Chapter Ten
After dinner, Emhara went to get changed. For what she was going to do, she wanted to dress pretty. She wore flat ballet slippers, a silk gown, and a matching robe.
She walked downstairs and smiled at the three deltas, who were looking at her. Her father was also there. “Hello, Father. They called you?”
“They said something was happening that I wanted to see. I got right over here.” He inclined his head. “You look lovely, and I need to give my sister a bonus.”
She smiled and twirled. “Thank you, Father.”
He sighed. “What will it take for you to call me Dad again?”
Emhara looked at him and seriously said, “Can I hit her back without repercussion?”
He blinked and nodded slowly. “Yes. You may hit her back without repercussion.”
She grinned. “Then, I am glad you are here. Dad.”
He paused, smiled, and stepped forward to hug her. She walked to him and let the spider hold her like he did when she was little. She felt safe. After years, she finally felt safe.
The surge of magic pushed against her, and she looked to Samsor. “Tell Mateo that I am going now. If they want to see it, they had better get outside.”
Her skin was glittering, and she felt the small trickle of power getting larger. The containment of the magic was cracking with a simple thing. The feeling of being safe.
She eased out of her father’s arms, walked out the patio door, and kept walking through the yard until she was over one hundred feet from the house. The magic surged up through her feet, ran up her legs, and through her body.
Emhara embraced the magic moving through her until it showed her that the whole world had so much more to show those who looked at it.
Illusions sprang from her fingers, and everyone got shorter.
Light and everything beautiful that she had ever wanted to draw coursed around her and through the yard.
The guys got smaller, and it was then that she realized she was floating.
Emhara smiled and let the magic settle inside her.
She looked through the grimoires and found what she could use.
There was more than she thought at first, but then she had always been a fan of improvising.
She smiled and lowered back on the grass. She smiled at the guys. They glowed to her senses, but they always had. Her father looked stunned. “You look like your grandmother.”
She nodded. “I just needed better posture and a better wardrobe.”
He grinned, and she walked up to Duran, sliding a hand around his neck and pulling his head toward hers. She exhaled slowly into his mouth as they kissed, and his eyes went from red to silver and then gold. She smiled. “That was because you did the dishes.”
She walked to Samsor, and he lowered his head to hers, and she gave him a tendril of her magic, and his eyes changed to gold as well. “That is for carrying my stuff all the time.”
He grinned. Echel held her and lifted her. She marked him the same way and said, “That is for being the best resting spot ever.”
He smiled and stroked her cheek. “You look so alive.”
Emhara nodded. “That was the goal.”
There was hooting and cheering from the stone wall. Three alphas and two omegas were expressing their joy.
“Huh. I guess Armand came home early.” She smiled.
Echel set her on her feet, and she looked at her father. “So, Dad. What do you think?”
“I think you are what you were always supposed to be. Spectacular.” He looked like he wanted to hug her again, but he left her in the arms of her delta.
Carlos blinked shiny tears from his eyes. “Thank you for inviting me to witness it. It is very much appreciated. Just one question, you have gotten the funds back from the pack?”
Echel nodded. “We have, and she has a Van Housen Bank account.”
Carlos smiled broadly. “Good. Good. Excellent.”
Duran started to hum loudly, picked Emhara up, and carried her into the house with everyone else laughing. It wasn’t a nice laugh.
She sighed and said, “I am not going to ask.”
Duran grinned. “Neither am I. So, where am I taking you?”
“Which room is yours again? I feel like experimenting.”
He chuckled. “Well, if you are feeling particularly brave, we will go to the larger bedroom and experiment together.”
She grinned. “I am feeling all kinds of brave right now. Please tell me my dad left.”
“He’s out front, and his car is pulling away,” Samsor said from behind her. “He was asking what kind of a gift he could get for a daughter who just turned into a star.”
She smiled. “I am not still glowing, am I?”
Duran smiled as he walked into the room and released her legs so she slid down his body with his arm around her back, holding her against him. “A star?”
He nodded, and she could see the bit of magic in his eyes she had given him. “Does that feel weird?”
“It feels warm. Like a piece of your soul is nestled inside me.”
“And me,” Samsor said.
“And me.” Echel chuckled.
She was pressed against Duran, and she asked, “So, how do we start things, counsellor?”
He grinned. “Well, we can touch you one at a time or all together.”
“Will all together be a common thing?”
The elves looked at each other and shrugged. “Probably. If you prefer one at a time, that is possible.”
“Well, you three all met me at the worst time ever, you have seen me in various stages of undress and in a variety of skin colours. I can’t think of one of you without the others. Is that weird?”
The men around her smiled. Duran said, “Not weird at all, and I am very glad that I handed your files over to Ark. He’s cutthroat in all the right ways.”
She smiled up at him. “In that case, you guys are all dramatically overdressed.”
Echel pulled her back against a very naked body. “Speak for yourself.” He kissed her neck and shoulder, turning her to face him for a kiss that curled her toes and set up a low pulse in her belly.
Her robe slid off her shoulders, and Samsor touched her arms and back. Her body got hot rapidly, and when her knees buckled and Duran picked her up and set her on the bed, he lay between her thighs, and she got to practice self-control and not releasing magic that bubbled up when she came.
That night, she got a lot of practice.
Finishing the acrylic was easy. She had it sitting and drying as she set up the two easels for the oil paintings. The window was open, and she was marking the position in the canvas from the sketches.
There was a knock at the door, and she turned to see Persephone. “So, did you want to meet a really huge cat?”
“Now?”
“It’s eleven, and there is a café attached to the shelter. Come on. We have snacks.” Persephone wagged her eyebrows.
“You really want me to take that cat?”
“Did you check with your guys?”
“It’s Samsor’s house, and he said yes.”
“Did you ask him during sexy time?”
“No. I asked him directly. He said we needed a lot of cat trees and stuff. You were there.”
“Yup. Just making sure. You look energized.”
“Thanks. Part spending the night with the guys and part tapping into the life force of the planet. Big night all around.” Emhara smiled. “This is the acrylic that I was asked for.”
Persephone looked at it. “Oh, wow. It looks so different in full colour. It’s stunning.”
“Thanks. I am letting it dry all day, and I will seal it tomorrow.”
“Wow. Oh, you have all the cats in there as well as the family.”
“Of course. They are family.” She wiped her hands and then said, “I will just wash up and change. I had tons of energy this morning, so I got to work. Now I am wearing it. I will be back in a few minutes.”
“Take your time. I am going to sit with our babysitters.”
“Who did you bring?”
The spunky omega grinned. “Mateo and Owen. Can I bring them here to show this?”
“Sure. I am going to go wash up.” She nodded and headed up to the bedroom, looking fondly at the bed where a successful experiment had concluded several times. She liked good memories. She wanted more.
Her hands, face, and hair were made devoid of paint, and she picked out underwear and a dress that would suit her. She still needed jeans, and she was guessing that Persephone could help her access some.
Her bank computer was no help in trying to buy things online. It was restricting the apps that she could use through her account for the next two months to food.
Echel sat next to her at the cat café, and they watched all of the fluffballs walk around the room while sipping at her tea.
Persephone came in with her arms loaded with fur and enormous legs sticking out.
She put the beasty down, and it stalked away from her in irritation.
Persephone said, “He doesn’t particularly like me. ”
The thigh-high cat looked at them and cleaned one paw.
Emhara smiled. “What’s his name?”
“The breeder who surrendered him called him Lord Monster. He’s off-breed standard, but the breeder wanted him to go to a vetted home. He’s also been fixed. So have his siblings.”
Emhara looked at him and tilted her head. “How many siblings and is he close to one in particular?”
“His sister had a respiratory infection, and she was just cleared last night. How did you know?”
“He’s looking for something and scared of being out alone. He knows he stands out.” She smiled. “He’s also bigger than he looks.”
Persephone paused and nodded. “I will get her.”
Echel chuckled and asked, “Two?”
“I get distracted with painting. I know I do. I don’t want them to feel lonely.”
“Right. I will usually be at the house with you.”
“And you will have time to pet an enormous cat while in the middle of an online update? You jump into your data streams just like I do the painting. Plus, when I do the oil paints, I will smell.”
Echel smiled. “But you will soon have the studio, so the house will be the house.”
“Yup. And time will stretch.”
Mateo grinned. “So you are enjoying the artwork?”