by Isabel Wroth
“But I like your brother.”
“He liked you, too.”
“His mate is a bitch.”
“She is.”
“If I had changed in front of everyone,”
“It would have made no difference. You are able to shift into a fully formed Sarazen cat. Not a single one of our females can do that.”
“What happens now?”
He sighed and touched a kiss to her throat, to her temple, and hugged her back against him tighter. She looked at Gwen, curled up on Ga’rae’s lap with her eyes closed and her face lifted into the wind. Andi stood braced between Ohlen’s arms at the flight console. Cassie sat at Falken’s feet with her head resting on his thigh, a content smile on her face while he combed his fingers through her hair. “Now, my one, we will run together.” Ohlen put the transport down in a clearing, leading her off behind one of the trees, and when she looked over her shoulder it was to see the other men doing the same thing. “Is this the same forest the festival is held in?” She shivered when his fingers scraped sensually across her shoulders, pushing the material of her dress down her arms, catching the dress before it hit the ground and lay it over a conveniently waiting branch. “No, it is two days journey from here, we will be leaving in the morning. Do you need me to help you into the change?” Her cat snorted and stretched inside her, already reaching forward and eager to be let loose. “Don’t think so.” He grinned and his hands went to the laces of his trousers. “Wait for me before you run off,”
She nodded and let out a heavy breath, not looking forward to the pain of the shift, but her cat was already pushing forward and there was no stopping her now. The pain was brief, nothing like before, and soon she was looking at the world in sharp relief, the colors vibrant and alive to her feline eyes. The earth under her feet, her paws was cool and moist, her claws kneading furrows through the leaves and the soft grass, releasing scents her human nose would never have been able to smell. It was unbelievable, and the joy she felt was enough to have moved her to tears. “Never, has there been another as beautiful as you.” She turned to look at where Tarek was crouched, totally naked and looking at her with a deeply possessive, proud expression on his face. Her cat moved to rub alongside his muscled body, purring and groaning at the firm knead of his hands through her fur, rubbing her cheeks over him to press her scent into his skin.
A few moments later, and a golden cat, easily twice her size, replaced that two legged male and butted her with his face, nipping affectionately at her, chuffing in amusement when she slapped him across the muzzle with the tuft of her tail. She jogged off, smelling the others and was eager to see them milling around, the females playfully pouncing on their mates and playing with one another. She sat and watched, oddly content to enjoy their happiness and their curiosity, leaning on Tarek’s cat when he sat beside her. They watched the others play for a time, and then one by one they seemed to notice them sitting there. The males were markedly larger than their mates, hovering close while the smaller females adjusted to their new shapes. She realized the threat that she and the others posed, when one by one the six other big cats came and lay down on their bellies in front of them.
The threat, was that whether or not Tarek wanted to rule the pride, he had the ability and had served as the commander of their entire fighting force. While T’mai might have ruled the pride that whole time, he hadn’t fought one single battle himself, and when push came to shove, Tarek was the stronger male. And she, was the stronger female. Together they were a force to be reckoned with, could challenge and win any fight so long as they were alive. She already had thirty in her own little pride, three of whom could change fully, seven more with the potential to do so, and all of them came attached to the strongest warriors Saraz had to offer. Warriors loyal to Tarek, human hybrids loyal to her. And the potential to provide Saraz with the final thing that the current pair had not.
Offspring.
Threat, threat, threat.
Three strikes, as her father would have said.
Tarek coughed a soft sound and everyone got up, he shoved at her and trotted off into the trees, looking back over his shoulder to swing his head at her demandingly. She joined him, and soon her cat took over and they were running through the forest. She’d never felt such exhilaration in her entire life, and while they ran, her thoughts were consumed with joy. Later, she would worry, later, she would deal with the uncertainty of their future. For now, tonight, she just wanted to run and experience the way it felt to be a powerful creature, racing through the trees on this alien planet that was now her home.
Twenty Six
Ne’tare had a massive spread of food waiting for them when they got back to their suite, but before she could even think about food, she had another craving that needed satisfying. If there was a flat surface, Tarek fucked her on it, bent over it, or against it. They didn’t get to eat until well into the early morning hours, and she didn’t object when Tarek carried her to the transport that would take them from one planet to the neighboring one where this season’s festival would be held. He tucked her into the bed in their cabin and told her to rest, leaving her with a kiss and a grin.
She slept for a few hours and got up to shower and change into a fresh dress, had a snack and went in search of the others. But she didn’t make it very far before her sensitive ears picked up a hushed conversation she was certain she wasn’t supposed to hear. “The toxin will render them unable to communicate through their bond. You’re certain?” A male voice she didn’t recognize said, and another answered, “Yes. Ne’tare and Te’sha have proven to be obstacles, they fix the meals for all of the humans themselves and thus far we’ve had no opportunity to introduce the pollen into their food.” She held her breath to ensure that not a single sound escaped her, and ever present in the forefront of her mind, she felt her cat contain her scent. Tarek had told her that it took most Sarazens well over half their lives to master such a skill, and he was delighted by her ability to do so.
Right now, hearing this plot to poison her people, it was very fucking useful. But since she didn’t know the scents or the voices of the men in the room, she couldn’t identify them. “Will it take effect by the time they reach the festival grounds?” The first asked, the growl of displeasure plain in his voice. “Provided that they consume the food and drink given to them, yes.”
“Will it be fatal?”
“No. Did you want it to be?”
“Not yet. It would look suspicious if all the females were to die suddenly at the same time.”
“You realize that if you remove or kill the females, their warriors will have to be put down not long after. The loss of their mate will drive them insane with rage,”
“I am aware. But right now, it is not our concern. Preventing these abominations from mating legally within our population, is.”
She reached silently for Tarek, and in one horrifying moment realized that there was some kind of static, an uncomfortable buzz that prevented her from speaking to him along their bond. She must have already ingested whatever toxic pollen they had intended. Thankfully it wasn’t fatal, though that didn’t make her feel any less sick or frightened, this time, but next time…she silently retreated back the way she’d come, grateful for the soft soled slippers that made her steps utterly soundless. She made noise when she reached her doorway, leaning forward and called out an uncertain, “Hello?” It wasn’t long before a warrior rounded the corner and touched his fingertips to his chest, “Asha’na, are you well?” Not the owner of one of the two voices, not the right scent, so she smiled at him sheepishly and twisted her fingers while she made herself flush. “Yes, sorry. Tarek wasn’t with me when I woke up. I’d like to visit with some of my people, would you mind either taking me to them, or bringing them here?”
He seemed genuinely glad to take her to a smaller version of the observation deck she remembered from aboard Tarek’s warship, and when they arrived, moments later another warrior brought Andi, Gwen and Cassie, and t
he rest of her crew a little while later. He wasn’t one of the two she’d heard either, so she smiled and closed the doors behind them, using the sequences she remembered Tarek teaching her to secure the room. She was successful, and once the control panel turned red, she turned around and filled her crew in as fast as she could. “I must have already eaten or drank something with the pollen in it, I can’t speak to Tarek along our bond like before. Can you?” Gwen tried, hissing and reached up to touch her temple with a shake of her head, “Hurts, like static.” Cassie tried and gave the same answer, both of them looking a little panicked. Everyone looked at Andi, and she almost crumpled with relief when Andi opened her eyes and let out a shaky breath. “Got Ohlen. What do I tell him?”
“Everything I just told you.”
There was silence while Andi communicated with Ohlen, and she waited on edge for her to open her eyes and relay whatever his words were. “He’s coming with the others now.” She nodded and unlocked the doors, awaiting the arrival of the four males. She winced as she felt static in her head, pressing at her temples as the pain increased. It stopped just as quickly as it started and moments later Tarek, Ga’rae, Ohlen, Falken, Brennaugh and the six other warriors came storming through the door. Tarek secured it behind them and immediately reached for her, tilting her head back to look in her eyes, “Are you hurt?”
“Not yet.”
“Not ever. You heard two males speaking of this plot to sabotage our mating?”
“Not just ours. Any humans with the potential to become hybrids. Abominations, is what they called us.”
His growl was hair raising, and it mingled with eleven other snarls and growls of denial. He curled around her and held her close, ready to tear the ship apart searching for the two males who had compromised their food. “Tarek, we can’t. Right now we have a small advantage. We need a plan first, all of us. I don’t know who was giving the orders, I could smell them and I’ll remember their voices later. But clearly we’re a threat to be reckoned with, and they want us to fail. They want us isolated and without the protection of legally being mated. How will you and the others find us, if we can’t communicate along our bond?”
Brennaugh snorted, curling his arm protectively around Tara and waved his free hand around at the collection of humans and warriors. “We need only the scent of our mates, and being unable to communicate along the bond will not stop us from finding you.” Tara looked up at her mate, then at her, then at Gwen. “What would stop you?” She ventured carefully, and Brennaugh gave an unconcerned shrug. “Death.”
“While I don’t doubt it would take a lot to put one of you down, not all of us are as formidable. We’ll be separated right before the hunt, right? You and the guys on one side of the forest, us girls on the other?”
The eleven warriors all bristled, unhappy, threatening growls rumbling like thunder in the room. One of them she wasn’t so familiar with yet, one of Brennaugh’s warriors, stated that no one would dare to bring harm to a potential mate on the day of the festival. It had apparently never been done before. “Someone has decided that we are a threat, we cannot assume anything at this point.” Falken stated, but Ohlen shook his head while rubbing his hands up and down Andi’s back, “Why are we a threat? Because our mates are able to shift fully as we are? It is a gift, a miraculous gift.”
She watched Andi snuggle her face into his chest to hide the soft smile on her face. She felt a strange sensation of relief easing through her, seeing the smaller woman so happy to be held by the larger male. “It’s not that,” Falken sighed, sharing a look with Brennaugh, and then the two of them looked to her and Tarek. “I already stated on record that I have no intention of making any claim and wish only to liaise with the humans.” Tarek insisted, and a ripple of understanding went around the room, the warriors now all reaching the same conclusion as she had after meeting the current ruling pair. She held her tongue, leaning on Tarek for support, momentarily glad that he was unable to feel her emotions or the certainty now itching along her shoulder blades of why this was happening. “Claim or not, you have proven your right to rule the pride a hundred times over, without ever having made challenge. The warriors in this room, we’ve fought alongside you, trusted you, followed you and have tasted victory by your side. Each of us belongs to a large tribe or warriors who would pledge themselves to you if asked, with no questions. And now you have a mate, one who openly has proven she is your match in every way. One who could potentially provide you with offspring. The Asho has done none of those things, despite his honor, and for many years it has been questioned as to why after so long, his mate has not given him an heir. By taking charge of the humans, taking one as your mate, you become the face they trust in. And if all of them have the potential to become as powerful as we are, more powerful, it could be misconstrued, truth or not, that you are building yourself your own armada. You are a threat, merely by drawing breath. As are we.”
The breath whoofed out of Tarek’s lungs, like he hadn’t expected to hear Falken so plainly state that the men in the room were loyal first and foremost to him. Not to his brother. She rested her cheek against his chest, rubbing her fingertips over a ridge in his abdomen. “You honor me.” He managed to say tightly, formally, “I would hear your thoughts on how to proceed. We are trained to go for the weakest spot in our prey’s defenses, and we are not vulnerable until our females our threatened. Only four of them could withstand an outright attack, and the females of S3 are incredibly territorial. If they saw an attack being made in their woods, they would intervene.”
“You believe the conspirators would actually order an attack on our mates, during the festival?”
Brennaugh shared a look with Tarek, and then grunted at his warrior who had spoken. “It is where they are most vulnerable, D’anick. In a forest they have no knowledge of, surrounded by unfamiliar faces.” D’anick made a disgusted face and stated the obvious lack of honor such an action would be. “Our females have already been fed some sort of toxin meant to silence our bond. I feel comfortable stating that the bastards have no honor.” Ga’rae grunted, giving his mate a sideways look when she poked him in the ribs. “We need blood.” Gwen demanded, “You’ve got the equipment to identify any toxins, maybe we can counteract it.” Ga’rae agreed to take blood from she, Andi, Cassie and Gwen, but by her count, it wouldn’t do much good. They were down to the wire with very few options. “Are the females required to stay separate from the men? Or is it just that mates can’t be on the same side of the forest?” Cassie ventured, and the warriors blinked, “There is no law stating that the females must enter the wood from one side or the other only. By splitting up we could better our chances at protecting everyone, while using the excuse that because the humans are unfamiliar with the terrain, we wish to give them the best opportunity for success.”
They set out to make plans for their plans, and all of them were banned from eating or drinking anything not provided by a trusted source. Once the warriors felt satisfied by the collaborative plans, they returned to their quarters and she sat on the bed watching Tarek paced back and forth across the smaller accommodations. “Promise me, Clary. Promise you will not leave Brennaugh’s side until you see the whiskers on my muzzle.” His voice was ragged with the fury sparking through him, the scent of it filling the cabin, making the air feel almost stiflingly hard to breathe. She got up on her knees and reached out to catch the sleeve of his tunic, pulling him to her so she could loop her arms around his shoulders and look up into his eyes. “I promise.” She murmured, firmly rubbing her fingertips into the tense muscles at the base of his neck. He let out a heavy sigh, licking his lips while he set his brow to hers and kneaded his hands into her loose hair, “It infuriates me that so soon into bringing you here, to my world where I promised you would be safe, someone has made a liar out of me. It will not stand, I give you my vow that their blood will stain the stones red.”
She lifted her face and kissed his brow, the corner of his eye, purred softly at how tightly
he wrapped her up in his arms. “It’s not the place that makes me feel safe. It’s you. Whatever happens, I know I’m safe with you.” He shuddered, raking his teeth over the bite marks he’d left on her shoulder, “Always, my one.” She nuzzled at his throat and combed her fingers through his hair, taking a deep breath to give voice to the fear that had taken root in her gut. “Tarek?”
“Mm?”
“I hate to ask, and please know I’m not questioning you,”
“Ask, my one.”
“The warriors looking for the rest of my people, do you trust them?”
He drew back and frowned down at her in confusion, continuing to stroke his hands over her. “What?” She rolled her lips under and bit down, figuring it was best to just blurt it out there and get it out of the way. “If plots here are already in motion to deny our mating, if some of your people already see humans as a threat and the potential for hybrids as an abomination, what’s to stop them from destroying all trace of humanity?” The silence in response to her question, the way his golden eyes brightened to a metallic shine, pupils slitting to narrow slashes of black in the center of all that gold.
He didn’t answer her for long enough to make her nervous, but when he did, she knew to the core that whatever chance of fate had brought them together, she would never doubt the importance or rightness of it. “I do not know if they can be trusted, my one. And it pains me to admit it, because your doubts are not without weight. I would like to adamantly state that yes, they can be trusted. That the hope of humans somewhere struggling to survive without a strong mate to protect them, is enough to motivate any one of my warriors to action. I would like to believe that every male aboard my warship is honorable to the very marrow of their bones, but as I am not there to command them, as I have no power over the armada any longer, I do not know. This answer does not satisfy me, and after tomorrow, after we have foiled this attempt to weaken us, I will not rest until I can answer you with confidence.”