MAKING MAGICKAL ALLIANCES: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction Novel

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