Her Imaginary Lover

by Doris O'Connor

  She pulled Macie tighter against her and linked her wrist next to hers. The symbols merged, and lights sparked between their wrists. It was fascinating to witness, and Macie held her breath. She knew this was what must have happened when Kaylom linked their wrists together. The same sense of peace, of homecoming, enveloped her, and this time she couldn't help but let her tears fall.

  "There, child, it's okay. I can only imagine how overwhelming this all must be for you. It's bad enough when you know what will happen, but this is all new to you. For what it's worth, I think Kaylom has chosen well." She looked across to Arich, and some sort of unspoken communication seemed to occur between them, because at long last Arich bowed his head and sighed.

  He seemed to age several years in front of Macie's eyes, or maybe that was just her watery eyesight's perception. Try as she might she couldn't help the tears from falling, and Lycille's unexpected kindness just made it so much worse.

  "You may leave us, guards. My daughter-in-law is no threat to Athuron."

  Time stood still as Arich stepped close enough to encircle both his wife and Macie in a hug.

  "There now, stop crying. I'm not such an ogre, but I had to make sure you weren't some sort of imposter."

  Macie stiffened at the growled words in her ears, and yanked herself out of the comforting embrace.

  She glared up into his smiling face.

  "You mean this … this whole thing was what? Some sort of a fucking test? Is Kaylom hiding round a corner somewhere? Because I swear if he is, I'll deck him the minute I see him."

  Amusement warred with worry in Arich's expression, and he shook his head.

  "I wish it was that easy, little human. While I accept what you say is true, the fact remains that Kaylom broke more rules than I care to cite when he claimed you. None of this should have happened, or indeed be possible, and we'll have a fight on our hands to convince the rest of the elders that you are a worthy mate for my son. Are you prepared to fight for him?"

  Seriously? It seemed men were as dense here as they could be in the human realm, and Macie crunched her teeth in disgust, which caused Lycille to giggle like a schoolgirl. A look from Arich quelled her amusement, and Macie squirmed inside when he gave that same steely look to her.

  Oh heck, she hadn't answered him, and now might not be the best time to be seen as disrespectful.

  "What do I have to do, Sir?"

  The flare of approval in his azure eyes, and the brilliant smile lighting up Lycille's face told her that had been the right response.

  "I'll do whatever it takes."

  ****

  Whatever it takes turned out to be some of the most bizarre experiences in her life. Macie lost count how many inspections she had to endure over the course of the next few days. She was assessed mentally and physically by a seeming army of Athuron scientists, until Macie wanted to scream that she wasn't a fucking guinea pig. She didn't, of course. For starters Kaylom's life quite literally hung in the balance, and besides, everyone was perfectly polite and considerate.

  Everywhere she went folks stared and treated her like some form of royalty, which was rather disconcerting. What was even harder to take was the sheer opulence of her surroundings. Arich was one of the Athuron's most respected elders, and Kaylom was his only son.

  Under the circumstances Macie wouldn't have blamed him if he'd sent her packing back to the human realm, or at the very least, would have been pissed off with her. Instead he scoured the old texts for a precedent and came home every evening looking more and more haggard. Lycille worried about him, yet she never once lost her sunny disposition, and regaled Macie with tales of Kaylom's childhood that made her sides hurt from laughing so much.

  The Athurons’ world was fascinating, but it wasn't home, and with each day that passed Macie worried more. About Kaylom, her parents, and her practice, too. Lord only knows what her parents must be thinking about her absence. They would be going insane with worry.

  The evening before Kaylom's date for trial everything got on top of Macie. Sitting in the sumptuous gardens of Arich and Lycille's mansion she threw stones in the pond. One hit the water nymph statue straight in the face, and the statue shattered into a gazillion pieces, and it shattered her resolve, too.

  "Fuck it." Macie screamed and ran full pelt into the hard, immovable wall that was the body of Arich.

  "Where do you think you're running to, little one?"

  Macie pummeled his chest, too far gone to care about the fact that she was hurting him, or the fact that his guards were once again surrounding him.

  "Let me go, damn you. I wanna go home. I don't belong here. This is useless. Just let me go."

  Arich pulled her into a fierce hug and simply held her while she soaked his front with useless tears, until she had none left. He handed her a silk handkerchief, and she blew her nose noisily.

  "Better?" he asked, and she nodded.

  "Sorry, it just all…"

  "Got on top of you, I understand. To be honest I'm surprised you have not broken down before. Lycille was right. Kaylom chose well." He nudged her chin up to study her face and smiled down at her.

  "You won't be saying that when they decide to execute him." She sniffed her tears away, and he shook his head.

  "That won't happen. I came here to tell you, I found what I was looking for."

  That got her attention, and his grin deepened.

  "There is a reason you can sense us in the human world, and a reason for your blindness. You have Athuron blood."

  Chapter Seven

  Macie was going to be sick. Nerves had her strung so tight, she could barely see straight, and a heavy weight sat on her chest and made breathing difficult. The old courthouse was packed to the rafters with Athurons of all ages, and a murmur went through the crowd when she entered, safely surrounded by Arich's guards. Lycille had opted to stay with her, and she clutched the older woman's hand in a death grip.

  This was it. Make or break time. If the elders voted against their union, the best scenario would be Kaylom's banishment to the human realm forever. He would be stripped of his shifting powers, and he would never see his parents again. Macie couldn't even begin to imagine what that would do to him. It was clear that they were a close family unit. Kaylom had an important role to fulfill, and when all was said and done, they were his parents. The week she'd been forced to stay here in the Athuron realm had made Macie realize how much she'd missed her own parents, as overprotective and annoying as they could be. The thought of how frantic they must be by now, tore her heart to shreds.

  A murmur went through the crowd when another set of guards brought in Kaylom himself. His gaze instantly sought hers across the crowded room, and some of her apprehension fled. It was so good to be able to actually see him. Stood at well over six and a half feet, and dressed in traditional Athuron clothing, he looked mean and utterly edible. Every cell in her body drew tight at his commanding presence, and she had taken several steps toward him before Lycille's hand on her arm stopped her.

  Macie let her gaze roam over his muscle bound physique, as the body she had traced with her fingers and lips towered over everyone, and his crystal blue eyes seemed to look straight into her soul. He smiled at her, and she allowed herself to be tugged down to a seat.

  The actual proceedings would take place in Athuron, and so Lycille translated for her in hushed whispers.

  "On the charges of unlawfully mating with a human and bringing her into our realm how do you plead, Kaylom of the House of Arich?"

  "Not guilty, elders."

  A roar went through the house, and thus it began. Seemingly endless witnesses were called and regulations stated. Lycille and Arich themselves took to the stand, and finally it was Macie's turn to face the panel of stern faced elders.

  "You, a human, profess to be mated to Kaylom of the house of Arich?"

  Macie nodded, cleared her throat and finally managed a, "Yes."

  "How do you come to be in this realm?"

  "I he
ld onto one of the guards when they came to take Kaylom away."

  "You do realize this is not supposed to be physically possible."

  Macie shrugged.

  "Nonetheless I'm here. I leave the explanation of how up to your scientists."

  She sought Kaylom's gaze, and he smiled at her. The tense set of his shoulders gave him away, however. He hadn't wanted her to testify, she knew. He wanted her as far away from this courthouse as possible, according to his father, but Arich had agreed that she needed to be there to show their connection. Wild horses wouldn't have managed to keep her away, not least because this was the last time she might ever see him again.

  If the elders’ judgment went against them…

  No, she wouldn't allow herself to think like that. Not with Kaylom standing mere feet away from her.

  "You claim to be able to sense Athurons in your world. How is that possible?"

  Macie crunched her teeth and gripped the railing in front of her in a white knuckled grip.

  "I'm blind in my realm." Again a murmur went through the room at that statement "I was born this way. There has never been a physiological reason for it, but it meant that I had to rely on my other senses. So when Kaylom shifted into my realm I sensed him immediately. I was a child, and I did not know what or who he was, or that others could not see him, nor sense his presence. That knowledge came later, when my parents called him my imaginary friend."

  The stern faced head of the elders shuffled his paper and pursed his lips.

  "So, you are saying that Kaylom did not divulge this information to you."

  Macie shook her head and looked toward Kaylom again.

  "No, in all the time we were children, he never did, and he left when I asked him to."

  "So, how do you come to stand before us today, in full knowledge of what and who he is?"

  The very air in the room seemed to wait for her answer, and Kaylom's fury wrapped itself around her. He shook his head at her when she opened her mouth to answer that latest question, and his growl shook the room.

  "Enough! I take full responsibility for my actions. Interrogating my mate will not get you anywhere. I claimed her, knowing full well what the consequences would be. I—"

  "Kaylom saved my life that day." Macie interrupted him, and even though his furious growl tore through her and urged her to comply with his wishes she carried on speaking. "I was attacked by two humans. Kaylom fought them and was injured in the process. He stayed to make sure I was okay, and it was I who urged him to claim me. If you want to blame anyone, then blame me. I was scared and lonely, and I finally had Kaylom back in my life. I was not going to let him leave again without giving us a chance. He warned me to stay away, that it was against the rules, but I love him with all my heart and soul, and when he claimed me it was the most magical experience of my life. The only thing I regret is the problems it has caused."

  Macie held her head high and stuck her wrist in the air so that all could see the markings.

  A collective gasp went through the room when Kaylom mirrored her action.

  Her mate tattoo burnt and sizzled, arcs of light dancing across the distance separating them, and Macie closed her eyes and let the sensations fill her.

  "It is true that I claimed Macie. Our connection was too strong to be denied, and I underestimated it, and for that I am sorry, because it has caused grief to my family." Kaylom's deep voice filled all the empty spaces in her heart, and her eyes filled with tears at the wealth of emotion behind his words.

  "I did not expect for the mating to record itself in our archives, but I shall never regret it either. If the brief time we shared is all we are granted, then let it be known that it was the happiest time of my life."

  All hell seemed to break loose after his statement, until the hammer fell and suddenly it was all over. Kaylom was free. Lycille hugged her, Arich smiled and nodded, and then Kaylom was in front of her. He picked her up, and the world spun as she held on for dear life.

  ****

  Kaylom shifted into his suite of rooms at his parent's mansion, his only thought to get his precious burden away from the courtroom before anyone could change their mind. He ought to take her straight back to the human realm, where she would be safe from any retributions, but he couldn't wait one minute longer to reconnect with her. The fact that she could see in his realm had blown him away. The discovery of her Athuron ancestors almost too much to believe. Their species were meant to be incompatible. At least that's what they had been told for centuries, but his father had unearthed an ancient text that spoke of different times, when human/Athuron offspring were not common exactly, but not unheard of either. Revered as gods by the humans then, the ancient Athurons had misused their powers, and their half human offspring caused havoc on earth. It was decreed that all contact ought to be stopped, and shifting into the human realm meant instant death to anyone who was discovered doing so.

  As time passed, rules relaxed, and as children do the world over, curious youngsters once again explored their powers. Only the humans had made great technological advances and did not believe in the gods they once did. With that lack of belief they lost the ability to see the Athurons. Only children were innocent enough to open their minds to the Athurons’ presence, and the concept of imaginary friends was born.

  "Open your eyes, munchkin," Kaylom said.

  He slowly slid Macie down until she could stand on her own two feet, but she refused to look at him. Eyes screwed tightly shut she shook her head.

  "No, I'm afraid if I do, I’ll discover that I'm just dreaming."

  Her hands clutched at his shirt, and he didn't think she realized the way she was sniffing him, as though she wanted to imprint his scent into her lungs. Kaylom knew just how she felt. The last week had been agony. To be forced to stay away from one's mate for this length of time was pure torture. Kaylom knew it had also been another test of their connection. It was only the fact that his father had given him regular updates on Macie that had stopped Kaylom from tearing his cell apart. He knew Macie had broken down only yesterday, and pride had surged through Kaylom's veins at the strength his little human mate had exhibited. A fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the Athuron elders, and had further swung the verdict in their favor.

  Kaylom ran his hands down her arms and rested his forehead on hers until their breaths mingled. A whimper escaped Macie, and she pulled him closer to her. He ground his erection into her belly, and she held onto his shoulders, while he grabbed her ass and lifted her on her tiptoes until they were as closely pressed together as two people could be.

  "Does this feel as though you're dreaming, little one?"

  A shudder went through Macie's frame, and when she finally opened her eyes, her beautiful azure orbs shimmered with unshed tears.

  "Is it really over? They're not going to take you away from me?"

  "Nothing and no one will ever take you away from me, Macie. You're mine, forever."

  "Promise?" She whispered the question, and Kaylom's fangs ran out in response. Instantly her eyes clouded over, her pupils dilated, and her delicious scent increased, and she brought her legs around his waist.

  "Oh, I can do better than that, baby, I'll show you. I need to be inside of you—now."

  Macie buried her face in his neck and licked his skin, and Kaylom wasted no more time. In a few hasty strides he'd crossed the distance, and they fell on top of the bed in a tangle of limbs. Macie clung to him, and their fevered kiss turned ever more passionate, as she tugged on his tunic. With a growl Kaylom released his hold on her and pulled the offending piece of clothing over his head. His boots and leggings followed at record speed, and when he turned back round it was to see Macie pulling her dress off of her.

  His throat went dry, and his already erect dick swelled further at the sight of her undress. As was the custom she wore no undergarments, and her shy smile in his direction proved his undoing. As eager as he was to sink balls deep into her body, the way her eyes widened when her gaze strayed t
o his cock, reminded him that this was the first time she had actually seen him.

  Her breasts rose and fell in rapid succession, and the most delightful blush spread over her alabaster skin. She didn’t seem able to tear her gaze away from his cock, and a feminine moan escaped her when he took himself in hand and stroked along his hard shaft slowly.

  "Like what you see, munchkin?"

  Her blush deepened, and she licked her lips and shook her head.

  "I know we've done this before, but I never realized how utterly huge you are."

  Kaylom laughed, and Macie grinned.

  "Sorry, I know that's a stupid thing to say."

  "No, baby. Just the way you look at me makes me so hard for you, I ache." He stroked himself faster, and he struggled to project his voice with any of his usual authority.

  "Lie back on the bed for me and open your legs. Let me see how wet my girl is for her Sir."

  Macie whimpered, and the speed with she complied made his heart swell with pride and love until he felt fit to burst. Her pretty little pussy glistened with the evidence of her arousal, and she swallowed hard when he approached the bed and grabbed her ankles to spread her wider.

  "Beautiful, my love. I'm going to make you come so hard, and you will come all over my face for me like the good little girl you are, won't you?"

  A renewed shudder went through Macie's frame, and her breathing grew labored.

  "Yes, Sir."

  She blinked rapidly when he pulled out the hidden restraints from under his bed and proceeded to lock her ankles. He licked a path up one leg and the other, stopping briefly to indulge himself by lapping at her pussy juices, and Macie yelped and tugged at his hair.

  He bit the inside of her thigh, and her hips rose up in a silent plea that made him smile.

  "Oh, no, I'm in charge of this, my sweet little munchkin, and I want you entirely at my mercy, so I'm going to restrain your arms, too. Is that understood?"

  "Yes, Sir."

  Her instant acceptance of his demand had more of his pre-cum leak from his cock until the air around them was heavy with their combined sexual musk. By the time he had both her arms restrained in the same manner as her ankles and he was satisfied that the cuffs were not cutting off her circulation, he was fit to bursting himself.