Chapter 5: We’ve Got You Covered

Dirge POV

Dane and Lilia just had to say yes, after everything the wood elves had done for the shifters. It wasn’t fair that this cad, Lord Ilbryen, took advantage of Prince Narbeth nearly losing his tree. He couldn’t even imagine anyone using a life debt to force one of his brothers into marriage. True, Garnet had pretty much strong-armed Jiro into mating with her and becoming the Crimsontail Alpha–and one of the best they’d had in a while, if not THE best, at least in Dirge’s biased opinion. But Jiro already had been writing love letters to her and he knew she was his mate. 

“How can that no-good Pretty Boy High Lord do that to your family?” he burst out. “It doesn’t matter if he’s good-looking and charming. If you don’t want to marry him, he shouldn’t make you. It doesn’t sound like your brother is thrilled about the idea either.”

“And we wouldn’t be if it were one of us,” Kyon added.

Dane handed Kodi to Lilia finally after Bentley and Tau had their fill of their mother’s milk. The two boys yawned and rubbed their eyes, exhausted. 

Azandra simmered with rage, understandably, after she’d endured the same thing. “Your brother is an idiot, but he’s an honorable one. I always liked him–even when you threw Kyon, me, and my no-good Pretty Boy suitor into a silver cage.”

Thessalia smiled wryly. “You, out of everyone here, can understand. I’d accept Prince Cyran over High Lord Ilbryen. At least I KNOW his past. Everyone in Brighmere probably thinks I’m mad to reject Ilbryen.”

“Not everyone,” Calyx muttered. “They all know that some of the prettiest, sweetest-smelling flowers are designed to trap insects!”

“They’re the deadliest, for sure.” Azandra scooped up Bentley and Tau, who were falling asleep on the floor of the Great Hall. “I’ll just go put these two down for a nap with our pups and Patch’s pups.” She left quickly, throwing Thessalia a sympathetic glance.

Dirge felt warm all over. There were advantages to being part of a big family, and having people around to help out with the many Cresta children was one of them. When he finally found his fated mate, he knew their children would be the luckiest pups in the world. Their former enemy Cyran had found that out. He and his mate Naomi now had more babysitters, aunts, and uncles than they knew what to do with. They deserved happiness. 

Lilia rocked Kodi gently, her face soft with motherly love. Even with elves around, the little one was halfway to dreamland already, probably from the excitement. “I think Cyran’s mate Naomi would have a problem with him mating with you. And he’d be the first to tell you not to be fooled by appearances! So, you really don’t know why your tree objects to him?”

Thessalia sighed. “No idea. All I know is, I had to get away.”

Kyon frowned. “But you have to go back home sometime. You can’t stay away from your forest for long.”

Thessalia’s head drooped. “Three weeks. And we’ve already used up four days of that.”

Calyx pounded the table with enthusiasm, and Kodi barely blinked. “That’s where I come in, with my research.”

Dane’s brows knitted together in thought. “What research?”

Thessalia patted her friend’s hand. “We’ll make it brief.”

“Do I HAVE to? You went on and on about your story,” Calyx grumbled.

“We tell Jiro the same thing,” Dirge quipped. “And Garnet.”

Calyx’s eyes lit up. “I was thrilled when the princess got an advance copy of Garnet’s book on the history of the Crimsontails. I think it’s a stunning achievement. I want an actual published copy signed by her.”

“As soon as she’s done arguing with the publishers about printing the section on Hades, you’ll have it,” Lilia promised.

Calyx raised her eyebrows. “She’ll win that battle, I’m sure. Anyway, what I’m working on will change the future of wood elves. Do you know about the phoenix casuarina tree?”

Dane did a double take. “I know they’re rare. I can’t remember when anyone saw the last one. Wise Woman Tulaska probably remembers.”

“Then let’s get her here,” Dirge shouted, not caring about the tree, at least not beyond its being the reason for Thessalia staying here.

Kyon gave him his best long-suffering older brother look. “We will when she comes home from Red Crescent City later today.”

Dirge tried not to get impatient. After they healed from Hades’ attacks together, Tulaska had become like another mother to Cyran and a grandmother to his pups, especially since she never had pups of her own. He couldn’t begrudge Cyran a mother’s love but he sure wished Tulaska would hurry back. 

“What is this phoenix casuarina and is it going to help you stay here away from Pretty Boy?” he asked Calyx and Thessalia.

Calyx’s eyes lit up. “It’s a rare tree, as Alpha Dane says. But it has special properties. According to some wood elf legends, it was a gift that was given to wood elves to help us travel outside our lands, but something killed off all the phoenix casuarinas in our forest. However, what with the wind and animals spreading the seeds, the phoenix casuarinas took root in the shifter lands, specifically your kingdom. Although Alpha Jiro and Luna Garnet have told us that there may be one such tree in Crimsontail lands.”

Dane good-naturedly grumbled, “Naturally. He always says his kingdom is better.”

“Would you be any different?” Lilia shot back.

Kyon raised his hands. “Don’t look at me to settle this.”

“Traitor,” Dane grouched.

Calyx continued, “The phoenix casuarina looks like the fabled phoenix, but also has a short lifespan, unlike the bird. When a tree dies, its seeds scatter farther than any other tree and sprout instantly. Our scientists have linked it to the birth of the oldest trees in the grove. It’s a known fact that plants are related to each other, that they share parts of themselves. A potion made from the leaves and tree of the phoenix casuarina would give all wood elves the ability to travel outside the grove for longer periods.”

Dane’s jaw dropped. “Moon Goddess! How revolutionary.”

Lilia’s eyes opened wide. “Brilliant!”

Thessalia squeezed her friend’s hand. “Isn’t she? It’s so brilliant I can’t believe no one else has thought of this.”

“Maybe they’re all like your stick-in-the-mud fiance,” Dirge said.

Calyx giggled. “I like him, Princess.” She winked at Dirge. “It’s true that this is going to uproot some people and shake their trees.”

Thessalia warmed Dirge’s heart with her next words. “That’s a small price to pay because we have to fight Hades and the Dark Goddess before they threaten our beloved home. But it’s more than that. We are all part of the same forest. We need to help each other, the way that the wind, sun, and rain help the trees and the trees nurture the Earth.”

When she said things like that, his wolf jumped up and down howling, “Mate. Mate. Mate.”

His mate, a wood elf? Was that even possible?

* * * * *

Thessalia POV

Alpha Dane’s strong hand landed gently on Thessalia’s shoulder. His warmth and courage reminded her so much of Narbeth, who respected Dane. He’d assured her that Dane would keep her safe if she and Calyx sought the Crestas’ protection, and if Dane couldn’t protect her, she could always go to Alpha Jiro next door.

“You’re a woman of courage, Princess,” he said in his deep voice. “Your unwanted fiance, although a fool, has good taste. Your people are fortunate to have you and Calyx. You are welcome to stay as long as you can, or until your family situation is resolved. If you do find the tree and make the potion, you can stay until High Lord Ilbryen loses interest.”

Luna Lilia agreed, a warm light in her violet eyes. “You’re now under our protection.”

Thessalia’s head swam and she gripped onto what she thought was Dane’s or Calyx’s arm, only to feel the well-defined muscles and warm skin of Dirge’s arm. Blushing, she patted his arm, then tactfully removed her hand. “Thank you! You have no idea how much this means.”

Dirge blushed too. “You can stay with us at Cresta House.”

Dane’s eyes glittered and he stroked his chin, which Thessalia now noticed had the beginnings of a fuzzy beard. “That leads me to the only other problem with your request.”

She felt like someone dropped icicles down her back. “I don’t understand.”

Kyon frowned. “Dane—”

“What problem?” Dirge burst out. 

“The Evenhide Kingdom is famous, and you’re recognizable, Princess,” Dane answered in a calm, logical way. 

“But Mr. Snobby Ears doesn’t like to travel, so what’s the problem?” Dirge asked.

Thessalia’s eyes widened. “He has representatives. Mostly High Elves, but a few dwarves too. If one of them comes here … I can glamor myself and Calyx, but elves can see through other elves’ glamor.”

“But not witches’ glamor,” Calyx piped up.

Lilia beamed at her. “Again, brilliant. And you have three powerful witches right in this house. Anneliese and I can draw on the power from Patch and Dane, and Mother is more powerful than all of us combined.”

Calyx squealed. “Then you can make us look like other wood elves?”

Dane pressed a hand to his head, looking like he did when Dirge or Patch missed his point. “Even that would attract notice.”

“But if we make you look like shifters, no one will think twice,” Lilia concluded.

Thessalia felt such deep reverence and gratitude. “Look like shifters? Even shifters in wolf form? I guess we could run around on all fours when we had to. You know, to make it look more convincing.”

Lilia glanced at Dane. “If you can take it from here, Kodi probably wants to sleep beside his cousins.” She walked off with the adorable toddler asleep in her arms.

Thessalia smiled. “So many litters of pups.”

Dane’s eyes flashed like lightning. “If you make a stupid mistake like that in public, you might as well go home right now.”

Her chin rose and she said in her best Princess Voice, “Now see here–”

Kyon’s voice was gentle. “Dane is right. Cats and dogs have litters, not shifters.”

Her face felt like she was in the heart of the wildfire. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“She didn’t,” Calyx agreed, with a protective glower at Dane. 

He softened. “It’s a common enough mistake to make–for an outsider.”

The cheerful voice of Patch Cresta invaded the room. “Don’t you worry! Patch is my name, disguise is my game.”

Thessalia looked up to see the blond and brash fourth prince of the Crestas join the group with his pink-haired and sparkly-eyed witch mate, Princess Anneliese. 

Patch ticked off several points on his fingers. “One, play up that keen elf sense of smell, which is just as good as a shifter’s. Two, learning to run on all fours is easy–just chase after the million babies in this house when they’re crawling through the halls. Three, learn to howl. It’s too bad Jiro isn’t here, because he howls the best.”

“I’M the best,” Dirge shot back. “I’ll teach them both how to be the perfect shifters. Including eating lots of meat. You’ll be such good shifters by the time you leave that you might even get Evenhide men wanting to be your mates.”

“That’s the spirit, pup.” Dane smiled affectionately. “We’ll all teach you! Starting tonight with a big family dinner. Nothing beats a Cresta family dinner.”

Thessalia’s eyes glowed. “I remember. Thank you. We’ll be the best shifters you ever saw!”

Dirge reached out a hand to Thessalia. “I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping. And if you’re going to be shifters, you’ll have to get rid of those clothes.”

Thessalia and Calyx both exclaimed, “EXCUSE ME?”