A young boy walks in and takes her hand. He smiles up at me, and I note the soft downy feathers concealed beneath his façade. It seems she found a mate after all, and I am glad for her.
At least she gets her happy ending, whereas I am to forever follow Ella, knowing she can never be mine.
I drop to one knee before the child. “How do you do, young man?”
His mouth curves up in a grin. “Are you like us?” he asks excitedly. His eyes fill with a wonder that I am not used to getting as a cat. Usually, my kind are viewed with slight fear or disgust. It must not be very often that he gets to interact with others of our kind outside of his family.
“Yes.”
His smile grows even brighter. “Do you live here too?”
“No, I’m just visiting.”
He sticks out his hand for me to shake it. When I do, he grins. “Nice to meet you.”
I smile back at him and ruffle his hair. “You too, young man.”
He grins again and then skips away back to the front of the store.
I know why Rina and her husband live here. This is the only place they can make a fair living for their child. After all, what use do shifters have for clothing when we can manifest it on ourselves if we desire?
This is why most shifters who risk living in the human world do so. Because the trade passed down for generations by their family left them no choice. Rina’s great grandfather used to clothe the human royal family back during that time. I wonder if she still provides their clothing for them as well.
“What do you need?” she asks.
“A dress. Something to catch the eye of the prince.”
Her eyes widen. “Is it for her?” she asks, and I understand she means Ella—the Chosen One.
I nod, not wanting to speak her name aloud. Who knows what eyes and ears are spying on us, searching for information about our Chosen One. She was already attacked by one wolf shifter; the deceased shifter’s pack will be searching for him soon enough, if not already.
“Of course.” She claps her hands together excitedly. “I would be honored to create one for her.” Her gaze scans the room, searching the various bolts of fabric as if trying to decide which to choose. She looks back up at me. “Describe her, and I shall make a dress to highlight her attributes.”
I lift a thoughtful gaze to the ceiling as I picture Ella. “Long golden hair that is fine like silk. Smooth, pale skin. A slight and delicate frame. Luminous, ocean-blue eyes. Lovely and delicate brows, nose, and cheekbones that give her a fragile appearance, but it belies the strength of steel underneath,” I add, thinking of the marks across her back. “Charming and elegant, she—” I stop abruptly, realizing I’ve gone into far too much detail.
When I look back down at Rina, her lips tip up in a smirk. “It seems you have lost yourself, haven’t you, Devon?” She asks with a teasing glint in her eye. “Your head has been turned by a human.”
I purse my lips. It is forbidden for a shifter to take a human mate. This rule was in place long before the great war and the divide that followed between our two peoples.
There has been so much bloodshed between us throughout our history. Humans used to hunt and kill our kind, and any they deemed different, including witches—humans possessing the gift of magic.
It was believed that only shifters possessed magical abilities, and so any humans found to have this power were thought to be in league with us and murdered by their own kind for witchcraft.
What the humans did not realize is that my kind killed witches as well because they were seen as an abomination. Many shifters believe humans should not possess any magical powers.
That is yet another reason why I fear so much for Ella. The prophecy states that the Chosen One has powers of some sort—the ability to heal the land. The Elders do not understand exactly what form of power this is, however. They only know what the ancient texts have said. And Ella’s ability to communicate with us through mind speech could be deemed witchcraft by the humans as well.
I clench my jaw as frustration burns through me. She will have enemies on both sides. I only pray that we are strong enough to protect her and that the prince accepts her without question. Surely such a powerful person, with the whole of his kingdom behind him, could help keep her safe as well.
Rina flips her hair behind her shoulder and flashes a mischievous grin at me, pulling me back from my troubled thoughts. “At least it is not just any human you are smitten with. It is the Chosen One, so I suppose there’s that.”
I narrow my eyes. “You know it is forbidden to mate a human. Besides... as the Chosen One, she is to marry the prince.”
“Oh, stop. You know I am only teasing you.” Her expression turns serious. “How do you plan to pay for this dress?”
Closing my eyes, I concentrate, allowing the magic to flow through me. I think about which of my possessions I wish to retrieve before opening my hand. I feel it materialize a moment later. A perfect, green gemstone about half the size of my palm. All shifters carry their items this way. It is necessary to learn this magic at a young age so that we are always free to shift without worrying about any items we may wish to carry.
Rina’s mouth drops as her eyes widen in shock. “You are too generous.” She tips her head in thanks. “I will make the finest dress to turn the head of the prince.”
“Thank you,” I reply, hoping that she makes Ella the most beautiful dress
