by Lola Kidd
“Not yet,” Grizzly said. “They have tight security around them. I don’t think we’re going to get to them before they speak with the Council.”
“I can guess they’ll be on our side though,” Charlie said. “The vampires already landed on our side and that was unexpected. From what you said about Sophia and her lot, I would put good money on Prescott and co. throwing the Lost Tribe under the bus.”
That made Cross feel a lot better. Besides the claim he was worried what the Council was going to do to him and Rory. It should have been a simple debriefing, but the security surrounding the meeting made him think otherwise. He was just as worried about Prescott meeting Rory too. There was no rest for the wolf. He couldn’t wait until everyone was out of Cleary and their lives could go back to normal.
“I don’t think they only want to know about the Lost Tribe though,” Charlie continued. That got everyone in the kitchen's attention. “I think this has more to do with Aurora. Part witch and part fae AND claimed by a werewolf? She’s got to be an interesting specimen to the Council.”
“You think they want to study her?” Grizzly asked, rubbing his chin. “It makes sense now that you mention it. I have heard of two natural supes before, but not one mixed with Lost Tribe fae.”
“The claiming thing is pretty unnatural,” Ozzy said. Cross gave him a sidelong glance. “Sorry, man. So far, it sounds like this is the only time it’s ever happened. That means it unusual. I’m not judging or anything.”
“I think that changes how we prepare for the meeting,” Pete said. “We assume that Rory wants the claim to stand so she’s Cross’ mate. We have to provide her with some kind of protection whatever they decide.”
Grizzly nodded. “I agree. I don’t think the Council will do anything but better to be ready to get them out of here.”
“You really think that’s necessary?” Ozzy asked.
“Yeah, I do,” Cross said. “I don’t want them to try to send her back over or say she’s a traitor or something. That’s why I want to be with her.”
“First though,” Grizzly said, putting a hand on his son’s shoulder. “You need to find out if she even wants to let the claim stand.”
Cross swallowed, suddenly nauseous. “I’ll go ask her now.”
“We’ll come with,” Charlie said, putting out his cigarette. “The meeting is coming up anyway. If things go sideways with the witches, better to have backup close.”
He wasn’t ready for it, but Cross left Jamie’s with the Moon Brothers. They were right. There was no more putting it off. He needed to know where he stood with Rory.
Nine
“When can I meet him?” Rory asked Jamie. She wanted to talk to Prescott as soon as possible. Fuck the Council. She had no idea what they wanted with her, but it didn’t matter. The Lost Tribe was stopped. There would be no way for Sophia to get her people across now that everyone was on the lookout for any temporal disturbances.
“After your meeting with the Council,” Jamie said. “You and Cross have to go talk to them tonight.”
“Me and Cross?”
“He’s already given his side of the story, but he insisted you two get to go in together. The Council agreed for some reason,” Sarah said.
“I think I know why,” Rory said with a sigh. “Something happened while Cross and I were at the cabin.”
The witches all looked at Rory. She could feel magic being readied. “No, no. It’s nothing bad. Well…I don’t know. He claimed me.”
“It that a euphemism for something?” Ursula asked darkly.
“No. Goddess, no! He didn’t hurt me at all.”
Jamie’s eyes narrowed. “Claim? Do you mean like a male wolf claims a female wolf or human?”
“That would be it.”
Sarah’s mouth dropped open. “Impossible. Wolves…”
“I know, I know. Trust me. He and I went over this a million times.”
“What does it mean?’ Deanne asked.
“I have no idea. I know that I feel intensely for him and I feel like I love him.”
“You love him?” Magda said. Her face was pale. She looked more worried about this than she had Rory saying she wanted to meet Prescott. Rory was sure Magda was about to throw up from the look of her.
“I feel like I love him,” Rory clarified. “I don’t know if I actually do or not. I didn’t feel like this before the claim. He had asked me out a few times and I had said no. I think it’s the claim that’s making me feel this way.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have let werewolves into my diner!” Magda was indignant. Rory preferred that to the disgusted look from a moment before.
“It wasn’t his fault,” Sarah said. The table looked at her. “Or Rory’s. All mates are fated. Werewolves are lucky because they know when they meet their true love.”
“Watch what you’re saying, Sarah Browning,” Magda warned. “You’re new to this coven and the world of magic. You don’t know the first thing about supernatural creatures.”
“That doesn’t matter.” Sarah was clearly hurt by Magda’s words. She was the newest member of the coven and from a non-magic family. Magda was still on thin ice. “You can not like it all you want, but it won’t change the fact that Rory belongs with that werewolf.”
“You can’t possibly think my daughter should be with a…werewolf.” Magda said the last word with so much disdain Rory thought she would spit to rid her mouth of the taste.
“Maybe I do,” Rory said. “Maybe I don’t. I’m not sure. I do know I want the claim to be removed.”
“You can’t,” Sarah gasped. “If you somehow manage to remove the claim, you and Cross would be alone for the rest of your lives.”
“What? Sophia and Gavin said only Cross would be affected.”
“They were wrong,” Sarah emphatically. “You accepted his claim for a reason. I feel like you don’t really understand how this works. If you weren’t his true mate, you wouldn’t have accepted. That would have been the end of it.”
Rory looked to Jamie.
“She’s right,” Jamie confirmed. “You and the werewolf somehow seem to be each other’s true mates.”
“There has to be way to remove it,” Magda said. “A witch has never been claimed by a werewolf before.”
“Rory is half fae,” Deanne said. “There has to be something to that. Rory are you sure you want us to try? Even knowing Cross is your true mate?”
“But how do I know?” Rory asked, biting her lip. “How I feel about him now is because of the claim. I’m not even sure I like him.”
“The claim only sped up the process,” Jamie explained. “It can’t make you love someone. That isn’t how it works. Whatever you’re feeling now would have developed over time if you were both witches or both fae.”
“I don’t believe that for one second,” Magda said.
“Don’t believe it because you don’t want a dirty werewolf messing up your precious witch bloodline?” Grizzly asked, coming into the backyard. He was followed closely by Charlie, Cross, Ozzy, Pete, and Grimace. “I’m not too thrilled about the situation either, but I think we can both keep our prejudices to ourselves.”
“There’s a reason witches and werewolves don’t mingle,” Magda told him. “Werewolves have a nasty habit of killing witches.”
“Not the Moon Brothers,” Charlie said, lighting another cigarette. “No werewolf would ever kill their mate either so that isn’t something you need to worry about.”
“I think if Cross was going to kill her, he could have just let the Sun Riders finish the job. Or the vampires. Or the Lost Tribe.” Ozzy had a point. Cross had saved Rory’s life countless times. He could have died himself trying to save her.
“What are you doing here?” Jamie asked Grizzly.
“We need to know where the girl sits on the claim,” Grizzly said. “This is a really unusual case. I’m not sure how to proceed if I don’t know how she feels on the matter.”
Magda opened her mouth to answer for
Rory, but Jamie stopped her. “She has to decide for herself.”
Everyone looked at Rory. She turned pink. “Now? I have to decide now?”
Charlie nodded. “That would be best.”
“What if I’m not sure?” she asked.
“Then you want to remove the claim,” Charlie said simply. “You know when you find your mate. If you’re doubting, I think something must have gotten mixed up somehow.”
Even he sounded like he didn’t believe what he was saying. If what everyone said was true, claims didn’t just happen. She bit her lip again. “What if I let the claim stand for now? Like, say, a trial period? Would that be ok?”
Grizzly looked at Charlie. “Give us a minute to talk.”
Rory couldn’t look at Cross. She didn’t know what to do. She needed more time to decide.
***
“What are you afraid of?” Cross asked, kneeling down next to Rory’s chair.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, how do I know these feelings are going to last?”
“You can’t,” Cross said. “That isn’t how witch relationships work, is it? You don’t get any guarantee that you’ll feel the same tomorrow as you do today. It’s a chance you take.”
She didn’t look convinced. This was worse than when they were in the other dimension. He didn’t know why she was still resisting. He had protected her and put his life on the line for her. What else was he going to have to do to convince her to take a chance on him?
“Maybe, but at least then I would know there was no magical bond influencing me.”
“Shouldn’t that make it easier?” he asked. “We have a bond. You at least believe that?”
“I do.”
“So then why would you not be willing to take a chance on this? Do you really want me to just walk out of your life? Never see me again?”
Rory’s brow furrowed. “I don’t want that. I mean…I…why would you do that?”
“Well, if you aren’t my mate, I need to go out and find the person who is,” Cross said. He could tell his bluff was working. She looked upset. He never wanted to hurt her, but if this was the only way to get her to understand, he would rip her heart out if he had to.
“I…you shouldn’t do that,” Rory said. “I asked for a trial period! That means I’m willing to give this a chance.”
Cross shook his head. “They aren’t going to go for that. Either you’re in or you’re out. No in-the-middle bullshit.”
“You’re not being very fair,” Deanne said to Cross.
“Nobody wants to be with someone who has one foot out the door already,” Cross said.
He took Rory’s face in his hands and kissed her softly on the lips. Magda and Ursula both gasped repulsed while Grizzly and Grimace both looked away.
“You’re my mate. I love you, but I can’t wait for you to figure that out if you haven’t already,” Cross told her, still holding her face.
Rory’s opened her eyes and searched his face. “I want to but…”
“But what? If you want to, then just do it.”
She swallowed. “Grizzly? I think I changed my mind.”
Ozzy smiled and shook his head. The witches were yelling and arguing, but Cross didn’t hear any of it. She wanted to let the claim stand. It was over. Nothing else mattered. They were going to be together.
“Hey!” Rory yelled, taking his hands off her face. “Everyone please shut up!”
Magda and Jamie kept arguing.
“Mom! What is your problem? I’m home and I’m safe. What else could we ask for right now?”
“You don’t understand what you’re saying! This is just because he was with you when your life was in danger. If it had been the little ginger, you would be in love with him too.”
“Hey!” Ozzy piped up. “My hair is auburn, thank you very much.”
Magda rolled her eyes. “I don’t want you to regret making a rash decision.”
“We’re both adults,” Cross told Magda. “We can make our own mistakes. Not that she’s making one. Ms. Silver, I took damn good care of your daughter. If I was willing to inflict bodily harm on myself to protect her life, what makes you think I would be any less careful with her heart?”
“That’s enough, Cross,” Grizzly said, stepping in. “I think the girl has made her choice. Looking at the time, I think we have a more pressing matter to discuss.”
“The Council meeting,” Jamie said, holding her head in her hands. “I almost forgot. Goddess this has been a very long month.”
“Once we get through this, I think everything will start going back to normal around here,” Grizzly said.
“But they have to get through the meeting first,” Ursula said. “Do you think it’ll be anything serious since they already have so many testimonies including Cross’?”
“Maybe,” Charlie said. He motioned toward Rory, “It depends on how interested they are in this little lady.”
Jamie considered what he said. “You’re right though I don’t see what they could possibly want with Rory.”
“I believe we said the same thing about the Lost Tribe and look how that turned out,” Deanne said.
“I’ll take her on my bike,” Cross said.
“That sounds great,” Rory said, before anyone could argue. “Everyone else who wants to come can follow by car or bike. I’m not too worried about this.”
He knew exactly what she meant. They had survived werewolves, vampires, and the most evil and dangerous fae tribe in the known world. A council of ancient supes wasn’t going to slow them down.
“You should leave now,” Pete said. “You have to get over to the Lion’s Club reception hall.”
“I know where that is,” Cross said.
“Good,” Grizzly said. “We’ll be right behind you.”
Rory and Cross went to his bike out front. There was a spare helmet sitting on his bike. He smiled. His dad must have known all along. He handed Rory the helmet.
“You know I was always rooting for you, wolfy.” Beatrice materialized next to the bike. Rory got the bike behind Cross.
He revved the engine. “You had a strange way of showing it.”
“I couldn’t make it easy for you,” the ghost said. “We Silvers don’t have much luck when it comes to love. I can’t have just anyone joining the family.”
“So?” Rory asked.
“So, I approve of you and the wolf,” Beatrice said with a big smile. “Don’t listen to that dried up prune. Your Mom will get over it. She’s just jealous, I bet. Good luck with the Council.”
“Thanks,” Cross said. “Come by and visit us sometime.”
“Oh, I’ll be keeping an eye on you, wolfy. I said I approve, not I was turning a blind eye to you. I like you kids.”
She disappeared. Cross chuckled. If he could win over that ghost, the other witches were bound to come around.
Ten
Rory didn’t even feel bad for not dressing up. The Council was wasting her time frankly. They already had the story. There was nothing she could add. She wanted answers, not to have to tell the same story over and over. The coven and Moon Brothers arrived shortly after her and Cross. They parked in a circle and waited outside.
“You guys are early, but that’s perfect,” the fae assistant to the Council said when they arrived. “They can see you right now if you want. They just finished up an interview. I’ll tell them you’re here.”
They waited in the hall for the fae to return. The Council was made up of a representative from each race of supernatural creatures. There was Tran, a tiger shifter; Delilah, a vampire; Susan, a fae; and William, a wizard. They were all very old, though they hadn’t been around for the banishment of the Lost Tribe. They didn’t usually convene in the “New World”, preferring instead to stick to locals in Africa, Asia, and Europe for their meetings. Rory supposed it was an honor to have them travel to her little town just to meet her, but she was just bored of it all.
“You nervous?” Cross asked, arms cir
cling her waist.
“No, I didn’t do anything wrong. I feel fucking awful about what happened, but there wasn’t much of an option for me.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No,” she sighed. “You did what you thought was best. I don’t know if it was the right choice, but I’m not mad at you for making it.”
The assistant returned. “They’re ready for you now.”
They were waiting at a small table in a big room. The setting looked a lot less intimidating than Rory had expected. They should have picked a smaller room. It felt like she was coming to do an audition for a community play. The four council members were sitting man-woman-man-woman. Cleary they planned the seating that way and it made Rory giggle. It wasn’t particularly funny, but she was suddenly nervous.
Cross squeezed her hand. “This will be over before you know it.”
“Please have a seat,” Tran instructed. All of the Council members had the same emotionless look. It must have taken years to perfect the facial expression. Up close it was intimidating, like you were giving testimony to a wall. Of course that was the point. You couldn’t know if they were on your side or if you were digging yourself into a hole with your testimony.
“Thank you,” Rory said.
“We’ve obviously heard Cross’ take on events. We don’t need to rehash the story,” Susan said.
“We still have a few questions for you,” Delilah said. “Did you have any idea beforehand that you were half fae?”
“Not at all,” Rory said. “I didn’t even believe Sophia when she told me we were related.”
Delilah didn’t nod or move at all to indicate that Rory’s answer was sufficient. Rory steeled her nerves. If they weren’t going to have a conversation with her, she would be as cold as they were. Just give the bare minimum answer to their question and move on.
“How do you feel about what happened to Sophia and the rest of the Lost Tribe?” William asked.
“Torn. Some of them may not have deserved to be left behind, but we had to get back to our home. There wasn’t really any other option.”
