Page 87 of Myths and Shifts

Everyone raised a hand and I could feel a mix of emotions firing through Pierce. Relief and excitement were two of the primary ones, but they left me wondering what he was thinking. Did Daddy want to go through the portal?

The situation had shifted since we’d first talked about it…significantly so. But did that change how Daddy felt?

I thought I was doing my best to keep my thoughts to myself, but Daddy glanced over at me before squeezing my hand under the table.

“No worries, little mage.”

The strength of his words surprised me and I barely held back a smile.

“Yes, Daddy. No worries.”

We’d figure it out no matter what happened.

“I’d like to know what everyone’s thoughts are on bringing dinosaurs back through the portal.” Florida Man’s serious expression made everyone quickly realize he wasn’t joking. “Repopulating extinct species is a global imperative, you know.”

Okay, maybe there were still a few things to worry about.

Chapter 25

Pierce

“We’re going to end up infested with dinosaurs.” I tried not to sigh, and I didn’t even do it out loud, but Merritt’s giggles filled my mind. “I’m going to have to call the government.”

The giggles didn’t fade but he shrugged. “Well, they didn’t even come when one of the locals somehow ended up stealing an armored truck full of gold bars. Or something like that. So I’m not sure doing a live remake ofJurassic Parkis going to get much attention from them.”

He might’ve been right…gold beat disasters any day.

“The fact that the other side of the portal is in such a deserted area is the only reason we haven’t seen something ridiculous come through.” That was not good or as interesting as Kenzie and Florida Man seemed to think. “I can’t decide if insurance would hold us accountable or not…much less the legal system.”

Merritt frowned as we wandered through the town park that seemed to butt up against the forest. “Well, no one is sure how long ago it was built or who built it. So it could be some kind of early human civilization. That means plausible deniability.”

I liked that answer, so in the back of my head I started mentally arranging an argument I could use in court. “That has merit.”

He giggled in my head but kept a straight face. “Thank you.”

“Dork.” That made the giggles worse. “Every time we figure out one thing two more pop up.”

I was starting to think someone whammied us, as Wren would’ve called it. But even Merritt had said he didn’t feel anything magic being specifically directed at us.

“Let’s focus on the positive.” Forcing himself to look more cheerful, Merritt kissed my cheek. “We’ve got the basic team put together. We’ve made the commitment to go. We know they’ve still been looking for us. That’s amazing. We still mattered to them.”

That hit me a bit too hard and I had to swallow past a lump in my throat. “My great-great-grandmother died when I was little but one of the memories I do have of her was her talking about her…I think…great-grandmother and how she cried about what had happened. I might have the details wrong because I was really young when I overheard her talking to one of her cousins or someone like that.”

I should’ve written more of those memories down.

“The original stories were lost in a house fire a few generations ago, but what was passed down orally was just about how sad they were and how lonely that first generation was until they started making families here on their own.” I couldn’t imagine starting out life that way, but with Merritt, I knew I could do it.

“We’ve got stories like that.” Merritt squeezed my hand and tugged me close enough to bump his shoulder against my arm. “We have a few journals too, but they’re mostly about gossip and recipes and one that’s nothing but a man…a dragon…complaining about his mate. Just complaints and one line at the very end about how much he loved him.”

Him.

“That’s sweet.” And probably very accurate for some relationships. “I bet there are some good stories in it mixed in with all the complaints.”

And probably interesting tidbits about how the outside world handled the two men being so close.

“If you ever manage to drag me back to visit my family, I’ll show you.” Merritt chuckled when I rolled my eyes. “You heard them on the phone earlier. They’re not reasonable.”

They made decisions so badly they’d fit right in with the locals.

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