Unknotted

A Boon and an Offer

Georgie

If Whiskers hadn’t been such a jerk, I would have almost pitied him for the situation I put him in. Wind buffeting his wings pushed him toward the sea that roiled with Ripples. If he had a relationship with the elementals as I did, that wouldn’t have been a huge deal. Since he didn’t, fear was justified. Ripples had a tendency to playfully drown strangers or those who hadn’t paid up.

“Georgie, are you alright?” Peth asked through the earpiece.

“Just going for a swim,” I shouted over the splash of the Ripples.

“This habit of us running for our lives is becoming too frequent,” Jik said, voice accusing.

“We have what we came for. You did successfully tap Stones’s phone, right?”

“Thanks for the bath,” Jik grumbled. “You easily could have ruined his phone.”

“Grab a towel and stop complaining,” Peth said. “Stella’s bringing her boat around, Georgie. Head toward Port Teober and we’ll intercept you.”

“I’m already on course.”

“Be ready to jump,” Peth warned. “You have quite the tail.”

I flipped around to face the rear again. Sure enough, as if I had stepped in an ant hill, boats poured from the cruise ship’s internal dock. One flying a green flag with a yellow silhouette of a hyena at its center was in the lead. But not by much.

Closer still was Whiskers struggling between a whirlpool or a tornado. Any minute though, the Whisp would grow tired of this game, especially since my wish and dandelion hadn’t been of the highest quality. If Whiskers was still in his beasts form when the magic ebbed, which would be in the next minute, he would be able to continue the chase by air. That simply wouldn’t do.

“Hey Whiskers!” I fished another sand dollar from my belt. “Got a secret to share?”

He glared. His fur was drenched with salt water, his ears pinned back against the buffeting wind. “What?”

Smiling, I flashed the sand dollar until his eyes locked hungrily on it. I tossed it toward him, shouting, “Catch!”

A huge pull of his wings shot him forward. He shifted, hands grasping for the sand dollar. I was fairly certain he caught it before hitting the water but wasn’t entirely sure. Regardless, my trick had worked.

Stella’s boat shot past the spot where he had disappeared and drew up alongside me. Peth’s hand stretched over the rail. I snatched it, letting her heave me out of the spray of the Ripples’ dash. I rolled onto my back, certain my muscles would melt right into the deck. Though the Ripples had done the heavy lifting, my breathing was coming fast.

With the sun as a backdrop, Stella hovered over me. Her mates were at the rails, ready with weapons. A grumpy Jik was wrapped in a towel, his red hair draped like an octopus over his scalp.

“I knew the moment I recognized you that trouble would soon follow.” Stella held out a hand and dragged me to my feet. “Care to explain what mischief you’ve been up to since the last time I saw you?”

“Stumbled across word of a shipment going down. Happened to run into a baddy along the way.” I glanced at the fleet of speed boats charging after us. Only one paused to fish Whiskers out of the sea. Well, at least I didn’t have to lose sleep over him drowning or something. “Friend, if you get us out of here, I’ll be happy to give you the long version.”

***

I gazed out over the ocean view from the Zalican ultras’ villa. The sun hung low over the horizon and painted warm colors across the rippling surface. Tredema was stretching across the sky and blinking artificial stars to life. None of my pursuers had dared to dock in Port Teober. They had given up the chase, at least temporarily, once I had landed in Stella and Reynoka’s territory.

I stepped back inside the villa’s lounge. “Any sign of them, Jik?”

The tip of his hair, now dried, peeked over the row of several computers. He had tapped into the security feeds of the villa, the closest portal station, and the docks down at the harbor. “No, but Stones has been hanging out at a portal station in Keadan for the last half hour. And someone else has been trying to tap into Zalico’s security systems.”

“Stones will be making the jump soon. Once he does, you can let the snooper gain access to the feeds. Make sure to fuel their egos; make them think they did it all by themselves.”

He snorted. “It’s insulting they think they could bypass my systems.”

A few years back, I had convinced Stella and Reynoka to let us install their security systems. As far as I was concerned, it was a win-win deal. Someone they trusted dealt with their security, and I and my crew earned a few bucks. Being a vigilante didn’t always pay, so it was a nice change. Didn’t hurt we also had backdoor access to all of Zalico’s systems. And possibly—I would neither confirm nor deny—we had posed as a security company and installed a few dozen of these backdoor systems throughout Keadan and Namen too.

I rubbed my arms where the hairs were starting to rise in anticipation of the tide. Again, I checked the items in my toolbelt. Luckily the enchantments on it had kept everything dry during my plunge into the sea. “Keep an eye on that port.” Walking backward I pointed to Peth, who was stretched on the sofa. “Be ready to move in about twenty minutes.”

Peth, dressed in a similar black armor, glared over the top of her new book. “Of course. Just as I was getting to the good part.”

As the tide returned, I stepped out of the lounge into a larger family space complete with gourmet kitchen, dining area, and entertainment area. Stella and Reynoka’s children were piled on the couches watching a cartoon. Their mates, the ones not patrolling the perimeter, were dutifully watching over them and attending to their every request, which met lots of trips to the pantry, fluffing pillows and blankets, and numerous snuggles. The word “no” was not something the mates ever said or were even allowed to say to the ultras’ children.

“See you soon.” Stella rested a hip against the kitchen island, hanging up her phone. “Reynoka has arrived.”

“I told her not to come,” I said, alarm rising. “Especially with people hunting me. It’s bad enough the children are here.”

“She couldn’t pass up a chance to see you.” Stella brushed her hair over her shoulder, feigning nonchalance. Her tensed shoulders gave her away though.

I placed a hand on her back. “Is something wrong with Reynoka?”

“This pregnancy has been hard on her. She’s been practically bedridden since she entered her second trimester. Suspicions about her vulnerability are growing. It won’t be long until—”

The front door opened. Several men strode in. I recognized a few faces, but honestly, Reynoka and Stella had so many mates it was impossible to keep names straight. Didn’t help both ultras had a “type.” Stella favored the dark features—thick eyebrows, dark hair, and usually a bit of stubble on the jaw—while Reynoka preferred men with lighter hair, kept long and a bit shaggy, and bright eyes.

Reynoka wobbled in, a green, floor-length linen dress swaying in time with her waddling. Her reddish-brown hair was braided over one shoulder. Two mates flanked her, as if afraid she might fall over, and helped her into a chair at the head of the table. A bright smile lit up her face, forming wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. “My friend, it is so good to see you again.”

I perched on the end of a bench at the table and took her hands. “How are you feeling?”

Reynoka rubbed her stomach and chuckled. She sounded tired. “As good as I could be. This will be my last one, you know.”

Considering Reynoka was over halfway through her forties, it was amazing she was having one at all.

“Even with the coavani knot to help me recover, I’m not sure how much longer I can hold this territory, especially with war ramping up everywhere.” Her hands tightened on mine. “Have you reconsidered my offer?”

(Chapter concludes in part 2)