The woman notices where he is looking, and she turns toward me. What could only be mere seconds plays out as if it were actually several long, neverending hours. All in slow motion, she finds me and her brows knit together. She stares at me. She doesn’t know who I am, and it’s too dark out for her to clearly make out the color of my birthmark. She looks to the next closest person to her, who happens to be Nato. Then she gasps in shock and stumbles backward.
Sage steadies her with a hand on the small of her back and his other on her shoulder. His touch is comfortable, familiar. As if he has done it a million times. She jerks away from him and whips around to face him. Tears well in her eyes, and it won’t be long before they fall.
This has to be one of the most agonizing things I have ever witnessed. I can practically feel her heart breaking, and she draws out an emotion I would never expected to feel for this vixen beauty: pity. It's obvious that they are a couple, and that for whatever reason, he is ending things with her. Right here, right now.
I can’t admit it to myself yet, but I know it’s because of me. Does this mean that Sage wants to be my Janer mate? I honestly don’t think Sage knows the answer to that. This could be the reason for his surliness.
I clear my throat. “Nato, why don’t we all go inside and give them some privacy?”
Damn. My voice sounds off. I’m sure they can tell this scene is affecting me on some level. Now I’m the one avoiding eye contact, looking anywhere but at Sage and his…girlfriend?
“I think that’s a great idea. Jari, Egan? Let’s take Iss inside and introduce her to Arran.” Nato places his hands on my hips from behind as he propels me forward. As we are about to step through the doorway, I take one last glance over my shoulder and wish I hadn’t.
Sage has wrapped his arms around the woman so tightly it appears as if he might crush her. His face is buried in her hair. I can’t see his expression, but his body is trembling.
I face forward and continue inside.
JARI WHISPERS BESIDE me to Nato, “She wasn’t supposed to be here, Nato. We never would have come tonight if we knew.”
“I’m sure he knows that.” Nato claps Jari on the back.
Crossing the threshold, I debate whether to ask the reason behind the breakup. Sage has in no way given any indication he wants to join the sexual festivities, so why would he break up with her? I’m really fucking curious, but at the same time, I kind of dread the answer. What the hell are all these emotions I have going on right now? It’s as if I have been living life asleep, and now all my limbs are getting that needling feeling from suddenly being used again. You know, when it’s really intense because it comes unexpectedly and the pain is magnified by the contrast. Just like that.
I’m startled out of my deep thoughts by a boisterous yell.
“Nat! What the hell brings you here?” The booming voice pulls my attention to a mountain of a man. “And who have you here?” He leers at me as he walks from the far side of the room.
Nato walks up to him, and they exchange a gripping hug. I guess it’s just not with me that these people are affectionate. Although the contact is in no way sexual, it is definitely different from the men I have known in my life.
Nato walks him back to our group by the front door. A look of baffled shock crosses the man’s face and his body goes lax, and I realize this is going to be the standard reaction to my mark. His head immediately snaps sideways to Nato.
“I’ll be damned. I don’t know how I missed it before. You took a bond mate, Nato?” He gives Nato another crushing hug. “That’s fantastic, Nato! Truly happy for you. I wish you all the blessings of the realms.”
He lets go but smiles a genuine, goofy smile. “I must say though, I never thought you’d be the settling-down type.” He looks back my way. His smile curls with mischief and a playful glint enters his eyes as he walks right up to me, with a nudge in the ribs. “You have yourself a lady killer here, beautiful.”
Nato’s jovial expression drops and is replaced by icy rage. If looks could kill this man, he’d be shredded in pieces on the floor. As Nato narrows his eyes, the focal point of his attention starts to scream, his face contorting into an ugly mask.
“Stop! Stop, dammit! WHAT THE HELL, NATO!” he bellows.
Almost as soon as the screams start, the man’s pained expression dissipates quickly, leaving behind a forlorn look on his drawn face as he uses his fingertips to massage his temples.
“Fucker,” he growls.
“Mehki, we’ve been friends nearly our whole lives, but if you ever say anything again that would make Isolde uncomfortable, or upset—hell, if she even frowns—I will kill you. Got it? I don’t need you giving her any reason to regret our bond. Understand?” Nato claps his hand on Mehki’s back a little harder than what’s polite. I can tell he would rather do much more than that as he grinds his jaw.
“Whatever, you crazy asshole. You must have lost your mind with this bond.” He walks up to me, and the fatigue melts from his face and posture. He comes within a foot of me and stares down with a completely suggestive, beaming smile. He is several inches taller than my guys and broader still. Shaggy brown hair brushes his forehead over eyes such a light brown they appear gold.
“Isolde, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Mehki brings my hand to his lips for a soft kiss and bows as much as the space between us allows, which isn’t very much and makes for an awkward moment where his face is maybe an inch from mine. He knows it makes me uncomfortable and likes it if the amusement in his eyes is anything to go by. I think he gets some kind of satisfaction from taunting Nato. “Please tell me you haven’t bonded with Egan here and still have need of a Caen mate?”
Egan growls softly and steps up to my back. Pressing his body along mine, he leans into me. I can feel the vibrations rumbling from his chest. He might not be able to shift into any other forms, but Egan definitely exhibits the instincts of the animals he feels such a kinship with.
Mehki holds up his hands in surrender. “Okay, my friend. I accept your claim.”
At that, I whip my head around and glare at Egan. He meets my stare and abruptly stops growling. His eyes get impossibly big, and I swear his bottom lip pops out in a pout. I’d almost swear he’s giving me puppy dog eyes. Who the hell am I kidding? He is totally giving me puppy dog eyes.
I belt out a sharp laugh at the same moment Egan snags my waist and shoves his face in my neck, this time growling playfully. The vibrations tickle, and I can’t stop laughing. I push at his chest until he finally relents and backs away, one hand still anchored on my lower hip. Claiming what he thinks of as his territory. I roll my eyes and shake my head.
“As you heard, I’m Isolde. Nice to meet you.” I extend my hand, and there goes Egan’s growling again. This time not so playfully.
I twist my torso enough to turn around and stab three fingers into his chest. “Shh! Stop that,” I say in my sternest voice.
The growls taper off, and a chuckle bubbles up out of him. “Watching too much Cesar the dog whisperer?”
I shrug. “You act like a puppy, I’ll treat you like a puppy.”
All the guys laugh at this.
“It’s fine, Isolde. I get it. Believe me, I’m from the same house, and I completely understand.”
The humor is visible in Mehki’s eyes as he gives me a sincere grin. He isn’t blowing smoke on this one.
Jari steps up on my other side. “Where’s Arran?”
Mehki scratches his chin. “He’s out on an assignment right now.”
Everyone must have an idea of what he means, because no one asks any more questions.
Mehki walks toward the basement stairs, and we all silently follow. He is directly in front of me, so I can’t get a look at what is ahead of us. I do take a sweep around the room at the rustic lodge decor they have going on here. There are even several Native American woven blankets with bear motifs hanging on the walls. We stop at an opening in the floor, surrounded on three sides by log railing with s
tairs descending from the third. Kind of neat. You could stand at the railing and look down into the basement.
As we descend, I hear voices and music playing down below. Mehki pounds on the walls on his way down, and I catch people staring at us as soon as they are visible. When he gets to the foot of the stairs, he puts his booming voice to use again.
“You sorry bunch will never believe what’s happened. Nato has taken a bond mate!” Mehki moves to the side and sweeps his closest arm toward us with a flourish. Gasps erupt in the room and more than a few mouths drop open. We take the final steps into the basement, Egan directly behind me still holding onto my hip with a death grip.
This is a completely different side of Egan than I have seen yet. Total caveman. The others don’t even blink at Egan’s possessiveness. In fact, Nato and Jari don’t look too far behind him on the jerk-o-meter, as they are throwing RBF—Resting Bitch Face—at everyone.
Egan is acting like everyone is a threat. I don’t get it. It was his idea to come here.
The first thing I notice is all the people. About ten men and women are scattered around two pool tables and the wet bar. Six men and four women, and all eyes are on us. Way to make a girl self-conscious. I try to step backward, but I can’t even do that with Egan plastered at my back.
The men edge forward with a multitude of expressions. I see joy, excitement, and on some faces, lust. That’s kind of creepy, considering they don’t know me. These people act like I’m the next coming of Christ. Which, considering that Nato said Mazzas come around in history only when some serious shit is about to go down, I guess I am like the second coming.
The women make no move to come any closer. Their faces all bear varying levels of anger and envy. Is this because I’m a Mazza, or is this because of Nato? I seek Nato out, who is just off to my left and slightly in front of us. He is staring down all the men.
The men circle around us so tightly that we shuffle deeper into the back against the wall. With beaming smiles, they all start to introduce themselves at once.
I can barely make out what they are saying between the music blaring from surround-sound speakers and all of them speaking over each other. Yelling out houses and names. Asking if I still need any bond mates. The music and shouted introductions are starting to make my head hurt. They jostle forward, trying to get closer to me, and it’s starting to agitate my guys. I wish I could fade into the background like I’ve done all my life.
One of the women walks up to a strikingly handsome man in the rear, although he’s not unusual in that way. All of these Fennin are extremely attractive, men and women alike. She touches his arm to get his attention. He merely shakes her off and shouts out another question about where I come from. She finally gives up, but not before shooting a scowl my way.
I am not even answering these men, but it doesn’t stop them from talking.
I clear my throat in a nervous gesture. “Can I please get some water?”
Several of the men jump to make their way to the bar, but Mehki cuts them off.
“Stop you fools! I will get her water. You all stay exactly where you are.”
Jari steps closer on my other side and leads me to a stool in the corner.
“Sit here, Iss.” He turns back to the room as soon as I am safely in the chair, standing sentry. Egan and Nato also come to surround me, acting as a barrier between me and the small crowd.
I grab the water that Mehki hands through my Fennin wall and take a much-needed sip. At this point the men give up trying to chat with me and start up conversations with my guys, however stilted.
“Jari! How did you find this jewel? Are you going to start bringing her here? I could always give you a hand training her. You know I kill at driving murders of crows. Pun intended.” Stranger One gives Jari an arrogant smirk. He for sure thinks he has this in the bag. His exuberance dims slightly when Jari simply glares at him. I can almost see the death beams shooting out of his eyes.
After a beat, Jari replies, “No.”
“Egan, my man! When can I come visit? I would love to get to know this Mazza better.”
Stranger Number Two grins, leaning sideways past Egan to catch my eye. I avoid him on purpose.
Egan snarls at the man, and he stumbles backward.
“You can’t keep this fine beauty all to yourself, Nato! We just want to introduce ourselves properly,” another man yells over the others.
“What has gotten into you idiots?” Egan yells, and the accent I thought I heard when we first met comes out in a thick, lilting cadence. Pretty sure he’s Irish.
“Egan, you found the Mazza! That’s cause for celebration!” Still another man shouts.
Across the room, Sage makes his way down the stairs alone. He looks shaken but otherwise okay, if highly distracted.
He straightens up and looks alert as his eyes pass over the scene in the room, and then he finds me in the back corner. It’s as if he knew exactly where I was in the room. I don’t know what he sees in my face, but he scans our bevvy of admirers. He doesn’t have to look far. All the men are in our corner, and the women have huddled by the pool table speaking animatedly, but it’s too loud to hear what they’re saying. His attention snaps back to us. His face contorts into a thunderous glower as he marches right through the crowd, pushing people out of the way when they refuse to clear a path for him.
Sage systematically starts tossing the men away from us. The space he clears allows me to catch my breath.
“Give the Mazza room!” he yells. The glower on his face is terrifying. His fierce expression puts both Nato’s and Jari’s to shame. The only one close is Egan, but his lip is curled into a fiercely determined snarl. Not quite the same thing.
Where Egan’s face says mess with me and fucking die, Sage’s says I don’t even see you, you are so far beneath me…and if I did you wouldn’t be worth it.
He turns it on the others once he clears our corner out, stepping in to complete the barrier surrounding me.
“Nato, I think it’s time we left.” Sage crosses his arms.
“I think you are quite right. Come, Isolde.” Nato holds out his hand to me and helps me to stand. My four guardians surround me as we push our way to the stairs. No one moves to stop us, and no one wishes us farewell. Either they’re shocked we are leaving so soon, or they are angry my guys are taking me away.
As we get farther away from all the commotion, what just happened settles in. Those men were under some kind of spell. I don’t generally warrant that level of attention. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not unattractive. Most of the men who come into the diner come onto me. Maybe more than the other waitresses. But that was like those men were all little moths being drawn into the flame. They couldn’t help trying to get close, and maybe they didn’t want to.
The top floor is deserted, so there are no obstacles slowing down our escape. Outside, night has fully fallen, and if not for the half-moon, we wouldn’t be able to see at all. The only sounds are the pulsating buzz of the insects and the occasional belching of the frogs.
We are all silent in our own thoughts as we head toward our ride. Everyone is quiet, and a troubled vibe surrounds us. I’m bothered by the reaction I seem to pull from the men around me, although I’m sure that’s not what has the guys so silent.
If I get this reaction from Fennin men, does this mean the four who have settled into my life so quickly didn’t have any control over their draw to me? That takes the steam out of any hope of friendship I might have had with these four. I can’t trust their feelings and actions if it’s all some kind of funky chemical reaction.
Jari opens the passenger door, his hand burning through the thin cotton of my shirt to usher me inside. I face him to say thank you just as a sharp whistle breaks the silence. Pain bursts from an acute impact in my side. I glance down and see a dagger protruding. Hot blood seeps out over my fingertips and slides down my hip.
Egan and Nato shout and run into the woods as Sage shoves me into the back seat before
slamming the door. Jari slides into the back seat on the opposite side and fits himself in the floorboard beside me.
“Iss. It’s going to be okay. Look at me, Iss.” His voice is urgent and low. He arranges me gently over the back seat until I’m in a prone position. I roll my head and see his face. He tries to hide his fear, but it breaks through his calm facade and feeds my own rising hysteria.
“What the hell, Jari!” I gasp. “Please tell me someone is not trying to kill me! These people are supposed to be your people! Your friends! Who would want to hurt me when they barely even had time to know I existed?”
It’s like thousand venomous fire ants are biting me where the dagger is stuck. I want to hold my breath because every time I breathe, those little ants start another vigorous attack. I’ve never in my life experienced this type of pain. I’ve never even broken a bone, for fuck’s sake!
“Someone really tried to off me. I guess I should thank my lucky stars they didn’t have better aim for something like my heart…or my head,” I mumble.
“Shhh. Iss—don’t talk. I need to get the dagger out of your side. As soon as I pull it free, I can heat it to cauterize the wound. If Nato were here, he could take away the pain, but I’m afraid of what will happen if we wait. I don’t know what the knife hit, and it’s better to get it out now. Can you do this? I need you to be brave right now. You can do this.” Jari speaks in a low, even tone. The monotone of his voice relaxes me.
“Yes. Do it,” I say back, mimicking his calm.
Jari doesn’t count to three, doesn’t acknowledge what I said at all. Before I have time to ask him if he heard me, he jerks the dagger out of my side and wipes it on his pants, pressing on the wound to stanch the blood flow.
“FUCK! Cock-sucking rat bastard from hell…” Curses fly from my mouth.
The dagger starts to glow orange in the dark interior of the car. The heat radiating off the blade is intense as he yanks up my shirt and presses the red hot dagger, flat side down, across the wound.
Marks of the Mazza: Reverse Harem (Mazza Series Book 1) Page 7