“He told me there were three types of people in the world. The sheep, the sheepdogs, and wolves. The sheep are the followers, innocents, and should be protected at all costs. Wolves were the bad people, people who attack others and treat people badly. Then there were the sheepdogs. They protected the sheep, herding them where they needed to go, leading the way. They also fended off the wolves. He said that he and Egan were sheepdogs and were going to make a difference in the realms.”
Sage turns his head so he can see me fully. Holding my gaze, he says, “Nato looked me in the eyes and asked, ‘What will you be, my friend? The sheep, wolf, or sheepdog?’ That was such a pivotal moment in my life. I knew right then that I would follow them anywhere. I wanted to be a sheepdog so badly. A protector of the realm.” He smiles wistfully, recounting the exact moment he gained a purpose in his life.
I shake my head. “Sage, that is a beautiful story, but I don’t understand how this relates to you breaking up with your childhood sweetheart.”
Sage mulls over my words and rubs his lips together. It is obviously important to him to say this right.
“Once Nato added me to the group, he had one man from each house. He has dreamed of finding the Mazza and bringing change to the realm. Creating a safer world for our families. When I met Lucia as a teenager, I was very clear with her that we would not have a long-term future together. That one day I would find my calling with my brothers, and we would do great things.” He looks down at his hands, and a melancholy air falls over him.
I place my hand over his, curling my fingers around his palm. He is so warm and solid. As crazy as it sounds given our short history, I want to provide him comfort. My heart is breaking for him that he believes he had to leave his love for me.
“Sage, that is very noble of you. I understand why you would want to make a difference in the world and do your part to bring peace. You have to know, though, there are more ways to do that than just bonding with a Mazza. And I think you’re forgetting one very important piece of this puzzle.” He meets my gaze, confusion in his eyes. “I choose the bonds that I form. Well, I will choose the rest of the bonds I form now that I know what forms these bonds.”
Sage tries to suppress his mirth but loses the battle, silently laughing but with the good sense to tamp it down.
“Sage, I would never form a bond with someone whose heart belongs to another.” My lips curl in a sad imitation of a smile.
I leave my hand in his as my words wrap around him like a heavy blanket. He must think I’m rejecting him, but that’s not it at all. I am making this decision for him as much as for my own heart. I can’t attach myself to someone who can’t attach themselves to me.
The look on his face changes from confusion to crestfallen. It is hard to see, but I won’t look away.
“You would deny me then? Accept my brothers but not me? I have trained with them for well over a decade, and there isn’t a Janer member who would be better suited with your other mates.”
“I haven’t for sure decided to bond with your brothers, and I am not denying you, Sage. This is not only for me, but for you too. Can you honestly say you could sleep with me right now and form a bond, with no regrets for your sweetheart?”
Sage wants to object, his mouth opening and closing several times before falling shut. We stare into each other’s eyes once more, and I find myself falling into his gaze. There is something so magnetic about all my guys, and yes, in some warped way I consider Sage mine even though he clearly belongs to another.
“You’re right, Isolde. Right now I could not. But I also haven’t changed my mind about ending things with Lucia. Our time is up, whether you are in the picture or not. In fact, we probably should have ended things long ago.”
He turns his hand up and links our fingers. “Isolde, Issy.” I find myself smiling at his use of a nickname. I am equal parts in love with them and frightened by how quickly they all have become so familiar with me. “I won’t deny, I was unhappy about the changes you represented in my life when you stumbled into our car. I want you to know, as much as I didn’t want to, I like you. I request a favor. Do not bond to another of House Janer just yet. Can we get to know one another as friends? I respect your decision not to bond to someone without strong feelings. You will be stuck with your mates for the entirety of your life. But I think we could be something if you gave it a chance, even if neither of us are ready for such a permanent step now.”
He ended his speech with a smile that was so large and hopeful, I would swear the sun grew stronger and brightened the world for a second.
“I think that’s fair. We can be friends, and I won’t choose a bond mate for House Janer until I know if something could be between us or not. But I do think it would be wise to meet some others from your house.”
The hopeful smile dims a little and causes me to rush out more words. “It’s not that I don’t want you, Sage. If I am quite honest, you’re hot as fuck and hold a great damn deal of appeal to me. All you boys do.” At this, Sage sends a shark’s smile my way, all teeth. “But I want you to be happy, Sage. You might wake up tomorrow and find that you can’t live without Lucia, and then I’d need to find someone from your house from scratch. I guess what I’m trying to say is, this is not a decision to be made lightly. I want to make sure that we both make the best decisions for us. But my promise to you is that I will not bond with anyone from House Janer without talking to you, whether I choose you or someone else.”
“I don’t think that will be the case. And I really don’t think you know what you’ve just done. You set a hell of a challenge for me.” He tips forward until his nose almost touches the tip of my own. “Challenge accepted,” he whispers.
He turns back to the red boulders and trees sprinkled over the property. He doesn’t remove his hand from mine, so I don’t either. I mimic his movements and let my mind wander over the last couple of days as I watch a deer graze over the grass in the distance.
Something he said earlier catches my attention.
“Sage. What did you mean by fifteenth attack?”
He gives a heavy sigh that speaks to unfathomable despair. “Remember when Nato told you about the attacks on our people in the Fennina realm? Some places have been hit more than once. So to mark the events for historical purposes, we mark them numerically. The attack that killed my family was the fifteenth attack in our realm. Nearly twenty years ago now.” He sighs. “I’ll never forget the purple fog the explosions left behind.”
“I am so sorry, Sage.” I squeeze his fingers between mine in a show of comfort and solidarity. “I lost my family when I was five. My mom and dad were on their way to pick me up from kindergarten. They both had the day off, but I still had to attend school. I think they must have made a day date out of it.”
A ghost of a smile whispers across my lips as I recall the love my mom and dad felt for each other. “Well, as much as they could, considering they had my baby brother with him. He was only three. On their way to get me, a drunk driver hit their car head on. All three died in the crash.”
This time Sage returns the favor by squeezing my hand. He doesn’t say anything else, and neither do I. We understand each other, he and I. We connect in a way that I have never connected with anyone before.
In some ways, this connection is frightening. Knowing that he understands what it is like to be alone pulls at my heartstrings. Knowing that he understands how important the people you love are and that each moment is precious and should be cherished, well, that calls to me in a way that could be my complete undoing.
BEHIND ME, SOMEONE is making their way toward the door, creaking the old floorboards as they come. Jari pokes his head out the door. When he sees us, his mouth pulls up almost comically in what I can only refer to as goofy. He comes all the way out and doesn’t try to hide that he is noticing our position and clasped hands. I try to retract my hand, but Sage squeezes my fingers and refuses to let go.
I could be wrong, especially since he hasn’t lo
oked at me, but he appears to have a stubborn tilt to his jaw that increases as he holds my hand tighter.
I change my focus to Jari, not wanting to delve too deeply into why Sage does what he does. I could spend hours dissecting his actions and still be completely baffled.
“Someone is in a good mood this morning.”
Jari’s expression smooths out to gentle affection as he comes into my personal bubble and kisses my forehead. “I slept so deeply last night. I could run a marathon today, I have so much energy. Not to mention all the static in the air from the coming storm.”
“Nuh-uh. It’s gorgeous out, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. How do you know there is a storm coming?”
“Issy, Issy, Issy. How many times do I have to remind you? I know all things about nature, and weather specifically.” His smug look clearly states that he loves reminding me.
Jari walks around me to sit in the chair on my left.
“So, what, you are my very own weatherman? Telling me the forecast before I even have time to anticipate the weather. Tell me, will I need rain boots at twelve o’clock or four o’clock?” I can’t help but snicker at him.
“Hardy har har.” He laughs good-naturedly. “As a matter of fact, you will need not only rain boots, but a poncho too around 2:30 p.m. I wouldn’t get close to anything that attracts lightning either.” He looks pointedly at my metal-gifted Fennin, who is still clutching my hand.
Sage whips around and glares at Jari. Somehow Sage simultaneously shows haughty disdain and peeved irritation. “Yeah right, Jari. Like you would ever let lightning touch Isolde, whether she was touching metal or not. If you did, you aren’t as powerful as I thought.”
Just then, Nato saunters out of the house and ruffles Sage’s chestnut hair so he is properly disheveled. The gesture speaks of years of affection and playfulness between them. I haven’t had the opportunity to witness their bonds with each other until now. Suddenly, the story that Sage shared with me of his first encounter with Nato and Egan makes more sense. I can picture Nato taking a poor, young Sage under his wing, recognizing a kindred soul even if Sage couldn’t see it then.
While their personalities are slowly revealing themselves, different as night and day, it is easy to see that they are cut from the same cloth.
Nato comes to the side that Sage isn’t connected to and lifts me gingerly, arranging me on his lap, all the while maintaining my connection with Sage. Nato’s eyes flicker over our joined hands before finding my face. He doesn’t hide his contentment. Yes, today he is also in a fantastic mood.
“All right, beautiful. What do you say about seeing whether any of your Zien powers have manifested?” He absently swipes his thumb over my birthmark, causing warmth to travel down my body. Interestingly, my mark gets heated when he touches it. Does that happen for all the marks or only the ones of the bonded? If that’s the case, does it matter who touches the mark, or does it only react to the specific bonded male for that mark? It only makes me seek out the mark on his face. Mirror image to mine and the same shade of blue. Even though Nato is lightly bronzed, or maybe because of it, his mark clearly stands out.
“Sure, but do we get breakfast first?” On cue, my stomach rumbles a discontented growl.
Just my luck, it’s loud enough that all my guys can hear it. Trying to divert some of my embarrassment from myself, I ask another question I have wondered about. “What do you call all the mates of Mazzas?”
My shift in topic has surprised him, and his brows pop up. “In my head, I’ve just been referring to you all as my guys or the men. There has to be a better name for you all. Maybe you can be my posse or gang. I know! What about crew or squad? The Iss-squad. What do you think?” I realize I’m rambling and stop abruptly.
Jari bursts out laughing, and Nato chuckles. Even Sage smiles and shakes his head.
“Sweets. That is so lame. Surely you can come up with a better name for our group than that. How about Isolde’s Bevy of Beautiful Men. Or the Hunky Horde. Maybe even Team Virile.”
Shocking the hell out of me, Sage even throws out a suggestion. “Isolde’s Lusty Legion.”
We all crack up.
“Are you officially part of our sweet, innocent Isolde’s Lusty Legion?” Nato directs at Sage. To all appearances, Nato is ribbing Sage in good fun, but I suspect Nato is legitimately curious where Sage stands. Especially after the scene last night between Sage and Lucia.
Sage shrugs and looks at me. “We’ll see. For now, Iss and I will see how a friendship works out.”
I nod my agreement and pretend I am not as eager as Nato is to see where this thing between Sage and me goes.
While we are chatting, the sounds of nature and wildlife that lull us into a sense of security gradually fall silent. And it’s absolutely defeaning. The absence of sound becomes so loud it alerts everyone that something is amiss.
A commotion erupts inside the house that’s reminiscent of a bull trying to exit a china cabinet. Long before he crashes through the door, we hear the not-so-distant howls and feline screams of Egan’s animals. Egan stumbles out of the house in only his boxers. He has the car keys in his hand and fierce determination on his features.
“We have to go. Now! Something is coming, and it isn’t friendly.” Egan scoops me up and runs to the black SUV. Everyone takes him at his word and runs to the car without a shred of doubt.
Egan deposits me in the back seat before jumping in the driver’s side. Nato takes the passenger seat, and Jari and Sage jump in on either side of me. Nato has set himself as the leader since minute one, so it really surprises me that he willingly rides bitch.
Within one minute of Egan busting through the door, we are already around the house, driving off trail and away from the driveway.
“Egan, the facts,” Nato barks while gripping the oh-shit handle.
“Coyotes spotted a suspicious vehicle coming this way. They shared the vision with me, and it isn’t anyone I’m familiar with. I have a bad feeling, especially so soon after last night. Instead of waiting to find out if they are allies or enemies, we are getting the hell out. Isolde is too important to take chances with her life.”
I press my hand over my wound. Nato is definitely better than Tylenol on steroids. There is no pain at all. I lift my shirt to scan the injury just to make sure it isn’t opening on this high-speed car chase. It’s still closed. Good.
Egan recites his story absentmindedly as he grips the steering wheel so hard bulging veins stand out in his hands and forearms. His words suffuse a warm and bubbly sensation through my body. I’ve never mattered this much to anyone, not since my parents. The way they are all trying to keep me safe, these things they are unthinkingly doing, are tying me tighter to them than they realize. I find myself hoarding these actions and feelings to myself. Not that I want us to be in danger, but I want this. I want them.
I’m pretty worried that we’ll get a flat tire on the rocky terrain. Man, that would be the pits. Then I change my thinking. My luck has never been great, and the more I think about the possibility of a flat tire, the greater the chance it will come true.
“Which way are they coming from?” Nato demands.
“The crows are flying with the vehicle, and it is coming down the driveway. There is only one vehicle that we are aware of.”
Ah, this is why Egan is driving. He has direct intel on where this attack is coming from. That must come in handy.
“We need to get to Yunez as quickly as possible. Egan, if we can cover our tracks, take us toward his compound.”
Egan doesn’t give a verbal acknowledgement, and silence falls. Minutes pass—ten, twenty, maybe even thirty—before our SUV leaves the woods and speeds onto the highway.
Jari twists his torso so he can see behind us, and there’s a loud crack, followed by a thunder clap right over our heads. When I glance behind us, I am just in time to see a large evergreen tree hit the road crossways.
Mouth dropping open, I whirl around to face Jari. Noticing my atten
tion, he merely winks before glancing back once more. Copying his movements, I turn around to watch the road as well. No more than three minutes pass before a large truck emerges onto the highway and plows right into the tree, causing several of the branches to shake and crack. Before I have time to process the information that someone is after us, another flash of lightning strikes, only this time the tree lands on top of the vehicle.
“The fuck…” I whisper. If I wasn’t a believer before, there is no way in hell I am not a believer now. Jari slowed our pursuer with one tree long enough to drop another tree with eerie precision on top of the enemy car.
“We should be able to lose them pretty easily now,” Jari murmurs, still watching behind us. I have no doubt that if they were able to get free and follow us, another tree would introduce itself to the vehicle.
Jari pulls me into him by shoulders, and I realize belatedly that I am shaking with adrenaline.
“Shhh, sweets. This will all be over soon, and we’ll be safe and sound. You’ll see.”
Egan drives like a bat out of hell, or Fae out of the forest, for what seems like hours. Once he’s is confident that we aren’t being followed and there are no surprises waiting for us, he slows down to the speed limit and lets out a shaky sigh.
“I’m going to drive us around a bit before we head to the compound.”
No one acknowledges this plan, just rolling with it. Jari pets my hair until I drift off into a light slumber, lulled by the swaying of the vehicle.
HUSHED VOICES BRING me back into the land of the living. The SUV has stopped, and an air of uncertainty hangs heavy in the car. Blinking my eyes open, I find that my head is in Jari’s lap while my feet rest in Sage’s.
Egan and Nato are whispering to each other in the front seat. Something about a gate. I feel eyes on me and tilt my head back. Jari lifts a hand and smooths some hair away from my forehead. The touch is so intimate and soft that I let out a low sigh, sinking further into his lap. Jari just threads his hands through my hair.
Marks of the Mazza: Reverse Harem (Mazza Series Book 1) Page 9
