“Rossi, we have all gone through something similar.”
Rossi watched his brother’s expression closely, wondering if he was being truthful or simply trying to make Rossi feel better.
If King Latravis of the Falconi did not act soon, they’d all be too old to care. That was saying something, considering they were immortal. Latravis was rumored to be gathering his men, the Falco Peregrinus, sworn enemies to the Buteos Regalis—the royal hawks. But so far nothing had come of it. Rossi seemed to be the only one in the castle spoiling for a fight. His brothers had gotten soft with their years and after mating.
He was a warrior and ready for battle.
That or sex, which Aeson had already so rudely interrupted.
“You are in no condition to lend a hand,” Aeson snapped. “You have not trained in nearly a week and have spent your time holed away in here bedding whores. Rossi, you know better. You know war is upon us, yet your priorities are not where they are required to be.”
With a snort, Rossi nudged his brother. “You were a famed chaser of women until you mated. Lecturing me changes nothing of your past, brother. I should be afforded the same freedoms to fuck what I want, when I want that you had. That Kabril had as well before tying himself to one human woman.”
Aeson’s jaw twitched. Rossi suspected he’d be on the receiving end of a fist to the face soon enough, but still he pushed onward. Antagonizing his older brothers came too easily to him.
Always had.
He motioned around the room. “You have all seen and done many things in your many cycles. I have been trapped mostly here. This castle feels small, as does this realm, brother. Tell me you do not understand my words and I will do as you wish, but I know the truth. I know that before you met Shelby you were equally as tired with the confines that surround us—with the duties expected of us.”
Aeson opened his mouth and then closed it again. It was true, and Rossi knew as much. Having seven older brothers often felt like he had seven fathers. Aeson patted Rossi’s shoulder. “Mayhap you are correct. Come. I have the perfect solution for you. We shall consult The Oracle.”
Scrambling away, Rossi tossed his hands up, feeling much like the child Aeson insisted on treating him as, despite the fact Rossi was nearly three hundred cycles. “No. I’ll not have that spinner of destinies peering into my future. Already it has shackled you, Sachin, and Kabril to females for eternity. I care not to share your fate.”
Amusement lit Aeson’s face. He dragged Rossi to his feet. The men were matched in height, weight, and build, but centuries of being picked on as the youngest left Rossi flinching.
“Ha,” snorted Aeson. “You fear it because you do not understand the wonder of it. A mate is something to be cherished and to seek out. Once you find her, Rossi, she changes all. She—”
“If you say completes you, I’ll gag,” Shelby, Aeson’s mate, said from the hallway. As a part-human, born and raised within the human realm, her phrases and certain things she said often escaped many of the bird realm inhabitants. Her gaze landed upon several discarded articles of clothing near Rossi’s feet. She had grown on him somewhat and he did not wish for her to view him in a negative light. He did his best to shove them away with his booted foot. But the evidence had been seen.
Shelby frowned, disappointment showing in her eyes. “He’s at it again?” she asked of Aeson as if Rossi were suddenly invisible.
His stomach tightened at her displeasure. The more he thought upon it, the more he realized he felt shame, though he had nothing to be ashamed of. He was unmated. He could conduct himself sexually in any manner he chose. He did not voice as much.
“I am afraid so,” his brother confirmed. “I suggested we have The Oracle summoned, but since you, my lovely and beautiful seer wife, have arrived, perhaps you could enlighten my youngest brother on his future.”
Rossi gasped. His brother wouldn’t dare have his mate do such a thing, would he?
Aeson grinned.
Rossi groaned.
He would.
She licked her lower lip and rubbed her hands together, suddenly taking on an evil mastermind quality that sent a shiver down Rossi’s spine. He tried to back away, but Aeson caught him by the upper arm, locking him in place as Shelby moved in closer.
She laid her tiny hand upon Rossi’s chest, and he relaxed when the skies didn’t suddenly open and drop his mate on his lap. He’d half-feared something that extreme would happen. He knew Shelby was tied to The Oracle. That she had the ability to communicate with it on a level he’d never understand. He had never wanted her using her gifts on him. He wanted no part of The Oracle or its prophecies.
She swayed slightly and then gasped, her eyes snapping open. The look upon her face worried him. When she said nothing but merely continued to stare at him with something close to shock in her gaze, his body tensed.
Rossi waggled his brows, hoping to laugh away the heaviness that had settled over the room. “Tell me I die in battle after fucking my fill of harem girls.”
Aeson slapped him in the back of the head.
He grunted. “What? Like that was not a dream of yours before you mated.”
Aeson’s expression grew smug and he began to nod only to stop when he noticed Shelby with her hand on her hip, watching him closely. “Uh, no. Never was a dream of mine.”
“Mmmhmm.” Rossi snorted.
Shelby focused on him. “You have a true mate—a destined one, Rossi. She’s human. And believe it or not, you’re set to meet her today.”
He laughed and relaxed more. “My thanks, Shelby. I was worried you truly would tap into your line of communication with The Oracle.”
She stiffened. “I did.”
He laughed again. When she didn’t join in, his stomach sank. “You do not jest?”
She shook her head.
Panic assailed him. He stepped away from his brother. If he was destined to meet his mate today then he needed to put as much distance between himself and possibly meeting her as possible. He would not permit himself to be chained to one female for all eternity. No. He would lock himself in his chambers before he allowed such a thing to happen.
An idea hit him. If he was not within the realm, he could not possibly meet his chosen one. His brilliance amazed him. The Oracle and its seers could not stand against his cunning skills. He would outsmart them and avoid the dreaded mating his brothers had been subjected to. “I need to go to the outlying area, near the Vulture Kingdom. I’ve neglected my check-in duties there with our guard garrison. There is a matter, of, um, great importance there I should attend to.”
Aeson groaned, obviously seeing through Rossi’s plan. “Think you can outrun fate?”
“I do no such thing,” Rossi lied, smiling innocently.
Shelby cleared her throat. “Let him go. It’s for the best. He’s not ready to meet his mate. It’s better he be far from here. No sense forcing something upon him that he couldn’t possibly handle.”
Rossi nearly took offense, but let his sister-in-law speak on his behalf, especially if it got him away from the realm and far from this mate of his.
Aeson watched his mate carefully before nodding to Rossi. “Go.”
Chapter Five
Lucy’s head felt heavy and full as she forced her eyes open. She remembered the birdman mentioning a portal crossing and practically expected to see she was over the rainbow. Much to her disappointment, the area didn’t look altogether that different from the woods she’d been in earlier.
Though, the trees surrounding her were certainly bigger. As she looked up, tiny, needle-like pinpricks of pain raced through her extremities as feeling came back to them. She muffled a curse, her gaze upwards as she looked upon the two moons.
Two moons?
Whoa. I hit my head hard. I’m seeing double.
Waiting, she expected her vision to clear and right the two-moon situation. It did not. Two moons remained. Her eyes widened and she tried to sit up. Her body wasn’t quite ready yet a
nd she flopped to the hard ground with a grunt.
“Ah, looks like our toy is awake,” said a familiar, deep voice.
She stiffened as the man who’d held her while he flew appeared in her line of sight. He wore a smile that said he had things on his mind that she wouldn’t like. She pleaded with her body to get it together. To stop reacting slowly and to realize her life was in jeopardy.
“Listen, mister, I just wanted a photo of you to prove I’m not crazy,” she said, hoping to stall him and his nefarious plans.
“Photo?”
The other nudged him. “The humans are fond of them. They are small pieces of paper with imprints of likenesses upon them.”
Was this guy for real?
Lucy held her tongue as she stretched her legs, wiggling her feet in an attempt to get everything in working order again. The pin-prickle pain intensified, but she kept going. She’d expected angel-like beings to be angel-like. Not dicks with wings.
Homicidal dicks at that.
If she got out of this, which she fully planned to do, she was going to give some serious reconsideration to her hobby. She was also going to need to learn to fly herself, because if she guessed right, that portal thing they’d crossed with her wasn’t exactly ground level.
Manyer took a step in her direction and bent, reaching his hand out to touch her. Lucy pulled on everything she had and found the willpower to move. And move she did. She surprised herself even as she kicked him in the kneecap, making him drop before she kicked rapidly again. He grunted and cupped his groin as his buddy came at her with a blur of speed.
Rolling, she just missed being snatched by him. She scrambled to her feet, feeling as if she could run a marathon, her adrenaline was that high. She pushed through the brush and ran deep into the wooded area.
She paid little mind to foliage around her, but she saw enough to register that she was no longer in Mississippi. That was for sure.
“Go. Go. Go,” she chanted to herself, hoping the mini-cheer would somehow make her a sprinter rather than a woman who didn’t think she’d run even if being chased. She leapt up and over a downed tree, coming down hard on her left ankle. She winced and her speed slowed. Turning, she glanced over her shoulder to gauge how far back the birdmen were.
She smiled. She’d done it. She’d gotten away.
“That’s right. I’m no bird man’s—”
The words fell away as did the earth, so it seemed. One moment she was running on solid ground, and then it was gone, as if someone had yanked the rug out from under her. She flailed her arms and kicked her feet, understanding quickly that she’d been foolish to stop looking ahead. Had she kept her gaze forward, she’d have seen the cliff’s edge.
Son-of-a-bird-man, she thought, as her gut rose into her throat.
Chapter Six
Aeson, of the royal hawk family, waited until his brother was long gone from earshot and turned to face his mate. He’d not wanted to comment in front of Rossi, yet curiosity held him in its grip. “Want to tell me what is happening? Why would you encourage him to run if he is to meet his destined on this day?”
A sly, sexy smile slid over her face. She was up to something. He knew that look well. “His mate is here, my love. In this realm. And if my vision was correct, she’s with the vultures as we speak.”
Aeson paused, taking in what she was saying and what she’d done. His mate had sent Rossi directly to his own woman, with Rossi being none the wiser. Pride welled in him at how quickly his mate had dealt with his younger brother. The more he thought upon it, the funnier it became. He tossed his head back, laughing. “So, he rushes headfirst at her rather than from her?”
“Yep,” said Shelby with a sparkle in her eyes. “I figured it best to let him think he was getting away with something, since he seems to pride himself on being a rule-breaking hellion.”
He dragged her against him and kissed her, never tiring of her taste. His cock hardened and he glanced around the room. Throw pillows and high-end linens adorned it, giving comfort at nearly every turn. His cock continued to stir with desire for his woman. “Wife, I have a request.”
She giggled and pressed her hands to his chest before slinking them down him, to his groin. “Oh, I can already guess what you want. No seer skills needed at all, buddy.”
Waggling his brows, Aeson picked up his wife and carried her to the nearest pile of pillows. He laid her gently upon them and stared hungrily down at her. He undid the front of his trews, letting his cock spring free. He stroked it as he continued to look upon his wife.
So beautiful.
So brave and so special.
She was his everything. Though, there had been a time when he too had scoffed at the idea of settling down with one woman for all time. The very thought had seemed to go against his nature.
Once he’d met Shelby, all of his fears and worries had fallen away. She and their little ones were what he lived for. He had never been happier in his long life and knew he could not go even one day without her walking by his side.
He went to his knees before her, his hand finding her long dress. He eased it up more and more, exposing her pale, creamy thighs to him. Her hands found the back of his neck and she tugged. Lowering his head, Aeson locked gazes with her before his lips found hers. His cock head pushed against her wet core and he wasted no time thrusting into his own version of paradise. She fit him perfectly and his body never tired of her, nor would it ever. For she was his mate and theirs was a bond that could not be broken.
Something his baby brother would learn soon enough.
Chapter Seven
Rossi came to a landing within the hawks’ territory, but close to the border. So close he was able to see one of their outer guard posts with ease. That meant, should any sentries be there, they would see him too. His hand went to his hip, to his sword handle. It gave him great comfort and, if he had to admit, he’d come to the edges of the lands in hopes of finding a fight. He was spoiling for a battle. His fingers itched with the anticipation of getting to cut through his enemy.
He needed something to take his mind from swirling thoughts of a human mate he was supposed to meet today. He went out of his way to avoid humans. He could count on his fingers the number of run-ins he’d had with them in his long life.
The only time he even thought humans worth a second glance had been when he and Aeson had stumbled upon an older gentleman out with a small human child. Rossi and his brother did not make it a habit to be seen by humans while in shifted form, yet the older human male had been close to the end of his days. They could sense the death upon him. And Aeson had seen the man often enough on his trips to the human realm to know the man’s one wish to meet one of them.
A hawk shifter.
They’d given him his wish. The young child with the man had called Rossi pretty and had asked the older man something. Rossi could not recall what it was now, but it had caused the older man to laugh.
Thinking on it all calmed Rossi somewhat, but the panic of possibly meeting his mate on this day won out. The nervous energy that had built before his abrupt exit from the castle had only intensified as he’d taken to the skies. While he’d had a destination in mind, he realized it was a fool’s errand. He knew his end goal was to get into a scuffle. To cause trouble and to be what his brothers always claimed he was—immature.
He did not care.
He needed to be far from thoughts of mates. Of prophecies, of sister-in-laws with links to The Oracle, and of the judging eyes of his brothers. The border was just the place to achieve it all. The vultures too enjoyed a good fight. And this guard post often held the seediest the vultures had to offer as far as men.
He surveyed the area and sighed. Once beautiful, the region was now unkempt, overgrown and the few guard posts that littered the area were in need of repair. With war looming, the focus had moved from what had only seemed important, to what truly was—protecting the kingdom.
The vultures were friend to none in the realm. They we
re the lowest of the lows. The hawks held the falcons in higher regard, and that was saying something.
His thoughts continued to race over his sister-in-law’s words. He had a mate? She was human? Panic continued to well in him. He didn’t want a blasted mate and he surely did not want one who was human. Kabril and Sachin may have been fine with sharing eternity with a human, but Rossi was not. If he were to be tethered to a female, not that he wanted to be, he wanted the female to be of his species. He was proud of being a bird shifter. He wanted full-blooded offspring someday. Though Kabril’s young ones were not full-blooded, they had all the same traits as their kind. Rossi was in no hurry for children.
He touched his stomach absently as his belly protested the idea of commitments of any sort. He was not as his mated brethren were. He was not made for one female. There were simply far too many out there, ready and willing to service his needs. He would not limit himself to merely one.
Grinning, he reflected upon how he had outwitted The Oracle. Unmated humans did not walk freely about the realm. They could not access it without the aid of a shifter male or wings. And humans did not have wings.
Simple creatures.
He laughed softly at his paranoia. It was not as though humans fell from the skies.
No sooner had the thought processed through his mind than his gaze drifted upward to the cliff running on the left side of the border. There was movement there and then something took flight from its edge.
His chest tightened and the urge to fly as well pushed over him. His wings emerged once more and he flapped them with fury, leaving the ground, his destination the cliff’s edge, even though he did not know why. The only other beings this far out would be the enemy.
He touched his sword handle once more, ready to slice through his opponent. It took him a moment to realize what he had assumed was a shifter taking flight was anything but. It was a woman and she was not flying.
She was falling.
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