Chapter 30

Anna and Josephine returned to the house at nearly midnite.

Roger had stayed up to let them in and to ask how it went.

Seeing the look on Anna's face told him it didn't go well.

She was clearly fuming so Roger made her a cup of chamomile tea and set it near her, she stripped down to her undergarments and tossed the elaborate goth queen outfit aside.

Josephine patiently gathered it up and took it away to be carefully ironed out.

Anna picked up the tea and after saying, "Thank you, you're a gem!" she downed most of it in one gulp then polished it off in a second gulp.

Roger took the cup and refilled it before handing it back to her, Anna blew on it a few times and again lowered the cup when it was empty.

He took it again and when he held up the tea kettle she waved him off and said, "Thanks, I think I'll be alright now."

She sat down in one of the overstuffed winged chairs in the front parlour and commented, "The event was well organized and the staff was very professional, most of the guests were very nice. It was the jerks who'd ask me to sign their books without any sort of personal message then turn around and put it up on 'Dreg's List' before they'd even left the damn store!"

She massaged her throbbing temples and said, "When Josie realized what was going on and told me about it, I announced that henceforth, I would only sign books with a personal message. One jerk went and demanded her money back, I couldn't believe it! "

She looked at Roger with incredulous eyes and grumbled, "Is this the reason why I started writing again?"

She glanced around to verify that Josephine was not nearby and said in a low voice, "If that stupid cow had had any idea of what I could have done to her, she would have begged for mercy!"

She muttered, "It isn't easy living in this century, people are so incivil to each other and will say terrible things without fear of the consequences.

"Back in my day, we were at least polite about stabbing each other in the back and we fully expected reprisals in return."

Anna smiled at Roger and remarked cheerfully, "I wouldn't mind borrowing that young giantess of yours and have her simply standing nearby, her size alone would keep people polite."

Roger sighed and replied "I'm afraid I couldn't allow that. Freya is sort of an ambassador for her people, if she so much as laid rough hands on anyone without good reason, it could create lot of problems to deal with."

He grinned at her, "She's already well known as a powerhouse volleyball and basketball player. She works out with the women's volleyball team over at Portland University, there at least, she gets a bit of a challenge."

Anna smiled at him and replied, "I was just teasing, you realize. I have a friend down in Los Angeles who stands six foot six and is quite strong. She's helped me out at a couple of book signing events with crowd control."

Anna glanced around briefly and said quietly, "She's one of the claymores, you know."

He smiled knowingly and commented, "I know one, her name is Helen. We met during our expedition to retrieve George's in-laws from Algeria, she is one crazy broad, but she has a real heart of gold, once you get close to her."

He himself glanced around and said quietly, ""I'm not one for kissing and telling, we had some great times together and we're still close, but as she put it. "I don't wanna watch you grow old and die, I've seen it too many times."

Anna smiled sadly and said quietly, "I know what she means only too well."

Josephine came bustling back into the parlour, a pleasant smile on her face, "I've laid out your outfit for tomorrow night and I've come to say good night."

Anna smiled at her and said, "Thank you for everything and I'll see you in the morning." Moments later, she was gone again.

Anna looked directly at him and asked, "Now what exactly, are your plans for my property? Talk to me!"

Roger leaned back in his chair and replied, "We need a place to put Induna's library and this house is simply not large enough."

At her affirmative nod he continued, "Induna had quite the collection of books, scrolls and maps, all in the Jotun language. That alone makes it imperative that we get it to a safe place for study and preservation."

"Any notion as to how many books there might be?" she asked.

"I can't give an exact figure, she lived in a stone cottage and most of the rooms were filled with books so tightly packed that even a wood wife couldn't squeeze into some of the tighter places."

Roger smiled at her and said quietly, "We also need a place for Dena and her giant lupine companion to stay."

Anna grinned at him and said teasingly, "You have found my weakness Mr. Tate, I have the most wonderful dog at home and they are my kryptonite."

"I thought dogs and bats didn't get along?"

Her ripe lips curved into a smile and she replied, "Not always Mr. Tate, not always. This 'bat' gets along with canids quite nicely!"

"What about other bats?"

Anna shrugged and remarked, "Bats can get quite territorial and will defend their region vigorously if needs be. However, if permission is asked in advance, a bat can visit a different region for a short time, without too many problems.

"In my case, I have a prior claim to this region because I once lived here and still own property here. Besides, the former resident bat is now living in the hidden realm and I have much of the entire west coast region to roam in, although I did ask permission as a matter of courtesy and permission was happily granted."

Roger and Anna found themselves yawning almost simultaneously and shared a chuckle over it.

He said, "I do need to be up bright and early tomorrow, Freya has school and I need to hit the sack."

Anna smiled at him and remarked, "And I haven't slept in almost two days, that tea of Gudrun's has a way of keeping people awake!"

They stood up together and Roger found himself gently taking her marvelous, gracile body into his arms and holding her closely for a few moments.

He felt her lithe arms squeezing him gently and she murmured, "Thank you for letting me talk without a care in the world, it felt pretty good."

"Any time Anna, any time."

"Anastasia, my real name is Anastasia Karloff, Anna Karlsen is simply my latest Nom de Plume."

"Any relation to Boris?"

"Nope, just a coinkydink!"

"I didn't think there was a family resemblance."

They hugged one more time and reluctantly released each other.

Anna smiled at him and said softly, "You are a very interesting man, I like interesting men and would like to call you a 'friend'. I think you and I will know each other for a long time to come."

Roger winked at her and replied amiably, "I already think of you as a friend. Now, run along to bed, or we'll stand out here and talk half the night!"

Anna grinned at him and lightly traipsed down the hallway to her room.

He smiled at her retreating form, she made quite a lovely sight, even in the frilly underthings of the Victorian era that scarcely hid her slender beauty.

Entering his own bedroom, Roger found to his mild surprise that Freya was curled up in his bed sound asleep.

Ever since they had slept together the night of Induna's passing and once in a too small motel room, she would occasionally sleep with him in a strictly platonic manner.

A manner that Roger strove to maintain, she was so big now that he couldn't help being aware of her proximity while they slept.

Her over seven foot long frame simply filled any bed they might share.

Roger was mildly thankful for the cooler weather lately as her sleeping attire was much more modest than her usual long tee shirt and panties.

Roger kicked off his house slippers and lay down beside his gigantic young companion.

As sleep crept up on him, he mildly wondered what it would be like sleeping with her when she was fully grown and nine feet tall.

His last memory was of her shapely arm slipping around him and pulling him closer just as sleep claimed him.

Roger woke to an empty bed or at least he was now alone in his bed.

He was always amazed at how quietly Freya could move, for all her size she stepped as lightly as someone a third her size.

He stepped into the bathroom and hopped into the shower while Freya stood there carefully combing and braiding her waist length red-gold hair.

She was still working on her hair when he stepped back out and quickly toweled himself off before dressing.

Entering the spacious kitchen, Roger got the stove going and began whomping up a suitable breakfast for his companion and their guests.

Anna came in and lightly kissed him on his cheek, then she opened the reefer and reached into an insulated box, taking out a plastic pouch with a dark red liquid in it.

She leaned close to him and murmured, "My real breakfast!"

She slipped back out of the kitchen and he continued making breakfast for everyone else.

Fifteen minutes later and everyone was seated in the breakfast nook admiring the food.

Roger noted that Anna now had a slight flush to her otherwise pale cheeks and Josephine was happily oblivious to it.

Freya dug in and piled her plate with scrambled eggs and sausage with toasted English muffins slathered with peach preserves on the side.

A small glass of orange juice and a large mug of fresh coffee awaited everyone's drinking pleasure.

Josephine marveled at Freya's appetite and Roger commented, "Well, she is a growing girl and needs her proteins."

Josephine raised a carefully plucked eyebrow and remarked candidly, "She looks pretty 'grown' to me, she could start getting fat if you keep feeding her like that."

Roger laughed and replied, "Freya is only twelve years old, she has a few more years of growing to do and believe me she burns it off, getting fat is not something that will happen to Freya."

Josephine sat quite still and after a moment, said quietly, "I'm sorry, I forgot you had already told me she was twelve. I don't know how I would've forgotten that!"

Freya set down her now empty coffee mug and answered with a twinkle in her eye, "Och aye ma'am, Ah am oanly twal years auld."

Josephine looked at her blankly then said, "Ah"

Roger pulled up to passenger loading zone and stopped briefly, Freya bussed him gently on his cheek and he said, "I'll be picking you up at eight-ish?"

She grinned at him and replied, "Practice shoods be o'er by then ur close tae it. Jist come intae th' gym an' wait a bit, Ah wullnae be lang."

"Okay, I'll do that." he replied and moments later, his giant housemate was chatting happily with her friends at school, while he was headed towards home and his guests.

Pulling into his driveway Roger noticed a small van with "Powell's City of Books" written on its sides.

They had company.

Entering his house, Roger saw Anna and Josephine having tea with another woman unfamiliar to him.

Anna smiled as he entered the parlour and said, " Roger, this is Veronica Powell, she will be working with us tonight. I asked her to come by so we could go over the program and make any changes if necessary."

Veronica, a slightly plump, fifty-ish woman with a frosting of gray in her dark hair smiled at him and said, "Hello! Thank you for letting Anna and Josephine stay with you, while they're here. This is sooo much better than a hotel by the airport!"

Anna chuckled and said merrily, "Roger is the inspiration for one the characters in my book "Rescue from Old Algeria."

"Really?!"

Veronica slid her bi-focals down on her longish nose and looked him up and down rather frankly, leaving him feeling slightly violated.

Veronica smiled and asked coyly, "So, which character are you? Not the fellow who married the snake goddess, surely."

Roger could only shrug and reply, "I have to confess, I have not read the book myself. As to the 'snake goddess'? She's a lamia and they are doing just fine on their ranch with their twin girls and her family come to join them."

Veronica looked at him skeptically and remarked, "That book was just a fantasy story wasn't it?"

She turned to Anna and asked, "Wasn't it?"

"The book was an embellishment of an actual story and Roger here was a part of it."

Replied Anna with a slight smile.

Veronica looked him up and down again and asked him, "So all that stuff about searching for hidden races is true? Lamias really do exist?"

Roger smiled at her and replied, "Oh yes, they do. The only reason I didn't wind up married to a lamia is that I was not a virgin, they won't bother with a man who has been with women before. Only virgins will do."

Veronica looked at him curiously and asked, "How can they tell?"

"They can read auras, a virgin male's aura is different than a male who is not a virgin. They mate for life and the lamia is always a virgin when she marries."

"So why haven't we seen them before?"

"They were hunted for sport in ancient times and they have long memories of being hunted, so I don't blame them for hiding. They're coming out now because it is hoped that humans have outgrown their desire to hunt them."

Roger took down a tablet loaded with photos and turned it on.

Moments later, he handed it to Veronica and said, "These are some recent photos they sent me, take a look!"

She spent a few minutes, rapidly looking at the photos then handed it back to him with a smile. "Thanks! I'll take another look at that after we're done here. That's amazing!"

Roger excused himself and went into his study to read.

He was still reading when Anna entered his study all dressed up in an elaborate black satin evening gown all detailed with red lace and black ribbons to create a Goth-loli effect.

He looked up from his report and smiled at her, "You look amazing and uncomfortable, all at the same time."

Anna grinned at him and replied, "You right on both counts. We'll talk more when we return."

"Good luck!" he said and she swept out of his study once more.