Crimson Kisses: Valentine’s Day Edition: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Shifters, Zodiac

  She was well versed in her grandfather’s misogynistic attitude. “And third?”

  “That he hasn’t taken his right as an alpha male and bonded with his mate.”

  “Yes, seven years is seven too many,” Karolus mused. “I should be getting you with child and to tie you down and keep you here. But to do that I would have to come back as well. Which, in turn, ties me here.”

  “Is there a fourth?”

  “Yes, but perhaps he doesn’t know what it.” Gregoreo laughed then sobered.

  Styssi’s curiosity was piqued. “And that would be?”

  “Come with me tonight and see,” Karolus challenged.

  “See what?”

  Her mate offered her a sexy as hell grin, “You have to trust me.”

  “You won’t be disappointed.” Gregoreo took the steps to the upper hallway.

  “I trust you,” she admitted.

  “Good. I’ll meet you once I can slip away from the after dinner bullshit.” Karolus lifted her to her feet. His eyes searched her face. “You are so beautiful. Last year I would have said pretty, but now there is a beauty and an inner glow.”

  Her breath caught. He said all the right things, and he didn’t say anything he didn’t mean. His lips descended on hers, demanding she open, and she had no intention of denying him anything. His hand tightened on her hip, pressing her into intimate contact with the growing evidence of his arousal. She arched into him and moaned, running her fingers through his long dark locks. Everything about him sang to her.

  She pulled away first, licking her lips. “You have a meeting.”

  “One I would prefer to skip to be with you.”

  “Even if you are to be the next prime, I know you won’t openly disrespect the current one.”

  He stepped back, ran a hand through his hair. “No, you’re right. I won’t.”

  As soon as he was out of sight, she collapsed onto the bench not sure her legs would carry her. She needed to check on the mother who’d delivered the day before. But she wasn’t sure her wobbly knees make it down the hall let alone through the streets of the village. And going out where foniás might be present, she needed all her wits, all her strength.

  Hours later, she waited in her room for Karolus to come get her. After an afternoon cuddling a new baby then dinner where every touch of his thigh against hers sent her hormones into overdrive, all she wanted was to strip her mate naked and ride him until morning. He had told her to wear comfortable clothing, so his plans did not include her bed.

  By the time the knock on the door came, her nerves had reached maximum overdrive. Shock and disappointment ran through her as she opened to door to find Gregoreo scanning the hall. Before she could speak, he placed a finger to his lips and indicated with a nod of his head she should follow him. Halfway down the hall, he pulled her into an alcove until a trio of people passed, deep in conversation. She wanted to ask what was with the stealth maneuvers, but that would give away their presence.

  He stopped at a door the prime had deemed off limits to all in Atlantis. Gregoreo placed a palm upon it, and the edges glowed light blue. When it the light darkened to indigo, he pushed it opened and indicted she enter. He followed sealing the door behind him. “We can talk now.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the beach.”

  She froze as fear overtook her. “But the foniás?”

  “Trust me, we’re safe.” When she refused to budge, he gripped her shoulder in support. “You walked through the village today to check on your patient.”

  “Yes, but that was in the company of others, so I was safe.”

  “It doesn’t work that way, but it’s okay. The foniás don’t know where our sanctuary city is, not even close. Now, come along. Your mate is waiting.” He took the curves of the tunnel with great ease.

  “But they could find it.”

  “Anything is possible, I guess.” Gregoreo seemed so nonchalant about the whole situation, she had to wonder if he simply didn’t take the threat seriously enough or her grandfather had overdramatized the danger to keep the valor in check.

  They made their way through the cave and eventually through some thick brush then emerged into the dark of night. How she loved being outside, the cool air blowing through her hair, the element of their zodiac sign calling to her.

  Strong arms wrapped around her waist as warm lips caressed her neck. “Have you ever experienced the air beneath your wings during Aquarius?”

  “Only when we are allowed to shift inside.” She fought a shiver as the cold air clashed with the heat of her mate. Shifting inside was done only when the prime allowed it, and even then, the men went first and had more opportunity while the women waited. Sometimes, toward the end of the month, the women would be given the freedom of the arena.

  “We are going to remedy that tonight.”

  “But it’s not safe?”

  “I would never put you in danger.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the water’s edge. “There are no foniás anywhere close. And having spoken at great length with Leonidas the Leo prime, I have discovered there are far fewer of those hunting us than we believed. Leonidas informed me there aren’t nearly enough to track us, and many only hunt those who prey on humans. It’s also important to note they can’t fly.”

  “You seem well acquainted with the Leo prime.”

  “I would go as far as to call him a friend.”

  Not sure what to make of that, she moved to safer territory. “Why did you send Gregoreo to get me?”

  He gripped the hem of his shirt. “If I came to you in your rooms, I would see you, smell your arousal, and we would have ended up in bed.” He gave a rueful grin. “And as much as I would love that, tonight is the safest night for your maiden flight under the stars. It’s the new moon, and even in the starlight, there is no way for a villager to see us.”

  She spun around, searching the area, spotting a series of tiki torches lining the beach. She had never been on this side of the mountain before. “What are those?”

  “Those are the torches that lead to the sacred pyre. Every so often, it’s lit by the dragons as a blessing for the villages of the island.” He indicated an enormous pile of wood and kindling. “Would you like to bless the villagers this evening.”

  “When did we last bless them?” How had she not heard of this before?

  He turned to his friend. “Gregoreo when was the last time?”

  “Forty years.” The other man, who had shed his clothes at a distance, so quiet she’d almost forgotten he was still there, shifted into a fourteen-foot black-and-silver dragon.

  “Why not every year?” she asked.

  “It loses its meaning and specialness. Mentally, it will bring good things because the villagers believe it will, and good thoughts bring good deeds. So, would you like to bless the village?”

  “Yes, please.”

  He pointed to the far end of the beach. “You’ll start over there, lighting each torch as you go until you reach the pyre, then, with a great burst, ignite it.”

  “So, little puffs until the end.”

  “Yes. Once it’s lit, we’ll need to shift back and get off the island. Gregoreo, after his flight, will collect our clothing while we fly, and he’ll meet us back in the caves.”

  “Do we need to get the prime’s permission?”

  “No. Your grandfather understands he can either cool his jets about how I live my life, at least for tonight, or I shall challenge him and get it over with. The last thing he wants is to hand over power via a battle. I wish to save him that embarrassment.”

  “What was he arguing about?” She had heard the raised voices up on her floor.

  “The other zodiacs are opening their doors to their sanctuary cities to every other zodiac during the month of their power. Starting next month. It’s a time to share what we know and get to know one another’s customs. Gregoreo and I have already accepted, much to the disdain of your grandfather.”

  “W
hen was this decided? The only time Grandfather leaves is to head the zodiac council, and he hasn’t left in years.”

  “Is that what he’s telling everyone? He leads the council? There hasn’t been a council in decades until this past year, and even then, he wasn’t the leader. At the moment, Leonidas has taken the lead. And initiated this move.”

  “You leave every year. What does it matter where you are? Why should Grandfather care?”

  “Oh, it matters, but visiting other zodiacs wasn’t what had him blowing steam through his ears.”

  “Then what was?” She couldn’t imagine what more her mate would tell her.

  He cupped her cheek. “I told him if you accept, I want you by my side when I travel this year. You should experience the world, see new lands, and have an adventure. Besides, you can swap midwife techniques, and perhaps they can in turn learn from you.”

  She blinked once and then again, letting his words sink in. “You want me to go with you?”

  “I do. I hope you will go as my bonded mate.”

  “You wish to bond. This year?”

  “Of course. I thought I made that clear.”

  A sense of elation moved over her, and she wished it was tomorrow when they would be able to bond but, for tonight, she wanted to experience a small slice of the world offered her. “Will anyone else fly?”

  “Not tonight. Tomorrow, a few more men will come out and fly, but I wanted it to be just us with Gregoreo covering. I’ve never witnessed your dragon.” He stripped out of his clothes and stood gloriously naked.

  “She is nothing compared to yours.”

  “She is you, and that makes her perfect for me.”

  He arched back, and bronze scales tipped with red covered his body as he shifted into the fifteen-foot-tall dragon. He lowered his head to her and gruffed, encouraging her to follow his lead. She, too, removed her clothing. Breathing in she allowed the change to take her. Crimson scales covered her arms before the slight pain as her bones cracked and the tearing as wings broke through her shoulder blades. At a mere five and half feet, she was by dwarfed him. Towering over her, he lowered his forehead and nuzzled her.

  A second later, he took flight, soaring into the air then pausing for a moment before swooping down her way coming within feet of her taking a low flight across the sand. Magnificent. Pride filled her at his power. She flapped her wings, allowing the night air to lift her for the first time. Power surged through her as she gained height and followed her mate, the game of tag on as she fought to keep up with him. But no matter how fast he could fly, he stayed within ten yards of her at all times.

  Thirty minutes later, the fatigue of rarely used wings set in, and she made her way to the first tiki. He landed and shifted before her. “You can do this. I’ll follow you all the way,”

  She summoned her energy and, as he shifted back, she took off again, this time lighting the series of tike torches until they came to the wood pyre. She tried to light the fire, but no matter how hard she worked, she couldn’t summon the great fire ball required. Pleading with her eyes, she stepped to the side as her mate’s throat blazed red seconds before he breathed fire and the blaze burned high into the sky. Unable to hold her dragon any longer, she shifted, and Karolus lifted her unto his back. After flying back to the cave entrance, he lowered her again before shifting and pulling her into his arms.

  “I expected too much of you tonight.”

  “I wouldn’t have changed a thing.” She laid her head on his chest as the blare of a conch shell horn rent the air. “What is that?”

  “The watch is alerting the island the blessing has been left.”

  “Would they have seen us?”

  “No. The watch waits for the fire, not dragons. They’ll chalk it up to the gods of the volcano, not winged beasts of mythical lore.” He grabbed his shirt from Gregoreo and helped her into it. The scent of him overwhelmed her. “Would you like to stay and watch the villagers?”

  “Can we? Is it safe?”

  “As long as we stay here, where it’s been enchanted, they will never see us.” So together they stayed, her wrapped in his arms. And watched as the villagers, young and old, came to the beach, many crying and all praising the heavens or the gods of the volcano for the blessing of their people.

  Chapter 3

  Karolus and Gregoreo had been locked in conversation at the table for much of dinner. And while his attention might be on the other man, Karolus’ touch remained on her. Through every course, he demonstrated his attentiveness by being ever in contact with her in some way. A thigh, a hand, his shoulder.

  The tension between him and the prime could be cut with a knife, and although Karolus never showed outward disrespect for her grandfather, she knew it lay beneath the surface, and she suspected a great many others knew it, too. As she looked over the sea of familiar faces, she noted that the glances shot at the prime were not those of the loyal but of the fed up.

  The clash of a metal tray had her nearly jumping out of her skin. Mythra, the eldest of their kind who still worked as a server, shivered. apologizing to the man she’d knocked into. The man, Vindo, had grabbed her hand to soothe her when her grandfather’s voice boomed through the hall. “You stupid worthless cow.”

  The room went silent. As Styssi would have yelled at her grandfather, her mate whispered into her ear, “Go see to Mythra. I’ll deal with your grandfather.”

  Karolus rose and squeezed the server’s shoulder in support. “Mythra, are you injured?”

  “No, milord. The tray was heavier than I expected.” Her voice cracked as she hurried to clean up the mess.

  “No worries. Gregoreo will assist you in getting the dirty dishes back to the kitchen,” Karolus insisted, his voice far gentler than Styssi had ever heard.

  Mythra paused in horror. “No, milord. I can’t ask…”

  Gregoreo gave the woman a larger-than-life smile as he placed his napkin on his plate. “I insist. We should be serving you, not the other way around. Our elders must be treasured.”

  Styssi tried not to gape.

  “I command you to stop. Men doing women’s work will not be tolerated under my rule,” Alazor roared, his voice bouncing off the back wall and shaking the dishes still on the tables.

  “A dragon’s worth does not lie with the organ between his legs. This woman has given this valor centuries of hard work, never complaining, always smiling. She blessed us with two sons. Who, in turn, blessed us with five children.” Everyone’s attention lay squarely on her mate. He knew it.

  “She is a female nonetheless. The weaker sex,” Alazor dismissed.

  “Weaker? I doubt any male here could go through the pain of labor the way women do.” He turned to the room. “Our men outnumber our women five to one. What woman would want to mate with our men if this is the treatment they would receive? We cannot sustain our numbers if we don’t deal with the lack and importance of women within our walls.”

  “And yet, you have not done your job and bonded with your mate. She could have produced a babe over the last seven years. What say you to that?”

  She made a move to go to her mate’s side, but Gregoreo, who had been placing bowls on the tray, grabbed her wrist and pulled her down next to him. “Don’t get in the middle of this.”

  “But…”

  “Trust me.” He lifted the tray “Take this into the kitchen and meet me outside the hall.”

  His tone brooked no argument, so, she waited in place as Gregoreo escorted Mythra out of the hall. Styssi was about to leave when she overheard two men at the table wondering why Karolus didn’t challenge the prime already and be done with it. She was beginning to wonder the same thing.

  As the voices of her mate and the prime rose, she lifted the tray and did as Gregoreo bade. As she entered the kitchen, the chatter stopped.

  One of the younger cooks said, “We all know he’s reluctant, but for the sake of all the women, why won’t he take up prime. You must convince him.”

  “He pla
ns to, next year.” Styssi understood their concerns.

  Another threw down a ladle. “But we need him now. We can’t continue under Alazor’s rule.”

  “I would rather be banished,” one of the servers announced, and Styssi was certain they would strike if this kept up.

  “I’ll see what I can do. But I don’t promise anything. I don’t hold that kind of power,” Styssi said, and they all turned to look at her.

  “Maybe you didn’t before, but you do now. We all see he is besotted,” Ednogh, the chef, said.

  “I will broach it with him and raise your concerns.” She made her way through the outer passageways until she reached the area outside the hall doors where Gregoreo comforted a crying Mythra.

  “I want you to go with Izra. He will take you back to your room,” Gregoreo told the server. “And then he’ll bring you a tray for dinner. You must rest. Don’t feel you need to work tomorrow. Let us care for you for once.”

  The older woman went off with the other man, her shoulders slumped, tears streaming down her aged cheeks. Mythra had been completely broken by her grandfather’s treatment of her? When had their woman stepped back and become docile? Her mother often told her stories of the female warrior dragons from days gone by. Were they simply myth, or more?

  “Are you okay?” he asked, pulling her away from the doors as voices rose within the hall.

  “Yes, but what is going on?”

  “The prime is forcing your mate’s hand. Either to challenge or to create a situation that forces the prime to banish him from the valor entirely. I’m not sure which.”

  “How?”

  “If there is one thing Karolus has never stomached, it is Alazor’s behavior toward women.”

  “I noticed.” And it gave her hope.

  “He blames the prime for his mother’s death. She was expected to return to work immediately after an accident in the kitchens left her with a large gash and severe blood loss. Had she been able to enter a long healing sleep instead of short ones interrupted by work, he is convinced she wouldn’t have succumbed to a deadly infection.”