She ran her hands up his chest and then to the back of his neck. There was one other thing this strong, sexy male could give her.
She whispered into his ear and said, “Once everything is settled down and GreyFire is back to normal, you can try giving me some pups.”
He dropped his hands and hauled her body up against his. She squeaked in surprise, but Sy paid no attention as he whispered, “Maybe a cub and a pup. I’m already outnumbered and I need some support of the feline variety to remain sane.”
She smiled. The image of a little cougar cub and a wolf pup chasing each other around her and Sylas came into her head and a deep yearning rushed forth. She’d never thought much of having children before, but she’d love nothing more if it was with the man currently holding her close. True, they might turn out to be the most stubborn shifter children on the planet, but she had a feeling they could handle them.
Wanting to tease him again, she cupped his face and moved his head so she could look into his eyes. “Well, I think whether we have pups or cubs depends on whose DNA is more dominant and stubborn. Personally, I’m betting on mine.”
Sy laughed before he took her mouth in a demanding kiss. Kaya was so lost in his taste and the feel of him that she nearly jumped when she heard a female voice say, “Hello, lovebirds. Care to make yourself decent?”
Sy, on the other hand, took his time to finish caressing the inside of her mouth before pulling away and turning them both around to face Kian and Trinity.
Trinity was grinning while Kian looked amused. They both walked toward them, Kian limping a little due to his old injury.
Not that she held that against him. The man might be smiling, but there was an aura of power around him. Her wolf wasn’t about to cower, but it recognized an equal when she saw one.
Of course, when Trinity leaned against her mate, he softened and her wolf approved.
Kaya tried to move to greet their guests, but Sy kept his arm around her waist. She pinched his arm and said, “Let me go.” His grip tightened. She sighed and said, “Look, I know your cougar is tetchy right now, until the mating ceremony finishes, but it’s your brother. I hardly think Trinity is going to allow him to rip off my clothes or attack me.”
~~~
Sy ignored Kaya’s pinch and squeezed her closer. The human part of him understood her reasoning, but his cougar didn’t. Until everyone knew she was their female, they needed to keep her close.
Calm down, kitty cat. His inner cougar growled at that, but his jealousy eased a fraction. Still, Sy wasn’t about to take chances. “He’s still another male. My cat doesn’t like that.”
“Sylas.” He looked up at his brother’s authoritative tone and Kian continued. “Take some advice from me, brother. Learn to let her go every once in a while or there’ll be hell to pay later.”
Trinity glared in her mate’s direction. “Care to explain that one, mister?”
Kian shrugged. “Whenever I act too overprotective, you withhold sex. I’m trying to save my brother some heartache. Strong women take a special kind of touch.” Kian nuzzled the side of Trin’s head. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Trinity battled a frown, but Sy could tell his sister-in-law was softening. Then she looked to Kaya and he knew she was about to cause trouble. Trin said, “If it weren’t for the mating ceremony, I’d suggest that we ditch these two alphas and let them stew a bit.”
Sy looked down to see Kaya grinning. Yes, Trinity Perez-Murray was going to be a bad influence on his soon-to-be mate.
His wolf-shifter said, “Next time. If Kian is anything like his brother, I’m sure there’ll be plenty of opportunities for us to let them stew.”
Trin laughed and Sy decided he needed to change topics. While he was glad the two women were getting along, he didn’t want to give Trin more time to influence Kaya. Kian’s mate was headstrong and full of ideas, ideas that Kaya would like a little too much.
Determined to move things along, he said, “Are you two done conspiring against me and my brother? I want to get to the celebration and stake my claim.”
Kaya wrapped an arm around his waist and squeezed. The touch made his cougar purr. Looking up at him, she said, “I thought I was the one staking the claim. Shifter tradition dictates it’s up to the clan leader.”
He huffed. “I don’t care who does the claiming. I just want it done.”
Kaya laughed. “Okay, Mr. Grumpy.” She looked toward Kian. “Do you think our clan members have had enough time to try and bond, at least a little?”
Kian grinned with a glint of mischief in his eye. “We took a peek on our way here, and things are interesting, to say the least.”
Trinity shook her head. “He means the guys are punching each other.”
He felt Kaya tense beside him. “What? Did you stop them?”
Kian said, “No. It wasn’t a bad kind of fighting. Sometimes male shifters need a punch or two to accept each other.”
Sy chuckled and Kaya glared up at him. He explained, “The same thing happened with Jonathon. In the end, he backed me up because I was able to sneak a punch on him.” He shrugged. “But maybe we should go before it turns into something less friendly.”
Kaya gave him a look. “I think you’re using them as an excuse to get the mating ceremony over quicker.”
He grinned, seeing no point in hiding it. “But of course.”
Kaya sighed, and then looked to Kian. “Is that okay? We can have a real meeting later.”
Kian shrugged. “No problem. I’m pretty anxious myself to see my brother settled down. I was starting to think it’d never happen and I’d have to put up with him for the next fifty years.”
Sy rolled his eyes. “Gee, thanks, brother. I’m feeling the love big time.”
Kian grinned. “Hey, once you’re mated, then we can discuss our women, just like they’ll discuss us. Being shackled works both ways, after all.”
Trinity poked him in the side. “Yes, shackled. I’ll remember that.” Trin smiled at Sy and Kaya. “Let’s go, lovebirds.”
His brother and Trinity turned and started walking. Kaya moved to go, but he couldn’t resist keeping her close long enough to whisper, “Shackles. Now there’s an idea.”
“Sylas.”
He laughed at her reprimand. “Come on. We can experiment with our kinky honeymoon period later. Let’s go see how the two clans are faring.”
~~~
When they finally entered the large clearing being used for the ceremony, Kaya did a sweep with her eyes. There was a large group of her wolves to one side, in a mixture of human and wolf forms. Ditto for the cougars in a different section of the space, but what caught her eye was the large gathering of males and females from both clans standing around two males, shouting and cheering.
At her side, Sy said, “Looks like Aidan is taking on Tomás.”
She’d vaguely recognized the cougar-shifter and she now remembered where she’d seen him—Aidan had been with Sylas when they’d first shown up on her land with the dead wolf-shifter.
While Aidan was taller with a long, lean build, he was also older, maybe forty. Tomás was stocky and in as stellar shape as the cougar, but he was in his late twenties. Their advantages and disadvantages seemed to be balancing each other because whenever Aidan managed to get a hold on Tomás, the younger man was able to slip away. Then when Tomás went for a punch to the kidney, Aidan anticipated it and merely sidestepped.
Since the two males were already covered in sweat, Kaya reckoned they had been at this for a while. She gently nudged Sy’s side. “Do you think it’ll be over soon? If not, I’m going to call it off.”
Sy squeezed her side. “Give it a second and...there you go.”
Aidan finally managed to get a grip on the wolf and pin him face down to the ground. Due to the combination of the older shifter’s height, weight, and experienced grip, Tomás would have no choice to cede defeat.
Her wolf was anxious and curious at the same time. Would the
men keep fighting? Would everyone go back to their respective clan groups?
Tomás said something she couldn’t hear and Aidan grinned. When he rose and offered a hand to the younger man, he took it and Kaya relaxed. She relaxed further when various males and females started congratulating Aidan. One female in particular, one of her wolves, was all but rubbing against the cougar-shifter male.
Kaya gave a low snort. “Well, I think that answers my question about the two clans ever getting along. Your hotties are already attracting some of my women and probably some of my men, too.”
Sy growled. “Hotties? You think Aidan is attractive?”
Normally, she’d tease Sy, but she could tell he was on edge at the moment, so she put a hand on his chest and stroked. “You’re my hottie, Sylas. Now, let’s go make it official before another fight starts.”
Sy’s tension eased and Kaya resisted making a remark about male shifter egos.
As they made their way to the makeshift dais near the bar and refreshments, Kaya’s heart rate ticked up. This was it. She was about to be mated.
She wasn’t nervous about her choice of mate. There would never be anyone but Sylas Murray for her. But still, she was worried about her clan. They seemed to like him well enough, but this would be the true test since the ceremony required some of their participation.
Memories of everyone turning their back on her during the last time she’d wanted to pledge herself to Sylas came flooding back, but she forced them aside. Things were different this time. Sy wasn’t going to run, and he’d proven himself with at least some of her clan. Surely someone would stand up and second the mating.
As if sensing her unease, Sy leaned down to her ear and whispered, “It’ll be fine, love. Not everyone likes me, but enough do that the rest should at least learn to tolerate me with time. Besides, if we feline hotties are attracting your men and women, then everyone is just going to have to get used to this kind of thing.”
Sy using the word “hottie” made Kaya laugh and her nervousness eased. Sy always seemed able to do that.
“Well, I don’t know about your feline females, but you male cougars are in for a surprise when it comes to wolf females. We’re a lot to handle and aren’t afraid to bite.”
He grinned. “You say that as if it’s a bad thing.”
They made it to the dais, ascended the stairs, and Kaya laced her fingers of one hand through Sylas’s as she faced out. People were still far flung across the clearing, so she gave a high-pitched whistle. The clearing slowly silenced and when Kian and Trinity moved to stand in front of them below, everyone else start to follow suit.
When most everyone was in front of them, Sy squeezed her hand and she squeezed back.
Despite the pounding of her heart, Kaya kept a calm face, stood tall, and said in a booming voice, “While we’re here to celebrate the growing friendship between our two clans, we’re also here to celebrate something else. I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t know this would happen until just a few hours ago, but we’re going to have a mating ceremony.”
A murmur went through the crowd. Kaya raised her free hand up to signal silence, and most of the murmuring died down. She continued, “I’m not sure how much Kian has told DarkStalker about recent events, but you all are aware of the virus that nearly destroyed GreyFire. I, myself, fell sick and proclaimed a power share with Sylas Murray. He took charge and did everything he could to save my clan. Without his help, we may never have found a cure. He has proven himself a worthy male, and what’s more, I love him.” Sy squeezed her hand again and Kaya pushed on. “So I ask for your respect and cooperation to allow this mating ceremony to go forward.”
Kaya fell silent and waited. Someone needed to give their blessing and be seconded before she could move on. Thankfully, Kian’s voice boomed over the clearing. “As leader of Clan DarkStalker, you have my blessing. You make my brother happy. I can ask for no better sister-in-law.”
Kian’s words went straight to her heart. To be first meant he truly accepted her.
She nodded at the other leader and then looked out to the crowd. She was only halfway there. “Will anyone second this mating?”
Erika Washington raised a hand and said, “I second it. Sylas Murray has earned my respect, and what’s more, he makes you happy. We’ll just make sure to hide the ribbons and string from the kitty cat.”
Most of the shifters in the crowd, from both clans, laughed and Kaya could feel the tension easing.
She nodded. “Then with a seconded approval, I’ll proceed.”
She turned toward Sy and reluctantly released his hand. She raised one hand palm up and said, “You’ve earned my love, my trust, and my respect.” She raised her other hand and extended a claw on her forefinger before swiping it across her palm. As blood welled, she said, “By joining our blood together, we will become mates in all things—as friends, equals, lovers, and one day, I hope, parents. If you accept my claim, let our blood mingle as one to seal the bond.”
While she remained calm on the outside, she let her love and yearning show in her eyes. Sy’s eyes flashed a bright cougar green before he raised his palm and sliced his skin. As the blood welled, he said, “I love you, Kaya Alexie, and would love nothing more than to be your mate.” He turned his cut palm onto hers and squeezed. With a twinkle in his eyes, he said, “And it’s about damn time too.”
The crowd laughed, but Kaya barely heard them as she stared into Sy’s eyes. While he’d held her heart for a long time, he was now officially hers.
She tilted her head and Sy leaned down to kiss her. As she melted into her mate’s touch, both Kaya and her inner wolf felt complete for the first time in their lives. With Sylas at her side, she could face anything.
*~*~*~*
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Turn the page to learn about my other works as well as how to receive an alert for my upcoming Cascade Shifters novella, Cougar’s First Christmas.
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While waiting for the next Cascade Shifters story (Cougar’s First Christmas, November 2014) maybe you’d like to check out the first installment of my dragon-shifter serial series, Sacrificed to the Dragon, or the first book in my Asylums for Magical Threats paranormal romance series, Blaze of Secrets. Turn the page for a glimpse of my other works.
With Gratitude,
Jessie Donovan
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part One
(Stonefire Dragons)
In exchange for a vial of dragon’s blood to save her brother’s life, Melanie Hall offers herself up as a sacrifice to one of the British dragon-shifter clans. Being a sacrifice means signing a contract to live with the dragon-shifters for six months to try to conceive a child. Her assigned dragonman, however, is anything but easy. He’s tall, broody, and alpha to the core. There’s only one problem—he hates humans.
Due to human dragon hunters killing his mother, Tristan MacLeod despises humans. Unfortunately, his clan is in desperate need of offspring to repopulate their numbers and it’s his turn to service a human female. Despite his plans to have sex with her and walk away, his inner dragon has other ideas. The curvy human female tempts his inner beast like no other.
———————
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part One is now available on Amazon.
Blaze of Secrets
(Asylums for Magical Threats #1)
Kiarra Melini overhears the dangerous secrets of her blood and decides that if Feiru elemental magic is to survive, she needs to die. However, before
she can finish the deed, a strange yet determined man shows up in her cell, throws her over his shoulder, and carries her right out of the prison for elemental magic users.
Jaxton Ward is ordered by his superiors to train the stubborn elemental fire user he rescued. There's only one problem—she claims her magic is gone and he has no idea how to train a woman who spent the last fifteen years inside a prison cell. He's determined to keep his relationship professional, but as the danger amps up and they're forced to go on the run, he starts to fall for the newly confident woman who ignites his temper like no other.
Kiarra's final secret is the key to them staying alive, but can they outrun the prison enforcers long enough for her to embrace her unique magical talents and finally learn to love again?
———————
Available now at Amazon.
Books by Jessie Donovan
Asylums for Magical Threats
Blaze of Secrets (AMT #1)
Frozen Desires (AMT #2)
Shadow of Temptation (AMT #2.5)
Cascade Shifters
Convincing the Cougar (CS #0.5)
Reclaiming the Wolf (CS #1)
Cougar’s First Christmas (CS #1.5, November 2014)
Stonefire Dragons
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part One
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Two
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Three
Sacrificed to the Dragon: Part Four (September 20, 2014)
Seducing the Dragon: Part One (late October 2014)
Seducing the Dragon: Part Two (November 2014)
Seducing the Dragon: Part Three (December 2014)
Reclaiming the Wolf (Cascade Shifters Book 1) Page 17