“I’m kind of tired,” she said, putting her head against his seat. “We had a long day.”
“Just one drink.” He put his hands up in an ‘I’m harmless’ manner. “A soda even. Just do me this favor.”
Nodding, Chandra opened her truck door. “Ferran.”
“Yes.”
“Thanks for today. It was nice to see you again.” She meant every word she said. It was good to see the Ferran she remembered again. He hadn’t gone off on any hate tangents or made any sort of snide comments the entire day. Still, she could never love him the way she once had.
“Not a problem,” he said, getting out of the truck.
As Chandra stepped out she stilled as an ominous feeling came over her. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Ferran came around and took her by the elbow. Instinctively, she jerked away from him. The sideways look he cast her set her nerves on edge.
“Ferran, what’s going on?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “We’re stopping at your grandpa’s bar for a drink. I thought that was obvious.”
Ferran opened the door to the bar and music filled the air. It was loud, rhythmic with a definitive Native American vibe to it. Chandra headed in and spotted Grandpa sitting in his usual spot at the bar. He didn’t turn to meet her gaze or acknowledge her at all. That was odd.
Walking in further, Chandra noticed that the place wasn’t packed with its normal crowd. Instead, it was full of Ferran’s buddies. The men who seemed to worship the very ground Ferran walked on. They thought him a savior after the werewolf attacks and agreed with him that the only good werewolf was a dead one.
She licked her lips. Something was off. She just wasn’t sure what it was. “Hi, Grandpa. How was fishing?”
“I didn’t feel much up to it so I didn’t go. Did you have a nice day, Chandra?”
Didn’t feel much up to it? The man had been in waders at the crack of dawn. Chandra eyed her grandfather carefully, unsure what was going on. As she glanced at Ferran’s friends, it hit her that they were the ones listening to the music. The same music Ferran had been so quick to criticize the night before.
“Grandpa?”
Ferran moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She tried to step out of his embrace only to find him pulling her back towards him. “Now, Chan, is that any way to react to my touch?”
“What’s going on?”
“We’ve been over this already, Chandra.” He hugged her tight and pressed his lips against her ear. “I forget, did you want a drink or soda? I know they say alcohol is bad for the baby and all but....”
Chandra froze. Baby? The music. Grandpa not wanting to fish. Her mind raced with it all and her stomach dropped out on her. “Did you hurt him?”
“Hurt who?” Ferran asked, kissing her neck and pressing his body to hers.
“Don’t play games with me, Ferran.” She shoved off him, just barely managing to break his hold on her. “Did you hurt him?”
Lifting his hands in the air, he looked around the bar. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Did you hurt Mason?” she asked, not bothering to mask her fear.
“You’ll have to be more specific,” he tipped his head and stared out through narrow eyes, “after all, I’m a monster now. It’s hard for me to keep track of who I’ve hurt.”
Frantically, Chandra visually searched the bar and found no sign of Mason. “Grandpa, did they hurt Mason?”
“Gildas,” Ferran said, his tone threatening. “I’ll do it.”
“You won’t do a damn thing,” Chandra spat. “Answer my question. Did you hurt Mason?”
He chuckled. “No. I didn’t lay a hand on him. Why is he so important to you?”
She fought to keep her breathing under control but failed. “Mason! Where are you? Mason!”
Ferran’s buddies took turns snickering. Chandra glared at them. “If he’s been harmed in any way, I will personally kill each and every one of you.”
“Chandra,” Grandpa said, finally glancing in her direction. “You can’t do that.”
“Yes, I can. Where is he? You know. Tell me.”
“Gildas.” Ferran pointed at him. “If any soul could take hers, it would be mine.”
“What are you talking about?” She shook her head. “You aren’t dead. I only escort the dead, Ferran. Though, if you harmed Mason, you will beg me for death.”
“Now, Chandra.” He smiled and took a seat as if nothing was out of sorts. “Is that any way to talk to the man you spent the day with? The man you tried to keep from finding out you had another man in your house? The man you tried to hide the fact you’re mated and with child from?”
“I’m not with....” Reaching down, she ran her hand over her lower abdomen and instantly felt sick to her stomach. “Oh gods, Mason wasn’t kidding. I’m ... we’re ... oh gods. What have you done to him?”
Ferran propped his feet up on the table. “The way I see it, you ran out on him the minute you saw an opening. I’m willing to let this go unpunished since it was really just a one-night stand gone horribly wrong. But, I’ll need you to do a little something for me.”
“I won’t let you hurt my baby,” she said, so fast it took even her by surprise.
“Gildas was quick to point out on the phone to me, when he was begging me not to slit your throat while we were out today that the likelihood of you carrying the baby through a battle with a dark spirit is slim.”
“Mason isn’t a dark spirit.” She took another step back in an attempt to get all of the bar’s occupants in her line of sight. “Where is he?”
Ferran folded his hands on his lap and offered up a smug smile. “Funny, you were so fast to run off and leave this Mason character all alone but now you act like you care. Do you care, Chandra?”
“Yes.”
One of Ferran’s friends snorted and Chandra made a mental note to kill him the first chance she got.
“How much do you care, Chan?”
She let her power up. “A lot.”
“Do you love him?” Ferran asked.
She was about to say no but stopped. It was easy to visualize Mason’s brown eyes staring down at her while he smiled. The way he made her feel by simply being in the same room as her was unlike anything she’d ever imagined. He was her Mr. Right—her true mate. “Yes. I love him.”
“That’s a real shame then.” Ferran snapped his fingers and the back entrance to the bar opened. “Bring the piece of shit in.”
Turning, Chandra found three men dragging a lifeless body in. When she realized it was indeed Mason and that he was covered in claw marks, she gasped. “No! Mason. Gods no. I’m sorry. I thought I could lead him away and keep you safe. I thought you’d go.”
“He got a taste of that sweet pussy of yours, Chandra,” Ferran said, appearing behind her suddenly. “No man walks away from that. Trust me on this one.”
Rage consumed her. She spun around and thrust her fist out, catching Ferran’s jaw as she went. His head snapped back and he let out a wicked laugh. “Whoohoo, that’s it, Chan. Come on. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Chandra,” Grandpa said. “He’s baiting you.”
“If he wants me to kill him then he’s going to get his wish.” She kicked out and scored a direct hit to Ferran’s gut. When he made no move to counter or protect himself, she paused.
“What’s wrong, Chandra? Don’t you have it in you to hurt me? Sure you do.” He laughed. “Dig deep. You had no problem leaving me to travel the world. You had no problem shacking up with the very thing that drove us apart—a fucking werewolf!”
“Mason had nothing to do with those attacks and you know it.”
“He’s one of them, Chandra. One of the filthy beasts that have no business living, let alone fucking our women.” He swiped his hand over his mouth and came away with blood. “He even had the nerve to fuck my woman. Then he planted his seed in you, thinking you’d actually bring another one of their kind into this
world.” He snorted. “He’s worse than the ones who came. He actually thinks he’s good enough for you.”
“He’s more than I deserve, Ferran.” Tears threatened to fall but she held them at bay. “Don’t do this. Call your men off. Hurting him won’t get you in my good graces.”
“Don’t you think I’ve figured that out?” he asked, looking every bit the part of the psychopath Mason had referred to him as.
The door to the bar opened and Bertin rushed in. “This has gone far enough, Ferran. Leave her husband alone.”
“You knew?” Ferran asked, glaring at Bertin. “You did, didn’t you? You probably knew the second the bastard walked in that he was Chandra’s mate.”
Bertin nodded. “I did and I also knew he’s a good man. He’ll take care of her and never harm her.”
“He’s an Indian piece of shit werewolf. They don’t come any lower than that.”
Chandra seized hold of a chair and whipped it at Ferran. It cracked over his head and knocked him to the ground. “He is my husband—my mate and the father of my child. You will treat him with respect because he is a better man than you ever were, Ferran!”
She went to finish the job and instantly found herself being wrapped in her grandfather’s magik. It held her in place. “Grandpa, what are you doing? Let go of me. I can’t protect Mason if I’m stuck like this. Let go!”
“Mason is dead, Chandra,” Grandpa said, his voice low. “Do you not feel it?”
“No.” She shook her head. “He’s not dead. I’d know. He’s not dead!”
“Check the bastard for a pulse.” Ferran pushed to his feet and laughed.
“Nothing,” one of his friend’s said as they touched Mason’s neck. “He’s gone. Looks like she was too late to guard his soul.”
“No!” Chandra tried to break free of her grandfather’s hold but couldn’t. Screaming, she thrust her own power out, calling on the spirits for help. It was dangerous in her current state of mind but there was no way she was about to allow Ferran to get away with what he’d done. “Let go of me!”
“No. I will not allow you to put my great grandchild at risk.”
Ferran charged Grandpa and Chandra was powerless to stop him. Bertin stepped to the side just as a flash of white blond moved in behind him. There was a snarl and then the thunderous sound of the spirits approaching. It took her mind a moment to process what it was seeing.
There, slamming Ferran to the ground was her brother Wesley. His long blond hair hung just past his shoulders and his normally blue eyes blazed with amber as he swept a clawed hand out and over Ferran’s throat.
“Wesley, no!” Grandpa shouted as Ferran dropped to the floor.
Panting, Wesley stared at Grandpa. “Are you hurt?”
Grandpa moved off the barstool with a speed Chandra had never seen him use before. He rushed towards her. “Wesley, get your sister out of here, now!”
“No, let the dark spirits come,” she said, sinking to her knees. “Let them take me. I let him die. I shouldn’t have left him. I should have stayed or left with him.” She stared at Mason’s lifeless body and let the tears she’d been holding in out.
Wesley took hold of her and lifted her off her feet. “Grandpa said go. You go, now.” He took a deep breath in. “You’re mated and you’re,” his eyes widened, “pregnant.”
“Get her out of here!” Grandpa yelled. “Mason, she’s not going to make it out before they get here!”
“Huh?” She choked back a sob. “He’s dead.”
“I know. I’m the one who killed him,” Grandpa said, staring at her like she was the one spouting insanities.
“You what?” she and Wesley echoed.
“The minute Ferran called and threatened to kill him, Mason knew what he was planning. He asked me to do it.”
“Wait, let me get this straight,” Wesley said, rubbing a hand over his goatee. “Chandra went and got herself mated and knocked up, then you got the okay from the guy to kill him?”
“Yep, that’s about it. Now get her out of here.”
She felt it then, the dark spirits coming for Ferran’s soul. Something else entered the mix. Something warm, bright, full of power and goodness. Mason. Chandra pushed free of her brother’s grasp and spun around to find Mason’s soul poised and ready to attack.
“Take her and go!” Grandpa shouted. “She can’t protect the baby and Ferran knew that. It’s why he wanted someone to kill him. He knew he could take Chandra with him and open the gates to hell in the process.”
“On that note—” Wesley snatched her up and rushed her towards the door, ignoring her protests on the way.
“Mason! No!”
Epilogue
Rolling over onto her side, Chandra did her best to ride the pain out. The cramping in her stomach worsened. She clawed at the sheets and exhaled slowly. It didn’t help. Giving in, she nudged her husband. “Honey, I think it’s time.”
“Hmm?” he asked, peeking out from one eyelid. “Hey, baby, what’s the matter? You didn’t have another bad dream, did you? I’m fine. You’re fine. We’re all fine.”
Her stomach tightened again and Chandra bit her lower lip as she took hold of his upper arm. “Mason...it’s...time.”
He jerked awake and touched her swollen belly. “Ohmygods, it’s time. The baby’s coming? Now?”
“Hopefully not right this very second but soon. We need to call your grandfather.”
“Right.” He went to stand and ended up falling off the side of the bed instead.
Chandra rolled her eyes and did her best not to laugh. “You aren’t going to pass out are you?”
Mason got to his feet quickly and shook his head, sending a mop of dark hair flopping around. “I’m good. Are you good? No. You’re having a baby. We’re having a baby. Chan, sweetie, we’re having a baby.”
Another contraction hit as she tried to sit up. Mason was at her side in an instant, helping her to a seated position. “Breathe, sweetie. Breathe.”
Arching a brow, Chandra gave him a hard look. “Get your grandfather or so help me, I will choke the life out of you and I will not allow my grandpa to use his magik to bring you back.”
Mason looked pained. “You’re not still mad about that, are you? I didn’t have a choice, Chan. I knew Gildas was powerful enough to bring me back with ease. I had to fight Ferran and the dark spirits on their plane. It had to be done. You know it did. I couldn’t risk you or the baby.”
She glared at him. “Running Elk now. Kiss my ass later.”
“I love you,” he said, planting a kiss on her cheek.
“I love you, too.” She took hold of his ear and twisted. “Call your grandfather or the next thing I yank to the point of pain is your penis.”
“Running Elk!” Mason shouted, his eyes wide. Chandra let go of him and he rushed to their bedroom door. The minute he opened it, she spotted her grandfather and Mason’s standing there with identical shit assed grins on their faces. Mason drew back fast. “How did you...? I was just going to call you.”
Running Elk patted Mason’s shoulder. “Gildas sensed Chandra’s pain and called me. We thought it best to come right over and not wait for you to phone.”
“Remind me to yell at you both for having no faith in me later. Right now,” Mason took a step back, allowing them to enter, “we’ve got a baby coming.”
Grandpa nodded. “Yes, you do. She’ll be here before you know it. Now, go wait at the door to let Wesley and Brayen in.”
“Why are they coming?”
Running Elk winked at Chandra. “Because I called them. We will need them to pick you up when you pass out.”
“Pfft, I’m not going to ... wait, Gildas, did you say ‘she’ just now?”
Grandpa nodded. “Yes. I thought Chan told you that you were having a girl.”
“He wanted it to be a surprise,” she said, preparing for her next contraction.
Mason paled considerably and staggered. “A girl? I’m going to be a daddy—of a little g
irl.”
“Yes, honey. You need to calm down. You’re the one who wants to have six kids.”
His eyes rolled back in his head a second before he hit the floor. Grandpa and Running Elk laughed as they stepped over him. Chandra just shook her head. “That’s not funny, you two.”
They chuckled.
Chandra sighed. “Okay, it is funny but it’s not nice. We can’t just leave him there. That’s my husband.”
“We know. But that really is the best place for him at the moment. We’ll wake him in a minute,” Grandpa said, winking at her.
Chandra stared down at Mason and couldn’t stop the swell of emotions that roared through her. “I love him so much.” Another contraction hit. “I’m... going to kill him. Six more my ass! Let me at him.”
She reached out but was in no condition to move anywhere.
Grandpa nodded. “See, it’s the best place for him because you can’t reach him. He’ll need all his body parts to make the rest of our great grandbabies,” he said, patting Running Elk on the back.
The End
The Savage King (Lords of the Var)
By
Michelle M. Pillow
The Savage King (Lords of the Var) © copyright 2005 – 2014 by Michelle M. Pillow
Fated Mates: Box Set Electronic Printing June 2014
Second Electronic Printing January 2011, The Raven Books
First Electronic Printing March 2005
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Michelle M. Pillow.
This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.
Shifter Fated Mates: Boxed Set Page 33