Page 61

Nathan walked to a credenza, opened it, and then walked to us with a few sheets of paper and a pen. It seems some things are universal across realms. Or, maybe the pen was invented in one realm and the idea travelled to other realms?

Nathan put the paper on a table near me and handed me the pen. “Write on the paper that vampires and werewolves are real.”

He’d just told us we had to keep the secret, so I shook my head. “I just took an oath to keep the secret. I’m not writing it down.”

He smiled. “Excellent answer, but humor me. The lights in here are magical, but Kirsten can light a candle for you once you’ve written it, so you can burn it.”

Kirsten walked to a large candle, a flame appeared on the end of her finger, she lit the candle, then blew her finger out.

I shook my head, leaned down, and wroteWould you believe it if I told you…

My hand froze. I couldn’t write the first letter ofwerewolves. I was sending all the signals from my brain to my hand to keep writing, but it wouldn’t move. It wasn’t like it was paralyzed. I could squeeze the pen harder or softer, I just couldn’t write the next word.

I put the pen down, picked it up, and tried to write the W inwerewolvesagain. When I was convinced I couldn’t, I tried to write the wordvampire. Again, my hand wouldn’t do it.

I decided to change the wording of my intended sentence and wrotethe unbelievable tale that…

Again, I got those words out, but then my hand wouldn’t write anything more.

I grew dizzy. The room swam around me. I gripped the pen tighter, looser, tighter. I imagined I was writing it in a different language. I could hear my breath now, short and rapid. My heart raced in my chest, beating against my rib cage.

I put the pen down, wiped my hand on the odd fabric of the pants I’d been given, which just reminded me all over again I was in a different fucking realm, and I lifted the pen and tried again.

And again.

Eventually, Micca wrapped her arms around me to tell me that was enough. Not being able to write it meant the oath had taken hold, but I shook my head and kept trying. It wasn’t until I could hear the stress and worry in her voice that I stepped back from the table. I couldn’t look at anyone in the room, so I stood with Micca’s arm around me and watched Davy try to write it, and then accept that he couldn’t right away.

* * * *

Micca

Everything was fine until it was time for Will to write out that he’d learned vampires and werewolves are real. When he realized he couldn’t write it, he big-time lost it. He didn’t just try a few times, like most people, but kept on trying until I finally had to talk him into stopping.

Which isn’t surprising, really. Will has created a life where he controls everything around him, so losing control of anythingis a problem for him, but losing control of his willpower wasn’t acceptable.

Davy handled it much better, possibly because he’d seen his Master go through it, but more likely because he isn’t used to being in control all the time.

Eventually, Will could at least fake maintaining control. I could scent how messed up he still was, but he got his breathing and his attention span back under control, at least.

They let Will ask some more questions, mostly about the care and feeding of a shapeshifter, which warmed my heart, and then everyone left again, telling us dinner would be brought to us soon. We were encouraged to turn in for the night shortly after we ate, with a promise to wake us thirty minutes before breakfast the following morning.

When they left, I apologized,again, to Will and Davy for putting them in danger, but Will told me, “Stop, Micca. We know enough now, and I understand why you couldn’t tell us.”

“How often do you have to go to other realms for your job?” Davy asked, clearly changing the subject.

“It’s rare. I’ve been to Alfheim twice, and both times I was here less than an hour. Electronics don’t fare well here, so I just collected evidence and went back home to test it. I’ve never been to Faerie. I’ve been to a few other realms a couple of times, but again, never more than an hour or two.” I wanted to change the subject, so I ordered him to, “Tell me where things are with the visit to your grandparents.”

I’d been gone for ten days, completely out of contact with them, so I really did want to know. I was supposed to go to Alaska with them, after all. I’d meant to ask it as a question, but it’d come out as an order, but that was okay. Davy does well with orders.

Our boy grimaced, but answered right away without hesitating. “It’s stillweeksaway, nearly a month. We have to flyto Alaska on a big plane, and then get on a small one to be taken closer to them, and then finally a helicopter, because they aren’t close to a landing strip a plane can land on.”

“It’ll be fine,” Will told him, his hand on Davy’s shoulder, and he told me, “We’ve talked to them on video a couple of times because I want to be certain the old man isn’t going to be a bastard about the fact his grandson is gay, but he seems to be…” He rolled his eyes. “Not necessarily good with it, but he didn’t condemn him for it, either. More of a statement that he didn’t get to raise his grandson and he has to accept him for the man he’s become.”

“And we’ll both be with you,” I told Davy. “You aren’t doing this alone.”

“Right,” Will told him. “Your family of choice will be there for you while you meet some of your biological family.”

The castle fed us a royal dinner and a fantastic breakfast the next morning, and we were mostly all three fucked out by the following afternoon. Will has a bunch of exercises he can do without equipment, and he put him and Davy through them several times.