by Isobael Liu
“What happened?” he asked her.
Lilian sat up and arranged the covers. “What didn’t happen? I got jumped by one of Matthias’s kind, found a present left for me that contained a tongue and eyeballs, and then I was attacked by the Knights, but saved by a hawk man thing.”
Amras sat up straighter, frowning. “What?”
“Which part?”
“The hawk man thing part.”
Lilian sighed and brushed his mind with her own, a way of asking permission to enter. If he refused, he would block her entrance. He allowed her in. She flooded his mind with the memory of being attacked at the diner and how aid came in the form of the hawk that had turned into a man.
Amras looked stunned and leaned back.
“What is it?” she asked, worried.
“You felt him to be familiar?”
Lilian nodded. “I couldn’t place him and I don’t remember ever having met him, but he seemed familiar to me.”
“If it is who I think it might be, you are indeed either very lucky or are in more trouble than we previous thought,” Amras replied.
Lilian lifted her brows. “What?”
“Let me tell you a story. It is an old story, a legend passed down from parent to child.”
Lilian relaxed and listened.
“In the old days, there was but one Court, ruled by one king. The High King. In this way, many of the lords bickered over borderlands and squabbled over power. The High King did nothing to stop them. He believed if the lords were too busy with one another, there’d be no worries of trying to take the crown from him.
“The High King, in his arrogance, did not take into consideration the three sons he had sired. Altis, Talis, and Ionu.”
Amras told the story in such a way that if she closed her eyes, she’d be able to see it in her mind.
“These three wished to inherit the throne and become High King, but they knew only one of them could, and so Altis and Ionu began to plot against their own brothers. Talis did not. He chose to study, to speak with the people and learn from them. However, the High King’s health quickly faded and the High King knew he had to decide on a course of action. As the days passed, he weakened until finally he told his sons they must fulfill a quest. The one who found the answer to the quest would inherit the throne.
“So, the High King gave each of the princes a purse of gold, a swift horse, a sharp sword, and sent them off with a riddle.”
Lilian nodded. Her eyes wide on her father as he told the story, enthralled. “What was the quest?”
Amras smiled. “The High King told his sons to go and use the money to buy what they could to fill a chamber, but they had only seven days to do so.”
Lilian frowned. “A chamber? What kind of chamber?”
“A room, much like this.”
“Oh.”
“So the three princes went in different directions to seek out what could be bought to fill the room.
“Altis was the eldest and thought himself the brightest. More skilled with sword and warfare, he used his money to purchase soldiers, mercenaries, and from there, he pillaged villages for their wealth. This, he took back home to present to his father.
“Ionu, the second son, was not as skilled in warfare, but in herbs and medicines. He went abroad, came across a medicine man, and purchased his wares. He would fill the room with health, and so he, too, returned to his father.
“Talis was the third son. He was skilled in the sword, but not as well as Altis. He was knowledgeable in herbs but not as much as Ionu. What Talis excelled in was strategy. So, after he had ridden out, he made camp in a cave he had come across. He watered and fed his horse, set aside his sword and gathered wood. He set the wood in a makeshift pit and used his flint and steel to start a fire. He sat back, enjoyed the heat and relaxed, knowing the light would drive off the predators which hunted in the night.”
Lilian smiled. She had a feeling she knew where this was going, but let Amras tell his story.
“He stayed there for the time he was allotted, pondering the riddle. Then, on the morning of the sixth day, Talis broke camp and returned to his father with his answer. Along the way, he stopped and bought lanterns and candle tapers.
“Altis, being the eldest, presented his answer first. He told his father what he had done and presented the treasures, but while rich and plentiful, it did not fill the chamber. The High King accepted the offering and said nothing.
“Ionu was next and presented his answer, the gift of health with medicinal herbs for all those in the chamber. However, one of the High King’s advisors began to sneeze and, of course, this negated Ionu’s answer.
“Talis was last. He brought forth the lanterns and the candle tapers. He set the tapers into the lanterns and lit them.
“No one understood his answer. What did candle tapers have to do with the quest? When Talis ordered the drapes closed in the chamber, the answer became obvious.
“Talis had filled the room with the light, purchased from the money his father had given him.
“The High King, impressed with his youngest son, declared him the winner and the next High King. None too soon, for the High King died that evening.”
“Sounds suspicious. Maybe he was poisoned by one of his sons.”
Amras laughed and lifted a finger to his lips. “Shh. Talis realized he would never rule in peace, not with his two brothers vying for control of the crown, nor the lords still bickering over their borders. Therefore, he created a capitol and divided the kingdom into four parts. The northlands, Winter. The southlands, Summer. East became Spring, and West, Autumn. He chose a ruler for each and they were named after their kingdom. Once a year, they were to meet at the capitol to discuss issues, and the creation and dissolutions of laws. Talis kept himself High King and thus held control, but he was an impartial judge, fair but just.”
The two pondered the story in silence for a few minutes before Amras spoke again.
“As you know, the Sidhe are able to shape shift into any form they wish.”
Lilian frowned. No, she hadn’t been aware of it. Amras lifted a brow at her reaction.
“You did not know?” he asked.
“No. I’d only seen you change into the white stag.”
Amras nodded. “Each king has a specific form for their Court, but as Sidhe, we can adopt any form we wish.”
“Is the white stag part of the Court or your own preference?”
“Both,” he replied with a smile. “The white stag is the symbol for the Summer Court, but it has deeper meaning. In Celtic mythology, deer are magical creatures, able to move between the worlds, through the Mists. The stag stands for solitary nobility, honor and a strong commitment to the protection of the herd. It is a symbol of protection and sexuality and focus on the balance of law, rigid in their thinking on the issues of justice.”
“What of the other courts?”
“The Winter Court is symbolized by the white bear, Spring Court is symbolized by the fox, and the Autumn Court is symbolized by the cat.”
“And the High King?” she asked.
“The hawk.”
Lilian blinked at her father. “The hawk? So the stranger might have been the High King?”
“Not necessarily. Remember, we are able to change our form to any shape we wish. It could have been he needed the hawk form to aid you.”
Lilian shook her head. “No, I doubt it. This man was more than that. He was intense. Even in human form, he was intense. Like a hawk. Who is the High King now?”
Amras hesitated.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Her eyes narrowed on him.
He gave her a weak smile. “Talis is the High King.”
“Talis. As in the same Talis as the legend or one of his descendants?”
Again, he hesitated, but answered. “The same.”
“Wait. How old is this legend?” she asked.
Amras smiled and slid from the bed. “Time to wake up.”
“Oh, no, don’t you dare!”
>
Lilian scrambled to try and stop him, but he grinned, winked and she found herself waking up in a familiar room, a familiar bed, and with Matthias staring down at her.
“I don’t think I like my father very much right now,” she announced.
Matthias smiled at her. “Why?”
Lilian sat up. “He was telling me a story, trying to explain something that might have come up, but when I tried to question him on it, he made me wake up.”
Matthias frowned. “What came up?”
“The hawk man. Seems as though he just might be the High King.”
He blinked. “The Sidhe High King?”
“Yes, but the Sidhe can take on any animal form they want, so his being a hawk might mean nothing.”
“His scent was a little strange. Similar to your father’s yet different.”
“Since you’re here,” she changed the subject and glared at him. “You can plant your butt down and explain some things to me.”
“I had other plans for being in bed with you,” he said with a grin.
She pointed at the foot of the bed. “Sit down and start talking about the mating thing. I want to know exactly what it means, how it works, and what it takes to get out of it.”
Matthias growled but he took a seat and leaned against the iron railing of the footboard. “I’m not going to tell you how to end our mating, but I will explain other things.”
Lilian lifted a brow.
“As I told you before, a mating happens when the male shares his seed with the female. We’re not entirely certain how it works, but it creates a bond between the couple. Likewise, a female Lupine can create a bond with a human male if the male spends himself into the female. There’s been talk of certain chemical reactions which might cause it, we really do not know and we’re not willing to find out either. The risk of our kind being discovered is too great and I will not allow my people to be cut apart in the name of science.”
“So, what about biting someone else, like in the movies?”
“Doesn’t work. We also don’t eat human livers, we don’t hunt humans on full moons, and holy water doesn’t work on us. Silver, on the other hand, does. It’s like an acid in the bloodstream, and if we can’t shift through our forms to filter the poison, we’ll die. Shifting through the forms also heals wounds, like the gunshot wound I had.”
Her gaze dropped down to where the wound would have been and saw he was right. No wound, no scar, nothing.
“Had it of been silver, I would have scarred.”
Lilian nodded, and then blinked when a question popped into her mind. “What happens to your clothes when you shift?”
He grinned. “Magic. Whatever we’re wearing becomes, well, absorbed, I guess, when we shift. When we shift back, it’s there again. We used to explain it as our clothes became our pelt, but even naked, we had a pelt when we shifted, so that explanation went away.”
“It must be the same with the Sidhe, because my father was never naked after he shifted and even the hawk man had clothes.”
Matthias nodded. “Perhaps. We are magickal creatures after all.”
“And so, what does the mating mean? What powers does it give you over me?”
“None, actually. What it does is allow us to communicate together. I think, when it first began, it was meant so the males could better protect the females. At first, all the Lupine were males and so they mated with human females. In this way, the males could keep an eye on the females. We would know when there was trouble and how to protect them. Later, when offspring were produced, females were born. Some were able to shift, some not. Females who could shift were able to mate with humans and become bonded. Females who could not shift mated with Lupine shifters and bonded, but when they mated with human males, they could not bond.”
“So it doesn’t make them into a Lupine, mating with them?”
“No. You must be born a Lupine.”
“You said you knew I was your mate because of my dream. How?”
“You ran with me as a mate in the dream.”
“So based on a dream, you figured I’m your mate?” She watched as he tilted his head at her.
“And you did spill the iced tea and water over me.”
Lilian blushed. “That was your fault.”
He grinned. “It was a nice way of getting to meet you.”
“We didn’t meet though.”
“Close enough.”
They were interrupted by a knock at the door. Matthias growled and eased off the bed. The sound came again, though this time, it sounded more urgent. Matthias pulled the door open before the third set could finish out.
Lilian couldn’t hear what was going on, or see who it was, but before she could use her mental connection with Matthias to get the information, he communicated with her.
“Baby, you better get dressed. The police are here.”
Lilian frowned. “Why are they here?”
“They found your friend.”
Lilian held her breath. She knew his next words weren’t going to be pretty.
“Her body was found on your property.”
* * * *
“I’m sorry to have to tell you,” Ben started as she and Matthias, followed by Tiberius, approached, “Peggy’s body was found on your property near the house.”
Lilian gave a stiff nod as she came to a stop, still trying to wrap her mind around what was going on.
“It’s believed the tongue and the eyes you received are hers.”
Lilian whimpered before she could stop herself and Matthias pulled her into his arms. Tiberius stepped up to her other side and stood there, as if to protect her.
“Her family’s been notified,” Ben continued as he eyed the two men. “We have an APB on this Stephan guy. Stephan Cavanaugh, right?”
Lilian nodded and pushed back from Matthias enough to turn and face Ben. “Yes, Cavanaugh.”
“We found some blood outside the diner. We’re checking to see if it was Peggy’s, but it looks too fresh to be hers.”
Lilian frowned at Ben as his gaze moved over her, as if looking for something. “What is it?”
“We just wanted to make sure it didn’t belong to you.”
“No, not mine. Trust me, if it’d been mine, I’d be at a hospital. I’m very…” She hesitated, trying to find the right word. “I’m a baby when it comes to blood. Phobic.”
Ben smiled at her. “Really? You?”
Matthias tensed, and she stepped into his arms, leaning back against him.
“Knock it off,” she thought to Matthias before replying to Ben, “Yeah, it’s embarrassing,” she said.
“Stop flirting with him.” Matthias’s tone was matter of fact.
“I am not flirting with him, you doof.”
“Yes, you are. Oh, and if it’s my blood, you forget about your phobia.”
Lilian paused, taken aback by what Matthias had said. Thinking back, she realized it was true.
“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Ben said. “We’ll keep you up to date. Just be sure not to go anywhere alone, and if he tries to contact you again, call us right away.”
Lilian blinked. “Oh, I will, Ben. Thank you.”
Ben touched the brim of his hat and gave her a polite nod. With one last glance at the two men, he turned and headed back to his car.
Matthias waited for Ben to leave before he looked at Tiberius. “I want five of our best trackers on this Stephan. Start at the property and go from there.”
Tiberius nodded, gave her a wink, and headed off.
* * * *
Some time later Lilian found herself wandering around the compound, enjoying the scenery. People greeted her with shy curiosity, but respectful of her status as the Alpha’s mate. She wasn’t sure she liked it and tried to make friends.
The children were much more receptive to her overtures, however, and she loved being with them. They were so playful and accepting of her. They invited her to play, they spoke without concern, and they jostled
one another to hold her hands. She loved it.
“Matthias? Are the children Lupine as well? Can they shift?”
Lilian knew he was busy with his Alpha duties, meeting with the other Lupines to deal with pack issues, but he had told her to keep in contact with him, to check in often. Sometimes, she could just feel his mental touch and then it was gone, and she knew he was just making sure she was all right without disturbing her. She sort of liked it about him. Protective, possessive, yet respectful of her independence and freedom. Well, most of the time anyway.
“I caught that.” He growled.
Lilian grinned.
“No, shifting doesn’t happen until their teens, after the onset of puberty.”
“Ouch. Hormones, angst, and shifting.”
She heard his laughter in her mind and let him go back to his duties.
Just that brief moment of communication helped to ease some of her worry and sadness. Stephan’s cruelty had always been a frightening thing, but she had never expected him to take it as far as murdering someone she knew. What about her other friends? What about Maria? Or the children here? They might be surrounded by Lupine family members, but as children, they were still vulnerable. What if her being here meant she was putting them into danger?
Receptive, as well as perceptive, the children stayed close to her, touching her arms and hands constantly. It was as though they tried to reassure her, comfort her in her sadness. She smiled a bit at them and returned their touches with hugs.
When the children suggested a game of Hide and Seek, and scattered with much laughter to hide, she assumed she was “it” as within seconds, she stood there, alone. She chuckled and closed her eyes to count.
At fifty, she opened her eyes and started to go search for the children. With twenty children to find and a large compound to search through, Lilian decided to cheat and opened up her senses. She sent out psychic feelers to pick out the children among the residences.
On the way to the nearest child, she picked up on a child’s distress and stopped to try and pinpoint it. The emotions came from someone young and innocent. She turned and hurried in the direction the it came from. She hesitated on entering the woods, but when another wave of distress rolled over her, she pushed on, intent on finding the child.