Feather, Fur and Fey

by Zenina Masters

  She chuckled. “After balancing, it will be internal, not external. Imagine the fun in that.”

  He lifted his head, and his dazed satisfaction was stamped on his features. “So, when can we schedule it?”

  She stroked his hair. “We can do it in a few hours if you like. I think that Domahk and his vixen deserve their chance to go first.”

  “Under the full moon?”

  Maki smiled. “I think that would be nice.”

  “In that case, with sunset approaching, you need to get out of here. We don’t need to incur any bad luck.”

  He shifted and pulled out of her. The wet slide left her feeling strangely empty.

  Maki sighed and stroked his cheek. “Bad luck rarely finds me, but I am not taking chances. Are you sure you want to do this?”

  He grinned. “I am very sure. I would not be here if I wasn’t. I just needed a bit of information, and Teebie provided it.”

  Maki kissed his jawline. “I will always die.”

  “Even the fey die, but if I can protect you, we can delay the march of time.”

  “You can’t be with me all day every day.”

  He kissed her softly. “I can try to be there when you need me. That will be something. We have something that no other blend of griffin and their mates has had.”

  She grinned. “Sparks? Fire? Lube?”

  He tapped her nose. “Cell phones. If you call me, I will be there. There will be no battle you have to fight alone.”

  She sighed. “Fine. Take the fun out of the moment. All right. I will meet you at midnight under the full moon at the Meditation Centre. Dress nice. We are making history.”

  Using the light easing through the window, she caught the sunbeam and joined with it to return to her room.

  She took a shower and put on a maxi dress before she located the phone and contacted Teal.

  “Hiya, Teal.”

  “Maki! How fun. What can I do for you?”

  “In case Uhrl or Teebie haven’t called you, I would like to arrange a balancing ceremony for midnight. It’s for me if you haven’t guessed.”

  “Congratulations, and yes, we will have the ceremony arranged. It might be a little fancier than the ones you have attended in the past.” Teal was grinning. Her voice gave it away.

  “Of course it would be. You guys have been planning this for years.”

  Teal snickered. “It has been a fun hobby. I am going to hang up now; there are things to plan.”

  The click was final. Maki patted her stomach and contemplated a meal.

  A gong shimmered and a domed platter appeared on her table.

  “This is getting a little silly.”

  Maki sat at the table and read the note.

  Maki, I have to get your intended ready for his balance ceremony.

  Your shower is in two hours, and we are going to prepare you for your ceremony. Dira is on her way, and this is going to be spectacular.

  Stay in your room until we come for you. I have left you your favourite reading selections. Congratulations.

  Being locked in your room took on a new meaning when the doors and windows simply disappeared.

  The pile of books on her freshly made bed made things a little easier. Maki hopped onto the bed, picked up the notepad and pencil and started flicking through the botanical research books, writing down plants she wanted to combine for their pretty effects and wild scents.

  She played at making the lists for two hours until a dress appeared on her bed. She took the hint and got changed.

  The dress mimicked her shifted colours, white then brown and golden.

  When she was clothed, the door opened again and Teebie appeared in the doorway with a set of shoes encrusted with gems and threaded with gold.

  “I believe these are yours.”

  Maki scrunched up her face. “I have to say that it is the weirdest part of being the griffin. We all have the same shoe size.”

  “If you think that it is the weirdest part, you have been living your life all wrong.”

  Maki slipped her feet into the shoes and wiggled her toes. It was a perfect fit.

  “Your friends and family await.”

  The moment they stepped into the hallway, she heard the roar of voices from the main floor.

  “You didn’t.”

  Teebie linked arms with her. “I didn’t. Transporters all over the globe have been occupied in a precise and focused effort to get all of your folks here without scrambling or fusing any of them. They are here because of you and to drive home to Uhrl that he is joining with a community, not just a woman.”

  Maki had tears running from her eyes as she saw every shifter and a few fey that she had met and befriended in her life mixed in with her nieces, nephews, her brother, sister-in-law and her parents.

  It was a party.

  Ten minutes to midnight, the guests had headed to the Meditation Centre for the ceremony, and Dira and Teebie were fussing with her hair and the robes that befitted the griffin.

  “Seriously, Dira. Tell me you didn’t do this for your ceremony.”

  Dira grinned. “I didn’t have to. I chose another mythical shifter. We don’t need nearly as much paperwork for that.”

  Teebie grinned. “And two centuries ago, no paperwork was needed.”

  Dira held up her hand. “Not correct. Registration of family lines still had to be carried out; it just remained along species and clan lines. No one wed outside their shift species, so we started the slow dance toward extinction.”

  “Which is where the fey are right now.” She sighed and held out her arms; the robes swayed and shimmered with the heavy embroidery and beadwork.

  “Which is why you have the nice, fancy ceremony where most folks just balance and go.” Dira winked.

  Maki was still heady from the party, but she grumped a little. “I just wanted to balance and go.”

  Dira stood and smiled with her emerald eyes bright and amused. “Tough.”

  Maki laughed.

  Teebie giggled. “It is time.”

  Maki took a deep breath. “Right. Here we go.”

  Teebie held one hand, Dira held the other, and she was levitated a few inches above the pathway. Her gown and train flared wide. Maki felt for all the world like a Superbowl parade float.

  When she arrived at the Meditation Centre, the guests were seated and music was playing. Maki wanted to dance, but instead, she had to be cruised over to the platform where she took her first steps in the heavily ornamented gown.

  The drag of the heavy fabric was a low rustle in the sudden silence.

  She looked across the platform to Uhrl, and he was resplendent in glittering black robes that were open to display his tattoos. The matte black trousers were a close match to his skin, but it was the bright heat in his eyes that held her ensnared.

  The human mage on the third span of the platform stood up.

  “We are gathered together here for the historical balancing of this drow and this griffin. While the griffins have blended with the fey in the past, this is the first time that power will be shared between them.”

  She turned toward Uhrl. “Uhrl Delock, Master of the Shadow Knights, Lord of the Hammikar Caverns and inheritor of your clan. Do you accept the burden of the power of the griffin?”

  Uhrl stood straight and nodded. “I do.”

  “Do you accept that the griffins rarely pass two centuries and that you will share that shortened lifespan?”

  Maki winced. She had forgotten about that.

  “I do.”

  The mage nodded. “Right. Now, Irvinga—Maki—Helenora Mackie, griffin incarnate of our generation, inheritor of the riches of griffins past, rider of sunlight and mistress of flowers. Do you accept the burden of shadows, the binding of his life to yours and the dominion over darkness?”

  Maki sucked in her breath. “I do.”

  “With the griffin propensity to have large families and then pass on, will you make arrangements for your children and their child
ren to be cared for in case you die while they are minors?”

  Maki felt tears sting her eyes. “I will. They will be taken care of.”

  Irving, Melody, Dira and Mak all stood up. As if rehearsed, they said, “We will raise her children if it comes to pass.”

  The tears poured down her cheeks. She blotted her face with her sleeve, and she could see that Uhrl wanted to comfort her. His hands were tense near the podium in front of him.

  He spoke, “My family will also lay claim to those children and raise them in the society they have been born into, no matter if they are fey or shifter.”

  The mage beamed and exhaled in relief. “Well, thank goodness. That one freaked me out. Okay, Uhrl, Maki, put your hands on the podium please. The transfer is about to begin.”

  The mage grew solemn. “Today, we witness the balancing of a drow fey and a griffin. Both have power on their own, and now, their blending will create something new. As their community, it is up to you to accept the changes that will ring through them. They will need support and encouragement to get through the first phases of the change.”

  “Maki, are you ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Uhrl, are you ready?”

  “I am.”

  “Then, let’s begin.”

  The mage chanted, Maki’s gaze met and locked with Uhrl’s and the balancing began.

  Chapter Eight

  The drain of magic had been strange, but the rush of balanced energy that came into her was so heady that she swayed.

  She had closed her eyes during the initial surge, and when she opened them, the moon was no longer simply illumination; it was a power source.

  Uhrl roared from the other side of the platform, and his griffin form was truly lovely. Shades of black, grey and silver graded through his limbs. His eyes remained the blood red that she loved.

  He moved toward the centre of the platform, so she met him and climbed aboard his back, settling in easily. She knew where to put herself.

  He flapped his wings but couldn’t take off, so she made him a path of magic to run into the sky. He stepped onto the moonlight bridge, and after he was sure of his footing, he ran skyward.

  Once they were out of earshot, she began coaching him on how to move. Working six limbs was harder than most would imagine.

  He ran faster, his wings pumped, and soon, he was flying without her help.

  “Don’t worry about talking back, Uhrl. That will come with time.”

  She felt a tingle in her fingertips, and she extended them, watching fire flare. “Holy crap!”

  She curled her fingers in and shook her hands while he chuckled under her. She knew that sound. Griffins laughed a lot. It had something to do with a lot of power and a short lifespan. They simply wanted to have fun while they could.

  Maki leaned in and explained the means by which he could land, or she could land for him.

  He nodded at the last one.

  He wheeled back toward the reception, and she directed him with her legs to come in for a landing. She thickened the air underneath him and caught him in a cloud of moonlight.

  Moonlight was cooler than sunlight, but she could learn how to use it.

  When they were back on the platform, the mage moved quickly. “I now seal your power to maintain the balance.”

  She exhaled in relief as her magic finished the process.

  Maki dismounted and stroked Uhrl’s neck. “Oops. I guess we took off a little early.”

  He shifted back into his elf form, and she settled his robes on his back, sealing the rip with threads of moonlight. She also closed the front of the robes from the waist down. His trousers were a lost cause, and his claws had made short work of the boots.

  He nudged her jaw up with his fingers. “Thank you for your help. I had to move.”

  She smiled and stared into his eyes. “I understand. First true shifts are hard. How is the soul of your beast?”

  He blinked. “He is bright and curious. Those are two things that I never thought to use to describe anything about me.”

  Her eyes widened. “He’s new. He is a new griffin soul. There hasn’t been one since the archives began running a census.”

  “He likes you very much.”

  He kissed her, and the witnesses to the ceremony were invited to witness how far public foreplay could go before her brother yelled her name. Hee hee hee.

  Going to Uhrl’s place seemed the best first option. Once she had looked around, she met his look and he nodded. “We need a larger territory.”

  She laughed. “Precisely. I have a friend in real estate, and you probably do as well. Who wants to take point on this?”

  He grinned. “We will use mine. I am guessing that I have more financial and social resources than you do. Plus, I don’t have to hide who I am with him.”

  She lifted her pale silver-gold arm. “Yeah, I am going to have some explaining to do when I return to the shop.”

  Her skin had gone to a definitely fey shade, and her hair went to a metallic shade of gold. The pointed ears took some getting used to, and she definitely wanted a piercing in one of them.

  “Do you want me to come along to help explain?”

  She snorted. “You just want to look and see where I work.”

  “I confess to curiosity.” He circled her slowly, and she knew what he was doing.

  She stepped into his path and held up her hand. “I am not, nor have I ever been, prey. Unless your beast wants his butt kicked, he had better learn some manners.”

  He nodded. “Sorry. There is a whole set of instincts I am still getting used to.”

  She pressed a finger to his lips. “Call your agent; look for a place with a large house, open meadow and a forested back yard with at least one hundred acres. More is better.”

  She waited, and he made the call. He would get updates on his phone as likely properties were located.

  His house was large, it encroached on the wildness of the back garden and it was nowhere near large enough for two griffins, let alone her extended family.

  She stared out at the garden, and when Uhrl had finished his call, he came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms.

  He kissed the side of her neck, and she smiled.

  He whispered, “I have told Joss what we need, and he will be in touch the moment he can locate something.”

  “Good. How are you feeling about your new tolerance to sunlight?”

  “I suppose we will just have to head out together to get me used to it.”

  She smiled. “I suppose we do.”

  She eased out of his embrace and kept her hand in his while pulling him into the daylight that she loved.

  She pulled him to the centre of the space and flicked her fingers, creating a shell for privacy.

  “How did you do that?”

  Maki smirked, “Practice. There are bonuses to being a griffin. Magic is ours to control; you just have to learn how.”

  He put his hands on her hips and pulled her toward him. “I look forward to the instruction.”

  His hands slid up her back, and he pulled her shirt over her head.

  She unbuttoned his shirt and parted it, pressing her lips to the decoration in his skin.

  He threaded his fingers in her hair and groaned as she went lower and lower.

  When she unsnapped his trousers and carefully lowered the zipper, he shuddered. As she knelt in front of him and pulled him into her mouth, he let out a hiss.

  She leaned forward and took the cool stalk into her lips, slowly inching back as she kept suction on him.

  She flicked her tongue against his erection. She swirled it around him until he was shaking against her.

  He gripped her shoulders and pulled her carefully away.

  Maki looked up at him and licked her lips. “Yes?”

  He shucked out of his shirt, stepped back and removed the rest of his clothing.

  “I believe I would like to determine the difference in the before-balance mating an
d the after.”

  She slowly got to her feet as he enjoyed the caress of light on his skin. She stripped and did the same. Her skin warmed more rapidly than it used to, but she still loved the feel of it.

  Uhrl stepped toward her, and he ran his hands over her skin, exploring from head to toe. When he knelt in front of her, she pressed back on his shoulders until he was lying on the grass in a halo of light.

  She straddled him and pressed her hands to his chest as she rocked on him, moving against him until his cock was slick with her liquid heat.

  As she moved on him, he caressed her, kneading her breasts and sliding his fingers between their bodies to tease her clit while she rocked against him.

  She took up a slow rhythm, and he pulled her down and kissed her, angling her hips so that his cock could nudge against her.

  Maki tried not to smile as their kiss became more and more heated. He pushed into her, and she shuddered, moving to meet him.

  He leaned up to continue their kiss as their bodies moved together as they did on the dancefloor, each one in the right place at the right moment.

  Maki held onto him as the sun joined their dance and wove around them. They gasped and grunted as they fought to remain together. It wasn’t a race to the finish; it was a dance they didn’t want to end.

  Eventually, their bodies got the better of them. Uhrl gripped her hips and pulled her rapidly against his before he gave a low groan. She leaned forward and pressed her clit against him, shuddering as her release rippled around him and through her limbs.

  She leaned against his chest, and his arms wrapped around her. Maki lay against him and breathed him in. There was something about Uhrl in the sunlight that was intoxicating.

  Maki must have dozed off, because when she woke, a soft, tickling trail was being traced on her shoulders and down her back.

  When the light caress trailed over her nose, she batted at it. Her mattress chuckled.

  “Open those pretty eyes, Maki. See what effect our balanced mating has had.”

  She opened her eyes to see one of the flowers she had dreamed of creating. It was what was tickling her nose. It was part daisy, part viola. A panaisy.