Alpha Within

Alpha Within a Bonded fantasy Mima (c) 2008

Alpha Within a Bonded fantasy Mima Published 2008 ISBN 978-1-59578-402-5 Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2008, Mima. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. Manufactured in the United States of America Liquid Silver Books http://LSbooks.com Email: [email protected] Editor Lynne Anderson Cover Artist April Martinez This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.

Dedication This book is dedicated to Planned Parenthood. Author’s Note Snow Leopards are the only big cat who actually cannot roar. But this is a work of fiction.

Chapter One Dar stood nude in the stone arch entrance to the lair. Laughter echoed from the lounge, soothing him. He could not laugh with them this night, but their common joy grounded him. His feet did not feel the ice that coated the rocks, worn smooth from generations of Clan. The cold chafed his pale skin ruddy, as it had ever since he was a child. He ached with the weight of the coming conversation. It was time to put his plan in motion. Even though it meant leaving these people, his people. The Clan he lived for. He’d killed for them. He’d fight for them. Evon came chuckling, also nude. Dar lay his hand on Evon’s shoulder. A claim, a reassurance. He slid his hand up and gently gripped the back of the powerful man’s neck. They nodded to each other. When they dropped to the ground, both wore their fur. Come roam, Snowcat said to his Shield. The other cat rolled, showing his belly. Snowcat snorted, and led the way. The moon was bright. At its brightest, every shapeshifting Trux in the wild lands of Vladaya knew their lives could change. This was the night the spiritmages danced through the adopted women. Tomorrow morning was when the lucky few to be matched were summoned to meet their potential mate. Who would face the emotional ordeal of mate choice tomorrow? For the eighty-ninth time, Dar wondered if he would be one of the men summoned to present himself as a mate choice. His yearning never faded. He already anticipated the pang of sorrow at not being summoned on the morrow. The sorrow was acceptable. But every bright moon, as he dreamed of being matched to a rare woman who had volunteered to leave the Cities and come to his people, he also remembered his father’s lesson. He first Changes at sixteen, very early for their people. The joy of meeting his beastspirit is one of the happiest days of his life. The paid women go from unimportant, annoying guests, to fascinating within a week. They smell delicious. He’s hard all the time. His father hands him a pack one morning. They travel deep into the mountains. They go so deep he loses the way home. This has never happened before. He is afraid. Wordlessly, his father lies flat on an icy ledge and inches to a view. He does the same. Below them is a den, and lounging before the opening, licking massive paws, is a male Snowcat. The tufted ears, the silver eyes, the clouded pelt of gray and black with white tummy. He is magnificent, but he isn’t a true animal. He is one of them, a Trux. Horror zings through Dar’s brain. Living outside Clan and Council, this is a rogue. A waste their Clan cannot afford. That night his father tells him it is Uncle, who is dead to them. How the warrior lost the fight for hope. Not enough women, and if there were, no babies. It made a man want to give up. If a man gave up, the Snowcat survived. When nothing was left, the beastspirit took them. “This is your first and most important lesson, son. Focus on hope, for it is what drives our honor. Believe you will have a family. Find a way to make that family. For without a family, without hope for one, your beastspirit will fight you endlessly. A

warrior should not live at war with himself.” Dar remembered, and whispered a pledge to his personal honor. He ruled with Snowcat. Snowcat did not rule him. He had hope. He did. It was why he was leaving, to turn the hope into truth. The two strongest warriors in the Clan moved nearly as one. Dar was Alpha. His beastspirit was the source that every warrior connected to. Evon was his Shield, his second-in-command, and the only other alpha class beastspirit to be trusted in the Hollow, the Clan’s home. They were at one with the landscape, bound by love and respect to it and each other. They leapt over crevasses dozens of bodylengths deep. They bounded up slippery, jagged rock face. They sprinted along icy drifts. When they made the ridge that overlooked the narrow, frozen lake, Dar shifted to man form, standing tall. Evon followed, crouching on his haunches next to him as Dar stretched his arms high. The night was cloudless and cold in a crisp, bone-cutting way, but he didn’t feel it despite his lost fur. Carrying Snowcat inside his soul made him strong. He breathed deeply of the pine air. He would ease into this difficult discussion. “I can’t believe we’ve been bonded for only three months. I feel you are my brother, my partner in shepherding the Clan.” “It’s taken me that long to forget Cal taking me to the northern wastes and beating the crap out of me for days. All to reach his big announcement: ‘You’ll do.’ All that for a ‘You’ll do.’ It was such a letdown.” Dar knew Evon chafed and doubted his worth in the position. The Clan was so small, he’d been the only choice. True, Teke could have taken up the role, but he’d already forged a life for himself at the Council’s lair in River Mountain. “I’m saying you more than ‘do.’ You’re at my back. Now that Cal is no longer Shield, he’s keeping himself scarce down near Seventh City. I’m very glad I didn’t lose you.” Every Clan had to face the bitterness of the instinct that drove their best into exile. There could be only two. The others left for the good of the Clan. Evon had been on the verge of leaving for River Mountain himself. No matter how much the man loved his Alpha, at twenty, Evon had matured enough that the grating need of any alpha class warrior to challenge another had threatened to overwhelm his will. Dar was grateful the man had accepted the Shield testing. He would have missed him if Evon banished himself. “You love this land.” Dar’s voice was as soft as the mist of his breath. “Yes, Alpha. My bones ached at the thought of having to leave.” Dar agreed, his gaze skimming the well-known silent pines, the shadowy cliffs, the gleaming ice of the lake. Still, the man would have left his home, worse, the home of his beastspirit, all to keep from challenging the Clan Alpha. All to honor him. “Evon. You have done well in your first months with me. I miss Cal, he was a tie to Karsen…” here Dar’s voice broke, and Evon leaned his shoulder against Dar’s leg, “— but I feel you are the Shield I was meant to have.” Karsen had been their prior Alpha. He’d chosen to step down a few years ago at the age of sixty-eight. Cal had stepped aside as his Shield for what everyone had expected to be a ceremonial challenge. Karsen had shocked everyone by hamstringing his expected replacement, Hab, after violently eating two of his fingers. Hab had withdrawn his challenge, submitted. Then Karsen fought Dar. And that time he hadn’t fought to wound.

Dar had had no choice in the end. Karsen had died hard. Blood so thick in his fur it soaked into his skin. The Clan had pulled in tight. Everyone had grieved, but their confusion over their prior Alpha’s decision had taken second place to their fear for him. Dar hadn’t handled it well at first. His beastspirit had loved the man more than his own father. The guilt and rage still threatened to cloud his human eyes. “Neither of us wanted this.” Dar rested his hand on Evon’s head. Even though his Shield’s body was warm, the night was bitter enough that his hair was cold. “True, Alpha.” Frustration boiled over. “Fuck that! Stand up, Evon!” Dar’s fist tightened in Evon’s thick hair and pulled up. Evon rose with a spring of surprise. “Alpha?” Dar shoved him hard. The icy crest they stood on was covered in an inch of snow granules the consistency of sand. Evon pinwheeled over the heights. Lurching, he caught his balance, staring wide-eyed at Dar. “We’re partners, man! I need a friend, a helpmate, not a bootlicker. You’re always putting yourself below me, coming at me from the side.” It was a gesture of caution and respect in the cats. “I’m sick of being treated like crystal. I’m the Snowcat. The Clan sang in me after Karsen died, and they’re mine now. All forty-fucking-four of them!” He whirled away, his light brown hair looking silver in the moonlight where it lay on his chest. Angrily, he kicked at the snow until the crest clattered away in a jagged piece. Both men watched it tumble and smash away down the cliff. “Ours. They are ours, Evon. Cal is no longer my Shield, and I need you to be more than a shadow.” Evon rubbed his scalp. His blood red hair looked shadowy in the dark. “All right. You are my Alpha. You’ve also been like my big brother all my life.” They were only three years apart. Dar reminded himself to take a slow breath. Evon was only twenty, younger than he when he became Alpha. Younger than when he had to rip his old Alpha to pieces. Dar sighed, squatting. Neither of them felt the chill air deeply, but sitting their privates in ice while in human form wasn’t something even a Snowcat did. “I know. I just … I’ve been Alpha for two years now and nothing has changed. I’ve reviewed all the matings, all the paid women … I can find nothing. Neither can our bodymages. The Snowcat only paces and screams when I meditate on it. Two births, man, in twenty years. Only one new mating … I have to petition the Council. I want to do the research myself. I need your help.” The silence stretched out. Karsen had refused the Council’s offer of help two generations ago. Dar’s grandfather had fought bitterly with him about it. There were eleven animal Clans among the Truxet. If something drastic wasn’t done soon, within a generation, maybe two, there would only be ten. “Karsen was too proud, Dar. His pride was selfish. Selfish when he wouldn’t ask for help from all our people, selfish when he wouldn’t just submit to you.” Dar looked over at him sharply. Evon strode to him, offered him his hand. Dar clasped his forearm and stood. He was getting used to Evon now looking him straight in the eyes. He’d really reached maturity this past year, in height and mind. They stood on that dark, cold crest, committed. They were going to stop this Clan’s slow death.

It is the first time he ever saw his father cry. He’d seen his father mourn grandfather, and when he was grievously wounded. There were no tears then. But in the darkness, the twelve-year-old boy’s cat eyes see his father huddled on the bed, his mother curving over him. Both of them give deep, wrenching sobs. Father’s strong arms clutch her waist, his face twisted into a mask of pain. Uncle’s baby was born dead. All those long months, and it was dead. Like nearly every other baby in his Clan. He is tired of the tears in the night. Shaking, the boy vows this is going to stop. He is going to stop this. Now he was about to fulfill that childhood vow. With Evon at his side, they would change this. Love for this warrior swelled through him. No more tears in the night. “I’ll come visit every week. The ghosting has grown very bad, Evon. Be on guard.” Ghosting is what the men called the insatiable yearning for children. It made the warriors’ beastspirits volatile. “I’ll keep them safe. Train, maintain, scout, defend. I’ve been doing it all my life, and I’m ready.” He watched as the new Shield settled the burden on his shoulders. He knew this man’s honor went soul deep. Though young, he could not be any truer. Their tribe was waiting. Desperately waiting. The unmated for mates, while they hoped wildly that a child could come from the paid women. The mated for children who would live. If Dar was going to abandon them to stay at River Mountain, the seat of the Clan Council, he would find an answer. Somehow, he’d find help. **** Jana was well aware of the man watching on the roof. She hadn’t negotiated the humid air of Third City as a woman’s bodymage for the last four years without being street savvy. Her work often took her into the night. At twenty-three, she was experienced enough not to be cocky. Everyone thought she was a respectable birth specialist. Only a few knew the truth of her heart’s work. A few like the women she approached now. The man made no particular secret that he was there, standing tall in the greenmisted night air. He was clearly watching over the women waiting in the corner garden. This was a working neighborhood, and all were tucked away in their beds at this late hour. They had the bench and the spattering fountain to themselves. An unlikely pair, Jana thought. One was average height, just a bit shorter than herself. She had dark hair braided severely back. Her face was razor sharp, and as she turned her head in the magelight, silver scars flashed at her temple, cheek, mouth, chin. She was a slender reed, ready to sway and move at the slightest movement. That one’s a fighter. That one’s a lover. The petite woman had a curvy rump and generous breasts. She had tossed her cloak over the back of the bench and her pure white hair had nothing to do with age. Her clothes were high-class skinlicker that shouted, “Look at me.” She was bouncing her leg in a jittery, impatient way, gnawing on her full bottom lip. “Good evening. I am Jana.” Striding forward, Jana came up to them. “Hello!” The blonde jumped up and hurried forward. “What happened to you?” The brunette followed close behind, frowning. Jana knew what they saw—a plain, frumpy woman in rumpled clothes stained with blood, reeking of sweat. “This is the fruit of that which you seek.” A woman screaming in a wash of blood. Hours later, her body dead, they cut out the

child. Its cries are weak, compared to a steady moaning. Her moaning, a twelve-year-old standing in the corner. The bodymages hand the infant to the father. “Thank you, Father, thank you,” the man sobs. He praises the Skyfather as his butchered, tortured helpmate’s corpse lies cooling. She could have, should have stopped this. This is going to stop. She is going to stop this. Shaking off the memory that drove her, Jana focused on the pair again. The blonde beauty shook her hand and stood back while the brunette did the same. The blonde still looked perplexed so Jana added, “It was a boy.” “Oh! How wonderful. Congratulations. I mean, I know it’s not yours, but you helped. Will you help me? Us?” She reached out and hooked arms with the brunette. “I’m Freezha, and I want a baby. This is KarRa and she doesn’t. At least for now.” “Of course I’ll help. First, you’ll need to explain the unexpected guest.” She gestured toward the watching presence on the roof. “Oh, that’s just KarRa’s mate.” Freezha slapped her hand over her rosebud mouth. “Mate?” Jana’s mind began moving like the wind. She had to get out of here as fast as possible. “As in Beast mates? Oh. I’m sorry, but I won’t…” “Please! Do you know how long it took us to convince them to let us come?” She stepped forward, beautifully beseeching. “We know City mages aren’t supposed to do Truxet work without High Council negotiations.” KarRa’s voice was low and steady, her eyes direct. “We also know you’re trying to prevent night whispers about your late night private meetings. Bodymages and Spiritmages alike forbid what you do.” Silence rang in the night. “Is that a threat?” Jana’s voice betrayed her mix of shock and anger. “It’s truth.” KarRa shrugged. “No one in all the Cities is doing what you’re doing here. I can’t believe the women have managed to keep it as quiet as they have. We support that effort. We’ll pay for our services, and as far as you’re concerned, we were two women who wanted a secret appointment because of our husbands. Just do for us what you’ve done for dozens of others.” Silver eyes met dark as they stared at each other. Finally, the silver eyes looked away. Jana whispered, “I m-might not be able to help, Freezha. If the fertility problem is in the man, as I’m fairly sure it is in the Truxet, it’s him I’d need to see.” “Well, check me first, just to make sure.” Freezha stepped closer. “Let’s go over to the bench.” Jana was shaking. She put her hands in her pocket, hunching her shoulders against the stare from the watcher. A Trux warrior watching over two adopted women. She should leave now. This would never end well. “Please, sit. I’d like to do KarRa first because that’s easier for me. I’m just going to lay my hand on you. You won’t feel anything.” “I have a question.” “Of course.” “Will I still bleed?” “Yes. You just won’t ovulate this month.” “Can you make this permanent?”

Finally, a woman’s blood seeped from her sixteen-year-old body. She curls in her bed and cries, for she knows it means her body prepares for a baby. Her mother’s shadow cuts across the light of the moon. “Sweetling. Shhhhhh. Tell me.” Her voice is firm, as always. “I’m not a child! I’m a woman! Mother…” Her sobs choke her as she tries to swallow them down. “Mama, I bleed. I will not have a child, Mama. I will not.” “Janny. I know. I see it in your eyes as you study. Your decision is your own.” She sighs. “Perhaps time will change it.” Her capable hands smooth tangled auburn locks. After she calms, and lies exhausted by her sorrow, the woman asks, “Why not, Janny?” There is a tiny plaintive note, a personal sorrow, in her tone. “All that pain. All that worry and work and planning. Their life is never the same. It’s never their own again. Everything that they dreamed is set aside. Parasites!” Startled, the woman’s hand hesitates in its stroking. Laughter bursts from her. “Oh, my little parasite. That you could see the joy of hosting your greedy self.” Cross, infuriated at her humor, the girl rolls over, giving her mother her back. “I will fight this. I will never have a child.” “Ah, yes. The joy,” the woman murmurs. Jana searched the brunette woman’s eyes. She didn’t see the calm, core-deep certainty she knew herself. “You’re not ready. If you and your mate stand before me and look me in the eyes, I’ll reconsider.” “It is my choice.” “Not after you bound yourself to a Trux.” This time the dark eyes looked away first. KarRa nodded jerkily. There was no arguing against the common knowledge that Beasts, who called themselves Trux, were baby-obsessed. When you life-mated to a Beast, children were a given. Jana leaned down and lay her hand on the woman’s muscled abdomen, under her simple loose shirt. An odd leather glove on KarRa’s hand caught her eye. It was deeply scored all over with pale slash marks. A moment of concentration, and it was done. She let out a shaky breath. She was more tired from the two births today than she had thought. “Do you have my payment? If you want to remain anonymous, don’t leave a deposit at my window.” KarRa held out a pouch. “For both of us.” Jana shook her head. “Let me see what I can do for Freezha first.” She lay her hand on the smaller woman’s stomach, which was conveniently bared in a midriff top. Surprised curiosity lit up her tired brain. “There’s … you’re…” Without thinking, Jana knelt between the women so she could focus better, putting both hands on the blonde’s stomach. “What is this? You’re about to ovulate, but your uterus…” “Ummm. Just, you know, do the egg thing. Can you do it?” Jana sat back on her heels. “You have already begun to ovulate. Your time is within a day. You don’t need me.” “I do.” The deep, rumbling voice behind her made her jerk. Her mind scrambled at how close he stood. She hadn’t heard him coming. KarRa stood and he sat down in her place, reaching out and linking hands with Freezha. Massive, muscled, bald, his black eyes were completely flat and cold as they looked at her. His tongue flicked out and she jerked

again. It had been like a snake’s, long and thin, fast. “You have done this for other men. Do it for me. You will be paid well. Your house needs a roof.” Jana swallowed. There was no room for disagreement or even conversation in that voice. Looking wildly at the bench slat in front of her, she let her mind race with scenarios for getting away. Then she mentally smacked herself into reality and tried to position the consequences for doing this. It was no use. She was too stunned, too trapped. She had to clear her throat before she could say, “Please undo your pants. I’ll need to touch your scrotum.” Freezha giggled. He stared at Jana for so long she thought she’d get out of it due to his pride. Then he shifted his hips and undid the laces, widening his legs as his front seam opened. She was surprised to see he had no pubic hair. His cock was plump and thick, the length of her hand. Jana put one hand on the bench in front of her. She needed support for this. She reached out a hand and awkwardly delved into his leathers, avoiding his penis. She tried not to poke or pinch his sensitive skin. Swallowing, she scooped under the large, soft globes gently, hoped her palm wasn’t sweaty, and concentrated. She frowned. “I am not fertile?” The voice was mostly calm, but she caught the disturbed note. “Close. Very close. But … let me…” She fell back into concentration. The bed was low, the walls flowing gauze. Two men, neither of them Vyur, rolled with the woman she recognized as Freezha in a tangle of limbs. Everything she’d ever heard said that no Trux would ever tolerate sharing his mate. They were entirely possessive. What was this? Pride, concern, pleasure. Freezha was being soothed by his two best friends, Kel and Krisk. Kel was at her generous breasts, suckling with hollowed cheeks. Krisk was torturing her by refusing to move more than a half inch in or out. Jana struggled with the vision, but couldn’t get out. Mouths licking, teeth scoring, hands molding… The two men were at the bottom of the bed, drowsy, exhausted. This heat had gone on twice as long as any other, and they were empty. Freezha’s voice was hoarse from screaming, demanding. He was fucking her from his knees on the floor, her legs draping off the mattress. She’d been passive for the last several minutes, but was winding up again, finding the energy to writhe. Her hands lifted large breasts, her thumb rubbing a faintly bleeding bite. Letting one breast fall to the side again, her fingers worked a tiny nipple, rubbing it hard while the other hand held the flesh firm. He increased his speed, decreased his stroke length. His balls were so tight. He had to fight through and find the ability to come again. She needed it. Then the little brat lifted that delicious breast up high on her chest, raised her head and kissed herself. She let him see her tongue twine around it, her teeth bite hard, her lips close and suck. It was the first time she’d tried that all night. She knew it unleashed him. His hips powered harder, rocking her. “The other one. Do the other one.” His demand was mostly growl but she laughed, and switched. This one she licked delicately, little teasing flicks. “Vyur, this is it. I can feel it. I want it. Our baby. Our little guy. No more ghosts, Vyur. I want every drop of come in your balls.”

He went blind, violent with lust. His hands crushed her hips as he used his full strength to drive his cock deep. He felt her cap, but pushed deeper anyway, forcing himself in farther. The come burned. He screamed. Her spirit wrapped around him, sent him flying. The two of them were alone, kissing gently on the bed, his large hand spread low across her belly… Jana struggled to pull herself away. It was always harder with the happily married men. The love called to her. She ached. His hand drifted lower, finger sliding into her lips to rest on her clit. Cherished. Jana felt like she was drowning. GET OUT! she told herself firmly. Her cream always smelled like peace… Jana struggled to control her gasping, slow her galloping heart. She kept her eyes squeezed shut. You will not cry, she chanted against her burning eyes. She came back. Her knees ached, as did her back. Her hand holding his balls was burning hot. He was still, watchful. Her face flamed. Freezha was petting her other hand, murmuring, “It’s all right. Breathe, Jana.” Jana forced herself to return her concentration to the task at hand, dreading being pulled into another vision. The living sperm was already at the top. She’d done what she could, despite the vision. She withdrew her hand from his warmth. “Wait at least twelve hours before you come, sir, to make sure Freezha’s egg has dropped. I think it will work.” “OH! Thank you!” The tiny person packed a wallop in Jana’s shaky state, almost knocking them both over as she dove onto Jana to give her a hug. “You have such a gift! Thank you so, so much!” The man stood, lacing his pants. He caught Freezha easily as she bounced up and leapt at him, wrapping her arms around his head as she kissed him passionately. Jana hastily looked away. Her breathing was still too fast. The man murmured with KarRa. She heard coins. They walked away swiftly. Or rather, he did, carrying her. She knew they’d be far from the City within the hour. Beasts could sift, leaping great distances. Their magecraft was well beyond that of even the Mage High Guild. “Come on, I’ll walk you home. You’re in rough shape.” She accepted KarRa’s hand of steel and dragged herself upright. Her knees shivered but held. “Thanks. I … thanks. It’s not far.” The woman was silent company the few blocks to Jana’s little compound. Her shop below, her home above, and a room to rent above that. One room wide as most in the City were. Jana was grateful for KarRa’s capability, as she couldn’t have stopped a child from knocking her over now. Letting herself in, she looked back down the street at the retreating woman. A shadow came silently out of the night, wings spread in a heart-stopping silhouette. The woman didn’t pause her stride, holding up her arm as the giant bird settled on her gauntleted fist. They vanished into the shadows.

Chapter Two Two years later She’d had a good run. It took an incredible amount of money to move between Cities, yet her customers had helped her do that twice when the Cityguards got too close. Luna sat at the dainty table on the deck of her favorite café, admiring the late fall afternoon warmth. Third City was on the edge of a chain of lakes and a maze of rivers, and incorporated several small lakes within its Walls. This café was directly on the largest. This City was her favorite of the three she’d lived in, as Luna was her favorite of the three women she’d lived as. She breathed deeply, purposefully, to control her fear and anger. Look at how far you got. Remember all the families you’ve helped. You knew it couldn’t last. Shortly after helping the Beast mates, she’d had to flee Fifth’s swampy boardwalks for Seventh’s grassy plains, becoming red-haired Mena. From there, she’d gone to Third’s lakes, becoming Luna the black-haired. It had actually been kind of fun to reinvent herself. She built a better woman each time. Being solitary wasn’t a problem. She managed to send her parents messages from time to time, and had spies who sent news as well. Casual friends were nice, but it was safer to keep to herself. Lovers were overrated. Curious, possessive, clingy, and annoying except for that glorious hour in bed. Well, sometimes a half hour. And sometimes the occasional vision she fell into while working was better than the real thing. Her only real regret each time she had to leave was the women she’d promised to help. She believed in what she did. It was what her gift craved. The few times she’d tried to be a normal bodymage, her bones ached from the unused magic that wanted to explore fertility. She’d made her decision when she fled the first time, leaving Jana to the shadows. She helped people. She had to make tough decisions, emotionally exhausting ones sometimes. When the situation went bad, she could spend days in doubt, but always she’d return, heeding the call of women and babies who needed her. Ironic, she knew. She would never have children. But she had become willing to die for other people’s right to have babies when they wanted them. At twenty-five, she was tired of running. Besides, she hadn’t had enough warning. To risk fleeing the City with half-assed papers meant she risked being refused at whichever one of the Seven Cities she tried to go to next. Living outside the City Walls was death. She sipped her mountain berry juice. The sun glistened on the water like a thousand stars cast down. She wondered if she’d ever see the sky again when the Guild took her in for practicing outside its lines of command. Lines of command that the spiritmages had made clear would never cross into fertility. That was left to the will of the Earthmother and Skyfather. Bodymages who dabbled there were of Dark magic. Destroyers. She supposed being dead was better than being imprisoned and tortured for the rest of her life. Maybe she should play up those poor lives she’d chosen to take throughout her career. The few whose deaths she had hastened when death was a foregone conclusion. She’d known at the first one that she was on the path to becoming a Dark mage. She wondered when she would start to feel like a darkmage. Or if this was what it

was like. She knew the births she caused did not balance out the lives she had taken. Causing death was a weight she’d carry always. But warriors killed, too, and none named them darkmage. She preferred to think of herself as a woman’s warrior. Many a time the projects she’d taken had felt like battles. And maybe part of being a darkmage was fooling oneself with rationales like this. Now, she was back on the chessboard of the Guilds. She wasn’t a good enough warrior for this kind of battle. She thought of trying to hide until she could get good papers. Who could she endanger to that degree? She couldn’t risk it. She’d heard they finally brought the Beasts into it. No one could escape when a Beast was tracking. “Hello, Jana.” “Hello. It’s Luna now, please. I was just thinking of you.” She bluffed over her pounding heart with a sunny smile, casually crossing her legs to hide her jump. He wore plain leather, but she knew a Beast when she faced one. She’d always been thankful she’d had few occasions to run into them. He had hair the color of winter reeds, streaked paler by the sun, yet he was paleskinned. His loose vest did not hide his muscled shoulders. His blue eyes were intense as he crouched on the chair’s edge, as if he were holding himself back from pouncing on her. His face was sharp, and rather triangular. They stared at each other. How unfair that a man this beautiful should be the one to deliver her to the Guild for torture and death. “I can’t believe I finally found you.” She was surprised by that. “Really? I didn’t doubt you for a second.” “I’ve been looking for you for two years.” She blinked at him. She hadn’t thought she was that powerful, that her spells to avoid focus and detection were that good. “They love their son.” “That’s nice.” “Vyur. The Lizzeed you made fertile. He had a boy with his mate.” Luna remembered the only Beast she’d worked on. That had been one hot vision she’d gotten. “I’m so glad. She was nice, and they wanted one so badly.” “I need you to come with me and do that again. For my Clan. Several times.” His stare seemed to want to reach into her soul. “Uhhhhh…” “The Martens tasked with bringing you to the Guild found you an hour ago. They’ve given me until nightfall to get you away.” “Uhhhhh…” “Jana…” “Luna.” “Luna, my Clan is dying. I am Snowcat. I will do anything.” People were often very intense about things by the time they sought her out. After all, many believed they were trafficking with a Darkmage by asking for help with their fertility. But this level of intensity was setting off warning bells in her head. “Come to us.” And then, as if it were dragged from a well of pain, “Please.” “I’m wanted by the Guild. It wouldn’t be good for your relations…” “Are you worried about us?” Well, that did sound insane. The Beasts lived apart. They were the hunters of all that was Dark. Many believed that was because they were part of the Dark too, but she didn’t.

She thought they were on the side of the sacred couple. Which made her curious about why he was willing to bring her darkness to his people. “You must know that we are an honorable people. We hold women in high respect. I ask you to come as my guest, to take sanctuary with my Clan from your own people, who disagree with your actions. We would welcome your skills. We would hold you safe.” Her mind raced for some way to take control here. “The only women that go with the Beasts are bartered or paid. I want to be paid.” He stared at her. He licked his lips. She thought it was an unconscious gesture. “A paid woman is our term for skinlicker. You wish to be available for fucking? Most contract for a year.” Luna’s eyes went wide. “Uhhhh…” “The bartered women become mated to their choice of a warrior. They are adopted into a Clan. Fertility is a requirement for both options, and if you should have a child, it will never return to the Cities. Would you like a family?” “No!” He was taken aback at her instant answer. “I think you should come as a guest. When you have helped us, we can discuss your future. Rest with us. You will be expected to abide by our laws, but we can show you great comfort. You will be richly rewarded. Lady, we need you.” “Let me get this straight. You want me to go with you now. To help your people get pregnant.” “Yes.” A wave of will rolled over her, lifting all the fine hairs on her nape. By the night winds, he was the most powerful mage she’d ever met. “Stop that. What’s to keep you from gaining my help, then turning me over to the Guild tomorrow, when I’m done?” She gasped when his eyes abruptly changed. The irises shifted to vertical slits as his blue deepened from sky to water. Green mage light swirled over his eyes, creating an eerie two-tone depth that reminded her of animal eyes in the night. He clenched his jaw, making the hollows in his sculpted face jump. “I am Snowcat. You will not be a slave, a prisoner, or betrayed.” His voice rumbled with an inhuman roughness. She believed him. If she went with him now, she’d evade the Guilds one more time. But… Shivering, she whispered, “What if they don’t get pregnant?” That was not a yes, but his shoulders sagged in relief. He sat back. “All I ask is that you try. And if possible, teach your technique to our bodymages.” She blinked at that heresy. Beast bodymages wanted to know how? That’s right, they didn’t worship the sacred couple as the Seven Cities did. Beast bodymages simply didn’t know how? Her mind flashed to her knowledge that they all loved children, wanted them so badly. She wouldn’t have to hide, working in the night. As she searched his face, unsure at this bizarre conversation, she watched a shadow fall over his eyes. And she knew. The choice was an illusion. She was going to leave the City with this man today, one way or another. She swallowed her anger at the charade he was playing. She chose to accept his real offer—a dignified exit. “Can I get some things? There are medicines in my shop…” “Yes. Of course you may pack whatever you wish, but I tell you that we can supply

more luxurious furnishings and clothing than what you have. Any supplies you need at all.” “I’d like to get some things regardless.” Her back was very straight at the insult to her modest living. **** Sifting was incredible. He shouldered her small pack, led her out the City gates. For the first time, she left the road that connected the Cities. She’d thought she was bold when she traveled between Cities, for the silent road was something few ever experienced. But when she walked across uneven, soggy earth, she knew she was truly leaving City life behind and entering the Wild. They approached a sifting stone, and touched it. In one moment the rich smell of wetlands was gone. They stood in a freezing, gray stone cave. Her head whirled. “Welcome to White Hollow, Clan home of the Snowcats, Vladaya.” Then he did an amazing thing. He knelt before her, holding her hands gently in both of his. His beautiful blue eyes searched hers. Smiling wryly, he murmured, “You have Snowcat eyes. It is good. Thank the Elements I found you, finally. Thank you. For coming.” Unsaid between them was the rest—without a fight. “You’ll be safe here. Free to be the bodymage you were meant to be.” Her heart shivered. The words were too perfect, and this man was too scary. She tugged his hands and he stood, still holding them. He was two heads taller than she. She was average height and above average weight, but he made her feel tiny. She knew his name now. “Thanks for rescuing me, Dar. I hope I can help.” “I hope so, too.” His voice was hoarse as he squeezed her hands and stepped back. He went through an open archway and she followed. She stopped. Standing before her weary eyes was a small crowd. They gathered on the polished white flagstones, mostly still in the warm magelight that lit the beautifully carved cavern. Well over half of them were middle-aged or older. Luna’s mouth unhinged at the weight of their stares. A young teen stepped forward and gave her a posy of delicate pink flowers she’d never seen before. “Welcome, lady guest of our Alpha.” “Thank you. My, I didn’t expect such a party.” She slid her gaze over to Dar. He could have warned her. He was amused when she squinted at him. Oddly, she could tell, even though his face didn’t change. “Snowcats, I bring you hope. This bodymage is Luna. She has brought fertility to other Truxet, and is here to share it with us.” Seemingly, the group exhaled as one. A flutter of movement passed over them. One woman brought hands up to her mouth as tears flooded her eyes. Another man bowed his head. She saw heat flare in the eyes of several of the men as they assessed her body. She sidled one step closer to Dar. “She is my guest, under my protection.” She jumped as his hand cupped the back of her head, blushed at the heat of him. “We will let her rest a bit, then tonight…” at his pause she looked to the side to see his face. He surveyed the crowd. The love she saw shining there made her soften, soothed. “Tonight, we celebrate!”

His roar was met by theirs, as people clapped and cheered. Luna swallowed. He led her through the throng and down a stone hallway. They ducked under a painted leather flap. The room was lovely. There was a warm mage screen oozing heat on one wall. The box bed was a little strange, but piled deep with furs. Shelves had been carved in the wall. A gleaming wood trunk stood in the other corner, and a table with two chairs took the rest of the floor, which was covered with jewel tone thick rugs. “It’s the nicest room I’ve seen since I left home.” Luna thought of the message she’d sent less than an hour ago to her parents. Got caught. Escaping with the beasts. Trust them.—J “I’ll be very comfortable here.” “Rest for now. I’ll come back in a few hours. The washroom is down the hall to your right.” He was out the door flap, a heavy thick skin of some kind, before she realized he was leaving. She stood forlornly, looking around. He’d set her bag on the table. She took off her boots, crawled over the low wall into the bed. It seemed incredible that that morning she’d been talking to a distraught mother about preparing for an early birth when a friend had burst in with the news that the Cityguard had dispersed to search for a Darkmage with a description matching Luna’s. She lay on the bed, blinking at the stone ceiling. The furs were silky and quickly warmed to her body. Her mind replayed snapshots of the day: the weeping mother, the intense blue of Dar’s eyes saying please, her own hands reaching under the bed to pull out her carrying case, the sun on the water. She had no idea where she was. She was with people who not only knew what she did, but wanted her to do it. She’d do her best to make babies for them, and then what? Another identity in another City? Someone always talked eventually. She only had four cities left. Out of the blue Dar’s voice drifted through her head. You wish to be available for fucking? She shivered. The other warriors’ eyes had wanted her. Dumpy thighs, spreading bum, small chest, plain ol’ Luna. If you were desperate, any port in a storm, she guessed. Wriggling, she shivered at the thought of taking a Beast lover. She’d known other women who did. Those women sang their praises. Rolling onto her side, Luna closed her eyes. Dar’s tongue leaving a shine of moisture on his lip. His corded hands holding hers so gently. His wild cat eyes flashing with power. Slowly, she sent her hands into her pants. Their hearing was very good. And her door was only a skin. She dipped her finger between her legs, petting her clit ever so gently. Slowly, she worked it until it stiffened. Rolling onto her back, she moved stealthily to push her pants down. Hesitating when she felt the fur against her ass, she closed her eyes in pleasure. Oh. This was new. It convinced her to take all her clothes off. It took a long time and she was warm under the top fur when she’d tossed them all over the edge of the box. Spreading her legs wide, she opened her lips with one hand. She waited. She loved waiting. Just anticipating. It made her conscious of the moisture gathering, trickling. The heat vibrating around her. The skins had been sewn so that both sides were soft fur, making them heavy. She rolled her hips to feel the fur on her

bottom, shifted her legs. She arched her back to feel the fur on her breasts. She let out a shaky breath. Fur. Dar could make himself furred. The man who would keep her safe from the Guild, who wanted her skills. Dar, the man with the wide, serious mouth and kind eyes. Finally she let her finger go back to her clit. Still holding herself open with one hand, she began to work herself. Pinches, twists, grinding circles, flicks. Suddenly inspired, she flung her hand outside the covers, to press the top fur down on her spread lips. A gasp escaped, the moan strangled down at the feeling. Fisting her hand, she ground the fur down as hard as she could, pumping her hips. The softness against her was incredible. Lightning flashed across her vision as her body tightened, twisting. “Ahhhhhhhh.” The satisfied sigh slid out as she closed her eyes. Relaxed, her last thought was I’m finally safe. Then she slept. **** She laughed at the antics of the little toddler as he wriggled in the arms of the largest warrior in the group. Groaning and lurching with mock effort, he stomped stiff-legged around the floor as if the boy were too heavy for him. The music was gorgeous, with drums and flutes that alternately drove her feet to move or her body to sway. Many people were swaying, especially the women. Women were definitely in the minority. Twelve of them were mates, and four of them were “paid women.” She tried watching them, but after the whirlwind introductions, was no longer sure who was which. They were all treated with affection and respect. All of them seemed older than she. The food was delicious, meats and cheeses that reminded her of Seventh City, and fresh warm breads that reminded her of Fifth. She did not miss the dried fishes that had been the appetizer at nearly every meal in Third. The party was in the open white hall she’d first seen. There were low tables and cushions, surrounded by strange carved racks that mage fire glowed from, warming the chilly air. She’d learned many things about her situation already, mostly from Dar’s parents, who were very kind. Dar was unmated and childless. Dar was beloved. Dar was the leader. Evon was his “Shield”, a sort of lieutenant, a serious, watchful young man, and the only person who seemed to withhold acceptance of her. She was in the high northern mountains. Second City was over a three-day journey to the northwest, down out of the peaks. There had been one successful birth during Dar’s leadership. And that had been deemed a miracle based on the diligent research of Dar and a contingent of Beast bodymages. The two stillbirths had been business as usual. Beasts always had boys. This extended family of people were desperate. They already believed that she was going change everything. They also apparently believed she was here to stay. The other thing she had discovered at the party this evening was that she wanted Dar the Snowcat Alpha in the worst way. And unlike her experience with admiring incredibly handsome men in the past, the feeling was mutual. Every time she glanced at him, his eyes were on her. When she held his gaze, the admiration, the interest was clear, as was the heat that sizzled in her belly when his gaze drifted down. The big man pretended to be brought down by the boy and all the people nearby cheered as the boy posed atop his body, triumphant. Chuckling, she was taken by surprise

when a bit of spiced bread was pressed between her lips. Chewing, she looked up at Dar. He had relaxed enough to smile slightly. His eyes seemed less tired, and certainly less fierce. A man came by and flung his arms drunkenly around Dar from behind. His head lay against Dar’s shoulder as he babbled about ghosts. Dar just patted his arm where it dangled over his shoulder, rubbing his cheek against it in a very catlike gesture of ownership. His eyes never left hers. Unnerved, Luna blinked and looked over at the five musicians. The drunken Beast wandered off. “You won’t reclaim your name? I’ve searched for a woman named Jana so long, it’s hard to think of you as Luna.” She shook her head. “Part of hiding was giving up that label. To truly hide, I had to become someone new. It was hard the first time. The second time I was better at it. I chose things that suited me more, rather than ideas that caught my fancy. It was a truer growth to become Luna. The person I chose when I was Mena never fit as well.” “Will you take a new name now that you’re becoming someone new here?” She looked at him sharply. “You think I will stay long enough to change so much?” He tipped his head, regarding her freckles, her darkly fringed pale eyes, her strong nose and chin, small dark mouth. “You will stay. As for changing, I would have said ‘of course’ for most women. But for you, maybe not.” “Why weren’t you able to find me?” “I wouldn’t allow anyone to help me, for I wanted to be the one to host you. Your friends are loyal. Your false trails were well laid. Your technique for changing into a new person was excellent. It took me a month to realize you’d left Fifth, two months to find your false trail was false, and another four months to go through the pattern the second time.” His mouth thinned with displeasure. He stared bitterly into his cup, then tossed the contents back. “And of course, in between hunts, I had a life to live, a Clan to lead.” His face softened as he looked out at the boisterous groups applauding the musicians. She almost felt guilty for making it so hard for him to catch her. “The woman’s mate told you? About me?” “Actually, Freezha told me. I almost lost my head to Vyur, her mate, because she snuck into my private tent at Autumnal.” He snorted. “As if she could evade him.” “Women can have excellent skills. Remember mine?” Luna frowned at his dismissal of the kind, bubbly girl. “Vyur is different, one of our champions. I still wonder if she wasn’t trying to stir him up as much as talk to me. Anyhow, she told me, and when he came in shortly after, he added his experience, reluctantly.” “You know, Dar…” Curse her sense of justice. “I didn’t really make him fertile. I can’t do that. If your Clan truly has no active sperm, I’m not going to be able to do anything.” “I can’t believe that. I won’t.” His face closed up. “We’ll talk of this tomorrow. Tonight is for hope.” He put his cup down with careful precision and abruptly stood. She nodded, miserable that she’d brought doubt back to him. He took one step away before turning. “Oh, Luna.” “Yes?” “I’m taking that fur you masturbated on to my room tonight. I’m dying of curiosity

to smell what our combined scents are like.” He paced away to be swallowed up by the next small knot of people, leaving her mouth flapping like a landed fish. **** She woke up twice in the night, shivering. She turned up the mageheat both times. It wasn’t even winter yet. She discovered the Snowcats used a common bathing pool the next morning, and awkwardly joined the single man in the third plunge pit, since the first held a couple and the second three other men. He’d simply nodded, finished washing in a moment and left. His back end looked really good getting out. Let’s hear it for public bathing. She discovered the scent of tea was coming from a smaller, more intimate lounge than the white hall and ate with another couple and a few single men, all much older than she. She was still there when Dar came in. Strode in. Slinked in. Why isn’t there any air? she thought, staring. To her surprise, he ate with them. As he finished, they all excused themselves, leaving them alone in the room. She looked at him and noticed his tension. “Let’s give you a tour.” She enjoyed seeing all the rooms, the layout of the caves that were carved into the earth. It became clear the lair was designed for a much, much bigger Clan. She noted all four exits he pointed out. Tired of walking on eggshells, she interrupted him as he was showing her a training room. By sitting down. When he looked down at her darkly, she patted the thickly padded, stretched hides and smiled with the same overly bright smile she’d used when they first met. “We need to talk, Snowcat, about babies.” His eyes deepened, his irises stretching, his fingernails moving into hooked claws. He collapsed in a boneless, graceful heap across from her. She swallowed, awed, and bravely ignored all of it. “Why don’t we start with the mated couples. I’ll assess the women first, then I’ll give you an update on their body schedules. Then the men, and another update. Now, one thing to consider. Do all the couples really want a child?” He growled. “I’m not going to force a child on someone, Dar.” She considered the way he tensed, gathered his feet. “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. What about timing? Last night I learned there are twelve couples. Do you really want to have twelve or more babies within a month of each other? Don’t you want to consider spacing them out into a few groups?” He growled again, shivered, and bounded away. Luna sat for a minute, looking around the empty room. “That went well.” **** She went out the closest entrance to sit on a rock. It was so incredibly daring, to just sit and look out at wilderness only a body’s length away. The Beasts used their magecraft

to bind the wild and magical creatures out of their territory. She trusted their power enough to perch here, without Walls. This entrance came out on a small outcropping of rock, overlooking a sweeping valley of dark pines sprinkled with white birches. The birches flared gold in autumn splendor. The air smelled divine. Crisp and evergreen pure. Not having any coats with her, she had wrapped a fur around her shoulders. Luckily, there was no breeze, even though the sky was overcast. “Luna.” She squeaked and jumped. He’d just appeared next to her, crouched on one knee. “Yow! Don’t be such a—a—creeper!” He sighed. “I spoke to the women. All of them.” She didn’t look at him, sensing he was troubled. “The good news is that all of the mates agreed to have babies. Said they wanted them. The bad news is that two of the paid women chose to leave. I sent them with Evon, who will petition the Council tonight for as many as twenty willing paid women.” “You don’t even know if the men are fertile yet.” “They are.” “Twenty? Plus the previous two, and the mated women. You only have … what … it’s got to be less fathers than that.” “I spoke with the men next and took a survey of who would be willing to support more than one child. I took your advice and thought of the maximum amount of babies I thought the Clan could handle at once. I think thirty is a reasonable number.” “Thirty.” Luna twisted on the rock to look across at him. He didn’t look at her. “You want thirty babies.” “For now.” Luna felt like smacking herself in the forehead. “The men are willing for whores to be the mothers of their children?” “The women wouldn’t be here if we hadn’t already screened them as appropriate mothers. They know that if they get pregnant, they’ll be mated to a warrior, adopted, safe for life. Sharing their bodies with us does not make them bad mothers in our eyes.” “But the women who are adopted could be given choices from any of the other Clans, right? They probably would be mated to another Clan!” “Correct.” Luna’s jaw flapped up and down again. This man was always flummoxing her. “You want to get them pregnant, and then give them away?!” “We are used to complicated families. We don’t mate like humans do, just because of a baby. Children are no less loved. After age six, mothers are less important than in human cultures. The Snowcat father will be a full part of the child’s entire life. The woman’s mate will care deeply for the child whenever it is with the mother. It will not be a problem.” Luna flung off the fur and stumbled over the stones away from him. “Let me get this straight. You are going to get a whole bunch of women to come here, strangers to the men, and you want me to help impregnate every single one of them, even if one of the men has already fathered a child on someone else!” “Yes. You have a problem with the idea that one man can fuck two different women?” “When he knows he’s starting two different families, yes!”

Dar rolled his mouth in a thoughtful way as he looked at her. “Why is it two different families? Each child has the same father. They would be brothers. It is the same family.” “You have more than one mate?” “Of course not. They are not mates, they are mothers.” Luna let out a groan of exasperation and crossed her arms. “We want to expand our haunted Clan by the biggest possible margin and still be effective for our children, Luna. Thirty is not overextending ourselves. I could easily have approved forty, for that is how many the men calculated when they all added up their desires. I also had to take into account that the ghosting was affecting them.” “Big men have to really spread it around, huh?” The sarcasm dripped from her voice. “You will not do this?” The rumbling growl in his voice sent a shiver down her spine. That it wasn’t a shiver of fear pissed her off. “Do I have a choice?” He was silent. She squinted at him, jutting her chin unconsciously. He licked his lips. She gasped. Dropping his gaze to her open mouth, he licked his lips again. “It was beautiful.” “What?” Her voice sounded too faint for her pride. She cleared her throat. The loud sound was even more embarrassing. “Our scent. When I came on the fur, I rubbed in the come, and rolled my face in it. Together, it was so beautiful.” A gurgle left her throat. She caught her body swaying toward him and jerked back. “Your eyes are such a gorgeous grey.” His eyes shifted down, to the pulse speeding in her throat. She took one step, stopped. “Come with me. Let’s begin.” Luna blinked. “I don’t think that’s wise, do you?” she asked faintly. “The women are waiting, Luna.” He corrected her brain gently. “Time to make Snowcats for my people at last.” **** It became clear there were two problems. One was the men’s body temperature was so high it killed half their sperm. The Truxet, as they called themselves, were naturally hot. But the Snowcats had an even higher body temp to offset their climate. The other was that they increased the metabolism in their mates, too, to several degrees above normal. This was something the fetus apparently had a hard time with, from the amount of miscarriages she was told about. Assisting her were the Clan’s only two bodymages. There were six magics. Everyone was born into one of them, but it was an unusually low ratio of bodymages in the forty-odd group. They shared the technique that Dar had researched with the help of some powerful Council bodymages. The technique that helped the last boy born survive to term was constant bodymage surveillance and moving the mother to a warmer climate, letting her body quit trying to keep her warm in the freezing air. The same technique had resulted in two other miscarriages, though. When Luna heard this, she looked over at Dar, crouched motionless in the corner. “We are all leaving for the den next week. We will stay there for Autumnal, and after that, stay at our guest lair in River Mountain. The Council is assigning extra bodymages

to help us. One for every four women.” Luna didn’t understand all that, but it sounded like he’d already thought it through. The gist was that all the Clan would soon be leaving the cold temperatures that strained their fertility. Each woman sat for her in a padded chair. Of the twelve mates, only seven were fertile. The five women who’d passed menopause simply nodded, unsurprised. Two of the middle-aged women still capable of ovulating had had so many miscarriages she could not recommend pregnancy. But they insisted that they wanted to try. Their men came in next, one after the other. They all undid their pants without blinking. On the third man, a vision took her. Warm mouth licking, sucking. He grunted as he drove his tongue as deep as it could go, and drove his dick just as deep down her hot wet throat. Luna moaned, coming up off her knees as the sensation at her groin drove her insane. He panted as he spurted, withdrawing so she could swallow. “Luna!” Hands shook her shoulders. “Open your eyes!” The command was brutal. No one would disobey. Grey eyes met blue. She saw his eyes dilate when he inhaled. He can smell me, she thought. He reared back, face darkening. “This pleases you?” She shook her head. “Sometimes I get … echoes.” He looked sharply at the black-haired man, who shrugged. “It’s not him. It’s them. I see … sometimes.” She let herself lean into his hands for a minute. They were so big they encompassed each shoulder. Then she straightened. “If it happens again, just let it go. You broke my concentration. The visions don’t keep me from doing what I need to, they just—overlay it.” She smiled slightly, thanking him with her eyes for his worry. He nodded, nostrils still flaring, and stepped away. The next vision was more disturbing, being outside her realm of experience. It happened on the last man, the towering gentle giant she’d watched the night before. She now knew he was the uncle of the boy. He wanted to feel her blood in his throat. He’d brought down a strong deer by himself—throat ripped, steaming gut—and still his cat paced. She hadn’t wanted him inside her during her woman’s passing. He got too intense, she said. She wanted a break from what happened last month, when he’d ended up fucking her through so many orgasms she passed out. He slept with his brother’s family, and even the small body of Mark couldn’t soothe his agitation. He paced the ridge. His Alpha was gone, again. Trying to find a way to give them children. To make the ghosts real. By the Fires, to have a little Mark in his arms, and know it was theirs. Blood. He could still smell her blood out here. If he didn’t leave, he wouldn’t be able to respect her wishes. He had to go tell Evon where he’d be, in case his cat took him and he failed to return tomorrow. Evon would watch over Miki. Growling in distress, he let his cat out, and they ran. When she opened her eyes on a gasp, she realized three things instantly. One, Dar was by her side, hovering. Two, she was squeezing the poor man’s balls and he was gritting his teeth in pain. Three, Miki, his mate, was the bodymage standing next to him, protectively shifting over Luna’s iron grip with small distressed whimpers. Forcing her hand to relax, she checked to see if she’d identified the amount of active

sperm. She had. She let go and slumped backward with a tired sigh. She’d never done twenty-four sessions in one day. She had assessed all the mated pairs. She wasn’t surprised to find she was tired. Dar put his arm around her. The man hastily stepped out of reach. She tried to control her panting. “All the men have some fertility. We have my notes on when the fertile women will ovulate, and I’ll do sessions with the men again just when we need to, to activate them.” One happy couple was already off somewhere, boinking like bunnies, no doubt. “I—I don’t think I can do the single men just now…” “Absolutely not. You’re exhausted. White as snow, and almost as cold.” He sent one arm under her knees and crouched so that he lifted her against his chest, then used his powerful thighs to stand. “Yow!” Luna’s hefty bottom had never been lifted before. She clung to his neck. The bodymages called good-bye. “I think I can walk,” Luna said, bemused. He didn’t say anything, ducking into a room with a truly gorgeous weaving. It was the same size as hers. He went directly to the bed which was twice the size of hers, climbing in over the low walls, kicking some furs out of the way. Then he dropped her. She squeaked. He pulled her top off before she even understood what was happening. He landed on top of her, laying his entire shocking weight against hers. His hands were on either side of her face. His heat was intense. “Luna.” He lowered his head and flicked tiny, rasping licks along her collarbone, from one end to the other, nuzzling in the hollow of her throat. She was still gasping for breath from their mad dash. “Should I be here?” “Where else would I take you? You’re my savior. My magic. You belong here, with this Clan, in my bed. I knew it the first time I saw you sitting on the edge of that lake. And I knew something else. I belong here.” He ground his hips into hers and a ridiculous sound strangled in her throat. His hands threaded into her hair, cradling her head. His mouth traveled over the swells of her breasts, his tongue diving down her breastbone. “You even smell like you belong. You smell like pine.” He gripped the tip of one nut-brown nipple with his teeth and shook his head. Her breasts tumbled beneath his jaws. He growled. She caught a wisp of green magefire in his eyes before he lowered his head to her neck. The green overlay his deep blue, making a stunning teal. His mouth closed over her jugular and he began to suck in time to long, slow swipes of his tongue. She’d never felt anything like it. It was so rough it hurt, rasping, scraping the skin to insane sensitivity. She’d never imagined this kind of burning hurt could feel so good. Her breasts crushed against the warm cloth of his shirt, his hips swirled in the cradle of her legs. “Dar! This isn’t … It’s not…” He didn’t pause. His mouth burned on her neck, burned and slashed and soothed. She was reduced to moaning. The raw heat of him branding her skin washed down her body in a literal wave, softening her, splaying her legs. She gave up propriety and caution and spoke from her heart. “I want you.” Then he raised up and looked into her eyes. His had darkened so much they were

barely blue, a churning green haze raising from them. She thought she caught a reflection of her silver eyes gleaming. “You are a very bold kitten. Bold kittens burn their whiskers. You are going to burn, woman. Don’t be afraid. I’ll be right here, every step with you.” The words were gentle, but his energy crackled over her skin. He kissed her. Technically, she thought it must be a kiss, but it was a claiming and she knew it. His mouth was gentle on hers. His tongue went deep. His teeth grasped and scraped and nibbled. His mouth shifted, slanting, diving, swooping, his tongue a flame that made her body erupt in shivers. His hands closed over her shoulders from underneath, like huge jaws pinning her body. Her hands were all over him—hair, neck, jaw, under his shirt at the waist. Eventually she battled it off him. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” Pleasure loosened her body as she swept her palms over every dip of hard muscle on his torso. He felt so right, she relaxed. “We’re doing this.” His hands were suddenly on her breasts and she gave a small shriek at the heat. Giant goose bumps erupted down her arms. He smiled darkly, a spread of his red lips revealing sharp teeth. He was pleased, and confident. He flexed his fingers in her softness, rubbed his palms against the crests. She hiccupped on a wail. “Look at me.” She focused up on those blue eyes seeping green currents. “Tell me you believe. You believe you belong here. You believe I belong here.” He dragged his fingers up the peaks, attacking the tip of her. Pinching, rolling, twisting, pulling. “Aaahhhhhh!” His fingers stilled, closed tighter in a long burn. Her nipples pulsed. Her clit pulsed. “Tell me.” “Yes.” She panted. Even in the low light of the single magelight, she could see his pupils dilate against the green tinting his eyes. The green that was one of the first indicators that his transformation was a possibility. “I wish I could belong to you, Snowcat.” Her fingers anchored on his shoulder blades. “And right now, you belong in me.” He growled, and it wasn’t human. The rumble went from his chest into her belly where they were pressed together. Using his tongue to softly rasp the stunned nipples with gentle sucking kisses, he dwelled on her chest until she forgot she had any other body part. When she gathered the strength to look down her body, she writhed at the image he made. Her breasts were bright red, raw from his tongue and fingers. Her nipples were tall and gleaming wet. His face was red, intent, his cheekbones looking sharp against her curves. His dark blond hair looked so exotic to her. He suddenly sat up. His strong fingers pulled the laces at his pants provocatively. “I want to know what you saw.” Luna licked her lips. She watched his hand lift his cock out from his body, close tight, and squeeze until his red head tinged purple. “I want to know what turned you on.” “Ahhh… Well, the one vision was kind of creepy.” “You liked both of them. We could all smell it.” His eyes hardened on hers.

“It’s not that I like them. It’s that the subject did, and I’m in his head for the vision.” He reached out and hovered his fingertip over her nipple, staring at her. She swallowed, her eyes drifting over lean pecs, ridged abs, stark hips, to his rounded cockhead. “He wanted to drink her woman’s blood when she was passing during her monthly cycle. He hunted, and he paced, but she’d said no, and he was going crazy.” Dar smiled, and she thought she saw the tips of fangs. Beast. To distract herself, she reached out and gently trailed the fingertips of both hands over the soft, soft head he’d angled toward her. She was pleased that he stopped smiling. “Let me show you a snippet of the other vision.” She sat up, using his hips to help her. He’d straddled her, but was up on his knees so she didn’t have to bend far to engulf him with her mouth. She didn’t tease or work up to it; she just opened as wide as she could, relaxed her throat, and sank down until she felt his head fill her throat. Closing her lips tight, she sent her tongue swirling as she sucked hard and swallowed. The roar that came out of his throat was incredible. His hands went to her throat, and the feel of his fingers encircling her neck as she worked his cock sent a pulse to her womb. She only had time for a few swallows before he was pulling at her shoulders. She reluctantly released him, and he wrestled her pants down, and one leg off. He pulled her free leg up and out, then he was pressing against her. “Don’t look at me!” The garbled voice sounded like he was talking with his mouth full. Of course, his words sent her eyes straight to his. His eyes were wild as the head of his cock slipped in her cream, settling into her hollow. The pupil had lengthened to that of a cat’s. “By the Winds … Luna … so dangerous.” He suddenly pulled off her and flipped her over. Her hips stung from the force of his grip, and then his hands slid under her belly, lifting her up like a tray. His face was between her legs and she burned. His tongue, his teeth, his breath roamed up and down, deep and out. She began to scream. Everything tightened and exploded. Something battered her shields. Something sweet and terrifying. Something with fur, and claws. She tightened her defenses. He roared. His mouth was on her again, slower. More controlled, more vicious. Each lick was brutally hard. Each nip was spaced precisely. Each burrowing probe went hard and deep into her cunt. She wound, spiraling, and melted. Her shields bowed, but held. The shields that held the secrets of each person’s soul, their magescape. Pouncing, he took her hands that had gripped the fur on either side of her face. Lax from pleasure, he expertly swung them out, twisted until her hands were in the small of her back, palms up. Growling continuously, he curled over her back, his groin against her ass. Then he laid his cock directly into her hands. She feathered along the sides of him, feeling his silky skin, the give of the veins against the stiff pole. “Tighter.” His voice gritted over the back of her neck. His friction was a thrill, the weight of him grinding her into the bed, making her wail from too much sensation on her tender breasts. She struggled, even crushed as she was by his weight, trying to stretch her arms back to grip his length in her palms. Hot velvet. His hips jerked, and she could feel his balls on her ass as he dragged his cock back against the

tube of her cupped hands, then pushed up again. “Kitten, I need it harder.” She gave up trying to counter his weight. She closed her fingers and squeezed, immobilizing him. He was yelling, crying out, and the emotion in his voice made her clit pulse one last time where their combined weight pressed down on it. It was a tempest. She was lost, swirling. He came in a scorching wave of heat in the small of her back, his voice suddenly muffled off to her right, a low moan. There was a moment of stillness, her gasps sounding loud, her skin itching against the sweaty furs. Then he was gone. She lay stunned for a few minutes, idly pumping her hips against the bed in aftershock. Shivering, she rolled in the furs and sat up. The tapestry was still swaying. He was gone. Falling back, she brought the pillow to her face, and smelled him. Why had he run out? Lifting her hands up in front of her face, she stared at them, covered in ribbons of come. How very … animalistic. She sensed at once he’d done it because she’d held the other men’s balls. So, was this all over some kitty jealousy? Territory? She lowered her hands slowly to her face. She inhaled deeply. He smelled sharp, slightly metallic. Opening her mouth, she slid a finger in and sucked, thoughtfully. Oh, yeah. That was sweet. She sent another hand down between her legs and drove a finger into her vagina, confusing her belly that was both still excited and utterly sated. Withdrawing it, she washed her hands thoroughly in the air. Then she inhaled again. The scent made her head spin. Sweet, sweet, sweet. He was right: they mixed into something unique. It smelled better than chocolate. Where had he gone? The relaxation won over the lingering sexuality. Her heavy eyelids closed. **** Snowcat ran all night. He ran because the last thought his man had was “Stay away from her.” To honor that meant to run. The rabbit was delicious, the night warm for autumn. At dawn, he circled the lair, scenting the other cats, all trapped under skin tonight. Their men were happy. Hopeful. The women were all being thoroughly fucked. Soon there would be kits. Stopping often to lick the deep bite wound on his foreleg, he panted through the pain. When Brother was done fucking, he called to him, crying loud into the night, a rip in the air. Brother came in human skin and his tail lashed in displeasure. “What the fuck is that? Were you attacked?” Brother was pained, worried. He didn’t know his man had bitten their own body, to protect their woman. Snowcat went to him and butted his forehead affectionately into the man’s thigh. Then, because he couldn’t help himself, he marked him with his scent, a sleek drag of each cheek. Brother belonged to him. Brother submitted to him. He was the only other alpha to be trusted in the lair. “You fucked her, didn’t you.” Brother was displeased. Snowcat sharpened his claws on Brother’s boots. Brother sighed. The boots came off, as did the clothes. Weak human skin. Brother let his fur out and they ran, playing in the leaves.

After they had scouted a line, ensuring their magic was holding the danger away, they went to a dense yew forest and lay in a soft dry hollow. Brother licked his wound and his eyes drowsed, tail lazily flicking. It was a good day.

Chapter Three This was the most overwhelming day of her life. She thought her arrival day couldn’t be topped, but this morning gave her an inkling that she had made a rash, uninformed decision choosing to go meekly with Dar. Her knees ached from being folded so tightly into this crevice. The cold rock around her had seeped deep into her bones. She couldn’t feel her toes or her fingers, and her nose was running. She supposed it was safe to come out now. She considered the smear of blood a bodylength away. She considered the swaying trees, lightly frosted and filtering down snow like shaved diamonds. She considered the boulder she’d sat on yesterday and this morning, still darkly splashed with moisture where the cat had pissed. What kind of place was this? Nothing like a City, that’s for sure. She stood, using the sharp rocks to pull herself stiffly up. She was going to need a good coat. Using a fur around her body like a cloak wasn’t good enough. She desperately needed to go in, but was afraid. Moving just far enough into the entrance that she was out of the wind, she called a burst of heat into her body, her heart accelerating hard. In a moment, pins and needles erupted down her limbs. When her heart had slowed and she could feel her fingers enough to wipe her nose, she slowly went into the caves. She stood uncertainly. Hearing footsteps from one tunnel, she tensed, ready to run the other way. “Luna!” She wanted to run to him, but wasn’t sure. Sudden furious heat sped her heart again. All the shocks of the morning jumbled in her head. “The bloody cat peed on my rock!” Her shout echoed loudly in the tunnel. Dar stopped a short distance away, considered her with tilted head. He looked utterly irresistible. His eyes were a clear, light blue. His light brown hair was tousled. His presence was rock solid. “Did he?” She sulked, looking away. You sound like an idiot, she told herself. “Come with me.” He turned and strode away, stopping after a few paces and looking back. “I don’t take orders from you.” Facing her again, he said mildly, “So you don’t. Let’s go sit down and get you warm.” Resentful of his reasonable attitude after he’d been missing for half the day—and all of the night—she followed at a distance. He took her into the lounge. By the time she arrived, the only occupants, two men, were leaving by the far door. He pulled up a wide, deep chair in front of the heat rack. It was lined with pillows and furs and beautifully woven blankets, which he lifted for her, indicating she should go under. When she was tucked in, he sat on a stool near her feet. The silence settled into her, along with the heat. He was so still, so absolutely unmoving, her mind drifted for awhile. When she stirred, she blinked to see him studying her from under his lashes. Thick, sexy lashes.

“You’re beautiful.” Her breath caught. A retort flitted across her mind, for she knew it wasn’t true. Her hips and thighs and belly were too wide, her nose and chin too big, her chest too small. Her hair was artificially dark, but her natural brown wasn’t so light, like his, that it looked odd, although it did make her nice eyes stand out even more. But something in his tone kept her from saying it. His voice was too honest. He believed it. “So are you, not that it’s any news to you.” “It’s very satisfying to know I’m pleasing to you.” “You could have heard a lot about how pleasing you are last night if you’d stayed.” He sighed very slightly, gaze dropping down to her neck. He licked his lips. “I had to go.” “This morning, I saw blood on the blankets and pillow. The furs were torn into shreds. I don’t know how any of it happened.” “Were you hurt?” Command rode his voice completely. She hesitated. “No.” He leaned in. “What was it?” “Fine scratches on my belly, more welts really, that I healed in a moment.” His hands under her, lifting her up to feast on her core. She shivered. “Let me see.” “They’re gone.” “Let me see.” The intensity in his voice brought the whole morning rushing back. “See, this is you issuing commands I don’t have to follow again.” He looked away, his nostrils flaring, jaw taut. When he mastered himself, his voice came out very low, controlled. “I could have hurt you. That’s why I left. Snowcat wanted to mark you. So I turned and took the hit myself. The blood is just another trigger. I hadn’t come inside you, and … it was best I left, but I was in no condition to explain.” She considered this. “You bit yourself?” He shifted, pulling one arm out from his tunic and lifting it to show her. She was first distracted by the smooth rise of his pecs with the pale bitty nipples, and then saw the reddened puncture wounds on his forearm. She wasn’t surprised that they looked a week healed. “You have natural healing ability?” “All Truxet heal better than humans, and shifting heals us even more. Plus Evon helped it along. I have a strong bit of body magic from Snowcat, but my strength is Earth.” She reached out and traced the bumps, leaving a wash of healing behind. His biceps jumped, his abs tightened. How wonderful. He pulled away and put his shirt on. “I should have been told that sex with you would be so dangerous.” She could hear his teeth grinding. “It is not usually so … tempestuous.” “Nearly ripping your own arm off and shredding heavy furs into tatters is not passionate, it’s lack of control.” He nodded. She didn’t know what to make of that. “Pret told me of the scene in the baths this morning. I’m sorry you had to be part of that display.”

Hmmm. Change of subject. “He’s the youngish man with gray hair?” Dar nodded. “He pulverized that black-haired man’s face against the floor. It had something to do with me, but I don’t know what I did.” “It was my fault. I called Evon out of the Hollow to be with me. One of us should be here at all times.” “They fight like that if you’re not around?” “That wasn’t a fight. That was a discipline.” He stood abruptly. “Can I sit with you?” She considered his delicious frame, the size of the wide chair, her fading anger over last night, her experiences that day. “Sure.” He arranged himself in the corner and pulled her up against him between his legs, tucked her head under his chin, and gathered the blankets around them. He sighed, relaxed. “You are so soft.” “I am so fat.” He squeezed her, and she sensed the warning. “You are the size you need to be, which is much smaller than me. I like it very much. I never want you to say such a thing to me again.” He moved his hand so that it covered the swell of her tummy. Again she swallowed a typical retort, and the urge to suck in her stomach. Her heart flipped over. “You need to hear some things about my people.” She shifted, and his hand petted her. Licking her lips, she shared her revelation of today in a very small voice. “You’re not human.” “No.” His matter-of-fact voice let her soak that in for a moment. “We are Truxet. We carry a beastspirit. I carry the Alpha beastspirit for my Clan. Someday I will pass it to another.” Something was speeding his breathing. She covered his hand with hers, closed her fingers around his firmly. “The beastspirit is driven by one thing, across all of the Clans: family. Protect family, create family. Our men are strongly tied to each other through our beastspirit, but we are not mindless instinct. There are human issues in the mix. One of the worst is depression. “There are forty-five people I am responsible for. Fourteen of those men are like me, without a mate. Without a mate, our focus is always distracted by women and children. Every woman that is near us is constantly assessed as a potential mate. “Some of those men are a generation, two, older than me. They know in their hearts their chances of being fertile are waning. It’s … such a sense of loss. I spent the morning visiting the five couples who were not fertile. It was hard, talking with them about it. But those men will be all right, because they at least have mates. “We have two juveniles. Two, for all our adult men to focus on. Shilk and Mark were raised without any other Snowcats as playmates, as made-brothers. We have to sift them to Sandcat or Mountaincat for them to play in a group. “When you review the single men tomorrow, you must not identify with body language or tone who is fertile and who is not. That will be for me to share, privately. For them, with no mate, they are… It will be…” Dar shuddered behind her. She moved her hands to his thighs on either side of her.

“I’ve dealt with this a lot, Dar. People come to me as a last hope. It breaks my heart to see them so devastated. What about adoption?” “The royals have denied it except in cases of girls brought in by adopted women.” “But … it seems like this is the answer to every parenting tragedy in the Cities! All these fathers, just waiting!” “It isn’t the same. Human boys are … empty. They will never have a beastspirit. Human girls, we would gladly take, but they would become part of the Clans. The royals are worried that the Cities would rise up against us.” “That’s because there’s too much secrecy around your people. All the new information in these last few years has created quite a buzz. People are relieved, but there are many whispers that it is all a lie. You should be more open.” “We are the main reason humans haven’t descended into chaos and violence. They will never accept us. We are too different for them not to fear us. If they didn’t fear us, they would dive headfirst into war and dark magic.” She stiffened, stilled. “I’m well aware of what they’ve labeled you. You are no more a darkmage than I.” A newborn screaming in rage. A man screaming in terror. Internal rupture, massive hemorrhage. A woman writhing in pain for hours, hours, hours. Her eyes going blank as Mena stills her heart. “Shhhh. Shhhhh.” Her breath was coming in little pants, heart pounding from the flashback. “Your heart is true, Luna. There is no selfishness, no hate, trailing behind you. This regret is good. We should be afraid of decisions like that.” “How do you know? What I’m thinking?” “When I searched for you, I investigated. I would not bring danger into the Hollow. I made the same decision as the first hunters assigned to your case did years before when we thought you just specialized in births—you did not warrant a hunt.” “Have you ever killed, Dar?” She held her breath at her audacity. “Do you really want to know?” She swallowed. It took a few tries. “Yes.” “I have never committed murder. But I have had to make decisions that resulted in death.” There was an echo in his voice. He was firm in his mind. The Beasts’ magic rode the Cities. They knew when violence had been dealt. They followed the trails of trouble, of awful intent. When they found someone guilty, that person was taken away. Too many people believed they never made it to the courts. Too many had disappeared for people to be comfortable. Were Dar’s self-righteous comments about humans part of his mindset as an executioner? He sighed enough for her to feel it against her back. “Today, in the baths, Pret took down Minunder because he stepped toward you as you disrobed. You know that our senses are stronger than humans’. Minunder is one of four men in my Clan who are only mine because of Snowcat. They do not support me as a leader, they do not like me as a man, but their Snowcats honor mine. Pret saw the disrespect in his face, saw him become erect, and step toward you. He stopped anything from happening.” “He harmed that man, when he’d done nothing. Looking isn’t forbidden, and admiring isn’t disrespectful. I admired some guy’s ass yesterday and no one smashed my face in. Are you saying Minunder would have attacked me?”

“No. I don’t believe any of my people have so little self-control. But the ghosting, the constant loneliness, the understanding of the odds, and our Clan history … men can lose their judgment enough to be aggressive when they should not be.” “Aggressive.” When he didn’t answer, she rolled her head along his shoulder and looked up at him. “As in aggressive enough to bite yourself and shred the bed furs.” His lips thinned. “That was something else. Aggressive enough to approach women in a way they should not. Touching in a way that is not platonic, or wanted. But he wouldn’t have attacked you.” “So, why didn’t Pret simply warn him to back off?” “Because his attitude and actions were just as much about me as about you.” Ah. “Territory.” “You could look at it that way.” “So, you mentioned I would review the single guys tomorrow. After I get through assessing them, are you going to want to come on my hands again?” He went so rigid behind her, she thought he was going to get up and leave. “What if I do? Want to?” She sighed, took her hands from their clenched position across her chest and took his hand in both of hers. “I’d say you give good enough hand sex that it probably could work out, as long as you find enough control that neither of us gets bitten.” He wrapped his arms entirely around her, hugging her. So safe, so warm, so absolutely marvelous. It had been so long since she wanted to get to know a man. Since she wanted a lover. “Tell me what you were doing by the entrance. And who dared to pee on your rock.” “I was outside because I saw the men in the hall. And the snowcat dragged the carcass up to me. He peed on my rock on purpose, and I was just sitting there.” Indignation lit her voice. “Let’s go back to the men in the hall.” “I woke up, alone, found the blood and the ripped-up bed. I went to the lounge and got some food because I was starving. I saw some guys at a table sniff me so I went into the washroom. I had just hung up my robe when Pret beat Minunder’s head in. He told me to get out. “I was walking back toward my own room when I heard all these voices, so I turned the corner to see. I wasn’t spying, I was just standing right there. All these men were coming out of a room. Nude. They still had sheet wrinkles in their skin from sleep. A few of them were hard, and I could tell one of them had come. Then one of them came out with the toddler in his arms. Little Mark. “Some drifted away and some came toward me. Then two more guys came out the door, one of them was the teenager, and he was looking at the other guy … I can only say he looked lovestruck. So I quickly scrambled back and turned another corner and went to my room and got the blanket and went outside.” Again she twisted to look up at his face. “I suppose it makes sense that some men are bisexual, when there are so few women. But I was shocked that they’d involve the children. That their mothers allowed it.” “You think that we would have sex in front of children?” She looked away quickly from his disappointed eyes.

“You’re a very sexual people. Very open.” His big hand cupped her chin, turned her to face him. “None of my men are fucking each other. I wouldn’t care, but I would know. It might make sense, but it’s actually very, very rare for Truxet to fuck each other. Probably because our beastspirits are such a big part of our sexuality, and to them, sex is either procreation or dominance. “Snowcats are not a social beastspirit. We need our own territories within the lair, like our time alone. Even among the social Clans, the Wolves, the Sandcats, the Groundbears, they do not fuck in front of the children. Sex is around enough that children are aware of it, of what it is, and probably are wily enough to get a glimpse of it. But in our Clan, so decimated and childless, our men sleep together to try to hold the sorrow at bay. Brothers and cousins sleep with mated couples, unmated sleep with children, to remember that they do have bonds. They are part of a greater family. I rarely sleep alone. My people need me to be near. Plus, sleeping together is practical in the cold. “If you saw the men erect or wet, it was a natural part of waking, not sexual activity they shared.” “I’m really relieved to hear that. I was so surprised by it.” “I appreciate you talking to me about questions like this. So I can lay them to rest. Some things, like our opinion that mothers don’t need to be mates, we are just going to disagree on. But if I can stop misunderstandings, I’d like to. I want you to be comfortable here. I haven’t put you through our laws course yet, and you’ll be doing that this week too.” “Thank you, Dar.” “You had a busy morning. Tell me about the rock.” “I went outside. I sat on my rock. A snowcat came, dragging this bloody carcass, some kind of goat or deer. The abdomen had been torn out, the throat. The whole front of the cat was covered in blood, face and paws just wet with it. I sat so still, kind of off to the side, but it stopped, noticed me. I leaped away and ran to the cliff, tried to get in a hole, but it wasn’t deep enough. The cat walked over and sniffed the rock, then peed on it. Then went back to the carcass and dragged it inside.” “You were frightened.” He sounded angry. “Of course! It was as big as I was! I’ve never seen a wild animal before in my life! Chucks in the bad parts of the City don’t count. It had teeth! Big teeth. It had whiskers, and fur, and paws the size of my face!” “He. Not it. He wouldn’t have hurt you, but it’s never a good idea to run from any of the men in beastspirit form. Every Truxet is a predator at heart. You could end up being tackled. He probably over-marked your territory because you were staring at him. Cats hate to be stared at. It’s aggressive.” “Tackled! How about eaten!” “Never.” He scoffed, his voice amused. Nudging her up, he stood and stretched in an impressive wall of muscles. He led her out to the ledge. The cold was extra biting after being cozy with him in the chair for so long. He bent to the rock. When he turned back to her, he was no longer relaxed. This was the intense leader of yesterday. She shivered. Angry energy rode the air. Gripping her elbow, he led her quickly to a small room with a bigger table than those she’d seen. It was some sort of meeting room.

“Sit there.” He pointed and then left. An order again. She sat anyway. It was only a few minutes later when he came in with four men in tow. One was Minunder, who only had faint bruising on one cheekbone. None of them were among the mates she’d reviewed yesterday. “Sit.” They all sat. None of them looked at her. Luna straightened her spine. Something not good was going on. Dar walked over and stood behind her chair. His hand rested on her shoulder. “I can’t believe I’m having this conversation. Luna is my guest. She is here to save our Clan. If you want her services, you will treat her with every respect.” Dar leaned down and licked her neck, a rough quick swipe over the spot he’d worked on the night before. “Luna. Please reach down and touch yourself.” She blinked at the table in confusion. “What?” “Reach into your pants and touch your vagina, then lay your hand on the table.” She tried to turn and look up at him, but he tightened his fingers warningly. Fuming, unwilling to challenge him in front of these men, she awkwardly fumbled at her waist. Her fingers gingerly touched the wetness that still lingered from the prior evening. She hesitated, and he squeezed her shoulder again, gently. Not human, she reminded herself. She withdrew her hand and let it hover over the table, unsure of getting the cream on the wood. He reached over her and clasped her wrist, extended it out so that she had to lean forward in the chair. “Do you smell that?” Her eyes were unwillingly drawn to the darkly tanned man, Minunder, across from her. His nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed on Dar. “As of last night, she is my lover. Stay away from her.” He pulled back on her hand and lifted it up to his face. She gasped as he closed his mouth around her fingers, folding them all between his lips. He took his time licking her clean. When he was done, he pulled her up from the chair, tucked her under one arm. Pointing at the floor in front of them, he said, “Throat.” Three of the men went forward quickly, knelt and arched their backs, stretching the strong cords of their necks bare. Minunder moved considerably slower, making a show of tucking in his chair while the others knelt. Dar was a blur of motion. Luna staggered from his sudden absence. Dar had the man down on the far side of the table, chairs knocked and jostled. Fleshy thuds mixed with growls. Someone screamed, moaned. She glanced uneasily at the trio who were still kneeling, motionless. Silence from the two men out of sight. Then something stood on the far side of the table. Something huge, and awful. Nothing Luna had ever seen before. It was a head taller than Dar, and wider. Its hair was longer, darker, shaggier. Its mouth was full of teeth, including huge incisors that appeared to be fangs. The muscles were so dense, its clothes had split. It lifted a misshapen hand tipped with crescent claws and ripped the remains of a shirt off. It roared down at the floor, an earsplitting sound in the stone room that made Luna squeak. It looked over at her. Between one blink and the next, it was crouched on the table,

facing her. She stumbled back and hit the wall. “Don’t run.” This from the man kneeling closest to her, throat still bared. The thing was suddenly in front of him, tossing his body across the room like he was a stick. The man twisted, landing incredibly on his feet. He knelt where he landed and again bared his throat. Luna began to shake. Blood spell. Call up a blood spell and zap it. She had raised a hand to do just that when she understood, finally, that this was Dar. “Dar?” Her voice caught. A warm chest was under her outstretched hand. Again, she hadn’t seen him move. He leaned into her touch, and purred. The thing’s eyes were absolutely black. A bit of spittle ran in a line from his mouth. A new presence moved up to them. “I’m here, Dar.” It was the red-haired, cold-eyed Evon. Dar growled at him without looking away from her and Evon stepped back. “What happened, Lady?” “A cat peed on my rock. He took me here, brought them here, Minunder was too slow and is somewhere over there.” She tilted her head fractionally. “Then this happened. What’s wrong with him?” “Nothing is wrong with him. He’s very, very upset, which is not a good thing with an Alpha. Duncan, get Minunder and take him to Xishu. Jreve and Sono, get out.” They went and Dar never stopped drooling at her. “Here is what you need to know about dealing with a Trux in battleform.” Evon’s voice was very soft, very soothing, as if he were talking to Dar. “He wants you. He doesn’t want to hurt you, but he might not understand if he does.” “Wha-what does he want?” “I recommend you undress, and get on the table.” “What?!” Her voice was breathlessly quiet, but Dar growled at the panic. “Move slowly, and don’t look at his eyes.” No problem. She couldn’t tear her gaze from those teeth. “Do it, please, Luna. I won’t let anything happen to you.” There was a push of command, a confidence in Evon, that reminded her of Dar. She would do anything to make this Dar go away. She reached up and unlaced her tunic. She took off her shirt and lowered her pants, walked in baby steps to the table and leaned against it, facing them. Evon’s back was now to her as Dar faced her. She was so scared she felt each heartbeat as an eternity. “Dar. Look at her. She’s yours. She wears your scent. She’s so scared, Dar. Hear her heart? She needs the balance to tip. She’s safe. I’m here. I’ve got your back. She’s bare before you. You can’t go to her like this. Come on.” She watched his skin waver while Evon continued to talk softly. His neck shrunk, his arms, those teeth receded. His hair writhed in an invisible wind, his eyes cleared. His chest was so beautiful, with the lightest dusting of hair down the center. “Thank you, my Shield. Go check on Minunder.” “Alpha.” Evon left. “Dar.” Her fingernails were embedded in the underside of the table, from where her hands gripped the edge. Her heart was still galloping. She’d heard the stories of the Beasts having a monstrous form. She hadn’t believed them.

“I never want you to be afraid of me.” His voice was hoarse. “I—I…” She didn’t know what to say. He was pretty frightening. “I am so sorry. I lost my temper like some youngling.” “I—I…” “Luna, if you don’t want me to fuck you hard, right now, you need to leave.” Her eyes went wide. Her breath caught. His erection tented his pants. He undid them, pushed them down. They matched now, with their pants around their ankles. She giggled. Why would she want to leave that? “Turn around.” Oh. That growl in the command… She did. His hand went to her neck, pushed. She folded over, lying down on the cool wood. She wriggled. He opened her legs as far as they would go with her pants still on. He opened her cheeks, fit a wide, smooth knob against her hole, and closed his hands over each hip. “Tell me you want this.” “I—I…” She clenched her hands. He wasn’t human. He was dangerous. He was incredible. “Fuck me, Alpha.” “Yes.” He began to push. Her first breath caught, strangled. Her next squeaked. The squeak lowered to a light moan. He readjusted his grip, his thighs hard against hers. She was so full. His cock was so hard, and she was so soft. It was wonderful to clamp down on him, feel him push harder to tunnel deeper. The table edge hurt her hips. She didn’t care. He kept driving deeper, and her moan lowered again into a groan. He stopped, so far inside her. Her breath choked. She beat her fists once against the table, overwhelmed by the feeling of him holding himself so still. She loosened her internal grip, clamped down again. “Tell me again.” It took a few panting moments to get the air in. To ready herself. Oh, Earthmother, what was this going to do to her? “Fuck me, Alpha.” He pushed down on her hips, locking his arms and pinning her in place. He ground forward against her ass, an inch deeper. She felt a pinch of pain, in her bones against the table, at her cunt where she stretched around his thick base, inside, where his head pressed on her womb. Now she heard him groan, long and guttural. He pulled out and slammed in once. Again he ground deep while she gasped, struggling to understand the sensations he’d left. She felt liquid trail down her thigh. He did it again, pull out in one long rush and pound in with one show of strength. A wail ripped from her throat when he stopped. Her fists beat again. Another too-quick exchange and she screamed in rage at him. He was so long and hard, but she was so wet she couldn’t get the friction she wanted. Her clit throbbed and pulsed, trapped between her hood and the table. He growled in return above her. She felt his arms shudder, the kind from too much tension held too long. Then he was banging her, deep, and withdraw, deep and withdraw. Over and over, the hard strokes steady and harsh.

Eventually she became so sensitive she could feel his crown traveling up and down her shaft. Her vagina poured cream until she could feel the slick beneath her hips, coating her thighs, coating his where they shoved against her ass. He worked her so hard, for so long, she lost sense of time. She was shifting sand beneath him, and the foundation of her sexual experience began to crumble. Heat began to radiate from him; sweat fell on her lower back. He was grunting with every drive, moaning, snarling, and the sounds echoed back from her throat. Her hands alternated between beating the table and clawing at it. Her breasts ached, chafed, burned. Finally his rhythm faltered, halfway out on a withdrawal. He screamed. The raw sound ran down her spine. He picked her hips up a few inches off the table, and went wild. The speed heated a core of a few inches deep inside her, and his balls slapped her. The frenzy shuddered the entire table, but it was all part of her world falling down around her. She came on a groan that ripped from the marrow of her bones. He crushed his hips against her, gasping, choking, iron thighs shivering along the line of hers. He landed on top of her like a landslide. Sticky, hot, hips aching, she blinked, focusing on the grain of the wood. Their position had him popping out of her in a moment when he softened. A waterfall of come rolled down her thighs. She writhed at the sensitivity, moaned. He heard the undercurrent of pain and pulled back. He fumbled with a chair, sat heavily and pulled her off the table to cradle her across his lap. Her hands locked behind his neck. Only their rough panting breaths broke the silence. She was struck by the blueness of his eyes. His hair stuck up every which way, considerably longer than it had been before he’d become the monster. They stared at each other, shocked, as the sweat dried, and the cream cooled. **** He was not particularly shocked that he’d finally lost his temper with Minunder. Earth was slow to anger, but unstoppable once triggered. He was appalled that he did it in front of Luna, though. Appalled that Evon had left them there, where he could have mauled her. The first thing he did after walking her to the baths was get his mother. She needed to give Luna a crash course in Truxet ways right away. Then he went to Minunder’s room to see how he was. The bodymages Xishu and Miki were just finishing up. Minunder’s parents and Jreve, the youngest of his malcontents, were also there. Everyone fell silent when he entered. “How is he?” He asked the bodymages, not Minunder. “He’ll be fine in a day or two. Bed rest recommended for tomorrow.” He nodded. “Thank you.” He stared at Minunder and waited until the man lifted his gaze and met his eyes. “Throat.” Shila, his mother, gasped in dismay, but her mate Cabo put his arm around her. Minunder was just as slow to kneel before him as before, but since he was moaning and panting in pain at crawling from the bed and across the floor to kneel with his neck bared, Dar was more patient. As soon as he had achieved the position, his body shaking, several of the deeper claw marks on his chest dripping blood, Dar bent and sank his teeth into the shithead’s throat. He clamped down hard, ripping fresh skin, and felt Snowcat scream in satisfaction.

Rising, he looked at Jreve. “Go get the others and be back at the meeting room in five minutes.” The young warrior was absolutely pale. He nodded and ran. When Dar reached the door, he paused. Minunder was choking in an attempt to talk. He stood patiently, but did not show him the respect of turning around. “It’s all I wanted, you know. For you to step up and prove yourself. You never did, and I just couldn’t believe you di…” Rage descended as Snowcat lunged up into his mind. When Dar became aware again, Shila was weeping softly. Miki hissed furiously at Xishu, “Do something.” Minunder’s face was purple above Dar’s hands, which were wrapped around his throat. His hands were the only point pinning the man to the wall, his feet dangling a handspan above the floor. He dropped the man. Tremors raced down his arms from the released tension. Tremors of disgust raced down his spine. “Get out. I don’t want you here, with so much to organize with the new mating schedule and the Autumnal days away. I want you gone within an hour.” “No!” Shila wailed. She threw herself at his knees. “Not exile, Alpha, please, please.” Cabo rushed to pull her away, his face strained. Shila turned and buried her face in his neck. Minunder was still choking and gasping on the floor, Miki hovering over him. Xishu stood back, staring at the man in disgust. He hated this, his people in turmoil, Snowcat wanting blood. Crouching, he grabbed Minunder’s jaw and twisted so they faced each other. The man’s eyes were dazed, horrified. “You only respect fear? You want me to prove I’m capable of violence? This is what you want for our Clan? The next time you show me the slightest disrespect, I’ll kill you. Will that convince you I’m a worthy Alpha?” He threw the man’s head away. He misjudged the man’s lack of strength and his skull bounced off the carpeted floor. He found it hard to be sorry. “Silence!” he roared at Shila’s sobbing. The woman choked, gasping, trying to stop. Cabo cowered, curling her in his arms as if to hide her. “Alpha.” Xishu’s quiet rebuke was calm. Inhaling deeply, Dar locked eyes with Cabo. “He goes tonight. He will not be part of the matings. I’m not exiling him. He can rejoin us at Autumnal, and I will speak to him there.” He left the bedroom and stalked back to the meeting room. The smell of their sex filled the air. Snowcat calmed. The men were already in position. He went directly to each and took their tribute, blooding each only lightly. “Let me tell you something. I do not care if you feel your uncle was the better man.” He looked at Hab’s nephew, Sono. “I do not care if you are eaten with jealousy that you did not manifest as an Alpha when your Clan brother did.” He looked at Jreve, who had been Evon’s constant companion until they hit their maturity. “I do not care if having a little brother who got too much attention hurt you.” Duncan was eleven when Shilk was born, the first baby for the Clan in years at that point, and the last baby for the warriors to focus on until just two years ago, when they saved little Mark.

“And I do not care that Minunder has always mistrusted me because my uncle went rogue. You will sleep in my bed until Autumnal. You will run with me tonight. You will spar with me tomorrow. You will eat only when I do, and you will not speak to Minunder until he returns to the Clan at Autumnal.” Jreve started to speak and Duncan silenced him with a lightning quick jab to the ear. Abruptly, Dar sat on the floor in front of Duncan, the middle man in their row. He looked at each warrior in turn. Quieter, he said, “Do you have any idea what is going to happen when the other Clans find out what Luna can do?” The men were silent, remaining tense. “They are going to be quiet while the first wave of matings happens. When they see the pregnancies, they’ll even be quiet while we fight to keep our children. But when they are born, they will come and ask for her. Thousands of warriors. And we all want children. They’ll want her training. What if she won’t do it? What if they can’t learn? What if, just let yourself stretch to the possibilities, she wants to leave?” The men exchanged quick looks. He nodded. “This Clan will present a united front at Autumnal. I brought Luna here, and I am responsible for her. She is going to give us the magic we’ve been seeking. You could be fathers within a month, but you almost certainly will be helping with a large group of kits. Your discontent will be swallowed deep. You have a week to practice. There will be no flicker of it in your eyes, in your shoulders, in your tails. We are whole.” He looked at each man, holding his gaze, measuring his understanding. Something eased in his core when he saw Sono’s chin tilt up, Duncan’s shoulders straighten, Jreve’s eyes shift away. Good. Next he went to Evon’s room. “You left her with me.” “I did.” “I could have killed her.” “I gather there isn’t a scratch on her, or you this time.” “That’s not…” “She smells good.” Every hair on his body stood straight out in shock. He bounded to his feet. “What?” “I can see why you’ve wanted her from the moment you started to hunt her.” Dar collapsed back into the chair. He hadn’t tried to keep it a secret, but his Shield’s understanding of him amazed him sometimes. “You do realize that from the first time you picked up her trail two years ago, you’ve hardly visited the paid women.” “I was a tad busy, between her creative mazes, research, and our people. And I visit them at least each moon; it’s not like I’m pining.” “You used to visit them nearly nightly. You marked her as yours on the first night. I can see why you want to claim the prize of your hunt. I think it’s good strategy too, but don’t get caught up in it. You’re getting intense about her.” “She is my guest. She’s the single most important person in the world for the Snowcats now. Of course I’m intense about her being here. And I’m not interested in her out of strategy.” Evon snorted. “You mean to tell me that it never occurred to you that the best way to

keep a woman interested in staying is to keep her satisfied in bed?” This time it was only the hairs on his nape that stood up. “She is my guest.” “Yes, we’ve covered that. And you fuck all your guests.” Dar growled, lifting his lip. Evon sighed. “I apologize for leaving her to soothe Snowcat. I made a decision, and I’ll point out I was proven right. So, I’m glad you finally beat the snot out of Minunder. You should have let me do it last year and we would have had peace all last winter.” “You have my permission to kill him if he so much as blinks at you wrong.” The utter seriousness, the bone-deep sadness in his voice, brought Evon’s chin up. They studied each other, each feeling the weight drag at their shoulders. “Yes, Alpha.” “He’s gone until Autumnal, and his three shadows are mine. Hopefully they’ll rethink their priorities without his presence. I want you on them whenever you see them.” “Got it.” “What’s the Clan saying about Luna’s proving?” “Beka’s pregnant.” Dar felt the Snowcat sit up inside him, intent. “Say that again.” “Beka’s pregnant.” Dar launched himself across the table and tackled Evon in a massive hug that sent them both backward onto the floor. He howled with laughter, disbelief, and joy as they wrestled in each other’s arms. Straddling the man, he whispered, “It’s true. Everything they said about her is true.” Evon nodded, rubbed his cheek against Dar’s arm. “Alpha, you have saved us.” Dar was up and racing across the halls. There was a crowd in Beka and Dreu’s room. They sent up a cheer when they saw him, saw that he had heard. They had conceived in one night after Luna had manipulated Dreu’s sperm when she found that Beka was ovulating. He went to her, knelt and laid his head on her tummy. Snowcat purred. Dreu knelt next to him, wrapped his massive arms around them both. Everyone was laughing and crying. Evon found him still there later, beckoned him. “Minunder’s left. He had to crawl and I made sure no one helped him. I’ll sleep with Shila tonight.” “Thank you.” They went to the library, where they recorded Beka’s pregnancy. His finger traced the long line of death dates. “Tomorrow, when the men get tested…” Evon waited. “I can’t be there. The thought of watching her kneel, touching them, swaying with pleasure… I’d like you to be there, to guard her. We’re meeting afterward, here. I don’t want the men to hear their results from anyone but me.” Evon nodded. “Evon, make sure she bathes. And if anything happens, for Fire’s sake, don’t leave her with me again.” That night, he ran with the men who doubted him. They ran until their cats were exhausted. He slept among them, and he dreamed of babies with silver eyes. **** She went to the library exhausted, sad, and wet. Her hair dripped a chilly trail down

her back. He stood in front of a thick book, an old one made with vellum instead of paper. His hands caressed the pages thoughtfully, his blue eyes far away. “Greetings, Luna. How are you?” “Tired.” Why didn’t you come to me last night? Why didn’t you watch over me today? “You’ve heard about Beka?” “That’s lovely.” He studied her. “Do you realize what this means to us? How enormous?” “She still has to carry to term. They all do.” He nodded. She was sorry her caution caused his shoulders to drop a tiny bit. “I know the odds of the past. I also know the odds of all the babies you’ve saved over the past few years. Together, we’ll bring as many as we can to life. I wrote out your notes on the cycle dates of the women. The next mate, Kinelle, will be next week, when we’ve just arrived at Autumnal.” “No problem. I’m not worried about getting the mated pairs pregnant. I’ve already seen Beka this morning and we’ll keep a good close eye on them. But the single guys I saw today… I’m sorry, Dar.” Evon had gone to stand by Dar. The two men looked at each other at her statement. She gestured. “Can we sit?” She was again reminded of their first meeting. Dar was poised on the edge of his seat, fairly quivering. “I spoke at length with Xishu, your Beast bodymage.” “Trux, please.” “Uh, Trux. Sorry. The situation seems to be this: until a Trux mates, his body is just different. I tested fourteen guys. There are only five I think have even a prayer of getting someone pregnant, and their sperm … it just isn’t likely. But they can always try. And keep trying.” Dar seemed shocked, staring at the dried flowers on the table. She swallowed. “I tried to warn you, Dar. I can always test them again if they find a mate. I have no way of knowing yet if this is something that reverses, and Xishu swears that it does. He said very few mated couples are truly infertile.” The silence spun out. She hated disappointing him, even though it wasn’t her fault. “I thought it would be more.” Very precisely he laid his hand on the table. All three of them watched it curl into a white-knuckled fist. “It will be enough.” The passionate rumble of his words convinced her. “It will, Snowcat,” Evon responded just as passionately. “Names.” She listed them. “Congratulations, Evon.” Evon cleared his throat. “Thank you, Dar.” “Gather all of them in the great hall. We run afterward, together.” He left. Dar stared at her. “What about you? Shall I test you now?” He stared at her some more, his gaze roving her face. “No.” She frowned.

“We found eighteen paid women to join the two ladies here. Four of them left when they found out about you. They’re at River Mountain. We’ll stop there on the way to Autumnal and you can test them to get their schedules.” “What? Run that by me again.” “I’ll need you to gather their ovulation…” “No. The part about them leaving. Because of me.” “Their faith prevented them from interacting with you. So they’re back to the Clan homes they were assigned to. We have loan of the women for one month. Then we have to renegotiate for any who are not pregnant.” “That will most likely be most of them. And do you really want sixteen women for five guys?” “I’m already trying to find four more to replace the ones that left.” “Ah.” He seemed to be inspecting her lips. She gathered her courage. “Dar?” “Luna?” “Shall I come to you tonight?” His gaze flew to hers. “I would like that. Very much. You are welcome in my bed.” Happiness bloomed at the same time her crotch dampened. “You should know there will be others joining us.” She blinked slowly, to assimilate this statement. She couldn’t. “Excuse me?” “I’m settling some old problems I handled badly. They’re sleeping with me.” His eyes twinkled. She stiffened her spine. “You settle your problems by sleeping with them.” “Yes. It’s very common among all the Clans.” “And you want me to join you.” “If you like.” His lips twitched. She stood abruptly, heat pulsing in her face. He burst out laughing, holding up his hands. She was shocked when he came directly at her across the table, crawling, chuckling. He knelt in front of her, took her face gently in his hands. He smelled so good. Wild, clean. “We sleep. Only sleep. The nights are cold and the beds are deep. I’ll have women’s sleepwear brought to you. Or if you prefer, stay in your room. I’m sorry I can’t accept the offer you originally intended, but it’s a very precarious time for us right now. My Clan needs me.” “So, you will sleep with other guys, and you want me to join you?” She couldn’t keep the confusion out of her voice. He shook his head, nuzzled her jaw. “You’re not ready. Did Mother help you understand what happened yesterday?” “Yes. She seemed pretty appalled about the whole thing. She showed me a book of pictures. We talked a bit about the laws, about the souldance that matches mates. We’re meeting tomorrow to talk about the Autumnal. That man, Minunder, is all right?” “He is. Were all the men respectful today?” “Absolutely. None of them even looked at me.” He grunted. “Any visions?” Heat swept from her face down her neck. “No, actually.”

“Good.” He swooped down on her, pulling her right up off the floor and into his arms. She was surrounded in heat, his mouth all soft lips and hard nips. “So that cream I smell is all for me.” He laid her out flat on the table, his hand on her breast, squeezing and rolling, their mouths still fused. “You like tables?” She was dazed. She’d worked so hard today. Been so confused last night. Been so worried about sharing the news. And now his tongue was licking that spot again, where her neck met her shoulder. “I could feast on you, the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted, and never grow full, yet never hunger.” His voice chilled her skin, lifting each hair. His words sent her head whirling. “Ohhhh…” “Are you hungry, Luna?” “Yeah, I think I have that same craving…” Her voice was faint. “Good.” He crawled over her and off the table. He stood next to her, undid his laces. She went to raise herself up and he put one hand on her upper chest. “Stay.” He took out his cock. It was long and darker than his pale skin. The head rolled out of its hood while she watched. She licked her lips. “Oh, that’s sweet. Do that again.” He angled himself closer. She smelled his earthy scent. His cock lurched in his hold when she licked her lips, this time letting her tongue trail slowly, curling the tip along her entire lip line. His big hand came down and cradled her head, supporting her neck as she opened her mouth just a bit. He bumped his head against her lips and she flicked a look up at him. “Are you safe today?” “All I thought about was your hands, strong and small. How you were touching them, your hands in every man’s crotch. Evon watching you, their smell on you, their eyes watching you while you touched them. The three other alphas in our Clan are all here, and it’s made Snowcat wild.” His mouth barely moved. His voice was a breath of air. He moved his cock along the damp trail her tongue had left on her lips. “You’re the most powerful woman I know. You’re bringing life, new ideas, a new generation to our people. And I found you. I claimed you for Snowcat. Your lips are on my cock, and sharing my body with you is the biggest rush of my life.” Her tongue was darting out, curling and dipping, but he steadily moved the crown across her jaw, her cheek, so softly, so calmly. “Does that sound safe to you? Does it sound controlled?” “Not particularly.” “Not to me either. But I can’t seem to help myself.” She sat up, pushing past his grip on her neck. She took off her shirt. “I don’t want to be a trophy. You talk of my power, of my belonging. How about this thought that I had in my empty bed last night?” She slithered out of reach of his hand tweaking her nipple, down off the edge of the table and onto her knees. Her hands coasted firmly up over his leather-covered thighs, curling behind to fill each palm with hard handfuls of round muscle.

“There’s no room for childless women in your culture. We’re either mothers, whores, or mates. What is your Council going to do when they learn I’m never going to be a mother or a whore?” Her breath caused his balls to flex and roll. His strong hand gripping his cock pumped once, then angled it brutally down to her lips. She dodged the tip of him, nipping the knuckles of his hand. “I’ll have helped all I can with the fertility within a month, maybe three. I’ll stay for the births. When you’re knee-deep in babies, where will I go?” She pushed at one of his ankles until he kicked his legs wider. His pants were caught at the tops of his thighs. She carefully cupped his balls, with their soft dusting of hair. “No.” His voice was hoarse. “Don’t!” “No? You don’t want to know?” “I—I…” “Shhhh.” Her fingers rolled him softly, tugged and molded. “No.” His voice came firmer. “If I know, I’ll feel obligated to try. And I don’t want to try. I need to give myself to the Clan. If I had a kit of my own…” “Kit?!” “I’d be more dangerous, distracted. My people need me. I’m not ready.” She knelt at his feet, looking up that powerful body that stood so strong. He looked down at her, his cock angry red as he stroked it absently, his other hand sifting gently through her hair. “You look so sad. Surely even an Alpha deserves to be happy.” “I’ll be happy to see my people continue. I’m not saying ‘never’, just not right now. I can’t even be thinking ‘maybe’ right now. I won’t lie. I consider you an enormous treasure I’m proud to have claimed. But you’re not a trophy for me to own. I don’t see you that way. I spent the day packing and organizing for the Autumnal, arranging for our extra women and bodymages. And I spent the day thinking about your hands. Luna’s hands, and maybe her lips, are all I need to be happy right now.” He thrust against her fingers and she smiled. “Ah, yes. These hands.” She rose up on her knees and engulfed his left ball in her mouth. She loved the texture in her mouth, the loose skin, the harder center, the slight scrape of his soft hairs. They were too big for her to fit both, but after she had laved and sucked and had him shouting, she switched to the other, carefully sending her finger behind them to find the smooth knot of skin at their base. She pressed her bare chest against his legs, as steady as rock. “Ahhh! Ah!” Both of his hands were firm on her head. She licked and slurped, pinched his skin between her folded lips, lifted and squeezed the warm sacs. “Luna!” Hearing her name brought a cry to her lips. She surged up higher, captured his cock with one hand and stuffed the head into her mouth. Clamping her teeth under his crown, she lashed the hole at the tip, moaning at how wide her jaw stretched. His hips began to buck roughly, but she never stopped rubbing his jewel, nor did she let loose her teeth. In a few moments all his weight pressed onto her shoulders, where his arms trembled to brace himself while his knees trembled with each pulse. Thick, tart liquid filled her mouth, and when she swallowed, compressing him against the roof of her mouth, he

choked. She had to swallow several times, softening her hold on him, sliding him gently through her lips as he softened. She sent butterfly licks along his abused crown until he crashed to his knees, pulling her into a tight hug. After a few moments, Evon’s voice came from the door. “The unmated men are all gathered, Dar.” Dar nodded against her hair. “I’ll meet you there in a minute.” “Did he—did he just watch us?” “No, he waited in the hallway.” “You knew he was there?!” “He only came up when you had your mouth on my balls. He didn’t hear our conversation.” “He can listen to the conversation, I just don’t care for him listening to the sex!” His hands smoothed her hair from her crown to behind her ears. His thumbs brushed her cheeks. “There are few secrets in a Clan. Don’t be shy about our pleasure. It was beautiful.” “How can I be shy when you want men to sniff my vaginal fluid at a meeting table!” “Shhhh. I have to go. I’m sorry I can’t finish you right now. It would make me very happy if you would finish yourself in my bed.” He closed his eyes and shuddered. “Very happy.” “Your bed! That you’re going to share with all those guys tonight?” “I want to sleep surrounded by your scent. They are sleeping with me because their Snowcats need a reminder, and if they are bothered by your scent, I couldn’t care less.” “What if they enjoy it?” “I have no problem with sharing your scent, woven with mine. They can dream, as I have, of finding a woman like you.” She opened her mouth but he swooped down, his tongue diving perfectly into her dark cave. He laved the inside of her mouth, twined his rough tongue with hers. His lips were both strong and gentle. “Go to my mother this evening. You need to learn a lot, fast. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He tweaked her nipples, hard, as he stood. He laced his pants on the way out. She knelt in the big room, topless, her nipples throbbing, her crotch soaked with her own excitement. Her lips tingled. Her tongue felt large and overused in her mouth, which tasted of earth. The scent of leather and musk rode the air. After a moment, she stood, shakily. She dressed and went to his room. She’d awoken in this room before, but now she took the time to study things. She studied the carvings in the walls, exquisite stonework of trees. She wondered if they were his own, as he was an earthmage. She opened a trunk in the corner. Weapons. She opened another and found clothes. He had a children’s book about squirrels, a journal of some adventurer’s travels in the far northern wilds, and a poetry book about fighting, which she browsed with skepticism. She walked around the two sides of the corner bed, considering the gleaming, thick furs. So, he wanted her scent, did he? **** He told the men the news. Evon, Sono, Pret, Pret’s brother Brel, and one of the four self-exiled alphas, Teke. These five men were going to meet with the women Evon had

gathered, choose three each, and try to impregnate them. Jreve stared hard at Evon, and Dar knew this was yet another jealousy that would eat at his youngest warrior. The other men tried to be happy for them, giving a good hurrah and many congratulations, but the pain of the announcement was thick in the air. Dar turned to Evon. “Bring up the rear.” Evon nodded crisply. “Cal, Teke, Hab, you’re with me.” They’d been here a day, some less, and already he needed to assert himself. Snowcat snarled at the combined pulse of their power. “We have to believe in each other now, men. We have to support the mated pairs who most certainly will have children. We have to support them through their pregnancies and keep every one of these babies.” He was so proud of the lifted heads, the determination and nods. He pumped his fist into the air, shouting, “No more death!” “No more death!” they echoed back, the force of their will a comfort to Snowcat. He stripped, unleashed Snowcat, and they ran. The hunt was good. He ate first, then let the five potential fathers eat from his kill. He played with Cal, who he missed sometimes with a physical ache, this leader who had been so much a part of his life. He snarled down at Minunder’s shadows until they showed their bellies and he was pleased that he could still outrun Hab, who was half again as big as he. He led them all along another stretch of border, and when he smelled that a corpux had come too close, he called a more deadly hunt. The men performed well, taking down an entire pack of the smelly, disease-ridden rodents. Only two of the warriors were scratched and his bodymage skill was up to the task. He paced back with the four unmated elders, talking to them of the frost patterns, potential tent layouts at Autumnal, and the coming babies. When they returned, he ducked into his room to change and staggered at her smell. It was everywhere. The air was so thick with her cream he could practically taste it on his tongue. He went to the bed, crawled in, and rolled his face in the furs. He lapped at them with his tongue, shuddering at the lingering taste. With a hard-on so tight it hurt to stand upright, he went to his clothing trunk. His discarded clothes had been gathered and left on it, but he wanted fresh. Opening the lid, her smell again hit him. He shook his head, dazed. When he lifted out a pair of woolen pants, he buried his face in the crotch. She had worn these. Her come was all over the inner seam. When he lifted out a shirt, the cuffs smelled of her too. He dug deeper and took out the next set, but they were the same, as were the third set he came to. The scent was caught in his throat now, his dick throbbing. He grinned. The little black-haired, silver-eyed brat. Staggering into the clothes, dreading how he was doomed to a hard-on until he had time to jack himself off, he went to his comb in a niche on the wall. Her scent was all over it. One long, dark hair twined in the teeth. His chest worked like a bellows as he went to pull out his wooden practice weapons. He couldn’t believe it when he lifted the lid. If anything, her scent was even stronger. He lifted out a wooden club. Was the end of the handle darker than the rest? Damp? He tore through his weapons chest, tossing them perilously about for the first time in his life. She had used nearly every one between her legs. The handle of his ax, the tip of his short staff, the grip of his bow—some of them still had drying tracks of cream on them.

He thought of her, spread out on his furs, his sword pumping from between her legs, or maybe she’d lain over the bow, humping it from above. Kneeling, dressed in his clothes, rocking the staff between her thighs like a seesaw. Fumbling with his pants, he got them open in time. He hunched over, grunting as his balls and ass squeezed once, twice, thrice. Long ropes of thick white come lay gleaming on his rug as he gasped for breath. He closed his pants. Very carefully, he gathered the come all up, trying to lift it rather than rub it in. Moving down the hallway, he put his gooey hands behind his back when he came to the lounge. Everyone sent up a shout when they saw him, relaxed, happy. He watched her listening intently to his father. Kess was a good man. He was the warrior who had taught him every skill he’d ever needed, and a strong supporter when Dar had gone away to research their stillbirths. When his father saw him watching, he lifted his glass, smiling, but acknowledging with his eyes the difficult task he’d just finished. Dar nodded, then tilted his head at Luna. His father directed her to him. She smiled widely when she saw him, first in pleasure, then in satisfaction when she saw his tight face staring her down. She blew him a kiss. He jerked his head and went out into the hall. In a few moments she came to him. “My, my, what a polite way you have of…” He slapped a hand over her mouth. A hand covered in his drying come. “Don’t say a word.” Her eyes were huge as he wiped his hand down her chin, down the column of her neck, and swirled the last of the wetness all over her collarbone. Cupping his hand behind her head—Stone and deep Earth, he loved the feel of her neck in his hand—he kissed her, hard. He drove his lips against hers, stormed her mouth with his tongue, nipped at hers with his teeth. “Dar?” Her voice was full of uncertainty as she gasped a breath. “Not.” Kiss. “A.” Lick. “Word.” Nip. And because that felt so good, another nip, harder, bringing a cry from her. Snowcat liked that too much, so he soothed her with a gentle suckle at the red mark in the center of her lower lip. He turned and pushed her ahead of him until they got to his room. His clothes and weapons were strewn everywhere, both trunks still open. “Lie down.” She stood dazed, looking confused at the floor covered in objects. He knelt over his sword, and pulled her down opposite him, claiming her mouth again as he maneuvered her, one-handed, onto her back. She ended up lying across his bow, his club at her shoulder, a quiver near her head. He roughly loosened her pants, then held up his other hand, still covered in thick come. Her eyes widened as she took in the cream that slowly oozed down toward his wrist. He took his hand and put it on her stomach, and began to rub. She writhed and cried out, grabbing his wrists, but he didn’t stop. He rubbed it all over her from hipbone to rib, dipping a finger into her belly button in a swirl, purring all the while. When he’d rubbed until there was nothing but a sheen of dry powder left, he knelt over her and kissed her gently. “You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever known. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” He nuzzled her ear, butted her chin. “Luna, your scent, I want it on me so badly. I want to wear it like you wear mine. Please, won’t you do that for me?”

She was panting, her eyes at half-mast from the sensual massage. “Now?” “Now.” She reached into her pants and he pulled back, stretching the waist so that he could see the back of her wrist as she delved and twisted. “There isn’t as much now.” She held her hand up, glistening. “It’s enough.” His voice was a rumble, his cock beating time with his heart. He held up his shirt, baring his stomach. When her hand, her broad-fingered, short-nailed, capable, magical hand, reached out and touched his belly, his cock jumped. He grunted. She began to stroke the lines of his muscles and he lifted his gaze to her face while she painted his abs. She was so beautiful. Her mouth had curves and dips, so plump and fascinatingly small. Seeing it stretched wide around his cock… His cock pulsed again, jerking his pants. Her brows and lashes were thick and dark, while her cheekbones had a charming scattering of freckles. Her neck and shoulders were strong, defined with cords of muscle. She’d lived on her own for so long, doing what she thought was right, what the Elements called her to do. She’d fled Cities, reinvented herself, laid intricate false trails with sightings and clues. She was intent on his stomach and he flexed it for her, glad his body called to her. Her breasts were like fresh, soft rolls, so white and full and … bitable. Her nipples were tan, like her lips. Her hips and ass were the most comfortable pillow against him when he rode her. He wanted everything she had. Her knowledge, her magic, her intelligence, her body. Her scent. When it was just the softness of her fingertips skimming him and the moisture had dried, he clasped her hand in his, kissed each finger softly. “Luna.” “Dar.” “You’re going to drive me insane.” “Yeah.” He met her eyes, and Snowcat purred. What was he going to do? **** She was back on her rock. She’d put a fur down on it, and was wearing a coat Aseki, Dar’s mom, had given her. It was huge, a beautiful black fur coat lined with wool. It was practically as heavy as she was. With the collar flipped up around her face, she was quite comfortable. To sit on the rock in the dark, watching the stars in a black sky unlit by the magelit City Walls … it was creepy. It felt daring and dangerous and exciting. Kind of like everything about her last four days. She thought about her apartment. Her daytime customers would have announced she was missing by now. She wondered what the Truxet told the Cityguards about her. She wondered if others who had disappeared were actually semi-kidnapped and living well here with the Beasts. Would she ever go back? The pregnancies aside, she’d have to use every inch of her skill to keep these babies alive. Especially with the older women. The oldest, Marat, was fifty-five and had suffered seven miscarriages. Luna thought she would do a deeper body sweep on the woman, and assess the odds. She didn’t agree with consistently killing babies just to keep trying. She wasn’t thrilled about men trying to get three children on three different women,

none of whom they even knew. She wasn’t thrilled about the fact Dar did everything but piss on her every time they came together. It was confusing, how she’d be tired or worried, and within seconds of joining his presence, be overwhelmed and coming. He was the most thrilling thing. Gorgeous, generous, caring. She loved how he moved among the people in the lounge, touching and accepting their touches, hugging anyone who approached. They were like one giant family. She missed her mom. She’d like to see her again someday. To be accepted no matter who you were… Oh, who was she kidding? When her mom had suspected that first death, she couldn’t even be in the same room with her. When Luna had tried to talk to her about it, she’d refused, changing the subject in a tight, frightened voice. You belong here. His voice, his eyes, as she lay under him in his bed. She shivered, feeling the damp gathering between her legs. He was a leader. She knew what it was like to put other people first. Someday, he’d take a mate who would give him little Dars. Pale bundles of energy with bright blue eyes. She smiled at the thought, and felt regret. Not for her choice, but because she knew her time with him was short. She would have liked more. Those were never going to be her children. Women were respected for their ability to bring life. And her ability was part of that, but she’d never really belong here. A temporary bed partner. A useful bodymage. She’d find a way to charge for her services. Maybe this River Mountain, their central City, or Clan home, could be her home. She could have her own little cave, learn to go walking in the trees. For the coming month, she’d be at some sort of massive festival. “Dar mentioned we’re leaving in a few days. Going somewhere else, so the women can be warmer.” She and Aseki had been sitting in the bath that evening. She’d felt guilty for washing off Dar’s come. “Yes. It is our version of midsummer in the Cities. Autumnal is the great convergence, when only a skeleton guard rotates through the Cities so that all of our men, alphas, loners, all Clans come together. It is a sight to see, Luna. Like nothing you can ever imagine.” “All of them in one place?” “Mmm. Yes, but it’s a bigger space than most Cities. The Wolves host it in their territory. They’re the largest Clan, so large they subdivide themselves into five color groups. They live in a rolling grassland scattered with thin woods. On a great plain near the Royal River, the eleven Clans claim small plots for their huge colorful tents. The art, the food, the skills of each are featured. Everyone visits, grudges are set aside. There are competitions, some of which are fearsome.” “Is it safe? Thousands of warriors together?” “It’s true that there are some spats. The men get fairly protective. We’re not supposed to go out alone, always in pairs.” “The women, you mean.” “Yes. Preferably with one of the men, but as long as we have a buddy, they manage to keep it together.” “What happens if they fall apart?” Aseki laughed, her lovely light brown hair so like her son’s, gleaming as she shook her head. Luna had been serious, wondering if she’d see the monstrous form Dar had developed when he “lost his temper.” But Aseki had finished bathing and gotten out.

Aseki was kind and intelligent, sharing all the information she wanted to know nearly before she could think of it herself. Apparently, there was some sort of training program for women, both paid and adopted, and she was sort of bypassing it. Now she sat listening to the lovely sound of cold wind in pines, under more stars than she’d ever seen. She was wrapped in fur that she’d only rarely touched before she came here. She was intimate with the most dangerous, beautiful man she’d ever met, despite the fact that he knew she’d killed. Well, apparently, so had he. Rising, she stamped her feet so that the thin white snow puffed like thick dust around her boots. She gathered her fur and went to her room, leaving it and her coat. Dressed in only her soft, loose sleeping top and pants, she scurried through the cold, grey stone halls. She passed one room where many voices murmured, another where a woman moaned in pleasure. She heard the high, piping voice of little Mark, and nodded to an elder moving in the opposite direction. Reaching Dar’s door, she hesitated. Someone was talking. “…not going to enter any competitions. He wants to focus on meeting the women, choosing who he’ll take as a potential mother.” “I’ll take his leftovers.” This deep voice sounded muffled, sleepy. “I know Hab wants to enter the firemage competition.” She thought that must be Sono. Dar’s voice was so low she had to lean to hear it. “As he should. He’s won honor for our Clan many times.” “But last year when he lost, he spent three days recovering and missed seeing the finals when Vyur retired.” Jreve’s youthful voice gave him away. “Vyur’s not really going to retire.” The sleepy voice. Duncan. She gathered her courage and stepped in. Four men sat up abruptly. Four beautiful bare chests to peruse, but only one took her breath. She let her gaze scan the room. No sign of the clothes and weapons that had been here last time. She wondered if her scent still lingered. “Luna! What is it?” Dar leaped from the bed, nude, to hurry to her. “Uhhh.” She goggled at his groin. “Luna?” “Uhhh, just, here. To visit. I mean, to sleep. If I could. If you, I mean, if you wouldn’t mind.” He drew her forward and his arms wrapping around her were so warm, so steady. She relaxed into him, sighed. “I’m so happy you’re here.” He spoke over his shoulder toward the bed. “Get dressed.” Withdrawing, he went to his chest. She stared at the floor as the men dressed in clothing similar to hers. “I wouldn’t have thought the bold bodymage who’s rolled every set of balls in our Clan would be shy.” She gasped. “Jreve! Throat!” Dar was rigid, quivering, his hands clenched on his thighs. The man instantly came to Dar and knelt, baring his neck by tipping his head back sharply. He kept his eyes averted. Dar stared down at him. She wondered if this was

perhaps not a good crowd to share sleep with. When the man’s shoulders softened from defiant to submissive, Dar bent and nipped his throat. “I didn’t mean it like that, Alpha.” Jreve sounded tired, lost. “First, you referred to her professional touch as sexual, and second, you mentioned the one thing you know is going to make me agitated. You taunted us and I won’t tolerate it.” Jreve swallowed, staring at his knees. “Yes, Alpha.” “You’re a moron, Jreve.” This from Duncan, the man who had tried to help her when Dar had lost it. Duncan was already back in the bed, as was Sono, who fussed with the furs. “Let it go, Duncan. Luna, will you stay?” Dar turned to her. She licked her lips. “We’re sleeping, right?” She wasn’t sure she was willing to sleep with these guys after all, even though everything in her cried out to be close to Dar. “Yes, Luna. Sleep with us, kitten. The men will be totally honorable won’t you, men?” There was an immediate chorus of agreement. She looked at Dar, searched his shadowed eyes in the low magelight. He canted his head, angling his jaw. She thought it was a request. She nodded. He led her to the bed, holding her hand as she climbed the high wall. She stood at Sono’s feet, unsure. Dar knelt and drew her down next to him, but putting her on the inside, nearer Sono. Duncan was on the far side. When he lay down and pulled her into his arms, she settled awkwardly, glancing at Jreve watching from the floor. “You are safe with me, Luna. Do you want me to send him away?” Her mind whirled. He was here as a sort of punishment, she knew, but Dar also wanted to reclaim these men. She didn’t want the little toad near her, but this was Dar’s bed and she’d come knowing they’d be here. “He can stay.” Her reluctance was thick in her voice. “Jreve, go sleep beyond Duncan.” “Yes, Alpha.” The lights dimmed even further. She lay stiffly, listening to the shifting of bodies around her. This was so weird. Dar drew a fur over them, but lying next to his massive body heat, she hadn’t noticed she needed one. When the embarrassment faded, and the men’s breathing steadied, she relaxed into the hollow of Dar’s shoulder. She could feel his heartbeat, knew he wasn’t asleep yet. She was safe. “Good night, Dar.” Her voice was a breath. His hand came up and covered hers where it lay on his opposite shoulder. “Good night, Luna.” She slept. She woke once in the night when an arm curved over her waist from behind. She went rigid, but Dar’s hand came out of the dark and cupped hers. “He sleeps. You’re safe.” His fingers softened and soothed across hers. “Shhhh. Sleep.” Her eyelids fell, and she slept. The next time she woke, it was with that sense of utter relaxation and satiation. Soft male voices murmured beyond her, talking about hunting. She was cuddled along her entire body from behind and she knew it was Dar. She

was facing a strange body, her one hand resting on an arm while her other was curled under her head. The stranger’s foot rested against hers, where it had pushed forward because Dar had one of his resting on her lower leg. She lifted her head groggily. Sono, still sleeping. A hand came and pulled her hair away from her neck. When she lay her head back down he buried his face behind her ear. His chest expanded on a deep breath. “You slept well. This was good.” The other voices cut off. She cleared her throat. “Good morning.” “Good morning” came from the two who were awake. “Is it time to get up?” He sighed. “Yes.” She smiled, sensing his disappointment. He reached over and shook Sono’s shoulder. “Breakfast in a hour, men.” Sono grumbled as Duncan and Jreve left. She had a thought, and turned so that she faced him. His eyes were alert, although his face was soft. “Did you sleep well?” “I did not sleep.” His hand soothed along her arm. “Oh, Dar.” She was so sad. She’d done this. Forcing her way into a situation that wasn’t hers. “I was honored to hold you in my arms. This was good, very good, Luna.” She smiled shyly. “It was good for me, too. It was the best sleep I’ve had in a long time. I feel guilty, though. I don’t need you to guard me.” “I was interested to see what would happen. Sono turned to you and accepted you absolutely. That was why he put his arm around you. He would have never done that if he viewed you as an other. And Duncan shunned Jreve’s touch in the night, while they slept. I think I have reclaimed those two.” “But not Jreve.” “Jreve is hotheaded, selfish, and jealous. He loved Evon, and when Evon became my Shield, it just compounded a separation started when Evon grew into an alpha.” “Alpha is a status?” “Not really, although I know some, like Jreve, see the alphas as being apart from them. The alpha designation is physical. The beastspirit inside the warrior is more wild, more powerful. It is potentially a greater ability because we can partially shift, although it comes with a price. Many of our greatest warriors are not alphas.” “But only alphas can lead the Clan. I met other alphas when I was testing the men. I gather that they had to come in from other places. Evon says they can’t stay here, near you. Is that the price?” Dar rolled onto his back. His arms behind his head showed fascinating triceps. “One of them. The biggest. I love them, but Snowcat cannot separate their brotherhood from their potential challenge.” “Will they challenge you? Fight you? Minunder is not an alpha.” “No. My successor is not in this generation. When the children grow up, there needs to be at least one alpha for our Clan to continue.” “There aren’t many.” “There were four in my generation, three in the one before me. Snowcats breed

enough.” “You won’t know if you have another alpha to succeed you for years.” “Most men mature in their late teens, early twenties. But I know, I know that there will be another. This Clan has claws that do not let go once they are sunk deep. I have my fangs in the throat of this child-killing curse, and with your help, we’ll bring it down. Our Clan will live.” He rolled back onto his side to look at her, his hair so very touchable and tousled. She gave in and touched a hank hovering over his forehead. She rubbed the thick, smooth strands between her fingertips. He reached out and lifted a piece of hers from the fur between them and did the same. “We’ve had a whole conversation and kept our clothes on. I was beginning to wonder about that.” He rolled on top of her. “What an oversight. I wouldn’t want to hurt your feelings.” His fingers hooked in her waistband and, in one smooth motion, he rolled back up onto his knees and took her pants with him. “Dar!” She shrieked at the cool air rushing over her while he pulled the pant legs from her feet. “I meant that was a good thing!” She put both hands over her mound. He moved her legs apart, pushing at her knees to spread her thighs wide. “I thought bodymages liked simplifying things. Less talk. Move your hands.” His hands went to his pants. He had to pull them wide from his stomach to pull them down over the largest erection she’d ever seen. He was a column of beating veins, the head round and tight. “Dar! Stop ordering me around, and what are you doing?” She was gasping and he hadn’t even touched her. She flexed her fingers in her curls. “There is one alpha in this bed, and you will put your hands above your head. Now.” The way he knelt between her splayed legs, his hands calmly resting on his lightly furred thighs, his eyes lit with a gleam of power … he was amazing. She moved her hands up her stomach, trailing her fingers over her top to circle her breasts, trailing them up her throat, past her ears. She clenched her hands in her hair, tossed her head, jutting her chin. “Yes, Alpha.” Her voice was mocking, but the hitch in her breath betrayed her. He moved his body up over hers, planting his hands on either side of her chest. She shivered at his wash of heat. He lowered his hips. She gasped at the first brush of his crown. “I want to touch you!” The need in her voice triggered another rush of liquid between her thighs. The image of her sucking his balls yesterday flashed in her mind. “No.” He swung his hips, finding his way into the valley between her lips, coating his tip in her hot fluid. He butted until his hole lined up with hers. Without any other sign, he flexed hard, pushing half his length inside. She choked. Her body hit both his arms on either side of her as she writhed. There was no more room for him inside her, and she panted, feeling a swell of alarm when he pulled back an inch. He flexed again, and her channel was forced open as he lanced deeper into her core. She moaned long. “Yes.” His voice was so dark. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. He withdrew an inch, and with a third thrust, his hips met hers hard, jarring her up the furs. Her head arched back from her hair trapped

under her shoulders. “Yes.” The one low word made her writhe again, impaled below, caged above. He lowered his body until his entire weight burned against her nipples. She panted even heavier now, so hard to breathe. Her entire body tightened under the pleasure of his absolute ownership. Her vagina clamped around his thickness until her toes curled. Her hips heaved. Her head thrashed. There was one wash of damp heat on her neck before his massive jaws locked over the front of her bowed throat. With one rip he could take her voice box. But he didn’t bite her. He wouldn’t even move, simply lying on her while she tried to toss him into motion. She burned between her legs, where the skin stretched impossibly wide, and deep within, where her body was wedged open around him. Her clit throbbed, neglected, needy. She struggled harder, fighting to get to the top of this pleasure while honoring his pleasure in keeping her hands above her head. His teeth sank into her. She screamed. The shimmer came from within and spread across her body in a wash of light. Her heart was not her center, her clit was. It ground against his hard pelvis. She clamped again and again around his cock, clasping it like she had a third hand, and come gushed in a wave down her crack to coat her thighs and ass. Another wave of wet heat rolled down her neck. She went lax. His weight lifted while he kept their groins tight together. His tongue washed her roughly, lazily, lapping her blood. The stars behind her eyes faded when air rushed into her lungs. “Luna.” He licked along her collarbone, nudging her collar out of the way. Her neck started to ache from the pull of her smarting scalp. She wiggled her toes. They ached too. His hands came up and helped lift her head, pulled her hair up from under her. “Luna.” She shivered, clenched her deep muscles, and he felt so huge she though she might split. “Luna.” She gave in and met his eyes. Liquid swam along his lower lashes, making the blue brilliant. Green swirled across the color and faded as one tear escaped and dropped onto her cheek. “I love you.” She stared at him. With a trembling hand she reached up to touch the drop of red at the corner of his mouth. She sifted through the emotions she saw on his face. Awe. Need. And something else. Something that was not doubt, or fear, but something like it. Uncertainty? She was speechless. What could she say? Was he real? Was this real? “Dar…” “Do you hear my words, Luna? I love you.” It was no less shocking the second time. He’d given her a response, at least. “I hear your words, Dar.” I’m honored. I’m terrified. He began to rock, barely pulling out and barely pushing in. He was steady, staring at her, daring her to look away. When she faltered, dropping her gaze to his lips, he touched her chin gently, reproving. She looked back up at him again. Found the strength to meet

him, because he lent her his, and he was an unending well of it. He never broke his rhythm, steady, steady. It wasn’t long before her body disconnected from the earth and began to float in a haze of sensation. His eyes never left hers. Sometimes she’d see the ghost of a cat pupil, sometimes she’d see the blue darken into teal. His lashes were damp but his eyes were clear. He was on his elbows, his chest barely brushing hers. His thighs were iron where they lay along hers, his stomach taut, his arms strong. His fingers had wrapped around her wrists, up around her ears, both of them tangled in her hair. Sweat began to gleam on his brow, his hair darkening with it at his neck. Their shirts chafed between them, but they both ignored it. They were one body, rocking in pleasure, fused together, a perfect balance of give and take. Energy ran from his tip up into her, and poured from her eyes into him. They were a circuit, a flow, one heart pumping blood. She was the size of a cloud, expanding into the sky, shrinking to rise into his eyes. His eyes darkened, deepened, into a tunnel of blackness. She was fascinated. She wanted to go farther. The heat at her thighs began to ignite, one step from burning her to ash. There was a pricking at her wrists, but it was a distant sensation, meaningless. The heat spread from her core up into her body, like there was a flaming bar of heat reaching up toward her heart. The blood in her body was up to this task, not fearing the expanding force inside her. His weight grew, but she was strong enough to keep them both afloat, and then her spirit began to spin as the flow picked up pace. Beat. Beat. Beat. The heart that they had become danced faster, and very simply, she ripped down the middle. “Do you claim me?” The other, who wasn’t really an other, was inside her, and all around. It waited, but the beat was escalating. The increased pace was distracting, the burning in her blood moments from changing her. She didn’t understand. Didn’t want to understand. This was peace. This was life. A cat’s scream echoed in her mind, on her magescape, and it wasn’t hers. Rage. Loss. And then she was a sweaty body lying under Dar’s churning hips. His hips slapping against hers were a shock. Her orgasm was abruptly out of reach, although she could still taste the lingering closeness. If orgasm was what it was. Something had been close. Close enough to mourn. His head dropped, bowed over her shoulder. She shifted under his slowing hips, uneasy with the sense that his cock inside her was not quite right. It was too big. Then he lifted his head, and she screamed. Everything in her body went white-hot in fear. The monster was over her, all teeth and black eyes. His hair trailed down around her face. She jerked her arms to get away and pain ripped through her as razors sliced her to pieces. She screamed again. His throat was thicker than her head, his jaw so wide it could engulf her whole face. His nose had flattened, and where his mustache would be, bristles poked through his skin. It curled its lip and screamed back at her, the anger sending her fear higher until all she could understand was escape. She beat at it, summoned a wash of blood burn that made it scream again. It reared up, as if to get away, but she was stuck. She was pinned to it with something between her legs. She screamed, scrambling with all her strength to get her body off of the massive cock. It was thick, but by the time she’d sent another wave of

blood burn at it, she’d managed to scramble away. The thing screamed again, inhumanly high trailing to inhumanly low, and instantly her fear transformed into rage. All her shock and betrayal that something so beautiful had not only been denied her but turned on her came pouring out. She called up her power and lashed out. Blind. Gut twist. Choke. No one could stand against a bodymage who went on the offensive. She was folding her energy into heartstill when the tone of the thing’s screams reached her. With a sob, she undid the spells, scrambling desperately over the bed’s wall toward Dar’s weapons chest. “Help! Help us!” She’d just gotten the lid up when Evon burst through, followed by others. He dove right for the monster, tackling it back down into the furs. They wrestled until he got his arms around it. He hunched over the form, rocking, crying “Dar! Dar!” with such sorrow. Her knees buckled. Everyone crowded into and around the bed, hands reaching for the thing. It wasn’t fighting them. It clung to Evon with massive hand-paws tipped in claws that gleamed in the magelight. Keening. A sob burst from her. What was happening?! Evon turned toward her, and his face was nothing but hate. “GET OUT!” The thing struggled, as if to get away from him. It was massive, half again as big as the men gathered around it. Evon let go, just keeping a hand on the slabs of muscle peeking through a ripped shirt. It huddled into another man. Everyone was crying, talking, more people kept coming. Women were there, around her, taking her club, pulling her to her feet, wrapping her in a blanket. They led her away. She wanted to be numb, to disappear, to cry, but only moments later she sat shaking in a chair in the next room. Three women fussed softly, worried. Evon appeared in the doorway, throwing the hide aside so hard it slapped the wall. “Leave us.” “Shield, she is in shock…” “Leave us.” The women left. Luna began to rock, her eyes on the floor. “Do you know what you’ve done?” he seethed. “No. I don’t. I don’t know anything,” she whispered, coughing, choking. The moment spun out, and she began to cry. He stayed by the door for long minutes, but soon he came and knelt at her feet, laying a gentle hand on her knee. She grabbed onto it with both of hers, holding it so tightly her knuckles whitened. He laid his other hand on top of hers. She cried for a long time. Long enough for the voices to settle in the hall. Long enough for Dar to come in, leaning heavily on his father. She couldn’t look at him beyond that one glance. He was sweating, his usual paleness now looking sickly. The pain in his eyes called to her. She heard the echo of her screams. She couldn’t stop crying, her shoulders shaking. “Shield, stay with her.” There was a pause. “I will, Dar.” “I didn’t ask her, Evon. It just happened. She doesn’t understand anything.” The hoarseness of his voice made her choke, sobbing harder. She wanted to go to him with every beat of her heart. Every drop of blood ached for him. “Dar!”

He didn’t answer her, just turned and left. She folded over, and Evon rose up on his knees, pulled her off the chair, and sat with her cradled in his arms. His unfamiliar arms. She cried. The horror didn’t go away. When she had no energy left to cry, but her eyes were still leaking tears, he adjusted his grip. She stiffened and tried to pull away. She had half forgotten he was there. He pulled her easily back into his hold. “I am sorry, Lady. This is what we warriors refer to as a massive clusterfuck.” She winced. “That was poorly spoken. It’s not because fucking was involved. I need you to scan yourself, Luna, and heal. There’s blood.” How tactful of him. She summoned a thread of energy. Cuts at her neck, on her arms. Bruising at her pelvis. With her last wisp of ability, she healed the worst cuts on her arms. The rest she just let seep. “Are you well?” “Peachy.” “Luna.” “Fine, fine. My arms were the worst.” She sat, ruined, held in a stranger’s arms in a strange place. Dar. “What did he mean? I don’t understand.” “How much did Aseki explain about mating?” Luna gathered her thoughts. “There’s a matching with a spiritmage. Choices are presented. She gets a day to choose and a week to learn him, then there’s a ceremony, and they’re happy ever after.” “Did she describe the matebond ceremony?” “No.” She felt him nod. “You’ve already seen Dar shift before. You know we have a battleform. Dar shifted with you, Luna. He shifted because he was trying to matebond with you. He would never, never want to hurt you.” His hands were gentle as they turned her passive arms, studying the claw marks curving in butterfly slices. “This is what we fear, when we find a potential mate, and make love without the matebond. The loss of control into battleform is nearly a given with a potential mate, and these types of accidental wounds, or bites, distress us.” “He bit me before he turned into the mon—battleform.” “He’s still Dar, Luna. He’s not someone else. He just thinks a little differently. As for the bite, it’s very natural for us, especially when we feel possessive or fond of someone. We want to mark them. And be marked. Like when Dar came to dinner last night covered in your scent.” Last night. That was last night. So long ago. “Did you feel something pushing at your shields? Trying to link to your magescape?” “Yes.” It had more than pushed. It had stood inside her. He had stood inside her. She shivered. “It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever felt.” Then it had all gone so wrong. Her stomach rolled. “Dar offered you the matebond. Something happened to prevent it from closing.

Maybe Dar is wrong and you are not potential mates. Maybe you didn’t know what to do. There’s supposed to be a spiritmage, for you, and you’re supposed to be inside a protective triangle based in two of the elements of your choice. It’s one of our most sacred ceremonies, a thing of power and beauty. The beastspirit is finally allowed to rise up to meet you and help claim you. The two people come together, spirits bound, forever.” “You mean—in battleform?” Evon held her hands loosely. “He says he didn’t ask you?” “He told me he loved me. We made love. It all built up, and then it just crashed, and he was in b-b-battleform…” A sob choked in her throat. Her temples pounded. “Shhh. Shhhh, Lady.” He waited. “Are we mated?” “No.” “How do you know? He got through. He was inside me.” “You wouldn’t have to ask me if you were. You would know.” “Why do you think that? How would I know what it feels like if I don’t…” “Luna. You would be changed. You would be relaxed, in love, riding the high of sex or sleeping peacefully. The terror I heard in your voice calling for help, Dar still trapped in battleform… You are not bonded.” Her heart ached. Dar. “You were angry with me. Even though you knew I was afraid, I was bleeding, you thought I did something wrong.” “Yes. I thought you refused him. The pain he was in … was like nothing I’ve felt from him, not even after Karsen. I see now it’s not your fault.” Refused him. Do you claim me? Oh, sweet Earthmother. What had she done? “I hurt him. I forgot the battleform was him, and I attacked him.” “Yes. You’re good, to do that kind of damage to an alpha in battleform. But that’s not the kind of pain I was talking about. I’m talking about his spirit, that called out for the Clan.” She began to cry again. This wasn’t happening. “Shhhh. Do you know what I remembered, as I held you, Luna? I remembered your words as you called for help. You didn’t say ‘Help me.’ You said ‘Help us.’ Even in your fear and confusion, you thought of him. You’re a good woman. You’re strong, you’re smart, and he loves you. You’ll be all right. This will pass. He’s really torn up right now, and so are you. Give it some time. When is the next fertile mating?” Her brain stumbled on the foreign topic. “A few days. I think we’ll go to the mountain place, to meet the paid women first.” “You won’t have to see him until then. Just let yourself breathe. Do you want to go bathe? Are you hungry?” “No!” The thought of the Clan seeing her, judging her… “They won’t be angry. I’m more protective of him. It’s the nature of our bond. I’m his Shield. If anything, they’ll realize how very much more than our special new bodymage you are to him.” Not anymore. Not now that she’d refused him. “Will you go to him? Make sure he’s all right?” Surprise echoed his voice. “Now?”

“Yes.” “I’ll send Miki to you, to check why you’re still bleeding.” She thought about that. Assessed her energy, decided she really couldn’t manage. “Fine.” She squeaked when he picked her up. Buried her face in his shoulder when he carried her through the halls to her room, started to shake when he walked away after laying her down. **** Snowcat ached. He lay curled in a ball, his tail over his nose. Every once in a while a tremor passed over him, ruffling his fur. His people’s hands soothed. Their bodies crowded close, surrounding him as he slept in his man’s bed. He slept, had dreams of being trapped in a lonely icy cave, woke, was soothed. He ached. The people around him had changed. He leaned out and licked Brother’s arm near him. A hand scratched his chin, and he slitted his eyes. The Clan was good. She came to the door. He froze, tail thrashing once in agitation. The door hide barely shifted, but he made out her form in the crack she opened. Several of the Snowcats around him stirred, but they stayed, letting her look unchallenged. She stepped into the room. Woman. Here, in his space. Their woman. Theirs, but … his claws extended, and he licked his leg twice, hiding his confusion. It was wrong. She was wrong here, but shouldn’t be. A Snowcat in skin went up to her. “Lady? Miki isn’t with you?” “I’m not a child, needing watching. Is—is that Dar?” Their eyes met, and Snowcat was so upset he looked away. “Yes.” “I…” “He can’t talk to you right now, Lady. Did you want to join us?” “No…” She left, and her sadness flavored her fear scent that still coated the smell of their sex. She left. Alone! Unguarded! Unclaimed! He looked at Evon, sent his will. Evon went out. His cats came tight around him. He ached.

Chapter Four She’d never been so busy, yet despite that, she seemed to drift in a dream state. Her brain soaked everything up, but her emotions were frozen. Her woman’s passing came and went. She was able to minimize the bleeding, and stretch her passings to just a few times a year. The Clan bustled and scurried, carrying, sorting, collecting. During the month of the festival, there would only be two men guarding White Hollow, changing each night. Nearly everything in the caves was going with them. When she wasn’t helping pack or make portable foods, she was with one of the women, learning everything from Truxet laws to their history. But no one talked about mating. She saw Dar in passing, but he never came up to the table she was at, as he circulated through his people. If she caught him watching her, he looked away. It was like a punch every time. She checked on Beka daily, and decided Jreve’s mother, Marat, the older woman with the history of miscarrying, deserved another chance now that she was here. She began to talk to Xishu and Miki about how she did what she did. They told her about the Council’s mages. They were highly trained alphas that couldn’t stay with their Clans so they bonded, if they were good enough, at River Mountain in the magecraft they specialized in. The Council’s bodymages would approach her later, perhaps at Autumnal, through Dar. River Mountain was the Council seat and Clan home of the Hawks, Bears, and Mountaincats. She was also dogged by several spiritmages who all wanted her to talk to one of them. They always seemed to be nearby at mealtimes, or bedtime. Three were women, and sometimes she wanted to talk to them too, but her shame was too great. At night, she slept with Evon. Sleeping was hard. On the evening before they were to leave, she paced. She was packed. The fertility schedule for the women she knew was set. This dream state she’d drifted in, waiting, was ending. Her mind was stirring, swirling. Tomorrow she’d see him, be with him. He’d have to talk to her. Evon came to the door. “Luna?” “Come in.” “Dar wants to talk to you. Grab your coat.” She stood stock still, staring at him. He smiled at her, a rarity that made him look like the very young man that he was. “Come on.” A moment later she stood outside one of the exits she’d never used, in a forest of thin white trees with shedding bark. Evon stood near her shoulder, slightly behind her. Out of the dark, a low shape floated silently up to her and sat a bodylength away. “Dar.” He was magnificent. A thick ruff at his neck, fluffy ears, long whiskers. She wondered what he would say if she told him he was adorable as well. Her fingers curled around the edges of her fur coat, the fur slightly coarse, long and shaggy. His looked so soft, gray and patterned with shadows. “What do I do?” she asked Evon. “He understands you. Talk to him.”

“I thought he wanted to talk to me.” “Luna, this is hard for him, too.” Dar turned, impossibly long tail flicking, and walked into the darkness beyond the cave entrance. Evon took her hand and led her after him. He moved slowly, allowing her to feel her way as the golden magelight changed to faint moonlight. The trees were bare, and there were few shadows from their thin branches. The ground was so strangely uneven. This was only the second time she’d walked in the wild, the first being when Dar led her to the sifting stone outside Third City the day he took her. After what seemed a great distance, he came to a clearing where a stream burbled happily over a rock face. Dried ferns curled in shriveled forms at its base. Dar stood waiting for them, nude. His hair looked darker in the moonlight, his skin whiter. “Hello, Luna.” Her throat swelled closed. Her heart beat hard. “It’s lovely here, Dar.” “How are you?” “I’m well. I’m … awful. I feel awful, Dar.” Her feet were rooted. Her hand in Evon’s felt wrong. “Luna, you came to me that first night, and I couldn’t talk then. These last days, I’ve been avoiding you. It was so hard to imagine this, standing before you.” Her gaze traveled over his smooth face, his smooth chest. He had only light, downy fur down the center of his sternum, darkening into a thicker nest at his groin. His nipples were pebbled, his penis a soft, fat smudge. “Don’t you want to go inside?” “I’m not cold.” They stared at each other, eyes hungrily moving over each other’s face. “I’m so sorry.” His voice was so low it blended with the water. “So very, very sorry. I didn’t plan that, Luna. But it was despicable all the same, how I just let it happen.” “You mean, when we made love, and you changed.” “I mean, when I opened you and stepped inside and asked what I had no right to ask.” Her heart stopped. Oh, Skyfather, look down on her. Take her away. She looked at Evon, tugged her hand from his. She didn’t want him to hear this. “Evon is here for you, Luna. You’re safe.” “I’m safe with you. He doesn’t need to be here.” “Do you really believe that?” His voice was sad. She studied the dark, leaf-strewn stream gleaming away among the bent white trees. Looking up, considering him, she said, “Yes. I believe I am safe with you.” A look passed over his face, emotion-drenched, but she couldn’t decipher it. “Well, I don’t. Not after I raped you like that. Not with nightmares of you screaming underneath me, fighting to get away, your blood spattering my chest, dripping from your neck. Did you forget that, Luna?” His face tightened, lips thin. “Don’t be so grim, Dar. I was the coward and we both know it.” He looked away, fists clenched. “You didn’t rape me!” “Nearly. I tried to force a matebond on you. Unprepared. Worse, unasked. You must understand, Luna, what I did is utterly forbidden. It was a dishonorable attack. The only

time this happens is when a lone alpha’s mind snaps. It is very rare in the history of the Truxet.” She knew about lone alphas. Not powerful enough to be claimed by the Council, unable to stay at their Clan home, they lived alone, one breath from going rogue. “I owe you balance.” She understood that now, too. When Clans shared all their worldly possessions, the shame of a misdeed needed to be balanced with Clan acknowledgment and a promise of personal debt, whenever the wronged needed it. “Dar, I would never claim a wrong for something that just happened, that started when I was a fully engaged partner.” “Luna, either I am in control of Snowcat, or I am rogue. There is no excuse for what I did. It was wrong.” His voice was colder than the air. She couldn’t stand it anymore. She stepped toward him. Evon was instantly in front of her, pushing her back. She pulled away, stepped to the side of him. “This is ridiculous! It wasn’t wrong, Dar! It was natural. It was beautiful and right until I ruined it! Evon, will you leave me alone!” She batted at him when he stepped into her, preventing her from moving forward again. He didn’t budge and she finally moved back, to see that Dar had gone farther across the clearing. She couldn’t see the gleam of his eyes now. They were dark holes in his face. She shivered, pulling the coat closer. “Your fear scents the air, Luna. You remember, as you should.” She bared her teeth at him, frustrated, twisted inside. He chuckled. “What a fighter you are, kitten.” His voice abruptly saddened. “I’m glad of it.” “I’m not afraid of you!” “Liar.” This quiet rebuke from Evon really lit her cheeks on fire. “You! Stay out of this! Go away!” “No.” “No,” Dar echoed. “All right! It was scary, when I didn’t understand. I was scared then, in that situation, but I wouldn’t have been if I’d done it right.” “There was no right way for you to act, Luna. Your feelings are always right.” She was so frustrated she tipped her head back to the sky and panted. She couldn’t take this. She’d wronged him so badly, hurt him so deeply, and he was apologizing to her. “Tomorrow the Clan will witness my balance oath. I will take Josh as my spiritmage, Evon.” “Yes, Alpha.” “Now that I have overcome that deed, I need to talk to you about the Clan, Luna.” “What?” She felt beaten down. “Two of the mated couples have approached me. Cabo and Shila, and Josh and Fredda. Do you remember them?” She sighed. She’d studied the Clan, mapped them all out over the last few days. “Fredda and Shila have passed through menopause. I can’t help them.” “But Cabo and Josh are still fertile. They would like to try for a child.” She stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “The selfish, pride-grubbing worms!”

Dar frowned. “I don’t see it that way. After conferring with the spiritmages, I have agreed to their request. Please add the men to your schedule. They’ll be traveling with us tomorrow, along with the unmated men.” “You—you—Are you going to let them betray their wives that way?” “Their mates are fully supportive, complete partners in the decision. This is not a betrayal, but a selfless, generous gift on the women’s parts. They are eager to be mademothers as well.” Her mind raced, furious. Men. All they cared about was progeny, the pride of spreading their sperm. “Aren’t they both around sixty? They could be dead before their sons even mature!” “Yes, they are older. They thought of that. Both of them are already fathers. Their first sons are going to be made-fathers with them from the start. Cabo told me it was one of their strongest reasons for doing this, to occupy Minunder. It has to be on Josh’s mind as well, with his son, Teke, living away from the Clan as a Council watermage.” She was still speechless at the audacity. “Every baby, Luna. I want every one we can possibly create.” “Ah. So you’re ready to be tested yourself then, are you?” He stood so still, a perfectly formed statue. “Yes.” “What!” A spike of agony pierced her chest. She’d always thought the phrase “broken heart” was just a saying. The pain was real. He wanted a baby? Why was she surprised? “I think it would be good if I had another focus.” “Well,” she huffed, stomping toward him. “What are we waiting for?” “Luna…” Evon warned her, trailing. She awkwardly leaped the little stream and crunched over to him. When she was close, she hesitated. He was so distant. He didn’t reach for her. Swallowing, she knelt, looked up at him. He was staring at Evon behind her. He raised his arms and Evon grabbed them. He widened his legs, braced himself. She saw both men tighten their grip on their forearms. “Do it.” “It’s not going to hurt.” She was indignant. “Just do it, Luna.” She looked at his groin, thought about leaning in and licking him. Wondered what he’d do. She could feel the heat from his body near her face. His balls were small and tight. She wanted— “Focus, Luna.” Evon’s voice was jarring. Oh, sweet breeze, he could probably smell her arousal. She reached up a gentle hand and held him. She didn’t close her eyes, just letting the touch of his skin wash over her for a second. He was so soft. Then she brought up the power and pushed up into him. She searched again, and deeper. He shivered once, his penis twitching. Finally, she let her hand drop. Evon let go as well, stepping back. Rocking back on her heels, she pushed to her feet. Still so close to him. She gave in and laid her hand on his chest, his nipple under her palm, his heart beating hard under her fingertips. “I’m sorry, Dar. There is little chance for you.” She was disappointed not to give him what he so desired. And she was fiercely glad. She flexed her fingers. He stepped away,

cleared his throat. “Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow after breakfast, at the sifting stone. Good night.” He turned and walked into the trees. The night swallowed him up. She stared after him for long minutes. “Come, Luna.” She turned to Evon. “I’m glad, Evon.” “Yes.” He led her back to her room. **** Mornings were bad now. Her scent was very faint, unless he opened his weapons chest. He remembered watching her wake in his arms. He remembered her silence when he offered all of himself. She’d been silent the first two times, when he’d told her directly that he loved her. He’d been a fool to offer even more than the words a third time. A shameful fool, and he would lay that before his Clan today. Snowcat snarled and slashed as if he would rip open Dar’s skin. This was going to hurt on so many levels. Hopefully, he’d feel like he could move forward after it was done. He untangled himself from Duncan and Sono, stepped over Jreve, snoring slightly, and Xishu tightly curled around his mate, Renau. Shilk was between Renau and old Lars. Each of them was skinnier than the next. He checked in on Mark’s family, Jon and Barly sleeping with Jon’s brother Jin and his mate Miki. Then there was Beka and Dreu, sleeping the night with Evon’s parents, Tok and Ngele. Everyone was still pulled in together, partly from the coming chill, partly from the excitement of Luna, partly from the lingering wound he’d inflicted on them all. He was the source. He had harmed them all. Luna’s flushed face screaming beneath him, blood splashing her neck and arms, her eyes blind with fear. He was just rinsing his hair when Evon walked into the washroom. He had an erection, and was covered in Luna’s scent. Dar lunged across the pool before he got a grip on Snowcat. He panted against the stone edge, pushing his rage down into the earth. Evon calmly slid in next to him and began to bathe. When he’d finished he came up behind Dar and hugged him, laying his head on Dar’s bent shoulders. “I stand with you today, Dar.” Dar turned and cupped Evon’s face. “I’m going to go run. One last time before Autumnal comes crashing down.” He’d be able to return, would want to check on things occasionally, but it felt like he was saying good-bye to his land before every Autumnal. Snowcat never truly relaxed unless the Clan was home. After the run, he met Josh and went to the main hall. The Clan gathered again, as they had just a week ago. Once again he stood with Luna before them. Snowcat was screaming nonstop. In rage, in need. Bile boiled in his stomach. He faced his people. His heart pounded. He feared his voice would shake and shouted to force it not to. “I owe balance to Luna. I tried to claim what wasn’t offered. I violated her, and this Clan bears my failure. Do you agree to share my cost?” Nearly as one, they roared, “We do!” The pride on the faces looking back at him shamed him. This would haunt him. He looked at Jreve. This was his opportunity to embarrass Dar, to spite him. Jreve looked terrified. He nodded at Dar.

Confused at the man’s support, he faced Luna. With a thought, he summoned a claw and sliced his forearm deep and long. Like he’d cut her. “I place my blood on you as a sign of my debt.” She nodded bravely back. She looked like she was about to faint. He cupped her head, Waters, her hair was soft, and touched his cut arm to her neck. The balance was laid, to be paid when she demanded. He named an amount for Evon to transfer to her out of the Clan treasure, as well. Her eyes bulged. He knew it was enough to buy three City blocks, but really, it was a useless gesture. She wasn’t going anywhere she could truly spend it. It wasn’t any kind of true repayment for what he had done with his lust. He turned and knelt as Josh came up to them. “Your spirit understands. Let your body know your consequence, so this may never happen again.” Josh used his knife deep, cutting from his cheekbone to his chin. Snowcat leaped, crazed. He breathed through the pain. He could feel the skin at the corner of his face sag. It was nothing compared to the knowledge he’d never hold her again. He heard Luna sob. His fingers twitched with the effort to keep from reaching for her. “No! I owe balance as well!” He sighed, stood. Ignoring the surprised murmurs of his people, he turned to her. She reached for his face, but he stepped away. “No. You do not.” He turned to his people. “I say good-bye for now. It is time for us to travel. We’ll see you in two nights, on the fields around the Den. Tok and Kess are our voices.” He nodded toward the brothers Brel and Pret, sought out Sono’s eyes. They left to gather everyone’s luggage, which they would bring in batches. “I do owe balance! I…” He knew Evon had come up and covered her mouth. He heard her furious struggles. Snowcat stirred in concern, but they trusted their Shield. His people began to disperse, calling good-byes, coming up to him. They were careful of his face as they hugged him, ignoring the blood dripping down his chest. He could feel his pulse in the cut. He had trouble meeting the eyes of his father, the elders. Evon’s grandmother Elise, their matriarch, held his face in her frail hands, her fingers boldly ignoring the still streaming cut. “Look at me, Dar.” He looked into her eyes, grayed with age. She searched him, patted his good cheek gently, and said, “Bring the girl to me at Autumnal.” What did that mean? It sounded ominous. He never understood her. He nodded, turned to accept the touch of another Clan brother. “I have something to say!” Luna’s voice was a brand against his face. Her shrill anger rode the crowd, but everyone followed his lead and ignored her as they dispersed. Evon’s low tones argued with her. Soon he stood with just Cabo and Josh, and faced her, with Evon at her side. “I had a right to speak, Dar!” “Actually, you didn’t.” “If I say I owe balance, I do!” “Not by our laws, and since you haven’t let a spiritmage guide you, there’s no proof of ill intent. It’s time to go.”

She stared at his face, and he could tell it hurt her to ignore the wound. It was her nature to heal. “Let it be, Luna.” He gestured to Cabo to lead them in the sift. He staggered as they landed in River Mountain. He called to the Earth below him, steadied himself. “Josh, go get Teke. Cabo, find Hab, and invite him to join us if he’s free. I’m going to report to Dom, and tell him of the balance and our plans for tomorrow.” “Dar, everyone’s gone now. You need to close the cut.” “See you soon, Evon.” “Quit ignoring me!” “See you.” Evon led a protesting Luna into the maze of hallways that riddled the ancient fortress. He moved swiftly, refusing to stop and rest. Dom wasn’t in the Council chamber on level two, nor was he with the earthmages on underground two, and it was a long walk up to seven to see if he was with the Bears. They said he’d gone for a ramble in the gardens and would be back soon, so he went down one level to make sure the paid women were coming to the Snowcat caves tomorrow, early. All was in order. Only one other woman had decided not to chance the greater risk of pregnancy and had left the group. When he went back to the Bears, Dom was there. He took one look at Dar’s face and said, “What did you do, attack a woman?” The stern man was smiling, clearly surprised to see the dishonor mark. The smile disappeared when Dar answered tiredly, “Yes.” “By ash and mist, Dar!” He nodded, the burn of shame gripping his chest again. It wasn’t as bad as facing his Clan, but it was close. Dom took him into a small meeting room in the Bears’ Clan home. “Is she all right?” “Physically, yes. Mentally, she’s getting there.” “She accepted balance?” “Yes.” “Who was it?” “Luna, the bodymage I claimed as guest from Third City.” “The one you’ve been tracking for a while.” “Yes.” “The hunt spurs our beastspirits. It would make you feel possessive.” “Don’t. Don’t make excuses for me.” Dom nodded, solemn. “It’s good that she’s mostly well. Do you need to talk about it?” “No.” By molten earth, no. “We’re only here for two nights.” “How many births do you think you can get?” The Council had been very supportive of his efforts. “Potentially? Fifteen from our unmated, seven from mated pairs, and two from mated men with paid women.” Dom looked at him sharply. Grunted. A Clan’s bid for survival rested on twenty-four pregnancies. It didn’t sound like much, but to achieve that after two births in twenty years would be a blessed blending of the Elements. “But we have one pregnancy already.” “Wonderful, Dar! Congratulations! So her abilities are real?”

“Oh, yes.” “You’ll have a new Clan by this moon, Dar. And next moon they’ll try again, and when they’ve all had their first, they’ll have another, as many as you can dream. What about you? Are you in that group?” “No.” “By choice?” “No.” He didn’t add that he was relieved. Dom laid one massive hand on Dar’s shoulder, looked down at him. “I’m sorry.” Dar nodded. “Perhaps in time.” “You have to have hope. Well, go get that cheek looked at, and good luck wrangling the women and the choosing of mothers tomorrow.” He was lucky the working rooms for the bodymages were on his own level, just two levels down from the Bears. His head was spinning by the time he sat before a healer. He looked the man in the eyes. “I want a scar.” The bodymage nodded, not about to gainsay an Alpha. When Dar made it in through the beautifully carved entranceway to the Snowcat caves, he gave in to the screaming pain and let himself lean against the wall. Lights were flashing before his eyes. Pretty, actually. His shirt and pants were wet with blood. Next stop, he followed Minunder’s scent to the lounge where he was talking with Sono. No doubt Sono was filling him in on all the details of this morning’s humiliation. Snowcat’s strength roared through him, and he gathered himself to show only confidence. He was Alpha. He would hold this Clan. Minunder had both shown and stated he had no respect for patience and discussion from his leader, and so he would know none, for the rest of his life. “Throat.” Both men came and knelt before him, submitting to the beating call of Snowcat. He hadn’t demanded Sono’s throat for days, but he was pissed he’d been speaking to Minunder when he’d told him not to. He took Minunder’s throat and bit deep, shaking his head until the man lost his balance and put out a hand. Snowcat was pleased. Then he bit Sono’s throat and stood. Bending had made him dizzy but he stayed steady. Snowcats had good balance. Icy cliffs were not forgiving. “Tomorrow you’ll stay away until the evening,” he told Minunder. “Yes, Alpha.” Fuck. He realized that the man would most likely be with Hab, as they were the only two not here to interview the women. Hab, the alpha firemage the quartet was after to challenge him, over Evon’s dead body. He wouldn’t worry about that now. Couldn’t. He turned and began to walk away when Minunder said, “Alpha?” He growled and kept walking. The sealed scar hurt just as much as it had when it was open. “Will I be tested? By your woman?” “Her name is Luna and no, you will not.” It was not the decision of a forgiving ruler. It was not even in the best interest of the Clan, taking away more possible children and maintaining Minunder’s grudge. But he wouldn’t do it. She wasn’t going to ever put her hands on his body. He dragged himself to the washroom. Brel was there, dropping off some soap and towels. Their Clan was so small that the River Mountain lair was mostly abandoned

much of the year. Brel came to him and helped undress him. Dar let him, as he had no need for a false front with him. When he made it to his bed, he could tell Brel had been there, as his furs were on the corner bed. They still held the faintest trace of her. He ignored the bed to stagger to his pack, sitting on the table. He opened it, fumbled to the bottom. He took out the silk-wrapped object and fell toward the bed. All right, maybe he’d overdone his desire to hurt. The blood loss was more than he expected for such a small wound, in such a small time. He lay down stiffly, wondering how his face could make his bones ache so badly. Maybe it was the shame. He unwrapped the knife gently, and her scent poured out. The scent she’d left on the pommel when she’d slipped it inside her body to taunt him. He breathed deeply and Snowcat curled, grumbling, to rest. He breathed deep again, and slept. **** River Mountain felt older than White Hollow. While both were hollowed-out caves, the floors of the halls here were worn smooth and polished. There were grooves in the stairs, and the magelights were the old kind that lit only when someone passed. The stone was browner than the Hollow’s, and there were carvings everywhere. Most intersections displayed a statue of an animal. The carved paws and cat faces around the door to the Snowcat caves were particularly lovely. Evon showed her their room, making no bones about calling it that. He gave her a short tour of the circuitous lair. He pointed out which room would be Dar’s. It was nearly the farthest from theirs, and she was sad. Soon the other men began bringing supplies in, her pack, then food. She laid it out in the lounge and the men began to trickle in for the meal. After nearly everyone had eaten and left, she asked Evon, “Where’s Dar?” “Sleeping. Would you like to see River Mountain, the heart of our Vladaya?” When he took her out, she thought they’d be gone for a few minutes. They didn’t get back until dinner. Her voice was hoarse and she had a light sheen of sweat from the pace up and down the stairs. He’d taken her to every point of interest, and her brain was whirling. An underground lake, bubbling hot springs, a wide, rushing river, a cavernous plaza, a library that stretched over a City block, a cafeteria that always had food, a covered park lit with cracks in the walls, vast orchards and fields and gardens of healing herbs. Her thighs were burning as she collapsed at one of the tables. The men asked her about her trek. She’d grown used to the casual touches they used as they talked. They were the touchiest men she’d ever met. When they all pulled away from her abruptly, she looked up. Gasped. Dar had a livid, raised red scar, made more stark from the paleness of his skin. She stood abruptly, a torrent of words on the tip of her tongue. Her brain caught up with her. There was no way it couldn’t have healed better than that. He’d done it on purpose. Scarred his stunning face because she’d ruined that beautiful experience. She stumbled blindly from the room, and when Evon came in after her she was ready for him. She attacked him, lunging, pushing him. “Get out! I don’t want you here! I don’t want you!” she shouted at him. To her surprise, he actually left. She sat with a thump on the soft carpet. Would this nightmare ever end?

“Luna.” “Go away, Dar.” She buried her face in her palms, but heard him come in anyway. “Your honor made you claim balance. Fine, you’re protective, keeping me out of the ritual. But we both know what happened. You were wrong to do that to your face. It can never be undone.” “Just so.” “Ah. A permanent reminder of my fear and cruelty. How fucking depressing. And what would you do if I chose to scar mine?” She was on her back before she understood he moved. She stared at his icy blue eyes, listening to him grind his teeth. Defiantly, she whispered, “You can’t stop me.” His grip on her shoulders tightened into pain, but she didn’t call out. With a lunge, he was up on his knees and she was pulled tight to his chest, wrapped in his arms, his breath shuddering. She curled her fingers into his leather vest and pressed close. His smell. He smelled so good. He rocked her once forward and back, then threw back his head and roared. “You’re always so loud.” He collapsed down on his heels, his hands cradling her head against him so gently. As if she were crystal. “Luna…” “Alpha?” Evon was at the door. “Come in.” “Go away!” They spoke at the same time. To her shock, Evon left. “Shield!” Dar called to him, but he didn’t return. “I’m sorry.” Dar looked down at her quiet words. His face, so dear. That scar, so fresh. She reached up and traced it, leaving a healing wash behind. “I’m so sorry. I wasn’t ready. I just met you, and I’ve been hiding so long. No real friends. Alone, for so long, Dar.” He tried to speak but she put her fingers on his upper lip, pressed to silence him. His eyes drifted shut as he inhaled. “Every time we came together it was some sudden, intense passion. I didn’t see the need behind the pleasure, until it was gone. Then I knew. It was my need, too. I miss you so much. The thought of hurting you is a wound I can’t heal.” He curved his face so that his cheek rested in her hand. “I did it. I hurt you.” “Listen to us. Are we going to argue over who hurt who worse forever? Kiss me.” She reached her face up toward his, but he jerked back. “No!” Gently, he disconnected and stood. “No, Luna. Never again.” She blinked up at him. “Don’t be stupid.” “Exactly. Luna, I would fight it with every drop of my blood, and Snowcat would win again. All he knows is that we want to claim you before someone else. Every time we came together was a roll of the dice. It was only a matter of time before we rolled fire.” “You’re saying it could happen again.” “It will, if we’re alone for any length of time, with any intimacy. Evon is going to eat

dirt for leaving.” “You’re afraid I’ll hesitate again.” He sighed, leaned against the wall. “You do not want children.” She froze. “No.” “You took steps so that you’d never have them, didn’t you?” She crossed her arms over her chest, looked away. “Yes.” “By our laws, I cannot take you to mate. If I choose to ignore our laws, I am denying the half of me that lives for the hope of children. And I am an Alpha, leading a life of responsibility. It is often a hard life. If somehow we both chose to do this anyway, you’d souldance, and you’d meet other men who would be just as compatible with you, but safer, more caring, more capable.” He stopped, closed his eyes for a moment. Breathed deep. “And then there is your future to consider. What the Council will ask you to do, and I can tell you’ll be willing to help. The support you’ll need, the travel, the work. I must be with my people. It was … awful, being away from them so much between my hunt for you and my research. Minunder and his shadows caused so much strife for Evon. “This is so much more than you soothing my feelings, Luna. This is permanent. Not something I should ever have offered the first time we really made love. All we can share is passion, and I cannot accept that because Snowcat is even now aroused, pacing, wanting to sink his teeth into you.” She looked up sharply, surprised. He was absolutely still, his eyes a glittering green. “Just thinking about you as our mate, smelling you, holding you in comfort, it’s so dangerous. You are my guest. The attack…” “If you say that one more time I will not be responsible for the condition I leave you in,” she snarled. “I was wrong, and the scar is a necessary reminder, for I cannot release you to the Council until you have helped my people. Even after the conceptions, I need your help maintaining the pregnancies. This is what I brought you here for. Not to warm my bed.” She summarized his words. “So you choose duty over me.” “I choose your safety, your well-being, and my Clan, who are much more than just duty to me.” “Coward.” He stood from the wall in a slow draw of tense muscles. “So we can’t have sex until we’re official. We’ll have to keep some secrets. So we’ll have some time apart as our responsibilities settle out. Then we’ll need to find a way for you to have children, possibly adopt. You don’t just walk away from something like this, Dar. Something like we shared. You made me admit that you belonged with me the first night. That was pure magic.” He stared at her. She set her teeth in her tongue. Let him answer that. He took a step toward her and her heart jumped. Please. Please. Please. He took another step and another until he stood over her, then he slowly crouched. Her eyes never wavered from his. “How can you say you would stand at my side, leading the Clan with me, caring for our Snowcats, when you fear the very Snowcat I am?” “I can live with fear.” “That’s not the way of being a mate. I’d never ask that of you. I’d die a slow death

smelling your doubt in my honor.” “I don’t doubt your honor. I haven’t since you first looked me in the eyes on that bright sunny day by the lake and told me I was needed, and that I was safe.” Dar snorted. “Safe.” “Yes! I live openly. I may have to face women who don’t agree with me. But your people know what I can do, and they still look me in the eye. And when I look back, I see dreams shining back at me. Such hope. “Dar, I’ve lived in fear since I was twelve. Since I watched a dead woman suffer for hours and wanted to kill her myself, and had the skill to do it. All I lacked was the courage to step forward and do it. Hours! “Every day I went out and helped with births. I was happy to do it. But every time, each time, I was terrified. Terrified to face the decisions that could come, or Cityguards waiting for me. Worse were the nights where I dealt with the conceptions, or their prevention. “Even though I’m accepted here, I’m still afraid. These births you crave, they are so fragile. You think I don’t care about the babies we’re making here? You think I shrug at facing the history you’re asking me to overcome? Generations of deaths, and you ask me to stand in the face of it and stop it. I’ll try. But I’m scared. “I’ve breathed fear since I stepped on this path my magic called me to. I’ve been afraid of this new path since you sat down in front of me. The fear I have of you isn’t even close to what I’ve had to live with just to work my craft. Your nature is wild. And so beautiful. I believe in you. More, I want you. I will face this tiny fear of the unfamiliar, and claim it with pleasure.” She finished her speech, feeling like her heart was throbbing with the passion she poured forth. To convince him not to turn away. “Fear is nothing. I’m strong enough to face all of you, Snowcat.” His eyes were so blue against the brown stone. The magelight’s golden glow lightened his hair. He was so strong, so vital. He would keep her safe, hold her in value, and she would do anything to share this path with him. He needed her help with his people, and they needed each other. “You bring hope with you wherever you go.” His voice was a warm caress. Her breath burst from her. She’d forgotten to breathe. “I hear your words.” The traditional acceptance of hard advice. “I will think on it.” He stood. “But Luna, you need to think on how you have yet to utter the most important words there are back to me. I’m not the only coward in this room.” He turned and left. Left. In her head, in the tiniest whisper, she breathed, I love you. And trembled. **** That night he made his three malcontents sleep with others. He needed time alone. Alpha meant he had less alone time than most Snowcats liked, but part of being Alpha was needing to be near his people. He lay in his bed, holding his knife that smelled of her. He let himself think of keeping secrets. He let himself think that he’d made a decision to be childless before he knew his odds weren’t good. He let himself think that if his vision was realized, he’d be made-father to dozens of babies. Especially Evon’s. His heart clutched at a vision of a wiry, redheaded toddler running over the white marble

floors of the Hollow. He thought of having a mate beside him. A helpmate. A bedmate. A friend to be proud of. And he determined to begin a campaign to habituate her to Snowcat’s need again. He had a better respect for the level of control he’d need. It would be a challenge. He could do it. At dawn, he gave up on lying down and began to prepare. These seven men he’d brought to River Mountain were going to found new family lines. Each of them could potentially start three lines with different women, and more in the future, especially if they were lucky enough to be chosen as a mate. This day was the start. The men and women would choose each other, and with Luna’s help, form babies over the next month. He needed to be organized, yet caring. He sent Minunder off with Hab, thankful when both left without comment. They’d even been civil to him last evening. It was the last break he caught all day. He went to bring the two paid women from White Hollow. Sifting them over drained him enormously, as he still hadn’t recovered from the blood loss. When they walked in, ten of the new women were arguing in the lounge. Evon was toe-to-toe with a redhead with hair one shade brighter than his, and all the other men were standing around uselessly. When he got that in order, he sent Teke to look for the others, who would be coming in from other Clan homes. Evon went with Luna, who began her assessment of the women, planning out when each would be fertile. He put two women in each bedroom. Then he discovered serious negotiations were needed to pair them with someone they didn’t despise. The plan was that each of the seven men would rotate through the rooms, meeting the women, asking some basic questions. These were women who had not planned on staying in Vladaya, but had agreed to change their status when approached. He wanted to interview them all as well, to make sure Evon’s assessment that they would truly like to be adopted, mated, was correct. Within three rotations, two of the women had seduced Sono. Within an hour Brel and Pret had come to him, finished already, each separately saying they wanted the same women. When he told them that, they got into a fight. They were supposed to each choose five they wanted to get to know better. But soon it became clear that the men who were finishing first all liked roughly the same eight women. He hadn’t factored in that narrowing of choices. Lunch saw more bickering among the women over who would sit by whom. So then he had a private talk with the men after lunch about the numbers. According to Luna, Cabo and Josh were going to impregnate whoever they chose. Their sperm was strong. But the rest were unlikely fathers. They had decided back at the Hollow that to achieve a full fifteen pregnancies, each man needed to choose three unique women. But meeting the women face-to-face changed their minds. All but Evon agreed that, faced with the reality, they’d rather choose a mother they liked than someone just for the sake of spreading their seed. To stop competition and outright seduction of the favored women, each month the men would rotate through their top choices. The women were being paid as usual, their status not changing to adopted mate choices until they were pregnant. So, basically, the men were sharing. With Autumnal coming up, it was possible more women could be found. Evon insisted that they were doing this for the good of the Clan and he would choose from the women no one wanted. Dar argued with him over that for an hour before he walked

away. Then he spoke with the women and gathered their choices, for paid women had the right of refusal. Dinner with everyone was a loud, boisterous affair. After dinner, the men gathered around and laid out a matrix on a wall slate in the training room. By the time they had aligned who would woo whom, he had a pounding headache. Going back to the lounge, his heart stopped to see three of the women facing Luna, obviously threatening her. Snowcat roared for blood. Luna was shouting back at them, but they had backed her into a corner. He leaped the room in a bound and crouched before her, snarling with Snowcat’s voice. The women fell back, screaming, which started a panic. By the time everyone was gathered, and the women who had threatened her were escorted back to their caves, Snowcat still hadn’t recovered. Josh and Cabo announced the two women they’d like to get to know better. They’d take them walking tonight, and their mates would meet them tomorrow. The unchosen women were thanked and dismissed from further contact. Again they were escorted back, this time with generous gifts. He announced the remaining were welcome to stay for drinks, music, and games, and to spend the night if they chose. The party commenced with a boisterous shout and Luna dragged him away immediately. “I have to talk to you.” “You’re all right.” He didn’t let it be a question. “Yeah,” she sighed. “This is part of being open about who I am. Before, the people who came to me didn’t confront me because they wanted my help. But here, I’m going to have to get used to this, I think.” His heart pounded to remember the women’s hate-filled faces surrounding her. They’d reeked of fear. “You don’t have to get used to it. They need to be educated that you’re not a darkmage.” “Dar … you’re never going to convince people of that. I go against the teachings of the priests.” He heard the belief in her voice that she deserved this. He ground his teeth. “You’re not a darkmage. No one is allowed to name you that.” She smiled that fake bright smile she used to hide behind. “Names don’t change who you are.” He opened his mouth, frowning, getting angry, when she hushed him with a wave of her hand. “That’s not why I asked you back here.” It was so good to stand with her in the dark, out of sight of the others, and touch her shoulder. Her presence soothed him, a welcome contrast from the crazy day. “What is it?” “How much of a rush are you in?” “We’re here all night. There’s no rush.” “Two of the women are ovulating now.” He stared at her, barely able to comprehend what this would do to the matrix. Thankfully, they weren’t Josh or Cabo’s choices, to force a decision on them. He went with her and studied the matrix, then summoned Teke, Sono, and Pret. “Two of you are going to try to become fathers tonight. How do you want to decide this?” Pret touched his black eye, a leftover from the fight with his brother. “I’m not

looking my best.” Sono said, “By the icy winds of Highcrest, Dar, I’ve already sucked down half a dozen ales.” Teke stared at his feet. “I’ve already told Helga I’d pay her tonight.” Dar looked at the chart, confused. “Teke, neither of you are even supposed to be interested in each other!” “That’s for a permanent relationship, Dar.” “Fine.” He puffed out a breath. His scar ached. “Is it too early then? You’re not ready to choose and try?” All three of them quickly agreed that they were ready. “Can’t we all try? I mean, we won’t take all night.” This from Sono. Dar looked at Luna, who looked like she had just eaten a sour lemon as she stared daggers at the listing young man. He couldn’t help it. He doubled over, bracing his hands on his knees as his body shook with laughter. It rolled out of him in huge guffaws. This was absurd. Finally he stood and wiped his eyes. No one had joined him in the laughter outside of a nervous chuckle from Sono. “Pick a number between one and twenty.” Teke leaped in. “Ten.” “Fifteen,” Pret retorted. “Two,” Sono said. “Pret, you go to…” he peered at the chart, “—Susse. Teke, tell Helga you’ll take a redo, and go to Franceska. First, you’ll let Luna work her magic. Sono, if I see you lift another ale, I’ll dump it on your head.” He forced himself to stand, his fists tucked tightly under his arms, and watch as she touched both men in turn. It was her gift. He cherished it. But it made Snowcat shred the inside of his chest to see her kneel before their bared hips, and reach her beautiful, creamy hand up to gently cup their genitals. They didn’t seem aroused by it and she had no visions. When they left, he led her to the washroom and stood by the flowing sink. She washed her hands without comment. “Did you really just decide who would share a lifetime of parenthood by guessing a number?” “Yup.” She frowned. He noticed the dark circles under her gorgeous eyes. The tired stress lines pulling at her soft lips. His heart turned over. She had worked hard on behalf of the Snowcats today. “Are you going to the party?” She shrugged. “I’ve never been much for parties. If you want to get to know someone, share a meal, not an ale.” He took her hand, and led her into the lounge. The two Watercoasters he’d hired for music had started. Several of the women were dancing. Evon was shouting at the redhead, Leena. Hab and Minunder were playing dice with three women. Pret and Teke were both already gone. Cabo was just coming in from walking with his two lovelies. The room cheered them. He looked at Luna, who was staring wide-eyed at Brel fucking in the corner. Dar smiled, squeezed her hand. He loved his Clan.

Chapter Five It was early morning when Evon finally crawled into bed. She’d only been asleep for an hour or so. She peered at him groggily. “Did you have fun with Leena?” “As if anyone could have fun with that viper. I was with someone else.” “Did you bathe?” “Yes, Lady, which is more than you did. You reek of Dar.” “We didn’t! He barely touched me.” She’d told herself she wouldn’t ask, didn’t have the right, that it didn’t matter. She blurted it out anyway. “Did he pay one of the women tonight?” “No. Shhh. Sleep.” He spooned her and she slept, comforted by his warmth and strength. Until Dar leaped on them a few hours, not enough hours, later. “Pregnant! Susse is pregnant! Wake up! You did it, Luna!” She blinked hard, trying to focus on his bouncing face. “Who?” Evon’s voice was thick with sleep, but excited. “Pret did it, not me,” she protested. But she was relieved. Dar’s laugh rang out, so happy it curved her lips before she thought to do it. “Get up! We’ve twelve tents to raise today!” He leaned in and swiped a rough, dry tongue up her neck. He gave her lips a quick press with his own and left. His head poked back through the curtain. “And for stone’s sake, bathe, please!” She’d refused to help clean the disaster of the lounge, watching as the men turned it into a competitive game. They were all in such high spirits. They teased Pret mercilessly. The running joke was that they needed to rub his balls for good luck, and were always grabbing at his groin. Teke got ribbing, too, but they were kinder to him. She only got one quick glance across the massive stone plaza, taking in the small, colorful clusters of merchant and restaurant tents in the center. She didn’t think putting up twelve tents would be a hardship. She was hustled down to the sifting room, where they landed in a small copse of fuzzy bushes. The land was rolling hills with thin stands of patchy trees. She wondered what vast distance they’d come in that one blink. Then they walked. And walked. And walked. She healed the blisters on her feet as she went, soothed the burn of her muscles in her back and thighs, stilled the headache that threatened as she overheated and dehydrated, sweating in the overcast but bright day. Finally she swallowed her pride and called for a rest. “How much farther?” she panted at Dar. “Perhaps another hour at this pace.” He offered her water. She drank half, reluctantly handing it back. “I’m pleased with you, Luna. You asked for a rest before you collapsed. I thought perhaps your stubbornness would win.” “This was some sort of a test?” He tipped his head. “We are a family. When we need help, we ask. That doesn’t come easy for you, but you are able to learn that lesson. Besides, I would have liked an excuse to carry you.” She bared her teeth at him, stood, and began the march. What he failed to mention was they walked for an hour just to get to the tent site.

They still had to negotiate piles of logs, stacks of canvas, towers of crates. There were men everywhere. The bustle made her feel at home, where before the open sky around them had made her feel tiny and endangered. The noise and hubbub reminded her of the City. Finally, they came upon half the Clan busily pulling on ropes and tying complicated fabric pieces together. Others were erecting massive poles and some were cutting grass. A shout went up. One of the elders, a grizzled warrior named Cal, called out, “Dar! What took you so long? Why didn’t you just shift and run here? We expected you hours ago… Oh. Hi, Luna, I forgot you were with them.” Dar was welcomed as if he was gone a year. But then, he was greeted like that every morning. She was surprised when many people greeted her the same way. She awkwardly returned the touches, remembering most of the names. “Gather in, I have news.” They eagerly crowded around. “Pret is pregnant with a lovely woman named Susse!” They went absolutely wild. Men did twisting leaps in the air she’d never imagined. Everyone ran around cheering. Pret was nearly mauled. She was caught up as well. Literally, they tossed her in the air. Strong hands stroked her. Joyful faces passed before her in a blur. Eventually, she was tucked under Dar’s arm as the tent work began again. He hugged her and handed her some ropes. She soon discovered that her understanding of a tent was not what they were erecting. There were nine family lines in the Clan, and each had their own tent. Each of those tents had a room for every person or couple, plus a common area. Then there was the main tent, the wash tent, and the extra tent. The latter three tents and Dar’s formed a square around the center of their little enclave. That courtyard area was also set up like a room, with awnings, rugs, a fire pit, and several tables and benches. And a Snowcat statue that took four men to drag on a wagon. She worked until she ached even with the aid of her magic, but she didn’t mind. Everyone around her took breaks as they liked. Food was constant. They played and bickered and kissed. Soon, the sun was low in the sky and Dar was helping her hang an interior lining in Miki’s tent. “Do you have enough energy left to walk with me?” She looked at his sweat-streaked face with doubt. His blue eyes looked vivid. “How far?” “Half the distance of camp.” She nodded and he took up a waterskin and some fruit. They ate as they walked. Already, outside of their little area, the rest of the camp had filled as well. It no longer felt so open as the huge tents rose two, sometimes three, bodylengths in the air. He led her up a rise that didn’t seem high until he turned and looked back. He spread a blanket and pulled her down. The setting sun gilded everything. The tents rippled farther than she’d ever seen. She spotted the creamy white of the Snowcat tents. They seemed a tiny dot in the sea of other colors. At the farthest edge from them, purple seemed to take over half the camp. “Who is purple?” “Guess.” His voice challenged her to use what she had learned.

“Wolves?” “Yes.” He pointed out the other Clans. “To one side of us is Sandcat, and the other is Mountaincat.” The smaller group of yellow tents were the very loud, argumentative group she’d already overheard, and the tan tents took up an entire wedge of the great circle, butting up against another massive territory. “So the red must be the Bears.” There were three Great Clans, and seeing even the beginnings of the spread of colors was an excellent teaching tool of just how tiny the Snowcats were in this society. “The orange toward the middle is the Groundbears. On that side of the Wolves there’s the Hawks and Owls in the black and gray, and down here,” he gestured closest to them, “our allies the Lizzeed in the blue, and then the Watercoasters and Martens in green and brown at the closest edge of the river.” “Their tents are all mixed up.” “They share a Clan home at the Cove. It’s always crazy there.” He frowned at the tents when music began to drift on the still air. “They have a big group of younglings this year. No solo walks, Luna.” “Aseki told me. The camp won’t be done for a few days, but it still looks impressive. Like an instant City, all spread out. And no walls. There’s going to be guards?” “We’re well within Wolf territory. There is heightened security along their borders, but the only danger you really have to be ready for is within, mostly from careless tempers, and crazy Watercoaster youth.” She met his eyes when he touched her cheek. “Be careful, please.” She nodded. She had no problem with the safety rule. They sat together, contemplating the pattern of life below, while the sun turned orange and sank. The sky was still brilliant with color when he stood. “I’m sorry, it’s time I return.” “No need to be sorry. This was wonderful, Dar.” He leaned in and kissed her. His lips were firm, clinging softly as they worked at hers. His hands came up and cradled her face, and his head tipped. Their mouths blended together, opening, tongues twining, stroking. She kissed, with her head tipped back against his height, until her mind spun. Until his hands coasted down her spine and settled on her hips. Then pulled her in so that he could press against her. Black eyes, too many teeth. She pulled back with a gasp. “Dar.” Her lashes fluttered as she tried to focus, to breathe without him. He staggered away, picked up the fallen blanket. Staring at the ground, he said, “Who knows about your decision to be childless, Luna?” She put a hand on her chest, trying to still the pounding fear that had blasted through her at his rough touch. “Ummm. Mom. A few lovers who knew me as Jana and Mena. A few clients no one could probably trace me to.” “No one in Vladaya.” “No.” He looked at her. “Keep it that way.” Her heart shifted, pounding for a different reason. Hope.

**** The Autumnal had a way of relaxing him while at the same time it was the hardest work of the year. Just knowing all of the Truxet were together, Alpha Council mages come home to their Clans, most of the men withdrawn from their City and guard duties, was so satisfying. It was also satisfying to take Minunder’s throat every time he saw him. He trained the man to come and submit before he even asked by breaking his nose the one time Minunder failed to notice him. The man’s neck wounds began to scar, never really having time to heal. Snowcat rolled happily just thinking about it. The next day they finished their camp, and that night Luna got another matebonded pair, Mabuz and Kinelle, pregnant. Dar kissed Luna long and deep, and this time when his hands held her hips, she lasted longer before she became afraid. It was traditional to stay out of each other’s camps until the fourth day, giving everyone time to get ready. Here was where being a small Clan was an advantage. They all helped set up the merchant square in the center while getting the best booths for themselves. The evening of the third night all the Alphas gathered in the Council’s meeting tent near the marketplace. Only four of the Alphas were mated, and their mates were equal partners at the biennial meetings. He liked all the Alphas except for Groundbear, who was cold and proud, a bad combination. Lizzeed and Marten made no secret of the fact they wanted Groundbear’s blood, so Dar always laid low, stayed out of it. Dom called the meeting to order. “I declare the Autumnal open! Welcome!” Dar pounded his cup against Hawk’s as they all gave a shout. “First order of business: an update from Snowcat.” Pride swelled at his news. “We have three pregnancies, and this time I believe we’ll keep them.” Another roar, and everyone toasted him. “Give us the details,” shouted Wolf’s Domina, a towering blonde. “I have a guest, a bodymage from Third City. She has a technique for aiding pregnancies and much experience with difficult births. Between what I learned in recent years, and her help, I feel my Clan will be reborn.” Again, a toast, and several of the men rose to clasp his arm. “You’ll have the full support of the Council’s bodymages, Snowcat. I’ll send our best to you tomorrow,” Dom said. “We appreciate it.” “And what about your new scar, Snowcat? Tell us the story behind that.” Groundbear’s voice was smooth, interested because he smelled a problem. “None of your fucking business, Groundbear.” Dar met the man’s beady eyes and held them until Marten made an angry “Tcht, tcht, tcht” sound and drew Groundbear’s narrow stare. “We’ve been sitting here for less than five minutes, Gren. It’s going to be a long month if you start now.” Marten was the second oldest Alpha behind Bear, and he hadn’t lost an ounce of fire. “Any other news to report, Snowcat?” Dom filled in immediately. “We have contracted more than our share of paid women due to Luna’s skills. We may sustain that for up to a year. Perhaps more women can be invited if there is a

shortage.” “Noted.” “The corpux are breeding too heavily. We don’t know why the shrike left their dens last winter, but we were glad to see it. This is the result though, now that their main predator has gone. Nothing we can’t handle, but if there are no other predators in the area by next summer, it could get interesting.” “Connections?” Dom looked around the table. “We’ve seen the same thing,” Marten said. Hawk spoke. “It’s clear the shrike are gone from the North. No sign of them from the air and they always liked to sit on high outcroppings.” The man clenched his jaw, closed his eyes. “We lost three more scouts since our meeting in the spring. We suspect there is a new airborne predator.” The men around the table stirred. Dar added his condolences to the others. Snowcat turned in angry circles. “Have you gone to paired watches?” Bear asked. “Yes, but these were flying messages over the City territory.” Dar narrowed his eyes. How could a new predator not be noticed? Where would it come from? Dom said, “The Council will meet on this, Alphas, and you are welcome to join us. Snowcat, anything else?” “Are we naming competitors later?” “Yes, let’s do that at the end.” “Nothing else.” Dar listened with interest and envy to the sharing of births and matings. The Groundbears had taken down a pack of rogue City exiles and lost a warrior doing so. The Mountaincats had a lone alpha who was not on City duty and had yet to report to Autumnal. His name was given as a do not pass, so that Proteus, the Alpha, could question him before entering the Autumnal. Some Watercoaster younglings had inadvertently flooded a major wheat field in Sandcat territory when they were trying to build an irrigation system. On their own. As they all sat chuckling over Watercoaster’s hilarious retelling, Dar considered the leaders around him. He considered having Luna at his side. She was sober and practical about serious decisions, but had a playful nature. She would be a good fit here, representing his Clan. The women were all walked home, then they met on the far side of the river. The Alphas, without Dom, let their beastspirits out. They ran and flew together. It was always a thrill, to play and be together in their freest form. Cautious of each other in their skin, their beastspirits felt only friendship. These were allies. On his way back from the run, Dar wanted to talk to Quor, the Alpha of the Council’s spiritmages. Quor was a Groundbear and so he was forced out of politeness to walk with Gren. Gren was blessedly silent on the short walk. Until just after Dar said good night. “Get as much as you can from her quickly, Dar. For I’ll make sure I’m part of the testing when the Council interviews her soon.” Dar slowly turned to face the man. Snowcat crouched, quivering with eagerness. “What are you saying?” His words carried a clear warning.

“I’m saying I will not tolerate a Darkmage among us just because your beastspirit kills your children.” His thighs began to tremble from the force he exerted to keep from springing. A fight between Alphas was not something ever tolerated. The humiliation of his balance for Luna would pale before the generations of hatred and mistrust it would cause his Clan if he killed Groundbear. Think of Luna. What would keep her most safe? He swallowed his pride, his fury. “Come to our camp tonight, Groundbear, and test her. I won’t have you spreading fear about her. Your attack on my honor, for thinking I’d ever consort with a Darkmage, I will lay before Dom.” He turned and walked away. “Tattletale kit.” Gren spat contemptuously. “Bully,” he tossed back over his shoulder. It was a simple matter to tell Quor to take him off the bright moon list. “You do not want to be considered for a mate?” “If you bring a woman before me, I will refuse to attend.” Quor studied him, the fresh scar. “You’ve found someone.” “You know what, Spiritmage, let’s find out. As it happens to lie now, Gren wants to test her. I was going to ask one of my people to be the cross-check, but I think you’d be better.” “Gren wants to prove your mate for you?” “No, he wants to prove she’s a Darkmage.” Quor stared down at him, clearly shocked. “Dar.” “Exactly. Will you come?” Quor seemed to brace himself for battle. “Yes.” Gren made them wait for him, and then he insisted on bringing his Shield. Dar knew he needed Evon’s arm on him, or he’d be on the Alpha’s throat before the night was out. But when he came to the camp, mixed liberally with visiting Sandcats, it was to find that Evon had taken Jreve out for the night, to settle things. This was just getting better and better. Minunder walked out of the wash tent, came up and knelt. Snowcat delighted in being able to taste someone’s blood. Gren considered Minunder’s throat and looked at Dar with a hint of respect. “Perhaps you’ll do, Snowcat. I didn’t think you had it in you.” “I killed to gain Alpha, Gren. Remember that.” Gren curled his lip. When Dar took a step toward him, it was Minunder’s hand on his arm that reminded him. “Shall I go for your Shield, Alpha?” “No. Find Cal.” He turned to one of the women sitting nearby. “Miki, where is Luna?” “I think she’s in my tent. It’s Barly’s night tonight, and she’s working with Jon.” Jon was the brother of Miki’s mate, Jin. He stalked into Miki’s tent. She was talking to old Thorn in the common room. She was so amazing, the way she respected all his people. It took forever to get that conversation finished, then he took her to his room. “I thought we weren’t supposed to be alone?” He walked her so that her back was up against the main center pole. He took her hands and placed them on his cock, reached into her pants, and drove his middle finger deep. She squeezed him hard. Always so ready to share pleasure.

“How was your meeting?” she asked, her eyelids fluttering. “Great. It was the meeting I had afterward that went to shit.” He worked his thumb over her clit. It occurred to him, not for the first time, that he had never really spent any decent time with his face between her legs. That needed to change soon. He couldn’t have her thinking he didn’t know his way around a woman’s body just because Snowcat was constantly marking territory. Her eyelids gave up the battle and closed as her head rolled against the pole. He pressed hard, and felt her legs tremble against his. No fear scented the air, and he thanked Water that she was recovering. Forgiving. “Luna, I’ve set something in motion you’re not going to like.” “Oh, it’s working for me. Not too worried about not liking what you do to me, Dar.” He gave in and licked her neck from base to nape. Spent some time on her ear, some time on her pulse. It was fast. “Have you ever had a souldance?” “I’ve got secrets, Dar. Not a big fan of judgmental priests rummaging through my magescape.” “It is hard, but useful.” He twisted his hand, added another finger into her soft tissue. “I can think of something else hard and useful.” Her hands climbed to his tip, crawled in his pants. He choked a laugh. “Kitten, so bold.” “As long as we keep our clothes on, this could work.” “I need you to agree to a souldance.” “Later.” One of her hands sank to his balls. “Faster, Dar. You’re going to take me so easy.” He shifted his grip on her waist, bent his knees, and gave her more strength, faster. “Now.” She came in his arms, her hands strangling his cock as she was lashed by the pleasure. He pinched her clit and she jerked in his arms. Gorgeous. Her mouth was open and he wanted it, but he wanted to watch her more. He turned his wrist, cupped his fingers, and dragged the tips down like he was trying to scoop through her belly. She came again, this time with the keening, kittenish cry he wanted. Needed. Her legs trembled and he braced, leaning his weight against her so that when she fell, the pole would help keep her up. She opened those gorgeous silver eyes and Snowcat lunged for her throat. He jerked his head back, frowned. “Close them, Luna. We’re doing really well. I want one more from you.” Her lashes fluttered down, thick black fringe on her flushed cheeks. She moaned, her hands lax near his groin. He took his fingers out of her clinging channel and concentrated all his fingertips on her clit. He massaged it, fondled and folded it until he found that one tiny burning point of pleasure. He stroked it softly, softly, murmuring his love to her, how beautiful she was, and when he felt her body tighten on the rise, he squeezed the tiny nub, hard. Her eyes flashed open. He saw the shock, the flare of her pupils, and then her legs gave way as she screamed, dropping into his arms. He lowered her to the floor. She was utterly relaxed. He licked his hand clean, gently holding her free hand until she opened her eyes. “How are you?” she asked groggily.

“Wonderful.” Snowcat was circling, but he approved of her mastering. “There are two spiritmages waiting outside. One is an enemy, one is a friend. I need you to do this, Luna, so that you’ll be safe from night whispers.” “Now?” “That’s what I said.” “I thought you meant—never mind. They know, or suspect, what I’ve done. They’re saying I’m a darkmage, aren’t they?” The sorrow and defeat in her voice made him sick. “You’re not, Luna. Do you think I would volunteer this if I had even the slightest concern you’d fail this test? You belong here, and that’s the other reason for the souldance. It’s the first step in our plan to be braver. This will prove we are a match.” “What if we’re not?” “Focus, Luna. I’m going to be here the entire time. There’ll be a fight over that, but I’ll win. They’re going to walk your magescape, and then this will be settled, for my people and for you.” “Dar…” He took her small face in his hands. He stroked her lower lip with one thumb while he studied her eyes. “I believe in you. I’ve relaxed you. Don’t get all worked up. Just believe in me.” She narrowed her eyes, nipped at his thumb. “You just worked me over for this souldance.” “I shared pleasure with you because I smelled Jon’s scent on you, hadn’t seen you in hours, haven’t stopped thinking of your body since I kissed you this morning. And yes, I was worried about your reaction to the souldance. It’s time this darkmage issue was laid to rest, and it will do double duty in our favor as well.” She closed her eyes, but not before he saw her despair. She didn’t believe him. “Do you know how this whole thing got started? I wanted to take myself off of the bright moon list. I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t match me to some other woman, because I don’t care about any other match now. I want you, and you convinced me that I can try to claim you. So, by the Six Sacred Elements, you are going to believe in yourself enough to face this, woman. I’m never going to earn another scar because of what I’ve done to you, and we’re not going to spend the next year avoiding each other before walking the rest of our lives alone. You gave my Clan a new beginning. This is ours.” She opened her eyes, swimming with bright tears. Oh, no. No, no. “I believe I’m not dark, but I know that I’ve done dark things. Dar, so dark they’ll haunt me forever. You’re gambling that the bright outweighs the dark, and Dar, I don’t think it works that way. I wanted more time with you.” He stood up, furious with her. “I love you. I will guard you. Will you do this or not?” She covered her face with her hands. “Yes.” He went for Quor and Gren, trying not to care that she still couldn’t tell him she loved him. He had to hand it to Gren. He was completely professional. There was no sign of his suspicions or any attitude at all with Luna. Cal guarded the door. Quor put up less of a fight than he’d thought about him watching. Gren didn’t seem to care. Quor described the technique she was to use to meditate and let the men in. Both men lay down on either side of Luna. She looked like a child next to Quor’s mountainous bulk. Gren lying a handspan from Luna made his cat furious. He was danger, and for the first time, Dar

noticed he was a handsome, powerful man. Grinding his teeth, Dar sat in a chair near her head. It took awhile before his anger over their conversation dissipated. Then he tried to let the anger at Gren go. He inhaled the sweet smell of her sex. He adjusted his dick and waited. **** Two hours later, Gren opened his eyes. He sat up in a fluid motion and Dar was instantly alert. When Gren turned his head to stare down at Luna, the white stripe gleamed in his brown hair. Glancing over his shoulder toward Dar, he said only, “Good night.” He stood, called for his Shield, and left. Dar was still staring at the door flap, exhilarated, when he heard Quor stir. Quor rolled up onto his side and brushed Luna’s cheek. “She’s a match for you, Dar.” He stared at the spiritmage, his heart suddenly beating double time. “Do I hear a “but’?” “By our laws she’ll be given choices.” He exhaled. “There will be no more talk of darkmages. Can you please report to Dom tonight?” Quor gave him a look that said he was pushing it but said, “Fine.” The spiritmage laid his hand on her shoulder. Dar looked away while Snowcat crawled up into his throat. He knew the bond a souldance created, and how fresh the closeness was when you came out. Quor was ten years his senior and had done this many times, with many women. “Hi.” Luna’s voice was sleepy, smoky. She smiled, slow and wide, at Quor. Dar abruptly stood, feeling claws prick at his fingers, fangs press in his mouth. “You did it, Luna. I’ll be waiting outside.” He stumbled at the doorway and Cal caught him. He was plunked on a bench while his people gathered round, along with some lingering Sandcats. “She’s my match, and is no darkmage.” A cheer went up around the crowd. He was crushed under them, then an ale was shoved in his hand. Another cheer went up when he jumped up onto the Snowcat statue, raised the ale and shouted, “To Luna!” **** She heard Dar’s voice roar the toast and smiled at Quor. They were lying on their sides, facing each other. She wondered where the quiet one had gone, the one who was sad. But Quor had been the leader, and his presence had warmed her even as she had trailed him into her deepest corners. She visualized her magescape as an herb garden, with proper square beds and grassy walking rows. All the herbs she knew were there, one of each. Only in this herb garden, the plants were huge. Or she was the size of an ant. Down by the nightshade they’d found every dying life she’d given grace to. Down by the castor were her failures. If she’d only known more, been more powerful, gotten there sooner. Under the monkshood was her decision to prevent any of the babies her

body held as possibilities from becoming. By the foxglove was the moment when, out of fear, she had ignored a man’s precious spirit offered up to her. The memory of the complete tour of her garden was so fresh, she could still smell the rich earth. She studied the broad face of the giant man across from her. His brown eyes, auburn hair. She felt acceptance from him, and the sad one, Gren. She felt … cleansed. For the first time she realized why people were so devout. But this man did not interpret the signs of earth and sky to make rules. He searched for bonds, for motivations, for potential. “You’re very beautiful,” he said. “I was just thinking the same thing about you,” she answered. “You love him.” “Maybe. I think I need him. I appreciate him. Certainly, I respect him.” “You haven’t seen him at his best.” “Really?” “Well, not in the best situations. There will be others. I can find your matches tonight.” “It’s cruel to summon them. I have no intention of considering anyone else.” “The law is for you. You found someone you feel is so special, but there will be others who feel just as special when you meet them.” “No.” “You’re loyal. You need to introduce more gray into your thoughts, Luna. Everything is not black and white. Plants do not always grow neatly arranged.” “I’m gray enough to make important decisions for women nearly daily the last six years.” “You need to let them make more of their own decisions. You can be bossy. Let them live their lives the way they want.” She frowned at him. Studied his growing beard. “Dar doesn’t grow a beard.” “No.” He was laughing at her with his eyes. “Can I hold you?” “I’d really like that.” She scooched toward him and he gathered her up. His chest was so deep she was practically sitting to lie against his shoulder. She sighed, happy. “I can’t believe you do this all the time. Doesn’t it make you feel lonely when you go to bed? I mean, after being so close to someone.” “What makes you think I go to bed alone?” “Yeah. A guy like you probably has lots of happy women dying to cuddle you.” “Because I’m so cute.” “Because you feel awesome when you’re inside.” She could practically feel him smile. She slapped at him. “That’s not what I meant.” “They do say I feel pretty good inside.” She giggled. “I’m not a darkmage.” “Not even close.” “And you saw all those people…” “I saw all those people.” “They say that killing even one person makes you a darkmage.” “It can. It’s a possibility in every person.” “Dar told me he’s killed.” “Yes.” Quor’s voice was sad.

“He’s not a darkmage?” “Do you need to ask?” She listened to rowdy cheers outside. “No,” she whispered. “No, he’s not.” “And he didn’t need me to know that you weren’t either. He keeps holding out his hand, Luna. If you don’t start reaching back to him, this isn’t going to work.” She considered his words. “Tell me,” the big man prompted. “What?” “Tell me what you’re afraid to tell him. Practice.” She swallowed. Her throat swelled shut. “You don’t have to hide anymore, Luna. You say you need him, but I wonder if you’re not just responding to his need of you. It feels good to be needed. Your magic has made you comfortable with that feeling. But if you can’t stand strong on your own, when someone really needs you, you both go down.” “Stop it.” “You have to believe you have value, to believe he can love you, and believe your love in return matters.” She sat up. Her heart was pounding so hard she could feel it thudding against her ribs. “You won’t endanger him with your love. You are safe here, and you have the proof from two official Trux judges that you are not what you feared.” His hands smoothed her hair back from her face like he might do with a child’s. “Your decisions, all of them, have forged a strong woman who has done great things for many people. Made people’s lives better, created lives. You are a good person, Luna, Mena, Jana, Janny. You can hear me say it, but you have to believe it, to have the strength to love.” She struggled to her feet. “Leave it, Quor!” She paced to the pole, where Dar had made love to her. “You made your point.” “I hope so. Are you really ready to change your status from guest to adoptee?” “I thought the term was ‘bartered.’” “You know that’s a City term. Would you like more time to decide?” She thought about Dar’s fingers on her, in her, his mouth sucking them clean. “I’m ready. Change my status.” He stood at her shoulder and she spun and hugged him hard. Her arms didn’t reach around his shoulders. “Thank you.” “You’re very welcome, Luna.” He smiled at her, then left. She listened to the enormous crowd outside. She crawled into Dar’s bed, a raised platform of stretched hides covered with furs. Familiar furs. She doused the magelight with a thought, closed her eyes. “I’m not bad, Mom. I’m not.” She whispered the words into the night, and began to believe. **** When she began to wake, she realized the fur against her was too hot. She tried to push it away but it was too heavy. A few minutes drifted by before she realized the fur

was breathing. Opening her eyes, she stared at her hand lying on a deep rise of spotted fur. Living fur. Panic zinged through her, but she froze, assessing. Pulling back just slightly, she gazed into Dar’s blue cat eyes. After she had to breathe, she breathed again. He made an adorable little chirruping sound, then ruined it by yawning, showing a cavernous expanse that could easily fit over her head but for his dagger-like teeth. Swallowing, she said, “Good morning.” He reached out a paw and laid it gently on her shoulder, curling his toes against her. His paw was completely furred on the bottom and tickled. She studied him, listening to the sounds of people beginning to stir in the other tents. She thought she heard a woman’s moan from his parents’ room. His spots weren’t all spots. Some were circles, or half circles. His fur was white and gray, with a creamy tint around his neck and shoulders. His ears had a black outline. Eventually, watching him, she reached out to pet him. He angled his head and slitted his eyes, adjusting so that her fingers touched a spot under his jaw. Then he rolled onto his back, massive paws splayed. She knelt and ran her hands all over him. His tail was thicker than her arm, his furred balls loose. She blushed. Sitting back, she eventually asked, “Can I see you change?” His tail lashed once, and he changed. It flowed over him, a shimmer, a blurring, the fur shrank, the size of his head, and the tail simply vanished. Her breath burst out of her when he lifted a hand and lazily scratched his sandy hair. “Good morning.” His voice was scratchy. “Hi.” “I’m glad you weren’t frightened. I thought it was the safest way to sleep with you.” His gaze trailed over her with clear appreciation, even though she’d never undressed except for her shoes. “Can I ask you something?” “Please.” “What’s it like? Having that inside you?” He smiled, a content, thoughtful smile that crinkled his eyes. “Powerful. Natural. Safe. Like I’ll never be alone.” “When did you know you were Alpha?” “I was always an alpha, from when I first manifested as a teen. But I wasn’t always the Alpha. That happened when I was twenty-one.” He wasn’t smiling any more. This seemed to be a sensitive subject, but it was such a defining part of him. “Was it hard to become the Alpha?” “Yes.” She waited a beat. “Is it better now?” He looked up at her, moving just his eyes. He reached out and laid a hand on her knee, flexed his fingers. “Yes.” It didn’t tickle this time. “Quor took me aside when I first rose to Alpha, and explained it to me. I didn’t understand it all the way he said it. Spiritmages like to study this sort of thing. “He said there is only one beastspirit in each Clan. The beastspirit that manifests in each man is a reflection of that true spirit, who rides the body of the Alpha. The beastspirit is immortal, flowing from one body to another when it must, or when it is

asked. Because the other beastspirits are reflections of it, it can sense them across great distance. It knows each one. Because the reflections are tied to the minds of men, it knows a bit about the mental states of each warrior. “The beastspirit is driven to protect these reflections, but also wants to control them to a certain extent. It needs to dominate them, for a reflection that attempts to think it can … separate from the beastspirit is somehow a threat.” “That’s why you lost your temper with Minunder.” “Sort of. That was about respect and leadership, and less about his Snowcat. No, the Snowcat isn’t too concerned about the average warrior. It’s the other alphas that really get him going.” “So they can’t live at White Hollow.” He sighed. “Yeah.” “Evon does.” “Evon was willing to pledge his life to me, and was willing to submit. Hab lost to our prior Alpha. Teke had his own life.” “But they’re part of you.” “Oh, yes, they answer to me, and they’ll come if I call, and they respect Snowcat with the last drop of their blood. But as potential hosts, they’re more than just reflections.” “They’re heirs.” “Yes, although the only way they’ll inherit now is if I die in battle.” “Because you want to pass the Snowcat to someone younger.” “Yes. Snowcat wants to be passed as few times as possible.” “So … do you have two beastspirits, then? Your first one, and this new one?” “No. Snowcat became mine. It was like, you’ve been living with a ten-year-old. He’s capable, smart, you really like him. Then one day you’re in this fight and all of a sudden you look up and the ten-year-old is this immortal warrior in his prime. And it was him all along, in disguise, but he’s just decided to show you his real self.” “Wow.” He grinned at her. “Yeah.” “Was the fight bad?” She knew she shouldn’t pick at it, but couldn’t help herself. “Yes.” He took his hand off her leg. She bit her lip, sorry she’d pushed. “I killed him.” Her breath caught. “He was like my father, only more, and he tried to kill me. He would have killed Hab if he hadn’t submitted. And it got to that point with me, and he had me on my knees, and his dick was at my ass, and my Snowcat just wouldn’t do it.” Shock flared through her. “So I kept fighting. And when I won, and tried to make him submit, he wouldn’t. It went on and on, and I knew one of us was going to go down. And I knew he wanted me to kill him.” He seemed far away as he absently sifted his fingers through the bed fur. “I can still taste his blood sometimes. I even still look around for him whenever something goes to shit. Then I realize that it’s me now.” Luna put her hand on his. “It sounds very bad.” Her sympathy vanished when she had a sudden thought. “Is that what’s going to happen to you? Some young thing will

attack and kill you?” “No. Maybe. Probably not. If one of my generation tried, like how Minunder wants Hab to challenge me, then I’d resist and the best man would win. But it’s very rare now. For hundreds of years, there’s a ceremonial fight, the old Alpha submits, and it’s done.” “Raped, you mean.” He slitted his eyes at her. “It’s not about sex, or even humiliation. It’s about dominance, and bonding.” “So, after your old Alpha…” “Karsen.” “After Karsen fought Hab, Hab ‘submitted’ to bond with him?” “Yes. He acknowledged that he was not meant to be Snowcat, and that Karsen still was.” She had another thought. “Did you do that with all the men?” “It’s only the outcome of a challenge, Luna. And the choosing of the Alpha’s Shield.” She blinked. “You and Evon?” “Me and Cal, first. When Cal told me he wasn’t feeling totally capable anymore, I chose Evon.” She stared at him. “That bothers you? The thought that I’ve fucked Evon?” “I—I…” Her cheeks burned. What an idiot, stammering over it. “I guess I’m just surprised.” “Does it upset you, to think I’ve made love to you, and you didn’t know?” “No! I just, I mean, I guess I just feel stupid that everyone here understands that happened and I didn’t know.” “Which? That I’m a killer or that I’ve bonded with Evon?” She could tell he was getting angry. She was so flustered. “Both, or just, I mean—Are you still lovers?” He stared at her. A muscle jumped in his jaw. “Sure. We fuck all the time. You in his bed has put a real damper on our schedule, though.” She didn’t believe him. “Why are you acting like this?” He stood from the bed, began to pull on his leathers. “I love you, Luna. You’ve seen how possessive I am. How hard it is for me. How can you ask if I’m Evon’s lover? Do you really think I would do that to you?” He snatched up his boots and moved toward the door. She had to do something. She couldn’t stand that he was disappointed in her. “I think it’s hot!” She bounded to her feet in the bed, slipping as the furs shifted. Her words stopped him but he didn’t turn around. She let her thoughts pour out of her. “I didn’t really think you were, but I never imagined that you ever would. I don’t understand, Dar, and I’m trying, but all I could picture was you and Evon together and how I didn’t get to see it.” He swung around, considered her. Dropped his boots and moved toward her in what she could only describe as a prowl. “Shall I demonstrate what you missed?” Moisture oozed out of her vagina. Earthmother, yes.

“Are you as brave as he? Are you willing to submit to Snowcat, to bond with me?” She fell to her knees. The pillows bounced once around her. “Yes.” He stood at the edge of the bed, folded his arms, his face cold. “Really?” He was the sexiest man she’d ever known. She panted. Her breasts throbbed, full and heavy with need. “Yes.” He planted his hands on the edge of the bed, leaned in until he was only a handspan from her. She leaned forward until they were only a breath apart. “Luna, can I be your mate?” Time stopped. She could hear Aseki laugh, and from farther out, Xishu’s booming call, little Mark shrieking with unhappiness. The air was warm and the smell of crushed grass was strong. She blinked, and breathed, “Yes.” He abruptly stepped back. His hands clenched into fists on either side of his thighs, bracketing his erection that pushed toward her. She was shocked. He stepped back? “The bright moon has just passed. The next will be at the end of Autumnal. I will stand before you then, and you will have your chance to choose me.” He spun on his heel, snatched up his boots without breaking stride, and left with a snap of the doorway. A few minutes later Evon came in. His eyes were confused. “Dar said you want to see my ass?” She fell back on the bed, a strangled scream of frustration on her lips.

Chapter Six He loved to watch her discover Autumnal. She was comfortable with the crowds, willing to try new things, and warily fascinated by the men roaming in beast form. Over the next four weeks, he saw how amazing her skills were, how thoughtful she was in serious situations, and how curious. She got along well with everyone, and with women, which was saying something. When Barly, the newest woman in the Clan, had joined them a few years ago, it had taken months to settle things with the other women. The jealousy over the birth of Mark had made it all flare up. None of the women seemed to resent Luna, though. His mother became her official teacher in the adoption program. She learned quickly. Old Elise spoke with Luna at length. Luna had left that meeting reeking of arousal and fear. He watched her dedicate herself to keeping all the pregnancies. She visited Marat, who had the longest history of miscarriages, three times a day. All of their fertile mated couples were pregnant, as were Cabo and Josh. Three of the unmated men, Brel, Teke, and Sono, hadn’t yet achieved pregnancies. Pret and Evon each achieved only one on their three women. He was so happy for Evon, and the mother, Roanna, was lovely, if a bit young for his taste. He’d gone to dinner with them to meet her. He and Evon had gotten drunk together like younglings. Luna continued to work with Xishu and Miki, and was introduced to several of the Council’s bodymages. One envoy, Dairen, joined her training sessions. Quor had contacted him to say that enough matches had been found to take her to bright moon. It wasn’t allowed to contact one of the choices beforehand, but their situation was unique. And he had every intention of making the choice a foregone conclusion by keeping her both sexually frustrated and intensely sensitized. Which was killing him. Most nights, they took time to watch the sunset together. This was the only time he was alone with her and he kept his hands mostly to himself. He learned of her life growing up in Fifth City. Talking with her there was good. She had settled into the Clan seamlessly and he could talk to her about personalities and conflicts easily. She had excellent insights and, without histories or loyalties, saw things clearly. Those regular talks built their knowledge of each other, strengthened the natural friendship that had sprung up from the first moment. One afternoon he was chatting at the fire with some wolves and owls about patrolling the far eastern reaches of Vladaya for this new threat. The conversation had finished and they were just relaxing, sharing personal news of their Clans, when he smelled her. Whenever she moved near him in camp he was always distracted. His ear tickled, and he brushed absently at it, distracted between her scent and the conversation. His cat roared, as it always did, that she was his and unclaimed, and he reminded it, as he always did, that he was in control and she was now afraid of them. The bug bothered his ear again and he brushed at it. The men were talking about the size of the bonfire the Sandcats had built last night, out by the river. He managed to participate, barely, as her scent pestered him as much as the bug that wouldn’t leave him alone. Part of Autumnal was that the nights were cool enough that many of the insects

had faded. It was the men’s inability to maintain the charade that caught her out. Eventually he noticed that they were avoiding looking at him, and one of the wolves was chewing his lips in an odd way. So he threw himself over backwards, taking her down as he somersaulted. She shrieked in surprise, then laughed from her belly when he wrestled the feathery grass stalk from her. The men left and then she did, going off with his mother. Evon came and sat with him in the trampled field. “She’s a good woman, Alpha. Better, she makes you happy.” Dar looked up at Evon from his lower position, head propped on his hand. Evon’s hair was vivid against the pale blue sky of the cool afternoon, wispy clouds high above. Reaching out with the stalk, Dar touched the long strand to Evon’s nose. He jerked his head back and wrinkled his nose at him. Dar laughed. “I love you, Evon.” Evon tilted his head curiously, a very catlike look. “She also makes you giddy.” “She has agreed to be my promised mate. She has accepted my request to go to bright moon.” Evon froze. Turning toward him more fully, he laid out in the field opposite him, mirroring Dar’s position with his head propped on his hand. To all appearances, they were sharing a relaxing break. In reality, Dar was announcing out loud something that would change his Clan forever. For the better. “Neither of you went to bright moon at the start of Autumnal.” “Next time we will.” “Alpha … how is she still living in our camp?” Evon knew the strain warriors were under once they knew their mate’s identity. “They won’t take her away when we need her services so badly. Not even with my lapse before. Maybe because they know I won’t lapse again. Nothing but to wait to make it official. A few more weeks, and I’ll be mated.” His friend’s face glowed with awe and excitement for him. “Dar!” “Yeah.” Both men stared off into the sky, thinking. “Does she know about the ceremony?” “Elise took her aside. Who knows what she told her. But I haven’t mentioned it.” “Yet.” Evon’s firm word held expectation. Dar sighed. “Yet.” “It’s going to be hard, Dar,” Evon said, frowning again. He was such a worrier. “It’s going to be fucking hot, Evon. I believe in you. If I can do this, so can you. We’ve come too far for you to back down now.” He reached out and laid a hand on Evon’s arm. Snowcat purred. He loved being near Evon. Sending Evon to guard Luna’s sleep deprived him of both his special people. “Congratulations, Dar. She’s powerful, and smart. She’ll be a wonderful addition to the Snowcats. She’s become a friend to me, and to many of the Clan. They’ll welcome this news after bright moon.” Yes, she was a friend. To him, to the Clan with her dedication, to individuals as she continued to learn about his people without judging them. Snowcat wasn’t particularly interested in friendship. He liked it well enough to have her close, but he was more

interested in claiming her. Keeping Luna sexed and Snowcat contained was a very fine balancing act that was slowly driving him insane. The occasional taste of her cream kept things under control, but it was hard. He made sure to give his scar a good stare in the mirror every morning, to remind himself. Nights passed of taunting them both sexually, keeping Snowcat leashed, and watching her sleep in Evon’s arms. Days passed of smelling her, working with her regarding the pregnancies and ovulation schedules, laughing with her on the hill each evening. He made it until the night before the bright moon, which happened to be the night of the cat dance. He was determined to make an impression before she went to meet her choices. Even if it pushed his control to the limit. That afternoon, he took her to the premier goldsmith of the Truxet and told her to pick out six of her favorite charms. “You have funds that we agreed on for your services as bodymage, and also what I paid you in balance as well. But these I’d like to buy for you as a gift.” She stared at the dangling designs forever, but he was patient. Some were clever, miniature carvings, some were chains of gems, some were tiers of intricate scrollwork. She chose some lovely ones, then waited while he went into the back. He led her to his room, then undressed her. He laid out the charms in a row on the bed. He chose his favorite, and set it aside. Then he reached into his pocket and chose a small clamp. He attached one of the most expensive charms to it, and gently applied it to one earlobe. She smiled, shaking her thick black tresses to feel it sway. The gold looked stunning with her rosy skin against her dark hair. “Thank you Dar! How clever. I can swap out the charms for different earbobs whenever I want!” “Perhaps.” He calmly attached another to her other ear. Then pulled out a third clamp. She looked puzzled. He watched her face as he reached up to one breast. He pinched and pulled and squeezed the nipple until it stood out, then raised the clamp to it. He let out a breath when he saw the fascination in her eyes. He tightened it. Her eyelashes fluttered. “Ohhhhh.” He put one hand behind her back and pulled her to him, bending her back. He laved the free nipple with tongue and mouth, not trusting his teeth on her. Then he shifted and lavished the charmed nipple. “Ahhhhh!” She had clasped his shoulders, but then her hands shot to his head, pulling him down tight. He lapped the trapped nipple, tugged the charm with his teeth. “Dar!” Then he stopped, and attached another clamp to her other nipple, and steadied her when she swayed. “Oh. These are nice, Dar.” She looked at the pair that still lay on the table. Licked her lips. His Luna was smart. He took out the short plug, as long as his thumb, with a carved knob. He attached one of the charms to the knob, then pointed the rounded golden tip at her. “Turn around, Luna.” She looked from the plug to him and back, panting, for several heartbeats. He

reached out and jerked one of the nipple charms. “Turn around, Luna.” He poured the silky heat of his dreams into his voice. She turned. “Widen your feet. Now bend over, and hold your ankles.” Her spine was so beautiful. She had the faintest freckles on her shoulders, and a mole near one hip. Her ass spread when she bent. He stared at her for several minutes before he was able to steady his hands. He reached out and touched the tip of the plug to her tailbone. She jumped. “Shhhhh.” He trailed it out around one hip, under the dip of one cheek, across the dark folds, and up around the other cheek. He rested it on her tailbone, then said, “Ready?” His voice was so low. “Dar… Please.” Snowcat lunged and he felt the prick of claws. Oh, he really, really, liked that word in this position. He trailed the golden plug down her crack, past her anus, past her vagina, to her clit. It had warmed, and as he rubbed it smoothly around her hood, her ass began to swing and twitch. He reached his other hand between her legs and sank his thumb into her channel. Oh, stone of the earth, it was so hot. Clasping and mysterious. He rubbed his thumb around until his cock leaked as much as she did, then he moved both hands up one set of holes. He shoved the tip of his gleaming thumb in her puckered ass as he angled the golden plug with her vagina. Softly, with a wet parting of flesh, it slid inside. “Uhhhhhhhhh.” Her moan was guttural. He waited until her vise had loosened, then slid his thumb in deeper, past the knuckle. “Darrrr,” she sighed. “Luna, you are so beautiful. You trust me again. Submitting so beautifully. I’m so proud of you, kitten. You’re ready.” Without hesitation he slid his thumb out, and transferred the cream-coated plug into her ass with one thrust. Her hole closed tight on the indentation below the knob. The charm dangled cheerfully, winking a blue stone. “Oh, that looks so pretty.” He tried to praise her, but it came out sounding like a threat. He stepped back. His hands shook visibly now. His abs hurt from standing upright over the pull of his cock. “Stand up and turn around.” She stood up slowly, staggering a step. When she turned, he immediately grabbed both nipple charms and twisted them, drawing her nipples up into a twist as well. “Open your legs.” She did, and he knelt. He took the last charm, the heaviest with a cluster of gold rings, and attached a tiny clamp to it. “Dar…” Her voice held a note of uncertainty. “Widen your legs, tilt your hips toward me.” He gently opened her bush, separated her labia, and with a fingertip, petted her clit out of its hood. He looked up her body. She looked down at him, her long hair lying on the slope of her heaving chest. He could see gold glittering by her face. Her breasts were on the small side, with delectable curving undersides. The charms on her bright red

nipples trembled and swayed. He smiled at her dazed look. “I love you, Luna.” He turned his attention back to her clit. He pushed it out of the way while he tightened the clamp at the apex of her hood. The charm was so heavy and she was so slick he had to tighten it twice before he was sure it would stay. When he held both sides of her open, it hung perfectly, tapping and swaying against her clit. He batted at it, listening to the rings softly clink. He tucked it down, closed her labia around it, petted her silky dark brown fur. He stood and helped her dress, ignoring her pleas to finish, her increasing exasperation. “So you’re just going to leave these for me to take off?” “Oh, no. I’ll be the one taking them off. Later.” “Later?! My nipples are killing me and I can’t walk with this thing in my behind.” “Yes, you can. And I’m glad they ache.” “You—!” “Go ahead and say it,” he said indulgently. “Torturer,” she muttered sullenly. He laughed and led her through their now empty camp to the Mountaincats’ camp. The Sandcats had built a huge bonfire “for the cold” and the party was well underway. He danced with her, stomping to the fast drums, then signaled to Evon that he wanted him to dance with her. He sat and visited with Mountaincat and his Domina until Evon passed her off to his father. “You could have at least let her bathe,” his Shield said in passing, as he adjusted his dick. Dar growled at him, lifting his lip. He was visiting with some other Mountaincat warriors when she came up to him an hour later and viciously pinched his ass. “I need to go back to camp. Would you like me to find another buddy?” She batted her lashes at him. Her smile was bright, perfect, and dangerous. He obliged her, walking back to their camp. In his room, he undressed her again. “You’re awfully quiet.” “If you don’t fuck me I’m going to kill you.” A laugh burst from him. He reached over and undid the first earring. She tilted her head provocatively in a submissive pose. He undid the second earring and she stepped into him. Her nipples looked like they were about to burst. They felt hot against his forearms. He knelt and undid the dripping rings from her mound. Looking up at her again, he said, “Get on the bed.” “Orders, Dar. You’ve got to work on those orders.” She went, and the sight of the little gold charm hanging out from between her cheeks almost undid him. She slinked onto the bed, provocatively arranging the covers, the pillows, and lay in a sinuous stretch, arching her back and playing with the charms on her chest. “Ooohh, Dar. I can rub my ass on the bed and feel the plug shift inside me. I’m gonna come so easy.” He was at her side in an instant. “You have a decision, Luna. I can talk you through this, share it through you, or I can join you. But if I join you, there’s a chance I’ll shift.”

Her eyes widened, her face paling. “I won’t hurt you, kitten. You just can’t fight me. You have to keep your shields up, keep me out of your magescape. We’re both going to go so fast, that it might not be a problem, but if I shift, you can’t fight me. Or we can just do this with me here on the floor.” She licked her lips. “Clothes off. I want full nudity.” A shiver traveled down his spine. She was giving him another chance. He would prove himself. He had his clothes off in a blink, crawled over her, and gently pushed her jaw to the side. “Close your eyes, little one. Don’t look at me.” “Dar.” Her voice was breathy, shaking. “Yes, love?” “Please, please, fuck me hard.” He lowered his mouth to her neck—You will not bite her—and pushed his tip in. The heat burned up his dick, right up his spine. Then she went wild. Her arms were around him, her hips shoved at his, her legs twined and climbed him. He thrust. So tight. She had been tight before, but with the plug in, her tissues seemed sealed. It was like thrusting into a wet vise. She screamed, writhed, and bit his shoulder. You will not bite her. It burned, to push deep. He had one breath, to collect himself, send his hand down so that he got his thumb on her clit, and then he was gone. He hammered into her, steadily moaning, yelling, while she echoed him underneath. Her hips met his with every bit as much strength. Her hands skated down his back and grabbed his ass, hitching him even further in, and he lost it. His battleform teeth erupted. Flinging his hands out for fear of his claws, his muscles ached with the need to expand. She squeezed him so hard he saw stars on his next pulse. He came with her, rapturous. Then she was done, and he forced—You will not bite her—the beastspirit down, down. “Luna, Luna.” He couldn’t get his breath. He’d been so scared, but now he was so exhilarated. “Yeah.” Her voice was a sigh. He kept his hips tight to hers as he rose up. As he took off one of her nipple clamps, he thrust hard against her mound. “Eeeaahh!” She came again, pulsing around what was left of him. He bent and laved the angry red berry, suckled it until she stilled. When he undid the other, she shuddered, moaned. He soothed it, too. Then he reluctantly withdrew. He pushed up one leg until it folded against her chest, then slid the plug out. He took it to the washroom, came back with a cloth, and cleaned her. She held out her arms. As he was just drifting off to sleep he thought he heard her say, “My monster.” **** Evon took her from him in the night. He slipped in, shook his head at him, and carried her out. Shithead. The next day he bathed, and went alone to the Council’s tent. He’d heard Luna was the only one. Waiting men as far as the eye could see, and only Luna as the adopted mate this month. He kept his eyes down as he took his place in the line of chairs. He couldn’t look at the other men, didn’t want to know them. He might be tempted to hunt them later.

Luna came in with Quor, but he still kept his head down. He really appreciated the spiritmage taking her personally. He owed the man for keeping her choice to be childless to himself. He listened to Quor introduce each of the men, then tell her she could question them and spend the day with them tomorrow. “I’m very sorry to tell you this. I know you are all so hopeful. But if you learned anything about me since you were told my name, you know that I came with Dar. I’ve been with him for over a month, and I love him.” His head shot up. He had to dig his claws into the underside of the chair to keep from bounding to her. Joy burst through his body. “He’s my choice, and though I argued against giving you false hope, apparently the law says I have to do this. But I’m putting a stop to it now. Tomorrow, Dar will be my promised.” None of the men protested. They left, murmuring well-wishes but scenting the air with sadness. Quor said, “I see no reason to meet again tomorrow just to say, ‘Luna, you are the promised mate of Dar, who is yours.’ Congratulations. Welcome to our people, Luna.” Quor left. She walked to him. When she smiled, he couldn’t help but smile back. “That was rather anticlimactic. I can’t believe Autumnal is over. So, now I guess we have to wait one more week. We’ll be back at White Hollow tomorrow, but we can’t stay. The women need to go to River Mountain, where it’s warmer.” “Say it again.” Her lips curved and even though he could tell she thought of torturing him, she whispered, “I love you. I love Dar, the Snowcat.” She took a deep breath. “And I’m going to live with him as the Domina of the Snowcats until the day I die.” He leaped up, hugged her tight, then tossed her in the air, caught her around the thighs so that she loomed above him. “Dar!” she shrieked, and the happiness shining on her face lit a fire inside him that he knew would always keep him warm. Snowcat twined happily around and around. Soon, she’d be theirs. There was a huge party in the Snowcat camp. Everyone usually flowed from camp to camp on the last night, but when the news spread that Snowcat had taken a Domina, their camp overflowed, all day and most of the night. Luna was never out of his sight. Snowcat preferred it when she was within touching distance, and there were so many strange Alphas passing through, he soothed Snowcat by following her around like a toy on a string. It was deep in the night when Evon appeared at his elbow. “Gren’s here.” He reached out and pulled Luna in at the waist. She’d been talking to the Mountaincat Domina, a kind but flighty woman with orange hair, and gave him a look. He gave her the news, and her arm went around him. “You’re worried?” He gave one short nod. “He knows our secret, and he’s the kind that will use it.” She studied him, chewing on her lip. He felt the brush of power, looked up. Gren was watching him as he accepted some food from Fredda. “Dar. I’ve souldanced with him. While I didn’t learn much about him, it is a

connection we share. Let me talk to him.” Snowcat erupted instantly, his face aching as it took on the first stage of battleform. He jumped when Luna stomped on his toes. “Quit that right now.” He stared at her, amazed. “You’re not afraid.” “I’m not terrified. I’m plenty wary.” Gren appeared before them. He made no effort to take Dar’s arm in greeting, nor did Dar offer. Luna offered her wrist politely and the man bent to it. Snowcat did a somersault inside him. “Congratulations on your promised match.” Gren’s voice was expressionless. No pleasure, but no snide tone either. “Thank you, Groundbear.” “It’s nice to see you again. Did you have a good Autumnal?” Luna smiled brightly at him. He looked at her steadily a moment before answering. “I had hoped our competitors would go a bit further, but yes, it was a good gathering.” “I only watched one of the competitions this year. Dar took me to the earthmage finals. I was frightened when they opened the earth.” He studied her again. “Yes.” Snowcat was going insane with the man’s attention on her. “Groundbear.” The man looked at him and he didn’t have anything to say because all he could think of was Get your eyes off her. “So, Dar is concerned about you.” Ash and mist, she’d pulled the man’s attention again. “He is?” What was she doing? “He worries about me. It took me a few days to figure out he was having me followed whenever I went out around the camp.” He hadn’t known she knew. Minx. He was surprised by Gren’s answer. “It’s good to be cautious.” Then he ruined it by adding, “Especially of such beautiful treasure.” Snowcat screamed for blood. A tremor ran through him, and Luna tightened her grip on him. “I’m not going anywhere. I think you’re a man who understands bargains. Is that correct?” “Bargains?” “Deals.” “Ah. Yes.” He sounded cautious. “You’ve heard about the Snowcat pregnancies?” “Fourteen in one moon.” “Yup. So, would you like to be next?” Gren blinked at her. Dar noticed one of his hands clench. “Me?” “You, and your Clan, would get my exclusive services. I can’t promise any children.”

Gren was silent, but his jaw had firmed. “Of course, I would still be paid. And it wouldn’t be for a year yet, because I need to be with the Clan as Domina, and to help with the births.” “So what is the deal?” “The Council has started to talk about putting up a lottery. Of men who want to be tested, and the men who pass to get children. I’m not likely to dedicate my time to one Clan. Except for you.” “And in return…” Gren flicked a glance at Dar, who was staring daggers at him. “Dar would not have to … worry … any more.” “Want to think about it?” “No.” Luna’s shoulders dipped, and Dar couldn’t stop the growl. “I can tell you right now the answer is yes. Deal. Don’t humans shake on it?” He held out his hand to Luna. She shook it and Dar growled again. She pinched him, smiling at Groundbear. “We also like written contracts.” “You can’t exactly put the ‘Dar doesn’t have to worry’ clause in.” “Why not?” Groundbear smiled. For the first time in his life, Dar saw the man smile. At Luna. He shifted her slightly behind him. She fought to stay up by his side. “Rest, Snowcat. Thank you for the conversation. Good night.” Gren walked away. He turned on Luna, dragged her into the gap between two tents, and kissed her thoroughly, until all the fight had drained out of both her and Snowcat. He shifted his cock in his pants while she swayed against him. He licked his lips. “You. Are. Amazing.” “Well, thank you. Dar?” “Yes?” “Can we go to bed now? I’m very tired.” He traced the shell of her ear. “Yeah. Tomorrow will be a big day. The takedown goes quick, but the transfer is hard.” “All of this will be gone within two days, Aseki says.” “Yeah.” “We didn’t get to have a last look from our hill.” “I’m sorry.” “I’ll see it next year.” He closed his eyes against the wave of gratitude. “Yes.” “Can I stay with you?” He shuddered. “No. But you can stay with Snowcat, if you want.” “All right. That would be nice. I’m going to go say goodnight to Evon.” Evon. Crap. Now that they were official, he was going to have to tell her about Evon. **** Dar came back from the washroom to find her standing by the bed. She was in her sleeping clothes, and was smiling that too bright, dangerous smile. “I have a present for you, Dar, in honor of last night.” Caution held him still. “Oh? That wasn’t necessary.”

“I enjoyed it. For you to enjoy this, you have to undress.” “Oh yeah?” “Yeah.” He undressed warily. “Luna…” “Yes, Alpha?” Snowcat shivered to hear those words on her lips. “I should warn you that the plug is for you. Only you.” “What a big baby. Don’t worry, it’s not that. That’s already in my ass.” She turned and pulled down her pants, wriggled those beautiful soft globes at him. The longest charm dangled between her cheeks. He made her jump by rushing up and flicking it with his fingers. She turned, smiled, caressed his nipples with each hand. “I thought about these, but decided they wouldn’t do. I thought about these,” she fondled his earlobes, “but that wasn’t right.” He knew what she’d done. He widened his legs. “Well, that narrows it down then, doesn’t it?” She licked her lips, and went down on her knees. He couldn’t resist. Grabbing his dick, he pulled it down and rubbed it softly against her cheek. She kissed the side of the head. “Hands behind your back.” His heart began to beat, hard. “Luna, we were lucky last night. We can’t do that every night. It isn’t safe.” She pouted, fishing for something she’d hidden under his bed furs. “I know. A week left.” She drew out a gold chain, as long as her arm, with wide, flat links. It ended with two tiny gold balls. He swallowed. “Do you know what this is?” she asked. “Yeah.” She looked up at him, licked her lips. “If you let me put it on you, I’ll suck you off, Alpha.” His knees almost buckled. “I’d be proud to wear your chain, Luna. You don’t have to suck me off.” “Oh.” She looked disconcerted. “Well, can I?” He swallowed. “Yeah, kitten, you can. As long as you let me return the favor.” Her eyelids swept down with a little smile of satisfaction. “Oh. All right.” She gently lifted his balls and wrapped the chain once around the base of both his balls and dick, then cinched it. She looked at him when he said thickly, “Tighter.” The chains were cold, but wide enough that they didn’t cut deeply into his skin. He pulsed. Then she’d taken the ends and alternated wrapping them firmly around the base of his balls, and the base of his dick, again and again. His balls compacted, lifted a bit from his body. His penis felt enormous. Finally, she took one of the small gold balls and set it against his tip. It had warmed in her hand. “Luna…” He put a warning growl into his voice. To his shock, she twitched the chain, hard, causing a shock to spike through his groin. He grunted. “My monster agreed to the chain. He needs to do what he’s told.” She patted the bed. “Sit.”

He sat, and she moved up between his spread legs. His stomach churned at the spreading, confident grin and the gleam of those grey eyes. She laid the tiny balls in her palm, then closed her hand tight around his erection. She squeezed him with her whole hand, the gold balls digging into him, and pulled. The balls were hard points of heat that fought for his attention with the silk of her fingers. He gently rested his hands on her hair while she worked him over. He closed his eyes against the image of the gold gleaming against his pale skin, her creamy hand shafting him brutally, her face huntress intent. That’s when she slipped the bead into his tip with a push of her thumb. His hips leaped. The tip burned. She took the other little round ball and bounced it off his taut balls. He tightened his fingers in her hair. Snowcat crouched inside him, quivering. He’d never have thought she’d dare this. She looked up at him, and while he was trapped by the pleasure shining in her eyes, she shoved the other ball into him. The head of his dick was blood red. It burned. It shocked him how pleased he was to bear the pain for her. Then she closed her mouth over his tip. Her tongue rubbed the chains trailing from his tip along the edge of his crown, and the alternating feel of metal pressing into him, then her soft, wet tongue, drove him insane. Within minutes he was fighting Snowcat and fighting the urge to come. The first time he tried to come, it burned, made the skin of his cock stretch tighter. Her hands were working his balls and his thighs. The second time he tried to come, he moaned with Snowcat’s voice. She sat back, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. Her eyes were liquid silver while she unwrapped the chain. “I want you to fuck me back, hard.” Her breath burned across his aching groin. The minute she pulled the balls out of his tip, her mouth positioned wide, he jettisoned. He’d never been so hard. He fucked her face, shoving his hips up while his fingers tangled in her hair. He screamed when she swallowed. It was furious and hard, but over quick. Shaking, he gathered her up off the floor into his arms. “Kitten, kitten, tell me you’re all right. Did I hurt you?” Her lips were bright red, swollen. “I’m fine, Dar. My lips are buzzing, but it’s good.” She licked them, and he saw the hint of cream in her mouth. With one twist and push, he turned and tossed her down on the bed, buried his face between her thighs. He lapped and licked and stroked for a few minutes until he felt her begin to writhe. Pulling back, he put a hand on her stomach. “Luna.” She focused on him fuzzily. “I want you to fuck me, hard.” She cried out, those red, red lips opening, and he shoved his face into her core. Her thighs closed around his ears, her ankles hooking on his back, and her hands pulled his hair as she thrust against him. He heard her scream of orgasm as an echo through her body. He rolled over, his hands holding her hips to his face, flipping her as well. She struggled up onto her knees, her legs splayed as she ground down on him. He used all his strength to hold her tight to his face. He opened his mouth and shoved his rough cat tongue as deep as he could. She screamed again when his teeth scored her clit, and fell forward, sobbing. Scrambling out from underneath her, he pushed her body higher up onto her knees,

came behind her and grabbed the knob shining from her ass. He loved watching that skin push open. Kneeling high, he held her hips in one hand as he began to pump, each time coming all the way out so that he could watch that thrilling moment when he pushed the tip in. “Luna, please come again. Please, Luna. I want you to, need you to. One more time.” She was still sobbing, but now her hips were working against his hand. He took his free hand and pulled one cheek aside so he had a better view. “Grab it inside, Luna. Tighten up, kitten.” He shifted his grip, dug his fingers into her ass, watched come drip from her vagina in a long strand down to the bed. His cock was as hard as a tent spike. Snowcat leapt continuously. “I’m gonna come all over you, I’m gonna bathe you in our come. You’re gonna sleep in my bed tonight covered in it.” She scrambled to get her hands under her, to touch herself. He shoved the plug higher so he could see her fingers sink inside, see her rub her clit. She wailed her orgasm on the next inward thrust. Ripping the finger-length toy out, he grabbed his cock and pointed it at her, watching with heaving satisfaction as he painted her in stripes. He felt the prick of claws on his softening dick, felt the burn in his mouth as the change began to take him. You will not bite her. He curled down on himself, into a ball, and fought Snowcat as he had never fought him before. He forced the battleform to twist, screaming in pain for the first time in his life as he pulled the cat form through it. When he opened his cat eyes, he was angry with his man. His tail thrashed furiously. Their woman was in the opposite corner of the bed, looking at him with wide eyes. He snarled his discontent that her blood was not in his mouth, that his man had not shared her body in their blended form. She was unclaimed! Soon. He knew it would be soon. Until then she still wasn’t really theirs. Snowcat grumbled, licking his paws as he watched her. He didn’t like her fear. Eventually, she laid down. She smelled good, covered in his man’s come. Finally, she slept. Later, Brother came in. Snowcat chirped at him, called to his fur. Brother came up on the bed with him, and they groomed each other, purring. Too soon, it was dawn and his people began to move about. Brother left. Snowcat wanted to go home. The visits hadn’t been enough, and their people weren’t where they were supposed to be. Now, his man wanted to stay somewhere else. For the kits. For kits, he would do it, but it wasn’t going to be easy. **** Luna monitored the older women, especially Marat, constantly. She forbade Marat to do any of the takedown, going so far as asking her to ride in the cart with the elders to the sifting stone. Marat went directly to River Mountain, while all the others wanted to spend at least a few nights at White Hollow. She discovered there was a reason that sifting wasn’t more commonplace. As easy as it seemed, it was an enormous power drain, especially when you were taking other people or supplies. Two of the men helping to ferry supplies got puking sick from too many transfers. Another got a nosebleed, and a third passed out. Dar said it was their own fault. Everyone knew you shouldn’t sift more than five or six times in twenty-four hours. But she could tell he was angry at himself for not monitoring who was working too hard. As she was laying out their furs on Dar’s box bed back at the Hollow, she marveled

at how different it felt to be back. How different she was. When she left, she was hurt, frightened, new. Now she knew so much more about him and his people. She was in love and could say it. She knew which spot on her man made him ticklish, which spot felt so good it summoned Snowcat. She’d claimed him, and been claimed. Almost. It was Elise, actually, who told her first, and best, about the mating ceremony. Evon’s kind grandmother had sat with her, shooing her older husband out of the tent. “I hear he botched it, rushed into it.” “I’m not sure what you mean, Elder.” She accepted the spice bread. The old woman glared at her. “My name is Elise.” “Yes, El—Elise. Thank you, this bread is delicious.” “Hmmph. So he tried to matebond with you without the ceremony. Without even asking.” “How did you hear that?” “Everyone knows. There are few secrets in a Clan.” “So I hear.” “Exactly.” Luna figured out Elise was referring to sex. Luna laughed, shocked. “Yes, Snowcats live very close, even closer than in the Cities.” “Hmmph. It’s a little daunting to fuck a battleform, isn’t it.” “Elise?” Luna’s jaw flapped. “They say that it only happens at the matebond, but I’m living proof that if you want it, and you’re smart enough to know your man’s interests, you can get it when you want it.” “Uhhh…” “It’s the best dick you’ll ever have, that’s for sure.” “Uhhhhhh…” “Listen up, Luna. You know a lot about sex as a bodymage. You know about babies and birth and carrying. But you’re with a Trux now. They’re really two people, right?” “Uh, right.” “Well, sometimes they like to share.” Luna was speechless. “That’s what the battleform is: them sharing. So when they want to share you, you get the battleform. I’ll give you a hint: get the cock inside first, ’cause it’s easier than trying to stuff it in later. Although that has its own interest, if you like.” “Uhhhhh…” “And they really like it in the back door, if you know what I mean, but I don’t recommend it in battleform. Well, you’re a bodymage, so maybe you could handle it.” “Uhhh…” “So what frightened you most, when you saw him?” Luna took a few seconds to get her brain going. She looked down at the bread she was gripping tightly. “I guess the teeth.” “Yup. Those teeth are something. And they’ll want to use them, it’s part of getting the battleform. The trick is timing. You gotta be coming when they give in and hit you with them.” “Hit me?” “Well, that’s what it feels like, unless you’re coming, then it’s just a little spike.”

“Spike.” “A good one.” Luna swallowed. “I see what he does to Minunder.” “Hmmph. That one. That’s nothing like what it will be like for you. For you, it will be love.” “Not like marking a possession?” “Of course it is. With love.” “Oh.” She gathered her courage. “Elise?” “I’m listening.” “Did you see the Shield ceremony?” “What’s that? Oh!” The tiny, white-haired woman laughed, delighted. “Yeah, that captured your fancy, didn’t it? No. That’s private. Only person there is the prior Shield, and their mates if they have ’em.” “Oh.” “So let’s talk about your ceremony.” “What ceremony?” “Your matebond, of course.” “I’m not sure…” “Listen. You know there’s the triad?” “Yes. Two elements and the spiritmage.” “And you know that usually there’s the Alpha, and guests.” “What!” “The Alpha is the one who acknowledges the claim, cements it. The guests help that. It’s like their wedding, and they want all the important people to see.” “But, I thought it was sex, and a souldance.” “It is.” “They’re all there? The triad is actually there?” “Where did you think they’d be, the Royal City?” “I just … when he said … Watching?” “Hmmph. You won’t care for more than about two seconds. It’s sexy.” “Sexy.” “Yup.” “And he’ll go into battleform?” “Yup. Get him in quick, remember.” Luna felt dizzy. Sweet little old Elise was too much for her. Then something she’d said clicked. “The Alpha confirms the claim.” “Their beastspirits need it.” “So he saw…?” “Only people he’s mated are Jon and Barly.” “Oh.” “There’ll be more, though.” “That’s true. Hopefully.” “Gotta believe.” “So, if he’s the one that the whole ceremony is really for…” “Bright girl.” “Who is going to watch him?”

“You got it. Guess.” She chewed her lip. “Dom?” “Hmmph. Not that one. He’s really an honorary leader. Politician.” She took a breath. “Another Alpha?” “Why would Snowcat care about them?” Her breath blew out. “Evon.” Elise reached over and patted her knee. “It gets better.” She shuddered to think of what Elise considered better. “You know the important guests the warrior usually wants to share the event with?” “No,” she breathed. “No.” “No, it’s not everyone.” Luna thought she was going to hyperventilate, her breathing was so uneven. “Just the triad and Shield, actually, for the mating of an Alpha.” “Tell me, Elise, please.” “Evon will be slightly more involved than usual in a mating. He’ll be in the triad with you, and he’s going to be claimed again as well.” She felt her mouth flapping again. “See, about those teeth…” Her moan trailed in the room. She snapped her jaw shut. Elise sighed, stood with some difficulty, and shuffled to sit on the bench next to her. She took Luna’s hand in her soft, fragile one. Luna tried to still her galloping heart. “They’re good men, Luna. It’s worth every bit of the oddness to share your life with them. So, this is what I’ve learned. If you want to talk to someone who’s lived it, there’s four women out there you can ask. “Snowcat will be satisfied with the claiming in and of himself. But Evon is another alpha living in his territory. Living with you. So he has to be shown what’s what. Dar will want to fuck you to claim you once. Then he’ll want to prove whatever dominance game he needs to with you in front of Evon. Then he’ll want Evon to submit to him again, and finally he’ll want Evon to submit to you. “To me.” “Yes. I’m not too clear on that part myself, but I gather it won’t be a hardship for you. My grandson is a fine-looking man.” “But the submission that Dar described was anal.” “Boys will be boys. I’m not sure how it will play out with you, or even if there is a right or wrong way. Dar will tell you, I’m sure, when the time is right. Or when he screws up the courage.” Elise laughed her little trilling laugh. “I made a pun!” “You mentioned the teeth?” “Oh, Evon is your safety net. But because he doesn’t have the spiritual command over Dar that Dar has over the Clan, he has to be there physically.” Luna had a sudden flashback. The bitter ache of an orgasm snatched away, the burning at her thighs, looking up into rows of sharp teeth. The fear. “He says he doesn’t want to hurt me.” “Of course not. But he does want to claim you, and he’s thinking like an animal.” “He’s not human. He’s Trux.” “Yes, dear. That’s true. Glad you’ve got that much, at least.” Elise patted her hand. “Just remember, he’s worth it. He stood up there before all of us and paid for his mistake

when you would have let him keep quiet. He holds us together. He’s worked so hard to find you, bring this all together. Karsen did a terrible thing, forcing that battle. Dar is a good boy. He deserves some happiness.” Luna remembered telling him the same thing, not too long ago. “You deserve it too, running from those scared bigots who call themselves priests. As if the Earthmother wouldn’t want women to rule their own bodies.” “Elise.” “Yes?” “Thank you so much.” Elise smiled charmingly at her. “Aseki will tell you more details if you need them, too. You’ll be fine, Luna. We all managed, so can you. It’ll be some of the hottest sex of your life. Don’t let the fear ruin it.” “I won’t.” “That’s good. You’ll do, Lady. You’ll do.” Luna wasn’t sure what that meant. She’d eaten her spice bread, talked about Mark’s latest antics, and left. **** Dar still hadn’t talked to her about that yet. She wondered if he was screwing up his courage. She spent the next few days helping with the unpacking. Sleeping with Evon was a comfort now that they were back in the cold mountains. Daily she went with Xishu to River Mountain, checked on Marat, then returned. One night she was sitting with Duncan at dinner when Dar came in. Everyone sent up a hail. He waved and went right to her, kissing her hard, then lingering on her lower lip. When she surfaced, Duncan had left. “How’s Marat?” “The baby’s hold is weak, Dar. Sifting her to River Mountain from Autumnal wasn’t good.” He frowned. “What can I do?” “I want to be with her. I should move to River Mountain.” He frowned even harder. “I don’t expect you to come. This is your homecoming visit.” He put a clenched fist on the table, stared at it. She covered it with her hand. “Dar… This is just the first taste of what it will be like for us.” “But you’re not really mine yet, Luna.” “Ah. Well, you’ll just have to trust me.” “It’s not you I doubt. It’s other men around you.” “Do you remember when things went bad, back when we were together before Autumnal?” She touched his scar, which was thin and white. “Yes.” “I took care of myself. Against you.” He sighed. “I understand that, Luna. I do. Snowcat doesn’t.” He shook his head. “I need to stay here, to run tonight with some of the men. Will you sleep with Marat and Rioki?” “Do you want me to?” “Yes. Mated warriors are safe.”

She laughed at him, then tried to stifle it when he frowned. “Have you eaten?” she asked. His gaze lowered down her body to her chest. Her nipples tented her shirt. “I haven’t.” “Food.” He sighed. She passed him a cooling platter of meat. He was on his second bite when his and every other man’s head jerked up and swung toward the main hall. Soundlessly, they leaped up and raced out. “What is it?” Luna’s eyes met Ngele’s wildly. “Usually someone upset coming through the sifting room.” The women raced after the men, except for Barly, who grabbed up Mark and ran to their room. Luna got to the white hall to see the crowd jammed in tight on the stairs to the sifting room. Dar shouted, “Luna!” Her heart jumped as the crowd turned to her, the women pushing her forward, the men parting and pulling her through. A black man stood panting in the sifting room. She’d learned he was likely one of the black Wolves. “Marat is miscarrying. We go now. Xishu, bring Miki.” Everything snapped into the crystal focus she had when it was crunch time. Her brain calmed. Dar took her arm, reached out, and the room subtly changed to the room at River Mountain. “Follow me.” He took her down two halls to another sifting room and sifted. When they exited, they were only two rooms down from the Snowcat lair. They ran into Rioki’s bedroom. Three bodymages and Dairen, the man she’d been training at Autumnal, were gathered around Marat. She was white as a sheet and sweating. Rioki knelt at her head, bowing over her, whispering. The bodymages looked up at her when she entered. Rioki didn’t. “Is it done?” she asked Dairen. “Umbilical is still attached, lining is detaching.” Luna’s lips firmed. It was as she had suspected. Marat’s body had simply decided it was that time of the month. The men made way for her and she hurried to lay her hands on Marat’s abdomen. They’d already stripped her. “Marat, look at me.” Marat looked in Luna’s eyes. The baby was so new it could barely be termed that. Her stomach was still flat. She’d taught Marat to monitor her own body for this very thing. It was really the only way to catch it. “You did good, noticing and getting help. I’m going to pull blood into your uterus, and it’s going to hurt. But that’s not the baby and you need to breathe through it. Here we go.” Without any further talk she started. Marat panted. She heard one of the other bodymages exclaim when he understood what she was trying to do. Dairen issued hurried coaching. Then they added their power to hers, and Marat screamed. Rioki moaned, holding Marat’s hands tight, and Dar went and knelt by him, laying his hands on the man’s bowed back. One of the mages shifted, laid his hands on Marat’s head, and she fell back to panting. He was working pain management. Skyfather, what she would have given to work with other mages like this the last six years.

It went slowly. Dar sent for reinforcements. Rioki gave Marat water when she could manage it, but then she vomited. Luna lost track of time. This was what she lived for. This endless moment of concentration, where her magic bubbled in her blood and her brain was alive, assessing changing information. The full force of her will was focused on an unborn child, and terror shuddered her lungs. There were new bodymages working with her, others standing out in the hall where she’d sent them when their whispering grew distracting. They’d sent the best women’s bodymages first, and now there were two men working Marat’s pain. Xishu and Miki each took a turn. Seemingly eons later, she’d suppressed the passing and reattached the lining and was roaming the uterus, studying every bit for loose areas. Then the umbilical began to detach. “Dairen!” He was almost as good as she was, and she needed him. He rushed into position, swore when he saw, using his bodymage’s inner sight. “What? What is it?” Rioki’s voice was hoarse. “Quiet,” Dar commanded. She tried to pour energy into the connection, but there just wasn’t anything left. “Dairen!” “I’m doing what I can,” he snapped back, obviously drained. They stared bitterly at each other across Marat’s stomach. They knew they had lost. Failed. The baby was dying. Luna’s ghosts bubbled up from her garden. Women screaming, crying. Bile was thick in her throat. “Isn’t there anyone else?” “No. I told you, we don’t usually do work this early.” “What do you need?” Dar’s voice was calm. She looked at him, and it was like seeing him for the first time in a week. His light brown hair, his creamy skin, his blue eyes stunning color against the pale palette of his face. He looked so strong. His scar jumped as he clenched his jaw. Precious seconds were rushing past her, but her gaze stuck on his scar. The scar he’d taken because he’d stepped inside her magescape uninvited. “Come here.” She was breathless at her audacity. Dar moved and knelt near her. “What can I do?” Her eyes were drawn back to the scar. “Come inside me again.” He looked at her calmly, assessing her request. “I need strength, and I need it now, Dar.” “There will be consequences.” Whatever. “Will you do it?” Dar looked at Rioki, at Marat, for a second. He faced her and gently cradled her cheeks in his huge hands. He turned her head enough so that they had eye-to-eye contact. She breathed, “Dairen, hold her.” Dairen grunted at her, then she summoned her herb garden, and opened the sky to Dar. His eyes blended with the blue of her sky, and his face faded from her sight as she stood completely in her garden. He pushed through just as calmly as could be. She was surrounded by musk, fur, strength, and a boundless love of Clan, who were all sleeping within him. She could feel them, a beating pulse at his outer edges. Energy roared into her. Bounded, boiled, burst. She cried out, falling to her knees in the dirt.

He stood before her, so terribly primal in her neat, ordered garden. He looked down at her, fierce. “Ride it, Luna. Take it and use it.” Her hands scrabbled in the dirt, the dry scent filling her head. It was too much, too unpredictable for her to even try to guess how to manage it. He reached one hand down toward her, palm up, as if he would help her stand. “I love you.” With a cry, she forced her hand to move up into that storm, out of her safe earth, and she clasped his hand hard. “AHHHHH!” With one lightning strike, the air settled. She panted. “Marat needs us, Luna.” She gasped, horrified to have forgotten. Turning, she saw Marat through her magescape as if she looked through a glass window, rippled and distant. Her real hands were still on Marat’s body. She focused, and Marat’s body instantly did what she wanted it to. The energy she’d always dreamed of answered her call, followed her commands, because Dar was channeling it first. It was perfect. Exhilaration zinged through her. She dove into the baby, roamed it and coated it in power. She zoomed around the uterus, smoothing it, strengthening it. She flowed through Marat, gave her some of the energy, heard a sob of relief as the last pain faded. She soothed the woman’s overheated core, steadied her heart. She left Marat’s body, let the power drain back into Dar. Luna shuddered, aware that even though it had all felt so effortless, in reality she had burned massive amounts of magecraft. Her body ached a bit, probably from holding a crouch over Marat for a good long while. She could feel him holding her hand in the garden, and his hands on her face. She blinked, and his face was before her. Cat eyes. She lifted her hands from Marat’s body. Dairen sighed tiredly. “The baby is secure.” Rioki sobbed, “Thank you!” Dairen answered, “It was her. Them. Incredible.” Dar slithered off the bed, stood, and tugged on her face until she came around and stood before him. “Xishu,” he commanded. “Alpha?” “Get Evon and Quor and get them now.” Xishu ran. “Dairen, will you serve us?” “Now?” “Will you?” “Yes, Alpha, I’d be honored.” “Bring an earthmage, will you?” The room was utterly silent when his hands left her face and, in a blur, tossed her up and caught her, cradled her. Then he ran. She laid her head on his shoulder, her hands linked tightly behind his head, and closed her eyes. His energy still lingered inside her. Swirling. No, pacing. They entered a dark room, arched high in a smooth dome, perfectly circular. He called up the lights, which were set in a circle halfway up the dome for dramatic lighting.

There was a pit in the middle, not too deep, lined with furs that smelled faintly of relaxing herbs. She smelled chamomile and lavender. He laid her down, then straightened and undressed. “Where are we?” “The matebond chamber.” “Ah.” She smiled when he drew off his pants. He was thickening, lifting into a lovely arch. “So, we’re moving the schedule up?” “You did, but I’m fine with it.” She laughed. “We did it, Dar. We saved that baby!” “You did, beautiful. Undress.” “Orders, Dar.” “You like it when I order you around in bed. Please, undress for me, my promised mate.” She stood and undressed as simply as he had. “Sorry, no charms today.” “You don’t need them.” His gaze slid down her body and she felt the energy leap inside. She gasped and wavered, then caught her footing. “Steady. I can’t touch you yet. It’s all I can do to stand here.” “You want me.” He laughed bitterly. “Does that feel like simple want to you?” She looked at him. “I know. I can’t wait to say yes this time, Dar. I’m not surprised, scared, this time. I’m…” “Kitten. Stop.” He turned away from her, and she saw that his shoulders had thickened, widened. His hair lengthened. Luna was so calm. Eager, even. Elise’s words trickled through her brain. The hottest sex of your life. Wow. And then this man would be hers. She would belong to him. He would keep her safe, and she would stand by him. Dairen and another man jogged in. “This is Kish. He’s a Wolf.” They came right up to the edge of the pit, positioned not quite across from each other. “Thank you, Kish. I’m Dar, and this is Luna.” Kish seemed a little out of breath. “I’m ready, Snowcat.” Luna shifted uneasily. Outside of bathing, she’d never just stood nude in front of strangers before. She laid her hands on the sides of her thighs where they bulged a little. These guys were going to watch the hottest sex of her life? She’d never be able to train Dairen again without blushing. What if he looked at her— “Luna.” She snapped her eyes up to his. Were they glowing? “Be still. This is sacred for us, despite how it may seem that I’m tossing you into this. But you opened to me. I’m in you, and there’s no way Snowcat is going to leave without a fight. One I don’t think I can win. The matebond happens now. Snowcat will settle. I think you’ll like me better when I’m not always coming out of my skin around you.” “I like you fine now, Dar. It’s nice that you want me so badly. It’s fun.” “Fun.” He frowned at her. “Don’t pull the cat’s tail, Luna,” Quor said as he strode in. “This has been a test of his will and his honor, not something most men could have handled as gracefully. I think

his steady earth magic served him well.” The men shared a look of understanding. Quor looked at the other men. “I’m Quor. Hello, Dairen. I heard you and Luna saved a baby today.” “We had help. This is Kish, of the earth.” The men were saying hello when Evon swung around the door at top speed, staggered, and heaved the heavy rolling stone across it. He struggled out of his clothes as he came across the room. “Good morning, Luna.” “Morning? Were we all night with Marat, then?” “Nearly enough.” “Huh. I’m not even tired.” Evon stepped down into the pit. Dar growled. The men raised their arms straight out from their sides, and she saw they formed a triangle whose sides just brushed the circle. Her ears popped when the magelight flared green between their palms. “Luna accepts Dar. The triangle protects.” “Throat.” Evon went to his knees and arched his neck and back. Dar bent and bit in enough to leave indentations, but didn’t break the skin. His voice low, he asked, “Evon?” Evon raised his head and looked at Dar. “Always, Dar.” They stared at each other and Luna felt Snowcat sit, watchful, intent. Dar moaned, and just like that, moisture flooded Luna’s core. He swung his head toward her first, then his body followed, a flowing, rolling movement. He came up and knelt before Luna. Holding her gaze, he angled his body back, held the difficult position, then angled his chin up and closed his eyes. Luna looked wildly at Evon. He nodded. Quor was there with her. It was getting crowded in her magescape. He simply ghosted up on the thread of their prior connection. Bite deep. Claim him. Luna swallowed. She bent awkwardly, licked her lips, then opened wide, settling her teeth in the groove of muscle on either side of the center column. She bit, and Snowcat lashed his tail. She knew it wasn’t enough, so she slowly bit harder, and again hesitated. She was afraid of biting too deep. Evon whispered in her ear, “Do it.” She grabbed Dar’s shoulders and closed her jaws. Blood gushed into her mouth. Crying out, she stumbled back, and Dar was up and on her. His teeth caught on her collarbone in front, sinking deep into her muscle at the back of her nape. She cried out again. Then again when he pulled her down onto his lap. She straddled his knees and sank onto his cock. Oh. Oh. Dar pulled back from her neck and stared at her. “Luna!” Her blood was bright on his mouth. One of his hands clenched in her hair at her nape. The other spread across the center of her back. She lifted from her knees and dropped all of her weight, and he sank deep. Her eyes rolled. As he always did, he could take her into instant, intense pleasure with little buildup.

He began to thrust up from underneath her. The position didn’t allow for much withdrawal, but the powerful lunges were so satisfying. He leaned in and dragged a rough tongue across her chin. She realized he was cleaning his blood off her. “Keep your eyes closed, Luna. Keep them—Ahhhh!” His cry was a rumbling bass against her chest. Claws sank into her back, but they were a distant sensation compared to what was happening at her core. His body grew immensely under her hands, layers of muscle bubbling up. Her legs were shoved wider over his massive thighs and her vagina burned as his erection grew. She felt as if she were dangling on a spike, stretched beyond wide and speared deep. She found she could still tighten her muscles around him though, and that it felt so good, lessening the burning when she did so. He lifted her up an inch and just that much movement created a firestorm. She could feel the opening of her vagina pull out, then fold back in as he shoved up again. He roared. She moaned. He did it again. Her body twisted inside. He lifted her a third time. This time, she thought she heard the word “Mine” in the distorted roar. She twisted tighter, thrashing in his grip. He pulled out and shoved in and she spun, loosened, untwisted in a diving leap into the darkness. Do you claim me? She lunged at the spirit, grabbed it, and pulled it inside her. She passed through fur, and triumph, and satisfaction. Snowcat loved her. He needed her, so lonely, so tired. She was new life, new hope. Dar’s cock erupted in a gush of burning heat, wrapped tightly in a soft wet grip that was the most perfect he’d ever felt. Only it was her cock she felt, her balls so tight and aching, the fragile bundle cradled in her arms so precious. Then they fell forward, backward, and she was on her back blinking up at Dar’s face. She saw his blue eyes shine back through the black. Snowcat purred. She smiled at him, awed, amazed. His magescape was a mountain peak, jagged and icy, mist shrouded and windy. He had to be strong to stand there, but standing there felt like home. He leaned down and kissed her, sinking onto her body, his tongue stroking hers, his lips gliding, eating at her. He pulled up, both of them gasping for breath, sweaty, and the happiness shining from his eyes brought a shaky laugh to her lips. “I love you.” She laid her hand on his scar. He pumped his hips, still hard, but feeling slender inside her now. “I know.” Gently he pulled out, took her knees and drew them up, pushed them high. He looked down at her spread folds and probed. His head met her back hole and he looked up at her, held her gaze as he pushed. He pushed and held the thrust, burrowing in. Her lips parted at the burn, the pleasure, the shock of the feeling. He didn’t stop, pressing forward and forward, his hands hard on her legs. When he was fully sheathed he stopped, let her legs sprawl down around his hips. He laid his huge hands over each of her breasts, squeezed gently. “Luna. I love you.” He pulled back, then drove in again. It burned, and pleasure danced through her. He was leaning over her now, his weight on her chest countering the force he used to get inside her each time. The thrusts never glided any easier, her ass holding him tight. She lost track of time, but soon she realized the ache had drawn up from her ass to her clit. “Dar. I want to come.” She hardly recognized her voice. He smoothed his hands down her ribs, over her belly, and pressed both thumbs into her hood, his spread fingers kneading her. He bent over her and set his teeth on her chest.

The position forced his thumbs tight against her body and she gasped for breath, so close. Evon was there, pushing his hand into Dar’s mouth. Dar sat up, hissing at him. His thumbs worked her as he pulled out, and out. She came, heaving her hips wildly, her hands beating at the furs, bursts of guttural groans filling the air. He slipped out and she moaned. Dar went to the edge of the pit, pulled the furs away, and pressed his palms to the earth. Scooping his hands, he drew up the water he’d called and washed his erection. He used his shirt, and rinsed himself again. She lay stunned, watching him. He was so huge, so hard. Evon was sitting with his back against the wall of the pit. His knees were drawn up and his arms rested on them. His brown eyes were narrowed, his dark red hair mussed. A powerful red erection lifted in the air between his legs. Only his eyes moved as Dar walked up to him. “Did you like that?” Evon merely nodded. “You guarded her for me, helped me ride Snowcat, this past moon.” Evon nodded. “I could have no truer Brother. Thank you.” Evon was breathing noticeably faster now. His hands closed into fists. “Are you still my Brother?” Evon stared at the furs between his legs. “Are you?” Dar’s voice hardened, commanding. Evon raised his eyes to hers. She couldn’t read him at all. Was he afraid of this? Angry? He moved his eyes up and met Dar’s, staring boldly. “I stand as your Shield, Alpha.” While Dar stood watching, Evon folded himself forward and crawled out into the center near Luna. She moved back uncertainly. Evon sat up on his knees, in much the same position Dar had first taken her. Dar came and knelt behind him. He spit into his hands, coated his cock. He did it again. Her heart threatened to leap out of her chest. Then he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Evon, clasping Evon’s hands over his chest. “We love you.” “I know.” In a beautiful motion, Evon folded down, at the same time transforming to battleform. Growls came steadily from his thickening throat, his arms extending even longer out in front of him. His fingers shortened as oversized claws erupted. The muscles on his back rippled as his body expanded. Dar’s hands coasted down Evon’s back to settle firmly on his hips. She saw his fingers whiten, saw the imprint on Evon’s skin from the force of his grip. She was sitting to the side of them, but up near Evon’s shoulders. She didn’t have a perfect view, but enough to see Dar’s erection disappear as his hips pushed forward. She saw Dar’s thighs tremble with the force. Evon screamed, the high, wild cry of a cat. Goose bumps erupted all over her. He was in pain. He was furious. Her heart pounded so hard. She wanted to run. Or close her eyes. Then Dar began to move, and Evon fucked back at him. The two of them pulling away, then pushing together in a breathless display of strength. Evon screamed every

time Dar’s hips met his ass, but the tone changed, and soon he was groaning at the end of the scream. Dar picked up his speed. Luna couldn’t help it. Her hands went to her cunt, slipping inside, pressing her clit. They were so beautiful in this fragile moment. “Evon!” Dar began to slap into him, pace broken, faster and faster. Evon snarled, his arms sending hair flying as he flayed the furs. Dar came, arching high on his knees. Blood trickled down Evon’s hips from Dar’s fingertips. Evon keened, a very humansounding groan of pleasure. Dar collapsed forward again, covering Evon’s massive, bulging back. They lay spooned, panting. Eventually Dar pulled out, both men moaning in a distinctly satisfied way. Dar went to the side again. He summoned more water and washed himself off. But her eyes were mostly for Evon’s shrinking form, fading back to human. Dar knelt by her, and gave her a tired smile. “Did you like that?” She looked up at him, still panting, her hands still working hard between her legs. “Yeah.” She couldn’t think of anything else to add. “You are my mate, but if you want to be Domina, you have to do one more thing.” “Elise told me.” He raised one brow. “Did she? She’s a spunky one.” She nodded toward Evon, still folded over, but human once more. “I’m just not sure how it’s going to work. I mean, I don’t have the equipment.” “All you have to do is Master him. You ride his body for yourself, and he submits to it.” Her hands stilled. “Uhhh.” “Fuck him, Luna. With respect, and love. But control him.” She stared at Evon. She couldn’t imagine making love to him, with her bond to Dar so fresh. “I know you can do it. Like you did with me the night of your chain.” “You let me do that. You—you aren’t going to lose it? Watching me with him?” Dar cupped her cheek. “You’re mine. If you try and fail, you’ll still be mine.” “I just won’t be Domina.” “The other Snowcats will sense you don’t have the power to hold them.” Evon rolled onto his side. His muscled belly was covered in come. His long legs stretched out and he propped his head on a folded arm. She met his eyes, saw the challenge. Instinctively, she rose up onto her knees. He smirked at her, his gaze trailing boldly down her body. He’d never looked at her like that. “Are you gonna give me a taste of that hot cunt, Luna? I’ve had to smell you all month. Hard-ons falling asleep and waking up, and you know it. You think you can take me?” Her face flushed at his challenge. She looked again at Dar. He was smiling fondly, calmly, at Evon, as if the man had just innocently invited her to go pick berries. Oh. She was so going to do him. She crawled forward and sat in front of him with her legs off to one side. The heavy furs looked like confetti. She shivered. She looked down at Evon. He was staring at her mound, heavy-eyed, and she knew he could smell Dar’s cream combined with hers. He was very handsome. He was more boyish than Dar, slightly less muscular. While she had shared his warmth and the comfort of his body, she’d never once wondered what it would be like to be his lover.

Her mind scrambled for what she knew about him, that she could use in this situation. He liked the paid women. He took things even more seriously than Dar, and worked hard. His only hobby that she knew of was that he liked to drum. Which meant he had good rhythm. He was a watermage, which meant he’d be good at seeing opportunities. Fine, so she was in trouble, but she could do this. He reached out and touched her thick, dense brown curls, brushing gently over her mound. “You could grow your hair out now. You don’t have to dye it anymore.” “I was thinking about it. I kinda like black, though.” She reached out and touched his own patch of curls, more auburn than his head. There was a gleaming dollop of cream nestled in them and she rubbed it between her fingers. She wanted to send a questing touch of energy through him, but used words instead. “Are you all right?” His hand abruptly burrowed into her, one finger pushing between her compressed folds until it pressed on her clit. “Are you?” Fine. She decided on her strategy. Let him take control, and then grab it back at the last minute. She didn’t have the strength to wrestle him for it, perhaps literally, for an extended time. She didn’t like the way he’d looked at her so condescendingly before. This man was her friend, Dar’s best friend. She’d try to keep it simple. Having learned a little bit about what set Dar off, she raised her shining fingers from his nest and drew them across one breast. He stilled, watching with glassy eyes while she put his scent on her. The wet trails swirled around and around, but she never touched her nipple. “Your touch feels good, Evon. Pull your finger back just a little higher.” Now he narrowed a suspicious gaze on her, brown eyes considering silver. He did what she said, shifting in her flesh until he found her spot and she shivered. Her breasts, with nipples already hard, pebbled with goose bumps. He smiled, withdrew his hand and licked his finger clean, closing his eyes in appreciation. She took his wrist in both hands, removing his hand from his mouth. She brought it up to her own mouth and licked the pad of his finger delicately. Then she put his entire finger deep in her mouth and worked it. Suckling, nipping, stroking with her tongue. When she saw his erection up, she moved his hand to her breast. Stretching out on her back, she lay her palm full on his belly and slid it up over his ridges and slabs of muscle. Her fingers danced along his jaw, then she fed her own finger into his mouth. Like a puppet, he rose up over her with inhuman smoothness. His tongue suckling against her finger created a pull between her legs. She opened them, arched under him, rolled her head back. The utterly submissive posture brought a growl to his mouth. One hand kneaded her breast deeply, wide fingers encompassing it. The other quivered near her shoulder as it held his weight poised over her. His knees embraced her hips, and she gasped when his erection touched her stomach. She willed herself not to look at Dar. His presence was like a beating heart off to the side. Her hands went to Evon’s chest, learning his pecs, his shoulders. As he began to work her breast in hard, grinding twists, she glided up and traced his neck, his jaw. He took her hand and pressed it down by her head. Then he bent to her free breast. His mouth was so gentle. Sweet sipping kisses and flicking licks. His hand squeezed the other breast, lifting and rolling it with his palm. He breathed on her nipple, barely mouthing it with feathery touches. His fingers burned her other nipple with a milking squeeze.

She moaned. He switched, and abruptly his mouth was biting, mouthing her overworked breast. His fingers on the other breast trailed gently back and forth on the sensitive underswell. He opened his mouth and engulfed her whole breast, then sucked, hard. His fingers rubbed slow circles around her nipple while his tongue rasped the other one raw with hard, long licks. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders, her legs thrashing. She tried to remember what she was supposed to be doing. She sent her hands down his sides to his hips, and stretched across the length of his tight abs for his penis. It was lovely and hot, soft and round. She couldn’t reach the base, but her fingers busily traveled over him, learning the flare of his head, the line of his ridge, that her pinky could just fit in the tip of his hole. With a roar, he lunged up, grabbed her hands and pinned them by her head. Then he kissed her. When Dar kissed her, it was with complete command, passion and heat. Evon kissed her like he was discovering a rare new taste. His mouth was completely soft against hers, taking its time, belying the iron grip crushing her wrists. Both of her breasts throbbed when his bare chest brushed them. One from being tantalized, the other aching from heavy attention. His tongue and lips had thoroughly learned the shape of her lips before he took the panting invitation of her open, needy mouth and dipped just barely inside. He licked the damp edge of her teeth, gently nibbled at the center of her lower lip, ghosted his tongue along the edge of hers. She planted her feet and thrust high with her hips, trapping and rubbing his erection between them. “Evon!” He ignored her, doing some tricky thing with his legs so that he’d pinned her hips with one thigh. He pulled back from the kiss, nuzzled her jaw until she turned her head, and then blew gently in her ear. She moaned as her whole body felt the echo of that hot breath. He began the whole delicate discovery process on her ear. She thrashed and heaved under him, wanting more, aching. He didn’t budge. She tried to rub her hips against his thigh, but it was too high for her to feel any pleasure. “Evon, I need more.” Her voice certainly sounded needy. Without breaking the delicate work on her ear, he shifted so that his massive thigh came between her legs, his erection a burning line at her hip. With a sob of thankfulness, she opened her legs to their widest, canted her hips, and began to rub on his hard muscles. It was so good, the hair on his legs adding texture as she creamed and oozed all over him. Just as she had settled in to a good rhythm, tightening, reaching for an orgasm, he took his thigh away. He simply swung it up and over her, straddling her hips. She keened, lifting to rub her stomach on his slightly furred balls. The tip of his erection brushed the underside of her breasts and she moaned. His breath in her ear was all she could hear, steady and calm and maddening. She pulled hard on her arms, hard enough that she’d be bruised, but he didn’t let up until she went slack, panting. “Ask me, Luna.” His voice was so soft, the merest breath. “Please, Evon, please fuck me.” She felt him smile against her cheek. “You give in so sweetly. It would be my pleasure, Luna.” He kneed her loose legs apart and settled between her thighs. She immediately closed them around his hips. His tip traveled up and down her crease, nudged into her hole. But when she lifted to meet his thrust, he withdrew, and continued to swirl up and

down. “Uh-uh. You want me to fuck you. Lay still.” Alarm bells rang distantly, but were drowned out in the beat of need when he fit his tip into her gaping vagina. She thrust up at him, her toes curling in the fur. Again he pulled out, let the tip of him sink down the crack of her ass, then glide back up. She was sopping. “No, Luna.” He trailed his tongue lazily up her neck. The gentle feel of it in that special place that Dar always worked so intently brought a gasp to her throat. This time his face went to the other ear, the one opposite Dar, where Evon’s lips would be hidden from his line of sight. With words that were mostly breath he told her, “I am his Shield. Prove yourself.” Then he thrust deep, his erection burning through swollen, overheated flesh, abused from Dar’s battleform. Evon hovered over her, suckling on her earlobe until she tossed her head, her hands pinned, his dick pulsing inside her. She tasted the pleasure, could feel it shimmering. From the tips of her fingers, closed in fists by her ears, she could feel a faint pricking. Her mouth ached, and her stomach tightened. Anger. It was so jarring. He’d given her what she wanted. Was Dar angry to see them? No. Snowcat. Not angry with Evon’s penetration. Something wasn’t right. Evon pulled out, so smooth and slow, then swirled his hips, rotating his knob at her sensitive base. Sweet pleasure poured through her. He pushed back in, and everything in her rebelled. No! She turned her head and lunged upward, sinking her teeth in the strong muscles at the side of his neck. She shifted her knees higher up, near his ribs, and locked her ankles on the rise of his tight ass. Tightening her stomach, she shoved herself up onto him while her mouth went wild on his neck. His teeth sank into her earlobe but she ignored it, working her hips furiously. She began an internal rhythm. She squeezed inside, tightened and released twice every time she drove him deep. He was struggling, but since he was holding her upper body down, he couldn’t get her legs off from around him. He pulled up onto his knees, trying to trap himself deep so that she couldn’t stroke him. Within the cradle of his thighs she could still manage an inch, and kept up the battle deep inside. Her mouth ate at his neck, delighting in the flesh in her mouth, the drag of her teeth down his tendons, the slick trails of her hard tongue. He tasted of salt and smelled like comfort. She gave her shoulders a shimmy, delighting in the rub of his chest squashing hers. She did it again more slowly, release, tighten, release, then captured his own earlobe and sucked hard. Tighten, release, tighten. His moan was loud in her ear. The next time she tightened her thighs, dragging herself deeper, he thrust against her, held it and ground tight. Pleasure shimmered in a wash of golden stars, but she concentrated on how much her wrists ached. They slid apart an inch. Tighten, release, tighten. When she tightened, she was perilously close to sending herself over. She was about to lose something precious before she’d ever really held it. She breathed into his ear, “You’re going to come when I swallow you.” Then she latched onto his neck and bit deep. She tightened inside and held it. He went wild, pounding against her, groaning. Her legs wouldn’t let him drive and his hands finally abandoned her wrists to grab her hips, pin them down so he could use his full lower body

to power his thrusts against her. She swallowed his blood, her body burning, utterly taut, and he froze above her in a pose of pure agony and bliss. She licked across the half moons of blood and he spasmed, screaming, coming. He expanded inside her, pulsing, as his hips trembled against hers. She let her head fall back and watched his face grimace as the orgasm held him. Hers washed over her like a summer storm. Her head fell to the side, and she stared at Dar, meeting his eyes, so blue after Evon’s brown. She let him see every wave of the storm as it took her, owned her, drowned her. His eyes shone with pride and satisfaction.

Chapter Seven Evon groaned, his long body covering Luna’s. Snowcat muttered inside him as he studied the scene, imprinted it. Evon shuddered, ass flexing as the last of the orgasm settled. He never doubted her for a second. Even though she cut it awfully close. He gave them a moment to catch their breath. All right, half a moment was good enough. He looked up at Quor. “The Snowcat sees.” “Luna is claimed by Dar. Dar is claimed by Luna. Welcome, Domina of the Snowcat.” The green triangle winked out. He nodded once to Quor. Kish collapsed into a crouch, shuddering, rocking. Dairen went to him, laid a hand on his shoulder. “Not many experience an Alpha’s matebond.” “Blood and spirit,” Kish moaned. Quor smiled, winked at Dar. “Congratulations. Do either of them need Dairen’s services?” Dar considered his lovers’ wounds. “No.” Dairen pulled Kish up and the three men left. He would send them gifts. He crawled over to the couple who held his heart, lay a hand on Evon’s shoulder. Evon lifted himself up in a push-up, blood trickling down his neck. He looked blearily at Dar. “I’m not sure what I should say.” Dar saw Evon’s arms tremble as he gently pulled his hips from Luna’s. He watched their come drip from Evon’s softening dick. Snowcat curled up, and slept. He raised his eyes up to Evon’s averted face. Worry flashed through him. He would need to run with him tonight. He said gently, “You don’t have to say a thing, Evon.” He knew what Evon had done. He’d goaded Luna into taking up the challenge, and goaded her again into rising to it. He was the best Shield an Alpha could have. “Thank you for being here today.” Evon glanced at Dar, looked away. Inside, Dar sighed. It had taken months before Evon believed in himself after last time. “Evon.” Luna lifted herself up onto one elbow. “That was so beautiful. All of it. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” “I know.” He looked at her. “It’s just hard, knowing that I’ll never have either of you in my bed again. I’ve lost both of you to each other.” Snowcat’s tail flicked disdainfully, but he remained curled. “Never say never.” Dar said, an old saying of his grandmother’s. Evon’s eyes met his, finally. Dar’s shoulders relaxed. He wasn’t broken, just lonely. He made a mental note to look into getting the redheaded Leena assigned to the Hollow. “Dar…” “I mean it. I’m Luna’s, but you’re mine, too. As Alpha I gladly open my bed to any who need it in the Clan. But you belong there more than the others. Whenever you need my touch Evon, I’ll give it. For sleep or for … belonging.” “We’ll give it.” Luna laid her hand on Evon’s where it rested on his thigh. He turned his hand over and gripped it.

Dar stiffened, less sure of his ability to share Luna again than to share himself. She smiled at him, a naughty, shy smile. “You guys are seriously hot together. You don’t get to go to bed alone.” He relaxed. Smiled back. He saw the wound at her neck had stopped bleeding, but was angry and red. She had stark purple bruises on her wrists. He frowned. Protect. “You need to heal.” She rolled her eyes. She crawled toward him, reached for him. His heart turned over. They came together on their knees, and he held her tight, her head tucked under his chin, her hair soft against his chest. Her healing energy prickled his skin, healing his own bite, then heated her body. She reached for Evon but he shook his head, getting to his feet. “I’m going to head back to the Hollow, get your party started. Congratulations. Oh, and Xishu said you’d saved Marat’s baby. Well done.” “Thank you. See you soon, Evon.” “We’ll be a few hours, yet,” Dar added, smiling at his friend. Evon grinned back, nodded, and gathered his trail of clothes as he left. “Will he be all right?” “He’s a warrior in his prime. He shared pleasure with us. He’ll be fine.” Dar heard how defensive he sounded and sighed. “We’ll have to take care of him more closely the next month, I think.” She petted his chest, brushing his nipple with her nails. “We can do that. So. What did you think?” He pushed his hand up into her hair, closed his fist around the silky strands, and pulled gently until she tipped her head back. By the blinding snows, he loved that arch to her throat. He saw his mark there, and his cock twitched. “I thought you were seriously hot together.” She giggled. Was any woman more fascinating? “You’re fine with it then?” “I’m proud of you. He didn’t go easy. You had to fight for it.” “I’m thinking it was more of a tie.” “No. You won.” He suddenly had the overwhelming urge to override that memory. Inhaling deeply, he smelled the three of them, mixed together. So good. This time, it was good. “Luna, you know that he can’t be your lover.” She looked at him from under lashes, then pouted her lip outrageously. Possession roared through him. He tossed her down on her back and licked her neck. “Minx.” “Dar?” Her fingers went into his hair, scraped his scalp. “Yeah?” He angled his head for a good spot. “We’re real now, right? Mates?” “Our matebond is complete.” A shiver coursed down his spine just saying the words. His cock twitched again, lifted. “So, we can make love now? Safely? You won’t go into battleform anymore?” Fear still lurked under the surface of her words. She may never trust him in that form. He rubbed his face, the side with the scar, across her breasts. “Never again, Luna. Snowcat knows you’re ours.” She plumped her breasts with her hands, holding them up for his licks. “Well, you know what they say.”

After he surfaced from nibbling her nipple he asked, “What?” “Never say never.” He stilled, looked up at her. She smiled, blinding beauty. “I love you, Alpha.” He moved up her soft, smooth body, pushed his cock deep into her flesh. “I love you too, Domina.” Safe. She was his, and she was here, where she belonged, wrapped around him. Hot, wet, tight. He watched her as she surrendered to him, her puffy lips mewling her pleasure. This woman of power. This woman so brave. She’d summoned so many kits to his Clan, and he knew there would be more. Enough for Snowcat. She sank under, moaning and shuddering in his arms, her hands clawing at her breasts. He slowed his pace, soothing her. Considering, he thought … five. He would try for four more orgasms before he let himself go. Her fingers plucked fretfully at her nipples. She wasn’t holding the pinch long enough, so he lowered his mouth and took one from her. Saliva flooded his mouth at the feel of the soft flesh, the taste of Evon lingering. He sucked and pulled, swallowed. She went under for the second time, her hips grinding up against his. His heart was full. His woman, his mate, his Domina who would care for the Clan at his side. He let himself begin the rhythm, sliding into a running trance. She went under easily again in a few hard strokes for her third. She fought him for control after long moments a bit later, but his fingers worked her clit and she gave him number four. Sprawled loose under him, her body shifting passively under the steady force of his hips, he felt the burn at his knees. Dismissed it. “Luuuuna.” He crooned to her, calling her. “Uhhhh…” She was coated in a fine mist of sweat. Those swollen lips called to him. He shifted his weight onto one elbow, fed the fingers coated in her cream into her mouth. They closed around him eagerly, sucking and licking. He picked up the pace, used more strength at the height of each drive. His hips made soppy, wet slaps against hers. “Look at me, Luna,” he coaxed. Her lids fluttered, that blinding, stunning silver connecting to him. He waited for her to focus. Her teeth nipped his finger. He added a third to her mouth. Her eyes rolled. “I’m going to come, kitten.” Slap, slap, slap. He picked up the pace, felt his balls boil. “And so are you.” She cried out around his fingers, her hands clutching at his shoulders. He came, so good, so, so, so wet. He watched her scream soundlessly around his fingers. He painted her neck, soothing her, as he continued to rock. His cock burned and twitched, leaped at the sensation of her clasp. When he found the strength to raise up off her, he dressed, then wrapped her in a fur. Picked her up. “Dar! I can walk.” Her voice was slurred. “Please?” She sighed, huffing a laugh. “Fine.” “Ready to go home?” “I’m already home, Dar, here with you.” His heart squeezed. He took her to the sifting room. Set her on her feet when they landed in the Hollow. He towed her out onto the platform looking down the wide stairs to

the heart of his Clan home. Snowcat sat up and roared, so he did too. Raising their clasped hands, he shouted, “Snowcats, I bring you your Domina!” The men roared back, the women clapping and whistling. She stood beside him, tousled, flushed, covered in sweat and sex, wrapped in a fur, barefoot. He knelt, kissed each of her hands. He looked up at her with his heart in his eyes. She lay her hand on his head, softly. Their cats surged up the stairs toward them, and he smiled. The End About the Author: Mima is a dreamer in upstate New York. When people query her on what she’s reading, she answers proudly and simply, “A really sexy romance.” She firmly believes women know the difference between fantasy and reality, and need both. No matter how sweet the kids, husband, mother, cats, house(work), and job are. Mima is at [email protected] and www.myspace.com/runemima

Meet LSB Authors At The House Of Sin Lsbooks.NET We invite you to visit Liquid Silver Books LSbooks.com for other exciting erotic romances. 2007: Terran Realm Urban fantasy world: TerranRealm.com Featured Series: The Zodiac Series: 12 books, 24 stories and authors Two hot stories for each sign, 12 signs The Coven of the Wolf by Rae Morgan Benevolent lusty witches keep evil forces at bay Fallen: by Tiffany Aaron Fallen angels in hot flight to redeem their wings The Max Series by JB Skully Meet Max, her not-absent dead husband, sexy detective Witt, his mother… And many, many more!