The Charmer (40 page)

He glanced at his sleeping wife, doubly glad
he was here. Even Terza might not have stopped the reptile before
its poison overcame her. Keilor looked at the fireplace, his
thoughts grim. Even with the Haunt he’d send swarming up to check
the roofs, it was doubtful they’d catch the culprit. Yesande and
Tor Maphin were dead. Who was still alive who wanted Jasmine
dead?

Chapter 34

The symbiont delegation left the next day,
hurrying to get home before the storms began. They left none
behind.

“Maybe you’ll get to come back for a visit,”
Jasmine told Leo, a little sad to see her go.

Leo glanced at Jackson, who was mounting his
symbiont cycle, her expression doubtful. “Maybe.”

Jasmine stopped her with a touch to her suede
swathed arm as she was about to mount. “A calling card, just in
case you need a friend,” she said, handing Leo a dragonfly pin made
of iridescent silver. “Things sound rough back in the swamps. Let
me know if I can lend you a hand, or if you need a place to hole up
for a while, ok?”

Something suspiciously like tears sparkled in
Leo’s eyes. “Thank you,” she murmured. She cleared her throat and
mounted up for the short ride to port.

She was the only one who looked back as they
rode away.

The hard rains came the next day, and
continued without mercy for weeks, occasionally morphing into
deadly hurricanes. No one was more relieved than Jasmine when they
finally left. The hormones from her pregnancy had made her more and
more irritable as each day passed, until even the indomitable
Keilor began to keep a wary eye on her when he entered the
room.

Rihlia gave birth to a healthy baby daughter,
and shortly thereafter she was back on her feet, just as the
doctors had promised.

“Glad to see they’re not born furry,” Jasmine
teased, holding her charming little niece.

And then it was her turn.

After the first ten minutes of her
high-pitched screaming, Keilor turned an alarming shade of eggshell
and quickly found some ear protection

earning a glare from the medic

but bravely stayed to await the birth.

Nearly ten months to the day of her return,
Jasmine gave birth to a pair of twin boys. One was born with dark
hair and his father’s eyes.

The other, the second born, emerged wearing a
tiny symbiont.

The End

About the author:

I'm a stay at home mom with three kids, a
dog and an active imagination. I spent the first 34 years of my
life in Alaska, land of the midnight sun, but these days I'm
located in Washington, and am enjoying a much warmer sun :) I'm
married to my high school sweetheart, John, who is known to bring
me flowers "just because".

My leisure time is filled with gardening,
crochet, knitting, sewing, art and reading.

Connect with me online at:

www.autumndawnbooks.com

http://authorautumndawn.blogspot.com