Escaping Death

Chapter 1

Magnolia

"Yoo hoo, housekeeping!" Xander shouts from behind the door, knocking loudly in an obnoxious and erratic pattern.

Ro drops his face to my stomach, groaning with irritation, and pulls me up so I'm sitting rather than laying on his office desk beneath him.

I'm fixing my shirt when Xander opens the door with playful hesitancy, justifiably worried to be interrupting something.

When he finally enters the room Ro and Varian roll their eyes at his childish antics. "Seriously, Xander? Still? It's been over a month!"

"I could ask you the same question! Fucking like rabbits everywhere you please. Forgive me for thinking this was an office." He argues with no heat. I swear the three of them are like overgrown pups always horsing around. I almost preferred when they were at each other's throats.

"Can you blame us?" Varian licks his lips before biting down on his lush, bottom lip, scanning my body with unambiguous thirst.

"Not at all," Xander tosses me a wink, "but my wife didn't find the situation as funny as I did. Somehow it was my fault I found you in the throes of passion in the middle of a work day in my office."

"Our office," Runidar corrects Xander as he walks through the door to join us. "You're not the only one plagued by their incessant mating."

"She's not mad at you for finding us, she's mad she wasn't there to joi—" Varian begins to retort but I swiftly elbow him in the ribs to shut him up.

"Sorry, did you need something or did you just come here to irritate me?" I tease Xander and Runidar.

The four of them share a discernible look of understanding. Whatever it is that needs discussing, I'm painfully aware that I'm the last to know.

"It's about Sol. I think it's time you brought her home." Xander says, any previous playfulness has evaporated from his features.

"Has it gotten that bad?" Varian asks in surprise.

"Spikes happen from time to time, especially this time of year, but this is different. The chatter is increasing daily." Xander continues.

I walk over to Runidar and snatch the folder he's holding from his hands. "Explain. Now," I command and begin browsing the documents.

"You know I have connections in the Underdark, I like to keep tabs on any unsavory chatter — bounties, death threats, etc." Xander begins. "Mags, there's been a bounty put on Sol."

I pin him with an unimpressed look, "if I locked down every time one of us had a bounty on us I'd never leave the Grove."

"Fair, but this newest one was posted with a ten million dollar reward. It's generated a lot of attention. Forgive me for saying this, but I'm not sure that your reputations are enough anymore to keep people in line."

"How do you figure?" Between Ro, Varian, and me we've made enough of a name for ourselves that most threats are empty or quelled by people too afraid of our wrath — especially after what happened nearly a century ago in Drow Hollow.

"Because now the reward is worth the risk." Ro supplies, cupping his chin between his thumb and index finger.

"Well, be that as it may, good luck getting her here." I laugh to myself. They'll have to bring her here kicking and screaming — that is, if they can find her first.

I've trained Sol well. She loves to hunt, and she loves to hide. As a hybrid, she's better suited to it than any of us. Which is probably why we've never paid any threats against our family, especially her, much mind.