Page 19

Dew’s excitement over her wings had reflected Louisa’s own reaction.

“How do you keep them so shiny if you don’t let them see the light of day? I’ve never seen this color before. Would you call it black or red? Can I dye my hair this color? We can match without the world ever knowing.”

From that moment on, Rowan had stuck to the girl like glue. Eventually she burrowed her way into her heart despite Louisa making it her personal mission to create and maintain a distance between herself and the whole outside world. Being the daughter of Rosario the Cruel hardly made Louisa an enticing companion.

The first time meeting the strict no-nonsense Grand-Vampire of the North American Brood, it had helped that Rowan had years of translating her mother’s frustration through a language she used only when she was upset. She could understand every word the woman lashed her with, even as she stumbled over her own tongue to respond.

“It matters to me only that you try. Not that you’re an imbecile at using the tongue your mother should have known better than to deprive you of. Our ancestors abandoned their native language, whether forced or by choice. Don’t let anyone, not even your mother, keep you from your birthright.”

Rowan returned to the present by the loud snore Kin gave. “Was he triggered by yesterday’s attack?”

“Possibly, but I don’t have time to analyze his blood.” Louisa’s eyes slid to the clock behind Dew’s desk. “We each have five visits scheduled today. We’re going to have to split up his work.You know he’s going to be pissed when he wakes up and realizes you didn’t kill him as he asked.”

Rowan waved Louisa’s concern away. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Today is the day with the leprechaun and phoenix wreck, right? I call the leprechaun.”

Dew moved to her desk, looking at the schedule through the computer. “I’ll call them to let them know.”

“No! I want the leprechaun!” Louisa hissed.

Rowan raised her hand, moving her concentration to repairing the front entrance with a bit of earth magic.

“I have to catch up with my own missed appointments. Be a team player and give me the easy one.”

Louisa rolled her eyes. “No, you were late. In Kin’s honor, you must be punished.”

Rowan grimaced, knowing she would have thrown the same words at Louisa if she’d been in her position. “Fine, but I get Dew.”

Dew was indispensable with appointments like the one Kin had given them a heads up on. Dew grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Louisa huffed, “Fine.”

XOXOXOXOXO

As a magical disaster expert, Rowan had seen her share of magic gone askew, but sometimes the oddities of the situations she tried to fix left her unsure of how to feel about them.

The phoenix, whose outrage had been audible through an entire flight of stairs when Dew had called to tell her about the switch,stormed into Rowan’s office at 3 o’clock on the dot with a very obvious issue.

Everywhere the woman stepped, she left behind a trail of gold dust.

Though Kin had left notes about what to expect when Rehya Harper walked in, the leprechaun magic attaching itself to the very irate woman, both surprised and intrigued Rowan.

“Good afternoon Ms. Harper. We appreciate your understanding of Mr. Smith’s absence. Please have a seat.” Rowan pointed to the makeshift exam table in the corner of her office.

The phoenix looked like she was on the verge of declining the offer, but when the gold production increased in correlation with her anger, she gave in.

“So, from Mr Smith’s notes in your initial conversation, it appears you may know exactly what’s going on, but are a little stubborn in trying to accept it. The refusal is exacerbating the symptoms of your condition to correlate with your emotions.” It was unusual for Rowan to be so blunt with her clients, but Dew was weaving her magic of calming through the room and she still had hours of catching up on her own work looming over her head.

The phoenix, though a lot calmer than Rowan suspected she could be, increased the amount of gold she had been producing, giving away her displeasure.

“What exactly do you believe I am trying to refuse to accept?” Rheya asked tightly.

“That you’re pregnant.” Rowan pointed at the small mountain of gold building on the wooden floor. “And the father is a leprechaun.”

Rowan didn’t blink even as streams of flame erupted from the hands of the woman that found themselves around her neck. It was more of a threat of violence than an actual attack with its lack of grip or actual heat.

“Take it back!” She hissed, hot tears falling down her cheeks. Rowan could tell this wasn’t a surprise to the woman as much as it was painful.

A hot bubble of sympathy ballooned in the hollows of Rowan’s stomach. She grasped her wrists and guided the woman’s hands back down to her lap. “Miss Harper, I know this will be even harder to hear, but such an occurrence, while rare, is not impossible. If you don’t mind me saying, it’s proof of how much your soul and the soul of the leprechaun have bonded. Shifters are notorious for having a hard time producing offspring, even with their own kind. I know you know what this means.”