A Love For Lera (Haikon) (17 page)

They stopped upon an outcropping and overlooked
the seemingly endless wilderness. Warm air flowed over them, and he watched
Lera stand there, nose lifted to the wind. He reached out and used his wolf’s
sharper senses to seek information. Nothing out of the ordinary came to him.

Within himself, he could feel Lera’s struggle to
keep her fear and confusion of the unknown under wraps. He was so proud of her.
Never cowering, no backing down. She’d stepped up to this mission without
hesitation. He wanted to hold her. To allow her curves to melt into him. Smell
the softness she emanated. Lose himself in her, be so close their hearts beat
as one.

‘Getting sentimental on me, Kori?’

Her warm voice skated along their link and, as
always, did more than simply fill his mind. He never only heard her voice; he
felt
it deep within. It plucked on him like a harpist played on their instrument.
She had become so interwoven within him he couldn’t explain it. Much less how
he’d managed without her.

Turning his head, he cast a baleful eye at her.
She stood there, tongue lolling.

‘Sentimental? No. Horny. I want you naked and
in my arms, Lera. Let’s go.’

Her own desire flared, and she turned around
without a word. This time he led, using the shortcuts he knew. Beneath the raw
joy of running free in their current form lay their desire for one another. At
the tree line before the cabin, he stopped and shifted. At full height, he
stared down at the two wolves who stood hip to hip, panting. One solid black
and one ruddy. He couldn’t help but lift his lip in a silent warning when the
male nudged the female. Adric may not be her mate but he was an alpha wolf, and
Lera was
his
.

Adric lifted his head, and for a brief time,
black and gray orbs clashed. One second, he was there, and the next, Adric had
vanished. Kori waited for Lera to shift. He kept his eyes on her and marveled
over the transformation. In the space of a breath, the beautiful wolf became
Valera Grace. A woman who could stop and start his heart with nothing more than
a look.

She brushed over him and focused on something
else. He turned to see Adric there. She shared a look with her vaj and didn’t
tear her gaze away until the ebony wolf sprang away and blended into the
forests shadows. Then, she faced Kori, and he felt heat course through him. The
wind increased, and Lera lifted her head. Her locks flowed around her face, the
sun gleaming off the black and copper strands. She stood proud, her athletic
yet feminine body clad in her usual attire. Her leather pants were molded to
her legs and a tight t-shirt. No jacket right now, which pleased him. He loved
the way her shirt conformed to her, showing off firm breasts and a flat belly,
all the while highlighting curvy hips.

Her shirt was white with the picture of an angel
on it. The caption on the back read “I’m wearing an angel; don’t expect me to
act like one.”

Her hands were adorned with her silver rings, and
she wore his necklace. He knew she was armed, and such knowledge only increased
his admiration and desire. Within his mind, he could feel her confusion, and
with difficultly, he left lustful thoughts in the back. She remained facing
into the wind, but she’d slipped on her shades. Between her brows sat a small
furrow. Her fingers flexed like she did when she about drew her weapon. Kori
turned and reached out with his senses, testing the air currents. Nothing out of
the ordinary which he could pick up on.

‘What’s wrong, Lera?’

‘Something feels different to me.’

He cast a wider search, drawing upon the power
within him. Nothing. It frustrated him; he had no recourse to her experience.
He stepped close and settled his palm along the small of her back. Her tension
seemed to ebb away, and he remained in contact up to the porch. There, he
dropped his hand and scooped her up, loving the feel of her in his arms.

“What are you doing, Kori?” she asked even while
she rested against him. “I’m fully capable of walking on my own.”

He didn’t speak. Instead, he tightened his hold
and hurried them up to her bedroom. The second the door closed behind them, she
became a wildcat in his arms. A low growl of approval ripped up from his gut as
their clothes fell away, and he slid his hard length deep within her in a
single stroke.

She screamed into his mouth as he kissed her with
almost brutal force. He could feel his wolf pushing through. When she bit at
his invading tongue, he gave in and took her hard and fast. There were no
tender words shared, no gentle looks. It was primitive, feral. It was perfect.
Her nails ripped the skin from his back, and her legs, strong and around his
waist, clamped hard as she met his final thrusts. They came within moments of
one another.

He collapsed onto her, their sweaty bodies lying
slick against one another. Her heart pounded hard against his chest. She
smelled like sweat, sex, and him. He loved it. When he moved, she grabbed him
hard along where she’d shredded his flesh. The hiss could barely be restrained,
Lera was a lot stronger than she knew.

“Don’t go,” she murmured into his neck.

“I’m heavy,
mo anam
.”

He shuddered when her tongue snuck out and licked
along his carotid. An act followed by a light nip with her straight white
teeth. All over again, he felt himself grow hard.

“Being as it’s my body you’re currently on, don’t
you think I can determine what’s too heavy and what’s fine?”

He could detect a thread of jealousy in her
words. Digging deep for energy he wasn’t positive he had, Kori rose up so he
could into her eyes. “Currently,
mo anam
? Yours is the only body mine
belongs on. Forever.” Her smile at that statement could be felt deep within.
Kori lowered his head and kissed the tip of her nose. Before she could say
anything, he’d pulled out and dressed them. Then, he tucked her tight against
him. “Now we rest,
mo ghrá
.”

She cuddled against him, and he relaxed even
more. Her head on his shoulder, she trailed idyllic patterns on his bare chest
with her left hand.

“If I wasn’t here, would you be with my father?”

“Yes.”

His gut clenched as her nail circled his nipple.
Then ached for more when the motion ceased. Her soft lips pressed along his
collarbone.

“Go, Kori.”

“What?”

Lera sat up. His shirt hung off her body. He’d
done it on purpose; the idea of her in his clothing held great appeal. Lifted
up on his elbows, he stared at her with the afternoon sun framing her in its
golden glow.

A soft expression filled her face. “I can feel it
in you, Kori. You wish to be there. Go.”

He did wish. Herald Siencyn was an important man
to him. “Cavan is there in my stead.”

“Your brother isn’t you, Kori. This Herald
Siencyn is…was an important being. You should go.”

“You’re my mate.”

She smiled and chuckled lightly before lying back
down, facing away from him. “And I reckon that will still be the same upon your
return.”

He stretched out a hand toward her.

‘Go, Kori. I’m tired. Go pay your final
respects.’

‘Will you be okay?’

‘I’ve managed to stay alive for twenty-five
years, Kori. I think I can handle sleeping without screwing it up too bad. Now,
will you go please so I can rest?’

Kori climbed out of bed and dressed in black.
Striding around to the side of the bed she lay on, he found her eyes opened and
filled with pride. Her line of thought was obvious, and he smirked before
dropping in a smooth motion to one knee beside her.

“I’ll be back soon,
mo ghrá
.”

“Tuck me in, kiss me, and get going, Cormac
MacLochlainne.”

The rough affection warmed him, and he followed
her directives. On the porch, he found Adric waiting and felt better when the
wolf entered the house.

‘Mo ghrá?’

‘Kori?’

‘I just wanted to hear you again.’

‘Go do what you have to and come back to me.’

‘As soon as possible.’

He stepped off the porch and began to move toward
the center area which would be the Herald’s final resting place. Alerting his
brother he was on his way, Kori did his best to not think of the woman back at
Dane’s cabin.

By the time he entered the glen, his face had
been composed into the unreadable mask his reputation had called for. Lera had
been right, he belonged here, while shifters his family also carried the blood
of Druids within them, Herald Siencyn helped with his training. The chanting in
the air faded but didn’t falter as he strode through those gathered. He halted
across from Dane and beside Pol Tynrine of the Tynrine Clan. Not long after he
took his place, Priestess Hayli walked into view.

The priestess of the Druids wore her simple
ceremonial dress, which the light from the torches and the setting sun gleamed
off of. Her thick golden hair, in a single braid, hung down her back. She spun
and met the gazes of those there. He was the last she stared at.

She withdrew an ornate silver dagger from her
belt and stood before him. He—or his emissary in his absence—would have been
chosen for this because of his clans tie to Herald Siencyn. Without blinking,
he held out his hand and did not flinch when she drew the blade down his palm,
drawing blood. Silence descended when she raised her arms, even the forest
seemed to know.

The lit torches flared as she began chanting,
even more so when she began to dance. The flames rose higher and arched from
all their poles, which surrounded the pyre upon which the herald’s prepared
body laid, to ignite the wood beneath him.

Hayli’s chants were echoed by those there. Kori
remained silent, his blood dripping into the earth while the tattoo on his
chest burned. However, he never moved. He stayed until the sun had set and the
moon had risen to bathe the land in its silvery glow. All that remained of
Herald Siencyn was embered coals.

The priestess stood before Kori, and he offered her
his hand one more time. She took it and turned it palm up. No wound remained
and no blood. She looked as if dusted by moonbeams. No words were exchanged but
he read her sorrow in her large eyes. Only once she left did he leave from his
spot. And headed back to where he knew the pain would be lessened.

Chapter Thirteen

Lera sat up with a yawn. Without opening her eyes,
she knew Kori had yet to return. Unhurried, she opened her eyes. Her left palm
ached a bit but she flexed it and the pain left. Her eyes adjusted to the
darkness, and she discovered Adric laid out below the window, facing the door.

“Adric?”

‘Yes, vaj?’

She reached out and turned on a bedside lamp. The
room filled with a warm amber glow.

“You never told me if you had siblings.”

His sigh was easily experienced along the link.

‘I have littermates, yes. No, we are not all
born to be a vaj.’

Lower lip in her teeth, she got out of bed and
opened a drawer to withdraw some of her own clothes. “That must be difficult.”

‘We are wolves, vaj.’
He leapt up on her
bed with ease and lay there.

“Have you been in the caves?”

‘No. But I would suggest something warm.’

“Why?”

‘It’s winter where we’re headed.’

“Are you scared?”

‘No. I have no doubt this won’t be easy but I
am not scared.’

She wished she wasn’t. Lera moved to her closet
and began to pull things from it and toss them on the bed. Soon, there was a
pile of things beside the large wolf who lay as if he slept. She sorted through
them and packed her bag with what she considered to be necessities.

“How do I overcome my fear?” she asked before she
stiffened. Adric’s head popped up, and seconds later, a knock sounded on the
front door.

Downstairs in seconds, Lera and Adric moved to
the front door. Drawing it open, she was shocked to see Kori’s sister, Cairenn,
standing there. Her emerald eyes glittered hard like the stone. In her hands,
she held a thick package wrapped in plain brown paper.

“Cairenn MacLochlainne, please come in.”

The silence between them thick and awkward.
Cairenn stepped abruptly into the great room and tossed the package on the
couch. She paused near the fireplace then turned back. Lera waited by the back
of the sofa, near the object which had been dropped. Adric watched but made no
comment. After a few moments of nothing but leery stares being passed between
them, Cairenn crossed her arms.

“Something I can do for you?” Lera asked, not
willing to be intimidated in her own home.

“I want what’s best for my brother.”

The words left off were, “And you’re not it.”
Lera understood; she doubted herself enough.

“I don’t blame you. I want what’s best for my
siblings, too.”

Cairenn nodded. “Perhaps one day—”

“Tolerance works for me. I have siblings and very
few I would call friend. So long as we are on the same page about wanting
what’s best for Kori, that’s all I care about.”

“Me, too.” Cairenn gestured with one hand.
“That’s for you.”

Gaze flickering between the black haired,
green-eyed sister to her mate and the item, Lera moved to it and hefted it to
the back of the couch. With a deft move, her weapon was drawn and the twine
securing the gift fell away. Lying there on the paper sat folded leathers.
Black and ruddy leather. She removed them one at a time to lay them out on the
back of the sofa. They were soft and supple. A complete outfit, moccasins
included.

“These are beautiful,” Lera said in awe.

“Try them on.”

Even though it was an order, Lera followed it.
They fit like a dream and molded to her without hampering her movements.
Leather bands protected the vulnerable spot at her wrists and had the outline
of a wolf in them. She felt like a warrior.

“Cairenn, these are beautiful. Where’d you get
them?”

Without a word, the woman seemingly pulled a
leather coat from the air, only to drape it so it settled around Lera’s own
shoulders. The woman never actually touched her, though. The garment was so
soft against Lera’s skin.

“That’s all I can do,” the woman uttered,
sounding disgruntled.

“These are yours.”

“In a manner of speaking.”

It hit Lera. “You made them.”

“Yes.” Her expression grew almost gentle. “Travel
safe, little sister.”

As if Lera wasn’t even in the room, Cairenn went
on her way. Lera hurried to the window and watched her strip, shift, and run
off toward the woods.

‘Adric?’

‘I’d say your new family is strange. She loves
her brother, and no woman is good enough for him.’

‘Then, why give me a gift?’

‘Because you are her brother’s mate.’

She snorted and ran her palms over the leather
pants. “Great, didn’t want a tough job ahead of me or anything like that.”

Lupine laughter filled her head, and she shot
Adric a glare. The wolf merely yawned, showing her his sparkling white and
incredibly sharp teeth. She chuckled. Sliding her hands along the back of her
pants, she found a loop like in the pants she normally wore. Once her weapon
was secure, Lera removed the coat and admired the craftsmanship.

The door opened and brought her head up with a
snap. Stepping through the entry was her father and on his heels strode Kori.
The men looked tired but Kori also looked delicious. His black attire fit him
like a second skin, highlighting the coiled power within him. He shrugged off
his trench coat, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the silver jewelry
adorning his biceps and thick forearms. Wide bands engraved with intricate
Celtic knots and wolves. His tanned skin offset the silver hue, and his corded
arms seemed even stronger. She’d never seen him with anything like this before.

He met her gaze and winked. Her heart clenched
briefly. Kori ran his gray gaze over her, lust flaring to life. “Cairenn was
here,” he stated.

The way he stared at her was like he had
undressed her and licked every inch of her body. Dropping her gaze, she
smoothed her hands over the form-fitting top. It zipped up the back, tank top,
and had center lacing with wide ruddy laces on black leather up the front, over
the perforated vented center panel.

“What do you think?”

‘I don’t think I should say what I think in
front of your father,
mo anam.
He’s likely to disembowel me. Just know I
want to peel it all off of you. You look beautiful. And fucking hot.’

Fighting her smile, Lera met her father’s stare.
“It’s time for me to go, Daddy.”

Dane’s tawny-green-gold eyes overflowed with
love, and he walked to her then gathered her close.

“Travel safe, little one. Come home soon.”

Arms around him tightly, Lera didn’t want to let
go. He was safe, and she knew he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“I love you, Daddy.”

His lips were right by her ear. “You, Valera
Grace, are
my
daughter. A Sidorov and I will
always
love you.”

She blinked back tears. “Tell Mama I said
goodbye.”

Dane cupped her face with his large hands and
stared at her. She could feel his strength and warmth flowing through her. The
same as she had the day she met him. She reached up with one hand and pressed
her fingers along the scar on the inside of his wrist and rubbed it absently.

“Come back to us, little one.” He helped her on
with her coat.

“I will.” Or die trying.

He kissed her cheeks and stepped back. She
glanced over to Kori and saw his trench back on, and he waited by the door. In
his gaze, she found unwavering belief. He stretched out a hand to her. With a
final peek at her dad, she moved forward, tugged her gloves on, and settled her
hand in Kori’s. Along their private line—she discovered she also had one
between her and Adric—his love sped and surrounded her.

No words passed between them. Kori walked her to
the front door. She took small, almost hesitant steps. Her gaze traveled from
the smooth hardwood floors, floors she’d spent memorable times sliding on them
in her socks, to the thick beams of the second floor. The sturdy, handcrafted
furniture she’d used to battle imaginary demons, hold her baby siblings on, and
fall asleep with the security of a family who loved her. While they’d spent the
majority of her years as a Sidorov in her beloved South Africa, this place also
held numerous deliciously fond memories. On her tongue lingered what she could
describe as a sharp tang of loss or fear of loss. Blinking hard to keep the
tears at bay, she did her best to embed the memories in her brain.

‘We’ll be back,
mo anam.
’

She wished she could be as confident. Instead of
confidence, she had doubt and fear. So she remained silent. Kori opened the
door, and her breath caught. Adric pressed silently against her. Gathered by
the porch were people from Savoy. Some she knew, some she didn’t.

‘They’re staring at me like I’m freak.’

‘You are
not
a freak. You are a legend.
Remember, they’ve believed for so long the Haikon were mere myth, lost to the
passage of time.’

‘That doesn’t give them the right to stare at
me like I’m suddenly different.’

His thumb skimmed along the back of her hand,
making her wish she wasn’t wearing gloves. It also made her want to press
against him and rub all over his hard body.

‘I would have no objections to that, Lera.’
Low, decadent with his brogue, he spoke.

The mere hint of his seductive voice wiped away
her growing anger. She paused at the top steps before continuing on. Two males
paced her, one her mate and one her vaj. She passed uncles, cousins, and more.
She and Kori headed to his vehicle, and she cast one final glance to her father
who stood motionless on the top of the steps watching her before Kori drove
them closer to their destination.

Once he’d parked the Humvee, they headed off on
foot through the thick trees. A chill ran up her spine, and she knew they’d
reached the entrance to the caves. Near the cave, a figure stepped from the
dark, passing through the moonlight which seemed to gleam off the white robe.

They waited to see who it was. She smiled when a
slender brown hand pushed back the hood and allowed her to stare into the gaze
of her father’s best friend’s mate. Lady Nahia Van der Ness. Her Uncle Aren’s
wife was an elemental. A rare and powerful one who had the power of the four
main and basic elements flowing within her. But there was more than that. Lera
had learned growing up Lady Nahia was also tied to the man she called Daddy.
Soft brown eyes stared at her.

“Lady Nahia.” Kori’s voice held respect.

With a small nod, Nahia said, “Cormac
MacLochlainne.” The gaze never wavered. “It’s good to see you again, Valera. It
has been far too long.”

Although barely there, the reprimand existed. “It
has,” she agreed.

Nahia reached out, and releasing Kori’s hand,
Lera took hers and stepped into her embrace. Something pressed into her palm
but Nahia didn’t let her go.

“This gave me comfort, and I have a feeling it
will do the same for you. Travel safe, little niece,” Nahia whispered in her
ear before she stepped back and repositioned the hood so her face once again
obscured from sight. A slight pause, almost a hesitation, before she stepped
into a shaft of moonlight which had managed to penetrate the thick canopy and
vanished, shimmering from view as if becoming the air itself.

Lera swallowed then stared down at the object in
her palm. White, smooth, and intricately detailed, the pendant was that of a
tiger and eagle. Joined together, it was as if they were the same being.

“
Mo ghrá
?”

“I’m fine, Kori.” Brushing the item along her
lips, she tucked it inside her shirt so it rested along her heart. “Let’s go,”
she muttered with more confidence than she felt.

She observed as he moved his hands through the
air in some specific movements and spoke some words too low for her to
understand. The entrance appeared before them, and with one last fortifying
breath, she stepped forward into the unknown.

“Wait.”

Kori’s voice stopped her two steps in. Over her
shoulder, she watched him. More of those patterns with his hands and low words.
She assumed he’d replaced whatever he’d taken down. The only reason she could
see him was the shaft of moonlight near the entrance allowed it.

He moved toward her, face set and the look she
was used to seeing on him. Seriousness. Business. This was the hard,
unforgiving warrior she’d first met. Their gazes locked, and her body responded
sexually. His eyes warmed, and an almost imperceptible smile touched her mouth.

By the gods, she wanted this man.

“Let us go,
mo anam.
We have a long way to
travel.” The words, although delivered in his “business” tone, made her toes
curl. From the flare of heat in his gaze, she knew his thoughts were similar.

Side by side, they progressed. The tunnel was
larger than she’d expected. Still, she’d rather not be down here at all, but at
least she could stand and walk as opposed to crawling. They rounded a corner,
and what little light they had existed no more.

‘Adric?’

He pressed against her leg. She reached for her
bag, only to stop when Kori mumbled and a small sphere of light appeared.

“How’d you…?”

He winked at her briefly, softening his
expression. “Nice to know you don’t have me
all
figured out.”

She stuck her tongue out at him then glanced to
Adric. The wolf faced forward, head lowered, posture protective.

‘Ready when you are, vaj.’

Therein lay the problem.
‘I don’t know if I
am.’
She ran a hand down his back.

‘We’re with you, vaj.’

The sphere floated ahead and halted. Her belly in
knots, Lera took a breath and stepped forward. Kori was at her side and Adric
was on the other side. They continued in silence for a while, the darkness
illuminated by the small ball of greenish light. When they came to a split, all
three paused.