“Tiara, I’m in another world called Eximius Mundus. Right now, I’m staying with a friend of Maven’s. A man named Tor Artur.” She turned sideways so Tiara could get a better view of the room through the mirror. “This is one of the bedrooms in his home.”
She decided it was best not to tell her it was
his
bedroom. That would just open up a whole new line of questioning she didn’t need to deal with right now. While Tiara inspected the room from her side of the mirror, Deveney answered Maven’s question.
“The oddest thing happened. I thought I saw Tor turn into a bear, and then he got in a fight with his brother, Sven.”
“You saw a man turn into a bear,” Tiara interrupted. “What kind of drugs have you been taking?”
Deveney didn’t get a chance to reply before Maven reacted. She turned, waved a hand from the top of Tiara’s head to the direction of her toes as she chanted a mystical verse. Tiara instantly froze in place with her mouth open and her next question caught in her throat.
“That didn’t hurt her, did it?” Deveney asked, amazed Tiara stood quiet for the first time since they’d met and she wasn’t asleep.
“No,” Maven stated. “It’s a simple twist of magic. I’ll teach you.” She nodded her head toward Tiara. “It would come in handy with this one when you’ve got something important to discuss and she won’t let you. Now you were saying… I want to hear it all from beginning to end. You saw Tor turn into his inner animal.”
“His inner animal?”
Deveney’s brows bunched as she contemplated what Maven confirmed. Nona told her that she’d found her bear. But at the time, she didn’t understand. She’d suspected he was some form of were-animal when he seemed to transform before her eyes. But she didn’t truly believe she’d seen what she thought she saw. Different dreams and images tormented her mind while she battled the thrash of rampant magic through her body last night.
Tor, man, bear, lover, friend and father…that image stuck in her head the most. Visions of him and her, together with a baby, but the image shifted from a child to a small bear cub. For some reason, it didn’t scare her. It intensified her curiosity about the man. Was he truly a shapeshifter?
“Yes, he is,” Maven answered, snapping her from her thoughts. “You’ve found your lifemate, the equal to your magic.”
Warmth filled her as if hearing it from Maven made it a fact. Tor was her magical lifemate, the one destined to be hers forever. Deveney blinked and regained her focus. “I really hate when you read my thoughts like that.”
“Then tell me what happened and I’ll not pry.”
Seeing the determined look on Maven’s face, Deveney knew she’d get the information one way or the other. She took a breath, licked her lips then started at the beginning.
“Tor walked in. I was talking with his brother, Sven. That’s where everything got weird. He turned into this giant golden…” Her voice trailed for a second as the realization hit her. God, how could she be so blind? “Tor is the bear you told me to find.”
“We’ve already established that,” Maven said with a hint of impatience in her tone. “Continue, we need to talk this through before Tor returns. I don’t want him seeing me in the mirror. He’s been seeking me, but I haven’t returned his summons. Not yet anyway…” Her voice trailed as she focused her stare directly on Deveney, cleared her throat, then stated, “Please continue.”
“He’s been trying to contact you?” Deveney questioned. “Why?”
Maven looked uneasy for a split second. “He wants to send you back to Earth. That is something you cannot let happen. Together, you and Tor are a powerful magical force. Apart, I hate to think what the magic will do to your chakras since you have mated. I fear it might kill you both.” She held her hand palm opened in Deveney’s direction, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
A chill spread across every inch of Deveney and she shivered. Wrapping her arms around herself didn’t prevent the flux of sudden change. Her temperature shifted from cold to hot to normal within a millisecond. The storm inside her brain lifted, taking the fog of sickness with it. Every pain dissipated. But something didn’t feel right. A sharp ping in her lower abdomen had her rubbing it.
Deveney’s heart skipped a beat and the breath stilled in her lungs. Ohmygod, what was wrong with her now? A faint, rhythmic sensation thudded against her suddenly oversensitive palm. She lifted her hand to her eyes and stared. Why were her palms tingling? What had she felt? When she returned her gaze to Maven’s, the old magi smiled and Deveney thought she saw a single tear slide down her face.
“Deveney, I cannot be entirely sure without actual contact, but…”
Excitement and hope filled her veins, but doubt tainted the thrill as Deveney cut her off. “I’m pregnant. How could you tell so early? It takes weeks before…”
Maven interrupted her. “Yes, I believe you are. In our world, pregnancy can be determined immediately after conception with magic.” She smiled and continued. “Your chakra combined with Tor’s to form an unbreakable magical bond. He’s a stubborn fool. He believes it’s wrong to bring others from the outside to mate with our males. But I fear if we don’t, the Morphionian world is destined to die. You must make him see you are his intended lifemate before he makes the mistake of returning you to Earth.”
“Does he know how to send me back?”
“Right now, he doesn’t and I don’t plan to tell him. He’s a smart man and it’s only a matter of time before he figures it out without my help. Whatever you do, don’t touch the carving of the bear on the mirror. It will send you back here.”
“I won’t touch it,” Deveney replied, shaking her head. “I have no intention of going back. Why would he not want me? If I tell him—”
“You can’t tell him about the baby. He has to accept he is your lifemate and you are his before he’ll accept you carry a child cub created by mixing two bloodlines.”
Tears filled Deveney’s eyes. All she ever wanted was a family, a husband and a child to love and cherish as her own. And now she couldn’t even tell the man she loved about his child. Her eyes opened wide.
Do I love Tor?
She swallowed hard and returned her gaze to Maven’s.
As if the magi read her thoughts, she stated, “That is an answer I cannot give you. It’s something you must decide for yourself. Do you love Tor enough to give up your life on Earth and stay with him on the Isle of Avalonia forever?”
No hesitation stalled her words. Deveney’s heart guided her.
“Yes, I love Tor. Even though I don’t know much about this world, I want to stay here. I want to have this baby and live here with Tor forever.” Tears streamed down her face as she looked directly into the colorless eyes of her mentor. “Maven, I’m scared. How do I win his heart? How do I make him love me?”
“I sense from the message I received from him he has already fallen for you. Breaking through his hardheadedness will be a difficult challenge.”
Deveney swallowed hard. Something Maven said a few moments earlier filtered through her thoughts. “Will this child be born as a baby or will I give birth to a cub? How does this work with me being human and him a shapeshifter?”
“I have no information on that one. You and Tor are the first blending of two different worlds. We are called Morphionians, not shapeshifters, but in essence that is exactly what we are. With Morphionian women, their offspring are born in whatever form the mother gives birth in. If she chose her animal shape to give birth, then the child would be born as that animal. For you, since you do not shift, your child should be in the form of a baby.”
A loud sigh of relief escaped as Deveney hugged herself. This should be the happiest time of her life. But it wasn’t. She didn’t like the idea of keeping the baby a secret from Tor. A deep ache centered in her heart. She tried to maintain her focus on Maven.
“You didn’t finish telling me what happened last night, but I sense I know the story. Tor caught you with Sven. Anger and jealousy devoured him. He turned into the bear and fought with his brother. Somehow, they ended up on the outside of the door with you locked inside. Not a good thing, since your chakras have combined. You feared for your mate to the point that the strength of your magic consumed you and took control.”
Maven paused as if waiting for Deveney to confirm or deny her rendition of last night’s events. When Deveney nodded, Maven continued. “It’s simple. You wanted to be with your mate and the magic made it happen. That’s how the door disappeared.”
“But how do I control it?” Deveney asked. “Can I make the door disappear again?”
“How you use your magic is up to you. Reach deep inside yourself for the knowledge I know exists. Remain calm and focus on what you want it to do for you and it will work. You have a great power and combined with Tor’s, it’s immeasurable. I sensed a phenomenal strength within you, Deveney, the first day you entered my store. The mark upon your thigh confirmed it. How you got that mark, I wish I knew.” Maven paused on a heavy sigh, then continued. “You are destined to become a remarkable magi. It’s in your genes and it’s now in the genetic make-up of your child.”
On reflex, Deveney caressed her lower abdomen and looked at her hands. A soothing sensation warmed her, making her shiver and smile. A child lived inside her and she refused to lose its father due to a stubborn streak.
The words of a conversation she had with Tor’s brother reinforced Maven’s thoughts. Sven claimed there weren’t enough women here for the men to find mates. He also said his brother disagreed with the possibility of outsiders, such as herself, coming here to live and help repopulate.
Stubborn fool
flashed inside her head. Looking down at her hands caressing her stomach, she knew the mixing of races worked. At least in her situation, Earthlings with magical skills blended just fine with the Morphionian male. A smile crossed her lips as she returned her gaze to Maven’s. Determination filled her. This was a battle she intended to win.
“Maven, don’t you worry about a thing. I will control the magic within my chakra. If not for my sake, for the sake and safety of this child. And as for Tor,” she grinned and said in a commanding tone, “he’s mine and I have no intention of losing him.”
Maven laughed. “May the Goddess Nirvana give you the strength and guidance to win this fight. I’d ask for mercy for Tor’s soul but in your case, I’m pulling for you.”
Deveney couldn’t help but laugh along with Maven for a few seconds before she regained her composure.
“Thank you for opening my eyes, Maven. Without you, I’d still be lost.”
“Don’t thank me yet, child.” Maven shook her head. “You’ve got a mighty battle before you.”
“Oh you can count on me winning,” Deveney said. “By the way, do you know of a secret entrance in and out of this room? Sven came in through it, but wouldn’t share its location.”
The jiggle of the bedroom doorknob had Maven fading out of the mirror, but not before she stated quickly, “Look to the bears, my dear. They hold the answer you seek.”
Deveney’s brows bunched as she bit the edge of her lower lip, then it hit her. Tiara was still frozen. In a hushed hurried whisper, she called, “Maven, please don’t forget to set Tiara free.”
“Do I have to?” Maven’s reply came back at her on a faint whispered taunt, which made her laugh.
She understood how difficult the unceasing chatter of Tiara could be. But Deveney would have been lost without her during their youth. On a hurried whisper right before the door opened, she added, “Please keep Tiara safe for me, Maven. She is my sister and I love her.”
Nona stepped through the door and closed it behind her. The subtle click of the lock reminded Deveney she was a prisoner in Tor’s room. But not if she found that hidden entrance. She couldn’t help but grin in anticipation of the search. Looking at Nona, she knew it would have to wait.
“Ah, it is good to see you up,” she stated. Her voice was filled with concern as were her eyes when she cupped Deveney’s elbow in a motherly touch. “I truly didn’t expect you out of bed. How do you feel?”
“Better,” Deveney replied, then smiled, hoping to ease the woman’s fears. Nona had been nothing but kind to her. Other than the fact she kept locking the door. If she didn’t find the secret entrance, Deveney would use her magic to open it. She hoped she didn’t have to use that plan until she held full rein over her skills.
A smile brightened Nona’s face as she released Deveney’s elbow. “I sense Maven has been in contact. I prayed she would. I feared without her healing magic, you would have been lost to us.”
Deveney stepped back, a little confused at first, and then remembered the two were sisters. “Please, you can’t tell Tor I’ve spoken with her.”
The harrumph that escaped Nona’s throat made Deveney smile as the woman stated, “That overbearing, hardheaded fool. I wouldn’t tell him if the Goddess Nirvana herself popped in for a visit right about now.”
Deveney grinned in response, but wasn’t sure who was this Goddess Nirvana. She’d heard the Goddess being referenced to several times in conversation since her arrival. Was she some all-powerful being? Was she like the Queen of the hierarchy? Deciding to ask, she opened her mouth to speak but didn’t get the chance.
A light tap at the door made Nona turn to answer it. When she opened it, three people walked in. A beautiful younger version of Nona carried several robes in her arms. The other two were males. Each carried trays filled with food and drink.