Always Choose Dare

Chapter 18 - When on a Road Trip

My life has been filled with many different experiences. I’ve traveled the realms, studied the scholars, and met various people of all types. I have learned how to read a person fairly quickly; so upon meeting someone, I gauge what kind of person they are. It helps me to know how to talk my way through situations so I don’t have to resort to more extreme measures as a Balance Keeper. So when I’m around others, I generally know how they will act and even what they might say before they even say it. I’m always two or more steps ahead.

With Remi, though, I don’t even know where the walkway is to get any steps! She constantly surprises me. It’s clear she is social, but enjoys her alone time. Her emotions change instantaneously, yet she is not easily shaken by news of a possible apocalypse. She tells me to be her friend and forget about romance for now, then she kisses me! Albeit, it was a kiss on my cheek, but it was still a kiss.

Before following Remi to the door, I glance over at Marek and see that he was amused by the kiss.

“I take it you patched things up while you were in that room with her? I didn’t realize it could be done so…quickly. Has she accepted you as her mate?”

“Nothing was ‘done’. And no. She actually said that she wants to wait on even discussing us having a relationship until after we save the world,” I reply with a sigh.

“So…she just kisses people’s cheeks? Is that a human thing? Or is she feeling the mate bond growing from time with you and just doesn’t realize it?”

“I’m hoping it’s the mate bond. Humans may not feel it like we do in the beginning, but it grows a bit as they spend time with their mates, according to the ancient texts. This trip might be exactly what I need to help convince Remi that we belong together.” I share my hope with him.

“Are you two coming, or do I need to light a fire under your asses? We’ve got shopping to do, then hit the road, and I’m not going to wait for you to finish story time over there!” Remi calls out.

Marek looks like he is holding back his laughter at the fact that a wee human woman just commanded the prince, let alone the alpha and beta of the Balance Keepers. Come to think of it, I don’t think I have ever seen Marek laugh as much as he has since we met Remi!

“We’re coming, love! Don’t worry! We won’t hold you back!” I notice her head tip a tad in response to my calling her “love”.

Once we stowed all our bags in the vehicle and loaded ourselves in, it was a short drive to the shop that Remi had told us about. As we enter, there are multiple white gowns, colored gowns, and tuxes, as Remi called them, placed throughout the shop. Remi finds someone to assist us and leaves Marek and me so she can browse the dress section. Marek and I stand on pedestals as the person measures us and asks about what styles we like, to which we both answer to the best of our ability: with a shrug. While the assistant heads off to find tuxes that will fit us, I glance around the corner and see Remi at the counter, purchasing her gown already. I elbow Marek and tip my head in her direction.

“Unbelievable! Do you think she could teach my mother and some of the other women that we know how to be that quick?” He exclaims.

I grin in response.

When the assistant comes back, Marek and I are given swatches of cloth to choose a color. Marek winks at the young lady and tells her to pick whatever color she thinks will make him look good. She blushes and holds up a gold tie near his face on one side and a rich green on the other side. She ends up choosing the green before asking my preference. I wave Remi over and find a swatch that matches the purple of her dress. Once we check out, we load everything into the car and begin driving.

“Since you are not from this realm, I will play a song from each music type so you can tell me which you both like best,” Remi says.

“We’ll stop somewhere for dinner and get fuel, snacks, and drinks at the same time. Then we’ll hit the road again. I’d like to make it to our first hotel by 9 p.m. That way, we can get up at sunrise and head to the first moon goddess temple on your list.”

After finding the music type with which we all agreed, the drive fell silent as Remi drove the vehicle. I reread my mother’s book, and Marek rereads Remi’s book. He and I both take notes on some paper Remi gave us so we can discuss things later.

Remi suddenly begins talking, “So…is there anything else I should learn about magical beings?”

I think for a moment before responding. “I think one thing you should know is that we do have trials for those who do wrong; but when things are bad in apprehending people harming others, there are times we do end up choosing a lethal method of preventing more harm. Every magical being has at least one method to deliver a lethal blow to another magical being type. In fact, I’m not quite sure why Sid had not chosen to use it on Marek and me, except that he had already drained his strength using it on the fae.”

“So we’re jumping straight into the darker side of things,” she says, her eyes on the road, but I can see that she is thinking rather strongly about something.

“I guess that is probably not what you wanted to hear. I just figured, you know, if you come to other realms with us, you should know just in case -” but she cuts me off.

“No! I mean, that’s ok. I need to know this, like you said. I really want to know everything. The good, the bad, the ugly, the funny, the sexy, the goofy…all of it.” She pauses thoughtfully. “One thing I noticed is that you both have an accent unlike any I’ve heard before. Do you speak another language? And if so, how did you learn my language if you’re not from here?”

“Excellent question,” I reply. “We do speak a unique language, but part of our magic enables us to adapt our speaking. While we think in our own language, we speak and you hear it in yours. Likewise, when you speak, we hear it in ours. It is a gift given through our magic by all the gods because lycans were given the responsibility of being the Balance Keepers, so we would need to be able to communicate with people of all other realms.”

“Wow. I was not expecting that answer, but how fu(king cool is that!? I had to study different languages for years, so I’d be equipped to travel with my parents. While it has helped me with the grammar portion of my writing, the time spent learning it could have been spent doing countless other things that would have been far more fun.”

Remi pouts a little as she reminisces. I’m tempted to laugh at the cuteness of her expression, but think better of it.

“So you’ve learned many other languages?” I ask, though I only get the concept of it rather than the specifics.

“Yes. Traveling the world with my parents, then as a diplomat, required my being able to communicate internationally.” She thinks for a moment. “I guess it would be as if you were to travel to another realm, but they speak using mathematics as a language rather than words. You’d have to study the math and be able to use it effectively to communicate with them.”

I process her analogy, impressed that she figured out a way for us to understand. It isn’t easy for us to comprehend how humans divide themselves into smaller groups - nations, she said - each with a language of their own.

“Actually, I wouldn’t mind at all if one of them used math as a language! I always liked it better than the other subjects,” Marek pipes up from the backseat, across which he is currently sprawled.

“Any other questions?” I ask.

“For now, I will just ask about hotel arrangements. How many rooms should I book?”

I glance over at her. I seriously want to say that she and I can share one, so I have the opportunity to convince her that I’m what the Moon Goddess thought would be best for her.

“I know that this may sound unconventional, but I think it would be wise for you to share a room with the alpha. It would give you the opportunity to get to know each other better, so you will effectively convince your family and everyone else at the ball that you are in a relationship. I also think that if sorcerers could locate you once, they could do so again. I don’t know why they want you, but I know they had to have located you purposefully, so they’d have found you no matter where you were.”

Marek’s tone is nonchalant, almost as though he is just vocalizing inner thoughts as he processes them, but I have known him for far too long to believe that this is the case. He has a purpose, and I feel pretty sure it is one for which I will have to thank him later.

“So you’re saying that they will track me as a person? They didn’t just look me up somehow and find my address?” Remi’s voice was steady, but full of worry and confusion.

“Yes. They tracked you specifically, but the fact that we are moving will make the process more difficult, if I remember correctly. At least, that is how it’s supposed to work within the first realm. I don’t really know how they applied it across realms or how they are traveling between them without the assistance of the gods,” I answer cautiously.

She glances at me, her face filled with many emotions.

“Are you ok with sharing a room with me? I mean, with the whole weird thing we have going on with our supposed mate bond?”

“I assure you, Remi, there is nothing ‘supposed’ about this,” I say gently, but firmly. She is going to have to understand that she is my mate! “You are my mate. The moment I saw you, I felt the tether between our souls. There is nothing to question. It is intact, and it is strong - much stronger than I could have ever imagined.”

I take a deep breath and sigh it out.

“Yes, I will be fine sharing a room with you. If anything were to happen to you and I were not there to prevent it, I’m not sure how I could recover from that. If you don’t want to share a room with me, then I will need to either be in the room directly next to yours or sitting outside against your door.”

She seems contemplative. I watch as different emotions surface and can’t help but feel guilty when I see pain and sadness as part of the mix.

“I guess we’ll share a room then. Marek, will you be next door, so all three of us will be safe?”

I can’t stop myself from smiling proudly. Seeing Remi concerned for Marek is just a sign that she was truly made to be queen of our realm, and I’m happy to see this caring side of her. I can’t wait to see her as queen, caring for the people of our realm, ensuring their safety, and making sure that their needs are met. Likewise, with her spitfire personality, I know that she will also be a fierce leader against any threat!

It isn’t too much longer before we pull into the parking lot of the hotel in which we will be staying for the evening. Remi handles everything at the counter before distributing our room keys. We find our side-by-side rooms and enter with our bags. Remi sets her bag on the dresser and unzips it before pulling out a smaller bag and her sleep clothes. She tosses a book onto the bedside table and begins walking toward the bathroom.

“I am going to take a quick shower. Just the thought of the germs from the gas station restrooms on me has me feeling gross!”

A few minutes later, I hear the water of the shower and thin bands of steam seep through the edges of the closed door. I pick up her book and read the blurb on the back. A woman having experimental s*x on a road trip? I wonder what effect this book and my presence are having on Remi.

With nothing better to do, I decide to perform my own experiment. My Lycan’s mating call will only ever work on one woman, the one who is currently standing nude beneath hot streams of water and whose hands are gliding over her own body. Remi has made it clear that she is fighting the mate bond. But what would happen if I were to hum my mating call to her? I bring forth my Lycan nature and hum out my call. Soon enough, I hear Remi groan in the shower.

“Daire?” Her throaty voice sounds melodic to me.

“Yes, Remi?” I respond, letting my hum flow through my voice.

“There’s a human saying, ‘what happens on a road trip stays on the road trip’. With that in mind, I’d like your help with something in here, if you’re willing…”