by Siren Allen
“You can say one word when you’re not touching her?”
“It appears so.”
“What’s the word?”
“Mine.”
A huge grin spread across Silvia’s face. “How romantic!”
Kaede chuckled.
“Are you blushing?” Silvia pinched his cheeks. “You are. You are blushing. Kaede, I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait for my Raul to return home from The Shedding. One more month and I get to see his handsome face again.”
“Hey,” Rhen shouted from behind him. “Won’t you feel weird being so old while he looks like he’s in his twenties again?”
Silvia sighed and opened her mouth to speak.
Kaede shook his head and told her, “I got this.”
She covered her mouth up as she smiled. “It’s true,” tears welled in her eyes. “You can finally speak.”
Kaede nodded then stared over his shoulder to where Rhen was standing by his bike. “When it comes to true love, age doesn’t matter.”
“So yo nasty ass thinks it's okay to fuck a...”
“It doesn’t matter when you’re both adults. Raul is going to love Silvia no matter how old or young she is.”
“That’s right,” Silvia announced. “And I’m going to love him no matter how old or young he is. Though I must admit, when we’re both young, we do have a lot of fun. If you know what I mean.”
“That’s nasty, old lady,” Rhen told her.
Kaede simply smiled and stared down at his mate. “I need to get her inside.”
“Oh, yes. It’s cold out here. Take her into the compound. I’ll make a healing soup for her so she can regain her strength. And Kaede...” Silvia leaned closer and motioned for him to do the same.
When he leaned down, she whispered, “Try using your words. Now that you’ve shifted, you should be able to speak without touching her. That’s usually how curses like the one you were under works. But, to keep your voice permanently, you have to claim her fully. You know what that means, right?”
“Yes, Sil, I know what that means.”
Nodding, she stepped back. “Good. Good. Do it sooner than later.” She peeped around him then straightened up. “We don’t want the succu-slut doing anything to interfere in your relationship before you’ve bonded completely.”
“Bonded or not, I’d never let anyone or anything come between me and my woman.”
“Good. That’s good. By the way, did you complete your task?”
Kaede tensed up.
“Yeah, Kaede,” Rhen said from right beside him.
Kaede glared at the vamp. Damn vamp speed.
Rhen shrugged. “You two were whispering and I wanted to hear.”
“Mind your business.”
“Sinclair is my friend. That makes this my business.”
Before Kaede could remind Rhen that this witch belonged to him, Sil gasped and pointed to the unconscious woman in his arms. “She’s Sinclair? Sinclair Rose? The witch you told me you had to capture for The Deciders?”
It was clear Rhen hadn’t told them everything.
“Yep,” Rhen answered in his place. “She’s the one. But she captured him instead. Then some shredders attacked. Shit caught fire. He got naked and...”
“Rhen...” Kaede growled.
Silvia chuckled. “Take her inside, Kaede and put some clothes on her. Her legs are going to freeze.”
“Not those legs,” Jenna drawled. “Those fat ass legs can handle this weather.”
Kaede whirled around so fast that Rhen had to jump out of the way. “What the fuck did you say?” He growled, voice low, demanding.
Jenna swallowed. “I-I was just joking Kaede.”
“Don’t joke when it comes to mine.”
She nodded. Tears filled her eyes and she huffed then stormed away, heading toward her own hut.
“She’s just jealous. I’ll try my best to keep that one away from your mate,” Silvia told him. “Take her inside while this vamp stays and tells me about your task gone wrong. Or should I say right? Since it led to you finding your mate.”
“I am thankful for her. However, The Deciders will be sending someone soon to check on me if I don’t contact them. My comm device was destroyed. I haven’t been able to check-in. It seems trouble may be coming our way. And the village is the first line of defense.”
“We can handle our own.”
“You shouldn’t have to. This is my battle.”
“My guys and I can hang around and help out,” Rhen offered.
With vampires, nothing was ever free.
“At what price?” Kaede asked.
Rhen smirked. “Just a little dragon blood.”
“No,” Silvia said before Kaede could agree. “Kaede’s an alpha. His blood is worth more than all of our lives put together.”
“No, it’s not...” Kaede started.
“Trust me...” Silvia gave him a pointed look. “It is. Especially now that you’re mated and you’ve broken the curse. You’ll see after you’ve claimed your mate. A mated alpha is worth his weight in gold.”
Odd. Kaede heard his father say that once.
“Take your woman inside. The vampire and I will have a chat. We’ll work something out.”
“Don’t let him con you, Sil.”
“You can’t con a con.”
Nodding, Kaede looked to Rhen. “Keep your bandits in check.”
“I always do. I sent a scout back to see if the shredders followed us. They’re migrating near Sinclair’s burned down house. He’s nearby keeping watch. Those bastards keep staring in this direction. I believe they’ll be heading this way soon.”
Kaede sighed. Shredders. The Deciders. No one would be getting any sleep tonight.
“I’ll send some men out to help guard. If you and Sil come to an arrangement that I find suitable, I’ll loan you and your men some weapons.”
“Don’t expect me to call you boss or whatever your team calls you.”
“They call him leader,” Sil told Rhen.
“Yeah, well, he’s dragon to me. That’s it. Take her inside, dragon.”
His mate chose that moment to stir. He should take her inside so others wouldn’t see just how violent she could be. With one last glare at Rhen, he walked down the path that led to the gates of the compound.
The sheet wrapped around him began to slip. Stopping, he tried to pull it up while holding his mate. Snickers from above drew his attention to the guard towers on either side of the gate. He looked up to find Cooper and Takeo staring down at him. Cooper was the one laughing from the left tower.
“Kaede, you lost your clothes. What happened, bro?”
The kid was a nineteen-year-old wolf who was born in the Frostlands. Nineteen was his true age and he’d yet to reach his primage. Life in the Frostlands was all he knew. Yet, the slang was something he’d learned from newcomers.
Cooper’s use of the word bro irritated the hell out of Takeo, another wolf shifter who’d been here for over four hundred years. Takeo had never told him his age. But he didn’t look a day over thirty.
Kaede suspected the Japanese male was more than five hundred and thirty. Takeo would neither confirm or deny that. Even though Cooper was staring down at him grinning, Takeo was frowning.
“Kaede,” Takeo said in that monotone voice of his. “Why are you wearing a sheet and carrying a woman who only has on a T-shirt?”
“Don’t look at her,” Kaede growled.
Cooper’s gaze jerked to him. Both he and Takeo wore shocked expressions.
“Did those words just come out of our team leader’s mouth?” Cooper asked. “Or am I imagining things?”
“I said don’t look at her.”
Cooper lifted his face to the sky, obeying Kaede’s command easily. Takeo kept his eyes glued to Kaede’s. At least he wasn’t staring at his mate.
Takeo pushed the telescope he used to keep an eye on the villagers to the side and peered down at Kaede.
“You left yesterda
y and you return today with vampires on bikes, a half-naked woman and a sheet around your waist. You didn’t check-in and no one from the team has been able to reach you. And now, you’re talking. What happened?”
“Sounds like a wild night,” Cooper said, face to the sky. “Team leader can talk. I’m so freaking shocked.”
“Open the gate,” Kaede demanded.
Takeo pressed the button on the device near his right. The gate started to open. Takeo stood up as Kaede strode through the gate as soon as there was enough room for him to enter. He glanced down at his mate as he entered the first square of the compound.
“You stay here and keep watch,” Takeo told Coop, who’d risen from his seat also.
“But Tak...”
“Both of us can’t leave our post.”
“Okay.” Cooper slumped back down in his seat as Takeo descended the stairs.
Looking straight ahead, Kaede kept walking, ignoring onlookers who’d stopped working to gawk at him. He knew he looked like a fool carrying an unconscious woman while wearing nothing but a sheet. Right now, he didn’t care.
He needed to get his mate inside, into his room. His dragon had increased his body temp enough to keep her warm. But he wanted to lie her down on his bed and pull his covers over her so she could rest properly.
She needed her rest. Because when she woke up, she was going to be pissed. He hoped she didn’t try to burn the entire compound down. Kaede smiled. Even if she did, no one there would chastise her for it. He wouldn’t allow it.
Behind him, he could hear Takeo calling his name. In the first square of the compound, the planters were working hard to clear the field of snow so they could plant this season’s winter groundnuts. They all stopped what they were doing to watch him.
“Kaede, wait,” Takeo called to him.
Without slowing his stride, he called over his shoulder, “I need to get her inside.” Gasps filled the air from the onlookers.
“Did Kaede just speak?”
“I think I heard Kaede speak?”
“Impossible. Kaede can’t speak.”
“Not until he finds his mate.”
“Wait, does that mean he’s found his mate?”
“He is carrying a woman.”
“Kaede has found his mate.”
Let the rumors began. At least they were on the right track. Kaede turned the corner just as Takeo caught up with him. The wolf matched his stride as they headed toward the second gate.
“Is she yours?”
“She is.”
“Was she your target?”
“She was.”
“We need to prepare for whoever they send. The villagers are the ones who will be attacked first.”
“Rhen is talking to Sil about that now.”
“Rhen is a good guy.”
“He used to flirt with my mate.”
“Used to?”
“He’s been warned.”
“Do we need to kill him?”
“I thought you said he was a good guy.”
Takeo shrugged. “Good guys die too.”
When they reached the second gate, Kaede stared up at Malcolm and Deacon who were posted at the gate’s entrance.
Malcolm called down, “Cooper just radioed me saying you can speak. I told him if you could really speak, I would shit bricks.”
“Tell Cooper to stop spreading rumors.”
Huge grins spread across Malcolm and Deacon’s faces.
“I guess I need to make me some brick stew so I can shit that shit out,” Malcolm joked.
“Fuck, Kaede, you’ve found her. Is that her?” Deacon asked.
Kaede nodded, chest swelling with pride. “Let us in.”
Deacon pressed the button. The gates opened. Kaede and Takeo entered the second square of the compound. There weren’t as many people walking about. Most were in their quarters or at work.
The few that were out and about did gawk his way as he walked along the gravel path that led to the front doors of the main building. Some said the main building looked like a rundown prison.
Maybe it did. He’d never seen a real prison before. In his village, a place like this wouldn’t have been able to hold a dragon who was being kept as a prisoner. Depending on your crime, you were either put to death or put to sleep.
Forced hibernation was the usual punishment. You were placed in a cave, chained to something sturdy and you simply slept until your prison sentence ended. One of two things happened when your sentence was up.
Depending on your crime, you were either banished from the village or allowed to start over in the village. Start over meaning all of your assets had been taken by the current alpha and kept by him and his family.
If the alpha was wealthy, he wouldn’t keep the assets. Instead, he’d distribute them amongst those in the pack who were less fortunate. The notion of locking prisoners away and feeding them three meals a day and providing them a bed had been foreign to him when he arrived here.
Though he’d lived in the Mortal Plane, he hadn’t mingled with Mortals. He was the son of an alpha. In order to keep his mind guarded from the influence of human culture, he was forced to only be with his kind.
Though, his friends did keep him up to date on what was going on in the mortal world. He just wasn’t allowed to experience it for himself. Arriving here had been a culture shock to him. He’d made a ton of enemies when he first came.
Simply because he didn’t understand anything outside of his own culture. The more he learned, the more he came to value other’s opinions, cultures, values, and beliefs. That had been the one good thing he’d experienced while being here.
Until today. Kaede stared down at his mate again. She’d been out for too long. Maybe he’d have the medic come examine her.
“You going in or not?”
Kaede looked up. They’d made it to the front entrance and Takeo was holding the door open for him. He’d been so caught up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t realized they’d arrived.
“I have to be understanding of her culture and values,” Kaede told his friend.
Takeo nodded. “You will. Having a mate isn’t easy. Or so, I’m told. It’s hard work. Just because the Fates deemed you compatible, doesn’t mean you will make each other happy. It just means the two of you have the potential to be amazing together. It’s up to you two to achieve that potential. It’s not automatic.”
Kaede nodded. He’d assumed it was automatic. His parents had made it look so easy, so effortless. He’d never seen them argue, fight, fuss. Yet, he did recall them telling him and his siblings to go outside so they could talk. Maybe that was when they handled whatever issues they’d been having, if they had any.
“You’ll figure it out. Go on into your quarters. I’ll have the team set you up a cabin. You’re mated now. No need for you to live in the main building with us. You need your own place.”
His own place. He’d forgotten that rule. He had a mate now. They needed privacy. They would get their own space. A cabin to call their own. He would be able to replace the one he burned down. Maybe that would make her a little less angry when she awakened. Smiling, Kaede carried his mate into the main building.
This place was finally starting to feel like home.
Chapter Sixteen
HER HEAD ACHED SOMETHING fierce.
Sinclair tried to open her eyes. Doing so only made the pain worse. Groaning, she squeezed her eyes shut and touched her hand to her forehead. Damn, even moving hurt. She lowered her hand and snuggled underneath the covers.
At least she was comfortable. Her mattress felt softer than usual. So did her furs. Or was her headache causing her to hallucinate? Eyes closed, Sin rubbed her hand along the mattress.
It almost felt like a real mattress. Nothing like the one she owned, which was just feathers stuffed inside sewn together hide from a mix of animals that lived in the forest. Or, rather, died in the forest.
Before coming here, she hadn’t been into hunting. She loved an
imals. Unfortunately, the animals on this plane didn’t love her. They were nothing like the deer, cows, and horses back home.
These things were beasts. Literally. If she didn’t kill them, they’d kill her. Winter had taught her to use a bow and arrow. At first, killing the animals had made her nauseous. She would have a crying fit after each kill.
That was until one of the wild muntincins, which looked like a mutant deer, tried to eat her. Now Sin could hunt with the best of them. She’d used muntincin hide to make her mattress.
What she was rubbing wasn’t muntincins hide. This felt much softer. That could only mean one thing. This wasn’t her bed. Right now, she should be snapping her eyes open and jumping up to figure out where she was at.
Not happening. Sin laid completely still and tried to recall the events from the day. They slowly drifted through her thoughts. Her cheeks heated in embarrassment as she recalled what she’d done to get free from the power dampening cuffs.
The fact that she enjoyed it was the embarrassing part. Not the fact that she did it. Her hand went to her throat. Thank God the wound had healed. She shivered as she recalled staring into the dark eyes of that huge shredder.
She’d passed out and when she woke up, she was naked on her bed with flames all around her. Luckily, the flames hadn’t reached the wooden chair in the corner of the guest room where she had a T-shirt thrown over it.
She’d just slipped the shirt on when a shredder crashed through the bedroom door. She’d barely had enough time to smash the chair into the bedroom window and climb out. Her ankle no longer burned which meant the claw marks from where one of those bastards grabbed her had healed.
If Rhen hadn’t pulled around the corner on his bike, she would’ve been shredder chow for sure. Rhen! He’d saved her. Was she with him? She peeped underneath the covers. She was fully clothed.
She couldn’t be with the vampire. He would’ve found some reason to undress her. Wait.... She peeped under the covers again. This wasn’t her shirt. This wasn’t the shirt she’d put on when she fled her house.
Her house that she watched burn to the fucking ground. Fucking dragon. Sin tossed the covers back. And she had on pants and socks. Wait. Would Rhen be that considerate? Pants and socks?