Magical Mate Chapter 4: Deepening the Relationship

Senel squinted down at his paws. Granted, he wasn't totally comfortable with the vision of this shape- but they didn't look right. They looked- sort of splotchy.
And damn, no wonder Nel stripped before changing. Pants did not go well with a tail.
He looked up as Mithos made a sound and opened his mouth. Ah, right, he couldn't talk in this form- and judging from Mithos´ expression, there was something wrong. He tried to look over his shoulder at his torso.
Oh. That would account for the something wrong.
He looked back at Mithos.
"Yeah, we're surprised too," Mithos drawled. "Can you change back?"
Senel was relieved to find out that he could, though it made his skin itch. "Huh, what do you think caused that to happen?"
"If I knew, I'd tell you." Mithos snorted. "It looks like you might have to do some research, student of mine."
"Obviously." Senel frowned at the mark on his arm. He hadn't noticed a change in it, but there must've been at least one. "I'll look through the book- maybe even go talk to Combatir."
"Good idea." Mithos turned slightly as the door chime rang. "Good afternoon!" He called out, before turning back to Senel. "But put your shirt on first- and have Nel help you put something on those bruises."
He vanished from the doorway and Senel felt a gentle touch on his bruised side. "What happened? You were a jaguar- like me! Why didn't you turn into a wolf?"
"A glitch." Senel turned to face his worried looking mate. "Something went wrong in the curse and changed the result. It happens sometimes."
"So what do you do now?"
"I need to figure out why there was a glitch. In this case, it could've been a mistake I made in the transfer. Or it might have been the way the curse was made- for all I know your Grandmother had it built in to suit her own purpose."
Nel frowned. "I hadn't thought of that. It would be like her. What are you going to do? Can you remove it?"
"No," Senel shook his head. "I can pass it on, but not take it off." He headed towards the small washroom. "Not that I think I will. It's still a valuable curse- I just need to make sure that it doesn't have any other side effects or problems."
"And how do you check something like that?" Nel closed the door as Senel opened the medicine cabinet and took out a small jar.
"Well, I check the book. If that doesn't work I go to the other curse expert in town and ask him." He faced the mirror and studied his bruises. "They aren't that bad..."
"Let me," Nel took the jar and opened the lid. "Is he more familiar with this type of curse?"
Senel shook his head and hissed a little as Nel began to spread the ointment on his bruises. "No- but knowing now that it was your Grandmother who bought the curse in the first place- unless she went out of town to do it- Combatir is more than likely the one who made it. Do you know?"
"No," Nel's fingers gently massaged the ointment into his skin. "Grandmother didn't tell me where she got it." She stopped when he reached the waistband, her free hand tugging on the button.
"What-?"
"The bruising looks like it goes down your side," Nel neatly squashed Senel's escape attempt by pulling down his zipper and slipping his hand inside Senel's pants. "If you'll just take these off..."
"I'm really okay!"
Nel snorted and yanked Senel's pants off- another piece of clothing following along for the ride.
"Thought so- it goes all the way down your leg!" Nel dropped down on his knees and Senel inhaled sharply. "What happened?"
"Like I said- they threw me around a little," Senel managed. He focused on the opposite wall, doing his best to ignore what Nel was doing. Didn't he have any self control at all? Nel was just taking care of some bruises! So what if his touch seemed to warm Senel's skin from the inside out? So what if he could feel Nel's breath against his thigh?
"Am I hurting you?" He looked down in an automatic response to find Nel looking up at him with worried eyes. "No-"
"Are you sure?" Nel traced the line of his thigh with gentle fingers. "You went all tense. Does something else hurt?"
Not yet, Senel thought and shook his head. "No, no. I'm really okay."
Nel got to her feet, her hand smoothing the ointment back up Senel's side. "Relax," she said with a faint smile. "I'm not going to start something here at work- no matter what those lions said."
Senel blinked at her. What had the lions said? Something about the jaguars being too hot blooded to be left alone? Did Nel think that he believed those two idiots? It was obvious they'd just been trying to rile Nel.
"It's me I'm worried about," Senel told him honestly and Nel's smile brightened. She leaned into her mate, touching his mouth to Senel's.
"What if I gave you something to tide you through until we're safely home?"
There was only so much temptation Senel could take. Pulling Nel closer he took shameless advantage of the offered mouth.
Several minutes later, he managed to regain enough of his senses to pull back a little. "If we don't stop, Fiona is going to kill me for doing this when I should be working..."
"You were working pretty hard," Nel countered, but he let her mate go. "I'll go see if I can help Mithos."
Senel reached out and smoothed a strand of Nel's hair back into place. "I'll be out as soon as I can."
"Promise we can continue this later?"
"If you-"
"Want? Oh yes." Nel leaned in for one more quick kiss. "Very much so." She slipped out the door, leaving Senel allone to pull himself together.
~*~
"Anything yet?" Mithos asked.
"Nothing," Senel flipped another page. "Not a damn thing. If something had gone wrong then the curse should've just not worked- or trapped me in the wolf form. There's nothing in here that applies!"
"You know what this means, right?" Mithos smiled and Senel groaned. Nel lifted her eyebrows and poked Senel with a French fry.
"Does this mean you have to go talk to the other magician? Is he unfriendly?"
Mithos roared with laugher and Senel contented himself with crumpling up one of the wrappers from his finished lunch and tossing it at the dragon.
"Hardly," he said in response to Nel's puzzled look. "Combatir is very friendly. In fact, he's a very good friend of Mithos'. So much so that I think-"
"Oh no," Mithos shook his head. "You can go ask him."
At that moment, the phone rang. Mithos scooped it up. "Greymalkin's, how can I help you?" He paused for a moment and then started to chuckle. "Well, how fortunate. Senel has a question to ask of you- perhaps a trade of services?"
Senel shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Figures," he murmured to Nel.
"Of course, I'll send him right down." Mithos grinned at Senel. "Love to. Definitely. See you at nine."
"Dare I hope he wanted you instead?" Senel asked as Mithos hung up the phone.
"Hardly. I got invited to dinner. You are asked to go down and look at something that showed up in their latest shipment. Combatir says it gives him a bad feeling, but he can't pinpoint it- and it's cold iron."
"And yet he bought it?"
"He buys that stuff in lots, you know he does." Mithos made a shooing motion. "Go on, they're waiting. Take Nel with you."
Senel frowned. "I'm not sure-"
Mithos laughed again. "Relax. She's your mate, they aren't going to touch him." Mithos turned his smile on Nel. "You might want to keep an eye on Senel though. The ladies are fond of him."
"Right. After I made whatshername cry? Hardly." Senel grabbed his coat out of the back room and handed Nel his. "Is it still raining?"
"Yes," Nel put his coat on, giving Senel a questioning look. "Should I go?"
"You should," Mithos nodded. "I think it would be a good idea for more people in the magician's circle to meet you."
"Good point," Senel's expression lightened. "I hadn't thought of that." He grabbed the umbrella out of the rack and opened the door. "If we're not back in an hour, send for help."
"Ha ha." Mithos blew a smoke ring. "More like I'll be calling Combatir and asking if he needs any."
Once outside Senel opened the umbrella and smiled at Nel. "Ready?"
"Are you sure?" Nel asked hesitantly, and Senel mentally kicked himself. He really wasn't good at this communication thing.
"Yes," he said, and reached out to pull Nel under the umbrella with him. Fiona had made a point of reminding him that Pride acted a lot like their animal counterparts. Touch was important- not only for affection, but also for acceptance and reassurance. "I should've explained in there, I'm sorry. It's not that I don't want you with me- that wasn't what I meant at all. I'm just- well, worried about taking you in there with me."
Much to his relief, Nel snuggled into his side as they started down the street. "Why? Is it dangerous? Wasn't he the one you told me to go see for a second opinion?"
"He was- and he's not dangerous. Not at all. In fact, he's known Mithos for a long time. A very long time- they have this little rivalry thing going on..."
"But he's going to dinner..."
"It's not a blood feud- and believe me, Combatir and Albain- that's his partner- are very fond of Mithos. But, like I said, there is this little desire to 'one-up' each other- you know what I mean?" Nel nodded, still looking puzzled. "So why are you worried?"
"It's just-" Senel cast a glance around. "They're fae. They have a very different way of looking at things." Nel still looked confused and so Senel plowed on: "And since you're beautiful- they'll be going out of their way to charm you-" He bit his lip- he was doing this all wrong. He sounded like a jealous idiot- and after only knowing Nel for less than a week.
Nel's expression cleared and she slipped his arm around Senel's waist. "I'm your mate."
"I know-"
"After what Cress said I know it's hard to believe- but I swear to you, we're not like that- I'm not like that. It's a lie."
Senel mentally kicked himself. Damn it. He hadn't meant to imply Nel was anything of the sort. "I didn't think-"
"The lions use that excuse to keep the jaguars under their paw," Nel's voice dropped to a growl. "If they keep us chained with lies then their power is safer-"
Senel blinked, a terrible thought popping into his head, and then pulled Nel over to the side, taking refuge in the opening of an alley. "Wait- when you say chained- you mean literally chained?" Hadn't the blonde one said something about being confined?
"Imprisoned any way that their spouse desires," Nel answered, her eyes nearly ablaze. "Not all of them, but many of the lions feel it's important."
"What?! All because you're too hot blooded?"
Nel snorted. "Hot blooded? More like unable to fight back if another Pride member finds you."
Senel's blood ran cold.
"And even unchained- the lions aren't above making sure the others are aware of their dominance- even if you aren't their mate."
"That's rape-"
"Not to the Pride." Nel's eyes met his. "And if you are with someone other than your mate- well, that's the jaguar's fault isn't it? For being hot blooded?"
"No! That's the worst thing I've ever heard-" Senel closed his eyes and shook his head. Then a thought hit him. "Wait a minute- those two that came into the store today-"
"I'm glad Mithos was there."
Senel pulled his mate close and took a deep breath. "So am I." He tugged Nel back onto the street. "Let's go get this done with- then we are going back to the shop and looking into some protections for you."
"Protections?" Nel repeated, speeding up her steps to match Senel's.
"Some things that are going to make any lion think twice before going near you." He took a deep breath. "And Nel- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply that I thought you were anything like they said. I didn't when they said it- I thought they were just trying to provoke you."
"They were," Nel frowned. "I knew I'd have trouble once I was given to someone- but I didn't think it would follow me here. I am sorry-"
"They're the ones who will be sorry," Senel missed the pleased look that Nel gave him. "Here we are."
"This doesn't look like a store," Nel said as they mounted the steps.
"It's not- it's a tea room. Combatir's sisters do psychic readings." Senel gave him a quick smile. "It's like being with a roomful of Fionas."
Nel's eyes widened and she groaned. "Maybe I should've stayed at the shop."