Keepers of the Flame

But Elizabeth was trembling. Bri shoved back her chair with enough force to knock it over, marched with unsteady steps to Elizabeth, stood beside her chair and flung her arms around her. She turned into Bri and grabbed her hard in return.

“That was nasty,” Bri said thickly. “Get out.”

“I didn’t mean—” Marian said.

“Marian, sometimes you’re just too clueless in that smart brain of yours,” Alexa said. Another chair thumped and Elizabeth felt stroking on her head from small hands, and a strong feeling of calm coming from both Calli and Alexa.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Marian said, a sob in her voice. Elizabeth sensed the woman hovering around Bri and her, as shaken as the rest.

“We women from Earth have one major rule around here,” Alexa’s voice was soft, but steely. “We don’t hurt each other. That means we don’t manipulate each other and we support each other. We stick together. There are enough problems here for us all without infighting.”

“I didn’t mean to,” Marian whispered.

“I know,” Calli said. “You were just saying that when a person finds themselves in a new dimension, old rules might not apply. The academic approach. That wasn’t what was needed.”

“I know,” Marian said.

“You owe them for scaring them,” Alexa said like a judge laying down the law. “Big time.”

Elizabeth was breathing easier, the aftereffects of a strong adrenaline rush fading so she could act normally.

I notice that we are all girls in this group hug. Elizabeth heard Bri’s light tone and knew her twin was settling down.

Jaquar and Bastien have gone to the windows. Marrec has his hand on the door knob, Marian’s telepathic tone sounded shaky. Her hand had closed over Elizabeth’s shoulder as if to steady them both.

Men, Alexa’s voice, the first time Elizabeth had heard it in her head. Had the other women been courteously holding back, or was it because they were all touching?

Because we are all physically connected, Bri said.

“This isn’t unexpected,” Alexa said. She stopped smoothing Elizabeth’s hair and Elizabeth missed it. She heard the sound of furniture moving. Lifting the chairs back, probably.

Alexa continued, “Live here long enough and you begin to believe in fate—in the Song. The Marshalls and Circlets and Chevaliers and the Cities all had requirements for the people they wanted to bring to Lladrana. Being able to mesh with the individual group and the culture was the primary one. Since we previous Exotiques have assimilated well with the culture, it’s only logical that we’d be friends.”

Elizabeth wanted to see. She drew away from Bri, straightening in her chair and Bri let her go. Both of them back on an emotional keel.

Alexa cleared her throat loudly, stared at the cooler once more. “Anything perishable in there?”

Bri met Elizabeth’s eyes. The fruit salad. You handle this. You’ve always been better at negotiations, at haggling in the local markets, than me.

“Fruit salad,” Elizabeth said. “Leftovers from our father’s birthday party. Melon, papaya, grapes, kiwi, pineapple…” She waved.

Bri strolled over to the cooler, opened it and took out a big plastic-wrapped bowl. She blinked rapidly. “Mom’s bowl,” she said, placing it on the table and removing the clingwrap.

“Wedgwood,” Marian murmured.

“A special celebration,” Elizabeth said.

“Well, the fruit won’t keep,” Bri said. She dished servings out to everyone.

Alexa sat, took a bite and hummed in pleasure. She scooped a portion of Bastien’s off his plate, swallowed and said, “You really shouldn’t eat this. You might develop a taste for it, then where would we be? Not sure any of this grows here.”

“Grapes do,” he said, and left them on Alexa’s plate as he took more back, and they all dug into the food.

As soon as she took her last bite, Alexa stared at the cooler again, licking her lips. “Two sacks of spuds, white and red. Pretty big cooler. What else is in it?”

Bri wiped her hands on a napkin and went back to the chest. She lifted the plastic-wrapped casserole out and set it aside.

“Oh, man. Oh, man,” Alexa breathed. “Is that what I think it is? Potato casserole?”

“With sour cream and onions and loads of cheese,” Bri returned sweetly.

Alexa’s moan was nearly orgasmic. Bastien’s eyes gleamed. “I know my woman and her tastes. Whatever that is, it is wonderful.”

“That can go pretty bad if not eaten quickly, too. Probably really excellent for breakfast,” Alexa pointed out.

“Yes,” Elizabeth said. She lifted her brows. “There’s no refrigeration available?”

Marrec said, “There is a keep-cold twiddle-spell and we have ice.”

Jaquar said, “We can bespell the cooler free of charge.”

Bri said lightly, “Then we might invite you to eat the casserole with us at a later time. You have to talk to Elizabeth about that. It’s her cooler.” Then Bri lifted out the large dome-covered plate. She smiled, cocked an eyebrow at Elizabeth. “Chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.”

The words caused a lengthy silence. All the women’s gazes locked on the plate. The three once-Earth-now-Lladranan women nearly quivered.

“I know this choc-lat.” Marrec rolled the word on his tongue. “It is good.”

“Damn right,” Bri said. “Homemade birthday cake. Now we’ll talk about returning to Denver.”

7

Elizabeth waited for reactions. Marian sighed, shared a glance with the other women. Alexa dabbed at her lips with a napkin, folded it and stood. “We always go through this.” She cleared her throat, looked tentative. “I don’t want to step on toes, I only want to understand.” Her chin lifted. “I didn’t have much to go back to, so I settled here after the initial shock. Lladrana’s been good to me.”

Elizabeth felt her eyes widen. Bri’s mouth fell open. The woman had a long scar on her cheek. She’d said she fought monsters every week.

Bastien snorted, stood and stepped behind Alexa, wrapping his arms around her. His gaze was fierce. “She is beloved. She has a good estate, wealth which she did not have on Exotique Terre. She is,” he glanced at Marian and Calli, “you all are, the crème de la crème.”

“We’ve found our places in life.” Calli went to stand beside Alexa, took her hand. “I hadn’t planned on going back with the Snap, either, not after I bonded with Marrec, and certainly not after we adopted our child, children.” She smiled softly at her man. He lifted a shoulder and moved to hold her like Bastien held Alexa.

Alexa angled her chin at Marian. “That one was the one who kept saying she had to go back.”

“For Andrew, my brother with multiple sclerosis. And I did.”

“But you’re here,” Bri said.

“I brought him back with me. And he’s still here. After a fashion.”

Cold curled inside Elizabeth. She kept her voice mild. “After a fashion?”