Chapter Nine #2
“I think the ladies will help me find the right thing, and I will know it when I see it.” She smiled. “I can tone down my perception a bit when it comes to drawing it.”
She finished her pencil drawing of her brother and his family and smiled. Samsor came in and grinned at them. She asked, “What do you think? Persephone wants a family portrait but not one that scares visitors.”
Samsor smiled. “It looks perfect and only vaguely creepy. Is Armand a horse?”
“Zebra.” She looked at the image and pointed to the stripes on Armand’s face. “See?”
He chuckled. “I see.”
Echel leaned back and said, “Now that we are all here, did you get my texts?”
Duran set his knife down and paused. “I missed that.”
Samsor got his phone out. “Me, too.”
She smiled. “Oh, that. I think I will meet my magic tonight. If there is anything left of me, we can fool around a little.”
The three guys jumped as if electrocuted.
She snorted. “Just a little. Duran, how long until dinner?”
“Half an hour. Why?”
“I just wanted to walk this over to Mateo’s place to see if they wanted it painted.”
Samsor sighed. “I will come with you. I could use the walk.”
She looked at him and nodded. “Okay. I will tell them we are coming over.”
Samsor nodded. “I’ve got it.” He paused. “Mateo and Owen are home now. Armand is away from home, and Persephone and Than are heading there. Armand misses out.”
She put a page of tissue over the drawing and folded the pad. “Not really. They can video chat with him.” She put her shoes on.
She smiled when Samsor offered his arm. They walked out on the same side of the house as Mateo’s place, and they walked across the grass quietly.
“Duran says the four are trying to reach a plea agreement. They were... upset when they found that the funds had been returned to you and the power of attorney had been dissolved.”
She smiled. “I imagine they were. I don’t know if any of them had a job. I think they were living off my money, and I know that my mother’s mother left the pack house to me.”
He sighed. “You knew that?”
“Yup. They put financial strictures on me, kept the police and hospital from reporting anything, and did what they did because their delusions were getting worse.”
They were nearly to the wall, and Samsor didn’t slow down. The high stone wall between the properties blurred, and they walked through it. When they finished moving through the cool stone, Em smiled. “That is so much fun.”
“I am glad. It comes in handy.”
She had an image of herself in labour, being stuck in a bathroom, on the floor. He simply reached through the door and picked her up. “Yeah, it will.”
They walked toward the old house, and Persephone met her in the driveway. Than was behind her. “I can’t believe I almost missed this. We had six new cats at the rescue today. One of them is positively enormous. I think Achilles is jealous.”
“I might have to come by. I always wanted a cat, but it wasn’t allowed.”
Samsor smiled. “I sense cat trees and litter boxes in my future.”
“Don’t forget copious amounts of food. Big cat, big appetite.” Persephone smiled. “Come on. I want to see what you have tucked under your arm.”
Than came around with his cuffs rolled back, tattoos visible. “Right. I confess to curiosity.”
They headed inside, and Samsor murmured, “Oh, and Persephone, Emhara is hug capable without pain now.”
Emhara snapped the sketch pad up as a shield. “After you guys look at this.”
Mateo and Owen were there, and they all gathered in the living room where a sculpture of their gathering was depicted in precious stones. Achilles’ work. The rest of the space was covered in bright children’s toys. It was nap time.
“Well, I can’t compete with your brother-in-law, but this is what you all look like to me.”
She flipped the first page, and Persephone gasped while the others whistled softly.
Persephone was central in the image, sitting on a throne made of cats.
On each side were her alphas and Owen, each depicted holding their toddler, the father’s beast form manifest, and above the head was a picture of what the girls would look like when they were adults.
Mateo’s daughter looked a lot like Em with pointy ears.
Persephone gasped. “Wow. That’s us. Our family.”
“So far. This one is not really for public consumption because of Mateo’s arachnid head and Armand’s zebra head and whatever the hell is going on with Than.”
He smiled softly but kept looking. “That is stunning.”
“Right. Well, that was for funzies, and this is the one I figure you would want to vote on.” She flipped the page and showed a more subdued version of the family without the extra adaptations and looks into the future.
Than grinned and started to chuckle. “Emhara, would you consider doing both? I want to send a copy of the first one to my grandmother. I think it would be entertaining. How long would it take you?”
“Honestly or demurely?”
“Honestly.”
“I could finish the acrylic in three days. Oils would take weeks because I can’t speed that along.”
“Acrylic will be fine.”
Mateo flipped to the first page. “Oil for me, little sister.”
Persephone smiled. “And the second one in oil for my sister. And she will probably want more of her and her baby bump.”
“I thought Achilles had that covered.”
“He works in three dimensions exclusively. He’s not a good portrait artist.”
“Well, this is becoming fun.”
Persephone asked, “How did it go at Myrtle’s?”
“Good. Finished. They liked it.”
Samsor said, “They loved it. They sent me a video of the panorama of the room. It’s spectacular. Myrtle wants to work in there until the baby comes.”
Em smiled. “The guys want me to put a mural in Myrtle’s office so she will stay put and not wake the baby by muttering over plotlines.”
Samsor chuckled. “Yeah, they mentioned that as well.”
Persephone gasped and looked at the video. “Damnit. I want to go back before the rush to birth and get a proper baby room.”
Em laughed. “I can do a border. I have something in mind already. Cute but not as expansive. I will do something more elaborate for your next one, and when you set up a girls’ room instead of the baby room, I will cover it. Deal?”
Persephone grinned. “Deal. I will exchange it for as many cats as you and yours want.”
Samsor sighed. “We will discuss it over dinner.”
Emhara beamed. “So, that is one of the Sight portraits in acrylic, one in oils, and one of the public-facing portraits in oil to give to Keres.”
“Right. She needs to see me happy.”
“Okay. Yup. Samsor, you are going to have to set up that studio.”
He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “It has already been ordered. The pad and plumbing go in this week. All lines are being buried.”
“But... you didn’t know this would work.”
He smiled. “Sweetie, you did that second sketch in twenty minutes, and it looks like they can walk off the page.”
Persephone smiled. “Can you put Achilles in front of my feet in the Keres gift?”
“Yup. No problem.”
“Nice.”
They got a text, and she smiled. “Did you want to take photos of the sketches for Armand? Our dinner is ready.”
There was a sudden scramble, and photos were taken, and the hug began. Persephone was short, adorable, and had a grip like she was trying to mush their bodies together.
“Take it easy, sister.” Em patted her. “I am not going anywhere.”
Persephone smiled and leaned back. “I know, but you feel so solid. Like a tree.”
“Thanks, and here I thought I looked pretty today.” She smiled wryly.
Persephone frowned. “You are pretty, you are adorable, you just feel like I am hugging a willow stem. Strong and flexible.”
“Oh, I worked out as much as possible. Like my gran said, thick skin, strong body. And I could withstand anything.”
Owen smiled and hugged her as well. “You do feel good, but like all the power of spring is in your body.”
She whispered information in his ear, and he grinned, nodding.
Samsor took her sketchpad and offered her his arm, and they walked back to his house. “You are sowing excitement wherever you go.”
“Well, people like paintings; they have forever. It puts a moment down and holds it. Photography is good, but it fades and yellows over time. Paint on canvas lasts forever.”
He nodded. “What did you whisper to Owen?”
“Oh, that they should look outside around ten tonight. I am going to install the download I got from Win.”
“Win?” He was surprised.
“She ran into Duran and me at hospital and took a photo. Apparently, my energy signature is a starburst with eyeballs.”
He chuckled. “I could see that would be a description.”
“You can see it?”
“Feel it. You are an excited ball of energy, and when we get close, we can see it.”
She chuckled. “Well, I am finally feeling like installing the knowledge I got.”
“Good. Wait. Install?”
“Sure. Win dropped a thumb drive near me full of grimoires. My mind is going to install what I can use with my particular flavour of magic, and the rest I can pass along if I find someone who can use it.”
“Grimoires?”
She chuckled. “Yes. Win was in the shadow realm for a while. She read everything she could, and she created a searchable drive with everything she grabbed. That was what I picked up.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yup. The library is sitting in my mind, waiting for me to have the key. Tonight, I am going to forge that key.”
He smiled as they walked. “Can we watch?”
“Sure. I am doing it for you guys, after all.”
Samsor frowned. “What?”
She smiled at him as they got to the house. “No knot.”
He was still laughing when they sat for dinner.