Page 38 of Ulune's Daughter

“What’s with the bird?” he asks as we let ourselves in.

I shrug. “I only haven’t killed it because it might be her familiar.”

“I can kill it on my way out,” he offers. “Looks tasty.”

I chuckle. “No, if it really is her familiar, the backlash will hurt my mate.”

Mags grumbles.

“Let’s start with aversion charms on all the chairs.”

Mags nods. He’s an Air-mage, like my mate and my twin. His charms—and hexes—are less likely to be canceled out by Rhodes’ natural resistance than mine, since Rhodes is a Water-mage and my element is Fire.

While Mags busies himself with the chairs, I survey the contents of Kellan’s refrigerator. She restocked after returning from England; she has a couple of choices for dinner. I take a chance and pick the chicken breasts she has marinating, on the theory she’d use the raw chicken first. They’re in a barbeque sauce, which conceals the quantity of cinnamon I dump on them and stir into the sauce.

Although I try to avoid hearing about my brother’s human whenever possible, I’ve been around him long enough that I know he abhors cinnamon.

Dinner successfully ruined, I head into the bathroom. No one expects a water-repelling charm on the porcelain. I tinker with the spell, making it dormant until the seat is lifted, for so long Mags comes to find me.

“Piss to the face?” Mags asks.

I nod with satisfaction.

“Just remember to wipe the charm off before you use the crapper yourself,” Mag says. “Dex got caught by his own hex that way.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? Is he back yet?” His job is to puncture the human’s car’s tires. How long can that take?

Mags shakes his head.

“Are you sure the two of you are related?”

Mags grins, showing teeth sharper than mine. “Janna swears we are. Da’s not so sure.”

“I can see why he’d have his doubts.” Satisfied with the charm, I wash my hands and pace back to the bedroom. If Kellan brings Rhodes in here, we’re going to have problems much larger than a charm can solve. Still, a little insurance never hurts.

“Aversion charm on the bed?” Mags asks.

“Maybe something stronger.” I rub my chin. “Uncontrollable sneezing hex?”

“Hard to get your sexy on when you’re sneezing.”

“Exactly. Make sure it’s limited to humans. I sleep in here.”

Mags wisely doesn’t ask why a hex is needed to keep a human out of the bed I’m already occupying. I don’t offer to enlighten him. Mags has more brains than his brother, but he’s still a foot soldier, without any gift for strategy. He does what he’s told and rarely questions orders.

I’m fond of both of my cousins, but I’ll freely admit I prefer the company of Mags.

Once he’s finished, we lock up and slip back into our fur. Kellan’s sheltered back porch is extremely convenient for shifting, despite the presence of the freaky chicken. Mags rubs cheeks and shoulders with me before bounding into the Fae Ways.

I patrol my territory, giving everything a fresh spray, then settle onto the bottom step and wait for my mate.

Watching Luca’s human grimace and shift his way through dinner, and return from the bathroom with a conspicuous wet patch on his shirt, keeps me purring all night. Especially when he admits his car is disabled so they can’t go to listen to the band as planned. Unfortunately, my mate has a car. I trail them to the gate, meowing, but my mate just gives me an extra cuddle before she closes the gate and leads the human to her car.

Tail lashing, I watch them drive off.

Chapter13

Situation Abnormal

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