Blue solace complete ser.., p.60
Blue Solace: Complete Series Boxset, page 60
“Dr. Morrick.” Wyatt mocked him. “Dad absolutely adores you, Sebastian. The least you can do is call him Verion or Death.”
Sebastian blushed. “In my head, I call him Death, but I don’t want to forget Dr. Morrick is in there too.”
“They’re both each other,” Wyatt said, then shook his head. “I’m confusing myself. Okay, just call him Verion or Death. He loves you, doofus, and I know you love him too.”
“I do,” Sebastian agreed and nudged Wyatt in the side. “I love you too, dumb-butt.”
“Aww, you two are the best,” Leti said. “You love the rest of us too, right?”
“Enough of that. It’s getting sticky sweet here,” Shae said. “Are we looking for your wedding clothes?” Shae’s eyes were stuck on a stall selling silky shirts.
“I’m going to order those from a store Ava suggested,” Sebastian said. “Today, I want to find something special for Alois. Something to let him know I’m thinking of him.”
“There!” Leti jumped up and down, pointing at a stall selling puppies. “Alois needs a puppy. He really, really needs a puppy.”
“No,” they all said at the same time.
Leti stopped bouncing and looked at them with tragic eyes. His lip quivered. “Why would you all say that?”
“Look, Leti,” Shae said, wrapping his arm around Leti’s shoulders. “A new pet is your answer to everything, but not everyone wants a million pets.”
“Alois doesn’t have a single one,” Leti said. “Mustachio is Sebastian’s pet, but who does Alois have? No one, that’s who.”
“Well, he does have me and Nina,” Sebastian said.
Leti shook his head. “It’s not the same thing.” He leaned down and picked up Princess from where he lounged in the stroller between Pepper and Milo. The dragon was currently at his travel size – about a foot in length and five inches around. Leti set him on his shoulder and stroked his head, demonstrating the joys of having a pet. “Having Princess is the best.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes and tuned them out. Shae and the others were still arguing with Leti, but Sebastian knew the best way to get around Leti was to ignore him. He eyed the stalls around them, all loaded down with animals. He didn’t think Alois wanted a pet, but he didn’t really know what kind of gift to get him. He shrugged and hummed a bit, opening his inner sight. Maybe he’d see something that called to Alois’s threads.
He looked around, then found it. The threads surrounding the small animal would complement Alois’s threads perfectly. He opened his eyes, then pushed Nina straight to the stall and picked up the animal. He didn’t really recognize the species, though it was canine. She had thick, grey and white fur all over, but pretty light blue scales around her eyes and on her belly. On top of her head, between her floppy ears, were two little nubs for horns. Her eyes were big and blue, and her tongue hung out.
He held her up, and she licked his face. He laughed, then leaned down, letting her look at Nina. “This is Nina. Can you be nice to the baby?” The puppy nuzzled Nina’s face, and his girl giggled, burying her hand in the puppy’s fur.
“Hey there,” the vendor said. “That’s a pup from Siren’s Lament. She’s a month and a half old. They’re really good with kids, but they get pretty big.”
Sebastian knew this puppy was loving and careful. He’d seen her threads. “How much for her?” Sebastian paid the man, then awkwardly rolled Nina back over to his friends, struggling to carry the puppy too. They were still arguing, but Silas gave him a wink. The man kept an eye on everyone, not just Leti.
“All I’m saying is not everyone wants a pet as a gift, Leti,” Maia said.
“They’re a lot of work, and Alois has Nina to take care of,” Shae said. “Kids are exhausting.”
“You would know,” Leti said, nodding. “Fine, we won’t get him a puppy. What other ideas do we have? Sebastian, what does he like?”
They all turned to him and gaped at the puppy in his arms. “Funny story,” Sebastian said. “This puppy is meant for him, so Leti was right. This time.”
“Hah,” Leti said, crowing. “Aww, let me see the little girl.” Sebastian handed her over, and Leti spent a few minutes petting her. “What kind of dog is she? I’ve never seen anything like her.”
“She’s from Siren’s Lament,” Shae said. He stopped closer so Sami could pet the puppy.
“Sebastian,” Elin said, popping up right next to him.
He jumped and screeched. “Damn it, Elin.”
“You all need to leave now. There’s someone here that wants to hurt your friend Leti. Use your sight and you’ll see it,” she said, pale, shimmery face full of worry.
Sebastian closed his eyes and looked around the spirit world. At first, he didn’t feel anything wrong or out of place. Then he saw it. An angry pulsing thread connected to Leti. A man stood atop a stall almost a mile away with a rifle aimed at Leti. Sebastian didn’t even have to think, he followed the man’s thread and channeled the fire element, burning the thread to a crisp. The man cried out and collapsed, dropping his weapon.
Sebastian opened his eyes. His friends stared at him, eyes wide. His hand was extended toward the man, smoking. “Someone was about to shoot Leti,” Sebastian explained. He pointed toward the man, then realized they couldn’t see him from where they were. “Come on. I’ll show you.”
They moved quickly, but it took a bit of time with three strollers. The man was still unconscious when they reached the stall, his body smoking. Maybe he wasn’t just unconscious, Sebastian thought with a wince. No one seemed to notice him since it was so high up. The man had probably considered that when he’d chosen his location.
Silas shimmied up the poles of the stall and climbed up to the top. Sebastian watched Rune’s eyes follow Silas’s every move. “Like what you see?” Sebastian poked Rune in the arm.
“Yes,” Rune said, sighing. “My man is so damn fine.”
“I’ll call it in,” Maia said. “We need to figure out who he was and why he wanted Leti dead.”
While they waited for enforcement to arrive, Sebastian looked to Elin. “Do you know why he wanted Leti dead?”
“No,” she said. “I just felt his anger toward your friend.” She stood a little taller. “Your guards were watching everything so closely, and I wanted to help so I went ahead.”
“Elin says she was watching out for us too and noticed his anger toward Leti,” Sebastian said. “Who have you pissed off lately?”
Leti shrugged. “The Concords, the Queen and her remaining elements, my parents’ supporters and friends, and anyone Will managed to make mad.”
“That’s not a short list,” Maia said dryly.
Silas poked his head down. “This guy is very dead, and he was a Concord. I found his communicator on him.”
Sebastian felt a little sick. He’d killed a man, and it wasn’t in the heat of battle like the fight with the Concords on Union Station. Wyatt wrapped an arm around him, and he leaned into his friend.
“Well, he can’t have been controlled by Life,” Shae said.
“We’ll see what enforcement finds out,” Maia said.
They arrived with Renee leading them, her face cold and merciless. “Leti, are you alright?”
“We’re all fine,” Leti said, hugging the woman. Sebastian hid his smile when Renee’s enforcers watched in amazement as she gently smiled and hugged him back. The woman wasn’t known for having the warm fuzzies.
“What happened?” Renee deftly climbed to the top as her men cleared the civilians away. Sebastian looked up and explained what happened. Silas and Maia added their own thoughts. Renee looked at Sebastian thoughtfully. “Elin told you he wanted Leti dead?”
“Basically.”
“Tell her thank you,” Renee said. “From all I hear, she was a good woman.”
“She was,” one of the enforcers said. “Haroon and Elin were friends of my wife and me.” He looked at Sebastian. “You talk to her ghost? Seriously?”
Sebastian sighed. Yeah, he chose to be the weirdo instead of sticking to translating. “I do. She’s a spirit for now, though she may move on eventually.”
“Michael and Alvira are nice,” Elin said. “You should invite them over to Leti’s.”
“Leti,” Sebastian whispered. “Elin says you should be Michael and Alvira’s friend.”
“No,” Elin said, amused. “I said you should invite them. That means you should be their friend.”
“Trust me,” Sebastian told her. “Leti is much better at that friend stuff than me.”
“Which means you need more friends,” she said.
“You aren’t my dead wife, Elin, so you can’t boss me around.” Sebastian put his hands on his hips and stared her down.
She just smiled smugly. “Look around you, Sebastian.” He looked around. Everyone was staring at him, faces full of amusement and horror both. “I’m dead, so I’ll always win.” She laughed and disappeared.
“Damn it!” Sebastian turned to Michael and groaned. “Elin says you and Alvira should come to Sunday dinner at Leti and Hack’s house.”
“Okay?” The man blinked and shrugged. “Alvira would love that, and Hack isn’t horrible.”
“Aww, you know my husband so well,” Leti said, laughing.
“Maia, Silas,” Renee said. “Get these guys home. I’ll let you all know what we find out.”
They left and headed home. Hack and Alois were waiting on them, both looking pissed off. “Leti, you can’t leave the house again,” Hack said.
“Yeah, that’s not going to work,” Leti said. He pushed the stroller to Hack, then took Sami from Shae. The Siren took one look at Hack and laughed. He pushed past them into the house. Leti sighed. “Will, we have a lot of enemies, but I also have a lot of friends. Sebastian saved the day, and Maia and Silas are always with me.”
“The Concords want you dead,” Hack said. “Until they’re dealt with, you need to be cautious.”
“Yes,” Leti said, nodding. “However, cautious doesn’t mean staying locked in the house forever.”
“I’m increasing your guards,” Hack said, running his hands through his hair. “Silas and Maia are only two people, and the Concords have too damn many.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Silas said. “We could send someone ahead and have someone following behind every time we go out.”
They all went into Leti’s house and unloaded the babies. “I wonder why they specifically want Leti dead,” Wyatt said. “He’s still researching the Queen, but Dad and I are the ones that are trying to permanently kill them.”
“Are you jealous?” Leti wiggled his eyebrows, and Wyatt laughed.
“It’s no secret that Fasi declared this war at Leti’s behest,” Alois said. “The Concords have lost a lot, and Admiral Sharp is probably pissed. Leti is the public face of this war.”
Leti set Sami down and headed for the kitchen. “I’m heating up one of Ma’s casseroles. If we have to talk about this shit, then I’m eating lunch.”
“Already ahead of you,” Shae said. “It’s in the oven.”
Sebastian watched Alois roll his shoulders and rub his eyes. His poor mate was worried for them all. He took the puppy from Maia and nibbled his lip. After a moment, he held her out to Alois. “I got you a present.”
Alois stared at the puppy. “Huh?”
“I love you like Leti loves his chocolate squirrels,” Sebastian said. “I wanted to get you something special to show you how much I appreciate you. She’s perfect for you, Alois. I know she is.”
Alois’s brown eyes softened, and he smiled. “Thank you, beautiful,” he said and took the puppy. Alois held her away from his body, and the puppy just panted happily and stared at him in adoration. “I, uh, love it.”
“You will,” Sebastian said, laughing at the perplexed look on Alois’s face. His mate might not realize it, but Sebastian had just given him the perfect companion. The threads didn’t lie.
Chapter 11
Alois dressed Nina in his favorite outfit. He slipped the black leggings on her, then pulled the miniature, black and blue uniform shirt over her head. He tickled her belly, then tugged on her blue tutu and put her little black boots on her feet. “There’s my little Blue Solace girl,” Alois said. He picked her up and pressed kisses to her face. Nina giggled and shook her head. Her fine, black hair slid into her eyes, and he brushed it back.
“Are you already starting her training?” Cordelia was curled on the window seat between Alois’s pride and joy, Periwinkle, and Ava.
“She’s going to be the best little Blue Solace girl ever,” Alois said and kissed her chubby cheeks again. He turned his attention to Cordy. She played with Peri’s ears and rubbed his dog’s little horns. Peri had grown into a huge, long-limbed puppy in three months. He was getting the idea that she would be massive when fully grown.
“Did Dru tell you about Icewilde?” Ava kissed the top of Peri’s head. The prime diplomat of Blue Sector always looked put together. Ava was a fighter, but she loved the latest fashions and relished her new duties. They gave her more time to wear fancy clothes.
Alois winced. “Yeah. That’s the third planet Air has ravaged.” It also wasn’t a vacation spot like the other two. Millions more died on Icewilde than either Bredell or Dairilve. “Beol and his team are on Air’s trail, but the fucker seems to always be a step ahead of him.”
“Do you remember when we first met Dr. Morrick?” Ava looked thoughtful. “He said his supervisors were working with someone, and if the artifact fell into their hands, billions would die.”
“Billions have died,” Alois said. “It just didn’t involve Death’s artifact.”
“It just seems so strange that Admiral Sharp and the Queen would fall in together so quickly after she was resurrected,” Ava said. She shook her head. “I don’t know. Something is there, but I can’t find it.”
Cordelia frowned and stared at her lap.
“What’s going on, Cordelia?” Alois asked.
Ava frowned at their friend, just then noticing Cordelia’s unusual silence.
“It seems stupid to think about when there’s so much shit to work on with the Queen and the Concords,” Cordelia said.
“Anything that upsets you is important, sweet pea,” Ava said.
“I’m in love with Quinn,” she said, tears filling her eyes. “I was so set on just being her friend so I wouldn’t lose her. Now she has a date with fucking Liam Doney.”
“The pilot?” Ava’s eyes widened, and Alois didn’t blame her. The man was damn good-looking. Not as handsome as Sebastian, but still a catch.
“Yes,” Cordelia said, hissing.
“Hmm,” Alois said. He sat in the window seat beside Peri. His girl laid her head on his shoulder and panted happily. “She hasn’t dated anyone since you guys talked months ago?”
“No,” Cordelia said and peeled at the polish on her fingernails. “We’ve been spending our free time together, hanging out.”
“Now, you want to date her.” Ava grinned.
“Yes,” Cordelia said, teeth clenched.
“Then tell her,” Alois said, shrugging. “Cordelia, she adores you.”
“It’s been over five months since I told her we needed to stay friends,” Cordelia said.
“Things change. You wanted her then, and you want her now. Are you willing to let Liam Doney walk away with her?” Alois gave her a look.
“Fuck him,” Cordelia growled.
“That’s my girl,” Alois said, patting her on the back. “Go to Quinn right now and tell her how you feel. If she doesn’t want you anymore, then okay. You tried. You have to try, Cordy. You’ll regret it if you don’t.”
“You’re right,” she said, standing. “Alright. I’m doing it.” She started toward the door, then turned back. “If she turns me down, do you guys want to eat junk food and watch Love’s Perfect Match?”
“Definitely,” Alois said. “Nina loves that show.” Nina chewed on her fist and ignored him.
“I’m sure she does,” Ava said, standing. “Come on. I’ll help you pick out an outfit.”
Cordelia groaned and the two left. Alois stood and found Nina’s baby sling. He strapped it on and stuck her in it, then headed downstairs with Peri. Sebastian stood at the kitchen window, looking out into Leti’s backyard.
“Are Rune and Silas snuggling again?”
“Nope,” Sebastian said. “Mo and Alex are having a pet battle in the backyard. Damn, Fluffle is fierce.”
“She’s Selene’s cat,” Alois said. “Of course, she’s fierce.” He watched the small, fluffy cat jump over Princess Buttercup and smack Gravy in the nose. The big dog yelped and lay down, paws over his nose. “Fierce,” he said, awed. He shook his head. “You ready to go?”
“Yes,” Sebastian said, then opened the window, so Mustachio could go outside if he wanted. “I’m starving to death.”
“To death?”
“Can’t you tell?” Sebastian looked at him with big eyes and pouty lips.
“You’re wasting away,” Alois said, nodding gravely. “Let’s go feed you.” He grabbed Peri’s leash, then they left the house, holding hands, and headed toward Juniper’s.
The diner was busy when they got there, but they found seats near the window at a table with Wyatt and his family. Sebastian hustled forward, hugging Wyatt. “I haven’t seen you in a week, Wyatt. What gives?”
“Dad and I are working on the artifacts,” Wyatt said, yawning. “We’re close.”
“Alois,” Remy said, coming to take their order. “You better put Peri in the backyard before Juniper sees you. No pets except dragons and newts allowed in the restaurant.”
“Fine,” Alois said, scowling. He gave Remy his order, then walked Peri out the back door to a fenced-in area. Porkchop ran around the yard with Biscuit. They stopped when they saw him come out and came over to sniff Peri. Peri barked, then the three ran off to play. “Silly animals.”
He turned around and ran into Juniper. The man had his comm out, and Alois recognized the new manager of the gardens for the Blue Sector. “I don’t know what’s wrong with the corn,” the man said. “Can’t you come take a look?”
