by Jasmine Walt
“I’m not taking visitors right now,” Lakin called as I knocked on the door.
“Oh, for Magorah’s sake, Boon, open up,” I called, using my real voice. “It’s me!”
There was a long pause, followed by the sound of footsteps. Lakin flung open the door, staring at me in disbelief. “Sunaya? Is that really you?”
“Don’t I look stunning?” I asked, fluffing my illusion’s short hair sarcastically and batting my eyelashes. “Seriously Lakin, let me in.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea –” Lakin protested as I pushed past him, dropping my illusion as I stepped into the small entrance that connected the kitchen and the living room.
“You!” an accusing voice shouted, and I started at the sight of two shifter males, bird shifters judging by their slender frames and hawkish noses, sitting on the couch. They were wearing red Resistance bands on their upper arms, though they wore shirts and jeans instead of uniform khakis. One of them jumped up, and I ducked as he flung a trio of throwing knives at my head.
“What the fuck!” I shouted, returning fire with one of the chakrams in my pouch. It embedded itself in the wall above Lakin’s couch as the shifter twisted away, but I didn’t care – the projectile was just a distraction. I took a flying leap at the guy, and he let out an honest-to-Magorah squawk as I brought him crashing down to the ground.
“That’s enough,” Lakin roared just as I yanked one of my crescent knives from the holster on my thigh. He grabbed me by the back of my collar like an unruly cub and yanked me off the shifter. “This is my house, not a battleground,” he seethed, glaring at the two Resistance soldiers. “You will behave. All of you.”
“She is on the Resistance kill list,” the first shifter screeched, jabbing a long finger in my direction as the second shifter scrambled to his feet again. “You cannot expect us to sit here and do nothing!”
“Then I refuse to negotiate with you,” Lakin said coldly. “Get out of my house.”
The two bird shifters shared a long look, and I knew they were having a mindspeak conversation. Eventually, they turned back to Lakin as one. “We will agree not to harm the traitor Sunaya Baine, so long as we are under your roof. That promise expires as soon as we leave your property.”
“Right,” I sneered, getting to my feet. “Because the Resistance is such an honorable group.”
“Shut up, Sunaya,” Lakin snapped without even looking at me. I blinked, astonished at the aggression in his tone – he’d never spoken to me like that. But then I noticed the way his nostrils flared and how his color was up, and I remembered my heat. Yeah, it was mostly under control, but my body was still giving off pheromones that any red-blooded male would scent from a mile off. The other two shifters weren’t affected because they were birds, a completely different species of animal that couldn’t procreate with me. But Lakin was a jaguar shifter just like me, and he and I could definitely make some cubs if we set our minds to it.
You are not making cubs with Lakin, I told myself as the heat surged within my veins, setting off that hungry ache in my lower belly. I’d already put that thought to bed a long time ago, the moment I’d realized Lakin would never truly be able to accept me. Yes, he liked me, but he was afraid of my magic. As Resinah had pointed out, accepting my mage heritage was key to controlling myself, and thus mastering my powers. If Boon knew how I felt, he would try to overcome his fear of my magic, but it would always be a part of him. And I couldn’t live beneath the shadow of that fear, not if I wanted to gain full control over my powers.
“Can you send her away so we can finish our discussion?” the second shifter asked, shooting me an annoyed look. “We were here first, and her intrusion is very rude, regardless of who she is.”
Lakin sighed. “I’d like to know what she’s here for, first,” he admitted, finally turning his yellow-orange gaze my way. The hunger in them was unmistakable, but for the moment, perhaps because of the witnesses, curiosity seemed to be trumping animalistic need. “I’m assuming you didn’t just come here to say hi.”
“Well, I did want to check on you,” I said, retreating to the recliner – a new piece of furniture that hadn’t been there the last time I was here. “But really, I came to bring important news about the Resistance’s plans for shifters. And actually, it’s news I think you’ll want to hear too,” I added, glancing at the Resistance soldiers.
Shifter One scoffed. “What plans could you possibly know about, that we don’t already?”
I crossed my arms over my chest and arched a brow. “How about their plan to dispose of you all – all shifters, I mean – as soon as they’ve defeated the mages?”
Both of the soldiers’ faces turned bright red at that. “Impossible,” the second shifter spat. “You’re lying!” But his nostrils flared, and I knew he scented no lie or subterfuge from me.
“I’m not lying, and you’d be stupid not to listen to me,” I growled, then launched into my story. I told them about the three human males I’d met in Maintown last night, about their confidence that the human race would prevail over the others, and the disturbing sermon at the Ur-God temple. By the time I was done, all the hunger had drained out of Lakin’s expression, and even the two bird shifters looked troubled.
“That doesn’t make any sense,” Shifter One protested. “How could the Resistance have been planning such a betrayal the entire time, while keeping us all in the dark? There are shifters higher up in the ranks, including your own cousin Rylan Baine. Surely, someone would have found out. You’re just misinformed!”
“I don’t know, Gyron,” Shifter Two said slowly. “I’ve noticed over the past year that only humans have been getting promotions. Don’t you remember how Tifon was passed over for captain in favor of that bumbling human idiot?”
“That’s true,” Gyron hissed, his eyes narrowing. “And right after that, he was sent off on a dangerous mission to the East that ended up getting him killed.” He straightened then, remembering himself. “But that still doesn’t mean she’s not lying, Urion! She works for the mages, remember?”
“I don’t ‘work’ for the mages,” I growled, drawing their attention back to me. “I’m an enforcer, see?” I held up my wrist so they could see my bracelet. “And in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve lived most of my life as a shifter. I haven’t switched sides just because I can use magic now.”
“Pah! The Enforcers Guild is funded by the Mages Guild, is it not?” Gyron accused. “How are you any different?”
“The Enforcers Guild is funded by the tax payers,” I pointed out. “Yes, those funds are paid out by the Mages Guild, and yes, we have to listen to them if they give us orders, but until all this bullshit with the Resistance started, they mostly left us to take care of the crime in this city on our own.” I decided to leave out the fact that Captain Galling had gotten lazy without someone leaning on him for results, and had allowed the Main Crew to become a bloated mass that cared more about the bounties than about solving actual cases. “Like you, I spent most of my life hating the mages and everything they stand for, but now that I’ve had experience on both sides of this line, I can tell you one thing.” I leaned forward, pinning the two shifters with as much intensity as I could muster. “If we don’t get our shit together and learn how to co-exist, we’re not going to be around for very long. The humans will play on our differences to make us tear each other apart, and then they’re going to sit on a throne made of mage and shifter bones and laugh while we rot in a mass grave somewhere.”
There was a long silence as the bird shifters sat on the couch, staring at me in shock. Finally, Lakin cleared his throat, drawing my attention to him – he’d remained standing by the door since there was no chair for him to sit in.
“Sunaya, I know you’re being truthful…but is it really as bad as you say?” He sounded a little pained. “Were all the humans at the Maintown temple truly on board with this?”
“They were practically rubbing their hands with glee,” I confirmed. “Trust m
e, Lakin, they’ve been having this message drummed into them for a long time. I’m not saying all humans are our enemies, but the ones who attended the sermon today have definitely been brainwashed into thinking that shifters and mages are evil, and that the only way they can live peaceful lives is to get rid of us. They think the Resistance is carrying out a mandate from the Ur-God, and they’re eager to provide whatever support they can to make sure that mandate is carried out.”
Gyron finally sighed, relaxing his shoulders. “Much as I hate to admit it, we can’t ignore the information you have provided. It bears further looking into, and we will discuss it with the other shifters in our platoon, in private.”
“Be sure that you do, because the best chance you’ve got of surviving is to get out of the Resistance while there’s still time. Losing their shifter soldiers will hamper the Resistance enough to delay their genocidal plans, at the very least.” A thought occurred to me then, and I asked, “Have either of you heard of a person known as the Benefactor?”
Gyron shook his head, but a flash of recognition lit Urion’s bright blue eyes. “I’ve heard whispers,” he said. “Mostly from the captains or other higher ups. All I really know is that he’s our main funder.”
“Yeah, that’s you and everybody else.” I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair. Dammit, but how could the person who was financing the entire Resistance be unknown to them? Why didn’t these morons care that their strings were being pulled by some unknown party, for sinister purposes? They were putting their lives on the line without even knowing for whom and for what.
“This news makes our earlier discussion moot,” Lakin told the bird shifters. “No way am I going to openly wear those red armbands, or persuade the clans to fight at your side. At least not until we have followed up on Sunaya’s warning.”
So that was why they’d sought Lakin out. It wasn’t too surprising they would go through him – after all, Mafiela hated the Resistance and would refuse to listen to a word if they showed up on her doorstep. On the other hand, even though Lakin was new to the community, he served the shifters in all the clans, and was fast becoming well acquainted with them. He would be a good ally for the Resistance to have.
“I guess,” Gyron said glumly. “We’ll get confirmation from a reliable source, and be in touch when we know one way or the other.”
The two bird shifters said their goodbyes to Lakin, ignoring me completely. Once they had departed, Lakin shut and locked the door, then leaned against it with a sigh and stared at me from beneath hooded eyes.
“You sure do know how to have a good time,” he said, sounding tired.
I grinned at him. “You know me. I always bring the fun stuff.” But my grin faded a little as I took in the bags under his eyes and how thin he was. “Are you all right?” I wanted to give him a hug, but right then, closing the distance was a bad idea, so I stayed in my chair.
“Better now that I’m out of that hellhole,” he said, crossing over to the couch and plopping down on it. I focused very hard on maintaining my control as I caught a whiff of his enticing scent. “I tell you, Prison Isle is no joke. I’m glad they have a separate section of the prison just for shifters, and that I haven’t been around long enough as the Shiftertown Inspector to have put many shifters in there yet. Otherwise, I’m not sure I would have survived.”
I winced. “I’m really sorry you had to endure that,” I said, and I meant it. I’d been to Prison Isle a time or two to question prisoners, and the place was fucking grim. The prison guards were lower-level mages specially trained in combat magic, and they were not afraid to use force against anyone who stepped out of line. Since non-violent offenders usually just got sentenced to work in the mines as punishment, Prison Isle was full of hardened, bloodthirsty characters, and the guards were generally content to sit back and let disputes sort themselves out. If you didn’t make the right sort of allies, chances of surviving your sentence were slim to none. The mages only stepped in if things were getting too violent, if the violence was being directed toward them, or if the situation threatened prison security. Otherwise, almost anything went.
Another thing I was going to have to speak to Iannis about.
“It’s not your fault,” Lakin said. “There was nothing you could have done to stop it, and if you hadn’t brought the Chief Mage back, I would still be languishing in a cell right now.” He scooped a hand through his sandy hair, making it stand on end, and his eyes glittered as he looked me up and down. “I’m glad to see you’re back,” he said softly.
“I’m glad to be back.”
The sexual tension in the room thickened, and I cleared my throat, desperate to steer the conversation away from the dangerous attraction between us. “You’re not going to join up with the Resistance, right? Even if those guys do come back and try to recruit you again?”
Lakin shook his head. “My duty is to the clans, to Solantha’s Shiftertown. Since the clans are divided on the issue, that makes it easier not to take sides, which is my natural inclination anyway.”
“Good.” I hesitated. “If my aunt Mafiela decided to throw her allegiance in with the Resistance, would you go along? You are technically a Baine Clan member.”
Lakin let out a half-laugh. “Chieftain Baine would sooner eat her firstborn than join the Resistance,” he said. “We had a brief meeting shortly after being released, and while she was furious at the Mages Guild and intends to demand restitution, she is just as angry at the Resistance. Especially at Rylan, as she feels that he should have protected the clan through his influence, and instead, Mika got roped into the Shifter Royale.”
“Right.” Although I doubted Mika’s kidnapping was Rylan’s fault, or even that he knew about it, I wasn’t exactly happy about his loyalties either. He’d already made it clear that the Resistance’s aims were more important than his family.
“Could you meet with Mafiela again and relay the information about the Resistance’s plans for the shifters?” I asked. “She’s probably more inclined to believe it than the other clans, and she’d call a council meeting for sure to discuss it.”
“I can try that,” Lakin said cautiously. “Of course, she will ask where I obtained the information.”
“You can tell her I was the one who told you.” I raised my chin a little. “And if she wants to speak to me directly, I’ll meet with her. Hell, if she wants me to speak to the council, or the entire town, I’ll do it. The shifter community needs to know.”
Lakin smiled a little. “As entertaining as that would be to watch, I expect Chieftain Baine will choose to have as little involvement from you as possible. There are many shifters in the community who are grateful for your part in unmasking the Shifter Royale, but more than half of those people have left the city, and the ones who remained tend to favor the Resistance. They will certainly hold your mage heritage against you when trying to decide whether or not your claims are truthful. Some may even try to kill you on sight, like those soldiers.”
I sighed. “I guess it’s better that I remain in disguise, then,” I said, and I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. What use was my growing popularity amongst the shifter community if my supporters weren’t even here?
Lakin’s expression softened with sympathy. “I’ll send word to you after I’ve met with the Chieftain, and if we do end up calling a town meeting after she meets with the council, I’ll let you know when. We can decide at that point whether it would be more helpful or counterproductive for you to attend and testify to what you learned.”
“Thanks,” I said, flashing him a grateful smile. “I really appreciate all the help you’ve given me,” I added, getting to my feet.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” Lakin growled, getting to his feet as well. The hunger in his yellow-orange eyes swirled to the forefront, and the next thing I knew, his hands were on my hips, nostrils flared as he sniffed at me.
My internal temperature shot up at the contact, and the tingling in my lower bell
y started up again. It would be so easy to give in, to just lean into him and claim the sweet, sweet relief he was offering.
But instead, I gently but firmly pushed him away. “Sorry, Lakin, but I don’t need any help. I’m doing a little experiment with abstinence right now,” I added with a grin.
“Abstinence?” Lakin’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked at me as though I’d lost my mind. “While you’re in heat? Is that even possible? You’re crazy, Sunaya Baine.”
“That’s what they tell me,” I said over my shoulder as I walked out the door, cloaking myself in illusion once more. I sighed a little, both in relief and disappointment, as the heat receded. I wasn’t actually trying to be celibate during this time, but at the rate things were going, I just might end up going through heat without having sex once.
The question was, could I hold onto my control the entire time, as Resinah had suggested was possible? Or was I going to lose my mind after all?
20
Since there was nothing left for me to do in Shiftertown, I hopped onto my stolen steambike and sped back to Solantha Palace. Yes, I was still a little angry with the Mages Guild, but I needed to tell Iannis what was going on. Besides, even though the meeting he’d invited me to had ended badly for me, at least I had been invited. If somebody had told me two months ago that I was going to be present at a meeting in the Mages Guild to discuss war strategy, I would have laughed in their face. Yes, there was still progress to be made, but there was no doubt I’d made leaps and bounds already in my relationship with the Mages Guild.
I parked my stolen bike outside the side entrance of the Palace, then hurried to the Mages Guild to see if I could catch Iannis. Unfortunately, my luck in that area was still shitty as ever.
“Lord Iannis is out dealing with the rebellion,” Dira informed me primly. “There has been another outbreak of fighting at the Port, near the Fish Market, I believe.”
“How long has he been gone?” I demanded.