There was a snarl, and then Lucain yelled, “KALE! STAND DOWN.”
“MY LASS NEEDS ME,” the one named Kale roared back. “I can feel her distress. Dammit, Lucian, release me!”
“Kale,” Heather whispered under her breath. That was his name, Kale, her mate. And damn, he had an accent, and it was actually hotter than Gustavo’s. It was Irish, or Scottish, or maybe there was some other sort of nationality that ended with –ish and that’s what it was, but whatever it was, it was hot. AS. HADES. IN. JULY. Was it hotter in Hades in the summer months? Probably not important to wonder about that right now she decided.
“Okay, that’s just weird,” Kara said beside her.
“What?” Heather asked, forcing herself to pay attention and praying she wouldn’t start drooling. It would be difficult.
“When he talks to Lucian, we can hear him. But when you said his name, he turned to speak to you. His mouth is just moving, but no sound coming out,” she explained.
“That would be the whole hear-and-not-speak-to part,” Stella said. “So the magic prevents us from hearing their words when they’re directed at us. That’s pretty impressive magic.”
“I will not,” Lucian said back in his calm voice. “What she needs is for you to get your wolf under control. This is new to them. Weeks ago, they didn’t even know werewolves existed. Now they have mates. You cannot expect them to simply fall into your arms.”
“She thinks I dunna want her,” Kale said, his voice sounded as though it was coming out through gritted teeth. “How the bloody hell can I convince her that it’s quite the opposite if I canna speak to her? How am I supposed to be what she needs if yer KEEPING ME FROM HER?”
His breathing was harsh and erratic, and when Heather heard something crash, she realized things needed to be reined in, and from everything she’d learned about his species and witnessed between mates, only a female could bring her male back to sanity when he was losing it.
“Kale,” she said his name louder this time and turned her head in the direction where she heard him. He froze. Heather nudged Stella and her friend stood and, being the awesome person she was, helped Heather get on her feet without falling on her face. Once she was up, Stella released her. She knew Heather could handle herself. She remembered the layout of the room. As long as people moved their feet out of the way, she should be golden.
She took a deep breath, and his scent hit her. He smelled of the night air just before a storm, one of her favorite smells. She walked, unerringly, directly to him. When she could feel his breath on her face, she stopped. She reached out and felt for his arm. When she made contact, she felt him tense and heard air hiss through his teeth. Her hand ran down his arm until she clasped his hand in hers. She lifted it and began shaking it. “I’m Heather Banks, apparently your mate. And yes, at the moment, I’m having some hang-ups. But I’m not going anywhere. It’s not in me to run away, even when I’m scared. So maybe don’t destroy Peri’s home? If she turns you into a handbag, holding you might be easier, but not nearly as fun.”
“No she didn’t,” Stella whispered from behind her.
“Oh, she so did,” Kara added.
Heather tried not to let his lack of response affect her because she knew that he had no control over it. He would have spoken back to her if he could, or maybe he wouldn’t want to say things so personal in front of a group. Maybe he was a little more private than she was.
“I am honored by Heather’s bravery and willingness to acknowledge me,” Kale said to Lucian.
Okay so not more private, she thought. Good to know.
His voice softened as he continued. “And the fact that she would willingly touch me, when she doesn’t even know me, humbles me.”
She could feel his eyes on her, and Heather had never wanted to see more than in that moment. After several minutes, she gave a nod and released his hand, which she really wanted to snatch back up again but decided against looking like an obsessive girlfriend.
She turned and walked back to Stella who guided her back into her seat.
Lucian began introducing the males one at a time, but it wasn’t until the he’d introduced all the unmated males that he introduced Kale, Ciro, and Nick.
“Hello again,” Kara said, her voice wavered just a little, but Heather couldn’t figure out what her younger friend was feeling.
“I would like to declare that Stella James is my true mate. And unless she refuses me, I expect others to treat her as a mated female. How long will this punishment last, Lucian?” Ciro, the one who’d been introduced as the Italian pack Alpha, asked. He reminded Heather of Lucian. He had the calm demeanor that came from experience, and she imagined it took a lot to upset him. But she could also hear the strength in his voice. There was a reason he was an Alpha, and his calm demeanor should never be mistaken for being a pushover or lazy.
“Seeing as how it has only just begun,” Lucian said in an equally calm voice, “it will last a fortnight.”
More growling.
“Mercy alive, where is Jewel when I need her,” Heather muttered. “Lucian, I understand that Sally has declared you to be older than dirt, so I’ll forgive the whole fortnight reference. Could you do me a solid and speak in modern-day English please.”
“Two weeks,” Lucian answered.
Heather inwardly groaned. She wasn’t about to say it out loud, but she wanted Kale to just talk. His voice was deep, his accent made her insides all squishy, whatever the hell that meant, and quite simply, he soothed her. But if the stupid spell was going to last two weeks, she’d only get to hear him speak when he talked to anyone but her or the other healers. That. Sucked.
“I don’t know about you two, but I need a shower,” Kara said as she stood up.
“Yep,” Stella said, popping the ‘p’. “I definitely need to cool off.” She sucked in a breath and then hurried on. “I mean clean off. I need to clean off.”
Heather couldn’t help it. She threw her head back and laughed. “I’m pretty sure we all heard you say cool off, as in you’re hot and bothered.”
“Heather.” Stella growled.
“Would it happen to be the yummy, Italian accent getting you all dirty minded?”
“Holy hell, Kara, put some duct tape over her mouth,” Stella huffed as she grabbed Heather’s arm and practically dragged her up the stairs.
“I’m sure Ciro would be more than happy to help cool you down and then clean you up.” She should shut up, she really should, but Stella was straight cursing a blind streak, which only made Heather laugh harder.
“Your mate has a wicked tongue,” she heard Ciro say, not attempting to keep her from hearing. But it was Kale’s words that had her blood warming in her veins.
“Aye, that she does. And she can use it on me any time she likes.”
Shut. Up. Heather inwardly groaned. Hot accent and a sense of humor. Tell her where to sink her teeth and she would gladly chomp down.
Kale was a goner. She was nothing he expected. Her hair was long and blonde, she had big brown eyes, and her skin was coated in a healthy glow from the sun. If she was over five feet tall, he’d be shocked. She was small, but curvy in all the right places. Her aura was bright and pulsed with life. It stole his breath. Yes, she was blind. He remembered Peri talking about the healers when they’d first arrived, and she had mentioned that one of them was without sight. He hadn’t expected it to his mate, but he didn’t give a leprechaun’s arse about that. It made his wolf want to protect her even more and snarl at anyone who would get close to her. She was vulnerable, and he knew that was going to make his drive to protect her even stronger. It wasn’t her blindness that had caught his attention. It was her bravery, her sharp tongue, and her sense of humor. To top it off, she was beautiful.
“You okay?” Bannon, the third in their pack, asked.
“My mate was less than a foot from me, and I couldn’t touch her or talk to her. So, no, I’m bloody not okay.”
Bannon shook his head. “That shite i
s just cruel.”
Kale shrugged. “We disobeyed orders. There are consequences. At least I can see her and be near her. That’s more acceptable than her being in a completely different realm.”
He was sitting in the hall upstairs ten feet from the door where the girls had disappeared. He would have felt like a pathetic pup if Ciro and Nick hadn’t followed him up and took up their own vigil along the hall. When the three healers came out, they were probably going to either laugh their arses off or snap at them.
To his surprise, and by the looks on their faces, the surprise of the other two, all three girls came out of the room carrying towels and little bags containing various bottles of fragrant liquids. They stopped and Heather bumped into Stella.
“What?” she asked.
“We seem to have company,” Stella offered. “The mute kind of company.”
“Kale?” Heather asked.
His gut clenched as she said his name.
Stella turned to look at him. “You don’t look like kale.” Her eyes narrowed and she tapped her lip. “Cabbage, maybe.”
Heather and Kara both choked on their laughter, and Kale rolled his eyes. Like he hadn’t heard that one before. If he could respond, he would, but it would be pointless since they couldn’t hear him.
Nick whistled low. “These healers are something else.”
Ciro made a grunting sound that Kale took to mean his agreement.
“We’re just, um…” Kara stumbled along as she pushed the other two girls. “Heading that way.” She pointed toward the door at the end of the hall. “So, yeah.” Her eyes jumped to Nick more than once, and when the biker winked at her, she turned bright red and made Heather and Stella move faster.
“What’s the deal, Kare Bear?” Heather asked over her shoulder. “Why are you so eager to get to the bathroom? You do realize we aren’t showering together, right? Unless you’re into that sort of thing. Makes me no difference. It’s not like I can see what you have to offer.”
“Stella,” Kara pleaded as she ducked her head.
“Don’t Stella me. I don’t have any control over her mouth. That will be Romaine’s job.”
“His name is Kale.” Heather huffed, and then laughed. “But that was a good one.”
Kara glanced over her shoulder at him. Her eyes widened at his narrow and no doubt glowing eyes. “He’s looking more like the Iceberg variety at the moment.”
“Bloody hell,” he muttered. “Just get in the damn bathroom already.” He said and chuckled, even though they couldn’t hear him.
When the three hens were finally behind the closed door, all three of them let out the breaths they’d been holding.
“Damn,” Bannan exhaled. “I don’t know whether to envy you or pity you with that bunch. Feisty is putting it mildly.”
Kale shrugged. “One day that feisty healer will grace my bed. Bet you won’t be pitying me then.” He turned to Bannan and grinned a devilish smile.
“Arse,” the Third muttered as he headed down the stairs.
Kale turned his attention back to the closed bathroom door. “Why did they all go in there at the same time?” he asked.
Nick chuckled. “Haven’t you heard about the unspoken rule of restroom etiquette among women?”
Kale’s brow rose as he stared at the Beta.
“They travel in packs. They’re like wolves. If one goes to the restroom, they all go. Something to do with safety in numbers.”
Kale shook his head. There were just some things he would never understand about women. He closed his eyes and reached for the bond between them. He could feel her joy, but there were still lingering feelings of doubt and inadequacy. He’d felt them during the introductions, just before she’d approached him. He hated that she doubted herself. He could tell she was feeling apprehension toward him. He wanted to reassure her that there was no way she could ever be anything less than amazing to him. In two weeks’ time, he’d be able to tell her and show her through his touch. He smiled to himself. He very much looked forward to the moment when he could wrap her tiny form in his arms and reassure her that she was perfect to him.
Nick felt as though his wolf was going to claw his way out of his human flesh. He hadn’t been prepared for the reaction he’d have at seeing her again after being separated from her. He kept trying to remind himself that she was still a minor. Seventeen, he chanted to himself. She’s only seventeen. But that felt like just a number when he looked at her. Her eyes weren’t seventeen. The haunted look in them spoke of a person who had seen much, much more than any seventeen-year-old should ever have to see.
The look she’d given him when she’d said his name in the forest had made his chest swell. She’d been happy to see him. Her eyes had lit up and she’d taken a small step in his direction, but he hadn’t been able to respond and it had pissed him off. Breaking a tree hadn’t been one of his finer moments. Since then, she’d kept glancing at him but never just held his stare. It was driving him and his wolf crazy that they couldn’t at least talk to her. Instead, he could just stare at her like a creeper.
“Should we go downstairs?” he asked the other two, his eyes on the bathroom door.
“Probably,” Ciro answered.
“Aye,” Kale agreed.
After a pause, Nick sighed. “But we’re not.”
“Exactly,” Ciro said.
“Right you are, lad,” Kale added.
Well, if he had to be a creeper, at least he wasn’t alone. He had two other creepers staring longingly at the same door. If Peri was there, she’d have zapped their furry asses.
Ciro’s wolf was pacing inside of him. Their mate was mere feet away, and yet she might as well have been back in the pixie realm. She was striking in her beauty. Her skin was a beautiful brown color that reminded him of the finest Italian chocolate. Her eyes were so light brown that they were almost golden. Her hair was long and straight, and he wanted to slip his fingers through it. She was simply breathtaking. When he’d declared her his mate, he’d seen the shock in her eyes and also the fear. She put up a good front, and she was no doubt strong and brave, but something had made her fear men. Of that, he had no doubt. One day, he would find those men and he would rip their throats out, after he cut their hands off. And here he was supposed to be the patient, calm one. He chuckled to himself.
Truth be told, he would be patient for her. She wasn’t going to invite him into her personal space any time soon, but that was okay. He would woo her and show her that she could trust him. He would prove to her that he would never hurt her, not intentionally. Ciro would make it his sole mission in live to protect her, provide for her, love her, and adore her. But he couldn’t give her mere words. She needed a man of action. Through their bond, he could feel her skepticism, but he could and would change that.
Ciro leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. He let out a long, slow breath as he let himself relax for the first time in weeks. It didn’t last long as an ear-shattering stream of curses came from behind the closed door.
Ciro, Kale, and Nick were at the door faster than any human eye would have been able to trace. Ciro knew Nick wasn’t thinking when he nearly ripped the door off its hinges. He, like Ciro, was only thinking of getting to his mate. He didn’t stop to consider that they might not be dressed, which, they weren’t.
Another round of screams ensued as towels were wrapped around naked flesh, and objects began flying at them. Ciro was hit in the chest with a hair brush, but he didn’t even notice the sting. His eyes were too busy taking in the skin of his mate. Running down the front of her thigh, over her knee to her shin, were markings that would fit his own like a puzzle piece. And there it was on display. For everyone.
All of the males seemed to realize this at the same time as they lunged forward toward the females, but just as they were within touching reach they were thrown backward. Ciro hit the wall with a thud and he glanced at the other two males, who were still looking at the girls, at his mate. His wolf lost it. H
e flew at Kale, hitting his jaw with force that would have killed a human male. Nick was next. He reached the Beta and slammed him into the wall. But the other wolf had been ready. Nick slammed his head forward, headbutting Ciro and loosening his hold. A foot to the back of his knee caused Ciro’s leg to crash down beneath him. Nick lost interest in Ciro when Kale punched him in the stomach, and Nick reciprocated by crashing an elbow into Kale’s face.
Ciro knew it was their wolves’ fierce possessiveness fueling their rage. This, combined with the inability to communicate with or touch their mates, made for a volatile situation. He knew that they needed to get their asses downstairs, but he couldn’t stop thinking about Kale and Nick seeing Stella’s markings. It was the equivalent of seeing her naked. And that thought only made him angrier. He jumped up to rejoin the brawl but was frozen in place as magic slammed into him.
“STOP!” Elle, the female fae and mate to Sorin, roared. Lucian was standing beside her. Her eyes widened when she saw the bathroom door open and the three girls standing there in towels. She threw out her other hand and pulled it back toward her, and the bathroom door slammed shut. As soon as it was closed, she released her magic, and the three of them collapsed against the walls.
“The three of you need to go phase and run,” Lucian said. It wasn’t a suggestion. “Don’t come back until you’ve got yourselves pulled together.” He turned without another word and walked back down the stairs.
Elle stepped aside and motioned with her hand for them to follow him. Ciro glanced back at the closed bathroom door and swore in his native tongue. If she hadn’t been afraid of him before, she most likely was now after seeing him respond in such a violent way.
“For the record,” Kale spoke up, “I only had eyes for Heather.”
“And I for Kara,” Nick added.
Ciro rubbed his palm across his face as he headed toward the stairs. “I only saw my mate,” he told them. “But she bore my markings, and they were on display. My wolf couldn’t stand it.”