“Kalevala,” I said. “I’m going to meet one of the Force Majeure, if he’s willing to talk to me. If you could watch Raj, and make sure nothing comes through. There’s an astral creature called an aztrophyllia that attacked me the other night—”
“I know what those are. I’ve tangled with one before. I finally managed to kill it, but it took a lot of time and energy. Hey, I have something I’d like to ask your advice on, but it can wait.”
I glanced at Kipa and Phasmoria. Kipa was digging through his pack while Phasmoria was carrying dishes into the kitchen. “I have a few minutes.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded, walking him into the living room away from the others. “Sure, what’s up?”
Trinity blushed—and I never knew him to blush. In low tones, he said, “All right, here’s the problem. I think I’ve met someone I really like.”
“What’s the problem with that? Unless…” I paused, wondering if his incubus nature had kicked in. “Is she married? Or…he?”
Trinity shook his head. “No, but that’s part of the issue. Not that she’s married, but the fact that… You know I’m half incubus.”
“Right,” I said.
“I really like this woman and I think she likes me. But what if I get together with her and then I… I’m a virgin, Raven. And I know that the incubus/succubus natures kick in—not necessarily at puberty, but the first time an incubus has sex. What if we get together, and then I turn into my father? That’s why I never slept with anybody—not because I didn’t want to, but because I’m afraid that I’ll turn into some gluttonous, greedy perv who won’t be able to sustain control. What would that do to a relationship?”
I managed to keep a deadpan face, but the realization that Trinity was a virgin, and the fact that he had deliberately avoided having sex because he was terrified his father’s nature would come out and turn him into a sex addict who used people told me just how much he actually did care about people.
“Trin,” I said, sitting down beside him and taking his hand. “I don’t know the answer to that, but there has to be somebody who can help you.” Then it hit me. “Sejun—my counselor. If he can’t help, then he should know someone who can. Maybe Ferosyn can help. I can call Herne and ask if he can get you an appointment. Ferosyn’s the most powerful healer I know.”
Trinity grimaced. “I guess. I feel like a fool. It’s hard enough to talk about my parents—given neither of them want anything to do with me. And to admit that, at my age, I’m still a virgin? But I’m so afraid of triggering something I can’t put back in the bottle.”
“I’ll call Herne and give him your number. Either way, it’s better that you know what might—or might not—happen.” I gave him a quick hug. “Thank you for trusting me. That’s a hard secret to carry around.”
Trinity leaned close enough to whisper. “Raven, you know that if it weren’t for Kipa, it would be you—don’t you? And if anything ever goes wrong between you, I’ll be here, waiting.”
I ducked my head. “I know,” I whispered back. “I will never hurt Kipa…but if things were different…” I let the words stay unsaid. Better not to dangle the hope of too much in front of a hungry man. Especially when that man carried a powerful lineage behind him. I cleared my throat and said, “I’ll talk to Herne for you. But now, we really have to leave. Thank you for taking care of Raj today.”
Trinity held my gaze and it felt almost as though he were kissing me, but then the sensation dropped away and he said, “I’ll spare asking you why you’re heading over to the land of fire and ice until you get back, but I want to hear the whole story later.” He waved us toward the door. “Go on, now. I’ll watch over the place.”
“There’s some leftover oatmeal and sausages in the kitchen, if you’d like them,” Kipa said.
For a while, he’d been jealous of the friendship that Trinity and I had, but I had finally convinced him that, even if I was attracted to Trinity, I wasn’t going to act on it. Kipa had been there for me when I needed him, and we had such good chemistry and the love was there, and I couldn’t see throwing away what we had for a fling.
Because as much as I liked Trinity, I knew that was all it would ever be and I had the feeling that, after talking to Ferosyn, Trinity would confirm it. He was half-incubus, and one thing I knew about the incubi was that they had trouble forming long-lasting love relationships. Friendships? Yes. Partnerships? Not so much.
Once we were outfitted, we headed for the door. Trinity was watching cartoons with Raj, and everything seemed settled and in order, so I tried to leave my worries at the door, and we settled in my car for the trip over to the park next to Herne’s house. I texted Herne on the way, asking him to call Trinity, and then tried to put the gorgeous goth boy out of my mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Going through portals might be like stepping into a tornado and out again, but the effects weren’t necessarily cumulative, unless you went jumping through them one after another in a short period of time. So the trip to Kalevala wasn’t taxing, even though we’d been in Annwn the day before.
Finland was icy cold this time of year. We were nearing the Winter Solstice and the temperature had settled in around twenty-three degrees. It was snowing, and dark as pitch. Though it had been morning when we stepped into the portal, it was nearly nine p.m. when we stepped out of it. I glanced around.
“Where are we? And how far away is Mielikki’s Arrow?” I asked. “It’s freezing.”
“I called ahead. She’s sending someone to meet us,” Kipa said. “It’s too cold to walk. We’re in a park. This is Merikatu Street.”
I glanced around, trying to make out the lay of the land, but even the street lights couldn’t brazen their way through the blowing snow and the inky night.
“How do we address Her Ladyship?” Phasmoria asked.
Next to me, Kipa shivered, but I didn’t think it was from the cold. “You call her Lady Mielikki. Or Lady of the Hunt, or Queen of Fae. Probably Lady Mielikki is best. She’s got a sense of humor, but don’t push it. And don’t make a mess in her office. She hates clutter.”
I snorted. “I can keep myself from throwing mud around.”
“I’m not kidding,” Kipa said. “Mielikki is a neat freak, for all her wandering she does in the woods. I think, though, Tapio will be relieved to meet you, if he’s around.”
“Why?” Then it dawned on me as to why Mielikki’s husband would be happy to see me. “Oh, that’s right. You made a pass at her right in front of her husband once, didn’t you?”
Kipa sobered. “Yeah, and it’s a mistake I’ll never make again.” At that moment, a black sedan pulled up, with tinted windows.
“What, are they vampires?” I tried to see who was driving but couldn’t.
“Yeah, don’t joke about that either. Mielikki doesn’t care for vampires, though she does rule over a number of the Leannan Sidhe, so…energy vampires she’s not so down on.” Kipa opened the front door and spoke to the driver for a moment, then opened the back door and motioned for Phasmoria and me to slide in. He rode shotgun. The driver was a muscular man in a chauffeur’s outfit who didn’t even acknowledge Phasmoria or me. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but he wasn’t it.