by Stacy Lee
Without a word the tent flap closes engulfing him. A few minutes later it reopens and he kneels beside me. He holds out a plate of some kind of meat, bread and a bottle of water. I snatch the water, twist the cap and drain it. Damn that tasted good. Before removing it from my lips I hear his voice over my shoulder.
“Give me another water.” Almost instantly it appears in his hand. He twists the cap off and offers it to me. “A little slower this time.” I nod, taking it and the plate from him.
“Thank you.” I whisper before shoving the food in my mouth hungrily. I don’t even care he didn’t give me a fork. I’m not sure when he disappeared back into the tent or when another plate was sat beside me, all I know was after finishing the second helping I was finally feeling better. I place the plates together and slide them under the flap. A hand reaches down and takes them but no one comes back out.
Several minutes pass and I find my eyes drifting shut. After the last two nights sleeping on the forest floor, the dirt didn’t bother me and for an insane reason I didn’t want to think of, I felt comfortable here. I was sure my green eyed escort wouldn’t let any harm come to me in his presence. Curling up on my side I let the exhaustion take me away. Right before oblivion hits I hear a deep masculine voice behind me.
“Now we wait to see who she chooses.” The green eyed man’s face flashes in my head, his words not making sense. Chooses? Then I’m gone.
*
I sit in a brightly lit field of multi-colored wildflowers. The calming aroma of fresh flowers surrounds me. A brilliant blue cloudless sky shines above me. A gentle breeze blows over my body cooling me. Surveying the area I take in nothing but flowers and sky as far as the eye can see.
I lazily pull myself to my feet, picking a daisy on my way up to put behind my ear. This place feels familiar somehow but I can’t ever remember seeing it before. I wander through the meadow for a short time feeling completely at ease for the first time in days, before a woman’s voice startles me, shattering the peace.
“You are here to choose. You only get one choice, so pick wisely.” Her authoritative voice seems to come from everywhere. I turn in a complete circle searching for a person but find I am alone in the meadow.
“Choose what?” I ask on a shout. Instantly six figures stand before me. I recognize the green eyed man immediately. Also the young man that fed me is there with him. The other four giants had been in the tent he disappeared into but I’d had no contact with them.
“Step in front of each brother. They will supply you with a name only. They cannot answer questions, they cannot talk to you, they are not really here. After hearing each name you are to choose one.” Unconsciously my feet step up in front of the first man. He is taller than the green eyed man by several inches but he is built leaner, less showy. His eyes are a deep cobalt in his angular face. His long bright auburn hair sets the blue off and they appear to glow.
“Archer.” His deep voice supplies his name, ringing out with power. He doesn’t look at me, he doesn’t even appear to notice I am there. His eyes keep to a spot above my head, unblinking and unnerving. Rattled by the large man two feet taller than me, I move to the next in line keeping plenty of distance between him and me. This man is slightly taller than my escort, six and a half feet maybe. His chocolate brown eyes are soft, his face tender, his dark brown hair cut short, nonetheless there is an edge to his posture that says he is just as deadly as the men next to him.
“Bane.” Even his voice is filled with softness. I eye him up and down then step to the next man in line. He is also tall, six foot two or so. Hard two toned eyes, deep brown rimmed in a strip of hunter green, stare at nothing, chestnut hair styled in a military type buzz cut, his jaw is set in a hard line, his posture rigid and dangerous. He is terrifying and my heart races uncontrollably.
“Cash.” His voice rumbles out loud and strong startling me enough to move quickly on to the next man in line. Even in this dream world, I wanted nothing to do with the hard man with the two toned eyes. That man was a panic attack waiting to happen. This next man I know. Like the others his eyes stay to a point above my head but those deep emerald jewels still pull my attention, I can’t seem to look away from them.
“Dare.” He states in his deep masculine voice sending a chill down my spine. Nearly a foot and a half taller than me at six two, I have to crane my neck to see him properly with his focal point forward, but that’s okay. His shoulder length ebony hair shines in the sunlight and with his jaw clean shaven he is much more handsome than I presumed. My hand unconsciously reaches up towards his smooth cheek. The compulsion to be afraid of him was gone. The craving to touch him claws at me, desire pools in my belly, my brain fogs over pushing everything and everyone else out but Dare.
“Have you made your choice?” The woman’s voice rings out startling me back to the here and now. My hand, mere millimeters from his cheek, drops to my side in stunned disbelief. What was I doing? I don’t touch men. With a deep breath I step to the next man in line, my gaze lingers for a moment before following suit. Lean build, intelligent navy almost black eyes, long dark blonde hair hangs in ringlets down his back, not as tall as the rest, but the smirk on his lips says he’s probably smarter.
“Emmitt.” He even has the voice of someone who belongs behind a computer. I can’t help the small giggle that escapes me at the thought as I move to the last man. This one I know also, the young man who gave me the food. However brief our contact was he wasn’t a complete stranger like the other four. He was the youngest of all six men. His grey eyes and jovial face giving him the appearance of youth when he was probably older than he looked. He was also around six and a half foot with a lean build and shoulder length platinum blonde, almost white, hair.
“Fin.” His humor filled voice belts out the name in a sing-song tone dragging the short name out longer.
“Make your choice.” The woman’s voice has grown from informational to commanding.
“What am I choosing?” I blurt out. I was confused why these six men had been placed before me. Was this some kind of test? Were the cosmos trying to see if I would run or face my fear of men? If it was hoping I would face the fear then fate picked the wrong type of men to put in front of me. Little puny men would have been much easier to ignore verses these large virile gods before me. I have had some strange dreams before but this one took the trophy for weirdest of them all.
“One of them holds your interest. Choose.” My eyes land on Dare. Even now, amidst the craziness of this whole day, through the fear and anxiety threatening to consume me, the only thing I want is to be wrapped in the safety of his arms. This is a completely insane thing to want because for me a man’s arms is the last place I would seek safety. “The choice has been made.” Startled by the finality of her tone I search around the meadow for her to appear. Only Dare remains.
“Wait, I didn’t choose anything!” I yell to the disembodied voice. No one answers me. I glance back to Dare to see him no longer staring into nothing; he was staring straight at me. Our eyes lock, sapphire to emerald, a small smirk tugs at his lips then he is gone. The breeze I hadn’t realized left returns, wafting the scent of the many flowers toward me. My eyes grow heavy with the sweet aroma. The last thing I remember is falling into a bed of wildflowers.
Chapter Two
“How will we know when the choice is made?” Fin, my youngest brother, asks as he eyes the small woman on the cot in the corner of the tent.
“As you know, she is the first of our mates found. None of us have been through this, Fin. We will just have to wait and see what happens.” Archer, my oldest brother states patiently. He turns his deep blue eyes to me, his vibrant red hair that’s pulled back in a braid dangles over his shoulder almost reaching his waist. “How exactly do you know she has the mark? I can’t see one. Where is it?” I shift uncomfortably under the five sets of eyes that watch me closely. This pisses me off because I am not the type to squirm. That was Fin’s usual stance these days. I straighten my b
ack and force myself to have control. I didn’t know for sure she was mine, I didn’t have to tell them the truth.
Aw, hell. Who am I kidding? I won’t lie to them.
“I just knew.” Five sets of eyebrows rise questionably.
“You just knew?” Bane growls. Emmitt grins at me.
“Let me translate for you, Bane. In Dare speak he means, ‘she is mine.’” Emmitt sarcastically supplies for the rest. Eyes grow wide, Emmitt smirks at me, and I feel my face heat from embarrassment. Dammit, what was this woman doing to me? A couple hours in her presence and I’m blushing? I don’t get embarrassed.
“Is that true? Is she yours?” Cash asks in his no nonsense way. I slowly exhale and nod.
“I believe so, yes. Unless any of you also have the insane urge to run away with her.” I try to joke but it falls flat as my brothers all shake their heads in serious answers.
“Will you challenge whoever she picks?” Fin asks quietly, too quietly for him.
“Yes.” I growl out before I even think about the answer. I should have known immediately she belonged to me. I blame the Stroli I was preoccupied with for the delay in realizing it. Any male Patronus could identify his mate within five minutes of meeting her, just as any female born Patronus could.
In our lineage, because we are of Royal Blood, the female we are paired with will be human bearing the mark of our heritage, a star. Because she is of the human race she doesn’t know she belongs to us. She doesn’t even know we exist.
This small female is the first such mate to be found for me and my brothers. She will be given a choice between the six brothers to make it seem like she has a say in the inevitable. We all know it is just a formality, for if she chooses the wrong brother, the one who knows she is his can lay down a challenge to fight for her. In days past it was a challenge to the death, but centuries ago it had been changed to unconsciousness or a brother could surrender, giving the other the win.
After drugging her food with the necessary herbs to induce The Choosing Vision we brought her in the tent and laid her on Fin’s cot. I wanted to protest this, I didn’t want her on his cot, but I kept my mouth shut as not to give myself away. We’ve all thought of what it would be like to find our mates, some wanting it to happen more than others. I was one who couldn’t have cared less. Having someone so fragile to take care of was not my idea of a good time. Nevertheless, watching her lay there asleep, peaceful and calm, made my forgotten heart beat faster. I never thought about love or futures, that was for women to do, but with my future laying not five feet away from me I have to wonder what it will be like? What she will be like?
“I thought so.” Archer’s wide grin pulls me from my thoughts. “Let’s hope she is smart enough to choose you. Did you show the woman any kindness while you ran through the forest with her half-starved and barefoot?” He asks with a knowing smirk. Of course I didn’t. I didn’t even give her my name so she wouldn’t be influenced when faced with The Choosing. Of course that wasn’t my original intention in keeping it from her, however when I realized what was happening I had kept quiet. I wanted my brothers to have an equal chance with her, to let her chose her fate. Then I would kick whoever’s ass she picked and take her anyway. The thought levels out my head giving me back my much needed control.
“So we just stand here and wait to see what happens next?” Bane asks in aggravation. Obviously he was tired of the conversation.
“No, we continue what you were doing when I showed up. I took out the two Stroli I was looking for, so unless more have been sighted in the area we are free to go home for now, yes?” I needed to keep my mind busy so I didn’t think about who she might choose.
Fin had showed her kindness and fed her, where I had dragged her through the woods in silence. Not knowing was killing me. Archer pins me with a long hard stare still wanting an answer to his question. I huff out a breath and glare at him.
“No. I told her to follow me then I ran the five hours straight here. Does that make you happy, big brother?” I ask sarcastically. His brows furrow.
“No, but she is your mate.” He shrugs and looks to the maps in front of him. “If you want to be cruel that is your business, but if you ever lay a finger on her in harm you will have us to answer to.” Responding grunts sound around the room. They knew me better than that but when they saw her feet none of them were happy with me. I let the comment slide and he continues as if he hadn’t just threatened me.
“Bane and I took out the three that were reported near the North side, Cash and Fin took out the two in the West. Emmitt took the East, he found four total in what we believe was their nest, and you took South ridding us of those two. I believe this area is clear for the moment, at least of the Stroli that have been harming the humans nearby. Not sure what else is out here though, it’s a large area perfect for Thanus, Babbles, Vampires and Shifters.” Archer shrugs and rolls up the map he was pointing to as he spoke.
“Fin and I eliminated two Vampires last night but I imagine they weren’t here for a long term stay, only passing through. A male and female, I believe they were mates.” Cash shrugs with the information.
It was our job not only to keep the existence of other races from being discovered by the humans but also to uphold justice between the races themselves. The Stroli and Babbles weren’t good for anything but death. We tended to kill them on site, however we usually gave Vampires a chance to live if they haven’t been accused or caught in the act of harming a human.
“Was there justification to killing them?” Archer asks with a narrowing of his eyes on Cash who hated Vampires and would rather see them all dead.
“Yes, they were feeding on a human. We returned her back to the camp site she’d been removed from after calling in Silus to wipe her memory of the attack. She wasn’t drained but they took enough that she’ll probably be weak for a few days.” Archer nods with acceptance. Silus helped many times in the same situations. A vampire who teetered on the verge of the supernatural society, he tended to help those who offered the most pay. Cash had saved his life a few decades ago and Silus helps him out free of charge. The rest of us pay out our nose for his vampire ability to change or completely remove memories with hypnosis, a natural vampire trait.
I turn to ask Fin a question when fire rips through my body landing me on my knees. A female voice resonates through the tent. “The choice has been made. Dare Beyers do you accept Naveen Marnie Hannock as your Mate or will there be a challenge issued?” I lift my eyes meeting each of my brothers squarely. No one issues the challenge, they wouldn’t, they knew she was mine. Even for those who wanted a mate desperately, he didn’t want just any mate, he wanted the one woman in the world that was made solely for him. They wanted their mate, just as I wanted mine.
“I accept.” I grit out through the pain.
“The Mating will only be justified once The Claiming has been completed. You have forty-eight hours before the tie is severed and she dies.” I grit my teeth against the pain of what feels like hot coals being raked over my inner right thigh. Then just as quickly as it came most of the pain subsides leaving me on my knees panting.
“I didn’t know there was a time limit on The Claiming. Did you know a mate would die if it didn’t happen, Archer?” Fin’s wide eyes search his big brother’s face for confirmation. We all heard the woman’s voice but like Fin we were all too stunned by the proclamation to answer him. Archer clears his throat. Twice.
“Um, no, I didn’t know that little tidbit of information. I’m sure Dare won’t have any trouble following through though.” His smile is easy as he looks to me, only the tightness around his eyes shows he’s worried. We were in the middle of Yellowstone, in a tent, with very few men for protection with us. If knowledge were to get out Naveen was in our midst we were sitting ducks for an ambush. I needed to get her out of here, fast.
I drag myself up off the floor then drop my pants to see what the hell was still burning so damn bad. Inside my inner right thigh, just below my
crotch, lies a perfect blue star with a calligraphy style ‘N’ in the center of it. I’m guessing for Naveen. I wonder briefly if hers had a ‘D’ and make a mental note to check. We had never actually seen the birthmark before. Our mother’s hadn’t been in a place that was shown to her sons. Until now I didn’t even know the initial inside it existed.
“Holy hell. No wonder you didn’t see a birthmark, Archer. Dare might have killed us all if we had. Especially if she’s commando too!” Emmitt laughs heartily. I glare at him, it doesn’t faze his laughter or the others as they join in. Angrily I grab my pants and yank them back up, mindful not to catch myself in the zipper. I really needed to remember to wear boxers when I go out with my brothers. It’s not like I drop my pants often so why the hell would I have thought to wear them.
“We need to get going. I want to get her home.” That statement only makes them laugh harder.
“Of course you do. I would want to get her home myself if I was in your position.” Emmitt huffs out between laughs. I ignore him.
“Anyone have a suggestion on shoes for her?” I grind out.
“Her feet are a quarter the size of ours. What would you suggest, Dare? We give her clown shoes to clomp in with those cut up feet you made her run on? No, we don’t have shoes for her.” Bane snaps. What the hell was his problem? Archer shakes his head at me before I can voice my opinion at what I thought he could do with that answer.
“I will bandage them as best I can. It will at least give her some padding.” Fin states as he grabs a roll of gauze and supplies to clean her feet from a first aid kit we had never used but always keep on hand. It doesn’t take him long before he has both feet fully covered in enough gauze to protect the soles of her feet and keep dirt from returning into the cuts already there. Suddenly the tent flap flies open, a Patronus soldier named Sven stumbles in bleeding from multiple deep gashes across his back and front.