Magical Mate Chapter 3: The Pride

Her mate yawned, his eyes still half-closed despite the cold shower he'd taken less than twenty minutes ago- not to mention the icy rain that dripped off the edges of their umbrella. Nel made a mental note that her mate was not at his best early in the morning and moved closer to carefully slip an arm around his waist. Senel accepted the caress, giving his mate a sleepy smile.
"I hope Fiona made coffee," he said and leaned a little into Nel's side.
Happy that her mate seemed to be getting more comfortable around him, Nel smiled, adjusting the umbrella a little. "If she didn't, I will. Is the customer there too? Did she say?"
Senel shook his head. "She didn't say. I would bet she either has an early appointment scheduled with the customer, or she's expecting them to drop by."
"Did she say what kind of job it was?"
"No," Senel rolled his eyes and smothered a yawn. "I'll be lucky if she tells me when we get there. She likes to keep me on my toes."
"Is it dangerous?"
A shrug. "Don't know. Fiona usually doesn't take those ones, unless there's some sort of reason we have to do it."
"It would have to be a good one to put yourself in danger." Nel didn't like the idea of Senel going off on dangerous jobs. Shee didn't know enough about this business yet to be able to watch Senel's back effectively.
She had a lot to learn, Nel thought with a sigh, in order to be a good mate for Senel.
"Here at last," Senel opened the door of the shop. The smell of fresh coffee drifted from the back room and Senel perked up immediately. Nel made another mental note. Her mate was clearly a caffeine addict.
Fiona was at her desk, a large book in front of her. "There you are," she said and waved her hand at the coffee pot. "You're late."
"You didn't give me a time," Senel protested as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He sat down on the battered sofa carefully and glared amiably at his boss. Nel curled up against his side, being sure to give Senel enough room to move, but close enough that another Pride member would know Senel was hers.
Not that she expected one to show up this morning, but it made her feel better. Senel didn't protest and Nel relaxed a little. Fiona grinned at her and Nel wondered how much she knew about Pride.
"We're supposed to meet the client in about thirty minutes. I wanted to give you some time to put a kit together."
"And what kind of kit am I putting together?" Senel lifted an eyebrow at her. "Spit it out- it's not another demon-possession is it?"
Nel made a faint sound of dismay. Demon-possession?! Senel patted her arm absently.
"No, no," Fiona waved her hand in the air. "Just a haunted house."
Just a haunted house? Nel blinked at her. That didn't sound good either, in her opinion.
Senel just sighed. "And I need a kit for that?"
"Well-" iona shrugged. "It's really haunted. Supposedly the spirits are getting a bit violent..."
"Or maybe the owners are just pissing them off?" Senel leaned forward to put his coffee cup on the low table in front of him. "Which is it, Fiona? What are we in for?"
"That's just it- I'm not sure. There's something we have to do- and hell if I know what it is yet- and so we're either going to get in, get it done and be out or-"
"Or?" Senel prompted.
"Or Nel and Mithos are going to have to come pull us out."
What? No, he needed to be with Senel! Before Nel could protest, Fiona spoke: "I need you in the shop this morning, Nel. I truly do. Mithos isn't going to be here until noon. If we're not back a half hour after he gets here- then the two of you are going to have to come get us."
She wanted to argue- but technically she was her boss- and Senel's too. She couldn't go against her authority. Biting his lip, she turned to Senel.
Her mate looked surprised. "You really are having trouble seeing which way it's going to go?"
"Sorry," Fiona lifted a shoulder in apology. "You know how it goes. Sometimes things get blocked- I think it's because what we have to do is dependent on something else-"
"Right." Senel got to his feet and headed for the store. "I'll get a kit together. Anything I need to put in?"
"Just the usual."
"Got it." Senel vanished into the store and Nel looked at Fiona.
"So if you aren't back a half hour after Mithos gets here- then we go get you? Does Mithos know what to do?"
She nodded. "It won't be the first time he's pulled us out- and if the two of you do show up, then we'll be okay. I do know that." Fiona gave him a reassuring smile. "More than likely though, we'll be finished and back here before he shows up for work. So don't worry, okay?"
"I'll try not to."
Tilting her head, she waved at the door. "Go on out and help Senel. Remind him to pack the book, will you? He knows which one and he nearly always forgets."
Her mate was digging through a battered looking knapsack when Nel joined him. "Got that, need to grab some more of those..."
"Fiona said to take the book- you'd know which one."
Senel snapped his fingers. "Right. I hate that thing, but if we need it..." Turning to one of the locked cases behind the counter, he produced a ring of keys. "Now where did I stick it..."
A moment later, he unlocked a case and pulled out a small book covered in what looked like leather. Nel was close enough to smell it though, and it didn't smell quite right...
"Human skin," Senel said as Nel wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that lovely?" He tucked the book in the side of the knapsack and brushed at his fingertips. "Makes my skin crawl."
"Why do you need it?"
"Despite the cover- done for the sheer theatrical joy of it, I'm sure- the damn thing does have some spells that are very useful." Senel fussed with the contents of the sack for a few more minutes under Nel's worried eye.
"Almost ready?" Fiona called from the back.
"Yes, yes, I'll be right there." Senel closed the knapsack and smiled at Nel. "Don't look so worried. We'll be okay. Are you sure you feel comfortable running the shop this morning?"
"Of course," Nel managed a smile back. "Just be- really careful, all right?"
"Of course," Senel echoed as he slung the knapsack over his shoulder. "I'll see you when we get back." He paused for a moment, looking faintly puzzled as if he was wondering if there was something he forgot.
Nel took advantage of the opportunity and, leaning forward, kissed her mate quickly. Senel's puzzled look turned into a softer expression. "We'll be okay," he said again and brushed his fingers over Nel's cheek. "Don't look so worried. We do this all the time."
Easy for him to say, Nel thought as Senel headed towards Fiona and the back door. Still, he was a magician, and powerful enough that Grandmother had gone through a lot of trouble to tie him to the Pride. She needed to remember that.
Shaking herself, she looked at the clock. The store wasn't due to open for another hour- and Nel didn't feel like curling up on the couch until then. She went looking for cleaning supplies, hoping that she'd be able to keep herself too busy to worry.
~*~
Nel leaned against the counter. She'd cleaned everything she could think of- except the things in the locked cases- she had a bad feeling about some of them. She'd opened the store on time, helped the customers that came in, and tried not to think about how much time was passing.
It was nearly noon. Fiona had said that if all went well, she and Senel would beat Mithos back to the store.
For some reason, Nel had a feeling things were not going well. She closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The dragon would be here soon.
Senel would be okay. Fiona had assured her of that- but then this morning she had admitted that at times she was blocked. Had she been and lied to Nel to keep him calm? She didn't want to lose his mate.
Back when Grandmother had shown her the files, Nel hadn't thought that she'd be lucky enough to get someone like Senel. She knew what her kind was usually meant for and as Grandmother had put each folder down, she'd felt his heart sink lower and lower. Thinking back, she wondered if she hadn't been manipulating him- she had to know how he felt about some of those who had offered for him...
Senel's folder had been the last.
"This one isn't Pride. He's a magician- one I want to bring closer to the Pride. He hasn't offered for you- you'll have to chase him, but I know how you are on the hunt. I think you can catch him with my help."
She'd looked at the picture on the cover- the man was walking down the street, head down, by himself in a crowd of people. Beautiful- but so lonely looking that her heart ached.
"Does he have someone?"
"No one at all. No other spouses- you know how humans are. As far as my sources can tell, he is unattached, and dedicated to his work. Do you like him, Nel?"
That was easy to answer. "Yes."
"He might be difficult to win."
"I don't care. I want to try."
The bell over the door jangled and Nel snapped out of her reverie with a jolt. Mithos stood by the door, shaking the rain out of his hair.
"Nel!" He said warmly. "Those two didn't stick you with the front, did they?"
"They're on a job," Nel told him. "Fiona said if they weren't back a half-hour after you got here, then we were supposed to go pull them out."
The dragon blew a startled puff of smoke in the air. "That bad?"
"I guess so- Fiona said they'd more than likely be back before you, but-" Nel trailed off unhappily. Mithos´ reaction hadn't been reassuring.
"What sort of job?" Mithos reached the counter, pulling off his coat.
"A haunted house."
Much to Nel's relief, Mithos seemed to relax a little. "Figures. Those ones are notoriously unpredictable. I'm amazed Fiona even takes those jobs. Well, let me get some coffee and we'll wait- and the moment a half hour is up, we'll head out. All right?"
"All right."
Mithos tugged on the end of Nel's braid. "Relax. Did she mention a hospital stay? Injuries? Did she remind Senel to take the first aid kit?"
Nel shook her head.
"Then it should be okay." Mithos assured her and headed for the back room.
The bell chimed again and Nel turned toward the door, expecting customers but hoping for Fiona and Senel-
And felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the two men who sauntered in.
Not them! Not now!
"Nel," the taller one with red hair smiled at him. "Here you are. Minerva said she'd mated you to some human, but I didn't believe it." His companion flicked blond hair over his shoulder with a smile and Nel fought not to show her teeth. She didn't stand a chance in a fight with these two.
"And yet here I am," Nel said instead, keeping her head slightly bent. "Grandmother had the good of the Pride in mind." That sounded pretentious, but when dealing with these two...
"Still, a human? Why?"
"She didn't tell you?" Nel's eyebrows shot up, thankfully hidden by his bangs. Luke was one of her Grandmother's favorite spouses. Why hadn't she confided in him?
"Obviously not," Luke's companion with blonde hair leaned against the counter and Nel took a careful step back. "Otherwise, why would we be here?"
"Cress, behave." Luke ordered absently. "We'd be here to offer Nel and her new mate our congratulations of course. Where is this mate of yours?"
"He's not here," Nel said, suddenly very grateful that Senel was late. "He had a job this morning."
"And he left you here alone?" Cress raised an eyebrow and Nel willed himself not to growl. "Unprotected?"
They wouldn't dare...
"Hardly," a warm voice drawled behind her. "Nel was left here with me. I assure you, I am very able to protect her from any threat."
Nel turned just enough to see Mithos lounging in the doorway behind her, coffee cup in hand, smoke drifting up from his nostrils.
"Who are you?" Luke asked.
"This is Mithos Yggdrasil, one of my mate's associates." Nel said, moving a little closer to the dragon. "This is Luke, one of my Grandmother's spouses- and Cress, one of Luke´s spouses."
"Must make things complicated at family reunions," Mithos smiled, showing all of his teeth. Nel was gratified to see Cress move a bit closer to Luke.
"A little. So Nel's new mate considers you adequate protection?" Luke feinted.
"Are you questioning my ability?" Mithos glided towards the counter and Nel could feel the heat that radiated off of him- and the scent of smoke that always hung around Mithos seemed to intensify. "My family has acted as guardians for thousands of years," the dragon hissed, blowing out a stream of smoke that made the two Pride males back up a little.
Nel glanced at the clock- only five more minutes. Senel and Fiona needed them. They couldn't waste time with these two for much longer... Could Mithos scare them off? Or eat them? That would be good too.
"Not at all," Luke backed off. "It's just- well, Nel is a jaguar, you know, and most of them are not allowed to go anywhere without their mates."
"And why is that?" Mithos asked, heat still rolling off of him in waves.
"Because," Cress smiled, showing his own impressive canines, "the jaguars are too warm-blooded to be trusted. They need to be confined for their own good, or they will be unfaithful to their mates..."
It was harder to hold the snarl this time. Of all the lies the lions used to keep the other cats under their control- this one was the worst- and the most unfair...
"That doesn't sound good," a familiar voice said behind Nel and relief rushed through him. Turning, he nearly threw himself into Senel's arms.
Safe. She was safe.
Senel's hand stroked over Nel's braid. "Then again, perhaps their mates just don't know how to win their loyalty," her mate added and Nel nearly laughed at the other two's expressions.
"You are Nel's mate?" Luke asked, one eyebrow arching up.
"I am. Who are you?"
"I am one of Minerva's spouses. She told me that she had mated Nel to some human- I came to see for myself."
"Did she tell you why?" Senel asked and Mithos snorted.
"I doubt it, Senel. Otherwise he wouldn't be here."
"You realize that you have to be able to face the challenge of the Pride members who feel Nel should've gone to one of them?" Cress asked and Nel finally realized why exactly they were here.
"Like you?" Senel smiled. "I'm not worried."
Cress leaned over the counter. "You should be, human." He snarled.
Senel moved quickly, one hand catching Cress´s wrist where it lay on the counter. "Anyone who tries, will have to deal with this," he said and spoke a few words that Nel didn't understand.
Cress pulled his hand free and Nel's eyes widened at the dark mark on his wrist. "What's this?"
"A curse mark," Senel smiled pleasantly. "I may be only human, but I am also a magician."
Luke drew in a deep breath as Cress look at the mark on his arm with dismay. "So that's why Minerva gave Nel to you. She wanted a tie with a magician."
"That's what she said."
"What is this?" Cress was rubbing at his wrist.
"I think the best thing to do is just to let you discover what it does. It will wear off eventually, but anyone who seriously challenges me will be stuck with a permanent one." Senel's smile turned to something a little less pleasant. "Or worse."
Luke's eyes widened. Then, much to Nel's surprise, he smiled. "I see why Minerva chose you as a fitting mate for one of ours." With a slight bow he took Cress by the arm and led him out of the store.
As the door closed behind them, Mithos turned to Senel with a smirk. "Nice curse there. He's going to hate you for the next few days."
"I hope so," Senel laughed. "It was the first thing that came to mind."
"What was it?" Nel asked, tightening his grip on Senel, relieved and grateful.
"Impotence." Mithos chuckled and Nel nearly choked. "Where's Fiona?"
"Upstairs. She has a terrible headache." Senel grimaced. "It was one of those jobs that turned into a psychotherapy session with the ghosts-"
"But they all agreed to move on?"
"Eventually." Senel sighed. "Looks like your day was more exciting." He frowned at the door. "Which reminds me that I need to check my own curse."
"I wondered when we'd get around to that." Mithos gestured at the back room. "Go ahead, I can watch from here in case a customer comes in."
Nel followed Senel and perched on the couch. She hoped Senel's curse worked- if any of the other Pride members did show up to challenge him, the wolf might help as much as Senel's magic.
Senel pulled off his shirt and Nel frowned at the array of bruises on her mate's side. Those had not been there this morning. "What happened?"
"The ghosts tossed me around a little," Senel winced as he touched the bruises. "I hadn't realized..."
"You never do," Mithos snorted and looked at Nel. "When he comes back from a job you need to check him carefully for injuries. He tends to ignore them."
Nel made yet another mental note about his mate. "Does anything else hurt?" She demanded and Senel shook his head.
"No, I don't think so," he said and Nel silently vowed to check for himself as soon as possible.
Senel touched the curse mark on his upper arm. "All right. Let's give this a try," he said and closed his eyes.
He shifted.
Nel's eyes widened and Mithos made a startled sound.
Senel... wasn't a wolf...