The Mating Season: Werewolves of Montana Book 6 (38 page)

“I bet it’s very convenient for sex. Hey Mitchell, this is your official new uniform. Don’t you dare remove it.”

“Nia, I’m a rancher, not a Scot!”

“Learn to ride a horse in it.”

As he started to mutter something about chafing, she pressed a finger against his lips. “Just for a little while. I want to admire your manly, handsome body.”

Niki smiled softly at Aiden’s resigned expression as he bent his head and kissed her. She caressed Tristan’s hair. The door opened and Darius strode inside.

“Hey Aiden, I have the guys assembled to patrol. Where do you want…” Darius stared at his alpha.

“Don’t laugh,” the alpha growled.

Darius doubled over, chuckling. “Look at those hairy knees!” He ran to the door. “Kyle, bring the guys. Aiden’s wearing a skirt!”

“It’s a kilt,” Nia countered.

Darius, Kyle, Jackson and five other male Lupines rushed into the room. They hooted with laughter. Then they looked at Tristan.

“How is he?” Darius asked.

“He’s sleeping. I hope.” Her voice trembled.

Darius shook his head, his gaze kind. “Tell us what we can do to help. Tristan brought Sam and me together. Anything I can do to protect him, say the word.”

“Me too,” Kyle echoed. “He saved my Arianna.”

“He’s a good wizard,” Jackson chimed in. “Tell us what you need, my lady, and we’ll get it.”

The other males gathered around, looking respectful. “He’s our guardian. We pledge our loyalty and protection to him, and to you, as we do to our alpha and leader and his mate.”

Emotion clogged her throat as the big, rugged cowboy Lupines fell to one knee and bowed their heads.

Then they filed out of the bedroom and a sense of peace stole over her.

For the first time, she believed everything would be okay, no matter what.

He felt as if he were emerging from a deep pit to new life.

Tristan slowly awoke to find a dark-haired man opposite him, in a rocking chair. He blinked in total confusion. Where was he and
who
was he?

Memory proved elusive. He inhaled, and smelled wolf. Lupine, he remembered.

Seeing him struggle to sit up, the dark-haired man came over to the bed. “Thank the goddess you’re awake, Tristan. About damn time.”

Confused and his mind sluggish, he tried to orient himself. “Are you a great laird?”

The Lupine stared.

“You’re wearing a kilt.”

“I’m not Scottish,” the man said. “I’m wolf.”

He sat up and rubbed his nape. He breathed slowly and deeply, and inhaled a masculine scent into his lungs. Lupine. He knew this scent.

“Alpha,” he muttered. “Mitchell.”

The man nodded. “Aiden. And you’re Tristan, the Silver Wizard.”

He was beginning to recall some of his memories. He flipped through them in his mind like playing cards. Odd. The names sounded familiar, yet upon searching his memory, he had no recollection of them. “Why am I here?”

“You used your immortal powers to save Niki.” Aiden took a deep breath. “Your true love, and your mate.”

He frowned and rubbed his nape again, hating this sluggish feeling. “Why would I mate with a male?”

“Nikita.” Aiden spoke slowly. “My mate’s twin sister.”

“Nikita.” He tested the name on his tongue. It felt like a good name. “She sounds quite lovely.”

Aiden smiled. “She is. Just like her sister.”

Suddenly a blonde woman of ethereal beauty appeared in the bedroom. Dressed in a blue shirt and jeans, she saw him and her gaze softened. “Oh thank the goddess you’re awake!”

Tristan climbed out of bed and caught the woman in his arms, kissing her deeply. And then he remembered everything, and fell into her like water, still kissing her.

“How…” he pulled away, searching her face. “Did I come back?”

Niki looked up at him, her expression filled with wonder. “Your friends, the other wizards. They combined their powers and gave you their immortality. A portion of it, anyway.”

He stilled the hand caressing her hair. “It is forbidden. They broke the law.”

“I made them do it, Tristan. It was the only way to save you.”

For now, he had his Nikita back in his arms. His love. His forever mate.

He kissed her again and heard Aiden mutter, “I’ll leave you two alone, and tell the others you’re awake, and very occupied.”

The door closed behind him. He barely noticed. Nikita’s lips were sweeter than the most fragrant honey and her hair…he tore his mouth away and buried his head in her satin locks. Her hair smelled like apples and flowers.

“I love you,” he whispered, nuzzling his cheek against hers. “My greatest fear as I lay there fading into shadow was leaving you behind, and never seeing you again. Just as I feared I would never see you again when they killed me all those years ago.”

“I’m here now, love.” She took his palm and placed it on her belly. “And so is our babe. He’s fine.”

“Our babe?” Tristan searched with his powers and felt a tiny life pulse there. Joy filled him. “I will be a father, at last. And we will be a family.”

But her smile looked troubled. “I have your powers now, Tristan. And I’m pregnant, so does that mean our baby will as well? What will that do to him, or her?”

“I do not know.” He kissed her brow. “But our son will grow and be strong.”

She rolled her eyes. “And if it’s a girl?”

“He is a boy. I can tell.” He nodded with satisfaction as he used his powers to feel the baby, no larger than a walnut, stir beneath his hand.

“Right. My mate, the wizard sonogram.”

A tingle rushed down his spine, a rush of tremendous power. He knew what this meant—Danu was calling him back to Tir Na-nog.

Alarm filled him. He looked at Nikita, his mouth tight. “The goddess calls us both to join her in Tir Na-nog.”

Chapter 23

He knew this time was coming, and dreaded it.

Nikita gripped his hand. “Tristan, what will happen? I’m scared. You broke the rules and so did I.”

He kissed her brow again. “I do not know, but Danu is not capricious. She is firm, but fair. Are you ready?”

She looked at him with a question in her eyes. “Where are we going?”

“Tir Na-nog. Now that you are as immortal as I am, you do not have to go through the Shadow Lands.”

Holding tight to Nikita’s hand, he let the power consume him, closing his eyes, feeling the dizzying rush. When he opened his eyes, he and Nikita were standing on a bed of the softest emerald green grass in a field. Purple and blue mountains dotted the horizon.

With a soft pop of air, Xavier, Caedryn and Gideon appeared next to them. Tristan felt his concern rise. “What is this?”

“Reckoning day,” Caedyrn said grimly. “The goddess called us here.”

A violent trembling shook Nikita’s hand. Tristan murmured soothing words, but even he was apprehensive.

And then a brilliant flash of light illuminated the air, and the wizards dropped to their knees. Tristan did as well, but Nikita remained standing.

“Nikita,” he urged, “kneel before Danu, the mother goddess who created us all. Please, do it now!”

But as he dared to glance up, he saw his beloved stare at the goddess, a look of wonder on her lovely face. Nikita looked as radiant as the goddess herself.

“It’s you! I remember you!” she cried out, and ran to the goddess.

Shock filled Tristan as Nikita embraced Danu, who laughed and embraced her back.

Slowly the wizards stood, looking at each other in pure bewilderment.

“You were the one who greeted me when I died. You told me everything would be all right and I would find happiness again. And my baby would be reincarnated to someone very special who needed him.” Nikita’s eyes were shining now as she stepped back. “I forgot all that when I left this world the first time. When I was here before, you helped me create a world here where I could forget all my past sorrow, and be fully wolf and free again.”

She took in a deep breath. “I was here for a long while, and then you sent me back to Earth.”

Danu gently touched Nikita’s cheek. “As wolf, to live in the wild as a pure, untamed creature of nature. You ran free and wild until it was time for you to be reborn, and fulfill your destiny as Tristan’s mate. That is why your wolf needed to run at night, my child. She remembered well your time on Earth as wolf that heeded the call of her pack, and her spirit.”

“Being wolf helped me overcome my sorrow. Thank you, Danu.” Nikita bowed her head.

“My beautiful child, you have turned out to be a lovely woman with a good heart, just as I had wished,” Danu whispered in her pure, musical voice.

The goddess smiled at Nikita as his mate rested her head against Danu’s shoulder. But her look turned severe. She gently disentangled herself from Nikita’s grip and flicked a finger. A pack of wolves appeared.

The lead wolf was pure white and her tail beat the air as she saw Niki. Niki inhaled the air.

“You’re granting one of my dearest wishes. It’s my Mom,” she breathed.

The goddess nodded. “After she died birthing you and your sister, your mother chose to remain here, running as wolf. You may join her. Go, my child. Go run with her and the pack. I have business to discuss with my wizards.”

Nikita cast a worried look in his direction. “I broke your rules. Don’t blame them. I made them do it.”

Danu looked amused. “My dear child, they cannot be forced into doing anything they do not wish. I know, for I made them immortal, and I know their hearts, and their stubbornness.” She gave Nikita a gentle push. “Go, run with your brethren wolves who watched over you when you were here before. I shall call you back when I am ready.”

With a last worried look at him, Nikita waved a hand and shifted into a beautiful white wolf. Howling, she raced toward her mother, who nuzzled her with great affection. Then the pack tore off, running through the meadow.

The goddess watched them a moment with a soft smile. When she turned back, her smile had turned into a severe look.

“Uh oh,” Xavier said softly. “We’re going to get it now.”

“You broke an ancient law I warned you to never break, my wizards. You, Tristan, gave Nikita all your powers as the immortal wizard.” She turned to him and he felt the tingle of her power rush toward him. He looked her in the eye.

“I did it for love, my lady. I would do it again in a heartbeat, to save her.”

“Love is not enough. You interfered in her fate, her destiny.” Danu took a deep breath. “She was not destined to die. She would have been saved by another, had you not interfered. Drust would have saved her.”

Jaw dropping, he could only stare. Drust? His old friend, the Coldfire Wizard. “I am most sorry, my lady. But how was I to know?”

“Your apology cannot erase what you have done, Tristan. Had you trusted in fate as you have done for all your charges over the centuries, and called upon Drust for help, he would have appeared to you. You promised him that you would call upon him in your hour of need. But your pride prevented you from doing this.

“I taught him to control the coldfire specifically to revive the dying. He would have shocked Nikita’s heart back to life and in doing so, eased the guilt he still feels at being mated to the one who caused her death all those years ago. The balance would have been even. And you removed Nikita’s choice of choosing immortality with you or mortality with her family, albeit for the right reasons.”

Her gaze was kind. “I have no choice, my son. For this transgression, I am removing part of your magick and giving it to Drust.”

To lose his powers, after regaining them was too ironic. Tristan felt panic surge. “Which part?”

“The magick inside you that allows you to control any dragon shifter. It will require you to work with Drust, as his mentor, to guide the dragons until Drust is experienced enough to do it on his own. Should you ever require magick to exterminate a dragon, you shall have to call upon Drust.”

Grief and alarm filled him. Losing his magick was like losing his left arm. Even a small part of his powers made him feel helpless all over again. He tried to tamp down his fears with a joke. “I suppose that is better than losing my balls all over again.”

Danu gave a slight smile.

He hated giving up an ounce of his magick, for it reminded him of how helpless he’d been when he’d died long ago. Surrendering it for love was one thing. But surrendering it as punishment…

But as always, the goddess was right. He had failed to trust his instinct, and let his blinding panic and grief cast aside all the level-headedness he always had used in dealing with a crisis. And he had failed to let Drust even the balance and erase his own guilt.

With a heavy sigh, he bowed his head. “I understand, and accept your judgement, my lady.”

She came forward, bearing a silver sword. He braced himself and the other wizards winced.

Danu sank it into his heart. White-hot pain exploded in his chest. Tristan gasped for breath, trying to steady himself. Power flickered along the sword, tendrils of pure silver magick.