Page 28 of Charming Her Monsters

“Oh.” Eyeing the meat and veggies again, I ask, half-joking, “Is this unicorn meat? Because it’s not beef.”

“Unicorn meat is much too gamey,” Maxum says. “This is pegasus meat. They are far more common than you would think and quite a nuisance.”

“What?” I push the plate away from me. “I don’t think eating magical creatures is a good idea. Supes are already pissed off that I was even born.”

“I’m just messing with you.” Maxum laughs. “It’s buffalo. And it was ethically sourced. The buffalo lives out its normal lifespan, with magic to keep its body healthy. And then it passes peacefully in its sleep.”

“Are you still screwing with me?” I ask, because who knows with this jokester.

“That’s the truth.”

I take his word for it, because honestly, that sounds like the most ethical thing you can do if you are going to eat meat. I cut and spear a small piece on my jabby fork and try it.

“It’s pretty good,” I say, and they all dig into their food. It still has a different taste than the buffalo I’ve had before, but maybe that’s the magic flavoring.

I taste the veggies on the tip of my tongue one at a time and find they taste okay. The seasoning is a bit different from what I’m used to, but I’m adventurous enough.

“So, where are we? Earth?” I ask, since it doesn’t have that colorful hyperrealism look that the fae realm has.

“Yes, but I don’t want to tell you exactly where, because if someone infiltrates your mind in your dreams, they will know where we are.”

“I suppose a lake house is generic enough,” I note.

“No landmark features around here for a reason except for a lake. But there are 125,000 lakes in the Continental U.S. alone… if we are even in the States.” Maxum winks. “Since you are untrained in blocking, you would be the most likely to reveal our location accidentally.”

I don’t mention that when I have access to Wi-Fi with my travel router, I’ll be able to pinpoint exactly where we are. I don’t plan on doing that for exactly the reason Maxum outlined. And thankfully, I’ve already turned off my GPS location on my devices.

“I don’t want to be the weak link,” I say.

“Too late,” Calder grouches.

“I wouldn’t point fingers if I were you,” Arran growls. “You botched the whole alleyway incident from beginning to end.”

“Stop it,” Maxum raises his voice.

I quietly shovel food in my mouth because I still feel guilty for not stopping Osen from demanding I go to that alley. I remind myself I didn’t have the tools or magic to stop the incubus.

“Will you really be able to help me block out people like Rob?” I ask Maxum.

He studies me for a second. “Yeah. Your magic is coming in. Soon we will see what kind of power you actually have.”

“I’m nervous,” I admit openly. “I don’t know if I can handle suddenly being powerful at forty.”

“You already are powerful,” Arran says and strokes my arm. “You’re an amazing medium, even when the talisman was draining you, and you have dream magic.”

“And you are a fucking grown-ass, professional business woman who has carved her way through a male dominated world,” Maxum adds.

“Okay. You’re right. I just need to brace myself for whatever happens.”

“We’ll be here for you,” Arran promises.

“Can we lay off the sugary positive affirmations for a few minutes so I can choke down this food?” Calder asks with a sneer on his face.

Having enough of his attitude, I say in a calm but firm voice, “Can you lay off being a dick to me for five minutes? I get you hate witches, and I get you don’t trust me because of Rob. But it upset me when you got hurt. One, because the asshole Osen loves you, and two, because I don’t hate you.”

Calder doesn’t respond, which I’m taking as a good sign. Then finally he asks, “You haven’t felt Osen again since the alleyway?”

“No. I’m getting worried.”

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