Just Like Magic

  Just Like Magic

  (Discord Jones 6.5)

  Gayla Drummond

  Published by Katarr Kanticles Press, 2016.

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  JUST LIKE MAGIC (DISCORD JONES 6.5)

  First edition. July 18, 2016.

  Copyright © 2016 Gayla Drummond.

  ISBN: 978-1536508147

  Written by Gayla Drummond.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

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  About the Author

  Chapter One

  “Argh.” I hurt my finger, stabbing my phone’s end call button as Logan walked in. “I just changed the damn number last week.”

  “Guessing that was a reporter.” He put the plastic bag on my desk and pulled out the top container. “This is sweet and sour chicken.”

  I put my phone down. “Extra sauce?”

  “Extra sauce.” He smiled while fishing out two condiment cups full of the syrupy, orange-red goodness.

  “You’re the best lunch-getter ever.” It was the fourth day in a row we were having lunch in my office. I was basically grounded, though Mr. Whitehaven had called it a “temporary benching,” thanks to the combination of a nosey reporter’s exposé and an aspiring elven politician. Logan wasn’t grounded, but chose to hang out at the office with me anyway. Couldn’t ask for a better boyfriend, especially since he was willing to drive halfway across town to bring back lunch from my favorite Chinese place.

  Officially, we were handling the oh-so-important job of installing and upgrading software on the company laptops. Unofficially, I was sick of staring at my office walls and on the verge of going completely stir crazy. The sad part was, the office was one of two places I was safe from eavesdroppers. The other was the clan territory, which had magical protections against intruders.

  I wasn’t hiding out just from the human media, but from the supe media too. They had their own network, magical of course. Supe reporters were a hell of a lot harder to avoid, due to their various sizes and skills. Only two days before, we’d discovered that a trio of brownies had infiltrated my house.

  None of the dogs had picked up on their presence, which meant we had no idea how long they’d been there. I’d learned more about brownies than I ever expected to, such as the fact that their scents changed to match their surroundings. That’s why no doggy noses had sniffed them out. Plus, they were tiny folk—four to six inches tall as adults—with an ability to blend into any surroundings that verged on complete invisibility.

  The only reason we’d discovered the little spies? I’d thought I was losing my mind, because my household chores kept getting done, and I wasn’t the one doing them. The kicker had been how fast my carton of half and half was being drained. Brownies didn’t like messy houses, and they were addicted to cream.

  It turned out they also couldn’t stand an unanswered riddle, even if it meant revealing themselves to the person they were spying on.

  Thanks to Ronnie, my house was now also warded to prevent future invasions of the Two-legged Brownie Kind. Fortunately, I hadn’t been spending a lot of time there—at least not overnight.

  “I have a surprise for you.” Logan offered me a fork and paper napkin before pulling out his own lunch. Smelled like Beijing beef. “But it requires your agreement.”

  “Do tell.” Though usually not a fan of surprises—most often, they meant I gained new bruises, if not worse—I’d learned his surprises tended to be thoughtful, fun, or both.

  “First,” he paused to open his food container, and yep, Beijing beef. I mentally patted myself on the back, ignoring the worry that my sense of smell was growing better because of my silent passenger, Cerridwen. “I’ve made all the arrangements necessary, and I’m not telling you that to push for a yes. I am telling you so you can say yes if you want to, and not worry about anything.”

  “Go on, Mr. Sayer.” I added one of the little cups of sauce to my chicken.

  “It’s something we haven’t done before.”

  I’d just taken a bite, and narrowed my eyes at him while I chewed. Logan grinned. “Not that kind of something, but I’m open to suggestions whenever you have any.”

  Did that mean he wanted me to be more adventurous in the bedroom? Crap, am I boring in bed?

  “No.” When I widened my eyes, still chewing, he chuckled. “No, I didn’t hear what you’re thinking, but you turned a little pink and then that tiny wrinkle showed up between your eyebrows. I guessed.”

  Damn, he was getting really good at reading my expressions. Or reactions. Both. I swallowed. “You can make suggestions too, you know.”

  “If any occur to me, I’ll share them. The surprise is a destination. Your agreement is necessary because it involves being gone for a few days.”

  I blinked. “What, like a weekend getaway?”

  “Exactly like a weekend getaway. Just you and me.” He took a bite while watching me.

  “What about...”

  Logan hurriedly swallowed. “Sunny and Tonya will take care of your pack, Radley and Kiernan included.”

  The latest, and youngest, additions to my pack had been named by Leglin. My hound had begged me to adopt the two pups during Kethyrdryll’s first adoption event. I’d caved, because Leglin seldom asked for anything, and also, puppies. I had no armor against wiggly puppies. “Uh, they’re not fully house trained yet.”

  Logan sighed, probably thinking of his hallway carpet. It was the pups’ special indoor spot, and was currently covered in potty pads. “I know. Tonya promised they would be by time we picked them up.”

  “Okay, but what about...”

  “Mr. Whitehaven has given the okay for us to take a three-day weekend.”

  I suspected any other “what abouts” I had would also be answered. Logan could be an extremely thorough planner when he had his mind on a specific goal. “A whole three days of just us?”

  “That is my plan. The question is, is it a plan you like?”

  “Hm.” I pretended to think about it for exactly five seconds. Three days with Logan, and no responsibilities? “I love this plan.”

  I loved the smile that spread across his face even more.

  Chapter Two

  An early start the following morning left me yawning as we drove through the stone arch of the clan’s territory entrance. Logan glanced at me. He had arranged everything, to the point that all I’d had to do the night before was pack for myself. “Feel free to take a nap.”

  “I might.” I covered another yawn and scratched away the beginning of an eyebrow itch. “We’re on the road.”

  “We are.”

  “The road to?”

  He grinned. “You’ll see when we get there.”

  “Playing this close to the vest, huh?”

  “Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I were to tell you. But you can keep trying.”

  I took that as a challenge. “How long of a drive do we have?”

  “Not too long.”

  We were heading into Santo Trueno, not away from it. I sipped coffee from my travel mug. “Are we going out of state?”

  “Nope.”

  “San
Antonio?” It was the closest big tourist draw, but my guess drew a head shake in response. “Austin?”

  “No.”

  He’d made certain I had packed my bathing suit. The weather was still cool enough I didn’t think I’d be using it for outdoor water fun. Plus, I knew we weren’t carrying any camping gear. In fact, we were in a sedan I hadn’t seen before. Our suitcases were in the trunk of the dark gray, late model vehicle, and the windows were tinted as darkly as the law allowed. “Whose car is this?”

  “It’s one of ours.” Logan moved, resting his forearm on the center console, conveniently placing his hand within holding distance. I took the bait, slipping my fingers between his.

  My travel mug fit in the cup holder, and I covered another yawn. While I tried formulating more questions about our destination, the hum of the tires and soft engine rumble conspired to lull me to sleep.

  “Cordi, we’re here.” Logan stopped stroking my cheek when I opened my eyes. “Do you want to stretch your legs while I handle check-in?”

  “Sure.”

  “Okay, be back in a few.” He left the car, and I blinked sleep from my eyes, looking around while unbuckling my seatbelt.

  There were mountains visible through a break in the pine trees surrounding the parking lot. My mouth was dry, and a cautious sip proved my coffee was still warm. Warm enough that I checked the time on my cell phone as I opened the car door and exited. “Huh.”

  Only a little over an hour had passed since we had left home. I glanced at the mountains again, furrowing my brow. Had we driven far enough to be in New Mexico? No, wait. Logan had said we weren’t leaving the state.

  Confused, I turned in a slow circle to take in my immediate surroundings. The parking lot wasn’t large, perhaps a dozen spots in total, and directly opposite the car, Logan was entering a two-story building. The building was a log and stone structure with windows dotting its length on both floor levels. There was a road at each end of the parking lot, one paved, while the other looked to be dirt. The lot itself was edged with rocks in various sizes and colors.

  I looked at the mountains again, taking a deep breath of the cool, pine-scented air. Texas did not have mountains like that, and I realized they didn’t really look like the mountains I remembered from childhood trips to New Mexico.

  “This has to be a pocket realm,” I decided, scanning the trees again. But whose, and exactly where was it?

  Before I could begin working that out, I spotted movement deep in the trees. My jaw dropped as the shadows seemed to part to reveal a pale gray horse. A horse with a silvery horn sprouting from its forehead. Holy crap, that’s a unicorn.

  I took a step forward, freezing when the unicorn noticed and lifted its head higher. We stood, staring at each other until I realized my mouth was hanging open and closed it. The unicorn elected to dismiss my presence, dropping its head to nibble at a bushy clump of grass.

  “What do you think so far?”

  Not having heard Logan returning, I startled and swallowed a shriek to keep from scaring away the unicorn. “That’s a unicorn.”

  “It is,” he agreed. “She’s beautiful.”

  “Yeah. A real unicorn?”

  Sliding his arms around my waist, he hugged me from behind and rested his cheek against the side of my head. “The real deal.”

  “Wow.”

  “Going to take that as approval of my choice for a weekend getaway spot.”

  “Oh, yes.” I could’ve stood there all day, watching the unicorn graze. “How do you know it’s a she?”

  “The males are more muscular, and usually darker.” Logan freed a hand to point. “Look about thirty feet behind her, where that one tree is leaning to the right.”

  “Oh.” My eyes focused, and I could see the darker gray unicorn standing in the shadows under the trees.

  “He’s either her mate, or hoping to be. They mate for life.” Logan dropped his arm and clasped his hands together over my stomach. “There’s a small herd of them here.”

  Real live unicorns were going to be a tough act to follow. The sight of them had already made our weekend a success, as far as I was concerned. “You’re going to have a really hard time, topping this.”

  He chuckled and kissed my hair. “There’s more to see. Do you want to watch them while I unload the car?”

  “Ah.” I kind of did, but didn’t want to leave him doing all the work. “We’ll get to see them again, right?”

  “Definitely, but it’s fine if you want to watch now.” He kissed my neck before letting go and stepping back. “I can handle the luggage.”

  “No, that’s okay. I’ll help.” It required an effort to turn away and follow him to the back of the car. I kept sneaking peeks at the mare—were unicorns called by the same gender names as horses?—while we unloaded the suitcases. The view kept me occupied enough that I didn’t ask any questions until we began walking toward one end of the parking lot. “So where are we?”

  “Talledon Sanctuary.”

  With a name like that, I had to be right about it being a pocket realm. “How far from home?”

  Logan laughed. “You checked the time, didn’t you?”

  “My coffee was still warm.” And I’d left my travel mug in the car. I made a mental note to remember to collect it.

  “Minus the morning rush hour traffic, it’s about forty minutes straight down the highway from our place. We’re about twenty-five miles outside the city limits.”

  “In a pocket realm. One I haven’t heard of before.” I forgave myself for the smugness apparent in my voice.

  Logan smiled. “Yes, it’s a pocket realm, and not many humans have heard of it. Though that’s going to change soon.”

  We reached what I’d thought was a road, but turned out to be a wide, dirt path with multi-colored rocks lining the edges, just like the parking lot. He noticed my side-to-side glance, as I estimated it was just wide enough for a car to drive down. “No vehicles allowed past the lot. There’s a magical barrier over it and the road in, to prevent contamination from emissions.”

  I hadn’t felt anything when we left the lot, but doubted I would’ve even if I’d known that before we did. “Do we have the same thing?”

  “Yes.”

  Cool to know. The dirt was hard-packed and smooth underfoot. My suitcase’s wheels rolled easily along. “This is a unicorn sanctuary?”

  “More of a sanctuary for outcasts, who’ve offered to share it with some Melding-displaced species. The unicorn herd is one group.”

  “Ooh, what else is here?” I racked my brain, trying to think of other fantastical creatures. The lack of caffeine worked against me, so I drew a blank.

  “Not telling you. That’d spoil the fun of you discovering for yourself. Which,” Logan gently bumped my arm with his. “Is kind of the whole point. Besides, I’d hate to list them and you not get to see them all.”

  I bumped him back. “Does that mean we’re going to be doing a lot of hiking?”

  “Walking. There are paths like this one, which lead to different viewing spots. I think humans would call it a free-range zoo.”

  I spotted a small, wooden sign on the left side of the path, about twenty feet ahead. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the start of the path was farther away than I expected it to be. “We haven’t walked that far.”

  “Magic. That’s our turn.” Logan indicated the sign with a slight jerk of his chin.

  “Why are they letting us spend the weekend here?” I stopped to examine a small carpeting of flowers just off the path. They were tiny star-shaped things in different shades of pink, growing in clusters on stalks just a few inches tall. “Mom would love these.”

  “It’s a pre-grand opening thing. Kiffle sent me an invitation.”

  Kiffle? Who was... oh, I remembered. “Your armor guy?”

  He nodded.

  “Cool.” I wondered if they had a gift shop, or would be open to selling a plant or two. Logan had paused to wait for me, so it only took a couple step
s to rejoin him. We continued on, reaching our turn a moment later. The new path was narrower, just wide enough for us to walk side-by-side. It traveled the terrain in a lazy S shape, and ended in a circular clearing.

  “Ooh,” I breathed, taking in the contents of the clearing. “It’s a hobbit house.”

  “More of a dwarf-style cottage. Hobbits aren’t real.”

  Windows winked sunlight from the oblong hill, with wood framed, double glass doors centered between them. The area in front of the cottage was paved with flagstones, and to one side there was a gazebo. The other end had a pool with a raised, layered rock retaining wall surrounding it. Flowers topped the mound sheltering the cottage, while dark green grass covered its sides. More flowers lined the base.

  “Is this okay? They have other...” Logan’s uncertainty tapped a tendril against my mental maze wall.

  I interrupted him with a huge smile. “I love it. Let’s check out the inside.”

  The interior was simply laid out, with bed and bath at one end, a kitchenette at the other, and dining and living space in between. I suspected the mattress was a feather one, from the way our suitcases sank into it. Logan started unpacking, making use of the wardrobe in the bedroom, but I went for a closer look at the rest of the cottage.

  The bathroom and kitchenette had modern plumbing, and appliances for the kitchen. There was a small fireplace directly across from the front doors. The polished wood floor was strewn with colorful rag rugs, but a larger one took pride of place before the fireplace. “We didn’t bring any groceries.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you to cook,” Logan called from the bedroom. I glanced in that direction, smiling at the ornately carved wooden screens separating it from the rest of the space. “They have a tavern.”

  The furniture was wood, the couch and chairs covered in leather, but strewn with brightly colored pillows in a multitude of sizes and shapes. He caught me testing the feel of the rug in front of the fireplace. My cheeks felt warm as I straightened. “Um, it’s soft.”