by Mina Carter
“I didn’t touch her, Jace. I swear.” Veyr looked up, his expression open and honest. “Do you think I’d do that to you? Take your woman?”
Jace blinked. Okay, he hadn’t seen that one coming. His surprise must have shown on his face because Veyr gave a bitter little smile. “Come on, you think I haven’t seen the way you look at her? Or the way she looks at you? I have eyes, you know.”
Jace huffed, a non-committal sound. “The little fucker’s outplayed us both.”
“Yeah. Didn’t think he had it in him.” Veyr dropped his head back against the ornate carved back of the chair, a mark of his office. Then he looked up, directly at Jace. “There’s just one way I can see out of this.”
Jace’s eyebrow winged up. “What’s that then?”
This was where Veyr excelled and he hadn’t got a clue. Politics weren’t his thing, the application of brutal and bloody violence was. Something he planned to go find when he’d clocked off shift. He might even swing by Reese’s and take a turn or two in the cages.
Veyr’s expression didn’t alter, his gaze locked with Jace’s.
“You have to challenge me for the title. You have to become Master of the City.”
Jace looked at him as though he’d grown two heads. “You’re a fucking idiot. That fight is to the death and even though you can be a right pain in the ass, I’m not killing you. Besides, your woman would skin me and wear me as an evening cape if I did.”
“True.” Veyr frowned, a flash of pain in his eyes at the mention of Cyan. “We need a plan B then.”
Jace smiled, his mind working at a mile a minute. “I think I have one. You might even like it…”
2
She was in a dream…that’s what it had to be. A nightmare.
From the moment Vanessa had woken, her head splitting with pain, the women from her pack had buzzed around her. They were all under Jacob’s influence so she kept her thoughts to herself. She’d been pampered, primped and preened to within an inch of her life and dressed in a sumptuous evening gown, but she wasn’t sure why. No one would tell her either. They either looked discomforted or ignored her questions.
Vague images of her brother hurrying her through corridors, and a door played through her mind… A bad dream whose details had disappeared when she’d woken. And there was another mystery, she thought, looking around. They’d been at home… No, she corrected herself, they’d been at the McCauley mansion. It had ceased to become home when her brother had taken over as pack alpha.
“When did we get here?” she asked, her question directed at one of the women twittering about her, trying to apply nail polish. Irritated, Vanessa shook her hand free and glared. She had a good glare, underused since she was always smoothing things over for Jacob’s acerbic attitude, but it was there, hidden under her ‘niceness’, so now she used it ruthlessly.
The woman’s expression shifted, something lurking in the back of her eyes as she smiled that set alarm bells ringing in Vanessa’s mind. “My Lady, we’ve been here a few days, at the Master’s request since you’ve been so ill.”
“Ill?” Vanessa frowned and glanced at the window. No, she’d not been sick, and yesterday she’d been at the mansion. The moon was concealed now, but she’d always had an innate connection with its phases, far greater than any other wolf she knew of. By her reckoning a day had passed, no more. She smiled, concealing her doubt, and rubbed at her jaw. It was sore, as though she’d been hit.
“Yes, my lady.” The woman nodded in encouragement. “The Master has been most concerned about you, even put the ceremony back so you could rest.”
Ceremony. Master. The words struck fear into Vanessa’s heart, and an awful thought struck her. Had Jacob managed it, somehow… Had his plans to get her mated to the Master of the City come to horrible fruition?
“What ceremony?” she asked, her voice sharper than she intended, but the answer came not from the woman in front of her, but from a deep, male voice behind.
“Your mating ceremony,” Jacob said, pushing off from the door frame as Vanessa whirled around to face him.
“Veyr has come to his senses. You lot, out,” he ordered the women around her before returning his attention to Vanessa. “And realized that you were the one he wanted all along. Which is fortunate, given his actions… It’s only right he should restore your honor.”
“What actions? What about my honor?” Refusing to remain seated, Vanessa backed up a few steps to keep a healthy gap between them, but Jacob was too fast and grabbed her by the upper arm. Just the feeling of his hard hand bruising her flesh was enough to break through the fog surrounding her memory and she gasped.
“You planted me in his room! You good-for-nothing—”
“A-a-a!” He stopped her with an admonishment, wagging his finger. She bared her teeth, wanting nothing more than to bite the damn thing off, but he smacked her on the nose like a naughty puppy.
“You’ll behave, or your precious captain,” he sneered the word, “Will reap the consequences. As will his family. Oh, yeah…I know where they all live. And any trouble from you, if you so much as utter a word out of place, then my men will go pay them a little visit. Are we clear?”
Misery crowded up, robbing her of the ability to speak. Tears thickened her throat, but she wouldn’t let them fall. She was done crying in front of the bastard. The only way to deal with Jacob was to show nothing. Give him nothing to work with.
“Clear?” He demanded again, shaking her like a rag doll and she nodded. No matter what her feelings for Jace, she couldn’t let Jacob kill his family. She’d never forgive herself.
She just hoped Cyan would…
Her brother hurried her from the room, but as soon as they approached the main hall, his steps slowed, his grip gentled and a smile broke out over his face. Sliding him a sideways glance, she had to admit it that he was an incredible actor. Anyone looking at him would be taken in by the proud brother act.
“You should have been on the stage,” she leaned in to whisper, which earned her a hard pinch on the inside of her arm. Giving him a glare, she made herself a promise. It didn’t matter how long it took, she would kill him.
One problem with that. First she had to learn how to fight.
The ornate double doors in front of them swung open, and even from here, she could see the room was crowded. It was ever likely to be…it wasn’t every day the Master of the City got mated. Such an event was normally months in the planning… Every detail of the ceremony and the reception planned like a military campaign. But it was all window-dressing, the real ceremony, the Bite, took place later…in bed.
She suppressed a shudder, her skin crawling at the thought of anyone but Jace biting and claiming her, and straightened her spine. Her mind raced, trying to think of something…anything that would get her out of this.
Perhaps she could faint. Yes, that was it. She’d play the delicate female to the hilt, collapse dramatically on the steps in front of the whole court. It would buy her some time, or at least the chance to talk to Veyr before their fates were sealed. If she could just explain to him what was going on…
“You’re up. Remember my warning,” Jacob whispered in her ear and released her arm so she could walk up the aisle unaccompanied. Unlike human weddings, Lycan females weren’t ‘given away’ in some archaic gesture. Her lips twisted in a bitter smile. No, they were bought and sold on the altar of ambition instead.
With all eyes on her, she walked up the aisle. There was no music, no bridal march. They were Lycan and such things didn’t hold here. With each step she took, anger built within her. Anger that she’d been forced into such a position, anger that Jacob’s plots and schemes had paid off. She didn’t know what he hoped to accomplish by having her mated off to the Master of the City. As his mate, she would have Veyr’s ear, and if Jacob thought she would use that to help him in any way, then he was sorely mistaken.
Her gaze fell on the tall figure of Jace, stood to the side of Veyr. She tried to catch hi
s eye, but he looked straight past her, his expression unreadable. A bolt of pain lanced her heart. Surely he didn’t believe that this was for real. That she was mating Veyr of her own free will?
Not wanting to give the game away, or reveal her emotions to anyone in the gathered crowd, she transferred her attention to Veyr. That was when it hit her. This mating would not be the end of the hold Jacob had over her. Jace’s family, someone else’s family… He would always find something to use to control her. Deep within her Wolf snarled with fury, anger so deep her cells virtually vibrated with it. She smiled at her ‘groom’, her decision made.
This ended today.
She reached Veyr’s side and put her hand on his arm. He slid her a sideways glance and offered a smile. Up close, she could see the lines of strain around his eyes and lips. He’d been railroaded into this as much as she had, and the pain that rolled off him, although well concealed, was palpable up close. She tightened her grip, giving him a quick squeeze of reassurance, even though she couldn’t say anything. His eyes narrowed, a question within, but the minister had started to talk.
“Lords and ladies of the court, we call you here today to witness one of our most sacred ceremonies,” he began, his deep voice reaching the back of the room. “Today, we witness a joyous event. The joining of two Wolves in a solemn bond, that of mating. Not only do we witness this man and this woman pledge their love for each other, but we also celebrate the joining of an ancient pack with the bloodline of the Master of the City.”
The Minister, a large and somewhat portly man for a Wolf, paused and looked at them over the rim of his glasses. It wasn’t common, but some wolves needed spectacles in their human form, especially when they grew older.
“My Lord, Lady McCauley… You are here to pledge your troth to each other. However, this ceremony is merely words. The true ceremony, the Bite, is a deeply personal event, one that will seal and confirm your words here today. Now…” He lifted his head to address the room at large. “Before the Lord and Lady before me exchange their pledges, I am required by law to ask if any person here present has any objection to this mating.”
As always in a mating ceremony, the room fell silent in an expectant hush. At most matings, it was an amused silence. With a love match, no one expected an objection, but it remained as part of the law, as part of tradition, to ask. Today, the silence was tense as though everyone knew that this was a setup. Vanessa wouldn’t have been surprised if they did. Lycans weren’t idiots—well, apart from some notable exceptions—and played the game of politics well. Later, half of them would congratulate Jacob, and the other half would mutter into their drinks, pissed off that they hadn’t thought of it.
Well, they would have been. Because it would not happen. Gathering her strength, she opened the door to her Wolf wide and filled her body with the creature’s energy. Spinning on her heel, she turned to face Jacob, ready to pounce. Already she could feel his throat under her teeth. Imagined the hot spurt of blood as she ripped into the flesh and ended his life.
Cut the head off the snake and the body died.
Jace’s voice stopped her in her tracks.
“I object.”
The world, the room behind her, and the shocked gasps of the crowd fell away as she turned to look at him. He stalked forwards, murder in his eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, or even Veyr next to her. Instead, his eyes were on her brother.
“But you can’t,” the Minister spluttered, shock written on his face. His hands fluttered over his expanded mid-drift and he looked at Veyr for confirmation.
“I can and I am,” Jace growled. “I challenge…”
The room became so quiet that Vanessa was sure its occupants had quit breathing in order not to miss anything. Her heart crawled into her throat, panic flowing through her. Jace couldn’t challenge Veyr. Not over her. The challenge fight was to the death, which meant she would lose the man she loved, or the man she loved would lose his best friend.
“I challenge Jacob McCauley.”
3
Shit…no. Jace had challenged her brother?
“You don’t have to see this, if you don’t want,” Veyr said, a gentle hand on her arm as he nodded towards a side door. It was ajar to reveal a small but plush sitting room beyond. She looked up into his eyes to find understanding and concern there.
Anger flared again. Was this what they all thought of her? That she was too delicate to face one of the mainstays of Lycan life? Challenge fights happened all the time, at every level, and while not all were to the death, they were all equally bloody and brutal.
“No,” she said, her voice firm. “I’m okay. I want to see this. I need to see this.”
“Very well.” Approval replaced the concern and he nodded. For some strange reason, Vanessa got the feeling she’d just gained an ally.
The crowd cleared the center of the floor and the Minister stepped forward to officiate, but he didn’t get a chance. With a snarl, Jacob launched himself across the gap to attack Jace while his back was turned.
The crowd and Veyr cried out a warning, but Jace didn’t need it. Even while Jacob was in the air, shifting mid-leap, Jace had already moved. With a roar he twisted, his arm lashing out. For Vanessa, time slowed, and she watched in slow motion as the claws extended from the end of Jace’s fingertips. A part-shift, proving beyond a shadow of doubt he was all alpha.
His claws raked along the underside of Jacob’s belly, and the smaller Wolf cried with pain. Blood splattered over the expensive carpet, showering Jace’s arm and ruining his clothes. Jacob landed, badly. He whipped around, spotting Jace and managing a snarl as he snapped at his opponent’s leg. His teeth didn’t connect. Instead, Jace, not even bothering to shift, kicked him hard in the face.
Jacob staggered to the side, then his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed in a heap of fur and blood.
Stunned silence filled the room.
“Was that it?” Alex Kingwood exclaimed, shock on his face. “If I’d known it would be that easy, I’d have challenged the asshole months ago.”
“Easy or not,” Veyr interrupted, striding forwards. “Challenge was given, and accepted… And by my reckoning, Jace Trenton won the fight. Which means—”
Alex folded his arms. “Ah, but challenge fights are to the death.”
He looked down at the still furry form of Jacob McCauley. The fact he hadn’t changed back to his human form was telling. His injury was obviously a mortal one or near enough. “Although I have to admit, it doesn’t seem like he is long for this world.”
Veyr cocked an eyebrow in question as he looked at Jace. For a fighter to not finish his opponent was the worst form of indignity. A mortal insult. It said the defeated Wolf wasn’t worth bothering with.
Jace shrugged. “Let nature take its course.”
“Very well,” Veyr turned back to the rest of the court. “Then I present to you, the new Alpha of the McCauley pack… Jace Trenton!”
Vanessa’s relief was so profound her knees almost went out from under her. Jacob wasn’t dead, yet, but even if he recovered from the injuries he’d sustained, he would never again attain a position of power.
“Well then,” said the Minister a little too brightly. “Now that that’s done, I believe we have a mating ceremony to conclude.”
“Indeed,” said Jace, his eyes meeting Vanessa’s for the first time. The expression in them made her shiver. “However, as alpha of the McCauley pack I have decided to revoke my permission for the mating of Vanessa McCauley and Veyr, Master of the City. Instead, I ask the lady to be my mate instead.”
This time the gasp that went round the court was one of shock and anticipation. No doubt they expected Veyr to now challenge Jace for the right to her hand, only she knew that would not happen. Somehow, her smart-ass brother, with all his plots and schemes, had been outmaneuvered.
Reaching out, she slid her hand into Jace’s larger one and smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”
They were mated. Jace
Trenton was her mate.
An hour later, Jace took her hand and led her from the reception hall. Jacob had been removed on Veyr’s orders and taken somewhere for his injuries to be treated. The McCauley pack seemed to have accepted the change in leadership without complaint.
Their mating ceremony had been short and sweet, but as the Minister had said, the words were not what was important. What was important was the look in Jace’s eyes as he took her hand and led her from the room. Iron control, barely-restrained desire, and perhaps something more… She hoped something more, but many a mating had started from a small flame to grow into love. And theirs was not a small flame, but rather an inferno.
No one stopped them, but there were a few ribald comments and winks that made her blush as they left. Silence fell between them, their footsteps muffled by the carpet as he led them back through the corridors to his quarters.
Her heart sped up, breathing ragged as he pushed open the door and ushered her inside. Her legs shook as she stood in the middle of the carpet. Nerves assaulted her as she turned to glance over her shoulder and found Jace watching her.
Was this what he wanted? Or was he annoyed to be shackled to her, offering to mate her to free Veyr from the web Jacob had woven? Perhaps their nights together had just been a fling for him, something fun, nothing serious… She took a step forward, but he stopped her with an upraised hand.
“No, stay there,” he ordered. “I want to remember you just like that... I want to remember how beautiful you looked on the day we mated.”
She swallowed, her throat dry. Heat rose in her cheeks, but she met his eyes. “Remember? In a good way remember?”
His gaze met hers, comprehension dawning in his eyes. “You don’t know? I challenged for you, and you doubt my feelings?”
He strode forwards, reaching out to drive his hand into the hair at the nape of her neck. She couldn’t help the small moan that escaped her as his lips crashed down on hers. The kiss at the mating ceremony had been brief and functional, a mere brush that hadn’t allowed her any insight into his feelings. Now though, she felt it all.