Chapter Eight
Bubbles and Butthole Wizards
“Good work today.” I stuck out my fist. “We crushed it.”
“Yes.” Miles grinned and bumped it with his. “We did well.”
After hours of baking and sweating up a storm in the kitchen, we’d finally finished.
The five-tiered lemon and blueberry cake was frosted and decorated.
A variety of cookies and pastries covered the counters, waiting to be sorted on the dessert displays in the main ballroom.
Coffee beans had been freshly ground and infused with warm notes of bourbon and brown sugar.
“Please come with me.” A manservant named Benny tipped his head to Miles and motioned toward the door.
It was time to get ready for the ball. Bathing, changing into our formal attire, and making final touches to the dessert tables before the royal guests arrived.
Miles waved at me before following Benny from the kitchen.
“You’re with me, dear.” Rose showed me to the same bathroom I’d used before the autumn ball and opened the door, letting me inside. “If you need anything, anything at all, please find Benny and ask him, for I’ll be too busy panicking and rushing around like a madwoman making final preparations.”
“I love you, Rose,” I said with a small laugh. “Remember to breathe while you’re rushing around. Can’t have you keeling over. Who else will feed me yummy quiche?”
She echoed my laugh. “Oh, you charming boy. Get in that bath and wash off that grime.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
A sense of déjà vu struck as I shut the door and assessed the bathroom. Porcelain tiles and fancy light fixtures exuded elegance, and soaps and oils lined the wall behind the large tub. I smoothed a hand along the bottles; fragrances of lavender, rose, sandalwood, and cedar.
It felt like a lifetime had passed since I’d last stood in that spot.
Back then, I hadn’t known anything about my dad being a prince and thought I was just a realm-traveling bookworm who’d found myself in a fantasy world, all because of a wish I’d made on a magical stone. But it went way deeper than that.
If Reign was right, everything I knew went out the window.
“This blows.” I slunk to the floor in front of the tub and put my face in my hands. “Lupin, you butthole. I could really use some guidance here.”
“Now, that’s not very nice.”
I jolted at the voice and lifted my head, heart rising in my throat.
“Hello again.” Lupin rested against the bathroom counter, wearing a white suit and pink undervest. Pale blond hair fell past his ears, and his eyes held the same threads of mystery as usual. “Having fun down there?”
“You’re actually here.” I scrambled off the floor and stood on unsteady legs. “Right? Or am I hallucinating?”
“Would a hallucination look this good?” He motioned to himself.
“Yep. You’re real.” I gave him a droll look. “I’m just confused. When you visited me in Exalos, you said you wouldn’t be able to see me again for a while.”
“A while could’ve meant anywhere from a month to a year. However long it took for my business to be concluded.” Lupin flicked his hand. “What matters is I’m here now. And I imagine you’ve had quite the eventful few months since we last spoke.”
“That’s one way of putting it. I mean, I’ve only been attacked by a powerful mercenary and then told I have some kind of rare magic inside me. Just a normal Saturday.”
“I see. Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.”
“Reign said he senses magic in my blood. That I might be a mage or something. Is that true? Do I have powers?”
He tilted his head. “I don’t know. Do you?”
“Ugh.” I plopped down on the edge of the tub. “Please, no cryptic stuff right now. I need answers before my head explodes.”
“Very well.” He glanced around the bathroom before lingering on the corner, eyes narrowing. He then turned back to me. “The spy was correct. To an extent. Power lies in your blood, but you’re not a mage. You’re much rarer than that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You have an extraordinary gift, Evander. It’s why your mother rushed into the Emporium and begged me to help you when you were a baby. Because the ones pursuing you wanted that gift for themselves.”
I frowned. “I thought she was running from my dad’s enemies. That’s what you told me. After they killed him, they chased after us, too, and wouldn’t stop until they found us. It’s why you sent me away. Because being his son made me a target.”
“Not quite.” His smile turned sad. “From the very beginning, they were after you. Even before he was killed.”
“Wait.” The top of my scalp prickled. “I’m not sure I follow. What exactly are you saying?”
“The details around your father’s death are mostly speculation. Everyone assumes he was killed out of retaliation for him breaking the peace treaty with Haran.” Lupin shifted his gaze to the round, stained-glass window above the bathtub. “However, the truth is much darker.”
There was a faint ringing in my ears.
“Elias was never their target,” he continued softly. “He died protecting the one they were really after. A baby boy he loved more than life itself.”
“What?” I felt like I’d been sucker punched right in the gut. “They were trying to kill me? Why? I was just a baby.”
“Capture you. Not kill.” Tension made the skin around his eyes taut. “One of the mages in Nocturne can track life forces. It’s why Cynthia came to me. Simply hiding you wasn’t enough. Only by removing you from this realm entirely would you be safe.”
“So Briar was right. He suspects that’s how all of this started. When I returned to Bremloc, whoever’s after me sensed me again.”
Lupin nodded. “And when Briar gave you the protection stone, it blocked you from them once more. Even without knowing the danger you faced, he saved you.”
Warmth gathered in my chest. “You said each of my men played a role in my destiny. Was that his purpose?”
“Yes. Without that protection stone, you would’ve been found much sooner, opening up new life paths and permanently closing others.
” He glanced at the corner again, his expression hovering between caution and curiosity.
“Your relationship with Rowan would be much different, lacking the deep trust you have now. And you would’ve never fallen in love with Callum. ”
“Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that.” A sharp twinge pierced my sternum. “I have a question though.”
“Only one?” he asked, his lips going askew.
“Or five. As many as I want. Deal with it.”
His amusement grew. “Go on. Ask me your question.”
“Okay.” I took a breath, trying to sort my thoughts. “If Briar’s protection stone was enough to block me from Nocturne, why did I have to be sent away? Why couldn’t you have just given my mom the same type of stone?”
The humor slipped from his face. “Because I saw the future that awaited you if I chose that option. They would’ve found you within three years, resulting in many deaths along the way. Sending you to the mundane world at least gave you a chance.”
“Then, you helped me come back here.” Antsy, I laced my fingers together. “Which seems…”
“Precarious, considering the danger you face? I suppose you’re right.
” Lupin exhaled an unsteady breath. “Yet, it’s the bargain I struck with the council of mages.
Interfering with your fate the first time nearly cost me everything.
My husband. My magic. Only by agreeing to bring you back upon your twenty-third birthday would all be forgiven. ”
“What’s so special about my twenty-third birthday?”
“Many believe that number holds power,” he responded. “A representation of fate and destiny. And it’s true.”
Yep. That familiar headache was building in my temples. A result of talking to him. The cryptic, frustrating man.
“I have another question.” I pointed at him just as he started to say something. “No smart-ass remarks. I’m allowed to ask as many as I want.”
“Very well.” He cleared his throat.
“If you were ordered to bring me back to this world, why did you give me the option to leave after I first got here? You said you’d use the power of the summer solstice to reverse the wish.”
“Ah, yes,” he said, smile tight. “I regret to inform you that was… a lie.”
“What?” I snapped.
“I used the condition of the solstice to buy more time. I hoped after being here for a while, you’d realize it’s where you really do belong. Luckily, that’s what happened.”
“What if I had decided to go back?” I asked, appalled. “Would you have let me?”
Lupin pressed his lips together. An answer without saying a word.
Several moments passed where I could only stare at him. Part of me was pissed that he’d lied. But another part was thankful for it. Because I’d never been happier—rare, mysterious gift and murderous mercenaries aside.
“Wow.” I crossed my arms Maddox-style. “What else did you lie about? When I found your shop, was that by chance, like you said, or did you set it up as part of your evil master plan to trick me?”
“I assure you there was nothing evil at play. I only wished to help.”
“What about the big spiel about the power of a birthday wish and giving me the wishing stone?” I asked. “All an act too?”
“Not quite.”
“Not quite,” I mumbled, shifting weight to my other butt cheek. The cold, hard edge of the tub had made it go numb. “You said you never directly change people’s lives. You just give them the tools to make that change themselves. A magical loophole. That’s why you gave me the wishing stone.”
“Such is normally the case with all those who wander into my shop, but not with you.” Guilt shone in his eyes. “Whether you made that wish or not, you still would’ve woken in that field the next morning. For I gave you a heart stone.”
“What’s that?”
“Similar to a wishing stone, I suppose, but more powerful. Wishes can be so superficial, filled with selfishness and greed.” He lifted a finger. “However, a heart stone listens to the yearnings of your very soul and unites you with your missing parts.”
“Missing parts?”
“You had several at the time. Five, to be exact.” He offered me a soft smile. “Though that number has since changed.”