by Sabrina Rue
The brother and sister jumped up from their chairs and ran around the table to wait beside them. They were practically jumping up and down.
Standing, Titus pulled back Desiree’s chair and she stood with a smile. “Should I change? I’m not exactly in walking shoes.”
“Unnecessary.” He cupped her face and without looking away from her dark blue eyes, he said, “I’m taking them to the place you showed me, Harmony. So no one worries.”
Tugging Desiree and the twins closer, Titus pulled them into the Between and out again beside the ridge.
Blinking against the low sun of late afternoon, his Mate looked around. “This is…the western border of Pack land.”
“Yes.”
“I run here with Alpha Harmony.” She smiled. “She kicked my ass twelve days in a row under that canopy of trees.”
“You like it here?”
She nodded. “I have since I was a girl. My father died on that ridge fighting Purists who’d attacked some of our people on the outer rim. A year later, his Second died just south of here when he was ambushed by almost thirty rogues who thought to seize the grieving Pack. Tin killed them all but…his wounds were too bad.”
“These memories don’t taint the place with sadness for you?” Titus asked softly. “It doesn’t hurt you to come here?”
Desiree shook her head. “No. Those losses remind me how strong my father and his best friend were. How fierce Were kind can be in the face of impossible odds. Even knowing they wouldn’t make it home to their family, Father and Tin fought to protect Pack.” She looked up at him. “Knowing they would leave the woman they loved to grieve them for the rest of her life, they didn’t falter.”
“I see that strength in you, Desiree.”
Her smile was sad. “I would like that to be the case. Perhaps one day.” Inhaling deeply, she asked cheerfully, “What made you want to visit this place?”
“Ryker wishes you to have a home among your Pack. Harmony thought this place would be ideal.” Stroking his palm over her head, he whispered, “How do you feel about that, Mate?”
She blinked several times as her eyes filled with tears. Then she nodded and threw herself into his arms. “Yes, Titus. That would make me so very happy.” Hugging him as hard as she could, she added, “Thank you.”
Kissing the top of her head, he watched Justice and Juliette practice using Earth energy.
It was peaceful, beautiful, simple. A moment of normalcy in a long, long lifetime of abnormality.
At last, he could see his future with his Mate stretching out and out into the decades and centuries ahead of them.
Titus held his woman, breathed her in, and let himself soak up the lifelong dream that was finally becoming a reality.
CHAPTER NINE
Titus stayed in the Pack’s opulent guest house for three days and Desiree was a wreck. She could barely sleep, didn’t care about food until she was almost faint, and often lost her train of thought in the middle of a sentence.
It was wonderful to have him so close yet torture not to have her Mate in every way. Each night he kissed her, touched her, talked to her until she was swaying from exhaustion.
He would transition her to her bedroom door and give her one final kiss goodnight, waiting until she was inside with the door closed.
The way he was with her reminded her of ancient tales of romance between knights and their ladies fair. Stories her grandmother used to tell her when she was very small.
Every sensation was new to her. She’d never longed for another person and possessed no skills to hide her feelings or disguise where her thoughts wandered.
Desiree began to doubt her resolve to endure another Heat alone much less wait an entire year before she went to him.
Following her training, she showered and sat on the wall that ran along the house. She waited for Titus to return from an urgent call from a Pack in New Zealand.
Harmony joined her, startling her from her musings. “You don’t have to wait until you pass another Heat, Desiree. That’s a condition you placed on yourself.”
“I-I’m afraid. So many females, not just humans, struggle to bring their babies into the world…” Jerking her gaze to her Alpha’s, she stammered, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean…”
“Hey. I understand what you’re saying. It is hard. I know my body will kick labor’s ass because I’m strong. You’re strong, too. Not only are you a full-blooded Were, you have a lot of Titus’s blood running through your veins. That’s going to give you an edge.”
“The children…their horror over losing the human mothers.” Desiree sighed heavily. “They can’t help but pass it on. They’re so affectionate and no one has ever been like that with me.”
“They don’t realize…?”
Desiree shook her head. “Their minds are so quick. Far more mature than Were or human children. Because of this, we forget they’re also children. They mentally skip from one topic or thought to another so rapidly that they’re a constant dose of changing feelings and ideas.”
Turning to meet her Alpha’s green eyes, she explained, “The deaths, the pain involved, their minds return to it often.” Returning to stare off across the compound, she considered her words. “Weres are so much stronger than full humans. They must fight to bring their babies into the world. This difference is even more pronounced between Weres and Daemon kind. Our people are centuries ahead of humans but Daemons…they’re ahead of all of us by countless millennia.”
Harmony held her shoulder. “You’re going to be alright, Desiree.”
“Alpha, I’ve always been weak for a Were. You know I’m physically fragile compared to most full Were females. I don’t wish to fail…”
“Mate.” Titus’s voice behind them made them turn. He walked around the wall and lifted her from it. “Somehow, you managed to hide your true fears from me.” Holding her close, he didn’t look away from her face as he said, “Excuse us, Harmony.”
They winked into the Between and out again in a home she didn’t recognize. A tall Daemon with massive wings and a sword was there to greet them. He stumbled back a bit in surprise.
“Lord Titus. This is quite an unexpected visit.” The Daemon’s eyes widened and his wings folded to his back but didn’t disappear. “Is this…you have found your Mate at last?”
“Yes. This is Desiree Blackwell.” He set her on her feet. “Mate, this is Killian. A very old friend of mine. He guards our leader, Lucian.”
“I…h-hello.” She added in a whisper, “Wings. Juliette will be heartbroken to have missed meeting you…”
“Uh, Titus? What’s happening? Who’s Juliette?”
“There’s a lot to talk to Lucian about but I’m not here to see him. I’d like to speak with Ainsley.”
Sheathing his sword, Killian clasped his hands in front of him. “You appear without warning and wish an audience with Lucian’s Mate? Are you fucking mad?”
“Killian! Why must you curse at our guests?” Desiree’s eyes darted to a lovely redhead standing in the threshold. A young man stood beside her with black hair and bright silver eyes. “I’m Ainsley. Lord Titus, we haven’t met but Una speaks of you often.”
Bowing, Titus told her, “This is Desiree Blackwell. I wished my Mate to meet you. I hoped you could calm her fears.” To Desiree, he added, “This is Lucian’s Mate. He’s been our leader since we arrived here, waited almost as long as I to find his beloved. This is their son, Eli.”
The woman’s scent hit her. “Y-you’re human?”
“I always get that reaction and I don’t know why!” Ainsley laughed. “Yes, I’m full human.”
Desiree’s face flamed. “I’m sorry. I…”
“No need to apologize. Are you human? I can’t tell.”
Clearing her throat, she answered, “No, I-I’m Were kind.”
Ainsley tilted her head. “Were…? I don’t know what that means.”
“Were kind,” the young man murmured reverently. He stepped close and stared
into Desiree’s eyes. “At last. My name is Eligos. I’ve studied your people extensively but haven’t yet had the honor to meet a Were personally. It’s a good day, Lady Blackwell.”
“Thank you. I-I’m not a lady. Just Desiree.”
Tilting his head, Killian interjected, “As Titus’s Mate, you’re royalty among our people. Lucian’s bloodline rules those of us here on Earth. Titus’s bloodline rules our home world.” He stared at her for a long moment. “Did you not know this?”
Speechless, she shook her head.
Eli smiled and said cheerfully, “We’ll learn from one another. It would give me great pleasure to fill you in on the history of our ruling families. It’s fascinating reading, as you can imagine. Each new planet settled is entrusted to a new familial bloodline to guard it and…ah, you needed to speak to Mother first. My apologies! My excitement about history gets the better of me now and again.”
“Are you in college or…something?” she asked him. Eli glanced over her shoulder at Titus. “Is that not an appropriate question?”
“Lady Blackwell, perhaps you should speak with Mother first. Then we can talk if you like. I can sense your nervousness.” He lifted her hand with a smile and Desiree’s body surged with white-hot power.
Titus caught her before she hit the ground.
* * *
Blinking, Desiree stared at an intricately painted ceiling. “Please tell me I didn’t faint and embarrass myself.” Ainsley laughed gently from beside the bed she was on and she turned her head toward the sound. “I did, didn’t I?”
“Poor Eli thought he killed you. Titus explained your gift.”
“Mate.” She looked the other direction at Titus stretched out beside her. “I wanted you to meet Ainsley to alleviate your fears about birth. As a full human, she brought Eli into the world with little difficulty.”
“I’m going to stop you right there because while my son and I came through with flying colors, there’s no such thing as little difficulty when it comes to pushing a child into the world.”
The redhead said, “Enough about me! Eli explained that Were kind are the real-world equivalent of werewolves and I have a million questions!” Desiree snickered. “Lucian doesn’t tell me anything. Thank goodness for a son who can’t wait to share cool shit.
Titus stroked her hair back from her face. “Mate, you know that Justice and Juliette grow rapidly?” She nodded. “While Eli looks to be a young man of twenty or so, he’s only a few years older than the twins.” Her gasp escaped. “Much like them, he was born with an incredible amount of natural power. It’s what overwhelmed you.”
Desiree met Ainsley’s eyes. “Among Were kind, childbirth can be dangerous. The babies are larger than human children and strong. It’s…hard for full human women to deliver them a-and survive.”
“Eli was much larger than babies I saw before meeting Lucian and very strong.” She winked. “He was also glowing when he was born so you’re not going to tell me anything about weird births that will freak me out.”
Moving to sit up, Titus helped her. Dropping her legs over the side of the bed, she raked her fingers through her hair and said, “Most Were females are incredibly strong. Not as strong as the Males but powerful in comparison to human and half-breed women. I-I’ve always been strangely weak.”
She twisted her fingers together in her lap. “This isn’t just my perception of myself. Our doctors think my strength went into my gifts rather than my physical ability.”
Ainsley cleared her throat. “Um, Lucian makes me stronger. By a lot actually. You know what I mean?”
Face blazing, she replied, “Yes. I do.”
The other woman held her gaze for a long moment. “Oh! You haven’t fully, uh…okay. Now I see.”
“Were females must endure their first Heat alone to increase their chance of safe births.” Seeing Ainsley’s question before she asked it, she added, “It’s like periods for human women only much more insane. We tend to get them once a year. They last anywhere from five days to two weeks and they’re brutal.”
“You’ve done that?”
Desiree nodded. “Two actually. My Alpha, Harmony, she’s endured seven Heats alone. Her sister endured three. They’re the first among Were kind to manage it.”
“By alone…what do you mean?”
“Uh, l-like in the wild…I’m not sure what to…”
Titus interjected, “Were females are wired somewhat differently than humans when it comes to reproduction, Lady Ainsley. They enter Heat just as their symbiotic creatures do in the wild. Hormonally, they have a driving need to copulate, to become pregnant. If they endure Heat with a Mate, this is a likely outcome. Enduring it alone is painful, maddening, and physically exhausting but it strengthens them.”
“Oh, god…”
“Desiree’s people have a higher than normal rate of miscarriage, still births, and death of the mother. Most females are unable to endure more than one Heat without assistance from males.”
Ainsley whispered, “You did that twice, Desiree?”
“Yes, I…my gifts make it difficult to touch others. During Heat or o-other times of such vulnerability, I’d be unable to control my power and I would end up with all their m-memories. That can be dangerous for me, shocking for my mind.” She sighed. “In many ways, I’m different from others of my kind, even among my own Pack.”
The redhead stilled, considering. “Oh, I see. Now I can really understand your nervousness. That’s the case with every woman.”
Tightening her fingers, Desiree murmured, “I’m already weak so I-I want to do everything I can to be stronger. It’s not easy to wait and enduring Heat alone is truly terrible. It does make me feel better meeting you, knowing your story. I just, I’ve always looked forward to being a mother one day and I don’t want to fail.”
Ainsley smiled. “You won’t. When the time comes, Titus will make you incredibly strong. The blood he gives you will infuse all your cells, inside and out. Also, I think you’re stronger than you think. Maybe not compared to Were kind but to someone like me.”
“Thank you, Ainsley.”
“You’re welcome. Come. Allow me to feed you and for Eli to talk your ear off before Titus whisks you away.”
For several hours, Eli conducted a sort of interview. He took rapid, detailed notes as Desiree explained the workings of Were life. Finally, he sat back with a smile.
“What a magnificent opportunity to speak with one of your people in person. I thank you for your patience, Lady Desiree.”
“It was my pleasure. It’s strange that I’ve never considered our life so very different but…”
Whatever she meant to say was lost as a white-hot wave of almost painful lust shot through her system. Eli instantly transitioned to the far side of the room. She gripped the arms of the chair and struggled to control her growls, her dominant canines, and the glow of her eyes.
“Oh, shit!” A woman’s voice from the threshold was not familiar. “Titus, was she close to Heat?”
Titus lifted Desiree and she glimpsed a woman of incomparable beauty standing beside Killian with a look of complete shock and distress on her face. Holding her so hard that she wondered if her bones would break, her Mate transitioned them away without a word to anyone.
Setting her down inside one of the cells designated for Heat beneath the Texas Pack home, he fought to let her go.
Desiree didn’t want him to let her go. She licked up the column of his neck. “Titus…”
“I must follow the wishes you made when you were cognizant and certain of exactly what you wanted, Mate.” His voice was low, rough, and slightly slurred.
She leaned back to see his teeth fully extended, his eyes glowing. “I can change my mind…”
“The temptation.” He closed his eyes and seemed to hold his breath as he lowered her to the floor and let her go slowly. Backing from the room, he hit the air lock and sealed her inside. “Desiree.”
Hair wild, teeth snapping, eyes reflecting
on the glass of the room, she placed her palms on the wall. “Come back, Mate. You want to come back inside so you can touch me, be with me. Don’t you want that, Titus? To be with me?”
Placing his hands over hers with the wall between them, he said, “I want that more than anything I’ve ever wanted in my long life. I won’t take this choice from you. Not when I know the importance of it. Not when I know you fear losing our children. In this, I can be strong enough, Mate. I can fight my nature to give you the peace you need.”
Harmony leapt to the bottom of the stairs. “Uh, that was fast.”
Titus managed to explain, “A friend’s Mate is a Daemon whose power depends on sex. Her presence can be…difficult if a male is not Mated or she takes someone by surprise. Desiree was close enough that Una pushed her right over the edge without warning.”
“Come inside, Mate. Show me what my body was made for, Titus.” Desiree could feel her Wolf taking control and she didn’t fight her for it. She wanted her Mate beside her more than she wanted to breathe. “I need you to touch me. Be the first to touch me…”
His body shaking, he swallowed hard. “Relinquish.” Her Wolf let her go instantly and she gasped. “My need to touch you is a fever, Desiree. You asked for time, to endure another Heat to protect yourself and our child. I won’t take it from you no matter how my blood boils.”
Staring deeply into his eyes, she whispered, “You’ll be waiting?”
“Always. I love you. This will be the last Heat you go through alone. For the rest of my life, I’ll be at your side to ease you through it.”
“Thank you, Titus.”
“I’ll see you when it releases you, Mate.”
Then he was gone and her Wolf surged forward. She slammed her fists against the thick glass. “Don’t leave! I need!”
Harmony said soothingly, “I’ll get your mother, Desiree. It’s going to be okay. Breathe. Don’t let her maintain all the power. Fight her down or she’ll batter your system.”
Her Alpha raced up the stairs and Desiree released a long wail of sadness, anger, and raging physical need.
Heat was never easy but going through it knowing her Mate was within reach just might push her past her breaking point.
