by Tami Lund
As noble as that act may sound, Tanner knew that if Quentin had not been killed, he would not have given up his obsession. He would have come after Tanner and the Lightbearers again—and again and again. He would not have relented until he was dead. Tanner knew it was a fact. Quentin had to die, and Finn had done the task. Not only had he done the task, but he’d then thrown his allegiance behind Tanner.
His motley pack was growing again.
The king had not been happy to learn there was yet another shifter who intended to reside within the coterie, even if he believed it was a temporary arrangement.
“My mother, Finn, and I have to return out west,” he informed the king, when that man grudgingly thanked Tanner for once again saving his daughter’s life. “We have to inform the pack that their leader is dead, determine what they should do now. I want Lisa and her pups to stay here, and I want your word that they will be safe, and treated fairly.”
Sander had looked terribly unhappy, but he’d muttered, “My mate would have it no other way.” He had accepted that as the king’s word.
While Ariana and Finn prepared to leave, he shifted into the form of a bird and flew into Olivia’s bedchamber. Dane hovered over her bed, watching over her like a mother hen. He did not look remotely surprised when the bird shifted into the form of a human.
“You aren’t going to hit me again, are you?”
Tanner raked his hand through his hair. “No,” he said shortly. Probably, he should apologize for hitting the guy. It wasn’t something he was particularly good at. He opened his mouth, but Dane spoke first.
“I’m surprised it took you this long to come to her.”
“The king was determined to keep me away,” he muttered.
Dane pursed his lips and watched Olivia’s sleeping form. “He cares about her, you know. A great deal. She is his only offspring.”
“She is my mate.”
“The king would argue that she is mine.”
Tanner bristled.
“But I do not want her.”
He relaxed again.
“I care about her, of course. She is like a sister, just as Cecilia is. We were raised together. The king decided when we were younglings that I would make a good suitor for Olivia, so he ensured we were playmates. And Cecilia, of course, was practically raised within the beach house, partially because she and Olivia got on so well, and partially because her family is so ... rigid. I believe the king felt he was protecting her by all but taking her in himself.”
He paused, and Tanner let him gather his thoughts. His gaze strayed to the sleeping form on the bed, and he ached to go to her, to touch her, to crawl into the bed and couple with her again. But he held back. He sensed that Dane had more to say, and needed him to hear it.
“But the king’s plan backfired, in a way,” Dane continued. “Instead of young lovers, we became more like siblings. Perhaps if he had waited, and pushed us together after the burst of adolescent lust had bloomed... Perhaps we would feel differently about one another. Instead, when Olivia gave herself over to another for her first sexual experience, she came to me and told me every detail, as a confidant, not as a future lover.”
“Why didn’t you tell the king?”
Dane shook his head. “I did. So did Olivia. And if that wasn’t enough, the fact that I was terrible at every single aspect of ruling a kingdom that he tried to teach me should have been. But Sander Bennett is blinded by his determination to protect his people, to try to keep his mate from blaming herself for not giving him a son, to try to be the king that he himself knows he is not.”
That surprised Tanner. “You think the king knows he is lousy at the job?”
“Without a doubt,” Dane confirmed. “And he is deathly afraid someone will realize it. Someone who is strong enough to take over his position and take away everything that has been in his family for over five hundred years.”
It was an interesting discovery, to say the least.
Dane excused himself a short time later, leaving Tanner alone with Olivia. He stood next to the bed, staring down at her, until she began to fidget and moan and thrash about as if she were caught in a bad dream. Then he shed his clothing and crawled into the bed next to her. She immediately rolled toward him and curled into his warmth. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and held her, closing his eyes and breathing in her tantalizing scent. He badly wanted to couple with her, but he knew she was not ready. She needed to heal, and rest. So he settled for simply holding her, until he was nudged awake by a hand on his shoulder.
He blinked open his eyes and looked up into his mother’s sympathetic ones. “It’s time,” she whispered.
He nodded and reluctantly released his hold on Olivia. He climbed out of the bed, pulled his clothing back on, and turned to look at her one last time. His mother touched his arm again.
“She’ll be fine.”
Her words did little to reassure him. He didn’t want to be assured she would be fine. He already knew that. What he wanted was for her to be his.
He turned away and strode toward the balcony doors, shifting into a bird as he walked. Ariana followed suit. Finn swooped down from where he’d been perched on the roof of the beach house. Together, the three of them flew out into the night sky, out of the coterie, and away from the Lightbearers.
Chapter 31
“It’s been three weeks.”
“I know.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Well, thanks for the advice,” Olivia muttered sarcastically.
Cecilia rolled her eyes.
The two women were in the gardens, plucking green beans. A great deal had changed over the course of the last three weeks. Sander had met with Olivia and Genevieve and grimly announced that they were officially bankrupt. There was no more money.
Genevieve had been shocked and appalled— “How will I throw my next party?”—But Olivia had not been terribly surprised. Genevieve’s parties were expensive affairs, and the king had never asked his subjects to contribute to the financial wellbeing of the royal family. For her entire life, she’d never once noticed that the coffers had been filled in any way, yet she constantly observed them being emptied.
“Ask your subjects to donate a portion of their goods or services to the royal family,” she had suggested. “We keep them safe, we keep them organized and well-fed and maintain a decent lifestyle for all. It’s the least we can do.”
Her father had given her a cool stare at that point. “You think our subjects truly believe we keep them safe?” he’d asked. “After we allowed shifters into our coterie?”
Once he’d informed his daughter and mate about the state of their finances, he had cut the household staff to the bare bones. Carley had remained on, but most of her help had been dismissed. Thus, Olivia and Cecilia found themselves plucking beans to prepare for the evening meal.
“What will happen to everyone we’ve dismissed?” Olivia had asked her father that first evening.
His face and his tone had been grim. “I fear they will have to look outside the coterie for means to support themselves.” It was as if he’d given up all hope.
Olivia was beginning to feel the same way. “He isn’t coming back,” she said, speaking her greatest fear.
“You do not know that,” Cecilia replied.
“I do not know that he intends to return, either,” Olivia retorted. “He did not say goodbye when he left. In fact, he said nothing at all. He just left. And he took his mother with him.”
“And Finn.”
“It only makes sense that he went back to Wyoming to run the pack there.”
Cecilia chewed on her lip and did not reply. Olivia assumed it was because both women suspected the same thing.
Olivia suddenly dropped her basket of beans and stood up straight. “I’m going to Wyoming,” she announced.
Cecilia gave her a surprised look. Olivia nodded firmly.
“If Tanner is going to live in Wy
oming, then so am I.”
“What about Dane?”
“What about him? In my mind, we aren’t mated.”
“I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that.”
Olivia whipped around at the sound of the masculine, gravelly voice. Tanner stood in the shade, just outside the door to the kitchens. His dark hair was wind-whipped. The shadow on his cheeks was thicker than it had been when he left. His pale blue eyes glowed faintly as his gaze drank in Olivia as if he was a thirsty man and she was the only cup of water in the vicinity.
“Tanner,” she whispered. Cecilia gave her a small nudge and she lifted her skirts and rushed through the gardens, leaping into the air when she was still four feet away. He caught her easily, one hand cupping her bottom, the other tangling into her braid, twisting it as he crushed his mouth against hers.
“Upstairs,” she mumbled against his lips.
He carried her to her chamber.
“Where have you been?” she asked as she urgently tugged off his shirt and his shorts.
“Wyoming,” he replied as he pulled her dress over her head. “I need you,” he said as they fell onto the bed together.
“You’ve been gone so long,” Olivia complained as she rolled over so she could straddle his hips.
“Like this,” he said, and he flipped her onto her stomach. “I need you like this.”
He covered her with his body and with one thrust, they were connected. Olivia cried out as she clutched at the bedcovers, her body flaring with magic. He leaned over her as he continued to pump, until his lips were near her ear.
“Mine,” he whispered.
“Yours,” she replied on a moan. Her orgasm overcame her so suddenly, she let out a small shriek of surprise. Tanner thrust only a few more times before he chased her over the edge and then collapsed onto the bed next to her.
“Mate,” he murmured a moment before sleep claimed him. Olivia let him sleep. He was home, in her bed. Right where he should be.
* * * *
“Well this is awkward.”
Tanner blinked away the fog of sleep and looked up to see Dane standing over him. He was lying on his back in Olivia’s bed, alone, and when he followed the trail of Dane’s eyes, he realized he was naked, his body in a semi-aroused state. He tugged the bedcovers into a more modest position and glared at the Lightbearer.
“What are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same question.”
“Where’s Olivia?”
Dane shrugged. “Plucking fresh vegetables, possibly. Or helping with breakfast. Or cleaning the main sitting room.”
Tanner stared at him as if he’d gone mad.
“A great many things have changed since you’ve been gone,” Dane explained. “The king released most of the servants. There is no currency.” He glanced over his shoulder, checking to see if anyone was eavesdropping. “If I were you, I would take Olivia away, start your own life together. The coterie is no place you want to be.”
“Why?”
“The subjects are unhappy with the king. Discovering he ran the kingdom into bankruptcy. Knowing he continues to let shifters into the coterie. Many have lost their faith. There are whispers of upheaval, which frankly I think is ridiculous because what is there to take over at this point?”
“Quentin is dead, but it is still not necessarily safe outside the coterie. There are still plenty of shifters out there who hold to his beliefs about killing you all for your magic,” Tanner pointed out. “No one should leave the coterie until all Lightbearers have had some defensive training.”
“And who will see to that?”
“Me. And Finn. He came back with me. He’ll lead the training.”
“They will not listen to a shifter.”
“Why not? We are the ones they fear. It makes sense that they learn how to defend themselves from the very ones who may go after them.”
“There is no currency, no means to live. We have no choice but to release the wards on the coterie and let everyone make their way in the world. Some even talk of going back to the land of the fae.”
Tanner shoved the bedcovers away and rolled out of bed. He ignored the way Dane’s eyes widened and pulled on the shorts Olivia had pulled off him yesterday afternoon.
“Go summon everyone to the breakfast room. Whoever is still here in the beach house.” He turned and strode to the bath chamber, not even bothering to check to ensure Dane did as he said. He knew he would.
* * * *
“You summoned me?” the king blustered a short time later. “This is preposterous.”
Carley placed a basket of fresh cinnamon buns on the table, along with a platter of grilled, stuffed sausage bites and a bowl of cherries. When she tried to pour coffee for everyone, Olivia stood up and shooed her away and did it herself. Tanner watched her for a moment, until he realized everyone in the room was watching him. He stabbed a stuffed sausage bite and lifted it to his mouth.
The king and queen were there, Sander looking outraged and Genevieve looking confused. They’d both gone downhill in the last three weeks. There were worry lines around the king’s eyes and mouth that had not been there before. Genevieve’s eyes looked haunted, and she had developed a slight tremor. He made a mental note to send for Alexa when this little meeting was over. It was time for the queen to deal with her depression—without the assistance of outrageously expensive party planning.
Cecilia was there, which wasn’t surprising. Finn was too, and Tanner noticed that Cecilia was glaring frostily at him. Tanner had already given Finn the directive to ensure her safety, since she had a bad habit of slipping undetected from the coterie, and Tanner did not want Olivia’s cousin and best friend to get attacked—or worse. It looked as if Finn has already had to do his job once since their return. Cecilia may not be happy, but at least she would be safe. Finn would see to that.
Dane, Lisa and the pups, and Tanner’s mother were also in attendance. That made sense. They needed to hear Tanner’s announcement, too. It affected everyone at this table.
“It’s not preposterous at all,” Tanner finally responded to the king. He took a generous bite of one of Carley’s delicious cinnamon buns. As he chewed, he slipped his hand into the pocket of his shorts, extracted a folded piece of paper and slid it across the table toward Sander.
The king snapped up the paper and unfolded it. It took a few moments for him to comprehend what it was, but when he did, his eyes went wide and bulged as if they were trying to pop out of his head.
“This—this—this— ” He could not even speak.
“Is the entire worth of my late father’s estate. Yes.”
A collective gasp went up around the table. Genevieve leaned over and peered at the check and then promptly dropped her coffee cup.
“It is enough to get the coterie back on its feet without forcing your subjects to leave to fend for themselves. You will even be able to hire back most of the servants you dismissed.”
“May I throw a party?” Genevieve asked as hopeful as a young girl asking her father if she might go on a date with the local heartthrob.
“No,” Tanner said coldly. “This coterie is not going to operate in the same way it did while Sander was in charge.”
“But our subjects expect me to throw them parties,” Genevieve pouted.
“They will learn to adjust their expectations. Otherwise, that money will not go very far.”
Genevieve sat back in her chair and continued to pout. She looked so much like Olivia that Tanner found himself amending his stance.
“Maybe once a quarter—when there is a very good reason.”
Genevieve smiled widely and clapped her hands, clearly happy with the compromise.
Sander’s face turned red. “What do you mean, while Sander was in charge?”
Tanner leaned forward. This was it. This was the do or die moment.
“It means that I am going to call the shots from this point forward. You will still be king, but you will be no m
ore than a figurehead. You’re lousy at the job, but your subjects, most of them anyway, love you, and it will be much easier to get this place whipped into shape if they think you are giving the orders, instead of a shifter. But understand this: I am master of this pack from now on.” His faintly glowing gaze bore into Sander. He could feel Olivia’s Lightbearer magic flare, and he knew his entire body was shimmering.
Over the course of the past three weeks, he’d learned to control the magic, to dim the sparks that danced along his skin. It had been necessary, given he’d been surrounded by shifters, many of whom still clung to Quentin’s misguided beliefs.
The room fell utterly and completely silent. Everyone stared at Tanner. Sander opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. It was as if no one was even daring to breathe. Then the king abruptly stood up and flung the check away from him.
“You mean to buy my daughter?” he said, his voice heavy with disgust.
“No,” Tanner said coldly. He snatched the check and slammed it down onto the table, rattling plates and coffee cups. “This is to save your ass. I don’t need to buy Olivia’s love.”
“And what of your pack?” Sander demanded. “You would desert them for—for your arch enemy?”
“They have not been my pack for ten years,” Tanner replied.
His mother interrupted the exchange. “We disbanded the pack,” she explained. “That is what took us so long to return. Tanner determined it would be best to send everyone to other packs, to diffuse the evil notions Quentin had hammered into their heads for all these years.”
Sander would not give up easily. “I will not have it,” he blustered. “I would rather my subjects take their chances in the human world. Besides,” he added, a hint of gloating in his voice, “She is already mated to Dane. With any luck, she is already carrying his babe in her belly.”
“More like a miracle,” Cecilia muttered under her breath.
“She and Dane are not mated,” Tanner said very quietly.
“They certainly are,” Sander insisted. “I performed the ceremony. Only the king can declare someone mated.”
“Shifters have a far different mating ceremony.”