by Bianca D’Arc
Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were still half-closed with sleep, but he’d never seen anything more gorgeous in his life. He still couldn’t quite believe she was his mate. Even after the amazing night they’d just spent together. It was all so new and so…perfect.
His life hadn’t been perfect in a very long time, if ever. No way he’d been so blessed as to find his mate, but the proof was before him, looking confused and a little impatient.
Georgio laid the phone on the table and rejoined Matilda in the bed, facing her. “It was John. Your cousin, Sam, is on his way into town with your brother. They’ll be here in about an hour.”
“An hour!” She hopped out of bed like it was on fire and headed for the bathroom.
A moment later, he heard the shower come on, and he decided his best course of action would be to get the clothes Urse had procured off his front steps. He shuffled through the house, his bad leg a little worse for wear after the strenuous night, but he couldn’t bring himself to grimace. The pain was nothing compared to the pleasure that had brought it on. He’d happily endure anything to have a night like the one just passed.
He opened the front door to find a shopping bag waiting for him. How the Alpha’s mate had gotten so close to his home without tripping any of his alarms, he didn’t know. She was a very powerful witch, of course, so maybe the answer was magic. Whatever the reason, Georgio was, once again, disposed to thank the Mother of All that Urse was fighting on their side.
He collected the bag and shut the door, walking to the bathroom and knocking before entering to make his presence known. Matilda was wrapped in a towel, finger combing her hair.
“Do you have a hairbrush?” she asked, turning to him with frustration clear on her lovely face.
“Somewhere. But look in this bag, first. Urse dropped it off while we were sleeping, and she usually thinks of everything.” He offered the big shopping bag to her, and she took it with a thoughtful look on her face.
“Urse. She’s John’s mate, right?”
“Yeah. John and Urse are well suited. They sort of mother-hen us all. Before, it was just him doing it, but she stepped right in and joined the effort,” he mused.
“And you love them both for it,” Matilda replied with a grin as she dug into the bag. “Eureka!” She pulled out a hairbrush, still in its retail packaging.
Georgio left her to get ready, opting to take a quick shower himself before he did the same. He turned on the water and stepped under the spray. A few minutes later, he was out and headed for his own clothes, only to find, when he stepped into his bedroom, that Matilda had laid out an outfit for him on the bed. His heart melted.
While the clothing choices she’d made probably weren’t exactly what he would have picked, he was touched that she’d made the effort. He put on what she’d set up for him without comment then went out of the bedroom to look for his missing mate.
He found her in the kitchen, standing by the sink with a glass of water in her hand. Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and he paused a moment to appreciate the vision of loveliness she made in her pale yellow sundress.
She picked at the dress self-consciously. “Not what I would have chosen, but it’s nice, and it fits. I’ll have to thank Urse for the save. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Sam dressed only in ill-fitting sweats.”
“Is he that much of an ogre?” Georgio asked teasingly as he walked toward her. “You look lovely,” he said, unable to contain his thoughts a moment longer.
She blushed. The first time he’d seen such a reaction from his fierce mate. He was enchanted.
“Sam is the least ogre-ly Alpha I know, but he also gets really protective, and I wouldn’t want him to think that you haven’t been seeing to my every need and whim. He’d probably get a little testy, and that’s the last thing I want,” she told him.
“We can’t have that,” Georgio said, moving closer. She put the glass in the sink and stepped into his arms.
“How long does it take to get to town from here? I wasn’t paying attention last night.”
Georgio had to stop and think for a moment. Why was she asking…? Oh, yeah. They had a meeting to get to. He glanced over her shoulder at the time on the stove and shook his head.
“We have to leave, now, if we’re not going to be late,” he said, feeling the regret down to his toes. He would have liked nothing better than to stay here all day with his beloved, but they had things to do, people to see, et cetera.
Matilda got a much better look at the town today than she’d had the day before. Perhaps she was just thinking more clearly and could take it all in better. Perhaps it was that, today, she was considering the idea of living here. That made her notice things a bit more acutely than she had before.
Georgio drove them to the restaurant and parked in the large lot next to it. When she would have gotten out of the vehicle, he stopped her.
“Wait a minute. I think your cousin is arriving in style,” he said, motioning toward the little speck in the distance that sped closer. It was a helicopter.
As it neared, she could see Sam at the controls. Eamon was sitting next to him in the small cockpit. Her heart leapt.
Sam brought the helicopter to rest at the far corner of the big lot and parked it, the blades spinning down slowly. He flipped switches and shut things off while they watched, and when the craft was secure, Georgio got out of the vehicle first then came around to help Matilda down. Normally, she wouldn’t have waited for his assistance, but the dress she was wearing made it a little awkward to climb down herself, and she didn’t want to tear it. Not after Urse had gone to the trouble of getting it for her and dropping it off at Georgio’s place.
Urse had opted to include pretty flip-flops that went nicely with the dress and didn’t have to be sized exactly right to work. After so many days spent barefoot after her escape, Matilda loved the freedom they gave her while still protecting her feet from the pavement and occasional sharp rock as she ran over to where Eamon and Sam were getting out of the helicopter.
She reached her brother, gathering him up into a fierce hug.
Sam came around the chopper and joined in the hug. The Alpha showing affection for his family members. When Matilda looked around for Georgio, she saw him standing a few yards away, watching over them, giving them space. She smiled at him and led the others over to meet the man who had found her and brought her in from the cold, in every possible way.
“Sam, you’ve met Georgio before, right?” she asked, introducing the Alpha first, as was only proper. She watched as the two men shook hands.
“Thank you for your diligence in searching for my cousin,” Sam said formally as they shook hands.
“It was my honor. Your cousin is a very special lady.” The wink Georgio sent her made shivers go down her spine, and the intimacy wasn’t lost on Sam, she knew.
The Alpha lion raised one eyebrow as he looked from Georgio to her and back again, but now was not the time for revelations. They’d do that later, they’d agreed on the ride over. Right now, they wanted to make sure both Alphas were on board and that Eamon was okay with the idea.
“And this is Eamon,” Matilda forged ahead, introducing her sometimes shy little brother to the big bad bear.
Eamon held out his hand. He’d grown in the time they’d been apart. He also had a new maturity about him that made her heart clench. That maturity had been hard-won, she knew. She just wanted to wrap her little brother in her arms and never let go, but he’d become more of a man over the past months than she’d ever expected. He was almost as tall as she was now.
“Thank you for finding my sister, sir,” Eamon said, his manners impeccable, as usual. “You must be a really skilled tracker because Mattie still holds the record as the Clan champion at hide and seek.”
They all chuckled at Eamon’s words, but there was truth in them. “We play games to sharpen our skills,” Matilda explained to Georgio. “Something Sam introduced and encouraged. Cats like games.”
&nb
sp; Georgio nodded respectfully to the Alpha lion. “Very good move,” Georgio said. “Whatever you did, it sure prepared these two for their trial by fire.”
“I could wish it had never come to that, but I’m glad they had at least some training they could rely on,” Sam agreed as they started walking toward the restaurant.
John met them at the door and exchanged greetings with Sam, as equals. Matilda watched the two powerful men carefully. It was important to her that they get along, especially because now, she was going to be part of both Clans. They just didn’t know it for certain, yet.
But, once Matilda and Georgio declared themselves publicly, both Alphas would likely have something to say about the mating. Hopefully, they would both greet the news with happy congratulations, but if not, it wouldn’t change anything between herself and Georgio. It would just make things a lot easier on them if both Clans were on board.
Matilda kept her arm around her brother’s shoulders as they walked into the restaurant. Eamon immediately tugged her in one direction, away from the Alphas, and she followed, realizing he had spotted the koala shifter they’d escaped with. She’d never forget that face, though he looked a lot better, now. His skin wasn’t as sallow, and his cheeks weren’t as gaunt.
She walked right up to him and gave him a hug. She didn’t care who was watching. She owed this man a lot.
“Thank you,” she said, emotion choking her voice. “Thank you for helping us and for taking Eamon with you. You’ll never know how much what you did means to me.”
The man—Seamus was his name—looked a tad uncomfortable, but she wouldn’t be stopped from saying what she’d wanted to say to this man for months.
“No worries,” he replied, and his casual words belied the emotion in his voice. He understood. “I’m glad we all got out of there in one piece, though I was worried about you after we left, and then, Eamon did his little disappearing act.” Seamus reached out to ruffle Eamon’s hair, and her brother allowed it, moving closer.
“I told you I was sorry about that. Sometimes, the seal gets the better of me and just takes me along for the ride.” Eamon blushed at his own explanation, but everybody met him with smiles.
“Happens to all of us at one time or another,” Moira Kinkaid said, stepping out from behind Seamus. “Good to see you guys in one piece.” The selkie woman who was part of their Clan, as well as being another cousin, stepped forward to give first Eamon, then Matilda, a hug. “I see the big guy brought you.” She nodded to where Sam was standing near the door, still talking with John.
“He wants to see you, too, cuz,” Eamon warned Moira. “He said he’s on an inspection tour, whatever that means.” He rolled his eyes with a silly grin.
“It means he’s out to make sure I’m good enough for your cousin, boy-o,” Seamus said, clearly not too worried by the prospect. “I’ll tell you true. A few months back, I wouldn’t have been, but when you find your mate, you become a better man, just so you can look her in the eye.” Seamus put his arm around Moira’s shoulders. “Miss Moira saved my skin in more ways than one, and I will work every day to be worthy of her,” he said, convincing Matilda with the look in his eyes alone that he was deeply in love with her cousin.
“I’m so pleased for you both. Congratulations,” Matilda told them, feeling joy well in her heart. She understood their happiness because she had found the love her life, as well.
Moira surprised Matilda by reaching out to Georgio to give him a quick hug. “Thank you for finding her and bringing her home,” she said to him, then turned to Matilda. “I was so worried about you. I mean, I knew if anybody could survive on her own in the wild, it was you, but still… You were gone a long time, Mattie. You had me really worried.”
“I’m sorry. I just… I had to get a few things straightened out, and I needed time alone to do it.” Her voice was low, her memories crowding in, but then, Georgio was there, behind her, stepping close so that she could feel the warmth of him against her back.
Sam joined them, then, exchanging hugs with Moira and greeting Seamus like an old friend. Matilda knew the men had been talking by phone, but it was probably the first time they’d met in person. She was glad to see how well Sam was getting along with the bears—and this surprising Aussie koala who had mated with Moira.
Chapter Sixteen
They all sat down to lunch, and conversation flowed. At one point, Seamus explained how one of his Irish ancestors who’d been sent to Botany Bay for theft had mated with an indigenous woman, who just happened to be a koala shifter. They’d had many children and had passed down the shifter genes to most of them. The theory in his family was that there was magic on the Irish side of the family that meshed really well with the aboriginal magic of the koala spirit. At least, that’s what his grandmother always said.
Sam shared the story about how he’d come to be king of all lion shifters due to decades of war in Africa and the virtue of his rare coloration. For Sam was a white lion. Born to lead the rest, according to the legends among lion shifters.
“There had been quite a few others, of course,” Sam explained. “A whole lineage of white lions in Africa, but one after another, they were killed in the various conflicts, until I was all that was left.” Sam shook his head. “Like you, it was an Irish ancestor who traveled to Africa and mated with a lion shifter. That’s the foundation of my line, and the pureblood African lions always seemed to look down on us. Then, suddenly, the last of the white lions there was killed, and they came to me, looking for guidance. It was a weird day,” Sam said, taking a sip of his water. “I never expected to be in that position, but they were so lost. I agreed to accept the role until another rose to take the job, but so far, no white lions have been born. I keep hoping, because it’s not an easy thing to try to govern an entire species, especially when the bulk of them are on another continent.”
“Why do big cats have kings and queens and bears and wolves have the Lords?” Eamon asked.
“It goes back to Renaissance Europe in the case of big cats, I think,” Sam told him. “Around that time, they were organizing into larger hierarchies because people were traveling more, and dominance had to be established, somehow. Also, that’s about the time our people decided to hide in plain sight and not tell regular folk that they were shifters. The big cat breeds decided on monarchs, probably basing it on the system prevalent in Europe, though the Pantera Noir decided on the ancient Egyptian-influenced title of Nyx for their queen. Those black cats always like being different. As for how the Lords came about, from what I understand, that was something most shifters believe was set up by the Mother of All.”
“Indeed,” Georgio picked up the narrative. “Lords are always identical twin males. It’s such a rare thing, that only one set of identical male twins are born in every generation across all wild shifter species. Bears, wolves, cougars in the Americas, other species all around the world. They all answer to the Lords in their regions. Our current Lords are wolves, but there are rumors that the next generation will be bears. We don’t know, for certain, because those little guys would be in grave danger if their identities and locations were known, but I’m betting on bears because there haven’t been bear Lords in a long time, and we’re overdue.” Georgio’s smile invited the others to join him.
“Wishful thinking, perhaps,” Sam said. “But I hope you’re right. You bears have more magic than most, and the world needs more of that.”
The luncheon was a huge success, and Matilda loved the way Sam was with everybody. He didn’t get growly at all, which was great. Sam was more Alpha than most, and being the lion king and one of the world’s richest self-made men sometimes made him a bit rougher around the edges than others. He didn’t suffer fools gladly, but he seemed to have genuine respect for everyone at the table, and that was a good first step toward fostering a friendship…and a family.
After all, Moira’s mating with Seamus meant that he was a cousin, now, too. Georgio was, as well, though it hadn’t been officiall
y announced, yet, and nobody knew, for sure, except the two of them. But Matilda got the impression that Sam suspected something, just by the way he watched them.
The food was even more delicious this afternoon, and the chef came out to their table to serve dessert himself and meet everybody. Zak Flambeau was a bit smaller than the other bear shifters she’d seen around town. Georgio had told her last night that Zak was a black bear shifter, and black bears were usually a bit smaller than their grizzly friends. Zak was also Cajun and the gourmet genius behind the restaurant that bore his name. Flambeau’s was a relatively new addition to the town, and it had a very special silent partner.
“If you’re going to be on this coast for a while,” Zak said to Sam after the basic pleasantries were finished, “Master Hiram wanted me to pass along an invitation to visit him in Seattle.”
Hiram, Matilda knew, was an ancient vampire who had formed a strange alliance with Zak and the town of Grizzly Cove by fronting the money to build the restaurant. He was the very unique silent partner. He was also the Master vampire of the Seattle region.
“Not sure I’ll have time this trip, but I’ll give him a call later tonight. Thanks for the message, and the extraordinary meal. Everything was fantastic,” Sam told the delighted chef.
They finished their dessert, chatting with Zak a bit before he left them to go back to his domain in the kitchen. When the lunch party broke up, Seamus and Moira volunteered to show Eamon around town while Georgio and Sam went to Town Hall to a prearranged meeting with the Alpha and the leader of the mer pod that lived in the cove, a woman named Nansee. Matilda had been invited to that meeting, as well, but she’d wanted to see Frank in the clinic, first. She promised to join the group in Town Hall after.
As the luncheon broke up and people started rising to converse in smaller groups before heading out to their various destinations, Matilda found a moment to take her brother aside. She wanted to feel him out about where he might want to live, since things were still up in the air at the moment.