Aeron and Alak snuggled her in between them under the covers, and Katrina had to close her eyes and savor the two heady male scents, a mixture of sex, sweetness, and the smell of a forest after a heavy rain.
She felt herself drifting into what would probably turn out to be one of the most peaceful nights of sleep she had ever had, but their endearing sounding words replayed in her mind and she had to know the meaning.
“What was it that the two of you said after you bit me?” she asked them.
“My mate, I will cherish you forever,” Aeron replied.
“Who knew you guys were such romantics,” she said, amusement in her voice.
“There is much you don’t know about us yet, dragon,” Alak said.
Katrina chuckled at his playful tone, and she looked forward to discovering everything she was ignorant of about her mates even if that discovery entailed more sparring with them. Actually, she looked forward to that, too.
****
Alak couldn’t sleep. He’d never before had the tumultuous mixture of emotions that were currently overwhelming him as he watched their mate slumber, content and sated, in between them. What exactly was he feeling? Well, there was relief, that Katrina had finally given into the connection between them. Possessiveness, as they now had the most desirable female he’d ever laid eyes on for their fated mate. Pity, for any male who will try to lay claim to her again. Sheer joy, as he imagined what their future might hold for them. And then stark fear, as only the Goddess knew, Alak had never before had so much to lose as he did right in this moment.
“I can almost hear you thinking, brother.” Aeron’s quiet voice interrupted the chaos swirling in Alak’s mind. “It’s all quite overwhelming, isn’t it? The connection and the emotions that come with it.”
“It is,” he answered, relieved that as always, he had his brother there to navigate this new adventure alongside him. “Part of me just wants to put our mate some place safe to keep her from any and all threats, but the rational part knows that she would string us up if we ever even suggested it.” A quiet laugh fell from his lips. “It appears I can be trained after all. Won’t our little kitten be pleased with herself?”
The answering smile on his brother’s face was filled with a joy he’d not seen in Aeron since they were children, and it warmed his own heart to see it.
“We will keep her safe, brother,” Aeron stated simply, and with absolute confidence. “Together, we will keep her safe and serve our Goddess both. Now try to get some rest.”
Aeron and Alak had always known from a young age that they were destined to speak for the Goddess and serve her in all things. Their lives had always been so driven, their path so clear. But this new danger ahead, these dark abominations who were selling their dangerous wares to unscrupulous souls, this was uncharted territory for them. They were in unfamiliar surroundings, on a likely very dangerous mission, with the most precious gift they’d ever been given. The three of them needed to be as one cohesive unit, not battling amongst each other, and he vowed to himself that he would try his best to see his beautiful mate’s point of view from now on before losing his temper.
Well … most of the time anyway, he thought as a smile broke across his face and he remembered the explosive start to their evening. There certainly was something to be said for arguing with their feisty mate. The expression he’d overheard Corrine and April giggling about in the kitchen one day, suddenly came to mind—make-up sex was the hottest sex. He certainly understood what they meant by that now.
Chapter Thirteen
“What in the name of our righteous Goddess is that smell?”
Katrina grinned at the tone in Alak’s voice. Equal parts horror and disgust and she couldn’t blame him. “That would be our destination.” Kat laughed when both her men grimaced with distaste.
The three of them had roused early this morning, and Kat couldn’t help the shiver of pleasure that rolled through her at how they had started the day. Her men had reached for her, as hungry for another taste of her as she was for them. It had taken an impressive amount of willpower from all three of them to actually get up out of the bed and prepare for the day.
They were heading for the heart of the hyena clan, and Kat was determined that by the end of the day, she would have had a conversation with Melanie that would have them a little closer to finding Nyx and Zayden, not to mention figuring out what the hell was going on with this black magic market selling Underfae weaponry.
“Do these creatures have no sense of smell?” Aeron spoke with a slight lisp as if he were forcing himself to breathe only through his mouth.
Katrina turned the last corner, leading the three of them deeper into the convoluted alleyways in a highly industrial area of Detroit. The path would eventually bring them to the hyena clan’s den.
“Much like their natural counterparts, shifter hyenas prefer to live in dens with multiple entries and exits,” Katrina said as she continued to sweep her gaze over the surrounding rooftops, knowing that there would be sentries posted at all access points. Her men—her men!—might be doing their Dark Fae thing and hiding their approach from anyone looking in their direction, but old habits were hard to stop. “It makes it hard for them to be attacked, and would involve whoever came at them spreading their own resources thin to cover them all.”
“That all makes sense, my mate, but why does it smell like a khëndran has died here three weeks ago and left to rot in the sun?”
Kat laughed at the colorful yet accurate picture Alak painted. “Of all the shifters in this world, hyenas tend to live much like their wild relatives do. In this case, they mark their territories by depositing a very strong-smelling substance produced in their anal glands around the area. It not only marks it as their boundary, but it messes with every other animal’s sense of smell, making it damn near impossible to determine how many of them might be in the den at any one time.” Katrina had dropped her voice, not wanting to give them away.
“You can speak freely, mate,” Aeron said with a small smile, and Kat wondered if he enjoyed calling her that as much as she enjoyed hearing it. “I have shielded us completely from the outside world. No one in this den will know that we are there until such time as you wish it to be so.”
Katrina sighed. Her mates were such badasses. The three continued into the den, walking past two women and one man posted at the entrance, all of them on high alert, but having no clue that they’d just walked casually past them and into the heart of their home. The smell and atmosphere changed completely once they were inside the complex—clean, with the hint of something baking in the air, and they heard the sound of children playing nearby.
“They all live together in this den,” Kat said in a voice still lowered despite Aeron’s assurances. “All who swear fealty to the dominant female will live with her protection within these walls. So different from my pard.”
“How so?” Alak queried as they continued further into the den.
“Cougars are a solitary breed. We guard our independence fiercely, but mess with one of us and you’ll get the whole damn lot of us prepared to bury our foot up your ass.”
Alak and Aeron both laughed at the colorful picture she painted, but it was nothing but the truth. Solitary her pard might be, but they were fiercely protective of one another. They rounded the corner of a long hallway and entered into what appeared to be a large central meeting space. The area was circular with seating that curved right around the room and dropped down into a central well. There had to be at least fifteen levels of seating, with six separate aisles that led down to the bottom of the room where a large dais sat.
There were currently a handful of adult shifters all standing down on the dais talking about training plans from what Kat could tell. Despite the fact that there were females and males in the group, some of whom were huge and simply screamed dominance, there was only one that held the aura of an Alpha. The female at the center of it all had to be Melanie. Katrina saw her entire being freeze as
if alerted to something. When the Alpha made a suddenly guttural noise deep, the others all spun outwards looking for whatever danger she had sensed. Two of the larger males ran up the closest stairs, no doubt to warn the others, and lock down the children in the den.
“Interesting,” Aeron remarked as he watched the action intently. “The Alpha must have a thread of psychic ability for her to sense that we might be near. It is strong enough that she has a natural shield that makes it impossible for me to read her mind.”
Kat sent him a pointed look. “You mean to tell me, all high and mighty Dorum, that a hyena shifter is able to sense your Dark Fae magic and block it? Perhaps you are not as all powerful and dominant as you say you are.”
Aeron shot her a quick hot grin. “Oh, mate, so you need another lesson on just how powerful and dominant I am? Once we are out of this den with the information we need, I will be only too willing to reeducate you.”
Alak reached out to wrap his hand in her ponytail and pulled her hair back, making her moan as sparks of heat and desire burst within her. “And that will go double for me.”
Katrina purred, letting both of them know that she was more than open to that idea. When they both stepped closer to her, she could sense their heightened arousal down the newly formed bond between them, and knew she was very close to being fucked in a super-secret psychic bubble in the middle of a hyena den. She’d always thought she might like a little danger of getting caught spice added to her sex life, but now was not the time.
“Not now,” Kat said in a voice filled with promise and sin. “Let’s get this conversation over with first, and then we can get right on that.”
Both men gave her hot looks that clearly said they would be holding her to that promise. Alak released her hair, and the three of them stepped closer to the dais.
“How would you like to proceed, Katrina?”
She jolted in surprise at Alak’s question. That was the first time he had ever deferred their next move to her, and she found that just as arousing as when he pulled her hair.
“Are you able to hold the rest of these shifters immobile and block anyone else coming into the area while I have a conversation with Melanie?” Kat asked, a plan forming quickly.
“Yes,” both men answered, and Kat got the feeling the request would not cost them much.
“Okay then, you guys do your mind meld thing, and I’ll see if I can’t get Melanie to share a little information with the rest of the class.” Kat turned and winked at her men over her shoulder. “I have a certain way with people.”
She left off the part where it usually took a beating or perhaps some explicit and detailed threatening, but she always managed to get the information she was looking for. After all, despite being mated, a woman loved to have an air of mystery about her.
Chapter Fourteen
Alak knew by now that whenever his mate said she wanted to talk to someone that things usually ended up bloody. What he couldn’t for the life of him explain was why he found that particular trait rather charming about her. Katrina was such a delicious bundle of contradictions. She was absolutely stunning to look at, a true picture of feminine beauty, but Goddess help anyone who treated her like a delicate flower. She had the mouth and attitude to rival any hardened warrior he’d ever met.
He didn’t know what to expect from the hyena matriarch. These hyena shifters seemed very different from the wolves, cougars, and bears he’d met so far, and he didn’t trust them one bit. Alak concentrated on the barrier they would need, whispering a spell that had the other hyenas distancing themselves from the female before he merged his magic with Aeron’s and the barrier was complete, locking Melanie alone inside with them. He was impressed that her senses picked up on their presence at all since most beings didn’t feel Fae magic until it was already too late.
“What is going on?” the female barked out as she frantically looked around to her people, who were now all staring blankly into space, frozen for the time being.
“We’re just here to talk, Melanie.” Katrina stepped forward with her hands raised, revealing herself, and Alak followed suit behind her, not trusting the woman’s reaction.
If she was shocked, he couldn’t tell. Melanie’s eyes only narrowed in suspicion towards Katrina, but when she saw Aeron and Alak, she hissed, sharp claws extending from her finger tips. “I know what you are, Dark Ones. How dare you bring these beings into my den.”
“You have seen our kind before then?” Aeron asked.
“I’ve seen more than I ever wanted to, and the memories will haunt me until I die,” she answered before turning back to Katrina. “What do you want, feline? The cougars have no foothold in my city.”
“We’re here for information only, Melanie. Dunc told me that you had dealt with Zayden and might know where he’s getting his weapons from.”
Melanie’s expression changed then from outright rage to curious and somewhat appraising.
“Ah, I know who you are now, little kitty,” she said, her voice raspy, and a little on the masculine side for Alak’s taste. “My, my, you are a sneaky bitch, aren’t you? I can almost see why my brother is so infatuated with you now. You look like a typical prissy cat, yet you come and fight at the arena for sport. You come onto my territory, bold as you please, using Fae magic like it’s going out of style. I hear that you are Beta in your pard, is that correct?”
“I am.”
“And who are these males you have with you? Are they your pets?” She paused briefly, and then her lips twitched. “Or are you theirs?”
Alak really didn’t care for the way this Melanie was looking at him or Katrina at this point. She had a carnal interest in her gaze that did not seem too particular as to where it landed.
“They are my mates, so keep your eyes off my property, bitch,” Katrina growled in response.
He could feel Aeron’s amusement through their link, and Alak tried to stifle his own pleasure at her fierce defense of their virtue. Their mate was so adorable when she was jealous.
“Feisty, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea. Now why don’t you tell us about this underground market that Zayden took you to so we can be on our way and out of your hair,” Katrina pushed on.
Melanie’s bravado evaporated at the mention of Zayden and the mysterious market, which only made Alak more curious. For generations, there had been rumors in their community of what happened to Fae when they reached for power that the Lady Goddess had not granted. To look to the Darkness and to use tainted magic was the ultimate taboo to their people. It was said that when a Fae let the Darkness inside, that it festered like a disease, causing the magic user to devolve into horrific beings. These creatures were known as the Underfae in their folklore, but no Dorum or servant of the Goddess had ever seen one in truth and confirmed their existence. This was no doubt exactly why the Goddess had sent them beyond the Veil in the first place. If these monsters that Melanie was so afraid of were indeed the result of corrupted Fae magic, then it was their responsibility to make certain that this evil was stopped.
“You don’t want to go where I’ve been, cat,” Melanie answered quietly. “To be honest, I wish I’d never given that bastard Zayden the time of day when he spoke of an alliance, but when he told me about the powers he’d seen, my curiosity got the better of me.”
“We need to stop him,” Katrina said, with deadly intent in her voice. “He’s insane … but, I think you know that already.”
“Oh, yes I know that,” Melanie replied, her dry laugh betraying her anxiety, “but I won’t drag my people into a war with a maniac like Zayden … and those … things he has made bargains with to get weapons. They were horrific. He left two of his own men behind as payment to those monsters. Sacrifices, he had said. If I hadn’t told him I’d consider his offer, I would have no doubt never made it out of there myself.”
“You are fooling yourself if you think by ignoring this you will keep your people safe, Melanie.” Katrina’s tone softened. “Ga
be and Braxas are going to do everything in their power to find Zayden and stop him, but we need to know what we’re up against. We need to get to that market. This war, when it starts … there won’t be any escaping it, and Zayden won’t let you stay out of it. It’s time to pick a side, Alpha.”
Alak could sense the shifters around them fighting to break free, and he felt the strain to contain them just as much as he was sure Aeron did. He wanted to urge Katrina to talk faster, but he had a feeling Melanie would not appreciate any male interference. They stood in silence for several minutes. He could see the indecision warring behind in Melanie’s eyes, and then finally, she nodded.
“Fine, I will tell you what I know, and how to get there, but I won’t go near it again, not for anyone.” Her last words ended on a whisper. Once again, she schooled her features into her earlier bravado. “The tiger called it the Shadow Market, and the kicker is that it’s right in the heart of your Alpha’s territory. The entrance is in Stanley Park, but when you pass through the gate, it takes you through some kind of portal. I’ve never felt anything like it, but I could tell from the scents around me that we were no longer in Vancouver.”
“They must have somehow created another Veil portal, one we couldn’t sense existed,” Aeron murmured.
“Veil?” Melanie’s sharp eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
“It’s the space that separates the Fae realm from the human realm,” Alak explained. “What did you see on the other side?”
“It was very dark, so not much at first. We were in some kind of caves, or tunnels. I can’t be sure, but we walked for almost an hour before we came to another doorway, which was guarded by an enormous creature … a cross between a giant and a rhinoceros, and it smelled almost as bad as it looked, like it was rotting from the inside out.”
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