Furbidden Mate

by Jessica Snow

  Kat’s head spun from hitting the stone wall, but she struggled to her feet, ready to continue to fight. Before she could attack, though, her mother interrupted her. “Tell us, Viktor. Why do you not just take over the whole world?”

  Reba unleashed a massive blast of solar energy from her fingertips, which impacted with Viktor’s chest, but somehow there was no effect at all. Viktor looked down at the smoking hole in his shirt, studied his pinkened skin for a moment, then laughed.

  “It’s quite easy to understand, witch. Just like how humans can never outnumber the prey animals that they feed from, the simple law of eat or be eaten dictate that vampires can never out-breed the humans themselves. While I can exist for hundreds of years without dining on blood, it would not be a pleasant existence. Besides, humans provide so much more entertaining options than just hanging around with a bunch of vampires that you’ve known for a few centuries already. That is why, your daughter will be inducted into the dark magic that I wield, while you and the rest of your family will be nothing more than tonight’s banquet. Violet, Annabelle, Daisy, take care of the young teenage witch. I am enjoying my game with her older sister and the pretend alpha wolf far too much to let you interfere. Theon, I know that you have feelings for this bear, as misguided as they might be. Therefore, your reward for offering her lovely sister as a blood sacrifice is that you may go as well. I will not force you to see their deaths.”

  The three female vampires stepped forward and grabbed McKenzie, and Kat launched herself at Viktor in what she knew was most likely a suicidal charge. But maybe, just maybe… she could get to him before they could secure McKenzie, and if she can hurt him, she could make sure the rest of her family survived this.

  Goodbye, my love, she wished Liam mentally, for the first time finding something lacking with her bear form. She couldn’t tell him, in this most vital moment when she wanted to, that she loved him. Take care of them well.

  Chapter 60

  Liam knew, even before Kat moved, what she was going to do. He was still groggy from the beating he had taken, but there was no way that he was going to abandon his mate. Instead, he flung himself with her at Viktor, but before they were even halfway across the throne room another dozen guards arrived each of them wielding silver-tipped spears. They seemed to have no end, and every time Liam thought that they were starting to make progress against the horde of vampires, another fresh wave would emerge. This is getting worse than one of Carly’s video games!

  Liam was about to give up hope, to unleash one final desperate attack in order to give Kat a chance to get away, when he saw something that surprised him. Up until then, Theon and the three female vampires that had brought McKenzie into the throne room weren’t attacking. If anything, they were acting almost as passive bystanders, but occasionally one of them would almost deflect one of the vampire guards as they went to attack McKenzie or Reba while not attacking themselves. They’d make a lot of gestures, a lot of growling and snapping of their fangs, but McKenzie and Reba more or less ignored them, Reba occasionally tossing a burst a light their direction but blasts that were easily avoided. They’re in on it. What the hell happened between them and McKenzie?

  Liam snapped his teeth, biting down on the wooden shaft of one of the guard’s spears and shivering it in half, turning the silver tipped weapon into something that was deadly for werewolves into something even deadlier to vampires. With a quick twist of his paw, he reversed the staff and jammed it into the guard’s throat and through his neck, the vampire turning to ash even before the wood was done moving forward.

  “Enough!” Viktor cried, leaping back into the fight. He was fast and stronger than any being Liam had ever fought. Even working with Kat, they were barely able to hold him at bay, his fingernails and teeth more than once whisking a fraction of an inch from their throats or another vital structure. Liam saw Kat swing a paw, but it was a fraction of a second too slow and with a deep-seated horror Liam could sense more than see Viktor duck underneath the paw, his claws aimed at Kat’s unprotected breastbone. He hurled himself at where he knew the claws would be in a fraction of a second, feeling the dirty, diseased claws part through his pelt and into the flesh and muscle of his shoulder, the same one he’d broken just a few minutes earlier. He howled in agony as the bone shattered again, Viktor roaring in triumph even as Kat staggered backward. Liam went tumbling, his body changing back to human form against his will, and Viktor was on top of him, his eyes glowing with malevolent evil. “Now, young pup, you die.”

  Viktor reared back to strike, but at that instant suddenly four figures were on him, and with his bleary vision Liam could see Theon and the three female vampires assaulting their king, wooden pegs in their hands that they plunged over and over into Viktor’s body. Still, he didn’t die even as two of the women plunged their fangs into his neck, trying to drain his strength even more. It worked a little at least, as they could haul Viktor off Liam’s body, Theon driving his claws into Viktor’s chest and tearing his black heart out of his body. Liam watched in shock as Theon sank his fangs into the heart, sucking it dry in one long gulp that made Viktor scream in agony and rage before his body didn’t turn to dust but literally evaporated, collapsing underneath the weight of the bodies on top of him.

  Liam turned to try and defend himself as one of the guards stepped forward, recovering from the shock of Viktor’s death, but Theon held up his hand. His voice sounded different, it carried with it the aura of dark magic that Viktor had just moments ago. “Halt! Put your weapons down!”

  Liam watched in awe as every vampiric guard immediately stopped what they were doing and knelt, setting their weapons on the ground. Theon came across and held out a hand to Liam, helping him to his feet. “Thank you, alpha wolf.”

  “What happened?” Liam asked, watching as one of the women turned and left, going down the same corridor that Carly had led the rest of his family, Reba right behind them, confusing him even more. “Theon, what did you do?”

  “By draining the blood from his heart, I have become the new King of the local vampires,” Theon said, smirking. “Now, every vampire in the area… well, most of them at least, have to serve me as I once was compelled to serve Viktor. You see, your mate knows, I was never expressly bound to Viktor, but instead to Cole. When… you know what, this isn’t the time. First of all, you’re naked.”

  Liam looked down at his naked body without shame and shrugged. “Side effect of the change. You have a spare t-shirt anywhere?”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Katerina?”

  Liam turned as he saw Kat shimmer and change, also naked, and Liam was reassured when Theon didn’t react at all other than to turn to one of the female vampires with a small laugh. “See, Eva? I told you she looked a lot like you.”

  “Eva?” Kat asked, looking at the female vampire. “I thought… aren’t you McKenzie’s friend Daisy?”

  “Yes… and no,” the vampire said, shrugging. “We can discuss it later. When Violet and your mother return with the rest of your family, we will escort you to the surface, where you will be free to go. And, at least in my opinion, free to return. McKenzie was once my friend, and my husband is right, you do look remarkably like who I used to be. I guess I can forgive Theon for being overly flirtatious with you.”

  Reba and Violet returned minutes later, Reba holding hands with Big Mike who still looked stunned that his wife was now in front of him. Theon, who had ordered two of the vampire guards to give their shirts to the naked werewolves, now ordered a third and fourth to follow suit seeing that Carly and Zack were naked among them as well. “Come, Liam,” he said, gesturing towards the corridor. “By the time we reach the surface, I’ll have full clothing for all of you, as well as giving us a chance to talk. I think… well, I’m hoping that perhaps with Viktor’s death, we can start a new future for our peoples.”

  It truly was a party that took over the cabin as the sun went down, Kat for the first time in nearly a year not fearing what could emerge out of the d
arkness to attack her family. And while it was a party, it wasn’t like any party she’d been to before, starting with the fact that there were only three bottles of beer in the entire cabin, two of them unopened and ignored.

  “Oh, my God, I’m not sure I can eat another bite,” Ashley said as she watched Big Mike down another piece of fried chicken. “Slow down, big man. You keep up that pace, and KFC is going to run out of chicken before you’re done.”

  “The damn Wardens and vampires kept me on a vegetarian diet,” Mike said around a mouthful of food. “They figured if they kept me underfed and protein-deprived, I’d be unable to fight them. Sadly, they were correct. I couldn’t have changed to help you guys even if you’d asked me to.”

  “Well, that’s okay,” Reba said, snuggling up against him. “You take all the time you need to rebuild your strength.”

  Kat watched as her father blushed, then laughed lightly. “You know honey, we might need to take it slow. It’s been a while.”

  “And you didn’t date the entire time I was gone,” Reba continued. “Trust me, Michael, there are ways to a woman’s heart, and you followed all the right ones. Besides, it’s not like I’ve been getting a lot of action either. I’m just glad you guys didn’t take me to the vet to get me fixed. That would have been a difficult one to explain later.”

  Kat laughed, looking across the fire at Liam, who looked back at her with desire and knowing in his eyes. She got up to move when suddenly a commotion broke out, and she turned to see the triplets join them. They were shaking and lying down, squirming in the dirt before suddenly, before her very eyes, they changed. For the first time in their lives, she got to see Selena’s blond hair, while Edward had dark hair like hers and Hunter was somewhere in between. Everyone was in awe as they stood up with their transformations complete, standing on unsteady legs but looking like normal one-year-olds.

  “A bit big for six months, but you have had them on a high protein diet,” Ashley said, squatting down and picking up Edward before handing him to Liam. “He’s got your eyes, Daddy.”

  Liam gulped, looking with wonder at Edward while Kat picked up Selena and Reba scooped up Hunter, everyone oohing and aahing over the triplets, who relished the attention. “So, what do you think caused them to finally transform?”

  “Pretty simple if you ask me,” McKenzie, who was holding hands with Zack the whole evening, said. “They finally feel safe, and so they’re willing to change into their more vulnerable form to get some love and affection from the rest of their family. Besides, I can see that Hunter already wants to try and talk.”

  Hunter turned to McKenzie, opening his mouth and making some sounds before he looked at Kat, reaching for her. “Mama!”

  It was hard for anyone to fight back the tears after that.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Kat asked softly as they looked down on their sleeping family. Victoria, who was still recovering from her wounds, taking them to bed with her. Ashley had gone home, confident for the first time in nine months that her charges didn’t need additional security. Carly was curled up on the living room sofa while Reba and Mike were sharing the ‘master bedroom,’ both of them so exhausted that the amorous looks they’d exchanged all night were, at least for the night, put on hold. “Our family.”

  “It is amazing,” Liam said, putting his hand on his mate’s shoulders and rubbing. “Just as amazing as you. So, were you serious when you said that you’d be willing to continue to try and build relations with the vampires?”

  “Weren’t you?” Kat asked him, raising an eyebrow. “If anything, I want to see how Theon and Eva get along. A love delayed as long as theirs could be quite the interesting thing to watch. And I suspect she’ll keep him from being the insufferably arrogant jerk you didn’t like.”

  Liam chuckled. “Well, now that I know he’s not interested in trying to take you from me, I’m man enough to admit he’s not quite as much of an asshole as I thought. And he has good taste in women.”

  Liam’s hand drifted down Kat’s back to rest on her hip, pulling her to him. “You know that Zack and McKenzie disappeared into the woods during dinner, right?”

  Kat nodded, looking up into his eyes. “I know. And if they do end up… I think McKenzie proved her maturity today. Besides, she’s got a good idea. Although I’ve got a better one.”

  “What’s that?” Liam asked, smiling as Kat took his hand and pulled him outside. “Are we ever going to make love indoors?”

  “Eventually… when you rebuild the Greyson mansion,” Kat teased him, winking. “For now, though, let’s play a game, something you mentioned to me long ago. Let’s call it… keep what you catch.”

  Kat shuddered, and Liam watched as she burst from her clothes, emerging in her bear form. With a wave of her paw she turned and ran off into the woods, Liam hurrying to strip off his clothes and transform. He had the edge in speed, but she had a head start, and with the speed she was running, he had to just trust his nose as they tore through the forest, going deeper and deeper into the mountains before he caught her, flying off a small hillock to land on her back and tumble her to the ground, two furry forms of magnificent strength and power, locked not in battle but in another type of physical confrontation, tongues stroking over pelt and bodies pressed together.

  Kat didn’t make it easy, but it was always playful until she turned, presenting her upturned backside to him and Liam mounted her, his shaggy form almost dwarfed by the massive size of his bear mate, but the satisfied dual growls as his lupine cock sank into her hot, moist ursine pussy was pure bliss to both of them.

  It was unlike anything Liam had ever experienced, and he let his instincts drive him, his hips jabbing deep with every stroke, and when he felt his knot slip inside Kat and bind them, they both screamed in animalistic ecstasy. He lost all sense of time and place as they poured their passion into their lovemaking, the hills echoing with the cries and screams of the wolf and the bear declaring to the entire world their devotion to each other. Liam’s final howl echoed over the hills for miles as he came deep inside her, both of them sagging to the forest floor and transforming, spent, into their human forms to cuddle in each other’s arms.

  “We gotta do that again,” Kat said with a satisfied chuckle as she pillowed her head on his chest. “That was… amazing.”

  Amazing indeed.

  Epilogue

  “You’re making progress, baby girl,” Daddy said, a stopwatch in his hand as Kat transformed again, the fifth time that day. “From my go until you did it, it was only ten seconds.”

  Kat growled happily and shrank back down, changing back into her human form. While the breakthrough in the vampire catacombs had unlocked her ability to more or less transform at will, the extra months of work with her Daddy was making it easier and easier every day. “Thanks, Daddy. Can we call it a day, though? I’d like to spend some extra time getting the stuff ready for the birthday party.”

  “You think I’d let you miss that?” Mike said, grinning. “By the way, nice of the Boss Man to give us the day off.”

  Kat laughed, reaching for the loose pants and sweatshirt that were hanging on a nearby pine, pulling them on in protection for the winter cold. Maybe Liam didn’t feel it when he was naked in human form, but she did. “Considering that Liam’s the Boss Man, and it’s his children’s birthday, I would have been surprised if he hadn’t. Come on, let’s go home.”

  The ride in the pickup felt homey to Kat, who was surprised repeatedly at the immense breadth and depth of Liam’s generosity to not just his family, but his entire pack. In addition to working on rebuilding the main plant, he’d offered Mike a position as a senior supply coordinator for Greyson meatpacking, a fancy term for the chief truck driver, and Kat was made floor supervisor. Winston the former part-timer was made full time, and the Delgado twins were both working the floor full-time as well. Sherry was showing more brains than anyone had ever given her credit for, and was working in the accounting section of the plant.

  In fa
ct, everyone in the family was involved in the business, except McKenzie, who still had to finish her GED before tackling the idea of college. Also, Kat thought as they bumped down the fire road, she might not take a position with Greyson meatpacking, but at the Lilly Ranch. While it was amazingly young for her, everyone could see from the night of their first official mating that Zack and McKenzie were head over heels for each other. She still lived with her parents, but that was mainly for training purposes, as Reba gave her daughter an education that high school could never touch.

  “Daddy… mind if I ask a question?” Kat said as they turned off the fire road and headed back towards the mansion.

  “Shoot, baby. Is this another question about why I keep this old pickup now that I’m supposedly making a lot more money?” Mike asked, reaching for a Slim Jim and stripping off the plastic with his teeth. He was back to just under three hundred pounds, where he’d settled happily, declaring to all that he wanted to ‘keep his girlish figure for his wife’s sake,’ so he indulged in the treats only when they were in the truck together after training.

  “No… it’s about me and Liam. Are you really okay with me living at the mansion with him?” Kat asked, for the first time wondering how it was that her father had ever developed a taste for Slim Jims. Maybe she was becoming a food snob, but she preferred her meat fresh, right off the bone if possible. Thank God, she was mated to an alpha who owned a meatpacking empire. “You know since we’re mated and not...”

  “Married?” Mike asked, and Kat nodded. “Well, I’ll be honest baby, there’s a side of me that would like to walk you down the aisle, although knowing the way we tend to work, that aisle would be among a lot of trees or something. And yes, your mother and I have talked about it, both for you and for McKenzie. What’s Victoria got to say?”