by Isabel Wroth
To a one, the twelve beasts rolled to their feet, tucked one front leg beneath their bodies, stretched the other out in front and tucked their muzzles down in a feline like bow, and Tarek commanded them to get out. He didn’t say anything else until everyone was gone, then he towed her back towards their suite, stopping in at the small medical room where Ga’rae was waiting, petting his mate where she sat at his side. “Check her,” Tarek demanded harshly, scooping her up to deposit her on the soft surface of the table. And the only reason she didn’t come up snarling at him, was the concern she could feel jangling along their bond. The green laser light swept up and down her body, and she could see the top of Gwen’s nose where she was peeking over the table edge. She shot her a quick smile, “All is within normal limits, and her bloodwork has come back normal, no traces left of the Flurra pollen either.”
Tarek gave a tight nod and lifted her off the table. If not for her long legs, she’d have had to run to keep up with his strides, starting to get concerned by the absence of any emotion running through their bond. He slapped his hand to the biometric lock on their suite, moved in and drew in a deep breath, leaving her at the door after shutting it, and moved through every inch of the suite before he came back to her. Moving like an asteroid on a collision course and grabbed her, ducking his head to slant a bruising, almost punishingly hard kiss on her mouth. She felt it then, a blast of the terrible mix of worry, pride, rage, happiness. His need to feel her in every cell of his body the only instinct fueling him now. So she gave, she softened and wrapped her arms around him, opened her lips and let him take everything he wanted from her. “Forgive me,” he rasped, the urgency easing while his hands raked over every inch of her, like he was assuring himself she wasn’t hurt or injured. “For what?”
“I allowed that challenge, I should not have.”
“I’m alright,”
“What you saw my sire do-“
“I won’t ever forget. But I’m alright. I’m alright.”
Like he knew how much she needed it, he stripped her carefully and carried her into the shower, urging her to lean against him while he wrapped his arms around her to pull the pins from her hair. He used his fingers to comb the braids out, to unravel the loops and coils, then made her sigh and moan softly at the firm pressure he used to massage the soap into her scalp. Her body. “Tomorrow, my one, things will change.” She rubbed her cheek on his chest, staring blindly at the stone wall of the shower, “Will we?” He bent his head and touched his mouth to her mating mark, licked the still sensitive skin there at her shoulder, “Never.” He took her to bed, made her forget everything for a while, and in the aftermath lay with her, holding her close, tightly, until she fell asleep. Tomorrow, she could think about all the things that would change tomorrow.
Thirty Three
Shoulders tight, he stormed into his quarters, seething after his first day as pride ruler. T’mai had done very well, but there were holes and inconsistencies everywhere. He had relied on his council for much, delegating where it was proper, but leaving himself vulnerable to attack. He’d found records that did not match up in minute ways, some of his own reports that had been modified before reaching the citadel, details here and there changed that weren’t immediately obvious, those most recent had sustained more tampering. The intent to make it seem like the humans were all like the singular male, the one Ohlen had dispatched to the gods of vengeance. The report had been worded in such a way that suspicion and avarice had already been on the minds of those who knew about them. His list of suspects was thankfully short, and that list he kept between he, Falken and Brennaugh.
He had recalled every warrior planet side who had served under him, the ones who had been with him the longest. He promoted Falken and Brennaugh to his personal council, Ga’rae to his personal medic and made Ohlen liaison to the humans. He had then called every male serving as personal guard to the citadel and dismissed them, assuring them it was not due to their performance or lack thereof, that he was eliminating all faces he did not know and thereby eliminating any threat to his mate. He was slightly surprised by their agreement and understanding, thus he arranged for them to be generously compensated and moved on. He didn’t call halt until his beast was furiously raging at him for leaving his mate for so long. Ne’tare and some of the other human mates had kept her company, all of them eager to share in the joy of the news that Clary was carrying not one, but two of his get.
After examining her corpse, Ga’rae substantiated that Niora had been using the moss for a prolonged period of time, long enough to have rendered her completely sterile. T’mai had retreated to his wing, and he was the only one who knew that Elenna was currently with him. Not even Clary knew, and he was displeased to be keeping that from her, but it was necessary for now, and his brother had more than earned his privacy. Plus, it kept him out of the way. It had taken all the discipline he had gathered over the years to fight through the muck and mire, the shadows and smoke that hid the person or persons responsible for Niora being planted within the household. Responsible for changing his reports. Responsible he suspected, for far more.
He hadn’t even gotten through the first layer of that shit.
But his warriors had arrived, had been apprised of the situation and placed where he knew their strengths would be best utilized. He ordered a complete overhaul of the security systems, finding more tiny, seemingly harmless protocols programed into the database. Such as the daily reboot of the system at the same time each day. The same time when the prisoners in the cages had been murdered with no evidence left behind. Everywhere he looked, every system, every duty roster, every supply line, every fucking thing he had dug deeply through, he found weakness and vulnerability. He had to dig deep to find it all, but he raged, because he had not fought for so long to ensure that every corner of the galaxy knew not to fuck with the Sarazen territory, only to find that his own house was weak and open to attack. He was exhausted, his beast restless, every step he took towards his quarters a step closer to his mate.
He didn’t immediately see her when he walked in, didn’t see her in the grotto or in their bed, but a soft creaking sound led him to the small room behind the tapestry. The filth of the day melted from his body, the weight of the stress lifting from his shoulders at the sight of her. He had to lean against the arched doorway to keep himself upright, watching her swaying gently back and forth on the padded swing, a soft smile on her face as she looked around the freshly painted room. The walls had been a dull grey, now they were a soft green, the stone floors thick with carpets in complementing colors. The two small beds had been removed, and she seemed to be so lost in thought that she didn’t notice him. “I look forward to seeing what else you do to make this room a place for our cubs to sleep.” She jumped and laughed, pressing her hand to her chest, touching her dainty little toes down onto the carpet to stop her swinging, “You’re back.”
Her greeting was so simple, two tiny words, full of warmth and happiness, followed by that smile that brightened her eyes and made them shine. She scooted off the swing and danced to him on her toes, skipping up to him to wrap her arms around his waist and tilt her head back to touch a kiss to his jaw. “Long day?” He chuffed, palming the silkiness of her hair and held her close, unable to believe he’d suffered alone for so long and not perished from the ache of her absence. “One of many more to come.” He sighed, nuzzling his lips back into her hair, breathing deep of the soft floral scent that lingered from the soap she preferred. “I don’t know anything about ruling a pride, but you know I’ll help you, anyway you need.”
He got lost, staring into her earnest, concerned gaze, long enough that she said his name to get his attention. “At this stage, my one, I need this. I need to come back to you after days like today and forget them. There will be much for you to do later, but for now, all you need focus on is this.” He lifted his chin at the room she was already preparing for their cubs, “I’ve made the traitors nervous, my sire has suddenly played his hand, an
d you, my beautiful one, the danger to you is real. My brother never had the sort of bond I have with you. He never truly had a mate. Doesn’t understand what it is he asked of me, doesn’t understand the monster he has unleashed or the blood I will spill to keep you safe. He thinks I care about ruling this pride, but all I care for now is you. You, and our babies. Doing whatever I must, to keep you safe and here at my side.”
She sighed softly and turned to rest her cheek on his chest, curling into him like she was cold and needed his warmth. They stayed like that for a long time, just resting together, holding one another. “Don’t forget in all this, you still owe me swimming lessons.” He laughed softly and touched kisses to her hair, her brow until she tipped her head back to meet his lips, “I will not forget, I promise.” For a long time she was just silent, curled up under his chin, but her uncertainty jangled along their bond, and he asked her what was wrong. “I asked Ga’rae how T’mai was, he assured me that all was well, that he was suffering no ill effects other than anger over how Niora died.”
“Truth,”
“It made me think about some things, and I don’t want to upset you or-“
He tilted her head back, kneading at her hair while he looked down into her lovely eyes, so clear and vibrant, dark with her concern. “Even if it upsets me, my one, I will always hear you.” Her lips curved up, the sweet scent of her happiness filling the air between them. “Your father…” She faltered, her eyes moving to the stitching on his tunic, following the design intently enough to memorize it. Tracing it with her fingers, “What about my sire?” She took a deep breath and then blurted out in a rush, “I asked Ne’tare about your mother, he said that your parents were true mates, like us, right? So then she died, and it was horrible, but your father didn’t die, or go crazy. Ne’tare told me he channeled his rage and his grief into forcing the clans to unite.” He frowned, uncertain how this was supposed to upset him, “This is true,”
“If I died,”
Rage rushed so hard and so fast that he heard the seams on his tunic rip while his muscles bulged with the effort it took to contain his beast. The idea of Clary dying, being killed, it made him see red, “You will not. I will not allow it.” She shivered at the fury in his voice, he felt it, felt the calming stroke of her hands on his skin, “No, I know that, but it doesn’t make sense, how your sire was able to survive the loss of his mate. I can’t even imagine what it would do to me to lose you. I wouldn’t want to live, and I’m sorry, but I just…I don’t trust him. Ne’tare said you’d been pride ruler before, but he wouldn’t say how that happened.”
“I challenged him when I was old enough. He wanted to expand our territory beyond the solar system and I didn’t agree. I won right to rule.”
“You said he asked you to leave, when T’mai claimed Niora as his mate. You went, why?”
“At the time, T’mai had something that made him stronger, and more worthy to rule. I was relieved, as I told you to leave and have something else to focus on, rather than my lack of a mate. My sire no longer ruled, but his council was valid. I did not just go on a whim, it was what was best for the pride.”
“And this whole time, their mating was false. Your dad knew, he said there was no better option, but you weren’t dead, you hadn’t lost challenge to T’mai, you’d just…stepped aside out of duty. So why didn’t he call you back? Or tell T’mai to call you back?”
He digested her words, standing in the room where their cubs would soon sleep, considering things he had not yet considered. Her words brought doubt to his mind, and in truth it was extremely abnormal that his sire had survived the death of his mate. In their entire population, there were only eight others who had survived the same, and six of those eight were insane. Feral with unending grief and rage, banished to live on the smallest, uninhabited moons in their system. His sire had retained his sanity, and in truth he had simply thought it evidence to prove how strong their bloodline was. “I’m sorry if I overstepped, I just…” He blinked back to the present and looked down at his mate, wondering in truth if he would be strong enough to survive her loss. The answer came immediately. He would not wish to live at all if she was gone from him. He would have no reason for it. “I hear what you have said, my one. I vow to you that I will exclude no one from my hunt, not even my sire. Because your suspicions are not without merit.” She smiled at him, and his beast rumbled with determination, to do anything, everything within his power to never have to consider a single moment where she was not with him. “What’s his name, by the way, your sire?”
“T’kalis.”
Thirty Four
A month went by, and then two. Nearly all of her crew had taken the blood of their mates and come out the other side with a beast of their own. Only a handful of the women were still on the fence, not because they were afraid or didn’t like the idea of being able to change shape and run with their men in the forests. They simply, genuinely, liked who they were, just the way they were. Their mates were hard pressed to argue, and so far she hadn’t heard them trying to push for the completeness of that bond. Tarek was tearing the entire pride apart, ruthlessly going system by system and eliminating any tampering or infiltration left behind by the ones so intent on keeping the Sarazen race pure and untainted. So far, despite her suspicion, there was no evidence to say that Tarek’s father was responsible for the plotting.
Tarek had uncovered another layer of conspirators, his handful of suspects narrowing even further, but the fact that two months had gone by and no more progress had been made had him practically frothing at the mouth. She still hadn’t gotten her swimming lesson, and with how furious and frustrated he was, she hadn’t had the heart to ask him yet for a break. She knew he would say something to the effect that if he gave their enemy time to get ahead of them and organized once more, undoing the damage would take twice the time. The only thing that seemed to soothe him, were the moments when she curled up in his lap and took his hands to curve over the little bump her belly was beginning to make.
His frustration bled away then with the purrs that rumbled, and more often than not, stroking her belly led to him stroking other parts of her. His relaxation lasted until the sun came up the next day and he had to start all over again. Part of her wanted to make some demands that he allow his warriors to do more for him, that he delegate a little better, but as plain as he had made his dedication to seeing her safe from all threat made by his people, she knew her demands would carry little weight. But today when she walked into his study, the place that not even Brennaugh would enter into without express permission, and saw her immensely strong warrior shove the items littering his desk to the floor in one powerfully enraged swipe of his arm, she knew it was time for her to act. “Tarek,”
“What?”
Almost as soon as the furious roar left his mouth, he straightened and apologized immediately, pinching the bridge of his nose hard. “Forgive me, my one.” She assured him she did, and took a deep breath, “How much progress have you made in the last few weeks?” His head snapped up, jaw clenching as he glared at her with narrowed eyes, “Little, why?” He snapped, and she held her hands up peacefully. “You’re chasing your tail, running around in circles. You need a break.” He sucked in a furious hiss, no doubt getting ready to let her have it, so far being the only one unscathed by his temper, she figured it was only a matter of time, and did her best to not take it personally. “You know I am not questioning your ability, or your dedication to ferreting out every single one of the traitors responsible for Niora’s placement in T’mai’s life. The ones responsible for you being sent away,”
“I was not sent away, I was asked to serve the armada by my sire,”
“You were sent away. Tarek, Rome wasn’t built in a day,”
“What?”
“Earth saying. This citadel, was not built and completed in a day. Or within the space of two months. You’re exhausting yourself, mentally and physically, and you know there is no prouder mate than me. But I need you to
step back from this, just for a little while,”
“Clary, I cannot, we have discussed this-“
“We have not discussed it. You’ve told me how it must be, well, now it’s my turn to tell you. You have so much data, so many details cluttering your thoughts, you need a break to let your mind rest. Let all those pieces fall into place. You will give me three days to help you with that,”
He sighed again and raked his hands through his hair and shook his head, the muscles in his jaw ticking and twitching. “I cannot grant that request, not at this time.” Well, there went her attempt at being nice. “You mistake me, mate. I am not making a request, I am making a command, and I expect you to obey.” She held steady when he froze, his eyes narrowing further, icing over while he pulled himself up to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest menacingly. “I plan to leave within the next hour. I have already notified Ohlen, and he has arranged a full excursion for all of the mated pairs.”
“You will not leave the protection of the citadel, Clary.”
She let her brow slide slowly up and ran her tongue under her lip, her fangs having descended with a slow snick. Her cat had been content these past few months to laze in the background, to let her do all the work carrying the cubs. She’d had few reasons to summon her beast because this far, Tarek had been doing such a fantastic job staking claim to the pride. No one else had challenged her, or given her any reason to be upset or stressed about much of anything. She had a suspicion that Tarek had a hand in that too, but the tone of voice he used on her now, she didn’t even have to give her cat a mental nudge to get her attention. She stretched and sat up with a deceptive slowness, “You will not speak to me as though I am a pet to be caged,” She answered back with a little growl, and Tarek blinked, but didn’t give in. “Outside these walls you are vulnerable, you-“
