Chaos Burning (22 page)

Pride warmed him. “I think so too. When I was a boy and I’d get into trouble or make too much mischief around the house,
Mameri
would send me out to run the lake twice. I’d come back with my energy expended and tired enough to manage.”

“I like her. Your mother. I like the way she and your father are together.”

“They’re strong.” And had been a great example to him as he’d grown up. His father had been pretty notorious in his younger days. Even when he was with Simon’s mother he had other wives as was part of their accepted custom.

“When my mother died, Tila was already part of our household. She and my mother were close, which I know seems odd to you, but our culture is what it is.”

“I get it. And I respect that. As long as you have no such notions about me tolerating you dallying with anyone else. I don’t like to share.”

He knew his smile was lecherous, but he couldn’t help it.

“Cross was married to my mother. He loved her in his way. But he’s bound to Tila. There’s a difference.”

They’d wandered away from the house but could see it in the distance, could hear the magic of laughter and talk, of the clink of glasses and silverware.

“Yeah?”

“Would you like to know the difference?”

“Yes. I like to know things. Makes me less off balance. You leave me off balance.”

“I love your honesty.” He shook his head and drew her to a bench set back from the main path. “This is my favorite spot. In the daylight you can see to the Silver Mountain range. Beautiful.” He sat and put an arm around her. “Also it’s out of sight. Easier to steal kisses from young ladies this way.”

“Are you taking me to your make-out spot, Seymeon?” Amusement danced over her features, lightening his heart immeasurably.

He liked hearing her say his given name. Especially here.

“I told you I couldn’t remember the last time I didn’t get what I wanted.” He bent to steal a kiss and she ran her fingers through his hair as he did and hummed her satisfaction when he broke away.

“Tell me the difference. Sarayah already told me
ne’est
meant key. But I don’t know the whys.”

“My father had a wife and several different women he loved. Many of them lived right here on our land. They helped raise each other’s children. My mother, I’m told, was joyful and happy, content with her life and the sisterhood she felt with them. But when she died having me, he broke. She’d been his since they were children. Of course he didn’t act on it until they were both of age. But she was his best friend in many ways. His most valued confidante. And she was gone.”

Lark took his hand, tangling her fingers with his.

“Tila is a healer, as you know. So she came to him, expecting nothing. Only giving. They’d been lovers of course, he had children with her as well. But now she became something else to him entirely. She became
ne’est
.”

Recognition lit her features.

“Yes. She became integral to him in a totally different way. A way that set her apart from any other woman. He marked her, much like I have with you.”

Tension tightened her muscles. “Marked? Like the hickeys and bite marks you’re so fond of leaving?”

A shiver went through him. “Yes. But not just that. When
a male Lycian marks a female, he takes her as his mate. Not just as his wife, not as his girlfriend or the mother of his brood. He holds her out in public as his. As his commitment and his responsibility. And, I suppose, as his treasure.” He brushed a strand of her hair away from her face. “And then they performed the binding ritual. They are part of each other in a way very few can be. Very few choose to be. The werewolves have their fated mates and their own transmission of that mate bond. Lycians choose to make that binding. It is unusual and special and forever. That’s how it’s different and that’s why your being here on a bench I smooched some young females on a few centuries ago is different.”

She blinked up at him. There was fear on her features. Excitement too. Wariness. Much like everything else, she needed to process.

“I’m not ready for all this.” She swallowed and licked her lips. “You’re… I never expected you and I don’t entirely know what to make of you. Aside from the obvious. I like you. I like being with you. But there’s a huge jump from that to being someone’s forever anything. You can’t just spring this on me without telling me and expect me to roll with it. You didn’t even discuss this
ne’est
business with me before you announced it to your entire family. I don’t like not being consulted about important stuff, Simon.”

“I know Earth has rules about dating and marriage and all that. I respect that. But I’m not human and I’m not from Earth and I’m not going to be satisfied with anything less than the connection you and I are meant to have.”

She swallowed hard and licked her lips again. “Well, you’re going to have to be satisfied with all I can give you right now.” She pushed back and for some inexplicable reason it made him hot for her all over again, even as he wanted to growl at her stubbornness.

He laughed then. Of course he had to fall for the woman who would insist on doing things her own way. “This is what they call irony.”

“Also, let’s add that I’m not your type. I don’t want you to tie yourself to me and then regret it when you see Meriel all put together and manicured. Or every night at your club when
it’s filled with women who’d be happy to jump on your wedding tackle anytime anywhere.”

“Wedding tackle?”

“Your penis. Anyway, I’m not that. I don’t think I can be. I’m a mess and I color my hair on a whim, wear clothes I buy at garage sales and I like to wear wrist warmers.”

“I want
you.
What you are makes me want to beat my breast and howl at the moon. You are a warrior. A goddess. I want Lark, not anyone else. Look, you don’t need to make any decisions right now. I want you to know what I expect. I’m a demanding male. It’s important that you know this. But I won’t pussyfoot around the topic. I want you and I want you forever. Whether this is sudden to a human or not isn’t my concern, though I respect that you might want to think it over. But when we kick this Magister’s ass, I will be coming for you and for our forever.”

She looked out over the water as did he, just listening to the night and being with each other.

“Does it hurt?”

“Does what hurt?”

“This binding thing?”

He laughed. “No. I don’t think so anyway. I’ve seen the ritual performed a few times. It didn’t appear to be painful. It’s a spell, much like those you perform. We’ll be connected. The spell simply opens up that path between your magick and mine and ties us together.”

“And you won’t be expecting me to allow you to bed other women and have kids with them? Because that won’t be happening.”

He laughed again at the violence in her tone. “No. I want you. Only you. Kids, yes. A whole bunch of them. But only you.”

“Way to put me at ease, Simon. Hey, let’s talk about mortgages now!”

He snorted and tried not to laugh, but he failed. “I’m not trying to scare you. I just know what I know. I’m old enough to say that with utter surety.”

“Then you’ll have to back off and give me the space to say the same.”

He did sort of snarl that time and she gave him what she called the side-eye. “It’s silly to pretend you’re not the woman I want. And it’s silly for you to play human when it suits you.”

Her brows flew up and he knew he’d said the wrong thing.

“Don’t you even say stuff like that to me. You wanted honesty and then hid this
ne’est
stuff from me. And I told you exactly how I felt and what I needed. I gave you what you asked for so you don’t get to try to guilt me for it.”

He needed to remember she had sharp claws. Still, he knew by the time they’d defeated this threat, she’d be his. Hell, she was his now. He squeezed her to him.

“You’re even hotter when you get mad. I apologize for not telling you about the
ne’est
stuff and for telling my father first. I was proud and excited and I forgot about what I should have done.”

He got to her in a way she found herself utterly defenseless against. If he was just some dude working her to get her into bed, it’d be one thing. Or just some bossy guy who wanted to take over and own her.

But he wanted her. All of her. And he wanted her to know him. All of him. He was offering her roots and though he had no real way of knowing it, roots were the one thing she desired most. First with Meriel and the job offer and now this. Only this was better. And scarier too, she supposed.

“I have a lot of history here. This place is part of who I am and why I do what I do sometimes. I’d like to visit more when all this is over. Have you get to know me through my family and maybe understand my culture more. I’d like to know your family too.”

He breathed in deep and then stood, holding a hand out, and she took it, continuing their stroll.

“You’re very laid back about all this. Let’s say I come to a point where we take this another step. Won’t you miss your single life?”

“I’ve been a single male for six hundred years. I’ve done my time as a single male. Enjoyed it. I love women. I figured when the time came I’d settle down one way or another. Have children.”

Hm.

“You’re mad.” He paused and turned her to face him.

“Not mad. I know you aren’t a virgin. I had lovers before too.”

“You’re mad.” And he grinned like an idiot.

“Why do you have that look on your face? You’re making me nervous. Are you ill?”

“No. Not mad. You’re jealous.”

“I suppose you think jealousy is unnatural.”

He shook his head, still wearing that stupid grin. “Nope. I think jealousy means you like me.”

“Was that in doubt? Were we not just discussing our relationship and future and stuff?”

“Sure.
I
was anyway, you were going along and taking it all in with some remarkable grace. But I know you aren’t totally convinced about the forever part. But you’re jealous and that means you like me.”

“It means it’s totally dicky to mention how much you love women when you’re taking a romantic stroll around a lake with another woman.”

“Sometimes I think you’re an alien. I mean, you are in that you’re not human. But neither am I so that in and of itself isn’t bad. But you’re… well, you’re Lark and you’re not anything like anyone else I’ve ever known, much less had a want on for. But this jealous thing, that’s sort of delightfully female. I like it. I like it on you. It makes me feel better.”

“You’re weird. What kind of guy wants his woman to be mad at him?”

“If you were mad, you’d have closed up. I’ve seen you do it to others. No, you’re agitated. Your feathers are ruffled and generally you’re unflappable. I agitate you.”

“And yet you’re still smiling?”

He turned and got back to strolling. “You make me happy.”

And she couldn’t stop her own smile to that response. Goofball.

Chapter 18

SHE
walked down the street, othersight open and knew something bad was watching her.

Two witches walked down the block ahead of her, arm in arm, laughing and talking. Not aware of the menace stalking them, or even that she was behind them. Stupid. Even with all the warnings of late they still didn’t take care.

Something lay in the shadows just a block up. Their energy was nearly as cold as the November night air. Lark wanted to confront it, but not until these two were out of harm’s way.

So, she walked along, taking in the area, examining windows and doors for anything unusual. She’d come back during the day as well. They still didn’t know where the mages were headquartered. She couldn’t take the risk that perhaps they took shelter nearby. It needed investigating. If this was part of their hunting grounds, it was part of the mystery they tried to solve as a whole.

Lark shadowed the couple until they turned down a block and entered a building, going inside.

And then that cold, dark energy began to focus on her.

She tapped the phone and dialed Gage. “I’m at Sixth and Pine. I’m not alone.”

“I’m on my way. I’m just a few blocks away. Need me to call cops or reinforcements?”

“No. Just bring a vehicle so we can put a prisoner in it.” She disconnected and paused, looking around slowly. Just on the other side of the street, about half a block up. She saw the energy, knew one of the turned witches was there. She kept staring, letting him know she saw him. Waiting for him to make a move. She knew the area at her back was clear. Had swept it only a few minutes before, which was one less thing to worry about, though she didn’t let her attention go entirely. It never did to lose focus on possible threats just because you were facing a known one.

Things got very, very quiet and still. She had no intention of playing games. Enough was enough.

“Bring it,” she said softly, but projected it, knowing he’d hear.

He stepped out of the shadows. Tall. The sickness had eaten his aura away. Death edged at his form and she knew he didn’t have much time left. None at all if she had her way. Another stepped out and as she’d expected, one more. They seemed to travel in threes. This was now something she could put in her
I know these things about my enemy
column. Just the thought of it was a comfort.

“If you come quietly, we’ll make it as painless as we can.”

“Please.” She said it a little shakily and they took a step closer, believing she was afraid. Sick assholes. What they didn’t hear or see was the spell she cast to blur their physical presence from humans. Passersby would take the next block. People would decide not to look out the window. And she’d be able to do what she needed to in privacy.

She pulled out her weapon and shot one of them in the left kneecap.

“Please watch out,” she said this time, smiling.

Sick balls of dark magic slammed into her shields and she deflected while aiming it back at her attacker. Some of the dark energy touched her skin as she batted it away and she had to wrench back a gag as it entered her system, making her
sick. It wouldn’t kill her and the damage wouldn’t be permanent, but it wasn’t pleasant either.