by V. Vaughn
Luke sits next to me, and silverware is cool in my hand when I take it from him. “So why don’t you?” I reach over and touch his arm. “Life should be fun, Luke. Go figure out what makes you happy.”
He reaches over and steals a piece of my bacon. “Maybe I will.” A twinkle is in Luke’s eye as he takes a bite and says, “But I promise to be back in time for your wedding to Sven.”
I reach over and swipe one of his pancakes. “Deal.”
Chapter 5
Annie
There’s nothing quite like betrayal to bring out the warrior in a werebear, and once I recovered from the shock of learning Tristan and Isabelle planned to take over the Northeast Kingdom, I laid out strict rules for Tristan. We are to keep up appearances, but he is to stay out of my way until I figure out what I’m going to do.
While I haven’t told Brady what my mate had planned, I’m letting the threat of it hang in the air between Tristan and me. He knows that his clan would be thrown out on their ear if my brother knew. Unfortunately, I’d be miserable if that happened, because if I were forced to spend my life apart from my bonded true mate, the pain of our separation would make me wish for death. The alternative would be to suffer any punishment Brady placed on the De Rozier clan.
But it’s going to take some time before I get over the lies and deceit, because just the sight of Tristan makes my blood pressure rise. He’s downstairs in the kitchen grabbing something to eat before work, and I wish he’d leave already. The aroma of coffee is in the air, and I want to get down to start breakfast for the girls before they wake to get ready for school. But I suspect that Tristan wants to see them before they leave too. Although I’m still not sure of his motives. Is he nurturing his relationship with the girls to woo me, or does he have something else in mind?
I sigh as I pull my hair back. I’m going to have to be civil in front of the triplets and breathe the same air with Tristan for a few minutes. But I don’t have to like it. As I make my way down the stairs, the rattle of pots and pans tells me Tristan is making an involved breakfast, and I walk in to find him mixing batter. He says, “Good morning, Annie. Would you like waffles today?”
I glare at him as I approach the coffeemaker. Tristan steps in front of me with a steaming mug and says, “Here. I heard you coming down.”
I ignore the cup in his hand. “I’m going to fold clothes.” I escape to the laundry room that is just off the kitchen. When I enter, I discover that not only is the load that was in the dryer folded, but all of the wash is caught up. Great. Tristan did it all. What am I supposed to do now? I decide to go tend my gardens and push my way out the back door. I fight the urge to slam it shut and go attack weeds instead.
Stems snap as I yank, and the odor of earth floats around me. The ground’s cool temperature seeps into my shins when I kneel. Sweat dampens my brow as I work, and I’m startled by a female voice. “Can I join you?”
I glance up to discover Nadia, the woman who is Sven’s wife. Her eyes are rimmed with red as if she’s been crying. I say, “Sure.”
Nadia moves across from me and pulls up weeds with as much force as I do. A huge clump of dirt comes up with one I remove, and I shake the rich soil off the plant’s roots as Nadia says, “Sometimes I wish I were human.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because choices aren’t made for them,” she says. “There is no such thing as true mates and destiny.”
“That’s true, but they deal with never knowing if they can trust a partner. They don’t have the security of the true mate bond.” Like the way I know Tristan can’t help but love me forever.
“Maybe, but they don’t ever experience what it’s like to have a mate taken away because their fated one came along.”
Or to be compelled to love someone who intended to kill you only months ago. I say, “I don’t know about that. I think humans experience something similar. Otherwise they wouldn’t get divorced so often.” I imagine divorcing Tristan. The idea of severing him from my life and being able to move on is appealing.
Nadia and I work in silence for a while before she asks, “Do you think there’s a true mate for everyone?”
I gaze at the blond woman. She’s in her early twenties and just had her heart ripped out because her husband found his true mate. I can imagine her pain, but I also know she’s got years to find her destiny. Her love for Sven isn’t as deep as it will be for a true mate. And destiny dictates that she’ll find him when it’s supposed to happen. I say, “Yes. I know it’s hard to wait, but someone is out there impatient to find you too.”
She sighs as she tilts her face up to the sun. Her porcelain skin shines, and I notice her model-like facial features. Nadia is pretty when she’s not scowling. “Yeah,” she says. “I’m hanging on to that hope.” She stands and gathers handfuls of the plants we pulled. “I think we got them all.”
“Me too.” My hands slap at the dirt on my legs. “Thanks for your help.”
“Thank you. I needed it. Do you mind if I come back for more?”
I smile at her. “Not at all.”
Tristan’s chuckle carries as I return to the kitchen to find him sitting at the table with his daughters. Ellie is explaining something about school to him, and he’s listening with rapt attention, even though I wasn’t present to witness it. I recall how Tristan used to have such little interest in his girls that I didn’t even know he had children until the day before they were due to arrive. I wonder which version of his fatherhood is real.
I catch myself smiling and turn away. It’s good that he’s taken on parenting; the girls deserve a loving father. I refill my coffee cup, and my spoon clinks against it as I stir in creamer. Tristan asks, “My love, can I make you a waffle?”
I clench my teeth at his nickname for me. I should have demanded he stop using it. I paste on a smile and turn to him. “No. Thank you. I don’t seem to be hungry this morning.” I gaze at the girls. “You little ladies should go brush your teeth. It’s almost time for the bus.”
When the triplets leave Tristan grabs dishes from the table. I say, “I can get that.”
“I don’t mind.”
I shake my head. “Don’t. Cooking, cleaning, and doing laundry isn’t going to make up for what you’ve done, Tristan.”
Plates thump down on the counter, and he turns to me. “I realize that all the little things I can do for you won’t fix this, and that’s not why I’m doing them. Every time my children laugh, I know it’s because of you.” He lifts his hands as if he’s about to touch me, but he quickly drops them again. “I’m going to spend an eternity thanking you for it in any way I can. I may be everything you hate, but you’ve already helped me on a path to become a better person than I was. Maybe some day I’ll be good enough to deserve you.”
I close my eyes to hold back the tears of pain that are forming. I want to forgive Tristan. It goes against everything I am not to. But I just can’t. I open my eyes, and my vision is blurry when I gaze at my true mate. I nod and turn away to leave the kitchen before I begin the ugly cry that threatens to come out.
Chapter 6
Isabelle
Electricity shoots out of my fingers with a crack, and a wall of translucent purple haze appears before me. Talullah, the Ouellette’s medicine woman, says, “Wrap it around you.”
I gaze at the Native American woman who stands on the other side of my wall. She can’t be more than five feet tall, but her stout little body is strong, especially when it comes to magic. I frown in concentration as I curl my fingers in an attempt to get the edges of my protective barrier to come over me like a dome. The wall flickers and then disappears. I sigh. “Let me try again.”
Jean Luc is insistent I learn to use my powers as another way to keep myself safe. Apparently my sheer size and strength as a polar bear isn’t going to work for the dangers that lurk in Ouellette territory. My mate won’t tell me what I need to fear, and the secrecy is starting to get to me. While I trust Jean Luc completely, being in the dark
is not something I do well. I suspect the threat has something to do with guns, and that usually means humans. But whenever I ask questions, Jean Luc shuts down and tells me one day I’ll understand.
I take a deep breath and inhale the salty air. We’re in a clearing surrounded by a thick forest. It’s deceiving though, because the rocky coast is only fifty or so yards away, and a seagull cries out as he flies overhead. I focus on the power within me. This time when my wall appears, it grows up from the ground to hover over my head with a faint buzzing sound before it breaks apart and floats away like a fine mist. Talullah claps her hands in glee. “I know you don’t believe me, Isabelle, but you are very good at this.”
“Thanks.” We started off with a small shield last week, and I discovered that it couldn’t be penetrated when Talullah shot an arrow at me and it bounced off. If I can learn to surround myself with the barrier, we’ll move on to including other people in my protective bubble. And Talullah said that if powers are combined, then the area can be multiplied.
I close my eyes to visualize my intentions, and when I snap them open again I throw out my hands to let the magic flow. The power explodes with a zap this time, and the wall builds as I lift my arms up over my head and swing them downward in an arc. I shout to Talullah on the other side. “I did it!”
“You certainly did. Now stay focused, and see how long you can hold it.” A rapping sounds as she knocks on my wall. “Very nice construction.” I twirl slowly as she walks around me. I watch through my purple filter as she kicks and pounds to test the strength. When Talullah throws her portly body against the shield, I chuckle. My concentration breaks as I think of how ineffective her physical presence is, and it makes my wall fizzle away.
“Sorry,” I say. “I lost my focus.”
“Yes. But that’s okay.” Talullah’s eyes shine with her joy. “I’ve never met anyone with your level of power, Isabelle. Are you sure you never experienced magic before?”
“Positive.” I imagine how nice it would have been to throw up a wall to keep my mother from hurting me physically. “Trust me, I would have loved to have the ability to use magic as a child.”
“Well, it’s probably a good thing. Just think of the trouble you could have gotten into.” She winks at me. “Something tells me you were a bit of a terror.”
I grin back at her and recall the temper tantrums I used to have. The ones that haven’t even hinted at reappearing since I bonded with Jean Luc. “You are a wise woman, but those days are in my past.”
I believe they really are. Ever since Jean Luc and I completed the true mate bond, I’ve been happy. Deliriously happy at times in the way I imagine most people are when they first fall in love, but it’s more. My optimism runs deep. I no longer dread what my day might bring, and I wake with the urge to get out of bed and enjoy life. Finding Jean Luc was like the sun breaking through the overcast state of my life.
I ask, “I suppose you’re going to want me to practice this.”
“Yes, dear. Throw out your hands and make a dome when the mood strikes you.” Talullah demonstrates how she imagines I would do it, and I watch in amusement as she almost topples over with the force of her movements. When she’s done she tugs on her shirt to rearrange her clothing into order again and says, “Tomorrow, you’ll include me, and if all goes well maybe we’ll build one together.” She clasps her hands in excitement. “That’s going to be so much fun.”
It’s hard not to get caught up in her enthusiasm, and I find myself replying, “It will be.”
Talullah says, “Okay. Time to move on. How’s your telekinesis going?”
“Great. I’m driving Jean Luc crazy by floating things around the house.” I grin at her. “But Grace loves it.”
“Probably because her son is annoyed,” says Talullah. “The next trick I’m going to teach you is hard, but I have a feeling you’re not going to struggle much with it.” She shakes her head as her train of thought wanders. “I can’t wait to brag about you at the next gathering. I don’t think anyone’s had a werebear as powerful as you are. Goodness, when that cranky old Tok—”
I break through her tangent. “Talullah! You have something new for me?”
“Oh. Right. Sorry about that.” She lowers herself to the ground in a cross-legged position and says, “Sit.”
I place myself across from her, and she grasps my hands with ice-cold fingers. “You’re going to learn to read minds.”
I frown as I ask, “You mean like the way werebear communicate telepathically?”
“Not quite. You’re going to learn to know what people are thinking, but you won’t be able to hear it, and they won’t be trying to share it.” She squints for a second and then says, “It’s more like you see it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I know, I’m not explaining it very well, so let’s just try it.” She squeezes my fingers. “Close your eyes, and let visions pop into your mind.”
When I lower my lids I see a black screen, and I recall Talullah as she was kicking at my dome. Suddenly the vision of her steps through the wall with two ice cream cones in her hands and gives me one. I ask, “Did you just give me ice cream?”
“I did. Now tell me what flavor it is.”
My eyes are still closed, and I stare at the cone she’s holding out. It’s green with little dark spots. “Mint chocolate chip?”
“Yes!” Talullah releases my hands, and I open my eyes to gaze at her as she asks, “Where were we?”
“You were kicking my dome like before and then stepped through it to get to me.”
“So you visualized a memory of me and it led you to what I was thinking. I had us at the Dream Cream.”
She’s talking about a local ice cream place. I say, “I didn’t see that part. Should I try it another way?”
Talullah says, “No. It’s pretty amazing you got it so quickly. Let’s work with what you do instinctively.”
We spend two hours working on my mind reading powers before I’m too emotionally exhausted to do more. Twigs snap under our feet as Talullah and I walk back to the house. She says, “It’s important you respect people’s boundaries; now that you are aware of your ability to tap into people’s thoughts, you may get more than you want to know.”
A branch is rough in my fingers as I hold it back for her to walk by. I’m aware that I can be abrasive, and while I’m past caring what most people think about me, I don’t suppose I’d want to be aware of their internal criticisms. I say, “I can imagine.”
“Besides that, you need to know that such a high-level form of magic is extremely draining to your powers. It will leave you weak.”
I lift up my hand to throw up a wall to test her theory. A tiny blip of power drools out of my fingers, and only a spot of purple forms before it dissipates. “Wow. That’s scary.”
“It is,” says Talullah. “Especially if you’re in a situation where you need it.”
I nod as we break through the trees into the side yard of Jean Luc’s home. My home. I turn to the medicine woman. “Would you like to come in for a while?”
She places her cool human hand on my arm. “No, dear. Your mate has plans for you.” She taps her temple as a sly smile covers her face. “I wouldn’t be welcome.”
I chuckle because she neglected to tell me she can read minds too. “Got it.” On impulse I hug the woman. “See you tomorrow.”
Chapter 7
Lucy
After spending time with Luke my decision became clearer. I gave Serge a chance to make things up to me, but a few more dates only sealed my decision in my mind. Sven is the one. This morning I had tea with my mother, Marion, who is also my clan’s alpha, and she cleared my choice for a true mate. I also shared a bit about Luke’s emotional state with her. My mother and I may have our differences, but as I get older I’ve come to appreciate her ability to get things done. She agrees that Luke needs time to work through his grief, and now that she is aware, I have no doubt my brother will get the space he
needs to heal.
I’m on my way to Annie’s, and wind blows in my open window as I drive, making my hair swirl around my face and tickle my cheeks. The sun is shining, and the trees along the road are tipped with red and yellow, because early September nighttime temperatures have been cold enough to start the leaves turning for fall. It’s a beautiful day, and I couldn’t be happier to be alive.
I can’t wait to tell Sven I’ve chosen him to be my true mate. While I’m not looking forward to letting Serge know about my decision, I think he’ll be happier in the end. He strikes me as the kind of guy who needs a dependent girl who makes him feel needed.
Unfortunately my stop to see my mother this morning means Sven isn’t going to be at Annie’s when I arrive. But I can’t race off to see him at his new job, because I’m helping a few of the families with rides for after-school activities. Sven’s begun working at a construction company, and they’re at the Orono college campus renovating a dorm today.
I think about Tori and the fact she’s the Veilleux alpha now. With her new responsibilities she’s switched to part time to finish her degree. That means I don’t have a roommate or my best friend at my disposal. But then Sven’s face floats back to the forefront of my mind, and I realize I won’t be missing her too much, because I’ll be busy with a newly bonded true mate relationship instead.
When I arrive at Annie’s, I find her in the kitchen of the De Rozier dorm. Cans scrape across wood as she moves them around on shelves. She jots down something on a piece of paper before she glances over at me to see my smile dominating my face. “Lucy, you look happier than I’ve seen you in days. Did you?”
I nod and say, “It’s not official, but I know.”
“And?”
“Sven.”
Annie squeals, “I knew it!” She grabs me and squeezes me in a hug that almost hurts. “This is such great news. You must be relieved.”