Was he serious? “No. I think you’ve done enough for me today. Thank you.”
“I know you’re confused, and I should have done things differently, but how can you look at me with such coldness? You have to feel the intensity of the connection between us. It’s so much more than just physical attraction.”
She couldn’t bear that his voice shook with such uncertainty. She did have feelings for him. But the fear of losing who she was and her right to make her own decisions was strong and held her back from saying the words that would take away the unhappiness she saw in his eyes.
She needed time to come to terms with what had just happened between them. He might very well be her perfect mate, but she feared that if she embraced the Klawinken ways, the person she was would be lost forever. She wasn’t ready to lose her parents, either. When her sister had gone over to the other side, so to speak, there had been no coming back. She loved her parents. She wasn’t about to blindly follow in her sister’s footsteps.
“I need time, Mathieu. I need time to think. You owe me that.”
He simply nodded without saying anything. His face said it all. She watched him walk proud and naked from her room. He had little choice since their clothing was still on the floor in the sunroom. She heard him packing up his things. He did not return to her bedroom, where she waited until she heard the front door slam shut. Her emotions were teetering between running after him and never seeing him again. She let the tears of pain and confusion she had been holding back fall down her cheeks.
Chapter 4
Mathieu sat with his head in his hands. How could he have been so stupid? He had allowed his need for her to cloud his judgment entirely. His intention had not been to mate with Octavia at their first meeting. But she had been so beautiful and so eager for his touch. Her dreams may have prepared her for him physically, but mentally she didn’t have a clue about who she was, or she would have never reacted to him with such animosity, regardless of the fact that he had taken her like an animal in heat. He reminded himself that she had admitted that she wanted him every bit as much as he had wanted her. He had made mistakes, but the one he regretted the most was throwing her sister in her face. She had hurt him, and he instinctively had wanted to hurt her back with the one weapon he knew would cause her the most pain.
According to Evenela, Octavia was the submissive sister. Maybe she didn’t know her sister as well as she had thought. It had been over six years since the two sisters had seen each other. He had met Evenela at a party in Boston not long after her arrival.
Her aunts had thrown a party for all the Klawinken in the area to meet one of their own who had been away from them, as the invitation stated, “for all too long.” Evenela, to her credit, didn’t shy away from her new family, but gravitated toward everything Klawinken and seemed to enjoy all the attention. Carl, her fiancé, remained by her side, beaming with pride. He was an architect who had lovingly designed and built a home for Evenela in the suburbs of north Boston. Anyone could see that he absolutely adored her, from the way his eyes clung to her every move, to how he positioned his body to always touch hers, no matter which way she moved. Mathieu watched them, envious of the relationship he could only dream about with Octavia.
The party had been thrown in one of the more exclusive hotels in the heart of Beacon Hill near Louisburg Square. The president’s ballroom had been reserved for the affair. Several bars had been set up throughout the large, elegantly decorated room that catered to drinks of any type and complexity. A live band played contemporary music in one corner where many of the guests were dancing. Mathieu had already made his way around the room, greeting friends and family, when he saw Evenela coming toward him with Carl.
“Carl, this must be Evenela.” He had smiled, shaking Carl’s hand and giving Evenela a polite hug that she returned.
“Yes, this is the love of my life.” Carl beamed. “Evenela,” he said, looking first at her and then at Mathieu, “this is Mathieu Lacroix, one of the very best contractors in the country. He’s been my friend since childhood.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Mathieu. Carl also tells me that you are my sister Octavia’s mate.”
Mathieu was taken aback by her directness, but welcomed a chance to speak with her about Octavia. “Yes, I have dreamed of her and look forward to making her my mate when she turns twenty-one.”
“I look forward to that day, too, very much. Hopefully by then she will have the strength to live the life she was meant to live and not stay cemented to the people who have done nothing but lie to her about who she really is.”
“I will help her to embrace her true family and the ways of our people. I know that her upbringing will present its own set of problems. However, I have no doubt that the Klawinken inside her will emerge without too much prompting.”
“I hope you’re right.” Evenela sighed. “It’s just that she’s extremely dutiful where her parents are concerned. She never rebelled, as I did, or questioned their authority. I miss my sister, and I worry about her, but for now, she’s their daughter. I will be waiting with open arms when you bring my sister back to me.”
“Rest assured, Evenela, that I will do exactly that.”
Carl motioned that they had other guests to greet. Evenela leaned into Mathieu and put her hand on his heart. “I pray that you do.”
Mathieu decided it was time for a drink. He walked over to one of the larger bars and sat down. The pretty bartender was being deliberately flirtatious when out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of some activity at the main entrance to the room. He swiveled around in his chair to get a better look and let out an audible sigh ending in “Shit.” The Morgan family had decided to grace the party with their presence.
The Morgans were Klawinken that walked down a different path than the rest of their kind. They supposedly were bred from the oldest of the Klawinken brothers of legend, Orwan. Although most Klawinken didn’t live their lives completely in the shadows of society, the Morgans threw themselves into high-profile situations that were usually reported on the nightly news, as well as entertainment gossip shows. They were rock stars, movie stars, and public figures who had also taken their talents into an arena of sensual decadence that went against everything the Klawinken stood for. They were known for their devil-may-care attitude along with their unorthodox views that had the general populace of their human brothers and sisters paying homage to them with their bodies and minds. And yet, to Mathieu’s dismay, they had not been made social outcasts, and tonight would be no exception.
Mathieu watched heads turn as all eyes were drawn to Tobias Morgan. He strolled into the party with his mother, Magda, the Morgan matriarch, on one arm and her daughter, Elwina, Tobias’s half-sister, on the other. The women were dressed to perfection in evening gowns that highlighted their attributes with material that clung and dipped in all the right places. Both mother and daughter were stunning to look upon, with their dark, exotic good looks and voluptuous figures. Elwina, although he was loath to admit it, had turned his own head on more than one occasion. Towering over her petite frame was Tobias, who was the epitome of what women seemed to like—tall, dark, and handsome with more money than he knew what to do with. He stood with perfect posture, his long black hair tied back in a ponytail, while his dark eyes surveyed the room. The man’s arrogance was astounding. Everyone else had dressed formal for the occasion, but not Tobias. His muscled thighs strained against his expensive but worn jeans, while his white tailored shirt fit tightly enough to show off his muscular torso. His entire persona screamed of his own self-importance bred from lack of discipline and never being denied his simplest request. The Morgan brothers, along with other family members, walked in behind him as the crowd parted on cue. It seemed even the Klawinken could be a bit starstruck when it came to the Morgans.
Elwina and her mother were both well-known actresses. Tobias was a musician and singer, and if Mathieu were to be truthful, a very good one. His gift of melody had not only allowed
him to sing exceptionally well but to write music that was making him a legend in his own time. The Morgans had a number of unique gifts that most Klawinken did not possess, and Tobias, it seemed, possessed almost all of them. And yet, Mathieu had to acknowledge, for all his gifts, he was probably the one Morgan that most people knew the least about when it came to his personal life. There were plenty of rumors of wild sex parties and drugs, but not once had he seen Tobias’s name in the news unless they were talking about awards or record sales. What bothered Mathieu about Tobias was that he had never taken a mate, and he knew for a fact that Tobias, on more than one occasion, had voiced that he did not believe in being with one mate for life. That in itself, in Mathieu’s mind, was enough to take Tobias before Counsel for going against the premise of their very existence. He didn’t understand how Tobias could still consider himself Klawinken.
Normally, he would have avoided any event that included the Morgans, but tonight, they were showing a sign of unity, coming together as one to welcome Evenela back into the fold. He had never understood why the aunts had allowed a non-Klawinken, even though the woman had been their sister’s best friend, to raise their nieces. Regardless of their reason, it appeared from all accounts that they were thrilled to have Evenela back with her own kind.
He was about to turn his attention back to the pretty bartender and forget about the Morgans when he caught Tobias staring at him. He had never made a public announcement about his feelings concerning the Morgans, but he had also never hidden the fact the he was not one of their fans. Once, when he was in his early teens, his family had spent a weekend at a lake house with a number of their Klawinken friends and respective families, of which Tobias’s family was one. They were distant cousins many times removed, and yet, as with the Klawinken, they remained close and connected.
Tobias and Elwina had been fun companions, along with his other cousins. Elwina had been quite taken with him and had followed him around like a little puppy. She had been a pretty little thing even then. But something had happened between the families that prevented them socializing like that again. In fact, his mother had become extremely critical of the Morgans in general, but more so whenever Magda’s name was mentioned, especially in reference to being linked with married or younger men. The scandals usually passed quickly. However, his mother was hell-bent on wiping the floor with the woman long after everyone else had moved on to other topics of gossip.
On the rare occasion that he and Tobias bumped into each other, they acknowledged the other with a simple “hello,” but that had been the extent of their conversations. He had caught Elwina’s eye a few times over the years and had thought about approaching her, just to acknowledge her presence and to let her know that he was sorry about any rude comments his mother had made about her mother that she may have been privy to. Regardless of whether they were true or not, no child enjoyed knowing their parent’s reputation was being attacked, especially by one of their own. He knew it shouldn’t matter to him, but he regretted he hadn’t found the opportunity to speak with her.
Mathieu felt a sliver of apprehension as he watched Tobias make his way through the crowd to where he was sitting.
“Hello, Mathieu. It’s been a long time since our paths crossed.”
“Tobias, it has been longer than a long time. I can’t remember the last time we said more than one or two words in passing.”
“I think it was at some family function when we both still thought we were like everyone else.”
“Right…”
“So, let’s catch up a little, shall we? Need a refill?” Tobias motioned toward his drink.
Mathieu felt uneasy. The Morgans were far too calculating and self-serving for his taste. He was quite sure that Tobias seeking him out had nothing to do with wanting to catch up.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
Tobias smiled and ordered himself a drink. The young, giggly, blonde-haired bartender gave Tobias a big smile as she pushed her large breasts outward to strain against the material of her uniform. Her eyes never left Tobias’s when she handed him his drink, deliberately letting her fingers linger on his. He smiled politely, took the drink, said “thank you,” and then abruptly turned his attention back to Mathieu. “I understand you wish to mate our new foundling’s sister. What’s her name?” He paused. “Octavia, right?”
Mathieu stiffened. “I didn’t realize you were keeping up with the mating cycle since you don’t mate but have sex at will with little thought to the order of our dreams.”
“I dream with as much order as you do. I just choose whether I wish to follow what I don’t necessarily feel is an exact science. You, on the other hand, are a blind follower.”
“If you mean do I follow our code that includes keeping the power of our people within the order of the life cycle that, in turn, keeps us within the boundaries of not only decency and propriety, but the will of our ancestors, then the answer is yes,” he answered, an edge creeping into his voice.
“Believe it or not, I value those things, too. Again, I just choose to believe that the mating ritual is somewhat archaic…much like an arranged marriage. Women also used to kill themselves when their mate died. Luckily, we saw that for the cruel farce that it was. I believe that you gather more insight from mating with many…something that also happens to be a lot more fun.” He laughed.
“You don’t have the slightest inkling about what it means to faithful to one mate or to feel the love of oneness. Thank God I’m not like you Tobias.” He saw Tobias’s jaw become rigid as his gibe hit home. “So tell me, why the sudden interest in Mathieu Lacroix?”
For a moment, Tobias just stared at him, and then with a shrug he said, “You and I have a common interest,”
“That hardly seems possible,” Mathieu quipped.
“Such arrogance for a man who knows so little about the woman he professes to love.”
Mathieu’s eyes narrowed, his heart skipping a beat.
“You see,” Tobias continued, his gaze turning razor-sharp, “the little sister has come to me in my dreams.”
Mathieu felt the blood drain from his face. “Impossible.”
“Impossible or not, she’s there, and the older she becomes, the more vivid are the dreams.”
“I don’t believe you. My dreams have already passed Council.”
“I’d heard that. And then it came to me. Possibly her sexual nature is more in line with her mother’s. And if that’s the case, she cannot only handle more than one mate at the same time, she may crave it. This could be a fun ride for both of us when she comes of age. I’ve never been averse to sharing.”
Mathieu used every bit of his control to check the sudden anger that threatened to spill over into his fists. “Well, I am averse to sharing. And for the record, her mother was ill.”
“Her mother’s illness,” Tobias said sarcastically, “is that what you call it. Marta Andreas was Beaucoup, a prostitute, a whore, a woman of the night. In times past, her kind, although rare for a Klawinken, would have been identified early and given the proper training and not mainstreamed into the mating cycle. Her mother couldn’t bear for her to bring shame to the family with her freakish desire for sex, so she hid the signs of her daughter’s need and allowed her to mate like her sisters. Her poor husband had no idea what she was until it was too late. In the end, he didn’t even know if Evenela and Octavia came from his own seed.
“I knew there was a reason why you and I don’t socialize. You, like your family, enjoy thinking you’re an authority, even going so far as to hurt others who don’t subscribe to your brand of truth.” Mathieu fought to keep his outrage within the confines of his own mind that pictured his fists smashing into Tobias’s arrogant face.
“I don’t lie, Mathieu, and I’m only repeating what everyone already knows, including you. Some say that Evenela and Octavia both could be the daughters of one of their aunts’ husbands. Some have even gone so far as to say the aunts may have even been responsible for the accident that
killed Marta and her husband, James.
“It then makes sense that Marta would have documents drawn up to have her two daughters brought up by a non-Klawinken. She probably knew her sisters wanted her dead, and for that matter, her children. And the fact that the sisters and the mother let the documents stand when any family member could have easily had the custody decision overturned, well…that in itself speaks volumes.”
Tobias downed his drink and smiled. “And now here we are, welcoming at least one of them back into the Klawinken family. It does make for some interesting conversation, wouldn’t you say, Mathieu?”
“Marta and James Andreas died in a tragic car accident,” Mathieu stated, his voice a low growl. “My own father was the acting coroner and pronounced Marta and James dead on the scene. There was a deer in the road, and they had both been drinking. They were killed immediately upon impact. There was no hope of reviving them. It was an unavoidable accident. Evenela was only three years old and Octavia, an infant. The family abided by their dying sister’s wishes. Besides, most Klawinken don’t know who they are until they come of age anyway.”
“That may be true, but why aren’t the Andreas’ here to welcome Evenela back? I haven’t seen one member of James’s family here tonight. But then”—he smirked—“I think we know the answer to that, don’t we?”
“This conversation is over.” Mathieu forced himself to turn his back toward Tobias before he did something he knew would embarrass his family.
Ignoring Mathieu’s back, Tobias continued, his voice guttural. “Tread carefully, Mathieu. I’m no one to turn your back on.”
Mathieu didn’t respond. He knew if he did, it would be with his fists.
Tobias leaned over to Mathieu, his face near his ear. “When Octavia comes of age, I look forward to getting to know her thoroughly.”
Mathieu turned around sharply, his face within inches of Tobias. “She’s mine. I won’t let you touch her, and if you try, I’ll make you wish you couldn’t dream at all…death will be preferable.”
Octavia's Time [The Klawinken] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 4