by Amelia Shaw
“Yes.” My father nodded once. “If we can show the Council that you have the power to turn people against them, but that you also have the power to make their lives more peaceful, the realms easier to manage, then we may have a powerful bargaining tool at our disposal at the hearing in two days.”
I tilted my head to the side, beginning to feel like I was way out of my depth. Quite honestly, I had no idea how I did it with Ankor.
“But I know, literally nothing, about shifters. The only ones I’ve really even... seen, were the ones who came to kill me. At least with the Fae, I had been living in their realm for protection. At least I had Tavlor to help me understand what it meant to be Fae, what life was like for them. I don’t have that same luxury with the shifters.”
“Well, you’ll be getting to know more, tomorrow. First thing.” My father got to his feet, with a smile on his face. “I think I will turn in early tonight. I have some reading to do of your mother’s ancient law books. I want to see how much we can glean from there to work into our defense. There’s no reason we can’t ask for the same contract that was handed out to the first High Warlock, and since we know it happened, it set up a precedent, so to speak.”
“Nor is there a reason why Fae and shifters aren’t on the Council,” I added.
My father froze. He turned slowly to look at me. “You know that will never happen, Ava. Not in our lifetime anyway.”
I pressed my lips together. “It’s not fair, especially to not include the Fae,” I said. I knew this was a battle I had to be careful of, but I couldn’t help it. “They are powerful, and ancient and all knowing. They could help the realms so much.”
I glanced over at Tavlor, who was staring at me with that wondrous look he had on his face sometimes.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head.
“Oh... nothing. I just wonder sometimes if your mother did you a favor raising you without the influence of other Witches, or if you would have turned out like this either way,” he said.
I shrugged. “I like to think I would have the same opinions, either way. If that’s what you mean. The fact that I don’t think the Fae are beneath us?”
I went back to eating, annoyed for some reason. They treated me like I was so weird, just because I believed in equal rights. In people being treated like people.
My mother hadn’t taught me that; it was common courtesy. Decency. Although she also hadn’t taught me to have an elitist mindset either. Perhaps that was what they meant.
Was being prejudiced against other kind of supernatural entities natural here? I didn’t see Tavlor or my father having those tendencies, but each time I made a suggestion that teetered on challenging the norm, they both looked at me like I had suddenly learnt a second language they couldn’t understand. I wasn’t sure how to respond to it.
“Well, goodnight,” my father said, and then disappeared into his room.
I looked over at Tavlor.
“Do you think he’s ever going to go back to his old home?” I asked, deciding to let my annoyance drop, at least for the time being. The last thing I wanted to do was start a fight.
Tavlor glanced towards the closed door. “I don’t know,” he said. “As the High Warlock, that house in the Councilors realm is his, not Charity’s. But he may need to dissolve their marriage to get her out of the family home. I really... don’t know.”
“But he obviously doesn’t want to go back there at the moment, does he?” I asked.
I wasn’t the only one seeing that, surely?
“No, he doesn’t want to go back to his old life. His old world. His... wife.”
I shuddered. “God, I hope he works out a way to be rid of her.”
Part of me did feel sad for my father. It was obvious he loved my mother, but, to me, marriage was something sacred and to be forced into it with someone he couldn’t stand sounded like a tragedy.
Tavlor stood up and put out his hand. “Let’s not talk about your father anymore.”
I took his hand, a tingle of awareness passing over my skin as I touched him for what felt like the first time in too long.
I let him pull me to my feet and smiled up into his eyes. “I... liked how... strange you were with the Fae King today. Being all possessive, and stuff.”
He smiled, sliding his hands around my waist and pulling me into him. “You’re mine. And I won’t have anyone, let alone some... ancient Fae King thinking he can have you.”
“Really?” I asked, as he tugged me towards the bedroom.
“Yes. Really,” he repeated in a mocking tone.
We walked into my room and he shut the door. Tavlor stepped towards me, then dropped to his knees.
“Ava. I know I don’t deserve to ask this of you, but I will. Because I have learnt that I am more selfish that I ever realized.”
I laughed, reaching out for him. “Please, stand up.”
He gripped my hands and shook his head. “No. You deserve the best of the best, because you are the most incredible woman I have ever met in my life.”
I swallowed hard against the tightness in my throat. “I feel the same way about you... and I know I don’t know a lot of people, but I see the way people look at you, admire you, fear you... and I know I’m right.”
His eyes shone brightly as he stared up at me. “Will you marry me, Ava? Be my wife. My companion in this lifetime, and hopefully the next. I promise I will protect you, love you. I’ll be faithful to you and will give my life to keep you safe.”
I nodded, tears filling my eyes, then coursing down my cheeks.
“Yes. I’ll marry you. Tonight, tomorrow. Any day you want.”
Happiness flashed over Tavlor’s face as he jumped to his feet and swung me up into his arms.
“Now we celebrate,” he said, then whispered a single word.
In that moment, we were both naked.
I gasped, putting a hand to my mouth in an effort not to cover myself completely. I still wasn’t quite comfortable being naked around Tavlor, and hoped, with time, that would change. I definitely wasn’t comfortable with how quickly he removed my clothes.
“You are... so beautiful,” he said, his gaze roaming over me.
I dropped my hand away from my mouth and lifted my chin. I couldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed, not with him looking at me like that.
“I love you.” Was all I managed to say, before he took me to bed to make love to me.
Chapter 16.
I COULDN’T SLEEP THROUGH the night.
I tossed and turned like a mad woman. Thankfully, Tavlor complain throughout the night and when morning came, I was already showered when he awoke.
“Everything all right?” Tavlor asked as he got out of bed.
“Of course.” My voice cracked, as I looked at his bare chest and those abs I desperately wanted to run my hands up and down. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
He said nothing. He finished showering shortly after, and we were ready to go by the time the sun came out. My father surfaced not long after we conjured our food onto the table.
“How come we’re going to the shifter realm so early?” I asked as soon as we’d finished eating. Not that I was complaining, but I was curious if there was a reason for it.
I was a little confused by our schedule. Witches and warlocks loved their sleep!
“The shifters are morning creatures,” my father said as he sipped on his morning coffee. “Especially wolf shifters. You’ll find bears are not especially morning people. But to answer your question, they’re going to show you a great deal of respect if you abide by the time they keep rather than the time you keep.”
Bear shifters... what a thought. I’d never even imagined that was possible.
“Okay.”
What else could I say? As usual, I didn’t know anything about this world, nor its inhabitants. I just had to trust that the information I was being given was all correct.
The three of us followed the same routine as we had the day before. Ta
vlor, armed to the teeth, was dressed in dark, long robes. My father wore a similar plain outfit, not wanting his clothes to point out the grandeur of his position.
Our cloaks today were all thick, natural fibers. No fur, for obvious reasons. But they were a level of comfort and warmth should we encounter a cold climate, which I was expecting we would.
As soon as we were all ready, we slipped through a portal door and whoosh, we were off.
Once through that strange, cold void of space, I opened my eyes. I stood in a thick wood. I inhaled the pine scent and shivered at the chill of the morning air as it touched my cheeks. The air was crisp and clear and burned my lungs, but in a good way.
I pulled my cloak around myself tighter. “It’s freezing.”
My father moved ahead and we walked together along a beaten path, around the huge trees and large bushes.
“It’ll warm up.” He nodded to his left. “The sun’s rising.”
I glanced towards the horizon that I could see between the trees. “That’s... beautiful.”
I stopped walking for a moment, giving myself a chance to take in the sight. The sun cast incredible colors across the sky and land. Reds and oranges, but also purples and pinks.
Just breathtaking.
If everything were ideal, it would have been just me and Tavlor here for romantic reasons rather than political ones.
We kept walking, I assumed to find whatever meeting point we’d been assigned.
There was a sudden growl ahead of us. Tavlor put a hand out, signaling to stop. I froze.
The growl intensified, then I realized it wasn’t just in front. The sound was coming from all around.
Behind us. In front of us. To the sides.
They had us surrounded.
I swallowed. I had been caught by shifters before and the experience wasn’t pleasant. I didn’t want to repeat it, quite frankly. I didn’t want to attack the shifters as we were in their realm and they probably saw us as threats, but at the same time, I didn’t want to be injured, either.
The hairs on my neck stood on end as the noise began to sound more threatening, deep and throaty. Large grey and black wolves appeared between the trees. Their yellow, glowing eyes stood out against the early morning light.
At the very least, I could protect us from them.
I threw my cloak back and conjured up a protection spell, getting ready with a more offensive spell if needed. I didn’t want to use it, but I wouldn’t go down without a fight, even if we were in a different realm.
I’d killed this type of shifter before, and unfortunately, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again if they forced my hand. Especially to protect my father or Tavlor.
“We are here to see the Alpha, Robert Tannen,” my father called out, his hands up in a placating gesture. The growling stopped, as though someone had switched off a tap. Then the wolves were gone, disappeared as though they had never been.
In their place stood men.
Naked men.
Um...
I cleared my throat and looked away, covering my face with my hand so I wouldn’t see anything I probably shouldn’t. Although, I was curious....
“You’re the High Warlock,” said the man at the front of us. He was older that the men flanking him, obviously a beta or second in charge. His eyes narrowed at us, taking us in. He was probably trying to see if we were a threat, if we were planning something.
He had long black hair and a body built for speed and stealth, lightly padded in muscle, but his ribs stuck out on both sides. I wasn’t expecting that. I expected corded muscles, domineering brutal strength radiating off him in waves.
I frowned as I examined him and the men immediately in front of me.
He’s not eating enough. I looked to each one. None of them are.
I glanced around, assessing the health of the whole pack, and trying not to look at the long, hanging flesh between their legs. Which was difficult when I’d only seen one naked man before.
Stupid morbid curiosity.
None of them seemed perturbed by their nakedness. They stood, their shoulders rolled back, pride simmering from them. Their gazes all mirrored the beta, suspicious and wary.
I flicked my gaze back to the man speaking before us. He was fleshier than the average around us, but that wasn’t a good thing.
None of them are very well.
My father stepped forward.
“Yes. I am.” He still held up one hand while he gestured with the other, trying to ensure that the wolves understood we meant them no harm. “And this is Tavlor, my bodyguard.” He gestured to where my lover stood, then to me. “And my daughter, Ava.”
The man at the front of the pack raised his eyebrows.
“Your daughter?” he asked. “Since when do you have an heir?”
I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing. I liked how forth right these people were. They didn’t care that Matlock was a High Warlock. They cared about the truth and they had no qualms about calling out anything that didn’t add up.
“Ah, well...” my father began but then stopped, as though he was at a loss for words.
I wasn’t. I stood next to my father so they had a clear view of me. For some reason, I had no compulsion of hiding away.
“I’m illegitimate,” I explained. “The product of an affair my father had before he was forced into an arranged marriage by the Council.”
There was a strange grumble around us, of approval or anger, I wasn’t quite sure. But the sounds weren’t aggressive. If anything, they were surprised and a bit curious as though how such a thing was possible, especially since it went against the Council’s precious rules.
Then the man at the head of the pack smiled, in a strangely authentic way.
“Nice to know Warlocks are men too,” he said.
I rolled my eyes. If only he knew.
“Definitely. Can we go see your Alpha now, please?” Even I could hear the snap of annoyance in my tone, but there was no correcting it now. I should have added that we were on a time crunch and I was cold, but I thought they wouldn’t particularly care. They might even see it as complaining.
The pack leader stared at me for long moments, then nodded. “Come with us.”
The pack turned and began to walk, so we followed the large group of men. The whole time, I kept my eyes above, trying to scan the horizon. Anywhere but on them and their nakedness. Despite my confidence on speaking to them, I wasn’t sure how I felt about being surrounded by naked men.
They led us to a small, squalid town.
Oh. My. God. Was this how all shifters lived?
I’d thought the Fae Kingdom was in disarray. But this... this... town wasn’t fit for people to live in. The smell... god, the smell of human waste was pungent in the air. The children were mostly naked, running in the streets despite the cold. And the houses...
God... they weren’t houses. They were pieces of tin and some sticks holding them up.
This was absolutely pitiful.
I glanced across at my father, horrified. But he didn’t flinch. And he didn’t look my way. He simply walked with his head held high, following the pack through the town, until we came across a slightly larger tin shed.
I wasn’t sure what was worse: acknowledging the disarray here or purposefully ignoring it.
I decided to follow my father’s act and remain silent, though there were a few times I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from saying anything at all.
I wondered where the Alpha lived compared to his people.
Would this Alpha have a nicer home than the rest of his pack? Had he hoarded powers, or riches, while his people had none? Or was it like with the Fae, their magic stolen but for one man and one room?
I’d soon find out.
The naked wolf man beta moved a beige curtain, which served as a door, out of the way. He flicked his head and I assumed that meant we should follow.
My father went in first, and Tavlor indicated that I should follow him, my
Fae warrior bringing up the rear, sandwiching me so I was protected.
Once inside, the barrenness wasn’t much better, though there was some furniture. It looked as though it was constructed by the wolves rather than purchased at a store, which meant the wolves had to be crafty.
No weapons. No technology.
Just a group of worn couches and a pack of men standing around. Most of them were only half naked, and one older man with a greying beard who was fully dressed.
“Alpha,” Tavlor said in greeting, stepping forward and bowing his head. How Tavlor knew it was him, I didn’t know unless Tavlor was familiar with all rulers in every realm.
The older man smiled, his teeth white and surprisingly sharp. “Please. Sit.”
We walked forward and sunk into the old, comfortable couches.
My nose was still struggling with the smell of the people, and excrement around us, but I was slowly getting used to it.
“Thank you for seeing us, Alpha,” Tavlor said, speaking in lieu of my father, which I thought was odd.
Perhaps Tavlor had a better relationship with the shifters than my father did?
“I was intrigued by your request.” His gaze turned to me. “The daughter of the High Warlock. A daughter I was not sure existed until now.”
I smiled back at him, biting my tongue. I was only one of the daughters of the High Warlock, but that was a secret I needed to keep to myself.
“I’m Ava,” I said, trying to keep my voice under control. I bit my tongue right after to ensure I didn’t say more than I needed to.
“Robert,” the older man said, placing a hand on his chest.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, not sure exactly what greeting was appropriate for a wolf shifter at all, let alone the Alpha.
Robert’s gaze slid over to my father, but he didn’t say anything. Interesting. There was no love there, obviously.
Then he moved his attention to Tavlor.
“What do you want on this day, Fae?” he asked. His voice was stiff, cautious.