Laoch leapt to his feet, flipped his long hair back over his shoulder, and strolled primly toward Tiger, holding his arm out to the side so the blood didn’t drip on his outfit. When he reached his cousin, who had been joined by TJ and Remi, TJ ripped his other sleeve off and tied it around Laoch’s wound. Laoch eyed TJ reproachfully, but TJ just shrugged and said, “Hey, it was ruined anyway.”
“True. Would you mind disposing of that for me?” He fluttered his fingers in the direction of the body. Retrieving his sword and waistcoat from Tiger, they headed out of the park toward home, leaving TJ to watch the body until he could summon his guys to do a DB removal.
As they walked, they were quiet, until Tiger finally grabbed his elbow, stopping him in the street. He stepped in front of Laoch, staring into violet eyes and asked, “Are you really my cousin?”
Laoch looked back at him, smiling fondly. “Yes, Toro, Liam is my father and your mother’s brother.”
“How did you know I was going to accept his challenge?” Tiger asked.
“I know you, and I know you would never back down from a challenge… besides, I knew you could take him with one arm tied behind your back,” he smirked.
They started walking again. “Are you going to leave again?”
“No. I’ll be staying with you for now.”
Remi snapped his head around and gaped at Laoch. “Excuse me?”
“My father sent me to deliver the journal to Toro, but it’s incomplete. I need to help complete his education and train him to control his Fae gifts as they manifest.”
“Oh.” Remi wasn’t sure what he thought about having Laoch in the house, especially with Jake there. He’d have to talk it over with Tiger when they had some privacy.
When they entered the house, the Ranger who’d been guarding Jake was sitting at the breakfast bar. He jumped up, on alert until he spotted Tiger and relaxed. They introduced Laoch to Noah and filled him in on the events that took place at the park, then told Noah he could go ahead and take off.
“Okay guys. Jake is out in the pool. I think he’s trying to convince Midnight to jump in. Pleased to meet you Laoch.” He smiled shyly at Laoch, heading for the door.
“My pleasure as well Noah. Good day.” Laoch looked at him strangely, gazing after him as he walked away.
Certainly, Noah was a handsome man. Laoch estimated he was probably a couple of inches over six feet with wavy medium length chocolate brown hair, emerald green eyes, and a lean muscular build. He had muscular arms and a broad chest but a narrow waist and tight bubble-butt that was currently on display in pants that looked two sizes too small. He took it all in at a glance.
Laoch shook his head as the door closed behind Noah. He hadn’t looked at another man that way since mating with Aidan. ‘What is wrong with me?’ he wondered.
“Come sit down and let me take a look at that arm.” Tiger drew his attention away from Noah and had him sit at the breakfast bar. “I think it might need stitches.”
Laoch sat and gestured airily. “No. Just wrap it. I heal quickly and I don’t scar.”
While Remi retrieved the first aid kit from the bathroom, Tiger cleaned Laoch’s wound. TJ came through the front door as Tiger was finishing up with the bandage and handed Laoch his dagger. “Thought you might want this back. I sent Noah to take care of your mess.”
“Hey, ever hear of knocking before entering? I swear it’s like a damn shuttle terminal in here,” Remi groused.”
TJ ignored the barb and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. “Hey, we’re all family now, right?”
When he was done wrapping Laoch’s wound, Tiger showed him to the guest room next to his own. He sat on the edge of the bed while Laoch checked the room out. “It’s simple but it’ll do for now.” The room was actually quite luxurious by Tiger’s standards but apparently Laoch’s standard of living was on a whole other level.
“Can I ask you a question.” Tiger didn’t bother to wait for Laoch’s answer. “How long have you been here on Corvan? I mean, how long have you been tracking me?”
“Ah. You’re wondering why we didn’t take you in when your parents were killed?”
“Well, that’s partly it, but…. I mean…. things would’ve been so different if I’d known I had family out there and if I’d known more about being Fae.”
Laoch sat in the chair near Tiger, crossing his legs and resting his chin in his hand. He contemplated Tiger for several moments, gathering his thoughts. Tiger dropped his eyes and twisted his father’s signet ring distractedly.
“Toro means Tiger, yes? That’s what your friends call you? Would it be alright if I called you Tiger?”
Tiger looked up again. Laoch was smiling gently at him. “Yes. I’d like that.” He blushed and dropped his eyes again.
Laoch sighed deeply. “We’ve always known about you, of course, but it was decided that it was best to stay away when your father was killed. You were being well cared for by your father’s comrades and to interfere while you were still so young would have brought the wrong kind of attention to you. Your parents escaped the courts in order to keep you safe. We were told to wait till you came of age before contacting you.”
“You were a beautiful child. So much like your mother. I checked on you from time to time, even though my father would have broken my sword had he known. I wasn’t there when you suffered at the hands of that bastard Harriott.”
Laoch looked away briefly, his grief evident. He gained control over his emotions and returned an impassive gaze to Tiger. “I’m sorry for that, but I did take care of his penance once I found out what he’d done.”
“Yes, I only found out about that recently,” Tiger replied flatly. “I assume you also offered Chris Hawkins the same penance.” It wasn’t a question, so Laoch said nothing. “You said you’d been around since I was a child, but you look like you’re my age. I know I look younger than my true age and my mother didn’t look a day over thirty when she died, but she was over three-hundred.” He hesitated. “How old…. “
“I am one hundred and ninety-two Old Earth years of age, which is the calendar the Fae courts observe. Your mother was three hundred and twenty-seven. Even though we look the same age, you are but a babe to me. You will never look a day older than you do today. Barring accident or violent injury, pureblood Fae are eternal.”
“Unfortunately, we fight a lot of wars, which leads to a high attrition rate. You are not a pureblood, but you will live a very long time and so will your mate. His lifespan will adjust to yours. Who wants to live forever anyway? It’s highly overrated.” He made a face and waved a hand indifferently.
“Make no mistake Tiger, you are Fae. Your body has most of the physical attributes of our people, except for your height and hair color. You have the allure of the Fae. Compared to humans, your senses are sharper, you heal faster, you’re stronger, you’ve paired with a mate and you will gain Fae abilities gradually over time. Fate makes sure that you don’t get hit with all of them at once, so you have time to learn to control them one at a time.”
“How many you gain depends on how long you live. However, the purity of your Fae blood will determine the strength of your abilities. You may gain many abilities over time, but they will probably never be as strong as a full-blooded Fae.
Tiger was shocked by all that Laoch had disclosed, including the fact that Laoch knew he’d mated with Remi. “You know about Remi? How?”
“Of course, I know. All Fae recognize mated pairs, even without seeing the marks. Even if they’re not together, we can still sense that they’re paired with someone.” He left out the fact that he’d also been present at that moment.
Something else occurred to Tiger. “You were there. Lucius said you’d been helping him with his Fae research.”
“Yes. I’ve been trying to help him find a cure for the virus. I didn’t know about you being bitten until you started working with him. Frankly, it was a shock to see you there. The last time I’d seen you was during your shopping trip in
Aurora.”
Tiger gasped. “That was you! I thought I saw someone stalking us from the alleyways, but I assumed it was Chris!”
Laoch smiled. “Yes, so anyway, I made sure Lucius and Tae had as much information as I could feed them regarding fated-mates in hopes that it would benefit you. I really didn’t know whether or not it would work.”
“It did. Thank goodness Remi chased after me. You all saved me. Thank you.”
Laoch merely nodded in acknowledgement. “If I may… it’s an intimate thing to ask among Fae but… may I see…. it?”
Tiger hesitated. What if it didn’t live up to the standards of a pureblood’s mark? He was proud of it, but would it look inferior to Laoch? Didn’t he owe it to Laoch though since he wouldn’t even have the mark without Laoch’s help? He nodded and unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it aside to reveal his tattoo.
“Exquisite,” Laoch murmured. His fingers hovered over the tattoo but didn’t touch it. “Somehow I knew it would look something like this. Do you understand the significance of the tiger?”
“Is it because of my name?”
“No, not at all. Your father wanted to name you Nikko, which means Sunshine, but your mother said she sensed that your spirit animal would be a tiger, so she insisted on giving you your father’s name. He said he didn’t want people calling you “Junior”, but he could never win an argument against your mother.” Laoch chuckled.
“Were they fated-mates?” Tiger wanted to know anything and everything he could learn about his parents.
“No, but they were very much in love. Grandfather didn’t want Enya to marry a human, but she said she wouldn’t marry anyone else.”
Tiger smiled at that. From what little he remembered of his mother she had a bright, bubbly personality with an infectious laugh, always teasing his father until he would scoop her up in his arms and pepper her with kisses. “Um… so you were saying about the significance of the tiger?”
“The creature imbedded in a mate-mark always reflects that person’s spirit animal. Mates have identical marks because they both have the same spirit animal. Their marks will differ from others who also have similar animals however, so no other pair will have marks that look identical to theirs. They may all have tigers, but the tigers’ images will vary from pair to pair. One might be in profile, another Siberian versus Bengal. I even saw a couple who had a tiger cub.”
Tiger buttoned up his shirt. He was pleased to see that his cousin thought his mark was beautiful. “Should I be able to sense pairs? I don’t think I’ve been around any other pairs, but most of the Fae I’ve met were participating in the tournaments I attended. I don’t know if you’re paired, but I don’t sense anything. Do you have a mark? I’d really like to see how it differs from mine,” he asked enthusiastically.
A look of pain crossed Laoch’s face, then cleared an instant later. If he hadn’t been looking directly into Laoch’s eyes at that moment he might have missed it.
“I’m sorry… you said it was an intimate thing. I shouldn’t have asked.” He was embarrassed and looked away.
“No. No need to apologize. It’s ugly but I’ll show you.” Laoch pulled his shirt aside and there on his chest was a dull faded phoenix surrounded by the same Celtic design that Tiger bore.
Tiger’s eyes stung. The significance of the faded lifeless tattoo was not lost on him. “Oh, Laoch! I’m so sorry! How do you live with the pain? You must be devastated!” He reached out to touch Laoch’s hand, but he sat back out of reach, righting his clothes.
“I have a duty to uphold. I have sworn to train and educate you in the ways of the Fae. Once I have fulfilled my promise, I will end my time on this earthly plane and rejoin my other half.” He smiled sadly. “For now, I live for you and your mate. Guard him well Tiger. I would not wish this pain on you for all the wealth in the universe.”
He sucked in a lungful of air and pushed himself up out of his chair, hoisting Tiger up off the bed. “Enough of this depressing discourse. Come. Your mate should have dinner ready and I feel like taking a long soak in that tub afterwards. By the way, do you think Remi would loan me a change of clothes?”
Chapter 4
“Aaaiiddaaan!!” Laoch screamed. He bolted upright from his pillow, gasping for air like a drowning man and wrenched his head from side to side, eyes wide open. It took a few minutes for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the bedroom and he wasn’t quite sure where he was. He’d retrieved his bags and checked out of his hotel room two weeks ago and was currently living with Remi and Tiger.
When it finally sank in that he was alone and in his room at Remi’s house, he flopped back down on his bed and curled into a fetal position, shivering, and sobbing quietly into his pillow. He heard a light knock at his door and quickly wiped the tears from his face.
“Laoch, it’s Tiger. Are you alright?”
“Come in Tiger,” Laoch said, his composure back in place.
Tiger entered the room without turning the light on. He sat on the edge of the bed and hesitantly touched Laoch’s arm. Laoch lay with his back to Tiger.
“Sorry cousin. Did I wake you? Maybe it wasn’t a good idea for me to stay here. I’m afraid I have these dreams with some regularity. Most annoying really,” he muttered. He couldn’t imagine waking the household every night with his shrieking. How humiliating!
Tiger played with the silver strands of Laoch’s long hair. He didn’t even braid his at night and it still looked like he’d just stepped out of a salon every morning.
“No, I was catching up on some reports in my room. I don’t sleep well some nights either. Don’t worry about it. No one would have heard you upstairs with your door closed. These rooms are well insulated.”
Laoch turned over and sat up, shoving the pillows back against the headboard. He slept in the nude, so his muscular torso and his mate-mark were on full display.
Tiger couldn’t help glancing briefly at the faded mark.
Realizing his state of undress, Laoch flipped his hair to drape over his chest, covering the ugly tattoo. “I’m fine now. Don’t let me keep you from your obligations. I’ll go back to sleep shortly.”
Tiger hesitated, looking down at the fingers he had twisted in his sleep pants. He looked back up at Laoch and asked softly, “Who’s Aidan? Was he your mate?”
Laoch looked away and swallowed hard, trying to get the words out, but he couldn’t so he just nodded. He reached out and toyed with Tiger’s fingers, finally managing to whisper “yes”.
“I know it’s hard to talk about what happened but if you ever need someone to listen, remember, we’re family and I’ll do whatever I can to help you. Maybe someday you’ll be able to tell me about him; the good memories.”
He patted Laoch on the leg and stood. “Try to get some sleep. Can I get you anything?”
Laoch smiled sadly and shook his head.
“Good night Laoch. I’m glad you’re here… cousin.” He closed the door quietly behind him, leaving Laoch alone in the dark.
Laoch leaned his head back against the headboard, squeezing his eyes closed and rubbing at the pain in his chest. Was he going to last long enough to be of any real help to Tiger? Sighing heavily, he slid back down under the covers to try to go back to sleep, hoping for a dreamless respite this time.
Laoch awoke the next morning to the smell of breakfast cooking. Although he didn’t typically indulge in human dishes, he wasn’t unfamiliar with them. If he were going to be living with Tiger and Remi, he guessed he’d have to put up with the change in his diet for a while; it wouldn’t be the first time.
Pulling on a pair of Remi’s sleep pants and a tank shirt, he opened his bedroom door and nearly tripped over Midnight as he stepped out. “Well, dark lord, what are you up to this morning?” He scooped the cat up and headed down the hall to the kitchen. The cat had taken to Laoch like a pink duck to water, following him everywhere and keeping bodily contact as much as possible. He either sat on Laoch’s lap or shoulder or wrapped himself around L
aoch’s ankles.
“Traitor,” Jake muttered, eyeing Midnight. “See if I sneak any more food to you under the table.” Laoch set the cat down and he immediately ran to Jake and proceeded to rub all over Jake’s legs. “Meow?”
“Sure, now who do you love, huh?”
“I’m sorry Jake. I don’t encourage him, but I think he’s drawn to my magic. Cats are familiars to the Fae so it’s instinctive. He probably doesn’t even realize why he does it.”
Jake laughed and tossed Midnight a piece of the meat. Remi looked at Jake and frowned, flipping a pancake without even looking. “No feeding that beast your breakfast, brat.”
“Have a seat Laoch,” he said. “We’ve got scrambled eggs, pancakes and Corvan boar bacon. Coffee, tea or juice?”
“Tea would be nice. Whatever you’re cooking smells good, just… don’t tell me what it is. I’ll adapt while I’m here. You don’t steal the eggs from the ducks in the park, do you?” Laoch winced at the thought of eating his feathered friends’ future offspring.
“No. The local farmers actually imported domestic chickens from Old Earth and started breeding them here for the humans. The natives won’t touch them or their eggs.” Remi filled a plate for Laoch and set it in front of him at the breakfast bar. “If there’s anything you can’t or won’t eat, just let me know.”
Tiger wandered in and sat down, yawning widely. Remi filled plates for his mate and himself, setting them on the bar before giving Tiger a deep toe-curling kiss. He took the seat next to Tiger as his lover blushed furiously and ducked his head.
“Ugh. You two are going to make me barf. Can’t you spend five minutes in the same room without sucking face?” Jake wrinkled his nose and stuck his finger down his throat.
Laoch was dismayed at all of them. Such unseemly manners!
“So, what do you two have in the works for today?” Remi asked around a mouthful of pancake.
“Laoch wants to get the training area set up. He found a warehouse for rent near Tae and Tony’s place, and TJ’s going to have Tony and Noah help us for the next few days. We need to clean it up and make some interior modifications, then bring in some equipment. Part of it will be a fitness and sparring area and part of it will be open and reinforced to contain damage and noise,” Tiger replied. “There’s already a bathroom, so we can enlarge that to add a shower… oh, and there’ll be a meditation room.”
Laoch Page 3