Sealed with a Kick (4 page)

She massaged her legs and glared at him. “I think I need to go for a soak to loosen this up. How long were you running around?”

He shrugged. “Eight hours or so.”

She grunted and rubbed her but. “That is what it feels like.”

She spun him around and prodded at his shoulders.

“What are you looking for?”

“The bone that was trying to crack my coccyx.” She continued to poke at him. “It was around here somewhere.”

He laughed and sighed. “You don’t ride much. I could tell.”

“And yet, you continued. It doesn’t bode well for the bedroom, my friend.”

She turned and headed back toward the tower. She could hear him following her and trying to come up with a plan of attack. It was fun knocking him off balance.

Berry was on the walkway when he came up next to her.

“I apologize. I was so happy to have you in contact with me that I let my impulses get the best of me. It will not happen again.”

She smiled tightly. “Make sure that it doesn’t. I am not a toy to be played with, in either form.”

He nodded and scowled. “This is difficult for me. I have only ever left things casual with females.”

Berry nodded. “I know. Taking a mate is a serious business. Being interested in me as a mate is doubly hard because I have a lot of emotional baggage.”

He nodded. “And yet, you have skills, strength and character that will take getting used to but will be amazing in the next generation.”

She paused. “You are really hung up on the kids.”

“I am. It is the main enticement to mate.” Ashko shrugged. “We are going extinct, after all.”

She blinked. “Right. I forget that.”

“I was told that you are from a smaller family with two children.”

“Yeah. My mom had complications with me, and she wasn’t able to have anymore. She lost ranking in the herd.” Berry grimaced.

“Where do you rank?”

“I am currently shunned.”

He quirked his lips. “What did you do?”

“I refused to join the beach master’s harem for breeding purposes.” She lifted her jaw. “My mate will be my own.”

Ashko looked irritated. “He wanted to mate with you?”

“No. Breed with me. There is a difference, as I am sure you are aware.”

He reached and took her hand. “You knew that saying no would cost you your society?”

“Of course. I have seen seals who have fallen in love with humans granted the right to mate with them, provided they leave the community. Only two followed love. The rest returned and accepted their lowered position in the group because of their request. It bites.”

“Interesting. When fey mate with humans, they are asked to leave court, but that is so that the human can keep track of time. Surrounded by us, they wither and die in what feels like the blink of an eye. Most of their children are offered training if they show any ability with magic.”

“Those that don’t?”

“Live normal human lives with their fey parent remaining unchanged over the course of years.”

“So, what about the shifter-fey children?”

He lifted her hand to his lips. “They are welcomed to go wherever they want. They are our hope to make a new generation that can keep us from fading into history.”

She enjoyed the increased tingle in their contact. “I am guessing that it would either be a fluffy pony or a walrus-sized seal.”

“I am very willing to find out.” He smiled, and there was nothing but heat in his eyes.

Running was such an inelegant term. Telling him that she needed to rest and sneaking downstairs to the hot tub wasn’t an escape. It was simply a detour.

She had never met a guy who looked at her as if she was the only hot woman on the face of the earth. She was cute. She knew that much. She had never aspired to elegance, and he was definitely elegant with a side of rough sexy.

Juno appeared next to her. “Can I join you?”

Berry waved at the rest of the huge tub. “Be my guest, or I will be yours.”

Juno removed her clothing and folded it, placing her clothes on a nearby bench.

“Where is your obsessive other half?”

“Derix has a meeting with his brother at the Axion.” Juno slipped into the water and groaned. “Oh, that feels better. I didn’t know we had this.”

Berry chuckled. “I made a request of the building, and it produced this on my second day. I had no idea that I would end up on a horse for the entire day.”

Juno snickered. “Yeah, his kind definitely has stamina.”

“How do you know?”

“I asked Derix. He wasn’t happy, but he informed me about kelpies.”

Berry cocked her head. “Well, come on. Spill.”

They spent an hour soaking in the hot tub until Derix came looking for Juno, and he had Ashko in tow.

Ashko took one look at her, and his clothing disappeared a moment before he entered the water.

Derix followed suit, and soon, the two girls were soaking with two very cheerful fey.

Berry leaned on the edge with her elbows up and her breasts barely covered by churning water. “Aw, you found us.”

Ashko grinned. “The building made a glowing path when Derix asked. We simply followed it to you.”

“Wow. One point down on your hunting skills.” She shook her head.

He smiled. “I can take it.”

Berry looked at the couple who were sitting as close as only lovers would. One of Juno’s thighs was pressed against Derix’s, and he had his arm around her, his hand under her breast.

Berry snorted. “Sorry to leave, but I think I would rather have those two on their own. I am heading for the sea.”

Juno smirked. “Coward.”

“Vixen.” Berry grinned and got out of the water with a whoosh.

Naked, she walked the short distance to the wet entry, and she hopped into the water, thanking her thick fur and fat for the insulation as she shifted.

She swam deep, playing with plankton and rolling on her back to see the fish from an odd vantage point. Her beast laughed in delight as it played with the magical inhabitants of the artificial sea.

Playing tag with the fish lasted for hours until she was extremely hungry. She swam back to the tower and sped up, shooting out of the water and shifting in midair. She skidded to a halt on her human feet and wished that there was someone around to applaud. She also wished for a shower, and to her amusement, a shower slowly wavered into view.

She rinsed the saltwater off her skin and pattered into the hot tub area where she left her robe.

Ashko was sitting on a wooden bench, one leg bent and braced while he read a book on an eReader. He was only wearing a towel, and his pose left little to the imagination. He smiled as she returned. “Now, up for dinner?”

She laughed and retrieved her robe. “Yes. I will just need to change.”

“If I may assist you with that?”

She shrugged and pulled her robe on. “Sure.”

He got to his feet and dressed in a black tunic and matching pants with boots before he reached her.

He looked at her and smiled. “This should be right.”

He touched the edge of her robe, and the fabric shifted and moved across her skin.

She didn’t move. The blue cotton of her robe altered into a fabric so light that it moved in the air currents caused by the hot tub.

The dress was simple and would fit into any time period in history. While it felt like a puff of air against her skin, she could see the blue-green fabric was opaque enough to be comforting.

“There isn’t enough material to make shoes. Would you mind riding me to the restaurant at the Crossroads?”

Berry gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Straight there and back?”

“Only slow wanders. I promise. You might like riding me after a while.”

He offered her his arm.

She sighed. “Fine. There and back I will ride you, but in deference to this skirt, I am doing it side-saddle so to speak. I want to be able to walk with dignity when I dismount.”

His smile was brilliant and showed disturbingly sharp teeth for a horse shifter. She linked her arm with his, and they walked up the steps to the main level. She was going to ride her companion to dinner. She was glad it was the first time.

Out in the front entryway, Derix was waiting to assist her. When Ashko changed shape, Derix held out his hands, and she stepped into his grip, letting him lift her up and onto the back of her would-be boyfriend.

“I thought kelpies were shorter.”

Ashko snorted and tossed his head, stepping carefully with a smooth gait as he carried her to the Crossroads.

They got their fair share of attention as they rode through the pathways. When he stopped outside the restaurant, she slid to her feet and only wobbled a little. Her right leg didn’t like being cramped up like that.

He shifted to his fey form with his head high and shoulders back. It was a proud look if she ever saw one.

“Made it and didn’t tip you off.”

She laughed and took his arm. “Fine. Feed me and I will forget that you were thinking about tipping me off.”

He gasped at the idea but led her into the restaurant with all seriousness.

The host smiled graciously and led them into the seating area where pools of light illuminated tables and left the rest of the room in shadow. Seated in the light, it would be difficult to notice other couples.

Ashko held her chair for her and caressed her shoulder as he moved to his side of the small table. “You look lovely.”

She touched her hair and grimaced. “Thank you, but I suspect my hair is in a state.”

“I am admiring it. The colour and texture are delightful to look at and hold.”

Berry smiled. “You have lovely hair as well, but you already know that. I have no doubt you have been hearing it for centuries.”

He sighed and picked up his menu. “The fey are attractive. It is what enabled us to survive as long as we have. As long as we could breed halflings in and out of our bloodlines, we would be able to manage a decent population. The moment that we insisted that magic match magic, everything began to degrade. Our married couples expanded, but the magic fizzled out. Some blame the old mixing of humans into our population, but most realize that our magic has been dependent upon the world itself, and magic in the world is harder to find.”

She smiled as a glass of water was set in front of her. A tiny plate of lemon wedges accompanied it.

“Which is why the shifters and their contrary magic is so confusing for the fey.” She laughed. “When the old magic touches the new, the sparks are hard to dismiss. No wonder it was thought that we were toxic to each other. Without the balancing ceremony, the constant contrast would begin to wear on the nerves.”

“Especially as both of our kinds are sexually focused. But, the balance has created some of the most adorable mixes, and the court is excited. Our king is even looking forward to the day that his bride comes of age.”

“How old is she now?”

“I believe she is close to two. The seers pointed out the approach of the king’s bride, and he has set up a security detail around her and her parents. There are some of our kind that are not fond of the idea, but if she is half of what is promised by the seers, she will be a great queen.”

Berry was surprised and focused on the menu. Two years old and he was willing to wait? This definitely was a different society that she was willing to jump into.

She opted for the chicken, and Ashko took the beef. After a moment, she blurted out, “Do you fear the change that the balance ceremony will bring about?”

He cocked his head and tented his fingers. “I have been what I am for a very long time. I am ready to embrace change, especially if it comes wrapped in a package that looks like you.”

She twisted her lips. “Well, for me, things can only move up the food chain, so to speak.”

“Do you have any idea why your beast is what it is?”

Berry blinked. “Yeah, we have a pretty good idea.”

“We?”

“My family. Didn’t my brother tell you?”

“No. He said it was your business.”

“Ah. It sort of is. I was a preemie. I was born two months early and was an early shifter. Normally, the first shift doesn’t occur until you are up and walking, but I suppose I wanted to move, so the moment they put me on the floor to crawl, I shifted and flopped toward my toys. My beast never aged, so we are guessing she was damaged when I came out early.”

He frowned. “That was what caused your mother the medical issue.”

“It was. There was a vehicular accident, and she went into premature labour. They pulled me out, but her body couldn’t hold another child. Too much scarring.”

It wasn’t really the right topic for a romantic dinner, but he was genuinely curious, and it wasn’t a huge secret. All of her friends and family knew, and she thought of him as a friend already.

Fuck.
He had gotten past her defenses.
Sneaky bugger.

The rest of the dinner was spent asking him questions, but he had normal answers for everything. He lived in a small castle, had kobolds for servants and enjoyed fly fishing as a hobby. He liked to read sci-fi adventures and wanted to live long enough to see humans living in the stars.

When they left the restaurant, he knelt so that she could step up and onto his back, settling and holding on as he got to his feet as evenly as he could. He walked them slowly to the Isthmus in the moonlight. She had to admit that it was romantic. All she needed was someone playing flute in the background and the evening would be complete.

As they walked along the shoreline, the whistling of the wind in the reeds was close enough. It was a perfect first date.

Now, what was she supposed to do when the kiss arrived?

At the doorway to the tower, Ashko knelt again and she slid to the ground. When her feet touched the ground, his arms came to steady her.

“Fast shift.” She smiled nervously.

“I am moving magic, not bone. It is like flicking a switch.” He asked quietly, “May I walk you to your door?”

She wiggled her toes on the stone before answering. Her beast wanted to do more than say goodbye at the door. It wanted to cuddle with him all night long. The problem was that her beast wasn’t alone. Berry wanted him in bed with her to see what it felt like to have a man there when she woke.