She grinned. “Go now. Hurry. Meet the new primero and try to make a good impression.”
“Ha!” He laughed as he turned away from her, leaving her standing just where she was. The moment he stepped into the courtyard with its large portico covering the cobblestone drive, he spotted the rest of the staff. Miruna Grey, the king’s councilor, stood at the front of the group, dressed in a simple black dress which showed off her generous curves. She glanced over at him the minute he hurried up and gave him a scathing glance.
“It’s about time, Paget. He’s here.” She looked out to the long road where a Humvee was driving up to the palace. King Fain’s palace was located in an area called Wrightwood. It was mountainous and sparsely populated. The palace itself sat on land in the middle of the Angeles National Forest at an elevation of about six thousand feet. They got snow in the winter and yet, were miles and miles away from the ski resorts frequented by tourists. Thick pine trees blocked the palace from view, even from the passing plane or helicopter. The hunting grounds were in the forests all around the palace and they were filled with game, the perfect place for the large cats in the palace to hunt.
King Fain allowed everyone to hunt on palace grounds, though the classes didn’t mingle in their hunting parties. Fain hunted with Miruna and his personal guards, the paladins. When he was through, the askari hunted, followed by the servant classes. Because Paget was a solitary hunter, he always shifted and ran alone. Since he would probably never find another gay cat to mate with, he’d resolved long ago that he would live out his life alone. He’d gotten used to it but sometimes he wondered what it would be like to run alongside someone he cared about. He’d given up on love a long time ago but it would be nice to find another cat to run with. He sighed and put those thoughts out of his mind.
He stood beside Miruna and watched as the Humvee drove up and parked under the wide portico. As loathe as he had been to admit it to Rahnnie, he was nervous about meeting the king’s newest champion. The last one had been a brute and a beast and having another one on palace grounds wasn’t exciting to Paget at all.
When a massive man stepped out of the driver’s seat of the Humvee, all his good humor fled. Paget felt as though he’d been punched in the stomach. The man was tall, many inches taller than six feet. He had short black hair with golden streaks and thick muscles all over. The thick leather jacket over a muscle T-shirt he was wearing certainly didn’t detract from the fact that he was a magnificent physical specimen. When he walked around the vehicle and came striding toward them, Paget could see how fluidly he moved, just like a cat. He didn’t strut but the manner in which he prowled toward them was sexy in a way Paget had never seen before.
As he approached, Paget began to feel a vibration that coursed through his entire body. The vibration was very similar to the energy the Tiger King, Pasha Raab, had given off when he was alive. The vibration feels royal but that’s impossible. But the closer the man got to Paget, the more Paget felt it. He swallowed hard. What his senses were picking up on definitely was a vibration given off only by royalty and discernable only to the most sensitive of cats, of which several stood here with him, Miruna being one. Paget had always been sensitive and he’d chalked it up to the fact that he was considered highly intelligent for a cat of his breeding. Most cat shifters of his class weren’t that sensitive. It was believed that only those born to a higher station were able to sense vibrations of royal blood, but Paget had been able to sense the vibrations in Pasha Raab and King Fain the moment he’d met them. He stared at the primero, lifting his face to scent the air again. Yes, there it is. Surely the others can feel it too.
Paget glanced side to side, looking down the line of cats gathered to greet the new paladin primero. Everyone seemed unaffected by the primero’s proximity. None of them seemed to sense the vibration at all. It was there, though. It was definitely there. Paget wasn’t going crazy, so how was it that no one could sense it but him? Was the paladin intentionally masking it and if that was the case, why could Paget sense it? Of course, it was possible to block or mask a scent or vibration to all but one other person if the cat doing the masking was highly gifted as this paladin surely was. But he and this paladin didn’t even know each other. Why would he block his vibration from everyone but Paget? That made no sense.
He shook his head, trying to figure all of this out. Then, another possibility dawned on him… No way. That’s definitely not possible. Paget swallowed hard as the ramifications hit him. Miruna suddenly stepped forward, holding out her manicured hand, seemingly ignorant of Paget’s distress.
“Welcome to King Fain’s palace, Paladin Primero. We’re honored to have you join us.”
“Thank you, Councilor. It is I who am honored.” He bowed. As he straightened, the warrior took Miruna’s small hand in his large paw and cracked a smile, showing off just a tiny bit of white fang. His smile was breathtaking… in fact, it made his whole face glow. Once again, Paget felt that gut punch and he gasped, reaching to put his hand over his stomach as he looked away from them.
“Paget? Are you okay?” Miruna’s voice cut through the pain in Paget’s stomach. He straightened and looked over to her, glancing back and forth between the paladin and the king’s councilor, knowing he’d flushed pink. They were both looking at him oddly. He cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry, Miruna,” he said. His voice sounded small in his ears but as overwhelmed as he was feeling, he was grateful to be able to squeak out anything at all. His eyes widened as the paladin moved toward him. The vibration became so strong, Paget had to mask it or pass out. He sent out a cloak, similar to a hunting cloak he used to keep prey from scenting him. It effectively sealed off his own scent and emotions while protecting him from the scents and vibrations of the man standing in front of him. He knew the cloak would protect him from having his emotions revealed—that was if he’d been able to put up the mask in time. As for the other possibility, well, that was just unthinkable.
“This is Paget Jureaux, the court’s first subaltern. He is in charge of the physical facilities here at the palace and will be showing you to your room, Paladin Primero,” Miruna said.
As the king’s champion moved away from Miruna and came to stand in front of him, Paget blanched, certain he must be turning a dull gray in color. Paget watched the man flare his nostrils trying to pick up something from him. He frowned as he stared at Paget with light wheat-colored eyes, drawing his silky black eyebrows together. Perspiration broke out all over Paget’s body as he stood stock still, praying he’d been able to get the cloak up fast enough. As he watched, the paladin cocked his head, studying him closely. Intelligence flashed in the light eyes. Though it had been only seconds, when the paladin stretched his full lips into a thin line and frowned deeply, Paget felt his heart race. Oh, God. It’s true… and he knows.
****
What the hell? Why here and why the fuck now! Damiano wanted to hit something. He wanted to hurt something. Of all the fucked-up things he could have imagined, this shitty assignment included, the very last thing on earth he’d wished for was that he’d be staring his mate in the face. God dammit all to hell! It was bad enough that he had to mask his bloodline from all of them which forced him to waste energy which he really didn’t want to have to do, now he had to deal with this bullshit. Worst of all, he knew that the man standing in front of him could sense their connection as well. Mates couldn’t mask their connection to each other.
He stared at the one the councilor had called Paget. God, but he’s the most beautiful and delicate man I’ve ever seen. He was much shorter than Damiano, probably no taller than five foot ten inches, and much slighter in build. His shoulder-length straight hair was the color of sun when it was at its brightest, so light that Damiano was sure if he stared to long, he’d go blind. The man’s very being shone with a beauty that radiated out of almost every pore of his skin. His light green eyes were the color of cut and polished peridot and sparkled just the same as the fine jewels. The more Dami
ano stared at him, the more fascinated he became. The urge to draw him into his arms was strong and he found it very disconcerting. Until he’d felt the draw himself, he hadn’t believed two mates could have that connection with each other. He’d heard tales of it surely, but being faced with it was entirely different.
Damiano stared at Paget as he tried to figure out how to play this. The man had masked his emotions very well but the unmistakable scent of his mate came through his attempt at cloaking as if no mask was in place at all. What’s more, he knew Paget could sense their connection as well… that and Damiano’s other much more desperate secret, a secret only Chino and his parents knew.
The day he’d been handed his orders in Israel while standing beside Chino, he’d made up his mind that no one would ever find out about that secret, one he’d been able to hide from almost everyone else. It had been the reason he’d been driven from his tribe when he’d had his first shift at sixteen. His parents were so terrified, they’d turned their backs on him and had thrown him away, casting him out of their tribe. He couldn’t really blame them. If the rest of his tribe had found out, his parents would have been shunned which would have surely meant their death.
He’d found out two things that day. First, that he hadn’t been born to the Satriale family, and second, whoever had fathered him had royal blood. He’d never asked his parents to explain how they’d come to adopt him, but the moment he’d shifted and they told him what they’d sensed, he’d run away, his best friend Chino Cortez at his side. The two men had left everything they knew that day and moved far away, joining the military where Damiano had hoped to remain under the radar by cloaking his royal vibration. The only reason Chino had been able to detect his bloodline was because they’d known each other from the cradle and were together the night they first shifted.
He knew that the only other person on earth who’d know who he really was would be his mate. Even those who had royal blood wouldn’t be able to detect his own as long as he kept his cloak in place. Over time he’d become convinced that he’d never find his mate, glorying in the fact that it hadn’t happened so far. Because once it did, if his mate spilled the beans about his royal blood, he’d be killed. The true king wouldn’t want a successor he hadn’t fathered trying to claim the throne.
Now, Damiano was faced with this man… the man he’d hoped never to meet, standing right in front of him… and this stranger knew everything about him. What was he to do? Would he tell the king? Damiano looked hard at Paget and sighed just a little. Judging by the terror in the man’s eyes, he wanted their connection to be known even less than Damiano did. As he reached out and shook Paget’s hand, he gave him an almost imperceptible nod. It’s okay. No one else has to know. An expression of relief washed over the smaller man’s face as he nodded back.
“Nice to meet you,” Damiano said. His whole body shivered when he realized that he’d begun a quiet purr deep in his chest. He shut it down immediately, wondering what the hell was happening to him and he yanked his hand out of Paget’s just a little bit harder than he meant to. Shaken, he turned back to Miruna, realizing that she’d been introducing the rest of the palace’s senior staff.
“This is Cook, Gardener, and Stableman,” she said. The aforementioned servants bowed as they were introduced, having their names called out, each befitting their station and purpose in the palace. Damiano shook each of their hands, moving down the line of servants, farther away from his mate and realized that the farther he walked away, the more painful it was. He wanted to turn and walk back to stand in front of Paget again but forced himself to conform with palace manners as he greeted each servant. He’d always appreciated the military for its strict adherence to rules so going through the motions of greeting the individuals he’d be working alongside every day shouldn’t be as painfully dull as this was. He realized that all he wanted to do was go back and get to know more of Paget. God dammit!
“The former primero has left the palace?” Damiano asked. He’d never learned the story of the man’s exit.
“Primero Johansen died three months ago. His troops have been without a leader since then. Captain Stevens is the highest-ranking paladin at the palace, but he is escorting the king back from his hunting party as we speak,” Miruna said. “The paladin bunk in the basement near the kitchens and the askari have barracks outside the palace.”
“Thank you. I will find Captain Stevens this afternoon when he returns.”
“Good. Well now, Paget will take you to your room and King Fain will expect you in the throne room at noon. Please don’t be tardy,” Miruna concluded.
Damiano glanced at his watch noting that he had a little less than half an hour and then he bowed to Miruna.
“Thank you, Councilor.”
“My pleasure,” she said, pleasantly before turning to Paget. “Come now, Paget. Snap out of it!”
The smaller cat’s green eyes widened and he swallowed hard before bowing to her as he rushed to Damiano’s side. He glanced at him, quickly diverting his eyes before barking at two other servants to bring the primero’s bags to his quarters. The two men rushed to the Humvee to do as they’d been ordered. When Damiano turned back to Paget, the man had already walked away. Damiano shook his head and had smile to himself. His smaller mate was going to be a handful. That was certain.
Chapter Five
“H old up there, kitty.”
Paget felt a shiver rush up his spine the moment the words were out of his mate’s mouth. He slowed his stride and turned to find the paladin taking long strides to catch up with him… long strides from two incredibly long muscled legs. Don’t think about his legs. Don’t think about his legs. God, the man was just as beautiful as he was aggravating. Kitty, indeed! He shot the large cat a dirty look.
“Primero, please follow me.” He took off again but was pulled up short when Satriale grabbed his bicep, yanking him to a stop. When he chanced a glance up into those light golden eyes, he noted how they’d darkened in color to a smoldering brown that sent another involuntary shiver up his spine. Dammit! He seemed to be staring at him with more than a little humor dancing in his eyes and it was disconcerting to say the very least.
“Are you intentionally trying to lose me in this palace or do you just not want to talk about it?” he purred.
“I’m certain I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Paget huffed, tugging on his arm to extract it from the larger cat’s huge paw. It was hopeless. Satriale had him in his grip and even if he wanted to, he couldn’t have pulled free. His struggles only resulted in having the paladin take hold of the other bicep and turn him around to fully face him. His answering whimper was involuntary and inexplicably, the dark warrior smiled. Paget’s gaze was drawn to the man’s full lips. He was stunning.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know who I am to you, kitten.”
Paget’s eyes widened as he felt fear flood through him. He glanced side to side to see if anyone had seen or heard them. Large cats had incredibly good hearing, even when they were in human form. The wide corridor was empty and he sighed with relief. He leaned forward and frowned at Satriale.
“Stop it. Saying things like that will get us both killed,” he whispered. “Now, come. If you want to talk to me, we’ll do it in private.”
The warrior seemed to get his point and he sobered, letting go of Paget’s arms.
“You’re right.” Satriale held out his hand. “Lead on.”
Paget turned without another word and strode away from the paladin, wishing he could just crawl into a hole and die. Could nothing in this life ever be easy? He walked through the hall of statues, listening to the paladin following him. When he got to the king’s suite, he turned down the hall to the large room that had been prepared for the primero. He stopped and took out a key, turning it in the lock. When the lock disengaged, he stepped through. The room wasn’t typical of paladin quarters. For one thing, it was located right beside the king’s suites where the primero could come at His Majesty’s c
all at a few moments notice. The king was adamant about keeping his head on his shoulders and since Pasha Raab’s untimely departure from the throne, King Fain had made a place for his champion right beside his own room. The walls were covered with wallpaper that seemed to be masking a thick layer of something underneath. It was a few moments before Paget remembered that the room was soundproofed, something which might come in handy if the primero decided to make a private call within its walls.
The primero’s room was spartan when compared to King Fain’s suites. It had one large king-size bed topped with a brown and blue comforter of soft silk that Paget had chosen himself. The room had its own bathroom with black marble counter tops and white marble floors and large windows in the bedroom which stretched from waist height almost all the way up to the fifteen-foot ceilings. Window dressings that matched the bedspread framed the windows, only partially hiding the forest vistas of the king’s hunting grounds beyond. A short book case was pushed against the wall and Paget had selected a variety of books from the king’s library. He stared at it for a moment, wondering if the paladin could even read. He snorted softly and turned back to the room.
A pair of brown leather club chairs sat in front of the window and a leather upholstered changing bench was at the foot of the massive four poster bed where the primero could sit and remove the sexy boots he was wearing. Paget blushed when that thought popped into his mind and he pushed it away just as fast as he possibly could. He didn’t want to have any personal thoughts about the primero but ever since he’d seen him, he couldn’t stop them from creeping in. The large man followed him into the room with the servants carrying his bags trailing behind. Paget began showing them where to place things. He glanced up at the primero.
“Would you like me to unpack your bags and put them away, Paladin Primero?” Paget was determined to keep this connection between them professional. When the primero frowned, he shivered just a little.
The Tiger King (Paladin Shifters Book 1) Page 6