Fifteen
Gareth
Greyhaven was already busy with people wandering about, others dashing from place to place, their arms laden with items for the parade and fair.
The air was crisp with the threat of snow, dark clouds gathering, ready to dump on us.
Snow would be useful in cutting down the magic needed for parts of the parade, but I prayed it would hold off until later.
We still had a couple of hours before the festivities began.
The parade itself wasn’t until late afternoon, taking advantage of the short daylight hours.
“Woah!” Riley’s eyes were lit with happiness as he scanned the busy street and all the decorations helpers were hanging all over.
“Right?”
“I’ve never been to a parade. When we were hiding, we didn’t want to do anything to stand out, and when Boyce came along, he was too busy showing Mom off in other ways.”
“Other ways?” Nothing about that sounded good.
“Like I said, he was good at first. Treated Mom to expensive dinners, took her on elaborate dates. He dropped a lot of money on me too. Buying me all sorts of shit and even letting me drive his sports car. We didn’t know he was keeping track of everything we owed him.”
“Riley—”
“I’m okay, I swear.” He paused and looked around him at everyone working hard to pull the event together. “It’s easier to talk about it here, somewhere so far away and different from anything I had while in his clutches. This… all of this is so pure and wholesome. The opposite of what we had.”
Riley tugged on my gloved hand, pulling me closer to him.
“So, as I was saying last night. Boyce impressed my mom, and soon after they started dating, we moved into his big house. It all started inconspicuously. Boyce knew what we were straight away, so we didn’t have to hide.
I could shift freely, and I did. A lot. Like all the damn time. It was so freeing, y’know?”
I nodded, but stayed silent, letting him tell his story.
“We learned later on that he’d been tracking us for a while.
Actively hunting for us. He’d waited for us to let our guard down, thinking we were safe before he approached Mom.
Boyce never hid what he was either. It started with requests for me to shift into things so he could have a feather for a spell, or shit like that.
He tested my range. What I could shift into.
Showed me a bunch of animals I’d never seen before, just so I could practice.
We bonded over it. That was what got me later.
I thought he respected me, cared about me. ”
Riley let out a bitter laugh and held on to me tighter.
“He got bored with Pax pretty quickly until he figured out how strong Pax is. Physically, I mean. He can hold a single form longer than I can too. I think that’s the wolf in him.
” I let go of his hand to wrap my arm around him, and his expression shifted as he closed in on himself, shying away from a rough memory.
“Mom changed.” The word didn’t cover the entirety of what he was recalling.
He skirted it as if it still hurt to think about it too closely.
“It was just little things. Always tired. Her shifts would take longer. Then I noticed the bruises.”
“Fuck!” I couldn’t hold it back.
Riley gave a humorless laugh. “That wasn’t the worst of it.
I noticed this weird scent around her a couple of weeks later.
Then the fang marks appeared. They weren’t even hiding it.
Fuckers were always taking a little too much, so her shifter healing didn’t kick in.
Or if she pissed Boyce off by not being accommodating, he repressed her healing with magic. ”
“Shit.”
“Yeah. I heard him once. He offered me to them instead of her, but she refused. My mom bore it so I wouldn’t be given to his vampire friends as a walking blood bag.
Instead, he had me breaking into places.
He said I needed to pay my way. Pay for my upkeep, for all the things that he’d given me.
Again, he had asked a favor to start with.
Said they’d cheated him out of something, or a rival had stolen it.
So I stole things for him. The other reason why metamorphs hide.
We can shift into pretty much anything. Mice can get around security.
Bats can fly around sensors. Metamorphs are almost always exploited in some way. ”
“I… uh… fuck… Riley, that’s just… I don’t even know what to say.”
“Just answer me this. Do you still want to be with me, knowing that I’ve had to lie, cheat, and steal to protect myself and my family? And that sometimes I enjoyed it?”
“Of course! I think it’s understandable that you’d learn to like it. Probably kept you sane, made you feel powerful when you were powerless at home.”
He stopped our progression just outside the diner where Tatsuya was waiting for us and brushed his lips over mine. “Thank you.”
We shared a smile. Despite the cold, I felt all warm inside. I led him into the diner and over to my friend. Tatsuya’s eyes flashed with his dragon as we approached, our hands still entwined.
“I’d heard rumors that you two were talking, but not this. Are congratulations in order?” Tatsuya’s voice was carefully neutral, but I saw the tension in how he held himself and around his mouth.
“Sorry for being so late,” I apologized, and gestured to Riley to slide into the booth opposite my friend. I took a seat next to him and shot Tatsuya a warning glare. My friend ignored me. I noticed Tatsuya’s nostrils flare, and he frowned.
“Yeah, sorry, that’s on me.” Riley looked wary, but sat close to me. We both shed our outer gear as Tatsuya watched us.
“It’s fine. I’m glad you could work it out.” I could sense the lie. Why was Tatsuya acting like this?
“Dragon, is there going to be a problem?” Riley cut to the chase.
My mate and my best friend sat staring at each other, neither wanting to blink and back down. “Suya, come on,” I pleaded.
“No, Gar. He smells off.”
Riley sagged back in the booth, defeat written all over him. “Yeah, I do,” he said in a quiet voice. All metamorphs do.”
Shit. Riley outed himself without hesitation. I glanced at my mate, who wore a defiant expression. He acted as if the revelation didn’t bother him. Tatsuya straightened on his side of the booth. “Seriously? You’re a fucking metamorph?”
Riley tilted his head in an animalistic gesture, sort of like the German Shepherd he’d shifted into the night before. “I can’t get a read on you. Is that good or bad?” I wanted to know the same thing, so I was grateful that Riley asked.
“All I’m saying is I’ve met more unicorns. No wonder you’re so cagey!” He leaned back, all the tension gone. “Does Hestia know?” he laughed. “What am I saying? Of course she does. Why didn’t she say anything?”
Riley scoffed. “You know why. I’m taking a massive risk by telling you.
” I was incredibly grateful that all these booths had magical soundproofing.
It would have been awful to have his secret overheard.
“Thing is,” he continued with a faint smile.
“I want to make Greyhaven my home if I can.” Riley took my hand, threading our fingers together.
“We’ve a lot to work out, but I’m hopeful for the first time in a long time.
It also means I have to trust people.” He stared straight at my best friend.
“You’ve got dragon magic. What does your inner dragon say about my curse? ”
Tatsuya leaned forward and let a shift come over him. His face elongated into a snout, his eyes turning yellow and reptilian. Riley shuddered. I felt his fear spike as the dragon blew dragon’s breath over him and then tasted the air with a forked tongue.
There was a long silence as Tatsuya, still half in dragon form, processed what he’d got from Riley. Finally, he spoke, his words a low rumble. “Only a warlock can break that curse.”
Riley slumped further in his seat. “Yeah, I figured. What if Gar can’t break the curse? He’s the most powerful warlock in town, right?”
While I wanted to accept the compliment, I wasn’t sure it was right.
“Maybe. I mean, there are other warlocks who specialize in different things. Actual curse breakers, for instance. Historians who’ve researched ancient magic.
” I shared a look with Tatsuya. “If we’re talking about power scales, then maybe I’m the strongest, but that doesn’t mean they can’t do it.
Some of them are great at collaboration.
I can boost them.” I grimaced, wondering how Riley was going to cope with us poking at him with magic.
“We’ve got some time to figure it out. If not, I’ll follow you wherever I need to. ”
Tatsuya frowned. “You’d leave Greyhaven? What about the wards?”
Sometimes it was really tempting to smack my best friend around the head. He just had to bring it up.
“Wards?” Riley asked.
Then I realized the time and remembered all the stuff I had to do today. “Shit! I’m supposed to meet Hestia there right now.” I climbed out of the booth and extended my hand to Riley. “Want to come see the wards?”
While he looked puzzled, he took my hand, ready to follow me out of the diner.
“At least put your coats on!” Tatsuya sniped.
He leaned over the table to pick up our things.
“Didn’t even get coffee,” he grumbled. He handed Riley his coat first. “I’ve got my dragon keeping me warm.
Not sure if bobcats can stand the cold in the woods.
” His smile was fleeting, but it was a peace offering.
“Thanks,” Riley said with a smile of his own. Maybe they could grow to be friends in time.
I wrapped my scarf around Riley and used it to pull him in for a kiss.
“Ew, less PDA, please. Some of us are terminally single,” the dragon grumbled. I felt less inclined to call him my best friend the longer he was with us.
We walked through the town, setting things to rights as we wound our way past the hubbub of activity, out of the main streets and into the woods. I showed the viewpoint to Riley, vowing to take him on a stargazing date there soon.
When we got to the ward stones, Hestia was already there waiting for us. Tatsuya had called her to let her know we were on our way.
“Sorry for being so late,” I said, feeling guilty. My duty to the town and the wards was important. Though I guess now my duty to my mate came first.
“It’s quite alright, Gareth. I see you and Riley have found a way around his issue. How are you, Riley?”
“Doing alright, thanks, Madam Mayor. Thanks for keeping your promise, but I don’t think I need it anymore.”
Hestia’s smile was demure. “Of course. I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about the other magic on you.”
Riley shrugged. “I wasn’t ready to hear it. Are you sure you can’t break this curse?”
This time, the goddess shook her head. “I cannot. This has to be broken by a warlock. Perhaps another magic user would work. However, I cannot interfere in this matter. My magic is needed for the town.”
My mate nodded. “Figured, but just thought I’d ask.” He turned to me. “Why are we here?”
I led him to the stone and placed our joined hands onto its smooth surface.
“Can you feel the power here?” He nodded.
“This is one of four cornerstones that protect the town. If you look up, you might see the shimmer of the dome over us. It covers the entire area of the town and only lets in residents and those who really need to be here.”
His head shot up. He squinted into the sky and grinned. “I see it! I remember the day I got here. It shimmered then too.”
“Yeah, and it let you through because you were supposed to be here, Riley.”
“The wards are instrumental in protecting the town,” Hestia added.
“Without them, we would have fallen to those who want to exploit what and who we are.” Riley and the mayor shared a significant look.
“Gareth—like Tatsuya and so many others—helps me strengthen the wards regularly. Though we are a haven town, we do have enemies. We should always be prepared for an attack.”
“Are we safe here?” Riley’s anxiety was clear on his face.
“In all my years here, we have never been breached,” Hestia said with pride. “Now, stand back and watch your mate work his magic.”