by Idella Breen
“A witch?”
“Her name is Yu. I have an agreement with her. I let her live on my land undisturbed and she offers assistance with handling new pups. Witches are useful for those types of things. They always understand the beast better than I ever could and she was willing, so I took advantage. I think if you saw her she could really help you.”
“How exactly does she help with new pups?” Cait asked curiously.
“Witches are able to reason with the wolf when a kid first transforms. She is able to settle them after the initial shock of it all. The young wolves go to her for weekly classes, where they learn how to control, and merge fully with their inner beast. She is very helpful and I offer her protection, though, I highly doubt she needs it.”
Cait sat back in her chair. “I don’t know Remus. That doesn’t sound like it will help. Just meditate? I feel like I need something more than that. Like maybe I just need to get all this pent up energy out of my system, you know?”
He shrugged again. “You can try, but I don’t think that will help. I urge you to seek the counsel of Yu. She is strange, but if she decides to help you, it would be best.”
Cait nodded and stood. “I’ll think about it. Honestly, I’m not too keen on witches. I haven’t had many good interactions with them in the past.”
“Suit yourself.” Remus took another drink from his beer.
“Thanks Remus.” Cait patted his shoulder before leaving.
Cait sighed again as she came back to the present. Recently, her skin had been itchy. Now that she was two states away from home, away from Snow, her skin was itching for a whole other reason. She didn’t like being so far from her mate. Sometimes, it was physically painful. Like being ripped in two. The redhead didn’t know why it felt that way, just that, ever since they bonded, it became harder to travel long distances away from each other. Even now, as the SUV, she and the rest of the guard were traveling in, drove further away from Snow, her chest tightened painfully.
“Captain.” Cait looked up to the man that had called out to her. His name was Beck and he was a tengu. He was a lot younger than she was, but he had been the previous leader of their unit of the guard. He was a tactical genius of his generation and Cait had taken an immediate liking to him.
“Yeah, Beck?”
“We’re almost there.”
Cait nodded and looked back out the window. She would hurry up, and deal with the problem, and hopefully try to learn all she could about the prophecy from the dark bloods. Then she was going back to Snow and never leaving her side again. It wasn’t worth the pain, both physical and spiritual. Dammit, if she didn’t miss the girl and her charming ways. Despite her name, the girl had a way of lighting up any room she entered with her presence alone. Cait pulled out her cellphone and turned on the screen. The background was a photo of her and Snow at the girls graduation party. Cait had cake on her face, as did Snow, and they were kissing. Somehow the party had turned into a bit of a food fight after Gwen shoved cake into Remus’s face. She smiled and turned off her phone. The werewolf just wanted things to go back to normal, and they would, after the threat of the dark bloods was dealt with.
***
A man burst through the door to the study and immediately dropped into a low bow.
“My king.” He mumbled.
“Speak.” The man in the wingback chair said with a wave of his hand.
“The spy we sent in has made contact with the ice child. Things are going according to the plan.”
The king nodded. “Good, you may go. Return to me when phase two of the plan is ready.”
“Yes, my king.” The man said, but he didn’t leave immediately.
“Was there something else?”
The man hesitated. “Queen Xena, is here to see you.”
The king cursed before nodding. “Very well, send her in. She is as much involved in this as I am.”
“Understood.” The man bowed once more before leaving the study.
If the queen was there, then things must be going well on her end, the king thought. Xena wasn’t one to half-ass things. When she did something, she did it perfectly, or she simply didn’t do it at all. The king adjusted his crown. It was made of solid gold. The crown was of an intricate design. Instead of precious jewels, small engravings of chess pieces were carved into the metal. It was the old king’s crown. The current king had pulled it off the floor where it had been sitting in a pool of Xavier’s blood on that fateful night a year ago.
When he had set the bloody crown on his head for the first time, it had felt so right, that he decided from that moment on he would fight for his right to claim the throne. When he had approached the queen and demanded her cooperation in his plan, she had simply smiled behind her fan and replied, “Sounds interesting. Xavier could be so boring sometimes, but you boy, you have always made my day with your insolence and cunning. I will help you with your plan for the time being. I always did love a good game.”
The door to the study burst open once more announcing the presence of the queen. Xena marched into the room and collapsed into the chair across from the king. She huffed and fanned herself. She had traded her paper fan in for a more practical one. It was made of thin metal and was as deadly as the woman wielding it.
“You really know how to keep a woman busy.” She said in exasperation.
“I take it things are going well?”
“Well enough. Your competitors are quickly gaining power around the country, but I have managed to sabotage most of the ones that were rising to power too quickly. No one shall rise above you, my king.” She said sarcastically.
The king frowned but didn’t comment. “Good. Now, why are you here?”
Xena paused in fanning herself and snapped her metal fan shut. “Can’t a queen visit her king for no reason at all? What if I just wanted to see your adorable face?”
“Cut the shit Xena. I know you hate my guts as much as I hate your’s, and the only reason you’re helping me at all, is because you’re bored and love a good game.”
Xena sighed. “I can still remember when you were a simple knight. You were so much more obedient back then. Shame.”
“Xena.”
“Fine, I came to tell you that the protector is on the move.”
“The protector?”
“She was sent to deal with some dark bloods that were getting out of control up in the east. I would have dealt with them myself, but even I have rare bouts of laziness.”
“Will she be a problem?”
“On the contrary, I believe this will advance our plan.”
The king frowned. “How so?”
“Come now great king, can’t you see the possibilities? The ice child and her protector are strong together, but apart they are weak. This will make it easier to deal with them.”
The king rubbed his chin. “Yes, I see your point. We should use this to our advantage then.”
“How shall I proceed?”
“We will deal with the weaker of the two first. The ice child will be a sitting duck and the spy we sent in is already making progress. We will strike there first.”
“Oh good, I ache to see her face contorted in agony.”
The king chuckled. “In good time.”
Xena splayed her fan back out and stood. “Well, I shall take a much deserved snack now. I heard there were some recently caught prisoners?”
The king nodded. “Yes.”
Xena grinned, showing off her fangs. “Then I shall pay them a quick visit.”
The king smiled. “Don’t make a mess this time. I know how messy an eater you can be when your bored.”
Xena giggled. “I make no promises.”
He laughed. Xena walked towards the door, but paused when she reached it, and turned back to the man.
“Was there something else?” He asked as he folded his hands on his lap.
“You’ve settled into your unofficial position well.”
“I was born to fill it.”
Xena nodded. “A knight you are no more. Aiden Gray, the royal king you are now, and you shall rule with fear and terror, the likes of which the world has never seen.” With that, Xena curtsied and left the study. Aiden pulled out a decanter and poured himself a drink. Xena was a necessary evil, and he would use her to exact his revenge on the two women that had made him look like a fool. That damn ice child and her protector wouldn’t even see it coming until they were in a pool of their own blood and begging him to let them live.
Aiden grinned and took a drink. Then he would make his role as the new king of the dark bloods official. He could still remember how he used to struggle to keep his position as a knight and only dreamed of one day becoming a king. Everything was going according to plan. It was almost too easy. Aiden chuckled and settled back into his chair. Soon, it would be a throne.
Chapter 2
Snow pulled out her notebook and pens. She had already exchanged pleasantries with Dian and she was now ready to learn. The brunette had read ahead in her textbook the night before and was excited for what they would be covering in class today. The teacher stood up from his desk and walked over to the chalkboard.
“Okay class, open up your books to page 354. Today we will be discussing werewolf clan’s land disputes.” The professor picked up a piece of chalk and drew an outline of what looked like a crude United Kingdom. “Centuries ago, in a world very different from what it is today, werewolves claimed the lands in what is now Ireland and Scotland. Like most werebeasts, werewolves are very territorial and back then, it was no different. Many battles were waged between different clans over land and resources. The greatest of these clans were the Fallon and McCloud clans.
These two clans produced some of the strongest werewolves to have ever lived and as a result, they claimed most of the land during that time period. The alphas of these two clans were rivals as well as enemies. The McCloud’s claimed the highlands while the Fallon’s claimed the valleys and marshes. They were constantly trying to get one over on the other. The battles between the Fallon’s and the McCloud’s were legendary and brutal.
“How many of you have met a werewolf?”
Snow was too shy to raise her hand but several other people raised theirs.
“Have you ever asked how old they were? Not many of the elder wolves are around today. Few survived the battles, let alone the war between monsters and humans but the ones that did are true warriors. All werewolves are fighters by nature, but the elder wolves are a cut above the rest. They were forged and hardened through battle after battle and in their early days probably knew of nothing less than blood and carnage. Many of the elder wolves even have scars that not even their advanced regenerative abilities could fully heal.”
The professor continued to drone on about specific battles and dates. Snow continued to take notes but her mind was elsewhere. Cait was old. Snow had never asked exactly how old, but she knew the werewolf probably lived through the time before the war, between the monsters and humans. Even before the Treaty of Absolute Peace. It was hard to fully comprehend someone living that long. Especially, for the fact that Snow would only live a human’s lifespan, and Cait had probably lived for centuries.
She was definitely a warrior. Snow was sure of that. Her mate was strong and wise. The woman never lost any of the bouts of playful fighting with Remus when they had clan parties. Even though she was smaller than the male alpha, Cait moved with a grace and precision that could only have been gained through true fights to the death.
Did she miss it? Those fights to the death? Did she miss the blood and carnage? Snow had never considered her mate to be vicious but was that different than simply wanting the thrill of battle? Did a person have to be demented to crave a good fight? Wasn’t it sort of like those people that craved the thrill of extreme sports?
The brunette sighed. When her mother came to Cait and offered her a chance to fight again, was her mate happy to have the chance?
Snow suddenly remembered a conversation she had with the redhead shortly after they were bonded.
Snow was sitting on the couch in her apartment watching her werewolf stacking boxes by the front door.
“Are you just going to watch me work?”
Snow pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and trailed her eyes up the toned legs of her lover. She watched how the woman’s abs flexed when she lifted a box and how her arms bulged with toned muscle.
“Snow?”
The brunette absently answered. “Yeah?”
“If you keep looking at me like that I won’t be responsible for my actions.”
The girl snapped her eyes up to meet molten gold. She gulped. “Huh?”
Cait laughed and prowled over to her. “I said, I won’t be responsible for my actions, if you keep looking at me like you want to eat me.”
Snow blushed. “I wasn’t-“
“Oh, yes you were. I can feel your want for me. I want you too.” Cait’s voice deepened and Snow got the distinct feeling she wasn’t just talking to the woman, anymore but the wolf as well.
“Sorry.” She whispered as Cait trapped her between her arms on the couch.
“I’m not.” Their lips met with such force that Snow was afraid the woman would devour her.
“Cait.” She sighed as the woman settled down between her legs. Snow ground her sex against the hard abs she had been eyeing earlier.
Cait sucked the girl’s tongue into her mouth and slid her own along it as a growl built up in her chest. “I want you Snow.” She gasped out.
“Wait.”
Cait nipped her lip. “No.”
“We won’t finish in time. Gwen and Remus will be here any minute to help with the move.”
“I’ll make it quick.” Cait nibbled along the girl’s neck making her gasp her reply.
“Okay.”
Cait smiled and moved to slip her hand under the girl’s shirt. A loud knocking resounded through the apartment. Cait growled and rested her head against Snow’s.
“Shit.”
The brunette laughed and pushed the werewolf off of her and answered the door. Gwen’s cheery face greeted her.
“Hey- oh, sorry.”
Snow frowned. “Why.”
“I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“How did you-“ Snow blushed a brilliant shade of red.
The blonde simply tapped her nose and moved to enter the apartment. The girl grumbled about werewolves and their stupid sense of smell, as she followed Gwen back towards the living room, where the boxes containing her life were stacked. Cait brushed past Gwen with a frown on her face while carrying a box out of the apartment.
“Don’t be like that Cait! I said I was sorry.” Gwen whined but she did it with a smile on her face, leading Snow to believe she wasn’t sorry in the slightest.
“You take a sick pleasure in catching us in the act, don’t you?” Snow asked as she bent to pick up one of the smaller boxes.
Gwen laughed. “It’s a guilty pleasure seeing how grumpy I can make Cait. She’s so cute when she’s grumpy.”
Snow laughed and followed the werewolf to the elevator. They passed Remus on their way down and he said a quick greeting before the elevator closed. Snow placed the small box in the U-haul, and turned to go back into the building, but was grabbed around the middle, and pulled to the other side of the truck. Soft lips met her own and she moaned as she melted into the embrace of her mate.
When they pulled back Cait was grinning.
“Hi.”
Snow laughed. “Hello to you too.”
“Get to work you two. We’re burning daylight. I have to have this truck back by six.” Gwen cackled as she dropped off a box and went back into the building.
Cait frowned. “She takes sick pleasure in being my personal cock block, doesn’t she.”
Snow smiled. “What can I say. She has a gift.”
The redhead sighed and nuzzled into the girl’s neck. “I want to fuck you so bad.”
Snow g
asped and smacked the werewolf in the shoulder. “Cait!”
The werewolf looked up. “What?”
The girl was blushing again and she hated it. “You can’t say things like that!”
The redhead frowned. “Why not? It’s true.”
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
Cait grinned. “You do look good in red.”
Snow smacked her again and wiggled out of her grasp. “We have work to do.”
The werewolf simply laughed and followed her back up to the apartment. Between the four of them they managed to move everything to Cait’s apartment and get the truck back by six. They were all sitting in Cait’s living room with a beer, Snow had a cola, and were taking a break when Snow suddenly spoke. “Cait, why are you so competitive?”
The redhead looked over to her mate. “What do you mean?”
“I think she’s referring to the pissing contest you were having with Remus earlier. Who knew it was possible to carry a twenty pound box on your head. You’re quite talented.” Gwen said.
Cait grinned. “Thank you.”
“I still think you cheated.” Remus muttered.
“Don’t be a sorry loser Remus. You just need to be more creative next time.” Gwen laughed.
“Cait.” Snow reminded.
“Oh, sorry. So, why am I so competitive? It probably comes from my childhood. I wasn’t really accepted in my clan when I was younger and I was always trying to prove myself to my peers.”
“Like how?” Snow asked.
Cait laughed. “In a lot more deadly ways than what I shared with Remus.”
“Deadly?” The brunette frowned.
“I grew up in a chaotic time Snow. It was hard but honestly, it was a lot of fun while it lasted.” Cait smiled sadly. Snow rubbed her arm soothingly.
A moment passed and was interrupted by Gwen. “So how about we unpack everything now?”
Everyone let out a collective groan.
The brunette was brought back to the present by the snapping of a book. She jumped in her seat and felt the pen in her hand solidify in ice. The brunette looked over to where the sound came from. Dian smiled.
“Sorry, bad habit.”
