Binding Magic (An Obscure Magic Book 7) (9 page)

“She was concerned?”

“She was terrified for me. It is one thing for me to adapt to what the goddesses said and another for me to deal with a dragon in pursuit because I flashed some ankle.”

“I was interested in your cleavage, not your ankle.”

She grinned and nudged him. “Come on. Let’s get a cab and go meet my mom.”

“Matthias has provided a car for me.”

“Even better. Just give me a minute to get dressed.” She levered herself upright.

He got to his feet and smiled. “I suppose for the sake of human modesty that I should get dressed.”

“Please. My mother isn’t extranatural.”

“I will be on my best behaviour. Promise.” He winked and gave her a quick kiss before he left her to retrieve his clothing.

She used a cleansing spell to tidy up as she walked into the living room to get dressed. He was quicker than she was and watched her slowly hide the skin that he had been so very enthralled with.

“I will enjoy seeing you in clothing more appropriate to that of my mate.”

She gave him a dark look as she zipped up her jeans. “Yeah, that isn’t going to happen.”

Deirdre poured tea for them and looked Zemuel over. “So, you are a dragon?”

“Yes, madam.” Zemuel was being very polite. It was adorable.

Minerva had changed clothing when they arrived. Too much magic use tended to build up in cotton. Her jeans were ready to spark into something disastrous. She was going to have to soak the magic out.

The loose maxi dress she was wearing was comfortable and suited to the weather.

“What kind of dragon? I can’t do much reading in the magic books, but I know there are different kinds.”

He sipped at the tea, the cup ridiculously small in his fingers. “I am a stone dragon. Or earth if you prefer. My kind sleep for centuries under the ground and keep an ear out for what is going on in the human world. When we hear something interesting, we wake up.”

“Oh. How long have you been awake?”

He paused and tilted his head. “Four hundred years? I arrived before the colonists and settled into my home. I carved my home in the cliffs and then set about preparing Corudet City. I had no idea it was near a wave point until a century later.”

Deirdre gasped. “You are kidding.”

He leaned forward and whispered, “I am not. The ground cracked open in the centre of the city and energy poured out in a wave that spread outward like a pebble thrown into a pond. The ripples went on forever, and then the population showed up.”

Minerva was enthralled. “I knew it produced a lot of transporters, but I didn’t know it was a wave point.”

“Before the colonists, only those who had been at the wave could record it. I have tomes full of amazing extranatural occurrences in my library. I have always loved collecting books.” He set his teacup down and snagged a cookie.

“You collect books? What kind of books?” Minerva leaned forward.

“Histories. I have always been fascinated by histories. It is not enough to live the moment, but having you write it down and tell it from your point of view is essential. It makes the history come to life. It gives the moment a soul that allows it to live forever.”

His passion for the written word was obvious, and Minerva was shocked to share it. His holding court like an ancient monarch hadn’t really given her the thinker vibe.

Zemuel quirked his lips. “To use the vernacular, you thought I was a dumb jock?”

She blushed, and it was answer enough. He chuckled.

Deirdre smiled at the interplay. “Minerva would ride my corpse down the mountainside for a book.”

Zemuel was still amused. “I do not think she would be so extreme, but it would be a near thing.”

“You have not seen her in a studying frenzy. When she needs to look up the basics of a spell, there is no stopping her. She consumes every bit of knowledge and then goes looking for more. The Gangers have accused her of having perfect spells.”

“She does seem to go after everything with focus.”

She watched as her mate and mother seemed to be getting along fine. It was surprisingly touching. Deirdre offered him a tour of her gardens, and he took the offer immediately.

Minerva sat and watched the odd couple wander through the pathways that Deirdre had so carefully tended over the decades. He paused and asked questions that her mother gracefully answered. It was adorable.

Minerva was doing the dishes when her mother came into the kitchen. Zemuel had left for the evening, heading to his lodgings at the mayor’s home.

“He seems nice.”

The amused and dry tone made Min laugh. She put the last of the dishes away and sighed. “He wants me to move.”

“He told me. He offered to set me up with a garden three times the size of this one... and bees.”

Minerva snickered. “Wow, he knows how to get a mom on his side. What did you say?”

“I said I would have to see it to believe it.”

Minerva grinned. “Way to hold out, Mom!”

Deirdre hugged her. “He is a good partner for the destiny you are walking toward. He will be there when you need him.”

Minerva hugged her mom in return. “I am pretty sure he will, but where are you going to be?”

“Baby, you are a goddess. You are not going to age and wither. I will.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

“I will talk any way I please. I am going to get old and fade away. I am just hoping that I will get to see a grandbaby before then.”

Minerva froze. “About that...”

Her mom leaned back. “What?”

“Apparently, it is possible, in some strange stretch of the imagination and peculiar timing, that I could be pregnant.”

Deirdre blinked. “When will you know?”

“I don’t know. A month or so?”

“I had better learn to knit.” Her mom hugged her tight again.

Minerva rested her chin on Deirdre’s. Her mom was right. It was going to be hard if she was actually sculpted of ancient magics. Deirdre was going to be a great grandmother, but she would flicker and disappear in a few decades.

She never wanted to let her mom go.

* * * *

Zemuel stepped out of the car and smiled to his driver. “I will check in. You do not need to watch me.”

“I am under orders to follow you until you are back under Matthias’s roof.”

Zemuel walked to the door, and it was opened before he could touch it.

The butler nodded and said, “This way, please, Lord Zemuel.”

Zemuel followed the creature through the halls and into a large private office.

Matthias was at his desk, and his assistant was at hers. Leo was working and making calls. The vampire king smiled as Zemuel stepped forward. “So? How did things go?”

Zemuel sat on the backless bench that had been set out for him. “I believe I have made progress.”

The mayor of Redbird City snorted. “You are radiating satisfaction. I think progress was definite.”

“She is more than I was expecting.”

From her desk, Leo snorted. Matthias’s assistant had a highly amused expression, but she kept working.

Zemuel looked back at his host and smiled. “It seems that there is a consensus.”

The vampire king folded his hands on his desk. “You seem uncertain.”

“Do you know of any wandering gods in the area?”

Leo’s head snapped up. “That’s a thing?”

“Leo, please pretend you aren’t hearing this. I will explain it all later. No, Zemuel, there are no wandering gods nearby, but there are high incidents of summoned ones in the vicinity.”

Zemuel nodded and asked, “If that offer to the museum gala is still open, I would like to attend with Minerva.”

Matthias nodded. “Easily done. Leo?”

“Am I listening now?”

Matthias rolled his eyes. “Yes. Can you put Zemuel and Minerva on the list?”

“Already done. Even booked their driver. Anything else?”

“Have you looked into nursery schools for your niece?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Of course. Mind you, my sister doesn’t seem inclined to get back to work. Her flirting with the guys has taken on epic proportion.”

Zemuel sat there while they discussed the merits of socializing the little girl with folk other than extranaturals. To his amazement, he realized that he was going to be having a similar discussion with Minerva one day. His grin was more than a little foolish when Matthias returned his attention to him.

“She’s pregnant.” Matthias chuckled.

“All signs confirm it. How did you know?”

“I have seen that expression thousands of times. I hope, for your sake, it isn’t a girl. Leo’s niece, Melody, is still an infant, but already, she takes up a lot of space and time.”

“I look forward to the challenge.” Zemuel smirked. “All I need to do is convince Minerva to move in with me. How difficult could that be?”

Matthias and Leo cackled for a solid five minutes.

* * * *

Minerva checked out her belly in the mirror, and there, under her navel and just above her curls, was a small tendril of colour. A small silver vine with a tiny leaf was curling upward.

“Well, hell. Hello, junior. I wasn’t expecting to see you, but now that you are there, welcome to your start in the world.”

She patted the small mark and felt the tingle of magic run through her fingers. There was power there, and it would take the entire gestation period before she found out if it was residue from its parents or belonged to her baby all on its own.

She slipped on her robe and went into the living room. Her mother was sitting with a book and a cup of herbal tea.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“Tell me about how you managed having a baby with magic.”

Deirdre smiled.

Minerva sat next to her mother for the next three hours and listened to how one went about diapering a baby that could levitate, as well as how one kept a child eating healthy when they could summon their favourite cake.

When Minerva went to bed, her mother tucked her in like she used to and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Zemuel had better build me an impressive garden. I need to be a proper grandma to the little one. Oh, and I am going to need a new temple to the goddess.”

Minerva smiled as her mother stroked her cheek. “Make a list.”

They laughed together, and despite the creepy circumstances, both were pretty happy with Minerva’s choice.

It was a definite plus that the gown Norman had sent over covered her nipples. The jewels covered the important bits, but the translucence hinted at everything else.

Her mom helped her with her hair, and magic held it in place. Minerva hated pins.

The doorbell rang, and Deirdre smiled at her. “That is probably him.”

“I hope so, because I am tempted to order pizza and stay in.” She turned from side to side, looking at the dress that was part elegance and part tease.

It was just luck and a bit of enchantment that made her shoes a perfect match.

Her mother returned and smiled. “He’s here, Minerva. Have a nice time.”

She nodded and headed for the door. The appreciation and admiration in his expression made her surprisingly happy.

“Good evening, Zemuel.”

“My lady, you are radiant.” He bowed and his wings lifted slightly.

He was wearing a tuxedo that was slit to accommodate his wings, and the fit was perfect. “And you are striking.”

He took her hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss. “Thank you, but I pale in comparison to your beauty.”

She took in his added height that evening. “Are you taller for a reason?”

“To defend your strength and beauty. With a woman such as you at my side, I will need to be on alert.”

Minerva smirked. “Nice call with the strength comment.”

He released her hand and offered her his arm. “I wasn’t born yesterday.”

Her giggles continued as they settled into a stretch SUV, and it pulled away from her mother’s home. She felt like she was going to prom.

While Minerva had attended any number of formal gatherings in the past, she had never gone with a date. This evening was new territory for her.

The driver took them through town and to the museum.

When they arrived, Zemuel exited and came around to help her out of the vehicle.

She took his arm for stability as they walked on the thick carpet to the entrance of the museum. A few camera flashes blinded her, and Zemuel flexed a wing, wrapping it around her and keeping them from taking more pictures.

Spots dance in front of her eyes as they stepped into the building. “Thank you.”

“I am not a fan of appearing in news reports and tabloids, but they got enough of you.” His murmur was meant for her alone.

He presented two heavily embossed invitations to one of the security personnel, and the head curator escorted them through the halls and into the exhibit.

Daggers, cups and instruments of torture were only part of the exhibit. Ancient portraits and documents were of interest to Minerva. She saw a silvery dragon in one of the images and sought out a few others that had the same tiny beast in the distance.

“Is that you?”

He leaned in and checked the dates. “It is possible. I was in the general vicinity at the time. Wait, let me check on that.”

He leaned until he was nearly touching the image. “Yes, it is a depiction of me. I remember this artist. She did a number of portraits in my home.”

“She was a friend.” Minerva was surprised.

“She was. Her story was tragic, and I knew her only for a decade.”

“What happened?”

He gave her a sad smile. “Elsinor disappeared as silently as she appeared. One day she was out in the centre of the field, and ten years later, she disappeared from her studio in the tower.”

“Were you lovers?”

He chuckled. “No. She was firm on that point. I was not invited to her chamber and did not invite her to mine. She was a friend and companion, and I still miss her.”

“Do you think she lived a long life?”

Zemuel sighed. “No, but I think she is alive today.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”