by Tara Gill
“Besides, it is time I had the second honeymoon your father promised me. We’ll stay when you give us grandchildren to spoil.” Mother winked. Soon they were off to sightsee through the Planes, freed of their centuries-old responsibilities. They did seem much happier and the lighter for it.
As for Barghurr, the first few years were difficult, but somehow, he managed not to let his parents down, maintaining an uneasy peace with the Rogues. It wasn’t many decades after that before he’d secretly started to long for his very own soulmate. Like his father had once done, he too travelled among other worlds and invested in developing personas there, aware that his fated mate could be born anywhere. Around that period, when he was over a one and half a century old, he’d met with Philomena, their Wandering Seer and enquired about his mate. “I know everyone asks you this, but when do you think it will be my time?” he’d questioned, trying to feign a casual air.
Philomena had gotten a faraway expression that he was familiar with. “Your mate…I see her…she is yet to be born.” His heart fell, disappointed. “You must spread your net wider, Barghurr. I will call on you when the time is right, wait on my word. She… will not be a creature of magic.”
Her words gave him hope. He redoubled his travels, extending his presence onto Planes and Worlds which were distant and could even be considered primitive. Forty years later, he received a message from Philomena telling him to go to the Earth plane. His mate was to be found there.
At last!
His heart had raced in anticipation. Thankful he’d bothered to foster an identity on Earth, he’d hurried to make his acquaintance with Mia, who luckily enough turned out to be the daughter of a botanical scientist who he’d sponsored in his scientific expeditions.
The moment he’d met her, his lion had gone insane. She’d smelled of neglect and loneliness, though there had been a hint of a core of fire. His lion had ached to lick her, groom her… touch her, protect her… mount her.
Unlike his lion, he’d been hesitant, not sure what to think of this meek, colourless human, so different from the impassioned lionesses that he was used to. He’d wondered if someone moulded by the constructs of the narrow, bigoted society he’d encountered there, would integrate into Lionhaeme.
However, the moment she mentioned that she’d seen his lion chimera, he’d realised that their bond would be strong. He’d let his guard down. It had been a shock. His lion’s emotions had rushed into him and right about then, he’d gone almost insane trying not to act on the instinct to pounce on her and carry her away. Somehow, he had forced himself away from her home, knowing that she would be his in a matter of weeks.
Nevertheless, the distress that his lion had sensed from their mate stirred his protectiveness, and as much as he’d tried to stay away from her, he’d been unable to do that. Waiting outside her drab home, he stalked her all over the dirty city of London like a madman.
Regarding her from afar had made the hunger to be with her, own her even worse.
While her parents had been more than happy to push her into his ‘rich, titled’ arms, he’d decided to speed up the game, throwing everything he had at Mia’s parents—funds, contacts that would get them the best staff and equipment, the lure of the pristine Amazon jungle and speedy ships.
Unsurprisingly, they took the bait. Used as he was to the easy, tactile affection that leonine parents showed their cubs, Mia’s parents had enraged and disgusted him. He’d never seen a man as self-absorbed or a woman so narcissistic as Mia’s father and mother. They were one couple who should never have been allowed to have children.
Thankfully she was now away from them, and if left to Barghurr, she would never see them again.
*
Barghurr’s thoughts returned sharply to the present as Mia stood from the library counter. His heart softened as she turned unerringly towards him, even though he was not in her line of sight. They’d been performing exercises to strengthen her awareness of the mate bond and she was getting better at locating him.
As she strode gracefully towards him, Barghurr stepped forward, nodded to Mahdi and turned to watch his mate with appreciative eyes. In the white gown, slit up to her hip, her smooth, creamy thighs showed with every step, and she appeared more confident in the Lionhaeme attire than ever before. Her hair shone in the light of the orbs and his nostrils filled with the clean, feminine smell of her. Her fragrance aroused him, and his cock rose in response. But his attention was on the shy smile of welcome on her face. Her gaze was warm on him and sparkled with happiness.
Nearing him, she rose on tiptoe to press a kiss on his cheek. While still cautious, Mia was slowly becoming more demonstrative of her affections. Barghurr lived for these moments—the touches and smiles that his mate was increasingly generous with.
“You felt a bit grim earlier in the day. How did things go with Roguehaeme?” she asked concerned, as he pulled her arm over his elbow. They walked towards the gardens where they ended up having luncheon on most days.
“Things are going well. Grant is making sure all measures are in place to curb the Rogues.” He sighed. “It is the end of an era for me. I’m sure Lionhaeme now breathes a sigh of relief, but in a way, it feels like giving up.”
She frowned thoughtfully. “But you’re not giving up. Roguehaeme is made from your magic. If something goes wrong, you can still help. This is just one solution. If it doesn’t work, we can try other possibilities.”
“I suppose I bemoan the loss of control. The Rogues’ success or failure is now entirely in their hands, not mine.” He had hoped for peace, for rapprochement with his own kin, as his father had. It would have been so easy to kill all the Rogues, but that was not their way.
“Their fate was always in their hands.” Her soft body pressed closer to his side, and she caught his hand, winding her fingers through his. Blushing a bit, she said. “But you know what is in your hands?” She placed his palm over the small bump on her belly.
Barghurr stopped. He could sense the thrumming of the lifeforce of his son. Our little cub. At three months along, he was strong, and he could feel the tiny spark of life nudge his magic. The baby sensed Barghurr and nuzzled next to his hand affectionately. A wave of innocence and pure love brushed against Barghurr and melted away all the worries he had.
Barghurr’s throat grew tight. “Grow well, little one,” he managed in a choked voice. “Know that I will keep you and your mother safe, always.” The touch of his cub was a reminder that life was not all dark. It could hold moments of great promise, of intense happiness, as he’d come to experience since he’d met his Mia.
His gaze lifted to his mate whose eyes held innocence, and a tentative affection. She might appear unintimidating—without any formidable magic or power of her own. But underneath her restrained demeanour, was a core of resourcefulness and strength that was becoming more and more evident every day.
News had spread that the Rogues’ problem had been permanently solved because of his Mia. All over Lionhaeme, people rejoiced, and respected her for finding a creative way to solve their conundrum without more bloodshed. When they’d praised her, she blushed and tried to play it down. “From time to time, it takes an outsider to look at a puzzle a different way, and voila, there are solutions. Sometimes even good ones.”
She had also taken on additional responsibilities in the library, learning from Mahdi so that she could assist him and eventually become Lionhaeme’s official record-keeper, freeing Mahdi to focus on his writing projects, which he’d been wanting to focus on for a while.
Her duties would involve the marking down of births, deaths, matings, the setup of homesteads and so on. She was endlessly curious, though and wanted to learn everything about the Planes in a very short time. Mahdi loved her hunger for knowledge and was quite happy with Barghurr for finding him the apprentice he had always wanted.
At Barghurr’s words to the cub, Mia gazed up at him, her eyes suspiciously damp. “Can you sense the babe?”
“He feels b
eautiful.” He cleared his throat.
“It’s a he?” Her eyes were wet.
He nodded. “I rather think so.”
She smiled from ear to ear. “I can’t wait to hold him.” Then she grew pale and wrung her hands. “I don’t even know how to hold babies. What if I’m not a good mother? I did not have the best example. You know that.”
“Mia,” Barghurr said patiently. “We’ve spoken about this. Mothering is an instinctive thing, not a learned action. I will help you, your books will help you, your friends in the Harem will help you and so will my mother.”
Mia took several deep breaths, clutching the sides of her gown. Nodding slowly, she said. “Of course… Beth did an excellent job raising you, although she can be…” Her nose scrunched as she struggled to complete the sentence.
He laughed, knowing what she meant. Beth both intrigued and baffled his mate. His mother could go through several bottles of wine in an hour, tell a bawdy joke with the best of them and wasn’t above giving his mate intimate advice that left her as red as a tomato.
In turn, Mia had admitted that she liked her. “She’s never boring, and she pushes me to be…more me somehow. I still find it hard to become used to the women here. They are boisterous, passionate…larger than life. But I want to be like them. I…want to please you.” She’d peeked up at Barghurr through thick lashes. Aroused and unable to control himself, he had dragged her to their bed and had showed her how very much she pleased him.
Remembering that endless night of passion now, his cock hardened. Pressing a hard kiss on her pouty lips, he lifted her up and whirled her around, standing in the middle of their sunny gardens. She braced her arms on his shoulders and laughed, her red-gold hair flying loose. “I’m getting dizzy.”
Barghurr placed her on her feet. “Are you hungry?”
“Not yet, let’s practice my magic,” she said eagerly.
He smiled, enchanted at her enthusiasm. “All right. Close your eyes and focus on the mate bond. What do you feel?”
Closing her eyes, she inhaled. “Contentment.” She opened half-lidded eyes and stared at his lips. “Arousal.”
“Very good.” He rubbed his semi-hard shaft. Having her close was always an exercise in control. “I’ll need you to sate me, mate.”
“With pleasure,” she murmured, her heated eyes now on the front of his pants where there was an obvious bulge.
His erection jerked in automatic response. He needed to finish this lesson fast. “For now, let us continue the lesson, then I’ll lay you out and taste you.” Mia bit her lip, and her cheeks flushed, but she said nothing.
With an effort, he focused on what he wanted to teach her. With time, he’d teach her the advanced branches of magic that she’d need to know—genesis, healing and warfare—but for now, he was concentrating on the basics.
“Pretend an arrow is coming at you. You need to construct a solid barrier to block it before it reaches you.” He pointed some distance away to where a small, blue pond gleamed back at them. Pink flowers floated on the surface, and golden fish played in it. “Concentrate on creating something to stop it—a wall, a boulder, a tree, any obstacle will do. Use the mating bond.”
Mia focused. He could feel her pulling on his magic and knew he could stop her if he ever wished it. But why would he? Their bond was robust, and he was happy to help her become stronger, though she still needed to learn to channel the magic better.
He stood by, watching what she did—a passive observer. After a few tries, she manifested a small hill, right on top of where the pond used to be. Instead of the small body of water, there was now a mound of pure white stone with patches of yellowish grass decorating it here and there.
“Well, that is a solid barrier,” he said, eyeing the shiny fish from the pond as they scrabbled for breath on dry ground.
“Oh no, they’re dying!” Her hands pressed to her cheeks, Mia frowned in dismay and concentration as she tried to undo her actions and failed. She whirled to him, an anguished expression on her face. “I can’t do it! Please bring the water back!”
With a raised eyebrow, he restored the pond and the fish returned to their world, breathing easier.
“I’m sorry, I got distracted. I promise to focus better.” Mia hung her head.
He strode towards her. She was being too hard on herself. Barghurr knew just what to do to cheer her up. “You will get better with practice. I’ll show you a good and proper distraction,” he purred in her ear. Lifting her, he laid her on one of the stone tables scattered around the gardens, ripping her clothes and tossing them away with his claws which were now out. Then he sat between her open thighs where he dined on her dripping, delicious pussy until her cries echoed in the garden. When she began to beg for him to take her, he bit his claw off, slid a finger inside her channel and hooked it, pressing against her special spot. Her body jerked as if hit by lightning. Convulsing on his hand, she screamed so loudly that the birds flew away in fright. He continued fucking her with his fingers even as her channel spasmed around him. Her juices gushed down his palm and he licked them off. “Umm. Delectable.”
Pleased at her responsiveness, Barghurr stood and pressed a tender kiss to her belly. Here in his arms was everything he loved most in the world.
Shoving down his pants, he thrust his painfully swollen erection inside her wet opening, sliding all the way in until he bumped against her womb. As he pumped in a slow and steady rhythm inside her, she became even more deliciously flushed. Entranced by her enlarged breasts, he leaned over to suck her nipple. She whimpered in distress.
“What’s wrong, love?”
“I…don’t know. That feels strange, not irritating exactly, more… sensitive.”
Keeping her comfort in mind, he rained soft kisses all over her breasts and laved her nipples with his tongue, staying away from rough play. His thrusts were gentle and drawn out. He didn’t move faster, even when she begged him to. “Please, Barghurr, I need you. Take me harder.”
Her small hands tugged at his shoulders as her legs locked around his hips, trying to pull him all the way in. He resisted, not wanting to hurt the babe. Still, he took care to rub her nub so that she came several times over the mating which he drew out for a long time, as the sun moved over the sky. His mate was sweaty, exhausted and incoherent with multiple orgasms when he finally let himself come inside her. He leaned over her, groaning and shuddering, braced on his arms, careful not to crush her with his weight.
A minute later, Barghurr sighed and sat back on the bench perspiring, sated and breathless. He pulled a dreamy-looking Mia into his lap and cleaned her up. They sat like that for some time, in the pleasant sunshine while she leaned against his bare chest, eyes closed, lips curved in a secretive smile.
Birdsong played around them and the blade grass swayed in the mild breeze, which brought the fragrance of the colourful, jewel-like flowers of the gardens to his nostrils. Yet he knew that nothing could surpass the beauty and fragrance of his Mia.
“Why the smile?” He pressed a worshipful kiss to her damp forehead.
“I like listening to your heartbeat…I feel safest when I hear it,” she whispered dreamily, her eyes still closed, her thick lashes fanning her cheekbones.
His chest felt tight, filled with an unnameable emotion.
Barghurr supposed he already knew that she liked being next to him like that. Every night she slept in his arms, beside his heart. A rush of protective affection gripped him. “You are safe with me,” he gritted out, his throat choked. “I’d die for you, you know that.”
Mia’s eyes opened, and she met his gaze steadily. “I know.” Her small palm cupped his cheek. “But I’d rather you live for me. For us.” She placed a soft kiss on his lips and pulled back. With a solemn expression, she said, “Thank you for this wonderful life you’ve given me. I promise I’ll never take it for granted.”
The ache in his chest became more acute and he swallowed thickly, thanking all the fates for giving him Mia. In a husk
y voice, he murmured, “You’re welcome, my love.” He pressed a hard kiss on her swollen lips. “Now you must eat. For the babe, if not for you.”
She smiled, her gaze warm on him, eyes glowing as if they held a secret. He fed his pregnant mate from his hands as she snuggled in his lap. Lionhaeme’s sun warmed them, but above all, his heart was warmed by the precious bundle he held in his arms.
Epilogue
(A few months later…)
Mia
Mia materialised in the Harem, her hand massaging her lower back.
“You’ve grown. Your belly is bigger than ever!” Cather and Faheme rushed to Mia and made a fuss over her.
“Is he ready to pop out then?” Cather rubbed Mia’s belly. She loved to do that.
Her little boy Jose’s tiny hand reached for Mia’s belly. “Is the baby in there, Ma?”
“Yes, he is,” Mia answered, handing him a package wrapped in thick cloth. “These are the cinnamon rolls you like so much. Share them with your friends?”
“I will!” Grabbing the rolls, he sprinted to the playroom on his little legs, grinning from ear to ear.
“You spoil him, Mia.”
“I can’t help it, he is such a sweet boy.” Mia watched him go with a smile and turned to Faheme. “Is there any chance this baby is coming soon? I am tired of peeing all the time!”
Faheme sighed, “How many times must I tell you all? While lionesses gestate for four months, humans gestate for nine months. You are human, so you must be patient. ”
“But its been seven months now and if Mia grows anymore, she’ll become a ball,” Cather exclaimed.
Unoffended, Mia studied herself. She supposed she did resemble a plump ball. Already she couldn’t see her feet.
“Let’s examine you,” With a hand on her arm, Faheme guided Mia to her healer’s suite of rooms. Spacious and decorated in shades of yellow, the patient consultation room held many cabinets, strange instruments, cushy chairs and behind a partition screen, an inspection table. Pleasant herbal aromas met Mia’s nostrils as she stepped in. Cather closed the door behind Mia with a wink and a wave.
