Rhodes by Christina Bauer

Author:Christina Bauer [Bauer, Christina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-946677-33-4
Publisher: Monster House Books

23

Rhodes

Zin still seems in a haze, so I help guide her top back on. For my part, I make certain to untuck my own T. Luckily it’s a loose one, so it hides how attracted I am to Zinnia.

Damn, I thought this was the perfect plan to get alone time with my rhana … only I forgot that Tempest and Portia promised to be close by.

Ah well. There will be time for me and Zin. Just not this very second.

Two dragons swoop down from the night skies. It’s hard to see their forms beyond the fact that both are massive. At the last moment, the pair transform into human shape with great wings. They land on the tennis court before us. The wings vanish. It’s Tempest and Portia, Emperor and Empress of Furonium.

“Mum! Da!” Zin rushes over to give them both big hugs. Does the thought occur to me that I had their daughter half-naked two minutes ago?

Hard to forget.

Tempest fixes me with a serious stare. The guy is a greater demon of lust. No question about one fact. He knows exactly what Zin and I were up to.

“What have you learned?” asks Tempest.

Well, he’s not threatening to punch my face in, so I guess we’re good here.

“Not that you can learn much on a bus,” adds Portia quickly. “But Tempest thought you may have news.” Unlike Tempest, Portia seems oblivious.

“There is news,” I reply. “The Triumvirate army is not alive.”

“Not living.” Tempest taps his chin. “Perhaps it’s an army of the undead. Interesting.”

“That would explain why we haven’t found any signs of their operation,” adds Portia. “A force that large would need food, tents, and medicine … all on a huge scale. We’ve run across nothing. But a magical army of some kind? That would be easier to hide.”

Tempest nods. “I focused too much on Chimera’s missing treasure hoard. We assumed it was being used to hire mercenaries.”

“There’s more,” adds Zin. “While we were on the highway, a silver bus passed us by. I saw a Triumvirate reflected on the exterior.”

“Mirrors are magical gateways,” says Portia. “It’s something to look into.”

“Any word from the Kathikon?” asks Zin. “Am I successful distraction?”

“Yes,” answers Portia. “They say he is acting rather erratically. We are confident he’ll make a mistake and soon.” She glances around the court. “What were you two doing here?”

“Tennis,” says Zin. She does a good job of answering smoothly.

“Tennis,” repeats Portia. “But your rackets are on the ground.” Her eyes narrow.

Tempest wraps his arm around Portia’s waist. “We’re all staying at the same motel tonight. Shall we fly there together?”

So that’s what we do. It may be short in terms of time, but the silence along the way is deafening. Once we reach the motel, I walk Zin to her room. After the door swings open, I grip the top threshold. That stops me from pulling Zin into my arms. I scan the outer walkway. No one else is around.

“We good?” I ask.

“With my parents, you mean?”

I nod.

“They’re adjusting.

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