Chapter Six
Krys was sitting with Reynal on a stone bench on the edge of the lake. She had her milkshake in her hands and was leaning her head against him. “I am sorry I threw a tantrum.”
“It wasn’t a tantrum. You held yourself in until you wouldn’t send a north wind through the restaurant.”
She glanced up at him. “How do you know that?”
“Your skin silvers a little when you are about to fuck with the weather.”
She laughed. “You have been watching.”
“Very closely.” He spoke carefully, “I think Normic can come around, but he doesn’t turn easily.”
“When he and Keel took over, they tried very hard not to rock the boat, and they let those with stronger energy levels push their way to the top because it was easier.”
“Does he know that you would help him restore balance?”
“He never asked.”
A soft voice behind her said, “I am asking now.”
She turned and saw Amy, Emmers, and Keel near the car. Normic was standing nearby.
Krys paused. “Go and get a milkshake. This is a conversation that requires distraction.”
He smiled slightly and retreated to the milkshake shack, where she had gotten her first job.
Krys looked at Reynal. “You told him we were here.”
“Yup. Things need to be hashed out, and it is better to do it in person. I am going to move aside when he comes.”
“Don’t you dare.”
“Fine. I will get you a new milkshake. Strawberry chocolate?”
She nodded. “Please. Is your family this complicated?”
He kissed her cheek and said, “Technically, Azreen is my great uncle. Chew on that a little.”
Krys stared at him as he walked toward the shack. Her gaze was blank as she turned back to the lake. So, not a gargoyle then, or not all gargoyle. Dragonborn. Right.
When he and Normic came back together, she took the shake and said, “So, not gargoyle.”
“No. Just resemble it with the splendid blend of genes I possess.”
She snorted. Normic sat next to her on her left.
“So, Krys, I have some apologies to make. I am going to speak to your parents later, but for now, I wanted to start with you.”
She sucked hard on her straw. “Okay.”
“I have been teetering at the position of clan leader without actually inhabiting it. I am a figurehead, and it frustrates me.”
“Well, why did you take it?”
“Because your father married a mage instead of a northern clan member. He was kicked out of succession. His wolf is stronger than mine, but he wasn’t allowed to take over because you had already arrived in the world, and you were human. No hint of frost around you.”
“Nope. A bit of magic, though. That was all Mom.”
“Yes. The weirdest thing was that my brother didn’t mind at all, swapping power for family.
He moved aside for me to take over, and I was not naturally of that inclination.
There were battles, and he was always on my side, but there was such rage at him calmly sinking to the lowest levels of our community and doing it happily. ”
“Dad said as long as he could see a picture of my mother, he would walk into a volcano to get it. He was in love. She was in love, and I was the result of him being bigger and faster.” She smiled.
“They told you about that?”
“Yup. No shame in our family. I got in touch with my own wolf when the wave hit. She was close; she just needed a little boost. The clan leader could have provided that boost, but that wasn’t in the cards.”
Normic blinked. “I can what?”
“Boost all of the lower caste clan members into their manifestations. It’s easy. All of my catering staff were low-level clan members, and they now all have medium-level beasts, and some are higher.”
He paused. “Do you want to take over the clan?”
“Oh, lord no! I don’t want to be in charge of that many neurotics. I would spend the first four months kicking people’s teeth out. That would seriously fuck up my shoes.”
He laughed. “I know there is much more to discuss, but would you consider coming to the next meeting and sitting there as my counsel or enforcer?”
“I could. You have to do one thing for me, though.”
“What?”
“Publicly acknowledge me as your niece so that when I call you uncle, it doesn’t sound like I am taunting you with unconfirmed information. I know I have been DNA tested from here until the end of time.”
He frowned. “They all know.”
“You never say it. Even at the last meeting, you threatened to throw out my entire family. You are my family, bonehead.” She attacked her milkshake again.
“Why aren’t you angry?”
“I am. Furious. But I know everyone reacts differently to different stimuli. I know that Dad dumped the leadership on you, but I didn’t know it upset you that much. You could have left, but you stayed.”
“You could have left, but you stayed.” He sipped from his milkshake.
She elbowed him. “Family resemblance.”
He laughed. “Family resemblance. This is an excellent milkshake.”
“This was my job when I was at college, before I needed to help Mom and Dad with their new shop.”
“You didn’t finish your magical degree.”
“Nope. But I did get some college degrees for marketing and my job in PR.”
“Do you want to continue your degree?”
“At this time? Nope. I found a cheat that works well for what I need.”
“What?”
“Cantrips.”
He paused. “They are small, weak spells.”
She lifted her previous milkshake cup and whispered. It went inside out and formed a butterfly made of bright red and chocolate edges. She exhaled, and it flapped over to the garbage can and reformed into a cup.
“That’s my recycling cantrip. They are really easy to make. Very purpose-built.”
He blinked. “You turned a cup into a butterfly, and it took itself to the garbage and became a cup again.”
“Yup.”
“Just like that.”
“Yeah. I have been doing that since I was a kid, but Mom told me they were rude around people without magic. So, I just did them at home.”
“They never told me.”
“You were looking for northern magic. I didn’t have it then. Just like Amy, the wave had to call it for me. It called a lot.”
He exhaled. “Yeah, I wasn’t aware of that.”
“If I have kids and you are as rude to them as you were to me, I will fucking deck you.”
He looked at her with regret on his face. “Understandable.”
Reynal murmured, “Do you have a timeline for these kids?”
She turned to look at him. “Sometime between now and when I die.”
He grinned. “So, I still have a shot.”
She snickered and turned back to Normic. He was looking at her and then at Reynal.
“Your father and mother have the same flirty, threatening fascination. No accounting for power, just two equals waiting for the kids to be out of the house.”
Krys took a deep breath, put her hand on Normic’s arm, and said, “I hate to tell you, they didn’t wait.”
Normic’s expression cracked, and he started laughing. “Okay, that explains why he’s been so content with his life.”
“Yup. She flips her tail at him with great regularity. She says it keeps her young or gives her shiny fur or something.” She shivered. “I do not want to know what gets into her fur.”
Normic started snickering again.
“So, I have no problem being your enforcer. I will even bring my magic wand and let my wings out.”
Reynal quivered softly behind her. She looked over her shoulder. “Pervert.”
He laughed and pressed his head to her shoulder.
She looked to Normic, and he was smiling. “You two get along.”
“It’s early days. If I have to listen to him lecturing me on knowing my worth one more time... My frost wings might be the last thing he sees.” She shrugged. “But he has stuck around for the first unplanned date from hell, so maybe he has stamina.”
A straw was at her mouth, and she tasted blueberry and Reynal. “Cheater.”
He chuckled and kissed her temple.
Normic frowned. “How is he cheating?”
“She has a lot of the basic reflexes of her parents’ wolves, so scent, touch, taste all work overtime.”
She snorted. “And he figured that out right away.”
“I am a quick study. When is your next Frostfire clan meeting?”
“Thursday night?”
“Nope. I am organizing the XIA gala that night. Wednesday, Friday, or any time next week. Currently, no one has booked for an event at the mansion.”
Reynal chuckled. “Yes, about that. The website set up for the Grunwald mansion wedding venue has been getting emails all day. You are going to be a very busy woman.”
“Shit. I need a chart.”
He chuckled. “I can help you make a spreadsheet to focus the requests.”
“Oh, talk dirty to me.” She realized what she had said, and he grinned and chuckled. “Oops.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t pounce. That costs extra.”
She blushed and checked the data on his phone. “Wow. That is unexpected. Oh, I just had a great idea for a dessert at Neekil and Hannah’s. I have to get to Amadine for it, though.”
She fished her phone out and begged Dia for an image and then Amadine for her contribution. Designing a new dessert wasn’t always possible, but both Neekil and Hannah had dark skin. It would be one casting.
She paused. Casting. Sculpture. She knew someone who could do it faster. She sent a message through to the email address linked to the tablet that Sable had. She bit her lip and watched. The answer came through. He will do it. He’s starting now. He already knows what they look like.
Keep it mainly discreet. No naughty bits showing.
Got it. You have an idea?
She quickly explained the idea, and Sable replied, That is exciting. Are we doing that for every couple?
Oh, hell no. If it weren’t for my wanting to experiment, these would cost over fifteen bucks a piece to produce.
But you are still good for this wedding?
Yes. I eat the cost of this. I am making a point.
Then, we will make the point. How big do you need it?
I will do castings five inches tall. He can keep the original or gift it to Neekil and Hannah.
Sable agreed and went to watch her boyfriend carve stone with fingers and tongue.
Krys smirked and looked up to see two men watching her. She looked at Reynal, “Will you be at the wedding on Saturday?”
“I have RSVP’d already, so yes. No plus one.” He smiled. “Why?”
“Normic, you are not going to be there, right?”
“I am not.”