by R. E. Butler
Abbie pursed her lips and then let out a soft growling sigh. “What you’re asking is really out of the purview of my talents.”
“But you could do it?” Duke asked.
There was another pause and then she nodded. “I can, assuming that someone in my book of possible mates is actually Benecio’s match. I can’t just pull a name out of the air. It has to be someone I’ve talked to and put into the book. The match-making power is akin to magic, but it’s not something I can manipulate if it’s not meant to be.”
Demi’s heart clenched and hope rose within her. “So, you’ll help us?”
“I will. But don’t get too excited,” Abbie cautioned. “It may not work. And if his heart is not receptive to matching, if he’s fully obsessed with you, I may not find anyone at all. I can only do what I can do with the match-making power.”
“I just want you to try,” Demi said. She squeezed her mates’ hands. “If it doesn’t work, then we’ll have to figure out something else.”
“The something else,” Duke said, “is that our people will defend our borders and our members. This seems like a Hail Mary to me, but if it gets him to back off, then I’m all for giving it a go. But we will fight if we need to. His threats will not go unanswered.”
“Plus,” Titus said, “anyone else feel bad about potentially matching some innocent female up with this asshole?”
Demi grimaced. She did feel bad, but she’d feel worse if her friends and family were hurt because Benecio refused to see that what he was threatening was obscenely crazy. And maybe he was only being an asshole because he was lonely, and once he was matched with the right female for him, he wouldn’t be so awful.
Duke stepped out onto the front porch. The room was quiet while everyone waited for him to come back inside. Abbie picked up the huge book that she kept potential matches in. Demi had never come to Abbie to be matched, so her information wasn’t in there. It was a mystery to the pride what was actually in the pages of the book, but she’d heard it contained photos and information about the matches from not only the Kedrick pride but others in surrounding states. Abbie didn’t just match whenever she felt like it, though. She waited for a male or female to come to her to be matched, and then she would reach out to the person she matched them with and arrange a meeting.
Demi had always thought the process sounded very cold and clinical. There was a contract both parties had to sign. No mention of love or even attraction.
Duke came into the house and said, “I told Benecio that I want to talk to him. He said he’d only agree to it if Demi is there.”
Rhaider and Rafe both snarled.
Duke put his hand up. “We knew this would be a possibility, so save the growling. We’ll bring Abbie with us and Demi and her mates will be there. We can hope that Benecio seeing that Demi is officially mated will make him see the light.”
Demi had a hard time not rolling her eyes at that. She doubted Benecio could see anything except what he wanted, and that was her.
“If he doesn’t,” Duke said, “we’ve got our secret weapon—Abbie. Assuming she can find a match for him, we can appeal to him to stop the foolishness of bringing war to our pride and meet his match.”
“And if that fails?” Demi asked.
“Then we fight,” Byron said. “It’s not ideal, but we can’t allow ourselves to be cowed over a delusional male.”
Demi leaned her head against Rafe’s shoulder. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“It wouldn’t be your fault,” Rafe said. “It’s him. He’s driving this. No one should be able to force another to enter into a mating, and his people are going along with him, which makes them all culpable.”
“We’ll fight with the pride because you’re our mate to defend,” Rhaider said. “If he’s smart, he’ll take the match if Abbie gives him one, or he’ll see the truth and bow out gracefully without fighting. Whatever happens, we’re going to keep you safe.”
“I can fight too, you know. I’m a kickass lioness,” she said, letting out a growl.
“We know,” Rafe said with a smile. “But we don’t want you to have to.”
She nodded. “Okay. You have to be careful, though. I just got you both.”
“We will be,” Rafe said.
“We’ll meet here at seven tomorrow morning. It’s a half hour drive to the meeting place.”
Duke and the males left, her father following them out to speak to Duke further. Demi looked at Abbie.
“Are you okay with this? I didn’t mean to spring it on you.”
“I am,” Abbie said. She closed the book and laid her hands on it. “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if it doesn’t work. Lions are predators and prone to aggression. This Benecio fellow may be too far gone to see any way other than fighting to get what he wants. It may be more about ego at this point than anything else. Some prides have a constant turnover of alphas as the lower ranked males look for any weaknesses as an opportunity to take him out and assume leadership.”
“You’re going to make me feel sorry for him,” Demi said with a grimace.
“Well, that wasn’t my intention,” Abbie said.
“He got himself into this mess,” Tabitha said. “Make no mistake about that. He should’ve taken your first no and gone on his way and never thought about you again. If his people are trying to throw a coup and kill him because he appears weak after all this, it’s his fault.”
Demi nodded. “Good point. I just want him to leave me alone. Leave all of us alone.”
“He will,” Rhaider said. “One way or another.”
They thanked Abbie for her help and left her home, finding her dad standing by his vehicle and all the others gone.
“I’m going to the bar to meet with Duke and Titus,” he said. “They’re going to gather males for tomorrow and apprise them of the situation.”
“We’d like to come,” Rhaider said.
“That’s why I waited,” Quentin said.
“I’ll stay with Mom,” Demi said. While she wanted to go with her mates, she didn’t want to talk about Benecio anymore. The male had taken up enough space in her brain and she needed time to decompress. She kissed her mates goodbye and watched as they climbed into the SUV they’d all come together in.
“Want us to drop you off at home?” Quentin asked.
“We’re going to go for a walk instead,” Tabitha said.
“We are?” Demi asked.
Her mom hummed and waved at her dad. Demi waved at her mates and watched as the SUV backed out of the drive and drove off.
“A walk, huh?” Demi asked. Her mom hooked her arm through Demi’s.
“It’ll be good to clear our heads and get some fresh air. You and I used to walk all the time when you were little. Do you remember?”
“I do. I used to look for something to bring home and put in my memory box.” The empty cigar box had been given to her by her grandfather and she’d used it to store pretty rocks and pinecones she found on their walks.
“It was a lot of fun for me,” Tabitha said as they started off toward home. “Even when you were a surly teenager, you’d start to open up on the walks and we’d have the most fun conversations. I learned a lot about you during those walks. I hope you learned about me too.”
“I did. I think we stopped when every walk turned into an argument about me being mate-matched.”
“Yes, I was sad when that happened. I was getting some pressure from your father for you to get mate-matched, but I also wanted that for you too. I wanted you to find the happiness that I have with your father.”
“I have that now.”
“Indeed. In spades. I’m sorry I pushed you, and I’m sorry that we lost our closeness.”
“We’ve got it back now.”
“Yes, and just in time. Now that you’re mated, I’d like to talk to you about grandbabies.”
Demi laughed, feeling some of the tension from the meeting at Abbie’s and the situation with Beneci
o melt away. “Geez, Mom, I’ve only been mated a few hours.”
“Still. I’ll be the best grandma, you just wait. I’ll spoil them rotten and then send them home to you all sugared up.”
“Just like Grandma Tina used to do to me and Hemi.”
“You know it.”
Their laughter echoed in the trees and Demi smiled. For the first time in perhaps years, she felt close to her mom. While she wasn’t happy to be dealing with Benecio, she was grateful for the changes that came about because of the situation. If it weren’t for Hemi and Annie mating, and her mom saving Annie’s life, then Demi would still be at odds with her parents over choosing a mate.
Now she had Rhaider and Rafe, and her parents seemed to genuinely like them and were happy for her.
She’d hoed a tough row, but if they could get past the Benecio thing without anyone getting hurt, then the future was looking pretty damn bright.
They just had to survive tomorrow.
Chapter Thirteen
Although Rafe was tired after playing three sets at Tails and then sexing up Demi once they were home, he hadn’t slept well. The meeting with Benecio was hanging over them like a cloud and while he wasn’t worried about his and Rhaider’s ability to defend their mate, he didn’t like how crazy the male seemed to be. Honestly, who in their right mind demanded that someone leave a mating to mate with them? And threatened to kill people if there wasn’t compliance?
He shook his head and turned his attention to the coffeemaker, watching as the dark brew filled up the travel mug. He was getting coffee ready for all three of them. He took his with milk and sugar; Rhaider with sugar only, and Demi liked a sweet, caramel-flavored creamer.
His jaw cracked as he yawned a second time.
“Dang,” Demi said as she slid up next to him for a hug. “That was a big yawn.”
He kissed her and gave her a sheepish smile. “I didn’t sleep well.”
“Me either.” She sighed and rested her head on his chest right over his heart. “I just want this nonsense with Benecio to be over.”
“We do too,” he promised. “And it will be, one way or another.”
The coffeemaker sputtered, signaling that the cycle was finished. He fixed it the way she liked it, and then pushed the lid onto it. The travel mugs were the stainless steel kind that kept things hot or cold for several hours. The three he’d found in the cabinet all had the Tails logo on them.
“I’m ready when you guys are,” Rhaider said as he walked into the kitchen. “Oh, coffee, you’re awesome.”
“Are you talking to me or the coffee?” Rafe asked.
Rhaider took the mug Rafe held out to him and took a sip. “I’m not sure.”
Rafe snorted. He gave one more kiss to the top of Demi’s head and let her go. She leaned away, picked up her mug, and smiled at them. “Let’s get this over with.”
The trio left in their SUV after grabbing Hemi to join them, and stopped to pick up Demi’s dad on the way to the bar. Waiting for them at the bar were Duke, Byron, Reign, and several other males that were part of the pride’s security force. Abbie stood nearby with her match-making book. Titus wasn’t going since he was the second-in-command of the pride and needed to be on hand in case any problems arose.
“We’re going to meet up with Benecio and his people,” Duke said to the small group. “I’m going to lead things with Demi, Rafe, and Rhaider with me. I’m hopeful that he’ll see she’s mated and realize what a giant jackass he’s being and let it drop peacefully. But we will be prepared should he attempt to instigate an attack.” Duke looked around at everyone and then said, “We all want to make it home in one piece, so watch your back and the backs of the pride members.”
Everyone nodded and left the bar. Hemi drove since Rafe and Rhaider didn’t know the area well. Hemi’s dad sat in the passenger seat and Rafe and Rhaider sat with Demi in the second row.
“I hope it’s not a set up,” Demi said.
“He didn’t call the meeting, Duke did,” her father said.
“True, but he’s had time to prepare. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”
“It’s not because of you,” Rafe said. “He’s clearly unbalanced.”
Demi frowned but didn’t say anything else.
Hemi and his dad made small talk with everyone, but Rafe was too keyed up to keep a conversation going so he watched the scenery blur by and kept his worried thoughts to himself.
They arrived a short time later at a public park. The parking lot was mostly empty, save for a handful of vehicles. Rafe got out of the car and looked around, seeing some males milling around near an open space with concrete benches.
“Is that him?” Rafe asked as he helped Demi from the vehicle.
She looked where he was looking and nodded. “He’s the one standing next to the bench with his arms folded.”
No one was seated.
Duke sent two of the pride males off to search the perimeter and report back anything out of the ordinary. They didn’t want Benecio to have a huge group of his males lying in wait for them and to be caught off guard. Demi’s concern that it might be a trap slipped through Rafe’s mind, but he put it aside. It was too late now at any rate. They needed to put a stop to things with Benecio once and for all.
They fell into step with Duke. Abbie was behind them, with Hemi and Reign. Byron and the others were spread out around them. They approached the group which consisted of Benecio and a handful of males.
Everyone looked pissed, especially Benecio.
“Benecio,” Duke said as he came to a stop a few yards from him and his people.
“Duke.” Benecio wasn’t looking at Duke, but at Demi.
“We’ve come to show you in person that Demi has found her heart-matches in two males. Even though you had no real claim to her and she refused your advances, her mating is proof that she can no longer be claimed as the mate for anyone else.”
Benecio tilted his head slightly and his eyes lightened to pale gold. “According to the laws, I publicly claimed her and made my intentions known. The males are usurpers to my mate, which gives me the right of mate-battle.”
Mate-battle? Rafe hadn’t ever heard that term before. He glanced at Rhaider, who also looked confused.
Byron stepped forward. “Any claim you had, however erroneous or delusional, was nullified the moment Demi and her mates mated. Heart-matches supersede all else. The law you’re referring to is ancient. You can’t hold her to a law that isn’t in effect anymore.”
“I can and I will.”
“Wait,” Abbie said. She moved up next to Duke, the mate-match book in her hands. “I’m the match-maker. I can try to find your rightful mate. You don’t have to bring war to anyone.”
Benecio’s brows went high. “What is the meaning of this?”
Abbie rubbed her hand over the top of the book and Rafe felt some kind of power come from her, a crackling, electric feeling in the air. She opened the book and began to flip the pages.
“Let her find your mate,” Duke said. “Demi is taken. Someone else will be a better choice for you.”
“I don’t agree to this,” Benecio said with a growl. He took a step forward, claws erupting from his fingers.
Abbie gasped and there was a strange ripping sound that seemed to come from the book. She slapped the book closed and took a step back.
“No,” she whispered. “No. No.”
“Abbie?” Demi asked. “What’s wrong?”
Abbie looked at Duke and shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t match him.”
She ran from the group, and Rafe glanced over his shoulder to see her climb into one of the SUVs and slam the door shut.
“Well shit,” Rafe said under his breath.
Triumphantly, Benecio said, “I told you that Demi is rightfully mine. So, you have two choices: I can either fight the males who are trying to steal her from me, or I can bring my people to your doorstep and take you all out. The choice,” he said, pausing fo
r a long moment before leveling a narrow look at Demi, “is entirely up to her.”
“I’m Alpha of the Kedrick pride,” Duke said. “I will not allow you to put my pride member into a position to send anyone to battle. You will end this craziness immediately or you will suffer.” Duke finished speaking with a deep growl.
“What’s it going to be, Demi?” Benecio asked. “Come to me and no one gets hurt. Dig in your heels, and your supposed mates will be hurt. I guarantee it. Along with your father and mother and brother.”
“Hey, fuck you!” Hemi said with a growl.
Demi blinked luminous eyes at Rafe. “I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll fight you ourselves,” Rhaider said. He looked at Rafe and he nodded in understanding.
“Yes. She’s ours to defend,” Rafe said.
“Then until tomorrow night,” Benecio said. “I’ll be waiting.”
Chapter Fourteen
Demi stood with her mates as Benecio and his people left the park. When their vehicles were gone, the males around her exploded into conversation, everyone angry at the turn of events. She didn’t know what to say because she was dumbfounded to have had the spotlight turned on her by that bastard Benecio. What right did he have to make her choose like that? To sacrifice herself or to let her mates sacrifice themselves? It was a no-win situation.
The noble part of her, the heroine of her own story, wanted to willingly go to Benecio to save her mates. But aside from the fact that her lioness rebelled at the thought of even laying eyes on Benecio again, let alone mating him, she knew Rafe and Rhaider would never allow her to do that. They were willing to fight him. She hoped that two against one would mean the odds were in their favor, but she didn’t trust Benecio even a tiny bit.
He was crazy and dangerous, which was not a good combination. He clearly wasn’t alpha because he’d inherited the position or won a popularity contest. The visible scars on his face and arms, the hardness of his gaze and set of his jaw, told her he’d fought with claws and fangs to be where he was. Alphas who won their position like that often faced a similar fate as the alpha they’d killed to get where they were.