by Milly Taiden
NINETEEN
Intense satisfaction and pleasure filled Karel on his drive to see his mother. His heart felt full to near bursting with joy when she’d said the words. She was his. Liv might still be wary of moving into being his mate, but he could give her the one thing she wanted, children. She could, in fact, be carrying his child at the moment.
They’d had sex enough times through the night at one point he’d only slid a finger over her thigh and she’d opened mid-sleep. No hesitation. No question. Total access. The memory alone brought a smile to his lips. She couldn’t deny it. Even her body knew not to fight what she wanted: him.
With every thrust, he found her pussy slick for him. She’d woken twice to his face between her legs, lapping at the delicious honey she dripped from her slit. The more he had of her, the more he wanted. Now all he needed was her to accept fate and they could continue getting to know each other.
“The terrain up here is flatter, I noticed,” she said, rubbing her cheek on his back and raking her nails on his abs. His cock grew hard at the idea of her hands sliding a little lower and taking him in her tiny grasp. He wanted badly to see her stroke him. To see her lips on his cock like she’d done the previous night, sucking him off until he came in her mouth.
“Yes. The forest is still thick, but the land is less hilly than by Alyx’s castle.”
“The little cabins I see,” she murmured, her voice sounding confused. “They’re really far apart from each other.”
“Jaguars don’t like to be surrounded by people,” he admitted. His kind were solitary and a lot of times didn’t socialize. “We like our alone time.”
“Oh.” He heard the worry in her voice. “Are you like that? Like living alone and away from everyone?”
The truth was he’d been a loner as a kid, but with befriending Alyx, he spent his teen years surrounded by palace guards and Alyx’s parents. It felt second nature to be around people now.
Seeing how far apart homes were for his people, he knew this wasn’t for him. He liked living in the castle and seeing Bella and Alyx on a daily basis. He liked training his men, and more than all that, he liked feeling a part of the family. Alyx was the brother he didn’t have.
“My job at the palace means I am always around Alyx and his people. We are never far from locals, other tribes, and towns.”
“So you wouldn’t live like this…so…desolate?”
He saw where she was going. She was worried about moving to a new place with no one to talk to. That was a hard adjustment for anyone. “No. I reside in the palace but when Alyx and Bella go away, I have a house not far from the castle.”
“So you wouldn’t live way up here, right?” She raked her nails over his thighs, making him lose track of the conversation.
“No. I could, if I wanted to. My family home has been up here and is closed off to anyone, but I am not interested in being the typical jaguar loner.”
It was mid-morning by the time they arrived at his mother’s home. Though Keliana, his mom, didn’t like being surrounded by people, he had been informed when he’d been at the castle, that one of the castle servants had volunteered to assist his mother in her day to day life.
He helped Liv off the transport and met her worried gaze. “Don’t stress, love. She’ll adore you.”
She snorted and her lips turned up in a grin. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one meeting the in-laws looking like death warmed over.” She pushed her long her back and patted the thick curls. “I have bed head and I probably need a shower.”
He sniffed and shook his head. “You smell perfect,” he said, curving a hand around her waist and pressing her soft curves to his body. “You smell like me.”
She laughed and slapped him in the arm. “Is that supposed to be a compliment? We both need a shower.”
He didn’t debate with her. She was cute with her scrunched up nose sniffing her armpits. “Come, my mother is waiting to meet you.”
She bit her lip and nodded. They headed for the cabin. It was small by most standards with only two bedrooms. Nothing like the original family home. That had been a large, eight room cabin ready to house an entire family.
With Karel’s father’s death, his mother left the house they’d shared for their short mating and taken ownership of a small cabin her parents had gifted her. Keliana refused to live in the cabin her husband tried to kill her son in. She promised him as a kid he’d never have to set foot in there again. He wasn’t going to start now.
Liv pulled on his arm, stopping him from opening the front door. He glanced down at her upturned face, memorizing every line of her beautiful visage as she gazed at him with more than just lust. “Before we go inside, I want to tell you I’m willing to see where this is going. Us.”
He kissed her. How could he not when her eyes filled with love and desire. “I know.” He licked the seam of her lips and felt his blood pump hard in his ears at her low moan. “You’re mine. I’m yours. Simple.”
A smile spread over her lips. “That is simple.”
He turned the knob and readied to see his mother, the one woman who until then had sole ownership of his heart. Now she shared it with his mate. His Liv.
TWENTY
Liv’s belly pitched. Damn nerves. She glanced down at Karel’s hand holding hers and felt warmth flow through her veins. She wanted so badly to get him naked again. Really naked and fucking her or even better, her riding him. Her nipples pebbled and her panties wetted at the memory of their previous night. He’d taken her every way possible and damned if she hadn’t loved it.
“Not now, love. I won’t be able to stop thinking of your lips around my cock if you keep pouting like that.”
She licked her lips and blinked at his blazing gold eyes. Sheesh the man had the stamina of a super hero. Her very own super-shifter.
They entered the cabin quietly. There was a weird stench she’d never smelled before. She frowned and followed Karel through the cabin to the kitchen. A woman went about doing the dishes. She stopped and turned to face them. Her eyes widened with shock, but it was quickly masked with a smile.
“You’re back. Your mother will be happy to see you,” she glanced curiously at Liv. “I’m Tiana. I’m here to help Keliana for the time being.”
“Thank you, Tiana.” Karel sighed. “We’re going to see my mother.”
“She was sleeping the last time I saw her, but will probably wake now that you’re here.” She started pulling pots out of cupboards. “I’ll make dinner.”
He shook his head. “Leave it. I’ll take care of it. You rest.”
Tiana nodded. “If you’re sure?”
“Positive,” Karel said. Liv followed behind him to his mother’s bedroom. She watched him open the door quietly and walk in. Her heart went out to him at the pain etched on his face.
He knelt next to Keliana’s bedside and covered her hand between his. “Aayi. Mother,” he called out, “I’m home.”
Keliana opened her eyes and glanced at him, a happy smile curving her lips. “I missed you, my son.”
“I promise I won’t leave until you’re better,” he said, the vow clear in his tone.
Keliana nodded slightly and glanced past him at Liv. “Come here, new daughter. I’ve been waiting to meet my son’s mate.”
She strode forward, sitting on the chair beside the bed. “Hi. I’m Liv.”
“Thank you for coming, Liv,” Keliana breathed. “And thank you for putting that look of love on my son’s face.”
Liv wasn’t sure about that, but she was glad Karel was back to spend time with his mother. Her chest ached at how sad he looked. She swallowed hard at the cotton in her throat, tears filling her eyes.
“Don’t be sad, new daughter. When I’m gone, my son will have you and you will make him happy.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Now that I know he’s got a mate, I can stop fighting this exhaustion and pain.”
“No,” Karel ordered. “You can’t. Don’t you want to meet your grandchildre
n?”
Wait, what? Liv blinked at Karel.
“She’s not,” Keliana smiled with her eyes closed.
“We don’t know that. She could be in a few days.”
Liv wanted to slap him upside the head for telling his mother he was working on getting her pregnant. It was one thing to say that to her, but quite another to tell his mother.
“Good. Make some cubs, and I will stick around to meet them.”
Karel stood and kissed his mother’s cheek. “Rest, Aayi. I will be back later to spend time with you.”
When they got to the door, Liv turned to glance at Keliana. With long blond hair and a pale complexion, she blended in with the bed sheets. Her skin was ashen and her eyes had a dull yellow that didn’t resemble the bright golden of Karel’s eyes. Clearly, whatever her illness, it was taking her slowly.
They went outdoors and walked around the cabin, where he showed his mother’s garden full of flowers so big, Liv felt like a midget in a giant’s world.
They were colorful with mostly transparent leaves. Karel grinned when she approached one tentatively.
“You can touch it. It won’t harm you.”
She glanced at the massive leaves where only vein lines and the outline of the leaf showed. “This is amazing.”
“If you like those, you’ll love these,” he said, pulling her to another row of flowers. These were just as big, but the leaves glowed.
“Oh, my god!” It was like a massive row of flower-shaped nightlights had taken over that side of the garden. “This is so cool.”
She peered at the leaves, shining various colors, with their centers whirling like rainbows of sparkling lights.
“The Evening Lights are a favorite of my mothers,” he smiled. “She won’t cut them down because they lose the ability to glow if you do. When I was a kid, we often camped outside amongst them.”
That had to be an amazing time. For his mother to dedicate her life to him, and him having such high regard for his mother was beautiful. Liv having never spent time with her parents felt pangs of jealousy that she didn’t have those memories. All she had was her grandmother’s coldness to remember.
She promised herself she’d never do that with her children. She’d be like Karel’s mom and make happy memories. When the time came for her to go, her kids would remember her through the fun things she’d done with them. That’s what life was about, making beautiful memories for the time when loved ones were gone.
“Was it always you and your mom?” she asked, the need to know more about him grew. She wanted to feel connected to him with more than just her desire for him. Even though she already knew there were feelings, she wanted to get to know his life.
“Not for the first few years. When I was a kid, my father tried to kill me, but Aayi killed him first.”
She gasped, her focus on the flowers gone to move to his face. “Your father tried to kill you?”
He nodded. They sat between the flowers. “Some jaguar males can be very insecure. They want no other dominant males in their homes.”
She frowned. “Wait. Your dad tried to kill you as a little kid, because you would grow up to be a dominant male?”
“Yes. He worried I would cause problems, and instead of waiting for that to happen, he thought to dispose of me ahead of time.”
“Oh, my god!” She gripped his hands in her own, as if trying to make sure he was sitting in front of her. “Your mom had to kill him?”
“Yes. She said she’d kill him again to save my life.” He met her gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line. “You understand why Aayi is so important to me, right?”
She nodded. “I thought her name was Keliana?”
His features softened and a smile split his lips. “It is. Aayi is another way of saying mother in our language.”
That made sense. “Okay. So you and your mom are really close then.”
He nodded. “Always. She owns half my heart.”
“Really? Only half,” she joked. “What about the other half?”
“That,” he said, raising a hand to rub his thumb over her lower lip, “part belongs to you.”
“You don’t even know me all that well,” she murmured.
“I know all I need to about you, Liv. I follow my instinct and my animal would never steer me wrong. You are the one. The only one.”
She loved and hated how sure he sounded. She wanted to feel that certain of things. But she didn’t have an animal instinct inside. No, you have common sense and a heart telling you he’s your one.
“I’m glad we got back in time to see your mother,” she told him. With as close as they were, she realized it would break his heart to be far from her if something happened. “We can get to know each other better and you can spend time with her.”
He nodded. “I have to ensure the cabins are supplied with wood and hunt for meat, but I’m able to show you around whenever you want.”
She glanced at the flowers in the area. “I can walk around and it wouldn’t be too dangerous, right?”
“Yes. This area is very flat and the forest isn't as dense as farther out. We’re not going to see the big animals that scared you by the beach.”
“You have to go far to hunt?”
“A little. I can run fast in my animal, so hunting isn’t a big deal. We do eat a lot of meat so hunting is our way of life. It will mean I have to leave often to replenish our meat freezers.”
She understood. It would be selfish of her to expect him to stick around and baby her, not that she needed that, while she got used to being here. She was a grown woman who had traveled the earth. She could learn her way around Aurora too. “Don’t worry. I love walking and will make sure to stick close to the cabin when I hike.”
He grinned, bringing his head down to brush his lips over hers. “I’ll make time to guide you.”
She laughed and cuddled closer to him. “By the time you’re ready to show me around, I’ll have learned everything there is to know about this planet. Then maybe I will be your guide and show you Aurora through my eyes.”
TWENTY-ONE
Liv sighed as she headed into the cabin via the kitchen entrance. Tiana was putting drops from a bottle into a cup of tea. She closed the bottle and shoved it into her pocket.
“Hi,” Liv said, watching the other woman jump at the sound of Liv’s voice. Didn’t shifters have super hearing or something?
Tiana turned, a smile pasted on her face, her eyes frantically glancing around. “I was just making Keliana some tea.”
“What kind of medicine is she taking?”
“Medicine?” Tiana looked at Liv like she was crazy.
Live nodded at the pocket Tiana put the bottle in. “The drops you used in her tea. Antibiotics?”
Tiana smiled. “Yes, medicine.” She turned back to the counter, not saying anything further. That felt a little weird.
“Okay. Do you want me to take it to her?” she offered.
“No!” Tiana said and gripped the cup. “I’ll take it. I need to make sure she gets her afternoon bath if she’s feeling better.”
“If you’re sure. Karel said you worked in the castle before you came here?”
Tiana nodded. “I was in charge of various guest rooms.”
“No wonder you keep this place so spotless,” she smiled. “Were you one of Bella’s assistants?”
Tiana’s lips pursed into a thin line, her gaze turned cold enough to make Liv shiver. “No. I wasn’t good enough for Her Highness. I attend the king’s cousin when she resides in the castle.”
Shit. She’d pissed her off. Guess she didn’t really like Bella. Weird, because Bella was a sweetheart. “Let me take that. You look exhausted.”
Tiana was working too hard. Or she could be really stressed. Taking care of someone on the verge of death was probably straining. Liv would make an effort to help now that she and Karel were there. That morning, Keliana had sat up and looked better than the previous night. She wondered if she had good and bad day
s.
Tiana turned away. “No. I got it.”
Liv watched her walk around her with the cup firmly in hand.
* * *
That evening, with Keliana doing worse than before, they decided to sit by her bed and talk. She appeared to want to listen in on their conversation and would comment every few minutes.
“You left to live at Alyx’s castle at what age?”
“When I was a teen. I was groomed to be the head of security by Alyx’s father.”
“It was one of the hardest things,” Keliana said softly. “To see my only child go and not know if he would be okay.”
“Mother,” Karel grinned, lifting Keliana’s hand to his lips and giving her a kiss on her palm. “You knew I was fine.”
That small move was enough to melt Liv’s heart. This was a man who knew how to cherish his mother.
“Knowing and not seeing my son daily are not the same.” She glanced at Liv from her bed, her pale yellow eyes dull with pain. “Would you not worry if your only child left you?”
Liv nodded fervently. “Hell yes! I’d probably spend a few weeks making sure he wasn’t in any danger before I felt confident leaving him far away from me. Even then, I’d probably nag him to death with phone calls and text messages.”
With her family history of having lost her parents, she’d probably never leave one of her kids alone with anyone. Talk about serious separation anxiety.
Karel laughed and shook his head. “Don’t give her ideas, Mother.”
Keliana smiled and for a moment she looked much younger than before. “She’s good. I like your mate. She’ll be a good mother to your children.”
Liv’s face heated with embarrassment. She’d be that nagging mother who never left her kids alone for fear of something happening to them and her not being there to help. “I don’t know about that.”
