Page 24 of Chosen Spirits (The Bartender Mage #4)

Tucker closed the door to Deimos' office, then slid a few printed out satellite maps across his desk, along with an embossed invitation signed by Lady I'ari Lanathanon. His boss's dark bovine eyes were inscrutable, but Tucker could smell his satisfaction.

"Thank you, Tucker. The Mille Lacs Lake, then? I guess the lady is fond of her lake houses."

"Seems so, sir."

Deimos fanned the maps out, then put on a pair of reading glasses so he could study the invitation better. "It would have been nice to have had her location sooner, but I suppose there wasn't a way around it."

Tucker shook his head. "Telling you sooner would have meant going behind Leif's back. I wasn't meant to overhear one of his phone conversations with Mina, but I've got sharp ears, and we both know Leif isn't exactly great at subterfuge."

"That's an understatement. I remember him trying not to give away Jamie's bachelorette party.

He was vibrating so hard from holding the truth in, if you'd stuck him on a carpet he could have generated enough electricity to power the city.

" Deimos looked up at him. "Tucker, I'll be honest with you.

When you'd told me last week that you knew lady I'ari's general whereabouts, but that you weren't going to tell DOMA officially, I went to Wu.

Brought up the idea of giving you a direct order. "

"I don't betray friends or family," Tucker said evenly .

Deimos snorted, then put his glasses back in their case on his desk. "I know that, mutt. You'd have sooner quit. But the idea of it would have driven home how important this was."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I think you and Rahul are trusting too much in I'ari's temporary ceasefire.

She's a mythic sorceress wanted for instigating multiple, highly dangerous incidents, and her supposed altruistic motives aside, it's our job to address this.

Her vigilantism might be dormant right now, but if we miss this chance to confront her, we risk another Manoreth or Gassau Beast in the future.

Maybe even something far worse!" Deimos held a hand up, forestalling Tucker's objections, then began pacing behind his desk, the tufted end of his tail flicking.

"But the delay is fine. Wu said that on the off chance something did happen, you or Leif would surely let us know, and she wasn't going to head a department that created more strife than it solved. "

"You could always have tried tracing I'ari through the daughter," Tucker pointed out with a sardonic grin. "Requested phone transcripts, had Agent Fontaine put a tracker on her motorcycle…"

"Ha! As a father myself, I can't think of anything that would've gotten under I'ari's skin more than a government organization following her kid around.Besides, it's dirty pool."

"Or done the same to Leif?

"Your boyfriend would have stopped playing nice with his dirt-cheap potions once you both found out. Now all kidding aside, I have to ask, how did this come about?" Deimos waved the invitation in the air. "Did Rahul track her down?"

"Not exactly. He just pointed out that I'ari was incredibly smart, and that there's no way she wasn't aware that her daughter and Leif were socializing.

He had Leif ask Mina if her mom would share her address, and she did.

" Tucker rolled his eyes. "But apparently nobles can't do things by simple text or email, and it arrived via singing carrier moose.

It's an open invitation for Leif and any number of guests he chooses to bring. "

Deimos paused in his pacing, then regarded the invitation again before handing it over so Tucker could put it back into his kilt. "Tucker. How much longer before the soul potion is complete?"

"Leif thinks it could be any day now. He says he's waiting for the energy to literally blossom."

"Alright." Deimos crossed his arms in front of his chest, and Tucker smelled the difference in attitude.

"Tucker, I want you to put a kit together by the end of the day.

Talk with Quartermaster Wood, find out what equipment we have in the armory that would help facilitate negotiations if things go sour with I'ari.

Spell shields, tranquilizers, ward breakers, whatever.

The equipment needs to be put on standby and ready to grab in a hurry. "

"Sir, you're not thinking of a raid, are you?" Tucker tilted his head, but the director neither budged nor spoke. "There's no way she won't see us coming. And if you interfere before Leif finishes giving her and Mina the final potion—"

"I don't intend to make a move before Leif finishes his task, but it may be out of our hands. We'll both know more after today's conference call. For now, plan for a squad of six."

"Yes, sir."

Deimos turned towards his computer, dismissing him, and Tucker left the office and returned to his own desk.

Putting aside his worries, he focused on the task.

How to subdue a former arbiter that was one of the most powerful mages for hundreds of miles around?

Maybe start with long- range scenarios, then move in closer.

And, he should probably account for the idea that she wouldn't be alone.

There'd likely be a concurrent threat going on.

Six operatives probably wouldn't be enough.

Tucker started typing up items, making a note to run it by the quartermaster to get her expert opinion on squad gear.

◆◆◆

"We're sending three arbiters to the region," the elf on the video call said. "Arbiter Edith Silvana will handle any communications or problems that arise."

The overall smell of vexation filled the conference room, where several DOMA operatives sat on a call with a representative of the mythic council, coming most strongly from Executive Director Wu.

"DOMA will be glad to take a backseat to your operation, but if something extraordinary happens, which is growing common to Lady I'ari, we might need to move in early and de-escalate."

"Hmm, hmm. No, I don't think you will. At least not if it involves the royal Lady herself. Feel free to wrangle any released spirits, but any detaining you might do with her, or stars forbid, an arrest , will be met with the strongest censure."

"We'll work to avoid such a situation," Wu said.

"Executive Director," the man said, steepling his fingers. "We both want the same thing, do we not? Lady I'ari's chaos needs to be managed, and not made a public spectacle of."

"I can't say that the latter particularly concerns me, not in light of the danger she poses."

"The royal Lanathanon family wishes to remind you in the strongest terms that Lady I'ari is still a princess, so for all intents and purposes, you should consider her to have diplomatic immunity while she is so far away from home."

' A home that you kicked her out of ,' was clear as day on Wu's face, but instead Tucker heard her say, "I see the point that you are making."

She made a few more assurances to the representative that promised exactly nothing, then shut the screen off with a vicious button click when the magistrate ended the call.

Deimos nudged him, speaking quietly. "This is why we weren't worried about the address delay. We'd never have received approval to move in."

"Professional janitors it is, then," Executive Director Wu said, turning to face the group.

"Well! As you all heard, officially, our hands are pretty well tied, meaning we can't do much more than follow after her and clean up her messes, but damned if I care.

If we ruffle a few feathers by slapping some wards on I'ari, I'll handle the backlash.

I have something that I've been cooking up that might solve the issue without conflict if I can get the budget approved, but in the meantime, we have two other avenues of approach that supersede the mythic council's strongly emphasized suggestions . "

"Leif's invitation to visit her home?" Tucker guessed.

Wu nodded. "That's one. His invitation allows him to bring guests, so DOMA could send a few representatives to talk things out with I'ari, see if we can't put an end to her trouble-making in exchange for some concessions."

"Yes, ma'am. What else?"

Wu gestured back at Tucker. "Mr. Becken is completing a major favor for the lady. We might be able to get a more permanent ceasefire that way."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that," Tucker said, his leg starting to bounce. "Leif doesn't want anything in return for what he's doing."

Julia leaned forward so that he could see her, and he could smell her offended pride.

"Johnson, remind Mr. Becken that he's already put in close to two months of effort on this project, and he's a uniquely qualified mage that's doing a job that very few in the nation could do solo.

That kind of time and effort deserves something. "

"Still…"

Wu held a hand up. "Detective Johnson, I know that DOMA is imposing.

I won't force you to settle the problem by using Leif's efforts as a favor, but I want to remind you that you're dealing with royalty.

The way these things go, I fully expect Lady I'ari to offer Leif something, no need for him to even ask.

Be sure to talk with Lilithian and those elven mage contacts of yours to make sure Leif knows the polite way to handle an exchange of favors. "

Wu took her seat. "Now, tell me what kind of equipment you think we'll need. Mythic council wishes or not, I don't want to risk any operative's life by sending them into a situation unprepared."

◆◆◆

"—so Lilithian wrote up a quick reference guide for how to phrase things," Tucker told his boyfriends, leaning himself more fully into the cuddle. "Ways to ask for something without asking, in case it comes up."

In his arms, Leif was scrolling through said guide on his phone. "Mmm. She included some elven phrases, I'll have to make sure I look up the right way to pronounce them. Thanks, Tucker! I'll study it tomorrow."

"Damn, puppy, sounds like you've had a busy day." Rahul trailed a hand affectionately down his cheek. "Did anything else interesting happen today?"

"Yes, actually. Do you remember Sergeant Brown? Freckles, similar build as Ashley, one of the police officers during our final Germaine case?"

"Course I do, she's the one I followed to where I first met Leif! The police aren't still giving DOMA grief, are they?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Anyways, she was apparently being ostracized at her job because she wasn't playing along with their fabricated story about why their sniper shot at a civilian, so she quit.

Instead, she's now Detective Brown, or will be after some additional DOMA training.

Deimos is having her work with Jamie while she learns the ropes.

I sniffed her out, and she seems genuinely happy to be here. "

"Well hot damn, good for her! Let me know when she finishes her training, I'll throw a party to congratulate her. Assuming she'd be comfortable with it, of course.If you could, please find out for me without letting her know?"

"Will do, party bear."

Rahul squeezed him tightly in response, growling, but he ended up squishing Tucker's arms, which caused him to squeeze Leif in turn.

Leif squeaked, then tossed his phone aside and spun around in Tucker's grasp.

Climbing halfway up over him, Leif started poking Rahul's chest, pretending that he was seriously offended, sparking laughter.

In doing so, though, Leif ended up with his crotch right around Tucker's head.

Leif's masculine and faintly sweaty scent drew him in before he'd even realized that he was pushing his nose into Leif's balls.

He inhaled the smell of his lover, today without the usual scent of alcohol, but still with the everpresent taste of sunshine from his magic.

Leif made another startled sound, but fortunately his reflexes chose this time to freeze rather than jerk away.

Reaching up, he grabbed Leif's ass to hold him in place as he brushed his lips against Leif's soft cock.

After a moment, while Leif held himself aloft and started making whimpering sounds, Rahul finally spoke up. "Alright, pup, enough. I want in on this, too, and I can't with you on top of me."

Tucker pulled back from deepthroating their boyfriend, licking a bit of saliva off of his lips.

He grumbled, but let go of Leif's butt long enough for their cub to pull himself free, sitting back on the couch.

Red in the face and with his cock rigid between his legs, he reached forward with a foot, nudging Tucker's own erection.

"Nope!" Rahul said, pointing a finger at Leif warningly before he could dive headfirst into Tucker's lap. "Let me just… nngh… get out from behind… there! Alright, you can proceed now."

As Tucker laid back on the couch and Leif started planting soft kisses on his inner thigh, taking his time, Rahul hurried to a cabinet, grabbing lube and a towel before returning.

"Just in case," he told them, before running his hands down Leif's backside, joining in on their pre-dinner fun.