Lando had enough of the games and walked over to Thomas, crowding him further into the corner with his presence. “No more lies, tell me what is going on here.” He spoke directly to the small man folding in on himself and staring at the floor. “You’re not afraid of me, so look at me. What are you hiding?”
CHAPTER THREE
Thomas wanted to defy him, wanted to walk away, but he couldn’t. Their growing bond was holding him in place and demanding that he respond to it. He wanted to either laugh or cry at that prospect, but he resisted both. Neither reaction would have been correctly understood by anyone other than his father.
He watched as Lando locked eyes with him and the connection was felt to his bones. This vampire was determined and shrewd and nothing Thomas could say now would have any effect. He knew that Lando felt it too. The fact that he rose so quickly to defend him spoke volumes. Thomas was sure that the need and the energy surging through his system was not just his alone.
The large vampire was an image of exactness as he appeared ready to make Thomas talk. His hair had gotten mussed in the fight with the wolves and it gave him a rough sexy look that called to Thomas just as everything about this man called to him. His cat began to stir in earnest and Thomas fought to keep him down but the overwhelming authority present in his real-life mate was breaking down his walls. His cat was urging him to submit.
Those dark eyes bore into him and demanded obedience and answers. Thomas had never felt so helpless in his life. He was caught in the vampire’s stare and couldn’t look away. Lando was moving closer and all Thomas could do was stand still with bated breath.
Lando was losing himself in the depths of the gold-rimmed black eyes that stared at him. They were filled with a combination of fascination and worry. He wanted to run, Lando could feel the man’s desire to flee, but it wasn’t fear or shyness that drove Thomas. He took a step closer and noticed that the wolf had torn Thomas’s t-shirt open and there lying against his chest hanging by a leather cord was a gold medallion.
Magic radiated from the one-inch diameter disc. Lando kept his eyes on Thomas and reached out and took the medallion in hand and pulled it free. The cord dangled from his grip as he held the cold metal in the palm of his hand. He could feel the power of the piece pulse through his hand and up his arm and then extinguish abruptly and completely.
The energy from the disc had been intense and focused and now that it was gone Lando could see Thomas clearly. There was a reason Thomas looked nothing like his father Edward. Lando doubted now that they were even distantly related.
Thomas was not a standard cat shifter, he was something distinctly different and more important than that, Thomas was Lando’s beloved. His instincts and nature recognized Thomas for who he was upon their first meeting even if his conscious mind had not. This little enigma belonged to him.
Thomas remained still, waiting and watching. Lando was surprised but not shocked as he might have expected at the discovery of Thomas as his beloved. The constant draw and the unquenchable interest in the little cat shifter made complete sense to him now.
"You know who I am. Why were you hiding from me?" Lando was aware that although he didn't know Thomas was his beloved he was quite certain Thomas knew that they were fated. Lando was not hiding so Thomas would have scented him when they first met in the kitchen.
Thomas continued to stare at Lando, his eyes now pleading for understanding. Lando took another step closer completely blocking Thomas into the corner of the room. The scent filling his nose was cat but not the small domestic variety. Thomas’s scent was fierce and wild with an aura of untethered potency.
Lando leaned in closer and asked his question again. “Why were you hiding from me?”
"You don't want to be associated with me," Thomas stated softly emotions roiling through his words. Lando felt for him but continued to question. He needed to understand why his beloved would believe such nonsense.
“What kind of shifter are you. You’re not a cat like your father.” Lando reached out and touched Thomas’s shoulder briefly. Thomas snapped his head up and held Lando’s eyes in a desperate grip.
“Did you kill the jackals, Thomas?” He pressed further.
“My son has done nothing wrong.” Edward broke urgently.
Lando shifted his gaze to Edward and then back to Thomas. "Tell me, Thomas." Lando used his soothing 'trust me' tone. "Your kills were justified. You're safe, nothing will happen to you. You have my promise."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Thomas said as he took a half a step closer to Lando.
"I keep every promise that I make," Lando assured.
Lando saw the sudden resignation in Thomas’s eyes and knew what was coming. He took a step back just as Thomas shifted, shredding his clothes and filling the entire corner of the room with his amazing beast.
Thomas was a feline, but he was not your average cat. He was massive and black as the night with eyes dark and deadly. A golden glow emanated from the depths of those dark eyes. They were trained on Lando but not in a threatening manner. He could see the desire for acceptance filling the expressiveness of those beautiful eyes.
Thomas was a rare and endangered black jaguar. Lando had never seen one before but there was no doubt as to the fact that Thomas was one. In the past, they were feared to the point of being nearly wiped out. The black jaguar was considered bad luck, malevolent and a bringer of death and darkness. These irrational beliefs and superstitions had been mostly discarded now.
“Fucking hell, what is that?” Ian marveled at the creature that stood before Lando.
"This spectacularly magnificent jaguar is Thomas Casey, my beloved," Lando spoke clearly and with affection letting Thomas know that his cat was perfect as pride shown in Lando's eyes.
The jaguar moved forward its steps sleek and fluid watching the room and keeping Lando always in its stare. Lando felt the beast recognize him and felt the flood of ownership coming from the cat and filling his mind and emotions. Thomas may have been hiding from him, but his amazing cat definitely was not. Lando remained still as Thomas’s cat sniffed and rubbed against him. He found the action quite erotic actually.
Edward stayed close but did not try to interfere. The others had disappeared from the room. Thankfully the bar had been completely emptied when the fight with the wolves had begun. Ian had quickly closed and locked the main doors as soon as Thomas had shifted. He stood behind Lando ready to act if needed.
“I guess that answers the question of who killed the jackals.” Ian broke the silence.
Lando did not comment. He held out his hand to the jaguar and watched as the cat licked his palm and then stepped back and within seconds shifted back to Thomas. He stood there naked and expectant.
Lando quickly shook off his jacket and put it on Thomas not wanting Thomas's beautiful body on display. Thomas wrapped himself in the large jacket taking deep breaths of the scent that it carried. His father ran to the other room and came back with a change of clothes for Thomas but he was hard-pressed to let go of the amazing smelling jacket.
“Why the magic and why were you hiding from me?” Landon led Thomas over to a chair and had him sit down while Lando took a seat across from him. Ian remained by the door making sure no one interred. Edward moved to stand behind Thomas.
"It is a very long story, sir," Edward spoke for his son who was having difficulty finding the right words.
"I have all night," Lando assured but never took his eyes off Thomas.
Silence fell for a few more minutes and then finally Thomas began to speak and to explain. He was at a loss as to how to handle this. Half answers or diversions were not going to cut it. He would have to be open and completely honest.
“I am bound to another and that promise cannot be broken without severe consequences.” Thomas decided to begin with the worst news and then move on from there. He saw the anger flare in Lando’s blue eyes at the statement of prior ownership. It wasn’t something Thomas had any say in and currentl
y had no way of escape.
"It is my fault." Edward blurted and held onto Thomas's shoulders. "Let me explain," Edward told a story of tremendous personal loss and then of finding a newborn kitten whose mother had been killed and taking that kitten and raising it as his own.
“I knew Thomas was going to be a large cat when he hit puberty, but I didn’t care, he needed me.” Edward got choked up and Thomas reached up putting his hand over his father’s where it rested on his shoulder. “People in my original group were afraid of what he might become and ordered us to leave. As you know, Thomas’s breed of cat is enormous and can be deadly. I found a home with the Stewart group while in Minneapolis, but things started to happen which put us all in danger.”
Thomas listened as his father laid out his past and watched as Lando took in every word. He was a formidable mate and Thomas wished that he’d been free to pursue a life with the impressive vampire. He was strong and handsome, and Thomas wanted to bath in his scent and fall asleep in his arms.
“Word of Thomas’s identity was leaking out and shifters were becoming anxious and uncomfortable. You must know the rumors regarding black jaguars, that they are bad luck and kin to evil. They began to target us and try to force us from the area. Thomas was attacked and severely injured. It was before he’d come into his own and his power was not sufficient to defend himself.” Edward took a deep breath and held it for a moment before letting it out slowly.
“I did something very stupid but seemed the best option at the time. Remember that I saw what shifters had done to Thomas’s mother. They caught her in a weakened state following giving birth and were able to overpower her. Thankfully she had been able to hide Thomas and he survived.” Edward’s explanation took on a desperate tone.
“What did you do, Edward?” Lando’s tone was calm and even but demanded an answer all the same.
“The Stewarts put me in touch with someone who could help us. I called upon a power to protect him.” Edward said and dropped his gaze. Lando looked at the medallion in his palm.
“Magic, you called on magic for protection?” It was a question, but it was obvious Lando already knew the answer. Edward nodded his head and did not look at anyone whereas Thomas stared at Lando feeling suddenly defiant and needing to defend their choices.
“He did the only thing that he could at the time. If he’d had days to mull over the situation and bring it to a consensus of his peer perhaps things would have been different, but he didn’t.” Thomas needed Lando to understand.
“I’m not judging you or your father, Thomas. I only want to know the situation so that I am better able to protect and defend you against anyone stupid enough to make a claim. You are my beloved Thomas and I will not share or hand you over to another. You belong to me and no one else. No one will take what is mine. Do I make myself clear?”
Thomas was knocked back for a moment by Lando’s easy statement of ownership and position. He belonged to Lando and that was the moment that the fight rose within Thomas and he began to resist the prior inevitability of his life. He would fight for his mate because Lando belonged to him. This was his destiny prescribed by Fate not life with the witch.
“The Stewarts put my father in touch with a mystic that they referred to as the Gallic Witch and who they also called Mal. He’d tried other magics, but they lacked the influence to be able to contain an animal like me. The Gallic Witch had a force of command that dominated my cat.” Thomas looked down at his chest and realized this was the first time in decades that he’d been without the control of the witch’s amulet and it felt good and he felt free even if he wasn’t.
"The amulet contained the power necessary to hide my identity. It allowed me to appear as the cats I lived with. For this service, the witch claimed me as a pet. The amulet was adhered to my person and could not be removed, even by me. The witch did not factor in the power of a true mate apparently.” Thomas gave a half smile and watched as Lando’s eyes lit up.
Lando once again glanced down at the disc in his palm before speaking. “Did the witch claim you formally or just as a matter of business?”
“When the witch calls for me I am to go. I have not been formally claimed, only bartered. It has been many years since my father made the agreement and I have not seen the witch again. Perhaps they have found their own mate and have forgotten about me.” Thomas repeated the words of his father and prayed it was true.
Lando got to his feet and Thomas kept watching him wondering what he planned to do. "You and your father are coming back to the Imperial with me," Lando stated without giving them a choice of refusal. "My coven resides at the Imperial and my Master, Nikolas Hadden will need to speak with you both. As my beloved you will be considered as any member of the coven is considered. But Master Hadden must know the extent of the danger and how best to proceed. You are one of us now Thomas and you are mine to protect."
Lando gave a half smile and reached out for Thomas’s hand. Thomas was once again taken aback by Lando’s straight and to the point manner of handling things. Everything seemed so easy when Lando was in control.
“Just like that?” Thomas asked. “You’re okay with me being who I am? Your master and your people will be okay with what I am?” Incredulity seeping from his words.
Lando was certain of what he wanted and of what had to be done and was puzzled by Thomas’s reaction. “I am more than okay, Thomas, I am thrilled beyond wonder and words. You are my beloved Thomas, you are the other half of my soul. Whatever happened to you before, whatever you call yourself or believe yourself to be, your heritage and bonds will never turn me away. You are mine. All of you, everything that makes you who and what you are now belongs to me.”
Lando took Thomas’s hand and held it with the firm certainty of his conviction and Thomas felt it. Lando saw it in his eyes and in the way his body lost its tense rigidity. “Come.” He said, and Thomas followed. Ian followed them out with Edward by his side.
“Do you need to speak with the others? Let them know that you’re leaving with us?” Ian asked Edward as they stepped out onto the sidewalk.
"No, they have already left," Edward stated matter-of-factly.
“Left, what do you mean?” Ian asked and glanced over to where Lando stood with Thomas.
“They fear the witch. They’re gone and they won’t be back.” Edward added.
“They just up and left you? Is that how it is in the cat world?” Ian was having considerable difficulty getting his mind around the blatant abandonment.
“Not all cats, but the small breeds are more into every man for himself. They see no value in self-sacrifice unless it is for a mate or an offspring. They took us in and I am thankful for that. They left Minneapolis to aid me in hiding Thomas as he matured, and they put me in touch with the witch. But the Hadden Coven and The Witch, it would be too much for them to take on. The witch is dangerous and powerful. I do not blame them for their actions.” Edward was resigned.
CHAPTER FOUR
Lando was shocked by the fact that the cats abandoned their own. Sure, Thomas was adopted but they'd raised him as their own and now they just take off without a word. That was cold even in paranormal circles. He wondered how it would affect his beloved. Edward seemed to have expected it so perhaps Thomas too knew it was coming. Either way, it was no way to run a community and it lowered Lando's regard for the small shifters.
He'd received permission to house Edward at the Coven. As his beloved’s father and considering he was now without a community to support him, he became Lando’s responsibility. If he wanted to move on to another group of cat shifters, Lando would help him and if he chose to stay with the coven he would be welcome. Lando planned to make all things as easy and comfortable as possible for his beloved.
Thomas had a lot on his mind and had been raised with some twisted beliefs about himself and his place in the world. The Gallic Witch was definitely a problem waiting to happen but Lando was more than ready to take on anyone who dared to get in the way of his h
appiness. He didn’t wait nearly two hundred years to have his beloved, his soul mate taken from him, wasn’t going to happen.
He led Thomas to his quarters, as Ian took Edward to a room just down the hall and promised to see to his comfort. The meeting with Master Hadden was scheduled for early morning so both Thomas and Edward could hopefully rest and prepare themselves for the many questions that were sure to come. The situation was unfortunate but Lando was over the moon with having finally found his beloved.
He had stood jealously by and watched Ellis as he fought to win over the affections of his beloved Gavin and all the time Lando had wished to find his own. He never would have guessed that his beloved had been so close and was just waiting to be discovered.
It was the pinnacle of every paranormals existence and everyone dreamed of the day they found their own beloved. Lando had never considered the possibility of his beloved being outside his species but he found that it did not matter in the least. He was drawn to Thomas from the beginning and every moment they spent together he could feel their connection getting stronger.
Thomas was a black jaguar, a mythical beast thought to have been nearly wiped out due to superstitious fears. There were legends and terrors surrounding the existence of the black cats but it was all myth. Based on the elimination of the jackals, and the sheer size and ferocity of Thomas’s cat, Lando was fairly certain that the lore regarding the strength and ferocity of the black jaguar was based on truth.
His beloved was a sweet, shy, soft-spoken little man in his human form and a beast of massive strength and proportion in his shifted form. Lando was proud and pleased with what Fate had gifted him and he was prepared to defend his claim to the death if necessary. Life without Thomas, now that he'd met him, would not be possible.
“I would like for you to stay in my quarters. I have a guest room and you are welcome to use it, or you can join me in my bed. I am not expecting anything from you that you are not ready to give, but I would like to keep you close.” Lando wanted to be straight to the point and make sure Thomas knew exactly what he wanted. He gave Thomas the options and would respect his choice.
Eyes of Darkness: Pittsburgh Vampires Vol.7 Page 3
