Ellida Read online

  James came back with a sweater draped over his hand. He helped Betty to put it on. “Here… Took me forever to dig it out. It was at the bottom of your red suitcase, not the black one.” He turned to Astrid. “As for your job, don’t worry, sweetheart. You’ll have plenty to do,” he said, taking his seat beside his wife. “Although, if I were you, I would take it easy. Consider the next couple of weeks as a vacation. You’ll have Morgaine and young Nakamura breathing down your neck. That’s more than enough, you’ll see.”

  Before Astrid could answer, the Baron 55 dipped down toward the runway and soon touched the ground.

  “I hope you enjoyed the flight, Miss Mohegan,” said Andy, the pilot, as Astrid thanked him.

  “Very much, Mr. Rogers. Thank you for showing me the town.”

  He smiled. “Please, call me Andy. It was my pleasure. Welcome home, Miss Mohegan.”

  “Thank you, Andy. And please call me Astrid.”

  ASTRID STEPPED out of the plane right into the arms of a tall young man with tousled ruddy hair and dark-blue eyes. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her from the ground.

  “Here is my singer! Welcome home, cousin!”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eamon! Easy, man! Don’t scare her or she’ll ask Andy to take her back,” Jack said.

  “C’mon, Jack, you had your chance in the last two weeks. No need to throw a fit, she’s my cousin.” Keeping his left arm around Astrid’s shoulder, he reached out his right hand. “Good to see you, man.”

  Jack shook his brother’s hand. “Good to see you too, Eamon. Now, may I have my girlfriend back?”

  Eamon winked at Astrid. “Don’t worry, coz. We’ll get him out of our hair soon,” he said and kissed her cheek.

  When she realized nobody was going to snatch Jack away from her, at least not right away, Astrid relaxed for the first time since this morning and Ella’s tears, Arnaldur’s tight grip, and the Blakes’ put-on encouraging smiles.

  The lights were on when they arrived. Alec, Drew and Drew’s sister Lily were waiting for them.

  The Mohegan home was a large, comfortable and welcoming place, well-lit and high-ceilinged. It smelled homey, of pine wood and citrus peel. Although the house was evenly warmed with some sort of central heating, a cheerful fire was burning in the fireplace. The family and their friends gathered around it before dinner was served.

  The big sitting room was furnished with functional and cushy sofas and armchairs in warm, herb-and-spice tones of dark-orange, cinnamon and cardamom-green. The antique coffee table, side tables, chests and drawers were made of rare and elegant reddish-brown East Indian rosewood, almost impossible to obtain anymore. Vanilla-yellow walls, dark parquet floor, thick Oriental carpets in sage-green and rich red completed the relaxing and harmonious interior. A wide, curved staircase led to the second and third levels.

  The house had two dining rooms, both adjacent to the kitchen. The huge rectangular space that probably took up one third of the ground floor was used for frequent formal occasions involving a large number of guests. The much smaller family dining room was an intimate, casual place, with its cherry wood round table that seated eight people in comfortable chairs upholstered with soft cushions.

  Drew and Lily had prepared supper: roast beef with potatoes and vegetables, spinach in béchamel sauce, red bell pepper casserole and sautéed mushrooms.

  “We heard you liked lemony desserts, so I made lemon soufflé,” Lily said as she placed a yellow bowl in front of Astrid.

  “Oh, lemon is my catnip.” Astrid took a spoonful and closed her eyes in delight. “Oh, this is the best lemon soufflé I’ve ever tasted! Thank you!” She smiled at tall, dark haired and hazel-eyed Lily, so different in appearance from blond, blue-eyed and petite Drew.

  After dinner they continued sitting around the table in the dining room. Jack sat beside her holding her hand and playing with her fingers. Every once in a while, his knuckles would brush her cheeks, sending warm shudders throughout her body. The physical sensation of their bond, already familiar, hadn’t lost anything of the thrill and excitement she’d felt the first time she and Jack had touched.

  “Andy’s picking up Morgaine and Takeshi from Denver tomorrow afternoon,” James said. “You’ll soon be very busy, Astrid.”

  “We’re expecting heavy traffic here in the next couple of days. People will come to welcome you,” Betty said. “I know it’s a lot of new faces, but don’t worry, we’ll be around.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be fine.” Astrid’s voice didn’t sound very convincing, but she smiled bravely. “I’ll get used to it eventually.”

  Jack put his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. “Just be who you are, Miss Spock.”

  Astrid sighed. As if there was any other way.

  “Bah, don’t you worry, Astrid. You are our Ellida, you could be spoiled rotten and you would still be ours, as we are yours,” Eamon said. “Besides, it didn’t take you too long to steal some hearts.”

  Jack laughed. “With all the resistance I could muster, it took less than twenty-four hours.” His fingers continued to stroke the nape of Astrid’s neck, easing her anxiety.

  “There’ll be mostly girls, women and children coming tomorrow, just to say hello,” Betty said. “When James and Jack are back, we’ll have dinner here for the Captains, and James will formally introduce you to them.” She turned to her husband, “Can we plan it for next Saturday, James?”

  “Saturday’s fine. Astrid, about your house … We weren’t sure what you wanted to do with the furniture, so we moved everything to the basement, to make room for your stuff. Alec decided to take as much as he could put in the truck, so pretty much everything from the Rosenthal house is here now.”

  “Really? Oh, thank you, Alec,” Astrid said, touched.

  Alec shrugged and smiled. “I thought you’d like to have your things here. It might help you a bit with the transition. You can always deal with whatever you don’t want later.”

  “I hope you didn’t change your mind about staying here with us,” Betty said. “We don’t want to put you under more pressure, but if you don’t mind, please stay with us. This is also your home, Astrid.”

  “Of course she doesn’t mind, right, sweetie?” James said and patted her hand.

  Astrid eyes filled with tears and she blinked several times to push them back. “No, not at all. I want to stay here with you,” she said. “I don’t think solitude is what I need now.”

  And she meant every word she’d said. Jack would be coming and going, and they couldn’t stay in either her or his house anyway. Not before her next change, at least. Staying close to Jack’s family would help her cope with his absence.

  ASTRID’S PHONE buzzed somewhere in her purse in the sitting room and she excused herself. It was Liv, calling from Seattle. Astrid spoke to her, then to Tristan, then to her grandparents, giving them a brief account of her day so far.

  She heard Liv’s voice again. “Darling, here’s somebody else who wants to talk to you.”

  “Hi, Astrid.”

  A wide smile lit Astrid’s face. “Hi, Ingmar. What are you doing there?”

  “Attending a wizard-slash-Tel-Urugh strategic meeting. This time we outnumber them. How are ya?”

  “Fine.”

  “Does that boyfriend of yours treat you well?”

  Astrid was quite sure that out of respect the rest of the family was tuning out her telephone conversation. The boyfriend in question apparently didn’t care about privacy issues, and he didn’t find Ingmar’s inquiry amusing.

  “Can’t complain,” Astrid said as Jack magically appeared behind her and closed his arms around her.

  “You find yourself a girlfriend, Ingmar, and leave mine to me,” Jack said, laughing.

  “Except that he’s possessive and jealous.”

  “Well, nobody’s perfect,” Astrid said and giggled as Jack’s fingers found a ticklish spot on her belly.

  She continued talking to Ingmar in Swedish, hi
s mother tongue.

  “You sounded like you were talking backwards,” Jack said, laughing, when she finished.

  “Don’t eavesdrop next time. Ingmar said hello, by the way. He’s at Liv and Tristan’s. They invited him.”

  “Traitors!” He turned her around. “I want to see what you’re wearing under this,” he whispered on her lips, parting them, as his hands disappeared under her sweater and gently squeezed her breasts.

  “That’s not going to make things easier, Jack,” Astrid whispered back and locked her arms around his neck, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. “Let’s go back,” she said and towed him toward the dining room.

  “That was Seattle,” Astrid said. “Everybody says hello.”

  Drew, Alec and Lily were about to leave. “We’ll be back tomorrow, as moral support,” Alec said, hugging her and kissing her cheek. “See you, cousin.”

  Betty came back after seeing them out. “Are you tired, Astrid? It’s been a long day. Do you want me to show you your room?”

  It had been a long day indeed, and Astrid did feel tired. On the other hand, she didn’t want to part with Jack. Their brief encounter in the living room, however, had left her burning with a fire that wasn’t going to be put out tonight.

  “That may be a good idea,” she said and turned to Jack. “When are you leaving?”

  “Day after tomorrow. I have a couple of meetings in the morning, but I’ll be here later.”

  “Astrid, sweetheart,” James said, “Jack and I have lots to do in the next couple of weeks. That means traveling. I’ll go myself whenever possible so that Jack can stay here. Sometimes you’ll go with him, to the ranches and around.”

  “Oh, I’d love to,” she said.

  Eamon winked at her. “You need to meet your subjects and know your realm, Ellida. And, if you like, we can start with your house tomorrow.”

  “That’s a good idea. I have to fetch my laptop and some other things from there.”

  Betty gently touched Astrid’s elbow and walked her upstairs. “Come, Astrid, let me take you to your room.”

  Jack placed a soft kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. Sweet dreams, baby.”

  “I DON’T want to sound like a spoiled kid,” Astrid said to Betty as they climbed the staircase “but I’ve been living on frazzled nerves for a while. Jack’s been my support all this time.”

  “You don’t need to apologize or explain anything, Astrid. We are all impressed with how you’ve been handling all the pressure. You were in hiding for a year, you were attacked, you have a difficult transformation every month, and you work all the time. Of course you want to be with Jack! We are all going to have a couple of busy weeks ahead and you’re going to carry the heaviest burden, Astrid. You’ll need lots of patience with us and with Red Cliffs.”

  They stopped in front of a guest room that had been prepared for Astrid.

  “Last night Jack asked me if I wanted to run away with him,” Astrid said.

  “I’m not surprised. Jack’s an honorable man. He wanted to give you a chance to change your mind. And he loves you a lot, you know that.”

  “Oh, I love him even more, but that also scares me. We met a few weeks ago, and I’m not only in love, I love him, with all my heart. I’m not complete without him, he’s a part of me. It’s so intense. Falling in love is one thing, but love ... Love doesn’t just happen, it should develop over time, shouldn’t it?”

  Betty smiled and shook her head. “And who says so? Why shouldn’t love happen, just like that. There are no rules.”

  Astrid smiled. “You might be right. I’ve never thought about love that way.”

  “It’s not always logical,” Betty said, “but it happens.”

  “Thank God it does.”

  THE FIRST thing Astrid saw when Betty opened the door was a crystal vase with two dozen pale pink roses on the nightstand beside the bed.

  It was a simple, comfortable room with an attached bathroom. It was warm, and exuded a faint scent of furniture polish and fresh linen. The soft-yellow walls and white and pale-green color scheme balanced out the polished hardwood floor, the massive bed frame and sparse dark furniture. One glance at the spacious, inviting bed, with its fluffy white pillows and crisp bedspreads made Astrid realize how dog-tired she was.

  Betty quickly showed Astrid around the room before she wished her good night.

  Astrid’s suitcases and a few boxes with her clothing stood in the corner, but she didn’t bother to unpack them. She took a quick shower, brushed her teeth and wrapped herself in a big, fluffy white towel. She moved the curtain and looked through the window just in time to see the lights in the big house flicking on. Jack was at home, across the yard, and that thought comforted her. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, imagining him in rooms she’d never seen before.

  Further down, she could see her house, wrapped in the dark night. She smiled. Regardless of what Jack had said on the plane, it looked like both Mohegan houses were in the Canagan house’s backyard. Positioned slightly ahead, Jack’s home stood right between them, a big, handsome, solid structure, like its owner himself.

  Astrid pressed her palm against the windowpane. “I love you, Jack,” she whispered and blew him a kiss, then walked to bed and let the towel fall to the floor. She slid under the covers. The bed sheets were smooth and pleasant against her bare skin. “Better get used to sleeping naked,” she said to herself, remembering their little talk about her nightwear, or rather the absence of it.

  Her narrow, elegant foot peeked out from under the cover. Astrid wiggled her toes inspecting her impeccable toenails painted in pearly pink.

  “I’ll buy red nail polish, and you better start looking for those sexy boxers, Jack Canagan,” she murmured. Lifting herself on her elbow, she leaned toward the vase and touched a rose to her lips.

  She turned the lights off. With a sigh of pleasure, she cocooned the bedcover around herself.

  The moment her head hit the pillow, she was sound asleep.

  Two

  Astrid

  EYES CLOSED, I stretched in bed. I woke up in the same position I’d fallen asleep in last night and felt rested and hungry. My inner clock told me it was around six-thirty. My room was quiet; no sound was coming from downstairs. I wondered if anyone was already up.

  I jumped out of bed, wrapped the bedcover tightly around me and waddled to the window.

  The sun hadn’t risen yet, but the pale, bluish-gray sky sprinkled with a few remaining stars promised a sunny day. I glanced toward Jack’s house, dark and quiet, sharply outlined against the milky morning. It looked like he was already gone.

  Snow covered the ground; a lot of snow. It hadn’t been snowing recently, however, since the roofs and tree branches were clear of it. I loved the snow as much as I loved the rain. I’d lived in several rainy places, but never where snow could accumulate for days. One of my little wishes had already come true and my heart was filled with joy.

  I took a shower and brushed my teeth. I tidied up the bed and turned to my luggage with all my wizard efficiency. Soon all my clothes and accessories were in the old oak armoire and the matching chest of drawers.

  I put on my jeans and my favorite Persian-rose mohair turtleneck, hoping it would be okay for my first, informal socializing with Red Cliffs.

  Happy with my simple solution, I almost missed checking my appearance in the dressing table mirror, but when I did, I frowned. Since my last transformation, my hair color had been rapidly changing to bright red. One more thing that was out of my control. My hair still looked nice in spite of its new shade, but pink didn’t suit me anymore.

  I was okay with leaving a good chunk of my previous life behind me, but it’d be hard to give up on my pink wardrobe.

  I compromised with a mint-green cashmere V-neck. The only jewelry I wore was the silver wolf-pendant necklace Jack had bought me in Seattle.

  DOWN IN the kitchen, my uncle was in full cooking mode. He was juggling the toaste
r, frying pan and coffee machine, leaving a significant mess behind.

  So far, I knew too little about James Mohegan to form my definitive opinion, but I’d put a few checkmarks in the positive column: for being a good husband and father, for owning an airplane but not having domestic service, for financial aid for Copper Ridge. And now for making us breakfast.

  Betty was setting the table, and Eamon’s head was buried in the fridge.

  “Good morning,” I said from the doorway, suddenly nervous.

  Fortunately, my family was more relaxed. Uncle James abandoned his pans and pots to kiss my cheek. My aunt gently stroked my arm and asked how I’d slept, and my cousin gave me a bear hug, asking me which jam I preferred: strawberry or apricot.

  My tension eased. It was almost impossible to stay stiff among such affectionate people. We ate, talked and laughed. Betty told me Jack would be back later. “The guests will start showing up around eleven. Lily and Drew should be here soon to help me with food and baking.”

  “Tell me what I can do,” I said.

  “Oh, you don’t worry about that now. You and Eamon can go to your house, or if you don’t mind waiting a bit, I can join you two.”

  “I’ll go with them, Betty,” my uncle said and stood up. “Fetch your jacket, Astrid. It’s just around the corner, but it’s fresh outside.”

  THE AIR was crisp, infused with the scent of snow, wind and pine. I closed my eyes against the bright sunshine and thirstily took several deep gulps. I walked between my uncle and Eamon, who held his right arm lightly wrapped around my shoulder.

  I eyed him under my lashes. At seventeen, he was already taller than James, and just a bit shorter than his brother. Not for long, I’d say, since he was still growing. He still carried the last traces of teenage skinniness, but with his broad shoulders, muscular chest, narrow hips and long legs he’d definitely crossed the border to adulthood.