by D. R. Perry
“The just kind.” He looked away. “But I suppose you could refuse the Queen, at that. Admit to witnessing Nox’s crime, but refuse to make the trade.”
“What’s the point of that?” I raised an eyebrow. “That’d just make it look like I sided with the Unseelies.”
“You mean, you haven’t?” It was Mr. Ichiro’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Everybody knows what happened—that she stole a Seelie artifact and undid the Queen’s enchantment. Besides, if you surrender Miss Phillips, it might look like you’ve sided with the Seelies this time. You’ll get a reputation for unreliability.”
“So this is one of those frying pan and fire situations.” I sighed.
“It doesn’t have to be. It’s not the fact of your refusal that matters, but how prettily you do it.” The corners of his mouth turned up slightly as though this was the kind of problem he liked contemplating. I wished I could just let him have it. “If your reason for refusing is to further distance yourself from any perception of bias, for example, your reputation will seem more straightforward.”
“See, this kind of thing is why my folks were so happy about Beth and Ren getting official.” I shook my head, glad to at least have the old Tanuki’s advice. “The two of them could have handled this way better than me.”
“Perhaps. However, you’re the one responsible for handling it now. I believe you and Miss Phillips will figure out what to do together, just as Beth and Ren may have.”
“Wait. What makes you think I’ll—” I sighed, shaking my head. “Of course. You saw that whole match.”
“I did.” His grin was wan but unmistakable. “She’s been my student since her family realized she’d need discipline in order to carry on their legacy.”
“But that can’t happen if the Queen just takes it from her.”
“It also can’t happen if she doesn’t find her mate. Kelpies aren’t so different from wolves or Tanuki. We all need companionship, and at least one from each generation must settle down to continue the family line.”
“And Nox’s brother’s an earth magus, so he can’t.” I shook my head, marveling at how magic could have made a mistake like that. But then again, maybe it hadn’t. Coincidence was weirder than those three witchy sisters who harassed Macbeth.
“Yes. Nox’s responsibility is double, like Kimiko’s. Don’t make it harder for both of you by denying even the most unconventional of possibilities.”
“But inappropriate relationships are, um, inappropriate.” I winced inwardly, hoping it didn’t show on my face. “And for wolf shifters, forbidden.”
“Perhaps they’re not impossible. Coincidence may still have a role to play in all this, but you’ll never discover its influence if you avoid the issue.” Mr. Ichiro stood. “And now, I must ask you to leave. Please don’t stop by again. If you’d like to visit with Beth, send word, and we’ll help her meet you elsewhere.”
“Thanks, Mr. Ichiro.” The last thing I wanted was to leave Beth alone with an old man and a pick-pocketing delinquent, but since my parents had given their blessing when Ren asked for it, I had to be content trusting his family with her safety.
I headed out of the gray house on Angell Street and turned on my heel to make my way toward Swan Point. At least Nox wasn’t the only one with explaining to do.
Chapter Eight
Nox
The air was cold as I set my left fore-hoof on the bank of the Seekonk River. I tossed my head, flinging water off the long slope of my face and through the air behind me. There was a battered-looking boat in the water, but it was almost on the opposite shore in Pawtucket. Glancing around told me I was alone except for a rabbit and a Gnome. The little bunny took off like it was turbo-charged. The Gnome smiled. Their teeth were all made of metal. They sat on top of a toadstool, holding a pipe and snapping their fingers to light it. I didn’t have a thing to worry about from them. Gnomes were the smallest Unseelie creatures, like ants to the Sidhe Queen. She’d sooner squash one than listen to a word they might say.
I trotted through denuded underbrush, a few twigs and burrs brushing against my sides. I loved Water magic, but being able to shift into horse form and run free under the moonlight was even more amazing. This wasn’t the night for that as much as I might need it. I’d have to explain myself and then go. Lingering would be too dangerous, especially now that I’d seen another Faerie in the area.
Once at the edge of Memorial Grove, I stopped. Shrinking back down to my bipedal shape was like getting out of a roller-coaster car at the end of the ride. Still, I got no protest from the ancestors in my pelt until I moved to disengage it. Echoes of scolds ranging from decades to centuries old rang through my head like the din of rival church bells. At least they all agreed on something—that I shouldn’t be out and about without the extra strength and magic the pelt granted its owner. That was what I was, even though I felt like they owned me instead. Once someone took up a Kelpie pelt, it was theirs until they died or put on a different one. It worked the same way for Selkies, the Seelie seal shifters. I wouldn’t want to say that five times fast.
I put the pelt away in its oilcloth pouch, adjusted the blanket’s drape, and tucked the pouch in a fold. At least it’d be close at hand if something dangerous showed up. I shuddered, thinking about how PPC’s own Professor of Summoning got twisted into attacking students. Blaine said he thought it was the Extramagus. It occurred to me, however, that sometimes people just went bad. They couldn’t stand something about their lives and snapped. Could that be Josh’s uncle’s problem, or was he being influenced, too?
A pale sliver of moon came out from behind the clouds. A keening howl rose from the other side of the enormous rock in the middle of the grove. I didn’t step into the light until a twig snapped somewhere in front of me. Nice of Josh to do that instead of sneaking up like he could have. When he walked around the other side of the Megalith, my breath caught in my throat. Barely there moonlight made his hair look almost silver instead of blond. His eyes glittered with the fading gold of his recent shift out of wolf form. He tugged at the hem of his shirt, which told me he’d just put it on. I wasn’t much surprised to catch a glimpse of firm, defined muscle after sparring with him at the dojo. All the same, it was a nice finish to what had already been a gorgeous view.
“Nice, um—” Josh’s eyes moved up, down, and all around. “I’ve never seen someone wear anything like that before. Is it a dress?”
“Nope,” I grinned. My face felt like I’d been standing next to a fire instead of in a wintry breeze. “Blanket.”
“There’s no way anyone but you could make a blanket look that good.” His teeth flashed white in the darkness. Had I been staring at his mouth?
“Thought you’d make some kind of horse joke or something.” I barely managed a shrug.
“There’s absolutely nothing going on here that’s got me in a joking mood.” He took a step closer.
“Oh.” I found myself unable to move. Well, that’s a lie. I trembled a little. Lame, I know, but that’s what happens when you stand outside without your Water magic in the middle of February wearing a blanket and no shoes.
“So, you said you have some explaining to do.” He tilted his head, peering down at me.
“I know. It’s just not the easiest thing to say.” It also wasn’t easy standing there with this incredibly gorgeous man who pushed me away with one hand and dropped compliments like breadcrumbs from the other. “Listen, I don’t like talking around things. I’m going to take a deep breath and just dive into this. This is the kind of stuff I can’t unsay and you can’t unhear. You still game?”
“Perfectly.” He gazed into my eyes. I almost blinked when he used the same word I’d said back at the dojo before agreeing to this meeting. A dig, or coincidence?
“Look, I think you’re my mate.” I took a breath, ready to just voice all my reasons without thinking about them.
“Been thinking the same. There’s one way to see if we’re right.” Josh put an end to any more talk
on the subject.
He pressed closer against me than he’d done during the match, nearly knocking the wind out of me. Then, he touched his lips to mine. I put my arms under his, crossing them under his shirt and over his back. He turned, putting me between himself and the Megalith. His hands were everywhere at first, then they joined forces to try to untie the knot holding my blanket-dress together. He broke our kiss off, leaving me gasping for air. Just as his mouth lowered toward the spot on my neck he’d had me by during our second match, he froze and put one hand to my lips.
“Someone’s here.” He turned, looking over his shoulder. “Do you smell seaweed?”
I shook my head, not daring to speak. Seaweed this far inland might mean a Selkie, but it could just be a breeze off the harbor. I thought of the Gnome on the toadstool. Could they have been followed, or had a magical device to report that they’d seen me? But that Gnome with the metal teeth wouldn’t sell me out. Not when I’d taken their advice about the Sprite business.
“Stay here.” Josh whipped off his shirt, then his pants. I tried not to look, but couldn’t help it. Fear and desire clashed in my body like fire and ice. I watched him shift, his limbs growing rangier as his run morphed into a lope toward the tree-line. He sniffed the ground, the air, and set off through the trees at full speed.
I heard a howl and a bark, punctuated by a heavy splash and a tiny squeal. Spindly limbs of shrubs in the underbrush shook as Josh returned, something small held in his mouth by the scruff. I recognized it immediately. Even better, I finally remembered where I’d heard of a Gnome with metal teeth before.
“Put them down.” I pointed at the little creature. “Maddie and Henry know this Gnome.” I did, too, but I wasn’t about to tell Josh about that.
Josh dropped them in a heap at my feet, then sat back on his haunches, grinning. His gray fur looked like it was tipped with silver in the low light. I waited for the Gnome to compose themselves, then hunkered down to talk to them.
“Gee Nome.” I raised an eyebrow. “Nice to see you, but it’s awfully late for you to be out of Henry’s apartment.”
“I’m here to repay an old favor.” They crossed their arms over their chest.
“Okay, well, you’re sort of interrupting something important here.” I felt my blush reach the roots of my hair.
“It was your wolf who interrupted me.” Gee Nome tapped one tiny foot. “You’re not the only people who meet here, you know.”
“Somehow I doubt you’re out on a date.” I thought about tapping my own foot in an attempt to look authoritative. Given the blanket dress and the raging blush, I decided not to bother.
“All the same, he interrupted me.” The Gnome’s voice transitioned from indignation to a squeaky whine. “Can’t repay when a wolf chases my debtor away.”
“Well, we smelled something like seaweed, and you know how dangerous everything Seelie can be to our kind.” I side-eyed the Gnome. They couldn’t be too stupid to know that, but they might be drunk. They were lightweights when it came to alcohol.
“Not everything Seelie is Seelie all the time.” Gee shifted their weight from one foot to the other, looking like one of those balls that bounce over the words on a karaoke screen. The seaweed smell had to be a Selkie. The Gnome couldn’t be talking about anything else.
“That’s fine and well, but still it’s dangerous.” I sighed. “I’ll have to get back to campus as fast as I can. It’s the only place that’s safe.”
I felt the displacement of air and rustle of clothing that meant Josh had shifted back. I glanced up at him, disappointed I’d missed the view despite the predicament I was in. I shook my head at the gnome.
“Sorry.” Gee raised their hand. I knew they were about to vanish before I could claim a favor.
“Wait. You owe me now, Gee.” I pointed at Josh. “Him, too. We’re in the biggest bind of our lives, and you interrupted us before we could figure out how to fix it.”
“Public place. Not my fault. Already apologized.” Gee brought their fingers together.
“No way. She says you owe, you pay.” Josh picked Gee up by their hand. “You Vanish us all out of here right away, over to the laundry room in the dorm basement. Then you won’t owe me anymore, at least.”
“Fine. But only because you’re the Gentleman’s friend.” The moment Josh let go, Gee snapped their fingers.
I hated getting Vanished. It feels like turning to sand and being dumped out by a kid with a broken beach pail. I wondered why Josh was okay with going to campus all of a sudden. Maybe he thought the cemetery was more dangerous than the risk of running into Campus Police. I shook my head, running one hand through my hair as I collected myself. At least it wasn’t something I had to do literally.
“And what do I owe the Kelpie?” Gee was fine after vanishing, naturally.
“Tell me who you were meeting with and why.” Now I did tap my foot. The coziness of the laundry room had more to do with that than confidence.
“Can’t. Prior agreement. You understand.” The Gnome smiled. They had me there. They couldn’t breach an old contract to fulfill a new one.
“Okay, then.” I sighed. “I need a way to get a light sentence in this trial the Queen’s got planned.”
“Can’t do better than a Tanuki lawyer.” Gee grinned up at me. Smug little creature probably thought I’d just let them go without paying me if they refused enough times.
“Tell me how Blaine ended up with that sea float.” That bit had been bothering me, since a Seelie artifact shouldn’t have ended up with a dragon shifter like that, even with Luck magic on it.
“Prior agreement again. I can only tell you half of that story.” Gee shook their head.
“I’ll settle for that now and the rest when your agreement expires.” I gave them one curt nod. It was good enough.
“Okay!” Gee Nome jumped up, giving themselves a high five behind their back. “I Vanished back in time to make sure the whelp got what you’d need to fight that Spite.”
“Wait, what?” Josh blinked. He seemed more disoriented from the Vanishing than me but directed his question properly away from the Gnome. “Gnomes can time-travel?”
“Only a little, and it’s weird. There’s a whole debate about the fourth dimension.” I shrugged, then adjusted my now-slipping blanket.
“It’s wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey, isn’t it?” Josh gave me a half-grin.
“Oh, yeah. Especially since Gnomes don’t use blue boxes and sonic screwdrivers.” I snorted a laugh. “Anyway, I bet that’s all Gee has to tell us.” I looked down at the Gnome.
“Just one more thing you need to know.” They gave me their full metallic smile. “You undoing that enchantment was Lucky. Trust it.”
“I’d have to trust you first.” I rolled my eyes. Gnomes were about as reliable as other pure Faeries, which meant you only trusted them when you had them under a deal. That last bit felt like an add-on, they might be trying to screw us over with. Then again, they were friends with Henry.
“Up to you.” Gee shrugged one little shoulder. “That’s it. I’ll find you at the end of my prior agreement for the rest.” They snapped their fingers and vanished with a faint pop.
“So, do we believe them or not?” Josh rubbed his temples.
“I say we do.” I nodded.
“Why?” He shook his head, then blinked a few times.
“Because the sea float’s a thing Selkies use. And who was Gee meeting tonight?”
“Once I got to the water, I knew for sure it was a Selkie.” Josh frowned. “There were tracks and everything, but they got away before I actually saw them.”
“Right. So, I bet that’s Gee's prior agreement. Has something to do with that float and a Selkie.” I ran a hand through my hair.
“But aren’t the Seelies and the Unseelies enemies?” He scratched his head.
“Between pure Unseelies and Selkies, not so much. The King’s rules are like a sapling; they bend in the breeze. And Selkies only have a duty to p
rotect the oceans. The Queen counts them as part of her power base, but they’re not as bound by her rules as other Seelies, especially when they take their pelts off.”
“Makes some sense.” He stepped closer to me. “We have, um, a conversation to finish.”
“Yes.” I stood still, aching for him to touch me again, but not sure whether I could handle it.
“Ahem.” Jeannie, the bear shifter Resident Assistant, stood in the laundry room doorway, a basket of disheveled laundry tucked against one hip. “Okay, folks. You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here. Go back upstairs and hang out with whoever you’re visiting.”
“Okay.” Josh took my hand. “Come on, Nox. Let’s go find our friends.”
I followed him out of the laundry room toward the basement stairs, wondering where he was really taking me.
Chapter Nine
Josh
I led her by the hand up the stairs to the first floor, then down the hall to the elevator. After that, I pressed the up button without saying anything, clenching my jaw shut. I wasn’t sure I could have a verbal conversation with Nox on the subject of mates. I hadn’t had this kind of reaction from my wolf since I was thirteen and dreaming about girls every night. It wanted what it wanted, and I’d have to get my brain around that without Nox around or our interaction on the subject would be purely physical. The way she’d stiffened up told me that might not be the best way to settle this after all. It was like part of her wasn’t there or something.
I turned my head, glancing over at her. She stared at the stainless steel elevator doors as they parted, her neck and shoulders held with stiff tension as we stepped into the lift in tandem. She needed to talk to someone before acting on this. Fortunately, I knew just who to leave her with. So did she. We reached for the button marked 5 at the same time.
“You thought of Lynn and Maddie, too?” Her voice was low and soft, like water under a deck on a summer day.