“Oh god Jeremy, the fault is not yours it's mine. I know that I’ve misjudged you over and over. Now I am causing you pain. Forgive me and allow me the chance to prove to you that I can be a good person and a good mate.”
The moment the words were out of my mouth I watched Jeremy's chest move up and down and I knew he stopped holding his breath. I blinked back my tears and moved closer to him. I wanted to ask Jeremy if he could hold me but just as I opened my mouth to say the words a woman burst from the jungle and flung herself over the edge towards Jeremy and me. She was screaming like the devil himself was chasing after her.
I watched her arms and legs flail around as she floundered through the air. Her long black hair was swinging around as wildly as the rest of her body. Midair she shimmered and I watched as her body shifted into a beautiful white tiger. I gasped in shock as the huge magnificent cat plunged into the water directly in front of Jeremy and me. The cat roared loudly and moved itself between Jeremy and myself. I watched Jeremy reach out and place his hands on the cat’s flanks then if I had to guess I would say they had a conversation in each other minds. Whatever they said it must have been important because the cat took off towards the other side of the river where there was an embankment leading back into the jungle. I looked at Jeremy questionably before Jeremy smiled and said.
“She’s in heat and being chased by her true mate. It is amazing Laura, my people are finding their true mates again. Our women are going into heat and calling their true mates from all over the world to them.”
Jeremy's words were filled with such wonder and amazement. I could tell the fact that his people were healing pleased him immensely. He smiled brightly at me in acknowledgment of my part in their healing. Then his expression changed from wonder to desire. Jeremy's face ever so slowly lowered to mine and I knew he was going to press his lips to mine. I felt my eyelids flutter and my heart pound in my chest in anticipation. For just a single heartbeat the world stopped. I felt like I’d waited my entire life for this moment. Hell who was I kidding? I did wait my entire life for this very moment. My first kiss.
Jeremy's lips were so warm and soft and they made my lips tingle in pure pleasure. I wanted to drown myself in the sensations that were exploding through my body. I felt my soul gently and calmly flicker out from me and lightly and softly touch Jeremy’s soul. The touching of our lips and our souls sent pure erotic delight bursting through every single cell of my body. I couldn't stop a small moan of pleasure from escaping my throat as my soul was singing in pure joy. I wanted to get closer to my beloved. I wanted to wrap myself in Jeremy's arms and revel in the sheer pleasure of him being within mine. I slowly lifted my arms from my sides with the intention of wrapping them around Jeremy's back.
Suddenly instead of reveling in our wonderful kiss I was submerged underwater sputtering to figure out what the hell happened. I felt Jeremy’s arm slip under my arm and pull me back to the surface. I came up coughing and splashing. I wanted to shout 'What the hell' but the words froze in my throat as I realized I was face to face with a very large and very angry male lion. I swallowed hard and swan back just a little. As I moved away from the lion Jeremy moved toward the lion and placed himself in the spot my body used to occupy. Jeremy reached out and placed his hand on the lion just as he'd done with the white tiger earlier. I assumed like the female tiger Jeremy was having a mind conversation.
I found myself thinking that perhaps this was the mate of the female tiger. He was probably chasing her through the jungle in an attempt to show her his worth. I learned a little about the mating process from Rena and I couldn't stop a small smile from blossoming on my face. I watched Jeremy with the lion and found myself relaxing despite the fact that the lion seemed to continue to be angry. Then without any indication the lion attacked. It lunged for Jeremy’s throat and it was clear in its intent to kill. I didn’t think. My instincts took over and I just reacted. My beloved was being attacked and as an alpha wolf it was my duty to protect him at all costs.
I moved forward and threw Jeremy clear to the other side of the river. My wolf howled in approval as we faced off with the huge lion. My wolf wanted control, but I had no intention of shifting. I was stronger utilizing my vampire skills. Besides, I learned a long ago how to allow my wolf to guide my fighting even in human form. I was a trained killer. I was quite possibly one of the best to currently walk the earth. My brother Liam and I dedicated years of our lives honing our fighting skills. In some respects I was even better than my brother Liam because I learned to use my wolf’s intuition and gifts while taking full advantage of my vampire strength. I reached into myself and allowed my wolf’s persona to take over. Then I launched myself at the lion.
CHAPTER 11
Chase’s POV
(Chase is the Regent to Leo Jeremy. A regent is second in command of a Bastet Pride)
“Yes my queen I understand. I will find Leo Jeremy and have him call you at once. Should I let him know you intend for the prince and princess to stay with our pride for the entire weekend?”
I paused and allowed my queen to answer my question.
“No, I don’t think so. Just tell him to call me and make sure you start to secure your camp. I want to tell Jeremy myself.”
There was a long pause where I wondered if Queen Renalda hung up and was just about to say ask when she started speaking again
“Thank you Regent Chase for your assistance. I really appreciate you taking the time to speak with me and allowing me to bounce the ideas off of you. My mate Micah is not really happy about the children staying outside of our pride. Micah’s just concerned for their safety and health. Thank you for convincing me that I am making the right decision. My mate Micah and I will bring the kids first thing tomorrow morning. I look forward to meeting you and your mate Jenna while I’m there. Perhaps I will even request Laura to join us so that you and Jenna can also drink some of Laura's healing blood. Goodbye for now.”
I hung up the phone and smiled to myself rethinking the conversation. I was honestly both pleased and proud that our queen reached out to me in my Leo’s absence. I could remember Queen Renalda's parents and neither of them were very gracious or compassionate. They both thought of the common Bastet as little more than fodder. They rarely ever took the time to speak to anyone lower than a Leo. When they did it was to give orders not to converse as equals.
If that had been her birth mother or father they would just command me to find Jeremy and have him report back to them. Queen Renalda was not anything like her birth mother or father. She spoke to everyone as equals. She allowed people to be in her presence and actually cared about their concerns. She seemed compassionate and humane. I believed she could help restore the Bastet race and culture back to our former grace. I called out to my mate Jenna and told her about the conversation.
Jenna is my chosen partner not my true mate. Like most Bastet neither Jenna nor I ever found our true mate. We decided when we were younger than we got along well together and eventually became exclusive. After a time we just started referring to each other as mates. We’ve never done anything official and we’ve never blood bonded.
I can almost recall the conversation like it was yesterday that Jenna and I had about blood bonding. In the end she was the one who convinced me not to. Jenna was just positive that someday her true mate would find her and she didn’t want to hurt me or worse have me die when she broke our bond. Besides the real reason to blood bond would have been to conceive children, however since I was born sterile and Jenna suffered a severe injury that left her infertile having children wasn’t an issue.
Now, I've begun to think that Jenna was right. Jenna and I just might find our true mates and since we were smart and chose not blood bond it will be easier for us to say goodbye to each other. Recently with the healing, many Bastet have suddenly found their true mates. Chaos is breaking out all over the place. Since so many of our people were foolish and chose to blood bond to partners who were not their true mates they are now stru
ggling to break those bonds. The queen of course can decree any bond to be broken and both parties can survive. But recently I heard of a couple who forced the break and allowed a perfectly healthy Bastet female to die simply so he could selfishly bond with his true mate.
There's been some good from the healing but there has also been some bad. Anytime things change too quickly there is a high risk of problems. For that reason, I've chosen not to take the healing hybrid blood. I want to make sure that I am here for my Leo as an enforcer and a true Regent until our Bastet pride has settled in. Just today a new male lion showed up claiming one of our Bastet pride as his true mate. He’s a Leo to a neighboring Bastet pride and was hell bent on bonding and mating with Amanda immediately. The Leo brought several members of his pride with him to ensure that no one stopped him from claiming his mate.
Like most Leo's he was very verbal and aggressive to me and most of the males in our pride. Part of it was his own fault. The other part was nature. It was hard for a Leo since they are insanely possessive. Plus, Amanda went into heat. Hell she was driving everyone just a little crazy. I could see the Leo was doing his best. He was having on hell of a hard time keeping his hormones under wrap. Thank god Amanda wasn't blood bonded to anyone because it was clear that if she was blood bonded this Leo would forcibly break the bond if necessary.
I took a breath of relief just thinking about how much worse it could have gone. If Jeremy and the Leo had started fighting they would have been forced to fight to the death. Their beasts would have driven them to it. No way out. Nothing and no one could have stopped them. It’s an instinct that can’t be changed. It’s the rule of Leo. Once they start it can’t be stopped until one of them is dead. Jeremy however made sure to stay away from the Leo. He recognized that the guy was out of control the moment he spotted him. Right away Jeremy determined that nothing good could come from the two of them being in the same space.
Jeremy was very clear that he wanted to avoid a fight with the neighboring Leo lion at all costs. Jeremy told me through our mind link to make sure I took the lead and kept the Leo away from him. Then Jeremy took off for some quiet time in the woods. My partner Jenna popped her head out of our hut and smiled at me. I moved towards her and started blurting out everything as fast as I could since I knew I would need to find Jeremy.
“Jenna, I have amazing news. I personally just spoke with Queen Renalda on the phone. She said her and her mate Micah are bringing Leo Jeremy’s cubs here tomorrow morning. She intends to have the cubs stay with him in our pride for the entire weekend. You see Jenna; she’s nothing like her real parents. Maybe we can take the cure and find our mates. Let’s chat when I get back. I have to go tell Jeremy the good news.”
I looked at Jenna’s face and could see the amazement clearly written in her expression then she pulled me close and whispered into my ear
“Maybe, she really is different than her mother or maybe she’s just more cleaver. You know how I feel about the royals. It was her mother Queen Kiara who gave me the scars on my face and stole my womb. Queen Kiara did it to spite me out of jealousy. I spit on her and her mate’s grave when they died. It was a great relief to have the royal bond with my cougar broken. I do not relish the idea of swearing and oath to a new queen. No matter what you say or how she acts I'm just not ready. I will go away and visit my brothers Bastet pride for a while and seek out my heart’s desire. I need to figure out if I can risk taking the cure and pledging to the new queen.”
Jenna pushed me away and waited for me to accept her decision. I tossed the idea around in my head and decided that it might be best for Jenna to stay away for a little while. Jenna was a good soul deep down but she was angry and still very prejudiced against the royals. It wasn’t that her feelings were unfounded. Jenna like so many others had been abused and misused by the previous royals. I couldn’t blame Jenna for being cautious. I nodded at her and placed a small kiss on her cheek. Then I said
“I do love you Jenna. You have been my partner for many years now and I’ve grown accustomed to being with you. There is a huge part of me that hopes when we are healed we will find we are true mates. But even if we are not, you will always hold a very special place in my heart. Be safe and say hello to your brother for me”
CHAPTER 12
Micah’s POV
(Micah is a Vampire and the true mate/beloved of Queen Renalda/Rena)
Rena was so excited she was talking and flashing images into my mind at the same time. Her hands were bouncing up and down and her voice was at an excitable shrill tone. I couldn’t stop the huge smile from blossoming on my face. I loved everything about Rena. She's perfect in every way possible. I loved being in a room with her when something new clicks and all the lights go on. It was clear from Rena's tone and her body language that something new clicked today.
Sometimes it was hard to believe that my beloved grew up in a jungle with a wild cat for a mentor. When I met Rena not more than a year ago she was completely incapable of speaking a human language. We communicated solely through our minds and images. Human concepts were difficult for my beloved to grasp. Then with the healing blood of the hybrid something deep within Rena's DNA was awoken. With that memories of all the ancient kings of queen flooded into Rena's mind. She now possessed the knowledge of a thousand Bastet lifetimes.
They came to Rena through her royal and ancient DNA. It was like a hidden treasure chest being found and opened. Thankfully, not everything became clear all at once. The more important information came through first. Sometimes like today when things clicked Rena behaved like a small child that just tasted chocolate for the first time. I loved that more than anything. Rena was a kind, compassionate and completely modest woman.
I pulled Rena closer to me and started to nibble on her ear as I listened. Rena was hell bent on playing matchmaker. Right now, she felt the need to tell me in great detail how she was going to fix my Aunt Laura and her former blood mate Jeremy's relationship. Rena is convinced that she is partially to blame for their current state of affairs based on her theory of Bastet hierarchy. I smiled and tried to focus on her words
“So what I'm trying to say is. I think Laura’s human side is more than ready to listen to the truth about what happened. I even think she could forgive Jeremy for what happened between us and the babies. I think the real problem is Laura’s wolf.”
I couldn’t stop myself from shrugging. The truth was, a small part of me wanted to shut down the idea without even listening. Like my aunt Laura I wanted to behave like a mature adult and absolutely forgive Jeremy for his part in the pain that was inflicted on my beloved but I still had a very hard time being in the same vicinity as him. At times when Rena spoke to the cubs about their birth father Jeremy, I can’t stop my skin from crawling. It drives me just a little crazy thinking about how I found her and knowing that he’d forced himself on her. I know that Jeremy too was forced to do it and was just as much of a victim but still. I pushed my thoughts about Jeremy aside and concentrated on Rena’s voice
“It’s as if Laura is developing a mental disorder like a split personality of sorts. Here vampire and wolf are at odds. Her wolf is stubborn and continues to insist that Jeremy couldn’t possibly be its true mate. I disagree. I think they are true mates in every way. I even think that Jeremy’s cat is willing to fake dominance and allow Laura’s wolf to dominate him. That’s why I’m positive their beasts are true mates. You agree with me don’t you Micah?”
Rena paused and gave me a tiny unsure smile. I mumbled a yup then continued to nip at her neck. Rena cleared her throat then said
“Okay then, our job is to somehow convince Laura's stubborn pig headed wolf.”
I stopped nibbling on Rena's neck and pulled back enough to see my beloved's face before I said
“Rena honey, time will take care of that. If that’s what has you worried just relax and let nature take its course.”
Rena winced and put her hands in her lap. I could feel tension and concern come off my belove
d in waves. I raise my left eyebrow and questioned her
“Rena? What do you know that you haven’t told me yet?”
My words caused Rena to wince again before she said
“Well we’re running out of time. Yesterday Laura told me she decided to move on. Laura wants me to make calls on her behalf and make arrangements for her to visit other Bastet prides. She thinks she can travel around healing packs. Laura even laughingly calls herself the Healing Hybrid”.
I could tell that the whole situation was making Rena unhappy. Why was that confusing me? I understood that Rena was a kind caring person but I was surprised by the level of concern and regret she was feeling emotionally. As her beloved I could feel everything my beloved felt. Despite the fact that Rena was the queen of Bastet and shifted into a beautiful leopard at our core we were a fully blooded vampire couple. As a blooded couple our souls were connected and we shared our emotions.
Shredded Bonds, a Blood Ties Novel, Book 4 Page 6