Page 12 of Wonder
Reno’sbeautiful brown eyes flew wide when I told him how long Nicol had been held captive by theluchd-òl fola. His expression went slack in horror, and he dragged his gaze over Nicol’s wasted-to-nothing body.
I could tell when he made the connection.
“Is he an...Elf?” His voice was pitched low, and only Tucker was close enough for his shifter hearing to catch Reno’s question.
Tucker, whose blond hair matched Shirley’s, took a step toward us, but I put my forefinger to my lips. “Yes, but we need to keep it quiet. He’s the only one left on Earth.”
Reno swallowed. “They... they kept him alive all this time? Is his blood special or something?”
I sighed, taking Nicol’s bony hand in mine again. “In the Elven dimension, vampires eat regular food but also receive doses of a serum made from the diluted blood of Elves who donate it to maintain us. This allows vampires to avoid feeding on other citizens, the Wonders. It’s considered offensive to even ask to drink someone’s blood, and it’s a crime without consent.” I gave Reno a crooked smile. “I ran out of the serum within months ofthe portal closing, so I can say with authority that blood from the source is a thousand times more potent than the serum. And Elves have even more magic than Wonders or magic carriers, so....” I shrugged.
Reno dropped from his knees to sitting on the ground. “Are you saying these vampires stayed behind when the portal closed so they could keep drinking blood frompeople?”
“Yes. They were Royal Guards, part of a contingent assigned to escort Nicol—Nicky—to the portal. They cut Nicky’s connections and their own so everyone would think they were dead.”
Tucker scowled. “And the other Elves just left Nicky behind without lookin’ for him?” His voice rose, and Reno shushed him. “Sorry,” he muttered.
I grimaced at the memory. “At the time it wasn’t well-known that vampires could manipulate magical connections. We kept it quiet so other species wouldn’t fear us. When the King felt his connection with Nicky torn apart, he assumed it could only mean death. I tried to explain I thought Nicky was still alive, but he didn’t believe me. He did let me stay behind, though.”
“Hold up.” Reno put his hand on my bare arm. Our magics flared, and he jerked it back. “Are you saying Nicky was part of the Elf royal family?”
I looked around to make sure no one was paying attention. “Nicky is—was—the Crown Prince. The King and Queen’s firstborn child.”
Tucker squatted down on Nicky’s other side. “Holy shit. And that’s who they chose to kidnap? Seems risky.”
I shook my head. “They made it seem like an attack. The King believed what he was supposed to believe.”
The mountain goat shifter came over and, barely making eye contact, handed my phone to me. “Thank you. It was good to talk to my husband again.” He sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “I thought he’d have decided I was dead and moved on, but he said your friend Cal let everyone know about the kidnappings. He’s starting the drive down tonight from Tulsa to pick me up.” He glanced warily at me before dropping down to kneel next to Tucker. “Sorry, I’m Morris.”
“Simon. I’m glad your husband will be here soon.”
He smiled, then he reached out and touched Nicky’s shoulder. They were connected, and I was glad Nicky had had people who cared. “I don’t feel right leaving Nicky like this though.”
I leaned toward him but quickly retreated when Morris flinched. “I knew Nicky before he was captured. I promise I’ll make sure he’s okay. If you leave your phone number, or your husband’s, with me and Reno, we’ll have him call you when he feels up to it.”
He nodded and swiped at his cheeks. “I need to go home and bond with my husband again.” He rubbed his chest. “I miss him so much.”
“We understand.” Reno’s gaze was soft with sympathy. Damn, he was so pretty. “Don’t feel guilty leaving. You need to get your life back on track, and I’m sure Nicky would tell you the same thing.”
The anaconda shifter walked over, put her hand on Morris’ back, and knelt down beside him. “Hi, I’m Ophelia,” she said to me. I introduced myself, making sure to remain as still as possible.She hugged Morris. “Nicky always told us not to worry about him, to take care of ourselves first. You know he meant it.”
Morris snorted. “He was always quoting the scene from that movieA View from the Topwhere the flight attendants all recite the line about putting the oxygen mask on yourself before helping someone else.”
Ophelia laughed. “And then he’d try to get us all to shout at the vampires that we wanted ourwarm nuts.” They exchanged grins before looking fondly down at Nicky.
Reno sat forward. “Well, he doesn’t have to take care of himself anymore. He has us to help him get back on his feet. I’m sure he’ll want to stay in touch, so we’ll set up a group chat for all of you so you can check on him and make sure he’s doing okay.”
I beamed at him. My mate was so caring.
Tucker stood up and started walking toward the road just as a silver SUV came into view. It turned into the driveway, and he stopped to wait.
Reno stood as well. “It’s Shane and Ms. Jackson.”
I squeezed Nicky’s hand in relief. Ms. Jackson would make sure Nicky didn’t have any broken bones or a brain bleed.
I hadn’t seen thedèideag dìonin months, so it made sense that they’d Become beyond the animal forms they’d been using back then. But I was shocked when they exited the car in a human shape. It was an impressive leap in their evolution. They also had several strong friend connections they hadn’t had before.
“Um...?” Reno and Tucker both stared at Ms. Jackson as they walked swiftly toward all of us. Shane followed at a much slower pace.
