Chapter Fifteen

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Scouts?" Billy asked as they made their way slowly down the wide hallway with Amalie's mother.

"Not just any ordinary scouts," Amalie replied, flashing a smile at Billy. "My father is, after all, the premier Portal Master. His scouts are in different realms, and they report to him through portals he opens when he needs to talk to them. It's a magical intelligence network the likes of which only he can muster."

"And you too, dear. Once you get enough contacts in different places," her mother reminded her.

"I have to settle down a bit more first," Amalie said softly in reply to her mother. "Though I think that day is coming sooner than I thought." Her mother met her gaze, a question in her expression. "I tried to live like a regular mortal while I could, and I enjoyed it a great deal, but it's pretty obvious that time is over. Things are heating up, and I'm going to have to step up and reclaim my magical heritage."

"You're going to join the coven?" Her mother frowned at her.

"No," Amalie sighed, "though it will probably annoy Gran to no end. I think my magic is a little too otherworldly for the Marsh Witches. I'll probably go back to Long Island and live in the development in order to take advantage of the protections they have around them, but I'm going to have to go my own way as far as magic goes."

"They may not be too happy to have you there if you don't join their ranks," her mother warned.

"Possibly," Amalie agreed, shrugging. "Or they might like to form an alliance with a young Portal Mistress to enhance their connections."

"You're going to reveal your true nature to them?" Lady Aclodonne stopped for a moment, eyeing her daughter in surprise.

"I don't see that I have a choice. Things are coming to a head in the mortal realm, and I'm going to have to state my allegiance to the Light, as well as join the forces fighting evil. I think it's best that at least a chosen few know what I can do, so that my power may be utilized to its greatest extent. I'm going to ask Gran to get me a meeting with the Council of Elders of the coven, and we can iron things out. Hopefully, I can convince them that we can help each other without my having to officially join the coven. As you know, being part of a group like that really isn't my thing."

"Nor was it mine," her mother agreed and began moving again. "They accommodated me and my limitations as best they could, but it was hard to be the only disabled witch in the group. Even the really old ones got around better than I did." She gave a wry chuckle. "And then, your father visited our realm, and we met…" A dewy-eyed expression came over her face. "And the rest is history. Once he took me to the fey realm, and I was so much more mobile than I had ever been since the wreck… Well, there really was no looking back for me. I miss my mother, but we visit every now and again, and that helps. If she and the coven survive this threat, we will have time in the future to reconnect, once I am more fully healed. It is something to hope for."

Billy knew that the Marsh Witches kept themselves alive for centuries using their collective magic in moon ceremonies that revitalized them all. They'd invited him and his brothers, and all those who'd helped defend them against a concentrated enemy assault, to partake in the magical bounty of that ceremony before he'd left Long Island to check on Amalie, after all. And in mating with a fey and choosing to make her life here in the fey realm, Amalie's mother had probably had her own life extended to a very large extent. It was conceivable that all of them would be around for hundreds of years, barring death in battle or some tragedy. Amalie's mother just might have the opportunity to heal enough to walk in the mortal realm again, one day. He hoped, for her sake, that she did.

She seemed like a nice woman, and Amalie was a lot like her, from what he could see. The apple didn't fall far from the tree after all.

When they reached a room down the hall, Billy opened the door and stood back to let the ladies enter first. He had scoped out the room with a quick glance to discover that Gavin and a tall fey male who must be Amalie's father were already there, standing at a side table, looking over what looked like a spread-out parchment. Perhaps a map of some kind, Billy thought, but he'd find out soon enough. First, he had to make sure the women were settled, as was only polite.

Billy entered the room behind the two women and closed the door. He straightened, ready to see what kind of reception he'd get from Amalie's father. He'd heard fey could be stuck up about shifters. Of course, this one had mated a human, so maybe he wouldn't be a snob. And he looked rather chummy with Gavin, now that Billy got a better look.

"Billy Kinkaid." Amalie came up beside him and walked toward her father. He kept pace, knowing the official introduction was imminent. "This is my father, Lord Aclodonne. Dad, this is Billy."

Billy held out his hand and the fey lord didn't hesitate to take it in a firm grasp. Of course, a Portal Master probably knew the customs in all the realms he could visit.

"Pleased to meet you, Lord Aclodonne. Thank you for allowing those in your domain to aid me when I needed it," Billy said, trying to be as polite as possible while still appearing strong. He wanted to make a good impression on Amalie's dad.

"Thank you for putting yourself in harm's way to protect my daughter," Lord Aclodonne said in return as they ended the handshake.

"The real praise goes to Gavin in this case, sir," Billy said with brutal honesty. His ego still bothered him when he realized he would have failed in his duty to protect Amalie if not for Gavin's timely intervention.

"Yes, I have heard the tale," Lord Aclodonne said, glancing to Gavin and back again. "Still, it is to your credit that you stood your ground and took on the demon. I know I would not have liked to fight a Tauror all on my own. In fact, it is a rare warrior, indeed, who can best such a creature with no help whatsoever. It is usually a team effort to battle something like that, so it was good that your cousin was nearby to help. Even two warriors is a stretch to prevail over a Tauror. The last time I was faced with such a creature, I had a platoon of my best warriors between me and it. I opened the portal, and they had great difficulty chasing it through. I lost three men in the effort, and we only just managed to get rid of the demon. All in all, you two did remarkably well."

"Thank you, my lord," Billy said, feeling the need to explain, despite how gracious his host was being about the whole affair. "I'm a recently retired Special Forces soldier and very used to dangerous situations of both the mundane—and occasionally the magical—kind. I just… I expected better of myself and regret that my lack of focus at a critical time could have doomed us both."

Man, that was hard to admit. He'd lowered his voice, but Amalie was standing right beside him, and she heard it all. He felt that was only fair. He'd almost gotten her killed, and only Gavin's intervention had saved the situation.

"Honestly, Billy," Amalie said quietly, touching his arm. "It was really my fault that you got distracted. Mrs. Entwistle lured me outside, and like an idiot, I went, despite knowing it was a trap. I just couldn't let her interfere in your fight with the demon anymore. She would have gotten you killed, for sure."

"It's not your fault, Amalie," Billy was quick to reassure her.

"There really is no need for all this blame and guilt," Amalie's father interjected. When Billy looked back at the man, his gray eyes were filled with wisdom, and he looked as ancient as he probably was. "You lived to tell the tale, and that, in the end, is all that really matters. Learn from this episode, and next time—if there is a next time—do better."

"You are right, of course, sir." Billy bowed his head slightly in deference to the ancient fey.

The man moved toward the table where his wife was already seated. He bent to kiss her cheek in greeting, and Billy saw the genuine feeling between the two. It was pretty clear that Amalie's parents had a close bond. Then, Gavin came over, and they all sat. Some unspoken signal must have alerted the castle staff, because a moment later, a hidden door opened at the far side of the room, and platters of food were brought in by a line of servers.

The food made the rounds of the table, and unsurprisingly, Gavin and Billy had the biggest heaps of food on their plates when all was said and done. They were also the first to clear their plates as the meal progressed. Amalie grinned at Billy as the conversation ebbed and flowed around the table. They were talking of generalities for the most part, until Amalie's mother asked about her own mother, the granny who was one of the Marsh Witches.

Amalie deferred to Billy to explain what had happened to the coven the week before and his family's role in it. Amalie's parents listened with great interest, her father asking pointed questions, as did her mother. Billy realized that while Amalie's mother might seem sweet, and she definitely doted on her daughter, there was a keen intelligence behind those kind eyes. She was every bit as sharp as her daughter. Or her husband, for that matter. They were a well-matched pair.

Billy explained his mission to watch over Amalie and then what had happened when he'd arrived in Ohio. Gavin's unexpected arrival. The expectation that Mrs. Entwistle would attack, which had been fulfilled, and the resulting encounter. Amalie helped fill in the blanks, as did Gavin, and by the end of the meal, the whole story had been told in full.

Lord Aclodonne sat back and regarded them all as the plates were removed and hot beverages served.

"From what you have said, things are heating up even more than I expected in the mortal realm," Amalie's father said, his expression a little on the grim side. "I had a report from my scout in North America that I thought indicated the forces of Light were pushing back the dark, but he's on the West Coast, and his report had mainly to do with a leviathan some fool had unleashed on the ocean."

Gavin and Billy both nodded. It was Billy who spoke. "Yes, sir. We have heard about that. Some of my former colleagues from the Special Forces called in some even more specialist help when they couldn't end things satisfactorily on their own. From all accounts, the leviathan has been sent back to where it came from, and the coastal waters are well protected with new wards."

"Yes, that is what I was told, but I confess, it is good to have independent verification. This informant is new to my organization, and I wasn't sure about her until now," the fey admitted.

Billy was fascinated by the idea that a fey Portal Master would have a network of informants across the realms, but if you had that kind of power, it made sense to keep track of what was going on in some of the places you might want to go. It wouldn't do to open a portal into a war zone without knowing what was happening.

"So, daughter," Lord Aclodonne turned to Amalie, "it looks like you have some decisions to make if you first of all decide to stay in the mortal realm. I fear you can no longer turn your back on your heritage and try to live like a regular mortal. You've been made , I believe is the expression."

"Yes, Father. I am aware," Amalie said, rolling her eyes a bit at her father's teasing use of the mortal expression.

"Then, what do you plan to do? Have you considered returning home? You know you are always welcome here," her father said graciously.

"I've thought about it, but aside from missing you and Mom, I fit in better in the mortal realm. I'm going to stay there, where I think I can do some good," Amalie replied, and Billy let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"You'll join the Marsh Witches?" her mother asked.

"No, I don't think so. Though I may go live with Gran for a while, at least. I will ally with the coven, if they're willing, but I'm not really cut out for coven life. For one thing, my magic is very different from theirs, and I don't really fit in there, either. I'm better off as a lone practitioner with a good network of allies."

"I'll add you to my network of informants for the mortal realm, and of course, I'll give you regular updates from my collection of scouts. You should start building your own network as well, my dear," her father advised.

"Yes, Father," Amalie replied as if this were a conversation they'd had before.

"Gavin here has agreed to take a proposition of cooperation from me back to his Alpha," her father revealed, surprising Billy again. Apparently, the old man and his cousin had been talking about more than the weather while they'd had time alone.

"As I've told you before, hooking into already existing networks amplifies the effect. When you get back to the mortal realm, you should start looking for such opportunities. If Gavin's Alpha agrees, I see no reason why he can't liaise with you, and then, you can pass on anything you believe I should know in our regular contacts," her father went on. Amalie shot a look at Billy, then at Gavin and then looked back to her father.

"We'll need to talk about that further, Father, before any decisions are made," she said with uncharacteristic hesitation. Billy inwardly cheered. She wasn't going to put herself in the middle of the situation between the Kinkaid Clan and he and his brothers. He was glad to hear it.

Gavin seemed to take her words well. He glanced at Billy and gave him a nod of understanding, his expression calm. He hadn't taken offense. Though why Billy was concerned not to hurt Gavin's feelings, he didn't know. Maybe Billy was feeling grateful to the younger man for having intervened when Billy was getting his ass kicked by that Tauror.