New release sample: ALLERGIC TO MISTLETOE

 

"Then why are you out here?"

"It's not really that great in there." Alexi linked hands with Megan, intertwining their fingers. "We like it out here. We have jobs out here, things to do. And believe it or not, sometimes it's more fun to do things the non-magical way."

"What Alexi is so delicately avoiding saying is that I'm a Halfling. That means my father is Fae, but my mother was Human. My Fae relatives like me a whole lot more once we married --"

"My family has a lot of clout," he muttered.

"But they weren't so welcoming for the last two centuries. Old habits die hard."

"Two centuries." Bethany took a few seconds to get her breath back, but she was relatively talented at thinking on her feet. That gift had gotten her through some really wretched scripts.

"Okay, so you make like the Cheshire Cat and vanish when things get heavy. I envy you." She chewed on that idea for a few moments. "So, how can I get some of that without making you hang with me? Do I have to get a bodyguard? I just want my freedom of movement, some privacy for the holidays." She sighed. "Am I whining too much?"

"Not at all," Megan said, and reached across the booth to catch hold of Bethany's hand. "You're sensitive enough to be miserable."

"A bodyguard might be a good idea," Alexi said slowly. He leaned back in the booth and slouched, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes going cloudy and distant.

"You can't just give me a bracelet or necklace or anything to wear, when I want to vanish?" Bethany felt a little queasy all of a sudden. She honestly hadn't expected to get answers so quickly. She had been mostly joking when she asked about magic.

Note to self: Don't joke about things you don't understand, in case they turn out to be real.

Bodyguard, Alexi had said. Something made Bethany think there were other kinds of bodyguards than the ones in dark suits with radio plugs in their ears, shoulder harnesses, and James Bond gizmos. She didn't want one. The studio had hired a bodyguard for her when she went to Greece for some location shooting. The jerk decided he needed to guard her body full-time, day and night, with as much physical contact as possible.

Bethany wondered if he was still singing soprano.

"My cousin, Hargrove." Alexi snapped his fingers.