Stripes of Fury (6 page)

She cruised back in and hugged him. She saw the same expression of loss on her mother’s face when she thought Nika wasn’t looking.

Losing family wasn’t easy, and when social convention caused the divide, it was harder still. Annabella had lost her family because of Frennin, but she had gained Nika. She had always said it was a favourable trade.

Nika’s heart ached when she realised that Mark had nothing to show for it. He had tried and nothing had come of it aside from memories of loss.

His hands smoothed over her back, soothing her as she comforted him. When she finally backed away, he smiled softly. “For you, it was a very long time ago.”

“And for you, that was just last week. I am sorry for your losses.”

He nodded and there was a slight easing of the tension around his mouth.

Markkios smiled and pulled her against him, her back to his chest. “Now, what should we call it if it is a girl?”

“Well, since I am doing all the heavy lifting, I think we should name it after me. Annika if it is a girl, Anni for short, Nicholas if it is a boy.”

His laugh in her ear made her smile. “I can live with that. I am hoping for a little girl that looks just like you.”

“I thought most men wanted boys?”

“I have had sons. They didn’t adapt to their situation. I think a little girl with a mix of our power and skills would be formidable.” His snicker was evil. “And your father would have to take orders from her.”

Nika grinned. “Okay, tell your sperm to make it a girl. It is all up to you after all.”

They sat and bathed until they got pruney. When they emerged, they were clean and had discussed their child’s first years, right up until middle school.

Nika hoped that they could start a family sooner rather than later. With destiny pushing to blend the magics, she was fairly sure that fate was on their side.

She got dressed for dinner, wore some stylish lingerie and slipped on a pair of surprisingly comfortable pumps.

The dress she wore was an above-the-knee cocktail dress in royal blue, and she left her hair loose.

When she made it to the entryway, Teebie was waiting with a measuring tape.

“Um, what is that for?”

Teebie grinned. “You are bonding to an elder of the fey community tomorrow. You need to look the part.”

In under a minute, Nika had been turned, measured and turned again.

Teebie waved her hand and a dressmaker’s dummy came into being out of nothing.

“Now, enjoy your evening. The moment you cross the threshold, you won’t be with him. You will be in your own room.”

“Seriously?”

Teebie nodded. “Seriously. Have your goodnight kiss on the porch, because the moment you step across this threshold, you are hours from your ceremony. We can’t carve out a day, but I can insist on the night.”

Mark’s voice sounded from behind her. “I will say my goodnights on the porch, lady djinn.”

Teebie nodded with satisfaction. “Good. Your reservations are set. Enjoy your evening.”

With that blessing, they were on their way.

Nika was nervous, and her agitation increased as the evening wore on.

“What is it, Nika?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just feel that something is strange. It isn’t bad, but there is something in the Crossroads that I can feel.”

“Do you want to go back to the Open Heart?” He frowned.

Dinner was over, but she didn’t want it to end. “No. Are you up for some dancing?”

“To hold you in my arms in public? Definitely.”

He paid the bill, and they left to go to the Crossed Star.

They were swaying on the dance floor when the feeling became overwhelming. Nika slowly turned, and she collapsed in Mark’s arms. He caught her and his body was ready for an attack.

“Nika!” Annabella opened her arms and rushed toward her.

Nika hugged her mother as her sheepish father brought up the rear. “Mom. What are you doing here?”

“When Frennin told me what he did, I kicked his butt. Apparently, that is what he needed to propose a trip to the Crossroads. The seers have decided that we are an exact match, and for formality’s sake, we need to be bonded before you are tomorrow. It was a last-minute thing. Peter and Noreen are taking care of the horses.”

Nika laughed as her mother spoke in a rush. “Annabella Argus, this is Markkios, Lord of the Horses. Mark, this is my mother, Annabella. You have already met my father.”

Mark bent and kissed Annabella’s hand. “It is an honour to meet you, lady.”

“Call me Abby. If you are to be my son-in-law, it is only proper that we become familiar.” Annabella smiled.

Nika looked between them, but there was no lust on either side. It was a relief. Many men had mentioned a preference for blondes in her presence when her mom had come into the room.

He smiled politely. “If you will excuse us, we only have a few hours before we are parted for the pre-ceremony formalities. I would like to dance with my intended.”

Annabella completely understood. She hauled Frennin to the dance floor, and Nika watched her parents at peace with a glow between them. She wasn’t sure if it was love, but it was a strong bond. It had lasted this long; she was surprised they hadn’t exploded from the tension.

“Frennin is flighty, but he seems to have figured out where his future lies.” Mark murmured it for her ears only.

She snickered and turned back to him. “Well, that solves that mystery. Shall we return to the dance floor, Lord of Horses?”

“We shall indeed, Mistress Argus, unbonded fey-shifter blend.”

They took the few steps and swayed together, twirling when the music called for it but always remaining in contact.

Hours passed, and they stopped for drinks now and then but always returned to each other’s arms. When Nika’s eyes were drooping and Mark had to hold her up, he walked back to the bed and breakfast with her, kissing her goodnight on the porch.

“Until our ceremony, beloved.”

She didn’t know what to say, so she nodded, ducked her head and crossed the threshold. The lurch that transported her to her room was intense, but she managed to walk to her bed to kick off her shoes.

The morning was going to come quickly.

Teebie woke her, ran her through the shower with the efficiency of a woman who had done this to dozens of others, and slipped a silk gown over her head.

Nika looked down and realised that Teebie had magically brushed her teeth. “I thought it was going to be more complicated.”

Teebie laughed. “Oh, it is. This is just the base layer. The rest of it is in your bedroom.”

When Nika left the bathroom, her mother was sitting in her own vibrant dress next to the gown hanging from the four-poster bed.

“How did you do that?” The pearls, rhinestones and other crystals formed waves of glitter and rich design.

“Practice.”

To Nika’s amazement, she could make out the pattern of zebra stripes. The white was in pearl and the darker colours were in the crystals and rhinestones.

The two women helped Nika into the gown, and she felt the weight of it. It had delicate shoulder straps, but there was an under layer of magic that could be felt but not seen.

Annabella was dabbing at her eyes. “Oh, baby. You look all grown up.”

Nika smirked. “Mom, I am twenty-nine. I
am
all grown up.”

“Never to me, baby.”

They hugged and remained that way as Teebie magically applied the makeup on Nika.

When they separated, Annabella smiled. “It is time for my balance ceremony.”

“I want to come.”

Teebie sighed and snapped her fingers. A white accumulation of silk swept forward and wrapped around Nika, forming a cloak. “I thought you might want to see your parents finally finalise things.”

Nika was completely swathed from head to toe. Teebie helped her into her pearl-studded slippers, and with a final hug to the djinn who had made it all possible, she walked down the stairs with her mother.

It wasn’t every day your mother married your father and you could watch.

The balancing of the horse lord and his equine guild bride was a lovely ceremony. Nika didn’t cry, but she came close.

When the ceremony was over and her mother stood tall, Nika realised that Annabella had just grown three inches. Her ears had altered as well.

The mage who was managing the ceremonies stretched as she got ready for the next one. The balancing grounds erupted in flowers strewn with golden chains; the wild scent of the flowers filled the air.

After Nika had hugged her parents, she waited for the signal for her own moment.

Markkios stepped out of the shadows, and Nika felt the tug to the podium. She stood in her place and then dropped the cloak. The crowd gasped with gratifying astonishment. A quick look down told her that she wasn’t naked, so the sound had to be admiration for the gown Teebie made.

Markkios—he didn’t resemble a Mark at the moment—was in full regalia. His legs were covered by a split black silk skirt, his riding boots were black and the breastplate he was wearing had an embossed horse on it. His shirt was the same soft black silk that made up his trousers, and wristlets kept them away from falling over his hands.

He looked perfectly at home in an ancient banquet or battle. The sword he was wearing was key to his identity as a warrior. It might be in his past, but he had the reflexes.

He met her gaze, and he smiled. She smiled back, but it was difficult to match his confidence. He was dressed for his class. She was just playing dress-up.

They stood facing each other, and the ceremony commenced. They were asked to place their palms on the podium, and Nika did. Feeling her shifter energy and fey energy join in to pull away from her left her feeling naked and vulnerable. When the power was balanced and she received the surge, her body didn’t know if it could contain it. It was a rush of power that took her from rejected shifter, to master of her own body.

She held the magic and turned it inward, feeding it to her zebra. When she stood straight with the magic under control, she felt an urge to shift.

Mark met her halfway and caught her in his arms as they kissed. He spoke soothingly. “Just breathe through it. The urge to run will dissipate.”

“I want to run; I want to fly. My beast has some changes she would like to show me.” Nika smiled.

“Well, we have a small reception now. We can go for a run before we head back to my home.”

Funnily enough, now that her mother had a mate of her own, Nika was a lot less concerned.

She looked down at her hand and jolted. Fine black lines were moving on her skin. They swirled, formed patterns and shifted again.

“What is this?” She looked up at Markkios.

“It is the skin you would have been born with if Frennin and your mother had been balanced. It is lovely. You are living magic.”

He caressed her cheek with a wondering expression on his face.

She wrinkled her nose. “So, I really have my stripes living on my body?”

“You do. It looks surprisingly right. No one will doubt that you were born of the fey.” He chuckled.

She hugged him briefly before they headed to the reception. Her mother was crying happy tears at her transformation, and her mother’s new fey traits suited her as well.

Frennin bowed to her. “Lady of Horses. You look lovely.”

She touched her father on the shoulder. “Father, stand up. You look as elegant as ever, and there is a happiness to you that is new. It is a good look for you.”

He rose and hugged her. “The seers came to me the moment after you left. They told me that my happiness was in abasing myself to the woman who had born my child. I have to say, they were right.”

She tapped his forehead. “How does it feel to have a beast in your mind?”

Annabella filled in. “He now has his own Jiminy Cricket. He understands more of the part of him that he used to use for mischief.”

Frennin shrugged and smiled. He had grown up that morning, and it was strangely wonderful to see.

Markkios came up and put a hand around her waist. “Frennin, you are now my father-in-law, and as such, you are entitled to a certain amount of leeway. Do not abuse it.”

Frennin grinned and bowed. “Of course, my lord.”

“Abby, would you be interested in relocating your stable to be nearer to Nika?”

Abby grinned. “I would be amenable to discussing it.”

“Good. We will visit you in a few days for a family gathering.”

“I look forward to it.” Abby leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “Welcome to the family.”

Nika stifled a snicker.

He blinked and smiled in surprise. “Allow me time to adapt.”

“Of course. Nika will tell you what you need to bring when you come over.”

He chuckled. “I will pay careful attention.”

“Good. She will make sure you do. We don’t have many traditions, but those we do have, we treat seriously.”

“I understand.”

At those words, the two couples parted and met with the visiting fey dignitaries who had come to witness the balancing.

Nika didn’t have much use for the men who were ogling her, so she kept her face bland and polite but didn’t make a move to tell them off. It took all of her self-control.

Once she had been shown off to those who had come to report to their various kings and princes, she leaned against Markkios. “I really need to go for a run.”

He nodded. “I do as well. You had a lot more inside you than I gave you credit for.”

They made their excuses and left their reception, heading for the shifter’s meadow.

Markkios had to help her with her dress, but soon, she was leaving the changing cabana and flexing her hands as she prepared to do a controlled shift.

He came out after her, without the armour and the silk. He was better naked and that was something she didn’t think about a lot of men.

Together, they shifted, and she took her first few steps. Well, she was taller. That much was certain. There was something on her back that she wasn’t used to.

Mark moved around her and flexed his wings.

Her new appendages mimicked him.