Lover Eternal

by Idella Breen

  “What did she say?”

  She sipped her tea then leaned back in the chair and locked eyes with her lover. “I have a mission.”

  The woman frowned. “What?”

  “Actually, we have a mission.”

  Her wife seemed to relax somewhat after that. “When?”

  “We leave Friday.”

  “How long?”

  Snow frowned and took another sip. “Two years.”

  Silence was her answer. She warmed her hands with the mug and waited. She didn’t have to wait long before her wife reacted in full.

  “Say that again.”

  The brunette looked up, her face blank, “We will be gone for two years.”

  Cait studied her wife’s eyes and saw the seriousness in them. “Why?”

  “I’m going to join the United Monster’s Council along with my mother.”

  Cait sighed. “I figured as much.”

  “I wasn’t trying to hide it, honestly.”

  “I know you weren’t. But, you also never really spoke with me about it either.”

  Snow smiled. “You never asked about it.”

  The redhead interlaced her fingers. “I was scared to.”

  A cold hand rested on top of hers. “I know.”

  “Is it just the two of us?”

  Snow shook her head. “Beck will be joining us as well.”

  Cait nodded. “Good. I trust him. What about Elena?”

  “Mother and father will watch her, but she promised to not keep her from Gwen and the Lander Clan. I told her how important they are to her development right now.”

  “Okay. But, what will we be doing for these two years?”

  Snow smirked. “Odd jobs.”

  Cait frowned. “Great. Like mother like daughter, I guess.”

  Snow giggled. “I forgot Lidia made you do something similar.”

  “Integra was always a little too much like her mother. Thank God it skipped a generation.”

  “What? You don’t think that I’ll turn out like them?”

  Cait frowned. “I think it’s more accurate to say that I’m praying you don’t.”

  Laughing, the brunette slapped her wife playfully on the arm. “Well, I’ll leave you to your prayers then.”

  “You’re too kind.”

  Snow leaned back again and took a sip of her tea but grimaced. Hot drinks could never keep their heat when she was holding them. Her tea was already cold. She set the mug down and Cait chuckled and stood. Holding out her hand, Snow took it and allowed her wife to lead her back to their bedroom.

  “Guess we should make the best of our time then, shouldn’t we?”

  “As in, we should get a good night’s rest for tomorrow.” Snow smirked.

  Cait frowned. “But — ”

  “Sleep Cait. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  The werewolf’s frown deepened. “Can’t I at least get a snuggle?”

  Laughing quietly, Snow nodded as she climbed into bed. “Only that.”

  Her wife huffed but soon they were settled in bed with Snow tucked in her arms. Cait breathed in her fresh winter smell and leaned in to whisper in her lover’s ear, “Everything will be fine, snowflake.”

  Snow sighed, finally relaxing into her mate’s arms, and the two slowly fell into a deep slumber.

  Chapter 3

  Snow was looking over a map of the United States, while waiting for Cait to return from dropping Elena over at Remus’s house, when there was a knock at the front door. She crossed from the kitchen into the living room to answer it and wasn’t too surprised to find a tengu, or crow demon, on the other side.

  “Beck, how are you?”

  The tengu gave a small smile as well as a slight bow. “Mistress Snow, I am well. Thank you for asking.”

  The woman opened the door and motioned for him to enter. Once she closed it, she turned back to her guest. “Beck, I insist that if you are joining us on this mission, that you refer to me by my name without the title.”

  Beck stopped his perusal of her apartment and met her irritated gaze. After a moment, he nodded. “If that is what you wish.”

  She smiled. “It is.”

  “Then I shall do so from now on. Thank you for having me Snow, but it seems that the Captain is missing at the moment.”

  She nodded and motioned for him to follow her into the kitchen, where her map, as well as several of the odd job requests, were scattered about on the table. “You just missed her. She went to Remus’s house to drop off Elena. Gwen is going to babysit her there. She will be back soon. Would you like anything to drink or eat while we wait?”

  Beck had moved to study the map but looked up at the question. “I smell jasmine. Might I venture to guess that you have some jasmine tea?”

  She nodded and he smiled slightly. “I wouldn’t mind some of that then.”

  The brunette set about boiling the water as Beck began flipping through some of the requests. The kitchen settled into a comfortable silence, which was appreciated, as it was still early in the morning. Snow was placing a mug next to Beck when Cait returned.

  “I smell crow. Beck, you here already?” Cait asked as she entered the kitchen with a grin on her face.

  Beck bowed his head slightly, “Captain, I only arrived a few moments ago. Mistress Integra insisted that I come by as soon as possible and cleared my schedule for today.”

  Cait walked over and slapped him on the back in a friendly manner. “Loosen up man, we’re going to be getting to know one another quite well these next two years. There’s no need for such formality. Call me Cait.”

  Beck frowned at this. “I must insist that I refer to you with your proper rank as you are also a member of the guard, Captain. It would be inappropriate to be too familiar.”

  Cait nodded as he spoke, and slapped him a few more times on the back, for good measure. Once he finished, she chuckled and said, “Fine you stickler! You can call me Captain if it makes you feel better but just so you know, Snow is leading this mission so we both will defer to her orders, right babe?”

  The woman in question frowned as she sat at the table with her own mug of warm tea. “I’d prefer that you lead on this one, Cait.”

  The werewolf shook her head. “I’m pretty sure Integra intended for you to gain experience in a leadership role these next two years.”

  Beck nodded. “I agree with the Captain. Mistress Integra most likely expected for you to lead the team. You may, of course, ask for guidance, but the mistress gave me strict orders to only offer counsel when it was asked of me, or was a life and death situation.”

  Cait nodded. “That’s what I figured. It’s okay snowflake, it will do you well to lead a squad, and Beck and I are experienced enough to help you out of any mistakes you might make, so don’t sweat the small stuff.”

  She nodded. “Okay. I’ll do my best.”

  Beck looked back down to the map and placed a clawed finger down on a red point. Tengu had several different forms that they could take. The hardest to maintain was their full humanoid form in which all their crow features were hidden. The easiest form was their most natural one, which was when they transformed into a crow, that was usually around the size of a large cat. In that form, they were still able to use human speech. The most common form that most tengu took, was a middle form in which they had a humanoid build, but their upper torso and arms were covered in feathers, even though their face remained clear of them. When they wished to, they could materialize wings in this form and by doing so a mask with a large beak would appear on their face.

  Beck tended to remain in the middle form, as it was the easiest to maintain, but during certain times he would take the most appropriate form to suit his needs. Beck dragged his finger from the red point along the highlighted line until coming to stop at a yellow point. “This will probably be the best place to start,” he said quietly.

  Cait leaned over his shoulder to get a better look at what he had just outlined and nodded. “I agree.” She lo
oked up to Snow. “What says our leader?”

  Snow blushed making Cait grin. “Why there?”

  Beck nodded approvingly. “Your mother had mentioned that some of the tasks are time sensitive. The first file was a request from Grangor, the Goblin King. The date for completion is in three days but getting there will take a day at the least.”

  Cait grumbled. “That canker is notorious for being impatient. It would be best if we dealt with him as soon as possible to get it out of the way. What was the task he requested?”

  Snow reached into the large folder and pulled out a few stapled sheets of paper. She glanced through it for a moment before frowning. “It doesn’t go into too much detail.”

  “What does it say?”

  Snow trailed her eyes across the paper before meeting her lover’s gaze. “Apparently, he wants us to steal a golden tooth from another goblin.”

  Cait frowned before glancing to Beck and shaking her head. “That’s extremely suspicious.”

  He nodded. “I agree. There is definitely more to this.”

  Snow looked up. “So what should we do?”

  He turned to her. “Are you asking for my counsel, Leader?”

  She frowned. “I thought that I asked you to refer to me by name?”

  Beck dipped his head. “My apologies, Snow. Were you asking for my counsel?”

  She nodded. He glanced back down at the map. “Grangor’s territory is small compared to most of the other leaders on the council but he commands great favor as goblins are known for holding a monopoly over banks all across the states. He has substantial influence though as the Goblin King, his territory always remains neutral in most land disputes. If you could gain his favor he would be a great asset to your goals. At the least, it would do well not make him an enemy even if you can’t make him an ally.”

  Cait nodded to this. “Goblins are notorious for being arrogant and perceived as greedy and spineless, but when it comes to protecting assets within their banks and doing business with them, you can trust that they will do an outstanding job. Grangor has maintained his crown for many centuries. Do not be deceived by his arrogance, though I’ve never met him, it is said that Grangor is highly intelligent and has a ruthless streak when necessary. It would be best if we succeed with his request.”

  Snow thought their advice over as she studied the map. Grangor’s territory covered most of Washington State and down to Oregon. She lived in Missoula, Montana. The place Beck had traced his finger to was smack dab in the middle of the forest. She frowned. “Where exactly is Grangor’s home?”

  Cait and Beck shared a look before looking back to her. Cait answered. “Babe, do you not know much about goblins?”

  Snow shook her head. “We never covered much about them in classes. They were only ever mentioned in passing or in reference to banking.”

  “Huh, I guess that makes sense though. Goblins tend to be fairly secretive. I’ve just had so many dealing with them in the past that I got to know quite a bit about them. To answer your question, although goblins have dealings with civilization, they tend to keep to forests or mountainous areas. Grangor, as King, is notoriously paranoid and tends to be a moving target. We will head to Seattle and question some of the bank management as to his current whereabouts.”

  Beck nodded. “I think that would be the best course of action. What do you think, Snow?”

  She nodded. “That sounds like a solid plan for now. I suggest we hit the road as soon as possible. When can you be ready, Beck?”

  He was quiet for a moment before nodding slightly. “In an hour.”

  Her eyes widened. “Oh, great! Then why don’t we meet back here in an hour then? Elena is set to be with Gwen for a little longer. Cait and I will pick her up and drop her off at my mother’s then we can hit the road. Sound good?”

  He nodded. “That is acceptable.”

  Snow smiled, and he stood, only to bow once more. Cait laughed and slapped him on the back again making him stumble towards the door. “Relax a little bird man.”

  “I will do my best, Captain.”

  The door closed softly behind him, and Cait came back into the kitchen, only to lean against the counter. She studied her lover for a moment before she spoke, “Are you sure about this?”

  Snow turned around. “I have to do this, Cait.”

  “You don’t.”

  She shook her head. “But I do. If not for my mother, then for myself. I’ve wanted to go this route ever since sophomore year in college. I want to do meaningful work. It means something to me.”

  Cait sighed. “I understand.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded and moved forward. Leaning down, she planted her lips on her lovers, and they shared a chaste kiss before she pulled back. “Don’t forget who I am snowflake. Of course, I understand. Probably, more than most. I’ll do everything that I can to support you.”

  The brunette grinned, and stood, catching Cait’s lips once more. She buried her hands in red locks and smirked when Cait moaned. Her lover wrapped her arms around her waist pulling Snow flush against her. They pulled back and gasped. “How long do we have until we have to get Elena?” Snow whispered as her lips crashed into her lovers.

  “Twenty minutes.” Cait groaned out when Snow bit her lip and pulled it back before sucking it languidly.

  “Is that enough?”

  A deep growl filled the room. “Fuck yes!”

  Snow was pushed up against the refrigerator. The usually cool metal felt warm against her naturally cold temperature as a result of her ice affinity. Whenever she was worked up her powers tended to leak out. At one time, this had been a great source of fear, but after training with Lee Sho, she had learned to effectively use these moments to her advantage and embrace what she was capable of. Cait pulled back for air, and her breath left her mouth likes wisps of smoke, as the temperature in the kitchen dropped dramatically. Her skin seemed to glow as her body began to hum with heat making Snow shiver against the intensity of the warmth her lover could produce.

  “Oh, Cait,” she moaned, as the woman claimed her mouth, and lifted her waist allowing Snow to wrap her legs around her.

  Cait slid her tongue slowly along her lover’s drawing it back into her mouth as she gasped for air. Cait’s hand was inching up under Snow’s shirt sending shivers along her spine when the doorbell buzzed.

  “Shit!” Cait growled.

  The brunette panted while resting her head against the Cait’s forehead. Her heart was thumping in her chest as if it wanted to leap right out. It was harder and harder to find times for intimacy these days. It was the one thing that could drive her mad with no solution besides dumping their daughter on friends or family for a few hours. But, ever since Elena’s wolf had manifested, Cait had been hesitant to be separated from their daughter for long hours as it was important for Elena’s wolf to get a better sense of the hierarchy of their small pack.

  Their daughters early years were important to her mental and emotional development as a wholesome werewolf and Snow suspected that Cait was a bit determined that their daughter was given a better childhood than what she had grown up in. Snow couldn’t fault her wife for this but that didn’t mean it didn’t leave her frustrated and horny on several occasions. The doorbell buzzed again making Cait growl deep in her chest. Snow giggled and dropped down. She paused to straighten her clothes and maneuvered around her wife to head to the door.

  Looking through the peephole, she was surprised to see Gwen, suddenly panic burned low in her belly and she quickly unlatched the door throwing it open.

  “Gwen! Where’s Elena?”

  The werewolf was nervously fidgeting but held up her hands. “I can explain. Just promise to not freak out.”

  Chapter 4

  “Gwen, where is my daughter?” Snow spoke in such soft tones that Gwen paused before giving her explanation as a cold shiver of fear ran down her spine.

  A toned arm wrapped around Snow’s waist, as Cait pulled her wife into her ches
t and rested her chin on her shoulder. “Give her a chance to explain, babe,” she said and nuzzled softly into Snow’s neck.

  She shuddered as Cait’s heat warmed the chill that permeated from her body and nodded. “You have five seconds before I turn you into a werewolf popsicle.”

  Gwen nodded, tucking strands of blonde hair behind her ear nervously. “Elena is fine! I just wanted to explain things so that you didn’t freak out so much.”

  “Explain what exactly?”

  She sighed and turned around. “Sam, bring her over here.”

  A hulking man, that was the definition of boyish charm, appeared from around the corner and Snow had the faint realization that Cait must have known he was there along with their daughter. Sam was holding Elena’s hand but what gave Snow pause was the fact that Elena’s once long, flowing, waist-length hair, was now a short spiky mess of dark locks.

  Gwen shuddered as the temperature dropped a few more degrees, and she realized that she really didn’t want to turn around and face the ice princess. But, alas, this was mostly her fault. So, like the good responsible adult that she was, she turned around. “It’s all Sam’s fault! I had nothing to do with any of this!”

  “Hey!” the hulking man whined. “This was your idea!”

  “Lies! I was against the whole thing! You won’t take me alive!”

  “Gwen,” Snow’s voice was steady making the werewolf cringe.

  “Yes?”

  “Give me a reason why I shouldn’t retaliate?”

  Cait’s sudden burst of laughter broke the tension warming the room slightly. “Elena! You’re adorable. Come here, sweetheart.” The redhead kneeled down and opened her arms to receive her daughter as the girl burst into giggles.

  “What on earth happened to you, baby?” Cait asked as she lifted the girl up and rested her on her hip. Elena loosely wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and nuzzled her cheek before pulling back and grinning. “Aunty Gwen wanted to know what I would look like with short hair, but when she tried to make me look pretty, Sammy bumped into her, and she made an uh oh.”