Summon (25 page)

I placed myself between them and Marinette. The
gesture was useless.

I failed
them.

Raj hesitated then stood beside me, a mean snarl
ripping from his pale lips.

The sadistic godling paid us no mind. She busied
herself tormenting the dying witches who lay crippled on the floor.

“I warned you,” Malice murmured.

He caught Naomi as she slipped from my arms and
scooped her up. She’d fainted as the werewolves mauled the bodies of her fallen
Siblings.

“I’ll take care of them.” Malice jerked his chin at
the women. “Follow me. Gwendolyn and Raj will protect you until we reach my
refuge.”

Mouth dry, I turned dead eyes to him. “Why?”

“A question that has many answers. I’m taking your
Daughters because you need to focus. Marinette’s Familiar has returned.” He
inclined his head to the black-feathered owl perched on a nearby tree.
“Whatever she’s waiting for has happened. Something changed at the fairy Wyld.
The godlings there are weakened in some way. It’s time to pick.”

I eyed him, and the way he cradled Naomi in his
arms. “Pick? What do you mean?”

“A side. Choose your allegiance.” Malice grinned,
already shrugging off the horror he’d witnessed. He paused to throw a parting
shot over his shoulder. “You got serious shit to think on. No?”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Alec

Breandan
appeared lost as he wandered into the forest. Conall and Lochlann walked off
ranting at each other about their younger sisters, but Breandan merely
slouched, and trudged into the trees.

Baako gave him a minute lead then silently
followed.

“You think he’ll be okay?” I asked.

Maeve stood with her arms looped around my neck,
but her attention focused in the direction of her older sibling. The expression
on her face was nothing other than pained. “Breandan is a loner, and secretive
with his thoughts. He’s used to working through his troubles alone.” She
nibbled on her top lip with sharp bottom teeth. “He’s different with Rae. I don’t
think he’ll last long before he goes after her.”

I studied her beautiful face. “I think so too.”

Delicate arches of red hair pulled low in concern.
Her crescent of darker eyelashes fluttered as her eyes adjusted, her gaze
piercing the deeper shadows of the misty forest her brother escaped to.

“I couldn’t bear to know you faced danger without
my protection.”

“I feel the same.” She flushed and moved closer.
“That’s why I’ve come to a decision.”

I trawled my hand through her fiery locks,
marvelling at their softness, and crisp floral scent. “Sounds ominous, Maeve,
my own.”

“When you leave, I’m coming with you.”

I cocked my head signalling confusion even as my
heart leapt. “You’re not the High Priestess?”

“Tradition ties the Priestess here to the Wyld.” She
rubbed her forehead. “I think I can split my time between the two.” She glanced
at me, hopeful. “Could you stay here half the year?”

“No.” I cupped her cheek. “I’m Alpha. My Pride is
in turmoil. It would be cruel to abandon them now. We’re a male dominated
society, and I must be present to keep the potential alphas in line.”

She blinked. “Then I’ll pass the responsibility to
someone else.”

I wanted to scoop her into my arms and laugh. The
shame and unhappiness reflected in her eyes stopped me. “I can’t let you do
this.”

“This was never my destiny.”

“I didn’t expect the position of Alpha, but I am.”

“This is something I’m honoured to have been given,
but it’s not my life. I admit if you weren’t in the picture I’d be seeing this
as everything, but knowing you’re out there makes me see this isn’t worth as
much as I thought. I understand why Rae was so angry at everyone expecting her
to choose duty over her heart when she saw a way to have both.” She rested her
cheek on my chest. “I’m going with you.”

I wrapped my arms around her. “Promise me if you
change your mind you’ll tell me.”

“I won’t.”

“Your family–”

“Will deal with it.”

My eyes widened. “Lochlann is going to freak.”

“He won’t kill you, no matter what he says, or how
close his sword swings.”

The threat of death didn’t lessen my ardour. The
beast thrashed inside, wanting to soothe our mate, and complete the Claiming.

My teeth elongated, and saliva slicked the walls of
my mouth, pooled on my tongue.

I
craved
the bite that would make her mine.

Digging deep, I found the strength to pull back,
and use my brain rather than the lust-driven organ further south.

It was too soon, and everything up in the air. I
wanted it to be special. Maeve rushing the decision to become one with me would
be a grave mistake.

Fairies didn’t mate the same as other demon
species. Even goblins were known to get crazy aggressive if the female they
bred was under threat from another male.

I didn’t want Maeve to see me as uncouth, or unable
to repress my animalistic urges.

“Do it.” Her breathy voice made me jolt. Her
fingers stroked my cheek and swept down to my chest then lower. She flattened
her hand against my abdominals and gasped when they tightened. “It’s okay.”

“We’re different, Eve.” I violently trembled,
gripped her upper arms to keep her from touching me. It was difficult to think
straight. “I do this, and there’s no going back.”

“I understand.”

“It’ll hurt.” My voice was gravelly. “You’re not a
shifter.”

She swallowed nosily, but her eyes were steady.
“Okay.”

I tangled a hand in her hair and gently pulled. Her
head tilted, and I tugged on the collar of her dress. I hungrily scrutinised
the perfect skin covering her slender throat and shoulder.

Lowering my head, I ran my nose over the curve of
her jaw then pressed my mouth to her racing pulse. My canines
throbbed
, ached with need. They grazed
her skin. Maeve shivered and shimmied closer, her lithe body pressed tightly to
mine chest to groin. Her arms wrapped around my waist and kneaded my lower
back.

Breathing hard, my jaw opened wide.

Mine.

A hand grabbed a fistful of hair at the back of my
head and yanked.

Roaring, I pushed a startled Maeve away and
twisted, lashing out.

Nimah ducked my claws, fuming. “Not only am I
stopping something monumentally stupid, Alec, I need your attention. I can’t
wait three days until the mating heat lets you climb off of her.”

“Nimah, what the hell are you doing.” I dragged
Maeve into the protective shield of my body.

“Mating heat?” Maeve cried.

Her cheeks were rosy from the excitement of before,
her eyes glassy. Her gaze bounced between the two of us and Amelia, who hovered
behind her twin, body tense and expression mortified.

Nimah’s sneer of distain took ‘unkind’ to a whole
new level. “Didn’t you know that part?” she asked. “Three days of sex where
you’ll be scratched and bitten until his inner beast is satisfied its Claim on
you can’t be disputed.”

Horrified, Maeve gaped. Her gaze swung to me,
accusing. “Why didn’t you tell me this?”

“I told you, we’re different. I told you it would
hurt.”

She stared into my eyes, looking for sincerity. “I
thought you meant the bite. I didn’t realise how involved the animal within you
needed to be.”

Nimah scoffed a laugh. “How dumb are you? He’s a
shapeshifter.
He spends half of his time
as a panther, and since you’re not two natured the beast’s satisfaction
threshold is going to be damn high.” Nimah snorted. “I have doubts you’ll even
survive. Shifter females are designed to withstand the vicious aspects of the
mating heat.”

“Enough,” I bit out, warning her.

Maeve shot me a cross look and shook off my arm.
“Let her speak.” She planted herself in front of Nimah, face troubled. “Go on.”

“You can’t shift into animal.”

“And?”

“You won’t be able to fully sate your mate’s need
for intimacy.”

“I do not understand.”

“The panther can’t mount you. It’ll drive the beast
insane with need, and its urges will rise when Alec breeds you. He’ll be more
aggressive and dominant because the other half of his soul is frustrated.”
Nimah rolled her eyes. “And I thought Rae was dense.”

Maeve blinked. When the full implications of
Nimah’s words filtered through her shock, she pressed a hand to her chest.
“Oh.”

“I suppose it’s a good thing fairies heal fast.
Alec will literally tear into your ass.”

Maeve paled. Stumbling back, her chin burrowed into
her chest. “I see.”

Nimah scowled. “This is our alpha female?”

Struggling to keep my human form, I ground my back
teeth together. I doubted shifting and slapping Nimah’s lynx around the
clearing would improve Maeve’s impression of me, even if her beast matched my
panther in aggression and ferocity. “Finished?”

“Not even close. Tell her she can’t stay.” Nimah
pointed behind her. “Explain why staying here when the Pride leaves is stupid
and irresponsible.”

Amelia joined us and threw me an apologetic look.
She placed a gentle hand on her twin’s waist and hugged her from behind. “Ni,
this isn’t the way.”

“Tell her, Alpha.” Nimah’s eyes burned. “Please.”

“I can’t force her to return home if she doesn’t
want to.”

“Yes, you can.” She blinked angrily, and tears
slipped down the sides of her face. “As Alpha your beast can command her
wayward ass. I’m telling you to
order
her home.”

My thin patience cracked. I looked a question at
Amelia, hoping she had a damn good answer for riling her twin enough to disturb
me as I Claimed my mate.

“I’ve decided to stay here at the Wyld with Ana,
Alpha,” Amelia explained, eyes averted. She bared her throat in submission as a
sign of respect. “I’m going to ask to become her Familiar.”

Having seen how protective the werelynx was of the
white witch, her words weren’t surprising. “She doesn’t need a protector.”

“I want … I think … she’s….” Amelia flushed. It
brought a comely tint to her plain face. “I think she’s amazing.”

“Father would be ashamed of you.” Nimah shook her
sister away. “You’re abandoning your Pride,
your
family
, and for what?”

“Why is it
me
abandoning
you
?” Amelia asked. “You
could stay here with me. Help me help the fairies.”

“I don’t want to. Their business is not ours.”

I tried to interject. “Byron–”

“My Alpha made the right decision the first time
around,” Nimah yelled. “We were going to leave and go
home
. Then those stupid humans attacked, and everybody got cold
feet, staying to help when they should have run far and fast.”

“We can’t think only of ourselves,” Amelia said.

“Why not.” Nimah flung out an arm, a gesture
encompassing the Wyld. “The fairies are doing pretty well for themselves. They
have most factions of demonkind guarding their territory. Ours is being raided
by goblins.”

“We don’t know that.” Amelia said. “They could be
passing through the Pride to come here.”

Nimah’s face twisted in scepticism. “Those
murderous berserkers?”

“Take the time to talk with Breandan or Wasp about
what happened when they spoke to the vampire Queen.”

Nimah spun from her twin to me. “You’re Alpha now.
Since we have no brother, and a female can’t lead, you’re as good a choice as
any. It’s your
responsibility
to lead
us, protect us, and ensure the continuation of the Pride. The land itself is as
big a part of what makes us who we are as is our ability to Change. We must
reclaim our home.”

Since her harsh education on shifter mating, Maeve
had been quiet. She roused. “I agree.”

Nimah’s mouth dropped.

I clasped the nape of her neck. Tangled my fingers
in fiery hair soft as feathers. “Do you understand what you’re saying?”

Accepting of my dominant hold, she stared into my
eyes. “We shall go defend your home. We’ll discus if this relationship between
us can work, but most importantly you shall begin your destiny as a great
Alpha.”

“Lochlann–”

“No longer has a say in what I do with my life.”
Her eyes flashed. “His emotions are out of control.”

“Most important is our relationship. Not my being
Alpha.”

“I come from a family seeded by conflict. War is
our life, yet my brothers and I understand the value of love. Until Breandan
met Rae our personal dreams never threatened our core beliefs. The purpose of a
special few is to serve.” She motioned to herself and me. “We were born to
serve our people.”