CHAPTER XI

Corolon found that creating and then holding a gateway in this part of the world was extremely taxing to his system. It was why the moment everyone was finished crossing the threshold, Talion and Lyra quickly rushed to Corolon’s side to help him stand upright.

Raine was quick to put a stop to any idea Corolon might have to move on to another location before he had a proper rest. “Find a place to sit with Corolon, and I will rent a cabin for a day so we can all recover from this last shift. It is obvious Corolon has done too much conjuring in too short a period of time. He needs to sleep and gather his energy for whatever is to come. Lyra, make sure your Life Mate behaves.”

Lyra gave a curt nod, and Raine added, “Go to cabin three, it is empty. I will get the key from the front desk. Talion and you already have Corolon under control for the moment. By the time you get to the cabin, I will be hot on your heels to open up.”

Lyra and Talion headed toward the cabin they were told to go to, but Lyra doubted if it was going to be as easy as Raine made it sound like for her to get the keys.

Raine looked at the skeptical expression on Lyra’s face and frowned. Well, Raine was about to prove Lyra didn’t know everything. She was just as capable of persuading people to do things as her friend was. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as easy to do as Raine thought it would. Despite the fact that cabin three was empty, as Raine had figured, and would be for the next twenty-four hours, the resort refused to rent it to anyone. Raine was equally determined to have her way about this. With Corolon in the condition he was in, they needed cover for what was about to happen. Raine could feel the storm coming at them from the mountain, and they needed to find a way to replenish his energy that wouldn’t drain everyone in their group of theirs. It was the main reason Raine refused to take no for an answer. So, using her natural charm and magic, she pressured the owner of the resort into making a deal. Raine found that the price he insisted on had nothing to do with money. The owner hadn’t wanted to rent the cabin because it hadn’t been cleaned yet, and the people who were supposed to do the job hadn’t turned up for work.

With no other option, Raine agreed to take on the task and then went to meet her friends, who were already waiting for her at the cabin. As Raine approached Corolon, Talion, and Lyra, she smiled brightly and then held up the keys. Lyra knew immediately that something was up and frowned. She was certain this was the case when Raine announced, “They aren’t even going to charge us for using the building while we are here.”

Lyra had to know how Raine had pulled this trick off. “What did you do to get that type of concession?”

Raine admitted, “I promised to clean the place before we leave. We have to be gone before ten tomorrow morning, though, because the party who booked it will be here to take possession of the cabin at that time.”

Lyra wasn’t about to ask what she felt was the obvious question. Instead, she enquired, “Did you ask what the last tenants were like?”

Raine proudly replied, “I did. They said four couples had rented the cabin.”

This, in Lyra’s estimation, could go one of two ways. She watched as Raine opened the door and stepped aside. The moment Lyra and Talion brought Corolon through the doorway, Lyra gagged. When she recovered, she commented, “No wonder they gave you the key to this cabin when you offered to clean it. The place is filthy.”

Raine followed her traveling companions through the doorway and shrugged. “It was the best I could do. We were lucky we got this. They were booked solid.”

Lyra resigned herself to the inevitable. “Quickly refresh the first bedroom you come across while we follow with Corolon. When he is settled, I will make something for us to eat while you begin to clean this pigsty. They must have done nothing but party from the moment they arrived until they walked out the door.”

Talion quickly changed her order. “I will make the meal while you two use a simple cleansing spell to put the place back into order and then get some rest. I am sure there is enough usable food left in the kitchen to cook with.”

Corolon, who had recovered enough to walk on his own, added, “I can put myself to bed. I have enough energy to get around without help. A short rest, a meal, a few hours of sleep after, and I will be as good as new. We will then look toward making our next move.”

Lyra replied, “Before we go anywhere else, we need to retrieve the books we were guarding. As luck would have it, they are halfway between where we are and where we are headed.”

Corolon frowned as he drily commented, “Inside another cave system?”

Raine nodded as she chuckled. “You really don’t like rock, do you?”

Corolon gave a snort, while Talion answered, “We like rock well enough, just not when it is surrounding us.”

Lyra conjured a spell to clean and refresh the room that Corolon would be using and then opened the window to allow the fresh, cold pine-scented air from outside in. It wasn’t going to take long to clean the cabin if she didn’t collapse the way Corolon did from using so much energy.

The moment Raine and Talion left the room, Corolon disrobed and climbed between the clean linens. He didn’t think twice about whether his nudity would embarrass anyone around him.

Lyra had stayed behind to tuck Corolon into bed and to share a few words with him. She hadn’t expected Corolon to speak a few words before his clothing disappeared and left him standing in the middle of the room in all of his natural glory. The view was spectacular, but she wasn’t comfortable with it quite yet, Life Mate or not. Corolon was well muscled, and his perfect dimensions complemented his handsome features in a way that made her sigh with satisfaction. Corolon was all she had ever dreamed a man should be, and perhaps a little more. She blushed profusely, even as she went to the side of the bed to make sure Corolon was comfortable.

Before Lyra had a chance to say a word, Corolon noticed the color on her cheeks and teased, “Are you interested in joining me?”

Lyra’s blushed deepened, as she shook her head and replied, “You are being a naughty boy.”

Corolon asked, “So, what are you going to do about it?”

Lyra replied through her embarrassment, “I am going to tuck you into your bed and leave you to freeze with the window open.”

Corolon teased. “Would you really leave me all alone to freeze?”

Lyra chuckled as she sat on the edge of Corolon’s bed and tucked the blankets around his wide shoulders before leaning over to give him a quick peck on the cheek. She then conjured a small stuffed animal for Corolon, placed it beside his head, and lightly ordered, “Now, go to sleep. If you want to cuddle something pretty and soft, you are covered. The blankets will keep you warm enough, and the breeze will take the edge off your friskiness. Have a good rest. One of us will bring you something to eat if you don’t want to join us later. Remember, after we finish cleaning, we will have a lot of planning to do. We also need to stay ahead of our nemesis.”

Corolon replied, “Her name is Anya, and you are cruel to leave me alone when I am in need. Life Mates don’t do things like that to one another.”

Lyra countered, “You are in need of rest more than anything else.”

Lyra was right, but he was having too much fun trying to goad her. “You are being cruel. I would sleep better if you took the edge off the activeness of my mind.”

Lyra smiled widely. “You are right. It is the least I can do for my very own Life Mate.”

Corolon replied.,“I am? You will?”

“Of course,” Lyra crooned. “Now, close your eyes and let me see to your needs.”

Corolon then closed his eyes and didn’t wake up until Talion shook him to eat the meal he had brought up.

Corolon looked around, startled by his surroundings and Lyra’s absence and asked, “Where is Lyra?”

Talion answered, “The girls are curled up in front of the fireplace. They decided they wanted to sleep there tonight. It is warmer, and although I would rather sleep at Raine’s side, I figured it wouldn’t hurt anything if they shared a bed for this one night. If I can persuade them to change their mind, though, I will.”

Corolon frowned. “Lyra put a sleeping spell on me, didn’t she?”

Talion laughed. “I believe she did. We are lucky to have found Life Mates with such magnificent senses of humor. I, for one, am looking forward to crossing wits with Raine throughout our lifetime.”

Corolon agreed, although he was going to miss the warmth of his Life Mate by his side. Then again, one night alone wouldn’t kill him.