Spellbound Falls [5] For the Love of Magic by Janet Chapman Page B

silly new tree god.” Rana pulled him to a stop. “The protestors did worry me though, because I truly didn’t want to run over any of them.”
    “Why didn’t you call me instead of rushing down there alone?” Mac asked as he strode up to them, his glare aimed at Titus.
    “Odd that I don’t recall,” Titus said dryly. “When exactly did I die and leave you in charge of protecting the world? Or is it your belief that I’ve simply become too feeble of mind to do
my
job?”
    Rana stepped away with a laugh, giving her now-scowling son a pat on the arm before continuing down to the beach. “Ah, Kit, how nice to see you again,” she said when the wolf ran forward and fell into step beside her. She gave his broad head a pat. “Is this an impromptu visit, or did your king press you into service guarding my home from that scary new god?”
    Titus returned his attention to his son. “Get lost.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Go back up your mountain. If you couldn’t be bothered to make sure your mother and your friend’s wife were not in danger this morning, then you have no right to question my not calling you.”
    “But I did check on them. I only acted unconcerned for Peg’s sake, then rushed there the moment I ended the call.” His son crossed his arms over his chest, making a point of running his gaze over Titus’s borrowed clothes. “In fact, I arrived just in time to see you climbing into the passenger seat of Peg’s truck. So,” he continued before Titus could say anything, “having
made sure
they were not in danger, I followed the storm.”
    “And what did you discover?”
    Mac suddenly grinned. “It appears the colonists can’t form a consensus on what attributes their new deity should embody. The poor entity was half god, half goddess, part tree, and some tender plant.” He shrugged. “There was even an unidentifiable animal thrown into the mix.”
    Titus ran a hand over his face to hide his urge to yawn again, lest his son have him retired and lounging on some beach sipping coconut milk.
    “My guess is,” Mac continued, “the male colonists are trying to call forth a god as big and strong as an oak, but the women believe the new
goddess
should personify the docile side of nature and have pictured it possessing the essence of flowers.” He dropped his arms and shook his head. “The confused wretch was already dying when I caught up with it. But hearing several of the colonists searching the woods, I put it out of its misery and sent it back from whence it came.”
    “And just where would that be?”
    His son grinned. “Surely you’re not too feeble of mind to remember your own origins.”
    “Go home,” Titus repeated as he headed for the beach, “and enjoy the company of your children before they grow too big for
their
britches. Kitalanta, come,” he said as he approached the campfire, not having to look back to know Maximilian had silently disappeared. He crouched down and cupped the wolf’s head. “You and your pod are relieved of service, warrior, but you have my blessing to spend time as Rana’s companion if you wish. Only you must travel to the secluded point of land guarding the fiord whenever you come and go from the sea to feed.” He stood, then nudged the wolf with his knee. “Go fill your belly, orca.”
    Kit glanced toward Rana picking up clothes on the beach, then tore off up the lawn toward the camp road. Titus walked to the campfire their son had built while waiting for them to return just as Rana walked over with her arms full of clothes.
    “Thank you,” he said, taking them from her. “I think I’ll change before I head up the mountain,” he added, turning toward the boathouse to hide his smile. His wife was back to being flustered, if he’d read those beautiful brown eyes correctly. He stopped and pulled his jacket from the pile, then turned and spread it on the ground. “We could sit together and enjoy this lovely campfire for a while,” he said, gesturing for