1
“Ican’t believewe have a party scheduled every other day this month,” I groused as our carriage rumbled up the winding hillside road leading to Lady Porgillas’s mansion. “Don’t these people understand we have a state torun?”
Iannis gently dug his thumb into my shoulder, which was knotted with tension. “Such things matter little to our hosts when there is an upcoming wedding,” he said as I moaned in relief. “All of our wealthy constituents are trying to one-up each other with these lavish parties and gifts, and as Lady Porgillas donated quite a substantial one, we cannot slight her by ignoring herinvitation.”
“Nobody asked her to get that fountain,” I grumbled, but it was half-hearted. Lady Porgillas had donated a twelve-foot marble fountain sculpture of Magorah—traditionally depicted as a warrior in a wolf pelt—for the newly rebuilt square in Shiftertown. It was a generous gesture, and one I especially could not ignore as a half-shifter myself. The residents of Shiftertown had been thrilled to receive it, and the fact that it had come from a mage went a long way toward improving racerelations.
“Why did she have that sculpture created, anyway?” I asked Iannis as the mansion finally came into view. “Does Lady Porgillas have some kind of soft spot forshifters?”
Iannis shrugged. “Not that I have heard. But she knows that you do, and like I said, our wealthier citizens are all trying to one-up each other just now. It was quite a clever gift on herpart.”
I nodded as the carriage doors opened and a liveried footman helped us to the ground. The skirts of the steel blue gown I’d chosen for the evening rustled a little as I alighted, and I quickly checked to make sure it hadn’t snagged on anything. The first time I’d attended one of these gatherings, I’d somehow managed to get the end of my skirt jammed in a door closing behind me, and the fabric had ripped before I’d realized what had happened. An easy fix, now that I had Fenris’s vast magical knowledge at my disposal, but there had been quite a few people around to witness the blunder, and the last thing I needed was to walk into this hoity-toity mansion with a rip in myskirt.
The thought of Fenris sent a pang of sadness through me, and I forced myself to push it aside. He was alive, I knew, and there was no point in dwelling on his absence. He would contact us when he was ready to be foundagain.
Ifhe’s ever ready to be foundagain.
Lady Porgillas’s mansion was tall and imposing and surrounded by park-like gardens, as favored by wealthy mages. Since it was an hour from the city, she could have as much space as she wanted. I was getting to know this lifestyle quite well, with all these parties I was attending. I supposed I should count myself lucky that we’d rejected a good portion of the invitations—otherwise we’d be attending two to three parties pernight, which would have driven me up awall.
Pushing that unpleasant thought out of my mind, I took an appreciative sniff of the fresh evening air, cleaner than in the city—the linden trees lining the drive were in bloom, almost overpowering in the early summer air. The sun was just setting over the sea, but there wasn’t much time for me to admire our surroundings. Iannis took my arm, and I curled my fingers around his forearm as he led me up the steps and into the mansion. Iannis had our invitation, but the guard at the entrance waved us through without even asking to see it—nobody ever failed to recognize the Chief Mage and his shifter bride, not after our names and faces had been plastered across every newspaper in the Federation. Besides, we were supposed to be the guests of honortonight.
“Lord Iannis!” Lady Porgillas greeted us with a warm smile as we entered the packed ballroom. She was a slim redhead who wore her three hundred and fifty years lightly. “Welcome to my little party. Everyone is agog to meetyou.”
A sea of robes and dresses filled the gigantic space, and as I swept my gaze across the floor, I noted that there were only mages inattendance.
“And the lovely Miss Baine. I am so pleased you could makeit.”
“Thank you for inviting us,” Iannis said, briefly bending over the lady’s hand and kissingit.
“And for your generous gift,” I added with a smile of my own as I shook our hostess’s hand. “The residents of Shiftertown are verypleased.”
“I’m delighted to hear that,” she said. “I thought a fountain sculpture would be just the thing to liven up that drab little square of theirs.” The way she said it, with just the slightest note of condescension in her voice, told me exactly what she thought of Shiftertown and its denizens, and Iblinked.
“Have you actually been there, then?” I asked. I had figured she had chosen a depiction of Magorah simply because everyone knew that he was the shifter god, but perhaps she knew more about shifters than she was lettingon.
Lady Porgillas shrugged. “Once, to assist with the relief efforts after the quake. I am so lucky that my mansion out here among the vineyards was properly warded…I hear that things are much improved in Solantha since that dreadfulday.”
“Yes,” Iannis cut in smoothly, “and we greatly appreciate all you’ve done for us.” He gave me a subtle warning glance, and I bit back a sigh. I knew I shouldn’t feel so defensive about Shiftertown, especially since she had given such a great gift. I just wished it had been out of true generosity rather than a desire to impress her fellow mages, and particularlyIannis.
Still, it was better than a poke in the eye with a sharpstick.
Eventually, Iannis and I moved on to mingle with the rest of the crowd. All of the mages we talked to were almost irritatingly polite to our faces. However, a few hung back, eyeing me with barely concealed disdain, and I left a trail of whispers in my wake that I did my best to tune out. I was well aware that not everyone approved of my match with Iannis, but they could stick their jealousy and condemnation up their asses. The only thing that mattered was our love and commitment for each other, and that was as strong as it had everbeen.
Still, when I stopped by the refreshment table to fill a plate with crab cakes, tiny salmon rolls, and goose liver canapés, I couldn’t help but overhear a gaggle of womennearby.
“Look at her. That’s the third plate she’s taken tonight. How is she not bursting out of the seams of herdress?”
“I hear shifters have very high metabolisms and can eat whatever they want.”The other mage tittered.“Even so, that dress is a pretty tightfit.”
“Well, it’s understandable that she would not want to wear apprentice robes to an affair like this and remind everyone of her lowly status. One does wonder when the Chief Mage and she find time topractice?”
“He finds time enough to tumble her, I’d bet. Though how he can bring himselfto—”
“I know what you mean. Shifters are savages, and she is no different. Just look at those animal eyes of hers. I guess there must be some kind of kinky appeal; there’s no accounting for tastes. And yet she prances around with her head high, as though she were as good as any ofus.”
My fingers tightened on the gold-plated tongs I was holding, and I had to force myself to let go before I accidentally bent them. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I forced myself to calm down. I’d heard it all before, and would probably continue to hear it no matter how far I got in life. Bigots rarely ever changed their minds—the best way to ensure that their hatred didn’t spread was to simply not pay them anyattention.
“This absurd match cannot go well. I wonder how long into their marriage until the Chief Mage starts looking for amistress?”
