‘Mother,’ Metisse addressed her. ‘This is Altermichan. The woman I told you about.’ To me, he said, ‘this is my Mother, Charmaine.’
I held out my hand, careful not to bend patronisingly. She shook my hand with a strength that reminded me of where the real power lay here. She may have lost the function in her legs, but her strength was amazing. I gave back as good as I got, staying just shy of overwhelming her. This was her turf; I bowed to her.
A knowing smile lit up her face. ‘Altermichan. Quite a mouthful. What are you called child?’
‘Trish,’ I answered. ‘I’m pleased to meet you. Metisse spoke of you often.’
‘I’ll bet he left out the part of my wasted legs,’ she replied.
‘He didn’t mention that, no,’ I answered while Metisse slowly coloured red.
‘How did it happen?’ I asked. It was best to get the elephant in the room out of the way. Gasps around me indicated that it was not a subject that was easily broached.
‘That, my dear, is a long story.’ She smiled. ‘One that I may tell you one day.’
I held out my left hand. In it was a small jewellers box covered in yellow tulle and set off by a yellow and black orchid. ‘Happy birthday,’ I presented the gift to her. She glanced at Metisse approvingly and took the box. Careful so as not to damage the flower, she untied the tulle and opened the box. In it was an intrinsically carved broach depicting a Sabretooth’s head. It had been a gamble. A quite brazen one. She looked up from the gift and studied my face. I upheld my smile, not letting on to the feelings of nervousness that were raging through my body. Why was I so concerned about making a good impression on this woman? Sure, she was Metisse’s mother. Probably the matriarch of the clan. But why did that matter to me?
The strength oozed out of her. She must have really been a force to be reckoned with when she had the use of her legs. Not that she was a push over now. Far from it. The way everyone referred to her, and tip-toed around the subject of her handicap, was tantamount to the respect that she still installed in the clan and that she was more than just the mother of the clan leader. It made me wonder if Metisse inherited the position from her instead of from his father.
She studied the delicate but strong broach. It was a masterpiece, made by a master goldsmith who owed me one. The debt had been paid in full with this work of art.
‘It is truly beautiful.’ She finally released me from my nerves. It had been a gamble. One that looked as though it had paid off. She took my hand again and squeezed it. ‘This is such a very thoughtful gift. Something that must have kept you up at night.’ She smiled knowingly. I’d have to watch it with her. There was no way I could pull the wool over her eyes. Metisse beamed. I’d obviously done the right thing with my present.
There was a line forming behind us. All new guests who wanted to congratulate the birthday girl and pay their respects. She reminded me of the Godfather in the old films, but then a modern-day version. A supernatural modern-day version.
‘We will talk later, my dear.’ She ended our audience. ‘And thank you so much for your gift, I will cherish it.’ She took the broach and pinned it onto her scarf in a clear demonstration of acceptance. I felt relieved and quite proud of myself.
Metisse took my arm and led me to one of the bars where we both took a glass of Champagne. His eyes were filled with warmth and happiness. The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear. He bent over and kissed me lightly on the lips. Another first. He was so happy that I started to believe that I had made a good impression on the matriarch.
‘She’s quite something,’ I said. ‘Your mother.’
‘Yes, she is.’ There was pride in his voice, but also sorrow. I left it at that. If he wanted to tell me more about the circumstances, he would.
Chapter 15
The evening progressed very nicely. I was welcomed by most of the clan members now that the matriarch obviously approved of me. The booze flowed easily, the BBQ was a barely camouflaged Michelin two-star meal, catered by the same restaurant we had been to earlier in the week. It was fantastic; mouth-watering. I genuinely enjoyed myself.
Metisse finally let me mingle alone, taking up his duties as the host of the party. In one of those rare quiet moments, I made my way to the ladies’ room. It was more a suite, so magnificent. As with the rest of the house, the bathroom was modern but adorned with the clan colours and decorated with fresh flowers. There were two stalls and a beautiful white marble washbasin with a massive mirror. Soft towels lay folded into swans in a basket next to the sink. I entered one of the stalls and did my business. Returning at the washbasin I took one of the swan towels and placed it next to me ready to use. I turned on the tap just as the door to the bathroom opened. In the mirror I saw Mariah enter the room. She glanced at the open stall doors and walked over to the basin. I continued to wash my hands, ignoring her dark looks.
‘You’re not welcome here, you know.’ Her words were hard, cold. I chose not to react.
‘He might be enamoured with you for the moment, but that will not last. You are nothing more than a plaything,’ she continued. The tone of her voice and the way she hovered around me was threatening to say the least. I was acutely aware of the fact that this could easily escalate into a major cat fight. Literally. I couldn’t let that happen. It would be disrespectful to both Metisse and his mother. No way would I let it get that far. I did however have to stand my ground. She was baiting me, testing my strength.
‘We’ll see, won’t we?’ I answered, splashing water onto my chin and upper chest. It was warm outside, and the cool liquid was refreshing.
‘He deserves a true woman, a real mate, not some alley-cat.’ Now she was getting spiteful. Calm down Trish. Don’t take the bait. ‘You’re a mongrel, not even fully Sabre. I can tell. There’s no place for you here. You are way out of your pathetic league.’ She laughed harshly.
Mariah reached out her righthand to pick up the swan next to me. She let out a gasp as I slammed my long and sharp claws down into the soft towel, stopping her from taking it. To shift here, even if it was just partially, would be seen as extremely bad manners. Disrespect towards the family. No one here showed their power.
I retracted the claws and picked up the towel, opened it and dried my hands. I turned towards her and looked her straight in the eye. She was still reeling from the breach of etiquette.
‘How dare you?’ she stammered. ‘You cannot threaten me in this house.’
‘No threats,’ I answered. ‘Just a clear message.’ It was. She understood immediately and didn’t like it.
‘This is unacceptable.’ She was getting a bit of her arrogance back. ‘Wait until Metisse hears about this.’
‘And then what?’ My voice was soft, dangerous. ‘Then you can explain how you threatened me. Belittled me. He’s really going to appreciate that, isn’t he? Especially on a day like this. At his mother’s birthday party.’ She was stuck. There was no way that she could squeal on me without her own actions being scrutinised.
‘Besides,’ I continued as I put the used towel in the second basket. ‘What do you expect from an alley-cat?’ I smiled at her shock and moved past her towards the door. Every cell in my body was ready to fight if need be, but I hoped that she had enough sense not to do it here. I think I’d shocked her so much that she couldn’t move, anyway I left the bathroom without any further drama and made my way back to the party.
Metisse spotted me as I walked back into the living room. He smiled and started to come my way. Halfway there his expression became quizzical and he cocked his head as a fuming Mariah strode out of the bathroom and stormed out of the house. I answered his unspoken question with a shrug and another smile.
I’d made an enemy tonight. Actually, she had already been one, it was just out in the open now.
The rest of the evening was just fantastic. I had a whale of a time. So much that I even nearly forgot what I was here for. There was no way that I could kill Metisse tonight. Not with the whole clan here.
Besides, it would spoil a perfectly good evening.
I was one of the last to leave. Metisse tried to convince me to stay, but I declared that it would be disrespectful towards his mother and he had to concede. It was difficult though. Not just for him. He took me to a remote part of the enormous house under the pretence of art that he wanted me to see. There was art, only I didn’t really get to see it. I was distracted.
Metisse pulled me close. I felt the heat in his body through the thin silk of my dress. Dressed in only a pair of Bermuda’s and slippers, he pulled me up to his bare sculptured chest. I pressed my hands on his pecs and traced the sides of his muscles and was rewarded with more heat pressed up to my groin. His erection pressed against my lower stomach. I felt it throb. My legs were turning to jelly as I felt a need that matched his.
Metisse slowly let his hand move from the side of my neck down over the clavicle to cup my breast. Hot flushes started between my legs and threatened to engulf my whole body. He pushed his hand underneath the material and lightly flicked my erect nipple. I groaned. I couldn’t help myself. He kissed me softly on the lips. I pulled his head down and deepened it, pushing my tongue between his willing lips. His hand on my breast was driving me mad. When he came up for air he was smiling from ear to ear. His hips ground against me in a completely intoxicating rhythm. I wanted to jump him right there. Fuck the mission. Well, actually, fuck me. Please.
But I couldn’t. He was a target, for crying out loud. Get a grip, girl! No, not on his boner. No. Don’t. My hand moved between us as I grasped his erection through the material of his shorts. I squeezed and was rewarded with a grunt.
Metisse got his own back as he sucked on my bare nipple, sending shivers up and down my spine. He bit the hard nob lightly. Oh my god. I thought I would come right there and then. I took his head and brought it up to mine, kissing him deeply. Catching my breath.
‘We can’t,’ I said. More to myself than to him. Saying it out loud might help.
‘Sure we can,’ he answered, the smile still blinding.
‘No Metisse.’ My voice was husky with the effort. ‘It would be disrespectful to your mother. It’s her evening.’ I desperately needed to get some distance between us. The hold he was getting over me was definitely not in the plan. I needed some space to regroup my stupid emotions and get my attention back to the mission.
The smile faded into a pout. It was so funny and childish that I had to laugh. He couldn’t keep a straight face. Sulking didn’t suit him, and it wasn’t in his character.
‘You’re right. I hate to admit it,’ he finally said, kissing me again. I nodded. ‘But we do need to get some time alone, otherwise I will combust.’ I laughed again and kissed him back.
‘Tomorrow, why don’t we go up to a cabin I have in the mountains. On the other side of the range. It’s completely remote. We will be the only ones within miles. Guaranteed.’ In an attempt to convince me he lowered his head to my breast again and lightly bit the nipple, increasing the tension when he felt my involuntary response. His teeth expertly hovered on the edge of pleasure and pain. My resolve wavered again.
‘OK, OK,’ I managed to gasp as I pushed him away from me. My discipline was leaving me in leaps and bounds.
‘Why don’t you meet me here at six pm. I have a few things I need to do tomorrow first?’ he suggested. ‘Bring a small overnight bag.’ His smile was sexy, promising.
I nodded as I pushed the strap of my dress back up onto my shoulder, re-clothing my heaving breast. ‘I’ll be here,’ I affirmed as I walked backward to the door. He looked good enough to eat.
‘You might want to stay here for a few minutes,’ I said with a smirk as my hand closed on the door handle. He cocked his head in question.
I pointed to the enormous tent in his shorts. He looked down, then back to me. ‘You sure you want to leave?’ he tried a final time. His hand moved over his six-pack down to the waist band of his shorts. Slowly he pushed them down over his erection. It stood to attention and I swear it winked at me. His hand grabbed the shaft and moved slowly.
That was too much for me and I quickly opened the door and fled the room to his laughter. Man, I wanted to stay. To feel him deep inside me.
What the hell was wrong with me?
Chapter 16
This wasn’t me. I had discipline. Self-control. Now I felt like a love sick idiot. I rarely let my emotions or feelings influence my actions. Not like this. I had a job to do. Metisse was one of my targets. He was a dead man. I had to kill him, him and the leader of the Werewolves. They both had to die to stop the prophesied war. When that was finally done, I could get around to what my real mission was; finding those responsible for my mother’s death.
They were in the inner circle of the Council. That I knew. I was getting closer. With every successful mission, I grew my influence within the Council. The closer I got, the more information I amassed and the more they trusted me, except for Aquanaris of course. She felt that there was something wrong. I avoided her where possible and made sure that she couldn’t touch me. One touch and she would know what I was. Maybe not who, but definitely what. And that would make me paranormal public enemy number one.
I felt that I was close to the answer, very close. So why was I endangering it all by becoming emotionally involved with my target? Sure, I was horny. Hey, it had been a long time. And my libido was extensive anyway. But this was more. I wanted to fuck him, definitely. I almost physically needed to feel him inside me. But still. A good night’s sex should be enough. I could get that anywhere.
But I didn’t want to. I wanted him. I needed him.
My stupid libido, no my emotions—even worse—were threatening my real mission in life.
I had to find a way out of the situation I was in.
Quickly.
Chapter 17
Our ride to the other side of the mountain was a helicopter. Metisse piloted it. Why was I not surprised? Well he did say that we would be alone.
The trip was beautiful as we flew over the forests and mountains. I suspect that he took the scenic route so that we could enjoy the trip to its fullest extent. I love nature. And this was a great treat. At one point I saw deer running over a clearing, startled by the sound of the helicopter. The stag stopped and stared up at us, his challenge clear. He was a magnificent creature, tall and proud with massive antlers. His does and fawns rushed into the safety of the trees as he stared us down.
After about an hour, Metisse hovered over a small clearing next to a beautiful log cabin perched on the side of the mountain. I expected the cabin to be as ostentatious as the contemporary house he lived in, but it was much more modest and blended well into the landscape.
We landed and he cut the engines as I opened the door and stepped out onto the grass meadow. The house looked even better from here. Old fashioned, yet clearly very well maintained. Metisse joined me once he’d shut down the helicopter and took my hand.
‘It’s astonishing,’ I said in awe. This was much more my thing. ‘Fantastic view.’
‘Yes, it is.’
We stood there for a few more minutes as I took in all there was to see. The tall fir trees, the shrubs with their red berries. The sounds of birds and small animals that carried for miles over the scenery. The owl in the tree. My sensitive ears picked up all kinds of creatures, but most of all the sound of Metisse’s heart.
He softly encouraged me to leave the heavenly spot and we made our way to the cabin. Metisse picked up my minuscule overnight bag. There wasn’t much use in bringing lots of clothes here. Despite my best intentions, I knew what was going to happen, and we didn’t need clothes for that.
The soft twilight enhanced the feeling of belonging. Night came quickly here in the mountains, releasing the fireflies and other nocturnal creatures.
Metisse opened the door to the cabin and I saw that my initial thoughts of a small dwelling were wrong. Though cosy, the cabin was large on the inside. It was tastefully decorated with mostly Native American art
and natural artefacts. Navaho blankets, sheep- and deerskin pelts were draped over robust but comfortable furniture. The kitchen was homely but very well equipped. Large windows brought the outside into the room, enveloping it in the soft twilight haze.
He turned on a few side lights, careful not to break the subdued atmosphere. His eyes followed me everywhere I went as I took in the beautiful surroundings. I was hypnotised by the view from the kitchen and stood with my back to the breakfast bar as he joined me in the kitchen.
‘Would you like anything to drink?’ he asked. ‘Or eat?’
‘You.’ I surprised myself with my answer. It lit up his face. He took my hand and led me up the winding staircase to the bedroom.
All my good intentions dissolved. This could have been an opportunity to fulfil my mission. But that was the last thing on my mind.
Besides, I didn’t know how to fly a helicopter.
Chapter 18
The bedroom was everything I had imagined. More square footage than a whole regular cabin, all in one room. Tall windows from the ceiling all the way down to the floor framed beautiful views of the mountains. The moonlight was more than enough light for me to see the details. My sensitive retinas bounced the light into almost daylight. I turned from the windows and let my gaze linger over the poster bed. Like the room, it was out of any normal proportions. Whole families could sleep here and still have enough room to spare. The silk covers and cushions invited me to jump on the bed. But it was what was on the other side that I wanted.
Metisse stood in the moonlight. His dark features warm and inviting as he smiled at me. He reached out his hand. There was no ignoring the lust I saw in him that mirrored my own. The heat in my body swelled to envelop every cell, every fibre of my being.
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