“Oh boy,” I muttered, releasing my soul mate’s hand. This was going to be an interesting trip. Sayhelloto technology, gentlemen—and lady.
All five of them surveyed the tender with confusion, staring at it from different angles, trying to understand.
“Did someone steal the oars?” Rilen scratched at his chin. “I suppose we can ride back and purchase some.”
“Oh, fuck no. We are not riding on horses again today.” I jabbed my soul mate in his ribs. “Will you put them out of their misery? This is cruel.”
Belshazzar patted the air. “Just get in the boat. It will move. I promise.”
“How?” Kimber’s eyebrows puckered, curious. “Is it magic that you have on Earth that we don’t have here?”
“It’s science,” King Belshazzar stated patiently. “It’s not magic. It is manmade.” He pointed far into the ocean. “That is the yacht we will be taking to Earth. We’ll ride in this little boat, first, to get to it.”
All five squinted through the mist, into the far distance. Their eyes widened in amazement as soon as they saw it.
Dorian stood straight, and his chest puffed out. “Now, that is a boat I could see you captaining, my brother.”
Belshazzar rubbed at his forehead and then rolled a quick, exasperated finger in the air. “Actually, I have a person I pay to captain it. But theyachtis mine. It is my baby. Do not do anything wrong on it.”
Rilen and Roran nodded. In complete agreement.
Aiko stepped aboard the tender first, gingerly sitting on one of the seats. He ran his hands over the leather, murmuring, “This is a fine boat here. If it runs, of course.”
Fucking hell. I choked on a laugh.
I leaned into my soul mate, and I whispered softly, “If we have to explain everything to them all the time, this is going to take forever. Get them moving.”
King Belshazzar heeded my warning, herding them into the boat. I took my seat, then placed a hand in front of my mouth, and glanced away when he started the engine. Theoohsandahhswere just too much for me. And it would be rude to laugh in their faces, the poor luddites that they were.
I waved a hand in front of my eyes, attempting to clear the wetness in my vision, yanking hard to tamp down my humor before I turned back to the group. I asked loudly over the wind, “Is there anyone here who can perform a language spell? You’re going to need it on Earth. We had to get one before we came here.”
“Good thinking.” Belshazzar patted my knee, keeping his hand there, the other on the wheel while he piloted the tender. “Dorian, are you still good with that?”
Dorian smirked, full of teeth. “Of course.”
The druid whispered a few words, and then touched each of their foreheads.
He shrugged. “Done.”
I said—in English, “And he didn’t even require them to smoke anything.”
Dorian glanced at me oddly—also responding in English, “Is there something I’m missing?”
I waved a hand in the air, laughing loudly. “A story for another time.” I kept chuckling and leaned toward my soul mate, pressing my mouth to his ear, whispering just loudly enough for him to hear, “Laugh after I ask you this. Did you give Dorian his amulet back yet?”
Belshazzar tipped his head back and belted out the loudest laugh I’d heard before. He shook his head, with a smile tugging at his lips. “No. In due time, little one. One can’t be too eager.”
“You’re an ass.” I rolled my eyes and sat back.
It was excellent that he hadn’t, yet.
We still needed to make the new laws on Earth, and who knew if Dorian would agree with them. It was dangerous territory, but we needed to be cautious for our people. They wereoursto take care of as we saw fit. The druids and the vampires needed to be united, not segregated. We would do what was best for them in the world they lived in, the world we knew well—unlike our traveling companions.
We needed to make those laws fast.
Chapter Thirty-One
GWYNNORE
