The Unwilling Queen

I'm a chameleon

Rain pounded on the wooden boardwalks that filled the space between blocks of buildings in the Delta. Rena cupped her hands under a downspout to collect some fresh water and wash the blood off her hands and face. Deltans were putting out buckets, barrels, bowls, and cups; anything that could collect the precious fresh water. She found a sheltered alcove and waited out the storm, watching the partiers leave the building. The rich had covered sedan chairs on stand-by, the faunid porters huddled against them with hoods pulled up against the rain.

Rena ran her fingers along the soft leather of Avery's jacket. The jacket she'd deliberately left behind, the pockets stuffed with the money she had won.

Such a fool, Rena seethed. They should have let the Myotes open the stream and left from that alley. But she had been afraid. Afraid of what they would find in Corinth; of what the alpha pack would make of her. She had always known it would eventually come to this. They had discussed the vision at length and what it could mean. Avery was terrified of hurting her family, but her connection to Roedin could not be ignored.

Rena signed and leaned back against the door in the alcove. Roedin: half-faunid, half-sapien. A foot in both worlds. What was Avery thinking? She had a human family who loved her. She had a home with her people, a purpose. A place free of prejudice or discrimination or oppression of lesser species. Rena felt like all her hard work had been undone by something she never thought possible: a mating bond with a human.

The door to the mansion opened and sapiens poured out into the darkness, rushing to sedans with jackets over their heads to shield against the rain. A beautiful male helped his date up into the covered chair while the faunids prepared to lift the poles to their shoulders. His blond hair shone even in the dim light, tactfully hiding his rounded ears. The faunid's perfectly chiseled features were only accentuated by the rain. His slitted eyes were an impossibly deep shade of purple, matching his suit. The Chamelea people could blend in anywhere.

"Nadzik," Rena called over the sound of the rain.

The male looked down the lane in surprise. He tied the door of the sedan closed and motioned for the porters to lift it to their shoulders. He would not be carried by the faunids. Whores did not share sedans with their clients. A bejeweled hand snaked out from under the curtained window and Nadzik brought it to his lips, planting a delicate kiss. Any one of the rings on the female's fingers could have reduced his debt by half. Rena didn't know how he resisted slipping one off.

The sedan moved forward and the Chamelea fell into step behind, drifting far enough back that the occupant would not be able to hear their conversation. Rena stepped out of the alcove into the rain and limped up to Nadzik ignoring the pain that shot through her knee. Fortunately the porters couldn't move too quickly on the mouldy boardwalk as they picked their way over the uneven parts.

Nadzik kept his face forward, watching the alley for danger, as did Rena. When she finally looked at her friend she almost cried out in fright. His face was black, darker than night, as was his once golden hair. Even his eyes were pure black, so dark it looked as though he had no features at all. The faunid gave Rena a wink.

"You did that on purpose," Rena hissed.

Nadzik lifted a shoulder. "It's my job to blend." Then he did a double-take. "Looks like you tried to blend your face with a wall."

Rena lifted a raw hand to touch her broken nose. "It blended with a fist." She started to sigh but stopped when the forced air through her nose was too painful. "If you can change your skin to match your surroundings, why haven't you just blended your way right out of this shit-hole."

The faunid's sly grin faded. "It's complicated."

"How about I un-complicate it for you." Rena stuffed her hand full of rolled bills into his pocket and left them there.