Heart of a Dire Wolf

by Carol Van Natta

  Skyla hissed impatiently. “It’s my field. My dissertation is on using modern renewable energy generation methods to power persistent multi-layer illusions and their associated magical procedure sets.” She jumped up to balance on the edge of the sleigh, then stepped on the seat.

  She turned back to Tinsel, only to be interrupted again by Rorabek. “You can’t leave.” It was clearly an order.

  Skyla stilled, then turned to face the elders. “Oh, really.” Her magic sparked. The threat in her voice dropped the temperature by five degrees.

  Nic energized the mate bond so she could call on his magic if needed. He flexed his fingers, readying them to become claws.

  “Bek.” Tinsel’s exasperation was plain. “Starting one war not enough for you, brother?”

  “I don’t have a sister.” Rorabek glared at her. “How is asking for help going to start a war?”

  Nic wanted to bite the stupid fairy. “You told my mate, who just escaped a month of captivity, that she can’t leave. How is that asking?”

  Rorabek put his fists on his hips. “I was getting to that.”

  Skyla’s magic subsided, though not entirely. Nic sensed her normally genial wolf was irritable and close to the surface. His tiger graciously ceded the first bite to her. Would polar fairy taste like snow?

  Dirosha stepped in front of Rorabek and spoke quiet words. He gave an aggrieved sigh and turned away.

  Dirosha turned to face Nic and Skyla. “To be perfectly frank, we know how to operate the illusions and defenses, but we don’t understand them.”

  Ortesse nodded earnestly. “We must update the overlay illusion to a more modern setting. Our dreams showed glimpses of the outside world as it changed.”

  Skyla stepped off the seat and sat, arms crossed. “I’ll consider it.” The finality in her tone said she was done talking. Nic decided he’d walk by the sleigh through the portal, in case his tiger was needed.

  Fuldar, the golden elf, stepped forward. “We each individually owe you both great debts. Before you go, let us show you the real Fort LeBlanc.” He turned to Tinsel and spoke a word Nic didn’t recognize.

  Tinsel nodded.

  Fuldar closed his eyes.

  A wave of magic washed through the town. Everything it touched blurred, like watercolors running off a wet page. Squat, square red-brick buildings transformed into beautiful multi-story structures made of shaped wood and carved stone, and covered with tiny-leafed vines in filigree patterns. The trees interspersed throughout looked as tall as the Santa Barbara redwoods, and some morphed into types he didn’t recognize. From what he could tell, the whole town grew a lot bigger. The only things that didn’t change were the fall wind and the slushy, muddy snow on the ground.

  Cheers and clapping arose from around the town. Nic had to admit the true version looked like an artist’s vision of a fantasy world.

  Skyla touched his arm and pointed toward the three majestic central conifers. “The spirits.”

  He smiled to see them dancing, visible despite the bright morning sun. He guessed this was the town they remembered.

  Skyla nodded to Fuldar. “Thank you. I really will consider your request.”

  Fuldar bowed respectfully and stepped back. “You are welcome here.” He flicked a green-eyed glance toward Rorabek. “And welcome to leave as you please.”

  With that, the town elders turned and headed toward the conifer triad.

  Nic hopped into the sleigh and settled in next to his mate. “Wanna blow this pop stand?”

  She smiled and snuggled in under his arm. “Yes, please.” She twisted around to give him a fast kiss. Her magic fluttered over him like an intimate caress. “We have a date with a bed.”

  17

  Skyla crawled across the huge bed to where her supremely sexy napping mate sprawled on top of the covers and scattered pillows. He smelled so good she had to detour to plant a few kisses on his stomach and chest before nudging him.

  “Give me ten minutes,” he murmured sleepily.

  She laughed. “Come on, Sir Tiger.” She rubbed his belly like he was a dog. “Tea awaits.”

  They’d allowed themselves a week of pretending anything outside Tinsel’s astonishing bed and breakfast was just a dream. Tomorrow, they’d rejoin the real world.

  Skyla had only cheated a little, emailing Ivy to let her know they were safe, and to pay her for the car. Okay, she’d also checked the news and net daily for anything that might relate to the auction house, with no luck. Both the Shifter Tribunal and Wizard Imperium strongly suggested that she, Nic, and Kotoyeesinay stay out of it. The Tribunal had issued a blanket warning to all their communities to stay away from the US west coast entirely. She hoped that meant they were stepping in, not just covering up.

  The rest of her time had been spent in the apartment-sized room and luxury bath, strengthening the mate bond and falling more in love with Nic each day. In between sleep and the best sex of her life, she taught him how to shift and keep his clothes. Their mating had freed up some of his natural magic, so he didn’t need a charm like the Fort LeBlanc shifters. He had so far been unsuccessful in teaching her how to nap.

  They dressed and went downstairs to the parlor, where Tinsel presided over an afternoon smorgasbord of sandwiches, pastries, and hot drinks. The large, exuberant family of human tourists had left that morning, meaning she and Nic were the only guests until the next day. As they walked down the stairs, Skyla heard the lively, high-pitched chatter of the small but powerful lowland fairies as they cleaned and straightened the rooms.

  The parlor continued the theme of the house, which leaned heavily toward winter holiday folk art and furniture. Tinsel beamed as she handed them each a cup of tea. “It’s going to snow tonight.”

  “Feels like it.” Nic grinned as he filled a snowflake-patterned china plate. He and their hostess had been looking forward to it all week. Skyla planned to curl up with a blanket and a book. Even her cold-loving dire wolf wasn’t thrilled about more snow anytime soon.

  She sat in an ornately carved chair made more comfortable by the addition of pillows. “We’ve been thinking about Fort LeBlanc. We’d like your input on some ideas, because you know the personalities involved.”

  “We polar fairies are full of opinions, dear.” Tinsel smiled crookedly. “Whether they’re useful opinions is up for debate.”

  Nic chuckled. “We’ll take our chances.” He moved a delicate round table to put between Skyla’s chair and his own, then set the plate of goodies on it for them to share. “First, I believe the town is sitting on a rich kimberlite sill, and maybe some pipes. I’d have to take samples to be sure.”

  “Kimberlite?” asked Tinsel. Skyla felt better that she wasn’t the only one who didn’t know what he was talking about.

  “The source of diamonds and peridots, at the least.” He selected a sausage roll from the plate. “I don’t know how elven glades work, so mining might not be an option, but they should know what they have. They don’t want others finding it first.”

  “That would be a disaster,” agreed Tinsel.

  Skyla nodded. “That’s what we thought. Do you think they’ll want to stay part of the world this time, or are they going to close their borders again?”

  Tinsel sipped her iced tea. “Depends on what lesson they took from reading your stories of the Fort LeBlanc spirits.” She’d arranged for enough copies to be made for the whole town. “While they were sleeping, Ortesse dreamed about the future, so she’ll vote to stay open. The elves could go either way, each for their own reasons.” She sighed. “My brother will probably think they just need bigger walls.”

  Nic leaned forward. “If you don’t mind talking about it, why is he mad at you?”

  “Centuries of family drama.” Tinsel smiled wryly. “Polar fairy intertribal politics make the Renaissance Borgias and the Medici look like middle school.”

  “So, here’s my dilemma,” said Skyla. “I think their isolationism nearly killed them. If they close up again, the
former citizens, like Verna and Tad, and the dryad Moss, and the forest giants, won’t stay. It’ll break the spirits’ hearts.” She set her cup aside. “I can’t tell the elders what to do, but I don’t want to fix their illusion just so they can hide again.”

  Tinsel was silent for several long moments. “They’d have to keep it open if you lived there.”

  Skyla blinked. “Why?”

  “The alliance treaty between Fort LeBlanc and Kotoyeesinay says citizens must be free to come and go.” Tinsel pointed to Nic. “He became a Kotoyeesinay citizen when the council granted him sanctuary. You’re now his mate, so you’re a citizen, too. We can formalize it.”

  “Oh,” said Skyla. She had to admit Fort LeBlanc had grown on her. She’d mated with Nic there and befriended the town spirits. And the town’s true architecture was fantastic. On the other hand, she needed a teaching job at a magical college so she could do the follow-on research from her doctoral project, and politics made Nic bitey. Her too, if she was being honest. “We’ll have to talk about that.”

  “In the meantime,” said Nic, “should the news about the kimberlite come from someone besides me? They might think I’m conning them, or the first in line to steal it.”

  Tinsel shook her head. “It should come from an expert. Ortesse will vouch for you. Truth-seeing is one of her gifts.”

  “Okay, I’ll write a report for them.” Nic picked up a tiny sandwich. Skyla took the last pastry-and-sausage roll and popped it into her mouth. She’d like to learn how to make them if she ever had a kitchen again.

  Tinsel smiled. “I know you’ll be traveling to Quebec for the next few weeks, but you’ll always have a room here if you need it.”

  Skyla smiled back. “Thank you. And for arranging the portals. And for the long-term birth control charms. We owe you a lot.”

  Tinsel shook her head. “You saved my brother and the elf he loves, and restored a sanctuary.” She smiled. “Besides, Mauk wants to get out of the barn. I think my sleighs have given him ideas.”

  Skyla laughed at a brief vision of being pulled over for speeding while flying.

  Later, after leisurely lovemaking left them pleasantly languorous, she sat with her back to the headboard, with Nic’s head on her thigh. She ran her fingers through his naturally curly black hair. “I think I want to accept the invitation to visit Fort LeBlanc, after we meet your parents, and after we hopefully straighten out my academic career.” She smiled. “If nothing else, I want to meet buildings that are as alive as Mauk or Tinsel’s sleighs.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll deliver my report in person and show them what we found in the glade heart.” He rolled off her and sat up to reach for a glass of water. “After that, we’ll look for a teaching spot for you.”

  “What about you?” Like her, he had enough money to never have to work again, but he said he liked having something to do.

  “Geology is everywhere.” He frowned. “Except in the desert. There will be no geology in the stinking hot desert.” He downed the water.

  She laughed. “Right. No deserts. No tropics, either. I went to Baja California once for a conference and nearly drowned in the humidity.” She patted his shoulder. “The only time I like being hot and sweaty is with you.”

  “How many magical universities are there, anyway?” He put the empty glass on the table, then grabbed the notepad where he’d been keeping lists.

  “Worldwide? Thousands. Only a handful in North America that have the research facilities I’m looking for.”

  “Let’s visit each one and see what we like. We could take Mauk. Expand his horizons.”

  “And mine. My father and sister did all the jet-setting.” She nodded toward her new laptop computer on the desk, which she’d forgotten to turn off. “I have online friends and colleagues everywhere, but Fort LeBlanc is the farthest I’ve ever been from Southern California.”

  “I used to move around a lot.” He turned to kiss her. “Now that I’ve found my true mate, the only traveling I want to do is with you.”

  “I’d love that. You make me feel safe.” She used a bit of magic to flip the laptop’s lid down. “You still have to teach me French.”

  He set the pad aside. “Have I mentioned what your magic does to me?”

  She used more magic to float the pad back to the table. She gave him a wide-eyed, innocent look. “Why no, you haven’t.” Desire for him rose quickly, as always.

  He rolled to his hands and knees to place a kiss on her thigh. “First lesson. This is la cuisse.”

  She dutifully repeated it, then used magic to give him an intimate caress.

  He licked his way higher on her thigh. “Mon amour.” He flared the mate bond, sending a shockwave of pleasure through her. He slid his glorious tongue into her center.

  “Mon amour.” She welcomed him in. “My love, forever.”

  Epilogue

  Outside, the chilly northern wind blew snowflakes sideways, but inside the thick stone and wood walls, warmth and the delectable scents of home reigned.

  Nic took off his coat and boots, then padded into the large room at the back. “I’m in need of a doctor of magic. You wouldn’t happen to know any, would you?”

  Skyla laughed. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.” She set her laptop aside to stand and greet him with a sensual kiss. “I’m still surprised the committee agreed to let me appear by video teleconference. They only stopped requiring paper dissertation submissions two years ago.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “How did it go?”

  He took a deep breath. “The elders want me to lead the whole project.”

  She smiled. “Congratulations.” She kissed him again, then sat and patted the cushion of the overstuffed couch next to her. “Do you want the job?”

  He sat and put his arm around her. “Maybe. Fort LeBlanc is still a work in progress. The project would keep me here for years.”

  “I think that’s the point.” She slid her hand along his thigh. “Ortesse and Grafit came by this morning. They want to nominate me for LeBlanc’s vacant magister seat among the elders. I said I’d think about it.”

  He smiled. “I hedged, too. I told them I’d be going wherever you go.” He covered her hand with his. “So, do you want the magister job?”

  “Not really. Not unless you’d agree to be an elder, too, and then we’d both be politicians, and we’d be grumpy every day and get in trouble for biting people.” She squeezed his thigh. “Besides, you’re too young and pretty to be called an ‘elder.’”

  He polished his knuckles against his chest. “That I am.” He sobered. “I saw Elsa and Gunnar walking away as I came up the path. Everything okay?”

  She sighed. “Yeah, we’re good. Someone gave them a copy of Spirits.” That was the town’s nickname for her collection of stories from the ghosts. “Gunnar apologized for accusing me of conning them. When they’re ready, they want me to be their translator to talk to their children.”

  “I can be there, too, if you like.” He had grown comfortable with most of the town’s ghosts, but still had trouble understanding them.

  “I would like.”

  He felt her gratitude through their mate bond. He sent a private prayer to the moon goddess to let them always be there for each other.

  He squeezed her shoulders. “What do you want to do about the job offer?”

  She pointed to her laptop. “I’m writing a counter-proposal. I’ll help them with the layered illusion if they let me use it for a demonstration research project to implement multi-source renewable energy generation. Not just for magic, but for the town, to supplement the glade.” She turned to face him. “If you’re drilling for core samples, maybe we could work with Ortesse’s and Moira’s mirror magic to look for good geothermal exchange sites, too.”

  “Yes, we could.” He could already see the possibilities. “We’d need access to GPS satellites, and the internet, for precise mapping.”

  “Already in my proposal. My super-not-secret plan is to bring Fort LeBlanc
into the current century and make it really hard for the elders to cut the town off again. Even your mother’s traditional caribou tribe uses mobile uplinks during their migration.”

  “I already heard about it from Raffa Mackenzie when she asked me for a job.” He chuckled. “She hit me up before the meeting.”

  “She’s brilliant, and she lives for challenges.” Skyla laughed. “She’ll be a CEO by the time she’s thirty.”

  “She can have it,” said Nic. “I’ll add hiring her to my employment contract.” He threaded his fingers through hers and energized the mate bond. “CEOs don’t get to spend time at home with their sexy mates.”

  She swung her leg over to sit on his lap, facing him. “You’re letting your beard grow.” She stroked his jaw. “I like it.”

  He leaned in for a kiss.

  They froze when they heard an insistent bird chirping from the hallway.

  She sighed. “I’ll get it.” She slid off his lap. He followed to the cooler hallway where they kept the satellite phone that had nature sounds for ringtones.

  She pressed two buttons, then set it down. “Skyla and Nic, and you’re on speaker.”

  “Pendragor here, with Tinsel. Do you want the good news or bad news first?”

  “The good news,” Nic and Skyla said together. Truly, she was his perfect mate.

  “We happened to accidentally open a portal to St. George, Utah, right next to a group home for orphan shifter children. Your bobcat twins made it back the same day you landed in Kotoyeesinay.”

  “Did you see or talk to them?” asked Nic. He’d been planning another trip out there after the Shifter Tribunal lifted its unusual travel ban.

  “I took them for a ride in Donder,” said Tinsel. “They’re none the worse for their run through the hills and hiding in a bus with migrant workers. They’ve been worried about you, too. I told them they’d be welcome in Kotoyeesinay when they turn eighteen. I gave them your number and Skyla’s email.”

  Nic smiled. “Thank you. They’re good kids. I can talk to my father about fostering them with the caribou. I think he’s forgiven me for not calling him until after we were safe. It helps that he thinks Skyla is too good for me.”