“Do you think that the shifters will ever come out to the humans?” She paused over her fruit tart. “They might if the mages do.” “Why are the two things linked?” “The mages use parts of the shifters for their spells. If we don’t declare when they do, we are opening seasons on shifters. Humans will be enthralled by the magic, never thinking of where the supplies come from. If we declare before the mages, they have the chance to use human paranoia on us.” “The humans were very understanding when the fey emerged.” “There are not a lot of you, and you are all lovely and powerful. That must have gotten you the respect from the get go. Shifters only have the form of animals, and as you are no doubt aware, they don’t have a high opinion of animals. We are beasts when we shift. Even the bladed collars are an acknowledgement of that.” He scowled.
