A Love For Lera (Haikon) (15 page)

“You owe my mate thanks, Cormac MacLochlainne.
She told me to let you live.” Sending a heartfelt thanks to Aida, Kori remained
standing as if at attention and silent. “You should have told me.”

“Would that have changed anything?” Kori
questioned.

“Doubtful.”

He fought the urge to shift his feet. “And now?”

Dane sighed and crossed his arms as he looked
over his property. “Well, I promised my wife I wouldn’t kill you, and I don’t
want my little one hurt anymore so I guess we’re done.”

Kori could hear the discontent in Dane’s tone. He
had just breathed in relief when Dane’s gaze snapped back to him, still
hostile.

“One more thing. You cause
my
daughter one
ounce, one
sliver,
of pain or heartbreak and I will make you hurt so
bad, you’ll beg me to kill you.” Dane’s eyes narrowed. “And I won’t.”

Then, he was gone, leaving Kori alone outside.
Raking a hand through his hair, he cast a glance around.
Well, that went
wonderfully. That man really wants to kill me.
He headed for the door and
entered the cabin.

Chapter Eleven

Lera watched Kori stride into the living room. He
moved with such power and grace she had a hard time tearing her gaze away. The
fact he was hers was still hard for her to believe. But, he’d always been
special to her, and she never feared he would hurt her. And, as an added bonus,
the sex was more than she could have imagined.

‘Are you okay, Kori?’

She met his eyes, and her insides melted when he
sent her a wink and a smile. Adric nudged her hand, and she rubbed his head.
Her father looked at her, and in the depths of his eyes, she could read of his
love for her. Never had she expected her life to be like this and so full of
love. Growing up as Dane’s daughter had been full of love but this was
different. She had not only Dane, but also Adric, her vaj, and Kori. Her mate.

“Come with me, Valera. Time for us to talk,” Dane
said.

Immediately, she got to her feet and went with
him outside. Silent, they walked across the open field to the lake, Adric
padding easily beside her. On the far side, Dane stopped and shoved his hands
in his pockets. For the first time in her life, her father appeared old to her.

“I’m sorry, Lera.”

She frowned. “Daddy? What do you mean? You have
nothing to be sorry for.”

“Yes, I do.” He looked at her. “I should have
understood your pain and realized what was going on.”

Wrapping her arms around him, Lera said, “How were
you supposed to know? Please don’t blame yourself. The Haikon had become
stories and legend. It’s new for all of us, but it worked out. It’s okay.
I’m
okay.
”

His arms closed about her. “I’m so proud of you,
daughter.” He kissed the top of her head before setting her back a bit so they
could have eye contact. “And I don’t care how old you are, if you
ever
think of forfeiting your life or doing something like that again, I’ll ground
you for the remainder of your days. And kick the ass of that man of yours for
going along with the idea.” His voice gruff.

“I love you, too, Daddy.” Not even questioning
how he’d known her plans for it’s what he did as an Enforcer…well, not all he
did, but a portion.

“I mean it, Lera. You mean everything to not just
me but the whole family. You
are
my daughter and therefore always more
important than my own life.” His arms tightened again. “I don’t know what I
would have done if I’d lost you.”

Tears gathered in her eyes.

‘Vaj. We can’t tarry long. Our kind needs our
help.’

“Daddy, what do you know about the Haikon?”

He stepped away from her. “An ancient race.
Persecuted violently and ruthlessly. They began denying their gifts in order to
live but that was also a death sentence.”

That was basically what Adric had told her.

“Are there more Haikon nearby?” Dane glanced to
Adric with that question.

‘We are few. Too few. But there are bands
scattered throughout the world.’

She relayed Adric’s comment. Dane rubbed his chin
and glanced from her to her wolf.

“Call your mate, Lera.”

‘Kori?’

‘Yes,
mo anam?
’
His soothing timbre
brought to mind the security of being held in his arms.

‘Daddy wants you down here.’

‘What about you? Do you want me?’

‘With every breath I take.’

‘I love you,
mo anam.
’

He appeared at her side in no time. Dane glanced
between the two of them.

“Take her to
The Medius
, Kori. See what
you can discover in
Agnitio Infinitus
. I need to go talk to someone.”

Before she could say a word, her father sprang
away, shifting mid-jump, and vanished in the trees, a blur of white fur as his
tiger form carried him to an unknown destination.

Glancing to Kori, she touched his arm. “What’s
The
Medius
?
And
Agnitio Infinitus
?”

“
Agnitio Infinitus
means infinite or
boundless knowledge. It’s part of
The Medius
, or the middle. Has more
history than you could ever want to know.”

Interesting.

“So…how do we get there?”

“It’s a ways off, how I know to get there.” He
pointed to the towering mountains beyond the cabin.

“Let’s go then.”

“Lera—”

She shifted before him and bounded away. Part way
across the field, she paused and glanced back toward Kori. He had this
dumbfounded expression on his face.

‘I’ve been able to shift for a day, Kori.
Surely you can keep up.’

Masculine pride flitted across his features,
replacing the astonished look. He shifted and set after her in moments. The
wolf trio flowed through the trees covering the Pantera Mountains. One female
ran between two males. Lera smiled and stretched out even more. As one they
cleared a sparkling stream to land gracefully on the opposite bank and carry
on.

She halted when Kori did. He shifted and looked
at her before dropping to his knees and reaching for her. Lera waited while he
burrowed his hands into her plush ruddy coat.

“You are absolutely beautiful,
mo ghrá
,”
he whispered. “Absolutely beautiful.”

With a nudge to his chest, she moved back and
returned to her human shape. Kori rose to stand before her. Her heart tightened
at the burning look in his eyes. Pride brimmed in the gray orbs.

“Lera—”

“No, Kori. My people need my help. I don’t have
time for emotions.”

‘Vaj, this is new to him as well.’
Adric’s
subtle reprimand floated through her mind.

She swallowed and swiped her tongue along her
lower lip. Without flinching, she met Kori’s gaze. The eyes which created so
much emotion in her had none. They were cold.

“I’m sorry, Kori; that was harsh and uncalled
for.”

“Let’s go find what we can.” His tone fell flat
and impersonal around her.

“Kori?”

He turned from her and walked between two trees,
vanishing from sight. She frowned but glanced at Adric then followed. It felt
like cool liquid flowing over her skin. Very brief and when it had passed, the
air left her body with the view before her.

Never before had she seen anything like this. The
beauty surpassed all. Green grasses, crystal blue waters, snow capped
mountains, forests, fields, and more.

Kori was ahead of her, moving with his effortless
masculine stride. To her left, she saw three men watching her with avid
curiosity. Her heart sped up slightly. Closing her eyes, she inhaled sharply
and reopened them. Kori was no longer in view.

Before she could think of figuring out where he
was, his deep timbre wove around her from behind.

“Are you okay?”

“I couldn’t see you,” she admitted, well aware of
how it made her sound. Childlike and nearly petulant.

His strong hands settled on her shoulders and
slowly rotated her so they were face to face. He didn’t speak, just slid his
hands up to cup her face then kissed her. Slipped his tongue along her lips
before he delved inside. With a whimper, she sighed and leaned into his marbled
physique.

‘I’ll never leave you,
mo anam.
’

‘I didn’t mean to sound so bitchy earlier.’

He ended the kiss and stroked her cheek with his
knuckles. “We’ll discuss it later. Let’s go.”

She kissed the pad of his thumb and nodded. They
walked side by side with Adric making it so she was between them. People seemed
to materialize and watch her. People she didn’t know, and it began to make her
uncomfortable. She, along with her male escorts, moved soundlessly to the side
of a mountain. The cry of an eagle broke the air, and she looked up.

‘Adric?’

‘Yes, vaj?’

‘Do you have siblings?’

‘I do not know, vaj, if now is the time.’

“Welcome to
Agnitio Infinitus,
mo anam
.
”

She frowned as she looked from Kori to the object
before her. “I’m supposed to learn from the side of a rock?”

Kori chuckled. A decadent, moisture gathering
sound. “Go through.”

She pushed through and again was covered by the
liquidy feeling as had been previously from arriving into this area. Once
through, she froze. It was massive. As far as she could see there were book,
scrolls, tomes, and more.

“Oh my,” she muttered in awe.

“Yeah, I had that reaction the first time I came,
too.”

“I’ve never…there are so many.” She kept glancing
around.

“I think what we’re after is over there.” Kori
pointed to the right.

Swallowing hard, she began to head in that
direction. She kept one hand buried in Adric’s fur as they walked. Five minutes
later, Lera sat at a large table, an old dusty tome before her. Worrying her
lower lip, she took a deep breath and opened the heavy cover then began to
read.

Kori could actually say he did more watching of
Valera than searching for information on The Haikon. Despite the scrolls laid
out before him, he found his gaze zeroed in on Lera. She sat thumbing through a
heavy tome, her thick hair partially obscured her brown face, and the features
he could see were drawn in a look of fierce concentration. At her feet, Adric
lay motionless, massive black head on his paws, eyes closed but for all Kori
knew communicating with Lera.

His wolf stirred restlessly at the reminder she
and Adric shared something between them, something which excluded him and he
didn’t fully understand. Kori recognized it was jealousy but he couldn’t help
it. Lera was his mate. His.

Her thick lashes rose, and he found himself
ensnared by her gorgeous pooling eyes. They heated with endless passion, and he
ground his teeth when her tongue snuck out and dampened her full, entirely
kissable lips.

‘So serious, Kori. Did you find something
disturbing?’

‘Not at all,
mo anam.
’
It amazed
him how in tune she seemed to be with his emotions.

‘Then, what’s wrong?’

Her concern for him, so honest, pure, and true
made him smile. He rose from his seat and prowled toward her. Her lips parted,
pupils dilated, and the pulse along her neck increased. He never slowed, just
strode up to her, wrapped his fist in some of her luxurious copper-highlighted
hair, drew it back and engulfed her.

He drove his tongue deep in her mouth, stroking,
stabbing, and delving all through her heat. She purred and pressed up into him,
her tongue dueling with his. The touch of her hand as it slid across his torso
sent lust slamming into his loins. Her short nails scored him through the shirt
he wore. As long as he lived, he knew he’d never get enough of her. It just
wasn’t possible.

With a rumble, he lifted her straight out of the
chair with his other arm and molded her curves to him. In the space of a
heartbeat, his world narrowed to revolve solely around the woman in his
embrace. Her taste flooded his senses, and he tightened the fist sunk deep in
her hair and thrust his tongue harder, craving more. Her desire matched his,
and his cock was heavy and hard, aching to find release within her.

‘I want you.’

‘Kori.’
Her husky voice propelled him to a
harder state.

‘Aye?’

She curved a hand around the back of his neck,
teasing the sensitive skin beneath his hair. Hot, primal need roared through
his veins. His wolf right there, encouraging him to take his mate.

“Get off my daughter, Kori.”

Dane’s cold, emotionless voice had the same
effect as if Kori had dove into the Arctic Ocean.
Has about the same amount
of warmth in it, too. But at least he called me Kori.

With great reluctance, he backed away from Lera’s
luscious mouth. He kept his body in front of her, releasing her hair to swipe
his thumb along her kiss-swollen lips. Her eyes smoldered before she brought
herself under control. Her tantalizing touch left, and he felt bereft. A
slight, embarrassed smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

Slowly, like he had all the time in the world, he
turned, keeping himself between Lera and Dane. Not necessary, given where they
were, but instinctive for him. Dane wasn’t alone. Another man stood beside him,
clothed in dark green robes. Awareness slammed into him.

Herald Siencyn.

Lera peered around him. “Hello, Daddy.”

Her breath caught, and Kori frowned before he
could stop it. The forest green robes, black hair, eyes the same rich color as
his robes and tanned skin. Kori had seen it many times before—women found
Herald Siencyn attractive. Magnetic even. It had never bothered him.

Until now.

He adjusted his stance so Lera could no longer
see the Herald. Or so he thought until a soft snort of derision escaped her,
and she merely walked to his side.

“Hello, little one.” Dane spoke smoothly, his
powerful voice telling everyone there how much she meant to him. Not a flicker
on Dane’s expression changed, and yet, Kori could feel the gaze upon him deadly
and predatory. Where he was the hunted and his hunter seemed to be waiting for
the opportunity to go in for the kill.

The man in green stepped forward, hands hidden
beneath the wide sleeves of the robes and meeting at his midsection.

“Greetings, Cormac MacLochlainne.” The words
floated across the interior, deep and resonating. He inclined his head once
before he placed intense green eyes upon Lera. “It is my honor to meet you,
Valera Grace Sidorov of the Haikon. I am Herald Siencyn.”

Kori watched Lera. He doubted she even noticed
how her body leaned closer to him, he definitely noticed. She held the dark
gaze of Herald Siencyn and said, “Very nice to meet you as well.”

Dane paced Siencyn, and they moved closer until
they were near enough for the pleasantry of shaking hands should they so
choose. Kori marveled at Lera. He could sense her discomfort at the unknown man
coming closer but she gave none of her feelings away. Her expression remained
neutrally polite. He knew she trusted her father with her life and knew Dane
would never bring harm within her vicinity, yet even so, the approach of a
person she didn’t know made her wary. Her body instinctively adjusted into a
defensive posture. Unless you knew what to look for, all it seemed she did was
move a bit. Kori knew better. And he knew Dane did as well.