by Bonnie Vanak
For a moment he looked sad. Lost, as if he did not belong and wasn’t sure how to get home. Ella felt a sudden jab of pity. She knew what it felt like, surrounded by dozens of people and yet so lonely she could barely stand it. As if she were different and belonged to not only a different social set, but a different culture all together.
“Give it a chance, Sir Kieran. Town’s not bad. Even the tourists can be friendly, sometimes more than the natives. If you get lonely later, and find some real clothes, stop by the Steak Haus. My shift ends at midnight. I can cut you a deal on some prime meat.”
“Thank you. That is most generous. I am hungry for real meat.”
He smiled, and his entire face lit up. Her insides melted a little, until she sternly reminded herself that she was running late.
Ella gave him a long look. “But take my advice. Go buy some jeans, shirts, boots. Folks around these parts are conservative and don’t take to nudists.”
The smile dropped. Kieran folded his strong, muscled arms across that magnificent chest. “Being without clothing is a natural state for me. I find garments restrictive. When you are clad only in skin, it is quite freeing. And women can see, instead of guessing, what assets I have to offer them.”
Ella couldn’t help it. Her jaw dropped. True, he did have a lot to offer a woman…that bod was to die for.
He gave her a slow smile as if reading her mind. “Ah, you agree. I can tell. You should try it, fair maiden. I would enjoy seeing you in the nude.”
A tingle rushed down her spine at the husky heat in his deep voice. “It’s too cold to walk about without clothing, so don’t get your hopes up.”
Kieran stared at her with a male hunger she’d seen directed only at other women, not herself. “I would keep you warm, Ella.”
“Right.” Ella rolled her eyes.
His voice went even deeper. “My naked body next to yours, sliding over yours, is something you would always cherish. I would give you much pleasure before taking your virginity. It would almost be painless and you would enjoy it.” His brown eyes locked to her stunned gaze. “I would make you mine, Ella of Colorado. No other male would dare to touch you. You would never wish to leave my bed.”
Her temper snapped. “Not in your lifetime, chum. Have fun tilting at windmills!”
Ella flipped him the finger as she pedaled away.
2
Once, he’d enjoyed visiting the Skin World. But during his 1400 years of life in the Fae Winter Kingdom, Kieran of Thrace learned to hate Skins.
The last time he’d ventured to Earth, more than 200 years ago, it ended in tragedy. His beautiful younger sister died, searching for a mate. Butchered, her soft fur skinned from her body to fashion a coat for wealthy Skins.
Despite his best efforts, Kiera had gasped her last breath, an arrow piercing her heart, her huge gaze beseeching him. Pleading with him to save her.
He could not.
From that moment, he’d vowed to never visit Earth again.
The Winter Kingdom had its intrigues and thick brambles of nasty politics, but he could handle Fae games. Humans, or Skins as OtherWorlders called them, were unpredictable, greedy and dangerous. They were ruthless, vicious killers.
And now he was here, among them. Not by choice.
Flexing his fingers, he stared at them, wondering if he should shift into his cat form. He felt safer in his jaguar skin, but here amongst the humans, it made him vulnerable to those who enjoyed killing magnificent big cats and skinning them.
He would not end his days by becoming a rug to decorate some wealthy Skin’s home.
He did not understand that woman who wandered about, searching for her cat. Alone, unprotected. And those poor, defenseless kittens, left without a mother because some Skin broke her neck.
Did not that Skin called Ella understand what dangers she faced? She had no male to protect her. Ella was as naïve as his beloved sister, Kiera.
Kiera thought she could handle threats in the Skin world. She was wrong.
He felt a strange affinity for the woman named Ella. From the moment he spied her, his body reacted and his cock grew hard as stone.
He felt as if he couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, and everything in his once-ordinary world had turned upside down. It made no sense. He enjoyed women, had bedded many over the course of his lifetime, but never had he felt so smitten.
She was not a conventional beauty, with the ethereal loveliness of Fae women, but striking and attractive, with moss green eyes that reminded him of his beloved forest. Her dark brown hair looked long and curly, but he could not tell with it tethered back.
With those lush curves, the full hips and breasts, a male would have plenty to caress. Thinking about holding her in his arms, kissing her soft, warm lips, made his blood heat.
Her bold manner intrigued him. Made him want to study her closer. Very much closer. Preferably without clothing, in a bed, where he could lick her from head to toe.
But she lived in the human world. And he did not belong here.
Kieran walked back to the river and sniffed the air. Staler, less pure than the Winter Kingdom. Still, it wasn’t as bad as some Skin cities he’d visited.
And now he was on unfamiliar and dangerous ground. He, who had lived more than a millennium, was uncertain for the first time in his life.
One minute he’d been reclining on a thick tree limb outside his home in the Winter Kingdom, contemplating which Fae would enjoy the pleasures of his bed.
The next he found himself kneeling before the goddess Danu, who suddenly had appeared to him.
She’d told him she was sending him on an assignment. Then, pow!
There he was, naked in the Skin World.
He raised his eyes skyward. “A little guidance would be nice here. What do you want me to do?”
Silence.
It wouldn’t be that easy. He’d heard the goddess who created the race of Others liked riddles and complexity. Just for once, it would be nice to have everything laid out, nice and neat and planned. Step 1, do this. Step 2, do that.
His hand automatically went to his hip. No dagger. He gazed hopefully upward. “What about a weapon?”
Nothing, only a deep silence, but for the rushing river and the hum of wildlife in the nearby forest.
A wood gazebo stood behind him, with four chairs arranged around a table. He saw a piece of white paper on the table.
“Maybe you’re taking pity on me after all,” he muttered.
Kieran went to the paper, saw his name scrawled on the envelope. He ripped it open.
A key rested inside. And a note. “My condo is number 8. It’s clean. And now yours. X.”
There was only one X he knew of. Xavier, the Crystal Wizard. These buildings must belong to him. Feeling more cheered, for at least he had a place to stay that would be comfortable and filled with magick, Kieran took the key and started toward Number 8.
Maybe there was a sturdy tree limb where he could sleep. Kieran wasn’t too fond of beds, except for using them to have sex in Skin form.
Whistling, he jogged on the small pathway. He found Number 8, and unlocked the door.
The home had a kitchen, a small but comfortable-looking and masculine living area, and best of all, large windows and a glass door overlooking the rushing river. He didn’t feel as caged as he suspected he would in other homes.
“Thank you, X man,” he muttered.
Kieran went to the back door and as soon as he touched the knob, crystals appeared on the glass. He sucked in a breath. More wizard magick.
Words suddenly appeared, etched like a diamond upon the glass. Summon me, they urged.
“How the hell do I summon you, Xavier?” he asked aloud.
A puff of white smoke filled the air. When it cleared, the Crystal Wizard sat on the sofa, one leg crossed at the knee. Xavier wore bright red trousers, and a sky blue shirt, open at the throat.
Kieran held out a hand. “Ow. My eyes.”
Xavier raised a dark b
row. “And the sight you naked was much better?”
“You were here all along?” He growled at the powerful wizard.
“Let’s just say I was observing.” Xavier shook his head. “You sure have something to learn about the ladies, Kieran. No wonder she blew you off. Now you’re going to have track her down and convince her that you’re not a total ass.”
He blinked. “Ella is my assignment?”
Fantastic. He’d felt the snap and crackle of sexual energy between them, but assumed it was because he hadn’t had sex in a while.
The Crystal Wizard nodded. “Her full name is Ella Princeton. And it’s important to establish trust with her so she’ll accompany you to find the crystal of Calmach.”
“I am a trustworthy person.”
“She doesn’t know that. I need to teach you how to adjust to this world. It’s quite different.”
Kieran frowned. “I know all about the Skin world. All I need to know.”
All he wanted to know, anyway. He hated it here. Skins were brutal and dangerous and had no respect for life or their world.
“Doubt it. You wouldn’t have acted like such a cheerful, patronizing buffoon to Ella if you had. Women in this world are not like those in the Winter Kingdom.”
He didn’t understand. He cherished and protected women, the same as his loyalty had been to the Winter King’s family for centuries. Women adored him. This Ella was going to be problematic.
Yet he could not deny the strong pull toward her, the yearning he felt when he’d seen her. Perhaps it was because she seemed so different – strong and stubborn.
It was very different in this world since he’d last set foot here. In the magick world of the Winter Kingdom, little had changed in more than two hundred years. But here?
How could he fulfill his assignment and get the reward of his heart’s desire when he was so far behind the culture of Skins?
He rubbed a hand over the bristles on his chin. Another thing. He’d been here only a few hours and already he sported the beginnings of a beard. Kieran suspected that here he could not control that through magick, either.
Xavier gestured to the sofa. “Sit. We need to talk.”
Kieran sensed the wizard’s sincerity in wishing to help him. If Xavier’s aid meant completing his assignment and getting the hell out of here sooner, he’d gladly accept.
“Thank you for helping me out,” he told him.
Xavier shook his head, his mouth thinned. “I don’t have much choice. You’re like a lost puppy right now in the Skin world.”
He drew himself up with dignity. “I am not a dog, wizard.”
“It’s an expression.” Xavier sighed. “Never mind. Let’s get down to basics. I’m not very familiar with the courtship rituals in your world. I need to know so we can use what you’re comfortable with, in order for you to get to know Ella better.”
This sounded interesting. If there was intimacy involved, he was quite happy to oblige. “I would enjoy getting to know her better.”
Like getting to know what she looked like nude. Those curves, big breasts, yum. Kieran enjoyed all types of women, but he really liked a female with a full, lush figure. More to caress and lick.
“How do you initiate a relationship with a female in the Winter kingdom?”
Odd question. Kieran shrugged. “I get naked, she gets naked, and then I mount her. Usually from behind. That is how jaguar shifters do it.”
Xavier covered his face with his palm. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”
“What? Females on earth don’t get naked when they have sex?” Kieran frowned. “Skin to skin contact is most pleasant, but if they prefer under clothing, I am very good at lifting skirts.”
“You’re such a tomcat,” Xavier muttered.
Kieran folded his arms across his chest. “Your point is?”
Xavier ignored the question. He waved a hand. “Gideon!”
A red puff of smoke filled the air and when it cleared, Gideon, the Crimson Wizard stepped forth. His gaze whipped between Xavier and Kieran.
“I see my services are required,” Gideon murmured. He stepped forward and embraced Kieran’s left arm in a show of warrior brotherhood, the same as the wizard had done back when Gideon was mortal and Kieran was his bodyguard.
At least some things had not changed.
“Xavier asked me how I initiate a relationship with a woman, and I believe my answer bothered him,” he explained.
“A relationship,” Xavier said through gritted teeth. “Is not merely about sex.”
Kieran frowned. “My relationships with females are.”
“There’s companionship, tenderness―hell, cat, what about sending roses or courting them? There’s much to be said for being with a female that has nothing to do with sex,” Xavier grated out.
Ah. Now he got it. “You’re talking about a mating, finding my one true mate. That’s not the same.”
Gideon and Xavier exchanged glances. “Not exactly. Haven’t you courted a woman to find out if she could be your mate? That’s a relationship with a woman,” Gideon told him.
Kieran’s chest felt too tight. For a moment, he wished he were settled, with a mate such as Gideon had. He tired of these sexual conquests. The pleasures were delicious, but he wanted something more and deeper. Richer and lasting.
Not for me, he thought, grief pinching him. Settling down with a mate in the Winter Kingdom was impossible. He was the last of his kind. His entire family had been killed in the Fae Wars hundreds of years ago and other jaguar shifters in the Fae world opted to live as Skin or they’d retreated to the Dark Kingdom, where they could shift without worrying humans would see them.
“Not since I last came here to the Skin World. I gave up trying to find a mate.”
Sex had been easy, and women enjoyed being with him, even if only for a night. It had left him feeling empty and even more alone after they left his bed, but he’d resigned himself to that fact. After he’d last come to earth and his sister had been killed, he resolved to avoid finding his mate.
No mate was worth losing a beloved sister.
“Here on Earth it’s called dating,” Gideon said gently. “You woo a woman and eventually, have sex with her. You spend time doing things like walking on the beach, seeing a movie, attending a music event or the theater…”
“Sending her flowers to court her,” Xavier added.
A waste of time, in his opinion. He didn’t get it. In the Winter Kingdom, women understood he would never formally mate with them for life. His heart had been too shattered. They liked the pleasure he offered, and asked for nothing else in return.
“Can I sniff her bottom first to see if she smells right?” he asked.
“If you try to sniff a woman’s bottom, the Skins will lock you up. It’s called sexual harassment.”
“What if she sniffs me as well? Is that harassment?” he asked. “I would not mind.”
“Maybe we should call Tristan,” Xavier told him. “Tristan has much experience with shifters.”
Now he was truly worried. “I have never had sex with a Skin woman. How different are they? Do they have vaginas?”
Xavier put his palm to his face again as Gideon swallowed. “Of course they do.”
The Crimson Wizard, once the prince Kieran had sworn to protect, had a muscle twitch in his cheek. “I never imagined having to explain sex like this…”
“I need no lesson. I have plenty of practice.” Kieran sat back. “Will this female be accepting of my differences? Sexually, I mean.”
Gideon and Xavier exchanged glances.
“The barb on my cock usually provides enormous pleasure for my partner, although it was originally intended for procreation and fertilization,” he explained helpfully. “It can be overpowering for some females, as they can faint from the intensity of the stimulation.”
Xavier put a palm over his face again and groaned. “I can’t believe I left my beautiful mate to come here and discuss sex with a
thousand-year-old cat.”
“One thousand and four hundred year old jaguar,” he corrected.
He pointed to his face. “Why do you keep making that gesture? Putting your hand over your face?”
“It’s called a face palm,” Gideon explained. “It happens when a person is frustrated or can’t believe what he’s hearing.”
“You’re a double face palm,” Xavier muttered.
Intrigued, Kieran tried it. “I can’t believe that the goddess dumped me here like a sack of unwanted kittens.”
“Believe it. Danu does what she must. It’s why we have to aid you, my friend. You have much catching up to do,” Gideon told him.
He listened as they told him about Ella, and her destiny as a werewolf of the Wyld. A werewolf! The idea intrigued him. And he’d felt the chemistry between them spark and crackle, so perhaps this assignment would not be as tedious, nor as trying as he’d anticipated.
“I’ve found her, and she has met me. What next? We go searching for this crystal?”
Jaw tight, Xavier absently traced a rune on the coffee table. “You face a difficult challenge, Kieran. First you must pry Ella away from the grasp of her mother and the men in her life. They have a tight hold on her and control her every moment.”
Kieran didn’t like the sound of this. He’d anticipated using his usual charm to woo the woman, and then coaxing her into joining him on the quest. Not having to compete for her attention. Jealousy flared. A new emotion, it startled him. Previously, he cared naught what happened with his lovers. They were free to take other partners, and he’d always been explicit in outlining the consequences of becoming his lover. He didn’t like attachments.
Not until he found his mate, and only another jaguar shifter would suffice. This kind of raging possessiveness felt right, but with the wrong person. Even if Ella was a shifter, she was not his type.
“What other men in her life?” he asked slowly. “They cannot be her lovers, for she is still a virgin.”
Gideon blinked. “How do you… oh. Her scent.”
Xavier sighed. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, Kieran. We’re going to teach you how to act like a man, not a tomcat in heat. You can’t approach a Skin woman by sniffing her to see if she’s in heat!”
