Warm hands gently touched the bare skin on her arms, and she leaned back into him on a natural impulse.
"You know, I only get the good stuff out on special occasions," he whispered in her ear, the feel of his breath on her skin making her shiver.
"Today was special?" she asked, feeling guilty for taking up his time on a day like this. Alden chuckled.
"No. You're special," he replied, pressing a light kiss to the shell of her ear.
"Alden," she half groaned, before slamming her hands down on the counter and trying to bring herself back down to earth. "Stop. I won't be a notch on your bedpost." Oh, but how she wanted to be.
"Rory, no." He sounded pained, but she didn't turn around, knowing that if she did, her resolve would shatter. He stepped back, leaving her feeling suddenly cold. "Please look at me?" There was something in his voice that made her falter, and she turned to find an earnest expression on his face.
"Here," she thrust one of the drinks at him, at a loss for what else to do.
"Rory, please believe me. You'd never be a mere notch on my bed post. I've never felt this way about a woman before, not even…" He trailed off, a haunted look in his eyes.
"Not even?" she prompted, but he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I'm not ready to talk about it. One day, just not now." She nodded, deflating slightly at the thought of him not being truthful. "What's holding you back?" he asked softly. She took a large gulp of JD, deciding to take what he was saying at face value, but needing to fortify herself for her own admission.
"I don't know how to do any of this." She gestured between the two of them and took another drink.
"Neither do I." She cursed inwardly. He clearly hadn't understood what she'd meant.
"I've never had sex," she blurted out at the same time as Alden said, "I think you're my mate." She stared at him, as he stared back, both of them trying to process what the other had said.
"What?" She recovered first.
"I think you're my mate," he repeated.
"Is that possible?" It would explain a lot about the way she felt around him. She’d never really given much thought to what a necromancer’s version of a mate was, but she knew that finding one was possible. Just unlikely.
"Yes." He stepped forward, putting his hands gently on her waist, his eyes checking that she was comfortable. "And even if it wasn't true, you'd be worth waiting for."
"I'm not ready yet," she whispered, despite wanting him so much it almost hurt. It was confusing to have all these conflicting emotions going around her head.
"Then we'll wait." He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her sweetly, and it was that, more than anything that convinced her he was telling the truth; she was his mate. And he was hers.
7
Alden woke to morning light streaming through the window, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. When he did, a large smile spread over his face. He glanced over to see Rory still sleeping beside him, her dark hair spread out on the lilac bed spread. She looked peaceful, and he didn't want to disturb her. The t-shirt she'd worn to bed had ridden up, giving him a clear view of the tiny sleep shorts she was wearing, and more skin than was helpful given that he'd promised her he'd wait until she was ready.
Not that he minded, he'd do anything she wanted him to, especially as he was becoming more and more certain that he was right about her being his mate. Proven more by the fact she hadn't run off screaming when he'd suggested it to her.
He grabbed his phone from where he'd put it on Rory's bedside table, eager to see if Bjorn had been able to dig anything up on the list of names she'd found. He'd been a bit curt when Alden had called him last night, and from the sound of Arabella's voice in the background, he'd probably interrupted a date night or something. They'd forgive him though. He'd worked with both of them long enough to know that they wouldn't let it go until they knew more. Plus, Arabella would probably just be glad that he was finally getting somewhere with the issue.
He sat bolt upright after seeing Bjorn's name in his emails. While he’d hoped the PI had come up with something, he hadn’t really expected it. He ran a hand through his hair, wishing he'd thought to bring his glasses with him when he'd rushed after Rory the night before. Not that he wanted to change anything about yesterday; finally admitting what was between him and Rory had made it perfect as far as he was concerned.
"What's got you all excited?" Rory's sleepy voice broke through his thoughts.
"Bjorn emailed back about those names," he told her, and she sat up almost as fast as he had. He'd filled her in on who was working behind the scenes the night before. There’d been a part of him that had wanted to tell her previously, the same part that was constantly insisting on him trusting her. Now that he knew the real reason behind those feelings, he’d had no problem sharing the Shifter Council’s secrets. The fact that she’d done her own research into Dean Winters, would only cement her trustworthiness in the rest of the Council’s view. Or at least he hoped it would.
"What did he say?" She leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder, while stroking his back absentmindedly. He clicked on the email and heard Rory gasp as she read it.
"I don't know how he does it," Alden muttered, still in shock over the email.
"That's him?" Rory asked, unable to take her eyes off the screen and the photo on it. It was the only thing that Bjorn had put in his email, but it was better than the mere description they’d had before.
"Recognise him?" Alden asked, slipping his free arm around her and pulling her to him. She came willingly, and nestled into him.
"No. But there's something about him that makes me feel off." She shivered, and he pulled her even closer, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "So, what do we do about it?"
"Depends. Do you trust your Council?" he asked. Instantly, she shook her head, taking Alden by surprise. She'd always shied away from talking about the Necromancer Council.
"I've only met one of them, that's who I was with yesterday."
"There wasn't anyone there yesterday," he said with a frown, thinking back to finding her crouched down and surrounded by what looked eerily similar to the necromancer magic she'd shown him. "You were covered in purple smoke, but not like the stuff you made the other day. It looked almost oily." She shivered again.
"Felt worse," she muttered. "How many necromancers have you met?" she asked after a moment. He wasn’t sure what that had to do with who she was with last night, but learning what he could about necromancers would help regardless.
"You." He shrugged, and she smiled wryly.
"There are a lot of bad necromancers. Not necessarily killing spree types, but most tend towards cruel and will toy with others for the hell of it." Pain flashed through her eyes, whether it was in response to the night before, or some past trauma, he couldn’t tell, but she masked it before he could say anything.
"But you're nothing like that," he could say that with certainty. In the weeks since they'd met, she'd never once come across as anything like that.
"I'm also an outcast, Alden. Even as a girl they didn't like me just because I have a 'princess name' and didn't want to kill worms using magic."
"Rory's a princess name?" he asked, racking his brain for what she might mean.
"My full name's Aurora," she whispered.
"And they alienated you for that?" he blurted out, shocked that that's all it took. "I for one think it's a beautiful name." He cupped her cheek and lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her softly and trying to convey what she already meant to him in it. They broke apart, and she gave him a smile.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," he whispered back, their heads still close together.
"I have a question," she said, biting her lip and worrying him slightly.
"Mmm?" He dotted kisses down her cheekbones, making her breath catch.
"How will you actually mate with me?" Taken by surprise, Alden shot back so that he could look her in the eye as he answered. "I m
ean, you have a beak. How are you going to bite me during..." she trailed off and blushed fiercely, glancing downwards. Guilt welled up in Alden for not being straight with her about how mating really worked.
"Bird shifters tend to scratch."
"Will it hurt?" she asked before he could carry on with his explanation. Instead of answering, Alden held out his right hand and performed a partial shift. His hand transformed into a claw between them, and unlike with a full shift, it remained in proportion to the rest of his body. She trailed her fingers over the claws.
"It's supposed to be rather pleasurable," he told her, while thinking that the feeling of her fingers touching his was just as enjoyable. It almost felt as good as when she'd stroked his feathers the night before.
"That wasn't what I meant," she admitted softly, and it took Alden a moment to remind himself of her revelation.
"I've heard it does, but when you're ready, we'll take our time." He trailed his thumb along her cheek and hated seeing the uncertainty in her eyes.
"But we need to, to seal the mating bond between us?" She chewed on her lip again, making him want to kiss her doubts away. Though given the nature of those doubts, it probably wouldn’t help matters.
"We're already mated."
"What?" she asked, shock replacing the uncertainty on her face. "But we haven't had sex, have we?" Alden chuckled despite her panic, feeling instantly guilty after she sent him a dirty look.
"Believe me, Rory. When we have sex for the first time, you'll remember it."
"Then how are we mated?" If they'd been stood up, then he was sure that her hands would be on her hips. Not that he minded. He liked the fiery and passionate side of her, much more than seeing her hurt and in pain.
"I'm not sure how it works, but apparently true mates bond the moment they meet." That stopped her, and a thoughtful look crossed her face.
"That explains a lot," she said, calmer now.
"Yep," he agreed, thinking back to the way he'd been feeling about her for weeks. And the way he'd sensed she as in danger last night. Sure, he hadn't wanted to accept that he knew it was Rory that needed saving, but something had drawn to him to that spot, and Rory was most likely the explanation.
"How does that work?" He shrugged.
"I'm not sure, we've only just learned about ourselves. You could talk to Arabella about it if you want?" he offered, secretly thinking that it might be a good idea. Not only did Arabella know more, but maybe she could help Rory in the way that only a female friend could.
"The lawyer? I don't think so, she sounds scary." It almost sounded like she couldn't believe he'd even suggested it.
"She's really not bad. Maybe we could go for dinner with her and Bjorn?" he suggested, despite not being entirely sure that either of the other shifters would go for it.
"So we can discuss how virgin me wants to know more before I let you mark me?" She was getting angry again, or at least he thought she was.
"No! That's nobody’s business but ours, and it won't leave this room," he insisted.
"Promise?" she asked.
"Promise."
8
Not for the first time, Rory wondered why she'd agreed to this. Alden had worn her down and convinced her to have dinner with him, Bjorn and Arabella, who'd insisted on being called Ari the moment they'd been introduced. So now she was sat at a kitchen island, glass of wine in hand, watching the auburn-haired fox shifter organise a small banquet. She'd offered to help, but Ari had waved her off almost instantly.
Rory was still a little in awe of their home, especially as neither Bjorn or Ari were much older than she was. While it was hard to age shifters, much like it was most paranormals, Alden had told her that the two of them were in their early thirties. Their flat was at least twice the size of her own, with an open plan living space and kitchen, and the kind of touches that made somewhere home. Even down to the hand-drawn picture of Ari and three children that was tacked to the fridge. That drawing, more than anything, made Rory think about children of her own for the first time in her life.
"My niece drew it for me," Ari said, seeing where Rory was looking.
"Are you close?" she asked, already envying the idea. She barely spoke to her family, and it was honestly better that way, but it didn't stop her wanting more. Ari pulled a face, and Rory thought better of asking anymore. There was clearly some part of the conversation that made the other woman uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"So, Alden said you wanted to know more about how shifter mating works?" Ari deflected the question, while pulling some kind of meat from the oven and basting it. Rory looked around nervously, trying to check where the two men had got to. "Oh, don't worry about them. They're off doing whatever it is male shifters do," Ari added with a dismissive wave of her hand. Not that that reassured Rory in the slightest. Bjorn was at least twice Alden's size, and that was in human form. She was sure that the bear shifter would swamp him in animal form too.
"Yes," she admitted. Actually, she wasn't sure that she did want to know more. But on the flip side, if she didn't talk to Ari then she'd likely just worry about it.
"If you want to know if you can stop it, then the answer is a big fat no." Ari took a long sip of her wine, making herself comfortable on the other bar stool. "Trust me, I tried to deny a mating bond, and all I really managed to do was deprive myself time with Bjorn in the process.”
"You know you glow more when you talk about him?" Rory asked, forgetting that Ari was a shifter and probably had no idea how necromancer magic worked.
"I what?"
"Glow more. Everyone has this spark inside them, we call it a life light. I guess it’s to do with their life force or something. Certain things make them glow more. Most likely strong emotions, but I can't say I've ever paid enough attention to really notice." She felt like she was explaining badly, and wished she'd paid more attention when her parents had tried teaching her about her powers as a child.
"And seeing them is a necromancer thing?" Ari asked, curiosity lighting up her wide green eyes. Even in her limited dealings with the paranormal world, Rory had heard of Arabella Reed. Most paranormals had. Not only were there rumours that she was on the Shifter Council, which Alden had confirmed to her the other night, but it was common knowledge that she was an unrivalled defence attorney. Not to mention that it had been Ari, and one of her cases, that had put them on the trail of Dean Winters. They didn’t have a plan to find him yet, but once Alden had persuaded her that dinner with Ari and Bjorn was a good idea, she'd pointed out that four heads were better than two when it came to devising a plan.
"I assume so, I've always seen them, which makes me think so."
"And what does Alden's do around you?” Ari asked, making Rory frown.
"I don't know, I've not really noticed it doing anything. Maybe he isn't really my mate at all." Her heart sunk, and something must have shown on her face, because Ari placed a gentle hand on her arm.
"Did he say he was?" she asked softly. Rory nodded. "Then he is. He wouldn't have said anything if he wasn't sure."
"He said he thought I was, that's all." Ari gave a short laugh in reply, before catching herself.
"Men," the fox shifter muttered while shaking her head. "Look, I've worked with Alden for long enough to be able to say for sure that he's been different since the moment he met you. And shifters, particularly men, don't start acting differently without reason." Rory still wasn't sure, but was grateful for the moments reprieve as Ari jumped up and switched on a pan which was sat on the stove, before topping up their wine. Neither of them would really be effected by the alcohol, at least not unless they wanted it to, it was a weird quirk of most paranormals.
"What if there's another reason? What if he's met someone at the university?" she asked, hating herself for the neediness in her voice. Ari sighed slightly, but didn't lose her patience, which made Rory feel kind of guilty. She'd never been good at this girly stuff. Hell, she'd never really had a chance to do
any of the friend stuff either.
"You know how I know he thinks you're his mate?" Rory nodded. "He's brought you here for a start, and no doubt told you that I'm on the Shifter Council, and that Bjorn used to be. Plus any time anyone's so much as asked a question about you in Council, he jumps down their throat." Ari smirked, as if remembering something amusing.
"And how do I know?" Rory asked quietly, wanting to be heard, but not wanting to either of the men to overhear. She didn't actually know whereabouts in the flat they were, but considering they were both shifters, their hearing was probably several times better than hers.
"Well for a start, the sex is better than any you've ever experienced." Rory looked down, trying to hide the blush that she was sure covered her cheeks. Thankfully, the other woman seemed distracted by her own thoughts. "Not forgetting how safe you'll feel when you’re with him."
"Yes, I get that," Rory admitted, thinking back to how she felt every time she was with Alden.
"But you don't see his life light thing get brighter around you?" Ari asked.
"I've never really looked though," she admitted. She never really focused on life lights unless one caught her eye, like when Ari’s had brightened earlier. Rory watched as Ari's eyes began to sparkle with mischief. Which Rory supposed was only to be expected when she was talking to a fox shifter. Despite her formidable legal reputation, or maybe because of it, Ari seemed fun to be around as far as Rory was concerned.
"Want to go find out?"
"Will dinner be alright?" Rory asked, wanting to give in, but not wanting to take her away from something important, especially when it smelt so good.
"Oh, it's fine," Ari said, with a dismissive wave and hopped off her bar stool, grabbing Rory's hand and dragging her down a short hall. Rory had to bite on her free hand just to stop herself from giggling uncontrollably. Ari stopped outside a slightly ajar door, and held a finger to her lips.
Rory crept forward and peered through the crack in the door. Bjorn was leaning back in a desk chair, while Alden paced nervously back and forth. The room was clearly an office, and from how at ease Bjorn seemed, she reckoned that it was his space, as opposed to Ari's.
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