by V. A. Dold
She glanced between them and chuckled at the slack-jawed expressions. “El, Stefan is a shifter, a wolf shifter to be exact. You, my dear, are his mate. You can’t change that no matter what you do.”
She stood and patted Stefan’s knee as she passed. “Take it, son, the floor is yours. I’ll be in my room.”
*****
His heart thundered as he stared into his mate’s huge brown eyes, then he lowered his gaze to her hands. Slowly he reached out and took her hand to close the distance between them.
“I guess this is where I explain a few things. I’d planned to give you more time. You know, court you, before we tackled this.”
El looked toward the hall then back again. “Has Mémé lost her mind?”
“No, cher. What she said is true. I’m a wolf shifter. I’m a man who can turn into a wolf.”
She snatched her hand away and eyed him warily. He could hear her heart hammering and smell her fear.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t harm you in anyway, it’s not like that. As a matter of fact, I will protect you from any danger or harm with my life.”
“You actually believe you’re some kind of werewolf, don’t you?” she scoffed.
“Not a werewolf, a shifter. I can change anytime, anywhere.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “My brothers did partial shifts when they explained it to their mates. Would you like me to do that?”
El crossed her arms. An expression of exasperation filled her face and body language.
“Whatever,” she said in disbelief. “Give it your best shot.”
“I’ll shift my left arm, okay?” He took a deep breath; it was make it or break it time. “One...Two...Three.”
El scrambled back in her chair and fell over the arm in her bid to get away. Her cry of pain tore at his soul.
He shifted back and jumped to help her.
“Get the hell away from me!” Regardless of the pain, she scuttled away from him.
Stefan raised his hands in defeat and stood still. He didn’t want her to hurt herself trying to get away from him.
He watched, heart breaking, as she gained her footing and ran to her room, slammed the door and locked it.
The commotion brought Marie out again. She looked at El’s locked door, shook her head, and walked to the living room.
“Freaked out, didn’t she.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” he whispered, his eyes never leaving the floor.
He felt Marie’s hand on his shoulder giving him a small squeeze of encouragement before she removed it.
Heaving a loud sigh, she took the chair El just escaped from. “I’ll talk with her and explain a few things. You may not know this, but I talk regularly with your mother. It may help to have her and your sister-in-laws over for coffee tomorrow.”
Still staring at the floor, he nodded. He felt so broken, he couldn’t bring himself to look at Marie. Tears welled and threatened to spill.
“Take your time. I need to have a long chat with the hard head back there. Then we can talk, I’m sure you have questions for me.” She gave his shoulder another squeeze and left the room.
*****
For a woman of age, she had a vigorous knock. When the door remained closed she scowled and took steps. She had a set of keys to open every door in this house, and letting El stew in her room wasn’t going to happen. A simple twist of the key and she opened the door.
El gasped. “I locked that.”
“Yes, you did, and I unlocked it. Now pull yourself together. We have some talking to do.”
She crossed her arms across an impressive bosom and lifted one eyebrow. Marie had always been a no nonsense woman and she knew her son had raised his daughter to be the same.
“What the heck, Mémé? You knew there was a monster, a freak, in the house?”
Now Marie was mad. “Don’t you ever let me hear you call a shifter a freak ever again! They’re some of the best people I’ve ever known.”
“Well, what are they then?” Her voice was quieter, sounding more like she was a little girl again.
“Chosen men, human men, who were blessed centuries ago by a goddess with a wolf soul and the ability to shift. You’re lucky to be the mate to one.”
“Lucky? How can that be a good thing?” She threw her hands in the air. “Wait a minute.” Her eyes narrowed on her grand-mère. “How do you know about shifters?”
Marie smiled sadly. “Elsa was a mate.” A lone tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m sorry, Mémé, I miss her, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done without both of you.”
The women held each other in silence for a moment, and then Marie dried her eyes and straightened her shoulders. It was time for a serious talk.
“I’m going to tell you a few things and I expect you to listen carefully. Feel free to ask any questions as we go.”
El nodded and waited attentively. Now that she’d calmed down, Marie might get through to her.
With a deep breath, Marie began. “Shifters aren’t the mythical werewolf. From what I understand, a shifter lives a very long time, but they aren’t immortal. They age until they’re about twenty-five and then remain that way until they reach nine hundred years old. Then, they very slowly age again until they die of old age at around fourteen hundred years if they aren’t killed before.”
“I’m afraid to even ask how old Stefan is,” El mumbled.
“If memory serves, he’s about two hundred.”
El sucked in a breath and her gaze jerked to Marie’s, who simply nodded.
“So the woman ages but the guy doesn’t?” El frowned. “Auntie Elsa was old.”
“Shifters have several magical powers. James could make her look old for the benefit of the general public. It wouldn’t do for everyone to know about shifters.”
“Are you saying she stopped aging, too?”
“Yes. The mate is given a wolf’s soul during the mating ritual, and from that moment on they are a shifter as well.”
El began to hyperventilate.
“Breathe, cher, or you’ll pass out.”
It took a few minutes, but she pulled herself together again.
“Are you ready for me to continue?” She waited for El to nod then began again.
“I’m sure Stefan can explain all the magical gifts better than I can, so I’ll let him tell you about that when he explains the mating ritual. I do know the mating signs though. I want you to be honest with me.” She forced El to look her in the eye. “Have you been drawn to Stefan in an abnormally strong way?”
El sputtered.
“Oh, grow up, I’ve enjoyed sex. Still do on occasion,” Marie teased. “I was married and had kids, remember.”
“Grand-mère!”
Marie waved her reaction off. “So, have you?”
El twisted her fingers in her lap, then mumbled, “Yeah, kind of.”
“How about interesting smells? You smell anything yummy around him?”
“Yummy?” She laughed. “Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Something you love the smell of. Elsa smelled roast turkey around James.” The memory made her chuckle.
“I’ve smelled new leather a few times, like a new saddle,” she admitted.
“Sounds like that might be it. Have you heard his thoughts yet?”
“WHAT!”
“Mates can speak telepathically, send each other thoughts, feelings, emotions, even caresses. During the attack and your recovery, I think you’ve been subconsciously transmitting your pain. Stefan has been grimacing a lot and looks rather gray.”
“No way!” El’s eyes were huge.
Marie laughed. “Way.”
Instantly El heard, It’s true. We can speak telepathically and feel each other’s pain. Then she swore a palm cupped her cheek.
“What the heck!” She clapped her hand to her face.
“He just spoke to you, didn’t he?” Mémé guessed.
El could only nod.
“Thought so. D
o you know why Stefan doesn’t want to go home?”
“No idea.” She shook her head.
“It’s very uncomfortable, painful even, for the male to be away from his mate if the ritual hasn’t been completed. Plus, they experience a powerful need to protect their mate. Did you notice how crazed he was after the attack?”
El snorted. “It was hard to miss.”
“Well, cut him some slack. He can’t help it.”
“So, are you telling me I have no choice here?”
“No, you have a choice, but keep in mind, a mate has half a soul and the shifter has the other half. If you don’t accept him, your soul will never be complete and it will be almost impossible to find a human man that’ll make you happy. You need him as much as he needs you.”
El frowned in thought. “Do you think that’s why I never dated? I rarely feel anything for the men I meet.”
“I suspect that’s part of it. Of course, some of those guys were just plain dicks.”
“Mémé!”
Marie shrugged. “It’s true.” She patted El’s knee and stood. “Now, take a minute to collect your thoughts and come to the living room.”
*****
Stefan looked hopeful when Marie entered the room.
“You feeling better, cher?”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you. It sounds like you have an idea just how important she is to me. You did a great favor for me today. Anything I can do for you, name it.”
Marie hugged Stefan tight. “Make my girl happy, that’s all I ask.”
Stefan sadly looked toward the hall. “If she’ll let me.” Then he glanced back at Marie. “How do you know about us?”
“Elsa, my younger sister, El’s great-aunt, was a mate. She and her shifter, James, died during Katrina. The family tried to talk them into leaving the city, but they stayed to help others. Both died saving as many people as they could and are heroes to many who otherwise would have perished.” Marie sniffled, but refused to cry again.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He shook his head. “So many were lost with that storm.”
“Thank you. El is actually named after her. El’s middle name is Elsa.” Marie took a cleansing breath. “Anyway, I know a lot about the shifters and have become good friends with your mother. She’s an amazing woman.”
“Thank you.” He looked at the hallway again. “Is she okay? I feel her confusion and fear.”
“I gave her a lot to think about.” She watched him stare at the hallway. “Hey.” When he looked her way she said, “Give her time. She’ll come out when she’s ready.”
“Okay.” His lips stretched into a small smile. “I could hear you. You’re amazing with her. Again, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m more a mother than grand-mère to her, both Elsa and I were. When her mother died we took over as surrogate mothers and raised her with my son.” Marie paused, then leaned toward him and took his hand. “When she comes out, I’ll give you some privacy unless she needs me to stay. Oh, and since I have every faith in you becoming part of the family, please call me Mémé.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “You got this, cher.”
“All right, Mémé it is.” He gave her a nod as El walked slowly down the hall. The apprehension radiating from her was suffocating.
Mémé reached for El’s hand as she approached. “Are you okay, cher?”
She nodded once. “I think so.”
“Would you like to speak privately, or do you want me to stay?”
El took a deep breath and gave her grand-mère a small smile. “I’d like to speak with Stefan alone, if you don’t mind.”
“Take your time. I’m going to see about lunch.”
El and Stefan said “Thank you” in unison, which eased the tension a degree.
She hesitated and glanced from the couch he sat on to the chair as if deciding where to sit.
“It’s fine, El, sit wherever you’re comfortable.”
She took the chair but didn’t speak.
“I’m sorry, babe.” He leaned forward to try to see her eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
She looked up and gave him a weak smile. “It’s not every day a person sees something like that.”
“Would you like to ask me anything? Anything at all.”
“Does it really hurt when I make you go home?”
“It’s a bit... uncomfortable,” he hedged.
“Sorry about that, I didn’t know.”
“There’s no way you could have known.” He leaned forward and watched closely for a reaction. He scented no wave of fear from her, which encouraged him to take her hand. His wolf was miserable and whined quietly for its mate.
“Well, I won’t make you go away anymore, at least not until we figure this out.”
He smiled, relieved he wouldn’t have to fight that battle each day.
She stared at him for a moment, absently playing with her hair. He noticed she did that when thinking.
“So, Mémé said there were mating signs. Is this shifter thing the only reason you’re hanging around? The unusual attraction stuff?” There was a challenge in her voice.
“Not entirely. I’ve always noticed you, even when you were very young. But, back then the signs hadn’t manifested. I assume they were dormant because you hadn’t reach maturity. You were only a teen and I was already one hundred and ninety. Asking you out would have been creepy.” When she scowled, he quickly added, “Not that I didn’t think about it. After that, I didn’t see you again until the night of the ball.”
“Really? You noticed me when I was sixteen?”
“Yes, you always stayed at the back of the crowd. It was almost as if you were hiding, but I always knew exactly where you were in the room. Perhaps my awareness of your presence was a precursor to the mating signs. Sadly, I didn’t know that at the time.”
“All these years I thought you hadn’t noticed me at all. You know, just looked right past me to the pretty girl with big boobs.” El snarled the last words like it still made her angry.
He brushed his thumb absently across her knuckles. “It seems there were misunderstandings on both sides, but we’re here now.” He thought for a moment then continued. “I’ve seen you occasionally in my dreams over the years. Your looks had changed since I’d known you at sixteen, so I hadn’t realized it was you in my dreams until you walked into the auction room. I recognized my dream woman immediately, and then you walked past and I caught a whiff of your scent and knew you were my mate. That’s why I bid the way I did, I had to have you. No other man was going to put his hands on you.”
“I guess it makes a little sense now,” she agreed. “I dreamt of you over the years, too.”
“Really?” Stefan’s smile lit up his entire face. “Believe me, I’ve spent many nights the past few years chasing that woman in my dreams, but I was always one day behind you. I would dream of you in a bar or other locations I recognized and then go there the next day. You were always just out of my grasp.”
El blushed a pretty shade of pink. “I feel like I’ve been dropped down the rabbit hole.”
“That’s understandable. This is a lot to take in.”
El chewed her lower lip, then asked, “Can I ask you a wolf question?”
“You can ask me anything. I’ll try to answer as honestly as possible.”
“When you make growl noises and snarl, is that you or your wolf?”
“That’s my wolf reacting to the situation. I’m sorry he scared you earlier. He’s very upset with himself about that.”
“Really. You can tell how he feels?”
“Yes. My wolf is like another soul, another entity living within me. When you have your wolf and wolf soul it will make sense.”
“If. If I do this,” she stated firmly.
Stefan didn’t respond. Her words hurt more than he would ever let on. He consoled himself with the fact she knew what he was and she was willing to talk about it.
“Mémé said you felt my pain during the figh
t and after. Is that true?”
Stefan roughly ran his fingers through his hair, creating a natural mussed look. An expression of pain flashed for a moment in his eyes.
“Yes. You have wide-open communication right now. Because of that, you accidentally broadcasted to me what you were experiencing. I was terrified.”
He stood and began to unconsciously pace the floor.
“One moment I was sitting with Simon having a beer, and the next apprehension and fear coursed through me. Oddly, it was laced with confidence and determination. Frankly, I never want to experience that again because I knew you were in danger and I couldn’t protect you.
“My wolf about ripped my insides apart, growling and snarling his challenge, trying to get to you. It was the first time I came close to losing control of my wolf. Because the ritual is incomplete, I had no way of locating you.
“I was forced to sit and wait in agony, not knowing if you would live or die. Not knowing if or when I would see you again. I almost attacked my father when he rushed into Simon’s home, sensing my distress. It took Simon, Cade, and my father to restrain me.
“Since you were feeling instead of thinking words, I wasn’t getting any pictures or messages, only emotions. Once they calmed me down, I drove like a bat out of hell to your ranch; it was the only thing I could do. I about wore a hole through the floor waiting for news, good or bad. The only thing that gave me hope was the knowledge you were a trained fighter and the blasts of rage and confidence I felt as you battled.”
With his last words, he halted in front of the picture window and stared blindly, chest heaving, raking his hair in agitation.
Her heart had accelerated with every word he’d spoken. El hesitated a moment before she stood and wrapped her arms around him from behind. No words were offered. There were no words.
She couldn’t see past Stefan’s wide shoulders so she laid her cheek against his heaving, shuddering back and quietly held him. If she had seen his reflection in the glass, she would have watched as his eyes closed to savor the moment with his mate.
Once his body relaxed, she stepped back, unsure what more to do.
“Thank you. I needed that more than you know,” Stefan said quietly before he turned.