Page 94 of The Mating Quest

Lacey sniffled, feeling sad for him. “But then you found Ciara. And now you have a little girl of your own, your ownfamily.”

Xavier’s face lit up. “Yes, I found my lovely mate and our daughter is the light of mylife.”

Tristan entered the lab, his son Keegan racing in ahead of him. “Fire, are you making fire?” Keeganshouted.

“Coldfire,” Drust told thechild.

“I wannahelp!”

Tristan frowned. “No, Keegan. This is no place for you and no place for achild.”

“But Papa! It’s so pretty when Drust blows blue flames out of hismouth!”

“You should see the ones he can blow out of his butt,” Xavier muttered, grinning and then he winced as Lacey hit hisarm.

“Don’t give him ideas,” sheadmonished.

Tristan sighed. “No Keegan. It’s time for yourlessons.”

“Let him stay. I’ll keep an eye on him,” Laceyoffered.

“No.” Tristan picked up his son, who protested loudly, and marched out of the room. When he returned, Caderyn had appeared to survey theproceedings.

“You are too overprotective with Keegan,” the Shadow Wizard observed. “He will learn best from makingmistakes.”

“Not mistakes that will hurt him,” Tristan growled, his eyes flashingsilver.

Caderyn put a hand on the other wizard’s shoulder, calming him. “I know you worry about your son, more than your daughter, since Keegan was kidnapped. But you must let the boy explore, be achild.”

Tristan sighed. “Nikita says the same. She says there is no way anything can happen to him again. But what if thereis?”

Caderyn looked thoughtful. “The world on earth is changing, and danger increasing. But Ethan and Ilana are closer now, and they will soon help Dakota retrieve Gideon’s talisman from the Winter Kingdom. Try to relax a littleTristan.”

Suddenly a keening cry echoed through the air, making them all wince and clap their hands over their ears. Lacey’s blood ran cold. This was Tir Na-nog where nothing bad happened. That cry of distress arguedotherwise.

Caderyn tilted his head. “It is Gideon. Quick to hishome.”

They dematerialized to Gideon’s home, a cottage in a dark forest. The cries continued from thebedroom.

Xavier paused. “Maybe we should knock. I mean, he can get a little kinky in the bedroom, he toldme…”

Alia, Gideon’s mate ran out. “Oh thank the goddess you’re here! Please,hurry!”

They ran into thebedroom.

Gideon sat at a desk by the window in his typical outfit of a red tunic embroidered with gold and silver, red leggings and red boots. His long, blond hair hang loose. At first nothing looked amiss… and then Lacey clapped a hand to her mouth as the wizardturned.

Gideon held up his right hand. It was opaque, nearlyvanished.

No, not vanished. Turned intoshadow.

“Look at him,” Alia cried out. “What’s happening to myhusband?”

Gideon’s tormented expression broke Lacey’s heart. But it was the Shadow Wizard’s next words that iced her heart withterror.

“He is turning into shadow. Someone found Gideon’s talisman, and is using it againsthim.”

All the yearshe’d lived as a Fae and then an immortal, Gideon had never been as stricken nor as terrified as now. Not only for himself, but for Alia, and the otherwizards.