THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) (11 page)

SIXTEEN

“Still
nothing?” Ann bounced a wiggling and very pudgy Missa on her knee. The baby was
the most beautiful child I had ever seen. Her chubby, little hand kept curling
around her mother’s long hair and pulling.

I smiled
as Ann took another handful of hair out of the child’s hand with a grimace.
Tiny strands ripped free and I bit my cheek. It looked kind of painful.

I sighed.
“Nope. I’ve tried. I can’t even change my clothes.” I looked down at the
hideous robe I wore. “I used to be able to do that without thinking.” I cringed
back as Missa shrieked and began reaching for the ground. Apparently she had,
had enough of her mother. “She’s a lot bigger than I would have imagined,” I
observed as the child crawled under the small table that sat between Ann and
me.

“Yeah,”
Ann sighed and leaned back while she tied her hair in a knot at the base of her
neck. “Elvin babies grow at a much faster rate. They reach full adulthood at around
age 12, and then their aging slows.” She looked lovingly at her daughter and
smiled. “She’ll live well beyond her mommy. I like that. This girl will live a
very long life.”

“Her mommy
will live a pretty long life too, I think,” I smiled, “if I have anything to do
with it.” I took a sip of my tea. A special brew that Andrea, Gavyn’s wife,
brewed for me. My hands shook, as I was still weak as hell, and the tea sloshed
and spilled down the front of the robe.

“Yeah?
You’re going to make me immortal, Gracie?” she laughed. “Before or after you
make that ugly outfit go away?”

I sighed
and blew out a breath. “It’ll happen. I’ll get it back.”

“You
will,” Ann rested her hand on mine. “You are the strongest person any of us
know. You
will
get it back.

All of a sudden,
my foot got incredibly warm and a moist sensation ran between my toes. Missa
spit up everything she had ever eaten onto my cool flesh, and I bit my cheek to
stop myself from following her example and losing my lunch. I lifted my foot as
Ann picked Missa up. She smiled at the child and cooed at her as if barfing on
my foot had been a rare and precious gift.

“Miss
Mess, you sure did a number on Auntie Gracie’s foot, didn’t you my lovey-dovey
girl. Let’s go get a cloth.”

My mouth
hung open as Ann disappeared into her little house, cooing and burbling at her
child. I shook my foot just as Gavyn sat down next to me.

“She isn’t
coming back is she?” I shook my foot again, hoping the milky gunge would slide
off.

He winced
at the mess. “No. Most likely not.”

“Great.” I
stood to follow Ann and wash the goo from my foot.

“No. let
me.” He knelt and picked up a small cup from the baby’s toy bucket. Then he
retrieved some water from a bird bath and poured it over my foot cleaning the
slime off nicely.

“Thanks, but
I could have just gone in and washed it off.” I frowned as he took his seat
again.

“I wish to
speak with you,” he looked a little flushed.

“Oh,
Okay?”

Great,
what fresh hell is this?

“The
village is readying for war,” he blurted.

My heart
sank. I knew this was coming.

“But, you
said that demons can’t get in,” I whined. “The enchantments. The charms?” I
looked at his face. His expression filled me with dread. “Gavyn, what is it?”

“You’re
right, Grace, of course. No Demon has ever been able to walk into our village.”

“Why do I
feel a ‘but’ coming on?” I watched his face closely.

“Helen
made it through. We brought her in and she is suffering unimaginable pain, but
she is here. So, no demon can enter this village…” he paused, “unless we bring
them in.”

I felt the
blood drain from my face.

“Lucifer
is no fool. He will figure out where we have taken you. He knows that we are
the ones who intercepted you and he will figure out a way to get to you. I fear
our women may not have the strength to resist him. They may lead him into the
village. He is talented and has many tricks.”

“Well,
damn, Gavyn. Order the women to stay within the village! Aren’t they all mated
anyway? Why would they be looking at another man?”

He shook
his head and shrugged.

“
Oh, my
God!
You’re all still screwing as many people as you can, aren’t you?” I
goggled.

“Many of
our people are still stuck in the past. Tradition has always held that
procreation is the most important goal in our lives.” He cleared his throat.
“And it’s more fun.” His smile was crooked.

“Well,
shit!” I sighed. “You’re… Uh,
not
?” I curled my lip unable to avoid my
disappointment. I don’t think I could take it if Gavyn was a hound dog.

“No,
Grace. I remain true to my mate. She is my heart. And the same holds true for
your friend. She and Tobias share a very pure love.”

I felt my
shoulders ease. I was glad that Tobias was faithful. Tradition or not, I
would’ve fashioned some earrings out of his nuts had I learned different.

“So, these
newest women are all alright with this swinger lifestyle?” I asked as calmly as
I could.

“You are
the one who filled them with understanding and acceptance, Grace,” he folded
his arms.

“Touché.”
I deflated in my chair. So it was a village of screw-happy elves and Lucifer
was wandering around in his unbelievably sexy skin. No problem, no problem at
all. “We have a serious problem.” I met Gavyn’s eyes.

“Yes,
Grace. We do.” He folded his hands across his middle and crossed his ankles.
“And it’s bigger than you think.”

I closed
my eyes. Lu’s face flashed into my mind. His teasing smile as he lied his way
into my heart. “Oh, I have a pretty good idea of how royally fucked we are.” I
shook my head, “We need a plan.”

Gavyn
sucked in a gulp of air and stood. “To the war room?” He held out his hand and
I looked at it.

His
glowing skin was filled with healing and I suddenly had an idea. Adrenaline
surged into my veins and I closed my eyes taking his hand in mine. I was no
longer tainted with demon blood and I was stronger than before. So if I tried,
maybe I could heal myself with a little help from a friend. Concentrating on
what I wanted, I tried to make it so. I looked down, expecting to see my ugly
robe. I sighed with relief.

“Finally!”
I stood, fully clothed in jeans and a light blouse. Wobbling a bit, and feeling
a little dizzy, I braced myself on Gavyn’s shoulder. “Sorry for taking some of
your healing.”

“You are
welcome to whatever I have to give, my friend,” he said as he steadied me. “Are
you better?” He frowned as I continued to wobble.

 “I’m okay,
not all better, but a little.”

“You’re
getting there,” he gripped my arm and led me across the grass. “It just takes
time.” He looked at me as we walked. “Which I don’t think we have a lot of.”

A chill
raced along my skin and I glanced out along the tree line. I felt a small pull.
It centered on my tattooed wrist and traveled to the top of my head.

“Oh, God,”
I sighed, wrapping my arm around my waist. “Gavyn, we need to hurry,” I warned.

“What is
it?” He tried to stop and look at the forest beyond and I pulled, practically
dragging him behind me.

The war
room was as large as the meeting hall I had visited not so long ago. I entered,
pushing past the dozen or so elves milling about and ran smack into Lucian’s
back.

“Gracie?” He
turned and grabbed my arms. “What’s going on? Why are you here?” He knelt a
little to look into my eyes and I stepped back. I hadn’t gotten a chance to
really
look
at him since this whole thing started. Wow, the Madea in him
was strong. It was a physical change no doubt about it. He seemed taller, more
manly if that was even possible. His hair was thick and shining, his beautiful,
metallic eyes still managed to hold warmth. He smiled, a blush filled his
cheeks as I unconsciously examined him.

“It’s nice
to see you too,” he said, drawing me in and hugging me tightly to his chest.

Warmth and
calm surrounded me.
A Madea male,
a voice inside me sighed with
pleasure. I pulled away slowly. Getting lost in this man was not what I needed
at the moment.

“Lu is
near,” I said.

Lucian
flinched. “Don’t call him that, Gracie. It’s too playful. He is evil incarnate.
Powerful and cunning. ‘Lu’ isn’t serious enough.”

“
Lu
is all he’s getting from me, Lucian. If I change it up, he’ll think I respect
him.” I turned around, taking in the room as I spoke. “I’m not going to give
him that. He’s already gotten more from me than I could ever have feared.” I
moved to a table covered with a tiny replica of the forest. “This is about so
much more than a name, Lucian, and I’m sorry, but the issue at hand is the
women.” I turned and looked at the large group of men. “Do the enchantments
that keep you all safe have boundaries?” I asked.

Blank
looks assailed me and my heart sank.

“You don’t
know do you?”

“It isn’t
that,” a blonde man stepped forward. He was shorter than most of the other men
and very well-muscled. “We know of no boundaries, Grace. All we can tell you is
that these enchantments are varied. We know that some fade in places where
others begin. Many, many elders wove their magic here, and to be honest we
don’t know where each spell begins or ends because we have never been breached,
therefore we have never questioned their strength.”

“Oh,” I
breathed and plopped onto a small chair feeling defeated. I rested my chin on
my palm. “Okay, well you’ve all been hard at work, planning and strategizing.
Please tell me you have a plan? I really don’t want to pick out china patterns
with the Price of Darkness.” I felt close to tears as heat radiated from the
roses on my arm.

“I wish I
could say that our efforts have resulted in a sure and solid victory. Sadly, we
are at a vast disadvantage because we are unsure of Lucifer’s powers. We know
the powers of the Madea are similar and even superior in many ways due to the
pureness of the source. But…” He looked pained as if his next words were hard
to say.

I had a
pretty good idea what was coming.

“What’s
your name?” I stood and approached him.

“I am
Merrick,” he replied, lifting his chin. “I lead our warriors.” He was exactly
my height and our eyes met.

I saw
intelligence and compassion. “Well, Merrick. Why don’t you just say what you
need to say? I’m a big girl. I can handle it.” I folded my arms and waited.

He glanced
at the assembled men and cleared this throat. “Well, I mean no disrespect, but
it has been suggested that perhaps your magic may be, uh…well, with what you
went through, many are afraid that your magic has been tainted. That perhaps
you are still compromised.” He lowered his voice. “Perhaps you may even be a
danger.” He lifted his chin, jutting his jaw forward as if expecting me to
pummel him.

I sighed,
my shoulders slumping because I sort of felt the same. Damn bastard, demon! I
tried to calm my features as Merrick’s face remained neutral. He was a pretty
brave guy to say these things to my face. I was their savior once upon a time,
and I represented a species that they considered all powerful. I had to respect
their concerns. I didn’t like it much, but they were right.

“Well,” I
began, “I honestly have no idea if I’m okay or not.” I watched his shoulders
ease a bit. “I don’t feel like myself,” I confessed. “But even if I felt
totally fine, it doesn’t matter. My power isn’t up to par yet. All I can manage
are a few clothing changes and some mind reading. I’m afraid if you were
relying on me, then we’re pretty much screwed.”

The ground
under my feet rumbled and I jerked. Looking down, I sucked in a breath as dirt
and rocks danced across the floor from the vibrations. I gripped the table as
my feet jumped and jolted across the ground. As I watched, the tiny, replica
trees caught flame. I pushed away as the room erupted into chaos. Men rushed
toward the door, grabbing swords and bows.

Oh God
, I thought,
not yet
!

I tried to
steady my thoughts as the sound was sucked from the room. The ground ceased its
rumbling and I slowly turned. All the men were frozen in place. Shock gripped
me as I scanned their unmoving forms. My eyes fell on Lucian. He was shaking
his head, looking at the door. That confused me. He was moving? I watched as
his lip curl in a look of total disgust. I turned to follow his gaze.

“
Seth
?”

He was
leaning inside the door.

His
eyebrow arched and he grinned.

“Everyone
is so hung up on your power, Sweet. Silly, when you are not the only Madea in
this war.”

He pushed
off from the door frame and strolled into the war room. His smile was smug as
he stood before me. “You do not hold a taint any longer. I can feel your blood
and it’s clean.” He looked into my eyes and I blew out my breath.