Mother slipped the dress over Kele’s head and tied it closed. The soft doeskin caressed her flesh and clung to what little curves she owned. Her challenge injuries were showcased by the short sleeves and revealed her hunter’s nature. Nahuel would know that the female he mated would not bow at his feet when he laid his gaze on the wounds.
Someone knocked on her door, and her mother answered it. Was it time to leave already?
A hunter loomed over a young male who fell at her mother’s feet.
Kele’s heartbeat startled like a flock of birds taking wing from a field. Peder? She pushed her mother aside and gazed at a head of hair too dark to match her omega’s golden color. She tried to breathe as hope plummeted. “What’s the meaning of this?”
The hunter nudged the omega gently. “Tell her.”
Holding up a small, wrapped package in trembling arms, the omega said, “A gift from Lord Benic.” He kept his gaze glued to her feet and the scent of his fear filled the air.
What was that vampire ferret up to? She should send the gift back unopened but she couldn’t pull her gaze from the omega at her feet. Would he be punished for her petty actions? Knowing Benic, it was possible. Who else would send a domesticated omega into a forest filled with wild shifters? He could be so blindly cruel. She took the package and addressed the hunter. “Feed him then make sure he leaves our lands unmolested. I won’t have us known to abuse the gentler ones of our kind.”
The hunter’s gaze darted to her mother, who remained uncharacteristically quiet.
Kele snapped her fingers in front of the hunter’s face.
He jumped.
“Is there a problem, hunter?”
Ducking his head, he broke eye contact with her. “Not at all.” He motioned for the omega to rise and follow him.
Mother closed the door and faced her. “That was well done.”
“I’m surprised you let me order him.”
“Not as surprised as I am that you did.” She cupped Kele’s cheeks. “You will make a fine alpha one day. Now we just need to find you a mate who can match your strength.”
Couldn’t she be strong enough for the two of them? Did her mate have to thump his chest and prowl after her like an animal? If she had been drawn to hunter males, she would have been mated already.
She opened the package and revealed a pendant covered in sparkling rubies the shade of fresh spilled blood—a fitting gift from a vampire lord.
Mother whistled low and ran her fingertip over the gems. The pretty stones held less worth for their kind since they valued personal traits over material things, but the necklace was eye-catching. Mother took the chain and clasped it behind Kele’s neck. “A gift fitting for the white wolf of the Payami.” Her mother stepped back, her gaze traveling over Kele from head to toe. “Daughter, I’m very proud.”
Kele barked out a sharp laugh and hugged her difficult mother. They fought more than had fun but she never doubted her mother’s love. Chaska did not praise others with ease. “Thank you.”
“Let us start our journey to Temple lands and see if this hunter can be tamed.”
Her stomach rolled. Kele didn’t want to tame her mate. She wanted to be loved by him.
Chapter Five
Docking the ship took more time than Pemma had anticipated. How hard could it be to bring a boat alongside the pier and moor it? Apparently, it took more skill than she could fathom. The smells of the city blinded her newfound senses and she covered her nose with a scented handkerchief. How had she ignored the stench in Europa? She’d heard city shifters were nose blind, but she hadn’t realized how much until they’d been at sea. What other skills had she and her pack lost after so many generations of living behind vampire walls?
She frowned. Would her sense of smell fade once more? She didn’t want it to.
Maxim stood in the center of the deck, giving the last of his orders to the crew before they disembarked. Ewald brought lots of goods to trade. Their first weeks here would be spent selling these things so they’d have money to prepare for the next leg of their adventure. She would leave the details of preparation to Ewald and the cat. Her input would be ignored anyway, even if it was valid.
Vampire society was male-centric. They guarded their females like precious treasure but only took them out of their gilded cages to show off at important events. Female opinions or thoughts were not sought after. This attitude trickled down to any female they encountered. Especially pretty little omega lapdogs.
Instead, she leaned against the ship rails, chin in hand, and watched the people on the dock. Many paced the area with the rolling stride of wolf shifters. Big, strong males carried and stacked wooden crates from the ship. She sighed, a little disappointed. None of them wore their feral forms as she had imagined wild shifters would.
Ewald joined her at the rail. His silence weighed heavy upon the air.
She tossed him an uneasy glance.
He watched the shifters unload. “What do you think of New Berg?”
She stood straighter. He wanted her thoughts? How honest should she be? If he suspected she only played dumb for him, he might set her aside. Her alpha would be so disappointed. She assessed the worn wooden buildings that lined the shore and the rough material of the commoners’ clothes. “I think it’s grand.” She grinned at his surprised expression. “The rustic buildings, the raw people, even the stink is different from home. It’s why we left, isn’t it?”
He caressed her dark hair. “You’re always so optimistic. It’s refreshing.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
Optimistic? She wasn’t sure if she would have described herself with that word. Clever would have been better. She pointed to the dock workers. “Do the wild shifters work for money or do they barter their labor?”
Ewald frowned. “They’re not wild, my sweet. These shifters all live in the city. From what I understand, when we meet wild shifters, there will be no doubt what they are.”
She stared at the shirtless males. None of her pack would stride in public view half-naked in civil form. It wasn’t proper, though she secretly didn’t mind. She couldn’t admit this to Ewald.
A wooden carriage pulled up to the ship. “Our transport has finally arrived.” He held out his arm and guided her down the gangplank. “Grand Lord Weis has invited us to stay with him while I make further arrangements so we can travel west.”
“That’s very kind of him.” She stepped into the carriage and arranged her skirt, giving Ewald more room to sit next to her. “What of our luggage?”
“Maxim will send it after us. Your alpha is already in the city with his hunters, looking for prospective shifters who wish to travel west with us.”
The carriage carried them away from the docks and through the market area. Cobblestone covered these streets and gave them a more civilized appearance.
“It seems wise to have shifters who were raised here act as trackers.” She didn’t know what she’d been expecting when they arrived. She’d given it a lot of thought on their journey, but she always pictured familiar buildings of stone like in Europa. This place looked like a good storm could blow it away. The prospect of traveling into the wild didn’t seem so exciting anymore.
Pemma spotted a mobile cage being pulled by horses toward a stage area. Was there a circus? She tugged at Ewald’s shirt and pointed. From this distance, she mistook the guards around the stage for shifters until she spotted the swords hanging from their belts. Shifters didn’t need such weapons, but these vampires appeared as wild as the dock workers in their rough leathers and furs. “What is this place?”
She spotted three young females huddled together inside the cage.
“I suspect this is the slave auction.”
She jerked around to face him. “Slaves?” Then she returned her gaze to those poor females, all of whom appeared no older than she. “No,” she whispered.
Ewald laid a gentle hand on her shoulder and pulled her away from the window. “Pemma, this is an uncivilized world we’ve
come to. Just don’t wander off.”
“How can Lord Weis tolerate this in his city?”
“It’s legal to sell the wild shifters in this country. It’s the only way to tame them and teach them to be civil.”
She took a heavy breath. Vampires…she hadn’t been given any reason to ever hate them. Ewald’s family had always been very good to her pack and her personally, but those females… She doubted whoever bought them had a civil thought in his head. She blinked the tears from her eyes. “I want to go home.”
He placed a tender kiss on the back of her neck. “You are home now. Best get used to it.”
Chapter Six
The procession to Kele’s mating passed through the den. Her pack lined the walls and cheered. Some calls were a little rawer than she cared for, but she forced a laugh anyway. Kele wasn’t completely sure what “doggy style” meant, but she assumed by tomorrow morning she would know. Most of her companions were male hunters and she’d never felt comfortable asking them about sex. It would have seemed like she was asking for a private lesson. Maybe she could have asked Ahote, her private guard for years? No, that would have gone badly. Just the idea sent a shiver of revulsion down her spine. His idea of intimacy and hers probably didn’t match.
She waved at the female crafters who had beaded her dress. The only real female friend she’d had was Susan, who lived in a rival pack. Susan could have explained sex to her better than her mother. From her mother’s crude portrait scratched into the dirt of Kele’s bedroom floor, she understood the basics of where certain body parts had to fit. Somehow, she thought there was more to it than that, or males like Ahote wouldn’t dedicate their lives to the act.
They meandered through the dark maze of caves that protected their den from intruders and left her happy people behind. The pack would not accompany them. Since the alphas left with her, most of the hunters stayed to defend the den. It wouldn’t be the first time in shifter history that a den was attacked during a mating celebration.
When she and her mate returned in a few days, the wine would flow freely. She’d heard some of the omegas practicing with their instruments so they could be ready for the dancing and song requests during the feast.
It would be nice to be celebrated for a change.
Inali waited by the exit and fell in next to her as they strolled through the woods toward Temple lands. Everyone had shifted to feral form but her.
His gaze fell upon the amulet hanging from her neck. “Your mother told me of that gift. Do you think it’s wise to wear something from another male?” He sniffed. “It even carries Benic’s scent.”
“I hadn’t noticed.”
“Kele.” He said her name as if she were a pup in trouble.
“I would welcome a reaction from my mate-to-be, but I doubt the amulet will be noticed. If anything, it will remind the Yaundeeshaw of our wealth and our strong connection to Benic.”
Inali growled low and quiet when she mentioned the vampire’s name. “He rejected our invitation. He is no longer welcome on our land, let alone our den.”
“You’ll have to forgive him eventually. Most of our power is tied to the vampires. We can’t afford to alienate Benic.”
His step faltered. “You, of all people, know why I can’t do this.” He appeared genuinely shocked.
“I, of all people, will ask a blood price of Benic for taking me to his castle against my will. I will use this money to restore the Temple and you can increase the price of your wine.” She gave him a small smile. “His pride suffered more than anything from that adventure. If not for Ahote and Sorin, it could have ended much worse.”
At the mention of the Apisi alpha, her father flattened his ears. They had met once after Sorin had rescued her and Susan. Her father had given Sorin a handsome gift of gold for his poor pack in recognition of the Apisi alpha’s part in saving his daughter. Kele wouldn’t declare their packs allies, but at least they no longer called each other enemies.
“You will make a fine alpha one day. If this hunter proves worthy in future challenges, he should beg you to keep him. Our pack will always need a strong alpha couple to rule them.”
What if she didn’t love him after a year? She wouldn’t give voice to this question. Her father would probably laugh at the idea. She had always thought her parents loved each other, but by watching Sorin with Susan, she had realized that her parents shared a love for power. It wasn’t the same thing.
She wanted what Susan and Sorin had fought tooth and claw for. But what did she know of love? She’d almost given everything to an omega male who’d been the first to show any real attention to her as a female.
Desperate. That was what she’d been.
Then why did she still dream of Peder every night?
Stupid, stupid heart. She had to let Peder’s memory go as he had let her go.
She crested the hill leading to the Temple. The ancient stone walls loomed ahead. All her life, the site of worship had filled her with peace, but today dread lived in her heart. She cared not for this fate. Her mother called this mating an opportunity, her father a treaty, but she named it a prison. She’d agreed to this farce in a moment of weakness when she’d craved her parent’s approval.
Who was she trying to fool? She still craved their approval, but she’d come to realize they did not share the same ideals and her wish to gain their praise couldn’t ever be fulfilled.
Tracing the amulet necklace with her fingertips, she drew courage. Benic had been her friend since childhood and his betrayal still stung. Yet out of that darkness, she’d found the trigger to shift to feral form. She’d found the body to go with her hunter’s soul. This mating couldn’t take that from her. She’d faced worse when Benic had captured her and Susan. At least her mate wouldn’t chain her to a wall.
Her mother led the tiny mating party with three hunters. She noted Ahote wasn’t among them. He’d been against this mating from the beginning.
Yaundeeshaw shifters stood at the base of the Temple stairs alongside a male in civil form. He appeared as she had expected, tall with strong shoulders. His pale brown hair hung down his back in untamed tangles, and even from this distance, his gray gaze latched onto hers.
Nahuel.
He wore a leather kilt the males of her people preferred and a light blue sweater that appeared new.
From here, the mating parties would enter the Temple where, in front of their alphas, he’d smudge secretions from the glands under his ears onto her wrists to temporarily mark her as his. Her stomach rolled. Then they’d have to undress and shift to feral form. For the next three days, they would roam both packs’ lands together and get acquainted until their scents mingled enough to mark them as mated.
She swallowed with a throat gone dry and stopped in front of him.
He easily stood five hands taller. Bowing slightly at the waist, he offered her his wrist to smell. “I’m named Nahuel.”
She slipped her wrist toward his nose. “I’m named Kele.” Nothing sparked at his touch. Not like it had with Peder. Would her parents disown her if she changed her mind?
She glanced at her mother, who sternly glared as if she could read Kele’s mind. How did she do that?
After three days together, she and Nahuel would have to decide which pack they would return to and live with. A portion of her desired his pack. She’d have to face a number of challenges since she’d be a new threat to the female hunters but she wouldn’t have her parents watching every mistake.
The sound of musket fire filled the forest and the acrid scent of gunpowder burned her nose.
Hunters in the distance howled a warning. As one, they tensed and scanned the surrounding forest. Nahuel shifted to feral form, tearing through his clothes.
A red bloom formed on her father’s chest. He stared down at the hole, where his heart was, before his legs failed and he folded to the dirt.
“No!” She reached for him, but a heavy weight dragged her to the ground. Struggling against Nahuel’s body, sh
e could do nothing as she watched her mother tear headlong into the woods toward the vampire hunters, who sprang from the foliage in an ambush.
The attackers outnumbered their small party. How had they masked their scent? Why would Benic send his men to kill her father? If he thought to take her again, he would find a well-trained hunter under this civil form.
Another volley of shots cracked against her eardrums. Someone shouted, “Don’t kill them all. We need to replenish our stock.”
Her mother and the Yaundeeshaw alphas fell in a cloud of smoke and blood.
Darts flew through the air thick like mosquitoes. Snarling, she shifted to feral form under Nahuel’s unconscious weight and pushed him off. Her mother could still be alive. She might only be injured. Kele hurried to her father’s side and fell next to him, rolling his body only to meet his unseeing eyes. Sorrow crushed her chest. She couldn’t breathe.
No.
She stroked his pale fur.
“Look at the pelt on the white one. Don’t let it get away.”
She twisted to see a vampire pointing in her direction. He wanted her? Then the bloodsucker would get to meet her face-to-face. Keeping low to the ground, she raced over dead branches and pack members. They would be avenged if it took her last breath to do it.
Screams stabbed into Peder’s consciousness and he jerked awake, not in full control of his limbs. Flailing, he smacked something solid that stung the back of his hands. He blinked, trying to clear the fog from his visions. Shots rang against his ears. The stink of gunpowder overwhelmed his nose and blinded him from smelling his surroundings.
Where was he? Who was making that horrid high-pitched scream? He had to help but suddenly it seemed as if he’d grown eight legs and had no control over what direction they moved. Had he gotten into Dorian’s lightning water again? After the last time, he’d sworn never to touch that stuff.
His stomach didn’t want to turn itself inside out, though. Last time he’d gotten drunk it had taken all day for the retching to stop.
He rolled over and peered between bars. How had he ended up in a cage? He grabbed the cold metal and tugged with weak arms. Outside, a vampire ran through the gunpowder smoke with a musket at the ready. He aimed at a white shifter in feral form as she raced low to the ground toward him.
Scent of Valor (Chronicles of Eorthe #2) Page 4
