Muse It or Lose It: Nine Heirs and a Spare, #2

By Donna McDonald

Muse It or Lose It is a paranormal fantasy women's fiction novel and is a women's action and adventure tale from USA Today Bestselling Author Donna McDonald. 

 

Sometimes I just don't understand my crazy life. 

 

On one hand, I can call lightning and save a trapped Dragon when I need to. On the other, I need reading glasses to read how many aspirin to take when my knee hurts. Despite being a foretold savior of my pantheon, nothing has spared me from my own mortal fate. I'm still aging, just like everyone else.

 

With two tasks out of nine finished, and no one dying from our misadventures yet, I admit I've been feeling pretty good about myself. The Fates have finally stopped popping in on me, so I'm hoping I'm on the right track. And none of my family has stabbed me in the back this week. See? Good times.

 

So I'm fine… mostly. Well, except my champion's been a real pain to deal with lately. He's sort of a dragon now and I'm afraid feeling special has gone to his head. Can anyone say entitlement issues? Anyone? I hope Cale gets a handle on his problems soon, because hey… I am the special one in our relationship. I'm the goddess.

 

Yes. Okay. I admit tasks three and four aren't looking like a whole lot of fun, but I trust Cale and I will get through them. I have to because failing means death. Everyone in my pantheon is still counting on me to stop the doomsday prophecy from coming true.

 

All I can say is Gaia help me, because I'm going to need all the help I get.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna McDonald
• Release date: Dec 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9781950619375

Donna McDonald

Donna McDonald published her first romance novel in March of 2011. Fifty plus novels later, she admits to living her own happily ever after as a full-time author. Her work spans several genres, such as contemporary romance, paranormal, and science fiction. Humor is the most common element in all her writing. Addicted to making readers laugh, she includes a good dose of romantic comedy in every book.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

I couldn’t say tonight was the worst date I’d ever had since coming to the Mortal Realm, but this one was fast moving to the top of the list. If I hadn’t gone to so much trouble getting ready, I might not have been so irritated. But I did go through a lot of trouble.

A couple of hours ago Cale smiled at me and my sexy clothes without commenting. I would have settled for a whistle of appreciation or a slow, interested perusal, but I didn’t get either. While I internally reeled from my failure to impress the male taking me to dinner, Cale nonchalantly called for a ride. I fumed silently during the trip to the restaurant, but my distracted date was absorbed in his phone and didn’t notice my slow simmer.

The restaurant reeked of special-night-out ambiance with its polished tables, crisp white napkins, and softly lit chandeliers. By now, I had no illusions that Cale had chosen it for the purpose of charming me. Given the special attention we received from the staff, though, I suspected it was yet another restaurant Cale and his family owned. The Drakons seemed to love investing in great food.

Sorry. I have a backlog of messages, Cale explained as he forced himself to put his phone into a jacket pocket.

I nodded, but felt no sympathy for my distracted date. I’d spent a very long time getting dressed up for him, and Cale hadn’t said a word about how great I looked. He knew I no longer owned powers capable of smoothing out my wrinkles and brightening my complexion. No, I had to use makeup primers and concealers to look this perfect.

In fact, I ended up visiting the mega-Muse-mansion to borrow cosmetics from my sisters because I didn’t have all the gazillion makeup things I needed to achieve this level of beauty.

My disappointment in Cale’s failure to appreciate me wasn’t even an age thing. It was a woman thing. He’d insisted we go to dinner and yet now he was ignoring me.

No woman deserved that.

Cale worked on his phone the entire ride here and had stayed on it even after we sat down. I was now a whole glass of red wine ahead of him and had eaten half the bread our attentive server brought us as an appetizer. Not a word of dinner conversation had passed between us yet.

When he finally stopped typing for five seconds, Cale offered me a lame apology. I gave him a faux sympathy expression in return. He hadn’t paid proper homage to the trouble I’d gone to just to impress him, which in my book meant he didn’t deserve genuine sympathy.

If you’re so busy, Cale, maybe we should leave and get Chinese takeout on the way back home.

I suggested hoping to annoy him, but judging from his smile, it didn’t work. Cale only laughed. Apparently, Cale and I weren’t living in the same realm this evening.

When Cale stopped laughing, he shook his head. We’ll get takeout another time. I don’t want you to miss the food here. It’s wonderful.

The passionate, shirtless hug I’d gotten after his Dragon flight had replayed over and over in my head while I dressed for our date tonight. Thoughts of repeating that hug and seeing where else it might lead had inspired me to wear one of my two sexy black dresses, and not the black business-y one.

For all the attention Cale was paying to me, a pair of jeans and a t-shirt would have sufficed. My lips pressed together when my distracted dinner companion lifted his hands into the air and sighed.

Even with work issues coming in at the galactic rate, I can’t stop thinking about it. I try, but two minutes later, I’m thinking of it again. I’m a Dragon, Atlanta. All the men in my family are Dragons. How am I supposed to adjust to knowing that?

I had no idea how to respond. I found it hard to stay polite, but I summoned up a small smile. I’m sure it’s… Words—I needed the right words. I needed to offer moral support. I’m sure it’s exhilarating as well as confusing.

I patted my back for responding with a mature answer involving big words. Somehow, I’d successfully kept myself from responding like an upset goddess who never, ever got ignored by the men she dated.

Confusing is a good word, he replied with a nod.

My accidental champion, Cale Drakon, recently discovered his ancestry included descending from actual Dragons and that he could fly when in his beast form. Long ago, my father locked Indar, the original Drakon and a real Dragon, inside a Dragon statue.

Cale and I freed his ancestor, and now all the males in Cale’s family knew what they were. And part of that was the ability to shift between physical forms. My champion wasn’t yet able to control taking his beast form when he chose, but Cale seemed determined to learn.

Okay, I could see how that was a lot to get used to. Gaia only knew, the revelation that I was turning mortal and aging had hit me hard when I first noticed it happening for real. Those first couple of years were traumatic, especially when I saw wrinkles forming at the same time I felt my power waning. Maybe I was being too hard on Cale.

I mean—how could my sparkly cleavage, thanks to sparkly pink dusting powder belonging to one of my sexy Muse sisters, ever compete with that sort of life-changing revelation? Never mind that I also spent two freaking hours on my face…

No, no, I wasn’t going there again.

When Cale’s phone buzzed and buzzed without stopping, he dropped his gaze from mine, whipped it out of his jacket pocket, and started thumbing away. Bored once more with watching him ignore me, I returned to my full-on mad state over it.

Making a scene, as the mortals say, had never seemed so appealing to me. Luckily for Cale, I was hungry enough to restrain my temper until after our meal.

Lacking anything better to do while Cale worked, I sighed and looked around. A handsome man with silver at his temples was dining alone two tables over from us. He winked at me and then raised his eyebrows as if to ask what a mature woman like me was doing with some young guy who kept ignoring my awesomeness.

While Cale still wasn’t looking, the man grinned and pointed to the empty chair across the table from him. I discreetly shook my head, but his offer made me smile at him. His silent flirting, which Cale completely missed, reassured me that my short black dress and matching three-inch heels made me as worthy of male appreciation as I’d thought.

When another ten minutes passed in complete silence, I realized it was time to face some facts. It wasn’t like tonight was the first time I’d ever lost a man’s interest so completely. Yes, Cale had seemed attracted before, but men changed their minds as much as women did. My ego stung, mainly because it was the first time I’d lost a man’s interest before he’d even bedded me. Maybe I wasn’t the young and seductive female I once was, but there were some good things to be said for maturity between the sheets.

Whatever Cale’s problem was, this epic fail of a dinner date reminded me of promises I’d made to myself. The emotional disconnect I’d dreaded ever experiencing for the second time in my life had arrived after I finally warmed up toward Cale.

Oh, I knew Cale’s distractions had likely doubled since he found out he was a Dragon, but mine were doubling every day as we worked through the tasks of the prophecy. My champion should be grateful that I was not a Dragon like him because if I had been one, I’d have fried him in his seat until he was crispy.

Or at least I would have fried his freaking phone.

I sighed with relief when the server set our dinner on the table. Sure, I might as well have gone to dinner alone since Cale and I hadn’t exchanged more than a few words so far, but at least the food looked yummy.

As soon as we ate, I was shuffling us back home as quickly as I could. I wanted out of my wasted seduction gear and to forget my epic failure to gain my younger date’s full attention. The food smells wonderful, I said aloud as I mentally sent gratitude to our chef.

Cale tucked his phone away again and nodded. This is a great restaurant. That’s why my family bought it.

I glanced up at Cale’s confirmation of my suspicions. My distracted date looked at me across the table, but there was no appreciation in his eyes. His expression said his thoughts were far away from us and our dinner.

His dismissal dented my ego, but I’d survive. Despite being forty, I knew I looked good. I was far from being a shriveled, old crone like all the Fates were turning into now. Either I’d lost my appeal, which was possible even if not probable since I was a goddess, or Cale was still thinking of what it had been like to sail through the air with a kind of freedom most mortals never got to experience.

And how could I be mad at him for feeling that? I’d felt the same riding on Wizard, my sister’s Pegasus. Wizard flew at speeds the largest of birds couldn’t replicate.

But still…

It had taken me over two whole hours to get dressed tonight. I put on makeup—actual makeup—foundation and everything.

Gah… there was nothing worse than worrying about a man’s thoughts.

I knew better than to dwell on this crap. Nothing good ever came of trying too hard when the other person wasn’t trying at all. This was precisely what the end of my relationship with Mark Antony had been like, and I was not reliving that ego-battering crap again.

I shoved my frustration away and ate with relish. My six-foot-tall body needed a lot of fuel, and I refused to allow anything to dull my enjoyment of our magnificently prepared food.

After several minutes, I slowed eating only to notice Cale wasn’t eating at all. My gaze lifted from my plate to find him frozen mid-lift with his fork about an inch from his lips. My fork lowered as I looked around.

Everyone in the restaurant froze but me.

Great. Someone had used a time-stop device on all the mortals in the room.

But why had it worked on Cale if he was now a Dragon? Huh… that was strange… or maybe it wasn’t. I needed to ask Indar about how mortal his own Dragon side was. I could ask my father, who’d instigated the change, but who knew what witch or wizard Zeus paid to help him grant Indar’s shifting ability? In my experience, most granted wishes came with a big catch.

I twisted in my seat, then spoke into the silent air around me. Duffinnia, I’m having dinner here. Did you do this?

A familiar portal opened next to our server, who looked like he was heading back to our table to refill our water glasses.

I sighed as Duff exited the shining portal. When she noticed how close she was to our server, Duff patted his back.

Guess I should be grateful she hadn’t given his butt a Leprechaun love tap.

I defiantly took another bite of my dinner before reluctantly setting down my fork for good to glare at her. Why the grand entrance? You could have texted. I would have answered. My date’s been doing it to me all night. I snorted at the irony of my words. I’m learning that younger mortals don’t consider being on their phone during a real dinner date to be rude.

There’s no time for mortal niceties like calling ya. I have a genuine emergency, Duff said.

She winced as her gaze dropped to my half-empty plate. She knew how I felt about eating.

I’m really sorry about yer dinner. It looks yummy. She glanced up at Cale and grinned. Yer date’s easy on the eyes, Atlanta. Is this handsome fellow yer champion?

I kept my glare fixed on the Leprechaun I hadn’t yet forgiven. "He’s mostly a client, or at least he was a client. After this is over, I don’t think he’ll be needing the Muses or me again."

I turned and frowned at a frozen Cale before looking back at Duff and sighing in resignation. After the way Cale had been behaving, I should’ve been happy she froze him, but oddly, I wasn’t.

So, what’s up? I asked.

Duff tugged on her red curls. I need a favor from ya.

I lifted a hand to stop her right there. No. I’m only two tasks into nine of the prophecy, and I’m not sure we’re back to being friends enough for you to be asking for a favor.

Duff glared at me. We drank Fairy Mead to celebrate yer forgiveness of me. Does the word of a goddess mean so little now that ya’re stuck in the Mortal Realm?

I picked up my wine and drained half the glass before speaking. Crap—she had me. Fine, but I make no promises. What’s the favor?

Duff’s answering glare was meant for an absent person. She shook her head to pull herself from her thoughts. Someone cast a spell and fossilized my parents in amber. I don’t think they’re dead, but rather in some sort of limbo. The favor I need is for ya to help me bust them out.

I chuckled. Duff, you can open portals. Plus, I know being sneaky must be listed as a top skill on your Leprechaun resume. Why in any realm do you need me to help you?

Duff snorted as her eyes darkened with anger. Because I’m fairly sure my younger brother is the one who did this to them. As I told ya, my parents announced to our entire pantheon that I wouldn’t be ruling them soon. Knowing that, Hamlin’s gleefully taken it on himself to name himself as ruler in their place. When I asked him what happened, the bloody arse smiled and said our parents had many enemies. Then he waved me away from the throne where he now sits and gloats.

I lifted my shoulders in a big shrug. Duff’s story sounded like family problems, and I had enough dealing with my own. Saving Duff’s people from her brother needed to stay off my list. I shook my head. I still don’t see how I can help.

Duff shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. Ya have a combination of traits I don’t possess. I think ya could reason out a solution that my irrational disgust of my brother is preventing me from seeing. If I kill my brother, I’ll have to take over for sure, which would directly violate the promise I extracted from my parents. It would leave my right to rule open to challenge. Fending off challengers would become my full-time job. But if I don’t save my parents, I’ll have to take over for sure because Hamlin will destroy everyone if I don’t. No scenario ends well for me except the one where my parents get out of the amber and go back to ruling.

The restaurant resumed activity again. My gaze jerked to Cale, whose fork finished the trip to his mouth. I turned back to hear Duff swearing under her breath. That sure was a short ten minutes. Or Duff was losing her touch.

Hey, Duff. Meeting you here is so… uh… unexpected. Have you met my champion, Cale Drakon? I said, narrowing my eyes at her in a warning.

I didn’t know if Cale realized Duff had frozen him. Indar did that to him once and he’d been aware the whole time. I had seen no signs of temper in Cale yet, but who knew what his Dragon side would be like? I had enough to deal with. Duff and her problems needed to go away.

Duff turned to Cale and smiled. She pulled one hand from the pocket of her jacket and extended it. It’s a pleasure, Cale. Atlanta didn’t tell me she was dating you. I doubt that means she’s ashamed of ya but consider yerself warned. She’s a woman of many attitudes.

I opened my mouth to say this wasn’t a date but shut it when I realized the Fates might be listening. I’d promised Cale nine dates in exchange for him hanging around until all the tasks were done. This date was date two, and lousy or not, I wanted tonight to count toward my promise.

I haven’t seen you to tell you. And we’re still new to each other, I said, lifting my chin when Duff laughed at my careful wording.

Cale shook Duff’s hand and smiled at her. Nice to meet you, Duff. Are you a goddess too?

I felt sure Cale asked Duff that to test her. He’d been so clever when dealing with my new Troll bestie, Shengis. I wondered if some quiet instinct warned Cale that he was talking to someone of a similar paranormal type. Leprechauns, Trolls, and Sprites were all in the same pantheon—well, sort of.

Me, a goddess? Duff repeated before she laughed. No, Cale. I’m a Leprechaun princess. And what are yer paranormal leanings if I might ask?

Cale blinked at her for a moment and then grinned. I’m the mortal Champion of the Doomsday Prophecy and Goddess Atlanta.

My head jerked around to stare at him. Cale’s sudden discretion surprised me after all the talking he’d done about how cool it was to be a Dragon. We might not be heading to bed tonight—or ever—but his loyalty boded well for us staying friends for a good long while.

Duff giggled at his answer. Well played, Champion.

I rolled my eyes at them. It was just like Duff to ask me for a favor, then bat her princess eyes at my date. My gaze moved back and forth between them. They were smiling at each other in a way that made me feel like squirming in my chair—not that I would ever do that. Goddesses never squirmed.

I let my gaze finally land back on Duff. I don’t know when I can get to your favor, but if I do it, I’m going to need two from you in trade. That’s my best deal.

Done. Ya know I’m desperate if I’m willing to make a two-for-one deal, Duff said, looking more hopeful.

I smirked at Leprechaun logic. Meet me at the office tomorrow morning. Let’s say around 10:00, alright? We’ll discuss the details of our trade.

I can do that. I go into the bar around 11:00. I’ll come by before work, Duff promised. Then she turned to Cale again. Well, I’ll let ya both get back to yer dinner. Nice to meet ya, Cale.

Nice to meet you, too, Cale answered.

We watched Duff walk through the restaurant toward the lobby. She disappeared the moment just before she reached the place to turn. I glanced around the restaurant, but no one had seemed to notice her magical exit.

Tonight was a total bust. I’d made a Leprechaun deal, which I knew better than to do, and I let my dinner date ignore me without suffering any consequences. And now my delicious dinner was cold.

Does she do what you do to travel from place to place? Cale asked.

I lifted a shoulder as I picked up my fork and ate my cold food anyway.

Similar, I guess—but not the same. Duff has all her power, so it’s easier for her to vanish. I’m getting by on a fraction of what I used to have, so my transporting is a clunky process. The only reason we could transport together to Ares’s Grove was the extra power Zeus gave me. The trip across the globe wore me out, which is why I had to rest.

How long did it take you to fly to the Sea of Hell on Athena’s winged horse?

I ate a bit more before responding. The food was cold, but still tasty. I didn’t time it, but Wizard was fast. Athena’s lucky to have her winged horse.

Cale nodded. Once I can control my shifting, maybe I could fly us where we need to go.

Cale’s offer made me smile. I did like him most of the time. His eagerness for our adventures always pleased me.

The bottom line was that I needed to think of my accidental champion as simply another trainee soldier. I needed to stop thinking of what Cale might be like in bed. That would solve all my problems, and tonight would never be repeated.

I shook my head as I smiled. None of the Dragons I knew ever had riders. Talk to Indar about the rules. It might be against the Dragon code to carry a non-Dragon rider. Great Beasts are apex predators here in the mortal world.

Seriously? We’re apex predators? Cale asked with a chuckle.

Dragons once were the ultimate beast in any realm but remember that my pantheon killed Dragons to the point of extinction. Indar got tricked into not fighting back, but people like my father and Ares caught the others outright.

Yes. That is something to keep in mind, Cale said.

Cale probably thought I was joking, but I wasn’t. And being a Pegasus, Wizard has his own magical abilities. He cloaks himself and his rider so planes in the air and people on the ground don’t see him flying by. I felt his magic the whole time I was on his back. He’s a magnificent creature.

Okay, I’m convinced, Cale admitted with a grin. I’ll ask Indar about Dragon riders… and if I can cloak my flight.

I blew out a breath. Not to be the bearer of only bad news, but I’m not sure Dragons can cloak themselves, Cale. I cloaked the four of you when you shifted and flew. I didn’t want your family having to explain it to all their neighbors.

Oh, Cale said and sighed. Maybe you should get a Pegasus.

That made me laugh. Oh, for sure, I’d love to have one devoted to me, but Pegasi are free agents. They choose their riders when they want to or when they owe them a favor. Getting a Pegasus to commit means you’re very special. I would love to know what Athena did for Wizard. They’re very close.

Interesting, Cale said.

I laughed because he might as well have said cool because that was the tone he was using. Maybe I’ll ask Wizard next time I see him.

Cale chuckled. Does a Pegasus talk? he asked before eating.

It’s more like they send pictures into your mind. Communication goes both ways, so they understand your words so long as you think about what you’re saying while you’re talking to them.

I ate a few more bites. Question—why didn’t you tell Duff what you are? She told you the truth about who she was.

Cale paused. Because she let your father into her house without warning you. I knew you no longer trusted her because of it.

I nodded as I stared at my plate. Sometimes Cale humbled me. I hated that feeling.

Tomorrow, we’ll have to tell Duff the truth because I want her to ward your family’s land. I also want her to reinforce the wards at the office and the mega-Muse-mansion. Duff must know who and what to allow inside and keep out to make the wards work. We don’t want her keeping out Dragons at your place.

Who are you worried about trying to get in?

I lifted a shoulder. Mostly, it’s preventing the unknown threats that we can’t anticipate. But I also don’t want someone like Ares breaking free from the hold of your magical weapon and coming after you. He’s the sort who wouldn’t hesitate to cause your family problems. Dragons won’t worry him. He and my father chained Indar to the tree to guard the golden fleece.

Cale nodded as he continued to eat. After a bit, he set down his fork. When Duff did that thing to freeze everyone, I could still see and hear everything, but I couldn’t physically move.

Just like when Indar did it, I said as I pondered the ramifications. Guess hearing while you’re frozen is a good thing. Most mortals never know time stopped. Duff’s reach is confined to a small space like the size of her bar or this place. She stopped it the day Eros and his brothers came to collect me.

Why are you immune to her time-stopping effects? Cale asked.

"Because I’m not mortal. I’m a goddess," I said with as much attitude as possible. Then I spoiled my brag by