by Jasmine Walt
“You can write to my old address here—all my mail will be forwarded,” I told her. “I have not decided where I am settling yet, so there is no point in giving you my current address. I’ll let you know as soon as I have found a place to settle permanently.”
“It’s a good idea, maintaining your privacy,” Maxin said before Troina could protest. “You’d be overrun with begging letters and worse nuisances now that your case has been in the papers so prominently. But you’ll still come and visit your properties here every now and again?”
“I will.” Fenris was adamant that I periodically check in on my properties in person—at least once a year. Without supervision, even the most trustworthy caretaker will eventually yield to temptation, he’d said. “I’ll call on you and Troina the next time I’m in town. I expect you will be married by then,” I said with a smile.
“And have you finally got the keys to your mansion? What was the holdup there?” Troina asked.
“The Mages Guild insisted on a thorough inventory, and it took longer than expected since several items were missing. Small but precious things, like my late grandfather’s golden mage staff. I doubt they will ever be recovered.” The thought filled me with sadness—I would have treasured those heirlooms, which my grandmother had loved. But only a few things were missing. I’d received the keys to the place this morning, and Fenris and I were planning to drive out later in the afternoon.
“Well, your former trustee can reflect on his sins while he breaks stones in the mines,” Troina said vindictively. “Though perhaps it was your aunt and uncle who took them. You can still change your mind and sue them, Mina.”
“No, it’s not worth the hassle. They’ve been punished enough.” I took a sip from my glass of white wine, then changed the subject. “I’m glad we reconnected after all this time,” I told them. “Haralis is no longer my home, but you have helped me recover many good memories of my time here—memories I’d forgotten about because of what Vanley and his family had done to me. Thanks to you all, I can now look back at Haralis with fondness instead of fear and anger.”
“I wish we’d been able to help you when you were being harassed by Vanley, but I’m happy we were able to do something for you now,” Troina said. “We’ll miss you, but who knows, by the next century, you may change your mind and return here to your roots after all. Or your children may wish to settle in your ancestral home.”
“Yes, that is why I am keeping the house,” I admitted. “I do hope to have a family—several children, if possible.”
Of course, first I had to persuade Fenris that children were a good idea. But judging by his actions lately, I had a feeling that wouldn’t be very hard at all.
After lunch, I took a steamcab back to the beachside hotel where we were still staying, then changed into a lavender linen gown that went well with my coloring. After some thought, I put on the matching amethyst jewelry I’d bought to go with it and took care arranging my hair. I felt like I needed to dress up a bit, almost as if I were going to visit my grandmother herself instead of the empty house that stood here in her wake.
“You look lovely,” Fenris said as I met him out in the hall. He was in his old-mage guise again, so he did not touch or kiss me, but I could tell he wanted to from the look in his eye. “Are you ready?”
“Ready as I’ll ever be,” I said, taking his arm.
Fenris drove the rented steamcar as I gave directions. They were hardly needed, as he knew his way around Haralis pretty well by now. But the Marton family mansion, the same one he had pretended to want to buy not long ago, was outside the city right above the beach, and he was not as familiar with that area.
We parked outside and climbed out of the vehicle. I fumbled a little as I sought the right key to open the gate in the high metal fence, but at last it turned in the lock. For the first time in thirteen long years, I stood on my grandmother’s property once more.
My place, now. I breathed in deeply and said nothing as Fenris looked around. Bees were humming, and a magpie eyed us curiously from the branch of an oak tree.
“Nobody is here today—we are quite alone,” I said quietly. “The house is beyond those tall trees.” I pointed to the path that led through the small grove.
“Let’s go, then.”
As we passed under the trees, Fenris dropped his mage disguise. I smiled, glad to have him beside me in his true form. We stopped once the two-story mansion was visible. It was exactly like I remembered it, covered in ivy, the sea behind it like a glittering frame. The house looked to be in decent shape, and the garden and lawns had been maintained, for which I was grateful. I didn’t want to spend even more time here overseeing a restoration of the property.
“Ransome was quite right,” Fenris said. “This house would not remain on the market for long. It would be a shame to sell it.”
I smiled. “I agree. I have many fond memories of this place. I hope to share them with my children someday.”
Fenris’s eyes gleamed at the mention of children, but he said nothing, simply looping his arm through mine. Inside, we wandered through rooms that felt huge compared to anything I’d inhabited over the last years and looked gloomy with the curtains drawn and the furniture shrouded in protective covers.
“This is a portrait of my grandmother,” I said as we came to the dining room. She looked down from the canvas with her usual quizzical expression, a little larger than life.
Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, and my throat swelled as grief hit me unexpectedly. Fenris pulled me to his side with his strong right arm, and his warmth seeped into me, comforting me.
“She was lovely and clearly very intelligent,” he said. “She would be proud of you, if she could see you now.”
What would she have made of Fenris, though, I wondered? For mages of her generation, a relationship with a shifter would be shocking. But she and my parents were gone, and I had to use my own judgment, rely on my own feelings.
After showing him my former room and the huge kitchens, I opened the kitchen door into the back garden, which gently sloped downward to the beach. I was glad to see that the hired gardeners had taken diligent care of the rare trees, bushes, and flowers my ancestors had collected from all over the world.
“Let’s go out again,” I said, tugging Fenris by the hand. “I want to show you something in the garden.”
Fenris followed me as I took the graveled path leading from the broad, shaded terrace to the left, winding between the profusion of flowers planted there. I took his hand as we reached a marble monument in the form of a portal looking down at the sea, with fluted columns on each side. White roses climbed up the columns. The gold-plated engraving on top was still as visible as the last time I had seen it.
“To the memory of Soran and Monissa Marton, lost at sea,” I read aloud. Fenris silently put his arm around my shoulder, a steady rock as grief swelled within me again. “There never was a funeral, since their airship went down far from the shore,” I whispered. “This is all I have to remember them by. I was so angry at them for leaving me to go off and die, but I guess that was childish. They would be here, if they could. To meet you, to make sure I was all right. It still seems unfair that their lives were cut so short.” My voice broke, tears sliding down my cheeks.
“As long as you live, they will not be forgotten,” Fenris said. He pulled me against his chest, holding me as I cried. Long minutes passed as I struggled with the grief. Eventually, I just let it go, let it all come out, until the well was finally empty and all that was left was the sound of Fenris’s steady heartbeat beneath my cheek.
My rock. My anchor. My lover.
“I’m fine now.” I sniffled as I finally pulled back. Fenris produced a handkerchief from his magical pocket, then led me over to sit on a marble bench that was set nearby in a rose bower, overlooking the shimmering waves. “It’s just that being here brings it all back. The feeling of being alone, left behind, even while my grandmother lived. Sometimes I’d wished they ha
d taken me with them on their ill-fated journey. I begged to go, you know, and they might have let me if I hadn’t had some stupid exam in school that week.” I wiped my eyes and handed the handkerchief back.
“That exam saved your life,” Fenris said, cupping his face in my hands. His yellow eyes glowed with tenderness as he gazed at me. “I, for one, am very glad you did not join them.”
He lowered his mouth to mine, and I sighed as I was swept into a deep, passionate kiss that made my toes curl. The grief was swept away as love and desire swelled in me, banishing the dark thoughts that had been clouding my mind. It was amazing how much better Fenris made me feel, simply by being here when I needed him.
After a few moments, we pulled back, sitting in companionable silence on the bench for a while, watching the glittering waves and the ships sailing past. “I’m so glad you’re here with me,” I said, leaning my head against his shoulder. “I don’t know if I could have gotten through this without you. Ransome might have succeeded in killing me, or Miss Dorax would have branded me a swindler. Instead, both are in jail, and we are here. It seems like anything is possible when the one you love is beside you.” I squeezed his arm affectionately.
Fenris smiled wryly. “It does, doesn’t it? I have been telling myself that I had no right to tie you to me—a wanted man, over a century older, a shifter, a fugitive from justice. You know all the arguments why it would be dangerous, why you could do much better. But I love you, and I want to be with you forever.”
He slid from the bench then, and my mouth dropped open as he knelt in front of me on the tidy gravel. “I know I am being selfish,” he said as he pulled a small black box from his pocket, “but I cannot help myself. Will you marry me, Mina? Share my love, my home, despite everything?” His yellow eyes blazed with hope—and fear, I realized. Fear that I might reject him.
As if I ever could.
He popped open the box, and I gasped at the sight of the square-cut sapphire that sparkled in the afternoon sun like a tiny star. It was set in a band of white gold, and it was perfect.
“Of course I will,” I said, beaming, and Fenris grinned. He slid the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly, and I sighed in admiration as I tilted my hand so it would sparkle in the light. “It’s beautiful,” I said, and then threw myself into his arms for another kiss. He growled as he pulled me to the ground, and I rolled onto my back, urging him atop me.
“I want a life with you, Fenris,” I panted against his mouth as he bunched the flowing skirts of my dress around my legs. “A family, with at least three children.”
“Nothing would make me happier,” he assured me, a wicked glint in his eye. “What do you say we start right now?”
He kissed me again, and I abandoned myself to the moment, in wholehearted agreement.
A good while later, Fenris and I finally collected ourselves. We left the grounds with the sun setting behind us. I was giddy with happiness as we headed for where we’d parked the steamcar, the ring a welcome weight on my finger and my heart light with joy. Fenris had the presence of mind to change back into his mage disguise before we walked out, but for once, I didn’t care. I knew the man inside loved me, and he was still in there regardless of who he looked like on the outside.
But as we approached the steamcar, the joy in my heart died a little. Vanley was leaning against the hood of the car, scowling as we approached. Fenris stiffened at my side, but he schooled his features into casual indifference, so I did the same.
“Don’t let him bully you,” Fenris warned in mindspeak.
“So you think you won,” Vanley sneered as we stopped in front of him.
I raised an eyebrow. “There is no question about it, cousin,” I said, flicking a loose strand of hair over my shoulder. “But then again, there was never any kind of contest between us, as far as I’m concerned. You mean nothing to me.”
“It’s your fault my parents have cut off my allowance,” Vanley hissed. “And worse, they’re blaming me for it.”
“You’re finally suffering the consequences of your actions?” I said in mock surprise. “That is excellent news.”
“I could annihilate you with a single Word,” Vanley said, rising to his full height. I lifted my chin to meet his gaze, refusing to be cowed by his threatening tone. As I stared him down, I saw a flicker of unease in his eyes as he briefly glanced toward Fenris. I smiled—he was not nearly as confident as he sounded.
“Try it,” I challenged. “I’ve been looking for an excuse to finally get you back after all these years.”
“Get me back?” Vanley sputtered, his face turning purple. “After what you did?”
Fenris stepped forward, subtly putting his big body between Vanley and me. “I would be very careful about what you say next,” he said quietly, his voice ominous. “The lady is under my protection. Not that she needs much protection from a coward who only attacks young girls who cannot fight back,” he added, “but I thought I should warn you all the same.”
“I didn’t attack anyone,” Vanley protested. “I was behaving like any boy would! My ‘harassment,’ as Mina calls it, was no more than a bit of innocent ragging. You were so pale and pathetic you practically asked for it,” he spat at me.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Vanley made a vicious slashing motion with his hand, and a wave of fire hurtled toward me. Fear leapt into my throat, but even so, I kept enough of my wits about me to conjure the shielding spell that Fenris had taught me. The fire bounced harmlessly off it, and Fenris extinguished it before it could spread elsewhere.
“Enough,” Fenris growled, his eyes blazing with anger. He made a quick gesture with his hands and spoke an incantation, the Words too fast for me to catch. Magic exploded out of his hand and hit Vanley square in the chest. Vanley opened his mouth, a cry on his lips, but his features froze in a comical expression of horror, as did the rest of his body.
He’d become a living statue.
“Your punishment is long overdue,” Fenris said with icy disdain. I thought he was just going to leave Vanley like that, which was good enough for me, but he murmured another spell instead before he released my cousin.
“What—” I began, wondering if Fenris had decided to let him off. But Vanley slowly reached up, and to my amazement, tore out a chunk of his thick, chestnut-brown hair. He yelped as the clump of hair came free, and then he did it again, and then again. Tears streamed down his cheeks the entire time, and blood began to run down from his scalp and into his eyes, but he did not stop.
“Come now,” Fenris said, taking me by the arm and leading me to the car. “Let Vanley administer the rest of his punishment in peace.”
“What did you do to him?” I asked curiously as I looked at Vanley over my shoulder. I had never heard of a spell that caused someone to tear their own hair out, but then again, I was a novice. Vanley was sobbing openly now, his shoulders shaking, yet I felt no pity as I watched him suffer. After all, he had felt none for me. “And how long is it going to affect him?”
Fenris shrugged. “Right now, until he is bald—but it’s going to recur whenever he bullies anyone else, for seven years. It is an old Manucan curse I found in an ancient manuscript.”
“It seems a little cruel,” I remarked as we got into the car, but I wasn’t about to tell him to stop it. It wasn’t going to kill Vanley, after all, and if a curse was what it took to save others from being preyed on, it seemed a small price to pay.
“After everything he did to you, your cousin is lucky he got away with his life,” Fenris said darkly as we drove away.
I reached for his hand. “Thank you for defending me,” I said softly.
He smiled. “You hardly needed it. That was a very good shielding spell you did.”
“Thanks,” I said, beaming. “I think I’m ready for you to teach me that freezing spell you just did on Vanley. Does it work on animals, too? It would be invaluable when dealing with rabid skunks or enraged bulls.”
We spent the rest of the car ride tal
king about magical theory and our upcoming departure. And as we crossed over the bridge to Haralis, looking out over the glittering waves, the joy and satisfaction I’d felt when leaving the mansion returned tenfold. So long as I had Fenris, there truly was nothing to fear anymore. I had his back, and he would always have mine.
25
Mina
A few days later, I found myself standing outside Barrla’s door, ready to pick up the young tomcat I’d left with her for safekeeping. For the time being, I was glad to be back in the quaint small town I’d started to consider home, though Fenris and I were planning to relocate within the next year or so once we decided where we wanted to bring up our future family.
“Mina!” The door flew open, and Barrla enveloped me in a hug. “You’re back! Finally!”
“Got in last night,” I managed as she squeezed the air out of my lungs. Despite the discomfort, I wrapped my arms around her and returned the squeeze—I hadn’t realized until we’d begun the journey home that I’d missed her. “How is the cat?”
“He’s taken over the place,” Barrla said as she herded me into the house. It was a spacious three-bedroom, brightly decorated with large, open windows that let in lots of light. Not the biggest house in Abbsville, but certainly one of the nicer ones—as the owner of the general store, Barrla’s father could afford it. “I’m not sure you’re getting him back.”
Sure enough, the tom was sunning himself on a fat pillow on the blue-gray couch, and he swatted at my hand when I reached for him. “He’s gotten so big,” I said as I sat down on the cushion next to him. “Almost full-grown, now.”
“Yes. And he’s become very attached to my mother,” Barrla said fondly, scratching him behind the ears. “She’s named him Oscar.”
“Well, if she’s named him, then I suppose she ought to keep him,” I said ruefully. “It’s for the best,” I added when Barrla looked as though she were about to apologize. “He never liked Fenris much, and if I have to choose between the two, Fenris wins hands down.”
