Blood of Half Gods: Kallen's Tale Read online

  “Oh, good lord,” Xandra grumbles. She uses her magic to squeeze Radella around her middle, forcing whatever is lodged in her throat to be expelled. I am not sure who Dagda is more angry with when the carrot hits him in the eye. I do know he is using words at the moment that make me want to cover everyone’s ears. I have never heard him rant this way, even on his darkest days. I am sure this will not bode well for Radella.

  Dagda shoots up from his chair, sending it sailing backwards. With one hand over his eye, which is bleeding, he uses his other hand to point towards the door. “Out,” he shouts at Radella.

  She does not move fast enough for his liking as she continues to gasp for air to refill her lungs. Rolling all of his frustration and anger into a thick ball of magic, he flings it towards her. It is apparent where Xandra gets both her temper and her willingness to use magic against those who make her angry. Radella goes flying backwards and hits the far wall where she then slides to the floor. Struggling to get up, she sidles along the wall, trying to make it to the door.

  Dagda is still holding his hand over his bleeding eye and he is getting angrier by the second. In a fit that puts even Xandra’s fits to shame, he uses his magic to start throwing things at Radella. Items meant to do harm, such as knives, forks, hot soup, and anything else his one eye can see. He looks like a raging Cyclops and he is dangerously close to losing control; which means Radella is dangerously close to dying. She screams as a knife hits her in the arm.

  The one person in the room who is a match for his magic, and not afraid of being tried for treason, decides Radella has had enough. Xandra flings her own magic towards her, but not in aggression. She is protecting her. A magical wall has been put in front of Radella and Dagda’s magic cannot penetrate it. Since he had started to aim for her face with glasses and utensils, and there would be a good chance of causing disfiguration, Xandra has stepped in just in time.

  “Xandra,” Dagda growls. “This is not your business.”

  “I’m the one who did the magical Heimlich that made the stupid carrot hit you, so you should be mad at me, not her.”

  The Cyclops King glowers at Xandra. “Considering the fact that you have thrown her out of the carriage twice, I was not under the impression that you care what happens to her.”

  Xandra’s face reddens, but she attempts to defend her actions in comparison to his. “I wasn’t flinging sharp objects at her that could kill her. You already stabbed her in the arm, does she really deserve to have her facial bones smashed in for the crime of choking on a carrot? My god, what would you do if she choked on a piece of steak – turn her into a cow and eat her for dinner?” I have no idea how I am able to stifle a chuckle. That was pretty funny.

  “It is not your place to tell me how I can and cannot punish my subjects,” Dagda growls, bearing himself up into full King mode.

  Xandra retorts with a large dose of sarcasm. “Oh, omnipotent one, please, let me obey you.”

  Dagda’s expression is nothing less than murderous. Damn good thing Xandra is stronger than he is. “She is not the only one who can be tried for treason,” he growls.

  Xandra just snorts. “Seriously? You’re going to go with threats of domination? Because, what? I haven’t already made it perfectly clear that I don’t give a damn what you think about me or how you think I should act?” She stands up and I feel compelled to follow in a show of unity. I put my hand on her shoulder hoping to keep her calm. I do not know why I bother, it never works. She simply continues to fuel the fire of his temper. “I’ll tell you what, if you want to have a magical showdown, let’s go. Right now. If you win, you can bind my powers and hang me from the nearest tree.”

  “Executions are not done that way anymore,” Kegan adds helpfully, as he continues to eat his soup. “Though, firing squads are quite trendy this century.”

  The corners of Xandra’s mouth start to rise, and soon, she and I are both laughing. Alita tries to hide her giggles by covering her mouth with her hands. This is too much for Dagda. Even his stubborn will cannot resist finding humor in Kegan’s well-timed comment. My cousin has successfully defused the situation and I am impressed.

  Xandra walks over to Dagda and pulls his hand down from his eye. It is quite red and a little cut underneath his bottom lid is still bleeding. I suspect he will be ordering his kitchen staff to make sure none of the carrots have sharp edges in the future, though it was probably more the velocity upon impact than the sharpness of the carrot that caused his injuries. Still, he tends to be unreasonable sometimes.

  He looks warily at Xandra as she draws magic to heal him. She only pulls a small amount and directs it towards his eye. “Can I take the wall down, or are you still planning to kill her with cutlery?” she asks him.

  He does not respond, but pulling his own magic, Dagda calls all the items he threw at Radella back to the table. Xandra lets the wall around Radella down and walks over to her when Dagda’s eye is fully healed. Radella flinches when Xandra reaches out to the touch her arm. Xandra scowls at her. “I’m the one who just saved you, remember? If I wanted you to be hurt, I could have just sat back and watched the show.”

  Reluctantly, Radella holds her arm out. Immediately, the small gouge in Radella’s arm is healed. She looks amazed the whole time. “I have never seen anyone heal this quickly with magic,” she says to Xandra.

  Xandra shrugs. “One of the benefits of being a Witch Fairy.”

  “Radella, that will be all for the evening.” Dagda’s tone is crisp. He did not add ‘and you are fired’ to his dismissal, but it was implied in his tone. I doubt she will be able to do any type of security work anywhere in this realm after this. It is her own fault though, she received plenty of warnings. Without hesitation, Radella quietly opens the door and disappears.

  Taking Xandra’s hand in mine, I tug gently until she sits down again. I lean in and give her a soft kiss. “Glad to see you can sometimes control that temper of yours,” I tease.

  Instead of sitting back down, Dagda walks to the door at the far side of the room and goes into his bedroom. He comes back out in a minute holding an old tome. He pushes his dishes away from where he had been sitting at the head of the table and puts the book down with a thump. Dust flies out from it, ruining any chance of anyone being able to finish their soup. Rapidly, he flips through the pages. Finding the one he is looking for, he rotates the book towards Xandra and points his finger at the page. “Can you do this spell?” he asks her.

  Xandra shrugs. “I could try. It looks easy enough.”

  Kegan has been peeking at the spell from across the table. He laughs. “Yeah, piece of cake. If you have six or seven Fairies ready to do it with you.” In his defense, that is suggested in the explanation of the spell.

  Xandra sticks her tongue out at him. Turning back to Dagda, she asks, “Do you have all the stuff for it?”

  Reading the spell over her shoulder, I say, “I believe she can do this without problem.”

  “Everything we need should be available in the surrounding area. We are deep within the forest, not the plains yet. I will send Sindri and a small team out to locate what is needed,” Dagda says.

  Xandra is getting nervous. “It won’t make me stop dreaming forever, will it? People can go crazy if they never dream.”

  “Not a problem for you,” Kegan says. “You are already as crazy as you can get.” Xandra kicks him under the table. He lets out a howl and leans down to rub his leg with exaggerated motions.

  “No, it will not,” Dagda says, pointing to the line in the spell that puts a time limit on it.

  “Yeah, I saw that, but spells don’t always work out the same for me as they do other people.” That is an understatement. “I might say it’s just for tonight, and then put enough magic into it that a night is turned into a century or so.” She is making a valid point.

  “We can worry about that if it happens. For the time being, it is the only way to ensure that we will make our destination sometime this year,” Dagda snaps. Xand
ra gives him a warning look which he chooses to ignore.

  “It should be fine,” I assure her. I hope that is true. It may turn out that none of us dream for the next century or so.

  Dagda is determined not to give her a choice. “We shall meet in the sitting room in an hour. That should be enough time to gather everything.” And enough time for Xandra to get even more worried about doing the spell. This is definitely going to be interesting.

  Chapter 9

  “You go on ahead, I will be right there,” I say to the others as they file out of the room. I want to speak to my uncle privately. Xandra gives me a funny look but she walks out the door. I wait until the door is closed behind them, then turning to my uncle, I say, “You do realize this is a powerful spell that has serious potential for going astray, right?”

  Dagda looks exhausted. “What else can we do? At the rate we are going, the Giants may kill each other before we get there. I understand that it is a risk, but I am confident in her abilities.”

  “This is not just about confidence in Xandra’s abilities. You and I may not be able to stop any consequences of her doing such a spell. Fairies for miles around could be affected.”

  He nods his head and sits back down at the table. “I know,” he says firmly. I have never seen him so haggard looking. But, he is obviously resigned to this course of action.

  “Alright,” I say, moving to the door. “I will help her however I can.”

  Dagda nods. “I will see you both in an hour then.”

  I catch up to Xandra at the stairs and clasp her hand with mine. I give hers a gentle squeeze and she smiles up at me. She is so beautiful it takes my breath away sometimes.

  “I’m going to get Alita settled in here,” Kegan says, stopping at the door to his room.

  Right, that is all he plans to do. I give him a knowing grin and end up with a punch in the arm. I just laugh and keep walking, rubbing the spot that will surely bruise.

  Xandra stops at the door to our room and looks up at me. “Thanks for fixing that,” she says, as we walk in and I close it behind us.

  I shake my head. “It was not me. Dagda must have instructed someone to fix it while we were at dinner. Thank god.” Xandra looks at me quizzically. With a grin, I say, “I prefer to kiss you in private.” To prove this, I pull her into my arms and give her a long, sensuous kiss.

  She smiles against my lips. “Me, too.” Pulling back from me, she takes my hand in hers and leads me to the bed, yawning all the way.

  “Tired?” I ask. I imagine her long sleep was not very restful with all the magic flowing through her. But I was hoping to take advantage of our time alone together. And not by sleeping.

  Lying down, she pulls me down onto the bed with her. “No.”

  My hopes are climbing again. “Up for a game of cards?” I tease, stretching myself out next to her. I begin drawing circles on her arm with my finger, causing goose bumps wherever I touch. I love how she reacts to me.

  “No,” she says with a grin and turns to face me. She runs her fingers through my hair.

  “A long walk in the moonlight?” I ask with a grin.

  She pushes me onto my back and lies on top of me. “No,” she says, kissing a line from my jaw to my ear and back to just below my mouth.

  “I am afraid I am out of suggestions,” I say in a strangled voice. She kisses me again and talking is no longer an option.

  I wrap my arms around her and press her body tightly to mine. I groan in frustration when she drags her lips away far too soon. I instantly feel better when she pushes my t-shirt up and kisses a trail from my jaw, down my neck and over my chest. I am still groaning in frustration, just a different kind now. I would love to take this as far as it can go, and Xandra is certainly not discouraging that as she continues to nip and kiss my bare skin until I am on fire. “Xandra,” I say breathlessly. “You are driving me crazy.” Her response is to let her fingers wander lower than her kisses have.

  With a feral growl and lightning speed, I flip her onto her back and press my aroused body against hers. “You are playing a dangerous game this evening.”

  She snakes her arms around my neck. “Who says it’s a game?” She pulls me back to her and kisses me while wrapping her legs around me, pulling me close again.

  Oh god, what is she doing? “Are you trying to kill me?” I ask, my voice strained from arousal and vanishing self-control.

  “Shut up and kiss me,” she whispers in my ear.

  “Then your t-shirt has to go,” I growl and remove it as soon as she nods her head. My hands immediately begin to explore her newly exposed skin. God, she is beautiful.

  I almost lose it when she whispers in my ear, “My shorts, too.”

  Yes, she is trying to kill me, but it takes less than a second for me to have her in just her bra and panties. Ravenously, I grin down at her gorgeous body before claiming her lips again. After a moment, my hands feel limited and I remove her bra as well. She has no objections. She grinds her body against mine as if she cannot get enough of my touch. I continue my exploration of her body and her moans of pleasure drive me wild.

  I am briefly surprised when she removes my t-shirt and shorts as my mouth explores every inch of her skin. I work my way back up until I find her lips again, loving the feel of her naked skin against mine. Our bodies fit together perfectly.

  My breath catches when she wraps her legs around my waist again, making important parts of our bodies come dangerously together; wisps of fabric being the only barriers. I feel both of our hearts racing as we touch and tease and kiss each other. This is it. This will be the first time we make love completely. Rules be damned, there is no way we are stopping this time.

  I am rudely jarred from my exploration of Xandra’s body by a knocking on the door. It is Kegan, who apparently has a death wish. Dragging my lips from Xandra, I growl, “If this is not life or death, Kegan, you have exactly thirty seconds to run for your life.” I am staring into Xandra’s eyes and the heat I find there is compelling enough for me to forget about my cousin. The effect is compounded when she shifts underneath me, moving my boxers until only her panties are keeping us apart. I groan and lay my forehead on hers, my heart racing and my self-control completely shattered. I pull magic, ready to remove the thin barrier of fabric keeping me from where I want to be.

  Kegan’s voice is urgent as he calls through the door again. “It is about damn time you respond. The carriage is moving and we believe Xandra has something to do with that.”

  That gets my attention. What is he talking about? But as both Xandra and I become still, the gentle rocking of the carriage is proof that he tells the truth. Impossible. This cannot be happening. But, the thump of the carriage hitting a tree tells me that it is possible.

  I look down at Xandra in surprise. “I did not even feel you pull your magic.”

  She giggles nervously and her face is flushed. “Neither did I.”

  Greatly disappointed, I shift reluctantly so that we can both sit up. After a long, despairing look at the beautiful Witch Fairy next to me, I replace our clothes with equal disappointment. How can fate be so cruel?

  Xandra’s face is still red when she looks at me. “We were going to…”

  Our eyes lock and I nod. “Yes.”

  “Um, we are still moving,” Kegan says through the door.

  Instantly, we are both brought back to reality again. Xandra pulls her magic back and the amount that comes rushing into her is astonishing. How could we have ignored all of that? I had no idea our libidos are that powerful.

  Chapter 10

  I open the door to Kegan’s simpering face. Looking more than a little guilty, Xandra says, “I didn’t know I was using magic.”

  Kegan taps his finger on his chin and pretends to be deep in thought. “Now, what on earth could have had you two so caught up that you did not notice the two story carriage you are in was moving through the forest, pushing down trees.”

  Xandra gives him a sour look. “Not what you
’re thinking.” I try to keep my eyebrows from rising like Kegan’s have. We were doing exactly what he thinks we were doing.

  “Sindri and Radella found what is needed for the spell, and when they finally caught back up with the carriage,” he is trying hard not to laugh at the thought of them having to chase the carriage down, “they got everything set up in the sitting room.”

  “Already? It’s only been like ten minutes.”

  Kegan looks at her as if she has gone insane. Why? “Ten minutes?”

  “That is what she said, Cousin. Have you suddenly gone deaf?”