by Bonnie Vanak
He stopped, waited for her to catch up. She hurried ahead.
“Everything here is natural. We are organic farmers, and use no pesticides. Even the ground cover allows for natural filtration of rainwater to the earth,” he told her, guiding her toward a thicket of bamboo trees.
The greenery was lush, the land fertile. Such methods had worked well. The ogre, with his insistence on using commercial fertilizers and pesticides, could learn a thing or two from these Lupines. “Did you always farm organically?”
A shadow crossed his face. “No.”
Robert put a hand on the small of her back. The warmth of his touch radiated through her shirt. So lovely, such warmth…she cherished warmth. Always the cold, the damnable cold cursing her…
Once she’d been warm, like him.
No! Aurora put the thought out of her head. She shivered, wondering if the training she’d received as a child could help her fight ancient, long-buried instincts. No one in this pack must ever know her true nature because she could never fully belong to them.
She’d walked alone too long to belong to a pack.
He steered her on a path leading to a copse of thick bamboo. Grapevine draped a wooden trellis that created a doorway to a small grotto.
When she entered it, Aurora’s interest flared. In the center was a stone planter taller than herself, with colorful bromeliads growing out of openings on each side. The planter was covered with moss, and ringed with small, smooth black pebbles.
A bed of soft green moss cushioned her footsteps. The entire grotto had an air of secrecy and ancient magick.
Robert walked over to a white stone chest on the north side of the grotto, and lifted the lid. The chest had intricate runes carved upon it. He removed a container the size of a shoebox, closed the stone chest and set the box upon the closed lid. Through the pungent smells of damp earth, moss, and trees, Aurora caught a tendril of another scent. Cedar wood.
When she saw what rested inside the cedar chest, her heart clenched in fear. Robert removed a silver dagger, a clean white cloth, a goose feather quill and a scroll of parchment.
“I must have your total consent for the oath.” Intent blazed in his eyes as he held out his hand. “In blood.”
She stared at the silver knife in his hand, the hilt woven with intricate, ancient Celtic whorls and runes, matching the ones on the stone chest. This commitment was serious, and would change her life for good. If Robert’s pack didn’t contain the key she needed to free her sister, Aurora was royally screwed. She’d never have another master.
“Aurora? Do you do this of your own free will?”
What free will? What choice had she?
This wasn’t giving her consent, for any choice had been taken from her the moment she’d sworn to protect her sister’s life with her own. Cadeyrn had not given her to this powerful male on a whim.
“Yes.”
“Give me your right palm.”
As she did he glanced at her. “This will sting.”
The slash he made across it burned like fire. Aurora didn’t flinch or cry out, for the witch had hurt her far worse. She watched her life’s blood well up on her palm. Then he made a similar cut across his own palm. She noticed he already bore a slim, but distinct scar there.
Had Robert made a similar blood oath in the past?
He set the knife down upon the ground, and then clasped their bloodied palms together. Warmth filled her, such warmth that her toes tingled. She felt alive, aware and extremely sensual. Aurora bit her lip and closed her eyes to keep from moaning. She couldn’t help the undulation of her hips as desire coursed through her.
She opened her eyes to see Robert’s body tensed, his arousal tenting the front of his jeans. Their mingled blood dripped to the earth, then vanished, as if the very ground siphoned their life force. “Look,” he told her. “The match of our blood is a good one. We are now bound together sexually.”
The hilt on the knife glowed red. Robert growled. His eyes glowed with an amber light, then flashed silver and suddenly she was afraid.
He released her palm. “This test is the only foolproof way to be certain.”
“Certain of what?”
His gaze smoldered as he studied her. “That you can safely carry a healthy child of my blood.”
Good to know.
Next he dipped the quill into his blood, scribbled his name on the parchment, and then she signed her name the same way. Robert rolled up the parchment, set it back into the cedar box, then replaced the box in the stone chest.
The next time he spilled her blood would be in his bed, when he took her virginity. Aurora rubbed her palm, though it no longer stung. The delicious heat had faded, leaving her empty and a little scared of what was to come. But there was no turning back now.
He approached her, his manner terse. “Turn around and lift up your hair.”
Wondering what came next—did he have to cut off her hair in some odd Lupine ritual?—she did as he commanded. The warmth of his fingers brushed against her nape and she shivered with anticipation.
Robert’s fingers fiddled with the clasp on her slave collar. She heard him swear softly, which was followed by more fumbling. And then a deep sigh.
He turned her to face him. His nearness made her breath hitch. Everything about this male triggered her dormant sexual needs. The rugged bristles shadowing his strong jaw, the full curve of his mouth, the deep green of his eyes, the dark brows set over those verdant eyes. His intoxicating scent of cedar and sandalwood teased her senses. She looked down at his dusty boots.
Robert lifted her chin with the tip of a finger. But he stared at her collar and nodded. “That’s why. Magick moon runes. Your collar is embedded with them. I can’t remove it until the full moon.”
The warmth of his palms blazed through her thin shirt as he clasped her shoulders. “When I remove your collar, you will never wear it again. I promise this.”
But he didn’t have the power to destroy the collar, only remove it. Anyone could find the collar and slap it back on her. Anyone in this pack, even. And if that happened, Aurora wouldn’t have to worry about wolves tearing her apart. With enough presses of the button, the collar would squeeze her throat until she strangled.
“Our bargain was my freedom if I mate with you and give you a child.”
“And you must be free to do so.” His gaze turned stormy. “I won’t force you.”
She remembered his kindness when she was fourteen and he’d given her the water. Instinctively, she sensed Robert would not force her. As he dropped his hands, she touched his sleeve. “I believe you.”
Torment filled his eyes. “Do you? You’re a stranger. An enslaved Mage. You would say that to please me because I hold the power.”
Perhaps. She had certainly done so with the witch, and the troll. “I believe you because you treat me with respect. You fed me, instead of making me work straight away. You’re the first master I’ve had who loathes slavery.”
“Slavery is wrong, no matter what the reason. Even if the slave agrees to the terms, and it is to protect his people.” He cupped her chin, and she stared into his eyes, drowning in his deep green gaze. “You and I both know this. When we come together as mates, it will be of your own free will, and you’ll be free of your slave collar. You can refuse me.”
“Yes,” she whispered. “But I will not.”
He smiled. His eyes were kind. So very kind and reassuring, while the rest of this situation was unknown, new, and scary. Robert stroked a thumb over her cheek. “You’re so soft and pretty. I hope you will find a good home with us.”
A bell rang somewhere in the distance, deep and ominous. Not the lovely tones of a church bell, but something that sounded like a warning.
“What is that?”
Robert dropped his hand. Then his mouth tightened to a thin slash and the cold, remote alpha returned, chasing away the brief camaraderie they’d shared. “The warning chimes. They ring when I assemble the pack for a meeting.”
His gaze searched the grove, and he put her behind him in a protective manner. “Or if a pack member spies a threat to our lands and people. Stay here. The grotto will protect you.”
He shifted into wolf. The change was swift and scary. One minute a tall, handsome man with black and silver hair stood before her—the next he was gone, replaced by a muscled gray timber wolf with black markings on his muzzle.
The wolf nudged her deeper into the middle of the circle, then loped off. He gave one backward glance, and then raced away.
Shivering, she hugged herself. Warning chimes. What kind of dangers did this pack face?
Minutes later, the wolf returned, Robert shifting before she could draw one breath. She caught a brief glimpse of a nude, muscled body and an odd tattoo on his shoulder before Robert waved a hand, conjuring clothing onto his body. Desire filled her. He was very handsome and powerful.
“What was it?” she asked. “Is everything all right?”
“False alarm. One of my people working in the back fields thought he spotted an intruder. But he did the right thing in calling in the threat.”
Robert took her elbow and guided her out of the grove. “Come, I’ll show you the rest of the grounds.”
Aurora balked. She placed a hand on his forearm, feeling muscle, sinew and tension. He wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“What kinds of threats would you face here? It seems so peaceful.”
Jaw rigid beneath the bristles of his beard, he shook his head. “Nothing for you to be concerned about. Enough of the tour. I’ll show you the café, where you’ll be working.”
Following him out of the grotto, she wondered at his words. Had Robert been enslaved in the past? What alarmed him and why?
What the hell had she gotten herself into by agreeing to this mating?
A week after her arrival at the Keynes pack, she’d seen only glimpses of Robert. He’d introduced her to Susan, her supervisor at the Sunflower Café, the little restaurant that serviced the pack—and tourists on one weekend per month.
Susan was a large-boned Lupine with a round face, short brown hair and a no-nonsense attitude. Unfortunately, she was as tight-lipped as the others, not sharing any pack gossip. When Aurora gently prodded her with questions about her brother, Susan did not answer.
After Robert left her with Susan, he ignored her.
Being ignored suited her. She didn’t want Robert’s attention yet, didn’t want him knowing what she planned to do. Didn’t want him realizing she took every spare moment, every break, to eavesdrop on the pack to see if this place held the key to freeing Emily.
Every morning Aurora rose at dawn to shower in the postage-sized bathroom in the abandoned barn office, and then dressed and headed to the kitchen to help Susan prepare breakfast. Most of the pack ate on their own, but Susan liked having food ready for the earlier risers. She had plenty to eat, and most of all, all the water she needed. And if the horse stall she now called her bed was a little rough, and the woolen blanket that served as a mattress a little scratchy, well, usually she worked so hard she fell instantly asleep each night.
Susan was polite, but distant and conversed little. So Aurora set about gaining the woman’s trust through hard work and dedication to detail. Susan told Aurora she was impressed with her fast learning abilities and promoted her to waitressing at the café.
“You keep the tips. Pack members tip just like regular Skins, so whatever you earn is yours,” Susan told her.
Today was Aurora’s first day waitressing at the Sunflower Café.
Fortunately, it was Sunday and only pack was present. She got to the café an hour earlier than necessary, earning a nod of approval from Susan. The restaurant had photographs of sunflowers on the green walls, booths with little silk sunflowers in glass vases, and a long counter set before the kitchen area.
At six a.m. when the café opened, Aurora tied a black apron around her waist and began taking orders.
Business was bustling by seven-thirty. As she served tables, she took careful note of each new arrival. The Lupines were healthy-looking and though some were older and silver-haired, none sported the silver dragon tattoo she’d glimpsed on Robert.
What did surprise her was the pack’s lack of older children. She’d seen not one child over the age of five, though there were many young children and also several pregnant female Lupines.
Certainly this fecund pack believed in repopulating. Yet their alpha had not taken a new mate and created children, waiting instead to break the curse.
Everyone seemed polite and no one kicked her or slapped her when she didn’t bring coffee fast enough. The pack members were distant, but polite. Still, loneliness filled her as she watched the families gathered at the tables. Everyone seemed part of such a tight-knit group. She was an outsider.
Not one of them.
As she poured juice for a family of four, Aurora wondered what it would feel like to belong to a pack, a family, someone who would love her unconditionally. She’d been alone for so long, and living in this pack made her yearn for something she knew she could not have.
She ran back and forth to the kitchen, balancing several plates on her arm. Aurora was so busy, she almost didn’t notice a group of four newcomers until complete silence descended over the noisy café. And then everyone there lowered their heads and nodded with respect.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Robert.
Her heart beat faster and she felt a surge of happiness. He made her feel aware and alive as he strode into the restaurant with Guy, his beta, and Guy’s fiancée, Helen. Aurora’s joy faded as she recognized the bitch with Robert.
It was Melanie, the Lupine who had assigned her to the barn. Sensing Melanie’s meanness, Aurora had tested her out by asking for a bar of soap, and Melanie had scoffed.
“In this pack, we economize,” she’d told Aurora. “You get one bar of soap a month.”
Expecting as much, Aurora had used a small bar she’d saved during her stay with the ogre. He’d liked everyone around him to keep clean, and insisted on giving her a new bar of soap every few days.
Robert paused at each table, greeting everyone and picking up several babies, bouncing them in his arms. He kissed their cheeks, smiling at them like a fond uncle, while the parents beamed. Clearly he adored children.
And now he wanted one of his own, a child she was expected to conceive with him. But if that were so, why had he ignored her all of these days?
As she ruminated over the possibilities, Robert and the three others sat at her table in the corner. Now she’d have to wait on them. Aurora pasted on a big smile and headed over.
The order pad felt like a shield as she positioned it before her. “Good morning. May I take your drink order?”
Everyone stopped talking and stared at her. Aurora’s smile slipped a notch.
Melanie narrowed her eyes, and Helen and Guy looked at her as if she were an alien among them. But Robert studied her with such intent that she wondered if she had ketchup smeared on her face, or a bit of egg on her uniform.
Then Robert’s expression warmed. He looked at her as if she were the only woman in the café, and she felt her insides clench hard with longing.
“Good morning, Aurora. It’s good to see you.”
Her heart skipped at the kindness of that smile. When he turned his attention to her, it was expressly singular, as if she truly mattered. She was no longer a slave, an invisible and silent person in the background.
But he seldom gave her his attention.
“Nice to see you,” she told him.
“Susan has many compliments about you. Rarely does anyone working in the kitchen move up so quickly to work in the café. You’re quite good,” he said, his smile warm.
Too nervous to respond to the praise, she nodded and took their drink orders.
When she returned with the beverages, Robert was busy talking with Guy, while Helen and Melanie chatted. She noticed Melanie had moved close
r to Robert, as if staking a claim. Such a cozy foursome. The sight made her feel lonely, and more of an outsider than ever. She set Robert’s coffee down before him, along with a container of cinnamon sticks. As he glanced up, she managed a smile.
“Susan told me you like cinnamon with your coffee.”
“Thanks. As I said, you’re a quick study.”
“I’m ready to order,” Melanie cut in. “Must we wait forever?”
The woman clearly did not like her. Was it because Melanie wished to become Robert’s mate and she’d heard Robert’s plans to mate with Aurora?
Aurora jotted down their orders, and murmured that they would be ready soon. She could feel Robert’s gaze burning into her back as she scurried off.
The table next to them needed coffee, so she hurried back with the full pot. Melanie, sitting at the booth’s end, slyly stuck out a foot. Aurora noticed too late and tripped.
She fell hard, the coffee pot shattering and spilling hot liquid over her arm. Lupines throughout the cafe gasped and Aurora lay for a long, awful moment on the floor, wishing it would swallow her.
Cursing, Robert leapt up and crouched down by her, barking out an order for cold towels and the First Aid kit. Melanie looked at her with false concern. “I’m so sorry, Aurora. I was just stretching at the wrong time, and didn’t see you.”
“Shut up, Mel,” Robert snapped. “Aurora, let me see your arm.”
“It’s okay.” Aurora sat up. “I’m fine.”
A-okay, just fine, please don’t look, go away…
“Let me see. I know it must hurt like hell.” He gently took her arm and turned it over. His concern turned to sharp surprise.
“You’re not burned.”
Aurora pulled away, feeling her cheeks heat. “The coffee wasn’t that hot.”
“That coffee was scalding. Susan always keeps it that way.” Robert gave her an assessing look. “Why aren’t you burned?”
“I have to clean up this mess.” She knelt and began picked up the shards of glass, but Robert stayed her hand. He gave a hard glance around the room and suddenly a horde of Lupines were picking up the glass, while others rushed over with a mop and broom.
