by Anh Leod
“It could be science.”
She shook her head. “It wasn’t. I could sense the difference.”
“So the rumors of magic are true?” King mused.
“Yes. Why couldn’t the legends be true?” she asked.
“We are told we lost our magic so we could hide undetected among the growing hordes of humanity.”
“If that’s true then why does the Legion still have it? It gives them an edge. Already they control a human town.”
“Romans,” King said bitterly. “They always have to be in charge.”
“So? Can I stay?” Bijou kept her face blank despite her increasing heart rate.
“I’ll talk to him. But it is a death sentence to you,” King said somberly, his silver brown eyes glittering. “You won’t last more than a year apart.”
“If I go back to him, make our mating public, Barkley will never allow me into the archives. The clan might lose face, make it look like we were giving away secrets. Right now there is still time, while Pompey is keeping me a secret.”
“And you want knowledge more than life?”
“Maybe there will be an answer to my problem in the scrolls,” Bijou said. It didn’t trouble her at all that King was willing to sacrifice her life for a year of research in the archives.
“Pompey may have told people by now.” King glanced at a clock on the wall. “He may also be shamed, even cast out of the Legion after last night, but he will never be able to join our clan. Don’t consider that one of your options.”
“Why not? If he’s out of the Legion.” That would be the solution to all her problems. A sexy mate and a place with her family.
“He’s an alpha. I won’t have a rival in the Brotherhood. I won’t invite a Roman. You are Legion now, or will be when he makes your mating public.”
Bijou took a deep breath while King considered.
“Go home for a few hours, organize your affairs, get prepared. I will speak to Pompey, but it is his decision. You wear his mark?”
Bijou grimaced. “Yes and he wears mine, as well as his shame.”
King nodded. “I would know of this magic. We will see how he responds.”
At least I have a year to safely be apart from Pompey, Bijou thought. Anything could happen in a year.
* * * * *
Late that evening Magnus climbed out of his SUV in front of King’s home. He’d received the call requesting the meeting hours ago but had been too busy to respond before now. He hadn’t been home or spoken to his mate, but he had a feeling he’d find her here, hiding behind her former alpha.
His cock twitched at the mere thought of his lissome mate. This was exactly why he’d tried so hard to forget she existed all this long day. He couldn’t afford to spend hours at a parade with humans when his eyes had gone black with lust and he had a tent pole lewdly pushing out his slacks.
Hiding Bijou from his waking thoughts had embedded her even more deeply in his subconscious, an unexpected consequence that had her ever on the edge of his attention. He took a deep breath of the slightly smoky Fourth of July night air and tried to tell himself he didn’t really want the combative shape-shifter in his life.
In his bed, yes. Or against the wall, in the shower, in his hot tub or car. Any way he could have her, absolutely. There was more than sex between mates though. They were bound together by the ancient ritual and some even older mate magic. He didn’t understand it and clearly the Brotherhood didn’t either, despite elders like Barkley and Nana, who were known throughout the clans for their extrasensory abilities.
Speaking of Barkley, he saw the elder open the front door of King’s house and come out to the porch. His tall, spare frame was a mere silhouette but Magnus would have recognized him anywhere, perhaps by some small extrasensory ability of his own. Barkley waved a hand at Magnus.
“The party is in the back,” he called.
A party? For what, the mating? Magnus shook his head. There would be no celebrating for this joining of clans. As it was, he may not be an alpha much longer. King must be hosting a Fourth of July gathering. Yes, under the smoke from fireworks, he could smell a hint of beef. A barbeque.
Suddenly, his stomach rumbled. He didn’t want to insult King, much less his mysterious elder advisor Barkley. He would eat their cooked meat and hear what they had to say. Maybe Bijou would be there too.
Without speaking, he pulled off his tie and dropped it on his driver’s seat, then unbuttoned his shirt as he walked up the path. Barkley came down from the porch and led him back through a thumbprint-locked gate.
Magnus was immediately amused when he saw the layout of the backyard. Built on a hill, there was a white temple to one side and the greenery would have been familiar in any Greek countryside. The spot could have been anywhere in rural Greece.
“Fit for a basileus,” he muttered, using the Greek word for king. The Greeks had ever used that term even for those who ruled just one city. Such grand pretentions. He saw that arrogance even in Bijou, so convinced she was superior to him. But even a óêõëß had to bow to mating magic.
“It’s real, you know,” Barkley said.
“What?”
“The temple. It was dedicated to Apollo, disassembled and brought here.”
“Fascinating,” Magnus murmured, hiding his sarcasm.
Barkley went on as if he hadn’t heard him. “Apollo was the god of prophecy, in addition to other things.”
“So?”
“My mother read the cards for Bijou, shortly before she, ahem,” Barkley cleared his throat, “met you last night.”
Magnus crossed his arms and turned to Barkley, curious now despite himself. “What did the reading say?”
Barkley shook his head. “It wasn’t good, my friend. But perhaps the worst has already happened.”
“Meaning I’m the worst that could happen to her?” Magnus would have expected the insult from most of the Brotherhood, but not from Barkley, who had linked them together in the first place.
“Your mere existence in her life destroys her dreams,” Barkley said, his thick eyebrows crunching together over his nose. “Don’t forget that. Your shaming was not her fault. The young ones, well…” He raised a hand. “You were unlucky there, but it wasn’t her fault.”
“She got involved,” Magnus growled.
“She’s your mate. She was drawn to you.”
“They could not have marked me if it wasn’t for her.”
Barkley’s lips tilted in a small smile. “They got you on the cross, my friend. It was only a matter of time. You couldn’t best them except under a full moon. Not all of the younglings at once.”
Magnus sneered. “I didn’t have a fair shot. Give me one and we’ll see.”
“You can’t fight them now. You are mated to their clanswoman.”
“I’ll do what I think is best.”
Out of the dark a tall figure loomed. King. Magnus had interacted very little with the Brotherhood’s alpha before now. Odd, in a way, that the shape-shifters had not banded together, a common bond against the humans, but they weren’t at war with anyone, had no need of allies. Living in different towns, their children didn’t attend the same human schools. Shape-shifter children were never allowed to play on after-school sports teams and give away their extraordinary skills, so they would never have even met on the playing field.
Perhaps they should have had their own events, Magnus mused. A way to meet and understand one another. But it was probably too late now to plan, for him at least.
“A word, alpha,” King said, his face impassive.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Where is your mate?”
So she wasn’t at the party? Magnus shrugged. “Asleep when I left for the day. Today is a national holiday and I am a politician in the human world.”
King nodded. “She came to me.”
Figures. “I assumed as much. But as true mates were are tied together whether either of us want it.”
“Do
you want her?”
Magnus’ stomach grumbled as he shook his head. “We are fated to be together.”
Barkley put his hand on Magnus’ shoulder. Magnus didn’t like the elder’s touch but he wouldn’t allow himself to shrug the older man’s yellowed claws away. “Come, have something to eat. We aren’t barbarians.”
“I’ll be the judge of that,” Magnus muttered as he followed King into the party. The alpha was intelligent enough to steer them away from the youth, leading him through a group of middle-aged and older women. He recognized Nana’s wrinkled countenance as he skirted one such table of females.
“Help yourself,” King said, pointing to a table groaning with picnic items. “Then come inside.”
Behind them was a set of glass doors. Magnus nodded and took a plate, noting that Barkley stayed close by. For fear of what, Magnus wasn’t sure. He gathered a thick medium-rare burger, slaw and baked beans. Barkley handed him a longneck beer and followed him through the door, a couple more bottles in his hands.
King was seated on a brown microfiber couch in front of a turned-off plasma TV. He waved the other men into recliners on either side as Barkley handed him a beer.
Magnus was allowed to get a few bites in before King spoke.
“Have you announced your mating to your clan?” King inquired.
Magnus shook his head and forked up slaw.
“Can anyone in the Legion read auras?” the alpha asked.
Magnus narrowed his eyes.
Barkley preempted any comment he might make. “No, they don’t have anyone with that skill.”
“So no one is going to know Bijou is your mate unless you tell them.”
“They’ll see the tattoos,” Barkley commented.
“You can avoid that for a time,” King said.
“Why would I want to?” Magnus interjected. “If pressed, my first line of attack is to claim I suffered my shaming in order to win my mate. Many will accept that.”
Barkley made a rude noise in the back of his throat. “In the Legion? Have you Romans gone soft?”
“We are all better off if I remain alpha,” Magnus said. “The alternatives are worse.”
They didn’t respond. Magnus was unsure what they knew of the Legion’s recent history anyway.
“Here’s the thing,” King said. “We want Bijou back.”
They couldn’t be serious. “I want Bijou gone too,” Magnus said. “But it isn’t possible, she’s my mate. We’ll die—”
“I’ve thought this through since I spoke to her this morning. You won’t die for a year or so,” King interrupted. “We just want her back for six months. That will be time enough for her to finish up a project she’s agreed to do. You can court her, maybe even end up with a happy mate. Trust me, everything’s better when your mate is happy.”
“You have to be kidding me,” Magnus said, setting down his plate. “Besides, what do you know? You aren’t mated.”
King ignored his remarks. “As you pointed out, you’re a public figure. As such, wouldn’t it look better if you dated before a woman is suddenly living in your home, in sin as it were?”
“I had assumed we’d marry,” Magnus said, realizing he hadn’t thought the situation through at all. There hadn’t been any thinking, except considering how to get his cock into Bijou and wondering how often he could do so.
“In six months,” King said. “Give her time.”
“I might not have that,” Magnus said. “If they find out about the shaming.”
“I’ll call a meeting of the Brotherhood, threaten exile to anyone who lets the shaming be known,” King said. “But I won’t do that unless you agree to let Bijou stay among the Brotherhood for the next six months.”
“What is in it for you?”
“A happy subject.”
“She’s Legion now and you know it.”
King’s smile was smarmy. “You haven’t claimed her in public.”
“But—”
Barkley interrupted. “She’s been yours from the first time you set eyes on each other, whether you liked it or not. Now you have to decide how to approach the rest of your life with her. Why not make it a pleasant experience for your mate? She’s a young woman, deserving of courtship.”
Magnus sat back. Barkley spoke the truth, though he knew he was missing something here. Did that matter though? By keeping the shaming private he could keep Julian and Brutus at bay, shore up support. He hadn’t been alpha for long. His father had died only a year ago. Six more months might be enough to solidify his leadership. His support was growing.
He nodded. Right now he’d be better off without a distraction. “I agree to your terms.”
King nodded. “Good.” He leaned his head toward Magnus’ half full plate. “Go ahead and eat. You’ll want to go to Bijou’s house after and explain. I expect she’s there sulking.”
Magnus sighed deeply and took a large bite of beans. A sulky female was never something any man or shape-shifter looked forward to dealing with, though this one might be mollified by the idea that she didn’t have to return to his home. Regardless of the sexual pleasure they’d found together, he doubted she wanted him around. Still, he’d be damned if he wouldn’t have one last night inside her before he said goodbye. He also wanted to know if she’d conceived his cub last night.
Chapter Five
As it grew dark, Magnus pulled into the driveway of Bijou’s little wood-frame house. It was quiet and unassuming from the outside, not representative of the fiery-eyed woman he knew. Did she have a restful center he hadn’t sensed? The windows were open to the smoky night air, jewel-toned curtains that were the only outward sign of personality waving in the slight breeze that had started on his drive over.
He got out of his SUV and walked across lush, well-kept lawn to the porch.
“Hello?” he called into one of the windows. Not hearing any response or footfalls, he tried the front door. Locked. He could climb in through the window, but that seemed rude even for a mate. Not seeing a doorbell, he decided to walk around the house. Bijou might be outside.
She was behind the house, curled into a corner of a chair swing on the back porch, looking small and defenseless despite her considerable height. She didn’t raise her head to say hello. He wished she’d look at least a little excited to greet him. Everything he’d ever expected about mating had been turned on its ear and not in a good way. Except the desire, that was intense. The scent of her perfume on the breeze had his cock brushing the zipper of his slacks. He wondered what it would take to make her wet for him.
“Why weren’t you at King’s party?” he asked, putting his hand on the railing at the edge of the porch. If he didn’t keep his distance he might get presumptuous.
She didn’t seem surprised to see him. “It’s a Brotherhood party. I’m not Brotherhood now.”
“No one but King and Barkley know that.”
She shook her head. “My family knows. My brother heard us in the field and told the others.”
Magnus frowned and put one foot on the step up to the deck. What kind of bargain had he made? “King told me no one knew.”
Her gaze met his. “You spoke to him?”
“Just now. He wants you to remain with the Brotherhood for the moment.”
Her face showed now emotion, not even surprise. “What was your response?”
“He said my shaming would remain a secret if I agreed. But how can that be? From the beginning your family was responsible and now you tell me your family knows that we are mates.”
“My brothers are loyal to King. They will do what he asks.” She paused. “And what I ask.”
Was that a threat? “They are such humanitarians, your clansmen. They want you to have a courtship. Is that what your family wants for you too?”
She raised her chin. He’d hurt her, he could see that, but it was too late to take back the sneering words.
“You don’t think I’m worth it. Not now, maybe not ever.”
“I don
’t know you.” He leaned forward. “But your former alpha has a hidden motive.” Truly, he didn’t want a friendless, loveless mating any more than she probably did. Shape-shifters lived a long time. Right now though, they were strangers jockeying for position at the starting gate.
She tightened her lips but said nothing.
“I’ll make you a bargain,” he said.
“What?”
“One night.” He had to taste her again, however the persuasion was managed.
She crossed her arms. “What do you mean? One night in return for what?”
The mere thought of having that long body under him had his fists clenching. “As you know, we are past the courtship phase. And you know I want a child to continue my line if someone lets out what happened last night.”
“Maybe I’m pregnant now,” she said.
His heart jolted. “Are you?”
She stared at him for a moment. He could see her surprise from his comeback by the light of the candles ringing the deck. “No. I would know.” She paused.
“What?” Was there a problem with his mate?
“I almost thought I could have been, you know, right away? But I guess it wasn’t quite the right time.”
Did she want a baby? “Maybe tonight could be the right time.” Come to me, mate. I’m so hot for you.
She turned her head away. He stepped onto the deck, moved toward her, with a sense of stalking his prey. At some level she was reluctant and he didn’t know why, much less understand her strategy.
“Do you want to?” he asked.
“What? Fuck?”
He dismissed that with a wave. “Be with me. You liked it last night. I made you scream.”
“I was on edge.” She shook her head. “What a crazy night.”
He felt himself smile. Her honesty made him move closer. He sat down next to her. “Truer words were never spoken.” He tilted his head. “Generally speaking, I’m a pretty charismatic guy. You might like me.”
“I’m going to have to. While you’re here.”
Was that a note of sarcasm?
“I’d rather you made a choice.” He held out his hands.
