The Elf's Royal Match (Book 4 The Wolves of Winter Valley)

Chapter 21 - Magic Blocking Identity

Braxton POV

There was a spring in my step as I hurried from the dungeon lab to my Goddess’s chambers. Finally, I was bringing her good news. Dozens of imprisoned witches and warlocks had been desperately trying to locate Winter Valley for two years without success. They worked day in and day out until they fell unconscious from the effort. Some even died, either from exhaustion or Morrigan’s temper. Failure infuriated her and was severely punished. There would be no punishments this time.

I opened my hand and gazed at the tiny object nestled in my palm. It was grey with a textured surface resembling a small oblong pebble. The design’s simplicity and intricacy were brilliant, and they were mine. The idea had come to me when I’d escorted the Goddess on a walk around the island. Beaches were littered with stones just like this and were seldom noticed by beachgoers unless they stepped on a sharp one. Winter Valley was somewhere along the coast of Maine. Surely there were beaches where their human Gamma female could accidentally track a wayward pebble into her vehicle. No one would ever guess that this seemingly ordinary rock was a sophisticated tracking device bewitched to recognize the source of any magic it encountered.

Once she placed the stone, it would only be a matter of hours before we knew the general location of The Triad and who they had protecting their lands. That information was all that stood between Morrigan, her long-awaited victory, and potentially my freedom. A clutching began in my chest at the thought of going back to the life I left behind. I had dreamed of little else since Morrigan captured me more than two years before, but now that the possibility was upon me, it felt more like a nightmare.

Steeling myself for whatever mood the Goddess was in, I lifted my fist and knocked on the door.

“Come!” Morrigan’s smooth, sultry voice floated through the thick wood of the door, sending a shiver up my spine.

My body’s instant response irritated me. She was a monster with no soul, and no respect for life, only power, but I loved her. There was an evil inside her that should have terrified me; instead, it mystified me. The darker, more sadistic she was, the more I wanted to know why. What turned this gorgeous creature with an angelic face into one of the most feared beings on the planet? My questions were endless, but the answers would never come. Morrigan simply wouldn’t open up to me, and I’d tried.

Countless nights while we lay spent from our amorous activities, I’d regaled her with stories from my life before and encouraged her to share a tale or two of her own. Each time, she changed the subject or distracted me with foreplay. The only detail I’d managed to squeeze out of her was that she was born in Romania. She wouldn’t even tell me her age.

I let out a breath and tucked my feelings as far down as I could before pushing open the door. Morrigan was stretched out on her black velvet upholstered chaise lounge, cupping the bowl of a brandy snifter in her right hand. The split in the skirt of her black satin floor-length gown lay open, causing half of the material to drag the floor, exposing one long, shapely leg. My mouth dried up instantly, and my steps faltered. A sly smirk inched over her face telling me she knew exactly where my mind had gone. And as she often did, Morrigan made a show of lifting her body to a sitting position, giving me a glimpse of paradise when her legs parted.

“What’s the matter, my love? Cat…got your tongue?” she asked with a soft, sexy chuckle.

I struggled to remember what it was I had come to tell her. “Uhh… I…”

Morrigan’s chuckle turned into robust laughter as she set her snifter aside and sauntered over to me, draping her arms over my shoulders. “Have I made you forget something with my shameless display, darling?”

Her scent surrounded me, rendering me mute. I stared into those glorious black pools, silently begging the Gods for the strength to pull away, but none came. Instead, I succumbed to the craving and claimed that blood red painted mouth in a kiss that threatened to be my undoing. The stone slipped from my hand and fell to the floor with a light clatter, jerking me out of my lust-fueled haze. Morrigan’s jaw tightened when I leaped back from her and scrambled to collect the device.

“My Goddess forgive me,” I said, bowing low and rising again at her nod. “The reason I’ve come to you this early in the day is to report that we’ve made a breakthrough. My weakness for you distracted me.”

A brief wave of relief washed over me as her face relaxed into a beautiful smile. “Tell me,” she demanded, her eyes glittering with excitement.

I opened my palm and held the tiny pebble out for her inspection.

“A rock?” Her eyes narrowed and brows furrowed in disgust as she snatched it from my hand and held it up in front of my face. “This is your big breakthrough?”

“Looks can be deceiving, my love. What you hold in your hand is no ordinary stone. It is a tracking device with an added magic identifier,” I explained quickly lest Morrigan lose her temper.

Slowly, she brought the stone closer to her face to examine it. “Explain,” she ordered quietly.

“It’s made to look like a pebble you’d find on any beach, but inside there is a tiny GPS tracker that will be linked to your phone. You will be able to keep track of it from anywhere. For an added boost, we bewitched the exterior to identify the source of any magic that touches it. With this stone, you will finally be able to find Winter Valley and you’ll know who or what is protecting them.”

“And how do we get the stone into Winter Valley?” she asked me, her grin returning.

“We plant it on the one pack member we know leaves pack grounds daily. The human,” I said with confidence.

Morrigan’s frown returned. “But I can’t see her, remember? They found a way to shield her from me.”

“Yes, but you don’t need to see her. Just her car. Which you can when she’s not in it,” I reminded her. “Just drop the stone inside the car while she’s working and let the tracker take care of the rest.”

Natasha POV

The morning after I sent the email to Colton’s father regarding his switch of alliance, I turned my attention to his and Sinead’s other issue. Sinead tried her best to look unfazed, but the last year had weakened her ability to mask her emotions. I could see the pain and worry in her eyes when she confessed the failure of her marking spell. It hurt me to watch her struggle to have what came so easily to everyone else after waiting for so long.

As soon as I hit send on the email, I picked up my phone and called for a meeting with the wisest people I knew regarding magical matters.

Isabella arrived first, groaning slightly as she lowered herself into the chair across from me and rubbing circles over her already rounded belly.

“Rough morning?” I asked with a bright smile. My tiny sister was absolutely adorable when she was pregnant.

“Si! I thought one is bad. Three is… I will die before done,” she said. The corners of her mouth drooped. “I am scared, Nattie. Piper was hard birth. I still catch Drake and Gideon staring at us like we will disappear. Is a year now. What if…”

I got up from my chair and skirted the desk to crouch in front of her. “Every pregnancy is different, Izzy. Piper was a very active baby with room to move. The triplets do not have that luxury. Besides, Dr. Barry has already said that he will be monitoring you very closely. He will make sure that this birth goes as smoothly as possible. Also, since you’re going to deliver during winter, you won’t be as hot and miserable as you were with Piper which I think contributed to her restlessness.”

Isabella leaned forward and touched her brow to mine. “You always know right words. Gracias.”

I lifted my hand and cupped her cheek. “You’re welcome. We’re all in this together, you know. No one in this family goes through anything alone,” I said as she straightened.

“Si. I know. Is easy to forget sometimes,” she admitted, resuming her belly massage.

“It is, but that’s why you have me. To remind you.” I winked, rose, and started back around my desk just as the door opened to admit Caine and Lucy.

Lucy made a beeline for Isabella, cupping that growing mound in her palms and closing her eyes. “Oh! Izzy girl! They are…”

“No! Don’t tell. I want surprise this time,” Izzy interrupted.

“Right, I almost forgot,” Lucy said, a soft smile curving her lips. “I want to ease your mind, though. The stress you feel is not healthy for you or them.” She paused and waited until Izzy nodded, then added. “Everything is fine. All are healthy and strong.”

“Gracias, Lucy,” Isabella said, cradling her belly as she sighed deeply.

Lucy gave Isabella a quick hug, then took the chair next to her while Caine dragged a chair over from my small conference table. Once settled in my chair, I cut right to the chase.

“I called you all here today to address a very unique situation,” I began, then continued when I had all of their attention. “As you all know, Colton Nagy is a transgender man. He is not fully transitioned and I’m not sure he ever plans to be. While I understand that you may not wish to know such intimate information about a man you barely know, it is vital that you have all the information as it applies to the situation.”

“What is the situation,” Caine asked, resting his right ankle on his left knee.

“Sinead’s magic evidently doesn’t work on Colton. A couple of weeks ago, she rejected Colton. It didn’t work. Obviously, she’s glad it didn’t, but it’s still perplexing. And just yesterday, she tried to mark him. The spell failed. So, we need to figure out why her magic is not working and why she can’t claim her match,” I answered, folding my hands on my desk.

“Has he gone through the blessing ritual?” Lucy asked.

“Blessing ritual?”

Lucy shifted in her seat and tugged on one of the two long silver braids resting over her shoulders. “Now, I’m not sure if this applies to Colton’s species, but gender dysmorphia is common among many water dwelling species. I think pollution is a factor there, but that’s really neither here nor there. Anyway, when the individual transitions, they go through this ritual where they formally ask their God or Goddess to bless their new identity. Once the blessing is received, they are recognized as their new identity in both the physical and spiritual worlds and their former identity ceases to exist.”

I sat back and considered what Lucy shared, then said, “I am fairly confident in assuming that Colton has not gone through with such a ritual. And if what you’re saying applies to winged panthers as well, then that would explain why Sinead’s magic isn’t working. She’s been using her spells on Colton Nagy not Princess Faiza Yasser.” I paused for a second, then asked, “Do you know how we go about performing the ritual?”

“I’ll have to look into it. I can consult with Queen Cara of the North Atlantic next week. She comes into Raven’s Crest once a month for supplies.”

“Thank you, Lucy.” I said, then paused to channel Sinead and Colt.

Good news, Sinead! We think we figured out why you couldn’t mark Colt.

That’s great! Why?

Because in the eyes of his Gods and Goddesses, Colton is still Princess Faiza Yasser. You were using the wrong name in your spells.

So, all I have to do is use his birth name?

No! Colt jumped into the conversation with a shout. I won’t have you claim me under that name.