Meekal shifted in his seat, avoiding her question.

The black leather interior of his Jaguar surrounded her in luxury. She rested her head back and closed her eyes. "Speed much?" she asked refusing to watch the landscape rush by. At first, it intrigued her. Now, she fought the dizziness brought on by the houses, trees and barns whipping past her window in the wake of Meekal's rapid driving. "A relaxing ride in the country," she joked. "A ride which I don't know where I'll end up. Hum, magical mystery."

Meekal raced around a corner. "Can't get there the Semple Folk way. It'd take us three times as long."

"Why not wind-ride?" she asked feeling like a partic.i.p.ant in a game.

"Thought you'd like the car."

"Ugh! Slow down please." Pain pinched her elbow. "Ouch! What was that?"

He whipped the steering wheel to the right. "Hold on."

"To what?" This time the sensation of p.r.i.c.kly pain raced from her neck to her toes. "Meekal!"

"One more." This time he turned left.

She groaned, resisting the urge to throw up. "If you don't tell me where we're going right now, I'm going to barf. I won't feel guilty about messing up your car."

He braked, slowing to a near crawl. "Sorry about that. It was the Mason-Dixon Line. Had to do the zigzag real quick. Now, you can literally say you've straddled the Mason-Dixon Line."

"Funny," she said as her body tried to accommodate the reduced speed. She gripped her sides. "Why are we stopping here?" She eyed the countryside around them. Close to sunset, the dusky atmosphere gave an eerie impression to the quiet country road.

"Just so happens we're here."

"Where?"

"Can't you feel it? This is the ward border." Meekal faced her from the driver's seat. "I don't think it's a good idea to drive any closer. He probably has a ward that indicates whether someone magical has crossed the line."

"Who?" Shayla studied his cautious features. "Oh. So you've brought me to meet an ancestor?" She returned her gaze to the countryside and forced new emotions back into the closet. "That's why you wouldn't tell me."

"Aye. I've seen what you can do when you're angry. But, my love, you need to face this. He is a part of who you are-body and even soul. The tricky part will be getting past his ward. Like I said, it's probably set to let him know if someone magical has crossed into his property."

"Well, that makes sense. But, how are we going to get closer?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Trust you?"

"I mean it. I have to know if you fully trust my judgment on this."

"It'd be nice to know why you ask that all of a sudden. I a.s.sumed you knew I trust you."

"What I believe we need to do in order to get through the ward requires specialized enchantment. You haven't been practicing magic long enough, so I'll have to perform the spell. That requires perfect trust."

"You still haven't said what you plan."

He turned away, facing the windshield and shoved a hand through his hair. "The only way through a magical ward of this tremendous power is in animal form. We don't even know if you have one."

"What?" Shayla cringed, her voice bounced around in the car, filling her with apprehension. "How do you know?"

"Shayla, I've been doing this since I could first talk and walk. Magic is a way of life. Do you trust me?"

"What animal?"

"That's just it. Since we don't know for sure if you have an animal form, I need to be extra careful. I believe the best way to do this is to allow your own magic to choose whichever animal best suits you. It's tricky though because what if you're a ferocious dog who hates cats?" The evening sun slanted across his humorous expression and he wagged his brows.

"Why can't we just wind-ride through the ward?"

"Because that's magic performed."

She chewed her lip and sat back in the leather seat. "Okay," she said, drawing the word out. "Isn't transforming me into an animal 'magic performed' crossing the line?"

"Actually, utilizing Fae magic-most Fae have an animal form- it won't be detected."

"That's crazy. If he wants to keep magic out, why wouldn't it include animals with a magical origin?"

The corners of Meekal's mouth lifted, showing off s.e.xy dimples. "Because, my love, most people who are trained in the art of magic don't know that little tidbit of information. I'm counting on him not realizing there's a thoroughly trained wizard with Fae training on this side of his tricky ward."

Shayla swallowed a knot of nervousness. "I think we should do it. We've come this far."

"All right then." Meekal opened his car door.

She followed suit and watched as he shrunk the car to pocket size. The sun, now below the horizon, a brisk night wind whipped hair across her face. She twisted her long locks into a bun and wrapped a scrunchy around it to hold the errant strands in place. Neck newly bare to the cold elements, she shivered and watched Meekal place his car into an inside pocket and pat it protectively.

He took her hand and led her to a boulder next to the roadside tree line. His strong hands on her waist, he positioned her atop it and shared a quick kiss.

She moaned, leaning in for closer contact. "Tease," she whispered against his enticing mouth.

His soft laughter t.i.tillated her desire. "Are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Magic forces superimpose, take my love and give her newfound form. Magnify, ground and transpose."

A cough erupted. Shayla pounded on her chest, and then a swooshing sensation beginning in her heart and bursting outward sent her into a spiral of emotions.

"Electrical and magnetic energies swarm, give Shayla her perfect animal form."

Every part of her body jagged with energy. "Ahh!" The sound flashed from her mouth, changing tenor. Hands disappeared and became paws. She shuddered and leaped down from the stone, stumbling on all fours. "Ugh. This feels funky."

Meekal laughed and squatted, sitting on one heel. "Well, aren't you cute? Pointy ears and all," he added, scratching one ear playfully.

She put her nose in the air and turned to see her tail. "Yeah, right." She arched into his hand as it traveled along her back.

"Interesting-a white cat. We'll have to work on this some more later." He transformed easily and nuzzled her. "Come on. The estate is this way."

She followed him, flicking her long tail and stumbling slightly, trying to coordinate four paws. A rustling noise stopped her progress. "What's that?" She twitched her nose to catch a scent.

"It's just a mouse. You need to resist the urge to follow your cat instincts. Sorry we don't have time for proper training. Look."

They had followed the road another hundred feet from their previous position. The magical energy from the ward brushed along her fur, giving off a strong sense of tingling. She stopped and faced north. A broad ironworks gate spanned a wide driveway. Shayla looked through the narrow bars. The outline of a large house stood in the early evening's moon glow. "Wish it was daylight."

"Aye. Your cat vision should kick in soon. Sometimes, the first time takes a little longer for everything to acclimate itself."

"He doesn't have any lights on. Do you suppose he's home?" She craned her neck back and read the curlicue letters spanning the gate top. "Wyndemere."

"Aye, it's Fae-changing wind. I noticed that no light shows from within. Maybe a charm? Something's off."

"What do you mean by off?"

He sniffed the air and glanced around. "There's got to be a way in, even if we have to climb. There's no room between the bars and the bottom of the gate is too close to the ground. Do you feel comfortable enough to climb?"

She looked down at her paws. "I guess. What's off?"

He didn't say anything else, just turned and began walking toward a large tree to their left. A fast movement, he skirted the trunk easily and hopped onto the top of the brick wall around the estate. He looked down at her, amus.e.m.e.nt in his shiny blue eyes. "You can do it."

"Fine," she grumbled, eyeing the bark of the tree. She hesitated and decided to take a running leap. If she fell, well, she would figure out what to do later if that happened. "Here goes." She bounded up to the tree, leapt and clung with all her cat might several feet from the ground.

The rough bark against her paw pads irritated her sensitive skin. Resisting the urge to jump back to the ground, she pushed upward with her hind legs and progressed to the wall. Cold brick soothed her delicate paw pads. She paused and licked the ache.

"All right?"

"The bark was rougher than I expected." She scanned the yard that stretched between the house and the high barrier that cut the estate off from the rest of the world. Eyes now accustomed, she said, "Bit run down, don't you think?"

"That's what's off." He blinked, flicked his tail, and then scanned the grounds with a practiced eye. "It's an illusion. Can't seem to get past the magic of it. We need to get closer." He guided her toward a small tree located inside the wall.

"Um, Kal."

He paused, looking back over his shoulder. "What?"

"What if he has a dog?"

"Don't worry, I was just joking before. I can handle dogs."

"Pfft. Why do you suppose he let the place get so run down?"

He stepped off the high wall and walked along a branch to the trunk of the small maple tree. "I think the illusion is in place to deter the Semple Folk from exploring. The front gate has a security system. That means he's up to modern standards."

"I didn't see a security system."

"It's hidden in the right pillar. The keypad is barely visible through the vines growing up the stone. Bet he uses magic or a door opener-like a garage." He landed in a garden bed and looked up at her.

Shayla sent her tongue out and licked up to her nose. She eyed the tree and ground with trepidation. "Kal, I'm not sure."

"You'll be fine. Just go slow."

She stepped onto the overhanging branch and moved toward the tree center. A crawly sensation skittered over a back paw. "Ahh!" She scampered to the trunk and ran down its length, then jumped. She shuddered, grateful that she made it to the ground.

Meekal laughed.

"Spider. Eugh!"

"You're still bigger than the spider."

"But not big enough to stomp on it." She sniffed the air and headed toward the house. "I smell food cooking."

"Aye," he said, brushing up against her playfully.

A squeak penetrated the stillness. She paused and gave Meekal a frown. "If Wyndemere is Fae and means changing wind, how can he be truly hidden? I mean, well face it, Brinawell isn't a common name."

"Perhaps no one knows him locally as Brinawell. Maybe he uses an alias. The only reason we know about him is through the diaries mum showed you."

"Yeah, well, it's going to be a real shock for my mom." Shayla sidestepped a dried up plant and moved around a corner of the old brick Victorian styled house. "The place is really big. Mom always said the back yard was more telling about the occupants than the front. Let's explore."

"Why'd she say that?"

"The front yard is for show off. The back is a reflection of the owner's att.i.tude about home. You know, toys for the kids, the pet area, a barbecue, that sort of thing." She pounced up onto the back porch, blinking in the golden light from the bug bulb. "Ugh. Always hated those things. Doesn't he know bugs are gone in November?"

"Waste not, want not. Besides, it's a clue. Remember there were no lights in the front."

She walked the porch rail, eyeing the yard. "Look. Neat as a pin."

The door opened.

She swiveled her head. "Meowrrr!"

Water flew from a bucket, deluging her with nasty dishwater remains. She yowled again and jumped to the floor.

"Where did you come from, missy?"

Meekal protectively stepped between Shayla and the old man.

"Ah, quite a pair. Light and Shadow." The man stepped to the side and indicated the open door. "Come in."

Shayla shivered and shook her wet fur, glaring up at the old man.

"I'll no harm ye," he said gently, slipping into a soft brogue. "Come in and have some cool cream? I can fix ye right up."

She moved with slow deliberation toward the door. Meekal nosed her, whispering, "Don't talk, he may understand." She swallowed and blinked once in understanding. The kitchen light, shone brilliantly, accentuating a pristine environment. The only discrepancy was the slight odor of old dishwater. She crinkled her nose.

The old man chuckled and opened the refrigerator. "I'll get yer cream. Dawn, my new helper, apparently doesn't know how to work the kitchen sink. Everything's clogged."

Shayla blinked up at him.

He poured cream into a bowl and placed it on the floor. Meekal approached first. Shayla hesitated, still angry about the disgusting shower. A wave of an old gnarled hand and her fur came clean and dry. She shivered at the magic. "Meow."

"You're welcome," he said thoughtfully. "Bit amazing ye got past Ruff. He must be in the south pasture chasing possums."