by Lucy Kelly
“Coming right up, now get out of my kitchen so I can finish breakfast,” she said, shooing them out of the room.
As a blushing Laura turned her chair, she heard Marshall ask where Mara and Frieda were. She wanted to know too so she looked back through the doorway. “They took the truck to retrieve Frieda’s things. She sent them to Mara’s house,” Lola said.
Laura turned back and rolled to the elevator. She didn’t know what to say. This was not at all what she expected. After what Mara had told her about mates, she expected to be attracted to the person who would be her true-mate. She wasn’t prepared for the feelings overwhelming her now. Every cell in her body felt alive. It was as if she had been sleepwalking through life and had just woken up. She rolled into the elevator and made room for Alex to squeeze in next to her.
“Sorry, the elevator’s not very big,” she said.
“That’s okay. We’re not going to be in it for very long,” he answered. “At least we won’t be if you push a button and get us going.”
Laura blushed, she was staring again. Turning, she pressed the button for the top floor of her house. “Maggie, open the sunroom shutters please,” she said.
“I’ve already prepared the room for you. It’s a nice day today, the temperature is a mild seventy-four with a light breeze,” Maggie informed them.
“Thank you, Maggie,” Laura said as the elevator doors opened. Alex stepped out first and held the door open with his hand. It was a nice gesture so Laura didn’t bother saying Maggie would never let a door close on her.
She rolled through the plants to a round wicker table with a glass top. All of the tables in the house had a section the right height for her with no chair. Alex walking behind, saw her wheel up to the table, there was so much he wanted to know about her.
He could see she was a little nervous so he decided to help her out by starting. “My name is Alexander Marasov. My grandfather and his family emigrated here from Russia. My parents and siblings live mostly in the Pacific Northwest and Canada now. Which brings me to one of the many decisions we’ll have to make as mates, where will we live?” he said.
“You live in West Virginia now, don’t you?” Laura wanted to know.
“Yes, in a small town called Marlinton, entirely made up of shifters. It’s surrounded on three sides by national forest lands, which make it perfect for shifting. My office is about forty miles away in Lewisburg. I need to be able to travel. And as National Alpha I often have to deal with humans,” he said. “How did you know? Oh, I suppose you came across it in one of those reams of data you’ve uncovered. Why did you approach Marshall instead of me directly?”
“Yes, I know where many of the main shifter communities are here in the U.S. and a few European ones as well as Canada. I considered West Virginia as being too close to my family in Maryland. They would have found me by now, or at least be fairly close. You see, when I discovered shifters, I knew I had to keep your secret. Even from my family. Now I know why. I was undecided about where to live, and I had plenty of time to look. Then this property came available, which is perfect for my needs. Perfect really for the needs of all shifters. I think it was fate, really. Did Marshall give you the tour?” she asked.
“No, we’d only just arrived when you came in. I’ve heard about it though, received some reports when it was being built. It’s one of the reasons you were believed. You went through a great deal of trouble and expense here. You were hardly likely to do that, right in the middle of shifter country, if you were an enemy,” he said.
“That’s not quite right though is it? I would expect an enemy would be happy to be here if they could remain unnoticed. It’s more likely the fact of my not keeping my plans secret. Plus, as much as possible, I hired shifters to do the work. I could have brought in humans, put up security, and caused all sorts of problems for Marshall’s people. As it was, the main architect and engineer used for all my initial planning had to be human. Marshall was trying so hard to stop me. If I used shifters they would have told me my plans weren’t feasible to discourage me.”
Alex took a long look at the too slender woman with her white-blonde hair and pale skin. No freckles, no blemishes, and skin so translucent he could see the blue of her veins. “Something tells me you don’t discourage too easily,” he said with a smile.
He would have said more but the elevator dinged. Looking over he saw Lola coming toward them pushing a cart. He could see she’d gone all out for them. The cart held enough food for an army, or a bear shifter who was suddenly very hungry.
They both were quiet for a few minutes as they dug into the food while it was hot. Alex got his honey buns in addition to steak and eggs. Laura got French toast, chicken apple sausage, and eggs. Once again, Laura was surprised at her appetite. Still, she finished well before Alex.
“There’s one thing I didn’t tell Marshall and Mara. It’s another reason why I’m waiting before letting my family find me. My dad is with the NSA, Marshall knows that. What not even my brothers know, is my dad had me doing some analysis for the NSA. He knows what I’m capable of and he gave me what he called tests. I saw right through that, I was actually analyzing real time sensitive data. I was able to pinpoint several terrorist cells for them. They consider me a valuable asset and they wouldn’t want to lose me. But I’ve never felt my destiny was in that sphere. All the members of my family work for the government in one way or another. I like the feeling of serving a cause. However, I found out a few things certain powerful people would like to keep secret. If they ever discovered their secrets weren’t as safe as they thought, well, let’s say it was time for me to stop working in intelligence and leave town,” she said.
“Hmm, does your father know the things you know?” he asked.
“No. When two people know the same secret, it’s not a secret anymore. I didn’t want to burden him. Right up until I left home, I’d been doing some data mining, investigating the secret keepers. I want to make sure I have enough information to keep them away from my family and also from you guys,” she said.
“If you keep digging, you may alert them. Is it worth the risk?” he asked.
“According to you, we’re mates. Is there anything you wouldn’t do to keep me safe?” she asked him.
“No there isn’t. Which is why I’m concerned about this. I don’t want you on the radar of anyone who could want to harm you,” he said.
“You can’t keep me in cotton wool and bubble wrap. Especially if all the data I collected is true. There is a war going on and I want to win it. That reminds me of another thing. As you can see, I can be in the sun now. Frieda says it’s because Marshall and I shared a drop of blood and there’s this other thing…” she stopped talking and just stared down at her lap.
Alexander reached over and tilted her face up with his hand. “Never be afraid to tell me anything. I’ll always be on your side,” he said.
“Even when we fight?” she asked with a smile.
“Probably, especially if you smile like that, now tell me what other thing.”
“Frieda says I’ll heal. She thinks I’m going to get out of this chair and walk again,” she said in a whisper. “I’m afraid to believe her.”
Alex knew this was important. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “I want to go on record as having kissed you before I knew that,” he said and got the small gurgle of laughter he wanted. “I’m happy for you. I would hate to put limits on you. And I would hate to see you going through medical problems or a shortened life because of your paralysis. Did she happen to say how this healing would come about?” he asked.
Now Laura went bright red and Alex had a clue, but he needed to hear her say it.
“She says when we complete our mate bond it will help me to heal faster. Though even without it, I will eventually heal. My being able to go in the sun is the first sign of my magic welling up and my becoming a changeling,” she said quietly. She looked carefully at his face to see how he was taking this new revelation.
Laura relaxed. After the way he’d swooped on her before, she was nervous about the next step. He’d just given her some breathing room.
Chapter Seventeen
Since he’d asked for it, Laura gave Alex a tour of not only the house but the facility she’d built in the caverns beneath and behind the house. They were now in the main security station for the underground facility and she was showing him possible upgrades. “You see here, here and here on the map? There are natural cave systems all through this mountain. You could easily put small traveler’s shacks and have access points to the tunnels. They would serve as points of entrance and an egress for shifters,” she said.
“I see, if we did this, then there wouldn’t be a build-up of traffic on San Miguel road. Shifters could travel to these places in both human and shifted form. Why didn’t you expand and put these in? You’ve thought of everything else,” he said, remembering all he’d seen.
“Because, I don’t own the land, everything I’ve built is on my own land, my twenty acres. We can house every shifter in a hundred square miles, if we have to. Putting in these remote entrances over the mountain protects us from various surveillance methods, allows comings and goings to be unseen. It also makes sure we’re not cornered. Sometimes having a way out is an important as a way in,” she added.
“You’ve built a shelter and a command center. My next question is, why do we need it? My office is in a regular office building in Lewisburg. This is like NORAD for shifters. Why do you think we need all this? You don’t think it’s over the top?” he asked hoping she wouldn’t be offended by the question.
“The Shayatin have never come against you in an organized fashion. The same can be said for The Society. My intelligence tells me that has been slowly changing. I don’t think your people have put together two and two the way I have. I’m a trained analyst, and I know what I’m seeing. I’d like to give you a presentation of what I’ve put together. It’ll show you this place is necessary. Unfortunately, it’ll likely scare the shit out of you and make you angry as well. Are you willing to listen?” she asked him.
“You’re my mate. I’ll always listen to everything you have to say. Making policy for all shifters nationally will take more. I’m sure you understand how that works. There may be less politicking with shifters but there are still opinions that matter, old-school shifters will have to be brought in line. What I can do is call for a conference, in person. If anything you’ve convinced both Marshall and myself our conferencing system is not secure,” he said. He then opened the door so they could exit. As they went back to the elevator to return to the house he had some more questions.
“How many would have to be stationed here to get this place operational?” he asked.
“It depends on your goals. If you want to keep it as a bolthole, then minimally I’d say twelve people. If you want the whole shebang up and running, training facilities, intelligence, hospital, etcetera, then we’re talking more personnel. I estimate between forty and sixty personnel with up to another one hundred rotating trainees. After every able-bodied shifter in the country has received a few weeks of training, then permanent personnel could be lowered again,” she said, entering the elevator.
He thought about everything that she had told him. If the data she pulled was correct, it was only a matter of time before shifters were revealed to the public at large. The Society’s membership would likely swell for a time. They weren’t poised yet to ensure the protections their people needed. Also, any reveal plan would be worldwide, not just in the U.S. What a nightmare! He would do everything he could to protect his people.
When they got upstairs, Mara and Frieda had arrived back at the house. Once again Alex was amazed at everything Laura had accomplished. She would say all she did was pay for it, and others built it. What he understood was she had conceived it. She saw the need and used her own talents and money to fill it. Knowing she would be confronted with a group intent on keeping their secrets, she had, from the first, kept no secrets herself. His mate was a remarkable woman. He only hoped she let him into her bed soon. More than once he’d had to hold himself back from simply picking her up and heading for the nearest bedroom. And her house had a lot of bedrooms in it!
Meeting Frieda was a revelation. He knew instantly he had a strong ally in shortening the time before he and Laura could mate bond.
“So, child, I understand this fine young man is your mate?” Frieda asked her.
“Yes, Frieda. He arrived this morning,” Laura said.
“Good, good. Tonight I will perform your mate bond ceremony. We mustn’t waste time,” she said. Turning from Laura back to Mara, she questioned her, “Where is your holy place?”
“We don’t have an ancient place, like a stone circle. I usually go to a clearing near my home,” explained Mara.
“But this community of shifters is quite old. There should be a place. You don’t know of one?” she asked again.
“No, Frieda. If there ever was one, I’ve never heard of it.”
Frieda began to pace back and forth. They were all sitting around the living room. Marshall, Mara, Alex, and Laura were watching Frieda pace, she was muttering under her breath in German.
“It’s a good thing I have my books and things now. We will have to make a location spell. In the old days I could simply wait until nightfall and go for flight through the sky. I can’t do that here, pity,” she said.
“There are very few people around here at night. I’m sure you could shift and fly,” said Marshall, thinking she meant to shift into an eagle or other bird of prey.
“In order to find a place of magic, I would need to be a magical beast. I would need my dragon to fly such a search. It’s too big a risk, would draw too much attention if it were seen. I’m still trying to live down that swim I took in Scotland and that was years ago! No we will do this the hard way,” she said with a sigh. “I better get prepared, this could take some time.”
After she had hurried out to go to the suite Laura had assigned to her, the others turned to each other. “Scotland?” Mara said, and they all started laughing.
Marshall and Alex started talking about the things Laura had shown him, making plans for the future. He’d already decided to move the national headquarters from West Virginia to Montana. There were big changes coming and the men had a lot of decisions to make.
Mara and Laura started talking about bonding ceremonies. Laura needed another session of shifter 101.
“Would you explain what a shifter bonding ceremony is?” Laura asked her.
“A bonding ceremony for true mates is different than one for two shifters that fall in love and decide to mate. True mates are already joined on a magical level. So the ceremony is similar to a wedding. The two are pledging themselves to each other in front of their peers and family. We try to have the ceremony outdoors, close to nature because even though we’re in our human forms, an outdoor setting takes us a step closer to our animal natures. Often at the end of a ceremony the wedding guests will shift and go for a run,” Mara explained.
“What’s different when the two aren’t true mates?” Laura wanted to know.
“Well, the ceremony is a little more involved because the two shifters usually want to create a bond that’s as close to a true mate bond as they can. As priestess I would perform a blood ritual to bind their magic.”
“What about when a shifter marries, or bonds with a human? It’s not like I can shift and go for a run in the woods,” Laura said.
“After a run, there’s a party. And there are always people who don’t choose to shift. We’re there to celebrate a bond, shifting is a bonus but not necessary.”
Laura looked over to make sure the guys weren’t paying att
ention to what the women were saying. Still, she didn’t know how good their hearing was. So she waved to Mara and led her out of the room. She waited until they were in her office with the door closed.
“What do you want to know that you don’t want Marshall and Alex to overhear?” asked Mara.
“What about sex? Do shifters ever have sex in their animal forms?” she asked blushing. “Is that a part of the bonding ceremony? I’m asking because Frieda said I won’t have all my powers until we have sex.”
“Because you’re true mates, you don’t need a blood bond. When you make love and share your bodily fluids, your bond will form then. As to having sex in a shifted form, well, that’s up to the people involved. Shifters aren’t different from anyone else in that regard. We have people who are fairly straight when it comes to sex and others who are more adventurous. Sex is between you and your mate. Yes, there are shifters that take advantage of their shifted forms to experiment with sex in that form. Did your mother give you the sex talk?” she asked. Mara had just realized how sheltered Laura really was.
“I’m really attracted to Alex. We’ve kissed and everything. But I don’t know what he’s going to expect. I’ve never had sex before. Until today, I’d never even been kissed. My dad and having six older brothers, combined with my various health issues, no boy had a chance of coming near me. I’m a little nervous about it actually. Does that seem weird? Shifters, my sun problem going away, finding out I’m really a changeling but the thing that makes me the most nervous is sex,” she said and gave a huff of exasperation.
“Honey, I’d be surprised if you weren’t nervous. You’re going to be taking this man, a virtual stranger into your bed and your body. It’s a big deal. I can promise you this. True mates are always well matched. You may not be in love right now in this minute but the strong attraction you feel will get you started and love will grow from there. Rely on Alex to show you the way and don’t be afraid to talk to him. When the doors are closed, it’s just the two of you and then anything goes, okay? Do you have any specific questions?” she asked.
