Mated in Treason

by Christa Paige

  He could only imagine what that monster would look like if he’d be forced to watch her walk down the aisle of a Goblet Ceremony. Murderous. Raging. Hell, he’d be dead before he even got to the front of the chapel. One of the sentinels would most likely stab him with one of those wicked titanium blades or Mikhail would light him on fire or Ivan would simply destroy his sanity. No matter the outcome, seeing his female be united, forever, to another male, would call for death. There’d be no way he could survive if he lost her.

  Now, the very real threat hovered closer than he’d ever considered possible. There had to be some way to thwart the Council.

  Traian.

  Here goes nothing. He sucked in a ragged breath and looked at his phone screen. This time he fought the impulses warning him not to go to his boss and forced himself to connect the call.

  “This better be important. It’s not even noon.” His boss sounded gruff, out of breath. In the background, Gunnar made out Bethany’s concerned voice chiding Tray to have a little patience. A huff followed and a pause. “What is it?” This time Tray’s voice softened and had a little less hostility.

  “I have a problem.” Gunnar squeezed his eyes shut. “A huge problem.”

  “Is this about that damned nurse?” The aggression returned, tenfold.

  “She’s been bled.” Not hiding his emotions, Gunnar allowed his boss to hear the absolute terror in his voice.

  “I told you not to fall for her. You were supposed to back off. You disobeyed me, Gunnar.” Disappointment colored his accents, the clipped tone only addled Gunnar even more.

  “I couldn’t stop myself. We’ve been getting close. Really close.”

  A slew of curses came through the line followed by a deep warning growl. “You did not mate that female without Council approval. Tell me you weren’t that stupid!” Tray’s exhalation rumbled with a prolonged snarl.

  “I didn’t go that far…yet.” Firm, emphatic, and brooking no argument, Gunnar lifted his chin and waited to hear his boss rage.

  “Damn it! How far?” Tray was losing his composure, by the odd echoing of the call, no doubt his boss was now pacing.

  “Far enough,” Gunnar murmured, trying to disguise his distress. He hadn’t been careful. Their sex had been unprotected. He drank her blood. It was toeing the line of a mating and in the back of his mind he’d been aware of how close he’d taken them to that irrevocable bond, but he’d had zero willpower to stop until he considered her life hung in the balance. Even then, the desperation to claim her as his wrenched sanity straight out the window. He’d been skirting a tenuous boundary hoping nothing bad happened.

  “You took her to your bed. Son of a bitch. Fucking hell. I need you, Gunnar. I can’t afford to have your ass locked up in my god damned jail.” Raw emotion colored Tray’s inflection.

  “Then, help me. Help us.” Gunnar let his tone drop to a subservient pitch. All the emotion he felt swirling within him tinged that plea.

  “Hi Gunnar, it’s Bethany.” Soft, gentle, and worried, Tray’s half-breed mate took over the call.

  “Ma’am,” he replied, the compassion in her voice staggered Gunnar.

  “Tray’s being an ass.” A little sigh followed.

  Well, his boss had a reason for the antagonism. “I need his help.” Gunnar licked his lips, stopped pacing and leaned against the wall. “I don’t want to lose her. And they’ve bled her. Oh my God, they bled her.” Saying it aloud overset him. Like a punch to the gut, he doubled over and staggered.

  “What does bleeding her mean, Tray?”

  Through the phone, Gunnar listened to their rapid-fire conversation.

  “That’s horrible.” Bethany mewled, tsked. “Are you kidding me? Leeches? What are they stuck in the Middle Ages?”

  More conversing as Tray continued to detail the way a mating was determined. Gunnar heard Bethany’s breathing increase and a low-pitched noise echoed in her throat.

  “Ridiculous, of course you can help them. You did for your sister and don’t give me that bologna about being in the kraliyet and having blue blood makes it okay. Everyone deserves the same treatment, no matter their birth, Traian Komar. You didn’t let me bleed out and die and I’m only half Kan Asma.”

  “Give me the damned phone, sweeting.” Tray’s growl sounded menacing.

  “Don’t flash those fangs at me,” Bethany ordered.

  Gunnar waited. Hopeful.

  Static on the line followed and, then, “I’ll be there in ten, and we’ll talk about this.”

  “Fine.” Gunnar clenched his jaw. “I’d rather die than lose her, kardes.” He never spoke to his boss so frankly, on his level, but this time, he did. Using the term for brother showed Gunnar’s vulnerability. They’d been together for centuries. Now, though, Gunnar would risk everything to keep his female. Even his relationship with his only true friend.

  Chapter Twenty

  Nadia sat beside Doctor Bethany Miles on the couch. The half-breed female yawned for the third time in a half hour and took a long sip of a Venti latte.

  “I’m so sorry Gunnar woke you guys up in the middle of your sleep.” Nadia fidgeted with the cuff of the soft chenille sweater Bethany let her borrow.

  She yawned again, covering her mouth with perfectly manicured fingers. “You didn’t wake us.” She punctuated her sentence with a wink. “I’m just not used to living at night and sleeping during the day. My circadian rhythm is all messed up.”

  Nadia lived her entire life at nighttime, but she could imagine the difficulty such a transition could be. “You’ll get used to it. Oh, and thank you for the clothes, too.” They fit a little weird, since the other female didn’t exactly share the same body type. Nope, where Nadia had larger hips and thicker curves, Bethany could be called petite, lithe. Skinny.

  Nadia was beyond grateful for the outfit. Her clothes had been ruined. She closed her eyes and took in a calming breath. Nerves crashed around her midsection and the disquiet was doing things to her stomach, making her feel literally ill.

  “It helps to find a safe place in your thoughts where you can focus on calming yourself. I like to think of sunrises at Malibu when I’m agitated. They are so beautiful when the breeze is fluttering your hair and the warmth of the sun is practically kissing your skin.” Bethany caught Nadia’s hand in hers and held on tenderly, offering silent support. “Can you imagine something like that?”

  “Maybe some waterfalls. Or an island. Far, far away from here.” Nadia accepted the guidance willingly. Bethany was a doctor of Psychology. Apparently, she knew a lot about dealing with anxiety.

  Bethany patted her arm encouragingly. “Sounds lovely. When you get anxious, think about that place, about all the sounds and sights that you’d like to experience there. When you feel the tension ease, then you can bring yourself back to the present and try to manage the situation on a firmer ground.”

  Nadia blew out a breath. “Okay, thank you for the advice.”

  A hint of lilac perfume tinged the air as Bethany leaned near. “If there’s anything I’ve learned in the last few weeks is that the Kan Asma are wired to react first and think later. A lot of their behavior is biological but there are ways around losing one’s control. I’m trying to teach Traian to get a grip but he’s been so used to letting that beast free reign, it’ll take a long time to override such behavior.”

  At the mention of his name, Traian paused and looked over his shoulder. The glint in his eyes grew bright, the pupils narrow…predatory. “It’ll take forever, my sweeting. You are stuck with the beast and that’s never going to change.” He flashed a grin full of lethal fangs.

  A soft laugh followed as Bethany propped a hand on her hip. With one eyebrow arched, she sighed. “Males.” She rolled her eyes and pointed. “Look at them, all that testosterone and posturing. Even Mikhail’s on edge, but it’s probably because we woke him up and interrupted an orgy.” A slight blush colored her pale cheeks.

  “They’ll be there when I get back,” Mikhail deadpanned
but his eyes gave away a hint of playfulness.

  At least the intensity had stopped. For the first twenty minutes, Traian strode around the apartment with fists clenched and fangs bared. He’d issued declarations, edicts, curses, and threats. He’d warned Gunnar not to attempt a mating. He never once raised his voice or even yelled. It was something else entirely that he exhibited. It was power and dominance. Like an alpha demanding subservience.

  And Gunnar had stood his ground. Chest puffed out, arms akimbo, spine ramrod straight, he didn’t budge an inch, even as Tray got into his face and demanded Gunnar send Nadia home, never to see her again.

  He responded with a deadly calm. Crossed his arms over his chest, narrowed his eyes and said one word, “No.”

  And, now they stared at each other as if testing resolve, pushing boundaries.

  “You’ll be banished. Cut off from our people.” Tray dragged a hand through his shoulder-length blonde hair for the third time in an hour. His other hand scrubbed his thigh before he tucked a thumb into the pocket of his low-slung, gray jeans. Each slow breath stretched the seams of his thin, moss green T-shirt and Nadia heard the threads creaking with the strain.

  “Won’t be able to do Tray’s dirty work.” Mikhail scrunched up his nose. “Which means he’s gonna dump all that crap in my damned lap. No. Thank. You.” He punched his brother in the shoulder eliciting a growl. He ignored the posturing and continued, “So fix it, asswipe. You need Nakani. Hell, I need him.”

  Nadia curled her fingers into fists and sought her courage. “Can’t we do what you did for Anna?”

  Tray’s sharp laugh was deep, gruff. “Hell, no. First off, Ivan still doesn’t know who did the goblet switching. I like my balls right where they are, so I’m not going to risk letting him in on my little secret. Second, we don’t even know when he’s got you scheduled for a ceremony. Third, the last time almost ended in a disaster. And, the most important reason…” He hooked a thumb at Gunnar. “That numbskull isn’t going to wait for all that deception to play out.”

  Gunnar sat down on the chair as if his entire body simply could no longer handle the weight of his stress. He jabbed his elbows onto a placemat and rested his chin on his knuckles. All he managed to do was shake his head and mumble, “Nope.”

  “Should we ask them about Kane?” Not knowing if Gunnar’s involvement with the faction had been shared in detail with his boss, Nadia chose to ask privately.

  Antsy, Gunnar massaged his temples, cracked his neck and downed a full glass of wine. He opened his mouth, poised to speak but remained silent. Pouring himself another glass of wine, he gulped that one down, too. Finally, he shoved the chair back, stood and stared across the space at his boss. “I could go to the insurgents. Their spokesman claims to have a way to determine compatibility. It could get me more information.”

  A loud smack followed as Mikhail slapped his thigh and chuckled. “How fucking convenient.” He tapped his forehead, lips quirked in a grin. “We get our intel and you get the girl.”

  Tray didn’t seem as encouraging. He crossed muscled arms over his chest, tipped his chin down and stared at Gunnar. “This idea is a crap shoot. How are you going to simultaneously infiltrate the faction and find a way to get mated without ending up captured, or worse, dead?”

  “I need leverage.” Gunnar twisted his lips in a grimace. Nadia wanted to soothe the tension shadowing his features.

  Mikhail snapped his fingers. “We can fabricate some. Figure out what they want, first, then we give them something phony.”

  “We need Council approval for this or once Gunnar’s mated, they’ll use him as the poster boy for unsanctioned matings by handing down hefty punishments on him and his female.”

  Tray spoke the truth. It wasn’t like she’d get to celebrate an unauthorized bonding. Nadia’s stomach roiled at the thought of the far-reaching consequences that could happen to them both. She didn’t even want to think about her nan’s reaction. It would probably rank right up there alongside Ivan’s. The gravity of the situation throbbed in her tense muscles and she shifted on the couch, leaning against the cushions.

  “Think Alek would give his sanctimonious blessing?” Mikhail leaned against the counter and the collar of his leather jacket rode up along his throat giving him the look of a rebel without a cause.

  “James Dean, I like it.” Mikhail grinned and his fangs flashed wickedly.

  Both Traian and Gunnar looked at Mikhail with confused expressions.

  He shrugged and pointed at Nadia, “Not my fault if she’s thinking about me so loud that I can hear it.”

  A low growl followed Mikhail’s statement as Gunnar slowly pushed to stand and drew in a deep inhalation.

  Traian’s fist connected with Gunnar’s bicep. The force of the strike drove Gunnar back a few paces. He rounded his shoulders and balanced on the ball of his foot, poised to fight.

  Shaking his head, Traian leaned his palms onto the tabletop and sighed. “You know better than to let the little shit bait you. Ignore him. We’ve got bigger problems than Mikhail being a smart ass.”

  “Stay out of her head!” Gunnar’s deep snarl ended with a vicious glare.

  Mikhail gave the thumbs up sign. “Mated males are so damned touchy.” He bit his lips, obviously stifling a laugh.

  “So now what?” Nadia asked, hoping to redirect them.

  With long strides, Gunnar came to the couch and settled beside Nadia. He slid his arm behind her and drew her close to his side. His warmth comforted her and she leaned fully into his embrace needing the intimate touch. “I’m going to figure out who to contact, see if we can get them to do a compatibility test and I’ll dangle intel as the proverbial carrot. If they bite, hopefully it means we get mated.”

  Stalking over to the other side of the couch, Traian perched on the arm rest and caught Bethany’s hand in his. He brought it to his mouth and pressed his lips there. After a moment, he glanced at Nadia with a bland expression. “I’ll work on Komutani, see if he’s game to approve this plan. Hopefully, that means less consequences for the both of you. I know you’re a damned good nurse; we need you at the medical center. And, you know how I feel about Gunnar. I need him. Too much sometimes.” He licked his lips, leaned closer to his female, and hooked a thumb over his shoulder at Mikhail. “My brother’s going to do the dirty work.”

  “For some reason, I don’t think you mean I get to kick ass and take names?” Mikhail sauntered to the overstuffed side chair and dropped into it. Crossing his legs, he swung a booted foot while tugging at the zipper of his jacket. “I gotta blow off this steam somehow.”

  “You’ll do it by breaking into the Council lab and retrieving Nadia’s samples.” Traian arched an eyebrow. “Maybe you can seduce one of the human custodians.”

  Mikhail wetted his lips and swallowed dramatically. “That’s a bargain. I love me some Filipino delicacies.”

  “Mikhail, we’ve been working on this. They are women. Human beings, who are more than a vein,” Bethany scolded with a bit of humor. She brushed a strand of auburn hair from her face and narrowed her eyes. “It’s much better to experience all aspects of life, not just indulgences.”

  “You can keep trying that psycho-mumbo-jumbo on me but you’ll never civilize me, doll.” Mikhail licked his lips, slowly, as if tasting the sweetest dessert. “I wasn’t made for things like being a humanitarian, unless you mean it’s my food of choice.”

  Bethany’s serious expression melted some at Mikhail’s joking. She grabbed the little decorative pillow sitting between them and tossed it at the cocky male. “When your house of cards comes crashing down, I’ll be there to help you rebuild it.” Bethany leaned closer to Traian and patted his thigh. “This one’s come pretty damned far.”

  Mikhail snorted. “Ah Tray, you’ve been domesticated. How fucking sad.” He turned and looked at Gunnar. Nadia saw the solemn cast to his features. A crease on his forehead deepened and those dark eyebrows slanted down. “You sure you want that leash, Nakani?”
/>
  A hard tug pulled her even closer and Gunnar’s arm firmed tightly around her side. He rested his cheek against her head. The fingers of his other hand stroked up and down the inside of her palm, soothing and tender. “Yes! I want it more than anything else in the world.”

  “Me, too,” Nadia added, affirming to both Gunnar and the others in the room that she truly wanted to mate him.

  He kissed her temple, exhaled slowly. “I’ll find a way with…or without your help, boss.”

  “Of course you will, because you love her,” Bethany pushed from the couch and straightened the pleat of her dark purple skirt. Even with heels on, she still hardly reached five and a half feet. The pretty cream cardigan and elegant jewelry gave her a refined air, though. When she set her fingers on her mate’s arm, he shivered but quickly hid the response to her touch. She stepped near and bit into her lower lip, drawing in a deep breath. “You have a solution. You just have to make it happen. And, you’ll make it happen, I know you will.”

  He grabbed her hand in his, staring hard at her. Their intimacy grew, deep and penetrating. It seemed as if he only had eyes for Bethany, only cared about his female, and he watched her intently. Finally, after long minutes, he nodded. “We’ll do this, sweeting.”

  She threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. “You’re a good male, Traian Komar. That’s why I mated you.”

  Mikhail snickered, drumming his fingers on the side table. “That’s not the story I heard.”