by JL Madore
A cloud of mesquite smoke billowed by, accompanied by the hiss of flames sizzling the grill. The multilevel deck at the back of Jade's mansion sprawled along the length of the house and across the lawn towards the forest beyond. Built-in flower boxes followed the zigzag maze of tiered railings. Many of them overflowed with sedge, kale, verbena and coral bells, while others brimmed with ice and long necked bottles ready for the night ahead.
"What would you like, neelan?" Aust asked. He'd come home from cubsitting—arms scratched and a gleam in his pale blue eyes—and when I'd passed on dinner, he insisted on escorting me down. I hadn't gotten into the whole 'Bruin is an overpowering bully' thing, but after his nostrils flared in my suite, I assumed I didn't have to.
"There is mead, wine, whiskey and the ladies have a margarita bar on the upper deck if you prefer something more female and festive."
Wasting away in Margaritaville sounded great—until I caught a glimpse of the bartender. Lexi pressed down the lid of the screaming blender and mulched ice while still managing to toss a cold amethyst glare in my direction. Nice. Man, I missed my girls back home. If Paige and Meg were here, I might even enjoy myself. Mind you, if they were here, they'd be making one scene after another with all these finely tuned men strutting around in muscle shirts and leather.
"Beer's great, Aust, thanks. Got anything dark, maybe a honey brown?"
Kobi swiped the ice off a bottle and stepped over. I checked out the silver rings on his hand as he held it out. Skulls, demons and symbols I didn't recognize. What was his story? He caught me staring and for a moment his eyes flashed red. "Honey brown? A girl after Bruin's taste. Maybe the Fates aren't totally fucked after all."
I twisted off the cap and took a long draw. The chill eased the knot in my gut, but didn't touch the suffocating pressure in my chest. Bruin coerced me. Turned me into a mindless puppet forced to do his bidding. No amount of sexual chemistry was worth that.
I took another drink. He'd tried to apologize through the bathroom door—
"Mika, sweeting," Aust whispered, brushing a finger against my cheek. "Your betrayal burns in my lungs. Half the men here have senses as keen as my own. If you wish to keep the household out of your affairs, you must needs tamp your emotions."
Good point. I tipped back my beer and searched the crowd. "Are Jade and Galan here?"
Aust chuckled. "They have yet to surface this evening."
"May we all find such passion in love." A sexy velvet voice announced the arrival of more Highbornes, two men and a woman carrying a baby.
The resemblance between these Highbornes astounded me—the porcelain skin, Prussian blue eyes and long golden hair. Dressed in doeskin pants, butter-cream tunics and elaborately embroidered dinner jackets, the toned, slender men lived up to their Highborne hottie reputation. And the woman with them exuded an air of Victoria's Secret supermodel in a sheer, blush gown.
"The honeymoon continues," the woman said and then met Aust's kiss.
"As it shall for some time," he replied.
One of the men set down the empty bouncy chair and pink diaper bag he'd been carrying. The intricate gold braid he wore in his hair brushed the side of his cut jaw. Galan wore one as well, though his braid blended the silver of his hair and the rich burgundy of Jade's. This one was a subtle blend of gold and flax. He straightened and winked at the woman. "When Nyssa and I Recognized we craved each other insatiably for decades."
"I well remember." Aust chuckled. "I warn you now, Mika, Highbornes have a fondness for making love in the outdoors."
"And a lack of modesty even an Incubus can respect," Kobi added handing the two men each a dark ale. "Prepare to stumble upon the loving couple every time you turn around."
The woman, Nyssa, gave her husband a wry smile and kissed the baby's head.
Aust laid his arm across my shoulder and introduced us. "Mika, this is Tham, Iadon and his beloved mate Nyssa, and the precious young in Nyssa's arms is Ella." He glanced around the courtyard and to the decks above. "Is Lia joining us for evening repast?"
"Mayhap later," Nyssa said. Her smile was warm though her tone seemed skeptical.
Aust, Iadon and Tham spoke privately in another language and by the looks on their faces, the mention of Lia's absence had them worried.
Ella's bright blue eyes and cherubic face peered up at me. Her little mouth stretched into a wide ‘O' as she yawned.
"Wow, she is precious."
"Gratitude." Nyssa beamed and adjusted the baby against her chest. "Merry meet, Mika. Welcome to Haven."
I blinked as the men rejoined our conversation and Iadon pulled me into a hug and touched his lips to mine. "It warms our hearts that you and Aust have found a common bond. He deserves nothing less than true friendship."
"Merry meet, Mika." Tham slid in and kissed me next. Their lips were all as soft as silk and god, they smelled so good. Tham winked. "Bruin gaining you as a mate is most certainly a loss to all other males in Haven."
A musky outdoorsy scent on the air had me looking for Bruin. I didn't see him.
Kobi laughed at my expression and coughed behind his beer. "Highbornes are a touchy-feely bunch. Free love and all that. Get used to it."
"Help yourselves to food, y'all," Cowboy called from the grill. Another cloud of mesquite smoke wafted by and the sizzle of meat triggered a rumble in my stomach. I didn't need a second invitation.
Ignoring the stares of strangers, I tucked in close to Aust and picked up a plate. I pointed to a steak and noticed Cowboy's medallion shone turquoise once again. Huh.
Aust nudged me and we started down the thirty-foot, barbeque assembly line. Passing the fruit bowl, I pocketed an apple and a pear for Orville, sliced open a baked potato and spooned on the fixings. I added some radish-looking stuff with berries in it, passed on the green mushroomy stuff, despite Aust's insistence that it was delicious, and filled the only space remaining on my plate with a spoonful of baked brown beans.
When we reached the wrapped cutlery mountain at the end of the table a warm breeze caressed my face. Grandfather's touch drew my gaze toward the large gazebo above us on the main deck. I returned his wave and headed to where he sat next to the monolithic man with amazing brindled hair—Maximus Reign.
Had Bruin's father forgiven me for holding a gun on his girls? Would he hate me for rejecting his son? Everyone else did. A wave of nausea sloshed and capsized in my empty belly.
After setting my plate and beer down at the table next to Grandfather I wiped my palm on my jeans and held out my hand. Dressed in a stylish, black suit with his hair just brushing his pressed white collar, the man looked deceptively urbane. Reign rose to his feet and enveloped my palm in a massive, scarred hand. "Mika, it's good to have you home. Welcome."
Home? I settled beside Grandfather and Aust took the seat beside me.
Bruin climbed the steps and stood across the table with two heaping plates and a couple of bottles of beer tucked under his arm. He made no move forward and I tried not to let the sick-fear I felt show on my face. His expression faltered. "May I join you?"
Reign looked from his son to me and his dark gaze narrowed.
I knew if I refused, Bruin would walk away. I couldn't do that to him. Not in his own home. Not in front of his father and his friends. I gestured to the seat across from me. After he set everything down, he shook hands with Grandfather and took his seat.
Knowing how hungry Bruin had been, I half expected fork-shovelling, but when I finally had myself reined in and raised my gaze, he'd lain his napkin across his lap and waited for me to start. He offered me an apologetic smile.
"This seat taken?" Lexi plopped down next to her brother and I cringed.
"Play nice and it's all yours, Princess," Bruin said.
Lexi rolled her eyes. "Have you heard any more about your missing Weres? Cowboy mentioned that a couple Bengal's didn't check in with your roll call."
Bruin picked at his potato salad. "They aren't really my Weres, and no, I have no idea wh
ere the Tigers are."
"Lot of drama in the air," she said, tipping her margarita glass. "Missing Weres, you getting shot, guns pointed at us, a bonding going nowhere—"
"Princess. . ." Reign didn't look up from his plate. He meticulously cut his steak as he spoke. "Mika and Hawk are our guests. Are we crystal?"
The hair on my arms stood on end.
"Crystal," she repeated, flashing me a venomous smile. "But besides whoring around with Bruin, why is she here—"
Bruin grabbed the back of Lexi's shirt and lifted her from her seat. The courtyard fell silent, all eyes on our family tableau. Aust laid a warm hand on my leg and squeezed my thigh.
Reign stood at the head of the table, towering, shoulders rigid. When he spoke, his voice sounded too quiet, too calm. "Alexannia Grace, apologize to Mika and her grandfather."
After a long pause she ran a rough hand through her ebony spikes and nodded to my grandfather. "I am sorry if I offended you, sir, but those I love have been offended too." She thrust her napkin onto the table and stormed across the deck and into the house.
Bruin eased back into his chair with an eerie stiffness, both his voice and his expression hard as stone. "I apologize as well, sir, for my sister's comment. I assure you, your granddaughter has done nothing to deserve her judgment."
Grandfather raised his hand. "Mika is my blood, young man. I know her spirit as well as my own. We need not speak of such things again."
I fought back tears.
Grandfather pat my hand and kissed the side of my head. "Only those who struggle greatly are able to achieve greatness, Rabbit. Be patient, in time the Earth Mother's plan will unfold as it is meant."
Head bent, I focused on my baked potato. Polite conversation droned on. Aust and Bruin—probably scenting my near hysteria—kept the discussion away from me. After cleaning my plate and bottoming a second beer I excused myself and retreated to the dessert table.
"I'm sorry," Bruin whispered close to my ear, stepping tight against my back. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and rested his chin on my head. Against my wishes, his heat and musky outdoor scent calmed my nerves. "I'm sorry for what Lexi said and I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I never meant to use my command on you. I swear, it just happened."
I stepped from his embrace and gathered some cookies and sticky pastries onto a plate.
"Mika. Believe me. I'm trying to build this relationship, not destroy it."
I forced myself to look at him and the anguish in his eyes broke my heart. "You're trying. I get that. It's just . . . I'm not the woman for you, Bruin. You want obedience, someone to do as she's told and stand safely behind you in your crazy life. I'm not that woman."
Bruin cupped my jaw and wiped my tears with his thumb. "I want you."
"In your bed, but as an equal?" I shook my head and pulled away. "I'm not a puppet. What you did . . . forcing me to bow to your will . . . I'm done whoring around with you. Lexi's right. It's time for me to go."
Bruin leaned closer, his massive upper body blocking out the world. "I'm sorry about what happened. I've apologized for that. The way I see it, we've got the sex part down. It's fabulous. Beyond anything I've ever had. If that's our base connection while we figure everything else out . . . then take as long as you need, I'm not complaining. But Lexi is not right. Don't give up on us. Don't walk away. Not when—"
Cowboy stepped behind us and cleared his throat. "Sorry, Alpha, that intel you wanted from Yellowstone came in."
Bruin scrubbed his palm over his face and turned to his friend. "And? Any sign of the missing Puma pride?"
Cowboy shook his head. "The good news is there are no pelts lying around, but the pride is nowhere to be—" Bruin tapped the wolf's bolo tie and frowned. The center stone had turned solid black. "Nature's calling, Wolf."
"Shit. Catch y'all later." Cowboy dipped his head and fingered the brim of his hat as he turned away and jogged down the steps of the deck. At the edge of the forest he set his hat on a stone bench, pulled his white muscle shirt over his head and toed off his cowboy boots. When his pants came off I stopped gawking and focused on Bruin's adorable scowl.
"What's that about?"
Bruin scrubbed his jaw and leaned heavy against the railing. The muscles in his shoulders stretched the sleeve of his shirt until I thought it would split at the seams. "Cowboy has a condition—something to do with his adrenal glands. If he's not stimulated or active, his hormones drop and his body doesn't produce what it needs. It messes with his heart and a half a dozen other things."
I turned back to see the form of the man drop to all fours and shift into a wolf's body. His deep caramel coat caught the setting sun and glimmered with a sheen of gold and silver. And like all the Weres I'd seen so far, Cowboy's wolf was large, much larger than Faolan or any of Aust's forest wolves.
"A few years ago, it got bad. We almost lost him before Jade figured out the problem."
"That's awful."
"Samuel, our best wizard, worked with Jade to spell that neck-tie as a monitor. Now we can usually correct the problem before anything happens."
"And the stone changes colour like a mood-ring kinda thing?"
"We all keep an eye on it," Kobi said. He joined us and handed Bruin and I each another beer. I already felt a little rubbery in the legs. Another bottle probably wasn't a smart idea. "Usually if we're on a mission or working on a hook-up at a club he's good."
Bruin lowered his beer from his lips. "It's because we're home and he's relaxed that he's having a problem."
I looked back to the pile of clothes by the trees. "So, is he all right?"
Kobi nodded. "He'll meet up with Aust's wolf pack and race across the mountain chasing deer and rabbit. In a couple hours he'll trot back, tongue hanging out and a spring in his step and fur in his teeth."
Um, gross. "Is this a genetic trait in Weres or an isolated thing?"
Bruin shrugged. "Impossible to know. Weres with weaknesses are put down as young. It's survival of the fittest whether in a pack or pride or sleuth."
I gasped. "His family would actually kill him?"
Kobi pulled the cigarette from his lips and exhaled a cloud of sweet, smelling smoke. "And almost succeeded. If it weren't for our Alpha Bear's big ol' heart, Cowboy would have been killed years ago."
It hit me then, Cowboy's comment about weakness and me being Ursa. "A human Ursa is as weak as it gets. The Were world will want to kill me because I'm human, won't they?"
Bruin pushed off the railing and drained his beer.
Kobi's pierced, ebony brow arced. "Ding-ding, give the journalist a prize."
Bruin's growl rolled low and long.
"She's not stupid, Bear. She should know what she's up against and we should assess her skills, ASAP. Let's see if she's got anything we can work with. I'm thinking gun range tomorrow afternoon and you should test her out with some hand-to-hand. See what she can do."
Bruin cursed. "Fine. Tomorrow afternoon—"
"—won't work," I said. "I have an appointment in Vancouver."
Platinum piercings flashed in the lantern light as Kobi turned to Bruin. "We're headed back to the Modern Realm? Have you cleared it with Reign?"
Bruin glared. I met his glare and raised him a scowl. "So, it's Reign I need to speak with. Good to know."
"Don't bother," Bruin snapped. "I'll take care of it."
The three of us stood there at the railing staring, until Kobi finally broke the silence. "Soooo, in the spirit of blatantly changing the subject, how about we head inside?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Kobi ushered Bruin and me through the French doors off the main patio and into the first-floor lounge of Jade's home. A full-sized stocked bar and mahogany stools ran the wall to the left, four billboard-sized plasma screens covered the wall to the right. And beyond the maze of leather sofas and recliners sat a pool table, an air hockey table, and a Foosball table. Yep. It was a testosterone temple. A gathering of a dozen men had kicked back with game
controllers to enjoy a head-to-head slaughter.
"Wow, nice man-cave."
Aust patted the couch and offered me a controller. "Ready to have some fun, neelan?"
I laughed. It seemed so out of context to see Elves hunkered down playing video games. But play we did. I didn't realize how long we'd been at it until Cowboy strode in, his medallion brilliant turquoise.
"Shiiit, Aust," he drawled. "Look at your kill streak. You rock, my man."
Aust raised his fist and met Cowboy's bump. "Welcome back my brother. I have shred warriors from Jungle to Villa to Havana. Mayhap you might prove more of a challen—"
"What the—" Tham jumped off the other couch and Orville dropped to the carpet with an indignant huff. He'd pay for that later, I was sure.
"What?" Bruin palmed the knife from his belt and pulled me against his hip.
Tham's ears flushed pink as he shifted. "Uh . . . well, it felt like a hot wave of energy pulsed through the room and went straight to my crotch."
I sat quietly, dazzled by that little tid-bit of sharing.
As if some invisible bomb detonated in the room, the men stiffened and cursed. Looking from one to another, a wave of throat clearing, position adjusting, ball scratching and skittering glances circulated throughout the room.
Tham leaned against the sofa and stared at his lap. "Without getting too personal . . . is anyone else suddenly. . ."
"Uh, yeah."
"A sledgehammer?"
"Throwing oak?"
Another tidal wave seemed to hit the shore and the men jolted again. Aust paced, shaking his legs as he stepped. Savage covered his lap with a pillow. Kobi retrieved his sunglasses and covered his glowing red eyes. Iadon strode to Nyssa, picked her up by her ass and pinned her against the lounge wall. Overtaking her mouth, the Highborne kissed his wife deep and hard. Nyssa uttered a feminine moan, laced her fingers into his flaxen hair and succumbed to the surprise attack.
The sexual tension in the room thickened as if someone had released an aphrodisiac in the air vents and they were all responding to it.
Bruin and I looked at Julian and Nash. The two of them were taking in the room with the same bizarre curiosity we shared. Bruin sheathed his knife. "Either of you ready to get busy?"