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Chapter 78
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Luna of the Menae Chapter 79
“Hey Kas.” I knock on her suite door and open it. Diane is in the armchair feeding Dre. Maya is sleeping in the bouncer seat Mom insisted we needed. I notice Diane is using her foot to keep it moving. “She’s freshening up. She should be ready any minute.” Diane mindlinks so she won’t wake Maya up. I go over and sit on the loveseat and watch her. “How do you do it, Diane?” I lean forward and take Dre from her arms to give her a break. “You are here all day with our kids, then you go home to two of your own.” “I don’t know. It just… doesn’t bother me.” She smiles. “Honestly, I always assumed I would never have any of my own children, Alpha. I had dated men before I came to Blood River, but I had no serious relationships. I assumed I didn’t have a mate, and I wouldn’t have a baby. Then I met Carly, and I knew I would never have children unless we adopted. Then when we both felt sick, I thought we had food poisoning. Who would have ever known we were both pregnant at the same time?”
Luna of the Menae Chapter 80
Kas’s POVWe pull up to the middle of a block where an old stone building is lined with quaint stores. I’m not familiar with this part of town, but it looks inviting with antique stores, coffee shops, and clothing boutiques. I wonder if Delilah and I should see about marketing the bakery in this part of town. Before I left, we had talked about opening a second location. Maybe when I’m healthy, it could still be an option.Bronx gets out and opens the door for me. I feel myself smile when I place my hand on his. There is no mate bond, but having him close makes me feel more secure.“I can’t wait for you to see this.” He rubs his thumb on the top of my hand as he leads me to a store. It’s rare Bronx gets so excited about surprising me. We approach a bookstore with a dusty, old window display. In gold paint, there is a picture of a pan flute and a goat. The images are peeling and sundried as if they’ve been there forever. Over the pictures are the words ‘The Barded Goat Used & Collectib
Luna of the Menae Chapter 81
“I just scare the shit out of anyone who gets suspicious. Being able to produce panic is a Hell of an ability.” Pan winks at me. “Would you like to see your book now, your Majesty?” “Yes, but, um, please just call me Kas.” I give him a grateful smile. “Blech. What an unfitting sobriquet for such an accomplished Goddess.” He gives me a rude look. “If you insist, I won’t call you ‘your Majesty’, but I will continue to call you Iokaste. I refuse to lower myself to refer to you with an unfitting moniker.” “O-okay.” I furrow my brows at his complex way of speaking, as well as his refusal to call me Kas. Other than Lady Camille and Delilah, no one has ever refused to call me Kas. Not in this lifetime, anyway. If Lex was here, I’m sure she’d have a snappy comeback, but I’ll let this slide. I did him a favor, he did one for me. He gives his head a quick nod and clomps to one of the wooden panels. The engraving has a wolf’s head with five, ten pointed stars above it. I look more closely an
Luna of the Menae Chapter 82
“Dear Iokaste, fear not. Bronx loves you. I feel it. Everyone can see it. The way he holds himself when he’s near you, the way he admires you when you’re not looking. He will accept his fate and find forgiveness because he will see there was no malice in your intentions. Love will conquer.” I nod my head, but I can’t answer him. If I try, all the emotions will fall out. I can feel it. He must understand because he lets silence fill the room. In the silence, my thoughts race. How could I do this to Bronx? Tie him to such an evil object. How can I fix this? What can I do? I silently swing between panic and formulating a nonexistent plan, all while staying as still as a statue, until I hear the door open again. I take my hands off of my eyes and look the ancient attempt at creating a binder.“Eros?” Pan stands from his chair. “Pan? I-I thought you were dead?” Arrow sounds shocked at the sight of the half goat God.“Alive and well, thanks to Iokaste.” I see him motion to me from the cor
Luna of the Menae Chapter 83
“I have so much to tell you about what I’ve learned from Mother and other wolf spirits who have finished their journeys, but first things first, Kas. I’m starving.” Lex settles herself into her spot in my mind. I feel my body relax, more complete than I have been in months. “Let’s go catch a rabbit… or three… or four.” “We can’t catch a rabbit right now, Lex. We’re downtown.” I sigh and give myself a moment to spend time with her before I open my eyes. “Okay, then a burrito. From that little place across from the bakery. They put that delicious steak inside. Oh, don’t forget the chips and guacamole… and a chicken quesadilla, extra chicken.” She demands. “And extra hot sauce… and queso. Do you think they have churros? I could really go for a churro or three.” “I’m sure Bronx will be happy to get us whatever you want, but I’m pretty sure I can't eat all that at once.” I shake my head and laugh at her. Some things never change. Lex could eat herself to death and die happily. Sometimes
Luna of the Menae Chapter 84
“Before you get too excited, we need to put the most powerful protections and wards in place as we can.” I look at her solemnly. “The power from that book cannot leave this room until we have it completely harnessed and locked down.”“I-I mean, there’s only so much I can do, Kas.” She shakes her head, looking unsure of herself. “Protecting the packhouse because Delilah’s magic went bananas is one thing. We’re not talking about The Lesser Key of Solomon here. This is the granddaddy book of… excuse my language, but this is every bit of the blackest magic that has ever existed.” “Don’t use the word black to refer to any magic, Leticia.” I give her a look of warning. “We rebuked that term centuries ago.”“I’m sorry, Kas, but don’t tell me it isn’t calling to you.” Leticia looks at me shocked by my composure. “It’s taking all of my control not to touch it. I made a promise. No more dark magic, but like, come on, this is like putting candy in front of a baby.”“Don’t worry. You won’t be al
Luna of the Menae Chapter 85
The air in the room feels thin and my vision darkens at the edges. My knees give out, but Leticia and Lady Camille catch me.Bronx jumps up, but Delilah stops him. “Alpha Regent Bronx Andreas Mason, hold your position. We need the energy around the room to remain constant. If you move, it will disrupt the flow.”“Kas, are you okay?” Leticia holds me under the arms, while Lady Camille grips my waist.“Y-yeah. You know how borrowed energy is. It’s not the same as using your own.” I stand and use my cane to support myself. “I’ll be okay.”Pan pulls a pan flute out of his back pocket and blows into it. An intricate song flows through the room, creating vibrations that are almost visible. A blinding white portal replaces the door to the room. I try to look away, but I can’t. Somewhere in the distance, a dog howls. I look at Bronx, but he shakes his head. It wasn’t my imagination. It was a herald of Hecate. Two shadows appear in the portal and step into the room. Their combined energy sends
Luna of the Menae Chapter 86
As the wound heals, Melinoë hisses again. She leaps up, grabbing another blade from her inside her cloak, and lunges at me again with lightning quick speed. This time Bronx intercepts her in mid-air by the throat. He slams her against the wooden wall and snarls, letting his claws dig into her neck. Melinoë squeals and tries to stab him in the neck with the new blade, but it also turns to ash. Her eyes go wide and she tries to claw at him with her talon like nails, but it has no effect on him. “No! Bronx, put her down. She can’t hurt any of us.” I scramble up and grab his arm. “Everyone is here because they want to protect me. She can’t use the blade against me. That includes the people on my side. Let her go, please! Don’t hurt her!” Bronx looks at me, but he contorts his face in anger, making him almost unrecognizable. “You deceived me, Iokaste.” Melinoë’s tone turns sad and desperate now that she realizes she can’t escape. I ignore her and continue to speak directly to Bronx.
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