by Bianca D'Arc
“My mate is hell on wheels in a pretty pink plastic safety helmet,” Julio agreed with a wide grin. “She has more experience than I do when it comes to construction. She is a civil engineer by training and worked for a few of the biggest human construction companies as a project manager, among other titles, before we got together.”
“She was a perfect fit for the project here, and I asked her to give up her career on the mainland to work for the Clan,” Mark put in. “Julio is representing her at this meeting, since it’s just a preliminary discussion and she had a prior commitment with their son’s teacher.”
Julio shrugged. “The move here worked out well for all of us. We both wanted to be close for our cub, and he can grow up here out in the open, not needing to hide his dual nature. It’s a blessing, truly. Miguel is thriving, as are the other children already on the island.”
“That’s why getting construction underway quickly is so important,” Mark agreed. “We want to bring as many families here as want to come. We want this to be a place where the next generation can grow up in peace, out in the open, able to explore in either of their forms without fear of discovery.”
Shelly began to understand how very dedicated all of these people—not just Mark—were to this project. They shared his vision and strong desire to make it a reality.
When the meeting broke up, it was just before noon. Mark suggested a stroll on the veranda, and Shelly was glad to get outside, even if it was hot out there. The island had some very refreshing breezes, and in the short time she had been there, it had impressed her as a tropical paradise.
Mark took her hand as they walked slowly to the balustrade. The view from up here showed them the small harbor and that very reflective warehouse they had discussed at length during the meeting. If Shelly had her way, the thing would be coated with a more inviting skin ASAP. One that wouldn’t act like a mirror sending the blinding rays of the sun toward the mansion at least once a day.
“Mi amor, I have a favor to ask,” Mark said, sounding almost hesitant. She stopped and looked up at him.
“What is it?” She was concerned by his reluctance.
“Would you be upset with me if I asked you to stay another night on the island? I know I promised that you’d be home later today, but something has come up, and I really need to stay. I ask that you stay with me, since my heart will not rest easy if you are on the mainland and I am here.”
Was that all? Sure, she hadn’t planned on a second night on the island, but it really wasn’t that big a deal.
“All right,” she agreed quietly. “To be honest, I’m still feeling a little woozy from yesterday, so I don’t mind staying put for another day.”
His smile was both relieved and concerned. “If you have any discomfort from the magic, Abuela can help. You shouldn’t hesitate to consult her. Or Judy and Jim, who are both healers. They can help with more mundane complaints. And if there’s anything I can do, all you have to do is say the word.”
“No, I’m fine. Really. Just tired from whatever that was yesterday.” She still couldn’t bring herself to believe it was actual magic. She was human. Not magical at all. Right?
“Good. Because we’re about to be welcoming some very important company. Their visit is why I have to stay. We’re opening formal relations between my Clan and the tigers. That’s what the phone call was about yesterday. The tiger Clan has had a rough time of it lately too, and they have a new king and queen. Allowing them to visit here is a first step toward an alliance that could help us both rebuild our Clans.”
“Seriously? Shifter royalty?” She was a little mystified by the idea but also very intrigued.
“Yeah, the other big cat Clans organize themselves a little differently than us jaguars. Many of them migrated away from their countries of origin toward Western Europe around the time of the Renaissance. We’ve always been folks who try to be where the action is, and back in those times, it was centered in Italy and France for our kind.”
Shelly was impressed. “You mentioned some of this before,” she remembered. “The tigers and lions have a king and queen, not an Alpha like your Clan.”
“Oh, the monarchs are very, very Alpha, I’m sure, but they also formalized their positions into monarchies with all the trappings that were so popular back then in that part of the world. We’re a bit less formal. More tribal, still, I guess.” He shrugged elegantly. “The Mother of All also plays a part. It is said the Tig’Ra and Tig’Ren, the tiger king and queen, are Goddess-touched. They, alone, among tiger shifters have white fur.”
“White tigers,” Shelly breathed. She knew, even among regular tigers, the white ones were incredibly rare.
Mark nodded. “Though the story circulating about the new tiger king says he was born tigre d’or—a golden tiger—and was changed by the hand of the Goddess so he could reclaim the throne from a total bastard named Gisli, who just about ran that Clan into the ground. Gisli was a terrible businessman, and an even worse king. He abused his people, and frankly, I don’t think his claim to the throne was true. I met him just once, and he made my skin crawl. I refused to have anything to do with him after that single encounter.”
“But this new guy sounds better?” Shelly asked, surprisingly interested in shifter politics.
“I’ve had him checked out from afar. Everything about him reads as on the level. He was a Royal Guard before he mated with the tiger princess-in-exile.”
“Wait. The monarchs were in exile?” Shelly was trying hard to follow the story.
“Gisli was the younger brother of the old king. Somehow, he forced the rightful king and queen into fleeing with their only daughter. Their son and heir had already been murdered, so I kind of understand why they would give up and go into hiding to protect their remaining child.” Mark’s expression held compassion. “Regardless, Gisli set himself up as steward to the Clan in the king’s absence. Eventually, he pretty much took over and made himself a monarch anyway. But then, last year, there was a challenge fight, and the former Royal Guard proved himself worthy and took the title of Tig’Ra, the princess, his mate, at his side.”
“If he was a Royal Guard, was he guarding the king’s family in exile?” Shelly wanted to know.
“No, actually, it’s rumored that he got his training among the pantera noir—literally, black panthers. They’re mostly black leopards, but I look a bit like one of those guys when I shift, so I’ve been mistaken for one of them on occasion. I use that to my advantage because they’re like the ninjas of the shifter world. Highly secretive. Always hidden. And highly skilled. If the tiger king was accepted by them as a youngster, and trained in their ways, he has to be a formidable fighter, and an expert at stealth. They say he was Royal Guard to the Nyx, the pantera noir queen. I hear she’s also newly mated—to a human.”
“So, if you make friends with the tiger king, you might possibly also open up a channel to these black panthers,” Shelly guessed, seeing the advantages.
Mark smiled at her deduction. “Exactly. You see why it’s important I’m here to greet the royal couple personally. They won’t stay long, and they may not get past the mansion—depending on how the initial meeting goes—but this is a critical meeting for myself, and for the Clan as a whole. Plus, there are things I can do to help them. Gisli ran the tiger Clan’s businesses into the ground, like I said. I can help them rebuild. Some of my companies are positioned in the same markets, and we could do some beneficial deals to help them get back on their feet financially.”
“Win-win,” Shelly grinned. “I like that.”
“Let’s hope it works out. I’d appreciate it if you would help me entertain them. The new queen lived among humans most of her life, they say. I think she’d enjoy your company. It also might help make me seem a bit less…threatening, shall we say…if I have a beautiful woman on my arm, whom I am desperately trying to convince to be my mate.”
He turned her then, taking her in his arms. She saw his kiss coming and didn’t move away. Sh
e would take all he would give her physically while they were together. She just wasn’t so sure she could be what he needed long-term. How could a regular human being be his mate? How could she help him run a Clan of shapeshifters when she wasn’t one? Would his people even accept her long-term? She was very much afraid they would not.
“Is that what you’re doing? Trying to convince me?” She smiled, but her thoughts were confused. “Are you sure you really want that?”
CHAPTER TEN
Mark leaned down and kissed her, just once. Moving only far enough away to look into her eyes, he spoke in an intimate tone.
“I’ve never been surer of anything else in my life. I want you for my mate, Shelly. I know you’re human—and magical, though you still seem to be in denial about that—but I hope you can feel the same need. The same draw. The same imperative that we must be together.” He held both of her hands in his, against his beating heart. “If you agree to be my mate, I will love you, and only you, for the rest of our lives. I will never stray, and I will be the best mate I can possibly be. I promise.”
Whoa. Her head was spinning again, and it wasn’t just from that light show she’d been part of yesterday. Mark was getting a little too intense for her. She was so confused about everything. She needed a little room to think.
She was saved from having to make a reply by the arrival of the security guy named Mario. He had a pained look on his face while he apologized for interrupting, but he brought news. The tigers had arrived.
Mark was suddenly all business. She realized how important this visit was to him by the way he reacted, and she vowed, then and there, to help him win over these shifter monarchs in any way that she could. Mark was a good guy, and his people deserved all the help they could get. Whatever little thing Shelly could do to help that, she would do.
“Is everything ready?” Mark asked Mario as they all headed back into the mansion.
“As ready as we can be,” came the quick reply. “Janice is setting up refreshments in the back parlor and said to tell you that, if they want to stay overnight, the best guest suite is ready and waiting.”
“Let’s see how this goes first,” Mark replied as they walked into the house. “I don’t want to jinx anything by thinking too far ahead. They may have a schedule to keep, which wouldn’t surprise me. Plus, it’s a first visit to unknown territory. They’ll be cautious.” Mark ran a hand down his shirt, as if searching for wrinkles, then he turned to Shelly. “Do I look okay?”
She thought he looked perfect. Of course, she always thought that. Mark was one of those lucky individuals who looked good in anything and always seemed to have stepped off the pages of a magazine. He was just that good looking. Male model handsome with an intellect matched by few. He was the whole package.
But she took his question seriously. “How formal is this?” she asked, wondering if his neat polo shirt and khakis were appropriate.
“Business casual, I’d guess,” he stated. “Any intel on what they’re wearing?” he asked Mario, quickly turning back to the other man.
“Golf shirt and jeans for the male. Jeans and a T-shirt for the female. A little less than business casual, but still neat, is what Lucinda reports,” Mario said, tapping a small earpiece Shelly just noticed as he drew attention to it. “They’re coming up the walk from the landing strip now. ETA five minutes. And you should know, Kensi is missing again. I think she got curious and went down the path to see what all the fuss was about. She’s been doing that more and more, according to Judy. She’s going down to try to find her now.”
“I don’t think the tiger king or his lady would harm her,” Mark said, then looked to Shelly as if for confirmation.
“They’re civilized people, aren’t they? And if they hurt a baby, these aren’t people you’ll want to deal with at all,” Shelly said immediately.
“We’d better get out there. Maybe we can avoid an incident.” Mark looked worried, and Shelly caught the tension in the air. She raced out of the house with him, Mario on their heels.
They took off down the path, slowing only at the bends in the path to peer out cautiously before they hit another straightaway. They didn’t want to look like they were rushing to intercede before Kensi possibly intercepted the newcomers, but they also wanted to get to her first, if at all possible.
They had just slowed for another curve when the approaching party came into view. A beautiful woman with big blue eyes and luxurious blonde hair was holding a familiar jaguar cub. Kensi had indeed found the royal couple first, but from the way the woman was smiling as she cradled the baby jaguar, they had been worried for nothing.
It was clear Kensi had captured another heart. It was also clear that the tiger couple was not going to eat the child. Far from it. They both seemed indulgent toward her. Both were smiling as she batted at the king’s tickling fingers. Shelly thought the image boded well for what was to come.
Mark breathed a sigh of relief and gathered himself before stepping forward to meet the tiger monarchs. His smile was broad and welcoming and perhaps a bit on the relieved side, but hopefully, the newcomers wouldn’t notice that.
“I see you found our little escape artist,” Mark said in a friendly tone as the two parties approached each other.
“She’s adorable,” the woman who must be the tiger queen said. “Is she yours?”
“She is mine the way all of my Clan are, but her parents should be along any moment, now that word is spreading that she’s been found.” Mark gestured toward the headset Lucinda sported. Apparently, the appearance of little Kensi on the walk up from the landing strip had already been reported, but Mark and Shelly were too far ahead of Mario to have heard the news.
“Aw, did you worry Mommy and Daddy?” the tiger queen spoke in a soft voice to the baby jaguar still held in her arms. “You shouldn’t do that, sweetheart. You should always tell your parents where you’re going so they can watch over you, okay?” She waited until the little jaguar head nodded up and down before snuggling the child close once more, calling her a good girl.
Right then, Shelly decided this woman was all right.
To say Mark was thrilled with the meeting wouldn’t be overstating his reaction to the tiger monarchs. They were very nice people, in addition to being good rulers over their Clan. Mark had a chance to discuss Clan affairs in more detail than he’d expected with the tiger king, who’d asked Mark to call him Mitch.
Likewise, the queen was also on a first name basis with Shelly and Mark within the first five minutes of meeting. Mark knew she was a medical doctor in the human world and was known as Queen Gleda among the tiger Clan, but she’d asked them to call her by her nickname, Gina. Mark liked them both, and the feeling appeared to be mutual—at least as far as he could tell on first meeting. He thought, though, the relationship had begun on firm footing and would grow from there.
One thing that had surprised him was Mitch’s knowledge about the geological foundations of the island. He’d come right out and asked if the volcano was still active. Funny thing was, he had directed his question to Shelly, which had struck Mark as odd.
“I only just came here yesterday for the first time,” Shelly had replied. “I don’t know all that much about the island yet.”
“As far as we know, the volcano has been dormant for centuries. Our shamans say we should not have any trouble for many years to come, which is why I chose this place,” Mark added.
The Tig’Ra looked at him strangely for a moment, then seemed to make up his mind about something before he spoke again. “I suppose you know our place of power is in Iceland, right?” Mark nodded in answer as Mitch went on, “Thing is, our palace is built on the side of an active—a very active—volcano. I’m actually connected to it in some magical way that I don’t completely understand. That’s how I recognized the echoes of that power here. You might be able to tap into that, somehow, to help protect your people.”
Mark was nonplussed. He’d never heard that about the tiger king, and he�
��d thought he had excellent intel on the tiger Clan in general. Apparently, there were still some secrets they’d managed to keep from the other cat shifter species. Mark realized a moment later that he shouldn’t have been so surprised. His own Clan had many secrets, as well.
He bowed his head. “I’m not a mage,” he replied, honestly.
“You may not be, but she is,” Mitch nodded toward Shelly, who had a deer-in-the-headlights sort of expression on her face.
“Uh…” Shelly stammered a bit, but Mark couldn’t help but come to her rescue.
“If she is, that’s something that’s only just come to light. Shelly grew up human. If she has mage blood, it’s news to her,” Mark told them.
“I grew up among humans,” the Tig’Ren put in, patting Shelly’s hand in a sympathetic way. “I’ve lived a normal human life most of the time, but I always knew I was a shifter. I had a firm foundation. I can’t imagine what it must be like for you to have all of this happen to you at once.”
“It’s a bit much to take in. I only found out about shapeshifters a couple of days ago,” Shelly admitted. “The sparky thing that happened yesterday was…” Shelly trailed off, seeming unable to complete her sentence.
“We were up at the caldera.” Mark decided to come clean. If the tigers knew about volcanoes and the magic the way they claimed, they might just be the only people who could help. “Something happened, and red sparks came from Shelly’s fingers. They seemed to be absorbed by the obsidian rock up there. I swear it looked and felt like the rock was welcoming the sparks.”
Mitch eyed Shelly with a speculative glance. “You might just be a fire mage. In which case, you would be amply suited to commune with even a dormant volcano.”
Shelly’s eyes grew wide in a mix of denial and fear. Mark didn’t fully understand why she was so afraid of the idea of magic. She’d seemed to handle the news about shifters pretty well, and her entire family line had worshipped the Goddess, just like him and his Clan, but ever since magic had become a topic of conversation, she’d been in denial. There was something more to it, he was sure, and he made a note to meet with her father at the earliest opportunity to see if he might know more.