by Sam Hall
“What does this mean? What will happen if I unlace these very nice pants?” My fingers did just that, tugging at the taut laces until they gave way. “Slide my hand down the front.” I looked up and smiled when my hand met rigid, naked skin. “Commando, nice. What does this mean, Marlow?” I said as I wrapped my hand around him, and used some of the casual roughness Johnno had a million years ago when I filmed him, rubbing that sensitive spot under the head with the pad of my thumb. I squeezed slowly when he didn’t answer me, when he just moaned, his fingers literally digging into the surface of the table while I jerked my hand up, then down. “Marlow?”
When his eyes flicked open, they were that same violent green that would have been hard to look at if I was still in human form, but my new eyes lapped up that radiance like it was their due. Him, his scent, the feel of him in my palm. I was done holding the beast inside me back. She needed to feed, and he would be just glorious going down. I pulled my hand away to the sound of his cry, peeled the pants back from his body, and jerked them down until I crouched at his feet to survey what I had found.
“Oh, yes…” I whispered to myself, then stuck out my tongue and licked up the length of his cock as I rose.
“Kira! No!” His hands were like iron on my shoulders, holding me back from closing the deal and taking him down my throat, just as I watched the girls do. “Jesus fucking Christ, no one told me it was this damn powerful. I want to bury myself in you with everything I am.”
“Mmm…” I shuddered at the spike of heat that went through me. I slipped from his grip and stood. “Tell me what this means, and I’ll let you do it. We’ll break that bed in half with our antics.”
“You… I’ve never seen someone change so bloody much. Where’s the little mouse now?” He jerked up his pants, something that had me frowning, but he left the laces undone, so I could see the thick root of his cock as it was tucked away. He sighed and scratched at his scalp, letting out a shuddering breath. “The person who gets you through your transition, or people, it creates a bond. It’s a little like the bond between a parent and a child.” I snorted at that and looked down to his groin pointedly. “I said a little. It’s intense, it bonds you to them. It’s like falling in love, Kira.” That sent a wash of ice-cold fear through me. His smile twisted, his eyes the only thing showing how my reaction had upset him. “It’s why I’m holding off and you’re coming on so strong. I know what you’re getting yourself in for, what the court system and the lords and… If we do this, formalise this, I’ll be your lover, your mentor, your friend…” I took a step towards him, the warmth in his words washing over me, tugging at my heart as well as my groin. I didn’t know him well, but right now, I wanted to. I could do with a friend, a confidante to get me through whatever this was. I reached out for him, but he shied away. “Forever, Kira. We’ll be bound together forever.”
I hurt him. I dropped my hand, because what else could I do? I had no idea what I was doing, what this would mean, or even if we were compatible. I knew our bodies liked each other, but that was no basis for a lifelong partner. I saw the pain writ clearly over his face for a moment before he mastered himself. Then he smiled, bright and pure.
“It’s OK,” he said, grabbing my hands and holding them, then letting them go. “It was what I was trying to tell you. You can’t go—”
“Kira?” We both turned to see the door open to admit Jen. She blinked when she saw me, but she shucked her heels and ran over, wrapping her arms around me. “Oh my god! You transitioned!” She pulled back, her smile wide as she ran a hand over my cheek, tears beginning to form in her eyes. “Look at you. You’re so beautiful! Has she seen it, the changes?” Marlow nodded. “My god, and powerful too! Darling, did he tell you? You’re one of us now!”
“I got the Cliff’s Notes,” I said with a nod. “But you don’t look at all surprised by this.”
How I had ever thought my friend was human, I don’t know. It was all clear to me now. She was still stunningly beautiful, with that kind of angular, ethereal beauty that you often saw in images of Celtic faeries, but she did not look human. There was no softness at all in her, except her expression.
“Well, no. When we made friends in primary school, I had my suspicions. Daddy did some investigating, of course. Subtly, but it was that which caused the breach with your parents. I was sooo worried you weren’t going to make it. I nearly lost it in front of the international media, thinking of you going through that process on your own.”
“Not quite on my own,” I said. Our eyes slid to Marlow, who had moved behind me.
“You’re her preceptor? Oh, Marlow, I’m so glad! You’d be perfect! We’ll need to call the court to order and argue that she needs to be freed from that bloody contract with The Changelings. That was fine when we thought you were latent or low powered. Why Daddy signed her off at all—”
“I’m not,” Marlow broke in. “I mean, we were talking about it but…”
“Oh, well…” Her eyes turned to mine, shining the brightest of sky blue. “Ki, don’t you see what this means?” She held my hands, drawing closer as her eyes filled. “You have to have a preceptor to survive introduction to court, and the stronger the better.” She shot Marlow a quick look. “Your scent…” She drew even closer, her eyes fluttering as she breathed me in. “You’re going to have a lot of offers, Ki. You’ll have the world at your feet, and I can help you navigate this shit, be with you the whole time, and find the best court to settle in.”
“No.”
Our eyes jerked up to see Mark stride in, Paulie at his heels.
“And what do you have to say about it, Sentinel?” she spat.
“Everything. You’re the next in line to be the Rutherglen. By definition, the best court will be yours, and your friend will be delivered exactly where your father would want a fae of Kira’s power—in his bed.”
“Jen?” I said, looking at my friend and ignoring the fact that Mark seemed to know a whole lot more about all of this than I did. All of them did. Had they been watching me, circling about, waiting to get a sniff? I shifted restlessly in Marlow’s arms, not really wanting to be there anymore, but he at least had been straight about what was happening between us. I watched the expressions flicker over my friend’s face before the sweet, smiling mask returned, one I’d never realised was a mask. “Jen, your dad is a straight up DILF, but I don’t actually want to fuck him.”
It took me a minute to register what I was getting. To me it was just the same ole Jen looking at me, seeing hope and excitement and a whole golden future spread out before us. It was the look she gave me when she pitched her latest travel idea to me, before Dad knocked it back. The one she gave me when she invited me to one of her parties—fae parties, I now realised. There was an infectious pleasure in it, that just made me want to reach out and grab her hand and throw myself head first into what she had planned, something my parents knew and always refused.
This was a politician’s smile, I realised now. It didn’t mean she didn’t love me, that she didn’t believe every single thing she said wholeheartedly, but it was political because it allowed for nothing else within it. Court? Preceptor? Offers? I was only just starting to work out what those things were, and she was asking me to make a decision that would affect my whole life. I wanted her with me, of course I did, but I needed the freedom to work out what the hell I wanted.
Of course, that’s not what happened next.
“So, this is where you ran to, little rabbit?”
Liam prowled into the room, Billy a shadow at his shoulder. Jake sauntered in after them and stopped when he saw me, his eyes going wide. He gave a long whistle, shaking his head. Lucas appeared in the doorway and stayed there, but it was Johnno that pushed past to get to me first.
“No closer!” I said, frowning as he sought to breach the gap between us, and my hands wrapped around Marlow’s bicep when he went to move. They all noted that and came to a standstill.
“It’s OK to be scared, Kira, but it’l
l be alright,” Johnno said.
“It’d be over,” Jake drawled. “Look at her. She’s transitioned.”
“What?” Johnno said, his eyes searching my face and body for the signs.
“Oh yeah. She was pretty fuckable before…” Jake said, making the universal sign for a curvy woman with both hands. “But now? Damn, girl. We’re gonna have our work cut out for us. This’ll bring the attention of some of the major lords and ladies, if not the Rutherglen himself, something as ripe as her.”
“Thanks for seeing her through this, Mar,” Liam said, stepping forward, arms crossed. “But we’ve got this now. We thought we had a bit of time left, that we could sort this out on tour, but I guess things don’t always go to plan.” His eyes roamed hungrily over my body, even with my dress of baggy sweats. “But it looks like this will have its own rewards. Gods, butterfly, who knew this would be the way you’d turn out?”
A low growl came as he stepped forward like he had every right to, stopping him in his tracks. He frowned when he realised it came from me.
“Who the fuck are you to talk like I belong to you?” I asked.
Liam started to come closer, his eyes flashing, but Johnno threw out an arm to stop him. He glanced at his brother for a moment, and something passed between them.
“Because I do, we do. Had our eye on you for some time, we have. Those little dreams?” I heard Jake and Billy chuckle behind them. “That was all of us. Every single Changeling, dressed up as me. Gave us a very good feel for this hot little latent, mouldering in the boonies. Hiding in plain sight, wrapped up in some surprisingly powerful spells and wards. Fuck, you used to feel so bloody sweet…” He glanced at Johnno, who just stared at the floor. “And now we get to experience that in the flesh.” His head shook from side to side, as if having to force himself to believe it. “We sorted it all out with the Rutherglen ages ago. You’re part of Hartley, that’s what your little contract was for. You’re a fricking genius with that bloody camera, so we didn’t need to fabricate that. But, girl, you’re ours. Johnno here, he’ll be your preceptor. He’s gentle enough to introduce you to the life without breaking you. Then when you’ve found your place…” Billy and Jake slid up behind him, looking me over like they were one beast.
“No,” I said, and the word was every bit as seductive as when I’d said the word to my father, but now I felt I had the power to say it and mean it. I’d apparently changed from being one thing to another and had no idea what that actually meant for me, but right now, I determined that I had enough power to make my own decisions about my life.
“No?”
Liam jerked back as if stung, but Billy grinned, shifting behind the other man and waiting for the axe to fall.
“No. I signed a contract to be your photographer. To take promotional, editorial, and documentary photographs of your tour for six months, with the option to extend if both parties agree. That’s it.”
“That’s not how this works, love,” Jake said. “Something like you walks around unaligned… That’s gonna draw you some serious heat. Fuck, that bloody scent.”
“Sugar cookies, right?” Billy said. “I’m looking forward to finding out if that’s how you taste.”
Then I did something I still struggle to understand. I laughed. It spilled out of me, like Jake’s crazy sound of joy as I photographed him, the sound of pure, unfettered amusement. Which was weird, because I wasn’t amused. I was scared and stressed and wondering how I’d landed in the Red Queen’s court, full of rules I didn’t understand along with the use of flamingos as sporting equipment. I’d been building something sweet with Marlow, but then that came with a lifetime commitment. My best friend seemed to be sharing my joy while trying to set me up with her dad. Then these idiots came stomping in, like one description of my pussy possibly tasting like baked goods was going to have me falling to my knees. I laughed, because what else could I do? I’d meant to ask Jen why she never told me about this, but it was all bloody clear now. I’d have thought her mad if she’d told me even a little. Billy watched me, his lip curled into a slight smile as his hungry eyes took in every detail.
“She’s been turned in the head by the transition,” Lucas said, stepping forward. “She looks like she wants to cosy up to Marlow, so leave her. She’ll be in the bed of the Rutherglen before the night is ended, and we’ll get greater favour for bringing him something toothsome. We don’t need this shit.”
“Oh, but we do, Lucas,” Liam said, then glanced over his shoulder. “Unless you’ve decided to act on those impulses of yours?” He got no answer from the big man. “Come with us,” he said to me. “Anyone you choose, from him to your little friend Jennifer, will have to deliver you over. They’ve got nothing to stand against the Rutherglen.”
“You’re trying to tell me that because I’ve suddenly turned into a glow in the dark sticker, I’ll have to bone Jen’s dad? You can’t be bloody serious,” I snapped back, all hilarity gone and replaced with a roaring anger. There had been something here before they all blundered in, shouting politics at me. I chanced a glance at Mark. There’d been something there as well, though his stony expression didn’t bode well for that. But he was the only one not pushing me, not trying to force me down a certain path. “What are my options?” I asked him. “What choices do I have?”
Apparently, that was the right thing to say, and Mark nodded as he and Paulie came forward.
“She’s coming into our custody until an agreement can be made.” He put up a hand when everyone started to talk at once. “Until court can be convened, which shouldn’t be too long with half the European host here right now. A preceptor agreeable to the initiate will be identified and some time put aside for the formalisation of that bond.”
“She’s still due on tour with us tomorrow. Human legal agreements are upheld in court,” Liam said.
“All documents, human or otherwise, will be tabled with sentinel representatives for consideration,” Mark said.
“They’ll be filed before the sun rises,” Johnno said.
“If you’d come with us, miss,” Mark said, holding out a hand for me. That cool, professional tone stung, especially after I’d heard the ragged rasp of his declarations before. But I was a whole different Kira then, so perhaps this was appropriate, even while it hurt.
I turned away from all of them, focussing only on Marlow now, the rest at my back. I moved in close and, out of impulse, rested my head against his chest. It took a second, but his arms went around me, and he held me tight. Just then, all of this confusing bullshit going on behind me dropped away, and there was just him—his warm weight and that spicy scent that tickled my nose and made me want to rub myself all over him. I heard growls over my shoulder as I lifted my head to look up at him, and those green eyes went a little wide as I leant in and kissed him. I’d meant it to be a soft, platonic thing, and it was, kind of. There was only the lightest of scrapes of his tongue against mine, something that had me reaching for his head, wanting more, but the sounds around me wouldn’t let that happen.
“She was given to the Rutherglen herald for transition without even notifying us!” Liam snarled. “This is a breach of contract!”
“Something that will be investigated and dealt with in court,” Mark said.
“You try and weasel her out of this, and it’ll require an answer.” When I turned, I saw Liam standing over Jen, radiating fury, but she held her ground and stared him down.
“The choice is entirely with the novitiate. You know that.”
The cat like smile transformed my friend’s face. I looked around the room, at this new, completely alternate world. My friend was a princess, holding her own, my boss wanted to be my teacher-slash-lover, my previous sure thing tonight was some kind of paranormal cop, and my favourite band in the world was fighting in faerie court to keep me as…what? That I wasn’t sure, because they’d never bothered to make that clear. Inside, the remnants of my humanity was screaming a primal Robert Plant wail, over and over, rocking he
rself in the corner left to her in my mind, but I focussed on the next step and no further.
“I need a drink. No, make that a lot of them, and some clothes.” I looked down at my new body. “New clothes.”
“I’ll have a case of whatever your poison is sent over before you’ve gotten settled with the sentinels,” Johnno said, stepping forward. “Fuck, I’ll have a case of every damn thing they sell in this fucking hole of a town.”
“And I’ll provide the clothes. Hand tailored, remember?” Marlow said.
Mark sighed and said to me, “These are offers to try and earn your favour. By accepting, you agree to hearing their suit, but as that’s an already foregone conclusion, I would see no undue risk of accepting them.”
“Um…OK, fine. Could I have my bag as well? I think some of it will still fit.” I saw Marlow start to protest about that, but I just shook my head. He smiled ruefully and fell silent.
“Herald, you’ll alert your master?” Mark asked, and Marlow nodded.
“Then come with me.”
15
Part of me had just taken what I was being told as a theory to be questioned and tested at a later date, but as I walked out of the room, everyone’s eyes on me as I followed Mark and Paulie through the corridors of the private residence, out and back towards the party, I began to get some confirmation. I could tell who the humans were, and there were frighteningly few of them. They were the ones who barely saw me, or if they did, it was with the usual disinterest or scorn someone slubbing around in oversized sweats at an exclusive high-end party would usually get. I ignored them. There was little I could do about it right now, other than tie the waistband tight so they didn’t slip off and follow hot on Paulie’s heels.
“And what do we have here, Sentinel?”
I’d been tugging the cuffs of the pants up over my feet so I didn’t fall flat on my face, so I didn’t realise we’d stopped before I bumped into Paulie’s muscular back.
