he promised, and within a week I was no longer under suspicion because the body, and all of the evidence, had suddenly vanished.
As to what happened in Alfheim after we left—no one knew. I didn't know if Brendi survived. Or if Medbh did. I didn't care. I had what I wanted and they could all go to hell.
I hadn't heard anything from Tzariene either. I assumed she was happy. I did, in some way, slay the Dragon.
Levi came by several times to give Crwys blood to help the healing process for his human body. I still didn't understand how that worked, but I didn't ask. Anything that brought Crwys back from being nearly dead was okay with me.
We set up house in the room Arden provided. We ate together, showered together, made love as often as we could and eventually I got him out of the house for long walks along the property. The whole place was one gigantic ward, which made me feel safer, for both of us.
A month after the incident, in mid to late March, Crwys returned to work, his resignation torn up. Prescott eventually stopped glaring at me when I picked Crwys up at the station, and Levi warmed to the idea of Crwys and I in love.
Edmund Blackwood threatened a lawsuit against Arden. Apparently he expected her to die from the curse, and when she didn't, he believed the law would be in his favor. The whole thing seemed kinda silly when Kyle told me over the phone. But the reality was far more serious. Blackwood was a powerful man. And I knew none of us had seen the last of him.
Kyle and Jack were together and Kyle explained Jack had been out of town since the morning I came back from the cabin.
It was a Sunday afternoon and spring was in full bloom in Louisiana. We drove up to Arden's cabin in Crwys's Mustang for another extended vacation together. He taught me a few things about cooking and he even showed me his true form a few times, but without all the anger and fire. He took me for a ride once.
Once.
Because riding the back of a Dragon ranked right up there with Sam's Scariest Moments.
The third night we settled into the hot tub and clinked glasses of champagne.
"What is it?" I asked when his expression saddened.
"It's just…I never wanted to wreak that kind of destruction again, and the fact I did, still bothers me."
"That wasn't your fault, Crwys. It was Brendi."
"That doesn't really soften the sting." He straightened up in the tub and set his glass on the side. "I'm not going to let my guard down again. And that means I'll never trust Arden Vervain again."
"You say that though we're at Arden's cabin."
"Doesn't mean we can't use her cabin." He looked sad again. "Sam…I don't know what you might have heard about me. What…any of the people of Alfheim said about…me. I want you to know exactly what I was—what I did. You deserve to know what—"
I went to him and put my finger over his lips, then lowered my hand to his shoulder. "Not now. Not yet. Yes I want to know, but in time. I want to know more of the man you are now, and then I can learn of the man you once were."
"I'm afraid you won't love me anymore if you knew—"
I put my finger against his lips again. "Shush. Doctor's orders."
Dangers still lurked out there, bent on horror and destruction. I had a crazy Leviathan that seemed obsessed with me and making my life hell. There was a Faerie kingdom in turmoil, and I was pretty sure it had one hell of a power grab going on if Brendi didn't survive. Injustices we couldn't even see or imagine continued in the moments between seconds.
But for now, it could all just wait.
I smiled as he moved to me and pressed those sexy lips against my own. I had his only kryptonite. The Arrow, which I'd hidden in a place no one will ever find, and myself. I knew I was important to him, just as he was to me. It weakened me to lose him, so I made a personal promise to myself. If anyone ever came between us, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.
LOOK for the next book in the Eldritch Files, Elemental Soul, available May 2015!!
Glossary
Pronunciations:
Crwys - Cruise
Medbh - Mayv
Sidhe - Shee
Dijin - Gin
Alfheim - Alf-hime
Circe - Seer-See
Tzariene - Zar-een
Language:
I am not an expert in Cajun or French, nor am I fluent. But I always had it in my head that while Vampires in New Orleans was a very well thought out trope, Werewolves in the Bayou was just as important. So this is my own blend of the two.
Pischouette Mal Pris - Little girl's in a bad situation
D'accord - Agreement
Chérie - Darling
Ma petite - My little one (feminine)
Frére - Brother
Soeur - Sister
Chiot - Pup
Loup de chiot - Wolf pup
Diable du feu - Fire devil
Trés bien, mon ami - Very well, my friend
Tayeau - Hound
Diable - Devil
Tayeau petite - Small hound, insult; small dog.
Trés belle - Very beautiful
Mon frére - My brother
Homme mort - Dead man.
Je regrette - I regret
Bonne nuit - Good night
Jai faim - I’m hungry
Mère - Mother
Je sais pa - I don’t know
M’selle - miss, young lady
Le couer - the heart
Êtes-vous bien? - Are you okay?
Sa fait pas rien - it doesn’t matter
Ce qui - What
Pour quoi - Why
Definitions:
Magical Parliament - a grouping of 13 High Witches chosen from all over the world to regulate magic use and the teaching of magic so as to avoid revealing a Witch's presence to the Cowen world. There are more than 13 High Witches at any given time, but only 13 are chosen to serve in Parliament.
Demon Realms - worlds that exist outside and yet beside the Material Plane. Other names used for these realms are the Mental, Astral, Abysmal, Ethereal, Peripheral, and sometimes Alfheim.
Mother's Tracker - The Parliament once granted tracking rights to some Elder Witches, especially those with Elemental Gifts. The last Tracker to officially receive this right was Samantha's mother, Elizabeth Hawthorne. The right gave them the ability to see, hear, taste, and smell trails left behind by a named target. This is the magic Eliza used to track Dionysus and made it impossible for the Leviathan to escape Eliza's abilities.
Elemental Witch - A God Mother's child who possess all five of the Elemental Gifts; Earth, Air, Water, Fire and Spirit. The combination of the elements make the use of Spirit possible, though small instances can be achieved with little training. Elementals use their own energy to power their magic as they transmute the magic inherent in the Material Plane into power.
Dianic Witch - A God Mother's child who does not possess any of the Elemental Gifts. Dianics are given Gifts such as second sight, telekinesis, telepathy, aural visions, clairvoyance, and psychometry.
Elder Witch - A title given to any Witch possessing three Gifts, one usually required to be Elemental, who serves on the local counsels under a High Witch.
Magical Sight / Other Sight - the ability to see magic. All Witches possess this ability, but not all Cowens do. Those that can are usually slightly touched with a Dianic Gift.
Circle - Cutting the Circle is the Witch's ability to cut a circle into the Earth, thus creating sacred space for ritual.
Drawing Down the Moon - The ability of a Witch to join with the God Mother through Her blood in their veins. The phrase is also used by Dianic Witches when referring to creating sacred space.
Athame - Usually a black handled knife. The Witch's ceremonial knife. Represents the Witch's will.
Warlock - Often thought to be the term given to male witches. It's not. This is a state of banishment, when a Witch's connection to their magic is removed.
HIERARCHY:
Cowens - Non Magical folk
Dianic Witches - God Mother's children possessing only Dianic gifts, such as telekinesis and psychometry.
Hedge Witch - God Mother's children whose Gifts contain an inherent, working knowledge of all of the Gaia's plants. They possess a very latent touch of all the Elements but not enough to wield them. They generate their magic through these combinations of herbs.
Elemental Witches - God Mother's children who possess all five of the Elemental Gifts.
Elder Witch - God Mother's children who possess at least one Elemental Gift but have dedicated themselves to their craft and their follow Witches for the betterment of all of the God Mother's children.
High Witch - A position voted upon; a position of leadership, and not one to take lightly. In order to be a high Witch, a God Mother's child must have at least two of the Elemental Gifts and one Dianic.
Cyber Witch - God Mother’s children who exhibit the ability to join with and manipulate the World Wide Web, not excluding any and all peripherals connected to the web by either cable or wireless networks.