Winn could see how that would be an issue with the shifters’ keen sense of smell. She imagined it would be annoying having another male’s scent in his home on a regular basis. “Why not just get your own clothing back instead of having it delivered?” Winn asked. “In fact, why isn’t it being sorted and sent back to the shifter who owned it? I would think your clan members would all be able to do that.”
Cord shook his head. “It takes too long if they have to smell everything to try to figure out who owns it. Also, surrounded by so much clothing, it’s harder to pick out the faint scent after clothing has been washed.”
“I guess it would also be pretty tedious,” Winn added.
“It would,” he agreed. “I do like your idea of having my followers come to get their own laundry, but it would still be time-consuming.”
“I suppose you’re right,” she replied. The silence stretched between them, and Winn was surprised by how scarce his clan had become. When Cord had first joined her, there had been clan members all around, but they’d apparently decided to give them as much privacy as one could have among shifters—meaning most could still hear what was going on, but they weren’t making their presence obvious.
“Did you mean what you said about having my kittens?” he asked, meeting her eyes.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation. “I never really considered having a family of my own, but that’s likely because Winter thought she had to be alone.”
Cord looked annoyed at her reference to Winter as a separate person, but he let it go. “When is your next heat cycle?” he asked, his pale blue eyes looking intense.
“In about three months,” she admitted. Had her mother not taught her to control her urges during her heat cycle, she likely would have ended up making her way to Cord years ago. A female’s heat cycle could be intense, and she wasn’t always the most logical at that time.
Cord nodded. “That should give us time to make sure you’re safe.”
Before Winn could say more, she spotted Vexx running toward her cabin. Cord must have sensed his daughter’s distress, too, because he immediately stood to go after her. Quickly getting to her feet, Winn caught his arm. “I’ll see what’s bothering her.”
Cord’s eyes remained locked on his daughter for a moment before he looked at Winn and nodded. “Thank you. I should already be out with Beck hunting down the jaguars, so I appreciate you looking after Vexx.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” she assured him. “Vexx is my friend.”
After giving her a quick kiss on the mouth, Cord looked over his shoulder to find Beck waiting for him. “We’ll talk more later.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
Vexx was glad it was Winn who chased her down instead of her father. As she’d raced past him, she’d been sure he was going to follow her. While she knew she needed to tell him about seeing the jaguars, she wasn’t looking forward to that conversation. He was going to be furious when he found out she’d put herself in danger. It would also mean having to tell him about the lynx intervening. Her lie to Jase was quickly unraveling.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Winn asked, coming up behind her at the entrance to her house.
“Where is my father?” she asked, looking around for him.
“He needed to hunt for the jaguars,” Winn replied.
“Has he left yet?” Vexx asked.
“He was getting ready to when I followed you,” Winn told her.
Vexx let out a frustrated breath. “I need to talk to him before he leaves.”
Using her sense of smell, she quickly tracked down her father, Beck, and four others.
“I need to talk to you,” she told her father.
“Can it wait until we get back?” he asked.
“It’s about the jaguars,” she told him. “I ran into them when I was out for a run.”
“There are jaguars on our land?” Beck asked.
“I wasn’t on our land,” Vexx admitted.
Her father’s jaw clenched. “Who was with you?” he demanded, even though he likely already knew the answer.
“I was alone,” she replied.
“We have shifters invading our territory and vampires who are out to destroy our allies, yet you thought it was a good idea to go out on your own?” her father asked in a calm voice, the same one he used when he was furious with someone.
Vexx swallowed hard. “You never told me I couldn’t run alone.” She knew that argument was weak.
“I didn’t need to tell you not to go out on your own,” he ground out. “When I told the members of this clan, you included, there is a danger to us, everyone understood they shouldn’t be wandering around alone.”
Vexx was having trouble controlling her temper as her father scolded her in front of the others. Even knowing she deserved it for being careless and stupid, she was less than reasonable this close to her heat cycle. Still, she worked hard to get her emotions under control.
“You’re right,” she agreed. “I acted foolishly. If some lynx hadn’t come along, I would have been in serious trouble.” It seemed better to tell her father now since he would hear about it at some point.
Her father took a deep breath and nodded. It was obvious he was still really angry, but he seemed to be working hard to contain that anger. “Vexx, you are going to be the death of me.”
“She needs a mate to beat her,” Beck muttered.
“Where did you see them?” her father asked.
“About five miles east of here, near the circle of willow trees,” she told them. “It wasn’t their encampment, and there was just a small group.”
“How many?” her father asked.
“Probably ten,” she replied. “I think three were jaguars, and the others were vampires. I can’t be sure, but only three jaguars chased me when they spotted me.”
“They chased you?” Beck sounded ready to kill.
She nodded. “My power slipped, and they noticed I was in heat.”
Her father growled low in his throat before responding. “We’ll go look for them now. In case you didn’t get the message this time, you are not to leave our land.”
“I won’t go out alone again,” she assured him.
“Not even with others,” he told her. “Before you even consider arguing with me, keep in mind that you may have made yourself a challenge to the jaguars now that the lynx helped you escape. They know your scent, and you can’t completely mask it in cougar form.”
Vexx nodded because her father was right. She needed to stop running into Jase until after her heat cycle, anyway.
“Which lynx found you?” Beck asked. “We owe them for protecting you.”
“I don’t know,” she lied. “They escorted me back here and left.”
Her father nodded. “I definitely owe the lynx.” Letting out a frustrated sigh, he wrapped her in his arms. “I’m glad your impulsive nature didn’t get you killed.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “You may not believe me, but I know I screwed up.”
“We’re going to look for the jaguars,” he said, pulling away from her. “Go help Winn finish sewing.”
Vexx winced. Her father knew she hated sewing. This was her punishment—one she knew she deserved.
Chapter Thirty-Six
They’d had no luck locating the jaguars, even with Vexx’s information. Cord’s blood was still boiling when he thought of them chasing down his daughter. Had any of them so much as touched her, he would have killed them. He still might kill them for upsetting Vexx. While she would never admit to it, his daughter had been shaken by the encounter. Cord suspected the males hadn’t been concerned with her consent.
“Vexx certainly was appropriately named,” Beck muttered after shifting back to human form.
Cord was alone with his closest friend, the others having headed to their homes after returning from searching for the jaguars. Beck and Cord had stopped for a swim in the creek before shifting. The icy water cooled his temper some. He didn’t
want to see Winn until he was calmer. At this point, he was alternating between his desire to continue hunting the jaguars, and his equally strong desire to demand Vexx explain herself again.
“I don’t understand what’s going on with her lately,” he admitted.
“Vexx has always been a handful,” Beck stated, grabbing the pants he’d left by the side of the creek. Cord decided he should put his own clothes on if he was going to stay in human form. It was much too cold to leave everything hanging out after their swim.
“This is worse,” Cord argued. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed something’s been off since around the time Winn got here.”
“Maybe she’s having a hard time accepting you have a mate,” Beck suggested.
“Vexx hasn’t lived under my roof in a very long time,” Cord argued. “I find it hard to believe she’d have an issue with me finding a mate.”
“You’re probably right,” Beck agreed with a sigh. “You could always have Winn talk to her. They seem to get along well.”
“That might be a good idea,” Cord agreed, wondering if Winn already knew what was bothering his daughter.
“You have been pushing her about meeting the lynx,” Beck pointed out.
“I think they’d be a good match,” Cord told him. “It would be good for our clan, and I genuinely believe Vexx would like Jase. He may even be able to control her impulsiveness.”
Beck shrugged. “That may be true, but Vexx has never liked being told what to do. She’s worse than any of your other kittens, and she may be rebelling because you’re pushing her so hard.”
Cord sighed and nodded. “You’re right. Vexx can’t be pushed around. I’m sure she’ll meet Jase, eventually.”
“And if you keep pushing her, she may reject him just to prove you wrong,” Beck added.
Cord laughed. “She’s not that childish.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Beck agreed. “It’s hard to remember she’s an adult at times. That female has been a handful since she took her first breath.”
Beck had lost his own mate before they had kittens of their own, and Cord’s friend had taken on a big role in all his daughters’ lives. Cord knew Vexx was Beck’s favorite, even if he complained about her most.
“I’ll go talk to Vexx,” he told Beck before making his way to his daughter’s cabin where he found Vexx sitting outside, still sewing. If he had to guess, she hadn’t finished a single pair of pants. Looking at the ones in her hands, he wasn’t sure who was going to want pants with one leg hole sewn closed.
“You don’t have to apologize for earlier,” she said without looking at him. “I was foolish to go out. I rely too heavily on my witch abilities and forget my shifter ones sometimes override them.”
A surprised bark of laughter escaped Cord’s lips. “I wasn’t planning to apologize. I’m here to talk to you about Jase.”
Vexx tensed and set the pants to the side. “What about him?” she asked cautiously.
“I was wrong to keep pressuring you to meet him,” he admitted. “I’m guessing that’s why you’ve been acting strange lately. You don’t want me pushing you to take a mate, and I understand that, but all I’m asking is that you meet the lynx.”
“You want me to meet him when I’m near my heat cycle, knowing what will probably happen,” she muttered. “I don’t blame you for pushing this. You’ve wanted to unite the clans, and you were willing to impregnate a lynx female to do it. That’s no longer possible, so you want me to let Jase get me pregnant.”
“Would you meet him after your heat cycle?” he asked.
“Yes,” she agreed without hesitation. “After my heat cycle, I’ll meet Jase, on my own terms. Please, don’t arrange a meeting.”
Cord nodded. “Fine. I’ll trust you to take care of it.”
Vexx gave him a sad smile. “It’s really not your fault I’m acting this way. This is all me.”
Studying his daughter, he could tell something was really bothering her, but he had no idea what it could be if it wasn’t him pushing her to meet Jase. “You can always tell me what’s going on.”
“I will,” she assured him.
“But not today, right?” he asked.
“Not today,” she agreed.
“I’ll leave you to continue torturing those pants,” he said as he got to his feet.
“I’m really sorry about scaring you,” she told him softly.
“Someday, you’re going to have kittens of your own, and I’ll bet every last one gives you this kind of trouble.”
Vexx didn’t return his teasing grin. If anything, her eyes looked sad. He was about to pull her into his arms when she quickly stood and disappeared into her home. As much as he wanted to help her, he decided not to push things. She’d agreed to tell him what was wrong, and he could be patient. At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Cord was annoyed when Zane showed up at his settlement with a phone. He’d avoided using one for almost a century, and he hadn’t missed them. Before the vampire rebellions, Cord had been forced to pretend to be human on a regular basis in his effort to protect the parks. That had meant keeping a phone and having a residence in a human neighborhood. He’d rarely stayed at that home, only using it to entertain humans, but it had been filled with all the amenities humans didn’t believe they could live without. He preferred living the way he did now, with no phones or computers, but he’d suspected it was only a matter of time before Connor tried to convince him to keep one. What surprised him was Zane delivering it.
Zane was standing in front of him, holding the phone out.
“I don’t need a phone,” he told Zane again. Naturally, talking to Zane was like talking to a tree. Today, Zane had his mate Lexi, a half-Fae, with him. Lexi was attractive with dark blonde hair and smooth skin, but it was her eyes that really stood out. Lexi’s eyes were a luminescent shade of silver. He was glad she was with Zane since the lynx usually behaved better in her presence.
Lexi finally took pity on Cord and explained why Zane was pushing the phone on him. “Connor said you need to have the phone so you can contact him if there’s danger or you learn anything new about the jaguars. He can’t keep sending people out here to communicate with you—he’s risking the safety of his own people. I agree with him. I think you’re being selfish and childish by refusing to take the phone.”
Cord let out a startled bark of laughter. “You certainly don’t believe in sugar-coating your opinion, do you?”
Zane grinned at his mate, phone still extended. “You’re sexy when you’re telling someone off. Connor said to tell you he will not allow things to continue the way they are unless you take the phone.”
“Fine,” Cord snapped. “I’ll take the damn phone, but tell that asshole he’d better not threaten me or my mate again.”
“You have a mate?” Zane asked.
“Connor didn’t tell you anything, did he?” Cord asked.
Lexi shook her head. “We got the message secondhand through Cam.”
“Why would you think Connor is threatening your mate?” Zane asked. “You didn’t meet one of those jaguars that are hunting Winter and suddenly decide to mark her, did you? I can see why Connor would be edgy about that. Those other jaguars probably aren’t happy about one of their own leaving them to side with you unless they don’t realize you’re allies with Connor. Does your mate know Connor is your ally? This could get really messy. I thought you wanted a half-mage like Quinn for a mate? It doesn’t make any sense for you to mark one of the jaguars.”
As usual, talking to Zane made Cord’s head spin. “She’s not one of the jaguars who slipped away from Fangri La,” Cord assured him.
“So, who is she?” Zane asked.
“None of your damn business,” Cord replied. He caught Winn’s scent near the door and hoped she wouldn’t enter, knowing that was unlikely. Sure enough, she opened the door and walked in.
“Sorry,” Winn said. “I didn’t
realize you were meeting with someone.”
“Winter?” Zane gasped. Lexi looked just as stunned by her presence.
“I prefer being called Winn,” she told them. “I don’t feel much attachment to Winter.”
Zane nodded, looking more serious than he had before. “Your mate?” he asked Cord.
“Yes,” Cord replied simply.
“I guess we know why Connor wants you to have the phone so badly,” Zane remarked. “I’m surprised he’s not being difficult about this. Connor wants Winter at his settlement where he can keep her safe.”
“It wasn’t an option,” Cord said, earning him a smack on the arm from Winn.
“Stop scowling at everyone,” she told him. “They clearly aren’t going to try to drag me away from here.”
“Never,” Zane assured her. “You seem happy here, and I have too much respect for you to try to force you to leave your mate, not that I think I could force you to do anything.”
“We haven’t met, have we?” Winn asked.
Zane cocked his head to the side, considering his answer carefully. “That’s not really a simple yes or no question.”
Winn’s brow furrowed. “That was a strange answer.”
Zane gave her a sheepish smile. “Sorry. It doesn’t make sense to me either, but it’s the only answer I have.”
“It’s been a strange year,” Lexi admitted. “If we tried to explain everything that happened, you’d end up more confused. There are times I wish I didn’t know the whole story.”
Winn gave her a warm smile and took her hands. “I think I understand what you mean. It’s been a strange few weeks for me, and there are times when it’s hard to explain what’s going on. What are your names?”
“Lexi and Zane,” Lexi replied.
“I’m glad to meet you,” Winn told them, squeezing Lexi’s hands before releasing them. “You’re very powerful.”
“That’s what people keep telling me,” Lexi grumbled. “I’m still not sure what that means.”
Untamed Winter Page 17
