Page 26 of Fallen Star

"Indeed I have." We exit the Black Lotus and enter a field of flowers with a few llamas gently grazing. "Those are my babies," she says, pointing to them. "I'll introduce you once we're out of this crisis."

She takes me to a beautiful manor and into her bedroom, but turns to me first. "The woman at your house?"

I can tell she knows the truth, but is waiting for me to say it. "It was my mother. She didn't die as I had thought. She was turned."

Iris nods. "I'm really sorry. I recognized her from the pictures around your place. She's working with Levi?"

"It appears so."

Iris just shakes her head. "Families are complicated." Then she turns and rummages through a trunk of clothes, tossing me things as she finds them. I change quickly into leather pants and a leather halter. It's a bit confining, and not my normal style, but I feel pretty badass.

"The leather helps," she says. "It's not just to look cool. It acts as lightweight armor and is spelled to be even more protective than normal leather."

There are straps on the side of each leg for holding weapons, and she digs through another trunk full and pulls out two pick axes, handing them to me. I test their weight and sharpness and marvel at the intricate design on the handles. "These are gorgeous!"

She shrugs. "A gift from the Dwarves of the Meadowglades for saving them from a renegade giant. Not my style though. You can have them."

There's a whole story there, and I imagine a million other stories to be shared between the two of us. "When this is done, we need to get liquored up and spend a night catching up," I say.

She grins. "Deal. I have just the thing." The glint in her eyes makes me worry for the aftermath of that night, but hell, if I survive this, I'm okay with a little hangover.

"So," she says as we head back to Sly's office. "Tell me what's up with you and the Prince of Lust. I've never seen him so besotted before."

I sigh. "It's complicated."

Iris just laughs. "It's always complicated with the Vane men, I think. Just roll with it. He's a good man. Elias speaks highly of him, and you two… we'll, you're a perfect match aren't you?"

She's not wrong, which is why this is so hard. Falling for the kind that killed my father and turned my mother. Falling for a prince from another world. Falling for a man who will live forever, while I will age and die unless I want to be turned too.

Like I said. Complicated.

When we return, Dean raises an eyebrow and low whistles. "You should stock more of these outfits in your wardrobe, Dr. Stone. It suits you."

I grin. "Maybe I will. You know, if we survive this."

Iris rolls her eyes and her kitten meows with tiny ferocity. "You really need to have a better outlook. Don't manifest negativity. Believe in yourself."

I laugh. "I see you've been reading those self-help books I gave you."

"You should take a refresher course," she says. "There's some good shit in them."

Sly claps his hands together. "If you're going to Nirandel, be ready for anything. The dragons on Queen Sky's side should be safe enough, for dragons. But the Ashwraith's have been harvesting their own eggs and raising dragons as weapons of war. Be careful. You don't want to cross them."

"Super," Iris says. "Sounds fun. Shall we go?"

Sly nods and takes us through the hall and out a side entrance that leads to a spacious covered stone patio dotted with wild flowers, lush trees and featuring a large fountain in the center.

"I trust one of you has a location in mind?"

He looks to Dean first, but Dean shrugs. "I haven't been to Nirandel in ages."

Iris sighs. "It would be so much easier if we could travel there by mirror."

I raise an eyebrow and turn to my friend. "How can you travel by mirror?" I ask. "I thought only vampires could do that?"

Iris shrugs. "Another long story. Short of it is, I'm technically a vampire. One of the original vampires, actually. The Unseen Lord. Super badass. I just don't need blood like the lesser vampires do."

Dean huffs at that. "I'm older than you, remember that."