by Crystal Dawn
Channing cussed a blue streak. “Next time let me know. I expect everyone to work for their checks. Please keep this between us. I’ll get things taken care of on my end.”
“We okay?”
“We are fine. I feel like a fool, but once I take care of this I’ll recover. Did you know she challenged my mate?”
“I heard something about it but not how it turned out.”
“My fake sis got her ass handed to her. Viv turned out to be the loveliest white cheetah you could imagine.”
“Really? Maybe I should move down there and see what’s going on?”
“Your work is mostly online. I live on a lake. It’s incredible down here in the summer. I’ve heard the winter can get cold, but I bet it’s not as bad as New York. Come visit me, I’ve got spare rooms. You’ll like it here.”
“I might just do that. Good luck with the mess.”
“Thanks a lot man.”
Now that he knew what was going on, he was ready to deal with his business. He sent his PA an email about how to deal with promoting the manager and taking Tamra off the company rolls. All he said was she’d gotten a better offer. Next he called his legal guy. “Hello, this is Stewart.”
“This is Channing. I’ve got something for you to sink your teeth into.” He went on to explain the situation. “I want as much of the company money back as possible. She has a property down here she bought in my sister’s name we might be able to get. I heard she paid cash.”
“You always give me a challenge. I’ll get on it and see what I can do.”
“I look forward to hearing from you.” Stewart was a legal genius. He’d fix this as much as possible. Had she been his real sister, he’d have terminated her and let the matter drop. The way things had played out made him want to get back those things she’d gotten from him under false pretenses.
He hoped Damon would have a solution for the others she had cheated and stolen from. Putting her in the council’s prison was just too cruel even for her. It was nearly a week later when everything involving his fake sister fell into place. Damon and his witchy wife were coming to visit and Viv was excited.
All the other leaders were coming too and while the things they would decide were serious, the event had an almost party atmosphere. There was no doubt that closer ties between the cats and dogs er wolves would be a good thing. He’d heard they had no sense of humor about being compared to their canine brothers. Cats weren’t bothered by comparisons with the natural breeds. It was part of them. The predator types showcased their violent tendencies while the smaller domesticated breeds showed that to a lesser extent having more playful side.
He and his mate sat in their living room waiting for their company. “I still can’t believe she wasn’t your sister. That girl had brass balls to come live at your house like she did and try to run your life.” Viv observed.
“I feel better since my legal guy got all my money back. She made me feel stupid, but she didn’t get anything out of me. There were several other people she was pretending to be. A couple of them died in accidents and she was able to figure out who they were and claim all their stuff. That bothers me more. Their families didn’t know they’d died. It’s sad that she has talents that could earn a good living but she’d rather steal from others and cause that kind of hurt.”
“Have all the families been notified?”
“We think so. She wouldn’t admit to any of them. Tyne got the information off her computer and files. Even with proof, she denies it.”
“I can’t imagine being willing to hurt so many people. Especially since she could make a good living on her own the right way.”
“She’ll make amends or she’ll go to the council’s prison. That place is no picnic. She thought we couldn’t send her there because she’s not a wolf. They have sections there for other kinds. I guess we need a prison too. Eventually the need will be there. A program of fines and work to recompense victims will only go so far.” He admitted.
“You’ll need a legal system. I believe Seb plans to put the jaguars in charge if they make it. Now he’s worried about the lynx or bobcats. The cougars have beaten them here and they weren’t even expected. Who knows what we’ll end up with? Seb bought another bundle of land in case we get an extra group. It’s only a hundred acres, but it’s better than nothing and can be added to later. I heard some of the land owners nearby are selling out. They think you guys are a cult.”
“They’d be more worried if they knew what we really are. I hear someone pulling in.”
It turned out to be Maddie and Azrael followed by the other at leaders and their mates except for Lincoln the cougar leader who was alone. Everyone already knew he chased Hazel but would he get anywhere with her? She was a tough one. Viv had invited her sister but clearly she’d not come.
Finally, the guest of honor arrived. Viv and the other mates ran forward to greet both Marissa and Damon. The male was tall and strong. His power radiated off him and he was impressive.
“Nice to see you, Damon. I’m Channing the cheetah leader.” Each leader introduced himself until all were made known to him. All the females already knew him and his mate well it would seem. “Let’s go in the big tent. We’re set up in there with food, drinks, tables and chairs.”
He’d liked the idea of using a big tent. Ariel had suggested it because she used them for family gatherings even in the winter. The house was large, but this was a big group. Leading the way, he and his mate entered the tent. It was nice inside and the chairs were comfortable. Everyone sat after they grabbed a drink and it was time to discuss business first.
“Many members of the council were intrigued with your plan to make criminals, mostly nonviolent ones, pay back what they’ve taken. Of course the jobs need to be approved and the council wants to receive compensation as well.” Damon explained.
“Of course. We’ve considered setting up a plan and also charging a small percentage to cover the expenses of administrating it.”
“Perfectly fair. We could send you some of our prisoners. There are some that can’t manage the heavy work we have done at our prison. The question is how to monitor them and keep them under control.” Damon observed.
“Don’t the witches have spells for that?” He asked.
“There are some but they require a lot of magic.” Marissa explained.
“Can the power be pulled from the prisoners?”
“If they are agreeable and have enough strength.” She noted.
“Would the average supe have that strength?”
“If they haven’t been mistreated too much. You’ll also have to house them. Those already in jail have lost everything. This would be a giant step in prison reform. It’s needed greatly and would help many people reclaim their lives. I’m not sure all of them belong in jail. The former council was corrupt and evidence was often faked. Some have been there so long it’s hard to prove one way or the other now.” Marissa admitted.
“We’ll need to put someone in charge and try a small group top test it out.” He pointed out.
“Won’t you be in charge?” Damon asked.
“Not permanently. This will be part of the judicial system which will be dealt with by the jaguars if they ever show up. Every group has their area. Seb administrates the community, Titus has the school. Lynx will run the postal and delivery services. My people will run the business with Moe. It will grant us all certain rights like a privacy fence. Panthers will handle security and law enforcement for the group. Leopards, since they were all so pretty, handled advertising. The cougars were running the medical clinic. The plan was for seven groups but it looks like we’ll have eight.”
“I’m glad Seb is managing that and not me.” Damon chuckled. No one contradicted him. It was a lot to keep up with right now as everything was getting established. “Have your secretary lay out the plans for the new program and send it to me. Even though the system is rough on its inmates, we’re overloaded. Many are unable to do the hard labor which is
all we have available. I think this will work out for all of us.”
“That sounds great. While we have you here, we thought we might toss a treaty in the air.” Seb suggested.
“You’ve got to know I’ve been trying to get that through since I became a council man. A certain group resists it. They have just enough votes to make it fail. To me it makes no sense considering your numbers. We need an agreement that’s fair to us all. I keep trying. Maybe this prisoner program will show we can work together.” Damon explained.
“It makes no sense with the other types of shifters that a council is only wolf. Even the bears are just there for show.” Titus observed.
“Many members think their numbers low, but I’m not sure.” Damon admitted. “Look at the numbers you guys suddenly have. It’s a force to be reckoned with. Who will handle diplomacy?”
“We’re not sure. We’ll see how hard the jobs turn out to be. It could fall under the law or the administration.” Seb admitted.
Now they all sat at the table passing the food around. He admitted he liked Damon and his witch. She could be handy to have around especially for the new program. Everyone was having a good time and discussing matters that effected both their kinds. That was when wardens came up.
“You know you’ll need some wardens to enforce your laws. I hear jaguars are great lawmen.” Damon observed.
“They are sneaky bastards. I have several in my security firm and they do an excellent job.” Seb admitted.
“Maybe you should consider sending me a couple to train and use in this area? We’ve had a shortage and getting a couple wardens you pay for might help show the advantages of a treaty with you.” Damon observed.
“A small thing to ask for and I bet I can get two volunteers easily. Who should I send them to?” Seb asked.
“We have an office not too far. Have them asked for Cage. Here’s his card.” Damon grinned. It was clear he was happy with the deal he’d just made.
“Still having blood drug troubles?” Seb asked.
“It doesn’t seem to end. We get rid of one and another rises to take his place. As far as I know, we’ve freed all the old vampires so I don’t know where their supply is coming from.”
“I heard they were working on an artificial substitute. Hard to believe they can make that. Unless they used magic.” Channing admitted.
“We haven’t thought of that. If we get some more in a raid, we’ll test for it.” Damon agreed.
“I hope the two extra wardens will help and we’ll get them to you as soon as possible.” Seb guaranteed.
“We’ll appreciate the extra help. Some of my guys haven’t had time off in a while.”
He felt good about this meeting and what it had accomplished. The different shifters needed to learn to work together before they could learn to work with other supes. Someday he suspected they would come out to the humans and before then, they needed a unified front. How could they ever convince humans they weren’t vicious war mongers if they couldn’t even get along among their own kinds?
The meal was finished and servants came in to clean things up. They were in and out quickly and quietly. Now everyone sat around eating dessert and drinking coffee, liquor, or whatever else was available. It felt good, like family really. That made him think of the family he and Viv were starting and he hoped they had a dozen cubs. The thought made him smile.
“Hey, what’s so funny?” Viv asked softly.
“I was thinking of us having a full house someday.”
“You might want to wait and see what it’s like to have one before you plan a bunch.”
“You’ve already had four and now there’s another on the way.”
“Maybe I’m not too smart?”
“You’re the smartest person I know.” He said and he meant it.
“We’ll see what you think in a few months when this little one makes an appearance.”
“It can’t be as hard as winning his mama over was.”
“If only that was true. You’ll be rubbing my feet a lot in the later months of pregnancy and running out in the middle of the night top satisfy my cravings.” She admitted.
“That can’t be that bad.” He said.
“What are you two whispering about?” Marissa asked.
“Babies.” Viv responded softly.
Marissa screeched. “Are you expecting?” Viv nodded. “How exciting.”
Now everyone was talking about babies and Maddie admitted to expecting too. Mairi also told them she was three months along. It seemed there would be cubs everywhere soon. It was getting late and Damon and Marissa left to a bunch of good byes. Now only the cat leaders and their mates were there.
“I believe the jaguars have sent a couple scouts ahead of their group. They are buying some houses.” Seb admitted.
“How do you know?”
“They are using a holding company that one of their leaders uses for business. I don’t care, I just wonder why they aren’t making themselves know and getting their house started on.” Seb confessed.
“They’ll come out when they’re ready and we’ll do what we can for them.” Maddie said. It was a simple truth and there was nothing more to be done until the jaguars approached them. Meanwhile, the cougars were enough to deal with.
Epilogue
Life has finally calmed down on a personal level. Vivian and Channing had settled in at the lake house and finally bought their boat. It was big enough for a family, but with winter approaching, it was in dry dock for now. Everything seemed to have calmed down, but several of his siblings are talking about coming. Hector found a house of his own and is dating a white wolf. Hopefully he will have an easier time than the others have had.
Vivian wasn’t showing yet, but the cub will come in the spring. They’ve been getting a nursery ready and equipped with everything that a parent needs and some things they just want. Haze is giving Lincoln the cougar a hell of a run for his money. They chuckle because his name reminds them of a car. A luxury one car but still a car. Maddie think her son may be coming home soon. It seems times are changing and maybe fate had a hand in things.
Caro is staying in a small house they built for her in the yard. She has privacy, but is still close by for safety. She eats most meals with them and she home schools taking both high school and college courses. Her cleaning business has taken off and she has both construction cleaning and maid services now.
Viv’s other kids haven’t been in contact much except for Jessica who got the business back on track. Their dad finally figured out to stick with what he was good at and he’s a happier man. Now the thing on everyone else’s mind is if the cougars are next, and the lynx still plan to come, what about the jaguars? If they come, where will they fit onto the scheme of things? The plan was for seven groups of cats and now will there be eight? Every group has also found more of their kind hidden in the human world but still reclaimable.
Building their houses and their hierarchy is still only beginning for the big cats that are settling in. At least they’ve gotten a good start and they are all happily mated. What will happen to Haze and Lincoln? Whatever it is will be more fun for the others to watch and frustrating as hell for those two.
Big Cats
Book 6
Lincoln
The new leader of the cougars got a hell of a shock when he met Hazel. When he carried her away she got a shock too. Now he’s doing whatever he has to in order to claim her but she keeps resisting him.
This guy is just crazy as far as she’s concerned and she’s never giving in. The cat is hot, but he wants more than sex so her answer is no.
A new leader with a lot of responsibility who finds his fated mate and a woman that doesn’t want to be tied down. Can they work things out or will someone end up unhappy?
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If you want to read books by Crystal Dawn, check out:
Blue Moon Pack Series
Planet Amazon Series
Cousins of the Moon Series (a completed trilogy)
Legends of the White Werewolf Series (A 12 book completed free series)
Keepers of the Land Series (A completed 6 book series.)
Frozen Origin Series (Complete 4 book series)
Frozen Origin Quickies
Loved by a God series
Frozen Origin Demons
The Southwest Illinois Pack Series (A ménage series)
The Wilde Pack series
The Strong Pack
The Red Wolf Series
