Taken by Magic (The Baine Chronicles #8)(13)

“Speaking of lady loves,” I said, snatching the phone away from Iannis. My throat was tight with emotion, and it took me a second to get out the words. “You’ve got to bring her to our wedding, Fenris. I don’t care what we have to do to make it happen—I want you to be there. I miss you.”

“I miss you both, too,” Fenris said, and he sounded as if he meant it. “But I don’t want to put you in any danger—”

“You won’t be,” I insisted, “and I don’t want to hear any excuses. Give me your address so I can send you a formal invitation under whatever alias you’re using.”

Fenris laughed, a tinge of disbelief in his voice. “I’ll get one from you in person, if I decide to go,” he said, though he didn’t sound very convincing. “If I end up unable to make it, you know that my thoughts and wishes are with you both.”

“What happened with the poison?” Iannis asked, wresting the phone back from me. “Have you found out who is responsible? Croialis is not something that one could take by accident.”

“We have suspicions, but no proof yet,” Fenris said. “A large fortune is at stake, and greed is likely the motive.”

“I know you can’t tell us exactly where you are,” I called, “but are you in any immediate danger?”

“No,” Fenris assured me. “Mina is the target, not me. I will be taking extra precautions to ensure her safety, and we will be leaving here as soon as we’ve finished our business. I’ll let you know where I settle permanently when it’s safe to do so.”

“Fine,” I said, holding in a sigh. I wanted to know more, but I knew that this was the best I’d get from him right now. “But please, promise to stay in touch. I don’t think we could handle it if you did another disappearing act.”

“I’ll do my best,” Fenris said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. He was just as happy to hear from us as I was to hear from him, and I blinked back tears of relief and happiness. I couldn’t force him to come to the wedding—I knew that—but just knowing for sure that he was alive, that he was safe…it took a weight off my shoulders that I hadn’t even been aware of.

We finished up the conversation, and Iannis hung up with a smile. “I’m glad his lady pulled through,” he said. “Fenris sounded distraught when he called the first time. Croialis is no joke.”

“Me too,” I said. “I don’t think I could handle it if Fenris had found the love of his life only to lose her. He’s been through so much—he deserves to be happy.” Maybe Fenris wouldn’t be able to come to our wedding, but I damn well intended to go to his. Once all of this was behind us, I was going to track him down so I could hug him in person and meet the lucky lady who’d managed to snag his heart.



I spent a few more minutes with Iannis, then went down to the playroom to meet the girls. The three of them appeared right on time, dressed in shorts or summery dresses, as I’d told their parents to make sure they were ready for some outdoor playtime. The playroom was an unused salon that I’d converted for the children, and it was filled with toys and games.

“Let’s play tea party!” Tinari cried as she bounced into the room on Liu’s heels. “We brought sweets up from the kitchen, so it’ll be perfect!”

“Ooh,” Rusalia said, her blue eyes wide as she stared at the platter of pastries in Liu’s hand. “Those look really good. Did you make them yourself?”

“Yes, but they’re for later,” Liu said, lightly smacking her hand away before Rusalia could grab one. “I like the idea of a tea party. What do you think, Sunaya?”

“A tea party sounds great,” I said, taking the platter from her. “Why don’t you girls get the teacups and pot and we’ll set everything up?”

The girls eagerly rushed to get the supplies, and I stood back and watched as they put out the lace tablecloth and tiny porcelain dishes. Liu, the natural ringleader despite her lack of magic, directed where everything should go, and I set the pastries on the platter she’d designated.

We spent the next hour having tea, all of us pretending to be noble ladies from various countries. I used the opportunity, as I did with nearly all of our playtime sessions, to teach them a little bit of magic. I conjured water into the pot, and Rusalia boiled it with her magic, while Tinari kept the pastries warm by heating the platter lightly. Liu had brought real tea leaves from the kitchen, and within no time she was pouring tea into the cups for us to enjoy.

At some point, Trouble decided to make an appearance, and the girls had fun chasing him about the room. He was a great favorite with the kids, and he didn’t mind letting them try to catch him—they couldn’t really touch him anyway, and he seemed to understand it was a game.

As I watched the girls play, I wondered if I would soon be playing with my own children. Now that Iannis and I were about to be married, having children seemed to be the logical next step, and with my Heat coming up on our honeymoon, it might be the perfect time to get started. But was this really the right time to do it, so soon into our marriage? Or did we need more time to settle into the new, strange life we were creating together? I’d have to talk it over with Iannis.

“Look,” Rusalia cried, getting my attention. “I’ve been practicing my fire magic!”