Bitter Change

by Mara Lee

  Ethenia saw Lothos's eyes deepen. “What did you do, Lothos?”

  “I marked you.”

  Ethenia looked down, sure enough—above her heart was a set of teeth marks. The wound was puffy and the mark deep. “A brand.” She said, pleased. She was marked by Lothos, her amouratesh. She had never known such happiness existed. “I love you, Lothos. You are my heart.”

  Lothos grinned foolishly and wrapped his arms around Ethenia. “Oh, angel, you are everything.”

  Ethenia pulled away so that she could see Lothos's beautiful face smiling at her. “Now, tell me about Sophie,” she said cheekily. She hadn't forgotten about Sophie.

  Lothos burst out laughing, “Now? When I've just told you that I love you and can't be without you.”

  Ethenia nodded, “Is there a better time to tell me about another woman?”

  Lothos pressed Ethenia back into the soft cushion of the ground and positioned his body lengthwise on top of her. He twisted a long lock of her hair around his finger. “I met Sophie in college.”

  Ethenia felt her eyes grow wide, surprise filling her. “You went to college?”

  Lothos laughed, “Yes angel, I went to college. What? I don't look like the sort to have attended college?”

  “Well…” she said hesitantly.

  Lothos grinned and nipped her neck.

  “What did you study?”

  “Oh everything, but my major was visual arts.”

  Ethenia gasped as she recalled the painting in the caves. “You're an artist?”

  Lothos smiled brightly. “I'm an artist.”

  Whatever she was expecting, it hadn't been this. Her Lothos was an artist, and a good one, if the painting she had seen was any indication of his talent. “You … you still paint?”

  Lothos nodded. “Oh yes, whenever I get the chance, or the time. I sell my pieces to various galleries around the country. It seems that landscapes and nature-themed pieces are making a comeback. My paintings of wolves are very popular.”

  “The one in the cave was beautiful.”

  “Thanks, it was actually one of my earlier pieces, which is why I keep it with me. I've gotten better since then.”

  “Better than the piece in the caves?” Ethenia asked, awed

  “Yes.”

  Ethenia couldn't wait to see the rest of his pieces. “What was Sophie studying,” she asked—still not content to drop the subject of her annoying nemesis.

  Lothos grinned, “Oh, she was a character. She must've changed her major at least three times. I think she settled on a double major in Physics and English Lit, and minored in Philosophy.”

  Ethenia swallowed, “Isn't that, like, uh, a lot?”

  Lothos laughed, “Sophie always has been the overachiever. She graduated Summa Cum Laude, too.”

  Holy shit, Ethenia didn't like knowing the rival for her man's attention was so brilliant.

  As if reading her mind, Lothos shook his head and said, “Angel, don't worry. There is nothing but friendship between us.”

  “But you fuck her.”

  Lothos rolled his eyes.

  Ethenia blushed. Yes, that had been crude of her. She knew, she knew better than to judge. They were Loopin, creatures with high sexual demands. Sex was oftentimes more important to them than blood. “Sorry, that was rude of me.”

  “Don't mention it—just be careful what you say to Soph. I wouldn't want her to lay a curse on you.”

  Ethenia's eyes went wide. “Could she do that?”

  Lothos grinned and nodded. “Sophie's one of the most powerful majii I have every encountered. Her mother was majii and her father was a topnotch sorcerer. You can imagine what they passed off to their little girl.” Lothos's eyes went dark. “Believe me, when Sophie gets mad, you do not want to be in her way.”

  “That bad?” Ethenia asked quietly.

  “Worse. You know how I told you that we met in college … well there's more.”

  “Tell me.”

  “I was a year ahead of Sophie, and our paths never crossed, until…” Lothos's voice went cold, “until the night of Halloween. I was invited to a party. I rarely attended school functions. I pretty much stayed to myself.”

  Ethenia could imagine. It was difficult for Loopin to fit into the human world. They weren't animals, but they weren't human either.

  “Uh, but I attended this party.” Lothos cleared his throat, “there was this uh, girl that I wanted…” he couldn't finish the sentence.

  Ethenia's eyebrows raised, “Oh? Do go on.” She laughed when she saw a slow blush work its way up his neck.

  “Well, anyway … I went to the party. It was a real dud. There were kids drinking too much and puking everywhere. Really disgusting. The girl that I was interested in, I caught her making out with someone else. I was going to leave when I smelled it.”

  “What?” Ethenia asked.

  Lothos's eyes went flinty. “Predatory excitement, like during a hunt.”

  “You smelled Loopin?”

  “No, it wasn't one of us. It was just the scent of wild energy and excitement. I tracked the scent to the pool house and that is where I came upon them.” Lothos gripped Ethenia's arms brutally. She winced and he instantly let go. “There were three of them, three guys, naked and jacking off onto an unconscious girl. They were touching her, fondling her, they were getting ready to gang rape her when…” Lothos's voice broke.

  Ethenia touched him softly, comfortingly. “When you came along and rescued her.”

  Lothos ground his teeth. “Yes.”

  “What happened to the boys?”

  “Do you really want to know?” Lothos asked quietly.

  Ethenia thought for a moment before speaking. “Did you leave enough of them for Sophie to curse?”

  Lothos's eyes glittered and his mouth curved up into an evil smile. “Oh yessss,” he said.

  Ethenia nodded curtly. “Good.”

  Lothos sighed, “They'd drugged her. Soph didn't even see it coming. She had been so flattered that she had been invited to a senior party, since she was only a freshman. She didn't have much experience reading auras yet and she was shielding her mind really tightly. She didn't want to eavesdrop on people. She thought it was impolite.” Lothos snorted, “When she was at the party, one of the guys brought her a glass of punch. He'd spiked it and she was already feeling the effects when the second guy brought her another drink. She had no idea it was coming, she hadn't been able to ward herself properly. When she woke up after the attack she was fuzzy and terrified. I … I brought her to my house. I didn't know where else to bring her.”

  “So she woke up in a strange man's bed.” Ethenia said.

  Lothos nodded. “She started screaming, totally freaking out. It was natural, of course. I tried to explain, but she was petrified. She was just sprinting to the door when she stopped. I thought she was going to yell at me some more, perhaps threaten to call the police, again. But she just stood there.” Lothos smiled a little at the memory of young Sophie standing so bravely at his door. “She told me that she knew that I wasn't the one who had tried to hurt me. She told me that my aura was pure. Then she asked to know what had happened. I told her.”

  Ethenia nodded. “It must have been awful for her.”

  Lothos's face was grim. “No more awful than what you went through, angel.”

  Ethenia waved his comment away. She didn't want to think about Kieran right now. “So you rescued her and that is how you became friends.”

  Lothos nodded, “That about sums it up. We made an odd pair, the Loopin and the majii. Most of the students thought we were crazy. But finding one another, well, I don't know if we would have made it through that difficult time without each another.”

  Ethenia fought back the jealousy. She had no right to feel jealous of Sophie. Sophie had gone through a horrible trauma, much as she had, and she luckily had found a protector and friend in Lothos. She should be happy that her mate had found such a loyal friend and that he was such a good person.


  “You're not jealous again, are you?”

  “No,” Ethenia sighed, “Just a little. But don't worry… I'm not angry, and I'll get over it. I like Sophie.” When she saw his look, she laughed. “No, really, I do like Sophie. I think she's amazing. I just can't help if I find the thought of my mate fucking someone else, rather … annoying.”

  “Annoying?” Lothos said, amused.

  “All right, I hate it. I hate the thought of you and Sophie together.”

  “We were all together the other night,” Lothos reminded her.

  Ethenia blushed. “That was different. We were sharing a bed, not bodies.”

  “If I remember correctly, you were sharing your body when I came in.”

  Ethenia groaned. “Will you stop embarrassing me?”

  Lothos laughed.

  “Anyway, it was different. You didn't fuck Sophie.”

  “Nor did I want to. I wanted to fuck you.” Lothos smiled widely, “However, you sort of passed out before that could happen.”

  Ethenia felt blood rushing to her head. “Well, what I mean, anyway…” she began to stutter. She tried again. “I wouldn't sleep with Xethre.” Ethenia was startled when Lothos began to growl and his hold on her tightened.

  “You had better not.”

  She was triumphant. “You see, that's what I mean.”

  “What?”

  “Are you jealous?”

  “I don't get jealous,” Lothos said flippantly.

  Ethenia's mouth dropped open. She growled at him. “Liar,” she said.

  Lothos laughed heartily. “Yes, yes, you're right, you win. I am jealous of the vampire, though it pains me to admit it.”

  “Well, I'm jealous of the witch.”

  Lothos grinned. “Then we agree, my angel.”

  “Agree?” she asked cautiously, “to what?”

  “Agree to cleave unto one another. Agree that your body will be mine and mine yours.” Lothos pressed harder against her. His eyes were two sparkling emeralds, deep and clear. “Agree to love one another, and only one another.”

  Ethenia nodded, speechless. Lothos would forsake all others, for her?

  “I want your promise my love. I want you to promise the same.”

  Ethenia reached up and cupped Lothos's cool cheeks. “Oh my wolf … I swear to it—you, to the end of my days.”

  Lothos wrapped his arms tightly around Ethenia, burying his head in her lush hair.

  Chapter Seven

  It was a little after ten o'clock and the odd foursome, the two wolves, the witch and the vampire, found themselves seated quite formally around the kitchen table having a late supper.

  Xethre watched intently as the food worked its way down his companion's throats.

  Lothos glared at Xethre from over the rim of his glass. “Does he have to stare at us like that?”

  Sophie sighed. She was clearly annoyed at his childish comment. “Lothos, behave.”

  Ethenia squeezed Lothos's knee under the table, instantly calming him.

  “He has a name,” Xethre said calmly, obviously unruffled by Lothos's outburst.

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Don't you start too, Xethre.”

  Xethre inclined his head, silently acknowledging that he heard and understood her implied warning.

  Ethenia swallowed. “So, tell me, Xethre, how did you meet Sophie?” she asked, trying to break the strained silence.

  Lothos sent Ethenia a withering look. Obviously disapproving of her question to Xethre, or perhaps he just disapproved of her speaking to the vampire at all.

  Xethre's face remained stoic when he said, “She saved my ass.”

  Lothos, Ethenia and Sophie turned to him, startled.

  Xethre bestowed a fond look on Sophie, “What, my dear? You did.”

  Sophie blushed and quickly took another bite of food.

  Ethenia sighed. “You all certainly have strange ways of meeting friends.”

  Xethre laughed robustly. “That we do, that we do.” He turned his head back towards Sophie. “Sophie came to my aid a little over a year ago when I found myself beaten, staked and left out to die.”

  Ethenia gasped.

  Lothos looked up from his food blandly. “What had you done?”

  Ethenia pinched Lothos on the thigh, hard. He winced.

  Xethre held back a smile. “Quite on the contrary, it was what I hadn't done.” He hestitated, then pushed ahead. “I refused to fuck a fellow vampire.”

  Ethenia was shocked. “You were left to die because you wouldn't sleep with someone?”

  Xethre cleared his throat, “You know what they say, a woman scorned and all…”

  Now Ethenia had to laugh. “You were beaten up by a girl?”

  “A vampire,” Xethre said, his voice no longer bland. “We had indulged in a fling years back. She wished to start the affair again. I did not. When I refused she went quite berserk. I expected the tantrum. I did not expect the stake.”

  Lothos's mouth dropped open.

  “She took me quite by surprise. She staked me. As you know we can survive being staked as long as it is not a killing blow. It wasn't. She didn't want me to die quickly. She wrapped me in silver chains and dumped me quite unceremoniously in the middle of nowhere.” Xethre's eyes were now hot with anger. “She left with me a few choice words, and a promise that she would return next nightfall to collect my ashes.”

  Ethenia swallowed. Whoa, what a bitch, and she didn't mean bitch kindly.

  Xethre reached over and took Sophie's hand in his. He smiled at her. Neither Lothos nor Ethenia could miss the affection that passed between the two. “Sophie, it seems, likes to take drives in remote areas. Quite a quirk of hers.” Xethre laughed at the rueful expression that now graced Sophie's lovely face. “She found me, patched me up and better yet,” Xethre's smile was chilly. “She performed a seer spell to locate Lana.

  “I take it Lana was the vampire who staked you,” Lothos said.

  Xethre nodded curtly.

  Ethenia whistled. “That is some meeting story.”

  Lothos looked over at Sophie. “I never thought you would take up with the undead, Soph.”

  Sophie smiled at Xethre before turning to Lothos. “He is still a man, Lothos.”

  Lothos frowned. “That's debatable.”

  Sophie sighed. “He's a good man, Lothos. A very good one. I am lucky to call him friend, as I am lucky to call you and now Ethenia friend. Will you not try to put aside your prejudices? Can you not scent him? He does not have the scent of evil about him, does he?”

  Lothos loathed admitting it, but Sophie was right. Damn it all, Sophie was always right. He wanted to hate the vampire. Jeez, the guy was a corpse, but Sophie was right, he did not smell evil—although he looked intimidating as all hell.

  “It comes with being dead—the dead tend to intimidate people.”

  Lothos growled, “Do not come where you are not invited.”

  Xethre nodded, “My apologies, you are correct. Some minds are open, but that does not give me the right to eavesdrop.”

  Lothos grunted.

  Sophie looked between Lothos and Xethre. “So, boys, is everything all right? Can we kiss and make up now?” Xethre and Lothos frowned and Sophie laughed. Sophie's expression suddenly turned somber as she remembered the evil that was on the horizon. “Ethenia, it was Kieran I saw in the seer potion.” It was a statement, not a question.

  Ethenia stiffened. It was Lothos's turn to caress her knee, gently. Ethenia nodded, “Yes. It sounds like him. I gave him that scar above his eye.” Ethenia swallowed audibly and turned her shoulder so that the table could see her marred flesh, “and he gave me this one in return.” The scar on Ethenia's shoulder was long and wide. It stretched from her right shoulder and slashed down her back. The flesh had not re-knit as it should have. It was an old wound, but it looked fresh.

  Lothos drew her forward by her shoulders, pressing her body close to his. He looked over her head to Sophie and Xethre who were both wearing sim
ilar expressions of fury on their faces.

  “He's come after me.” Ethenia turned turbulent eyes onto Sophie. “I am so sorry, Sophie. So very sorry. I've lead him to you.”

  Sophie's smile was positively frightening to behold. “Good.”

  “What?” Ethenia was shocked.

  “I said good, let him come. I was frightened earlier, yes. The evil surrounding him is strong and I was surprised to have my seer's potion interrupted by such anger and hate. But I have you, Lothos and Xethre at my side and this Kieran doesn't stand a chance.” She smiled serenely then. “You are not the meek pup that he once knew, Ethenia. You are a strong Loopin, a strong Loopin with the love and support of her mate. Do not worry.”

  But Ethenia could not help worrying. She remembered the Blanchards, their faces twisted in still death masks, and she remembered the pain and hurt of each blow that Kieran had ever rained upon her body. No, how could she not worry?

  “Lothos and Xethre are not human, Ethenia. Kieran and his men cannot take them on as they took on the Blanchards.”

  “You're human,” Ethenia murmured.

  Sophie's laugh was like the tinkling of many silver bells. “Mortal, perhaps. Human … well, that still remains to be seen.”

  “I fear for you all. I … I have seen, felt, what Kieran can do.”

  Sophie nodded. “I admit that I sensed some of the dark arts.” Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Did Kieran possess any magic?”

  Ethenia shook her head. “Not that I know of. He never used any on me.” She shivered. “He didn't need to. His fists and whip did the job well enough.”

  Sophie thought for a moment. She knew that she detected black magic surrounding the man in the seer potion. The man did not worry her, the magic—that was another matter entirely. “Will you make a call to Matthew and Michaela?” Sophie directed her question to Xethre.

  Xethre nodded, “Of course, they will be happy to come. I think they have been longing for a little excitement,” he smiled slightly, “Southern Indiana seems to lack … well, lack,” Xethre finished.

  “Good, I have already called Venus; she's on her way.”

  Lothos's eyes widened at the mention of the other woman. “Venus is coming?”

  Sophie nodded, “Yes. How long since you two have seen one another?”