MAKING MAGICKAL ALLIANCES: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel Read online

  Making

  Magickal Alliances

  A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel

  Roxie’s Midlife Adventures book 5

  Leigh Raventhorne

  The characters and circumstances in this story are a product of the author’s imagination, and represent no real person, living, dead, nor undead. Any real public places or names are used only to build atmosphere for the reader’s mind.

  Copyright © 2021

  Leigh Raventhorne

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this story may be reproduced in any way without prior written consent of the author.

  Many thanks to Beta reader Traci Otte.

  Contents

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 1

  Rand woke up - alive

  “No.” I turned away, not meeting his eyes. We’d had this argument—no, discussion—every day since he woke up almost two weeks ago.

  “Rox, it’s fine. I’m fine. C’mon.” He stepped closer, running his hand through his freshly cut hair in frustration when I quickly stepped back to keep the distance between us.

  “Rand, I did this to you!”

  “You might have had something to do with this. We don’t know if it was you or that.” He gestured toward the sapphire bracelet on my wrist. “Either way, I feel great. Better than I did when I was alive the first time, even. Whatever happened, it’s a good thing. Quit blaming yourself.”

  He’d made every effort to make some sort of physical contact with me daily—and I’d made every effort to avoid it, terrified of what would happen if he touched me again. This had definitely put the kibosh on our self defense lessons—not to mention any other physical activities.

  Jake and Toby lay side by side just a few feet away from us, watching our back and forth like it was some sort of fascinating ping pong match.

  Hugging myself, I shook my head. Danai had given him a thorough examination and proclaimed him, well, alive. Sort of. He had a heart beat, his body ran only slightly cooler than normal human temperature, and he could eat and drink—which he did with gusto, nearly moaning with satisfaction with every bite he took, even after two weeks of regular meals. Don't get me started on how much coffee he went through daily. But . . . he could also pet Jake. Physically pet him, as if the ghostly Newfoundland was every bit as solid as the formerly incorporeal Army Ranger standing before me now. That baffled everyone, even Zara. There was no known precedence for this. At Finn’s—and my—request, Astra had her best researchers looking into the matter. The pixie library was the only thing that hadn’t been split with the new mound yet, but so far there was no record of a ghost being affected by any kind of pixie magick. According to Finn, the queen had surmised that it was entirely possible that it could have been some sort of unusual interaction between my own hybrid magick, that of the powerful, pixie magick-saturated sapphire, and the blood magick that had been used when I’d made the bracelet. She hadn’t been by to see Rand yet, as most of the pixies had been, er, busy, since the new fairy mound was formed, but she was going to meet us today by the river. She’d only been by briefly since he’d awakened to offer her congratulations to Zara on the birth of the kits, to inspect the bracelet, and to speak with me about what had happened on that stretch of highway where the battle had taken place. Rand had been with the Draftman brothers at the time, checking the borders of the property.

  “I can’t chance it, Rand. You know how I feel.” I glanced over at the clock on the parlor wall. “I’ve got to go meet with the water fae soon.” I hesitated, then asked, “Are you coming with us?” Sam, Tess, Danai, and at least one of the Draftman brothers were going to accompany me, but I knew Rand was curious about them.

  He stared at me for a moment, then gave a tight nod. Since he’d woken up . . . alive . . . he’d been adamant that nothing had changed between us—including his protection. He’d saved my life several times over the past months as a ghost, but neither of us had any way of knowing what would happen to him if he were injured while in this new state of being.

  “Where you go, I go. You know you can’t avoid me forever, beautiful.”

  That was another thing that scared the you-know-what out of me. Now that he was . . . alive or whatever this was, why would he still want me? I was several years older than him and almost completely gray, thanks to some quirk of my magick. Before, I’d wondered if the attention he’d paid me was just because I was the only one who could See him, and I had taken Toby in. Not that I’d complain—we’d had fun.

  “I need to check on Zara before we go.” Without another word, I turned and fled from the room, my face warm.

  “The dogs and I will meet you out front,” he called after me.

  I will never understand the mating rituals of humans. Even witches are more straightforward with these matters. I relaxed at the sound of Zara’s voice in my head.

  Well, I was kind of raised human, you know. And sorry. My shields were down again.

  Just let him touch you and see what happens. It would be better than the both of you walking around on pins and needles. He’ll either explode or he won’t. Matter settled.

  Yeah, no. That wasn’t happening.

  I rounded the corner leading to her room—my aunt’s old room—and slowed my steps. The door was closed. Before that thought was finished, it opened, as if of its own volition. Sending my familiar a mental thank you, I peeked around the edge of the door at the beautiful tabby and the five tiny balls of fluff pushing themselves around the nest she’d fashioned for them from blankets and comforters Gloria and I had gathered for her during her pregnancy. Their eyes were open now and their tiny, round ears were just starting to show, but their legs were still shaky. Sebastian lay on the bed, watching over his progeny like a proud king surveying his lands. He chuffed in amusement and lay his head down, closing his eyes. I could hear the low rumble of his purr from where I stood.

  Crossing the room, I knelt down next to Zara as she began bathing the kit closest to her—one of the miniature Sebastians, as Tess called the two black kits. We all still found it hard not to call them kittens. The two tabbies were, of course, miniature Zaras, and the black and white . . . well, we hadn’t quite figured out what to call her, yet. We had started out calling them by number, but quickly realized the two black kits were impossible to tell from each other. The tabbies had nearly identical markings, too.

  They will find their own names when it is time.

  Zara had become so zen since she gave birth, I almost missed her sass. She paused her grooming long enough to give me an amused look.

  Don’t worry, I’m saving it up.

  There’s the familiar we all know and love. I chuckled and gently picked up the tiny tabby that was working his or her way over to me, cradling the soft, warm body to my chest as curious blue eyes studied me.

  Zara shook her head. I swear if she had eyebrows she would have raised one at me. That one is female.

  Within moments, three more identical pairs of blue eyes locked onto the two of us. The kit under Zara’s paw squeaked in protest as she resumed her attention to his bath, paying him no mind while he twisted and squirm
ed as he tried to roll toward me.

  “Do you have any advice for dealing with the water fae? I’m just getting ready to head out.” I ran a finger back and forth across one of the blankets. The kits lifted their wobbly heads a little higher, trying to follow the movement.

  She paused again, her expression thoughtful. Do not stare. Many of them are half-breeds and are very sensitive about their appearance. They do not fit into either of their worlds. The king accepts any that belong to the water into the colony, fae and shifter alike. Although we call them water fae, it is a very loose term.

  There were water shifters? How did that work?

  Zara sneezed, startling the kits and causing them to scurry back to her. She released the one under her paw and started on one of the others. Land, air, and water. There are many kinds of shifters, all either birds or mammals.

  That was reassuring. I would hate to see a spider or snake shifter. Wait . . . snakes were related to birds, kind of, weren’t they? What about alligators? Shuddering, I frowned down at Zara.

  There are crocodile shifters, yes, but they are extremely rare. There are no snake, insect, or arachnid shifters.

  That was a relief, I supposed. The volumes I’d read down in the workshop didn’t really go into all that much detail on either shifters or the fae. I seriously needed a better source of information one of these days. I think Sam knew more about shifters than I did, at this point, since she worked with so many of them several days a week.

  When the new council is formed, a record keeper will be appointed. It will be her job to make sure our volumes are updated and kept that way. Unfortunately, your family’s volumes predate the creation of both the Draftmans and Gloria’s kind, so there is very little recorded information about either.

  Shaking my head, I kissed the kit I held on top of her head and gently placed her with her siblings. The thought that anyone could create another being still boggled my mind. As for the mention of the new council I was to assemble . . . well, Zara’s progeny still had almost a year before they would be ready to choose their own witches, so I had a little time to come to grips with all of it. I hoped.

  The bracelet on my wrist flared a soft blue and I looked down at it. Maybe it was just a trick of the light? When I glanced back up, I saw that Zara had noticed it, too, her eyes flicking from me to my bracelet, but she said nothing. None of us knew what to make of it. We’d researched what we could of fae Objects, finding only vague references online, which I was disinclined to trust. Sam had her research team at the law firm trying to find information, but they’d hit nothing but dead ends, as well. Astra’s library had the most information, and even that was sorely lacking, according to Finn—especially considering the jewel had come from her fairy mound.

  “Sebastian, are you coming with us? Danai is going.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I felt foolish. He was her familiar, of course he knew she was going.

  His amusement was palpable. I will join you shortly. I wish to spend a few more minutes here.

  Zara made a contented rumble and curled around the kits, who were now nursing rather noisily. If you need me, reach out.

  Nodding, I tightened my mental shields as I left the room, softly shutting the door behind me. I headed for the stairs and my room, my thoughts scattering in so many directions. Worry for my familiar when Danai and Sebastian headed home was at the forefront. Wondering if my attire—business casual slacks and one of the more dressy shirts Tess had picked out for me—was suitable for a first meeting with the king of the water fae, was close behind. There was also the near-constant worry about Rand’s “condition,” and the knowledge that an unknown enemy was likely just biding their time before the next attack. Though not quite as close to home as the rest of my worries, I had been in contact with Clarissa several times since the attack on both the law firm and the other witch in her Texas territory. She had tentatively asked if there was any chance at all either of the daughters of Lavita, the other unTurned witch in Texas who had been killed, could be considered as a bondmate for one of Zara’s kits. I’d felt terrible when I told her I honestly didn’t know. The Powers hadn’t specified that, only that five new witches were to be chosen, and I hadn’t heard from them since. As I reached my room, I tried to push all of that away and clear my mind for the meeting. Walking into the luxurious ensuite bathroom, I splashed my face with water, toweled it dry, and reached for the small jar of spelled beauty cream in the cupboard. Biting my lip, I met my own eyes in the mirror. I rarely wore much makeup these days, as I hadn’t left the estate since the last attack, but I didn’t think I looked bad for forty-one. I was in better physical shape than I’d been in since before I’d gotten married. My hair still caused most people—including me—to look twice. The steel grey strands tipped with barely an inch of deep auburn made it look like something I’d done on purpose. Tess said I looked badass. The nearly constant gorgeous weather had given my skin a light, sun-kissed glow. I had been raised believing my deeper skin tone was due to my Italian heritage. As it turned out, I was mostly French on my mother’s side, with only a little Italian on my father’s. And apparently I wasn’t even fully human. Pushing that disturbing thought away, I touched my cheek with one hand, debating. Should I use Stella’s beauty cream or not? Tess had outdone herself with this last batch and I needed to be at my best when meeting royalty, right?

  Sighing, I looked in the mirror again, put the unopened jar back, and grabbed my makeup bag. A little mascara, a bit of blush, a light layer of tinted lip balm, and I was done. What they saw was what they got. I pulled a brush through my hair and turned, my heart nearly stuttering to a stop.

  “Rand! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? I thought you were going to meet me out front?”

  He pushed away from the doorway, where he’d been watching me for I don’t know how long. “I just came to see what was taking so long.” He stepped closer, his eyes appreciative. “You look great without that stuff, you know.”

  Wonderful. He’d been watching for longer than I’d thought. Swallowing hard, I opened my mouth to respond. Before I could say anything, Gloria burst into the room with us, bumping into Rand as she passed him, and skidding to a halt. Brows up, she looked from me to Rand.

  “Dutch says we’re ready to go, you two. Tess, Sam, and Danai are walking down to the river with Toby and Clyde. They’re going to beat us there if we don’t leave now.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me behind her. I practically hugged the far side of the doorway as we brushed past Rand, but he stepped back into the bedroom to avoid being knocked down by Gloria in her excitement.

  I tried not to look back at Rand as Gloria continued to pull me along, but I couldn’t help it. When he grinned and winked at me, I immediately relaxed, releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. I just wished I had his confidence that whatever was happening here, it would all be all right. That we’d be all right.

  Chapter 2

  Meeting the king of the water fae

  As it turned out, Tess’s group did beat us to the river, if only by a few seconds. Hurriedly, Gloria and I got out of the back of the Gator. Rand mockingly held out a hand to help me out, laughing softly at my glare.

  “Just trying to be a gentleman, Rox.”

  Ignoring his comment, I moved over to where the others waited for us. Toby ran over to us, trotting between Rand and I, panting happily despite the Louisiana heat. I reached down and ruffled his ears. Jake lay a few feet away from the group, probably to make sure nobody accidently stepped into his space and lost a foot to frostbite. The Newfoundland was eerily aware of himself and everything around him. Gloria made a beeline for Dutch.

  “Astra’s not here?” It was unlike the pixie queen to be late for anything.

  Sam shook her head. “Not yet, but we’re a few minutes early. We haven’t seen any sign of the other party, either.”

  As if her words had summoned them, we heard a splash from the river. We all turned to watch as a dark pair of eyes watched
us back from the surface of the water. I felt a tiny shiver of nervousness make its way up my spine, not sure quite what to expect. Toby gave an excited yip at something behind us. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Astra leading a small flight of her people, making their way to us. When I turned back to the river, the eyes were gone.

  Clyde leaned down and said softly, “This is their way. They’ll be out in a few minutes. They tend to be cautious, but they do like to make a bit of an appearance.”

  Astra reached us and gave me a nod, which I returned. “Greetings, Roxanne.”

  “Greetings, Astra. We brought a table and seating, if you’d like us to set it up,” I offered.

  “Thank you, but that will not be necessary.”

  She scanned the river and the area around us. There were a few smaller trees and shrubs lining the banks, but the area was clear, for the most part. She pointed to one of the smaller trees to one side of us, closer to the riverbank, and motioned to half of her flight. They flew over and lit in the branches, disappearing within the tree's greenery. She directed all but her general to a tree on our other side and then moved to hover just in front of Clyde and I.

  As I debated whether or not to offer her my arm to perch on, Clyde beat me to it. He gave her a small bow and pointed to his shoulder. “I would be honored, Your Majesty.”

  She gave him a regal nod and landed on his shoulder. Gloria nudged Dutch, discreetly motioning toward the general. The horse shifter smiled and leaned down to whisper something to her. She made a moue of disappointment, but turned her attention back to the river.

  Rand stepped a little closer and I tensed. Noticing the movement, Astra raised a brow. “This is your ghost?”

  I cleared my throat. “Queen Astra, this is Rand. Randall James.”

  She tilted her head as she studied him, not saying anything. A small frown wrinkled her otherwise perfect forehead. Before I could ask her what was wrong, Toby stood and barked at the same time something big splashed in the river, startling me and turning Astra’s attention to the water. Rand reached down and grabbed the German Shepherd’s collar. At a quiet command, he settled down. We both knew the dog normally wouldn’t react unless we were threatened—he was too well-trained—but this situation was different. I didn’t want to offend the king of the water fae by having my dog frighten him or one of his people before they were even out of the water.