by C. T. Adams
Tahira raised her brows a bit. “He doesn’t pay you enough to qualify for a loan? That doesn’t inspire much confidence.”
“No, no. It’s not like that at all. It’s just that Larry and I have been sending a bunch of money to his aunt, who was really sick—the one here in Stuttgart—and some of our personal bills went overdue. Well, actually, a lot of our bills did, and our credit sucked. I was really embarrassed to tell Antoine, but he was super. He didn’t even ask what happened. He just offered to cosign so we wouldn’t lose the place we had put under contract.”
“Oh,” she said quietly. “Well, that’s different. But I’m trying to figure out whether to consider this a loan with the clothes and all. Should I offer to pay him back, or would that be insulting?”
Bruce nodded without hesitation. “Definitely insulting. When he does give a gift, he expects it to be taken freely. If it was a loan, you’d already know. Trust me. He doesn’t mince words. All that cat in him, I guess. He’s very up front, so you can usually take him at face value. Unless, of course, he’s lying through his teeth, which he also does very well, because of the council stuff. It’s all confidential and I know some of the issues are really delicate, so he lies about it if pressed. Still, money isn’t all that important to him, so I can’t imagine that it would be worth the trouble. Nah, he’d just tell you.”
“You’re certain? Have you been with Antoine long? I remember he said Larry had been with the show for a dozen years, but you don’t seem that old.”
Bruce laughed and the bright scent of oranges blended with the hazelnut. “Well, I’m older than I look—I’m over thirty, and Larry’s nearly forty. I’ve been with the show since I was a teenager. I grew up in Reno, and when Antoine first started to tour there, I begged my way into a job shlepping meat for the cats. Hey, what kid doesn’t want to grow up and join the circus?”
Tahira couldn’t help herself from chuckling. “Well, me, for one. The whole ‘girl turns into tiger’ thing was a bit of a shock, because my folks didn’t tell Rabi or me about our background until Rabi turned fourteen. Nobody knew if we would turn, but he started to show some symptoms at my tenth birthday party, and they decided we should know it was a possibility. So, are you like Matty, where you come from a shifting family but didn’t turn?”
He pursed his lips and shook his head, leaning down a bit to rest his forearms on his knees. “Nope. Not me. I was just an ordinary human who got the shock of his life one day.”
When her jaw dropped and she felt herself rear back in surprise, he continued. “Long story, but I’ll make it short. I was just out of high school when they started to advertise the show. I decided that I would show up at the stage door every single day, begging anyone I spotted for a job. I was sort of weird as a teenager. I had posters of tigers and lions plastered all over my bedroom walls, and kept a python as a pet. It was Margo’s husband, Dale, who finally took pity on me. He’s one of the handlers at Antoine’s estate, where they keep the animals until showtime. Of course, I had never actually met Antoine, since he didn’t normally arrive until just before showtime, and I wasn’t supposed to ever be the same room as the cats, because—well, because they’re wild animals. But one day I accidentally walked past a back room in the auditorium on my way home when Antoine was training the cats. He trains them in animal form, and I thought it was really cool that this huge cougar was doing tricks without anyone around, and the other tigers were joining in. So I slipped inside and stayed in the shadows to watch. I figured if the cats decided I was lunch, I could just dive out the door and then lock them in.”
Tahira nodded as she realized where the story was going. “He changed back while you were watching, didn’t he?”
“Man! Did he ever! Max, that’s Simon’s father, was the dominant tiger, and he and Babette got into it. The cougar tried to jump in between them to stop the fight, but they were determined to tear each other up. Of course, I didn’t know that it was a mating thing at the time. They looked out for blood. I was ready to run and find Dale when I heard someone swearing in French. I turned back, and then the cougar just…well, poofed, and there was this naked blond guy in the ring with these ferocious tigers, snarling and roaring and tearing at each other.
“Before I could yell at the guy to get the hell out of there, the tigers froze in mid-bite and raised up into the air. He used his magic to pull them apart while I watched, and then he scolded them. Max actually floated into his cage and the door slammed shut. I just stood there frozen, until I heard a strangled sound behind me and Dale grabbed me by the arm. Naturally, Dale knew all about the Sazi, but he didn’t know what to do about me finding out, so he planted me in the men’s bathroom and locked the door until he had a chance to talk to Antoine.”
“Well at least they didn’t kill you. The Hayalet would have.”
“You should have seen me trying to climb the walls when Antoine walked into the room after I’d been sitting there for an hour or so, because I thought that was exactly what was going to happen. I was totally freaked out! If there had been a window, I would have been so out of there before he showed up. But—” and he smiled a bit at the memory, “he acted like this regular guy, not some sort of weird creature from the Twilight Zone. He was dressed in faded jeans and sneakers and a T-shirt with a smart-ass saying, almost the same shit as I was wearing. I figured out later that the clothes were intentional to make me comfortable, but it was pretty cool at the time—this big star treating me like a pal. He plopped down on the floor next to the door, tossed me a beer, and asked me to sit down and tell him exactly what I saw.”
“And the rest is history?” she asked. “Is that where you met Larry?”
Bruce nodded and smiled a bit, staring past her out the window. “Yeah. Antoine takes in ‘strays,’ as Margo calls them. Larry was one, and so was Matty—family members who get kicked out of a Sazi house for being human or weak, or even too aggressive. Even someone new in the area looking for a job can find one with the show. The Sazi are really close-knit. They hand out jobs without question if the person is family, regardless of the species, usually for a short time until the person gets in touch with their animal side or gets their head on straight.”
“It was strange—I didn’t even think about Larry as a potential partner for a couple of years after we’d been working together. I had a suspicion I was gay, but had never acted on it with anyone. Larry and I were just buds, going out for beers and hanging out watching sports on TV every weekend. But when he told me he was gay, too, I realized why I was spending so much time with him. I already thought it was cool that he was a snake, and I realized that I didn’t want him to leave when the time came for him to go home to his family.”
But,” he said, slapping his palms down on his legs and standing up, “on that note, I’d better get my butt back outside and relieve him. Cold weather exhausts him pretty quick, and even with the heater going, he’ll want to lie down and rest for a while.”
“Hey,” Tahira said, glancing down at the book still in her lap, and sliding her finger down the bookmark to open it again, “for what it’s worth, thanks for answering my stupid questions. I guess I’ll go ahead and take the clothes he’s offering.” She shrugged. “I really do need them, and if he says it’s a loan, that’ll be okay. But I’ll presume it’s a gift unless he says otherwise.”
Bruce pulled his gloves back on and raised the hood on his coat, pulling the cords tight around his face. “No problem. What I’ve found works best is to treat Antoine like any other person. I will warn you; he can be moody, and he has a quick temper. But you’re a cat, too, so you probably know what that’s like. He’s got a terrific sense of humor, though, and is really sharp. Plus,” he said with a wink, “I think he might just like you, if you know what I mean. It’s just a suspicion, of course—”
She blushed again, to the roots of her hair, and hoped it wouldn’t show too horribly. “Yeah, I think I have the same suspicion. I sort of like him, too.”
He nodded st
rongly. “Good. He doesn’t let himself relax very often, and hasn’t had a girlfriend in, like, forever. I’m hoping that offering to take you shopping is just a way to spend a little time with you, get to know you better. He really is pretty cool, and you seem like you’d suit him. But even if nothing happens, I do know that he’ll move heaven and earth to find your brother. He’s just that sort of guy.” He turned and walked out the door before she could respond to that.
Tahira sighed and looked down at the book again.
It was one of the ones Giselle said had references to a power well. She was determined to learn as much about this thing inside her as possible. But the passages in the leather-bound volume were vague and steeped in talk of demons and witches. The pages were so thin she could see through them, and the faded type was hard to read. She found her place once more and tried to pull some sort of understanding from the writings of a priest during the Spanish Inquisition.
I had believed it the chief business of this august group to save from depravity the minds and hearts of man, and I was likewise humbled by the devout prayers of the accused, filled with blessings for our Creator. Might this be a spiritual gift that few possess, as he claimed? Should it be for thee or me to judge this poor, unfortunate, miserable wretch based on the claims of a few, or instead, should the spiritual truth be based on his actions, manners, and dispositions? We imparted the duty to learn the truth to the Lord High Inquisitioner, and find that the accused is damned by his own actions. His touch contains the power to steal the very soul from the weak, and to make weak the powerful. Through debauchery and lechery, or through torture and pain, rather than devotion and prayer, were the powers begun. Sensual delights corrupted those who survived, leaving them to pine away in heart-rending beggary. It leaves no doubt as to the source of this witchery over goodly men and women, and the testimony of the villagers who claimed to witness the accused take the form of a demon familiar can no longer be in doubt. The accused was sentenced to death, and may mercy be shown upon his soul when he reaches the kingdom of Heaven.
Tahira read it over and over, trying to put it in terms she could grasp, and couldn’t help but notice the resemblance to her own situation. She pulled power in times of stress and during intimate moments. What would it be like to have been discovered during the Inquisition? How many of the hanged Salem “witches” were actually shifters like her? She sat back in her chair and stared at the words, then flipped to the next marker. The very modern, yellow, sticky-tape flags seemed out of place on the old pages, but she was thankful for the guide.
“Catching up on some light reading?” She jumped when a thick, liquid baritone sounded next to her head. She looked up to see the snake councilman, resting his forearms on her chair back and looking down at her with an amused expression. She should have seen the door open, should have smelled him coming in. But perhaps it was as Antoine said. He was just that stealthy.
“Something like that.” Her words were clipped. The scent of him still made her neck hairs stand on end, but she couldn’t seem to pull her gaze away from his dark eyes. She couldn’t tell where the pupils began or ended, and the fact that he didn’t ever seem to blink was unnerving.
He clucked his tongue at her tone, sending a burst of spicy disapproval to blend with the creosote scent. He was breathing just a touch rapidly, as though he had been exerting himself. “We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot, Ms. Kuric. Admittedly, Antoine and I have a long-standing rivalry, but that certainly doesn’t need to include you.”
“You’re sweating,” she said curiously. “I didn’t know snakes could do that. Have you been out shoveling with the others?”
His expression changed just slightly and he smiled, softening his whole face. The citrus still smelled spicy, like potpourri on a railroad tie. “Hardly. Snow is best eliminated by sunshine in my opinion, as nature intended. I see no need to travel until the roads are clear. No, I went out for a long run. I find it relieves…aggression during the moon cycle and keeps me more able to bear the cold.”
She furrowed her brows and closed the book. “But I thought snakes got too cold outside to stay there for long.”
“You’re apparently interacting with the wrong snakes. I’m perfectly comfortable in the cold. I don’t enjoy snow, as some do, but it’s excellent to run in, like beach sand. One can find pleasure in new experiences if one takes the time to explore the…sensations.”
His voice lowered to a husky whisper that made her shiver and stand up quickly, nearly flinging the rare book into the fireplace. A strange, tickling scent found her nose, but she couldn’t identify the emotion. She reached out to bat the book to the side before the fire touched the brittle pages, but Ahmad was faster. He grabbed the book out of the air while she was still moving, and dusted off the cover lightly. “Charles would never forgive me if I frightened you into destroying one of his rare books.” He looked at her for a long moment. “I do frighten you, don’t I?”
She stepped away as quickly as she could while still appearing nonchalant. Her heart was beating too fast, and she had no doubt he could scent her fear. She started scanning the titles of the volumes in the farthest bookcase, hoping he would get the hint that she wanted to get back to her reading. “A bit, I suppose. But snakes and cats are natural enemies.”
He stepped up behind her, until the lines of their bodies were touching. She panicked, but there was nowhere to go. She’d placed herself in a corner. Reaching past her, Ahmad slowly returned the book to the empty slot on the shelf. She felt frozen in place as electric heat prickled her skin, even beneath the clothing. He took another book from the shelf and held it in front of her chest. She took it and started to walk away, but found that she couldn’t move. Every muscle was suddenly frozen in place.
He slid his arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. She couldn’t stop him, couldn’t move, much like the guards on the ceiling last night. It was a terrifying feeling, and she suddenly felt sorry for them—and nearly as angry with Antoine as Ahmad.
“Very true. But we’re also humans, with minds of our own. There’s nothing saying we have to be enemies.” His voice lowered to a soft whisper in her ear, and she felt his tongue rapidly flick against her neck. “You’re a very exciting woman, Tahira. I saw your injuries last night, but also smelled the blood of your attackers on your lips as you passed by me. I would be very interested in getting to know you better. You’re afraid of me now, but you needn’t be. I can be quite charming if given the opportunity, and we snakes are very…flexible.”
She still had her voice, but it sounded thready and slightly panicked in comparison to his now slow and measured words against her ear. “Please let me go. Your power stings my skin. It hurts.”
He chuckled—a low, threatening sound that sent a chill up her spine. “Does it? Many women have found the sensation…intoxicating, even addictive.”
“I don’t. I know…I know I’m not powerful enough to fight your magic, Councilman, but I hope that you’ll be honorable and release me.”
Ahmad laughed lightly, but the scent wasn’t quite citrus this time. Again, it was that strange scent she couldn’t place. “Ah, yes. Appealing to my honor—the last resort of women everywhere.” He did remove his arm, for which she was grateful, but didn’t release her from his magical hold. Walking around her as though she were part of the furniture, he turned his back and scanned the titles. He selected several volumes from three shelves. “I believe that these books will give you the answers you seek, Tahira. I do hope that you will begin to call me Ahmad in appreciation for shortening your search.”
“I will if you release me and leave me to my reading.”
“Indeed?” He stared at her again, and the scent of—could it be lust?—was becoming unmistakable. What in the world had she gotten herself into?
“Hmm…” Ahmad tapped his finger on his chin and then sighed. “No, I don’t believe that trade is acceptable. I believe for what you ask, my price is a bit higher. But don’t worr
y,” he said as he slipped his hand around her neck and pulled her closer. His brow furrowed as his fingers skimmed her skin. He stared at her for a moment, and then seemed to change his mind about something. “Interesting… Yes, I think we might both find this quite enjoyable.”
Before she could even draw a breath to reply, his lips closed over hers in a slow kiss that burned through her entire body. Hotter than Antoine’s golden flame, his tongue seemed to seep stinging poison into her mouth as his jaw moved, nearly bringing tears to her eyes. She hated that her body was reacting to the stolen kiss as much as it was. The power inside her pulled on his energy, turning the backs of her eyelids a fiery red and causing a warm sensation in her belly. The well opened and tried to fill her with his sparkling power, just as it had with Antoine’s. She could hear his heart beating faster as power flowed away from him, and it seemed to excite him even more.
“Let her go, Ahmad!” Antoine’s voice behind her was livid, a deep rumbling bass that rolled like thunder. His scent matched the furious tone. “Release her this instant or I will tear out your heart with my bare hands.”
Ahmad pulled away from the kiss slowly with a smile. He released his hold on her so suddenly that she dropped to her knees and couldn’t breathe for a moment. He walked toward Antoine and the red thread of power moved with him, connecting her to him as though she was a fish caught on a hook—or perhaps he was the one caught, in a net. He turned around and looked at her with equal parts amazement and concern. “Hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. A fin might be the least of my worries.”
With what looked like intense effort, he broke the bond, pulling some of his power away from her through her very pores, leaving her cold and shaking on the floor. But it wasn’t all gone. There was still enough of his fiery energy flowing through her veins to make her feel insides feel flushed despite the chill on her skin. She got to her feet slowly, turning her head to see what was going to happen with them.