“I seen you before. I can’t remember…” Vince frowned and stared up at Mads.
A flash of panic flicked through Mads’s heart, and before he could say a word, Midnite stepped in. “You probably saw him at a coven meeting or something.”
Nite gave Mads an encouraging glance that he returned with a wave of thanks.
“Did you bring me any presents?” Vince stared up at Mads, and Midnite gave a huff of exasperation.
“That’s rude, Vince.”
“I believe Marquis brought some things.” Mads snuggled the boy for a moment before a little girl with a tuft of white-blonde hair and big pretty eyes bumped into his leg. Freshly-diaperedand marked with a birthmark much like her father had. “And this is… Blue?”
“I named her. She’s a good girl.” Vince beamed proudly as a girl much too old to be toddling walked up, nose twitching. She had hair a strange shade of silver, not unlike a mage’s spectrum of colors, with brown highlights and eyes an ice pale blue.
“I’m a good girl, too,” the little one said, and Mads let his senses study her. She was canid, shifter, and some small part mage. She was a strange mixture that Mads couldn’t turn away from.
“I’m sure you are. Sheila?” Mads took a stab, and the girl nodded eagerly.
“I’m a seeing-eyes dog!” Her words came out a little stilted, as if she were fighting to make sense of her own mouth.
“Only when you’re wearing the vest, dear. Please don’t go announcing that to strangers. I get enough funny looks from mundanes as is,” the blind omega sitting off to the side said. “And hello again, Mads. I recognize that scent. Are you better, now?”
“Much. I apologize for—” Mads fidgeted when Warring held up a hand.
“You were as much a victim as all of us. I got out quickly. But practice telling people you’re myhelper, okay, dear?” Warring gave Mads a put-upon grin as if the argument was an old one.
“But I am a dog! And I has seeing eyes.” Sheila stamped her foot and frowned; the little shift of a dress she wore, flitting about her knees.
“Yes, but you’re also a little girl as far as I can see, and a very pretty one at that!”
“Daddy Sailor made it for me!” She twirled around. “I was only a part wolf before, but now I’m wolf and doggie and mage!”
“I can tell. So, why are you telling me you’re a seeing-eye doggie and not a helper when your daddy made you a helperbody? It’s a lot of hard work, and he did good.” Mads offered a sweet smile that made the girl frown and think.
“Okay. I’m Papa Warring’s helper!” She beamed and grabbed Vince’s arm before shifting in a flash of fur and cloth as her dress fluttered by. Vince did so, too, kicking off a pullup and shorts before chasing after her in a little orange kitten form.
If Baron had seen that, the boy would never have found home. And may have been done just as Midnite had been. Or worse.
“So, welcome to the Omega Club.” Midnite grinned as he settled one of the twins back to scoot around on the floor to play.
“I thought this was the familiar club.” Warring blinked in surprise, eyes not quite focused.
“Yeah, but Mads isn’t a familiar, is he?” Midnite sighed.
“I am a familiar… Supposedly.” Mads fiddled with his hands.
“But you… What’s your lesser form?” Leon glanced up, brow furrowed.
“I don’t know. I’ve never shifted. Baron altered me so I am supposedly one.” Mads frowned, but he didn’t say that Baron had altered them, too. Not that Mads knew, precisely, what had been done to them. “It requires a certain kind of joy to shift for the first time.”
“When I found my kitty, it was because Daddy Rex binded Papa. And I really liked kitties.” Vince beamed and Mads wondered if he already had the trait for it before Baron started.
“It wasn’t…” Leon pursed his lips. “I was sick, and I was watching my grandmother’s pet birds. She had friends visiting, and they weren’t very kind about my birthmark.”
“It’s okay, Uncle W—Leon. I think you’re still pretty.” Vince beamed.
Me, too!Sheila, in her canine form, bounced on her feet.
“Can you turn your glamor off? Please, Uncle Leon? I wanna do makeups on you again! Papa got me some new pwi—primer.” Vince ran off to a corner and gathered an enormous Kaboodle.
