“But I don't feel anything,” Meadow said.
“Then, you're not trying,” Rosie said. “All mates can do it. So try girl. Can you feel if he needs you?”
Meadow didn't feel anything coming from Brencis. Maybe, if she tried to meditate as she did before working on a potion. She closed her eyes and settled her breathing. She relaxed her body, and there it was, the golden cord shining brightly. As she looked at it with her mind’s eye, she fell into it and flowed down its length toward Brencis. Then, she connected to him.
He was throwing on clothes and speaking to Valerii in his mind. He felt her connect and sent a wave of love through the bond but didn't stop what he was doing. Love? He loved her?
He ran back down the hall and was speaking to Seth, a young wolf. For a moment, Meadow reeled as she smelled the blood of the two dead men. She pulled back into her own mind. How was it possible she smelled the blood through Brencis?
“So you did it then. He is all right?” Rosie asked.
“Yes, for a few moments I was connected to him,” Meadow said.
“Well, there you go, and I hear your connection will only get stronger,” Rosie said. “You might as well relax. They won't sound the all-clear until the police arrive. That’s a good thirty minute drive from the nearest town. Longer, if they come in from London. There’s a cot over in the back and a blanket if you want one. It’s nearly two in the morning. If you want any sleep at all, you should sleep now.”
Meadow allowed Rosie to lead her to the cot and tuck her in. She was going to have to get up early and go to the shop. It was too bad the alarms went off when they did. Would Brencis have made love to her? Remembering the delicious feel of his lips on her skin made her blush.
Working retail meant you didn't have much time off. She’d have to redo her hair and clean up from the solstice celebration. Then, she would place some orders and call Mr. Hatcher and Ms. Melody to see if they could reschedule for next weekend. She really did need some sleep.
Brencis watched as Inspector Lewis from Scotland Yard took their prisoner into custody and Lewis’ men removed the bodies. He ran his hand through his hair. It was almost four in the morning. He'd only had an hour of sleep thanks to Meadow’s trip into the woods. Thinking about it made him want her again. He could feel his little mate asleep in the safe room. As soon as he could, he would fetch her and take her back to bed.
Valerii was shaking hands with the Inspector when Seth's telepathic message came in.
Brencis? We can't find little Joe. He's not at his post, and no one’s seen him. We've checked everywhere.
Okay, Seth, return to your post. Valerii and I will find little Joe.
Brencis reached with his telepathy for the young lycan, but all he was getting was a blank. She must be unconscious, if she was still alive.
Chapter Four
“Come in the house with me. We need to talk,” Brencis said to Valerii, motioning him in the door. He hated to do this to his best friend, but time was of the essence.
Grigori was with Melisande and would be busy for a while. Having the estate breached would bring up bad memories for Grigori of the last time their den was invaded. He wouldn’t be happy until he made sure his mate hadn’t received a scratch. Asking him for help would only take more time.
Brencis was going to have to push Valerii about Josephine, and he was going to have to be rough about it. It had been two hours since the attack. Josephine could be anywhere on the property. If she wasn't answering the pack call, she was probably hurt. He reached for her with his telepathy. There was nothing but a blank. They needed to find her. Now. Brencis waited for Valerii to follow him into the sunroom.
“Little Joe is missing. We have to assume something bad has happened,” Brencis said, watching as Valerii paled. If Valerii reached for her with his telepathy, through the pack bond, he would find a blank as well. Which meant she was unconscious, or dead.
“Not Joe. My god, it's been two hours. Why didn't you tell me sooner?” Valerii asked.
“Just found out myself. Seth was looking, but there is no sign. We've got to find her. Grigori plans on sending her to Siberia to mate. We can't have an unmated female lycanthrope on our hands.”
“What the hell? You know Joe is a girl?” Valerii asked
“Do you?” Brencis asked. He suspected as much. Lycans were loyal, and the whole pack was protective of the little female.
“I discovered it a while ago. When she gets near me, I feel her,” Valerii said, beginning to pace.
“You feel her? Why, Valerii? She's got to be sent to Dmitry. He has too many unmated males,” Brencis said. God, he hated doing this to Valerii. Did he have a choice?
“You would send her from her home, to strangers? You can't.”
“Why not?” Brencis said. “It's not like she has someone here to mate with. She needs to go.”
“No, you can't . . .” Valerii said.
“Why, Valerii? Why can't I?”
“I can't let her go,” Valerii said. “She is fragile. Something happened in her past.”
“She'll get over it.”
“Chyort Vossmi, Damn it all. Brencis, you are not sending her away,” Valerii said, his hand rubbing against his heart. “Now we need to find her. My God, she could be out there dying.”
Brencis needed to push a little harder. Valerii needed to see what she meant to him.
“Josephine has hidden from all of us,” Brencis said. “She goes as soon as we find her.
“Stop it, Bren,” Valerii said. “You are not sending her away from her home. Did Seth know where she was last seen?”
Brencis watched as Valerii paced. Valerii started taking off his shirt and getting ready to shape-shift into his wolf form. As he removed his pants, Brencis knew he needed to shake him up a little more.
“Well, you're right. She's probably dead,” Brencis said. “Or run off to hide her secret. Maybe she even let the intruders in.”
“Take it back, Brencis,” Valerii said, growling now. “You know Joe would never betray us.”
“You're right,” Brencis said. “Joe has always been loyal. It's too bad. She must be dead.”
“No. Not little Joe. Not my Joe . . . Chyort Vossmi, Brencis. She's mine, she's my mate,” Valerii said, slamming both hands down on the small table next to the sitting area. The table split and broke apart under his blow.
Brencis smiled in satisfaction, as the golden mating cord snapped into place on Valerii's chest and his friend sank to the floor. Brencis rushed over and helped him up, patting him on the back as he got back on his feet.
“Follow the cord,” Brencis said. “She's alive. I'll be right behind you.”
“I may have to kill you for what you did,” Valerii said. “But if it saves my mate, I'll be forever thankful.”
Brencis smiled as his friend shifted and leapt out the door. What Brencis had done was a rotten trick and the quickest way to find Josephine. Valerii would thank him, if she lived through the night. Brencis ran after the silver-white wolf tracking its mate. He hoped Josephine would be okay. If she died, there was a good chance Valerii would die as well, even without the mating bond cemented into place. His friend wouldn’t want to live without his mate. It was part of being a lycan.
Following the cord, Brencis and Valerii put on a burst of preternatural speed. They found her in the woods on the old hunting platform. Brencis ran up as Valerii shifted and climbed the ladder to the top. Valerii lifted his mate into his arms, and then backed down. She was bleeding from her shoulder, and there was a large lump on her head. Brencis smiled at the way Valerii held her so gently. How anyone could think she was a boy, he didn’t know. They had all been fools, trying to protect her from each other.
“You’ll have to grab her gun. It’s lying on the platform,” Valerii said, his eyes worried.
“Get her inside. Let's see what we can do for her,” Brencis said. She must be okay. Nothing else was acceptable.
The trip back inside the house was quick
er than the search. They laid Josephine on a couch and cleaned her wound. She flinched and hissed when the antiseptic was put on. Brencis was glad to see her eyes flutter open.
“This wound is from a gunshot. One of our visitors took a shot at her. She probably fell on the platform and hit her head,” Brencis said, bandaging her shoulder. At least, the shot only nicked her. It was her head he was worried about.
“We've got to keep her awake. Come on, Josie, let me help you, lyubov moya, we need to walk,” Valerii said, getting Josephine on her feet and walking her across the room, his arm around her waist.
“Check her pupils. How is she doing?” Brencis asked.
“Her eyes are fine. How do you feel? Josie, are you nauseous at all?” Valerii asked.
“No, but my head is killing me. Can I have some pain meds?” Josephine asked, sounding weak and confused.
“I'll get them. Val, you keep her awake,” Brencis said as he heaved a sigh of relief. It looked like Josie would be fine, and now her mate would take care of her.
Brencis went into the kitchen and signaled the all-clear to Rosie. Then, he grabbed the first-aid kit off the shelf and returned to the living room with pain medication for Josephine. Rosie followed behind him. When she saw Josephine in Valerii's arms, she rushed up to her.
“Oh, my poor Josephine, what has happened to you, my pet?” Rosie asked.
“Rosie, call the doctor and get him out here. Then help Valerii keep her awake until the doctor arrives,” Brencis said. “Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to get Meadow and take her to bed.” His near-miss tonight left him needing to hold Meadow in his arms. They could have lost everything.
Brencis sighed as he turned and went back to the safe room in the kitchen. Grigori was going to have to ask Dmitry to send more men. Three men and four youngsters were not enough to guard the pack’s territory here in England, especially with three new mates to take care of. It was too bad the other three single members of the pack lived and worked in London. Asking them to commute wouldn’t work. He'd talk to Grigori about it tomorrow.
Right now, he wanted to hold Meadow. He found her on the cot in the back of the safe room, her hand under her cheek. He lifted her into his arms and breathed in deeply, taking her scent deep into his lungs. She murmured his name and turned into his chest, snuggling closer. He kissed her hair and rubbed his face against her soft cheek. Then, he carefully carried her upstairs to his room. She seemed so innocent in her sleep. Was he bringing her danger by being her mate?
Meadow woke up to Brencis' strong arms around her as the morning sun shown into the room. She smiled at the feeling of safety and contentment they brought her. Meadow liked having Brencis in her life. But then she frowned. She needed to get back home so she could open the shop. Life didn't stop because you found a mate. She disentangled herself from his sleeping form and tiptoed into the bathroom. Half an hour later, she was downstairs, bag in hand. She found Rosie wringing her hands and pacing in the kitchen.
“What's wrong, Rosie?” Meadow asked.
“It's my little Joe,” Rosie said. “The doctor is insisting she go to the hospital and have a CAT scan of her head. Valerii went with her, I’m so worried.”
“Oh, Rosie. I'm so sorry,” Meadow said.
“I'm sure she'll be fine now that Valerii has realized she is his mate,” Rosie said. “He won't let anything happen to my girl.”
Meadow cocked her head in confusion. Hadn't Rosie told her she had five sons? Did she miss the part about a daughter?
“Rosie, I hate to be a burden, but I need to go to work,” Meadow said. “Is there someone who can drive me back into town?”
“Oh, sure,” Rosie said. “I was going to send Seth into town to buy some more eggs and supplies. He’ll drop you off. Let me call him down.”
Meadow watched as Rosie walked out of the room and disappeared down the hall. Meadow could hear her talking to someone. Then, Rosie returned with a towheaded young boy with golden-hazel eyes. She introduced him as Seth and handed him a list.
“Now, don't dawdle in town,” Rosie said. Get all the things on my list after you drop Miss Meadow off at her store, Magic Herbs.”
“Yes, Ma'am. Follow me, Miss. The car is out this way,” Seth said.
Meadow followed Seth out the door and around the house to the garage. He pointed at the little car, and Meadow gladly climbed in. Seth steered the car out the gate in minutes. He waved at the police car parked out front, and they were on their way down gravel roads to the highway. As they drove, Meadow noticed Seth would occasionally peek at her curiously.
“Is there something you would like to ask me?” Meadow said.
“Last night, why did you dance in the woods?” asked Seth.
“You saw me?” Meadow asked, horrified. She thought she had been alone last night.
“Only for a minute. Brencis sent me away.”
“Oh, well. I was celebrating the summer solstice,” Meadow said. “I left an offering to the Fairies and earth spirits and danced in celebration of summer and the longest day. I try to celebrate all the Celtic holy days.”
“But why?”
“Because, it makes me happy to be connected to the Earth and her seasons. That is one way I keep the connection. I love plants and work with them when making my potions. It’s important to me to do my part and to respect the Earth spirits.”
“Do you love him?” Seth asked.
“Who?”
“Your mate, Brencis.”
“I think I could love him, I've only known him for a little while.”
“What's it like, the mating bond.”
“You certainly have a lot of questions don't you?” Meadow asked, shaking her head.
“I'm sorry Miss . . .”
“No, it's okay. Call me Meadow. The mating bond connects us heart and soul. At least, that is what Brencis told me. I used it only a little last night to make sure Brencis was okay. For a moment I was in his mind, sharing his thoughts. It was pretty amazing.”
Meadow enjoyed talking to Seth. She learned more about lycanthropes and Brencis and how the pack worked. Since Brencis was Beta to Grigori, she would be expected to be Beta to Melisande. She wasn’t really sure what that would entail or if she even wanted to do it. Sitting back in her seat, she was still thinking about it, when Seth pulled up to the front of her store. She reluctantly climbed out of the car. It was almost like giving up an enchanted world and stepping back into reality. Meadow wasn't sure she wanted to give up the magical world of the lycans. She smiled and waved as Seth drove away. Shape-shifters and magic. What might the future hold?
Meadow ran upstairs and quickly changed into her black leather skirt and green shirt. Thinking of Brencis and lycanthropes she pulled out her leather collar with the silver studs and buckled it on. The she grabbed a brush and brushed on some hair color. A quick blow dry and she was ready for her customers.
Once she unlocked the store and stepped inside the shop, thoughts of Brencis were replaced with thoughts of work. If she didn't make money, she couldn't afford her rent. It was that simple. She grabbed a broom and started sweeping.
§
Brencis woke up and stretched. His body felt stiff and tired. Glancing at the clock, he noticed it was after ten. At least he'd gotten a few hours of sleep. He looked around for Meadow. When he didn’t see her, he figured she was downstairs with the rest of the pack. He got up and showered. As he was dressing, he heard a commotion downstairs. He threw on his clothes and opened his door in time to see Valerii coming up the stairs.
“How is everything this morning?” Brencis asked.
“Josephine is gone,” Valerii said. “She ran out on me. The doctor said she was fine—no permanent damage. I left the room to get her paperwork, and when I came back, she was gone. I followed her to the train station and then I lost her. I think she is heading for the coast.” Gone? Why would Josephine run away from her mate?
“What are you going to do? Have you spoken to Grigori?” Brencis asked,
frowning. This wasn’t good. Josephine needed to be found. Didn’t she realize Valerii could find her by following the mating cord? And what about the grieving if they were separated too long?
“I’m going after her, of course,” Valerii said, grabbing a knapsack and throwing a few personal items inside. “Grigori gave me funds to find her with. Once I get my hands on her, I am going to bend her over my knee and spank her perfect little behind until it glows.”
“Do you need me to go with you?” Brencis asked. What had gotten into Josephine? Was she afraid of being mated?
“I’ll call you if I need help. Besides, you have your own mate to worry about.”
“Be careful and keep in touch,” Brencis said, patting Valerii on the shoulder as he picked up his things.
“I will. Don’t worry. We will be back before you know it.”
Brencis frowned as he watched Valerii hurry out the door. He heard the rumble of the Mercedes engine in Melisande’s favorite car and hoped Valerii had asked her before taking the car. If not, he would get a tongue-lashing when he got back. At least, Brencis didn’t have to worry about Meadow running off. Walking toward the back of the house, he found Grigori in the sunroom with Melisande.
“Good morning,” he said. He looked around, expecting to see Meadow nearby.
“Good morning. Are you well rested?” Melisande asked as she rose from her chair and came over to kiss him on the cheek.
“Well enough. I might need a nap if my mate is willing,” Brencis said, smiling down at his cousin’s mate.
“Before we get into that, I wanted to talk about last night,” Grigori said, putting his arm around the couple and steering them back to the sitting area. “It seems Melisande was the intended kidnapping victim last night. The plan was to use her, to get to me, so I would reveal the security codes for the two government buildings we have security contracts on. Inspector Lewis has left officers in position at the front gate to help guard the property and help us out if the need arises. In the meantime, he is trying to figure out what those people want that is inside those government buildings. I called Dmitry, and he is sending several lycans to help us out. They will arrive tomorrow. They, of course, will be looking for mates while they are here.”
My Magic Mate Page 5
