by R. E. Butler
“I love it, thank you.” She kissed him.
He smiled at her, and in the darkness of the SUV she wished there was a privacy screen. Because she’d really like to thank him, and she didn’t want an audience.
“Hold those sexy thoughts until we get home,” he murmured in her ear.
She leaned against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love that you think of the club as home.”
“Wherever you are is home, plain and simple.”
When they eventually reached the ambush territory, she watched out the window to see what Whisper Creek was like.
“I grew up here. It’s mostly tigers, but there are humans who live here. All the businesses are owned by ambush members except for the coffee shop, which is run by a human family. They have the best iced coffee.”
“That wasn’t a thing when I was human,” she mused.
“I guess not,” he said with a laugh. “Do you remember a lot about being human?”
She hummed as they turned down Main Street and the ambush-owned businesses came into view. “Not really. It was a long while ago. If I really think about it, I can remember some things, but mostly about my family, not so much how food tastes or that kind of physical stuff.”
“I’m glad you’re a vampire.”
“Oh?” She looked at him curiously.
“Hell yes. If you were human, you would have died before I was born, and I’d never know you. I’m glad you’re immortal and here with me. I’m grateful that Mishka turned you and brought you to Cleveland.”
“Me too.”
“Do you guys wanna come in?” he asked as the SUV stopped in front of his parents’ home.
“Nah. We’ll just hang out here. Take as long as you like,” Ven said.
“Thanks,” Cyrus said.
He got out of the SUV and helped Cella out. The cold wind buffeted them, but her beloved did an excellent job of shielding her as they hurried up the sidewalk to the house. The ground was covered with fresh snow, but the sidewalk and porch were clear. A welcome sign made of rough wood slats hung on the door. Cyrus knocked twice and opened it.
“Hello,” he called.
“Come on in,” a feminine voice said. “We’re in the family room.”
They walked down a hall and through a spacious kitchen done in yellow gingham, which spilled out into a large room. A red brick fireplace contained a fire that crackled and spit against the wrought iron screen. Picture frames lined the mantel, and she was dying to check out the photos to see if there were any of Cyrus at a young age. But first things first.
Cyrus said, “Mom, Dad, Midas, I’d like you to meet my truemate, Cella. Baby, these are my parents – August and Cora – and my king, Midas.”
She shook hands with August and Midas and accepted a sweet hug from Cora. “It’s so nice to meet you all in person.”
“Please sit,” Cora said. “Cyrus, would you like something to eat or drink?”
“No thanks. The coven has a gourmet chef working at the club, and he keeps the break room stocked with amazing meals, so I already ate.”
“Nice,” August said.
“As long as I don’t have to try to cook, it’s great.”
Cyrus had told Cella that the extent of his cooking abilities were relegated to the grill, where he could cook steak or burgers without them being burned to a crisp. She’d offered to have the chamber remodeled to include a kitchenette for him if he wanted, but he hadn’t been interested. She had a wine fridge in the corner of the chamber that she used to store bottles of SyBl, and Cyrus had added bottled water and cans of his favorite soda – RC Cola. He’d also stashed bags of dried meat strips which he called jerky, and she’d attributed the need for a meat-based snack on the fact he was a predator in his shift, although that was purely a guess on her part.
Her attention refocused on his family and leader, who were talking to him about the ambush.
The king felt very powerful to Cella. He wasn’t the king because he was nice or handsome or the best speaker, it was because he’d fought for the position with fangs and claws, and he kept the position through the same measures. She’d followed Mishka for centuries and she understood how much power it took to lead a group of predators, whether they were vampire or shifter. Cyrus had a great deal of respect for Midas, and she could understand why. He was not only the leader, but he was a counselor and friend as well. Vicious when needed, but with a softer side for those deserving of it.
The mating ceremony for the ambush was fairly simple but steeped in tradition. The female took a bath in water that had oil made from a special lily added to it. Then she dressed in a traditional gown.
Cora laid a photo album in Cella’s lap. “My mating gown is in the attic. I’d be honored if you’d wear it for your ceremony.”
Cella was touched as she opened the album and saw the gown. “I’d love to. It’s beautiful.”
She looked through the album that showcased the couple before they were mated, their ceremony, and several years afterward. The last photo was one of Cora cradling a very pregnant belly and smiling sweetly for the camera.
“I started a new one when I had Cyrus,” she said. “I wanted to have an album for the next chapter of our lives.”
“Please don’t show my baby pictures to my mate,” Cyrus said.
“I bet you were an adorable baby,” Cella teased.
“Of course,” he said. “But come on, Mom, let me mate her first and then you can show embarrassing things to her.”
Cella laughed. Then she looked at Midas. “I have a question.”
“Of course,” he said.
“I’m curious why Cyrus can still be an ambush member once he and I are bonded as beloveds.”
Midas’s brows rose. “Why wouldn’t he be?”
“You said that you needed to perform the mating ceremony while he was still fully tiger. If it matters for the ceremony, why doesn’t it matter afterward? Why would he still be an ambush member when he’s more than a tiger?”
Midas leaned back against the cushions of the plush couch and nodded. “I understand the confusion. The mating ceremony not only joins you in the eyes of the ambush members, it also cements your membership in the ambush. It’s why it’s important that he’s fully tiger and not changed, otherwise my cat wouldn’t allow me to perform the ceremony.” He tapped the side of his head. “He’s all about the laws.”
She could relate. Mishka was as well.
“If we’d become beloveds immediately and he came back here?”
“He’d still be allowed on ambush lands because of his family, but he would no longer be an ambush member. It’s one of those laws that’s tricky on the surface, but it was established in the beginning of the ambush because the ruling king at the time had a daughter who wanted to mate with an elf. The elvish mating ceremony involved sharing blood. It would have changed her enough during the elvish ceremony that she wouldn’t have truly been a tiger anymore. The king didn’t want that to happen because he wanted his daughter to mate with the son of another tiger ambush to join the groups together, so he’d created the law that only full tigers could be members of the ambush.”
“And half-breeds,” Cyrus said.
“Right, right,” Midas said. “If someone is not fully tiger by birth, that’s different. But choosing to not be fully tiger through a mating means the connection to the king can become tenuous. The pre-change mating ensures that my cat, and the ambush, recognize your mating. Then the change doesn’t matter. It’s something the original king didn’t count on.”
“What do you mean?” Cella asked.
“The elf had the ability to change forms, and he took on the mantle of the other king’s son, mated the daughter, and then revealed his true self. The king was distraught and attempted to kick the couple out of the ambush, but the ambush rose up to stand against him on the couple’s behalf. They demanded an amendment to the laws to state that any tiger could mate anyone they wished, no matter if it changed the essenc
e of what they were, so long as they mated ahead of the change. Then the tiger and their mate would be ambush members regardless of what changes occurred after that.”
Cella smiled. “That’s pretty neat.”
“It’s also amazing that even back then, ambush members stood against the king,” August said. “That was unheard of.”
“Did that answer your question?” Midas asked with a smile.
She linked her fingers with Cyrus’s and looked at her beloved. “It did. Thank you.” She looked back at the king and Cyrus’s parents. “I also wanted to thank you for being so gracious to me and open minded.”
Cora frowned. “How else would we be?”
She told them about the problem Angie had when she took her beloveds to the wolf pack.
“Well, first off, Cyrus is an adult and he can mate whomever he wants,” August said with a smile. “We’ve never been the sort of parents to put those kinds of prejudicial limits on him or anyone else in our family. We had no idea who Cyrus might end up mated to someday because it didn’t really matter. What matters is that he’s with the right person, and that’s definitely you.”
Cella felt warm all the way to the center of her being. She’d never known such genuine acceptance in her life, and it was humbling.
Cyrus bumped her shoulder with his. “Told you.”
“You told her what?” Midas asked.
“That my parents were awesome and wouldn’t have an issue with her being a vampire.”
Cora sniffed. “There are certainly parents who have a vision for their kids of what their lives should turn out like, but it’s not our place. And part of the reason we feel that way is because when we were newly mated, one of my cousins – Jeffrey, whose ambush lived in Texas – had agreed to an arranged mating to unite their ambush with another one. A day before the mating was to take place, Jeffrey was in a terrible car accident and woke up in the hospital staring into the face of his truemate, who was a human doctor. He brought her home, and his family was in an uproar about the arranged mating and exiled him from the ambush when he refused to go along with it.”
“That’s terrible,” Cella said. “There are vampire covens that are exclusive to vampires and will force out members if they choose to mate with someone who refuses to be turned.”
The conversation turned back to the mating ceremony.
“Cella needs a place that’s light tight if we’re going to stay here the night before so she can be ready for the ceremony once the sun sets,” Cyrus said. “My place doesn’t have a basement, and we don’t have time to outfit an entire house to make it sunlight proof.”
“Our basement is finished,” August said. “There are a couple windows, but it would be easy enough to block them.”
“There’s no tub down there,” Cora said, “but the shower would work just as well. We’d need a bed.”
“I’ve got a futon we can put down there for you,” Midas said. “It’s not the comfiest thing, but it’ll do for a night. You can work on your house after that so it’ll be safe for you.”
“Will you have a problem with sunlight after becoming her beloved?” Cora asked.
“No,” Cella said. “He’ll still be him, just immortal.”
Cella had a wonderful time getting to know his parents and Midas and was particularly tickled when his mother brought out another photo album so she could see how cute her beloved was as a baby. She stood in the kitchen with Cora and looked through page after page of Cyrus’s childhood.
“Being a mom is one of my great joys,” she said. “Cyrus was a handful as a boy, but he’s a wonderful male and I’m so glad that you found each other.”
“Me too,” Cella said. “Thank you for sharing this with me. I feel like I know him even better.”
Cora gave her a hug. “I’m grateful you were willing to wait to become beloveds. I know that Cyrus would have happily joined with you if it was what you needed, even if it meant not being part of the ambush. All the same, August and I are thankful to be able to share this with him and you and welcome you into the family and ambush officially.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
After saying goodbye to everyone, they returned to the waiting SUVs and headed back to the club. “What did you think?” Cyrus asked as the vehicles pulled away from the curb and accelerated.
“They’re amazing,” she said. “You were right that they had no problem accepting our mating or that you’d be different after we become beloveds.” She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment as she looked into his eyes. He freed her lip from her teeth with his thumb.
“What’s on your mind, beautiful?”
“How did you know I was thinking about something?”
“You bite your lip when you want to say something but you’re thinking it over.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I wasn’t aware I had a tell.”
“We all do, I suppose. Whatever it is you can talk to me.”
“I was just wondering if you were bothered by the fact that I can’t give you children.”
“It’s not that I never pictured myself as a father, but it just wasn’t anything I gave much thought to. I figured it would come up when I found my truemate. I was aware that you couldn’t have kids and it’s okay. It’s not like I was burning with the need to sire a child or something.”
“I’m glad you weren’t burning,” she said with a chuckle. “I would give you children if I could.”
A smile curved the corner of his lips and he kissed her. “I know, baby. All I need in life to be happy is you by my side.” His voice lowered to a bare whisper. “And under me. And over me. And in front of me.”
“I wonder how I got so lucky to have a sexy beloved.”
“I’m the lucky one, Cella, trust me. I’m humbled you waited for me, when I know you were lonely. I want to be yours in every way forever.”
“I want that too.”
In a few short days, they’d be in Whisper Creek joining together as truemates and celebrating her joining the ambush, securing both of their places with the tigers. And then they’d become beloveds, sharing blood and memories and linking their lives in a profound way. She’d never wanted anything more.
Chapter Nine
The meeting with his family the previous night had gone amazingly well. His sweetheart was a hit with his parents, like he knew she would be. She’d been surprised by their immediate acceptance, but that was just the type of people his parents were. And Midas simply wanted his ambush members to be safe and happy. After that meeting, Cyrus felt like things could finally move forward between the two of them. They had an official date set for their mating, and then they’d finally become beloveds. He knew she craved that connection and solidifying their joining, and he was anxious for it as well.
Cyrus hated to leave Cella, but work beckoned. They had responsibilities and it wasn’t like he could just say he needed time off to sex up his mate. The hours between dawn and sunset seemed perpetually fast, as if some cosmic being knew that the time was precious and hit the fast-forward button. Like every night, they ate their first meal in the break room, him finding whatever culinary delight the chef had prepared, and her sipping on SyBl reheated in a coffee mug. When they’d talked about their nightly plans – whatever project he was working on in the nearly-finished restaurant and whatever office-related activity she had to tend to – then he walked her to her office and gave her a good, long kiss.
He wrapped a lock of her silky golden hair around his finger and rubbed his thumb along the soft strands. She looked particularly mouth-watering in a pair of black silk form fitting pants and a blue tank that hugged her curves and matched her eyes. He very much wanted to peel the clingy pants off her legs and drive her wild with his fingers and tongue, but instead he filed that idea away for later when they’d be able to enjoy each other’s company in the privacy of their chamber.
“Did I tell you how gorgeous you look tonight?”
“You might have mentioned it once or twice.”
She smiled up at him.
“I’ll see you at break?”
“Of course.”
It took considerable effort on his part to pull himself away from her, but he managed by firmly leashing his cat in his mind and promising the time would move quickly if they just put their head down and worked. Of course he knew, as he walked out of her office and she blew him a kiss, that time spent apart from his mate was time that seemed to almost stand still.
He walked down the hall and out into the reception area. He greeted Angie, who was talking in hushed tones with one of her mates. He still couldn’t tell the twins apart, so he offered a general, “Hey, man,” and chin jut and walked out of the doors held open by Bellamin, the guard.
“Where’s your buddy?” Cyrus asked. Bellamin wasn’t a family member, but he’d been chosen to guard the doors each night along with Dylan, another coven member.
“He’s running late.”
“Take it easy,” Cyrus said.
“You too.”
When he stepped into the alley between the restaurant and the club, he huddled into his coat, the bitter January wind whipping down the alley like it was seeking out who it could freeze. As a shifter, cold didn’t bother him as much as it would a human, but Cleveland in the winter was mostly freezing all the time. He was thankful he didn’t have to walk far.
Entering the code into the side door, he walked in, stomping the slush off his boots and hanging his coat in the vestibule. He walked through the storage room and into the kitchen, greeting the vampires who were coming in for their shift. The second and third shifts overlapped by an hour, allowing the tigers and vampires to discuss anything that needed to be handled by the next shift.
“Hey,” he said to Gavin, who was closing up his toolbox. “How’s it going?”
“Great, man. You?”
“Not too bad.”
“I heard the meet and greet went well last night.” He straightened and put his hands on his hips. “Your mom was gushing to my mom this morning about how beautiful your mate is.”
