Ugh!
He had no idea how long it took for him to lose his patience completely, as his lynx didn’t have the same sense of time his human did, but eventually he prowled over to the heavy wood doors and yowled at them as loudly as he could. It was one of the times he honestly wished he had a full roar like lions and panthers did. A moment later Dimka opened one of the doors and looked down at Trace.
“Yes, sir?”
Trace mewled at him as he stepped out into the hall.
“Um, Trace. You know Prince Sasha wanted you to stay in the suite, yes? If you go out into the covenstead, you have to allow me to go with you. It’s not safe otherwise.”
Trace huffed but nodded. He rubbed against Dimka’s legs, twining between them once before he raised his head and sniffed. He twitched his tufted ears as he sought his mate, not happy Sasha had been gone so long and with only one of his guards. What if something happened to him?
“What are you doing?”
Trace turned his head to stare up at Dimka a moment before he turned and sniffed the air again, looking for Sasha’s unique scent mixed with the cologne he always wore. It was woodsy and crisp, clean yet musky. It was damn sexy, that’s what it was. He really wished his human side would stop delaying and get on with the claiming. He was tired of not having his mate! Being incomplete made thinking harder at times, and it hurt, deep inside, to not be whole. Why couldn’t his human side accept Sasha wasn’t like the monster who hurt them and accept the mating?
Pushing aside the deep need to bond was hard, but he did it. Again. Right then Trace needed to find his mate. He needed to be close and protect his mate. That female was here, the one the other male wanted Sasha to marry and have kittens with. No, not kittens, full-blood vampires. Trace couldn’t give Sasha heirs. Maybe that was why Sasha hadn’t wanted the mating at first? But he’d changed his mind and, in the end, he’d bonded Trace, dammit.
Now where was he!
Trace took off down the hall the way he knew the uncle and the princess were to be housed. As he walked he caught Sasha’s scent, which did get stronger, but it wasn’t recent. He hadn’t been by recently. Trace growled low, not liking that Sasha still had to be in one of the chambers down the way. He stopped at the main door to Tatiana’s room, but while Sasha had been there, his scent kept going. Good!
“Are you looking for Sasha?”
Trace nodded as he continued down the hall.
“He’s in with his uncle still. See where Summer is standing guard?”
Right. Should have thought of that! Trace picked up his pace and ran the rest of the way, skidding on the polished wood in front of Summer, who smiled at Trace.
“Hi, Trace. Looking for your mate?” At Trace’s chirp, he continued, “He’s still in with his uncle. They’re discussing the issue of your attack. Well, they are now that Sasha put that… now that he reminded Prince Vlad whose house he’s in and who holds the power here. Would you like me to announce you?”
Trace sat on his haunches and stared at the doors, head held high as he waited for them to open.
Dimka chuckled from behind him. “I believe that would be a yes.”
Just as Summer went to knock on one of the doors, it opened and Sasha sashayed out, all attitude and power in his wake. Trace hopped to his paws, mewled once, and fell in step with Sasha.
“Hello, hon. I was just going to come and get you.”
Trace mewed at him, leaning as he walked so he could rub against Sasha’s leg.
“You know I can’t understand you in your lynx form, hon, beautiful though you may be.”
Trace huffed, though he did strut a little at being called beautiful.
Sasha bent down to stroke his ears. “You know you’re a handsome lynx. You don’t need me to tell you that. But why were you looking for me? Is something wrong?”
Trace stopped and shook his head. He had just needed to be near his mate, but how did he tell Sasha that when he knew his human side wouldn’t tell his mate that?
“Oh, hon. You look so frustrated. Is it something that your human side can explain to me?”
Trace shook his head again. Well, he could, but he wouldn’t. Not unless he accepted that Sasha was his mate, dammit!
Just then the door beside them opened and Tatiana stepped out. She was dressed less lavishly this time, though no less beautifully. She wore a simple blue silky-looking wrap dress and matching sling-back heels. “Oh good, you’re still out and about. I’d hoped to—” She gasped and a wide smile bloomed across her face. “Oh, he’s marvelous. Is he tame? I mean, you have him inside like this, so he must be, right?” She continued to coo over Trace as if he were a regular Canadian lynx, not a lynx shifter who could understand her every word.
He turned his head to stare at Sasha and yowled softly, waiting for what he wanted him to do about the idiot female. Seriously? She knew Sasha was mated to a lynx shifter, but she just up and assumed the cat beside him was a “normal” animal? Stupid!
“Tatiana?”
“Yeah?”
“I’d like to reintroduce you to my consort and fated heart, Trace.”
A series of emotions flitted across her face so fast Trace couldn’t grasp them to catalog them. “So can he understand me when he’s like this?”
“Yes,” Sasha replied through a chuckle. “His thoughts are more cat than human when he’s in his lynx skin—he is a lynx right now, after all—but he understands everything you say and will remember it all when he shifts to human.”
She turned a lovely shade of pink. Her natural pale skin kept her from being a true red, but it was a close thing. “Oh no. I’m so sorry.” She drooped her shoulders and dipped her head as she spoke. She didn’t look at Trace or Sasha as she continued. “It honestly didn’t occur to me. I’ve never interacted with a shifter when they’ve been in their animal form. I’ve never been near a shifter that didn’t flee due to my being a vampire, thanks to how my home coven is.”
Trace didn’t like how sad her voice turned or the way her body seemed to have the weight of ten people bound to it. He didn’t know what was wrong with her, why she was so miserable, but there had to be more to it than never having the chance to interact with a shifter before. He also didn’t like how she shivered when she mentioned her home coven. Something wasn’t right there either. He mewled and stepped away from Sasha and over to Tatiana.
Unsure how she would take his presence, he moved slow, making sure she could see and move away if she so chose. She didn’t. He coiled around her ankles, then bumped her legs, pushing her to return to her rooms. He herded her to one of her chairs, only stopping long enough to mewl and chirp at Sasha to make sure he was following.
“I’ve never been herded by a cat before.”
“Count yourself blessed. He doesn’t do this for just anyone. He’s obviously worried about you.” Sasha squatted and looked straight at Trace. “Hon, I still can’t understand you in your lynx form. What do you want now? You have her sitting, but now what?”
Seriously need to teach them how to understand me! Something.
“How about if I go get you something simple to wear and you shift?”
That would solve part of the problem but…. Trace narrowed his eyes and glanced at the chair across from Tatiana, then down to the floor beside it. The floor there wouldn’t be as comfortable for his human side as it was in their suite. He went over and padded in a circle a few times before he stopped and kneaded at the area again. After one more circuit, he huffed and flopped down in disgust.
“He doesn’t seem to like that spot, even though he’s lying there,” Tatiana said, her voice as confused as Sasha’s face.
Then suddenly Sasha’s confusion seemed to clear. “No, he wants a cushion brought in with the clothes. Right, hon?”
Trace hopped up and went over to nuzzle Sasha before he licked Sasha from chin to temple. Sasha chuckled even as he pulled back and wiped his face. “Ugh, eww. That’s…. I really prefer your human kisses, hon. But thanks. Be
right back.”
A moment later he returned with a pair of sweats, a T-shirt, thick socks, underwear, and a large pillow—which he set on the floor next to the chair. Tatiana stepped into one of the other rooms after insisting her retainers and such do the same. Trace shifted and dressed quickly, then arranged himself on the cushion. “Sit, please, Sasha.”
“Of course, mal’chik. Let me just tell Tatiana that it’s okay to come back in.” A moment or two later, Sasha sat in the chair next to Trace, and right after that, Tatiana joined them. Sasha dropped his hand down to Trace’s hair and began threading his fingers through the strands.
“I am so sorry, Trace. I didn’t mean to be so rude to you,” Tatiana said once she’d settled in her seat.
“I can tell. It’s all right because you didn’t know. Now that you do, though, I expect you to treat me as me when you see me as my lynx self.”
“Of course. Are there any other lynx that are shifters around the covenstead? Actually, are there any other lynx here, period, shifter or other?”
“That you are likely to see in their fur here?” Sasha interjected. “Um… there’s Trace. Sean or Zeke might visit, but they’re both boys, so it would be easy to tell the difference—even their lynx are smaller. Other than that, not really. Keith doesn’t usually shift when he’s here other than the couple of times he’s taken his Chosen of Baast form. So if you see a lynx here on the covenstead grounds, yes, it ought to be Trace. Over time you will learn to tell the difference. Each lynx is unique.”
“Why will she do so over time?” Trace looked up, caught in Sasha’s pale blue gaze. He fought not to fidget, but it was a close thing between all the questions swirling in his mind, his lynx fighting him, and his body’s need driving him to do more with Sasha than his head thought was reasonable.
“Princess Tatiana has asked for asylum with us, mal’chik.”
He twisted to look at Tatiana so fast he made himself dizzy. “What? Why?” She’s staying around? He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that. He knew something was wrong and she was sad—his lynx wanted to help her—but have her stay there? With them? Um…. Where she and others could keep trying to put her and Sasha together? His stomach knotted and his gorge rose. Yeah, no. No, no, no, no.
“She hasn’t told us yet. Have you, Tatiana?”
“No, I haven’t had the chance. You want me to discuss it with Trace here?” she asked, and drew her brows together as her voice rose in pitch.
“He’s my consort, Tatiana. If you are to stay, it’s as much his decision as it is mine. Especially considering your position and with him perceiving you as a threat.”
“I never said—”
“Hush, mal’chik.” Sasha tugged Trace’s hair hard enough to force him to look at him, but not enough to actually cause pain. Nor did he hold on or control Trace’s head movements once he had his attention—thankfully. “We both know that’s how you see her. She needs to know what she’s up against if she wants to win us over with her petition. Yes?”
Trace thought over the words carefully, not wanting to agree merely out of duty but not wanting to fight him out of mere pique either. “My apologies, and agreed.” He turned to face Tatiana again. “I don’t mean to be a problem, but your presence is a threat, especially to my lynx, though he also wants to take care of you. It’s an odd mix of feelings, actually. I’m honestly not sure what to make of him at the moment.”
“It’s strange to hear you speak of yourself in the third person like that, but it’s fascinating as well.”
“Stay on topic, Tatiana. Please.” Sasha sat back and resumed his… petting? Whatever it was, Trace loved sitting at his feet and having Sasha play with his hair like that. It was comforting to both parts of Trace, though he refused to acknowledge or investigate that fact right then.
“My apologies to you both. As I stated before, I’ve never been allowed near any shifters, though I’ve known they weren’t the mindless monsters Father and my brothers claimed. Nadia would never have bonded to something like that, nor would Sasha have befriended or dated the likes.” Trace tensed as he fought his lynx at the reminder of Sasha’s past with another shifter. A wolf, no less! Calm. It doesn’t matter.
The hell it doesn’t. He’s ours, not some wolf’s! No one touches our mate!
He’s an unclaimed male and that was ages ago. He didn’t even know us then. He didn’t even know Jason back then. Calm down!
He’s our mate! You not biting him doesn’t change that.
Trace sighed, hating how often he fought with his lynx. He never used to. Damn vampire. Behave, please. We need to listen to the female, not go hunt down some wolf.
His lynx grumbled but settled down, alert but quiet. Trace turned his attention back to Tatiana.
“I can’t go home. Father is determined to marry me off, and he’d prefer it be to you, for whatever reason. As would my idiot of a younger brother. I’m not allowed into meetings or in on decisions. I was sent to all the same schools, had all the same training and tutors as my brothers, but I’m to be eye candy while they are the brains and the brawn of the coven. Mother is a virtual prisoner there. I’m no better, really, though I’m allowed out on trips such as these.”
“Chaperoned with the likes of my uncle to be married off to another prince? That’s no way to live,” Sasha snapped and leaned forward. “So you want asylum based on wanting your freedom from an overbearing patriarchal ruler?”
“Yes and no. It’s more than that. It’s the killing and the pain and….” She turned pleading eyes to Sasha. “Papa wants to eradicate all bondings that are not pure blood. He’s already started by killing the mates of those of higher rank if he finds out.”
“Oh my Goddess. You came not to possibly fulfill his wishes but to flee. He killed your lover?” Trace blinked and gasped. What his lynx was so worried about her for finally clicked in his mind. “You… you’re pregnant.” It wasn’t a question. That was what his lynx had picked up about her. It wasn’t just the sadness; it was the presence of another wrapped within her. No wonder he wanted to help her so badly.
Sasha was up and out of his chair before Trace finished speaking. He had Tatiana in his arms as she lost her composure and began to cry. He sat, curling her up in his lap, soothing her with his voice and touch. Trace crawled over, petted down her back with one hand, and held one of her hands with his other.
It took Trace some time to work through his thoughts and feelings, not that Tatiana seemed to notice anything other than their petting of her as her sounds softened. Eventually he looked at Sasha and forced out, “We have to keep her here, Sasha. She can’t return to those that would do this to her. Especially not once they find out you won’t marry her. I don’t want to even imagine what they might do to her or her child,” he added with a shiver.
“Of course she stays. The coven has a princess again. I’m not sure how to word it yet, though I have a few ideas about certain things, but later. For now I think she’s fallen asleep.” Sasha maneuvered her around a little, and all she did was softly sniff and shift in his arms. “Let’s turn her over to her maids and let her rest. I can hear them fretting in the next room.”
“As can I.” Trace hurried to let in one of the lady’s maids while Sasha stood and brought Tatiana to them. It didn’t take long for Sasha and Trace to be alone in their rooms again, both stunned and quiet for once.
Chapter Nineteen
TRACE STARED down at the box of insanity neatly situated on his passenger seat and shook his head. The voice of his mentor, savior, and would-be father came through his Bluetooth. “Did you get everything I suggested?”
“Yes, Duncan, though I can’t believe I’m being ordered to take donuts to a princess, a vampire princess, by the head of the lynx shifter council. This is insane. You do realize that, right?”
“Yes and no. She’s pregnant, and you are trying to be nice to her. You have little experience with females, especially pregnant ones, so I’m advising you,” he added with a chuckle. �
�Sugar is always a good way to go. Trust me. Besides, you want to have her on your side, Trace. You are in a very unusual position and situation.”
“Trying to play nice with a pregnant vamp princess?” Trace knew full well that wasn’t what Duncan was trying to get at, but he still didn’t want to deal with the idea, or reality, of what mating with Sasha could mean. Even if Duncan thought Trace ought to give Sasha the bite and finish the bond.
“Feigning ignorance doesn’t suit you in the least, son. You are Sasha’s consort. His husband, as it were.” A shiver ran up Trace’s spine, leaving him almost light-headed. “I—”
“That is how the vampires see you, no matter how you view it.”
Yeah, he knew that, though he didn’t approve. If he were to be a husband, he ought to get a wedding and everything. A groom—that he accepted, dammit!—and all the fun bits too. Hell, at least proposed to, he thought. He knew he was pouting and didn’t care, even if the people coming out of Voodoo Doughnut could see him as he sat in his BMW E39.
“It doesn’t matter right now.” He groaned internally as he ticked off in his head all he had to do. “Today I need to spend some time getting to know Tatiana a little. Then I need to force Sasha to see his doctor, as I don’t like that heart pain thing that happened before. Oh, and hopefully help keep that asshat of an uncle away from the princess while Sasha and his guards try to find out more about who is trying to cause trouble and use me as a catalyst.”
“And I will be dealing with Dr. Petronia. Lili will learn to deal with Dr. Niko, even if it kills her. I want them to figure things out with Sean before something happens.”
Trace wanted that too. He couldn’t shake the worry he held about the little one. Human-shifter mixed children never shifted, though Sean did regularly now. The security on the tribe lands had increased, and Sean went nowhere—no matter who he was with—without a guard detail, just to make sure no one outside decided to take him on their own to find out why he was so different. No one ought to know about him, but one never knew what might be known, leaked, sought, et cetera.
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