Page 26 of The Mating Frenzy
Gideon’s mouth flattened. “So you see, my friend, you are crucial to aiding Xavier, for we need these werewolves and their powers to fight the gathering forces of evil. They are small for this moment, but growing in power in quiet corners across this country. It is not only the weak and the frail who will need theirservices.”
“What can Ella do to help you?” he askedXavier.
The Crystal Wizard shrugged. “I do not know, but I trust Danu, our creator, and her wisdom. This is why she asked us to mentor you for a couple of days and help you learn as much as possible about the Skinworld.”
“We do know this. The longer it takes for Ella to come into her powers, the harder it will become for her to break free of her Skin lifestyle,” Gideon added. “And it is imperative she does so,or…”
“I’m screwed,” Xavier saidgloomily.
Kieran was too shocked to even respond. Xavier was an omnipotent immortal, who could erase an Other’s life by snapping his fingers. To discover that he was vulnerable, and worse, susceptible to evil, made him ill. If Xavier changed into a force for darkness, who could protect the innocent Others from his formidablepowers?
Ordinary Others trying to stop him would be like ants resisting a bulldozer plowing through theirhome.
He studied the wizard, who had always treated him with friendliness, but whom he’d respected, as an Other did to an omnipotent being who could fry him with a single wave of hishand.
Xavier was a good wizard, with a good heart. The idea of him embracing evil, and rejecting everything he stood for, and turning on the world and his wife and unbornchild…
He thought of the family he’d lost, and the grief that lanced him for centuries. It must not happen to Xavier, and the wizard must remain on the side of good to be a force againstevil.
“Tell me what you need me to do,” he told them, his voice deadly quiet. “I am a warrior and I wish to aid you in thisfight.”
Relief flickered across Gideon’s face. He gave a single, brief nod. “I knew I could count on you, my friend. Your skills in battle will be most useful. There is only so much we can do to aidyou.”
Xavier drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “We must return to our duties soon as well. The longer we neglect our charges, the more vulnerable they become to the Dark Lord’s influence. He will use any means possible to form an army of followers to do hisbidding.”
His mind scanned the possibilities. In the Winter Kingdom, he’d fought many battles, and key to winning was knowing the enemy’s weaknesses. And their sense ofurgency.
“What is your immediate concern?” he askedXavier.
The Crystal Wizard looked away, his jaw tight. “The fact that I’m still tied to him isn’t as worrisome as what will happen to Ciara and thebaby.”
Now Kieran understood the worry lines on Xavier’s forehead, the wizard’sgrimness.
“Can you destroy the crystal? You are the Crystal Wizard,” he toldXavier.
“No. If I could, I would find the damn thing myself and incinerate it.” Xavier looked haunted, his face pinched. “It is Ella’stask.”
“And yours,” Gideon added. “We will stay with you here, my friend. But after this meal, we must leaveyou.”
Kieran gave a brief nod. “I’m ready. Do you know where the crystalis?”
Xavier traced a rune on the table, and it sparkled purple. “Danu hid the talismans to correlate to each of our lives. It must be in a place important to me, someplace that I would returnto.”
“That narrows it down,” he said dryly. “To perhaps the entire continent of NorthAmerica.”
But the Crystal Wizard’s gaze grew distant. “Danu knew my future, knew I would find my Ciara again. The place where we first madelove…”
“Should I look for discarded condoms? A lot ofthem?”
Xavier frowned, and then a smile softened his severe expression. “The beach. Florida. The hotel on the beach where I took her to lose her virginity to a cougarshifter.”
His eyes nearly bugged out from his head. “Now there’s a story I’d like tohear.”
“Later.” Xavier explained to him the location and with his index finger, traced a pattern on the table. An aerial photo of the beach and hotel appeared on the table. “The crystal will be hidden there, in an area where I could easily find it, but hidden to Others and Skins. It will be disguised as an ordinary object, but you and Ella should be able to pick out the energy. It could be on the beach, or someplace natural, not hidden in a structure. And though it would be easy enough for me to find, it would not be that obvious, or someone else would have discoveredit.”
Terrific. Kieran looked at the miles of tawny sand. “This is going to be like picking out a singlegrain.”
“You can do it, my friend,” Gideonencouraged.
