Chapter Six #2
“Absolutely. This was a place to bring different clans together. They had different needs, and my ancestors were excellent hosts.” She smiled, and a curl of pride went through her.
“What happened to your parents?”
“They have a bed and breakfast on Emerald. This place was bequeathed to me by my grandparents to keep the Omega Centre at bay.”
He froze. “They could not force you to the centre?”
“Not with a historically registered pack assembly building. I am the sole manager of the property and sole beneficiary of the family trust. That is what started my interest in contracts and trusts.” She nodded. “Now go and pick your room before the other guys get there first.”
He nodded and headed for the house with long strides and his boxes carried in thick vines that emerged from his back and sides.
She made sure that the house memorized the guys as they moved inside. It was important, or it could lead to being locked in a room when one didn’t expect it.
Rowan smiled, and Keres offered her the baby. “Do you want to hold your namesake?”
“Um, no. I am still in a lot of pain from earlier shenanigans. Any contact with my skin creates ripples under it like a rock hitting a pond. It continues to cause pain for days. I should be fine by Monday.”
Keres gasped. “What kind of spell is that?”
The doctor returned. “It’s called crystal skin. It’s an opal omega emergency spell. It keeps them from showing damage after harsh sexual encounters. I have never heard of it being used to hide repeated battle damage.”
Rowan smiled. “I am creative; I didn’t know that was a born spell.”
The doctor said, “I can help you lift it.”
She paused. “So you figured out that I am stuck?”
“It was an intuitive leap.”
“Nice jump.”
Keres frowned. “Holding a baby hurts?”
“Yes. It is like a heavy weight tearing at my joints. A hug is a burn along my nerves. A punch feels like I am being crushed.” She inhaled and said, “And it does. Not. Stop.”
She reached for the baby and held him with a slight grimace. “But he is little Rowan, and he will know I love him and will not know what it costs until he asks why I make a face. That will be a while. His dad doesn’t look too bright.”
His father paused.
“Don’t worry. You just have to deal with it for the next two years.” She smiled brilliantly at him and slowly tipped the baby to rest on her shoulder, enjoying the little scrunch.
Mell raised and lowered her hands. “You said it hurts.”
“It does.” She swayed with the little one.
“Then why?”
“Because he needs to know who loves him and who is safe to be with. If he doesn’t learn my scent, he won’t know I am a good place to hide.” She rubbed his back, and he let out a thunderous burp. “Mell, you have to get better at this. He’s going to be a gassy little dude.”
Mellwyn smiled. “Auntie needs a job. Auntie is good at this.”
“Mommy is lazy and doesn’t want to hear you cry, but the crying will get worse if she doesn’t help the gas out.” She felt something happening in the little body and smiled. “Time for Daddy to take him.”
Mell saw something in her eyes and covered her mouth as the little one was handed over.
Keres snickered as she caught on.
Norecayet’s eyes went wide as the little body shuddered hard and then the wailing started.
Rowan smiled. “And the honour of the first really gnarly diaper goes to... Papa!”
He looked at her with a rueful smile. “I accept the honour. Mellwyn, would you supervise?”
Mell was giggling as the stench followed the two, and she nodded to Rowan as she passed.
Keres chuckled. “You knew he was going to go off.”
Rowan turned and showed the bright ripples under her skin. “Impact tremors.”
Keres reached out and paused. “Does it hurt?”
“It is a tapping that echoes. Telling when a kid is going to take a gnarly shit is a superpower. I have never been caught yet.”
Keres chuckled. “May I touch your skin?”
“Yes. Push too hard and I use lust to put you down. You and yours are flowing with it. It is an easy power to grasp.”
Keres blinked. “What?”
“Oh, just another skill I have. I transmute lust into readily available magic. It is my tool and defense.”
Keres blinked. “Right. I will be careful.”
Rowan stood while long, slim fingers caressed her arm and shoulder. She felt the analysis on her skin, and Keres was being very careful.
Keres pulled her fingers back. “You aren’t an elf. This isn’t elf energy.”
“I know that. Duh. I am an omega mage with impulse-control issues.” She smiled. “Oh, and a witch. Two things can be true.”
Keres looked at her. “I would love to see witchcraft in action.”
Rowan chuckled. “Come with me to the gardens. You will begin to understand.”
They walked toward the back, and when Dante came out, he followed them. The sunset was letting shadows touch the plants, and those that could were glowing.
She opened the garden gate and propped it open.
“That is important?”
“If you want to leave without me, it is. If those gates close, you are locked in here with me until I choose to leave. That has been fatal in the past.” Rowan smiled as she entered her garden.
“This... there is so much power here.”
“Yes. I give it to friends, family, to those who eat at my table. I use them to heal, to seal, and to strengthen the grounds themselves. It has taken years, but this is the most secure land in the area. It defends itself. The garden goes on the offensive if I am not here. It has torn quite a few shadow mages and elite to pieces and used them to strengthen the wards around this property.”
“Not for the plants?”
“No, the plants were watered with my blood during the attack on Aspen. I can give benefits from the garden because the benefits came from my blood.”
“Oh. I didn’t consider that.”
Rowan’s heels clicked as she walked them through the enclosed garden. “The consumption of the local plants never touches the well that feeds the property. The plants in the garden don’t consume living beings. That was too gross even for me.”
Keres asked softly, “How did you learn about the garden and the lock?”
“When Aspen was cursed, a few of them decided that an omega was just too hard to ignore. I was like a mini version of Aspen. They attacked me, and when they were busy high-fiving or whatever, I crawled and ran into the garden where they decided to engage in round two. They started screaming before they touched me again. When their buddies tried to come to the rescue, the screaming continued.”
She felt a warmth on her hand, and Keres’ hand was glowing near hers. “Oh, elves are smart.”
“Yes, we also know pain. Aspen was incapacitated. Who came for you?”
Rowan smiled. “You are very smart. A friend of mine named Alora. She’s differenty but mostly beta.
Mostly. Lots of tattoos. Excellent friend.
She made sure Aspen was stable and got me to an emergency room.
Then she went to start the process to keep the shadow mages out.
The power wore thin now, and then over the years, which is how they got Mell, but after that fiasco, I got the hang of putting up wards myself, with some direction. ”
She snorted. “I am a slow learner, but the property feasted again that day.”
“Oh, no.”
“Yup. This time, I kept them from coming after Mell again. I made her a fortress in the woods and visited her often, but when she started indicating she was in heat, I had to let someone in. I picked him carefully, but when he split into two people, I freaked out a little, and that is when he started the feud. I am going to be angry at him for a very long time.”
“You had activated your ward on your skin.”
“Yup. Every attack landed, and my body screamed. He was confused by my scent because I had to use a lot of witch-based magic to keep Mell safe. Sex magic is better for wards. I smelled like strange alphas the first time his goblin was loose. After that, I copied the goblin scent, but he couldn’t detect himself in the mix, and he attacked me again. ”
She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “Today, he attacked the wards I set up to let Mell settle into herself. I still feel every impact moving through me, but the healer says he can help me out of my little ward lock.”
“I can, but you will have to stay still. You move around a lot for someone carrying that much pain.” He was outside the garden.
“It’s distracting. I also need to keep it on until tomorrow. When Aspen is free, there is going to be a power backlash, and I don’t want to take anyone else with me. It’s going to be bad.”
Keres paused. “You have said your power is trapped against your skin.”
“Yup.”
“So, you are going to be pulverized in the backlash.”
The healer said, “Which is why it would be a very stupid thing to leave that barrier in place.”
Rowan made a face. “I am an omega. We are famous for not being smart. It’s a lie, but it’s what we are known for.”
Keres said, “I am an omega.”
“Bully for you. I am the petite kind, you galloping horse.”
She felt outrage behind her. “Hey, Dante.”
Keres chuckled. “Spitting like an angry kitten.”
Rowan stuck her tongue out at the lady. “I hope your kid can’t colour coordinate their clothing.”
Keres looked down at her in astonishment and then let out peals of laughter. Rowan smiled and looked at the woman who wore all black next to her mate, who was also wearing all black.
“I can deal with it. It will make them easier to spot.”
Rowan chuckled. “Right. Take one sample of any plant while I supervise, and you can play with it all you like.”
Keres smiled. “The wild roses?”
“Of course. Would you like me to cut it?”
“Please. Your plants are a lot.”
Rowan chuckled and walked to the plant, whispering to it and asking for a sample that would be helpful to the pregnant elf.
A small rose was extended to her with a bud nearly ready to unfurl. Rowan touched the stem, and it released in her hand. She turned and handed the flower over to Keres. “There you go.” She started giggling and waved them out.
They left, and she locked the gate behind them. She was still giggling.
Mell saw her in the main hall and said, “Rowan, why are you doing your dirty-joke giggle?”