In a fresh diaper, and with Forrest out of the room, Roan shucked the sweaty shirt she’d napped in and took a moment to consider her next move. The first thing to do was to put her ward up. Though the house was warm, there was no central hearth. All the seats in the main room were pointed at a larger version of Mariah’s mystic slate. If that was the center of the house, she’d have to hang the ward there.
Her next course of action would need to be to learn more about the world she was in. The Princess had commanded Roan to do a better job of impersonating a human. Roan had only to remember her father’s face – screaming and trapped in glass – to be motivated to please the Royals.
Unfortunately, Princess Akinari had not given Roan any additional tools or knowledge to help with her impersonation. The locket held everything Roan needed to know, but that knowledge was gated behind magic that Roan had no art for. Simple answers were something she could wring from the locket, especially now that she knew her true situation. Broader concepts, like how the humans structured their world, or the meaning of their runes, were beyond Roan’s skill.
Asking Forrest or Hanna to teach me such basic things would probably strain the lie I’ve told them past believing. I pretended to be confused with them, not that my memory was completely gone.
That left the ensorcelled packmates. Though Roan was leery of using them too much – their oaths had made them rather zealous in treating her like an infant – they would be predisposed to teach her very basic things. As long as Forrest and Hannah didn’t see those lessons, she could learn a lot from Bless and Corey.
Roan’s stolen nursery song played in her mind. Unlike the first time, the song was clear and distinct. Roan could feel real Fae magic behind the melody. There was no way the human girl – Mariah – possessed such control over her half of the locket. Some fae must be manipulating the amulet to spy on me. An agent of the Princess, no doubt.
The proper response to being spied on by one of Akinari’s servants was to act like a baby – for Roan to show she was following the Princess’s command. As she was alone, no obvious way to pretend to be a baby presented itself to Roan. While she froze in indecision, the music faded away.
Against her better judgement, Roan looked up and around the room. There was no sign of a connection to Faerie – not that she should have expected to be able to see one. She was a hound, not an elf or a noble who could see magic as colours on the wind. With a sigh, Roan put on a light dress, picked up her ward, and made her way to the main room – the living room, as her packmates called it.
Between the new unsteadiness in Roan’s legs and the fact that someone might still be watching her, it seemed safest to crawl. Having an extra reason on top of her physical incapacity blunted the hit to Roan’s pride. It’s ironic, Roan thought, to be upset at walking on all fours, but it’s unnatural and awkward in my two-legged form. Mariah’s two-legged form, I suppose. I’m glad she can’t see me disgracing her to her packmates like this.
There was no obvious place to hang the ward on the big slate in the living room. Roan doubted her packmates would tolerate the viewing portion of the slate being covered. Finally, she located a hook on the back of the slate that was large enough to hold her ward. With the ward hung, Roan took a moment to silently dedicate the wheel of oak and ash and thorn to the residence.
The effect was dramatic. The Princess’s contribution to Roan’s ward had made it a powerful artifact indeed. The living room was suddenly full of the smell of trees and a gust of cold air rushed out from the slate to every corner of the house. For a moment, Roan could feel every door and window in the house as they came under her power. As Mistress of the Ward, Roan bade all the entrances to bar themselves against all fae influences – except she who had created the ward.
I think that means that the Princess can come and go freely, but I bet she could do that anyway. Locking the house to just Akinari and myself might keep her agents out – unless she sends one that’s an extension of herself.
As the burst of magic faded, so did Roan’s awareness of the house. Like most abstract magic, her wardcraft was rudimentary at best. She wouldn’t be making doors open and close by will alone, like some haughty noble. All Roan could hope for was that she’d be warned if someone tested her protection.
There was no reaction from Roan’s packmates to setting the ward. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. There was one advantage to her packmates’ blindness to magic – saving Roan an awkward conversation of trying to explain why the house had suddenly been full of cold wind.
Hannah came through the front door, looking tired, though in good spirits. Roan grinned at her packmate and threw her arms open in a wide greeting. “Hannah!”
“Hello to you too, cutie. Not Mommy this time?” Hannah set down her bag, kicked off her shoes, and crouched down beside Roan.
“You can still be Mommy if you want.” Roan nuzzled Hannah’s arm, hoping for more of her packmate’s excellent petting. “I – remembered some things today. Only some of my confusion is gone, but I understand better.”
“That’s such good news!” Hannah’s voice and smile radiated excitement, but her joy didn’t reach her eyes.
“My um – physical condition hasn’t changed. Also, if you still want to play – like you talked about before you left – I would like that.” Roan’s second nudge of Hanna’s arm convinced her packmate to stroke Roan’s hair. The sensation was so good that Roan had to fight to keep from thumping her leg.
“I’d like that a lot, but if you’re not in that headspace anymore, that’s fine hon.”
“I want it.” Roan smiled at Hannah. “Did you bring back more of the little monsters?”
Hannah giggled. “I did. Give me a chance to decompress from work, and we can play.”
Decompress? Roan picked the word apart and was left more confused. Does Hannah work somewhere that she’s made smaller? She looks the right size now, but maybe the spell hasn’t completely worn off.
Laughing again at Roan’s confused expression, Hannah patted the girl’s head. “I see you’re still a little confused. I need an hour or so, okay Mariah?”
“It’s my babysitting shift anyway.” Bless entered the room with a mid-sized slate, larger than the little one Mariah had, but smaller than the house’s central slate.
Though she couldn’t read the runes, Roan recognized a schedule when she saw one. Granted, the schedules she’d been given had been drawn on a grid in the dirt, or scratched into a plank, but the concept was the same.
“What’s this now?” Hannah frowned as she looked at the slate. “I thought you didn’t want to babysit. Where’d this schedule come from?”
“Mariah almost got hurt today.” Corey sat against the dining table, self-importantly crossing his arms. “She needs to be watched all the time. I can’t believe Forrest left her alone.”
Hannah blinked in surprise, looking from Bless to Corey and back again. “I’m feeling a little out of the loop. Do you mind filling me in?”
Bless knelt by Roan and reached under her skirt. The fae girl gave a surprised squirm when Bless stuck a pair of fingers in her diaper. “Forrest changed her at least.”
As Bless produced the pacifier from her pocket, Roan tried her best pout. It didn’t deter her packmate. With the soft nipple pressed up against her teeth, Roan had to accept the pacifier or make a scene. Reluctantly, she sucked on the little silencer.
“Come sit by me, baby girl.” Bless took a seat on the couch, tucking Roan against her legs. Corey sat next to her. Hannah took a seat in the large chair, looking a little bewildered.
“I’m ready to be filled in any time,” Hannah said.
“Roan was almost killed on the highway today.” Corey’s expression was grim. Roan winced. He wasn’t wrong – but she wished he would be less dramatic about it.
“It’s my fault.” Bless’ tone was guilty and apologetic. “I wasn’t watching her – Hannah, she didn’t know the highway was dangerous. She ran into traffic when I yelled at her to get off the road.”
“Oh my god.” Hannah put a hand to her mouth. “Okay, the babysitting schedule makes more sense but – I’d like to have some input on it.”
“We all have equal time.” Corey put the slate in front of Hannah on the living room’s low table.
“I wanted to watch her tonight, can I trade you for tomorrow morning, Corey?” Hannah pointed at two of the boxes on the schedule.
Roan peeked at the slate, trying to fix the tiny runes in her mind. She wasn’t sure which was which, but she had a set of runes that said Corey and Hannah’s names now. Bless and Forrest would be the other two.
“That’s fine.” Corey tapped on the slate, erasing and recreating runes from a container the slate offered him. Roan furrowed her brow, concentrating until her head hurt. The top of the grid was morning then.
“That’s great then. I have to say uh – I didn’t expect you two to be so gung ho about this.” Hannah’s expression still had a lot of surprise about it.
“She’s like a baby!” Bless reached down to pull Roan against her leg. “We have to take care of her like one.”
“Mariah needs to be protected. We call do, I don’t want this to cause problems for us, or for anyone else to get what happened to Mariah.” Corey took the slate back and made it dark. “I’ve sent the schedule to all four of our emails.”
“This is – a lot, but thank you both for being so quick to help Mariah. Bless – it’s not your fault that Mariah was on the road, I could have made the same mistake. None of us know for sure what happened, or how much it affected her.”
“Thanks but – I haven’t forgiven myself yet.” Bless shrugged and patted Roan’s shoulder. “I’ve got her until your evening shift.”
“I’ll make a family dinner.” Corey stood and shrugged at Hannah’s questioning noise. “I think it’s best if we all gather together as much as we can. Besides – family dinners are always fun, aren’t they?”
Hannah nodded, smiling. “I always enjoyed them. Okay, then I really am off the hook for a bit! Thanks, both of you.”
Bless lead Roan to her room as the group broke up. The fae girl’s tolerance for passively accepting Bless’ direction evaporated when she was put on the bed again. She spit the pacifier out and looked Bless in the eye.
“I’m not tired, I don’t need another nap.”
Bless frowned, but nodded after a moment. “I suppose that’s fair. I don’t have a lot of toys – but I’ll get some tomorrow. Hmm, how about drawing?”
Bless handed Roan some of the finest paper she’d ever seen. It was more regular and thinner than anything she’d seen come out of the court. A thin charcoal rod encased in wood accompanied the bound sheets of paper.
They have so many wonders. Does the Princess really know about all this? There has to be something in this world that I can use to free Dad and Mariah.
Roan was fascinated by how smoothly the charcoal made lines on the paper. While Bless returned to her work – apparently satisfied that Roan was occupied – Roan tried her hand at recreating the runes for her packmates’ names.
Hannah’s was the first she tried. It had tall sticks at the front and back, with some rounded shapes in the middle. Corey’s was harder to remember. The sideways bowl shape at the beginning was easy enough, as was the forked road at the end. The middle had some odd shapes that hadn’t stuck in Roan’s mind, however.
So absorbed was Roan in drawing the runes, that she didn’t notice Bless getting up until her packmate had Roan’s dress up and was checking her diaper. “You’re just a little wet. I don’t think you need a change yet.”
Roan blushed. Akinari’s curse had implications that Roan hadn’t considered. Without the ability to control herself – she hadn’t noticed her wetting. I’m going to be spending a lot of time in wet diapers. Damn the Princess.
“What’s this you’re drawing?” Bless leaned over and made a surprised noise. “Are you trying to write? Is that Hannah’s name?”
“It’s supposed to be.” Roan sighed. She’d clearly missed some of the intricacies of the runes if Bless had to make a guess at what Roan had done.
“Why just Hannah and Corey’s names?” Bless sat on the bed and stroked Roan’s back.
“Those are the ones Corey pointed to. I wasn’t sure of the other two which one was yours and which was Forrest.”
“Give me the pencil for a minute.” Bless took the stick – the pencil – from Roan’s hand and carefully drew four sets of runes. She put a finger to each one in turn, naming them. “Bless, Hannah, Corey, Forest.”
“Oh, thank you!” Roan eagerly took the pencil back and carefully copied Bless’ name.
“What a smart baby!” Bless grinned and kissed Bless atop her head. “I have you for most of the day tomorrow. Do you want to work on your reading and writing some more then?”
Roan nodded. “Yes please. Thanks Bless.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. You’re still getting a nap after lunch though. I don’t want a cranky baby on my hands.” Bless’ infantilizing statement was accompanied by head-pats – Roan accepted the combination as overall neutral.
Carefully, Roan transferred the names to a fresh page, and copied each in columns below, as many times as they’d fit on the page. When she was done, a thought struck her. She looked up at Bless.
“Bless? How do I draw my name?”
“Of course, I didn’t realize, but we should have started with that one.” Bless returned to the bed and drew Mariah’s name on a new page. Roan wished she could ask for her own name, but that was too risky even with the oath binding Bless.
While Roan started on Mariah’s name – which was almost as tricky as Forrest – Bless checked her diaper again.
“Smells like you might be getting that diaper change sooner than I thought. Don’t worry, I don’t mind changing your diaper, no matter what’s in it.”
Roan stopped in the middle of drawing in horror. I mind though! I mind quite a bit! She could still feel the second kind of pressure, thankfully, but had been putting off the awkward conversation about going to the bathroom.
“Uh, I’d rather not do that in my diaper. I can go to the bathroom for – poop.”
“I have to change your diaper either way, since it’s wet.” Bless shrugged. “You can just do your business. It really won’t bother me.”
“It’ll bother me.” Roan sat up and tried her puppy eyes on Bless again. “It won’t take me long. I’ll go and come right back.”
“Oh no you don’t. You’re not to be alone for any reason.” Bless stood and took Roan’s hand. “Come on, baby girl. I’ll take you and we can put you in a new diaper when you’re done.”
Being lead to the bathroom was a humiliating experience. Actual dogs didn’t mind watching each other do something so disgusting, but that didn’t mean that faerie hounds did. Faeries didn’t need to do it at all, Roan wished there were any way out of having an audience for what was still a new and embarrassing bodily function.
Bless was determined, marching Roan past the kitchen where Corey was working on dinner and into the bathroom. She put Roan on the toilet and discarded the damp diaper. “I’ll get a fresh one while you’re going. Don’t get up from there, understand?”
Roan nodded. As soon as Bless was out of the room – with the door left open – Roan put all her energy into finishing her “business” as quickly as possible. Though she wasn’t quite done when Bless returned, the most embarrassing noises were out of the way at least.
Bless insisted on wiping Roan’s rear, which Roan honestly wasn’t sure how to do on her own. A quick lie-down on the changing blanket had her in a fresh diaper, courtesy of Bless. There was a bit of time left to draw before dinner, and Roan welcomed the chance to distance herself from the humiliation she’d suffered.
Dinner was chicken, potatoes, and a mixture of vegetables that smelled like they’d been preserved for a while before Corey had cooked them. Though Roan knew of human’s favorite fowl – chicken – she’d was excited for a chance to try it. Roan took the seat that Bless directed her to, and was grateful to see the brightly colored cutlery in place of iron implements.
“You put out baby utensils for her?” Forrest raised a brow and offered Roan an iron knife. “Do you want a real knife, at least?”
As the knife approached Roan, she could see glimmers of red as the iron heated in response to her presence. The Princess’ curse had made Roan more fae, weakening the protection her mortal form had offered against iron. Roan had no doubt that touching the knife would burn her badly enough that everyone would forget burn she’d taken from the candle.
“No uh – thank you. I like these.” Roan hastily picked up her colored utensils, doing her best not to flinch away from the iron knife.
Luckily, Forrest didn’t pursue his inquiry further, merely shrugging and taking back the knife. When Roan’s child-knife proofed too weak to cut the chicken, Bless cut Roan’s portion into bite sized chunks for her. Dinner passed pleasantly enough, with conversation among the pack. Roan wished she could contribute, but contented herself with paying attention so she could ask questions on another evening.
The biggest disappointment of the meal was the chicken. The meat was almost offensively bland, though it was hard to tell under all the spices Corey had used. In contrast, the potatoes were rich and the vegetables were tasty, if soft. As the meal drew to an end, Bless insisted that Roan eat at least two more bites of her chicken. Roan reluctantly ate the two smallest bites, which her packmates found quite funny for some reason.
“Thanks for making dinner, Corey. We should do these more often.” Forrest stood, deftly stacking plates on his arm. “I’ll handle the dishes.”
“In that case, I’ll handle this cutie.” Hannah ruffled Roan’s hair delightfully. “Corey, you’re on for tomorrow morning, right?”
Corey nodded gravely. “I have an alarm set that should get me up before Mariah does.”
Bless gave Roan an anxious hug before handing her off to Hannah. In Hannah’s room, Roan endured a diaper check – she was a little wet again – and took a seat on the bed with her packmate.
“How are you feeling about all of this, Mariah?” Hannah gave Roan’s arm a squeeze. “Bless and Corey had a dramatic change in their attitudes. Are you alright with how they’re taking care of you?”
I can hardly complain, since I ensorcelled them into the way they’re behaving. Even if I wanted her to, Hannah can’t convince them to change how they’re acting. Roan nodded, “The thing on the road – when I almost got hurt – was frightening.”
“I didn’t realize I was wet until you checked.” Roan sighed and blushed. “There’s a lot I don’t remember or understand. It’s comforting that they want to take care of me so much.”
“Even so, you sound a lot more put together than you were.” Hannah scooted close to Roan and stroked her back. “Did you get a portion of your memory back?”
“I know who you are – who everyone in the house is – better now. I remember what happened on the road and I understand why it was dangerous.” Roan smiled weakly. “I can learn things, but I can’t tell you what happened to change me.”
“That’s both more encouraging and concerning than I was expecting. I wish we could afford to get you checked out by a doctor, but the walk-in clinic would never be able to handle something like this.” Hannah shook her head. “You need some kind of specialist, and I’m sure your insurance wouldn’t cover much of the cost.”
Hannah’s words about medical treatment were a confusing buzz of unfamiliar words which Roan filed away for later investigation with the locket. The thrust of her packmate’s statement was clear enough, the pack couldn’t afford to have Roan treated for whatever they imagined had happened to Mariah.
That’s for the best. I don’t know what a mortal doctor would make of me, but nothing good would come of it. Roan leaned into Hannah. “Thank you for taking care of me. I’ll do my best to learn enough to do my work as soon as I can.”
“Let’s not worry about that until you’re feeling better.” Hannah petted Roan’s head. “I know you said you wanted to play with toys tonight, but I feel strange suggesting it after the discussion we just had.”
“I’d like to play with the little monsters some more.” Roan nuzzled Hannah’s neck. As she’d predicted, the mortal woman’s skin flushed and her scent changed. “There’s other ways we could play, though.”
“I – Mariah – oh dear.” Hannah turned to Roan. Their lips bumping together drove a soft gasp out of Hannah. “I’ve had a crush on you for a while – I didn’t realize you felt the same way. This is – we shouldn’t play that way.”
“Why not?” Roan shifted closer to Hannah, lightly licking her earlobe. She whined in frustration when her packmate pushed her away.
“Because you’re impaired. You’re not in your right mind. I’d be taking advantage – it isn’t right.”
“Hannah – you said you noticed I’m less confused. It’s true there’s a lot I don’t remember.” Roan tried to flatten her ears into a pleading expression, biting her lip in frustration when she realized she hadn’t the muscles or the ears for the gesture. “I know what sex is, what love is, and the difference between the two.”
Hannah swallowed nervously. “You say that, but do you really…”
“If it’s because I need help with things like I’m a child and you’re not attracted to me, that’s fine. We won’t play like that if you really don’t want to play.”
Roan put her hands on Hannah’s and looked her packmate in the eye. “I’m talking about us becoming lovers. I think you’re sexy – I want to make love to you. If you don’t, I will stop asking.”
“Oh Mariah, I do – I really do. I’m just not sure.” Hannah squeezed Roan’s hands. “What would the rest of our roommates think if they found out?”
“Unless one of them is already your lover, it’s none of their business.” Roan leaned in, bringing her lips to Hannah’s. She did it slowly, giving her packmate every opportunity to pull away.
Indecision was written on Hanna’s face as Roan approached. At the last moment, Hannah closed her eyes and met Roan’s lips. Soft exploratory kisses gave way to a raw, wet embrace. Scarcely had their tongues tangled than Roan pulled Hannah on top of her, lying back on the bed.
The mortal woman was delightfully soft putty in Roan’s hands. The fae girl had been interested in female lovers since she’d turned fifty – Roan had more than forty years since then to practice pleasing a woman.
Hannah’s breasts were wonderfully firm under Roan’s hands, but the true delight in them was the way the fae girl could use them to make Hannah’s breath catch in her throat. Carefully flexing her thigh between Hannah’s legs had the mortal girl pressing against Roan with a needy whine. Hannah’s legs tangled with Roan’s – reciprocating the gesture – whereupon Hannah’s thigh squished against Roan’s diapered crotch.
The thrice-cursed diaper! Roan sighed and cradled Hannah’s head in her hands so she could catch her lover’s gaze. “If that’s too strange, I understand.”
“It’s not, it…” Hannah’s face turned red to beat a faerie shapeshifter. “It’s a bonus. I had a girlfriend who wore those – just for fun times like this. I’m not trying to take advantage of your condition, I swear.”
“Oh, you like it?” Roan’s heart leapt in glee. Hannah’s desires might be strange to a mortal, but Roan had numbered a goblin among her lovers. Finding out that her curse was attractive to her new lover delighted Roan. “That makes me feel better.”
“I’m glad.” Hannah kissed Roan hungrily, pawing at the fae girl’s breasts. She was nowhere near as skilled a lover as a faerie, but she had an urgency to her passion that lit fire to Roan’s nerves.
They rolled about, bodies tangled together on Hannah’s bed for a while – until the mortal girl begged off and reluctantly parted. Roan was intrigued, despite her frustration. So it’s true. Mortals delay becoming lovers at the beginning. If it’s to build anticipation, that’s certainly working.
“You’re incredible. There’s – nothing childlike about what we just did. You’ve got me convinced.” Hannah took a moment to catch her breath, stroking Roan’s cheek. “I’m still not sure the others would understand. Can we keep this our secret for a while?”
“Of course.” Roan was already keeping so many secrets that one more was no burden at all. She took Hannah’s hand in hers and kissed her lover’s palm.
“Don’t start again, my resolve is hanging by a thread.”
“Very well.” Roan could feel her eyes sparkling with anticipation at all the things she wanted to do to – and with – Hannah. Enjoying the mortal tradition of anticipation, she carefully put Hannah’s hand on the mortal girl’s chest.
“I think it’s time to change you anyway.” Hannah patted Roan’s diaper. What would have been embarrassing from another packmate was soothing from Hannah. Her lover’s excitement and flush hadn’t faded at all when her attention turned to Roan’s diaper.
“Afterwards, can we play with the little monsters?” Roan climbed off Hannah’s bed, taking up her now-familiar position on the changing blanket. “I won’t be able to keep my hands off you if I don’t have something to do.”
“Yes sweetheart, we absolutely can.” Hannah shook her head in wonder as she changed Roan. “This is a dream come true.”
Once she had a clean diaper on, Roan learned that the little monsters were called dinosaurs. It was another odd word to file away. Luckily, she’d always been a quick study. Despite that, it was a relief to devolve into simple play with the dinosaur toys instead of constantly taking in information about the mortal world.
Roan was genuinely sad to be put to bed, especially as she was trading Hannah’s gentle and sexy caregiving for Corey’s grim protection-oriented care in the morning. Despite those misgivings, she smiled as Hannah tucked her into the blankets. Her situation in the pack felt far more stable than it had been, the Princess’ interference notwithstanding.
As she bid Hannah goodnight, Roan grasped her locket and queried it for answers to the day’s questions until she fell asleep.