Astrid's Wish (26 page)

He wouldn’t wish that fate on another living soul.

Even now he fingered the small photo he kept in his pocket. He remembered every detail on the black-and-white photograph. As he sat there he wondered.

He withdrew the picture from his pocket and held it in his hand. “I wish this picture was in color.”

“What?” Klaus asked from the driver’s seat.

He didn’t answer him. Astrid kept all his focus on the picture held between his thumb and forefinger. As his energy seeped from his fingertips, the picture glowed for an instance, and then color infused the shiny piece of paper. A huge smiled spread across his face as he stared down at the woman who had his eyes. He turned the picture for Klaus to see.

“Holy shit! You look just like her, angel.”

“I know. Isn’t she beautiful?” He sighed as he gazed upon every new colorful detail of the picture.

Klaus reached his hand over and ran his knuckles alongside his cheek, and Astrid leaned into his touch. “Very, just like her son.”

He had discovered through practice, any innocent wish he made, he could do on his own. The bigger, more sinister wishes he needed Klaus’s assistance in making happen. They only practiced the dark wishes while at the council headquarters, under Van’s watchful eye.

Van and Klaus wanted to know the extent of his magic and Klaus’s involvement in granting certain wishes.

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Granted, he didn’t use his magic often. He liked to ignore that he even had any. Magic and being able to grant wishes could cloud one’s judgment, and he refused to become a slave to his abilities.

“We’re here.” Klaus parked the car along the side of the road.

Astrid climbed out and met him at the front of the car.

Stretched out in front of them was an open field. Van had bought the property so no one would disturb his mother’s resting spot. The surrounding area was gorgeous. Mountains visible in the distance and freshly laid grass ran the length of the property. Van spared no expense doing this for him.

A house was being constructed on the property as well. His grandfather thought since they owned all this land, they should have a home to stay at when Astrid wanted to visit his mother. The house was in the early stages of construction, and only a skeleton of two-by-fours and some Sheetrock resembled the beginnings of a house.

He and Klaus walked around to the back of the house, and right where Van said it would be was a stone path. It curved in a wavy line to stop in front of a large tree. A headstone had been recently put down—shiny, black stone with words carved into the hard surface.

“Kyla Reid. Beloved mother and daughter. You will forever live on in our hearts.” He went to his knees and traced the letters with his finger.

After Van discovered his mother’s name, he went in search of the Reid clan but found no survivors. The rumors were the Reid family had been slaughtered by Warriors of the Dark when they refused to grant them wishes. Van said he didn’t know if he believed that or not.

A fairy’s magic may be limited, but they were not helpless beings.

Van held out the hope that they would find another living relative who could help fill in the gaps about his mother. He wanted his grandson to know both sides of his family tree.

Astrid gazed down at the headstone and smiled.

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Thank you for having me. I may never have known you, but I love
you with all my heart. When the time comes, I know I will see you
again, Mom.

A light breeze drifted across his face. The smell of roses filled his senses, and warmth spread across his body. It was almost like he could feel her there with him. True or not, he believed she was with him. He may not see her, but he could feel her deep inside. Her love lived on in him, and he would spend the rest of his immortal days making her proud.

He brought his fingers to his lips then reached out to place them against the cold stone. The sound of Klaus’s phone buzzing shook him from his thoughts.

“We’re in Texas. What’s going on?” Klaus asked. “Oh.” He paused then his eyes widened. “Okay, we’ll be on the next flight out.”

Standing to his feet, Astrid dusted off his butt as he stared at his mate. “Is everything okay back home?”

“Remember me telling you how we were the key to Miles and Ben having a baby?”

He nodded. When things finally settled down, Klaus told him of the mysterious voice in Miles’s head, the future son of his best friends, and that he and Klaus would grant the wish for them to have that child. It sounded crazy, but he’d come to learn anything was possible. Alone, Astrid’s magic wasn’t powerful enough, but with Klaus’s combined magic, there was no limit on what they could wish for just as long as they touched whoever they were granting the wish for or on.

“Well, angel, it’s baby-making time.” A smile grew a mile wide across Klaus’s face.

Klaus wrapped his arms around his waist and hoisted him into the air, turning in a circle. The hearty laughter rumbling from Klaus’s chest became contagious, and he began to laugh as well. Klaus stopped spinning them and brought his hands up to cup either side of
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his face. Astrid closed his eyes and leaned forward, meeting Klaus halfway.

All too soon, Klaus pulled away from him. He brushed his lips once more against Astrid’s then grabbed his hand and started back toward the car. As he followed his mate, he peeked over his shoulder one last time to glance at his mother’s headstone. He said a silent
see
you later
then picked up his pace to keep up with his Klaus.

“Klaus, honey?”

“Yes, my angel.”

“How does Miles know it’s time? I mean, we aren’t even sure what will happen after we make the wish.”

“Well, I guess our future godson”—Astrid beamed at his words—

“dialed into his daddy’s head and told Miles that the wish had to be made today. So we need to get back there so we can touch them and make the wish.” Klaus threw his hands up in the air. “How this is all supposed to happen is just as big a mystery to me as it is to you.”

Astrid reached the passenger car door, and Klaus opened it for him to get inside. Klaus walked around the car and jumped into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and flew down the paved road. Klaus glowed with happiness at the idea of having a baby around. Astrid smiled to himself. Maybe one day they would have a child of their own.

“What are you smiling about over there?” Klaus darted his eyes to him then back to the road.

“Oh nothing, honey.” He leaned over the console and kissed Klaus on the cheek. “Now let’s get home and help our friends have a baby.”

Astrid didn’t know what the future held, and he didn’t want to know. Bad things happened every day, but so did great things. His life may have started out rocky, but he wouldn’t trade a thing if it meant not ever meeting Klaus.

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He didn’t have all the answers, and he knew the war was nearing, but he was ready for it. With Klaus by his side, he could take on the world.

THE END

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AJ Jarrett currently lives in the Midwest with her husband and four children. A lover of M/M romances she has started writing her own stories for others to enjoy. She loves her characters to be antagonistic toward one another but ultimately find their happy ever after. She believes love can be found in the craziest of places and a little humor along the way never hurt, plus to her there’s nothing sexier than two men finding their soul mate and falling in love. When she isn’t chasing around her kids she can be found sitting on the couch with her trusted laptop giving life to the voices in her head.

Also by AJ Jarrett

Siren Allure ManLove: Warriors of the Light 1:
Miles's Awakening

Available at

BOOKSTRAND.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com