Blood of the Exiled (Witch Fairy Book 10) (16 page)

Adriel and Alita follow me into an upscale department store and we head to the dress section.
 
There are dresses ranging from casual to ultra-formal.
 
The hour speeds by as we try dresses on and model them for each other.
 
The guys may have actually enjoyed this part.
 
Nah, probably not.
 

When we have made up our minds and each of us has a beautiful dress for dinner tonight, we head back to the electronics store.
 
Kegan and Kallen are waiting outside for us, a large bag in Kallen’s hand.
 
“What’s that?” I ask.
 

Eyes shining with excitement, Kegan says
, “It is something called a Wii.
 
We bought games to go with it.”

I shake my head.
 
“Alita, I’m sorry but your new husband has gone to the dark side.”

Her eyes open wide, taking me too literally.
 
“What do you mean?
 
I do not sense anything.”

I laugh.
 
“I mean he is going to waste many hours sitting in front of a television playing video games.
 
He may only resurface for food and bathroom needs.”

Realizing I was not serious about the dark side, she says, “I think I know how to lure him away.”
 
Heat flashes in Kegan’s eyes.
 
Yes, she knows.

Not ready to return to Grandpa’s, I say, “We could see a movie.
 
That’s definitely something you should experience.”

“Those are the pictures on a big screen, right?” Adriel asks.

I nod.
 
“Let’s go see what’s playing.”

We make our way through the crowds to the far end of the mall where the theater is.
 
I check the listings and find a couple of new movies that look interesting.
 
One is a romantic comedy and the other is action.
 
I know we’ll be divided on which one to see.
 
Picking up an information pamphlet, I read the description of the two different movies.
 
Alita and I root for the romantic comedy but we’re out voted.
 
Like I thought, the guys want action, and so does Adriel.
 
That’s not surprising.
 
She’s not really the romantic comedy type.

Teasing Adriel, I say, “Traitor.”
 
She just smiles.

We buy our tickets and move to the concession stand.
 
I order popcorn, candy and slushies for everyone.
 
Then I show them how to slather their popcorn with butter and other flavorings.
 
When we’re done, we walk to the theater the ticket taker pointed out.
 
Finding seats, we get settled with our goodies just as the previews start.

The first one is for a horror movie.
 
When a hand on the screen reaches out of a television and grabs someone, Alita squeals and grabs hold of Kegan’s arm, nearly spilling their popcorn.
 
“Will that happen when you are playing your games?” she whispers.

Overhearing her and trying hard not to laugh, I lean over and say, “Nothing is real.
 
It’s all make-believe like a play.”
 
She doesn’t look convinced and buries her face in Kegan’s shoulder until the next preview.
 

Finally, the movie we came to see comes on.
 
It’s fast-paced, funny and ultra-violent.
 
I can tell that Alita, and even Adriel, don’t care for the bloody fighting scenes.
 
Kegan and Kallen on the other hand
love
them.
 
Their eyes are riveted to the screen the entire movie, they even lean forward a bit in their chairs as if trying to get closer to the action.
 
Kallen had some exposure to television when he stayed in the mountains with me, but this is all new to Kegan.
 

After the movie, I am bombarded with questions from the guys about how the movies are made, how much is real, and how do they do the stunts without magic and without killing themselves.
 
I explain as much as I can.
 
I tell them about computerized graphics and how stunts can be enhanced to look more dangerous than they really are.
 
When I’m finished, they both have a gleam in their eyes.
 
I shake my head.
 
“You are not becoming stuntmen.”

“I will need a profession if we are to stay here,” Kallen counters.

I raise my brows and say, “You’ll have a job.
 
You will be helping me control the Witches.”
 
The gleam fizzles from his eyes, making me feel terrible.
 
Trying to cheer him up after my not so gentle reminder of how bleak our future might be, I say, “How about we go back to the house and you guys can play video games until dinner.”

Kegan perks up and a small smile tries to form on Kallen’s lips.
 
“Deal,” he says.

I call the driver back and we wait outside for him where he dropped us off.
 
Our moods have dampened since my comment about having to stay here.
 
If the Princess
thing
doesn’t work out, I could easily get a job as a black cloud of gloom.

It’s back to the hornet’s nest now.
 
I wish I liked video games enough to cheer me up even a little bit.

Back at Grandpa’s, we find Jadyn waiting for us.
 
She’s sitting on a wooden swing on the back porch near the garage.
 
Rising, she comes to greet us and show us back to our rooms or the library, whichever we desire.
 
She says she didn’t want us to get lost in such a big house.
 
What she means is ‘I’m here to keep you from finding your grandfather and starting a fight with him’.
 
I find I’m okay with that.
 
At least, I am until she announces that we will be Grandpa’s guests at dinner
tonight
, which will supposedly be a neutral zone.
 
No political discussions allowed.
 
Sure, that’s going to work out well.

I groan.
 
“I thought he didn’t want to see me until tomorrow.”
 
My urge to get this over with has been replaced by a serious case of procrastination.
 
Can’t I just spend the next week showing my friends around?
 

Jadyn’s smile is grim.
 
“He has spent time this afternoon with the Queen.
 
He is,” she pauses, searching for the right word, “fascinated.”

My grandfather has the hots for Tana?
 
Isn’t that just peachy.
 
“Do you mean he’s enamored?
 
A love sick puppy?”
 
Tana could easily control his weak mind, so I’m wondering if this ‘fascination’ is really his idea.
 
What is she playing at spending time with him at all?

Jadyn tilts her head and nods once.
 
“It could be put that way, yes.”

Kallen’s eyes are burning with fury.
 
“Where is the Queen?” he demands harshly.

“She is out riding.”
 
Jadyn doesn’t say she’s out riding with my grandfather, but it’s implied.

“Where?”
Kallen asks.
 
He wants to go find them.
 
That seems like a terrible idea.

“Don’t answer him,” I tell Jadyn.
 
To my gorgeous, hotheaded husband, I say, “If I have to wait, then so do you.
 
Tana’s a big girl.
 
She can handle herself.”
 
I’m going to assume he doesn’t mean the death glare Kallen’s now giving me.

Knowing the safest thing for her to do is get the heck out of here, Jadyn backs toward the door.
 
“Please let me know if you need anything else before dinner.
 
Otherwise, dinner will be served in the formal dining room at seven.”
 
With that, she turns on her heel and leaves the room.

Kallen watches her leave and then grinds out, “She is married to your father.
 
It is not appropriate for your grandfather to be trying to win the favor of someone else’s wife.’

I love how he slips into old fashioned language when he’s mad.
 
“Just for the gross factor, I don’t want them together either.
 
But, the fidelity ship sailed from Dagda and Tana’s marriage the night I was conceived.
 
If she wants to date someone else, Dagda will just have to suck it up.”
 
Please, please don’t let it be Grandpa, though.

As he considers my words, I can feel his anger slipping away and resignation setting in.
 
He knows I’m right.
 
He is way easier to talk down than I am.
 
“This does not make any sense.
 
If my aunt wants to be with someone other than her husband, why would she pick such an old, weak man?”
 
In a normal family, I’d probably be annoyed by his description of my grandfather.
 
Since I’m not in a normal family, I couldn’t care less.

“Maybe she is simply trying to get information from him,” Alita suggests.

“Or maybe she wants to make another Witch Fairy,” Kegan chimes in.
 
My heart clenches for a moment at the thought.

“Nonsense,” Adriel counters, “It is impossible.
 
Xandra’s birth was carefully orchestrated and it was based on a trifecta.
 
Witch, Fairy and
Angel
blood needed to combine to fulfill the prophecy.
 
Simple conception between a Witch and a Fairy cannot happen, it is biologically impossible.
 
It would be like a tiger and a lion conceiving together.”
 
I like how she just compared us to animals.
 
I give her a sour look.

“Did you have to give us all mental images of them ‘conceiving’?” Kegan gripes.
 
I agree.
 
Yuck.

“I still think it is a ruse.
 
She is just trying to get information,” Alita says again.

Mentally scrubbing unwanted images from my brain, I say, “I hope you’re right.”
 
I hope this isn’t some plot on her part to take over the Witches and make them her evil minions.
 
I would hate to beat her down again.
 
I’m not sure her fragile state of being could take that.
 
Then again, if she is planning a coup, then she isn’t that fragile.
 

Trying to change the subject, I ask, “Do you want me to get you guys set up for playing your new games?”
 
With Mom and Dad being ghosts and Aunt Barb so busy with her research, I did all this kind of stuff for Zac back home.

Kegan grins.
 
“I am ready to best my cousin, yes.”

Kallen reluctantly lets the subject drop and joins Kegan, helping him take everything out of the bag and then the boxes.
 
I tell them what I need and I get the Wii hooked up on a large screen television that was hidden behind doors of an entertainment system in no time.
 
After showing them how to load the games and work the controllers, we all sit back and watch
them
play, Adriel and Alita taking their turns as well.
 

Kallen still isn’t happy about whatever Tana is doing, but he’s good at keeping things like that to himself.
 
I personally want, despite my arguments that she can do what she wants, to find her, string her up like a piñata and beat her with a stick until she stops being such a pain in my butt.
 
I’ll hold off as long as I can for Kallen’s sake.