Black and White (7 page)

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 short 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.

Lady Liahan appeared in a swirl of light, and she smiled. “Well done, Tyanna. I am holding them until the Knight Guards and transporters pick up the stragglers.”

Ty smiled. “Thank you, Aunty, excuse me.”

She picked up her skirts and ran for the collared shifters. With shaking hands, she undid the buckles, carefully easing the metal out of the flesh one by one. When it came to Emery, it was tricky, but she managed to pry the buckle loose and work the studs free of his skin.

They were all free and just waiting for Liahan to drop the holding field.

She turned back and saw Alatas appear.

He ran to her and they hugged. “Did they hurt you?”

“No, but they were going to give me as a prize in a card game. I am not a fan of that idea.”

He looked her over. “How did they keep you from shifting?”

She held up her arm and showed him the wristbands. “It keeps the beast from getting through the skin. Do you have a bolt cutter?”

He kissed her quickly. “Are you sure you don’t want to wear them to even the playing field?”

“If you start playing the field, I will remind you that I can pull my beast into my body and it can still kick your ass.”

He grinned and set about finding a bolt cutter. Liahan had sweat on her brow as she held the field, but the Knight Guard confined and removed the attendees of the party one by one with the help of the transport mages.

“Can I help, Aunty?”

Liahan looked relieved. “Please. If I can free up the shifters, it will reduce the strain.”

Liahan extended her hands, and when Ty put her hands on the pale and elegant appendages, the confined women in the gathering started to move, as did the men in the garden.

Ty quickly called out, “Al, the men in the garden are about to shift. I just set them all loose. Keep them calm.”

Alatas sprinted over to them and stepped into the enclosure. He helped the exhausted men to their feet and the women cried out and rushed over to embrace their mates.

Alatas continued his search for a bolt cutter, and by the time the fey were nearly gone, the shifters were being freed.

The transporters were getting ready to send the shifters to headquarters when Ty looked up. “Heloise!”

Heloise turned and smiled. “Ty. You look none the worse for wear.”

Ty didn’t speak. She grabbed Heloise’s hand and hauled her into the enclosure. “Make him shift.”

Heloise paused and then fat tears rolled down her cheeks. She threw herself at Emery’s shell and sobbed.

He extended his head and tasted one of the tears that had run down his patterned home. His form shivered and he slowly transformed back into human form with the marked band around his neck.

“Hels.” He buried his face in her neck and inhaled as he shuddered sharply.

Ty sat back and smiled until she heard someone whisper her name. Alatas was standing behind her with the bolt cutter. She was the last one.

As he snapped the links off her ankles, she smiled. “Thank you.”

When he took the bands off her wrists, he lifted them and kissed the welts left by the magic.

She stepped into his arms and swayed against him.

Liahan came toward them. “I believe that you have both had a stressful day. Well done, Tyanna. We will need you to be debriefed but that can be done at your home.”

She nodded, exhausted. “Great. Can I get some rest?”

A transporter came up to them, and with a few whispered words, they were sent to the place that they most wanted to be.

The greenhouse had never seemed so welcome. With swift movements, Al freed her from her dress, and he grabbed an armload of bamboo while leaving the door open.

She shifted the moment she was through the door and went end over end on the grass. She wiggled in the grass, and in a moment, her mate was next to her, hauling a bamboo pole in his jaws. He dropped it next to her, and she enjoyed being herself with her mate beside her. With an impish impulse, she scooped him up and placed him on her furry belly as she lay splayed open to the night.

He snuggled into her fur and closed his eyes. They were home and tomorrow was soon enough to deal with the events of the evening.

It was time to enjoy their time together, because if today was any indication, their future was uncertain at best.

Yes, I called them Knight Guards. My sister got a call from the dentist, and as we all know, I have no imagination.

The fey are growing more hostile toward the shifters…I wonder what is next. Ah, well. When they appear, I am sure that we will find out what is going on. I have no clue but things should hit the fan around the winter holidays 2014.

Zenina Masters

[email protected]

www.zeninamasters.com

Zenina Masters was born in Canada and lives in Canada. She has a regular job and does nothing particularly exciting with her life. She enjoys fishing, silence and the ability to pick and choose friends she can trust. Life is too short to watch your back all the time.

Her writing life is a teeny bit of escapism, she would probably chicken out if confronted by three naked men and looks forward to one day finding out.