"Senel's in one of his moods," she'd said. "He'll get over it. He's not mad at you- and you have to remember that he's not a Pride. He didn't mean anything by not returning your touch- and he'd be upset to know it worried you. So don't worry, okay?"
But she had. She couldn't help it. Something had upset her mate. Something that had to do with Nel- and she couldn't figure out what it was. What had she done? It had to have been something with the fae, but she didn't know what.
When Mithos had sent him to fetch Senel, Nel had half-expected the magician to tell him to go away, but he hadn't. Senel had seemed tired, not angry, and he hadn't pushed Nel away again, much to Nel's relief. Things had fallen back into place- until they had come home to find Cress' scent lingering in the hallway.
Nel bared her teeth for a moment and then caught Senel's lips with her own. She didn't like the idea of Cress prowling around, looking to start a fight with Nel's mate.
Carefully, she grabbed hold of her mate tumbling him off the sofa and gently onto the carpet. Senel didn't protest about the change in position.
"I promised you something earlier," she said against Senel's mouth, her fingers slipping down to find the fly of Senel's jeans. Her mate's lips curved under her.
"I was hoping you'd remember," he said as he tugged at Nel's buttons in return. "But it was a long day."
Before Nel could reply, even before he could do more than tug Senel's zipper down, there was a thunderous knock at the door.
They both froze for a moment, startled. "Who the hell...?" Senel started and the knock came again.
Nel took a deep breath and snarled. There was a familiar scent on the other side of the door- several of them. "Cress- and he's not alone this time." She shook himself, trying to hold onto her human shape. The jaguar wanted out- wanted to take a bite out of lion hide, dominant or not, suicidal or not...
Senel snorted and pushed Nel gently to the side. He stood up, his clothes in disarray and strolled to the door. Putting one hand against the fragile wood, he took a deep breath. "What is it?"
Nel hurried to her mate's side. He wasn't going to let Senel face these three alone!
"Let me in, magician!"
"I'm sort of busy at the moment." Senel drawled and Nel gaped at him. "And I don't believe we have an appointment."
"I order you to let me in and take off this damn curse!"
"You got the curse because you challenged me. Are you challenging me again?"
Cress was silent for a moment and Nel moved even closer to Senel. If Cress had been alone, that threat might have made him back down, but he was out there with two of his spouses and he couldn't lose face in front of them.
"I want this curse taken off of me." A neutral answer. Not a direct challenge.
"Then you will have to be patient. I told you the curse would wear off naturally."
Another pause- and then something slammed into the door. "That's not good enough! Reverse this curse, or I swear that the next time I find your mate unprotected-" Cress didn't have a chance to finish his threat. Senel's hand glowed briefly and the door suddenly flared with light.
Nel blinked, her eyes watering. Senel opened the door and frowned at the three unconscious figures on the floor of the hallway. "It's a good thing the landlady is understanding about this sort of thing."
"What did you do?"
"Just activated the full power of the wards. They got 'slapped', but they should be fine in a bit." Senel bent down over the curse mark on Cress' wrist. He traced something on the skin just above it and Nel's eyes widened as the curse mark writhed and changed. Then he traced another mark on all three of the unconscious Pride members foreheads.
He stepped back and frowned at them. "Go home."
Much to Nel's surprise, they all rose to their feet and stumbled down the hallway towards the exit.
"All done." Senel tugged Nel back into the apartment. Closing the door firmly behind him, he smiled at his mate. "Don't look so worried. They'll get home safe enough."
"I wouldn't care if they didn't." Nel frowned. "Cress worries me."
"I know." Senel gently pushed Nel down on the couch and picked up the spell book from the floor. "But we are going to put some protections on you- and besides, he's not going to feel like going out for a bit."
"What did you do to him? I saw that the mark changed-"
Senel smiled as he flipped the pages in the book. "I just did as he asked- I reversed the curse."
Reversed? But Cress still had the mark... Nel's eyes widened as the implication hit him. Reversed... "You mean instead of impotence..."
"Exactly. He's lucky, most people would pay a lot for that sort of thing. Especially for as long as it should last." Senel's smile turned slightly depraved. "He might be a little sore- and jeans are out of the question- but really, I did what he asked."
Nel made a mental note. Senel could be very literal at times.
Senel stopped on the page Fiona had bookmarked. He studied the page for a minute and Nel noticed that his smile widened a little.
"Perfect. Mithos was right. This should do the trick." Senel turned the book around to face Nel. "This protection charm will work if you're awake or unconscious- and you don't have to do anything to activate it. If someone touches you with the intent to hurt you- be it with bare hands or otherwise- it will make them very sorry."
Nel looked at the page and read the short paragraph. "I like it."
"Are you sure? We can look for some other ones."
"No," Nel looked up and met Senel's eyes. "This one is perfect." If only there was a way to put it on all of his jaguar kin.
"All right then." Senel stood up. "We won't need the workroom for this. Let me just go get what I need and I'll meet you in the bedroom." His face turned a light pink, much to Nel's amusement. "It will be more comfortable for you- we have to apply the charm all over your skin."
"Okay." Nel headed for the bedroom, pulling off her shirt on the way. She paused over the rest. Senel's shyness still surprised her. It wasn't as if she'd hidden anything from her mate, though he knew the Pride were much more casual about clothing than humans were. Still, Senel had said...
She finished undressing, stretched out on the bed face down and waited patiently. Senel entered the room a few minutes later, carrying the book and a small jar. He gave Nel a faint smile. "Ready?"
"Yes."
Senel sat down on the bed, the book open to the right page beside him. "Just close your eyes and relax. The charm needs you to accept it, and the best way is just by relaxing and staying still."
"Okay," Nel closed her eyes obediently. She heard Senel start to chant softly under his breath, and then warm fingers slid down her spine. It was hard not to move, to arch into the touch as those fingers caressed her back, traveled down her arms and legs, swept over her ankles. It was a divine torture to stay still, to feel the warmth spreading across her skin... oh, she was going to jump on her mate once this was over...
Then the fingers nudged her and she rolled over. Now she could watch Senel under her lashes as the magician bent over her, his lips still moving in the quiet chant, his fingers moving over Nel's skin. There wasn't an inch of skin that didn't feel the touch of Senel's hand and Nel was feeling very warm by the time Senel's caresses stopped. Her mate's hand rested gently on her stomach, right below her navel. Nel nearly gasped as Senel's hand grew uncomfortably warm, but she stayed still.
Senel stopped chanting and lifted his hand away. For a moment, Nel would've sworn that her skin was glowing, but then she blinked and the glow was gone.
"All finished." Senel smiled wearily and Nel sat up. Carefully moving the jar and the book to the bedside table, she pulled her mate down onto the bed beside her.
"You look exhausted."
"A little too much spell casting today," Senel said and Nel mentally berated himself. She should've insisted that Senel hold off on the protection spell.
"Rest," she said, slipping her arms around her mate and holding him close. Seduction could wait until morning when Senel was rested.
"That sounds good." Senel smothered a yawn. He put his head down on Nel's shoulder. "Sorry about the mark, but I wanted the spell tied to both your forms."
"What mark?" Nel asked and Senel reached down to brush his fingers on the small patch of skin below Nel's navel. By tilting her head up just enough, she could see a small mark that looked an awful lot like one of the rosettes on her jaguar form's coat. Nel smiled and nuzzled Senel affectionately. "I like it."
"I'm glad." Senel was already half-asleep. "Now you're safe..."
Nel hoped he was right.
~*~
Nel awoke to the sun shining through the curtains and into her eyes. She rolled over to find herself alone in bed, which surprised her, considering how tired Senel had been the night before. Pulling on her jeans, she wandered out of the bedroom to find Senel.
Senel was sitting on the couch, Nel's grandmother by his side.
"I'm really sorry, but I just don't want her here." Senel said and glanced over at Nel. "She's just too much trouble."
Nel's breath caught in her throat. What was going on?
Minerva glared at Nel. "You've failed me, granddaughter. Three days with your mate and he already wants you gone?"
"Wants me gone?" Nel repeated, stunned. Senel wasn't looking at hers. What had he done?
"Why do you think I'm here? I came to take you back."
Back? No! Panic rose up in her chest. She rushed to kneel by Senel's leg. "I can be better- whatever you need me to change, I'll do it!" Surely Senel would listen to her- he'd been so kind...
"It's not that," Senel looked down on her, his eyes cold and hard. "There's nothing you can do. I just don't like you."
It was like being slapped. "But- Regulus- he said you needed me!"
"I don't need you. Need you to do what? Bring more trouble into my life?"
"Senel-"
"Please- just take him away." Senel got up and moved away, leaving Nel in a stunned heap on the floor.
"Of course. Luke? Cress? Can you help?" Her grandmother looked towards the door. The two lions stood there, predatory smiles on their lips.
"No! Please no, not them...." She closed her eyes tightly. "Senel, please! I'll be better..."
"Nel? Nel!" Nel opened her eyes to find her mate leaning over her. "Are you okay? You were calling out in your sleep."
Relieved, Nel threw her arms around Senel. "Don't send me away! Please- I'll do whatever you want..."
"Send you away?" Senel repeated, sounding startled. "Why would I do that?"
"Grandmother-" Nel started and then stopped as she realized that she was still in Senel's bed. There was no sun shining through the curtains, the room was still dark. "I... I had a bad dream...?"
"You must have." Senel settled back down on the pillows, bringing Nel with him. "You were calling out for me."
"I didn't mean to wake you."
Senel's lips ghosted over her forehead. "It's all right."
Nel curled up as tightly as he could beside her mate. "I'm a lot of trouble for you. I'm sorry- I'll make it up to you..."
"Shh. There's nothing to be sorry for." Nel opened her mouth but Senel placed gentle fingers on her lips. "There isn't. You aren't trouble at all. Don't think that way. I'm glad you're here with me."
"Really?" The knot in Nel's chest began to ease.
"Really." Senel kissed her forehead again. "Very much so."
~*~
Voices woke Cress. Voices that seemed to come from a long distance away. He hurt. His muscles were cramped and the ache between his legs was enough to make him squirm uncomfortably on his bed.
"This is a disgrace. I won't have this, Luke. I am the one who chose Coolidge for Nel. I approved of the match. If your spouse doesn't stop this harassment, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands."
"If you intend to make Coolidge part of the pack, he needs to be able to stand up to challenges." Luke said, a hint of amusement lurking in his voice. "It's not like he's done badly so far- I'd say after Cress and those other two staggered in last night that most of the Pride would think twice before challenging him."
"It's still disgraceful. He's a magician, not Pride, and I don't want to risk angering him. We're going to need him and you know it."
"I do," Luke sounded more serious now. "So I take it that you want to make an example of Cress?"
"He's going to have to prove his worth to the pack somehow. Think of something, Luke. Something appropriate. I know you can."
Cress suppressed a shiver. He knew how creative Luke could be.
"I will. Perhaps a call to Combatir? In the meantime it seems a pity to let Cress' state go to waste..."
His state? What was Luke talking about? He felt dizzy, and his eyes wouldn't open, but what did that have to do with anything...?
He found out soon enough.
~*~
The phone rang. Senel untangled himself from Nel on the couch and went to answer it. "Hello? Oh. What do you want, Regulus?" He listened for a moment, his eyebrows rising. "The Pride wants you to alter the curse I put on Cress yesterday? Not take it off? Huh. Alter it to what?"
Much to Nel's surprise, Senel burst out laughing.
"Go ahead. I'd volunteer, but... yeah. What are you asking for in trade? No! Never mind, don't answer that. I don't want to know."
A moment more and Senel hung up the phone, rejoining Nel on the sofa.
"What happened?"
"I guess your grandmother is very angry at Cress. They want to modify the curse on him so he can contribute usefully to the Pride."
"And what curse would do that?"
Senel told her and Nel's eyes widened. "Guess we won't have to worry about him for a bit."
~*~
Cress was tired. All his energy seemed to be draining from him. Why had he even gone back that damned sadistic bastard of a magician? How much longer would this curse last?
"So Senel agreed?" Luke said from behind him somewhere.
"Oh yes. I can cast it now if you like."
"Please."
A blonde man with a smile that Cress didn't like leaned over him. "I usually don't approve of this sort of thing at all, but considering your past, I think you need an object lesson."
Cress opened his mouth to plead, but the blonde shook his head and placed his fingers around Cress' wrist. "Just a moment..." he said and muttered something under his breath. Warmth flared through Cress and he passed out.
He awoke later- how much later he couldn't tell. They'd moved him- this was Luke's bed, he recognized the feeling of the sheets under him. And the dreadful ache between his legs was gone. He relaxed before he realized that not only was the ache gone... but something else was too.
Sitting up he pulled the sheets to the side and screamed at the sight of his body, his voice spiraling upwards.
"Stop that," Luke said from the doorway, smiling. "It's not permanent."
"I'm a woman!"
"Yes. Minerva wanted you to contribute to the Pride. We thought this was the best way."
"Contribute? Like this?!"
"Of course. You're going to be a wonderful mother...."
~*~
Senel slammed the car door shut. "I knew this was a bad idea, I just knew it."
"Calm down," Mithos grabbed his friend's elbow. "You know that Fionas said there was a slight chance of this one going to hell, but she was sure that she and Nel could handle it."
"Well, it looks like the psychic network went down," Senel growled under his breath as he charged up the walk. "Are you Mrs. Suarez?"
"Yes," the woman replied fearfully as Senel glared at her. Mithos stepped in between Senel and the woman and smiled charmingly.
"Thank you so much for calling us. You said that you haven't heard from Fiona or Nel yet?"
She shook her head. "No. Fiona told me to call you two if they weren't out in half an hour. It's been forty-five minutes now. I opened the door and called for them, but no one answered- and I couldn't go in..."
"That's perfectly understandable," Mithos soothed her as Senel turned towards the house. "Don't worry about a thing. We'll go right in-"
Before he could finish, Senel had already left his side and was on the front porch. Mithos rolled his eyes and hurried after.
Stepping inside the house, the two magicians looked around. Everything seemed to be in order. It looked like a normal living room, nothing out of place.
"Fiona?" Mithos called. "Nel?"
No answer.
"Nel?" Senel tried. "Answer me!"
Nothing.
"Do you feel that?" Senel frowned. "The temperature dropped... I think we're being mocked."
"Maybe the heat's off." Mithos snorted moving over towards the stairs. "Fiona?"
His voice echoed back to him. "Fiona? Iona? Ona?"
"Enough." Senel snapped and lifted his hand. A moment later a bright blue flame engulfed his fingers. "I know you're here and I don't have time for games. I want Nel and I want Fiona and I want them now, or you are going to burn."
The temperature dropped a few more degrees and the front door swung open revealing an anxious-looking Mrs. Suarez on the lawn.
"Oh," Senel said, as if the house had spoken. "It's not going to hurt the house- just you." He put his hand against the wall and the house shrieked.
The hall door popped open. Fiona and Nel fell out. Fiona was panting, but Nel was unconscious, her eyes rolled up in the back of her head.
"What happened?!" Mithos demanded as he and Senel sprung to their sides.
"The house... shut us in... tried to call... it made the breath stop... in throat... couldn't breathe... I stopped fighting... but Nel..."
"She's got protections!"
"Not against spirits!"
Mithos put one hand on the side of Nel's neck. "She's breathing now, Senel," he assured his furious looking partner.
"IT DARED!!!" Senel got to his feet, the blue flame exploding around him, haloing him in an eerie light. He slammed his hands against the wall and the flame rushed out, consuming nothing, but covering the walls with its crackling glow.
The house shrieked again. And again.
"COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!." Senel turned towards the stairs, his lips pulled back in a snarl.
The fire around him suddenly rushed upwards, vanishing up into the second story, and now the shrieks were smaller. A glowing white figure appeared at the top of the stairs, surrounded by blue flame.
"There he is," Fiona got to her feet and stood at the bottom of the stairs, her hands on her hips. "Just what do you think you've been doing, young man?"
"I was just playin'!" The figure wailed. "Hide n' seek!"
"Tone it down, Senel," said Mithos in a soft tone.
"HELL NO!!!"
"Senel-" Sally started, but was saved the effort when Nel struggled to her feet. Senel immediately dropped the flames and went to Nel's side.
"Mean man," said the ghost and stuck its tongue out at Senel's back. "Scarin' people!"
SFiona turned her attention back to the small ghost. "That wasn't funny- and you've been scaring people too! You're just as mean as he is!"
The ghost's expression crumpled. "Didn't mean to! Just wanted to play! It's lonely!"
That of course, gave Fiona the opening she needed. "Of course it is, that's why you've got to go on."
Senel wasn't paying any attention to Fiona or the ghost. "Are you all right?" He said in Nel's ear, cuddling his mate close.
"Fine," Nel stroked Senel's spine reassuringly. "Just fine. He didn't mean to choke me like that- I could tell. It was an accident. I'm fine." She kept repeating the word, Senel felt like a drawn bowstring under her fingers. "Relax."
"I can't. I'm going to have a heart attack anytime you go on one of these jobs without me."
For some reason, that made Nel smile. "Then we'll be even."
Senel's grip got a little tighter for a moment. "You're really okay?"
"Of course I am." Nel stepped back a little and looked towards Mithos and Fiona. Fiona was still talking to the ghost, but Mithos made a little shooing motion with his hand. "Why don't we go outside and talk to Mrs. Suarez? Tell her things are going better?"
"All right," Senel agreed and followed Nel outside.
"So, what do you think?" Fiona said as she and Mithos watched the ghost grow bright and then vanish.
"About the ghost?"
She punched his arm. "No, about Senel."
"He's besotted of course. He'll realize it soon enough if he hasn't already. He just needs to get over that stupid 'Nel could do better' complex he has going."
"That's not quite what I meant." Fiona met his gaze. "Did you see his reaction? What is he going to do if Nel gets really hurt someday?"
Mithos's expression darkened. "Will she?"
"Too many variables." Fiona sighed. "I never quite understood why in the futures that we lose Nel in also ended in Heero turning to the dark side... but now I do."
Blowing out a stream of smoke, Mithos sighed. "Then we'd best make sure nothing happens to Nel."
"That might be tricky..."
The End
