by Delta James
The two women wrapped their arms around each other’s waist and started back toward the pedestrian bridge. Both felt and scented the presence of their mates before they rounded the corner and could see them.
Skylar stopped and held Roz back. “They are going to be pissed.”
“No shit. Not that we killed him. You’re right; the bastard needed to die. The only question is what the hell are we going to do now? I don’t even want to think about how pissed Oliver is going to be.”
“You know, Darby suggested some nice sunny, beachy island with maybe cabana boys and drinks with little umbrellas.”
Roz grinned. “Ya think? I’ve heard Aruba is nice this time of year.”
“Aruba? Yeah, Aruba would be good.”
Each woman took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and continued down the path to face her mate.
Skylar felt herself enfolded in Dylan’s embrace. She clung to him, knowing that his relief in seeing her unharmed would shortly be replaced with his anger at her behavior and unwillingness to do as he’d told her.
Dylan’s mouth came down on hers in a kiss that was reassuring in both its passion and obvious displeasure with her disobedience. He released her mouth but hugged her close.
“He’s dead, isn’t he?” he whispered in her ear.
“I shoved him off the island and watched him go under the water and over the falls. I find it difficult to believe he could have survived.”
“Good girl,” he soothed.
“You’re really pissed, aren’t you?” Skylar asked rhetorically.
Dylan chuckled. “The depths of my annoyance at you are balanced only by the knowledge that ever believing you would stay out of this was ludicrous and the fact that you were here to support a friend and doing the right thing.”
Skylar drew back and looked at her mate. “So, I’m off the hook?”
“Oh, hell no. You may never sit again when I get you back home.”
Despite herself, Skylar giggled. “Thank God. For a minute I thought you’d been replaced by some kind of weak-willed doppelganger.”
“No, sweetheart. I’m the same bastard that always blisters your backside when you choose to disobey me and put yourself in harm’s way... regardless of whether or not your cause is just.”
“I suppose I can take some comfort in that.”
“I’d take comfort where and how you can find it as there won’t be much of it for you when you’re sitting down,” he teased.
* * *
Shannon stood watching her sister and her new friends. She felt an odd sense of contentment and well-being that she hadn’t experienced in quite some time. She was glad that whatever Marco was whispering to Catherine was in Italian. She couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying, but apparently Catherine did and it made a soft blush come to her cheeks. As predicted Marco had dragged both of them into his embrace. When she had struggled, he had shushed her and then she felt a low vibration resonating through her entire system. It seemed to soothe and reassure her. Satisfied that she wasn’t about to bolt again, her sister’s mate had released her.
A man she didn’t recognize asked, “Is he dead?”
“When we left him, he was fine. Scared and pathetic but physically fine.”
Both Marco and Catherine turned to look at her.
“That doesn’t mean that’s the way Skylar left him,” said Catherine. “Frankly, I was surprised Darby didn’t take him out when I gave her back the knife. But it would go against everything I’ve ever heard about Skylar to believe she let him live. That bastard destroyed or tried to destroy a lot of our women. No way Skylar Owen Grainger let him live... no way.”
“Then why not let you or me do it?”
Catherine reached out and gently squeezed her sister’s arm. “Because it’s not something she wanted either you or me to have to carry. Pack is like that. We help shoulder each other’s burden. We may never have been part of Bae Diogel, but for Skylar all of the women of our kind were.”
“She tried to do something amazing with that pack and your precious patriarchal system obliterated it.”
Shannon could hear and feel the comforting rumble that had been vibrating through her system increase. She turned to find James standing close by.
“What do you want?” she said, taking a step back toward Marco.
A part of her found it odd that she felt a kinship and sense of security as Marco’s arm drew her close.
“He’s the bastard who thinks he owns me,” accused Shannon.
She watched in fascination as the women she’d so quickly formed a bond with growled and stepped toward her.
“I don’t believe I own you,” said James quietly. “I do believe I am your fated mate, but I can understand how that might be difficult for you to understand or accept.”
“Marco, do something,” hissed Catherine.
Shannon heard the imposing male wolf at her side growl in a way that seemed to ease her sister’s ire and warn the other wolf back.
“I don’t think provoking Shannon, or my mate, is your best course of action,” rumbled the large Italian at her side. “Shannon, the man who stands before you is James Norris. A man who has not been what he had originally appeared to be. I believe him to be sincere in his feelings for you.”
“I’m no man’s chattel,” spat Shannon.
“Nor would I want you to be,” rumbled James.
The fact that the tone of his voice and the underlying low growl were able to pacify some of her distress was disconcerting.
“Stop that,” she accused.
James grinned. She had to admit to herself that he had a very engaging smile and she did feel herself being drawn to him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m afraid I can’t help it. When I feel your upset, I find the need to somehow ease that comes naturally. Trust me when I tell you, the feeling is as foreign to me as it is to you.”
“Figure out how to control it. I don’t like it and I don’t feel anything but disdain for someone who would buy another human being.”
“At the risk of pissing you off, I should point out... you are no longer human.”
Shannon stepped free of Marco’s hold.
“And whose fault is that? Not mine. I was kidnapped off the streets of Florence, held captive, and subjected to things you can’t even imagine. Then they injected me with foreign DNA not knowing if I would be able to survive. And while I am proud to call the women that surround you my sisters, it’ll be a cold day in hell before I ever forgive anyone who wasn’t acting in direct opposition to those who perpetrated this evil against our kind.”
Breathing hard, Shannon realized she could feel a wave of gentle reassurance being directed toward her and once again experienced the electricity of the rumbling she could hear from him. She noticed a man she had not seen before stepping past James.
“Shannon. My name is Will. I can’t even begin to imagine how disconcerting all of this must be, but I need to point out to all of you that news of someone falling off the island and going over the falls is spreading throughout the park. We might want to adjourn to some place with a bit more privacy and maybe a more comfortable setting.”
Shannon saw James smile.
“I knew you were the right man for the job,” said James.
“What job?” asked Shannon.
“Will is the omega for our pack. The peacemaker. Their skills and abilities to help maintain the health and happiness of a pack are vital to its success.”
“Our? Are you fucking kidding me?”
Will stepped between them. “As I said, we might want to consider adjourning to someplace else. I took the liberty of securing a large enough plane to take us all back to Marco’s estate. I’ve given his staff a heads up that we are headed their way.” He turned to Marco. “Your beta, Giovanni, assured me that there would be more than enough rooms to accommodate everyone.”
Shannon expected pushback from some of the others, especially all of the alpha males, but
saw none. Will gestured toward the parking lot.
“I knew we had two SUVs here. We should be able to get everyone out of here quickly and quietly. Ladies and gentlemen, this way.”
The entire group headed toward the area he had indicated. Shannon walked ahead of Marco and her sister. As James stepped up to join them, Catherine growled quietly and then joined her.
“Don’t worry. You’re not going anywhere until you’re damn well ready and only then if you want to go.”
“That weird noise he makes...”
Catherine remained quiet.
“You have to have heard him.”
Her sister nodded. “Barely.”
“I can hear him plain as day and it’s like I can... I don’t know... feel it somehow. I know that sounds crazy.”
Catherine wrapped her arm around her waist. “Not at all. I’m all too aware of the phenomenon.”
“Not that fated mate call thing...”
Catherine nodded. “I’m afraid so. While I might be able to barely hear James, I can’t feel him. When we were walking back to the bridge, did you feel something before we rounded the corner and found them waiting?”
“I was upset at seeing deMoncada. I’m just a bit out of sorts.”
“I wish that was what it was. But no, Shea, it’s James. You can hear and feel him because he’s your fated mate.”
“Will Marco just turn a blind eye?”
“Honestly? I don’t know what he’ll do. Marco is a big believer in fated mates. And while I chose to become wolf, he pretty much steamrolled me into our relationship.” She shook her head, laughing. “But I also know above all things, Marco wants me happy. I do not believe he will allow James to force you into a bonding. If he’s laid claim to you with the Ruling Council there could be some trouble, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“Would this Coalition back your pack?”
“Perhaps not the entire Coalition, but I would bet everything we own that those you see before you today would make a stand with us if it comes to that.”
“Why do you think it won’t come to that?” Shannon asked, confused.
“Because fate has a way of ensuring that those it has brought together find a way to be together. Remember when I used to tell you about the dreams I had of the tall, dark, strong man and the wolf?”
“You think it was Marco?”
“I know it was. Once I met Marco, the man disappeared but the wolf remained. And when Marco was being held prisoner and they tortured him to the brink of death, he said he could hear and see me. When he saw me in the restaurant having dinner with my friend, he recognized me immediately.” Catherine glanced back over her shoulder before continuing. “And truth be told, I recognized him as well.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you how off-kilter it made me feel. From the time he spotted me it was all over but my shouting and carrying on.” Catherine laughed at the memory.
“Did he send wine or...”
“Oh, he paid for my friend’s and my dinner. He sent flowers in expensive antique pottery. He sent handmade chocolates. He arranged for my money to be no good in Florence. Every time I tried to pay for something, I was told I didn’t need to bother as Mr. DeMedici had taken care of it. By the time I met him in person I was royally pissed.”
“So, did he back off?”
Catherine laughed again. Shannon noted that her sister laughed more and seemed happier than she had ever known her to be.
“Hell, no. When I cussed him out in the lobby of the very fashionable five-star hotel he was staying at, he merely tossed me over his shoulder and took me to his room.”
“Didn’t anyone try to stop him?” Shannon asked, appalled and yet fascinated.
“In the hotel he owns? Hardly. And I know how bad this sounds. But loving Marco is the easiest and best thing I’ve ever done. He makes me want to be the best version of myself. My and our daughter’s happiness and safety are the things most important to him... yours too. If your James...”
“He isn’t my James.”
“I hate to say this, but you can tell yourself that as many times as you like, but it won’t change anything except to make you miserable. When they call to you and you don’t respond, there is a physical ache which increases with time and the strength of your resistance.”
“Cat, you don’t know what he did...”
“DeMoncada? No, not the specifics but I’m willing to listen anytime you want to tell me. What I do know is that anything that happened falls on his head... not yours. No one, including my traditional Italian mate, expects you to jump into anything until you’ve had time to heal. That, I guarantee you, Marco will give you.”
“How can you be so sure I’ve heard this call thing...”
“Well, for one thing, you told him to stop doing it when none of the rest of us could hear him. And I can see your body respond and you fight to stop it. For those of us not born to be shifters, understanding and accepting that ours is a male-dominated society can be frustrating and annoying as hell. But at the end of the day, it works for the most part and I believe you will find your way back to happiness.”
“Do you?” Shannon asked quietly. “There were times when I thought about just giving up...”
“But you didn’t. Shea, you chose to survive. Now, choose again to heal and to fully embrace life again. I promise you, life in a pack is worth it. You’ll see when we get home. Our pack is going to be so happy to have you home. It wasn’t just Marco and I who were worried, but our entire pack. Let them help you. Find your way back to the light. Promise me.”
They had arrived at the SUV and the man who had introduced himself as Will opened the door for them.
“Madonna. Mistress.”
Catherine stayed her sister’s entrance. “Promise me, Shea.”
“I’ll try, Cat. I promise.”
They got in the vehicle. As Will shut the door, Shannon turned to her sister.
“I know you are the Madonna of your pack. Was he calling me Mistress?”
Catherine smiled. “Yes. A bit presumptive on his part. He is James’ omega and knows that you are James’ fated mate. He believes you will be mistress of the pack at Ravenscar. Mate to its alpha.” Catherine shook her head to ward off her argument. “Not right now and maybe not even soon as James’ father still lives. But for Will and most of those of our kind, the whole fated mate thing is kind of a done deal.”
Will, Marco, and Roz joined them.
“I’m surprised Oliver turned you loose. He looked like he had a death grip on your arm,” teased Catherine as Roz got in the back with her and Shannon.
Roz laughed. Shannon had decided she very much liked the mistress of the Hamptons pack. She was down to earth, turned without her consent, strong, tough, and quick to laugh. It was also easy to see that, like her sister Catherine, Roz was crazy about the man she called mate.
“He’s gone to take Mason to Jean-Michel’s plane. I think Mason wants to get home to his pack with its well-behaved ladies and away from us rogue females just as soon as he can.”
Catherine laughed. “Poor Mason. He must pity all of our mates for having such badly behaved women.”
Shannon couldn’t help but giggle. “A fact you are all rather proud of.”
“Damn straight, sister!”
Marco turned around in the front seat. “Not something you will be so proud of this evening when your Oliver has you over his knee.”
“Jesus, Marco, you’re a buzz kill. Is he always like this?” Roz said, her eyes dancing. Clearly, she had no fear of him.
Shannon caught Will looking at her in the rearview mirror and smiling. She smiled back and then dropped her head, embarrassed that all of this was starting to feel normal.
Chapter Twenty
James drove the SUV he shared with Dylan, Skylar, Jean-Michel, and Darby following the one being driven by Will.
“I think you have chosen your omega well, mon ami,” said Jean-Michel. “He reminds me a lot
of our Geoff, don’t you think, ma chou?”
“I don’t know,” said Darby, shooting a scathing look at James. “Did Geoff ever try to buy a woman in a sex-slave auction?”
Jean-Michel was quick to growl a reprimand at his mate. “You will apologize.”
“It’s all right, Jean-Michel,” said James. “It’s a fair question from her point of view.”
“And you are an alpha male and she knows better than to challenge one in that manner, don’t you, my beloved?”
“I do,” she purred, “but then some things are worth incurring your wrath.”
“We will see how you feel about that later this evening when I have made my displeasure with your behavior known in no uncertain terms.”
“Jean-Michel, please don’t feel you have to get after her on my account,” said James, still trying to stop the escalating anger he could feel coming from the alpha of New Orleans.
“Her behavior with you has only earned her a soaped mouth. Her disobeying me and putting herself in danger have earned her a trip over my knee. And if she isn’t very careful, the discussion we have will include my belt.”
Darby started to protest and stopped. James could see Jean-Michel’s mentioning his belt had quelled her sense of outrage or at least silenced her tongue.
Dylan preempted Skylar’s foray into the argument. “Skylar, you have enough of your own misbehavior to answer for this evening. Best you not add to it, cariad.”
“Cariad? That’s Welsh for beloved, isn’t it?” asked James conversationally.
“It is,” answered Skylar. “And usually what he calls me when he wants me to remember who is dominant and that it isn’t me.”
He smiled. “I envy the lot of you. You all seem so well-suited to each other and yet as I understand it, none of you would have chosen to be paired at all.”
“That’s not true,” said Dylan.
“Not at all,” agreed Jean-Michel, grinning. “Those of us who are male and not inclined to be stubborn and willful knew immediately that we had found our fated mates. It was our lovely mates who chose to be difficult.”
“Just remember, Jean-Michel. You have to sleep some time.” Darby appeared to be still vexed with him.
