Tieris (Primal Impulse Shifters Book 1)

by Romi Hart

  “Do you or your brother carry any of the vampire traits?” Plating the eggs, she brought the plates and sat next to me. “Here you are. Eat up. We’ll need lots of energy for tonight. I want to try this thing I read about once. You’ll have to hold me up and I’ll put my legs over your shoulders.”

  “You want a piggyback ride?” I found that to be not sexy in the least.

  “I want to be on the other side of your head.” Popping a bite of eggs into my mouth, she went on, “You know, my good parts will be right there in front of your face as you hold me like that. I think it will be quite pleasurable. And you do like to get me off as many times as you can before you and I climax together. Why not let me have one that way?”

  “I’m game if you are.” It sounded like I would like it too. Taking her face between my hands, I held her so I could kiss her. “If I told you that you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?”

  She laughed. “Sure would.”

  “You have a beautiful body.” I wanted her to hold it against me.

  I want her to hold it against me all night long!

  22

  Linda

  After another night of the hot passion, Tieris and I went to the kitchen so I could make us some breakfast. Mako came in at the same time we did. His whistling sounded chipper and he winked at me, which made me think he was in a great mood. “Morning, lovers.”

  I laughed as I went to make coffee. Tieris sighed as he went to put his arm around his brother’s shoulders. “You know what we should do since Codut is currently on the injured list and we can take some time away from our castle?”

  Mako pulled the orange juice out of the fridge. “No offense, but the last thing I want is to be the third wheel. I’ll hang here while you guys go out and about.” Turning his attention to me, he went on, “Besides, I’m dying to get to work on making Linda some new clothes.”

  As I started the coffee machine, I thought about what I could say to get him to go away with us for at least the day. “Well, how about you join us so that you can go to the shops in Rome that have the latest materials and prints?” Tieris and I had come up with a plan to introduce his brother to my sister. The idea behind that was that sometimes dragon brothers scented sisters. I thought it might be worth a shot. Lisa had about as much luck with men as I did. Meeting a nice dragon-shifter might be what she was meant to do too.

  The way his chocolate eyes lit up I knew I had piqued his interests. “Well getting some new material would be nice. I’ve got ideas about flowing gowns in pale colors and maybe some of the more docile prints. I don’t want anything so bold as to detract from your natural beauty.”

  If Mako thought I was beautiful, then he was certain to think my younger sister was too. “And after a day of shopping, we could stop by my family’s home for dinner before we make our way back here.” I didn’t want to put too much emphasis on that little detail of our day-out. Tieris had explained how you can’t force a connection between shifters and the people they scented. So, I didn’t want to get Mako’s hopes up if nothing happened for him.

  Tieris set the table as I began preparing the food. He wasn’t oblivious to the fact that Mako hadn’t given an answer to whether he would join us or not. Going to grab some mugs for the coffee, he bumped his brother’s shoulder. “There’re tons of birds there. I know how much you like birds. You can feed them breadcrumbs and they’ll gather right at your feet. That’s something you enjoy. You really should come with us.”

  “But what about the castle?” He shrugged as he went to sit at the table. “We’re not one hundred percent positive that Codut is the only one behind the trouble.”

  Tieris did think Codut was the one behind all the trouble though. “Seeing as Codut was in Rome the same time that I was and then inside of our castle after I returned, I can say with a certain amount of positivity that he is the mastermind behind this. And he’s out for at least a while. If he’s not out altogether. He might be deceased, you know.”

  “Not with that short knife wound, he’s not.” Mako gave me a sorrowful look. “Not that you didn’t do very well, Linda. It’s just that the blade must be long if it’s to reach the heart of a dragon. We can mend everything except our heart, and we can’t come back from being beheaded.”

  “Like anyone can.” From what I had seen of the dragons, taking off their heads would be an enormous endeavor that would most likely result in the death of the pursuer rather than the dragon. “We’ll only be gone for a few hours really. A little shopping then a little dinner, then back here. This will be the first time I’m introducing your brother to my family. He could use your support, Mako.”

  Being the great brother Mako was, he quickly made up his mind. “Then I shall go with you. Not that I don’t think Tieris can handle meeting the in-laws. But it will give me some practice if I ever find my mate.”

  Unlike Tieris, I had the idea that Mako might not scent a female mate. While Tieris seemed to be set on bringing more little dragons into the world, Mako didn’t seem to think about that much. Not that I knew him that well, but he didn’t act a thing like his older brother.

  After breakfast had been eaten and the kitchen cleaned up, we got on our way to Rome. And this time I would be wide awake as we left one dimension to go into another.

  Walking toward the woods, Tieris held my hand and Mako held the other as I was nervous as a cat in a room full of rockers. “So, this will go fast then?” I wasn’t sure how traveling through some imaginary space went. “Or really slow? I want to be prepared for this. I don’t want any surprises.”

  Mako’s deep laugh made goosebumps pop up on my flesh. “You can’t prepare yourself for this, Linda. It’s a portal and like anything this unstable, it can be all sorts of things. It can start fast, then go slow, then stop even. It can be brilliantly light.”

  Tieris added, “That means so much light that you can’t see. It can also be pitch black.”

  “I don’t like this idea at all. Isn’t there another way?” Looking back and forth at the tall, strong men on either side of me, I felt unsafe. “Has anyone ever died or gotten hurt while traveling this way?”

  Mako and Tieris exchanged looks that made my skin crawl, then Tieris answered my question. “That’s not exactly what can happen. But some people have just gotten lost. You know, ended up somewhere they hadn’t intended to go.”

  Mako took over, “And then once they were in the wrong place, they either couldn’t find the way back out or they found themselves in a dangerous situation that might have been the end of them. But no one ever finds out about those sorts of things. You know, unsolved mysteries.”

  “But you guys do know how to use this thing like pros since you’ve done it for such a long time, right?” I prayed that I was right.

  Mako chewed on his lower lip as Tieris gripped my hand tighter. “We have not traveled a great deal. Hundreds of years have gone by between our outings. This is the first time I’ve been back and forth so much in such a short amount of time. But I do feel more secure about this since I have done so much of it lately.”

  Not that I felt even a little better about what we were about to do, I wondered where the opening to this portal was. We were well into the woods now and still, I hadn’t seen a thing. “I suppose you know where the portal is, Tieris.” He had to know since he’d brought me through it only the day before.

  “Sure I do. That’s the cool thing about portals that you use often. They don’t move that much. They might ease to the right of the left or up or down, but they stay in the general area. When you wait a long time between using one, you tend to forget exactly where it is.” Pointing ahead of us at what appeared to be nothing but trees, he said with certainty. “And there it is.”

  Mako gave my hand a squeeze. “Not to worry, Linda. I’m just about as nervous as you are.”

  That doesn’t make me feel any better.

  “Me too, actually,” Tieris commented. “This is the first time I’ve used this portal to go
back. I had to find a new one to leave Rome with you as I couldn’t exactly fly up to the one I had used before.” He kissed the side of my head. “I wanted to find one where I could walk and carry you, my sweet. I was sure that if you woke up midway through to find yourself in the clutches of a dragon that you might have a heart attack and die.”

  Now, I feel even more afraid about doing this!

  “Well, you certainly know how to make a girl feel somewhat secure about doing something, then ripping the rug right out from under her feet.” The place he’d pointed at was just in front of us now. “And just in time for this to happen too. Oh, joy.”

  “I think she’s being sarcastic, brother.” Mako smiled at his brother. “She’s funny, this one. Bravo on scenting her.”

  “Yeah, I’m very happy about that too.” He disappeared, only his hand still held mine. “Here we are, my sweet.”

  But I wasn’t inside the portal at all. Then Mako disappeared too. His hand still held mine too. “Linda, take a step. It’s fine.”

  I hadn’t even realized that I had stopped walking. Looking down at my feet, I couldn’t will them to move. “I – I, don’t.”

  Mako’s hand slipped off mine and I thought they were about to leave me behind. But before I could freak out completely, Tieris had me in his arms, carrying me into a pink light that wasn’t bad at all. “Here we go. So far, so good.”

  Mako jerked his head, taking my attention. “Let her walk. It feels like gelatin is underneath our feet. She’ll like it.”

  “Will you?” Tieris asked before putting me down.

  “Just don’t let go of my hand and I think I’ll be okay.” I didn’t want to be a big baby for the whole trip.

  Putting me down, he never let go of my hand and Mako took my free one. The three of us walked through the lumpy – what I could only describe as air – for only a few more steps before the pink light got so bright that I couldn’t see a thing. The next thing I knew, the ground was under my feet and the light went away in a flash and blue skies were overhead. “Wow.” I turned to look behind us and so no evidence of the portal at all. “How do you find something like that?”

  “It’s a sixth sense,” Tieris let me know. He leaned down to whisper in my ear, “If you ever decide to become a shifter, then you will have that sense too.”

  “Something to consider.” Living life with Tieris would give me so many things to consider. The other thing I found fascinating was where we’d come out at. Right down the street from my apartment. “Oh, we’re almost to my place.”

  Tieris nodded. “We should pop in and let Flora know that she can begin her search for a new roommate. And you can pick up anything that you might want to take home with you.”

  “It’s so crazy. This part of my life is really coming to an end.” I felt tears burning the backs of my eyes. “I’m going to miss it.”

  Flora threw open the door as we approached it. “There you are! Are you okay? Did you find out things about him?” Her eyes went to Mako. “And who is this?”

  “I have found out everything about Tieris and this is his brother.” I knew I wouldn’t be needing any money where I was going, so felt I should give it to her to help her with the expenses I would leave behind. “I’m moving in with him. But I’m going to give you plenty of money to pay the bills until you find a new roommate.”

  As we walked inside, Mako took a look around the place. “So small.”

  Flora’s eyes danced as she obviously found him attractive. “Hi, Tieris’ brother. I am Flora. Do you have a name?”

  “Mako.” He nodded in her direction. “And I can see in your eyes that you are thinking about me in a way that isn’t going to happen.”

  I laughed all the way to my bedroom where I packed up only what I wanted to take with me. Leaving the rest of my things and all of my money, I hugged Flora. “Do with my things whatever you want. I won’t be coming back.”

  Her blank expression told me that she wasn’t able to understand. And that was okay. Some things weren’t meant to be understood by everyone.

  I led the men to my parents’ home, and my sister Lisa was sitting on the sofa, watching a movie. “Hey, sis.” Then she saw who was with me and hopped up, straightening her clothes. “Oh, you brought company. Did you let Mom know?”

  I hadn’t, but Mom always made way too much food at mealtimes, so I knew it wouldn’t be a problem. “No. What’s on the menu for tonight’s dinner? And how would you like to go shopping with us while Mom cooks it?”

  Looking back and forth at the men on each side of me who had remained silent, she asked, “And who do you have here, Linda?”

  Mako stepped forward, taking her hand and kissing it. “I am Mako. And Linda has told me that you are Lisa. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Then he looked at me with a sly grin. “I’m sure she and I can be good friends, Linda.” He looked around at Tieris who was scrutinizing his brother’s every move. “Friends, Tieris.”

  “Damn,” Tieris muttered. “Well, so much for that.”

  No love-match, but that was fine with me. As long as everyone could just get along and be friendly with one another was all I really wanted anyway.

  And everyone did get along. They got along so well that Mako ended up playing bingo later on with my family while my man and I sat on the back patio, watching the sunset.

  Sitting side by side, Tieris held my hand and took a long sniff of the air, then he leaned in close to sniff along my neck. “It’s gone.”

  “What is?” I had no idea what he was talking about. “The smell of Mom’s apple pie?” He had loved that aroma as she’d brought it out to us for dessert.

  “No.” A frown furrowed his brow. “The scent that attracted me to you. It’s gone. Like I can’t smell even a hint of it. All I smell is,” he took another long and deep sniff of me, “garlic and onions.”

  Well, this isn’t good at all!

  23

  Tieris

  As I sat there, looking at Linda as the sun left the sky, I wondered what had happened. “Nothing is there. Nothing is binding me to you.” It felt unnatural to hold her hand, so I let it go.

  Her eyes cast down as she whispered, “Codut said that if I didn’t do as he wanted, then things between us would end.” She looked up at me with tears shimmering in her dark eyes. “And I told him that I would accept that if it happened. He told me to get ready to accept it. And you just let my hand go only because I don’t smell the way I did to you before.”

  My mind felt as if a giant wave had come through it, obliterating everything that had to do with Linda. And it occurred to me that I had felt this way before. I had felt this way with all the other females. Once I had impregnated them, the need for them was over. And it was then that I stopped watching over them so steadily. It was then that I even left them on their own. And it was then that the knights would come to take them away and I would let them.

  “Is there a way that you can find out if you’re pregnant?” I wanted to know if that was the reason the scent had disappeared. I didn’t want to do the same thing with Linda that I had done with all the rest. So, if she’d lost the scent only because she now had my offspring within her body, then I would find a way to fill my heart with something other than what the scent had filled it with.

  “I can go buy a pregnancy test I suppose.” She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. “Will you come with me?” She sighed. “And will you pay for it? I gave all of my money to Flora. I didn’t think I would need it anymore.” She reached out and took my hand. “Will I not need it anymore, Tieris?”

  I had no idea. “Let’s just go get that pregnancy test, shall we?”

  Without telling anyone where we were going, we left through the back gate and went down the street to find a place to buy such a thing. It didn’t take long to have the object we needed, and we went back to her family’s home.

  She took me with her to the bathroom, closing the door behind us to give us some privacy. “Before I take this test, I want to
ask you what you want to do if it’s positive and we are going to have this brood you’ve been wanting?”

  “We will stay together as planned.” I wanted to change the way I had been. I didn’t want to walk away and forget about her. But I didn’t know what I would do if she wasn’t pregnant. I had no urges toward her at all.

  “Before I do this, will you kiss me, Tieris?” She batted her lashes in a rapid fashion and I knew she felt uncertain.

  I felt the same way. “Linda, I – it’s not.” Taking a deep breath, I let it out, “This has happened to me before. I don’t know if this is Codut’s doing or not. See, with the other females, once they were pregnant, I lost interest in them entirely. And I hate to say this to you, but I have no interest in you at all with your scent gone.” I felt I had to be honest with her. “What do you feel about me?” Things could’ve changed for her too. The question had to be asked.

  Gulping, I watched her try to stand up straight. I saw her eyes grow hard as her head moved up until she held it high. “I still love you. I still want you. But I won’t be with you if you don’t feel the same way about me. If all you had for me was the love of the scent I had, then your part of what we have is fake.”

  A huge part of me just wanted to walk away from her right then. It was exactly what I’d done to many females before after all. But I reached down deep and found a tiny shred of care for her. “Linda, I want to change. So, if you take that test and find out that we are having the brood we’ve been striving for, then I want you to come back home with me.”

  She laughed quietly. “I wasn’t with you to have a brood, Tieris. I was with you because of how you made me feel. And how I made you feel too. So, if you only want me to stay with you if we are pregnant, then I am afraid to inform you that I do not want that at all. And I won’t be staying with you if you no longer have feelings for me.”