Authors: B. Kristin McMichael

The Day Human King (29 page)

BOOK: The Day Human King

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Alina’s head tilted ever so slightly to the right as she took in the high fae before her. Her lips twitched as she seemed to fight the grin that threatened to bloom at any moment. “Before we begin I just want to know one thing. What’s driving you crazier, the fact that you are mated to a wolf, or the fact that you want to, I think Jacque put it best, jump his bones?” she spoke at last.

Peri let out an exaggerated huff as she met the Alpha female’s eyes. “Why are you and your mate suddenly so interested in my sex life?”

Alina laughed. “So Vasile went there, did he?”

“Oh yes, but he was much less crude than your daughter in-law, or even myself.”

“Consummation?” Alina asked knowingly.

“The one and only,” Peri answered dryly.

Alina sobered and her voice grew serious as she leaned forward in her chair. Peri could see that the Alpha wanted her to listen, and to hear well what she was about to say.

“There is no walking away from your mate. I’m not saying that to challenge you Peri and I’m not saying it to scare you. I’m telling you because you need to fully grasp how permanent a true mate is. You, who have been alone for so long, will never be alone again. I only know Lucian from the stories that Vasile has shared with me. But if he is anything like Vasile, then he will do anything to take care of you, to provide for you, protect you and love you. That doesn’t mean it will be easy, but you don’t have to fear losing him.”

“What about all the bossiness and broodiness?” Peri asked. “You yourself said it. I have been alone a very long time, doing my own thing. I don’t take orders. I won’t be caged and the word ‘submit’ is pretty much a death sentence to the one saying it.”

Alina smiled at Peri as if she was a cute little dog that had performed a trick. “For one so wise, Perizada, you can be awfully dense.”

Peri pointed a long finger at the she-wolf. “See, that is why you should all be turds.”

“Any relationship is give and take,” Alina continued as if Peri hadn’t spoken. “Sacrifices must be made by both parties. You both will have to make changes and allow the other to make mistakes. As for submitting, well, you know what pack life is like. There has to be a balance of power. There has to be an Alpha, and those beneath him must submit. But your mate will never ask you to submit to him, not unless he truly felt it was necessary and a compromise could not be met.”

“And I would just have to do it?” Peri snapped.

“I would hope that your relationship at that point would be one of deep trust and love. I would hope that if he was asking that of you, then you would trust his judgment, and trust him to take care of you. Submission was never meant to be a negative action. Submission is an act of love and service because someone must lead, and the others must follow. Your greatest act of love to your mate is when you submit and that comes in many forms. Think of it like this,” she scooted forward and laid her hands on the table between them. “For a wolf to give another his stomach is an act of ultimate submission, right? The stomach is the most tender and vulnerable place on the body and puts the wolf at the greatest risk. So what do you think it means to Vasile when I, his werewolf mate, lie in bed with him? How much trust does he see from me when I sleep on my back, vulnerable to him? Are those not forms of submission? Do they demean me in anyway?”

Peri sat speechless across from Alina. The air from her breathing seemed too loud in her ears as the words the she-wolf had just spoken ran through her mind. She had never looked at the relationship between true mates in quite that way. They were wolves, she got that. But then, she realized that she totally didn’t get it at the same time, because, once again, she was not a wolf.

“I’m going to blow your mind one more time,” Alina interrupted her epiphany moment. “Now that you realize what it means to submit and what it means to your mate, ask yourself this; how much trust and love must he feel when he gives his stomach to you? You have the greatest treasure of all, Peri. Lucian will only ever fully submit to you. He will only ever lie in your bed on his back, exposing his stomach and neck to you. He will only ever trust
you
with that. How great his love and trust must be for one so proud, so strong, and so dominant to yield to you.”

Peri didn’t hear Alina leave. She sat in stunned silence as she considered her words. Lucian submit to her? It was nearly laughable. But then, how did any relationship survive if not for the bending of two wills? Alina had said there was no getting around it. She was Lucian’s true mate. It was a bond that would not be denied, one that no one walked away from. After several minutes of thought she stood, straightened her shirt, and let out a deep breath.

“The way I see it, I have two choices,” she told the empty table. “I can accept that I’m going to be mated to a werewolf, or I can accept that I’m going to be mated to a werewolf.” She shook her head as she turned to leave the room. In a final huff of resignation she mumbled to herself, “Damn if I don’t like either one of those.”

Into the Fae by Quinn Loftis

www.quinnloftisbooks.com

@AuthQuinnLoftis

Other books by Quinn Lofits

Grey Wolves Series

Prince of Wolves

Blood Rites

Just One Drop

Out of the Dark

Beyond the Veil

Fate and Fury

Sacrifice of Love

Luna of Mine

Elfin Series

Elfin

Rapture

Book 3 Coming Soon!

Gypsy Healer Series

Into the Fae

Wolf of Stone, coming October 31, 2014

Stand Alone Works

Call Me Crazy

Acknowledgements

As with any work of fiction, there are many people to thank along the way.

To you
, the reader.
Thank you
for taking the time to read this story and go on the journey with me. If you liked it, please leave a review on your favorite online bookseller (or all of them!) and connect with me on
Twitter
,
Facebook
,
Goodreads
, etc. The greatest help you can do to keep a writer going is to support them by spreading the word about their books and leaving them encouraging words. If you are really inspired, join my
mailing list
to get updates first on my current and future writings.

Also I would like to thank my editors and cover designers. A good editor is essential to getting the story correct (and in my case- two editors). Thank you so much, Kathie at Kat’s Eye Editing and Melissa at There for You Editing. They made the book just that much stronger and such a better story that you all got to read. It would not be the same book without them. Also a thanks to my proofer Ashton Brammer for going over the novel with a fine tooth comb to catch little errors that bug people. A thank-you to my
AMAZING
cover artist Ravven for such a pretty cover. She puts so much detail into every cover-I can’t say how lucky I am to work with her! A great cover helps get people interested. They may say
never judge a book by its cover
, but everyone does! I greatly appreciate all those that can do what I cannot, like editors and cover designers. I’m grateful I was able to find great professionals to work with on this book.

I’d also like to thank my hubby for continuing to push me further down the writing road. He gives me time when I need it to work on my stories. He encourages me to keep going each and every day on this adventure. And he does all the behind-the-scenes effort to make this work. This would be so much harder without his help. So thank you, B. for pushing me off the deep end (or the cliff as I see it sometimes). And a great big thanks to my little munchkins who keep me going from before the sun comes up ‘til long after it sets. Love you AK and KB.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my novel!!

About the Author

Originally from Wisconsin, B. Kristin currently resides in Ohio with her husband, two small children, and three cats. When not doing the mom
thing of chasing kids, baking cookies, and playing outside, she is using her PhD in biology as a scientist. In her free time she is currently hard at work on multiple novels. Every day is a new writing adventure. She is a fan of all YA/NA fantasy and science fiction and continues to promote good indie books on her own blog at
www.bkristinmcmichael.com
. You can find her on
Twitter
,
Facebook
, and
Goodreads