Page 7 of 3013: Dreamer
“We are,” Kelli said. “I’ve never seen fire explosions before.”
“Fireworks,” Ari corrected with a smile.
“Ah, yes. That’s right. They are called fireworks. Actually, I have wanted to speak to you about something. I recently spoke to a few females from Tartarus who want to move here.”
“That’s great.”
Kelli glanced at Ari, who gave her an encouraging nod. “The problem is, they are even more terrified of males than I am.”
“Not a problem. We can arrange for them to live in an isolated area.”
Kelli and Ari glanced at one another again.
“What is it? Spit it out.”
Ari laughed nervously. “Actually, we were wondering if there might be a chance we could move The Queen’s Cup to a separate building. That might give us an opportunity to create a few more female-only businesses.”
Charm had considered creating a female-only building but hadn’t given it much of a priority since Wonderland was already so big and all of the space wasn’t being used yet. Obviously, that was an oversight she would have to correct.
She absently wished Ari and Kelli had spoken to her about their idea before Jecca and Jaya Tesera had left the planetoid with their mates. Having the Dragon Warriors help out with the project would have cut down on the construction time, though there was nothing stopping them from manually building the old-fashioned way.
Although she wanted to groan at the thought of adding another big undertaking to her list of things to do, she smiled encouragingly. She was their alpha, and she valued their opinions. If they wanted a female-only building for their businesses so they could feel safe, she would make it happen.
“Come on. Let’s walk down to the lake, and you can tell me more about your idea.”
Chapter Three
By the timethey arrived at the lake, several groups had already gathered on the spongy gray moss that surrounded the water. The two shades of moss were arranged in a checkerboard pattern, which added to the fantastical feel of the grounds.
Unlike the blue sea, the lake was filled with glowing pink water that had been provided by the powerful warriors who had helped create Wonderland. The Vyper brothers had a unique blend of Dragon Warrior and Ilius magic. They had used their abilities to create the sanctuary from the ground up, including the safeguards and other magical protections that surrounded the area.
The dark area was lit up with dozens of lanterns. Some hung from the high branches of the white trees with lavender blossoms and silver leaves that were scattered around the area, while more floated on the glowing lake’s pink water. More lights glittered overhead like a blanket of stars that seemed low enough they could reach up and touch them.
Charm knew those low-hanging stars were simply an image being displayed on the protective barrier surrounding the entire island, but that didn’t matter. It was almost impossible to tell what was real or imaginary when dealing with a mixture of magic and technology.
She said her goodbyes to Ari and Kelli, leaving them to join their friends. Several more people nodded or waved to Charm as she passed by. Since all of those present were either residents of the sanctuary or staff members, she knew everyone there. Some groups sat on blankets while others reclined on oversized cushions stuffed with foam beads. She returned the greetings sent her way but didn’t stop to speak to anyone.
Scanning the area, Charm easily found her family since they were the largest group present. She loved seeing the people who mattered most to her laughing and enjoying themselves, but she couldn’t help feeling separated from them by more than just mere distance.
They were all blissfully happy and in love…while she wasn’t.
The group was sprawled out close to the water’s edge on soft blankets the color of smoky fog. Juliet was sandwiched between Raek and Fenris’ big bodies on a bright blue cushion. Next to them was Melody, the Tarin who had traveled to Evo with Juliet, and her mate, Conack, an enormous Krytos who worked security. The two of them had instantly fallen in love the moment they had met, and they had been glued to each other’s side ever since.
A few feet away, Ayla D’Nye sat on a swing that was hanging from a thick tree branch. Next to the famous D’Aire singer was the keeper of her heart, Zenix Li, the Head of Security on Evo. Leaning against the trunk of the tree was Lina Z’ar, Ayla’s assistant, who was cuddled up with her own keeper, Travis McClain, an expert hacker and tech specialist.
Magnus, Nicolo, and Razar Artane were sitting by the water’s edge with their mate, Brielle. They all seemed to be writing something on small pieces of paper. Brielle and Razar finished at the same time. They folded the papers a few times before attaching them to clips over the flame in the center of colorful square paper lanterns that were glowing with amber light.
When they placed the lanterns on the surface of the water, the floating plates slowly began to move toward the center of the lake. The flames inside the lanterns burned higher, and the pieces of paper turned into tiny amber sparks that floated up over the water.
Sometimes it felt odd to be the only one out of their group without a companion. Not that she even had time for arelationship. Still, Charm admitted she felt a little envious of their happiness. It would be nice to have a mate. Someone who would be by her side no matter what happened. She’d never been the center of someone’s universe or had someone put her first.
It was a nice concept, but fate didn’t bless everyone with that type of bond.
Raek caught sight of her first. “Hey! You made it…”
Juliet’s smile of greeting instantly faded into an expression of concern. “Why is your arm bandaged?”
“What the hell happened to you?”