Navarro paced in his wolf form, the spelled bars across his cage mocking him. Magick crackled in the air, making his fur stand on end. His hip still hurt where he had been darted the night before. If it weren’t for the small windows across the top of the room, he’d never have known how much time passed. He hadn’t seen his captor yet, but he knew it had to be a Fae. Who else would have a cage that kept a shifter from shifting? At the very least, the person responsible for his current predicament had hired a Fae to make the cages.
A jaguar shifter paced in the cage across from him. A depressed-looking grizzly lay in another a few feet away. On his left was an empty cage, but his right held a red fox female. He didn’t know what his captor planned to do with all of them. Were they part of some fucked-up collection? Or were they going to be sold to the highest bidder? There were ways of keeping them from shifting besides spelled bars. With Fae magick, anything was possible. He’d just never seen it used so cruelly before.
The door at the end of the corridor opened, and two Fae stepped into the room. The one in front wore tattered pants and had faint scarring across his rather impressive chest and his abs. The smaller Fae behind him wielded a whip, his clothes screaming obscene wealth. It seemed his master had made an appearance, but he wondered about the other Fae, the one who seemed just as fucked as the rest of them.
The fully clothed Fae stopped at each cage, as if inspecting his possessions. The other Fae trailed along with him. A lioness four cages down swiped at them through the bars, but the asshole only laughed.
“I like them feisty,” the Fae said. “Maybe I’ll make you part of my special harem. Would you like to come out of the cage?”
She hissed at him in response. Navarro didn’t even want to contemplate what being part of his “special harem” would entail. With some luck this Fae only liked females, but he’d heard most were bisexual. They drew nearer to his cage and Navarro finally could smell them over the other scents in the room. The rich one reeked of cruelty and spices. It made him sneeze.
But the other one… the Fae who seemed to be in just as much trouble as he was… that one held his attention. Silver hoops graced the top of a pointed ear and the closer he came the more certain Navarro was certain he was facing his true mate. It wasn’t uncommon for shifters and Fae to mate, but he’d always thought his mate would be another wolf. He studied the Fae, taking in his emerald green eyes and long, black hair. Despite the scars, he seemed to be in good shape, his muscles well-defined and on display.
“Ah,” said the rich Fae. “My latest acquisition. You were a tricky one to capture. I consider myself lucky you weren’t running with your pack last night. It made things much easier for me.”
Navarro growled.
“Now, now. None of that. I have a present for you.” He hit Navarro’s mate with the whip. “Give him his prize, Tabor. I swear you’re the dumbest Fae I’ve ever met.”
Tabor gritted his teeth and knelt near the cage. Navarro moved closer, poking his nose through the bars to nuzzle his mate. Tabor smiled faintly and reached out a hand to stroke his fur. In his other hand, was a hunk of raw steak. Navarro looked from the offered meat to his mate, trying to decide if it was poisoned.
“It’s all right,” Tabor said. “It’s safe to eat.”
Navarro gently took the treat, keeping an eye on his mate and wishing bars didn’t separate them. When he was finished, he tried to reach his mate again, sticking out a paw. Tabor reached into the cage and stroked his fur some more.
“Interesting,” the nasty Fae said. “Tabor, how would you like to have a pet?”
“A pet?” his mate asked.
“I’ll gift the wolf to you, as long as he wears a spelled collar to keep him in wolf form whenever he’s not in your quarters.”
“I don’t have quarters,” Tabor said with narrowed eyes. “I have a cage much like this one with a cot in the corner.”
“His attraction to you amuses me. I do believe he might be inclined to mate claim you. Watching this play out could be most entertaining. I’ll give you a simple room where the two of you may stay. But if I ever see him on the grounds in human form, the consequences will be dire.”
“Thank you, Master Dirian.” Tabor bowed his head, but his hand tightened on Navarro’s fur.
When his mate stood, Dirian motioned for him to follow. “I’ll get a collar and leash for you, then you may return and claim your pet. What you do with him is entirely up to you. I would suggest the connection you share with the beast continue to amuse me, otherwise I’ll throw him back in the cage.”
“Yes, Master Dirian,” Tabor said.
His mate cast a look over his shoulder at Navarro before disappearing through the door. Navarro didn’t understand why Dirian would give them this gift, but he wasn’t going to question it. If he could be with his mate without bars separating them, then he would take it. Maybe the two of them together could figure out how to escape this prison. Navarro didn’t doubt for a minute that security was high, and there were probably other spells and wards in place around the property and home. If they did manage to escape, it wouldn’t be easy.
With some luck, the alpha of his pack would be looking for him. Navarro wasn’t certain if the Fae had left a trail. Maybe that stench of cruelty and spices would lead his alpha here, but he didn’t even know where “here” was. For all he knew, they were in the Fae kingdom and no longer on the human plane of existence. Every fall, the veil between the two worlds grew thin. It wasn’t unheard of for a human to wander into Fae territory during those few months. Perhaps his alpha could also step through and find Dirian’s holdings. If that’s where he was.
Quite a bit of time passed before his mate returned, a silver collar and chain clutched in his hand. As Tabor drew closer, Navarro could see the etchings in the collar and knew it was the collar that had been made in order to keep shifters in their animal form. If he wore it when a full moon hit, the pain would be excruciating. A tremor shook him from head to tail.
Tabor approached the cage and held his hand over the lock. “Farien Zidra.”
The cage door popped open and Tabor stepped inside. He came straight to Navarro without hesitation and knelt in front of him.
“I’m sorry about this,” Tabor said. “I’ve seen our new quarters and I’ll take you straight there so you can shift. I’ve heard shifters can go insane when trapped in their animal form.”
The collar snapped into place, sending a jolt through Navarro. Tabor clipped the chain to the collar and led Navarro out of the cage and through the door at the end of the corridor. He looked around, taking everything in, hoping for some sign of weakness in the Fae’s defenses. The wards and spells were clearly visible, lining the walls, windows, and doors. His nails clicked on the marble floor as he followed Tabor down a long hallway, across the main entry, and up a wide, sweeping staircase. The home was opulent and spoke of great wealth. He hated to think of how Dirian might be acquiring his riches.
They went to the third floor and down another long hallway. Tabor stopped outside the last door and pushed it open. Inside was a small suite. It probably seemed downright provincial to Dirian, but it was rather nice. The floors were wood on this level of the home, the room boasted a queen-size bed, two nightstands, a set of double doors he assumed was a closet, a small sitting area with a loveseat and two chairs, and a screen on the wall that answered his question about which realm they were in. Only in the Fae kingdom would there be a crystal viewing screen instead of a TV. Another door opened to a rather spacious bathroom.
Tabor shut and locked the door before removing the chain and collar from Navarro. Shaking out his fur, Navarro focused on shifting back to human, hoping he could do it now that he didn’t have Fae magick locked around his neck or caging him in. There were spells and wards even in this room, which settled over him like a cloak. He gave a soft growl when nothing happened and tried harder. There was a pop and a sizzle along his fur as the wolf finally started to recede and let the human out.
When he stood as a man in front of his mate, he waited to see what Tabor would do. The Fae circled him, then crossed the room to the closet and pulled out a pair of pants much like the ones he was wearing, except newer. He handed them to Navarro, who stepped into them and pulled them up.
“I’m Tabor,” the Fae said. “Guard to the Wood Elf prince. Or I was.”
“Navarro. And as you already know, I’m a shapeshifter. No one important in my pack, though. I’m not an alpha or enforcer.”
“You felt it, didn’t you?” Tabor asked. “That intense feeling of being connected? I’ve never felt that with anyone before.”
Navarro smiled faintly. “It’s because you’re my true mate.”
“I’ve heard of mates. Is it similar to a Fae binding?”
“How does a Fae binding work?” Navarro asked.
“When we find a life partner, we’re bound together by magick. It’s a simple spell that ties us together, but it means that our lifespans are also connected. If one of us dies, the other dies shortly thereafter. It’s only used when a Fae knows they’ve found their life partner, someone they don’t want to live without.”
“Similar to a bite in the shifter world. Except a bite doesn’t combine our life forces or anything, it just marks us as belonging to someone. I’ve heard it can feel really good if it’s given during sex.”
Tabor smiled. “Since you say I’m your mate, does that mean you’ll be biting me at some point?”
“If you’ll allow it, but for now, I think we need to get to know one another… and figure out a way out of this place.”
The smile slipped from his face. “I’ve been a captive here for over twenty years. In the early days, I tried to escape several times a day. Nothing I did worked. The spells and wards are too strong, and Dirian is notified by magickal means whenever someone tries to break free. Once I accepted my fate, I was allowed out of the house and onto the grounds. But the walls and gates surrounding the property are also spelled and warded. Nothing can go over or through them without Dirian’s permission.”
“Which means even if my alpha managed to find me, he wouldn’t be able to get in to rescue me?” Navarro asked.
“I’m afraid not. The only way through the magick is with higher-level magick. Your alpha would have to contact Fae royalty or a high-level mage in order to break through. And since you don’t have a way of getting that information to him… “
Navarro nodded. “So, we’re stuck for now. If you were guarding a prince, why didn’t he come rescue you?”
“My prince was but a child at the time. I think he was so frightened when Dirian and his hunters attacked that he fled the area and couldn’t give the royal family enough details to come find me. Either that, or I failed so miserably at my job they decided to leave me to my fate.”
Navarro reached and took Tabor’s hand. Sparks shot up his arm from touching his mate for the first time.
“I’m sure they searched for you. Maybe they’re still searching.”
“Maybe.”
“How many shifters and Fae does Dirian take each month?”
Tabor shrugged. “Time passes differently here. You were the only one captured recently. The jaguar you saw was caught maybe a week or two ago. It’s0 been years since he captured another Fae.”
“You can’t magick your way out of here?” Navarro asked.
“Dirian is a higher-level Fae than me. He always chooses those weaker than him. It’s why he didn’t take my prince when he took me. Even as a child, the prince would have been able to break through the spells, and everyone could have escaped.”
“Then we’ll make the best of our time until either a rescue happens or we figure out a way out of his place,” Navarro said. “For now, I only have one question.”
“What?” Tabor asked.
“Can I kiss you?”
The Fae smiled and gave a slight nod in agreement. It was all the encouragement Navarro needed.