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  “For it’s the man, not the mage, you want Jamie to love,” the sprite said shrewdly.

  Niko swatted at it, but only half-heartedly. “Get on with your sauce! Go now, and do as you’re bid.” Although it laughed at him, the creature fluttered away. Niko passed a hand over his face, stroking his chin and fingering his cheeks. He had done the right thing, he believed. Jamie’s will was his own, now.

  He only hoped Jamie would not have changed his mind between the other plane of existence and Chimera. That he would step off the jet and greet Niko, as asked, with a kiss boding well for their future.

  Hope seemed so intangible, far less binding than a spell, but he clung to it, knowing Jamie would have it no other way. Dress, then, he would dress, and he would go out to the landing pad to await his mate’s arrival.

  * * *

  “Hey,” a soft, amused voice broke into Jamie’s dreams. Dreams of grassy fields, cool moonlight pouring over him like water, and a man with pale skin and dark eyes… “Hey, sleepyhead. What, did you have a bunch of layovers and not get to rest for a long time?”

  Jamie’s eyes popped open. His headphones had fallen off again and dangled around his neck. His playlist had long ended. So had Ella’s, from the sound of it. She perched on her knees on the seat in front of him and grinned. “Turbulence is over. The pilot’s going to have a shit fit unless I sit down soon and get my seatbelt on, but I wanted to wake you up. Almost hated to, though.” She reached out a finger and poked his cheek. “You were smiling in your sleep. You’re still smiling, matter of fact. Good dreams?”

  Jamie let his grin stretch a little wider. Magic. Magic, and a man he’d fallen in love with in a place between places. A man he had every reason to believe would be waiting for him when they landed on Chimera Island. “The best kind of dreams,” he said. “My favorite of all.”

  Ella winked at him. “Damn! Must have been the banana. Nothing like a little symbolism to get the mind revved up.” She reached out again, petting his shoulder. “Hey, Jamie? Don’t think I’m nuts, okay? But I have a really good feeling about this vacation. We’re both going to meet the man of our dreams. OK, in my case, maybe a woman, but still. There’s a great big adventure ahead of us. I’ll be there, too, keeping an eye out for you.”

  Jamie reached up to cover her hand and give it a slight squeeze. “You’re one in a million, Ella.”

  She blushed a little. “Aw, nuts. Don’t go getting all sappy now. Just buckle up, and get ready for the landing. The fun’s about to start.”

  If he could have reached, Jamie might have kissed her cheek. “You get your own seatbelt on,” he said. “Let’s land this bird.”

  “Amen,” the pilot hollered from his cockpit. “Sit down and shut up!”

  Ella rolled her eyes with another grin. “Aye, aye,” she said, twisting back around. Jamie heard a snick as her seatbelt clicked into place. He had to laugh. She might be belted in, but nothing would hold Ella down. Not ever.

  He found himself glad she was on his side. Ella just had a way about her -- something reassuring to a man, making him think everything would be okay, no matter what. She was like soothing oil, smoothing things down and making them glide easily along.

  Sitting back, Jamie peered out the window. The pilot was bringing the plane down, with Chimera coming ever closer. He could see the tarmac now, a black asphalt circle with a small hangar next to it. Niko. Niko would be waiting there. He felt his heart begin to beat faster. It had to be true. Niko had to exist. He still felt wrung out from their loving, and his body sang with the aftermath of orgasm.

  Tugging carefully, he tested the bond between them. To his surprise, he found the silver cord had snapped, its ends trailing loose. Instead, in its place, there was a slim, golden thread. It felt more pliable than the other, but still bound him to a man somewhere out there. Jamie tested it, almost laughing when it rippled smoothly. Did Niko feel that? Or would Jamie have to show it to him, and let him know even though the spell was broken, they were still tied together? Not by slavery, but by love?

  He liked this tie much better.

  “Bringing her in,” the pilot yelled back at them. “Might be a little bumpy!”

  Jamie braced himself. He could handle a jolt or two. Every second brought him closer to Niko, and that was what mattered. “I’m coming,” he murmured. “Hear me, Niko? I’m coming to meet you.”

  * * *

  Niko stood nervously in the shade of the docking bay, one hand over his eyes as he peered at the plane drawing ever closer. Wind whipped at his hair, tossing it in his face as the machine descended, nearer and nearer, finally landing on the tarmac with a thump and thud.

  His heart beat in his throat. Jamie. Soon, Jamie would be with him, if he still willed it…

  There was a moment’s pause as the engines shut off. A rough-hewn man opened a cockpit door and swung himself out of it, making for the cargo bay. He pulled down a hatch and began to drag out suitcases. He turned to yell something behind him, words Niko couldn’t quite make out.

  Another pause, and a small woman dressed in red popped out of the cockpit. She carried a satchel half as big as she was, and wore a grin which could light up the island. Looking around herself, she beamed, clearly delighted to be there. She twisted to grin over her shoulder, beckoning as she lightly trip-trapped down to the ground and landed daintily as a fairy.

  Niko’s chest hurt. Jamie next? Would it be Jamie?

  Yes -- yes! A familiar head of sandy hair appeared in the cockpit door. Blinking in the strong sunlight, a familiar face materialized, and then the body he had known so intimately less than an hour before. No less beautiful for being clad in a loose, frayed-hem shirt and jeans, he stood tall and strong for a moment. Mirroring Niko, Jamie raised a hand to his eyes and peered around, searching for something. For him?

  A little to the left, and Jamie spotted him. Their eyes met. Swallowing hard, Niko stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. He extended his hand, reaching out for his lover, his partner, his mate.

  A grin broke out on Jamie’s face, blazing even brighter than the sun. “I knew it!” he yelled. “I just knew it!”

  Jumping down, he ran toward Niko. Half a moment later, and the mage’s arms were filled with warm, living man, hands sliding around his back and down to cup his ass. Heated lips pressed against his, salty and vitally alive, kissing him of his own free will. Niko laughed into the caress, far too delighted for words.

  Jamie pulled back. “You are Niko, aren’t you?” he said with a wink. “Or are you just really surprised right now?”

  Niko laughed again. “I am he,” he said, reaching out to take Jamie’s hand. “And I have much, oh, so much to show you. If you choose to come with me. To be my mate. Do you?”

  Jamie winked at him. “Niko,” he said, “mate or no mate, whether I stay or whether I talk you into going back to the mainland with me, I do choose. I choose you, come what might. Is that good enough, or do you want another kiss to prove it?”

  Niko felt himself glow with happiness. “I am satisfied,” he said, “but I wouldn’t turn down another kiss…”

  Laughing soft and low, Jamie caught Niko to him and pressed their lips together. Running their tongues together, tasting one another in reality for the first time, Niko felt he could stay there forever and ever and live a happy man. He had found what he sought, and gained what he had almost lost through foolishness. Blessed be the Rule of Three. In giving Jamie freedom to love as he would, it seemed the love was being returned in triple measure.

  He wondered if he could possibly be any happier. Then, he thought of the bedchamber he had so elegantly decorated, and felt his cheeks heat with passion. Oh, yes, they could be better.

  But they had all the time they wanted. And when they made the choice, they would go there and make love, choosing to savor one another’s bodies, fast or slow, with love and passion both.

  No man, or magician, could ever ask for more.

  * * *

  Ella shifted
her shoulder bag and grinned to herself as she watched the two men locked in a heated embrace. Whew! For a while there, she hadn’t thought things were going to work out. See, in her line of work, she had the inside scoop, so to speak, on how the land lay in matters of the heart.

  She’d known from the moment she saw Jamie there was a spell on him. Something tying him to another man, and not with his permission. Some folks might have been okay with it, but once she’d spoken to him, she’d known that wasn’t for Jamie. He needed his free will.

  So, after watching him sleep the first time, and sensing he had been swept away to the Summer-Shadowlands, Ella had just done a little tweaking. Given Jamie just enough of a boost to pull whoever it was back in so they could get a few things straightened out.

  Looked like it had worked, too. Those two were joined at the lips, the hips, and they’d have to start charging a fee if they went any further out where everyone could see them.

  Ella laughed. Ah, what the hell? They were happy. That’s what mattered.

  She adjusted her bag again -- damn, she really did have to start carrying less stuff around -- and wiggled her shoulders. Yep, her wings were still furled neat and flat down her back, hidden by her sundress.

  So, this was Chimera, huh? She grinned. She’d heard about it, but had been surprised to get an invite from the Agency of Extraordinary Mates. Guess they didn’t know what she really was. Well, they’d be in for a surprise, then, and so would the man or creature who’d selected her to woo and win.

  After all, a fairy godmother, or godsister, as she preferred to call herself, didn’t just roll over for anyone. Good times lay ahead… for herself, for Jamie and his man, and for her intended partner… and she couldn’t wait.

  Humming to herself, she walked toward the terminal and her future. Time to get the party started!

  And that, dear readers, is the end of tonight’s tale…

  Willa Okati

  Willa Okati has far too many ideas for her own good, but is having the time of her life writing them all down. She has a very patient husband who puts up with seeing his wife pounding on the keyboard at 5 a.m., a hard-used coffee pot that she calls her best friend, and cats who think she’s quite insane, but as long as she feeds them, will put up with anything. She adores anything that goes bump in the night, especially if it lands in the bed.

  Willa loves to hear from readers. You can reach her at [email protected] or visit her website for more information, excerpts, and links to other books at www.willsheornillshe.com.

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