Chapter One

Artemis Will could feel the narrow connection between her and her newest familiar, Smoog. He would get his human name back when he was back on his feet. Well, standing on two feet. He had stripes, he had spots, and he had white feet and a white belly. He was adorable, even to Missy.

She picked him up and scritched his head with her fingertip. "Well. We have to register you now. I will include the punitive timing of five years."

I thought I was registered with you.

Tannic chuckled and said, "Your consent to the link was registered. Now, Archmage Will will confirm that the procedure has been completed."

Was it like this when you linked with her? Smoog wandered around the room and bounced a little as he found a bit of fluff on the floor.

"No, it was a lot more formal, and there were a bunch of mages watching to see if I would explode. That had been the fate for the previous attempts."

Missy grimaced. "They were all under a death sentence in their human form, so it was a quick death, but yeah, they did blow."

The kitten looked at her in shock. I thought you were kidding.

Tannic shook his head. "She was not."

Missy thought about the animals and got ill. "I was not."

The kitten stood next to her, and then he climbed her jeans. When he climbed her tee, she winced but remained still until he was on her shoulder.

The world looks so big from up here. Do I smell blood?

"Yes, Smoog. Your claws are sharp; the shirt is thin." She offered him the burning pain that ran up her torso to mark his path.

He froze. You didn't move when I crawled up.

Tannic took her hand and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. A warm wave rushed over her skin, and the hot prickles faded.

Smoog blinked. Thank you, Tannic.

Tannic smiled. "Healing is what I got when I bonded to the archmage. I learned every application that I could. You dumped a lot of power into me."

"I really didn't."

He shook his head. "Do you want another dance lesson?"

Missy paused. "Uh. Didn't we have one an hour ago?"

"Yes, but it is literally something that you will get better at the more you practice."

He just wants to get his hands on you. The kitten snorted.

"He just has to ask," Missy said to Smoog. "I do not respond well to surprise contact. I wanted to scatter you around the world with your body in a hundred pieces, but I had to heal myself first, and then I had to gather a crowd to outnumber the wolves."

The kitten froze. Really?

"Really. I really am not swayed by something cute, but I thought it would make folks treat you more kindly as you serve your sentence. As you were a feline shifter, I thought to keep you in that species."

Uh, thank you.

"You are welcome. So, just remember that when folks coo over how cute you are, it was deliberate."

Tannic played music on his phone again and pulled her into his arms. "Dancing should be second nature. You should be in the arms of your partner and move with them effortlessly. We will practice at random intervals."

She focused on relaxing against him and sighed as she put her hands on his arms. "They tried to teach me before I became a master mage, but I couldn't manage to relax."

He moved one of his arms and held her hand in his. "Just focus on relaxing one muscle group at a time. It will feel completely normal when we are dancing at the engagement parties."

She nodded. "I have used desensitization before. I respond well to exposure therapy."

You sound ill, Archmage.

"Not ill, just... my brain has chosen its focus, and it is not the world around me. This is just where it exists. It sees other planes and dimensions as easily as it does the street I live on. My brain is in a constant state of calculating my location in space and time and the position of those around me."

The music was soft, and they were slowly moving around the room. Tannic's hand was wrapped around her back, and they were closer than they had been when they had started dancing.

"Autism?" Tannic asked.

"They don't diagnose mages like that. They know even a brain with its own way of processing is a useful thing that can tap into its own power if given enough time. Mine raged into full activation when they took Athena away. She was like always having a door at my back, a person to lean on, and then she was gone."

She sighed and pressed her head to Tannic's chest. "I never wanted to do that to anyone else."

He murmured, "Do what?"

"Obligate someone to look after me. I know how hard it was for her, but she was my sister. Roping someone else into being the block at my back was something I avoided as long as I could."

He rubbed her back. "I know. They did not ask me lightly. I am literally the only one of my kind in this generation. I read the parts of your file that they presented and then your statement that you would not make any demands on me."

She sighed. "It nearly worked. I nearly got you out of the contract."

"I never asked to be released from the contract, Archmage."

"Call me Missy."

"Missy for Artemis; Atty for Athena."

"Correct. Girls like cute names. It was a private joke, and our given names were so serious, we needed to make them fun." She lifted her head as the song finished.

Tannic looked down at her, his golden eyes crinkling as he smiled. "There may be more than one."

The kitten snickered.

Missy nodded. "Don't laugh, Smoog. You are going to be wearing a cute little bow for the ceremonies. Maybe a collar."

He growled. I am not a pet.

"No, you are a familiar. You contain a tiny piece of my power. Once you get stronger, it will be more and more power, but I am being careful with your teeny body." She looked at him seriously.

Please don't explode me.

"I am trying not to. The speck of energy inside you is going to get your body ready for more. With Tannic, I just dumped the extra into him because he demanded it. He's bossy."

Tannic snorted, and she looked at him. "Bossy?"

"Well, you yelled at me to get it over with, so I did." She looked at him and knew her eyes were huge. They were headed into social declarations, and those freaked her out.

He chuckled. "I was a bit of a thug, and I do remember snapping at you as you tried to get the council to change their minds."

"You were tense and grumpy."

"I was eager, and the council asked me to take more of your power than you offered. I had finished arguing with the councillor outside the ritual space, and he was glaring at you."

"Yes, I am not particularly liked by the council, so when I won the spot of the archmage, there were several who wanted me dead. Draining a good portion of my magic and then sending an assassin would be a good place to start if they wanted to kill me. They almost did. Twice."

Tannic's hand squeezed hers. "Twice?"

"Yeah, right after we linked. Assassin on my running path was the first, and poison on my groceries was the second."

"Then it stopped?"

She chuckled. "Yeah, I let some of the pieces appear in a council meeting. I was lectured for it but simply stated that I had been so flustered by the attacks that the temporal effect of the portals had been unpredictable."

"Wait, you timed the remains to arrive in council?" Tannic smiled.

"Yeah. My mistake." She nodded. "This dancing is different." They were stepping forward and back with their hips rocking gently. His hand guided her gently as he moved them around the room.

"It is. It can be done to fast or slow music."

She nodded and moved with him, getting closer and closer to him until they were in light contact. "I think the basics will be enough."

"These are the basics. Your sister is advanced."

Missy scowled and then nodded. "Atty has always been better at people things."

Tannic smiled. "I would like to take you for a flight one day soon."

"Why?"

"Because portals are fine, but actually moving through space is a very different thing." His hand moved in a slow circle on her back as they shifted back and forth. "Wind and the view that reaches around the horizon. Light unclouded and blue sky all around you."

"It sounds pretty."

"It is spectacular, and I would love to be your guide."

Missy twisted her lips. "I will consider it."

Her phone chimed, and she blinked. "Oh, I have something to do."

Tannic chuckled and slowed until they were standing. "If I didn't know better, I would think you planned the interruption."

"Physical fitness is no joke. I have to remain fit, or my magic slips."

Tannic stared at her. "You aren't kidding. You are going to work out?"

"Yes." She pried her hand out of his and stepped back. "It is time for me to go for a run. Cardio helps spell casting."

Tannic let her step away and inclined his head. "Can I come with you?"

"No. Not necessary. You probably have XIA stuff to do or patients or recreational activities to engage in." She set the kitten on the floor.

She stared up at him while a band of magic changed her into exercise clothes.

Tannic blinked. "How do you do that?"

"I have mannequins with my clothing on them, and I portal a new outfit on and an old one off."

"That must take a lot of energy."

"Yes, but I have a lot of energy to use."

Tannic looked at her. "You really think I have been spending my time with frivolous relationships?"

"No. I do not think that they are relationships. I get heavy hits of pleasure from you at strange times. I assumed it was a woman unless it wasn't. Are you interested in males?" She tilted her head.

"No, I am not interested in males. The pleasure you felt was when I had mastered a healing skill or had a patient survive because of my actions."

Missy looked at his serious expression. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Well, then, I am sorry for stating that you were a bit of a tramp. My apologies." She put a hand over her left breast on her sports bra and bowed to him. "I request your forgiveness for the assumption."

Tannic blinked. "I don't need an apology."

"Yes, you do. I have been calling you all kinds of things in my head for a few years."

"You really can't tell happiness from pleasure?"

She was still bowing. "No. I only relax enough to feel happiness around my sister, and I have only just seen her in person. There was happiness there."

How long can you bow, mage?

"Nine hours and fifty-two minutes." She made an amused sound. "After that, I have to kneel."

Tannic touched her shoulders. "I accept your apology for thinking the worst of me."

She straightened. "Thank you. I drew the conclusions based on what I observed in the guild. Men seem to create repeating patterns. I will try to suspend my opinions in the future."

He smiled. "Just come to me with questions, and I will try to explain my situation."

Missy paused. "Really? Most folks don't like being asked direct questions."

"I will make an exception for you. You have my permission to ask me anything, any time."

The phrase unlocked something in her. "Are you sure?"

Tannic nodded. "I am sure. I would like to discard the clock you have been working with."

"The ten years?"

"Yes."

"How will you react if I begin dating? I don't think I will be able to avoid it for long. Now that Atty is getting married, people will be looking at me to socialize, so I should just get it over with."

He cupped her jaw. "I will be fine. Do not worry about me. But does this mean I will be able to feel what you feel when it isn't an emergency?"

"Uh, you really want that? My emotions aren't exactly standard issue."

"Please. I am sure I can deal with whatever you have in your mind."

She set her headset in place, got her music playing, and headed out on her run. Fitness was important, but it was difficult to manage when on call.

She listened to her music as her feet rhythmically hit the pavement, and on the third song, she started to open the emotional gateway. She felt the surprise from Tannic and kept her scheduled run as her mind reacted to each song as if it were an actual event. By the time she clattered into her house and toed off her shoes, she could feel his stunned numbness through the link.

Missy headed to her room and took a quick shower. She dressed in loose and comfortable clothing as soon as she was dry.

There was a carafe of lemon water on the counter, and Tannic served her a glass of water. "What was that spur of excitement followed by the cold bit of emotion on your run?"

She sipped at the water. "That was where the uncancellable assassin tried to scorch me, and I sent them to the guild hall in the swimming pool with a portal block. I should be getting a call soon."

He blinked. "What?"

"An assassin. The pack sent it before the council meeting, and Richard just forgot to mention it to the council. Oops. What an oversight."

Smoog bumped her ankle with his head, and she picked him up. You are all right?

"Yeah. She isn't. That chlorine is probably stinging her burns. I ran her past a volcano on the way to the guild hall."

"There is nothing in your mind. You aren't even amused." Tannic stared. "You didn't do more than flicker a little. I thought you saw a bug."

She shrugged and finished her water. "You wanted to know. That is what I feel. As you know, it isn't quite in line with what others would think."

He looked at her, and she saw understanding beginning to flare behind his eyes.

Missy set her glass down. "I told you you didn't want that door open. I can close it again, but it will take a few days."

He swallowed. "No. Please. Leave it open. I will get the hang of how you think."

"As you like." Her phone rang. "I have to get this. The council wants to have a word."

She answered and walked to her office while the head of the mage council screamed into her ear. Missy grinned and waited for the shrieking to stop. She didn't really feel amused, but smiling was what you were supposed to do when you knew someone would be upset but could only verbally go after you. She was pissing off her manager. Smiling was appropriate, even if her mind was just happy that the plan worked out.