by R. E. Butler
He cupped her face and kissed her. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For accepting me. And not thinking I’m a lunatic.”
“Well,” she said, rolling her eyes thoughtfully, “the jury is still out on that. You did, after all, attack a perfectly harmless old lady in the middle of the night.”
“I was trying–”
Her giggle made him smile, so he didn’t finish his sentence.
“Let’s get inside,” she said.
He took her hand and they returned to the house. When they were settled back in bed, she tucked herself close and rested her head over his heart.
“I really am sorry,” he said softly.
She lifted her head to look at him. “You shouldn’t be. In the first place, you didn’t hurt Bernie, you just startled her. And I should have explained that the house has a protection spell around it, which would alert me if someone with harmful intentions attempted to gain access inside. But more than either of those things, I think it’s amazing that your cat let you know someone was outside. You were protecting us, and I think that’s pretty damn cool.”
He relaxed a little more, lifting his head to kiss her.
She gave him a thoughtful look. “Do you think there’s any way that your people would know where we are?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “No. The queen does have trackers on everyone’s phone, but my cell is at my place. I was watching when we left, too, and we weren’t followed.” He suddenly felt foolish.
She brushed her fingertip over his bottom lip. “You were running on protective instincts. You didn’t stop to reason out what you heard, you reacted. I don’t fault you for that one bit, and you shouldn’t either.”
“You’re very sweet,” he said.
“I’m also sleepy,” she said, snuggling back down against him. “There was this extremely horny jaguar in bed with me.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Because you’re so irresistible.”
* * *
Savage woke as the sun rose, the early morning light peeking through the gauzy curtains. Even though Thea had said the house was protected, and the intelligent part of his brain knew that it was highly improbable anyone in the prowl knew where he was, he hadn’t been able to rest well. He dozed lightly, waking frequently, his cat wanting to see and touch Thea repeatedly to ensure she was still there.
The worry at the forefront of his mind was what would happen when he took her to the prowl. He had to be back in their territory by sunset, which was less than twelve hours away. He wanted to speak to his parents and get their advice.
Thea stirred next to him, rolling to her back and stretching with a soft groan. “Morning.”
“Hi beautiful,” he said.
She beamed at him and sat up. Glancing at the clock, she said, “Would you like some coffee or tea? Are you hungry?”
He wrapped his hand around her wrist and rubbed the healed mating mark. “I’d love some, but I’ll help.”
She nodded and the two extricated themselves from the tangle of covers. After tying the sash of her robe into a neat bow, she pointed him to the bathroom and told him to meet her in the kitchen.
“I’d like to call my parents,” he said.
She turned and smiled. “Of course.” She lifted her phone from the nightstand and handed it to him.
He used the bathroom and then sat on the bed, dialing his dad’s cell phone.
“Hello?” his dad answered.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Oh! Whose number is this? Where are you? The queen just blew the horn announcing that the Hunt is over, and I was hoping to hear that you’d managed to stay hidden all night.”
“Is Mom around? I’d like to tell you both what happened.”
“Sure.” He heard his dad call for his mom, and then her voice came over the phone. “Are you okay, Savage?”
“Yeah, I’m great, actually.” He explained what had happened during the Hunt. The events of the night before were so fantastical that he still had a hard time believing how fortunate he was to have found his mate. He only had to look at the mating mark on his wrist to know for sure that he wasn’t dreaming, and his life was changed for the better. “So, I’m here at Thea’s, and I obviously need to bring her to the queen at sunset to officially declare our mating with the prowl, but I have some concerns.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for several moments, and then his dad said, “First, we want to say congratulations. We’re so happy that you found your mate.”
“It’s incredible that she was in our territory last night. I mean, what are the odds?”
“I feel like it’s a million to one,” Savage said. “I saved her, and she saved me.”
“I think,” his dad said, “that you and Thea should meet us right outside town. I’m thinking of the little coffee shop, Mrs. Beans?”
“Okay.”
“Let’s say five, and then we’ll escort you two to the queen.” There was a pause, then he went on, “You didn’t do anything wrong, you know. The Hunt rules are very clear – any female who finds a male during the Hunt can claim him. There’s nothing in our laws that specifies only jaguars can participate. If you’d met Thea before the Hunt and mated her, you wouldn’t have been eligible to participate in it.”
“I know,” Savage said. “I’m concerned about bringing Thea to the prowl, but I know I have to in order for our mating to be recognized. I’m also wondering how pissed Sybil was last night and how much the queen knows.”
“We haven’t heard anything from either of them,” his mom said. “I’d think if they were truly angry at what happened that they’d have been banging on our door demanding to know where you were.”
“It’s still early,” his dad said. “But for the record, we don’t actually know where you are so we couldn’t tell them anyway.”
“Thanks.”
“Depending on the fallout, you might need to leave the prowl,” his mom said. “But we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. Just know that your father and I support you a hundred percent. I can’t wait to meet Thea. Oh! I just realized I have a daughter now. Yay!”
Savage chuckled. He could see his mom, her green eyes dancing with happiness, and the definite possibility of her doing a happy dance right at that moment. “I can’t wait for you to meet her.”
“I’m thinking a June wedding. Oh! And babies. Please get to work on that right away.”
“Mom,” Savage said, shaking his head, “we just met last night.”
“Fine, but don’t wait too long.”
“I promise. We’ll see you at five.”
He ended the call and sent a quick text to Cannon, explaining that he’d found his mate during the Hunt and was bringing her to the prowl that night. Cannon texted back, congratulating him on escaping a miserable mating by finding his true love, and that he’d keep an ear out for any rumblings in the prowl about what had happened. He was thankful he had friends and family to look out for him.
Savage headed into the kitchen where the aroma of brewing coffee greeted him. Thea closed the refrigerator and smiled at him. She set a carton of eggs and a package of sausage links on the counter. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Over-dippy.”
She blinked. “What?”
“That’s what my mom calls over-easy.”
“That’s adorable.” She crinkled her nose and laughed.
Two pans were on the stove and he joined her, tending to the meat while she handled the eggs. He adored being in the kitchen with her. He’d never considered himself much of a cook and didn’t bother to work on his skills. His mom and aunt cooked for him and Cannon, sending over meals and inviting them over to eat anytime. He’d definitely taken advantage of their generosity. He considered asking his mom to teach him how to cook something so he could treat Thea to breakfast in bed sometime. He wanted to spoil her and treat her like a queen.
“My parents said they can�
��t wait to meet you.”
“Aw,” she said. “Me, too. Did they know that you left town with me?”
“No.” He pushed at the links with a fork and turned the burner down. “I thought that Sybil or Angmar might have reached out to them about my whereabouts, but it appears that so far they haven’t. My parents don’t know where we are anyway. I purposely didn’t tell them so they wouldn’t need to lie on my behalf.” He told her about their plans to meet up at Mrs. Beans.
“That seems smart. I’m glad they’re looking out for you.”
“For both of us.”
When their breakfast was ready, they sat at a small kitchen table next to a picture window overlooking the garden bursting with color. “Do you want to live here?”
She looked up from her plate. “What do you mean?”
“I’m just thinking about the future, and I’m wondering how you feel about where we’ll live.”
She put her fork down and picked up her coffee mug which had a cartoon llama on it. “I hadn’t thought about it, to be honest. I’m still overwhelmed to have found you in the first place. But, when I imagined finding my husband, I always figured we’d live here with the coven. How do you feel?”
“My parents aren’t sure if I’ll be kicked out of the prowl, and I’ve been wondering that myself.”
“Because of me?”
He shrugged. “Sybil’s been after me for years. She was waiting for my first Mate Hunt so she could force me to mate her. You drove her away last night with your amazing powers, but there’s no telling what she whispered in her mother’s ear.”
“Is there something in your laws that says you can’t mate who you want? I mean, outside of the Mate Hunt night.”
“Do you mean are only jaguars allowed in the prowl?”
“Yes.”
“No, there are no laws about who we can or can’t mate. Mating laws relate almost exclusively to the Mate Hunt.”
She reached across the table and took his hand. “I want to live wherever you want. You’re home for me now, Savage.”
Damn, he was already crazy about her.
He gave her hand a squeeze back and then picked up a triangle of toast and dipped the corner into the over-easy egg. “How about we see how things go at the prowl tonight. If we’re welcome to stay, maybe we can stay there for a bit and see how you like it, and then stay here for a bit, too, before we make a choice.”
Part of him, though, suspected that Sybil would ensure they weren’t welcome to stay with the prowl. Or if they were, that she’d go out of her way to make Thea miserable. And that was something Savage wouldn’t allow.
“So, I gotta know,” she said, “why are you named Savage?”
He chuckled. “It was my great-grandfather’s name. My dad wanted to honor him. My middle name is Lucian, after my mom’s dad.”
“I like that. Family names are so cool. My middle name is Joy, after my mom’s favorite aunt.”
“Thea Joy. Pretty.”
While they finished breakfast, they shared stories from their childhood. The time Thea had climbed a tree to get a perfectly ripe pear for a potion and gotten stuck, needing rescue from the fire department. And the time Savage had shifted for the first time in his parents’ home. He’d knocked over his mom’s favorite flower vase with his tail, and she’d chased him out of the house with a broom.
They made their way to the shower, where they made love, and then as she was dressing, he realized that he didn’t have a shirt to wear to meet her parents.
“I just texted my dad and he said you could borrow one of his.”
“Thanks.”
“Not that I’m encouraging you to cover up. You’re pretty damn sexy.”
His cat loved that she was attracted to him. “You are too.”
She twisted her hips, making her long, colorful skirt twirl around her. She’d paired it with a short sleeved top with shoulder cutouts and sandals. An inch of metal bangles dangled on her right wrist, and the mating necklace was visible with the low cut top.
She tapped the necklace. “Do I get to keep this?”
He walked to her and rested his hands on her waist. Brushing a kiss over her lips, he said, “Yes, but our people don’t wear it except during the Hunt and to meet with the queen afterward.”
“Who will get it next?”
He hummed. “Only purebred jaguars can be in the Hunt, so the necklace won’t be passed down to any sons we have.”
She tilted her head. “You don’t sound upset about that.”
“Not remotely. Before the Hunt, I thought about having a non-jaguar mate, and how our sons wouldn’t be forced to take a mate they didn’t want.”
“I don’t imagine every female is really happy about it either.”
“True. There are ones who don’t want to participate, but they’re required to. They simply won’t try to find anyone.”
They left the quaint home to go to her parents’, hands linked with practically a skip in his step.
“Are there non-jaguar mates in the prowl?”
“Several, both male and female. Their children are hybrids; even if they can shift, they’re not allowed to be in the Hunt. Angmar doesn’t necessarily care if someone finds a non-jaguar mate, but she doesn’t encourage it.”
“Has she ever rejected a mating claim because one of the couple wasn’t a jaguar?”
“Only once that I can think of, and it was when I was a kid. She rejected the mating because it was with a jaguar female and a male wolf, and at the time the wolf pack had caused problems for the prowl. Eventually, the pack alpha apologized and she allowed the mating to go ahead.”
As they approached her parents’, the front door opened and a young female raced out and caught Thea in a hug.
“I’m so happy for you!” she said, voice full of emotion.
Thea hugged her tightly. “You’re not mad that I found my mate first?”
The female eased away and tucked Thea’s hair behind her ears. “Are you nuts? Of course not! I’m Anne, by the way.” She gave Savage a warm smile.
Thea stepped away and held out her hand to him, and he joined her. “This is my favorite sister.”
“Only,” Anne added with a wink.
“That’s what I said,” Thea said with a grin. “This is my Savage.”
He shook Anne’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
A couple stepped onto the porch and smiled. Thea introduced her parents and Savage shook her father’s hand and accepted a hug from her mother.
Did Thea feed you?” her mother asked.
Her father held the front door open and ushered them inside.
“Yes, Mom, gracious,” Thea said, rolling her eyes. “I can take care of my mate.”
“Just checking,” she replied.
Savage followed Thea into the house, which smelled of freshly baked bread and vanilla, the warm scents comforting and inviting. Her mother and sister served coffee and tea, along with mini cinnamon rolls covered with vanilla frosting. He listened as Thea explained how she nearly had a terrible accident, and how he’d saved her from injury.
“Then this woman showed up and said she was going to claim him as her mate and I said no way. I showed off a little with my power and she stalked away, but there was a vow of revenge.”
“Is that why you tackled Bernie?” Luanda asked.
Savage’s cheeks heated. “Yes. I felt terrible when I realized who she was.”
Anne pshawed. “That was the most exciting thing to happen to her in years. She’s telling everyone how protective you are of Thea. It’s a good thing for sure.”
At Thea’s prompting, Savage explained about the Mate Hunt and the princess’s promise to have him no matter what.
“I’ve never heard of anything so barbaric as to force people to participate in a mating whether they want to or not. It’s just crazy,” Luanda said.
“It’s the way of our people,” Savage said. “I’m not making excuses for it, but no one challenges the queen
unless they have a death wish.”
“If he hadn’t saved me, he wouldn’t have been found by the princess,” Thea said. “I staked a claim to him even though I didn’t fully understand what was going on. I just knew we were meant to find each other. I’m afraid I may have made things worse for him when we go to the queen tonight.”
“Can’t you just call her on the phone?” Anne asked.
“We have to make an appearance before sunset to prove the mating. If I didn’t show up, she’d send enforcers after us.” He’d briefly toyed with the idea of going on the run with Thea, but there was no way he’d take her from her family and go into hiding. While he had concerns with how she’d be received by the queen, he wasn’t ashamed to have a witch for a mate and he would stand by her side the way she’d stood by his.
“Even if I choose to exile myself from the prowl, I still have to go through with the final part of the Mate Hunt, and that includes bringing my marked mate before the Queen.”
“Why would you exile yourself?” Thea asked. “You wouldn’t be able to see your family again.”
“I need you to be safe,” he said, picking up their linked hands and kissing her knuckles. “I don’t know what will happen when we go to the queen, but if I have to choose between you and the prowl, it’s you every time.”
“Oh, my heart,” Anne whispered.
Thea grinned at Savage. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I want us to have access to both our families, and I’m sure your parents don’t want to have to say goodbye to you forever, either.”
Savage and Thea spent the day with her family, and then he met the members of her coven. He’d honestly never met a kinder and more gracious group of people in his life. They welcomed him with open arms, curious about his shifting abilities, but genuinely happy to see Thea find someone to share her life with. For the second time in recent memory, he wished he were human. They didn’t have archaic mating rules. They asked out someone they thought was attractive, dated, then got married if they were right for each other. He was simultaneously angry and ashamed of his people’s mating rules.
They’d stopped at her home before they were to head to the prowl, and Savage had been unable to resist taking her to bed, to touch and taste her once more. As they lay in her bed, the sweet scent of their combined pleasure like a balm to his soul, he watched the afternoon sunlight make patterns on the ceiling the way he’d watched the sunrise do the same, hours earlier.
