Being a true shifter isn’t the blessing it may seem. But through pain and darkness Perdita seeks to find her own life despite the ambition of others…
Chapter Five – Orc Angels
After we had garaged the quad, Mandrake shifted into his dragon form and me and Moth climbed aboard. Six beats of his wings brought us to the altitude from which he deemed it safe to drop and he landed on the lawn with us on his back.
I jumped down and Mandrake opened his mouth to speak to me. I shook my head. Moth put a hand on his arm.
“Beloved has a think in her brain.”
Mandrake shut his mouth and waited.
Once I had marshalled my thoughts I spoke. “Sorry beloved fae, but I think we need to speak to the Angels.”
Moth hissed. “Why for?”
“Because there is an idea in back of my head telling me they will find something out from the would-be bad boys.”
“Won’t the agency?” Mandrake asked.
“Good grief, no. Having sent the boys in to provide proper chastisement, the matter is very likely to be considered as closed. I’m fairly sure the request from the hot springs will have been dealt with by a clerk in the office. If a Deputy or Senior Investigator had seen it. But they won’t have.”
“Rewind that a bit, my heart, aren’t the motorcycle boys Deputies?”
“They are. But only insofar as that allows them to be intimidating without comeback. They certainly won’t see fit to report anything they may discover.”
Moth screwed up her face. “Fact. Moth will ask.” She gave me an evil look before concentrating briefly. “Agency will tell.”
“Now what?”
“We wait.” Moth said shortly.
“No time for that. We have to go back down to the flatland and get the barbecue started.”
This time the look Moth gave me could have melted steel. Mandrake eyed the annoyed fae with some amusement.
“What is the matter beloved Mothwing?”
“Cooking dead things.”
I opened my arms and she flew into my embrace. “I do know, my love. How about if you stay up here? Mandrake can guard me.”
“He don’t know bikers.”
“No. But he knows dragons. And the boys will know what he is.”
Moth thought. “Is true. Maybe I stay here and mend garden.”
I hugged her and she sort of spread herself across my chest. Mandrake came and rested a gentle hand on her wildly curly head. After a minute or two she sighed.
“Moth is better now. Thought she would have to smell dead things cooking.”
“I will guard our beloved.”
Moth turned and rubbed her face against his chest. “Why your skin feels scaly, loved dragon?”
He smiled. “I’m a bit dragonish, because I’m preparing to guard our mate.”
“Good.” She held up a hand for quiet. “Message comes. Bikers will. At sundown.”
At sundown me and Mandrake waited in the shadow of an oak tree while about half a cow cooked on the hot coals and a long table groaned with bread, cheeses and beer. Mandrake had an icy cold bottle of lager in his hand and he sipped it appreciatively.
“Good beer my darling. Where does it come from?”
“I don’t honestly know. Moth keeps the cellar stocked. And the food store up at the cottage.”
“But she really is grossed out by meat, isn’t she?”
“You have no idea. I ate some buffalo once. When I was running with a wolf pack. She was sick for weeks.”
“I bet you felt guilty.”
“Not until my master had dragged me back into this shape. I lost myself and all but become a wolf forever. It was sobering and a much needed lesson to a cocky youngling.”
He regarded me soberly. “Moth tells me your master died long ago, so how do you remain grounded in your true self now?”
“It’s Moth. She’s my anchor. There’s a shitload of strength in that cross-grained little body.”
“Maybe I can help her sometimes.”
“I think you already have. She obviously feels you can be trusted with some of the responsibilities that weigh on her so heavily.”
Mandrake drew me to him, and I leaned into his warmth. He bent his head, but was forestalled by the sound of motorcycles growling up the road. It sounded to me like about a half dozen – so we should be okay for food and beer. The first bike came slowly into the clearing, followed by six more. The Angels parked their bikes facing back the way that had come and walked towards us in a loose arrowhead formation.
The leader spoke. “Where’s the fairy? Or is…” Fortunately for the success of the evening, he got close enough to recognise Mandrake before his big mouth got him into trouble.
“Wing leader?” The orc sounded both puzzled and impressed.
“Wing leader no more, Knut. I am Mated now.”
The other six Angels went very still, except for the hands that hovered above their weapons.
Mandrake chuckled and Knut stomped forward to grab him in a crushing embrace.
“This my man. He saved my worthless hide a couple centuries back.”
The rest relaxed and Mandrake grinned at me. “I truly didn’t know, amata.”
“I don’t suppose you did, any more than I knew this orc’s name.”
Knut’s face creased as he thought that one through.
“Don’t suppose you did,” he said eventually, “names is power.”
“Indeed they are.”
I thrust out a fist and he bumped knuckles with me almost reflexively. I tried the smile with dimples and discovered it works on orcs as well as anything humanoid. He blushed and ducked his huge head.
“Help yourself to beer, my friend.” I suggested and he ambled over to the buffet.
“The others too?”
“Why not? Unless you and my mate can drink all that beer and eat all that cow meat.”
Knut’s smile showed his long, yellow fangs as he grabbed a beer then went and ripped about a dozen ribs off the barbecue. The sound as he chomped was unsettling to say the least.
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