Page 24 of Sanctuary

I scowled. "Not that, you dolt. I meant don't overextend yourself that way every time some minor inconvenience arises! I felt how much magic you just cast. It would have killed most people to even try it. You must be exhausted."

He sighed. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that," Adder bit out from behind me. "Though good luck ever getting the fool to change."

Fife just shrugged. "It's fine. I'm fine. The curse wasn't that strong. It was just spread out over a lot of distance. I've still got enough reserves left for one more big casting tonight."

"Fife," Mirri warned in a tired, resigned voice.

I narrowed my eyes at the cleric, suddenly wondering if the others had a full-time job just keeping their reckless friend from frying himself all the time. Between his strong, mercurial emotions, and his crazy, impulsive use of magic, Fife was a force of pure chaos barely contained in a pretty package. "Why does that sound like you're planning to do more magic?" I demanded.

He grinned at me, showing startlingly white teeth, but with much shorter fangs this time. "Because I am." Before the rest of us could really get started with our protests, he held up a hand and kept talking. "I'm putting a personal protection spell on every one of you. And there's nothing you can do to stop me, so save your breath."

Giving me a wink, he sauntered off toward where our mounts were waiting, a bit of unsteadiness in his usually graceful gait.

I looked at the other males, hoping for some backup. But Bach just sighed. "It's really no use trying to argue. Fife always does exactly whatever the underhill he wants to do, and no fucks given for what anyone else has to say in the matter." He shrugged. "Besides, he's not wrong. I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I knew my mate and my family had an extra layer of protection against whatever mischief comes our way."

And that was how, a couple of hours later, I found myself standing in the middle of the ballroom as Fife's magic settled around me like a second skin, tangible for only a moment before it sank into my aura and locked the spell in place. He had cast the charm on each of us in turn, though he insisted that he already had his own personal protections in place, so he only had to cast it four times, instead of five. Small relief.

At the end of my spell, he ran a shaky hand through his silky black curls and let out a little groan as the hand dropped to his side like it weighed a ton. "Okay," he finally admitted aloud. "Now that is my limit. I need to go upstairs and sleep for about twelve hours before I even think about casting so much as a spell to warm my tea."

Bach went to Fife's side and looped an arm around him, steadying him when he swayed on his feet. "Stubborn idiot," he muttered under his breath.

Fife mustered the energy to snipe back, somehow. "Takes one to know one, my friend."

Bach grunted, but didn't disagree. "Upstairs," he commanded. "And I'm locking you in your room without a single book or spell ingredient until you're fully rested."

Adder watched in silence, but a muscle ticked in his lean cheek, proving that he was clenching his jaw in an effort to keep from reprimanding his…friend? Lover? Whatever they were.

We all headed out of the ballroom and toward the stairs, but we didn't get far before Saffron stepped in front of us and sketched a small bow. "Pardon me, my lady, gentleman. But it seems some visitors have arrived."

I groaned. "What now," I complained, fully expecting some fresh disaster that needed tending to.

But in a way, Saffron's reply was even worse than anything I had imagined. "They are here to see lord Mirri," my butler informed us. "His family, or so I understand."

Saffron was the most professional person I had ever met. He could announce utter nonsense and tolerate any drama or hardship with the same unflappable air of calm that he always wore. But I had known him nearly all my life. And I could tell that my butler had not enjoyed meeting Mirri's family.

I glanced at my sweetest mate to find him frozen. His horrified expression slowly melted into a murderous glare that I never would have thought him capable of had I not witnessed it myself at that moment.

"Thank you, Saffron," I said into the awkward silence. "Please show them to the gold parlor and have Cook send something appropriate for tea. Tell them they may join us for dinner in an hour."

The gold parlor was the most ostentatious room in the house. It was the one I used to meet with and entertain people I hated but had to impress as part of my steward position. Saffron almost, but not quite, smirked. Clearly, he agreed with my assessment of our visitor's place in my life. They weren't being shown to the family room. Not even the second-best parlor, where I spent time with old acquaintances. "Shall I request the special biscuits with the tea?"

I grinned at him. "Not just yet. Let's see how things play out first. Just tea and elf tarts will do for now." After all, I didn't actually know what exactly they had done to frighten Mirri into running from them. I only knew they had to be horrid people if they had mistreated the wonderful male in any way.

Saffron bowed again and headed off to get our guests settled as we resumed heading for the stairs, this time to freshen up, rather than make sure Fife got the nap he so sorely needed.

"What are the special biscuits?" Bach asked curiously. "And why the gold parlor, but not the special treats? I feel like I'm missing something here."

I glanced at Mirri, my heart aching at the dark expression on his face and the way his wings fluttered in agitation. "It's an inside joke," I informed them with a grin. "The special biscuits are laced with an herb that is an extremely powerful laxative. It was a prank I concocted when I was a child and one of our visitors was cruel to me. Luckily Saffron caught onto what I had done before the biscuits actually made it to the stuck-up earl. But there have been times since when we've both considered using the method to deal with difficult visitors."'

Fife barked a laugh, reaching out to slap Mirri on the back. "If your parents are here to trifle with you, our new mate will ensure they spend the time indisposed instead."

Adder scoffed. "If they are here to cause trouble, they won't live long enough to worry about what they ate."

"Agreed," Bach said, his blue eyes glinting with menace.

But Mirri just shook his head tiredly. "I don't know why they'd show up here now. But it's probably not to kidnap me. That would be stupid now that I'm known to the royal family. I'm more valuable to my parents right where I am. Now they can say they are well connected." He glared at the others. "And we won't embarrass our mate or make problems in our new home by acting like a bunch of brawling heathens. So, behave."

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