Always Choose Dare

Chapter 16 - Formatting a Plan

I know where he is going with this, and I’m not sure this is a statement Star - or Remi, I guess - is ready to hear from us. It’s not like we’ve known each other for long; and honestly, what little foundation we have is rocky and weak at best.

“We lycans really do perform magic with our tongues for our mates,” Marek says, leaning back on the couch with his chin tipped up pridefully.

Immediately, Remi bursts out laughing, relieving my anxiety.

“Honestly, I should feel a bit embarrassed that you’ve read those scenes in my books, but I’m glad to know I got one thing right!” She says, her smile wide and nose wrinkled in laughter.

Absolutely adorable!

Abruptly, her laughter stops and her eyes widen as she gasps. “Is the other thing true?”

“What other thing?” I ask, genuinely concerned.

“Are werewolves, you know, gifted…” she drawls out timidly, glancing at my crotch with her eyebrows raised.

Before I can respond, Marek cheers, “Hell yes, we are! In size, skill, and stamina! The three S’s that rule the Lycan realm!”

I can’t help but laugh. “Yes, we are ‘gifted’.”

“Well, rumor in the PNR world is that dragons are a bit more gifted than werewolves,” Remi teases.

“They’d like to think so!” Marek huffs.

“Personally, I’ve never checked a dragon shifter’s personal equipment,” I confess, “but I’ll be sure to find out if you really must know. I do hope that, one day, you will be all too pleased with what comes with a Lycan mate to care,” I coo, a hint of my Lycan call in my words.

Using it really is like stacking the deck in my favor, but what can I say? I want my mate to only care about what I’m packing! By the way Remi shifts in her seat and sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, it seems to be doing the job.

“What is PNR?” I ask, fighting to hide my triumphant smirk.

“Paranormal romance,” she answers quickly. “So, I still want to ask more questions, but it is getting light outside. We really need to come up with a plan. Actually, we need to come up with multiple plans. If what you both said is true, we technically need to save the world. So that is our primary need. Second, we need to figure out how to free me from being engaged to dipshit Dupree. I can’t just not show up without the Jureaus and my father bringing in the military to find me,” she sighs. “We need to find Dora, but I think if we succeed in defeating this wizard guy, then we will find Dora in the process. Am I missing anything?”

“We need to figure out how the sorcerers know who you are, and why in the world they want you,” I practically growl out.

“First thing we need to do is read your new book and Dora’s old journal. The note she wrote said that they were the key to Star - er Remi’s - success. If Remi is successful, we all are,” Marek shares.

I can’t help but agree with him. I look at Remi and see her yawn once again.

“How about this? I will read my mother’s book first, while Marek reads Remi’s. We will stay right here while you take a nap. I cannot, in my good conscience, allow you to stay awake any longer and since there are two books and you have read them both, I feel it's wise for you to sleep.”

“I can sit in that chair if you’d like the recliner,” Marek offers.

I don’t know if it is just because he is a gentleman, or if he offered his seat because she is technically his luna, but I am glad either way.

Remi stands from her seat and thanks Marek as they pass. She plops down on the opposite end of the sofa from me and raises the leg portion. Within minutes, she is asleep with her mouth wide open. Something tells me she would be horrified to know we saw her in such a state, but it makes me happy that she is comfortable enough to fall into such a deep sleep with us in the same room as she. I sneak my new cell phone out and take a quick picture of her, saving it as my new background.

After a couple of hours of reading, I signal to Marek that I’m ready to trade books. I lean forward to grab the book from Marek and give him mine. The motion apparently lightened Remi’s sleep enough that she shifted from having her back on the upper part of the recliner to now lying on her side with her head on my thigh and her feet tucked between her butt and the end of the sofa. I almost laugh, knowing she is probably seeking me out because of the bond in her sleep. Marek sees Remi’s movement and smirks at me, and I return it with a genuine smile.

A little while later, Remi’s cell phone rings and wakes her. She sits straight up and looks around her, trying to find the source of the noise. When she looks at the display, she presses the glass and tosses the phone to the side before she looks at Marek and me. Her groggy expression leads me to believe she could use some more sleep.

“Have you guys found anything that you think might be of use?”

She asks in a scratchy voice before yawning and stretching her arms over her head, twisting her back at the same time. She brings her feet out in front of her and stands, making her way to the kitchen on wobbly legs.

Remi calls out to us, “Does anyone else want coffee?”

“We’re fine for now, thank you,” I reply.

Remi walks back in with an enormous cup bigger than her face, and I can’t help but laugh lightly.

“Did you put an entire pot in that cup?” I ask, mid-chuckle. “Besides, that coffee is surely cold by now”

“Well, it isn’t just coffee. There is ice, a little oat milk, vanilla, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top,” she replies with a crooked grin.

“Our local coffee shop calls it a ‘Carstens Special’.”

“Oat milk? You mean goat's milk?” I ask.

“No. Oat milk. It comes from oats,” she rolls her eyes and takes a long drink.

“You can milk plants in this realm? They have teats?” Marek asks, causing Remi to burst into laughter, spraying her coffee everywhere.

“Sorry!” She mumbles, her cheeks tinted pink as she wipes up the sprayed liquid. “No. We don’t actually milk a plant. Some humans are allergic to milk, so we have replacements for milk-based products,” she explains, her face full of amusement.

“Oh, I have to try that!” Marek stands quickly from his seat and heads toward the kitchen.

No matter where we go, he always has to try the inventions of that realm! Remi stands to go assist him as I continue reading. Her book, like the other I had read of hers, is about a fairy werewolf queen cast out from her realm by an evil sorcerer. Each book differs on the names of the characters and has different nuances, such as their method of defeating the sorcerer. This particular book sucks me in quickly, mostly because she has named the sorcerer “Obsidian” and the fact that “Sid” is part of that name has not gone unnoticed. In her prior books, the queen was the main character; this book, however, focuses on a lone human girl who joins the Balance Keepers because she “dared” to take a chance in being turned away by magical beings only to lead them.

“Find anything useful?” Remi asks as she returns to the couch.

“I read one other of your books, so I’m noting differences that I find, but I’d like you to share exactly how this one book differs from your others,” I say as Marek trots into the room after Remi, grinning from ear to ear.

I huff out a laugh at his antics. “I take it you like Remi’s cold coffee mixture?”

“It’s called an iced coffee, specifically the ‘Carstens Special’,” he says, rolling his eyes as if it was old news to him. “Right, Remi?”

“Yes, it's an iced coffee. Later, we’ll get you a frappé with an espresso shot and cookie crumbs in it,” she says amusedly.

I am tickled that she is bonding so well with my Beta. She turns her gaze from Marek to the book in my hand.

“First thing is that I dedicated this one to Dora and named the fairy werewolf queen after her. Second, I modeled the main character a little after myself, which I had never really done before. I was having some personal challenges with my father when I wrote it and had daydreamed about what it would be like to be a heroine of one of my novels rather than living my dull life,” she shrugs and takes a big drink from her cup before continuing.

“The other person I used was my father. I used him as the partner for the sorcerer. I guess watching him make political deals over the years made me feel like it was just as shady as the sorcerer in Dora’s book. Last, my method of defeating the sorcerer differed vastly from all of my other novels. In this book, I incorporated good, powerful warriors from all the realms to partner with the werewolf accords enforcers - Balance Keepers to you - to defeat the sorcerer. Before, I had just focused solely on werewolves. I was just thinking that, in Dora’s book, she always made a point to stress that the diabolical members of each magical being community were far fewer than the exemplary. So if there is more good than bad, why not capitalize on that? Why not bring in help? A united front, each with unique magic, would surely defeat one bad sorcerer. I mean, if you had good sorcerers in the mix, they would have keen insights as to how to combat dark spells, right?” Her eyes are wide, searching my face for agreement or disagreement.

I look at Marek, who is sitting in the chair with his mouth agape. Like Remi, his brown eyes are open wide, but he is looking at her rather than at me. I turn back to Remi, who is still seeking my reply. I do my best to keep my voice neutral, and my words measured.

“I believe that you have figured out the best way possible to protect the realms.”

“Yes!” Remi bursts and hops up off of her sofa, breaking out in some kind of little celebratory dance.

“I have to admit, as Balance Keepers, we’ve always relied on ourselves to overcome threats and handle any kind of infringements against the accords. For hundreds of years, it has worked; but when we faced Sid and his followers in the sixth realm, it was obvious that we were going to struggle.” I glance at Marek and see him tense up at my words. “I think it would be most wise to bring in assistance from the other realms. Your point about a good sorcerer to give insight into the magic used by Sid would also be an asset. The only drawback is that I have no idea how to get us out of this realm and to the other realms to bring in help.”

“We don’t necessarily have to go to all the realms…” Marek begins. Remi and I look toward him, awaiting his explanation. “We would just have to go to your father. If he can acquire an audience with the gods of all the realms and explain our circumstance, they could send us the best warriors from their individual realms.”

He isn’t wrong, but getting an audience with the gods is far more challenging than one might think, even with the fate of the world and all of its inhabitants on the line. Besides, they might view Sid’s actions as the accord's failure and decide to annihilate the entire world.

“Um, is that really possible?” Remi asks, her tone dripping in doubt.

“Possible, yes. Likely to happen? Not sure. I hope they will hear my father’s request and take it seriously. If not, then we need to figure a way to go to each realm to find comrades in arms. We also need to consider that they may view this as a sign to end the world and its realms as they almost had all those years ago.”

“Well, either way, we need to find a way out of this realm,” Marek states bluntly. He takes another swig of his coffee, then looks at Remi. “This is absolutely magical, Remi. I never knew milk from a plant would make coffee so much smoother. And who knew coffee could be good cold?”

“The vanilla and cinnamon helps, too,” Remi replies, a wide smile on her face, showcasing her dimple in her left cheek. “Now, let’s focus for a second. Priority one is saving the world, and we think we have a somewhat loose plan for that - bringing in a variety of help. The details of realm travel are to be determined. Next on our list is the ball and getting me out of being some sort of bargaining chip for my father. Anyone have thoughts on that situation?”

“I figure the Alpha will introduce himself as your mate, and then we leave,” Marek suggests, shrugging his shoulders as if the idea were obvious.

Remi rolls her eyes so dramatically, I half expected her head to roll with them.

“That is not how human politics work, Marek. Honestly, even if humans had mates - which is a foreign concept to humans by the way - the fact that Daire is my mate would be of no consequence to my father or Chancellor Jureau. In fact, even if they did understand it, they would simply say that their political arrangement is of greater importance than the Moon Goddess’ will.”

“That is seriously fu(ked up,” Marek mumbles.

“I know, right! So we need to plan out everything - where we will stay, travel arrangements, and then plan out how we can convince my father and Chancellor Jureau to break off this stupid engagement and leave them thinking it was actually their idea.”

I raise my eyebrow at her. Their idea? My mate is cunning and manipulative, but for what is good and right, at least. I’m surely going to have my hands full with her, though! From the look on Marek’s face, he seems to be thinking the same thing.

“Do you think just blunt honesty will not work?” I ask.

In my experience, honesty is always the best option.

“These men do not respond well to honesty. If you walk in and drop honesty on their table, they will sweep it aside and try to find something you have that they can get from you. I’m not saying that we have to blatantly lie, but we will need to provide our information in a way that leaves them deciding to call off this portion of their agreement because they believe they will be better off by doing so,” Remi explains. “Does that sound better?”

“It does,” I respond. “So, where do we start with the travel arrangements?”

“Ugh,” Remi groans, pinching her eyes closed and scrunching her nose in a pained expression. “I am going to have to email my father and ask -”

She doesn’t finish her sentence because her cell phone rings again. Retrieving it from between the couch cushions where she had tossed it earlier, she looks at the screen, and her face blanches a bit. She flicks her eyes up at us both and motions for us to be silent before she presses a button and sets her phone on the table beside the couch.

“This is Remi Delgado,” she states professionally. “And apparently, your fiancee.”