by Jasmine Walt
I let out a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a moan and cupped his face between my hands. “But that’s exactly it, Mr. Shelton. There is another Mina or Fenris coming. Sometime in the next nine months.”
Fenris froze, his shifter eyes growing wide. “You’re pregnant?” he breathed.
I smiled, guiding his free hand to my belly. “I’ve known for a couple of days now,” I said softly as he splayed his big hand over my abdomen. “I thought it might be a nice wedding present.”
“It’s the best present I could ask for,” Fenris said, his gaze full of tenderness. He kissed me deeply, and I wrapped my arms and legs around his big body, opening for him fully. “I love you, Mrs. Shelton,” he growled against my mouth as he slid inside me in one smooth, firm stroke.
“I love you too,” I gasped as I arched against him. He covered my mouth with his again, and I abandoned the rest of our conversation. There would be plenty of time to talk about our future…for now, I had everything I wanted here in my arms, and I intended to spend the rest of my night enjoying every single inch of him.
THE END
Glossary
Abbsville: a small town in the state of Watawis, population ca. 800 including the surrounding farms.
Abbsville Book Club: popular with the local ladies. Among its members are Mina Hollin, Barrla Kelling, Mrs. Cattin, Mrs. Vamas, Mrs. Tamil, Mrs. Bartow, Mrs. Staffer, Mrs. Canterbew and ancient Mrs. Harpton.
Ackleberry Farm: a farm outside Abbsville that Fenris has bought from the Ackleberry family, sight unseen, under the name of J.F. Shelton.
Annia: see under Melcott, Annia.
Apprenticeship: all mages are expected to complete an apprenticeship with some master mage, that usually lasts from age fifteen to about twenty-five. Only after the final exam may they use colorful robes, and are considered legally of age. Otherwise they only attain their majority at age thirty.
ar’: suffix in some mages’ family names, that denotes they are of noble birth, and can trace their descent to one of Resinah’s twelve disciples.
Baine, Mafiela: Chieftain of the Jaguar Clan and Sunaya’s aunt.
Baine, Rylan: Sunaya Baine’s cousin, and like her, a panther shifter. An active member of the Resistance, with the rank of Captain, he was captured and imprisoned during the uprising in Solantha, but ultimately pardoned.
Baine, Sunaya: a half-panther shifter, half-mage who used to hate mages and has a passion for justice. Because magic is forbidden to all but the mage families, Sunaya was forced to keep her abilities a secret until she accidentally used them to defend herself in front of witnesses. Rather than condemn her to death, the Chief Mage, Iannis ar’Sannin, chose to take her on as his apprentice, and eventually his fiancée. Their wedding will be very grand, and is rapidly approaching.
Barrla, see under Kelling, Barrla.
Benefactor: the anonymous, principal source of financial support to the Resistance, who was eventually unmasked as the socialite Thorgana Mills (now deceased).
Bilam: a country on the north coast of Faricia, facing the Central Continent.
Black Market: an area in Solantha where illegal items can be purchased, by night, at the buyer’s risk.
Calmias, Father Monor: a charismatic preacher in Ur-God temples, with many fanatic followers all over Northia. He was imprisoned in Prison Isle outside Solantha City for preaching genocide against mages and shifters, but later freed after the Chief Mage “adjusted” his views on racial harmony.
Canalo: one of the fifty states making up the Northia Federation, located on the West Coast of the Northia Continent.
Canter: an elderly mage often manning the reception at Solantha Palace.
Central Continent: the largest of the continents on Recca, spanning from Garai in the east to Castalis in the west.
Chen, Lalia: the current Director of the Canalo Mages Guild in Solantha. She immigrated to the Northia Federation from Garai after her apprenticeship, and serves as deputy to Iannis ar’Sannin, the Chief Mage.
Chief Mage: head of one of the fifty states of the Northia Federation, usually addressed as “Lord Firstname”. The Chief Mages come together as the Convention every other year, usually in the capital Dara.
Chieftain: a title used to distinguish the head of a shifter clan.
Cobil: childhood friend and co-conspirator of Marris Dolan and Rotharius.
Comenius: see Genhard, Comenius.
Convention: the assembly of all Chief Mages and highest authority in the Federation.
Creator: the ultimate deity, worshipped by all three races under different names.
Croialis: a poison made from the seed of a tropical plant, popular for assassinations as it is not susceptible to magical healing.
Dara: capital of the Northia Federation, located on the east coast of the Northia Continent.
Dira: Lord Iannis’s principal secretary in the Mages Guild offices in Solantha.
Dolan, Marris: a young Abbsville farmer who has spent some time fighting for the Resistance. Friend and neighbor to Fenris.
Dorax, Gelisia: an ambitious and corrupt mage official, formerly Finance Secretary in Nebara, and later in Innarta.
Downtown: the seamy area of Maintown, especially at night, when the Black Market is operating there. Full of brothels and gaming dens.
Elania Tarrignal: girlfriend and later wife of Comenius Genhard, she is a witch specializing in potions, with a shop in Witches’ End, The Black Curtain.
Elnos: see under Ragga, Elnos.
Enforcer: a bounty hunter employed by the government to seek out and capture wanted criminals. They operate under strict rules and are traditionally paid bounties for each head, although Sunaya is trying to reform this system. While the majority of them are human, there is a strong minority of shifters, and even the occasional mage.
Enforcers’ Guild: the administrative organization in charge of the enforcers, led by Captain Wellmore Skonel. Also, the building from which the various enforcer crews work under their respective foremen.
Faricia: a large continent that straddles the North and South hemispheres, located south of the Central Continent’s western region. Inhabited by many different nations and tribes; partly inaccessible to foreign travelers.
Federation: see Northia Federation.
Fenris aka “Jalen Fenris Shelton”: a clanless wolf shifter of unusual antecedents, close friend and confidant of Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin and Sunaya Baine. After striking out on his own to evade the scrutiny of the Federal authorities, he has lately become engaged to Mina, a young mage and veterinarian.
Secretary: in each state, the Chief Mages are assisted by Secretaries (Finance, Reconstruction, Legal, Agriculture, etc.), some of whom may eventually achieve the rank of Chief Mage themselves.
Firegate Bridge: Solantha’s best-known structure, a large red bridge spanning the length of Solantha Bay. It is accessible via Firegate Road, adjacent to Firegate Park.
Foggart, Davin: Constable in Abbsville, the only local law enforcement officer.
Forrane: a large, prosperous country in the western Central Continent.
Garai: the largest and most populated country on the Eastern Continent. Garaians are known for slanted eyes and ivory skin as well as their complicated, rune-like alphabet.
Genhard, Comenius: a hedgewitch from Pernia, owner of the shop Over the Hedge at Witches’ End. Close friend of Sunaya Baine, father of Rusalia Genhard, former employer of Noria Melcott, and husband of the witch Elania.
Genhard, Rusalia: daughter of Comenius Genhard. Came from Pernia to Solantha to live with her father after her mother’s sudden death.
Graning, Zavian: mage, currently Minister of the Northia Federation. Elected by the Convention for an indefinite term, he is charged with coordination of governmental business and particularly foreign affairs, between the biannual Convention sessions that he prepares and presides.
Great Accord: a treaty struck by the ruling mages centuries ago, which brought an end to a devas
tating war known as the Conflict. It is still the basis upon which mages rule their countries and territories. All new laws passed must be in accordance with the provisions of the Great Accord.
Gulaya: a star-shaped charm, usually made of metal, that is anchored to a specific location and can take its wearer back there at need. They are rare, and difficult to recharge.
Haralis: a port city on the east coast and capital of Innarta, one of the most prosperous states in the Northia Federation.
Hawk Hill: near Solantha, on the other side of Firegate Bridge; the location of the mages’ hidden Temple.
Hedgewitch: a variety of mage specialized in earth-based magic.
Iannis: see ar’Sannin, Iannis.
Innarta: one of the fifty states of the Northia Federation, where Mina’s family hails from.
Janta Urama: mage and scholar, head librarian in the Solantha Mages Guild, and foster mother of a young girl whose human family rejected her for having magic.
Kardanor: see under Makis, Kardanor.
Kelling, Barrla: Mina’s best friend in Abbsville, who works in her parents’ general store and loves shifter romances.
Kelling, Mr. and Mrs. Sallia: Barrla’s parents, owners of Abbsville’s general store.
Lady, the: mages refer to the First Mage, Resinah, as the Lady, most often in the phrase “by the Lady!”
Lakin, Boon: a jaguar shifter, currently the Shiftertown Inspector, friend and ally of Sunaya.
League of Justice: a secret society to combat injustice. Members are Marris, Cobil, Roth, Fenris and later Mina and Barrla.
Loranian: the difficult, secret language of magic that all mages are required to master.
ar’Lutis, Fennias: pseudonym Fenris used among the Watawis mages.
Mages Guild: the governmental organization that rules the mages in each state, and supervises the other races. The headquarters are usually in the same building as the Palace of the local Chief Mage, to whom the Guild is subordinate.
Magitech: devices that are powered by both magic and technology.
Magorah: the god of the shifters, associated with the moon.
Makis, Kardanor: a human architect specialized in public buildings and safety, who was rewarded for his whistleblowing with his appointment as Canalo’s Secretary for Building and Reconstruction. Lover of Director Chen.
Manuc: an island country off the west coast of the Central Continent, where Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin was born and educated.
Manucan: the language of Manuc, an island country northwest of the Central Continent.
Marris, see Dolan, Marris.
Marton, Soran and Monissa: Mina’s late parents, who died in an airship accident.
Marton, Tamina: Mina’s original name.
Marwale, the: a luxurious hotel on the west coast, about an hour from Solantha, the capital of Canalo. It caters to mages and rich humans.
Melcott, Annia: a human enforcer, close friend of Sunaya. After Annia’s younger sister Noria was sentenced to hard labor in the Mines and disappeared during the great earthquake, Annia set off to find her sibling and has not yet returned.
Melcott, Noria: Annia Melcott’s younger sister. A gifted inventor who used to work part-time in the shop Over the Hedge, belonging to Comenius Genhard. She had a mage boyfriend, Elnos, but left him to join the Resistance, and was sentenced to hard labor in the mines.
Mills, Thorgana: socialite and former owner of a news media conglomerate as well as numerous other companies. After being exposed as the Benefactor, she was imprisoned. She managed to escape during a prison fire, but later died around the time of the Solantha earthquake.
Mina, aka Tamina Marton, aka Mina Hollin, aka Tuala Harmon, aka Mina Shelton: Mina’s original name is Tamina Marton, and from childhood she was called “Mina” by her friends and family. After running away as a teenager, she used the name Mina Hollin and eventually, various other pseudonyms as needed.
Mindspeak: shifters’ telepathic way to communicate over short distances, especially useful when in animal form. A few mages also share this ability.
Minister, the: the mage who presides the Convention of Chief Mages, and coordinates the affairs of the Northia Federation between sessions, particularly foreign relations. The office is currently held by Zavian Graning.
Nebara: one of the fifty states making up the Northia Federation, located north of Canalo, and Fenris’s home state.
Noria: see under Melcott, Noria.
Northia Federation: a federation consisting of fifty states that cover almost the entire northern half and middle of the Western Continent.
Northian: the main language spoken in the Northia Federation.
Osero: one of the fifty states of the Northia Federation, located north of Canalo on the continent’s west coast.
Over the Hedge: a shop at Witches’ End selling magical charms and herbal remedies, belonging to Comenius Genhard.
Pandanum: a base metal used, inter alia, for less valuable coins.
Pernia: a country on the Central Continent, from which Sunaya’s friend Comenius Genhard hails.
Polar: see under ar’Tollis, Polar.
Ragga, Elnos: mage and inventor, formerly Noria Melcott’s boyfriend. He and Noria worked together to develop new magitech devices.
Recca: the world of humans, mages and shifters.
Resinah: the first mage, whose teachings are of paramount spiritual importance for the mages. Her statue can be found in the mage temples, which are off-limits to non-mages and magically hidden from outsiders.
Resistance: a movement of revolutionaries planning to overthrow the mages and take control of the Northia Federation, financially backed by the Benefactor. Over time they became bolder and more aggressive, using terrorist attacks with civilian casualties, as well as assassination. The discovery that the Benefactor and the human leaders of the Resistance were planning to turn on the shifters once the mages were defeated dealt a blow to the unity of the movement, but its human component is far from completely defeated.
Roor, Ilain: a young farmer in Abbsville, son of Mrs. Roor. He pestered Mina with unwanted attentions, while his jealous mother accused her of witchcraft.
Rotharius aka Roth: together with Cobil, friend and companion of Marris Dolan.
Rusalia, see under Genhard, Rusalia.
Rylan: see under Baine, Rylan.
ar’Sannin, Iannis: Chief Mage of Canalo, and close friend of Fenris. He resides in the capital city of Solantha, from which he runs Canalo as well as the Mages Guild with the help of his deputy and Secretaries. Originally a native of Manuc, a country located across the Eastern Sea. His impending wedding to the half-shifter Sunaya Baine has drawn great media attention.
Serapha charms: paired amulets that allow two people, usually a couple, to find each other via twinned stones imbued with a small part of their essence. Normally, only the wearer can take a serapha charm off.
Shelton: the false family name under which Fenris has bought Ackleberry farm in Abbsville.
Shifter: a human who can change into animal form and back by magic; they originally resulted from illegal experiments by mages on ordinary humans.
Shiftertown: the part of Solantha where the official shifter clans live.
Shiftertown Inspector: a shifter chosen by the Shiftertown Council to police shifter-related crime. The position is currently held by Boon Lakin, a jaguar shifter.
Silver: the metal is toxic to shifters, and burns their skin when they touch it. It is nevertheless used for coins in the Federation.
Skonel, Wellmore: human; since the retirement of his predecessor, Captain of Solantha’s Enforcers.
Solantha: the capital of Canalo State, a port city on the west coast of the Northia continent. Seat of Chief Mage Iannis ar’Sannin and the Canalo Mages Guild, and home of Sunaya Baine.
Solantha Bay: spanned by the Firegate Bridge, the bay gave its name to the city and port that became the capital of Canalo.
Solantha Palace: the seat of power in Canalo,
where both the Chief Mage and the Mages Guild reside. It is located near the coast of Solantha Bay.
Solantha Press Club: an institution dedicated to supporting the press, known for its well-stocked bar.
Sunaya: see under Baine, Sunaya.
Thorgana: see under Mills, Thorgana.
Thrase, Nelia: a young human, Sunaya’s social secretary.
ar’Tollis, Polar: former Chief Mage of Nebara, who was condemned to death in absentia for a crime against the Great Accord.
ar’Tollis, Rotho and Balina: Polar ar’Tollis’s aged parents.
Toring, Garrett: mage, Federal Director of Security, former Federal Secretary of Justice. An ambitious high official in the Federal government, determined to expand his power, and catch the fugitive former Chief Mage Polar ar’Tollis.
Trouble: a non-corporeal ether parrot that resulted when Sunaya tried the ether pigeon spell on her own. He appears whenever Sunaya pronounces his name in any context.
Tua: a legendary and highly dangerous race of very long-lived beings with powerful magic, who sometimes cross from their own world into Recca, most frequently in Manuc.
Ur-God: the name the humans call the Creator by.
Vanderheim, Curian: human millionaire and businessman, husband to the late Thorgana Mills. After his wife’s arrest, he managed to flee the country with some of his vast fortune.
Watawis: one of the fifty states of the Northia Federation, landlocked, in the mountainous northwest. It is one of the least populated and poorest of the fifty states.
Willowdale: capital of the state of Watawis, seat of its Chief Mage and government.
Witches’ End: a pier in Solantha City, part of the Port, where immigrant magic users sell their wares and services.
Words: Loranian formulas used by mages for almost all standard spells.
Zavian Graning: see under Graning, Zavian.
About the Author
JASMINE WALT is obsessed with books, chocolate, and sharp objects. Somehow, those three things melded together in her head and transformed into a desire to write, usually fantastical stuff with a healthy dose of action and romance. Her characters are a little (okay, a lot) on the snarky side, and they swear, but they mean well. Even the villains sometimes.