The woman chuckled. “Good. I have been looking for you. Now, do you want a balance ceremony with all the bells and whistles, or can we do this quick and clean?”
Derix blinked. “Right now?”
The woman nodded. “Right now. I am going to be the balancer here at the Crossed Streams or whatever they are calling this place. I need to practice, so since Teal and Tony are looking for replacements, I thought you two might be good selections.”
Juno asked, “Right, what is your name?”
The woman extended her hand. “Oh. Duh. Sorry. Melwiss. Melwiss Adnoski. Binding Mage. Call me Mel.”
Juno shook her hand, and Melwiss’s smile turned her from plain to extraordinary. It was as if charm and magic were bubbling through every pore.
When they had released the greeting, Mel rubbed her hands together. “Where do you want to do this?”
Juno looked toward the shoreline. “Why not there?”
“Perfect. Lots of space and nothing that can be damaged. Let’s go.”
Derix smiled at Juno and blinked. “We are really doing this now?”
“Yeah. We can always have a proper ceremony with family at a later date. This way, when your family first sees me, I have already been balanced. We will show up as equals.”
He wrapped his arm around her as they followed the fluttering fabric of the mage down to the water’s edge.
“Equals. Well, I suppose I could stand an increase in my social situation. Being your equal will be a huge step up.”
She laughed and nudged him with her hip.
Mel was standing with her back to the water, and she held out her hands. “Juno, take my left hand in both of yours; Derix, take my right. I will ask you some questions, and you need to answer out loud.”
They followed the instructions, and Melwiss’s eyes began to glow. Power charged up and surrounded her in a column.
In her mind, Juno heard a voice whisper, Do you give?
“I do.”
Derix spoke at the same time.
The grip on the mage was all that was holding them up when their magic left them.
Juno was dazed and empty when she heard, Do you take?
She stared at Derix, and he spoke when she did. “I do.”
The power rushed back into them, and it was different. Juno felt like she could fly and her vision was bright, seeing the blinding energy of Mel and the magic pulsing in the world around them.
Derix smiled, and it was one of his slow smiles. He was made of gold, green and copper. All the colours were twisting around inside him.
“Do you agree to become what the magic will make you?” Mel spoke aloud.
Juno nodded, and she and Derix whispered again, “I do.”
The power swirling inside her bonded to her skin, her bone, her psyche. The water called to her, and she wanted to answer; the sand called, and she wanted to run. The forest sang to her and invited her in.
Mel whispered. “You can let me go now.”
Juno released her and took a few steps toward Derix. He met her halfway. Their kiss boiled with power, and the clouds swirled above them.
Through the roaring in her ears, Juno heard Mel mutter, “I owe Drak ten bucks. He called it.”
Juno smiled against Derix’s mouth. “Race you to the hotel?”
“First one there has to strip the other.”
He took off ahead of her, and she shifted, sprinting past him with her fox tail flying. She was in her half-form for the first time in months, and it felt exceptionally free to run through the nearly empty streets with her ears pricked and her claws curled.
She was halfway up the stairs when hands grabbed her from behind. She heard his growl a moment before he flipped her to face him.
Derix had found his inner fox as well, and it was currently pressing her against the wall, holding her there as he lined up and then thrust into her.
A howl broke from her throat, and she pressed her forehead to his shoulder. He shoved into her again and then pumped hard and fast until she howled again, and he barked in a series of yips as he matched her. The magic had pulled them together.
He shuddered, and his skin reappeared from beneath the fur. “That was unexpected.”
She shifted back to human as well and slowly lowered her legs. “The inner fox is one helluva drive. If you thought that sex was on your mind before...” She giggled.
“You are joking.” He pressed his forehead to hers.
“It was all in the small print. Fox males are notoriously unfaithful, but my parents managed to make it work.”
He sighed. “You are going to have to tell me how. This urge to be inside you is all consuming.”
She stroked the sides of his head. “You will get the hang of it, and I will be next to you. An erection won’t kill you.”
He was slowly moving his hips, and she wrapped her thighs around him again.
Juno was confident they would eventually make it up to their room, but she was comfortable christening every floor, one at a time.
Epilogue
The family home was lit for the evening reception. Juno walked down the aisle with her grandmother at her side.
The strange mix of elves, foxes and humans was only to be expected, but the hairstylist had gone to great lengths to fix Juno’s hair so that her newly pointed ears wouldn’t show.
Derix was standing with a straight back and looking devastating in a tuxedo. Apollo was looking better as well, though a little queasy at the thought of his sister and partner making it official.
Juno took Derix’s hand, and they said their vows in front of the witnesses.
When their vows had been said, the reception began.
Derix and his family hauled them off for family photos. His mother was enthusiastic, and his father was cheerfully lewd.
The family shots with Apollo and her grandma were pleasant enough; the ones with both sides of the family were a little tense.
It was only when Juno and Derix were looking into each other’s eyes that she relaxed. She reached up and touched his hair while he stroked her shoulder. The sound of the camera was a dim announcement that they were being watched.
She drew his head down and kissed him, holding him tight while the shutter clicked.
Apollo cleared his throat. “You two have the rest of your lives to suck face. Go and attend to your guests.”
Juno shot him the finger, heard the shutter click and the photographer laugh, and then, she reluctantly broke away from Derix. “A few hours and then we can go back to Isthmus.”
She smoothed the front of his tux and patted his chest.
Apollo made gagging sounds, but he was grinning.
She linked her arm with her husband’s and walked toward the twinkling fairy lights that were actually fairy lights for the first time in local history.
Music started up, and they took to the dance floor. As she swayed with him, she smiled. “So, is it everything you have been dreading?”
“So far, so good. My father won’t go after your bridesmaid.”
“I think Grandma might be interested.”
He chuckled. “Apollo is frightening enough to dissuade my mother. She likes them a little more pliable.”
“So, our bridal party is safe. The rest of the guests are on their own, but my family is on alert. If they try and make off with one of the humans, they will feel fox teeth.”
“And so, we have covered as many bases as we can. There is nothing left to worry about.”
When the music changed, Apollo took over for a song while Derix danced with Grandma.
“You look so happy, Juno.” Apollo smiled as they did a graceful foxtrot.
“I am happy. I have even met with a sketch artist and handed over the names of Falkir’s guests. The past is over. I can move forward now.”
“You know your happiness is almost enough to make me want a mate of my own.”
“Ouch. Don’t hurt yourself. That almost sounded sentimental.”
He
laughed. “I am well versed in the language of sarcasm. I can feel your happiness, Juno. It bleeds through the walls between us.”
“Those walls are for your protection. You really don’t want to know how much Derix and I are having sex.”
He winced. “Ow. That is a blinding mental image.”
She giggled. “Tough. We enjoy ourselves, and with the Isthmus ready for its first actual guests, we will soon be rather busy.”
“He does look a little tired already. What will he do when you go into heat?”
Juno’s smile was evil. “Chafe.”
* * * *
Derix looked up as Apollo and Juno laughed together. Next to each other, their similarities were obvious. It was probably why he had been so easily drawn to Juno. He was already prepared for her sense of humour by working with her brother.
“They are probably talking about you.” Grandma smiled and moved with grace that belied her age.
“It is a safe guess.”
“You don’t mind?”
“If it makes her laugh, she can discuss anything she wants.”
Juno’s oldest relative smiled. “Her mother laughed like that. Right until the day her husband died and she chose to follow him. The kids were only ten, but they understood. Their parents lived for each other.”
“And died for each other.”
“Correct.”
He nodded grimly. “That won’t happen to us.”
“How can you be sure?”
He looked at his wife and smiled. She smiled back. “Because she learns from the past and defends her future. It is why I love her. She doesn’t give up. She fights, and she will do the same for any children we have. They will be family, not accessories.”
“Ah, music to a grandmother’s ears.”
Apollo cut in, and Derix returned to his bride.
“Gran looks happy.”
“I just suggested the idea of great grandchildren. I think she had some kind of endorphin rush.”
Juno pulled in close and swayed with Derix. “That would do the trick. My next heat isn’t for a few months, so we have some time.”
“I think we need to practice.”
She chuckled. “Think so? You might want to save yourself. It can be a little intense for a male.”
He growled low. “I can handle it.”
“I look forward to seeing you try.” She wrapped a hand around his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss.
When she let him go, she whispered, “Food?”
“It is my duty to satisfy.” He winked, and when they finished their round on the dance floor, they headed for the canapes.
She grinned as she made her rounds with a tiny napkin full of food. If there was one thing that Derix knew, it was duty. Well, that and having sex with her on the seventh-floor landing.
He was a man of many skills, and every time she saw him, she was home.
Author’s Note
Well, this is the last instalment before we open up the Isthmus to the water-centric shifters. Mermen, kelpies, beavers, dolphins... they will all make an appearance along with nixies and others.
The folks we know and love will be making appearances, as will Dira’s baby.
Thanks for reading,
Zenina Masters
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
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