Familiar!

She nodded to the floor. There wasn't much I could do to reassure her beyond what I'd already told her. I wasn't interested in being the magic king of the world. The amount of paperwork a king probably had to deal with every day was well beyond anything I wanted in my life. So, no thanks; someone else can be king. All I wanted was for everyone to just leave me alone.

Chapter 18

The doorbell rang. I sent a quick thought that way.

"It's a woman. About your height with black hair like yours. Green eyes. She has a small box in her hands."

"That's probably Desi." Nazaa looked at me.

"Okay." I opened the portal to the bathroom again. "Go get her and bring her back into the bathroom. Knock and I'll let you both back in."

"Yes Master."

"Daniel, not Master."

"Yes Daniel." Nazaa gave me a ghost of a smile. Probably because she knew how much I didn't want her calling me Master, but doing it anyway was just her playing cat and mouse games with me. Dang cats. What we needed, what I needed, was a dog. Once she was in the bathroom, I erased the portal and armored the wall again.

Two knocks told me she was back and I opened the wall again. Both women came inside quickly as someone slammed into the bathroom door making it creak. I removed the opening between the bathroom and my bedroom and secured the wall once more. I looked at Nazaa waiting for an introduction. She just looked at the floor and didn't speak.

"You must be Desirakat." I looked at the newcomer.

The newcomer nodded and shifted from one foot to the other, her eyes downcast like Nazaa's. She held up the box clearly expecting me to take it. I didn't move. A few more moments of silence then Nazaa glanced up.

"I am not the bad guy." I told her. "If I was, you wouldn't be here. Would you?"

"No, Ma . . . "

Her mouth snapped shut as I held up my finger. Dropping my hand I waited.

"Daniel."

I waited some more. Nazaa looked at me and I moved my eyes from her to Desirakat and back.

"Desi." She indicated the other woman. "She says she's willing to let you bind her if you'll save the baby."

"I don't want to bind you, her, or anybody else. You know that."

Desi went to her knees and holding out the box at arms length. "Please Master. Save Nathanikat and you can have me. Please, I'll give you anything you want. Just save my baby."

"I will do my best to help you. I will not bind you."

I took the box. Inside was a glass bottle, half filled with a clear liquid. Holding it I looked at Desi still on the floor.

"Is this Figwort?"

She kept her eyes down but nodded yes. "The essence, dissolved in alcohol."

Alcohol? Perfect. I held out my hand and called my bottle of hand lotion from the bathroom to me. Setting the Figwort on the night stand, I pumped a handful of lotion into my palm. Adding a few drops of the Figwort to the lotion I mixed them together, watching with my vision shifted as the two items blended. Adding another drop of the figwort I stirred with my finger until it felt and looked right to me. Once I had them mixed, I indicated the baby. Both Nazaa and Desi just looked at me.

"I want to put the lotion on the baby. It might work to stop the magic pheromones."

"Oh!" Nazaa quickly removed the blanket, exposing the baby completely.

He was pink and healthy looking with very black hair on the top of his head. Short chubby legs kicked and little arms waved in protest over the sudden cold after the warm blanket. I smeared the lotion on his stomach while watching the jumble of code as best I could. Working the lotion in, I saw the code relaxing from its tight bunching and sorting itself into random lines which weren't so tightly packed together. A quick glance at the window showed me Kathleen blinking her eyes in confusion. As I watched, Katrina pulled back from her place against the glass and looked around.

"I think it's working." I held out my lotion-filled palm. "Put this all over the baby. Just rub it in."

Nazaa and Desi rubbed the lotion all over the baby, Desi even removing his diaper to be sure she covered all of his skin. By the time she'd replaced the diaper again, both Kathleen and Katrina had left the window. The digging sound from out in the hallway also stopped. A few minutes later I restored the doorway to reveal Kathleen, Katrina, and their mother standing in the hallway outside my bedroom. Desi stepped between them and the baby.

"I think it worked." I gestured to have them come inside. "Kathleen, would you sniff the baby and tell us what you smell?"

Kathleen moved closer to the bed but Desi used her body to block Kathleen and bared her teeth.

"Desi, we won't know if it worked unless you get out of the way and let Kathleen smell the baby." I interrupted the impending fight.

Desi looked at me for a moment then moved aside warily while flexing her fingers into claws. I saw her muscles tense, though she didn't make any move to attack. Kathleen, keeping an eye on Desi, bent and sniffed at the bundle on the bed.

"It's a little boy. He smells clean." Kathleen stood upright.

"Anything else?"

She shook her head no.

"Good. It worked then."

"What worked? What happened?" Katrina asked from where she stood in the doorway behind her mom.

"Nathanikat is a boy Kitty." I started to explain. Before I could go any further, Kathleen's mother gasped and grabbed both Kathleen and Katrina, trying to haul them back.

"Go. Quickly." She shoved them toward the doorway. "Before it overwhelms you."

"It's okay." I reassured all of them. "I took care of that. He's just a cute little boy now and you won't go crazy over him."

"Thank your Master!" Desi dropped to her knees in front of me with a cry. "Bind me. I'm ready."

Kathleen's face went immobile and her eyes immediately flared solid gold. Her hair stirred while static sparks alternated with flickering silver rainbows jumping between her fingertips. Uh oh. I closed my eyes and called.

<Kitty?>

<Not your Kitty.> The golden eyes behind my eyelids opened, the shadowy freckles sprinkled across her cheekbones making her eyes glitter.

<She isn't either.>

I made a mental gesture toward Desirakat. The watching eyes only I could see closed and disappeared.

<!>

What she sent back wasn't a word. It was more like a sense of satisfaction leading to disinterest once she knew I wasn't straying away from her. Definitely a feeling of possession in there too. Though faint, it was firm; I belonged to her and no one else and she wasn't going to tolerate anyone poaching in her territory.

I opened my eyes to find Desi still on her knees in front of me. At my gesture, Nazaa pulled Desi to her feet.

"My name is Daniel. I am not your Master. I refuse to bind you."

"But . . ." Desi looked from me to Nathanikat.

"I don't know if it's permanent or not. I suggest you mix some of the Figwort with lotion and use it every day. I used four drops in a palm-full and it seemed to be the right amount. Use it more frequently if you get unwanted visitors. If it stops working, come back and we'll try something else. Okay?"

"But . . ." Desi looked at Nazaa this time.

"Nazaa is not bound to me." I switched from looking at Desi to Nazaa. "Are you?"

Nazaa shook her head no.

"But, you said he would . . ." Desi rubbed her shoulder as Nazaa shook her head no.

"I would what?"

I asked when she didn't finish her statement. Desi just dropped her eyes and didn't answer. I looked at Nazaa who also dropped her eyes.

"Nazaa," my voice got stern. "I would what?"

"Nothing Master."

Kathleen hissed and glared at Nazaa. "Daniel," she told them fiercely. "Not Master, Daniel. Got it?"

Nazaa blanched and gave a tiny curtsey. "Yes Mistress."

Kathleen huffed but didn't say anything else.

"I would what?" I asked again after a moment when no one said anything. Nazaa shook her head again.

"Someone needs to tell me what someone promised I would do. Now." Once again my voice was stern sounding.

"I'm marked." Desi gave in and told me as she rubbed at her shoulder once more.

"And? What does that mean?" I looked at all of them.

"It means she's been marked for binding by a Mage. It's a sign of intended property rights so no other Mage will steal her from the one who marked her." Kathleen's mother spoke and moved to Desi's side, using her fingers to push up Desi's sleeve. "Usually the mark is on the shoulder or upper arm."

She nodded once Desi's arm was exposed.

"She's marked."

"And?"

Desi dropped to her knees again. "Please Master, He can call me at any time and I cannot refuse him. I'm married to Nathanikat's father and if He calls me I will lose my family. Please bind me. Take me. At least here my family can maybe see me once in awhile." She sniffed and rubbed her nose on her wrist. "Please? I want to. You saved Nathanikat for me."

I bent and looked at her arm. There was a tiny faint image of a sailing ship hovering over her skin. The image wasn't a tattoo, it floated above the skin surface. Shifting my sight, I looked closer, nothing but a simple code. Running my hand up along her arm I erased it and the minuscule image disappeared.

"You are free."

Desi craned her neck trying to see her arm. "It's gone?"

"It's gone." Kathleen's mother affirmed. "And the maker isn't going to be happy about it."

I shrugged. "He can get glad in the same pants he got mad in."

"What if he marks me again?" Desi wanted to know.

"Come back and I'll take that one off too." I gave another shrug.

"Thank you Master!" Still kneeling, Desi threw her arms around my waist and tucked her face into my stomach.

Kathleen cleared her throat.

Desi scrambled to her feet at the threat in Kathleen's voice.

"Mistress."

Both Desi and Nazaa did the tiny curtsey thing together this time. Kathleen crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling, appearing to ignore both of them. Katrina giggled behind the hand she pressed over her mouth while her mother sighed and the rest of us, meaning me, felt awkward about the whole situation.

Nathanikat started to cry from where he was on the bed. Desi quickly went over to check on him, wrinkling her nose as the baby started to wail louder.

"I'm sorry I have to go. I don't have his bag with me."

Concentrating only for a moment, I held it out a fresh disposable diaper. Desi just looked at it then lifted her eyes to me. I made a little movement with the diaper to get her to take it. Desi looked at Kathleen who just nodded. Desi took the diaper.

"With your permission Ma . . . Daniel?"

"You don't need my permission. Or anyone else's either." I gestured toward the bathroom. "Not ever again."

With another of those tiny curtsey's she was gone, the bathroom door closing behind her.

Two days later Esmie knocked on my door, racing away in cat form once I opened it. As I watched she turned the corner past the garage then dashed straight across the street heading for home.

Following after her I found Nazaa's living room full of people. The first thing I did was to pin Esmie, who was sitting on a corner of the couch, with a stern stare.

"Next time look both ways before you cross the street young lady. You hear me? I know we live in a cul-de-sac but I don't want to worry about not being there to save you from being run over by a car again."

"Esmie!"

Nazaa's exclamation broke the silence. Esmie looked down and twisted her fingers together. Relenting, I touched the little girl on the top of her head, questing outward as I did so.

"Hey, you know the rose bush at the corner of Mr. Espinoza's yard?"

She gave me a little nod and twisted her fingers together some more.

"I bet if you snuck over there and hid under the bush, you could surprise Katya and pounce on her when she comes by. She's walking on the fence around Mr. Espinoza's back yard right now and you know she'll have to jump down and land next to that rose bush. If you're there before she gets there you could surprise her completely."

Esmie looked up at me and then to her mother. Nazaa nodded slightly.

"Better hurry. But be quiet or she'll hear you before you get into position." I gave Esmie a tiny push. "Remember, you're playing not attacking. You don't want to hurt her or make her think you're mad at her. Don't forget to look both ways before you cross the street."

Moments later a small black kitten raced across the front yard, skidding to a stop to look both ways before darting across the cul-de-sac.

"Yes?" I looked at Nazaa. "You needed me for something?"

Nazaa just turned her head to survey her living room full of people.

"And they are . . .?" Seven people looked back at me.

"Friends and associates."

She probably meant they were underground rescuees. That she didn't name them told me they were probably Kitties who were using Nazaa's underground to escape from whatever or whoever was trying to hurt them. The lack of introductions also meant she didn't want me to know any more than that. Nazaa stood up and got everyone's attention.

"This is my . . . Daniel." She hesitated slightly over how to address me then used an open palm in my direction. "He's the Mage who claims this territory."

A couple of the people there drew in a breath and moved away.

"Betrayer!" The accusation was a harsh whisper.

"No. Daniel isn't like any other Mage." She looked up at me, her eyes dark and filled with emotion. "He saved me and Esmie."

"He saved Nathan." Desi spoke from the corner where I'd missed seeing her the first time I'd looked around at everyone. "Daniel found the cure."

"How is Nathan? Is the lotion still working and he's doing okay? You and he aren't being harassed anymore?" I asked Desi.

She smiled and dropped her eyes with a headshake.

"Good. You let me know if it stops working and we'll try something else. Okay?"

I got a nod for that.

"So," I turned back to everyone else. "Why am I here?"

"They are all marked. We were hoping you'd remove the markings?" Nazaa asked as if it were a question rather than a statement.

"We will pay you. Whatever you want." One of the women in the group blurted out before her face flushed bright red. "We will even breed with you if that's what you require."

She was saying she'd sleep with me and have my children if that's what it took to be free of the mage mark on her arm.

"I don't require anything." I looked at all of them.

Soft rustling as they stirred in their seats, uncomfortable with what I'd just said. A quiet sob from the back as one of them got up to leave thinking I wasn't going to help.

"You misunderstand." I spoke up before she left. "I will help you if I can. You don't have to pay me or sleep with me or anything else. That's what I meant."

More rustling. I gestured with my hand to the woman in the back.

"Come here and let me see."

She came forward slowly. Tiny and fragile looking she had hazel eyes, a haunted expression, and the now familiar black hair cut short in a pixie.

"Who are you? What's your name?" I asked her.

"Liatakat Bashar." The name was almost inaudible as she kept her eyes on the floor. "Master."

"Not Master." Wiggling my fingers for her to expose the mark on her arm. "Can I see?"

She pushed up her sleeve and looked away.

There were gasps as it came into view and several of them drew away in what appeared to be fear of contagion. The mark was an angry red pulsing obscenity covering most of her upper arm and shoulder. It radiated evil intent so strongly I was willing to believe the woman felt it, magical ability or not.

"Goddess protect us." The oath was a whisper from inside the group. I didn't see who made it.

I looked at the mark. It not only covered her arm and shoulder it stretched away in a thin string of energy. That energy string told me if I erased it, the maker would instantly know what I'd done. I had no idea what he'd do in response but looking at how ugly the mark appeared it probably wasn't going to be a pleasant invitation for coffee and donuts. Whoever the mark maker was, he intended the mark to look the way it did so that everyone knew the woman was his property.

Closing my eyes I formed a feeling of needing Kathleen at my side. Nothing more than that, just a yearning for her to be with me. The golden eyes which watched from behind my eyelids opened for a moment, then closed and disappeared once more.

"Kathleen is coming." I told Nazaa. "I think it would be a good thing if she were here when I take this off."

Nazaa just nodded.

"In the meantime, who wants their mark removed?" I held out my hand, palm open, at shoulder height.

Nazaa pushed the first woman toward me. Shyly she lifted her sleeve to expose the mark on her upper arm right above her elbow. It looked like a small purple stag. Like Desi's mark it also floated above the surface of her skin. Running my hand lightly up her arm I erased it by deleting the code that created it.

"Next," I called when her arm was clear.

Slowly the next woman came forward. I removed her mark, then the next and the next until everyone except the first woman had been unclaimed. Kathleen showed up as I was finishing the last erasure.

"Done." I told her as I straightened then looked directly at Kathleen. "I need your opinion. And, maybe your help. I want to remove her marking."

I showed Kathleen the angry red mark. She almost recoiled from the look and feel of it. I knew how she felt, the vileness radiating from it didn't make it feel any better than it looked.

"He'll retaliate." Kathleen touched the mark with her finger.

"You can shield me if he does."

"Not if, he will." Kathleen drew her finger back. "He'll also mark her again as soon as he can."

"You think so?"

She nodded. "He has claimed her as his property. She is his even without binding. As long as she is alive, he will mark her again and eventually bind her. He already owns her. I'm surprised she was able to run away. The mark is pulling at her, trying to force her to return to him. That she can resist it tells me she's strong. Not strong enough, eventually he, whoever he is, will win and she'll return to him. She won't have a choice."

I stood upright as the woman put her face in her hands and began to cry helplessly. It was obvious she was the reason they'd asked me to remove everyone's markings. The whole thing had been a cover story just so I'd help her. I needed to have a conversation with Nazaa about her hiding things like this from me.

"Talk to me about bindings. I know you said they can't be broken, what else?" Rather than waste time thinking about what Nazaa had done, I concentrated on the task at hand.

"Nothing else. Once bound she will be his slave for the rest of her life unless he releases her." Kathleen looked at the mark again. "From the appearance of the mark he probably doesn't intend for her to live long enough for that to occur. In addition to the pull from the mark he's tormenting her mind right now. The eventual binding will be the beginning of physical torture. What he's going to do is included in the mark. That's why it looks and feels so awful."

"Can I break the binding if he binds her after I remove the mark?"

"He cannot bind her without being here. But, once bound, the binding cannot be broken." She looked at me.

I nodded once. That was what I'd thought she'd said, though for some reason I didn't agree with it. Discarding the thought for now, I squatted again in front of the still crying woman, touching her lightly on the arm.

"I will not let him hurt you anymore. I promise." Standing erect once more I looked at Kathleen.

"Kiss me. Please."

"Daniel?"

"Kiss me. I need the power. And I need you to shield us when I remove the mark."

At her look I continued to explain.