He let out a low sound of discomfort that rapidly distorted itself into a snarl, surprising me. “They are threats at the moment. Anyone approaching my space, my territory, my den as it were, would be a threat right now, but even more so would be other predators. And while every fiber in my being is screaming for me to not allow anyone near you, to fight anyone who even dares approach us right now, I know I must become accustomed to them, and indeed any other person, if I am going to continue to function in society over the next few years."
My eyes went wide with disbelief. "Next few years? I would’ve thought—"
He heaved a sigh and gave a sharp nip to the bite mark he’d left. “Mia diletta, unfortunately the entire mating process does not end with the physical act of mating, nor does it end when a human mate is changed. Due to the nature of vampires, most have exceptionally dominant personalities—not violent or cruel, just very assertive and strong. The males, obviously, are far more dominant; however, unmated and recently turned females are a rather aggressive force, so when an unmated female finds her mate, it generally takes about a year or two for her to completely submit to the male's dominance. The same amount of time applies to a recently turned female."
He tucked me closely against his chest. "It is within the male's nature to want to protect his mate, and a newly mated female still has her instincts to fight for herself in situations where she does not need to. As dated as it sounds to a human, a female should not be fighting for or protecting the male unless they are overwhelmed by others or the male is severely injured and unable to protect his mate any longer.”
I was shocked by this information and not entirely sure of what to make of it. "So for the next few years, we're going to be… I mean, we're…"
"I am sorry, tesoro mio," he murmured, pulling away to reveal eyes full of emotion. "I am not completely certain of the intensity we will feel during our mating. You must remember I have almost completely suppressed all of my instincts until I admitted our bond to you. Any emotions I have felt until now, I have felt at a human level. After nearly two hundred years, I really did not even have to try to suppress them; experiencing life as a human came naturally. So I unfortunately have nearly four hundred years of—" he dipped his head and licked the side of my neck, whispering— "tension built up."
I shuddered at the innuendo and pressed my lips to his when he stiffened without warning.
His body was practically vibrating with the urge to attack, and he snarled viciously before bowing his head, hiding the shame etched in the lines of his face. "They are here, on the porch." He shook his head against my neck. "I understand my behavior logically, but emotionally, it is confusing. Maymūna kept me from destruction and is, quite literally, my savior. Kendal has become a close friend and business partner, and Grace became my closest confidant for centuries. They are still those people to me, yet I want to tear them from limb to limb for coming so close to my new mate.”
"Simon," I said patiently, "you once told me when y’all found Kendal, he and Maymūna had to leave to mate. Why?”
In all honesty, I was certain I knew why, but I needed him to acknowledge that.
“They were afraid one, if not both, would turn on me during the mating process and kill me. For one, I was an unmated male, so Kendal viewed me as a threat. For another, I was a predator, a killer who could turn just as easily as they could. Neither wanted their mate to be in the presence of someone who could harm them."
He sighed and turned his eyes to me. "It is frustrating, to the point of being nearly overwhelming." He tilted his head, thinking. "I can tell you exactly what will happen between us, what will happen to me, about my instincts and reactions, but I have never experienced anything of this magnitude and it is quite disconcerting to me. To want to exact such brutal injury on those one feels nothing but affection and respect for is upsetting to say the least."
I hugged him as tightly as I could without hurting myself. "I am sorry, Simon. I wish there was something I could say or do to make this easier on you."
The smile in his voice was obvious. "Cara mia, your love and your support alone make a world of difference." He instantly stiffened and hissed, his eyes going nearly black in an instant. "They are opening the door."
Not sure of what to do or say, I acted on the first thing which popped into my head and let my tongue dart out to lap behind his earlobe, the hiss immediately turning into a purr. I just held him and nuzzled the side of his face with my mine, reassuring him with soft murmurs that I was safe and that I was his, and it clearly worked.
When he pulled back, his eyes were again lavender and he was smiling softly at me.
"You, la mia, are truly la gioia della mia vita, the biggest joy of my life," he said, kissing the tip of my nose, chuckling when I blushed. "I would be entirely unable to survive this change if it were not for your wisdom, grace, and love, bella mia." He placed a tender kiss on my lips and rose slowly, as if unsure if he wanted to move or not. "Come, amore mio.”
We walked slowly down the stairs even for human speed, and I was sure it was due to him adjusting to allowing me near his family, but I did not mind. I would give him all the time he needed if it meant he was comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be given the circumstances. The moment we walked into the kitchen, even I could sense the tension, so I was not surprised when my mate grabbed me and moved us back into the far corner of the room.
The grave atmosphere was too potent to go unnoticed, and I felt a heavy knot of dread settle in my stomach when I glanced at Kendal and May’s stern expressions. I knew, just knew, whatever news they had to share was not going to be good, and I started to wish we hadn’t come downstairs. Unfortunately, we had, and now it was up to me to find out what was wrong. Just as I had suspected, the words out of Kendal’s mouth were not ones I wanted to hear.
“Colton Malver has issued a complaint with the Administration,” he said with a somber voice. “He is saying the coven is exposing the community to humans who are not potential mates. I, of course, attempted to argue this fact, and when that did not work, May used her former position to speak with Chancellor Pishchalnikov… who will be making time in his schedule for a visitation in two weeks.”
“Who—?”
“Pishchalnikov is to the supernatural government what the President is to the United States,” Maymūna supplied. “I assured him you are Simon’s mate, and he does not doubt me, as I am his creation and would not lie to him.” My eyes went wide at that revelation, but she ignored my look. “However, as an official complaint was made, and as the clan in question involves not only a former delegate but one of his own creations, he wishes to be in attendance during the inquiries.”
Those words hit me like a two-ton truck.
When Simon had spoken about there being a fully formed supernatural government in existence, I had not spent any significant amount of time understanding and absorbing the information as I apparently should have. Of course, in those few moments, it hit me that I may not have grasped anything I’d learned properly, but really, who would? Was it really possible to completely comprehend such a world without actually being a part of it?
So much had been thrown at me in such a short space of time, and I’d just accepted it. Yes, I had asked questions, tried my best to understand within my limited human capacity, but now I was faced with the reality of meeting with the president of the underground supernatural government.
As I turned my eyes to Simon and studied his pale, inhuman features, it occurred to me that with everything I’d been given, there was still a whole world ahead of me that I would need to make peace with if I was going to make a place in it and survive.
About the Author
Arisa lives in Georgia with her cat Jasper, and has enjoyed writing since she was fifteen years old. Her first penned story was a retelling of Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera, which she wrote when she was seventeen. An avid lover of mythology, and more specifically mythological creatures, it is no surprise that
she was quickly drawn to writing romantic tales involving classic figures of supernatural lore, such as vampires and werewolves.
Arisa can be contacted on Twitter and Facebook, or at her website , where you can find news and extras not featured in the books.
And be sure to look for Feral: Part Two, coming Winter 2013.
Addition
Feedback is essential to a writer. If you’ve enjoyed this title, please leave a review on Feral’s Amazon page or email the listing to a friend.
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
About the Author
Addition
Table of Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Acknowledgements
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
About the Author
Addition
Feral: Part One Page 17
