Both his brothers had mates, but one was a sterile vampire, and the other was a human with Fae blood. His brother, Cam, had made the clan happy by using a lynx surrogate who would be having twin kittens very soon. Jase’s mate was not only a shifter, she was a cougar. Their union would help solidify the alliance between their clans. The only thing better would be if she was one of Cord’s daughters. His father might insist Jase live with the cougars until he could claim her if that were the case.
“Stop brooding, Jase,” came his father’s gruff command. Max was the leader of the lynx shifters, and while he was a loving father for the most part, he was also used to having everyone take orders from him without question. Almost everyone, at least. Jase’s brothers weren’t good at taking orders.
“I’m trying,” Jase admitted.
“If you’re looking for your mate, she’s over there,” his father said, pointing to their left.
Jase found it strange that he had so much trouble picking up his female’s scent. It wasn’t as strong in younger females, so he assumed that was the reason. When he looked to his left, he found her watching him from the shadows by one of the cabins. Her dull brown eyes were locked on him, and her deep red hair was pulled forward, partially hiding her face. He’d studied her enough to know her face well. Her creamy skin had a dusting of freckles across the bridge of her pert nose. She looked delicate, and he wondered if she was as timid as she appeared. There was always something off about her, almost like this wasn’t her true form, possibly because she hadn’t had her first change. Then he realized it was her eyes that bothered him most. He expected her to have green eyes with her red hair—a crazy thought since green eyes were such a rarity among shapeshifters. Then again, so was red hair. For whatever reason, whenever he looked at his mate, it was almost like she was wearing a mask.
“You should go talk to her,” his father suggested. “We can start without you.”
Jase nodded. “You’re right. I may as well get to know her now. She obviously recognizes me, which seems strange at her age.” Jase had never heard of a female recognizing her mate any earlier than twenty, and even that was rare.
His father shrugged. “I suppose it could happen with a strong match.”
When Jase started toward his mate, she turned and walked the opposite direction. She was avoiding him, and he was tempted to let her go since he didn’t want to intimidate her. At her age, she was likely more confused by their bond than he was. In the end, he figured his father would insist he go after her, so he walked quickly behind her.
“Wait up!” he called out, but she kept walking until they were a short distance from the cabins and alone.
“Why are you following me?” she demanded, sounding anything but timid.
“I just want to talk to you,” he explained, biting back a smile at her attitude.
She waited, saying nothing.
“I don’t know what to say. I suppose we should start with introductions. My name is Jase.”
She hesitated before responding. “Vee.”
“That’s an unusual name,” he remarked, chuckling at her annoyed expression. She was going to be a handful when she was older, something he’d never thought he wanted until that moment. “Sorry. That was pretty rude.”
She shrugged. “Are you going to tell me why you were following me?”
“Probably for the same reason you were watching me,” he told her. “I saw you before. Actually, I’ve seen you every time I’ve been here.”
“I know,” she admitted.
“Do you know why I watch you?” he asked, trying not to get too close. Vee was a tiny thing, but he figured she’d grow another couple of inches. Jase wasn’t very tall, but the top of Vee’s head didn’t even come to his shoulder, and her slight frame made her seem delicate, almost frail. She wasn’t acting like she was afraid of him, but he didn’t want to push things.
“You think I’m your mate,” she replied.
“I am definitely your mate,” he clarified. “Don’t worry. I know you’re too young for me to claim you. I’m not about to push things. I just thought we could get to know each other. Maybe I could meet your parents.” With her being so young, he figured he should talk to her parents so they didn’t think he was some creepy shifter stalking their daughter.
“My mother died years ago, and my father’s very old-fashioned,” she explained, looking down at her feet.
“Meaning, he might make you return to my clan because you’re my mate,” Jase deduced, continuing when she nodded. “I won’t tell anyone, but I’d really like to get to know you better. We’ve got years until your first change, and if we become friends in that time, it won’t be so awkward for you when you leave with me.”
She flinched at his words.
“Sorry,” he muttered. “I’m really messing this up. My father is the leader of my clan, and I’m the eldest.”
“I know,” she admitted quietly.
“It will be expected that I take you back to my clan,” Jase continued. “There’s plenty of time before that happens. How old are you? Around fifteen?”
She nodded, not looking at him. “Why get to know me?” she asked. “The whole mating process has nothing to do with how well you like someone. You just plan to come here when I have my first heat cycle to claim me and take me away from my home because your father is the leader of the lynx.” Irritation flashed in her eyes. “Stop grinning like an idiot!”
“Sorry,” Jase said with his hands up in surrender. “It’s your attitude that’s making me smile.”
“I don’t understand,” she said, looking more confused than annoyed.
“When you ran, I figured you were going to be shy and afraid of me,” he explained.
“I did not run,” she argued before giving him a slight smile. “Fine. I ran.”
“My point is, I’m relieved you're acting sassy instead of scared, and I got to thinking how much fun it’s going to be when you’re all grown up. I imagine you’ll have even more attitude.”
Vee looked genuinely shocked by his comment. “You like my attitude?”
“It came as a surprise to me, too,” he admitted. “I’m kind of a control freak, so I expected I’d want a calm, sweet-tempered mate, but it seems I was wrong.”
“I really need to go,” she told him, sounding almost regretful. “I’m still not sure we’re meant to be mates, Jase. You should probably look for someone else.”
“We are mates, and nothing will change that,” he assured her. “Promise to think about spending some time with me.”
“I’ll think about it,” she agreed before taking off toward the cabins.
Jase sighed as he watched his mate run off like she couldn’t get away from him fast enough. This definitely wasn’t how he’d imagined things would be when he found his mate.
Chapter Eleven
Cord was annoyed that Jase was wandering around their community alone and considered sending Beck to find him when Jase finally walked in. The only reason he hadn’t sent someone out to track him down was the fact that Max had told him Jase was talking to a female. Cord wanted to unite their clans with a mating involving at least one member of the leadership.
“What’s the female’s name?” Cord asked Jase as soon as he walked in.
Jase shrugged. “I’m not sure. We didn’t end up liking each other.”
“Too bad,” Cord grumbled. He still had hopes Jase would like one of his unmated daughters if he could ever get them to meet. His daughters always made themselves scarce when the lynx were visiting. He decided to focus on his business with the lynx and worry about Jase meeting his daughters later. “Now, tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?”
“Connor is looking for some missing vampires and tourists from Fangri La,” Max began. “At this point, the vampires aren’t sure what the tourists are, but Eleanor suspects they’re shapeshifters.”
It was Beck who responded. “The vampire capital is pretty far from here. Why would the missing tour
ists travel this far north?”
“The tourists were looking for a mage named Winter,” Jase added. “My brother, Cam, and my cousin, Quinn, have met her. She’s blonde, about medium height, athletic build, almost like a shapeshifter.”
Cord was thankful for Beck’s ability to suppress any reaction since he had no plans to tell the lynx the mage they sought was in his cabin. There were many reasons for his decision to keep her presence hidden from the lynx and vampires, but mostly, he thought she was safer with him. He still had no clue who her attackers were. The missing vampires from Fangri La were likely responsible for Winn’s attack, but Cord didn’t intend to be careless when it came to his mate’s safety.
“And they’re sure the tourists aren’t human?” Beck asked. “While Eleanor has met shapeshifters before, I’m not sure we should trust her judgment. Is there any other evidence to support her theory?”
“According to the vampires, a group of humans couldn’t have easily slipped out of Fangri La, even with vampire help,” Max replied. “We were told the tourists moved like shifters.”
“We’ve been scenting jaguar around here,” Cord told them, knowing that was a detail he couldn’t keep to himself.
“Jaguars?” Jase asked. “They must really want Winter to travel this far north.”
“Why are they looking for this mage?” Beck asked casually.
Max shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
“We don’t know much about the mage,” Jase began thoughtfully. “It’s always possible she’s only part mage like Quinn.”
“Don’t go getting ideas about hunting her down to fulfill your seer’s prophecy,” Max warned. “This mage saved Quinn’s life, and I won’t see her hurt.”
Cord glared at him. “What exactly is the plan to keep her safe?”
“The vampires think she’d be safer with them,” Max replied. “My son, Zane, has a much different opinion. He’s convinced she’d be safer with shapeshifters.”
“What do you think?” Cord asked, locking gazes with Max.
“I think she’d be safer in a shapeshifter community,” Max admitted. “It’s not that I doubt the vampires' ability to keep her safe so much as I doubt their ability to keep her in their settlement. From what I’ve been told by Quinn, the mage wouldn’t do well in the confines of the vampire settlement, and they won’t be able to force her to stay there. She might be coaxed to stay with shifters.”
“Like you?” Cord practically growled.
Max continued to hold his gaze, not looking away or backing down. “Jase, you and Beck should leave us for a little while.”
Jase was Cord’s favorite of Max’s sons because he didn’t feel the need to be a pain in the ass all the time like the others. He simply nodded and walked out. Beck waited for Cord’s command, mostly to show he didn’t take orders from Max. In all honesty, Beck didn’t take orders very well from Cord either. Cord nodded and Beck left the cabin. Max waited until he was sure both males were far enough to not overhear them.
“Where is she?” Max asked.
“Who?” he countered.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Max snapped. “I could tell by your reaction you have her, and I meant what I said about not allowing her to be used.”
Cord let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s really not what you think.”
“You’re not planning to mark her and make her your mate?” Max asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I have every intention of marking her,” Cord practically growled. “She’s been my mate for more than a hundred years.”
“Care to elaborate?” Max asked, handling it better than Cord had expected.
“I met Winn over a hundred years ago, and I let her go,” he began. “I knew she was my mate, and I just let her walk away. Yesterday, I rescued her from an attack and brought her back here. She drifted in and out of consciousness all night. At one point, I was tempted to take her to the vampires to see if they could help her. Today, she woke up with no memory of who she is. The only thing she remembers is that we’re mates.”
Max nodded his understanding, and Cord relaxed some. “I can see why you were reluctant to tell me she’s here. This might be something we should keep from Connor.”
“Agreed,” Cord said with a nod. “Winn is safer here.”
“Connor’s also safer if he doesn’t try to separate you from your mate,” Max added with a chuckle.
“That too,” Cord agreed. “This needs to stay between us.”
Max nodded. “Under other circumstances, I might refuse, but we have some unusual ties to the vampires with Quinn living among them full-time, and Cam living there part of the time. I don’t want to put either of them in an uncomfortable position. I also don’t want to risk the safety of your mate.”
“Thank you for understanding,” Cord said.
Max shrugged, looking uncomfortable with Cord’s gratitude. “It’s not like I’m doing you a favor. This is just the smart way to handle things. I am curious why someone as powerful as your mate needed rescuing.”
“As near as I can tell, they distracted her and knocked her unconscious,” Cord explained. “I’d ask her for more details, but like I said, she doesn’t remember anything other than being my mate.”
Max chuckled. “That must thrill you.”
“It does,” Cord admitted.
“I have one condition to me agreeing to keep this a secret,” Max added.
“What’s that?” Cord asked cautiously.
“I want you to tell me if you need help protecting her,” Max told him.
“You have my word that I won’t keep my allies in the dark if I need them,” he assured Max. “That includes the vampires.”
Max nodded. “We’d better call Jase and Beck back in before they get too suspicious.”
“You’re right. Let’s get this meeting over with quickly.” Something told him the meeting would last longer than he wanted it to. At least, he could be thankful Vexx was with Winn. While his daughter was an impulsive pain in the ass at times, she’d do her best to make Winn feel welcome. It also meant he knew where his daughter was. She’d avoided him every other time he’d tried to introduce her to Jase, but she wouldn’t be able to that day.
Chapter Twelve
Richard was struggling to keep his anger under control as he faced Rafe. While he considered Rafe his inferior in every way, they were still partners for the time being. That was why he’d allowed some of his vampires to accompany Rafe to scout the area and search for any signs of the mage. Attempting to capture her had been foolish, and his vampires likely wouldn’t take orders from the jaguar again. Taking a deep breath, he finally spoke. “What did you expect to happen?” he asked, referring to Rafe’s failed attempt to capture Winter.
“Your vampires almost had her,” Rafe said through his teeth. “Had the cougars not intervened, she’d be in my possession. I can assure you, my jaguars wouldn’t have run like your vampires did.”
Richard chose not to argue since he’d also been annoyed with his vampires for allowing the shapeshifters to live.
“And then what?” Richard asked. Since entering into his agreement with the jaguars, he’d been wondering how they planned to control such a powerful woman. Between the tranquilizers and the collar, they could capture her, but she would still be dangerous.
“Kish,” Rafe called out to one of the female jaguars and waited for her to approach.
Kish moved with even more grace than the other jaguars, gliding forward with her hips swaying back and forth. Her ebony hair flowed down her back to just above the round curve of her backside. Shades of gold and brown appeared to swirl around in her eyes. Richard had first seen her in Fangri La. Kish kept to herself and rarely spoke.
“What can I do for you?” Kish asked, dropping to her knees in front of Rafe with her head bowed. Until that moment, he hadn’t paid much attention to Kish.
“Kish was bred especially for this purpose,” Rafe explained. “Her entire life she’s bee
n trained to obey me, and she is completely loyal to me, aren’t you, Kish?”
“Yes,” Kish replied without looking up.
“I still don’t see what she can do unless she possesses the same power,” Richard argued.
“Kish’s father is a demon,” Rafe explained. “He was fascinated with Kish’s mother for a short time. When I allowed him to impregnate Kish’s mother, it was my hope she would possess the power to drain magic from others, something her demon father could do. Kish can weaken my mate to the point where it will be easy to control her.”
“Interesting,” Richard mused. “Could she be used to weaken my enemy?”
Rafe laughed. “Vampires are the product of a disease, not magic. Her power doesn’t work on shapeshifters either.”
Richard was even more fascinated knowing this powerful creature was submitting to Rafe. “And you’re sure the mage will help me?”
“If she doesn’t, I can always have Kish drain enough of her power to help you. Kish won’t be able to wield the power as effectively as my mate, but she could still be a very powerful weapon in your battles.”
Richard nodded. “How do you keep your little demon kitty loyal to you?”
“Fear,” Rafe replied with an evil grin. “Tell him what will happen if you betray me, Kish.”
Kish kept her eyes downcast. “You’ll kill my family,” she replied, sounding less seductive and more afraid this time.
“That’s right,” Rafe praised, stroking her head as if she were a treasured pet. “Now, crawl over and sit at Richard’s feet.”
Kish glared at Richard, and he caught a flash of hatred before she quickly hid it and crawled across the ground to sit at his feet.
“I think we need a safer place to stay while we’re making our plans,” Richard remarked thoughtfully, stroking Kish’s hair.
They’d set up camp near the old Oakland Army base settlement. Only a handful of humans lived there now, most having been killed during a large Moon virus outbreak a couple years back. Richard had been considering taking over the settlement to use as a base, but the buildings appeared to be in poor repair. It also wasn’t as secure as he’d like.
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