‘And the Wolves,’ Charmaine added.
‘Yes.’ Metisse’s voice was laced with venom. This happened every time they came up in a conversation. I wasn’t sure why he was so adamant in his dislike of the Werewolves. Charmaine was much softer in her opinion.
‘The Wolves were here when we came,’ he continued. ‘They mingled with the Native American tribes when they settled here long ago.’ Charmaine took his hand and softly stroked his fingers. He looked at her and smiled wryly. ‘My mother and I do not share the same viewpoint regarding the Wolves.’
‘Metisse still has the fire of territorial protection in his blood. He will eventually learn that fighting is not always the solution to everything.’ She laughed.
‘With the Wolves—it should be,’ he answered vexed. To her repeated laughter.
I stayed mute. The animosity Metisse exhibited did not bode well for my plan. Or for my love life for that matter. I wondered where the hatred came from.
‘The Wolves have just as much claim to this land as we do—more even—they were here first,’ Charmaine lectured him. ‘They do not have to be your enemy. They could even be your allies.’
I had to stop my mouth from dropping open. Was it possible that Charmaine knew my plan? How could she? I’d told no one. Not yet. She didn’t look at me or acknowledge my surprise. It must have shown in my eyes or the sharp intake of breath that followed her comment. Metisse hadn’t noticed. He just made a wordless sound that showed his opinion on playing with his enemies.
‘Times are changing my son.’ She looked up at him again. ‘New times require re-evaluation of age-old beliefs. You will never be the clan leader you aspire to be if you hold on to your opinions with such stubbornness.’ He stayed silent.
‘And now it’s time for this old lady to go to bed,’ Charmaine declared. Immediately one of the guards stepped up to help her manoeuvre the electric chair to the back of the cabin where her bedroom was. ‘Good night both of you. Sleep well.’ We replied with the same wishes and watched her leave. The guards both followed her to the suite and closed the door leaving us alone in the vast living room.
‘Would you like a refill?’ Metisse indicated my empty wine glass. I shook my head. I’d reached my limit about two glasses ago. His smile warmed me. I felt the familiar heat develop in my core. His boyish good looks and the mischievous sparkle in his eyes got me every time. ‘How about we go to bed too?’ he voiced my own thoughts. I stood up from the sofa and had to steady myself as the wine took its toll. That elicited a laugh from my lover who hurried to catch me, exaggerating my inhibition to the max. I slapped his hands away and stood up more or less straight. I took a step towards the staircase and he fell in behind me. As I ascended the stairs, he pretended to support me, his hands on my butt. I’m sure that the kneading actions didn’t really help me keep my balance as we giggled and laughed our way up to our bedroom. There we dropped onto the massive bed and proceeded to undress each other and ourselves.
* * *
The next morning, we lay in the glow of the sun as it filled the room with light through the floor-to-ceiling windows. It was glorious. I was tempted to just forget what I was here for. Charmaine’s coming was a welcome addition to our little party, but her presence was also a distraction from what I needed to do. Metisse had to come to a meeting with the Wolves. With Gabriel to be exact. If last night’s discussion was any indication, convincing him would be quite a chore. I felt him stir and turned over to look at him. He reluctantly let me change position. Metisse loved to spoon me. I enjoyed the feeling of protection that it gave me and that was usually the position we fell asleep in.
‘Sleep well?’ OK, it was corny, but I had to start somewhere. His face lit up with mischief.
‘The few hours that I managed to keep your hands off me, yes.’ I slapped his chest in mock anger and we both laughed. Our libidos were well suited to each other and even necessitated time apart to recuperate.
‘It’s beautiful here.’ My comment was heartfelt. The view from the bed was magnificent. The deep autumn colours of the trees shone in the sunlight. I saw an eagle on the wing in the distance and wondered if it might be Ash—borrowing again.
Metisse just kissed the top of my head.
Man, I needed to get this done. Gathering all my courage I went for it. ‘Do you trust me Metisse?’
His brow creased, humour in his eyes. ‘Now that’s a stupid question. Of course I do. You are my soulmate. I trust you with my life.’ You might end up doing just that, I thought to myself. He looked a bit puzzled. Understandable. ‘What brought that on?’
‘There are things about me that you don’t know,’ I continued.
‘Yes, and I’m looking forward to finding them out.’ He smiled again. Be careful what you wish for, I thought. These surprises might be quite different than you expect.
‘Some might not be what you imagine,’ I tried to prepare him.
‘OK.’ Quizzical again. ‘You going to explain what you’re talking about? Because I have no idea.’
‘Getting there,’ I answered. ‘It’s not easy.’ Right. Deep breath and jump in, I told myself.
‘I’m not exactly who you think I am.’ More creasing of the brow. ‘I have a reason why I’m here in Waisland.’
‘Yes, me.’
He was so narcissistic—in a sweet and endearing way. I recognised that he was trying to lighten the mood.
‘Besides you.’ That was the right answer judging by his smile of contentment. ‘Seriously Metisse. I’m here because of a prophecy.’ That got his attention.
‘What prophecy?’ He was all ears now. He turned fully towards me, supporting himself on his right elbow.
‘One I can’t exactly tell you everything about. But it has to do with the Council.’
He raised his left eyebrow at the comment about the Council. I hit a nerve. His eyes darkened and his face became more rigid. All humour gone.
‘What about the Council?’ His voice had that familiar dark tone that surfaced when he was angry. I fully understood this anger. It was directed at the people who exiled his people and crippled his mother. He was fiercely protective of her and that made me wonder whether he had been at the battle where she was wounded.
I took another big breath and explained; ‘the Council has oppressed the Paranormal world long enough. It’s time that we did something about it.’ He nodded his agreement. ‘All of us,’ I added. Still he nodded.
‘There are many Sabre clans that would pick up arms,’ he volunteered. ‘We were not the only ones to be driven out of Canada or persecuted. Together we will be a formidable force.’ I loved his enthusiasm and the way he immediately joined my cause. But once again, his scope was restricted to only the Sabres.
‘All of us,’ I repeated.
‘Yes, I heard.’
‘All of the Paranormal creatures.’ That shut him up. I could almost feel the effort that it took him to broaden his view to other creatures than his own clan. Metisse had a very elitist opinion of his clan and Sabres in general.
‘What exactly do you mean with all of the paranormal creatures? Do you have a specific one in mind?’ He chose his words carefully.
I nodded. Well here goes nothing; ‘yes, the Wolves.’
He threw up his hand and turned to lie on his back staring at the ceiling. Metisse took deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself. His body was almost in fight mode as his muscles tensed, just at the thought of the Wolves. This was not going to be easy.
I placed my hand on his chest and felt the strong beat of his heart. ‘I know this is difficult for you,’ I started.
‘You have no idea,’ he interrupted me.
‘OK, so enlighten me. Why do you hate the Wolves so much?’
He was surprised. This was not the question he expected. But the air had to be cleared before I could go any further.
‘You wouldn’t understand,’ he finally declared.
‘Try me.’ I wasn’t letting him off that easily. He opened t
hat can of worms, now he had to follow through. He sighed in a way that only a man can. I almost laughed, but he was deadly serious. I pulled myself together and put on a straight face. It was hard though.
‘I was a teenager,’ he started. ‘This is one story that my mother didn’t tell you yesterday, because she doesn’t know about it.’ I doubted that but nodded to encourage him.
‘Anyway. Some guys and I were in the forest hunting. We decided that we would bag ourselves a deer. It was the first one that we hunted alone—without the adults—so it had a lot of significance for us. We also made it into a kind of right-of-passage. We split up into twosomes and the first ones to bag a deer would win.’ He was already validating whatever was to come. I nodded again. ‘We were stalking a doe, my friend Lucien and me. We got very close and were about to pounce when a pack of Wolves chased the doe away. There were about ten of them. I was mad as hell. We’d been watching the deer for more than an hour when the Wolves attacked, and all our work was for nothing. The pack was chasing it, so we had no chance of killing it anymore. Lucien tried to pull me back and whispered that we should leave, but I refused. I stood up and shouted at the last Wolves. Two of them stopped and turned around. They paced back to us. Lucien ran off—the coward. I stayed put. I was the son of the clan leader and I wouldn’t let any stupid mutt stare me down. It was our deer. Not theirs.’ He looked to me for validation. I was astounded. Surely this could not be the basis of his hatred? There must be more.
‘Were the Wolves on clan territory?’ I asked.
‘That’s beside the point.’ Ah, that would be a “no” then. ‘We had our eye on the doe.’ He was adamant in his righteousness.
‘So did they.’
‘You’re taking their side?’ The surprise and hurt was etched on his face.
‘No, just stating the obvious,’ I answered. ‘Looks like you were both stalking the same prey.’ I was astounded that he had not seen the Wolves. If they were there for an hour, then surely, they should have seen them stalk the deer too.
‘Well, it was ours. And to make things worse, they beat me up.’ Now he was really pouting like a small child.
I let it all sink in. ‘And that is why you hate the Wolves so much?’ I asked incredulously.
‘Yes,’ he said with less conviction than before.
‘Do you know which Wolf it was?’
‘No. They were just at the back of the pack.’ The omegas. An even bigger insult to a teenage ego.
‘And this episode from your childhood, where you were on Wolf territory, hunting what was technically theirs, still clouds your judgement about the pack?’ It wasn’t really a question and I could see that Metisse understood. He blushed heavily and averted his eyes. The small boy was still in there. I wasn’t holding my punches. This was the most ridiculous reason for years of animosity that I had ever heard. And dangerous too. The wounded ego of a teenage boy would bring the two parties to the brink of war if Metisse actually had anything to say about the clan. These were the moments I was glad that Charmaine was still the de-facto leader.
‘You mean to say that all these years the strained relationship between you and the pack is the result of your wounded adolescent ego?’ That landed. He blushed even deeper.
I took his face in my hands and kissed him softly on the lips. ‘Metisse,’ I said softly, ‘I love you to bits. But grow up, will you?’
He half-smiled.
‘Come on, how silly does that all sound?’ He tried to object, but finally had to concede that it was quite petty.
I became serious again. ‘We need the Wolves, Metisse.’
‘Why?’
‘The Council will come down on us hard. We need every hand, tooth and claw that we can find. Besides it’s better to have an ally than another enemy in the fight that’s coming.’
‘Yeah, but the Wolves?’
‘Yes, the Wolves.’
My mind went back to the conversation that we had last night in the living room. ‘Your mother doesn’t seem so averse to them as you are.’
‘No, she never had problems with them.’
‘Take an example from her, my love. And please open yourself up to cooperation. You don’t have to become best friends. Just allies.’ For now, I added silently. Somewhere deep inside I hoped that one day he and Gabriel might come to an understanding and, who knows, even start to vaguely like each other. I wasn’t holding my breath. But I can dream, can’t I?
‘Will you come to a meeting with one of the Wolves?’ I asked. ‘At the clearing where your ancestors agreed to the treaty?’
‘I’ll have to think about it,’ he answered dragging a decision. ‘When is it?’
‘Tomorrow at six pm.’
That didn’t give him much time.
‘Please Metisse, do this for me.’
‘Who will be there from the Wolves?’ Curiosity was getting the better of him.
‘Gabriel,’ I answered.
‘How did you get him to come?’
My turn to circumvent the questions. ‘Please Metisse, just trust me, will you? All will become clear tomorrow.’ I looked him straight in the eye. Willing him to comply. This was the basis of my plan. We had to get the Sabres and the Wolves to work together. That meant that both of the leaders had to agree.
Another deep sigh.
‘All right,’ he finally said. ‘But then you will tell me what is really going on here?’ I nodded. ‘And this is not an elaborate plan to get rid of me?’
I kissed him again. So that was the root of it all. He was scared he would lose me. ‘Don’t be silly,’ I replied much to his relief. ‘You’re my soul mate.’
We kissed deeply, my lips and body convincing him in ways that my words could not.
As an after-thought I added; ‘oh, one more thing Metisse. Come alone. will you? Gabriel will as well.’
He nodded and turned his attention once more to my breasts.
One down. Now all I had to do was convince Gabriel.
Chapter 45
‘Do you trust me, Gabriel?’ I know, it wasn’t original, but I was sticking to what worked with Metisse.
He looked at me. There was a sparkle in his eyes. The amusement spread to his lips and he smiled warmly, causing waves of tingles to run up and down my back as I lay in his arms in the after bliss of our lovemaking.
‘Of course I do. You are my soul mate. I trust you with my life.’ That again. What was it with these guys that it always had to be a life or death thing? Couldn’t they just say “yes.” The way they said it only increased my sense of guilt. I was playing them. I knew it and felt bad—most of the time. I admit, I loved the variation that these two gave me. They were very different lovers, and both fulfilled me. Now all I had to do was get rid of that nagging voice at the back of my mind that kept telling me that I was a bitch and that I was leading them both on.
‘But you don’t actually know me all that well,’ I said carefully.
He took my hands, leaned over to me and kissed me lovingly. ‘I know you well enough, my love. You would never intentionally hurt me. You are my life. My mate. I will be with you until the end of time.’ The love spoke from his eyes, from the tender touch of his hands, and from the heat of his body against mine.
My heart skipped a beat. The devotion that I saw in this man was astounding. He had been waiting for me all his very long life. And I was basically betraying him. He was my soul mate. I knew that. But so was Metisse. I didn’t want to lose either of them. To be frank I loved them both. But would they agree with the situation I was going to propose? It would be a stretch. I had to believe that it was possible. Oh sure, I would survive any heartbreak. But they would not.
‘There are things about me you don’t know,’ I tried to explain. I felt that I owed him that. He had to know. He would soon anyway. I wanted to soften the blow. Because that was what it would be. A hell of a blow. I just hoped that he would find it in his big heart to forgive me. Tears pushed at the back of my eyes.
‘I kno
w,’ he surprised me. ‘I know that I am not the only man with a claim to you.’ What? He knew, how could he? ‘The moment that Ash took an interest in you, I knew that there was something special about you.’ I let out my breath. He hadn’t meant Metisse. ‘Ash said something about having waited for you. He knew you would come. That means that there is a spiritual reason that you are here. I will have to share your time and attention with Ash.’
I felt so safe and content in his arms. So much so that I entertained the thought of just dumping the whole plan and living my life here in the pack as Gabriel’s mate. No more assassinations. No more prophecies. Just him and me. That lasted for just about thirty seconds. Then reality reared its ugly head. The Council would never let Gabriel and Metisse live. They wanted them dead. If I didn’t deliver on my assignment, I would join the guys on the death list. Peace and quiet was out of the question. And then there was my own private war with the Council. I would have my revenge.
‘Penny for your thoughts,’ Gabriel broke my dark thoughts.
I looked up at his face, the features that I had come to love so much. He was such a kind- and warm-hearted man, no matter what image the town painted on to him. No matter what the Sabres thought. I knew better.
I just smiled and kissed him. ‘I love you.’ There I’d finally said it out loud. The effect was beautiful. His hand stroked the side of my face as he tried to say something. The emotions were just too much. There were tear drops in the corners of his beautiful grey eyes.
‘You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.’ His voice was soft, a whisper nearly. The tremor touched my heart. We kissed. Deep, full of promise. One thing led to another and we made beautiful passionate love, taking our time and focussing all our attention on the other.
* * *
‘What’s up?’ Gabriel asked in the early afternoon. He had fallen into a deep peaceful sleep after our lovemaking while I stayed awake staring at the ceiling of the small cabin. What possessed me to declare my love for him? Was it real, or just manipulative because I knew I had to convince him to do something that was against his nature? I searched deep inside my own mind and soul. Maybe it was just hopeful, but I decided my love was genuine. As was my declaration. Just those three words had a massive impact on Gabriel. They were a confirmation of the bond. It brought him peace of mind that he hadn’t thought possible anymore.
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