end Alex’s life if anyone tampers with them,” Raina said.
Alex’s grin withered and died. “What do you mean?”
“I sense they’re designed to tear your soul from your body,” my mate said starkly.
Yas put her arm around Alex’s shoulders when she put her hands over her face in despair. Emma hugged her neck tightly, but my sister didn’t burst into tears. She kept her emotions locked tightly inside her like always.
“You’ll be okay,” the vampire said. “We’re not going to let anyone rip your soul out of your body.”
We were all shaken and left feeling defeated by the news that Alex would never be free from the spells. She would pay a horrible price if we tried to get rid of them. It seemed she was never going to reach her full potential now.
“I’m okay,” Alex said after a while and dropped her hands. Her eyes were bright with the tears that she refused to let fall. “Thanks for being honest with me, Raina,” she added. “I hate it when people lie to me just to save my feelings from being hurt.”
Crowmon looked away almost guiltily. The deity had a lot of secrets, but he loved Alex like a little sister. He’d never hurt her intentionally.
“I recognize some of the symbols that have been tattooed on your back,” Raina said. “My mother wrote several books during her studies. She used to let me flick through them before she took them with her when she left.”
“What sort of magic was she studying?” Nick asked curiously.
“Demonic magic,” my mate replied, stunning us all for a third time.
Alex’s face drained of color and Emma patted her cheek gently. “The witch carved demonic symbols on my back?” she asked in horror.
“There’s a mixture of different types of magic, from what I can tell,” Raina explained. “The witch seems to have crafted new spells by cobbling enchantments together. I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of the symbols fill me with dread just to look at them.” She shivered and I held her tightly to my side.
“Irene Dawson and her siblings have been messing with very dangerous magic,” Crowmon said ominously. “I sensed it from the beginning. I can’t help but wonder what they intended to do to Alex after they branded the spells on her back.”
“Thanks to Franko, we’ll hopefully never find out,” Yas muttered. “He was a douche nozzle, but at least he sacrificed himself so she could escape.”
Crowmon nodded, but he seemed slightly dubious. He was the type to mull things over and he wouldn’t answer any questions I might ask him. He would only tell us what was on his mind when he was good and ready.
“Do you think Uncle Mark and our parents know the blessing was passed on to us?” Nick asked, changing the topic.
I opened my mouth to say of course not, but hesitated. “It’s possible,” I admitted grudgingly.
“Why would they hide something that important from us?” Brynn asked with a frown.
“I guess we’ll have to ask Uncle Mark and find out,” I figured.
“He’ll want to meet Raina,” Crowmon said. “If I were you, I’d spring the question on him once he’s here so we can see his face. I’m good at spotting lies and omissions.”
While I didn’t want to put Uncle Mark on the spot, I wasn’t happy at the idea that they’d hidden something so profound from us. I took my phone out again and called him.
“Hi, Liam,” he said warily. “Is everything alright?”
We still had a few days left of our vacation time, so he was surprised by my call. “I’m fine, now,” I replied, letting him know I’d been in trouble without going into detail. “There’s someone you probably want to meet. Her name is Raina and she’s my true mate.”
“Congratulations!” he said with genuine warmth. “Are you still in Maine?”
“We just got home an hour or so ago. Can you spare a few minutes to visit us?”
“Of course. Zeus will bring me there in about half an hour. He misses playing hide and seek with Emma and the herd.”
“We’ll see you soon,” I replied, then we hung up.
Kappa’s whiskers twitched and Alex interpreted for us. “Kappa was wondering if he can choose his house,” she told us. He’d been learning all about us from the other zombies and knew they all had their own resting places.
Raina’s eyebrows rose, then she delved into my mind. “Of course he can,” she said and stood up. Her prints hadn’t been scanned into our system yet, so I led her down the main hall to the storeroom where the houses Gedniah had crafted were being kept. She put Kappa on the shelf and he perused the few houses that were left before deciding on one of them. He pushed the door open and explored his new home as we carried it back to the main living area.
Since we had some spare time, I carried my gear upstairs and led Raina to our bedroom. She put Kappa’s house next to Delta’s on the dresser. Her mouse poked his head out through a window and held his arms up to her. I could feel her heart melt and figured Kappa was more affectionate than the other mice. My mate needed more love in her life and Kappa was the perfect zombie for her.
I glanced at the bed regretfully, wishing we could christen it immediately, but it would have to wait. Raina smirked at me, gleaning my thoughts. “Duty comes first,” she joked.
Unfortunately, it was my responsibility to put my needs second as the leader of our team. I was glad she wasn’t offended. She knew she’d become the most important person in my life now.
“I’ll scan your prints so you’ll have access to most of the rooms,” I said when I stopped next to the computer table. Although she hadn’t used modern technology herself, she was used to seeing the hikers using phones, tablets and laptops.
We headed downstairs to wait after her prints had been scanned.
“We’re going to have to take Raina shopping,” Syd said, eyeing her handmade clothes critically.
Raina looked down at her outfit, then grinned ruefully. “I suppose that would be best,” she agreed.
“We’ll make a day of it,” Brynn said. “Girls only, no guys allowed.” The male mice all turned to look at her accusingly. “Mice excepted, of course,” she added hastily.
“No one wants to offend the zombies,” Yas said with a chuckle and received a nip on the knuckle from Gamma.
