by Hickory Mack
“I’ve done you a disservice, my Lady, forgive me,” he said. Reaching forward he grabbed Chiori’s hand, pulling her into his arms. She gasped in surprise and nestled into him blissfully. He looked at Nakia and Yuuki over her head. “I’ll take it from here, your services will not be needed today.” The girls bowed. His fingertip touched the bottom of her chin and Chiori looked up into his beautiful face.
“Ready?” he asked and she nodded. His barrier slid around her and he jumped.
“That didn’t go how I thought,” Nakia said to Yuuki.
“Well, we have a free day,” Yuuki replied, spying bright red hair retreating into the depths of the house. “I have someone I’d like to speak to, see you later?”
“Later,” Nakia agreed.
As soon as Chiori’s head stopped spinning Lord Makkai led her to a clear spot in the tall grass near the lake. There he kneeled, bringing him down to her level and he pulled her close, burying his face in her neck and for many long minutes he just breathed in her scent. He stroked her hair, one arm around her waist, holding her tight. Her love for him spilled out on her cheeks, she couldn’t contain it. Makkai pulled back to look at her, his ears lay flat.
“Are you unhappy Chiori?” he asked, and she shook her head vigorously. “Can you speak yet?” he asked, chuckling when her cheeks colored, and she shook her head again. Makkai sat in the grass and pulled her into his lap. Chiori snuggled in as close to him as she could, her head and palm resting on his chest. She couldn’t stop looking at him and he couldn’t stop touching her. Her hands, her hair, her face, his fingers were light, tracing her jaw, lifting her fingers to his lips and kissing each one.
Morning was halfway to noon when Chiori found her voice.
“The lake.” She smiled and he smiled back.
“She speaks.” He kissed the top of her head. “You wanted to come here, and I couldn’t refuse you.”
“I wanted to, then. It was so important to me I wouldn’t let the girls teach me how to swim, but it doesn’t matter now. We could be anywhere, and it wouldn’t matter,” she said and he nodded his agreement.
“You have to know that I hate this, every bit as much as you do. Not a day went by this week that I did not hate this,” he said and Chiori curled her hand into a fist, scrunching the front of his kimono.
“I know.”
“Remember the cabin from the Matriarch?” he asked rhetorically but she nodded anyway. “I had it brought out so we can spend all day here, there’s no need to go back until tonight.” Chiori sat up so she could see his face, look into his eyes.
“Really?!”
“Really.”
“Nakia said you were having a serious conversation with Fen and Haruka. And you were so tense in the hall, I was worried you wouldn’t be able to stay very long,” Chiori said. He stroked her hair and put his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.
“You are mine today. All day. Those other problems are minor enough to wait, we’ll talk about them later. Come,” he stood up and took her hand.
“Let’s see if I can teach a witchling how to swim.”
He sent her into the hut first to change into her suit and he changed outside. It was almost exactly the same as the last time she’d seen it, a small kitchen and a bed, but a small table had been added along with a shallow wardrobe. She came out with a fluffy towel held against her chest, and she’d braided her hair to one side as Mai had taught her, simple enough to do herself without a mirror.
Seeing Lord Makkai without his shirt on left her breathless. Chiori stared, her heart thundering in her ears. He was so pale, the black of his hair and fur stood out in stark contrast. His body was lean, and his muscles were contoured, larger than she’d remembered without being huge. He spied her staring and hiding behind her towel and smiled, taking her hand, kissing her cheek and stealing the opportunity to breathe her in again.
“You never have to be shy with me, Little One. I am entirely yours. It amazes me how quickly you have become the single most important thing in my life. I don’t mean person, I don’t mean object. I mean, there is not one thing I value above you,” he said, tilting his head, his long hair falling over his shoulder.
Chiori blushed and he grinned. She noted that his tails were relaxed now, swinging easily behind him and his ears moved with sounds naturally instead of pricking forward, constantly on alert. Chiori moved closer, hugging his arm as they walked down the beach to the shore. He lifted her into his arms and walked into the water, he was chest deep when he stopped and they were a long way from shore. The water would be over her head here but she trusted him.
He taught her how to float without sinking first, which didn’t take her long to master. She knew he wouldn’t let her drown so she was able to relax.
“I don’t think the girls could have taught me this,” Chiori said, laying back in the water, watching a puffy cloud slowly glide by. Makkai caught her around the waist and explained the next step, and soon she was moving around, kicking her feet while laying back. She sank and he caught her, laughing. It was tiring but after a while she could do a couple different strokes passably well without drowning herself.
When she started slowing down Makkai took her back to shore and wrapped her in her towel. He wrung out his hair while she dried her own.
“Why do I feel so heavy?” Chiori asked and he laughed at her.
“Buoyancy. The water makes you feel lighter,” he answered. “Want to eat, or go out on the boat first?”
“Both!” she replied and he rolled his eyes good naturedly, but he did as
she wanted. They made and packed sandwiches to bring out on the boat together. Chiori told him her plans with Milly and his frown made a quick come-back.
“Those are your days to relax and spend freely,” he said.
“Which means I spent it studying, playing with my birds and having too much time to think of how much I miss you. So I freely choose to keep busy,” Chiori frowned right back, reminding him she could be a stubborn little thing.
“Alright, fair enough, you win this one.” He stroked her hair, pulling a strand away from her face. It reminded her of Kai and she frowned. “What?”
“Nothing.” she said quickly, and he accepted it without question, making her feel rotten. He trusted her. “Actually, it’s not nothing.” He set the basket with their sandwiches into the boat and then gave her his hand to help her in. Pushing off from shore he rowed a little way, then hooked his elbows around the oars.
“What is it?” he asked, holding her eyes with his nearly black ones. Chiori looked at her hands. She looked so ashamed he decided it could only be one thing. “Oh,” he said and she looked up for half a second.
“Come here, Chiori.” She did, but she kneeled in front of him, her arms in his lap, her head buried in her elbow. He petted her hair. “You silly girl, we’re connected, I feel you so deeply. I knew the moment it happened.”
“What?” Chiori croaked out, her heart in her stomach. In her mind he could only be talking about the kisses. The first she’d accepted. The second she’d asked for.
“Had I known you’d make yourself miserable over it I’d have come to you when I felt it. I’d thought you’d want some space. Listen, Little One, whoever it is, I don’t care. You can have as many others as your witchy little self bonds to over the many years we will have together. If you want them, you can have them. So long as you always remember and keep in mind that you are mine, and I am choosing to allow them. I’ll always be your first,” Makkai said, confusing her even more.
“What are you talking about?” Chiori asked, sitting up so she could see his face.
“The bond you’ve almost entirely rejected. What are you talking about?” he replied.
“What?!”
“I don’t even need to know who it is if you don’t wish to tell me, I can’t tell without seeing you with him. That said, if you aren’t going to accept him, you should stay away from him so the bond can sever. Isn’t it hurting you?” Makkai
touched her forehead. “You’ve rejected them spectacularly, I’m sure it hurt. Hell, it hurt me and I was miles away.”
Chiori felt a sinking in her stomach. She didn’t have to think about it, only one person made sense. She groaned.
“I can’t believe this is happening. I very clearly told the universe I don’t ever want a second mate,” Chiori said bitterly, raising her voice to the sky. “It’s pretty freaking rude to give me another without my consent!”
“You didn’t know?” he asked gently. “Sweetling, what on Earth could you have been so ashamed of, then?”
“I was ashamed because a bond I didn’t know I had was pulling me toward someone I don’t want,” she said between clenched teeth. “I feel so stupid.”
“That explains why you’ve so thoroughly charred your end of the bond,” Makkai said and sighed. “I was hoping your fae half would be dominant, and that it would stop you from calling another. If you did, I’d hoped we would have many years together before he came along. That isn’t how life panned out and we have to work with the hand we’re given.”
“For what it’s worth, you do not have to accept anyone you don’t want. If you’re incompatible, the bond won’t form, it will break. The one you have now is close to that point. Also, know that you do not have to reject anyone on my behalf. You can take a dozen if you choose, and you will still be mine. They’ll protect you more fiercely than anyone I could ever assign to the task.”
“You want me to accept him. And then use him as a sort of bodyguard,” Chiori said flatly and Makkai stifled a chuckle.
“Not exactly, but something like that. My opinion on the subject is irrelevant. However, I would prefer if you did. It will hurt you, when this bond severs. It will be a hurt so deep it will leave scars,” he said.
“And that will hurt you. I don’t want that, but what will happen to his contract, when he bonds with me?” she asked and Makkai frowned.
“I guess I will give him over to you. His contract will be severed, his name returned. His loyalties will not be to me anymore anyway,” he said, thinking of all the possibilities of those in his house. There were so many of them he would find unworthy of her. His thoughts pulled up short and Makkai scowled. “It’s not Moscow, is it?”
“No, it’s not Moscow,” Chiori made a similar face, crinkling her nose. “I don’t want anyone but you, Makkai.”
“Chiori.” Lord Makkai kissed her forehead. “I could hear you say that a thousand times more and never tire of it. This is one of those times when I cannot be selfish, it isn’t only about you and I anymore. You obviously care for this person, because from what I can see of the damage you’ve done to your bond, it cannot influence you into feeling anything you don’t already feel naturally.” Chiori looked ready to argue so he dropped the subject completely.
“This is our time now.” He kissed her cheek again, then pressed his lips to her forehead. “No more worrying about this today. I clear you of all shame, no matter who it is, no matter what you’ve done and no matter which choice you make. Okay?”
“It’s that easy?” she shook her head.
“It’s that easy,” Makkai said. “All I want is your happiness.”
“Okay,” Chiori took a deep breath and returned to her bench. Lord Makkai took her around the entire lake that afternoon, and they talked about their week apart. He had focused hard and Ichio had come and helped, so the trees were all healed.
She told him about her classes, and what she was studying in each. He helped her with the pronunciation of a few new words to impress Sen with. When she ran out of things to tell him about class she told him everything about her birds, their growth, and the feathers that were starting to grow on their wings.
“It’s time to add a bit of metal to their diet. I’ll give the measurements to Ichio and he’ll give you what you need to mix into their feed in your next class,” Makkai said. “You’re doing a good job with them.”
“Why would you want metal in their feed?” Chiori asked.
“They’re not regular chickens, Sweetling. Alicanto have far different needs. Only a few dozen of their kind are left in the world. I had come across a nest, years ago, the parents slaughtered. I’d forgotten all about them until you came along. So I asked one of my people to put in the work to hatch them. Your birds have the potential to help rebuild a species of magical creatures almost driven into extinction,” Makkai said.
“How could you trust me with that responsibility? How did you know I would take good enough care of them?” Chiori asked, astounded.
“Your love for your rooster is what reminded me those four still existed. It was only fitting they be in your care. I knew you would love them, too,” Makkai answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Oh! Look what I learned!” she closed her eyes, bringing the light to her hands, then showed them to Lord Makkai. “I have metal magic! It’s only a little, but maybe when I learn to use it I can make things for the birds.”
He observed with a soft look of wonder. She’d learned so much in such a short amount of time.
“You have a lot more Earth in you now, too." He squinted at her, his brow furrowing. "My gods Chiori, how are you containing it all?” he asked. She shrugged.
“Kai said he doesn’t know where it’s all coming from. He called me a freak,” Chiori made a face and Makkai grinned, but there was something underneath. Something she wasn’t saying, something the slight blush on her cheeks couldn’t hide. He sighed. There were over a hundred and thirty demons living in his house, and of course it had to be the incubus. Makkai let it lie, she’d tell him when she was ready.
They returned to the dock and Chiori checked the sky for the time, anxious over every minute.
“Now that the trees are fixed, are you going to be staying home?” Chiori asked hopefully as they were climbing out of the boat.
“Things are getting complicated, and it’s what I was talking with Fen and Haruka about. The hunters are probing, trying to figure out the extent of my territory. They keep crossing the borders and leaving marks, waiting to see which ones I’ll react to. There are over a dozen of them at this point,” Makkai said.
“They’re being smarter now that they know who you are,” Chiori frowned.
“I may have to open the negotiation hall, invite the neighboring Lords for some discourse. It practically takes a treaty to get some of these people to behave civilly in each other’s presence, but the hunters have been on their lands, too. Their cooperation may be needed. Tomorrow I will be taking Fen and a few others with me to assess the situation, get their opinions. So far I have not killed any of the trespassers, but I don’t know how long it will be before they implement whatever it is they’re planning,” Makkai said.
“Please be careful. Or send someone else to deal with it. They aren’t allowed to hurt you, not a single, tiny scratch,” Chiori said. Makkai took her hand and placed it over his heart.
“You wound my pride, worrying so much,” he said. “I’ll kill them all tomorrow if it allays your fears. I’ll take out their whole nest. I haven’t yet, out of respect for you.”
“I’d rather they be dead than have anything bad happen to you,” Chiori replied.
“You don’t mean that,” Makkai smiled. “I think our bond gives you a skewed way of thinking of me. Nobody else thinks of me as soft enough to be hurt by a dozen little hunters.”
“You don’t smile for them,” Chiori pointed out.
“Next you’re going to tell me I’m not very nice, either,” he teased.
“The rumors had to have come from somewhere. I’ll bet you never even tuck them into bed at night,” Chiori shrugged and he let her hand go in mock outrage, before grasping it up again to tug her along, back to the cabin.
“It isn’t my job to coddle them,” he said humorously. “When we go back, there’s still something there I want to show you. We can do it at the very end, if you like.”
“I don’t want to think about you l
eaving, Makkai. I want you to stay with me. Let the others take care of the hunters,” she said. He drew her in again, kissing the top of her head, then let her go so he could go inside. She followed him in and helped wash the dishes.
“Maybe you can’t see the difference now, but I’ve only been away from you for a week. You’re already healthier, more energetic, there’s more confidence. You need this time away from me. Do you really think you would have had the chance to save your friend if it had been me instead of Haruka? I wouldn’t have hesitated, as useful as it is having her around, you were in danger. My instinct would have been to protect you. Would you have been able to put me in the ground?” he asked and Chiori ducked her head.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t hear about that,” she said sheepishly.
“I found it highly entertaining. The great Haruka, buried by a little girl and her magic teacher. They've named you Lady Chaos,” Makkai grinned. “The point is you can’t grow like this with me standing in your way.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“How would you like me to say it?”
“I don’t know,” Chiori looked away.
“I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it by now, but you’re young. I’ve had centuries to learn who I am and how to be comfortable with that knowledge. Because I know who I am, I know that what I’ve said is true. I will put you in a bubble and protect you from every hurt, injustice and unkindness, unless I remove myself from the situation. Instead of becoming strong you would become spoiled. Instead of becoming a leader you would become a tyrant and I would turn a blind eye to it while my house crashes down around us. I don’t want that to be our future.” Makkai dried his hands on a towel.
“Okay,” Chiori said.
“Okay as in we’re okay, or okay as in you’re going along with it because I want you to?” he asked.
“We’re okay, and I’m going along with it because you want me to,” she said and his ears went flat against his head, his mouth turned in a frown. He looked miserable.
“I’m not hurting you just to hurt you, and I’m not some masochist. I have a breaking point. When the day comes that it’s reached, you’ll know, because I’ll be there, wherever you are. I need you to be strong, too. Because if you keep pushing me, I’ll give in, Chiori. Compromise with me, help me figure out a way to make this work,” Makkai said, sitting on the bed. Chiori moved to him naturally, standing between his knees. He was at eye level with her, and she could count the specks of red among the black. There were two more.
