“You are truly amazing, Eileen. Do you take this form often?”
She shook her head and stepped back, moving back to human. “No. It isn’t that I take a form, it is more that the form takes me.”
He took her hands and walked with her, back to the blanket. “Teebie planned for this. She left wraps for us in the basket.” He proved his words by opening the basket and pulling out lengths of silk. One was wide in vibrant blue and the other was charcoal grey.
She took the blue and wrapped it around her. “Thank you.”
He smiled. “I would prefer you in nothing at all, but if we are to enjoy the day together, we need to maintain decorum.”
She snorted. “I think decorum went out the window when you played with my tail.”
Settled on the blanket again, she opened the basket and pulled out bottles of water. She handed him one and opened hers. “Shifting always makes me thirsty.”
“How often have you used that form?”
“That was the third time. It just came to me when I let something surface. It is hard to manage all those limbs and flying is a bit of an effort, but it is impressive.” She chuckled and leaned back on one arm again.
“Can you carry a passenger?”
“I could if I had a longer runway. Takeoff is easier with speed, but with those wings, speed needs distance to happen.” She grimaced.
He sipped at his water and leaned back on one elbow. “What is the largest creature you have become?”
“That is easy. A hippo.” She snorted. “It was an experiment when I was ten. I looked through a picture book of animals and tried to see if one spoke to me. I transformed and broke through the floor of my bedroom. My mom waited until I shifted back and then got me to help clean up while she called on her father to reinforce the floor.”
“I still have trouble trying to imagine you growing up with the fey. Your mannerisms are very human, I mean, aside from your grace.”
“Mom insisted that I meet with other children at every opportunity. Once we knew I was stable, she sent me to school, and when I was old enough, she bought me a car and told me to get a job. I went through college and got a teaching degree, all with her support.”
“I know what she was to you, what were you to her?”
It was a bald question but there was no malice in his expression.
Eileen sipped at her water. “I was the child she could not have. They fey have restricted the options of their halflings. They cannot breed with either fey or half breed if they have been acknowledged by their parent.”
“Why didn’t she find a human?”
“She doesn’t look human. She needs a glamour just to go grocery shopping.” Eileen smiled. “I ran most of her errands for her once I could, but her inability to fit in with the outside world is always a point of depression for her. She wanted so much from her life, and she hasn’t been able to achieve any of it. I wish I could do something for her.”
“Has she considered a shifter?”
Eileen snorted. “Adros would go off his nut if she went out with a shifter. Putting aside the magic issue that causes the tingling when a shifter touches a fey for any length of time, the fey nobles have a hard enough time acknowledging us as different but equal. Most of the time, they treat us as pets.”
He nodded. “There have been caches of shifters found in the hands of fey nobles. Pets is a generous way of putting the way they were treated.”
Eileen sighed. “Not all fey are like that. Adros has been a distant but good grandfather. He has helped with a variety of spells, charms and glamours to help me out of tight spots at work when my body shifted without my command. He removed the memories and enabled me to keep my job.”
“You were lucky that they didn’t catch it on a smartphone.”
“I am lucky that it struck during a staff meeting.” She smiled at the memory. “I think it was fangs and pointed ears if I recall correctly. I had just been insulted, and since it was my first week at school, I was a little nervous. They prodded and the fangs came out.”
He winced.
She chuckled. “I know. Exposure is always a horrible thought. Well, I texted Adros, and he was there in a moment, enchanting the humans in the room.”
Eileen smiled in remembrance. Adros had not chided her, merely numbed the minds of the humans, told her that her mother was proud of her and departed.
“You are smiling, but it is a different expression.”
“I was just remembering that Adros was not a jackass when he came to help. He simply arrived, did what was necessary and told me that my mother was proud of me. That was code for saying that he was also proud of me because he always said he was proud of everything that Amethyst did.”
“What about your birth family? They were mentioned at breakfast.”
She shrugged. “They acted according to their conscience. All I know is that no one or nothing could separate me from my child.”
“Do you want children?”
Eileen grinned. “Of course. If Amethyst was a good mother, she will completely kick ass as a grandma.”
Harris shifted closer to her and placed his hand on her silk-clad hip. “I see. So, you want a family that she would raise?”
“No, I want a family that I would raise; I want children that she would spoil.”
He shifted closer, and she smiled and did some scooting of her own.
She threaded her fingers in his hair and pulled his mouth to hers with the sun caressing them both. His hand began to slide down to the edge of her wrap and slowly up again. She had no objection.
He coaxed her hips closer to his and pressed against her. Fabric separated them and that apparently satisfied Harris’s requirement for lack of penetration.
He rolled her to her back and rocked against her. He blocked out the sun, but the damp silk between her was causing enough heat to keep her warm.
Eileen dueled tongues with him, a low growl coming from her throat as he continued to slide his shaft between her thighs, the silk of his cover adding to the friction against her clit and the swollen folds of her sex.
He threaded his fingers through hers and pinned her arms over her head as they kissed, retreated and resumed tasting each other.
Her breathing sped up until she was moaning more than anything else. She clenched her fingers against his and held on as she rocked her hips against his and shrieked when her crisis struck. His groan rumbled into her mouth in return. She felt the wet, sticky heat against her sex a moment later.
He panted against her cheek and chuckled. “I would say I am too old for this, but I feel like a teenager again.”
She giggled and nipped at his ear. “I would have to concur with that, but I never was in to heavy petting as a teen. I was a late bloomer.”
He grinned and lifted his head. “I think that rolling you into that creek is an excellent plan to cool what I really want to do.”
“Getting me wet is going to…never mind.” She blushed at the amused heat in his gaze.
“Cooling us off is a better option than getting that lovely skin of yours burned. We will rinse off, get dressed and have our picnic. It is your turn to ask questions.”
She smiled and sat up when he got off her. They were both a mess, as were their wraps. The musk and scent of sex were heavy in the air. A little water was probably in order.
Chapter Eight
“So, what is the average lifespan in your family?” She leaned against his chest as they sat and enjoyed the picnic.
“Over three hundred years. We bond to our mate in addition to the waiting for our replacements. We always go together.”
“How do you know when your replacement has been born?”
He stroked her hand on his thigh. “We begin to age slowly. It gets a little strange when your siblings look to be the same age as their children, but then, our parents did have the bad taste to mix their bloodlines.”
She sat up and looked at him. �
��What?”
He pulled her back against him. “My family line consists of one shifter and one non-shifter going back as far as we can trace our bloodlines. My mother is a half-fey, my father is a mammoth.”
“You are joking.”
“I am not. It was why your touch is so familiar, so comforting. My sisters all found half-fey of their own, as did many of my nieces and nephews. They accept the shifter part of the program quite easily.”
“Are any of the half-fey registered?”
“They are not. They were all raised by a single parent but most knew they were half-breeds. They all look human though.”
Stunned, Eileen nodded. “I guess that the transformation has something to do with exposure to the fey parent. It is a working explanation, anyway. I have to say I am a little surprised.”
He chuckled. “I didn’t know how to tell you. It isn’t something that I can mention to most other shifters, but since you have your own fey exposure, I know that this will not be a large issue for you.”
She shrugged. “My fey magic might be a little off-putting for them.”
“They will get used to it.” His voice was determined.
“Where do you want to live?”
“Where will you be comfortable?”
“I don’t know. This was just sprung on me two days ago. I haven’t thought about it. I would like to be able to teach, but I want my mom close.”
“Would she be willing to move?”
Eileen blinked. “I hadn’t thought of that. She might. Adros might even be able to move the entire house for her if you find a good location. Would you mind having some pure fey in the area?”
“No. I believe there is actually an enclave in the vicinity. One or two more wouldn’t make any difference.”
She chuckled. “Then, we will play it by ear. First, we will meet my mother, and then, we will meet your family.”
Eileen sighed and asked, “How is it that you have fey blood in you but you don’t spark like I do?”
“Shifters breed true. It is the primary reason that the half-breeds are told to stay away from us. The elves don’t want to breed with the lesser creatures, and they don’t want that fey magic to spin into another species. They doom their children to be alone the moment that they acknowledge them.” His tone vibrated with tension.
She patted his thigh. “Easy there. I am guessing that some of your in-laws have a bit of emotional damage.”
He sighed. “Yes. One brother-in-law and the wife of one of my nephews. Both were actually scarred by their mother and father respectively before being left with their human parents.”
“Bastards.”
“Yup.”
She tried to scramble for another question, but her mind was blank. His hand was under her breasts, against her ribs, and he tilted her back, twisting until his chest was pressed to hers.
He stared down at her for a minute, looking at every inch of her features before he said, “Eileen, will you marry me?”
She blinked and thought about it. “Like, in a white, poufy dress and a ceremony?”
He grinned. “Yes.”
“Um, sure. Can my mother give me away?”
“Of course.”
She grinned. “Then a definite yes. When and where?”
“My family’s property as soon as we can arrange it. I am guessing that your dress is the sticking point, so it will be up to that. Two weeks or less is my guess.” He chuckled.
Her eyes were crossing from his proximity. “Either kiss me or put me down. I am getting a headache.”
He kissed her and she closed her eyes with relief. Her eyes opened wide when she felt a cool pressure on her left ring finger.
The large square sapphire was surrounded by tiny diamonds on a band that hummed with fey energy and the weight of time.
“You had this in your pocket?”
He grinned. “Didn’t you feel it?”
“No. I was a little distracted.” She held it up.
“It will shift with you.” He took her fingers and kissed the knuckle just above the ring. “It has been in my family for over a thousand years.”
She could feel it; she could also feel something else. “It has been loved by every generation and binds the bride to the groom.”
“And protects the bride before the wedding.”
She chuckled. “This bride can protect herself.”
“Yes, but remember that my family crosses lines no other shifters dare to. We are blending magics and many in both the shifter and fey hierarchies do not appreciate that. Marrying into my family is dangerous, but once there, you will be protected.”
“Well, if we are done rummaging through the basket, we should pick things up and get back to the Open Heart.”
He seemed surprised. “Why?”
“Because if we aren’t having sex until we are married, I am going to make that happen as soon as possible. We are going, Harris. Get your butt up and off that blanket.”
He chortled and complied. Arm in arm, they returned to the Open Heart where Teebie was waiting with afternoon tea and a sheaf of papers for Eileen.
“Here are the documents I promised you. It was nice; I got to haul out my ancient languages including High Djinn. My father would be so proud.” Teebie grinned.
As Eileen poured coffee, Teebie gasped, “Congratulations. Your clothing is clean and packed, by the way. I can have your bag down here in a few seconds if you like.”
Harris answered. “That would be wonderful, Teebie. Thank you so much for your hospitality.”
Teebie smiled. “Think nothing of it. It was nice to feel the touch of fey magic here in the Crossroads. It truly makes me wish that we could all just learn to even out our hostilities and live in harmony.”
Harris nodded. “It is my hope as well. You know of my family and what we do, so it would be of tremendous benefit to us for a truce to be declared and all considered equal.”
Eileen handed him a cup of coffee, and she sat with some cookies on the edge of her saucer. It was a moment of quiet before they journeyed back to her home and the social issued would raise their heads, and after that, they would face the ancients. It sounded like quite the day ahead of them.
Eileen grabbed another cookie.
Amethyst beamed when Eileen returned and hugged her tightly. “That was fast.”
Eileen inhaled her mother’s crisp scent. Lemon, vanilla and a slight crackle of ozone. “Shifters find their matches quickly in a world filled with nothing but shifters.”
When their hug ran its course, it was time for introductions. “Amethyst Heller, this is Harris Morse. Harris, this is my mother, Amethyst.”
Harris bowed and took the hand Amethyst held out to him, pressing it to his forehead. “Lady, may I have the honour of your daughter’s hand?”
Amethyst chuckled. “I am assuming you have asked her?”
Eileen grinned and held up the ring hand.
“I have.”
“Then, yes, you may have my daughter’s hand. The rest of her you will have to negotiate with her.” Amethyst smiled. “Stand up, Harris. Are you any relation to August Morse-Wilkins?”
“He is my nephew.”
“Oh. You don’t look old enough to have a nephew his age.”
Eileen was curious. “Where did you meet August Morse-Wilkins, Mom?”
Amethyst cleared her throat. “It was at the fey tapestry exhibition six months ago. He was attending with his father, who also did not look his age, come to think of it.”
Eileen smiled. Her mother had come back from the exhibition in a strange mood. It was part elation and part trepidation. The mood had cooled over time, but apparently, there was still something there.
Eileen headed into the kitchen. “I am going to make tea and we are going to have some planning to do. How quickly do you think I can lay hands on a wedding gown, and do you want to move to the Morse property with me when I go?”
&nb
sp; Amethyst chuckled. “That is a serious conversation. I made a Victoria sponge and grab the Chinese takeout menu before we tackle this. I feel it is going to take a while.”
Amethyst hauled Harris to the couch and shoved him down before she headed up the stairs for a minute. When she returned, glowing white fabric peeked out of the folks of a dark cloak. “I can’t show it to you with him here, but the gown is covered, princess.”
Eileen grinned and brought the tea over to the coffee table, setting the tray down and then preparing for her mother to take charge.
Amethyst came forward with a phone and called for takeout before hanging up and handing the phone to Harris. “Call your people and work out the details. We are ready to move when you are.”
Harris took the phone with a salute and he made the call. The wedding was underway.
Chapter Nine
To Eileen’s surprise, Lord Adros Heller was at her wedding, sitting at the front on the bride’s side with a tear in his eye as Eileen walked up the aisle with her mother.
Her gown rippled with magic, and it made it quite clear that the fey part of her family was approving of the wedding.
Harris waited at the altar with his nephew August.
The look in August’s eyes confirmed for Eileen that the connection Amethyst had was not just one way. Something was going to have to happen there, but Eileen didn’t know how.
She smiled at the stunned expression on Harris’s face and pushed her mother’s unrequited love from her mind, just for this day.
She took Harris’s hand at the altar and smiled her way through the ceremony officiated by Harris’s mother. She answered at the appropriate times and threw herself into the embrace when they were allowed to kiss officially as husband and wife.
Laughter filled the room when Harris lifted her in his arms and carried her out of the ceremony. The party was for friends and family. The newly official couple had other things to do.
Eileen leaned her head against his chest and tried not to squirm. He was taking her back to the Morse family home, though museum was closer. On a huge span of land, a building had been placed and expanded upon as necessary.
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