In Quest of Theta Magic - The Story
Dean Williams has no need for love, but he does needs a wife, fast, since only his quest for Theta magic can save his sister. But who could be courageous and tough enough to endure what he needs to demand from his new wife?
Elana Bailey is determined to brave the ugly beast in order to save her fragile sister. But she doesn't expect the only reason for the match is to create a daughter to help Dean with his quest.
What if she bears a son instead? Will they succeed in the quest?
REVIEWS
“Between the babies, sibling rivalry, an exotic wedding and dire predictions, the tension builds around the characters and eventually brings Dean and Elena together and pits them against the world. I loved the author’s sense of humor ...” - Coffee Time Romance, 5 cups, Ultra Rare Extraordinary Read
“This book was so good I sped through it in one sitting. The futuristic story was unique and intriguing with great characters. I enjoyed the banter between Dean and Elana. It was witty and natural making the whole story seem genuine and it led to some pretty steamy love scenes.” – Reading with Monie, 5 Stars
"This story is not really explicit, however, you will learn about a new world, its customs, and its people if you read the book. The people are engaging to read about and it has some entertaining wedding rituals that last eight days! I hope the author comes out with another book on these people. I could read more about them."- Night Owl Romance Reviewer’s Top Pick, 4.5 Hearts
“I have to say that I like the notion of her world building and ideas... There are regular humans and other humans called Thetas who have magic. The powers the Thetas have are cool powers with names like eagle sight.
There is a quest, a legend and a purpose. In between this is a love story between Dean Williams and Elana Bailey, the main hero and heroine. The sex is very sensual and mainly vanilla, with Dean literally flexing his most impressive muscle. Have to say I really, really like that idea!
There is some good action scenes and while set in the future, it is historical in nature. Meaning if you’ve read historical novels, then there is always some rogue or villain attempting to disrupt the happy lives of the main characters. She pulls this off really well.” – Acquanetta Ferguson, San Diego Examiner
Excerpt
Chapter One
“You don’t know how I suffer!” Mrs. Bailey said to her sister, Mrs. Philman. “I blame my father. He didn’t have Teo checked out thoroughly, and now I’m stuck with a huge debt and five Theta daughters.
“Of course, Jana and Lara are different. They would listen to me, and they don’t show their antics to scare men off,” she continued. “But Ela! She is the worst. She was born to vex me! If only the brute would choose her.”
“Why do you call him a brute?” Mrs. Philman said.
“I heard from one of the brocours who brokered the transaction that he was big and ugly, and that was why he had to pay for a wife.”
“Well, I heard differently from Brother Edmund. It seems that many women in the Theta enclave in Cosmos wanted to snare him and that he is big, but quite handsome. Perhaps he is only paying to get a wife because he has a special requirement.”
“Perhaps. But what requirement? The brocours wouldn’t tell me anything about it. I hope he does want the wife to perform some ancient Thetacrafts. Should I refuse him now? But I can’t! I need the teuros desperately,” Mrs. Bailey confessed, although she was unwilling to admit that she had involved herself in several bad business deals and had already gone through the money her husband left the family upon his death.
“Edmund hasn’t been able to find out any details,” Mrs. Philman agreed. “You know, the brocours have been very secretive about it. But if you think he is a beast, why did you promise one of my nieces to him? Brother Edmund is most unhappy about the whole transaction.”
“But I need the teuros now! You and Brother Edmund cannot help me, but this brute is rich. He has plenty of teuros. At least we won’t be poor any more, after the marriage. I admit and it’s a hard decision. I pray he won’t choose Jana or Lara.”
“But Jana is the most beautiful of them all. How could he resist choosing her?”
Mrs. Bailey sighed. “I thought about hiding her pretty face. Do you think that would work?”
“Won’t he have investigated us before he offers any deal? I don’t see how it could help. He must already know that Jana is five times prettier than any of your other daughters.”
“I don’t know what to do, Sister. If he chooses Jana and hurts her, I will….” Mrs. Bailey burst into tears.
In this timeless world, magical Thetans commanded wealth, and they tended to live in enclaves. Teo Bailey was an exception. He did not control much treasure, and he chose to live among normal people and marry an Earth woman. They had five daughters – Jana, Elana, Mara, Kiera and Lara – who all possessed Theta magic.
Elana Baily had not suspected the deterioration of the family situation to happen so quickly after her father’s death. Her mother only disclosed the amount of debt and her acceptance of the marriage settlement from a rich Theta man, Mr. Dean Williams, earlier that morning. She had a small amount of teuros saved, but nowhere near enough to help her mother to repay the sum of the debt. How could she raise 30,000 teuros within a week?
Elana and her elder sister Jana listened to their mother’s loud chatter. Mrs. Bailey had been going on and on about this monster, the teuros needed to repay the debt, and the sacrifice of Jana, since disclosing the marriage deal.
Jana, at twenty-two, suffered from a chronic respiratory illness. She often had trouble breathing when stressed or exposed to polluted air.
Elana had been thinking hard, searching for a solution. “Jana, maybe when the brute arrives, I could offer myself,” Elana told her elder sister.
“But Mama told me that the brocours said that Mr. Williams wanted to interview all of us and then decide which one he wanted to marry.” Jana coughed and continued, “I don’t think your offering yourself will help. It’s truly fine for me. It doesn’t matter if he is big and ugly, or even if he’s a brute.”
“But what about performing the ancient Thetacrafts? If he tortures you, I swear I will corner him anywhere in the world and skin him alive!”
“Are there a lot of ancient Thetacrafts that torture women?” Jana asked in a trembling voice. “You are the avid reader in the family. Do you know?”
“I can only think of spanking. But you know that Mother has burned all of Father’s old Theta books when he died.” Elana didn’t want to alarm Jana, but she had, in fact, read about men tying women up and torturing them for days, in ancient times. There seemed to be many forms of mental and physical torture. But she wasn’t ready to make such an admission to her sister, and so she lied, saying, “I was not very interested in Thetacrafts before, so I wouldn’t know about those that torture women.”
In truth, Elana was scared, as well. Jana had poor health. What if she died soon after she married the man? Jana had been such a dear sister to her that she was also Elana’s best friend. In any case, Elana knew herself to be stronger than her sister. It seemed likely that she could survive longer than Jana as the brute’s wife.
She made up her mind to find an opportunity to meet Mr. Williams before the family did, and to offer herself. If he indeed wanted a wife just for Thetacrafts, surely there was no need to have a prettier wife; she would do. And if he needed the wife for another requirement, Elana hoped she could convince him she, being stronger and smarter, was a better candidate than Jana.
***
A day before the interview, Elana found out that the brute from the North had finally arrived and would be staying in Novaland during the interview period.
Novaland was a big estate which had been vacant for some time, located not far from Lawcove, where the Baileys lived. Determined to turn her plan into action, Elana set out alone, very early the next morning.
When she was two kilometers from Novaland, she climbed a large tree and settled herself on a branch, then rubbed her eagle sight and concentrated on looking at Novaland. She could see that there were many servants moving around, in the house.
Where are the men from the North?
After scanning several windows, she concentrated her focus on the morning room. Two men were there, having breakfast. Both of them were very tall, one with blond straight hair, the other with dark, curly hair. The blond man turned first.
He is very handsome! Elana reflected, and smiled. The man looked young, perhaps in his mid-twenties. He had a friendly smile and a warm countenance. Jana will be fine. Maybe I don’t need to offer myself.
Not long after, the dark-haired man stood up and walked to the window. When Elana saw his face, she hissed in instinctive reaction. In front of her eyes was the ugliest man she had ever seen. He was tall, perhaps two meters in height, and solidly built. He wore a tight black singlet and matching shorts that hugged his body. But he had red swellings on his face that distorted his eyes, his mouth and his nose. His body bore red swellings and was disproportioned, as well.
Oh my god! I hope he is not Mr. Williams, she thought, and her heart sank. Why don’t I go to Cosmos? Maybe I can find a way to help Mama repay the loan soon. But she received the deponere from Mr. Williams. She needs to repay triple the amount if she breaks the contract now.
Her mind raced as she thought about marrying such a man. Could she be brave enough to offer herself to such an ugly man? Could she not feel disgusted, looking at him every day? Could she sleep with him? And would their children look as ugly as he did?
Elana was the most well-read and intelligent of the five sisters. That was why she had become her father’s favorite. But that hadn’t prevented her from noticing her father’s disrespect to her mother. She sometimes heard him complain about being fooled by his wife’s beauty when they were young. He’d married in haste and repented later because of her silliness and extravagance. The daily domestic arguments of Elana’s parents had left her deeply wary about marriage.
Why does Mr. Williams need to buy a wife in such manner? Why should he risk tying himself to a complete stranger, one who might turn out to be very silly or whom he could not respect? It seems like a recipe for disaster. And why has he chosen our family? Cosmos was miles away, and a solution was needed now. Elana closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. Papa, please help me! I will do everything I can. She then climbed down the tree, her eyes still focused on Novaland as she walked slowly towards it, determined to apply to see Mr. Williams.
Not long thereafter, she found herself seated in the sitting room. She had scarcely settled in her chair when the blond man came in.
He looked even more amiable and kindly, up close. Elana’s heart lifted. Maybe I don’t have to interfere, after all, if he is Mr. Williams.
“Mr. Williams, I am sorry for requesting a meeting with you without introduction. I’m Elana Bailey from Lawcove.”
“Miss Elana, how very nice to meet you. I’m Carlson Blake. My friend, Williams, is unavailable so he asked me to meet with you.”
Her heart dropped to hell. What if the ugly man is Mr. Williams? She took another breath and continued, although her voice was no longer entirely steady. “Mr. Blake, it is very nice to meet you, too. I would like to meet with Mr. Williams to discuss his business agreement with my mother. I assume that you know what that business is.”
“Yes, he has offered a settlement to your mother, in exchange for one of her daughters becoming his wife.” Blake smiled calmly, and Elana was encouraged by this pleasant young man.
“May I ask for a few moments of his time, to discuss with him?”
“He is busy right now, so he can’t meet up with you. He will be conducting the interview here tomorrow. Can’t you wait another day?”
“I assume you know that we are Theta sisters.”
“Yes.”
“So I assume you know my special talent.”
“No, Williams hasn’t told me any details.”
“Well, Mr. Blake, I have eagle sight. I can see four times farther than a human. I confess to spying on you and Mr. Williams before I came knocking on the door, so I know he is available. He was in the library next door, reading a poem. Is there a reason why he doesn’t want to meet me?”
The sitting room door burst open, and Elana was suddenly face to face with the big ugly beast. She had mentally prepared herself for the confrontation but now, up close, he seemed to be ten times uglier. Some of the lumps on his face and body were red, others purple, and all of the lumps were swollen. She could not help but let out a groan.
He stared at her coldly. “I like to do business as I plan. My meeting with your family is not until tomorrow. Is that not a good enough reason for me not to meet with you now?” Mr. Williams demanded.
What an ugly and arrogant man! Elana thought, her anger overcoming her fear of his ugly features. Rather than make an angry retort, she tried to calm herself, reasoning that there was no point in making him mad and worsening things for Jana. Instead, she turned to Blake and gave him a smile. “Mr. Blake, may I speak with Mr. Williams privately?”
Blake's gaze shifted uneasily from her to his friend.
She saw Williams give him a grudging nod, and Blake said, “Very well, Miss Elana, I will leave you to my friend.”
Seeing that Williams had walked to the window and turned to look at her, Elana took another breath and came directly to the point. “I would like to offer myself as your wife.”
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