“You will never offer your body in exchange for anything,” I snarled into her ear. When she tried to kick backward, I lifted her off her feet.
“Who do you think you are, my father?” She continued twisting, but it did her no good.
“I’m your alpha and don’t ever forget that. You are a cat, my enemy.”
“Then why the hell are you alpha of a group of cats you moron?”
“Cats killed my mate and it’s with great restraint that I don’t kill each and every one of you.”
She didn’t stop wiggling. “I know the story. A vampire killed your mate. I don’t see you threatening vampires.” Her head shot back, but I was ready this time and leaned back enough to avoid a sore nose.
I jerked her upward, twisting again, and took her to the ground. I landed on top as all the breath left her lungs. My one hand went to her hair and pulled so I controlled her head. “You know nothing. I could kill you and your friends as easily as I breathe. Your kind means nothing to me. A vampire killed my mate, but she led the cats and they freely followed. At least the vampire had the excuse of being insane.”
The small amount of air left in her chest didn’t stop her from laughing. “It’s you who are insane, wolf. My friends live because of the vampire. You told me he made the decisions. If you don’t want my body, what is your price?”
I left her on the ground as I stood. “When you think you’re strong enough, challenge. Then I have the right to kill you regardless of The Moor. Until then, stay away from me.” I had to leave quickly. My wolf howled inside my head and scratched my insides. Her breasts had pushed against my chest, driving my wolf mad with need.
It would never happen. Somehow I had to get around the mating bond and killing her might be the only way to do it. I ran more than a mile before shifting. My wolf was too angry and I couldn’t allow him out until her scent faded. Unfortunately, I smelled her on my skin. Night swimming was unwise, but I didn’t care. A nice fight with an alligator was just what I needed. I leapt into the water on four legs, but didn’t get the full effect with all my fur. I shifted and dove beneath the murky depths in search of that fight.
Nothing. It was like they sensed I was the bigger predator and stayed away. I dragged myself out of the cool water and went in search of a place to sleep. I’d be damned if I would stay anywhere near our growing clan. I had decisions to make. I needed to leave. Hell, Talya was alpha and she could have the pack, or I guess if she took over, it would be a pride. I would go back to South America and kill any surviving cats I came across. Fuck the vampires. My death wish would come sooner without them.
I made my way into the center of a cypress grove and climbed the largest tree. I found an uncomfortable perch and leaned into the cool wood.
“What would you have me do, Alba?” I said into the night.
Of course she didn’t answer. I would probably fall out of the tree if she had. I so needed to hear her voice and run my fingers through her thick fur. I would give anything to have her nip my hind quarters because I pissed her off over something trivial.
Eventually my wolf settled. Thoughts of Alba brought back the sadness my wolf and I had lived with for so long. We both mourned now. As it should be.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Talya
They gave Cecily one of two beds inside one of the small cabins. The baby and her mother had the other bed. Cecily and the children slept, but I sensed the others were awake. There were mats covering the floor. The one beside Rondy was empty. I walked between everyone and lay down next to him. It was strange because my first impulse was to drag my mat as far away from Rondy as I could get. A ridiculous thought that made no sense.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
I guess it was hard for humans to understand beastkind hearing. “I’m fine, but whispering does no good. Only the children and Cecily are asleep.”
“I was being polite.”
That had me giggling and relaxing a little at his nearness. “Did Cecily stay out of trouble after I left?”
Humor laced through his words, “Of course not. She wanted to see the vampire drink blood, but he drew the line and told her she should have better manners at her age.”
“I bet that went over well.”
Now he laughed softly. “Surprised the hell out of me because she apologized.”
I was close to having a giggling fit. “She always does the unexpected.”
“At least she didn’t pass out this time, but I almost did. What else have you kept hidden from us?”
I had to think about answering for a moment, but then decided it no longer mattered. “Bears.”
“Hmm, care bears. Okay, I’m good. What about alligator shifters? Should I be concerned?” He took my hand, his fingers giving mine a gentle squeeze.
My insides froze and revulsion sent chills across my skin. What the hell was wrong with me? I loved Rondy so much. He was the brother I lost. I had to shake my head to clear the need to run away from him. I thought about what I loved about him most. For a human he was incredibly loyal. Not that I knew many humans to compare him to, but I did know he was special. So was Cecily. On rare occasions, humans mated with beastkind. Not true mating, but they fell in love and were accepted by the clans. Well, wolf clans. I’d never heard of the bears doing it. The cats used the human females to breed and the women never lived long after their job was done. That was the world I grew up in. The only one I knew existed until a few years ago.
I closed my eyes and settled farther into the mat, fighting the need to remove my hand from his. The wolf refused my offer. I didn’t understand. His growl when Rondy held my hand earlier gave a different signal than one of refusal. After meeting Becca, her mate was off limits too. Yes, she was gentle, but I had no illusions that she wouldn’t kill me if I propositioned her mate.
What was Ivan’s game?
“You sleeping?”
“No.”
“Get some sleep and I’ll take the first watch.”
That was laughable, but he meant it. “Deal, but don’t let the weregators get you.”
“Yeah, you laugh now, but I’m betting there are some and you’re just waiting to surprise me.”
“Could be,” His hand slipped from mine and I instantly felt better. What the heck was going on? I was too sleepy to try and figure it out.
Hours later, a gentle touch on my shoulder had my eyes snapping open.
“My mate wishes to speak with you.” It was Becca.
Rondy snored softly and Cecily not so quietly. I followed Becca to the other cabin. Ivan wasn’t inside, but the vampire waited at their table with a bottle of wine and two glasses. I almost told him I wasn’t old enough to drink, but decided to keep my mouth shut for once. He motioned to the chair across from him and I sat. Becca took the seat between us.
He poured wine into the glasses and handed one to me and one to Becca.
Becca lifted her glass and tipped it slightly toward me until I lifted mine, clinking hers. “It’s a religious conviction he was raised with and he’s never grown past it,” she said before taking a sip. I guessed she meant him not drinking.
I sipped from my glass. I liked wine. Not that I drank it often, but I enjoyed it the few times I had.
“How did you make it to Florida?” The Moor asked.
His voice was firm but kind. The question didn’t sound like a command, though I knew it was. So I told my story. The truth. All of it. I still worried for Cecily and Rondy; hiding how I felt about them wouldn’t help. He asked a few questions so I would clarify, but mostly he let me speak until I ended with our arrival here.
“According to pack law, you are too young to mate,” he stated.
Whoa, that came out of nowhere. “According to pack law I shouldn’t be here at all. It’s sex they restrict and that was taken from me during my years with the cats. Cats don’t hold with the same age restrictions as wolves and bears. Most cats have no age restrictions.”
Becca laid her hand ten
tatively on mine and I could see she half expected me to jerk away. I didn’t. Her flesh was warm and I guessed she’d eaten before everyone settled down. When Vorlyk fed from me, lethargy filled my body and brought peace to my soul. It was like a drug and I missed it. The bond of beastkind and vampire strengthened us both. It kept beastkind from aging and gave the vampires many times more strength than human blood. I sucked in a breath as homesickness settled in.
“So you feel the age restriction is unimportant?” His words startled me.
What was going on here? “It’s a moot point.”
Becca spoke before her mate could respond. “Here, your body is your own. You will never be forced to do anything against your will. The age restriction is unimportant to us because you are a woman. If a male touches you in an undesirable way, we will kill him.” Becca’s eyes showed a touch of amber, which signified her resolve. She meant it and I had a glimpse at the deadly vampire she truly was.
“I worry for my friends. None of this is their fault. What can I do to ensure their safety?” I didn’t think they would understand the timing of my question, but The Moor picked up on it.
“Sex in exchange for your friends’ lives would be forced and won’t be tolerated. They are safe here with us. Ivan respects them, and after my shin took a beating I understand why.”
I hadn’t had enough wine to fall off my chair, but it almost didn’t matter. I removed my hand from beneath Becca’s and quickly gulped the remainder of my drink. The Moor lifted the bottle and I nodded my head and moved my glass closer.
He waited to speak until I took another swallow. “Your clan wants you back.”
Derision filled my laugh. “That’s not true. I made their life a living hell. I tried to kill my friend, steal her mate and made a fool of myself in the process. They are well rid of me.”
“Every clan was told to look for you. Your words don’t match their concern.”
“Maybe they want me dead.” Pain filled me. I’d tried to keep that thought buried, but it was possible. More than possible.
“You are safe here, but I don’t believe they want you dead. Have you contacted Nicolas or his mate since leaving?”
So many times I wanted to. “No. I’m not even sure if the link exists now. I haven’t felt any calls from them in weeks.”
The Moor’s eyes gazed intently into mine. “You may claim my clan as yours. Nicolas won’t like it due to your age, but it is not a factor here. As mine, you would have my full protection.”
“And mine.” Becca’s eyes were just as intent.
There was something I was missing and my cat knew it too. “Besides the added benefit of a one-armed cat, and two humans, why would you possibly care?”
“You’re alpha. We need you.”
Shit. I pushed back my chair.
“Stay seated.”
I’d risen a few inches and my butt plopped back down. My cat clawed inside me because she didn’t like being ordered around. My human brain knew with a vampire I had no choice. “How did you know?”
Both vampires smiled. The Moor answered. “It leaks from your very pores. The cats sense it too, but I think it confuses them. Did your clan know what you try to hide?”
Wow. My power soared. Not in an intimidating way, but in a way I’d always held back. It felt so good, and Becca’s smile widened. “I’m not strong. I have no chance of challenging Ivan and surviving.”
Now The Moor laughed full out. He shook his head while speaking between guffaws. “You need several hundred more years under your belt before attempting it.” His smile remained when he gave a quick glance to his mate and then returned his gaze to me. “The women here need you. They need to see that they are not helpless. You bring strength, your old woman brings calm, and your boy brings bravery.”
My mind settled on one observation because it didn’t make sense. “I don’t understand. Cecily brings everything but calm.”
The Moor’s eyes lit up. “There you are wrong. She is a tamer of beasts and I haven’t seen one in hundreds of years. Your cat should react and feel soothed when she is near. Centuries ago, beastkind destroyed any they discovered. It’s rumored they can bring a feral beast back from the brink of insanity.”
It had to be the alcohol. My mind was sorting through his words but making no sense of them. I remembered meeting Cecily and my cat instantly attaching itself to her. I loved the simple sound of her voice even when she complained. She made me laugh. The Moor was right—Cecily soothed my beast. Holy shit.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ivan
Everything hurt. I was too damn old to sleep in a tree. The snake I threw to the ground minutes after falling asleep would agree. Vampire sucking machines called mosquitoes used me as their banquet. I was grumpy, aching, and hungry.
I walked back to my temporary home with my usual disdain. It went unnoticed. The normal eye shifting while the owner of those eyes pretended to be invisible didn’t happen. None of the usual fear wafted through the air. Even Jasper, jumping up and down with excitement, completely ignored me. I wasn’t an idiot and could see they were gathering their belongings.
I entered The Moor’s cabin and there he was, sitting at his table, waiting for me with a plate of food. He pulled out one of his endless supplies of sweatpants and tossed it my way. I knew the drill—clothes before food. I pulled them on and sat down across from him.
“Something going on I should know about?” I grumbled.
“Eat and I’ll talk.” He knew how to push every button I had, but the food smelled delicious and hunger prevailed over posturing.
“I’ve cancelled the contractors. The main house is livable and we are moving in. Our clan shall finish the work. The electricity is on and we have more than enough hands to complete the job.”
“Humph,” I muttered around a mouthful of food. The quirk on his lips told me he enjoyed my discomfort. I went back to inhaling my food.
“Did you know the old woman, Cecily, is a tamer of beasts?”
That had me lifting my head. I swallowed. “A what?”
“I have no explanation for it, but she calms the beast side of the man or woman. I’m surprised you haven’t heard or run across one when you lived in Europe.”
“Myth.” I took another bite, but didn’t lower my eyes this time.
“Not myth, but I had no idea they still existed.”
I lay down my fork and again swallowed the food in my mouth. “You mean to tell me she controls the beast side of us.” That was the story that went along with the myth.
“No, she will calm your beast when in need, but she controls nothing. If beastkind fight, they can disregard her energy. I don’t know if that would be a good idea, though. Someone might have their ear twisted off.”
He thought he was so funny. But I wasn’t convinced that myth was reality. No, that wasn’t even true. He was full of shit, so I ignored his beast-tamer bullshit. “I’m sure you have plans you want carried out today. Now that I’m the superintendent of a construction site, have two children who could come into contact with falling beams and have their brains knocked out, along with a pack of cats who probably can’t wield a hammer… I’m interested to see what you would like me to accomplish first.”
“Eat your meal. It will be a long day. You’re taking this much better than I expected, so I’ll go easy on you.”
Holding my alpha power back was a lesson in self-preservation. He could be so cocky at times and this was one of them. I finished my meal while listening to the incredibly long list of things he wanted taken care of—today. The Moor and his mate were moving into their new home this evening.
***
The heavy shutters on the top floor were essential. With the help of Mase and Rondy, it was going quicker than I expected. Treson was downstairs helping move heavy items as directed by the old bat. Was there anything that threw that crazy woman off her game? I’d find it if there was.
I could hear her voice all the way up here. I also heard somethi
ng else that hadn’t existed in this territory—laughter. Even Mase and Rondy ignored my sour mood and remained cheerful. It pissed me off more.
Thankfully Talya stayed away from me. I guess if I wasn’t willing to accept sex in trade, she didn’t need me. Hell. I wanted sex, my wolf craved it, but not with her. I needed a human female and Mother Jones the beast tamer wasn’t on my radar. I shivered with revulsion at the thought and Mase gave me an odd look. He turned his head quickly so my wolf wasn’t challenged, but he knew something was up.
Now I laughed under my breath. I woke up in a tree sporting a boner. Not one of my finest moments and it was just one more thing added to the list. The list of reasons why I needed to run like hell.
We took a lunch break and I grabbed my food and entered the tree line. There was no way I’d sit with happy people and eat. I traveled over one-hundred yards into the trees and found a log to rest on. With single-minded purpose, I shoveled the left-over stew into my mouth and reviewed my recent mistakes.
I hadn’t argued with The Moor when he said he wanted a central home that we all shared. I claimed a back room off the kitchen. It had its own outside entrance and bathroom with plenty of space for a king bed. Now I wished I had put my foot down and insisted on detached living quarters. Maybe a state or two away. Would he consider letting me stay in one of the cabins? It was a thought that made my food go down easier.
Before I could review my second mistake, I smelled her approach. My wolf perked up. Talya stopped when she noticed me. I thought she would back away, but she didn’t. Slowly she walked over and sat down on a dry patch of ground about five feet from my log. Two logs actually because my jeans that I’d changed into before beginning construction were suddenly uncomfortable. She was too close and too damn far. Hell.
She pursed her lips like something tasted badly. “I’m sorry for what I did last night.”
Ha! She didn’t look it. There were sparks of defiance in each word. I grunted.
Fang Chronicles: Ivan Page 12