The shifters of Harrowood broke off from our impromptu party to go back home and nurse their various wounds. I would have our Healer check on those returning to my territory.
The long shadows engulfed us as we reached my keep. As keeps went, I was proud of it. Red sandstone gave the last rays of sunset a warm place to land. Tall crenellations touched the sky. The hues of sunset glistened over the stones, making it like walking into a cozy fireplace.
Three women and Dane, the Keeper of the Gate and owner of the bar I destroyed, met us in the courtyard. Dane slung his arm around his mate, Ruby, and the other two women embraced Evie. That quickly turned to bickering and suddenly my mate was a snake again. Watching Evie scare her friends in her giant snake form was more amusing than it should have been when all I wanted to do was get her alone. The woman, who had to be her sister, scared her right back, grabbing her tail, trying to fling my mate around without success.
Evie changed back. “Hey! Lay off, Maggie!”
I cast a permanent spell over her to have her kaftan appear when she shifted. It was the least I could do. It was the least my bear would allow.
“That kaftan is more terrifying than the snake, Evie,” the quiet one said. That started a round of chase that had Evie smothering her friend in the dirt in ten seconds.
“What do you know, Fallon?” Evie snarled. Thank Godds she had some fight after our adventure. It would carry her through.
I let them fight it out like siblings did, turning to Dane. I dreaded the disappointment on my friend’s face, but he was surprisingly impassive. Of course, he had Ruby glued to his side. Like a reasonable adult, I would make it up to him. “I think I owe you a new bar, my friend.”
He waved that away like that was the least of his concerns. “You owe an apology to Ruby.” Dane peered over his glasses.
Ruby scoffed, buffing her nails on her tunic, always looking slightly bored until you got to know her expressions better. “He doesn’t, Dane. I had ahold his mate. I would bust up the bar for you, too.”
“Sorry for that too, Ruby. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I should have done better as your King.” I turned back to Dane. “I took your mate problems too lightly, my friend. You weren’t wrong that they are a handful,” I said.
Dane nodded, accepting my apology. He wasn’t much of a talker unless it came to bickering with his mate. “More importantly, the Grove and I fielded questions while you were gone.”
I immediately felt bad. Dane already had his hands full, guarding the gate to the human world. He didn't need to look outward to all the Harrowlands, too.
“Questions from whom?” I asked Dane.
Dane scoffed as he cleaned his glasses. “Nosy old bat, Margory dropped by like it was a social call. Guess some shifters she kept tabs on disappeared from the edge of her territory.”
My lips compressed into a thin line. “They should be back home now so that living straw can go back to her blood orgies and leave my territory alone.”
“I think she's still mad you tried to ship Ruby's father to her court,” Dane said.
“I’m not,” Ruby interjected.
I crossed my arms, my ire growing. “None of them have ever liked a shifter guarding the Gate to the human world, but they've had to stuff it.”
Every ruler near my territory had acknowledged my magical ability with a grumble. Shifters were a big part of their labor force when their animal magic mainly manifested for their shift and mates. A mage who was also a shifter was a powerful oddity. I would never admit my bear gave me more endurance to complete complex spells. It took me years to accomplish the memorization and physical stamina necessary for other types of magic.
“Graciousness isn’t a top trait of the rulers of the Harrowlands,” Dane said.
That was the issue. If they knew about the call and the Goddess, chaos would ensue. The struggle for power in the Harrowlands always turned ugly and bloody. Not even Godds survived it.
“We're about to have bigger problems than our nosy neighbors. I’ll need your thoughts on what to do next.”
Evie skipped over and broke into the conversation, brushing dirt out of her hair. “You can girl-chat with each other later. Fallon cooked dinner, and I will not miss that.” She hauled me away. Everyone forcibly followed.
I built the keep in my youth when I still had something to prove to the Harrowlands and myself. I always hoped it would attract my fated mate. But really, I was just glad to have a place where I didn’t have to duck my head into every room or hit the lintel. Each hallway was constructed wide, with nooks and crannies and secret passages for playing games. Stuffing it with treasure wasn’t my style. I left room for my mate to fill it with her life, too.
The awe and interest on Evie’s face as we walked through the keep should have thrummed the bond between us. Instead, it was so weak. I barely sensed her emotions through it. That leaked out any joy in watching her take in the magic-built halls and carefully crafted chambers.
My obligations to the Harrowlands and my territory had always been a light burden, but we could not ignore what we learned in the temple. Still, my bear protested with a rabid tenacity. He felt the world could burn as long as we had our mate. He needed to see reason. I hadn’t lived so long, taken the keep, or built this town by being weak and letting my animal instincts get in the way. I had learned mathematical magic casting for just this reason. The human skill gave me control over some of my bear’s more brutal instincts.
She may have looked at me with lust in the Goddess’ temple, but as tempting as it was, I wanted to do more than just slake our hunger. Mates put each other first, even if that led to tough choices. Even if my bear thoroughly disagreed and was ready to take care of her in any and every way possible with no further discussion involving leaving her to save the realm.
How was I supposed to abandon her here to finish our quest when the mate bond still formed? I took a deep breath to ease the tightness in my chest. I couldn't balance a reluctant mate, figure out why she had spontaneously become a shifter, and take care of the Harrowlands all at the same time.
The antechamber off my office warmed by a cheery fire, cottoned by the thick hangings on the wall. I never thought about it until now, but the tapestries didn’t depict any shifters. Not that Evie took any notice. The feast laid out before us was truly fit for a King. All the women gasped at the spread of steaming breads, juicy meats, glistening fruits and every kind of toothsome dish the Harrowlands was capable of.
