Lacey smiled. “It will all work out; the fates are never wrong.”

  Rune smiled. “That’s true,” he agreed.

  Rune and Lacey stepped through the portal and out into the staff room at the coffee shop.

  “This way, Dearie Ducks,” Dolly said, smiling at them both. Who knew that both Dolly and Molly would become such good friends with Rune and Lacey? But they had, so when Rune said he wanted to see the coffee shop, both Molly and Dolly had offered to come with them. Besides, they needed to check on their homes and contact their families.

  Dolly opened the door and led them into the front of the coffee shop, which at this time in the morning was quite busy. There was an empty table for four at the back where they could sit.

  “This is amazing!” Lacey exclaimed.

  “It is,” Molly agreed. “We’ll go and sit over there,” she said pointing to the empty table. “You two have a look around and chat with the baristas, then come and join us when you’re ready.”

  “Can we get you anything?” Rune asked.

  “Thank you, dearie ducks, a hot chocolate, please,” Dolly said.

  “Black coffee for me, please,” Molly replied.

  Rune nodded, and he and Lacey went to look around the coffee shop, chat to the fairies behind the counter, and place their order.

  Molly and Dolly sat down and waved to Florian and his friends behind the counter, all of whom smiled and waved back.

  “Well, who’d have thought we’d be friends with fairies?” Molly asked her long time friend.

  “Who indeed?” Dolly replied, smiling. “I’m so glad we decided to come in here and check out the new coffee shop.”

  “I’m glad we took the free samples,” Molly said. “How amazing is the fairy realm?”

  “Really amazing,” Dolly replied. “What of Thane and Kai?”

  “That, we’ll have to watch carefully and see if there is anything we can do to help them. Especially as we can now go back and forth between here and there.”

  “Oh, good plan, dearie ducks,” Dolly replied with a smile.

  CHAPTER 36

  It was mid-morning before Kendel popped in to see Merlyn and to grab his muffin.

  “Morning folks,” he said, striding in and smiling at everyone. He looked at Felix and gave him a smile that was reserved just for him. Kendel walked to the box of muffins and opened it, spying the last muffin. He grabbed it and turned to Peter. “You left it?” he asked, sounding surprised.

  Peter sighed dramatically. “Blame Felix. He said I couldn’t have it on pain of death.”

  Kendel laughed and saluted Felix with the muffin. “Thanks.”

  “But, I’m glad you’re here now to eat it. I’m not sure how much longer I could have resisted!” Peter said.

  Everyone in the office chuckled.

  Kendel turned to Merlyn. “How was the fairy realm?”

  “Amazing,” Merlyn said with a smile. “I even like his family.”

  “That’s good,” Kendel said. He looked closely at Merlyn and saw the strain in his face and the hint of fear that surrounded him. “What is it?” Kendel asked him.

  “My family is here,” Merlyn replied.

  “What?” Daniel exclaimed as the others called out their own responses, sounding shocked. “Was that who you felt watching you Friday evening?”

  Merlyn nodded. “I think so. He bumped into Florian coming out of the coffee shop. Florian said he was followed home, and he was certain the man was my father.”

  “Well, crap!” Lionel said.

  “What can we do to help?” Jay asked.

  “Just make sure Merlyn doesn’t go anywhere alone,” Kendel said.

  “I’m staying in the fairy realm for the moment. Florian is bringing me here in the mornings and taking me back to the fairy realm after work.” Merlyn told them. “I agreed as I don’t want to worry him.”

  Kendel nodded. “Good. Good. But if you find yourself in trouble, just call my name and I will be there in an instant.”

  “How?” Penny asked. “What are you?”

  Kendel just smiled but didn’t reply to him. He looked at Merlyn. “Just remember what I said. You don’t even have to say it out loud, just in your head will do.”

  Merlyn’s wolf lifted his head and studied Kendel. He hadn’t really taken any notice of him before, but for some reason, he did now. It felt as if Kendel was talking directly to him. He nodded, hoping somehow Kendel could see it.

  It seemed that Kendel did as he smiled again. “Right, I have to run. Take care, one and all, and Peter, thanks for not eating my muffin.” And with that, Kendel left, smiling at Felix on the way.

  CHAPTER 37

  Andrew and the rest of them had no luck in their search for Merlyn. If they could somehow get hold of the runt’s mate, then no doubt Merlyn would come running to save him.

  He knew the runt’s mate had been in the coffee shop, but did he work there or was he just in there drinking? He decided to find out and headed for the coffee shop.

  Andrew arrived at The Fairy Brew and slinked inside. He looked around and noticed the runt’s mate holding an empty tray and laughing with the table’s occupants at the back of the room. Two young looking men and two older women. So, the runt’s mate did work here.

  Andrew went to the counter and ordered a black coffee.

  “Can I get you anything else? Jack asked him politely.

  “Did I ask for anything else?” he demanded loudly.

  “No, sir, I was just checking,” Jack said.

  “Just get me my coffee and ring up my order,” Andrew growled out.

  Jack raised his eyebrows but went and got the coffee.

  “How much?” Andrew demanded.

  “Two ninety-five, please,” Leon replied.

  Andrew pulled out his money and paid, then drummed his fingers on the counter.

  At his first demand, which everyone in the coffee shop heard, Florian, Rune, and Lacey all turned around to see the grumpy man.

  “Oh no!” Florian said softly.

  “What’s wrong, dearie ducks?” Dolly asked him.

  “That grumpy man is Merlyn’s father,” Florian explained.

  “Oh dear,” Molly said. “What should we do?”

  “Just watch him for a moment,” Rune said. “Then, when he leaves, we can see where he goes and if he knows where Merlyn is.”

  They watched Andrew grab his drink and look around the coffee shop, and it seemed like he was looking for a table to sit at. But they all noticed him looking at Florian for a moment longer than necessary with a sneer marring his face.

  Andrew sat down at a table where he could watch his son’s mate and the rest of the coffee shop.

  Since he’d arrived, Andrew’s wolf had been trying to warn him of something, but he chose to ignore his wolf. He was stronger than anyone in here.

  Andrew thought he detected some magic in the air but chose to ignore that, too. He just wanted to watch the runt’s mate and see where he led him. Nothing else mattered but finding the runt.

  Florian looked at Rune with concern on his face.

  “What time are you picking Merlyn up?” Rune asked.

  “In about twenty minutes,” Florian replied.

  “When you’ve collected him, come to Erin’s office. We all need to come up with a plan,” Lacey said softly, hoping Merlyn’s father couldn’t hear him. He didn’t know much about wolf shifters, but he did know they had exceptional hearing.

  Andrew didn’t seem to react, so hopefully he hadn’t heard Lacey.

  Florian nodded. He wanted to get Merlyn to safety as soon as possible, and the safest place was the fairy realm. Florian worried his lip.

  Lacey looked at him and touched his arm. “Remember, you and Merlyn are not alone in this.”

  Florian smiled at him. “I know, thank you.”

  “I’m sure your work colleagues wouldn’t mind if you took off early,” Rune said.

  “But I’ve missed a fair bit of work since meeting Merlyn,” Florian said.

  “Your mate needs you. They all understand that,” Rune replied.

  “No, I’ll stay here until my shift ends. Merlyn is safe for the moment.”

  “Okay, Florian,” Rune said.

  Florian nodded and headed back to the counter.

  Andrew was annoyed. He hadn’t been able to hear what the runt’s mate had been talking to the others about. He knew they had spotted him looking at them. He hoped they were now all on their guard, and if he stalked the runt’s mate long enough, he was bound to slip up at some point and then Andrew would have him.

  It wasn’t long before Andrew noticed the rainbow-haired man say goodbye to his fellow workers, waved to the table of four, and headed to where Andrew thought the staff room was. He waited for a few minutes and looked toward the back, but the runt’s mate didn’t reappear. Andrew thought for a moment. Could there have been a staff entrance leading out the back?

  Andrew slammed his cup on the table and stood up, heading for the door. He would find somewhere to hide and see if the runt’s mate passed him. He also messaged David and told him to make sure he watched the apartment complex carefully. This was getting annoying now.

  CHAPTER 38

  Thane was worried. He hadn’t heard anything from Kai regarding Perry, and he wanted answers. He’d arrived home about twenty minutes ago and after showering was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

  He wondered if fairies had mobiles. It would have been so much easier if he could just message the fairy general rather than see him. He was worried Kai would try and kiss him again.

  Letting out a loud sigh and knowing he had no choice, he rubbed the shield and said Kai’s name.

  Suddenly, a portal opened, and Kai stepped through. He smiled when he saw Thane.

  “What can I help you with, mate?” Kai asked.

  Thane signed. “My name is Thane, not mate.”

  Kai’s smile slipped a bit. “My apologies, Thane. What can I do for you?”

  “Did you find Perry?” Thane asked.

  “Yes, it would seem he wants to stay in the fairy realm with a fairy named Fabian,” Kai told him.

  “What the hell, Kai? He’s only fifteen, not legally an adult. Have you mated him off to a fairy already? What the hell is wrong with you? I demand you take me to see him.”

  Kai squared his shoulders and got a hard glint in his eye. It would seem Thane would always think either he or all fairies were bad. He wondered if he would ever win Thane’s trust. “No, he has not been mated to a fairy. It would seem Perry met Fabian when he was exploring the fairy realm. They took an instant liking to each other, and Fabian wants to adopt Perry, and Perry, having no family here, is eager to stay.”

  “I want to see and talk to Perry myself,” Thane said.

  “As I told them you would. If you would like to put some shoes on, I can take you to see them. Then you can see for yourself that Perry is in no danger and is actually happy where he is.”

  Thane snorted. He wasn’t sure what to make of what Kai had told him, but he grabbed his shoes and put them on. He was going to make sure this Fabian fairy was good enough for Perry, and now that Thane had a way to get to the fairy realm, he could periodically check on him.

  Kai held out his hand to Thane. “Come on, mate, let’s go and see Fabian and Perry!”

  Thane ignored the hand and grunted again. “My name is Thane,” he spat out angrily. He needed to stop Kai’s nonsense. He was no one’s mate.

  Kai knew he was winding Thane up. It probably wasn’t one of his better ideas, but Thane hated him, anyway, so what did he have to lose? Kai gave Thane a mock bow and pointed to the portal. “After you, Thane.”

  Thane threw him a glare and headed through the portal with Kai following him, and if Kai kept his eyes on Thane’s jean covered bum, who would notice? He certainly wasn’t going to say anything.

  CHAPTER 39

  Erin and Lee were spending a moment alone. They had both been busy implementing the changes that had been discussed regarding the humans. Lee had also been looking into the singles event they were planning with the help of Erin, Molly, and Dolly.

  They now had some sort of magical internet, and Lee had gone to the human realm and bought a computer. The very helpful sales assistant had even shown him how to use it, and he’d spent time learning more about humans and singles events. But for the moment, the two of them were sitting on the sofa in Erin’s office snuggled up together and softly talking when there was a knock on the door. Erin groaned, but before he could say anything, the door opened, and his parents walked in looking concerned.

  Erin jumped up and headed to the door, hugging them both.

  “What’s wrong? And how can we help?” Lee asked, walking over to join them.

  Before they could say anything, Florian and Merlyn portalled in.

  “What’s happened?” Erin asked, looking at everyone.

  “We need a plan to stop Merlyn’s family getting their hands on him. He’s figured out Florian is his son’s mate, and we think he’ll want to stalk Florian to get to Merlyn,” Lacey told them.

  “Then we need a plan to stop him so that Merlyn will be free of his family and not have to worry,” Erin said.

  “But how can we do that?” Merlyn asked. “He’s a strong wolf.”

  “Merlyn, you need to understand we’re fairies, strong fairies. We have magical powers. We have no need to show everyone just how strong we are; we just know that we are. I know we’ve never come across a wolf shifter before, but trust us, we can help you,” Erin said.

  “I do trust you all,” Merlyn answered him. “I just don’t want any of you hurt because of me.”

  “None of us will be harmed,” Rune assured him.

  “Let’s call Kai and Grey here, and they can help us plan.” Lacey said.

  Erin nodded and called for his brothers. Grey was in his office next door to Erin’s, so he arrived a moment later.

  Kai had just entered the fairy realm behind Thane when he heard his brother call him. “I’m sorry mate.” Thane threw him an annoyed glare, which he chose to ignore. “My brother is calling for me. Come with me, and when we’re done with helping him, we can go off to see Fabian and Perry.”

  Thane nodded, and Kai opened a portal to Erin’s office.

  Kai saw his brothers’ parents along with Lee, Florian, and someone who must be Merlyn all there.

  “What’s wrong?” Kai asked.

  “Hello, Thane,” Lacey said, smiling at his son’s mate.

  “Lacey,” Thane said. “What’s up?”

  “It would seem Merlyn’s family have found him. We now need a way to keep him safe,” Rune answered for Lacey.

  “And your family finding you is a problem why?” Thane asked Merlyn.

  “They hate me and have threatened to hurt me,” Merlyn told him.

  “Can’t Merlyn just stay here until his family leaves Winchester?” Thane asked the fairies. Surely that would be the best solution.

  “They won’t leave without me,” Merlyn said.

  “Hence we need a plan to make sure they leave and never harm Merlyn again,” Erin said.

  Everyone thought for a moment.

  “How about if we set a trap for Merlyn’s family?” Kai said. “We would have to use Merlyn as bait, but if we’re all there ready to come to his aid, we could make his family leave him alone.”

  “I don’t want Merlyn placed in any danger,” Florian said to Kai.

  “He might have to be for a moment, but we can make sure he’s not hurt,” Kai said.

  Thane crossed his arms over his chest. “How do you plan on keeping him safe?” he said, worried for the young man.

  Kai explained his plan, and after a few tweaks and input from Florian’s parents who had been called into the office, the plan was in place.

  Merlyn didn’t really like the plan but knew he had no other option. He needed to be safe from his family and needed Florian safe, too. He just knew that something was going to go wrong, and someone would get hurt. He just hoped no one died.

  CHAPTER 40

  How Merlyn managed to get through Tuesday at work, he didn’t know. But he threw himself into writing his replies. He had also decided on a name for the section. “What to do when the purple bits wobble.”

  Daniel kept looking over at Merlyn as if he knew something was wrong but didn’t say anything.

  Merlyn knew they would try and help him, but he didn’t want any of his friends getting hurt. It was bad enough that the fairies were putting themselves in danger for him.

  The day finally came to an end, and he sent his piece off to Kendel. Merlyn watched his friends pack and leave. Daniel and Penny were the last in the office with him.

  “Florian coming for you today?” Daniel asked.

  “Yep,” Merlyn replied with his first real smile of the day. “He should be here in about twenty minutes.”

  “Want us to wait with you?” Penny asked.

  “No, I’m safe here. You two get off home and have a good evening,” Merlyn told them.

  “If you’re sure,” Daniel said, sounding unconvinced as though he did know something was up.

  “Totally sure, thanks.”

  Daniel nodded, and after a round of goodbyes, he and Penny left.

  Merlyn took a breath and tried to calm himself down for the evening ahead. He checked on his wolf, who was sitting there appearing totally relaxed. His wolf looked up and said, “We’ve got this.” Merlyn hoped his wolf was right. “I am, trust me,” he said.

  “Okay,” Merlyn replied to him with a sigh.

  He sat replying to a few emails and suddenly saw a portal open and Florian stepping through.

  Merlyn got up and walked into Florian’s arms, giving him a kiss. “Missed you,” he said.

  Florian smiled. “And I you,” he replied and then kissed Merlyn, trying to put all of his feelings into that kiss.

  When they both needed air, Florian pulled back. “Are you ready to go?”

 

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