Chapter Three #2
“Talk to you soon.” Delphine smiled and disconnected the call. She contacted the warlock and spoke swiftly. He was going to be on the lookout for the men who had attacked Bethany’s car. The answer might be found there.
Delphine sent her light through the city and waited for the response from trees and animals. They didn’t know anything except that the men appeared out of light, and they were intent.
With all of her options unfurling, she went to get some coffee.
Bethany was asleep and safe. That was the most important thing.
She wished that Bethany had contacted her when they got back from Asia, but that hadn’t happened, and that young woman was hard to find.
She had to have been panicking to call for help.
She hadn’t done it before, and Delphine’s number hadn’t changed in ten years.
* * * *
Orvis sat up and made call after call, waking the city one household at a time. “Nothing. No one said anything.”
Stovos paused. “There was one other person consulted who might not have had the same eye toward security.”
Orvis frowned. “Who?”
He punched in a call and said, “Lord Rez? Did you mention Bethany to anyone around you tonight?”
“That is a rude way to start a call, Stovos.”
“We need to know. She was attacked tonight. Eight warlocks came after her and tried to get through her wards.”
Lord Rez said, “What? Is she all right?”
“Yes. A friend rescued her, but we are trying to find out who set the jackals on her.”
“During our initial conversation, I was not alone in the room. Please excuse me, I have some lives to investigate or destroy. It depends on the answer.”
“Thank you. Please let me know if you have found the culprits. They should be vomiting light and missing testicles, according to the woman who saved Bethany.”
“Ah, she has exposed herself. The wild magic must have been in extreme danger.”
“An entire coven.”
“I will get back to you.”
Stovos looked at the dead call. “I think that is it. Lord Rez had a conversational audience when we spoke to him last night. He’s off to find out what they heard.”
Orvis stopped going through her phone. “Ohhh. That makes sense. So, Delphine knows that this is going to push Bethany into a choosing, right?”
“I am sure she knows. What did she call me?”
“Pointy-eared harpy-fucker.”
He grinned. “I should live up to that name, shouldn’t I?”
“We have to be dressed and out of the house in ninety minutes.”
“That should be enough time.” He grinned and put their phones on the charger next to the bed. He kissed her neck, and Orvis chuckled. “You are going to put that on a t-shirt, aren’t you?”
“You know me so well, love.”
She wrapped a leg around his hips and pulled him down to her. “So, how does one go about living up to a name?”
“Allow me to show you.” Stovos slid home again, back where he had been when the phone had interrupted their pre-dawn play.
Orvis gasped and twisted against him. “You sure you are going to be done in ninety minutes?”
“Time me.”
She laughed and moved with him, wondering what kind of father he would be. They would probably need a nanny. This pointy-eared harpy-fucker had a full-time hobby.
* * * *
Delphine spoke to Mara and got a hot breakfast worked up for Bethany for about ten in the morning. They were still missing one component for their gathering, but Delphine had never seen her after the night that they joined their families.
She looked at the trusts that she had set up for the stars that had danced with her.
They had been together, playing and dancing to her song, when rituals had pulled them toward the earth and locked them into a life of mortality.
The wild magic had found a space in a human, and the dark star was just lost. Delphine could still feel her in the world, but she had never met or heard of her.
When she got a call from Stovos, she exhaled. “So, it has been contained?”
“An angry kijin is dealing with it. He was overheard on a phone call and is taking steps to tie up loose ends. No one will bother her again.”
Delphine blinked. “Really? She has a champion?”
“I don’t know if that is the situation, but he mentioned that they have unfinished business.”
“She doesn’t leave unfinished business. That’s her whole thing. She just is the unfinished business.”
“Well, he is looking forward to seeing her at my party.”
“Oh. She’s the entertainment for a portion of it. Right.” Delphine smiled. “It looks to be a lovely party. Congratulations on getting older with a mate who wants to celebrate you. Orvis is a blessing to you.”
Stovos smiled, and she could hear it through the phone. “Yes. She is. I look forward to seeing you there.”
“Oh, I will be there. I am hoping that the last of our little group can find her way to the event or before then.”
“What do you mean?”
“Two stars danced with me. Two stars fell when those morons summoned us. Only one is known.”
“Whoa. What are you doing to find her?”
“Cool your jets, Stovos. She will arrive when she wants to. She’s harder to see than Bethany.”
“Why?”
“There was the wild magic star, and the dark star, and me.” Delphine chortled. “The light that blesses and sings in the darkness on the coldest nights.”
“So, you really are the northern lights.”
“I am one soul in the lights, captured on one night. My sisters and brothers still sing.”
“I have never met one of your kind.”
“We rarely survive birth. I only survived due to my idiot father. Half-elves are sturdier than both of their contributing species.”
“So, are you saying that if Orvis and I have a child...”
“Oh, it will be sturdy. That is for certain. Better look for a daycare with a small deductible. You will need it.”
Stovos chuckled. “I will warn my love.”
“Sensible. Well, I have to check on my guest and get ready for meetings. It is turning into a very busy day.”
“Why are you coming again?”
“Funding for Nessa’s fertility clinic.”
“Oh. Right. See you at eleven.”
“Yup.” She hung up. There was something festive about hanging up on the king of the dark court. It put her in a good mood.
Mara looked at her. “Who was that?”
“Stovos Twilight.”
Mara paused. “You hung up on him.”
“Yup.”
“You are treading on dangerous ground.”
“A gossip session with Stovos and a bunch of others put Bethany in a dangerous position. He’s not getting my manners until Bethany is safe.”
“Who is Bethany?”
“The wild magic star in human form.”
“Ah. What about the other one?”
“No sign of her yet.”
“What will you do when you are all together?”
“Um, have a party? Make s’mores?”
Mara laughed. “Right. This is the most upbeat I have seen you in a decade.”
“I know. It feels good to have her close, and she’s been living in her car, so she needs pampering. She’s been hunted for fifteen years. She needs rest. I want her to use Tyler’s driving skills to get her around. I don’t want her on her own.”
“Right. Does your mother know?”
“I will tell her when she comes down.” She smiled and sipped her coffee while reading the morning stock reports, idly making investments on her phone.
Mara chuckled. “I am always surprised at how calmly you do that.”
“What? Money is money. Money magic is what I was born to. The other magics came after.” She grinned. “I was conceived under a prosperous light.”
Ambera came in and said, “You were the prosperous light.”
“Well, that’s how I know.” Delphine grinned. “Morning, Mom.”
“Morning. You are up early.”
“Bethany called. She needed assistance, and I headed out. She’s in the blue room now.”
“All right. What’s your plan?”
“She works at one on the Twilight property in the new retreat. Tyler is going to have to get her there and pick her up again. I don’t want her exposed to danger again.”
“I can take her to get her things.” Ambera smiled.
“Don’t need to. They are all in her car.”
Her mother frowned and then opened her eyes. “Oh. So, should I take her shopping?”
“You can ask her. Her name is Bethany. She is wild magic. She is also the attendant at the new retreat on the Twilight property. She needs to be there by one.”
“Where will you be?”
“Downtown in meetings about funding the new fertility clinic, as well as the free clinic for children that Nessa wants to start up.” She smiled. “The Twilights are trying to fund equipment and operating capital.”
Ambera smiled. “But you own a medical equipment company. You could cut them a deal.”
“I could. I think we are going to talk about it.”
Mara got Ambera breakfast and coffee. “So, babygirl, how much have you made this morning?”
“Fifty thousand. Aren’t you glad you listened to me when I learned to talk?”
“Yes. I am. Retiring at thirty was fun, but I like being back to work.”
Mara paused. “Boss, you were giving her investment tips when you were a toddler?”
“Yeah. Well, I grabbed her phone and did it that way. We started with fifty bucks from my birthday money, and look at where we are now.”
Ambera chuckled. “I never had to touch my severance pay from being Veeso’s mistress. Delphine was so happy that we had managed to start again without it, just using her little fingers to set up the investment account and giggling as she started picking stocks.”
Ambera reached over and ruffled Delphine’s hair.
“Nice, Mom.” Delphine sipped at her coffee.
“Thanks. Now, once the stars are settled, are you going to consider providing me with grandchildren?”
“Wow. Ask for the moon, why don’t you?” She chuckled. “Once the stars are settled, we will see.”
Mara smiled. “In my family, that means no.”
“In this case, it just means that we will see.” Delphine smiled and kept playing with the numbers on her tablet.
They sat around talking for an hour or two before Delphine had to head to the office to check on a few things before the meeting.
Things were moving fast now, and she needed to keep them in her view. It was time to take stock of her little empire.