Page 103 of Made

“Oh. I…” Evie flushed, grateful to have made her husband as ecstatic as she’d ever seen him, but also a little embarrassed by the attention and the to-do he was making. After all, she wasn’t Maeve. She was a scholar for cripes’ sake. Or at least she had been. There was some conflict between loving the attention and being comfortable with quiet dignity.

That was when she remembered having engaged in a magical version of a food fight with Maeve at her wedding. The memory of that performance went beyond cringing. It made her groan out loud at times when she was sitting in a bath with no one around.

The dogs, who were beyond handsome if she did say so herself, were still in a state of euphoric bounce, like a weird canine victory dance.

“Ex. Scruffen. Rox.” When Keir called their names, the dogs stopped abruptly and looked at Keir. Curious to hear whatKeir would say next, Diarmuid put Evie down. “I think you’ll be happy here. My brothers and I will always be in your debt. Mean that.” To Diarmuid and Evie, he said, “Thank you. Going home.” With a glance at the Harlequin hounds, he said, “No refunds. No takebacks.” Diarmuid chuckled, knowing his dogs wouldn’t be going anywhere with the possible exception of the Wild Hunt. To the dogs, Keir added, “And nice collars. Thoughtful touch, Evie. I’ll always know which is which.”

“Let us no’ indulge a silly argument, butI’mthe one most grateful,” he said while lazily petting Scruffen’s ear. “Did you hear? My dogs are Hera’s grandchildren.” He sounded incredibly proud of his prize pets. They, in turn, all three, gazed up at him adoringly like they’d been his since they were a litter. He then turned a high-beam smile on Evie. “And my queen is a genius.”

Keir left feeling pretty damn good thinking,Now that’s what I call a happily ever after.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Court Dismissed

Esme had never experienced worry like the kind that had kept her pacing in her cell without walls. She regarded the floor with an anger that had swung between simmer and rolling boil from the moment she’d been taken from the vampire’s Yule party. It was maddening that the mosaic showed no signs of wear. She thought there should be something to show for the thousands upon thousands of steps she’d clocked.

When two saffron escorts came to take Esme to the pavilion, she began demanding answers.

“Is it over?

“Is Kagan here?

“Did he succeed?

“Is he alive?

“Are you mute?

“Or stupid? Of course. That must be it. You’re stupid, aren’t you?”

The one-sided conversation continued like that until Esme found herself standing at one edge of the pavilion. Her eyes found Kagan’s almost immediately and locked on. She was so relieved her knees tried to buckle. Seeing that, he took a step toward her, but bounced off an invisible barrier hastily thrown up by Araxinthe.

“Not so fast, Sephalian,” she said with a tight smile. “So. You’ve completed two of the three challenges. And, since you tricked me into allowing Fritjof to choose her own judicial panel, staging the third test would be an exercise in folly. Don’t you agree?”

“I agree ‘tis unlikely that Esmerelda will choose judges who vote against her wishes.”

“Right. Then why go through with it?”

“Can no’ think of a single reason to do so.”

Araxinthe sighed before saying, “Fritjof. If you should ever change your mind, you have a home here for what mortals think of as eternity. And, yes, that means that you’re walking away from immortality for the sake of this…” she looked at Kagan pointedly, “…sephalian.” She then spoke to Esme’s escorts. “Allow her to join the petitioner.” When released from her invisible bonds, Esme hurried to Kagan. Both of them were too reserved for extreme public displays of affection, but the way they held each other’s gaze without moving almost said more about the depth of their feelings. “I’ll be the final adjudicator. Both of you face me.”

Kagan took her hand as they turned together to face their fate.

“My final word on this event is this,” said Araxinthe. “Good riddance. The two of you are master troublemakers who very possibly could’ve been made for each other.” Kagan and Esme exchanged a loving look mixed with triumphant smiles. “First, you’ve made an enemy of the sphinx. Not for yourself. For us. Apparently, she likes you. It could be a problem in the future. It’s hard to say, but she’s fully capable of holding a grudge for a thousand years.

“Second, we have no way of calculating the fallout from removing the guardian of the entrance to the Land of the Unworthy Dead. Everyone here is sworn to secrecy, in case we might be implicated by knowledge and involvement. But once a scandal is set in motion, it takes on a life of its own, and no one, not even Cardinals, can know where it will lead.

“Last, you may have created a problem for our Order by making the sisterhood curious about romance. Honestly, had Iforeseen any of this, I never would’ve come for Fritjof. I’m not comfortable with having a stain on my otherwise perfect record as overseer. I’ll not be your declared foe, but you winged lions will not be invited back. If you mistreat our sister and she comes to us, you’ll never see her again. Do you understand?”

“I do. And I’m good with that, Overseer,” said Kagan. “Esme is safe with me. My future is in her hands.”

In an uncharacteristic display of emotion that threatened to bring the house down, Esmerelda was so touched by that declaration that she burst into tears.

“Good gods, “said Araxinthe. “What would’ve happened if we’d heard thewholespeech?” The overseer’s prim demeanor faltered as she flopped into her big chair. “Very well. Off with you.”

Before the last word of that sentence was truncated, Esme and Kagan found themselves standing on the sidewalk in front of her studio. She was still wearing the formal gown she’d had on for the party. It was cold, and her coat hadn’t been brought along. She supposed creatures who live in perfectly controlled surroundings wouldn’t think of such things. Moreover, her purse was probably wherever her coat was. More than likely at John David’s. That was a problem because the key to the studio was in the bag she’d taken to the party.

She swiped at the tears on her face. “I don’t have my keys,” she said.

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