Black and White

by Zenina Masters

  “Nicely said.”

  “My tail drags through it and I leave a trail wherever I go.” He said it in a rush.

  She chuckled. “Well, I think that qualifies as the worst for both of us. I am glad we got that over with.”

  He snickered. “They are the unavoidable details and better prepared for than surprised with. Oh, I am also very irritable in that form.”

  “Fair enough. My patience lags a bit and I will put you where I want you.” She waggled her eyebrows at him.

  Teebie came back in. “Enough you two. Ty, I have packed your bag, and it is waiting in the lobby when you are ready.”

  Ty sighed. Just when the conversation was getting interesting.

  “Sit, eat, enjoy, but you have a life to start outside this bubble, and I want you to start living it.” Teebie sat with them and the conversation turned to the tastes of magic.

  After a few minutes of listening, Al asked her, “How do you know all that?”

  “It is mage training. I don’t have the power, but I have all the education required. It is what made little ol’ me so attractive to the Shifter Council. I can sniff things out before they are put into action.”

  Al looked at her with a nervous tension in his eyes. “Could you teach me?”

  She blinked. “You know, I have been around shifters for most of my adult life and no one has ever asked me to teach them. Sure. I have the tomes at home. Oh. Where are we going to live?”

  He asked her a practical question. “How big is your house?”

  She gave him a slow smile. “Big enough.”

  “Your place it is.”

  By his expression, his home was smaller. That was fine. She liked her territory and inviting him in gave her panda a sense of satisfaction.

  This just might work after all.

  The transport took them to her home, and she contacted the headquarters to let them know that everything was back to normal as far as the Crossroads function was concerned. They could let the transporters know if they didn’t already.

  While she made the call, Al was running through her house, trying to figure out how all that space was available when it looked like a small split-level.

  She stretched and walked toward her greenhouse. The bamboo would need trimming. It had had nearly a week to spring upward.

  Al stuck his head around a corner. “Do you mind if I run around the backyard?”

  She smiled. “My house is your house and we will make it legal the moment we are married.”

  He laughed and headed outside, her privacy fence came in handy as he shifted down to his animal form and romped around with unabashed glee. All that space and no one looking in was a lovely freedom.

  Ty took her machete and hacked at the bamboo. Once she had taken out all the shoots endangering the roof, she stripped off and shifted into her beast, grabbing the bamboo and starting to munch.

  Oh yeah, that is what I missed. She turned and watched her mate on his back, wriggling his clawed feet in the air. It seemed he enjoyed the option to just be himself.

  She meditated while she ate the bamboo until she had satisfied her immediate need.

  She stood up and palmed the release from the greenhouse, allowing her access to the backyard.

  She lumbered into the sun with a bamboo stalk in her hand and sat down while munching away. If there was a satellite over her backyard, they were seeing a pool and some lawn chairs. Her home was a wonder of enchantment and glamour. The best of both worlds.

  Al came over to her and sat down, his pointed furry head on her knee. He let out a deep huff and his fluffy tail lashed slowly. It was a good moment.

  She enjoyed the silence and their quiet breathing for a few hours as she slowly chewed her way through her bamboo stalk. When she finished her snack, she rolled upright and tumbled Alatas to the ground. He growled low and she ignored him, lumbering back to the greenhouse.

  He scampered around her and faced her, his teeth bared.

  Idly, she reached out and knocked him to one side with the back of her paw.

  He rolled and stood up, huffing with indignation.

  Ty stretched and shifted into her human shape. “Trying to pick a fight?”

  He followed and knelt at her side. “I was enjoying being with you out here. It was nice.”

  She smiled. “It was, but I ran out of bamboo and for something that doesn’t move that quickly I always have to be doing something. I was heading inside to get more snacks.”

  “Oh. I will get them.”

  She stood. “I will show you what I am looking for and then you can get them whenever you like.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “I was thinking about having Lady Liahan come in to plant some trees for you.” She blurted it out.

  He paused. “Really?”

  “Yes, she can grow them quite quickly, or Master Ekiadu can do it. You could have your own forest on the ten acres.”

  Al smiled. “I would like that. I have never had a place that welcomed me like your home does.”

  Inside the greenhouse, she closed the door behind them and showed him her bamboo collection. “I have all twenty-five known varieties. It is like someone collecting potato chips.”

  The dome of the greenhouse was thirty feet tall, and he paused to stare upward. “How is it that you can’t see this from the exterior?”

  “Human and fey magic. Every glamour, expansion and camouflage spell that is known in the modern age has been used on this house. It was my graduation present.” She smiled.

  “I am beginning to think that I am outclassed.” He chuckled.

  She turned and took his hand. “Are you my mate?”

  “Yes.”

  “Will you work with me as an equal and listen to my council so that we can be a more effective team?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Will you learn everything I can teach you and everything my teachers will offer you?”

  “I will try.”

  “Then, you are just behind, not outclassed. I have had advantages in education that you have not. You have had experiences with friends and family that I have not. We are not a meeting of equals, but we can be complementary.”

  He bowed low. “You have a lovely ass.”

  Laughing, Tyanna took him through a tour of the different species in order of consumption preferences and then gave him a proper walk through the house, concluding at the bedroom.

  They discussed her ass at length and clothing was not invited to join the conversation.

  Chapter Eight

  Two days later, they got a call, and with no excuses, they returned to headquarters to find out what was up.

  Tamora beamed at them, “Congratulations. We got the notice and I couldn’t be happier.”

  Ty and Al had walked in with their arms around each other’s waists and their proximity was a definite giveaway.

  Ty blushed but kept her grip. “Thank you.”

  Al inclined his head. “Thank you.”

  Tamora sighed and smiled. “You are both welcome. Now, sit.”

  They took seats and kept their hands linked together.

  Ty felt another presence and knew that the assignment was about to take a turn. “What did you get out of Wax?”

  “He coughed up everything he knew and all of his sources for the black market. He didn’t know anything about the twins though. Lady Liahan was kind enough to work on that for us.”

  The lady in question came through the doors. She swanned straight over to Ty and kissed her forehead. “Bright dawn to you always.”

  “Thank you, Aunty. Now, why are we here?”

  Liahan sat on the edge of the desk. “Elegar Tubrin is looking for you and we are looking for him, so it would be best if we could combine those two things, Ty-Wi-Wu.”

  Ty could feel Al on alert through the light linking of his hand to hers. “How do you suppose we go about it, Aunty?”

  Th
e elegant elf rubbed the back of her neck. “I have an idea about that but your mate is not going to like it.”

  Al lifted Ty’s hand and kissed it. “I may not like it, but we have a job to do. Ty will be bait and I will be standing by for her signal.”

  Liahan sat back. “Well, in that case, we have found the twins one city over and we know where they are going to be tonight. I am fairly confident that if you show up and see them, they will follow you. It seems that the twins are in thrall to him. They will do whatever he wants and he wants you, so they will do what they can to bring you to him.”

  Ty nodded. “I think I can use the previous interaction to my advantage. They didn’t know that we were hunters when they took us, and aside from my physical activity and Al ripping through the wood under him, there was nothing mentioned while they were with us.”

  “And most fey are too arrogant to imagine that someone could be coming after them.”

  Ty couldn’t argue with that.

  They spent the next few hours working out the details, including involving the Knight Guards. Someone had to follow Ty, and for that, she needed a dormant tracking device.

  Ty suggested elf locks and Liahan complied while they continued their plotting.

  Liahan stood behind her and braided a glyph into the hair about an inch above her nape. If they lifted her hair to look, they wouldn’t find anything because the actual charm would be higher up on the head.

  By the end of the afternoon, the charm was set, the plan was set and appropriate clothing was put on. Transporters were ready, the Knight Guards were ready and hunters from the mages were waiting to get the twins and any other humans involved.

  The shifters were on standby in case any missing shifters were located, but otherwise, they were out of this event. Factions had to take care of their own.

  When it was time, Ty kissed Al and nodded to the transporter. He would be right behind her, but for now, she was on her own.

  Sitting at the back of the bar, nursing a beer, she tried to relax when she felt one of the twins come through the door.

  She looked around idly and caught sight of the male. She deliberately jolted and spilled her beer, jumping to her feet and heading for the rear exit.

  Ty pushed past the ladies lined up for the bathroom and stumbled out into the alleyway. Unpleasant scents assailed her, and she covered her nose as she picked a direction and ran toward the front street.

  He had moved to cut her off, and he stood in the entryway, leering at her. “Well, well. What are the odds?”

  “I don’t want any trouble. I just want to leave and you can pretend you haven’t seen me.”

  He shook his head. “Oh, no. That just won’t do. Lord Kamian wants you, and he shall have you, especially when you have been so stupid as to wander into my path again.”

  A flare of light shot from his hands and wrapped around her. She felt it working into her joints, and it pulled her to her knees. She could see the small icon in his palm and the power was radiating from it.

  Spots flew in front of her eyes and everything went dark.

  Waking in a cage was not unexpected. Wearing a ballgown was a little startling.

  She groaned and checked her hair. It was twisted up in an elaborate arrangement, but she could still feel the glyph. There was an aversion charm on it, so it must have been a human that did her hair. A human wouldn’t have noticed it.

  There was a bed in the cage along with a washstand, and when she checked under it, there was a chamber pot. The bed was her current location.

  She sat up and the skirts rustled. The bars of her cage were made of a material that was warm to the touch.

  Ty called out, “Hello?”

  There was a rustle next to her. “Ah, you are awake. Welcome to the menagerie.”

  “Menagerie?”

  “Yes, that pervert, Lord Algar, trots us out in the evenings and the elves play cards to see which of them gets one of us.”

  Ty was chilled. “What? Why don’t you just shift?”

  The voice was dry. “Check your ankles and wrists. The bands will keep you from shifting. You are as stuck as the rest of us.”

  The bands were indeed on her wrists and ankles when she checked. She tried to call her beast, but it couldn’t get past her skin. Fortunately for her, that was all she needed, but she would save it until later.

  Being able to double her body weight was an advantage, but carrying the strength of that creature inside her was her secret weapon.

  Ty began to pace, kicking the tail of the long gown out of her way when she turned. She had no way of measuring time, but when a gong sounded, she heard rustling throughout the wide chamber that she was ensconced in.

  “What is that?”

  “We are about to be rolled out, and from there, we will be escorted around by a guard. I will see you in a few minutes.”

  Ty felt the flipping of her stomach that always preceded her going into danger. The rumble of the cage jolted her and she settled on the bed with her hands folded in her lap. If they were going to dress her like a Victorian, she was going to act like one.

  They left the warehouse that they were kept in and were trundled into a wide garden. The cages were moving on locomotive tracks, which was nauseating when she thought of it. The nausea doubled when she saw a number of shifters in bladed collars in a zoo-style exhibit.

  The courtyard was full of fey and the stars were out.

  Ty trembled with rage at the casual abuse going on in front of her. Elves, winged fairies and other fey were milling around and staring at the shifters. A few threw sandwiches toward the caged beasts and laughed as they snapped up the food.

  Ty was shaking with fury, and she held it in as the cages came to a halt. An elf with dark tattoos on his features came to her cage door and it swung open. “Come with me, miss.”

  “I do not wish to.”

  He gave her a look that expressed pity. “I have no choice in this, neither do you. Come with me, please.”

  She recognized the markings on his face. His speciality was fire, but as he raised his arm, she could see the same band that marked her wrists and ankles. He was a prisoner as well.

  Apparently, her captor was an equal-opportunity asshole.

  She put her hand in his, and she noted that her engagement ring was still in place. He helped her down from the cage and walked with her to the party that was underway.

  He eased her through the crowd and to the elegant table where Elegar Tubrin was sitting and holding court.

  “Ah, my newest acquisition. You clean up well, my dear.” He came around the table and lifted her chin with his hand. “Very well.”

  She stared at him and didn’t hide her disdain. She also did not speak.

  “While I would enjoy a night with you myself, I believe that you will serve me far better as a prize. Tomas will take you around and let them all get a good look at you. No matter what you believe, there is no one coming for you, pet.” He kissed her hard and bit her lip.

  She flinched back and the guard caught her. Laughter ensued around her, and she was led off to one side while her captor was congratulated on his new acquisition.

  Ty looked around and saw the twins talking to other guests. She patted her hair and flicked the elf lock in her hair. She felt the humming in the air, but no one else seemed to pick up on it.

  Tomas said, “I took care with your hair. Are you uncomfortable?”

  She looked at him with surprise. “No, I was just checking on something. I am guessing that you did a nice job. I didn’t see any mirrors in there.”

  He inclined his head. “Would you care to take a walk near the exhibits?”

  He meant the enclosed shifters. “Sure.”

  They walked along the edge of the party. Only one fey male stopped her and took a look at her from head to toe as if sizing her up.

  As they walked to the edge of the exhibit, she asked, “I thought that the fey were shor
t on magic.”

  “Yes and no. We can pull it from others. That is what these parties are for. They are betting magic.”

  “Why do you work for him?”

  “I lost.”

  She winced and looked toward the beasts being held by collars. As she looked over the snake, badger, peacock and others, she noted that they were all male. With a sick feeling, she turned toward the party and saw the females with their guards.

  “They always bring in one male and one female.”

  She sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead. There was a lot of energy in the air trying hard not to be seen. Concealment always gave her a headache.

  “They do. The shifter pairs are traded among their set. It is considered a coup to have more than two pairs.”

  Ty counted the males. “There are eleven women here?”

  “Twelve. You came in alone, though he has hopes of capturing your fiancé.”

  She nodded. “That won’t go down well, but he can try.”

  She saw something that nearly stopped her heart. Sitting quietly in a corner of the garden was a hard shell about thigh-high. “Emery!”

  The shell rose several inches in the air as he extended his legs and head. He looked at Ty and there was sorrow in his eyes, the thick band of the barbed collar stuck out behind his head.

  “Is he yours?”

  She blinked at Tomas. “No. But I recognize him. He went missing a while ago.”

  “Your host likes to get drunk and ride him around the garden.”

  Ty clenched her hands in fury.

  Tomas sighed. “We need to join the party. They will make an example of you if we don’t.”

  She nodded and put her hand on his arm, walking with him in to the party, he was in his boots and Ty in her bare feet under the gown.

  Some of the elves were grabby, but in a corset and a bustle, she couldn’t feel much. It was the fingers on her cleavage that ticked her off. She slapped the creature that delved beneath her bodice.

  The pressure was growing greater and the party was getting more rowdy.

  The moment when everyone froze surprised her. In one instant, each person at the party was locked in place and the back of Ty’s head was tingling wildly.