Chapter Twenty-Five
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
As he lingered in the shadow of the entrance, Tripp observed Elara and Hermes. He didn’t love how cozy they were, and the urge to smash his cousin’s handsome, grinning face balled his fists. Lightning flashed outside, and the following thunder caught their notice.
Elara’s entire essence glowed when she saw him, and any jealousy he’d felt melted away, replaced by a sense of well-being.
She loved him.
Just as he loved her.
Their main problem was commitment to one another, and they had less than three days to satisfy the Trickster’s curse.
When Tripp opened his arms, she scrambled up and took a running leap from the mattress, embracing him with her whole body. His eyes drifted shut as he absorbed her happiness to see him. Yes, teasing and flustering her had been fun, but her confidence grew exponentially. He could easily spend his life receiving this type of welcome.
“I love you.” His voice was low and gruff from the force of his emotions. “It feels good to acknowledge and say it aloud.”
Keeping her legs locked around his hips, Elara drew back to gaze into his face. “It does, but not as good as it feels to hear it. To live it.”
“Yes.” He grinned. Once again, she’d captured precisely what he’d found difficult to relay. “You’d think, after all the years I’ve been alive, I’d find a way to express my thoughts as concisely and eloquently as you do.”
“When it matters, you can,” she assured him with a quick, firm peck. “Hermes helped me clear another block.”
He glanced at his cousin, and the longing on Hermes’s face disturbed him. Was it for Elara? Had he fallen hard for her, too?
“No, Tripp,” Hermes said, having tuned into his thoughts. “It’s the experience I want.”
He offered up a commiserating smile. For too many years, Tripp had witnessed couples holding hands while shopping, sharing bites of their food, and laughing at inside jokes with their lovers. Those moments created such a profound longing that he’d had to look away. Now, he recognized what he’d been missing was Elara’s love.
Another stone flared, and Hermes winked.
“Keep helping us clear those blocks, and I’ll name my firstborn after you,” Tripp quipped.
Elara shut down. The speed with which she withdrew almost did his head in.
“What did I say?”
“I don’t want kids,” she blurted. “Not now, not ever.”
His parents walked in on her declaration, and his mother’s hands flew up to cover her gasp.
Hermes hung his head. “Back to the fucking drawing board.”
As he searched his feelings on the matter, his mother protested.
“It’s fine.” All eyes turned in his direction. Elara appeared tearful and unsure of his response, and her reticence tugged at Tripp’s heartstrings. Clasping her hand, he gently pulled her forward, embracing her. “I’m never going to force you to do what you don’t want to, flitter-mouse. If you don’t wish to have children, we won’t.”
Her scrunched face told the story of her struggle not to cry. “Really? You’re okay with it?”
“I’m okay with it.”
“Enguerrand!” His mother’s dismay created a heavy atmosphere. “I believed she was ready in this lifetime. I’d have never sent those blasted boots if she wasn’t.”
Elara’s temper sparked to life, and with it, the mountain woke. Outside the patio doors, Rainier’s snowcapped peak was shrouded by a blast of ash.
If Tripp couldn’t calm her, literal hell on earth would commence. “Elara?—”
“I am ready, Brelenia,” she said through clenched teeth. “Having children or not doesn’t mean I can’t accept Tripp’s love or he mine. Women aren’t mindless baby-producing vessels. And if you can’t see that, you aren’t the person or leader you believe yourself to be!”
“Oh, shit,” he, his father, and Hermes chorused.
“I’ve been around for over two millennia, you disrespectful child!” Brelenia stomped forward, intent on putting Elara in her place. Rage caused her amber eyes to glow gold, and her bejeweled fingers curled into fists. “You were selected for my son to make him happy and procreate. And yes, if that makes you a mindless baby-producing vessel, then you will accept your role as the Gods and the Fates see fit.”
“You can all go fuc?—”
Tripp covered Elara’s mouth, wrapped an arm around her waist, and teleported to his apartment. The earth was in distress, grumbling and groaning, sending his art collection crashing to the floor.
“Elara, I don’t want to tell you what to do, but if you don’t calm down, you’ll kill us all. And if you don’t, my mother will.” He shook her to snap her out of the spell weaving around them. The Trickster magic had merged with her heightened emotions and Titan magic, creating a problem on an epic scale. “I love you, and you’ll always have your agency. Any decisions will be made as a couple, and no one else will have a say.”
Her fight for control was valiant, and only the slightest panic showed in her troubled eyes. The building settled, and he looked toward the mountain, glad to see the smoke clearing. But the commotion in the streets below was ramping up, with people pointing and others running for safety. Drawing on his elemental power to influence others, he began the painstaking process of spreading calming energy.
Satisfied he’d done his best, he opened his eyes to find Elara watching him.
“What did you do?” she demanded.
“Remember when you said you do better with me as a mediator?”
She nodded.
“Well, it’s one of my special gifts. I’m able to manipulate energy and soothe heightened emotions.”
Frowning, she gestured to the window. “Mass hypnosis?”
“Something like that,” he said, smiling.
Her brows met in a scowl. “To be clear, you can manipulate people into doing what they don’t want. Is that right?”
Too late. He’d fallen into a trap of his own making.
“Elara, please listen.”
“No! Not if you’re weaving spells into your words!” She clapped her palms over her ears, and her voice was unnaturally loud when she asked, “What happens if you eventually decide you want children? Will you use your influence to change my mind?”
“No!” He pulled her hands away. “I told you, you have agency. Any decisions are mutual, flitter-mouse.”
For a prolonged moment, she stared at him, and Tripp held his breath.
“I don’t know if I should believe you,” she whispered, jerking away. “You’re saying you manipulated me in the past.”
The ground shook, and a crack formed on Main Street. It matched the one in his heart.
“Don’t do this. Please don’t question my intentions.” He reached for her hands, but she danced backward. “Elara, I promise you, I will always value your opinion and consider your feelings.”
“I need time to think,” she croaked.
The road’s fissure widened, and screams echoed from the street below.
“You know I’d give it to you if I could, but we don’t have it.” Recognizing the angst in his voice as desperate pleading, he cleared his throat and tried again. “If or when you commit to becoming my lifelong mate, I will transfer the ability to you.”
Her jaw dropped. “Gods can do that?”
“Yes, and I’ll see it’s done.”
With a distressed look, she nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
Tripp Nightshade.
Ever the peacemaker.
Elara weighed his words as she perused the ancient tomes in the Never Too Many attic. Would he stick to his promise? What person in their right mind would give their power to another the way he’d offered to do? How could he trust her to do the right thing with so heady an ability?
Spent too much money shopping online? Wave a hand to have your husband assure you it’s all right.
Murder your rival? Snap your fingers to have him help you bury the body.
“You’re overthinking it,” Tripp said, stepping from the shadows.
Her bloodcurdling scream shook the rafters.
“Fire-bellied toad turds! Stop doing that!”
His brows shot up at her bizarre exclamation. “That’s a new one.”
“Well, yes.” She fanned her hot face. “But they’re also what I need for the spell to find my parents.”
“Excellent.” He held out his hand. “This is me, asking without influencing, if you’ll take a break and come with me.”
She accepted his hand. “Where are we going?”
“To the beach. Although it’s stuffy up here, it’s in no way hot. I think your water nymph needs refreshment.”
“I’d forgotten.”
“That’s why I’m here. To remind you and provide what you need.”
She halted when he would’ve led them downstairs. Gazing up into his curious visage, she made a decision. “I can commit to a lifetime with you, Tripp, and I don’t want your ability.” His astonishment made her laugh. “Not what you were expecting?”
“Not after fire-bellied toads turds,” he admitted with a chuckle.
“Yeah, it surprised me, too. But you had a good argument.”
“May I kiss you and show you exactly how happy you’ve made me?”
“No.” She shrugged under his stare. “I’m too hot. Water first, make-out session second.”
“Deal. And when we get to the beach, I want to learn all about this locator spell of yours. I’ve never come across one requiring fire-bellied toad turds.”
The next half hour was lighthearted and lovely as Tripp taught her to manipulate her body’s temperature. Once he was satisfied she had the basics, they crossed the parking lot to the beach path.
“Crap! I forgot they only come off when I go to bed.” She considered the distance to the water. It wasn’t far, but she’d deal with sand in her boot the rest of the day.
“I’ll carry you.” His gallant offer pulled a girly sigh from her.
But before she could accept, her boots morphed into purple flip-flops with a massive plastic daisy on each toe thong. They were whimsical and perfect.
“I guess that settles that. Leave it to Hermes to create practical footwear,” Tripp said with a wry chuckle.
Like children, they frolicked along the water’s edge, with Elara dipping her toes in the Sound when no one was looking. Although not the dead of winter, late December was cold in Washington, and passersby would think she was insane if they saw her.
“We should get back,” he said, and Elara detected regret in his voice.
“Will it always be like this, do you think? Will you ever grow tired of me?”
His smile was slow and sweet. “Elara Elizabeth Hawthorne, you can rest assured I will never tire of you. Would I have sought you out in each of your incarnations if I thought I might?”
“But maybe this is all some cosmic attraction we have no control over. What do we even know about each other?”
His eyes narrowed as he considered her question. In a move that stole her breath, he swept her up, cradling her in his arms, and plopped down onto the sandy shoreline of Point No Point. “I know you’ll want to see this,” he said to her before turning his face skyward. “Come meet Elara.”
“Um, who did you call? Nothing is happening other than die-hard beachgoers leaving.”
“You’re impatient, but it comes as no surprise.” He laughed when she pinched him. “Wait, oh, patienceless one.”
She grinned at his playfulness. It hadn’t come as a surprise either. What did was the knowledge she remembered his easy laughter and engaging sense of humor, both from recent years and the past.
The first blast of air stole her wits. With the second, she squealed.
Whales!
And not any old whales, but orcas !
Her favorite species.
“How did you know? I’ve never said a word to anyone.”
“You didn’t have to. The snow globes on your shelves told me.” He shifted, positioning her back to his front, and pointed. “Look there.”
A calf emerged from the water, assisted by its mother, and Elara caught her breath at the spectacular sight.
“I hope it survives. They don’t always, and their first year is always iffy.”
“Me, too. Why not give her added vitality?” he suggested.
“We can do that?”
“You can. Water nymph, remember?”
He laughed when she lunged to her feet and raced for the water. Halting, she spun back and pressed her hands to her chest. “Does this mean I can swim with them?”
“It does, but never let another human see you, and don’t forget to warm your cells so you don’t get hypothermia.”
“Oh, Tripp!”
“Have fun, flitter-mouse.”
She stopped skipping backward. “What about you?”
“This is your experience, Elara. Not mine.”
“But what if I want to share it with you?” she asked softly.
Whipping his sweater over his head, he exposed his sculpted torso. Yes, all those defined ridges along his abdomen were drool-worthy, but it was those glorious, glorious shoulders that she longed to touch.
Then, he removed his pants.
“Holy shitballs!” She ran forward and jumped into his outstretched arms, climbing and clinging to him like a koala on bamboo. “Pass the salami!”
He laughed, and as he carried her to the water, her magical shoes morphed again, transforming into purple flippers.
“Ohmygawd! He’s thought of everything!” she said.
“Yeah, he’s annoying like that.”
She giggled at the pique in Tripp’s tone.
The joy she experienced interacting with orcas was something she’d never forget. They were respectful of the whales the entire swim, making sure to relay good intentions through their energy. The pod accepted them, recognizing their supernatural status.
When the mother nudged the calf toward Elara, she thought her heart would burst. Visualizing a long, healthy life for the beautiful baby, she activated her nymph cells and rubbed her fingertips along its body. The pod formed a circle around them, balancing vertically in the water with their flukes down and rostrums to the sky. It felt ceremonial as if they protected her and the calf while she boosted the baby’s vitality. She repeated the process for the mother.
As soon as they finished, the pod’s matriarch offered her dorsal fin to surf Elara and Tripp toward the shore.
And that experience was all thanks to one person.
Tripp Nightshade.