Free The Third Key (The Alaesha Legacy Book 1) by Samantha Warren

fair against the dog if he actually tried to bite her with those clamp-like jaws, but he stopped his forward momentum before he reached her and simply bumped into her as he licked her hand furiously. The impact was still enough to send her stumbling back a step or two, but she remained upright. She scratched his head with her other hand until he pulled away to sniff Dana. The cheerleader backed away, putting her hands up defensively.
    "Come, sit." Charles waved at the table.
    Four places were set at the table on the patio. Edith sank into the thick cushion of one of the chairs and Charles and Dana sat on either side of her. With the help of an older man and what Edith assumed to be a child, Mags laid several trays before the guests. She dismissed the servants and took the remaining seat before serving the food.
    "Eat up," Charles said before digging into the meal.
    Edith took a couple bites. She wasn't super hungry, but it was possibly more delicious than the food she had had at the diner. She wondered if any charms were hidden nearby, making her want to eat more than she meant to.
    "Where's Alex?" Dana sat with a frown on her face, poking at her food.
    "He said he was tired. I had a tray sent up for him."
    The cheerleader nodded, but the frown didn't fade.
    Edith heard a huff beside her, followed by a thump against her leg and pressure on her foot. Ollie had somehow managed to sprawl under the table between Charles and Edith. His head lay on his master's shoe and his leg pressed into her big toe. Edith raised an eyebrow at the dog, but got no response from the creature.
    "He seems to be attuned to Keepers." Charles had seen her questioning expression. "Every time I've brought one back here, even with other people around, he always knows who it is. And he protects them as he does me. This old man has been in more than one battle and he hasn't failed me yet." Charles smiled fondly at the dog as he scratched his head.
    While they ate, Mags asked them questions about their lives back home. She seemed particularly interested in the advances in technology and giggled with excitement when Dana pulled out her fancy cell phone. Charles seemed quite eager for dinner to be over so he could shoo his sister off to the kitchen. The remaining three sank back into their chairs, stuffed to the gills, but happy as clams. Picking up a huge stick by his chair, Charles chucked it and they watched Ollie chase after it. Before it hit the ground, the stick grew wings and zipped off across the lawn with the dog not far behind.
    Charles laughed at Edith's shocked expression. "Dog toys in Alaesha are a bit more advanced than those in your world." He gave her a wink and she rolled her eyes.
    "So now what do we do? We can't stay here forever. My mom will be looking for me." She wondered for a moment if that statement was true, then dismissed it. She was enjoying herself and she wouldn't let negative thoughts depress her.
    "Well, we need to find the missing keys. The other advisers will be here tomorrow and we'll discuss how to go about doing that. Well, further discuss it. We have been for awhile now. Then we'll figure out what to do with you."
    "Which other keys are missing?"
    Charles leaned forward, sighing as he rested his head in his hands. "You saw the news about the Queen of England, right? She's a Keeper. As far as we know, she had the key until she fell ill. Now it's gone. We don't know where or how. And the Keeper in Nepal has disappeared, taking the key with her. We're not even sure she's still alive."
    "Are all Keepers female?"
    Dana shook her head. "No. They don't have to be. It's just coincidence that so many are right now."
    "What do we do once we find the keys?"
    When Charles looked at Edith, his eyes were filled with an emotion she could not place. Was it annoyance at her constant questions? Fear for what would happen if they didn’t' find the keys? A mixture of both?
    He stood up as Ollie brought the squirming stick back. "I'm