lungful of sweet smelling air.
“A boy and a girl…” The soft whisper of revelation, brought a rush of bemused wonder
to her heart. Cat was absolutely floored. The thought of bearing Drusal’s young meant
more to her than the gift of Guardianship.
Rising to her feet, Alastrina bowed low to the new protector of the oppressed. Spreading
her arms wide, the stunning female encompassed a lush vista from horizon to horizon.
“All this is yours to make use of. The Fates have gifted you with a dimension to take in the
lost souls of any species. Here is where your reign begins. Edanholme is secured to the
truth pool. Egress can be sought if the pool allows it.”
Cat struggled to her feet, assimilating the wealth of land available, her heart swelled at
the assistance she had been given by the Fates.
“My thanks cannot be adequately expressed.” She offered Alastrina the full deference
of allegiance, protection and love instead. Cat felt the simultaneous translocation, she
to the truth pool, Alastrina beyond reach.
If you need me, I will be there for you. Ok, maybe not beyond reach.
Her senses tuned once more to the mate she had run from, Cat felt the distress of a wolf
on the hunt for his mate. Flowing easily into a form he would recognise more readily, she
shifted to lupine form. A red furred female wolf, curled into a ball, protecting the life in
her belly Cat waited patiently for her mate to find her.
Drusal was devastated at Cat’s sudden translocation from his arms. The fear emanating
from her aura, left a sour taste at the back of his throat. Shifting to wolf he bounded out
the bedroom window, in the hope of picking up the alluring scent of his mate.
She feared him… A howl of longing rent the air.
He no longer cared what form she took, Drusal just wanted his mate. A heartbeat strong
and vital drew him to the truth pool. With long, loping strides he raced on sure paws
towards the female who held his heart in small hands. Slinking silently through the trees
he reached the clearing that held a vision of wolfish depression. The red fur of the female
rose and fell with each tremulous breath. Tongue hanging from his jaw Drusal approached
his counterpart with quiet stealth.
How do I look? The demand assaulted his mind, with an uncertainty not remotely close
to the blasts of power his mate commonly used.
Like a wolf… What else? Went unsaid… Dropping at her side he licked at her jaw in
abject desolation. A mental giggle tickled his mind. Always truthful Fur ball…
My life sucks… Cat sent out a vision of her fangs sinking into his neck.
This is what I am, a vampire who feeds off her mate. I’ve had an epiphany Drusal.
The Fates have decreed that I lead the vampires into the modern world with their thirst
tamed. The new era will feed only off their mates. Are you ready to become the food
that keeps me living? Lifting her snout Cat rubbed a cold nose on his.
If that is the only way I get to keep you, then yes…
Inching closer to the red furred female he laid his head across her shoulders.
I am yours, you are mine.
Sinking beneath the weight of a mighty head Cat soaked up the selfless offer.
I fluffed the truth. I don’t have to feed from you. I want to, but I don’t need to.
Wriggling free of his head Cat morphed to human, emerald eyes flaring in a face softened
with love, she touched a finger to his nose.
“I love you. I would never take from you anything not freely offered. My life force can easily
be nourished with food. There is no need for me to ever take your blood.”
Following his mate’s lead Drusal shifted to his normal state. Taking her hands in his, opal
eyes locked onto the silver twists of branding running up both forearms.
“What is this?” Thumbs circled each letter with a tender caress.
“A revelation of all that the Fates plan for this world…” Cat held back the full import of the
brands. The whole story would keep until she was ready for a complete reveal.
“You know this how?” A deep frown marred his forehead.
“Magic…” Cat laughed at his confusion.
“Really it was magic. I will tell you all, as and when we recover the nobles from Istirina’s
Court.” Resting her head on Drusal’s shoulder her heart quailed at the thought of all she
was going to reveal. Lifting her head Cat sniffed the air. Alex is at the house.
Sending a message to her friend, she felt her scurry back to the Mini. Shifting back to wolf,
Cat raced to the house, Drusal nipping at her heels.
Sliding to halt on the gravel drive, wolf eyes watched her mate bound away. Placing a paw
on the door of Alex’s car Cat ran her tongue over the window.
Hey friend, look what I can do… The thought was sent in a gentle waft. Revealing long fangs,
tongue hanging from the side of her jaw, Cat laughed a wolfish laugh.
Alex nodded, her face screwed up in consternation at being addressed by a red furred wolf.
“Yuk Cat, that’s gross…”
Wait here for me to come and get you… Alex blew out a relieved sigh, sapphire eyes intent
upon the graceful flow of furry limbs bounding out of sight. Heartbeat slowing, tears of
laughter and fear sitting on sooty lashes, she wondered what the hell she had let herself
in for. Cat she loved, a real bonding of sisters over many years. Drusal…? Shit…
He scared her to death. Did she really want to become involved in a world of really cute
supernatural beings? The answer was obvious, oh yes…
Dressing in shorts and t-shirt, Cat threw a glance at the male shrugging on jeans and short
sleeved t-shirt with alacrity. Sending him a mental kiss she flew out the door.
Leading a subdued Alex into the kitchen she laid out a salad and left over crawfish. Taking
a seat next to her friend she laid a warm hand over a tensed fist.
“We won’t hurt you angel. Drusal and I love you, don’t ever forget that.” Lifting her eyes
to acknowledge the massive male entering the kitchen on bare feet Cat asked him silently
to reinforce her words of comfort.
“I will not hurt you.” The deep bass of his voice overwhelmed Alex.
Not quite what I had in mind. Cat lashed out at him.
Sensitive to a battle of wills Alex sunk down in the chair, head bowed under the influence
of magical creatures.
“Ignore him. He’s suffering from the effects of wolf cold turkey.” The quip brought a flicker
of amusement to sapphire eyes. “Why aren’t you at work?”
A sliver of anxiety ran down Cat’s spine.
“I succeeded in uncovering the sum total of the wealth at your disposal. I thought you
should know, so I left Emma in charge.” A flush of colour rushed to Alex’s cheeks.
“There might not be anything left to go back to with little Miss Sarcasm in control.”
With a gurgle of laughter Cat raised the cold fingers of her friend to her cheek.
“Cat you’re worth Millions…” Alex stammered haltingly.
“Good, we are so going to need it.” Taking the news in her stride Cat’s face was alive
with mischief. Emerald flares danced in hazel eyes.
“I like not the devilment in your eyes Iscatya…” Drusal eased down beside her.
“Today I am going to take the warriors from Istirina. I want you both to agree. Drusal will
you go back to Court in the pre
tence of a broken male having lost his mate?” She sent a
further message in mental reinforcement. I will reveal my true self to the Court, in taking
back that which belongs to us both. Are you willing to become my dupe for this day?
Running an arm round Cat’s waist Drusal laid his cheek on her hair.
“To free my brothers, I would crawl at Istirina’s feet” he whispered softly in her ear.
“Nah… Too much grovelling would spoil her.” Lifting a hand to his face she infused his
skin with fire. “Desolate but angry suits the plan I have in mind.”
“Get a room…” Shaking off the fear Drusal’s glowering face had inspired, Alex bounced
back to annoying human. Laughter dispersed the feeling of doom pervading the kitchen.
“Angel will you stay here to receive my guests…?” A wicked smile twitched Cat’s lips.
“For sure Majesty, if I get to play with the big boys.” Alex grinned, a wide beaming curve
of scarlet tinted lips. Drusal’s howl of laughter rocked the chair beneath him.
“My brothers will be eaten alive by this incubus in human skin.”
Cat joined in the laughter. “You have no idea…” She stuttered on a chuckle.
It warmed a beleaguered heart to see her best friend and a Sidhe lover enjoy a crass joke
together. The barbs were aimed at Alex. It didn’t faze an angel who fended off irate
humans on a daily basis. Taking on the magnificence of noble warriors of the Sovereign
Court, would be child’s play to her, after years of manipulating the whims and wants of
petulant and impatient patients.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Leaving Alex to clean up after brunch, Cat tugged her mate out into the garden. Looking
up into pearlescent grey eyes she was amazed at how quickly they had reached a measure
of trust. “I know I’m pushing for a final confrontation with Grandmother, but we have to
move fast, before she has time to create havoc among the males.” Taking his face between
both hands Cat smiled shyly.
“I love you. I don’t want to send you back alone. If the Queen gets the least inkling of my
plans, you and your brothers may be sent beyond my reach. I want to take her by surprise.”
Touching his forehead to hers Drusal wrapped Cat in a bear hug.
“I know in my head that surprise has merit. My fear is that you underestimate the power of
the Queen in her own Court.” Drusal was aware his mate was even more evasive, since she
had disappeared from his arms in fear for her life.
Incapable of telling an outright lie, she refused to disclose the means by which she learned
the taint of the vampire no longer threatened to tear them apart. The confidence he felt
emanating from her aura had been constructed within minutes of leaving him. Cat named
it magic… Miraculous was a more appropriate term.
“I have a few surprises in store, enough to rock the stability of her power base.” Leaning back
in his arms Cat absorbed the concern in his gaze at the danger of entering the Queen’s lair
uninvited.
“Grandmother broke the truce, not me. I am going to show her the implications of messing
with my life.” She wriggled in his arms a blush rising up her neck.
Drusal recognised the signs of a confession he would not like. With a soft growl he nipped
at the sift skin of her neck. “Tell me what concerns you?”
“I’m going to drop my glamour in front of the whole Court. I did warn you that my true form
may not be to your liking.” Forewarned was forearmed… How the hell would he cope, or
love a mate who embodied all he hated? Time would tell. One way or the other, she would
know how deep his feelings went for a female cloaked in human skin.
Drusal’s eyes narrowed as he scanned her face, his was a jumbled mix of anxiety.
“I care not what form you take. I am not so fickle as to decry my mate if the form does
not suit me.” Her smile was radiant at the affirmation of their bond.
“Remember every word you just uttered when I shift, because it will be a shocker.”
Shaking his head Drusal dropped a tender kiss on her lips.
“Smart arse… I like that name. It denotes everything you are.”
Cat giggled reaching her arms round his neck to tug on copper curls.
“Watch it Fur ball, you don’t know who you’re messing with.” Her breath was snatched away
by a kiss that threatened to dissolve all her plans in a swift retreat to the bedroom.
She was released suddenly to rock back on her heels.
“Do you wish to take this fight for supremacy further?” Drusal growled harshly, arms locked
across his chest. “I am more than ready to mess with you.”
Licking her lips Cat tasted his vanilla kiss with a shiver of anticipation.
“The mean and moody look is just right to cultivate a sense of triumph in Istirina. Don’t talk.
Evade her questions with the growls of her Dark Hound. She will assume you are pissed off
at having to submit once more to her decrees.” Cat paced the grass plaiting at long strands
of hair in abstraction, as she wove a scenario in her head.
“From all I have gleaned off her nature, she will have your brothers lined up to take them
one by one to her bed. She will ignore the mate marks, presuming I am dead or better still
a blood sucking vampire. I want her distracted when I sneak into the Court.”
With a nod of his head Drusal remained rigidly uncommunicative.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be. I promise once this is over, I will never, ever do
anything stupid again.” Cat knew he would rise to the bait.
With a snort he threw his arms wide, grasping futilely at thin air.
“Iscatya, Lady Vardon. To lose you once instilled in me the wish to die with you. I cannot
find a way to face such a loss again.” His deep growl throbbed with the surety of impending
doom. “I am not needed for this. I cannot watch you be harmed again.”
Dropping to sit cross-legged on the grass Cat sank her fingers into the earth, sending a
shock wave across the lawn that knocked him off balance.
“I need Drusal… I need your strength at my back. I need your love in my heart. I need most
of all to know we can laugh off our arguments, because we will argue for an eternity.
We are both too stubborn to back down, even when we are wrong.” She shook the earth in
emphasis.
“You admit you are wrong?” A smirk lifted the corners of a firm mouth.
“No, not wrong… just stupid enough to expect a proud warrior to take orders from a lowly
female.” A snort of laughter rocked Drusal’s frame. He crawled across the grass towards her.
The amber glint of controlled wolf flashed in his eyes.
“Aye Iscatya I am proud. My pride is in you, in all you have become in such a short time.
My conception of leadership has been tainted. You are prepared to fight for what you
believe in. Now I have to ask for your forgiveness.” Settling on his haunches Drusal rested
his hands on his knees, tension filled the space between them in unsettling waves of
undulating soil.
“There is nothing to forgive. I don’t want to be pandered to like a precious little Royal.
I want a mate who will argue black is white. If I wanted boring, believe me you would be
long gone.” Reaching out to prize a hand from his leg, Cat held it to her cheek brushing his
fingers with the song of their combined fire.
“There is no othe
r being in any dimension I would be willing to take in a bond that ties me
for eternity.” Cat vowed her life to him without regrets.
“Be at peace Lady Vardon. I am willing to play the part of thwarted lover.” Laying a tender
kiss on her brow Drusal held her close. Tightening the hold she had on his body Cat breathed
a heavy sigh of relief.
“We’re acting like children with abandonment issues. Neither one of us wants to be parted
from the other.” Untangling her arms from his waist Drusal took a step back.
“Do not keep me waiting my mate.” With a shimmer he was gone.
Cat swallowed back a sob. This was it, time to storm the refuge of the Queen. She was
going in all guns blazing. No way on this planet did Cat plan for a stealth attack.
“Is the war over, can I come out now?” Alex hovered on the patio, face as white as a sheet.
“Yep, it’s party time. Let’s get ready to rock and roll.”
The translocation was seamless, thanks to Drusal’s skill at map making. Cat fussed with her
clothes, skinny low slung jeans, white crop vest revealing an acreage of golden skin. A black
leather biker jacket reached her waist, matching knee high boots, were less than lady-like.
Alex had gone to town with the make-up, lining her eyes in smoky charcoal, hi-lighting the
pale hazel of human guise. She had applied scarlet lipstick and nail varnish with professional
precision. Hair braided over one shoulder Cat was ready to take on the court.
Standing in front of immense doors, patterned with gold filigree and precious gems she
inhaled deeply, absorbing the earth force of Withins Underhill. The surrounding walls were
contrived of the roots of ancient oak trees, the energy leeching from the stately goliaths
infused Cat’s heart with a sense of greeting.
Her blood was of this Court, it recognised her right to be here. She could sense no sign of
defence at her intrusion. Shaking her shoulders free of the tension that had been building
since Drusal had left to distract the Queen, Cat prepared to unleash chaos on the Court of
Burn for Me (Edanholme Book 1) Page 23