by Lucy Kelly
“For now,” Laura answered.
“Okay, then let’s go into your office. I shipped out all your underwear for our males to sniff. We need to go online and get you some new stuff. I like your taste in lingerie, maybe I’ll pick up a few things for myself.”
Laura stopped her chair. She sat staring at Mara as she walked down the hallway. “Hold it right there missy! You did what with my underwear?” she shouted. Mara laughed and Laura started wheeling her chair after her. Obviously she hadn’t asked the right questions! “You got some splaining to do, Lucy!” she called as she went along.
Chapter Eleven
When Marshall got home after the meeting he decided to place a call to Alexander Marasov, the North American Alpha. The information Laura had collected was explosive. The summer solstice was less than two months away. She was the only one that currently had the knowledge to prevent the massacre of hundreds of shifters. They needed to find her mate, he would delay the sentence dictated by shifter law as long as he could and he fully intended to request that Alexander grant her extra time if necessary. He leaned back in his office chair and thought over the meeting, what had been said and what hadn’t been.
One thing she had touched upon was that members of the government might already know shifters existed. He didn’t say anything at the time but this was something they already knew. Another thing that only the National council and a few key others knew was that about twenty years past—their most accurate seers spoke of the time when shifters were to be revealed to the world, the time was coming. Plans were made and had already been put in motion. After studying history and how other large social classes had fared, they organized a long-term plan to win over instead of horrify the human population.
A small first step was myth and literature. Shifters were no longer the monsters of the fifties B-movies. Now they were romantic leads. The current adult generation enjoyed reading the racy paranormal books they had started with a trickle and was now a flood. But while they enjoyed reading about shifters as a fantasy, they might not accept the reality. The next younger generation was growing up with the idea, and that was their focus group. The generation currently in their tweens and twenties would hopefully be their allies. So they wrote their books and movie scripts, continuing to paint shifters as they were, humans with an extra genetic twist. Now human authors had jumped in, creating separate mythologies and different social rules and cultural ideas. That was fine so long as shifters continued to be portrayed in a positive heroic light.
Next they would start to have their older and more controlled shifters begin to work their way into public office. They needed politicians they knew would fight for their rights. When the big reveal takes place, they hoped it would be similar to when gays came out in force. Some would stay in the closet and some would step into the light, pave the way for their brothers and sisters under the skin, or fur.
None of these plans were shared with Laura, she knew too much already. She stood on the knife’s edge. One side was acceptance and possibly a seat on the council—the other was death.
He made a mountain of a sandwich, grabbed a couple of beers and a bag of chips before heading back to his office to call. After dialing the number he leaned back in his chair sipping his beer. It was answered on the second ring.
“Marshall, I need your report, how did it go?” Alexander asked, seeing the caller ID.
“Very well or very bad, depending on your point of view, she’s got a shit pile of stuff on us, Bob. She also has a shit pile of stuff on the SS,” he said, not wanting to name the Shayatin or The Society on an open line, they were learning to be more careful. “She could bury us or save us, she says she wants to save us. I believe her and more importantly, so does Mara.”
“Are you watching her?”
“Yeah, Mara is staying with her along with a member of Hunter’s pack and a member of the local clowder. They were the same two that helped Laura get moved in, they’re taking shifts watching her too. She’s never alone, not even in her own house,” he explained. “Mara sent out scent packs this morning to all the North American council members and all of the larger shifter towns and packs. She seems to feel strongly that Laura is going to have a shifter mate.”
“I’m going to come out there. I need to see this data myself. It’s too great of a risk transporting it,” he said.
“I agree, when can I expect you?” Marshall asked, he’d need to prepare the local council and clans for the visit. The National Alpha only came out once or twice a year, he was very busy. At the same time, they had a short window before a decision had to be made about Laura. In general humans who knew about shifters were their enemies and were trying to kill them. So stopping them wasn’t any big moral dilemma. Others tended to suffer fatal accidents within a week of discovery. Shifter law was harsh and the penalties against the shifter who’d revealed their existence were just as harsh. They suffered the same fate as the human. It was one of the reasons they led such isolated lives. Shifter parents went to extreme lengths to teach their children about secrecy. No one wanted blood on their hands. Alexander Marasov was proud of the fact that no human had died for discovering shifters in over two hundred years. None of them wanted this young woman to be the human to break that record. It would also help a great deal when they did decide to reveal their existence.
“I’ll need two or three days to arrange things here,” he said, half to himself as he went over his schedule. “You can expect me Saturday or Sunday. I’ll call back when I know for sure.”
“Good, I’ll see you then.” Hanging up the phone, he went to tell his housekeeper to expect an important guest. He knew she would do everything necessary to make the Alpha welcomed and comfortable. The Alpha had mentioned things he needed to do to clear his time. It reminded Marshall he would also have to clear his desk. He went to his own office to get to work.
*****
Back at the house Laura was worried about her dream and she still had a lot of things to get set in place before she’d feel totally moved in. She decided to talk to Mara about it and get her opinion. It had only been one day but she felt a connection to Mara, she was Laura’s first girlfriend. Sure her parents had made sure she had play dates with other children when she was small, only after time her illnesses and her intelligence combined to set her apart and she found she didn’t have enough in common with those little girls. Mara was her first real girlfriend, at least she hoped she was and Mara wasn’t just humoring the human chick.
“Mara?” she called out, wheeling down the hallway from her room where she’d been resting after lunch. She was still getting used to being up in the day and sleeping at night.
“I’m in here, hon,” Mara answered from the living room. When Laura rolled in she saw Mara putting books onto the bookcase. Looking around she noticed Mara had done a lot more than that. Pictures of her family had been hung on the walls. Her digital frame was on one of the end tables. From the door she could see the changing images. Mara was helping her turn her house into a home.
“Oh wow, Mara, you didn’t have to do all this,” she said.
“I didn’t mind, this is fun. And Lola has been helping too.”
“Lola…who’s that?” Laura asked.
Mara laughed, “You’re the one that hired her. She said she’s your interior designer and housekeeper. She was a little hurt that we cleaned the kitchen. She wanted me to ask you if you wanted her to leave.”
“Oh, no I’d love for her to stay. I had told her that she could. Why didn’t she come and talk to me?”
“I’m not sure, she said something about you not being awake yet,” said Mara. What the little Kobold had said was that until Laura’s magic had awakened, she’d be unable to see Lola. It was true that humans rarely had enough magic to see many of the world’s supernatural beings, especially those that were mostly magic themselves or from other realms. When Laura mated to a shifter, she’d pick up some of his magic from the mating. That would allow her to participate
in supernatural society.
“Well, I’m awake now. I’d like to thank her for all her hard work,” Laura said.
“I’m sure you’ll get the opportunity. But first, what did you call me for?” Mara asked, placing the last book on the shelf from that particular box. She began to break the box flat so it could be put in a stack with others that Laura could see at the end of one couch.
“I’m supposed to have therapy on my legs every day, or at least every other day. It helps me with a lot of issues. I have a list of physical therapists that are in this area. Most of them have experience with sports injuries. I was hoping you might know some of them and help me decide who I should try,” Laura explained. She was perfectly capable of evaluating and choosing a therapist on her own. She wanted Mara to be included in the decision because it was another way of letting the shifters know that she trusted them and that they could have input into her life—for the moment.
“Sure, I’d be happy to take a look. Do you have a list?”
“I have all the information in a file on the computer. Is now a good time to take a look?” she asked.
“Absolutely, let me ask Tom to take these boxes out to the recycle container. I’ll meet you in the office.”
Laura decided to stop by the kitchen first to get a glass of milk and an apple. Amazingly, she was hungry again. Rounding the corner she noticed there was a fire in the pizza oven she had added in one corner. The fireplace below looked a little strange, she hadn’t noticed before. Instead of the insert she had ordered, there was a little door. It was open a few inches.
“Hi, Laura, did you need something?” said the small head suddenly sticking out around the edge of the door.
“Um…a glass of milk and an apple? I mean that’s what I came into the kitchen for,” she said.
“I’ll get right on that. I’ll make you a tray and bring it to you,” said the small person as she leaped out of the fireplace and onto the floor.
“You live in the fireplace?” she asked.
“Yes, the hearth is the heart of the home. Kobold always live in the hearth,” she said in a deeper voice than Laura had expected in such a small being.
“Thank you for all your hard work on the house. It truly is beautiful. I’m thrilled that you decided to stay,” said Laura, wanting to make sure Lola knew she was wanted and appreciated. At least she thought this must be Lola. She was only about three and a half feet tall and very thin. She seemed to appreciate the wheelchair height counters. All of the tools that made working around a kitchen easier for a handicapped person also helped the diminutive Lola. Her Kobold heritage was obvious with her pale skin, dark blonde hair, and slim childlike features. Her blue eyes stood out and were very pretty. The clothing she wore was plain and serviceable.
Happy that Lola was happy she turned to leave. “I’ll be in the office with Mara,” she said.
Lola smiled, “I’ll have your snack in two shakes,” she said as she bustled back and forth.
Laura thanked her and sped off down the hall. She hoped Mara agreed with her own choice for a therapist. When she got to the office, Mara was already there hanging up her cell phone.
“Where did you go? I thought for sure you’d get here before me?” she said.
“I stopped in the kitchen for a snack.”
Mara didn’t see a snack; she assumed Laura had eaten it in the kitchen. “That was Marshall; Alexander Marasov is coming in a couple of days to meet you. He’ll probably be here Saturday or Sunday.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Laura wanted to know.
“It could go either way. In this instance I think it’s a good thing. Don’t worry, there’s time,” she said.
“Time for what?” Laura wanted to know.
“Time before the council will be forced to decide your fate. Let’s not worry about that now. Show me the files on the physical therapists. I think I know someone who would be perfect for you, I want to see if she’s on your list,” Mara said, changing the subject. She didn’t want Laura to dwell on the possibility that her days could be numbered—in single digits.
Laura turned on the computer and put up the information on each therapist on the monitor. The two of them had read through two files and were halfway through the third when Lola entered the office carrying a tray. There was a pitcher of milk and two glasses. Cored, peeled, and sliced apples, just as she’d asked. And then there were also slices of cheddar cheese, a bowl of shelled peanuts and a small dish of cubed and salted avocado. Putting the tray down on the desk, she pulled a box of toothpicks out of her pocket and placed them next to the two small plates beside the dish of avocado.
Laura was impressed. “This is great! Thank you, Lola!” she said. Lola smiled and quickly left the room.
Turning to Mara, she was surprised to see her grinning. Then she started laughing. Laura just stared at her, she didn’t know what had happened to make Mara so happy all of a sudden.
“What?” Laura asked, smiling back at her friend, she couldn’t help it; Mara’s happiness was so contagious. She absently picked up an apple slice and a piece of cheese, popping them into her mouth.
“You saw, Lola,” she said.
“Of course I saw, Lola, she was right there,” Laura said after she swallowed. She picked up a glass and poured herself some milk, she really was hungry again, it was unusual.
“You didn’t see her last night. Don’t you see what this means? You have magic in you! You wouldn’t have been able to see her if you were all human. It means we can keep you!” Mara said even as she wondered to herself what had changed. How did Laura suddenly get magic?
It finally clicked with Laura and she understood what Mara was telling her. “Does this mean it won’t be necessary for a bunch of strange men to sniff my undies? ‘Cause I gotta tell you that was kind of weirding me out.”
Mara started laughing and Laura joined in. Her death sentence had been lifted. She didn’t say anything to Laura but she wasn’t going to stop the packages from being posted. Mara still believed there was a mate out there for Laura and she wanted the young woman to find love.
Chapter Twelve
Wednesday afternoon was spent looking over the information Laura had gathered about the local therapists and finishing the move into her house. She and her guests, Ben and Tom, had come back. They had a nice dinner and spent the evening trying out Laura’s games on the big screen in her entertainment room. Knowing her brothers, and men in general, she’d worked with the architect to have a large room with computer gaming chairs, air hockey, foosball, and a few old fashioned pinball machines. There was a wet bar and a jukebox. Visitors could hang on the three deep couches at the end of the room and watch sports on the three large screens set side by side on the wall if they didn’t want to play. Ben and Tom approved of her man cave as she called it. And Mara knew she’d have a hard time getting them to leave and act like the security guards they were supposed to be.
While they were still keeping an eye on her, now that they knew she had magic, they weren’t as strict about it. Just being in the house with her was enough.
Thursday, Mara took Laura to visit with two of the therapists on the shortlist and she decided the second one, a woman named JoAnne Walker, to be her therapist going forward. Laura had sanitized her medical records so the therapist wouldn’t be able to tell where she’d come from.
After she told Mara her choice, Mara informed her JoAnne was a human mated to a shifter. They were both pleased. The one unusual occurrence of the day was when Laura was going from the mobile home to the therapist’s office. She had been accidentally partially exposed to the sun for several minutes and she hadn’t even noticed. Every other time in her life when it happened, she felt as if her skin were being stabbed with a thousand microscopic hot needles. This time she didn’t even know how long her skin had been showing!
Once again she thought of her strange dream. She decided to experiment when they got home. The upper level of her home had windows so she plan
ned to take the elevator up and a blanket, barely allowing herself to hope for a future she only dreamed of as a child. She didn’t say anything to Mara, a part of her felt if she spoke her ideas aloud, they would disappear like mist in the morning.
*****
Roland Gantry was an asshole and a bully. Unfortunately he was also a shifter so the shifter community had to shelter him to protect their secret. It was a chore when he got drunk and into fights with shifters and humans alike. He spent time moving around the country, staying one a step ahead of shifter law. Like any other being who lived on the wrong side of the law, he had a sense when it was time to make a change.
He’d been hanging around a small town in Colorado, comprised of all shifters for a couple of months. Three days ago he’d challenged the local Alpha for his position. The idea of running an entire town, being the top wolf in this little place appealed to him. He outweighed the current Alpha by a good fifty pounds and he expected an easy victory. His conceit and a couple of drinks before the fight, combined with the magical strength and experience of the Alpha, caused him to be defeated fairly quickly. Bullies didn’t like losing fights and he immediately began thinking of ways to get even.
After licking his wounds—literally, he knew it was time to move on again. He wasn’t going to bow down to the Alpha that had defeated him again and again. On his way out of town he stopped by the small general store to pick up some supplies. He’d be on the road for a while and even though he didn’t mind hunting for his meals, he liked his coffee in the morning and his beer during the rest of the day.
The few older shifters ignored him as he went down the aisles and made his choices. They were too busy exclaiming and cracking jokes about an envelope that had arrived in their small town in error.