His Purrfect Mate (17 page)

“She tried to take the statues from you, didn’t she?” Chloe asked.

“She tried to kill me with a knife. She didn’t seem to know how to shift into panther form.  She repeatedly attacked me, and then fled the house, and I finally had to call the police.  Then she kept trying to break into my house, again and again. She even hired people to try to break into the house to steal the collection of artwork from me.”

“I can’t believe I did that.”
Sophronia looked dazed. “I’m so sorry.”

“It wasn’t you that did it; I always knew that.  I knew you weren’t gone forever. I knew I’d find you,” he said, voice shaking with emotion. “I never stopped searching for you.” And then they were kissing with all the pent up passion of lovers who’d been separated for decades.

“
Ewww,” Chloe said. “They’re making out! Oh, my God. I’m watching my grandmother and your grandfather – oh God! Tongue! There’s tongue! I can’t look! Make them
stop
, Kenneth!”

Mortified, she turned away, hiding her face in her hands. She could hear Kenneth laughing.

Then he grew serious. “We need to go back to the El-Debar’s house and finish sorting this out,” he said. “And the plane comes for us tomorrow.”

* * *

“What is going on?” Chloe asked nervously as they pulled up in front of the El-Debar compound. There were several army trucks parked there.

“I’m sure everything is fine,”
Karesh said, frowning.

“Why would you be sure?” Chloe asked, as they all climbed out. “We don’t know which faction is here, or why they’re here…”

“Wait outside,” Kenneth told her.  He glanced at Sophronia. “You too.”

“Heck no.
I stand by your side, no matter what,” Chloe said stubbornly.

“Like they’d be any safer out here?” Pixie added.  “They could be mowed down in the street. A mortar could fall on their heads.”

“Then stay behind me,” Kenneth snapped, pushing in front, along with Barrett. The other shifter bodyguards, Karesh, and Abdul, who held a bloodspattered rag to his swollen nose, all pushed forward as well.

“He’s kind of a caveman,”
Pixie said, as they followed him in.

“Yes. I think it’s very sexy,” Chloe said.

Inside the house were at least sixty armed soldiers. Kenneth’s employees, and Abdul’s family, were crowded into the back of the house, looking uncomfortable. The crocodile shifter had her arm around the cheetah shifter, and had him halfway tucked behind her.

One of the soldiers turned to face them, and Abdul gasped in shock.

“General
Zar,” he said, “What is the meaning of this? Why are you in my home?”

“Here they
are,” Karesh said triumphantly.  “I delivered them to you as promised. Every last one of them, everyone who knows about the statues is here, and all of the statues are here as well.  Now, we will fetch all the statues and let the sacrifice begin.”

“What?” Chloe gasped. She looked at him suspiciously. “I thought you spoke ancient Sumerian a little too perfectly. You really are one of the demon servants, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am, you human idiot.” He grinned unpleasantly.

“Why would you entrap
Sophronia then? You’re both servants to the demon.”

“Only I am worthy to serve the glorious master!” he cried out.

She glanced at Abdul, who had gone pale with shock.  Abdul had been clutching the rag to his broken nose, but now his hands dropped to his sides, his eyes wide with sorrow and anger.

“Demon servants?” one of the soldiers said. “What is this about demons?” He turned question
ingly to Zar.

“You’re all about to die,” Chloe told him. 
“Your boss is going to sacrifice us to a demon that brought down entire cities several thousand years ago. Your general thinks he can control the demon, but he can’t.”

“Shut up, American bitch, or you won’t live long enough to be sacrificed,” General
Zar snarled, raising his gun to point it at her. Kenneth shoved in front of her, his eyes blazing with rage. Chloe flinched; she could smell the silver coating on Zar’s bullets. Karesh must have told him he’d be dealing with shifters.

“You said nothing about a demon sacrifice!” one of
Zar’s other soldiers cried out.

Zar
turned to face him, pointing the gun at his head. “You have a problem with my orders?” he demanded.  “You wish to resign from my army?”

“I do,” said another of the soldiers.

“So do I,” cried another. “And I.” Suddenly there were guns pointing at Zar’s head.

“You
fools!” Zar shouted, eyes bulging with fury. “Your brothers in arms are dying every day! Your families are starving!  The infidels are winning!  With the power that I will gain here today, we will be assured of victory!”

“It’s true,” one of the soldiers said, moving to stand next to
Zar. “To win this war is worth any price.”

“We followed you because we are servants of God!” one of the soldiers cried.
He was a young man, with a face so smooth it looked as if he’d never shaved. “We fight only for the glory of God! If we win a victory because of a demon, than truly we have lost!”

The soldier’
s head exploded in a spray of blood and brains, and Zar began firing wildly at the soldiers, who returned fire.  Chloe and Pixie barely had time to duck behind furniture before it was over. Zar and his one supporter lay dead on the ground.  The civilians in the room had all dived for cover, there were lions, wolves, and bear shifters in animal form crouching ready to attack.

The soldiers stood frozen in shock, staring around the room. Finally one of the
m bowed his head at Abdul.

“We did not know
why we were being brought here,” he said. “Is it true that this house contains a demon?”

Abdul paused,
then reluctantly nodded. “It contains a great demon who was entrapped in stone thousands of years ago. It is in a vault below this house.   It is my family’s duty to ensure that it never escapes.”

“Then we must help you guard it,” the soldier said.  “We are men of God.  We will never allow a demon in our city.” The other soldiers nodded. 

“Very well,” Abdul said.  “I will accept your help. This war has shown me that my family and I can not fulfill our duties alone.”

“Holy Frijoles,” Pixie said. “Does this mean the war is over?”

“I believe so,” the soldier said.  “Zar and his second in command are dead. I am Faisil, and I am now in charge. We will take their bodies from this house, and spread the word that there is a cease fire.”

He turned to Abdul.  “We will assign squadrons of men to help you guard this house.” He glanced at
Karesh, who glared at them, lips peeled back in fury.

“What will you do with this one?”
Faisal asked Abdul.

“Leave him to me,” Abdul said grimly. Abdul’s wife burst into tears, as the soldiers picked up the bodies and carried them from the house.

“So, now you will entrap me in the statue again,” Karesh said in a bored voice.

Abdul stared at him, tears glittering in his eyes. “No,” he said, shaking his head, and he pulled a pistol from his pocket and pointed it at
Karesh.

Karesh
gasped and stepped back. “Are you mad?  If you kill this body, you will not just kill me forever – you will kill your son as well! Just put me back in the statue!”

“My son is already dead to me,” Abdul said.  “There is no way anyone in my family could accidentally have released the servant-demon.   The statue was locked away in the vault,
there was no need to go near it, and it is against family rules to walk within one hundred feet of it;  the possession had to be deliberate.  Karesh was always hungry for power, and greedy. He thought he could control the demon, and like my ancestor before him, he was wrong.”

The demon-
Karesh turned pleadingly to his mother. “Mother, this is your son’s body! Your little boy! You cannot let this man kill your child! Put me back in the statue, and let your son repent of his ways!”

“Too late.”
There was a great sorrow in her voice, and then her hand moved quicker than a flash, and something silvery glittered through the air, and Karesh fell to the ground, a knife embedded in his throat. She muttered something in Arabic, and turned and walked from the room, her beautiful face sad but resolute.

Playa Linda

“I can’t believe I’m not dead,” Chloe said, in wonder.  She’d been saying that, and thinking that, ever since they’d returned.   She’d given herself up for dead, and now she stood in the arms of the man she loved, on a balcony overlooking the ocean.  The beach spread before them like white sugar, and sailboats bobbed in the waves. Her mind still reeled.  Kenneth had rescued her from hell and transported her to heaven on earth.

It was so warm that she wore a lace-trimmed t-shirt and flaring skirt and sandals.
Kenneth hadn’t bothered to get dressed yet; he’d just stepped from the shower and wore a bathrobe with nothing under it.  “I told you I would die before I let anything happen to you. I meant it.” Kenneth looped his arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck. 

“
Mmm,” she said. 

Then a sudden thought struck her, and she went tense. “What about that bastard Alfonse? I completely forgot about him.”

“He’s fired from Hammersmith, of course, there’s an arrest warrant out on him in Italy for kidnapping, and he’s high on Interpol’s most wanted list. And I’ve offered a very generous reward for his capture.  There’s nowhere he can hide.”

“Thank heavens.” 
She relaxed and leaned back against him, feeling his swelling hardness pressing into her back. She moved against him.

“More? You want more?” he teased.  “The last two days straight weren’t enough?”

“You know who apparently can’t get enough? My grandmother. Seriously.  I don’t care what she looks like, she’s my grandmother, and she’s in her seventies! It’s horrifying!” Her grandmother and Kenneth’s grandfather had retreated to a room in the back of Kenneth’s house and had hardly come out in the last two days since they’d landed in Playa Linda.

Kenneth’s father had come out to meet his long lost father, who now looked bewilderingly younger than him.  
Sophronia and Barrett had eaten dinner with him…and then gone back to their room.

“Don’t be silly. We’ll be like that
when we’re in our seventies,” Kenneth promised her, his breath warm on her ear.

“They’re talking about a wedding,” she murmured, distracted, as his hands moved across her body, summoning that delicious heat that she felt only when he touched her.

“It’ll be a race then.  Who’ll make it to the altar first, us or them? Or, of course, we could have a double wedding.”

“No,” Chloe said firmly. “That would just be weird.
Really, really, weird. Although she did already ask me to be her maid of honor. And my mother too.” He scraped his teeth along the curve of her neck. “Oh, god. Okay, you know what? In the bedroom. Now.”

Kenneth
laughed, the sound rich and warm in her ear. “That’s a new side of you. Bossy. I like it.”

He quickly obeyed her, walking into the bedroom.  She followed him, a wicked grin curving her lips. “You like bossy? Good. I am very good at bossy. 
Up against the wall, now.”

Kenneth’s eyes gleamed with anticipation as he leaned up against the w
all. She grabbed the belt around his robe, yanked it open, and sank to her knees.

“Oh, God,” he groaned.

She pressed her lips against his taut, muscular stomach, and caressed his warm skin with her tongue. She was pleased to hear him moan as his fingers tangled in her hair, and she slowly worked her way down, tracing swirling kisses along the dusting of hair that led down to her final destination. 

Kenneth was rock hard, the head of his shaft a dark purple, and a single pearly drop oozed on to the tip. She swirled her tongue along it, lapping it up.

“Chloe,” he moaned. “
Please
.”

She traced her tongue across the slit, lapping up more pre-cum as it oozed out, and then opened her mouth to accept him. He slid inside her and she sucked hard, moving until he’d slid down into her throat.  

His breath came out in harsh rasps of pleasure, and he began pumping into her mouth. Her cheeks hollowed as she sucked him in deeper. 

Giving him pleasure felt every bit as delightful as accepting the pleasure that he gave her.
Maybe even more delightful.

His breathing reached a crescendo and his fingers tightened in her hair, holding her head in place as he exploded into her mouth.  He flooded her throat with his hot cum, and she swallowed all of it before she finally released him and let him pull her up to her feet, and into his arms.

A warm breeze blew through the window, and she buried his face in his neck, eyes clothed, breathing him in.

Strangely, she didn’t miss New York at that moment, or any of the wonderful and exotic places that she’d travelled to over the years. In his arms, she
realized, it didn’t matter where in the world she was; she’d always be at home.

* * *

Pixie and Bobbi sat in on a leather couch in an office at the Shifters, Inc., building, waiting for the arrival of Reggie’s parents, Prince Bahi and Princess Sara. The office was decorated in low-key tones of brown and tan, with furniture of leather and wood. A book case held hardback copies of classic books, a globe,  and small wooden animal figures.

The Prince and Princess were late.

“You sure this will work?” Pixie asked.

“Have I ever steered you wrong?” Bobbi asked.

“Uhh….”

“It’ll work. Speaking of things working out, when are you going to go out on a date with Tyler?”

“That was only the most awkward segueway ever. And he hasn’t asked me. And mind your own beeswax.” Pixie leaned back on the couch, folding her arms across her chest.

“That’s because you never give him an opening.  You know he likes you.  Just let him take you out for drinks and see how it goes. 
How about next week?”

“How about never o’ clock?
How about oh never thirty?” Pixie held up a wallet. “How about stop asking me questions about my personal life if you ever want to see your wallet again?”

Bobbi broke out in a grin.
“Really? Open my wallet.”

Pixie shot her a suspicious glare and opened it. It was empty except for a note.  The note said “Go out on a date with Tyler, you stubborn-ass human skank.”

Pixie threw the note and the empty wallet at her. “Very funny.  No!” she snapped.

“Why not?”

“Because he’s a decent guy, and no decent guy wants to be with a street rat like me for more than one night.”

“See, there’s where your thinking is all messed up. A decent guy wouldn’t just go out with you for one night.  And you know Tyler’s not like that. Quit being such a chicken, and go for it.”

The door opened, and the Prince and Princess walked in, accompanied by several bodyguards. The prince was a handsome man in his mid thirties, copper-skinned, with a goatee. He wore a blue turban which looked out of place with his hand tailored silk suit. His wife had hair piled up in a big teased black bouffant, and a pouty expression on her pretty face.

“You might want privacy for this meeting,” Bobbi said, putting her not-friendly smile on her face.

“What is the meaning of this?” the prince  demanded indignantly.  “I have no secrets. My staff accompany me everywhere.”

Bobbi’s smile grew wider and even less friendly.  “This is about what we saw you and your wife doing while you were on separate vacations for the last two weeks while you dumped your only child to go pursue your own perverted pleasures, which, apparently is what you two do most of the year.  I didn’t see any state business being conducted on those security cameras we hacked in to. In fact, what I saw was-”

The princess gasped in dismay.

“Get out,” the prince said promptly to the bodyguards, and they obeyed him instantly, shutting the door be
hind them.

The prince whirled back to glare at Bobbi. “Is this about money? How much do you want?”

“I don’t want money. I only want one thing. Believe it or not, unlike you, I actually care about the welfare of your child.”

“How dare you?”
Princess Sara demanded indignantly. “We hire the finest staff to educate him and protect him. He has rooms full of toys and wants for nothing.”

“You two barely even see him. You spend all your time travelling, shopping, and screwing around.”

“That is not true!” she glared at Bobbi. “I make it a point to be home on his birthday, on our national holidays…” she trailed off. Bobbi waited, and stared at her.

“What?” Princess Sara
asked, puzzled.

“And?
When else?”

“Well, I…” the princess mumbled. “Through my spiritual healers, I have realized that I need time to grow into myself as a person and become self-actualized as an individual who needs to connect with the higher planes of-”

Pixie interrupted her with a long, loud, rude raspberry noise.  The princess’ eyes flew open with shock and anger.

“How dare
she!” she demanded of her husband. “She is a terrible person! Do something to her! She must be punished!”

“You are a very bad mother,” her husband chided her. “It is true.”

“What about you? When was the last time you spent any time with your son?” the princess demanded, and he spluttered indignantly.

“Enough!” Bobbi raised her hand. “You’re both terrible parents and by the time Reggie is a grown man, you’ll have missed 99 percent of his childhood, and that’s your loss. I hope you actually realize it and start spending some time with your child. I doubt you will. I only want one thing. I want his current nanny to be able to stay with him until he reaches adulthood.”

“What? No!” the princess’ forehead wrinkled indignantly. “Then he would love her more than me.  I have a very strict rule that every nanny must leave after one year. If he is growing attached to this one, than she must be dismissed at once!”

She turned to her husband and stamped her feet. “You will fire her immediately!”

Bobbi shot to her feet, glaring at them. “Gopika loves Reggie more than either of you ever will, you selfish overgrown children.   You will double her salary, and she will remain as his nanny until he leaves for college.”

Prince
Bahi glanced at his wife, and mumbled uncertainly “I leave my wife in charge of all the childcare decisions…”

“You know, you come from a very conservative country, and if they saw what we’d tape-recorded, you wouldn’t just be dethroned.  You’
d be beheaded if you ever tried to set foot on your native soil again.  That incredibly generous spending allowance given to the royal family? Gone.  Best case scenario, you’d be impoverished ex-royals hiding out in exile for the rest of your lives.” She shot a nasty glance at the Princess Sara. “You’d have to work for a living if you wanted to eat. Or maybe, Sara, one of the lovers I saw on that video would take you in – but I doubt it, if you weren’t paying them to be with you.”

“
Lovers? You are a whore!” the prince roared angrily at his wife.

“Oh, please,” Bobbi said in a bored voice. “You’re calling her names? I can’t believe you co
uld fit that many people on that cruise ship. You want to know what my favorite part of the video was? The part where you-”

“All right!” the prince cried out hastily. “We will do it!  Reggie can keep his nanny!”

“No! You have no right!” the princess wailed, tears running down her cheeks. She stamped both her feet. “I won’t have it.”

“Would you like to work for a living? Or be beheaded?” he demanded. She fell silent and glared at the floor, but said nothing.

Bobbi and Pixie walked towards the door. Bobbi’s phone rang, and she looked at it and grinned.

“Wait! I demand all copies of the video tapes!” the prince demanded angrily.

Bobbi shook her head. “No dice, because I don’t trust either of you.  Be nice to Gopika now, or we will hear about it.”

She and Pixie walked past the princes, towards the main office. “
I can’t wait to see those videos. I get to see the videos, right? We should have movie night, with popcorn!” Pixie cackled maliciously. .

Bobbi waited until they rounded the corner. “There are no videos. It was all a massive bluff.”

Pixie’s eyes widened in admiration. “Oh. My. God. You are a genius. How did you know what to say to them?”

“Tyler did some research for me, and he did find out that the two of them are a couple of lazy sybarites, who are well known for their
sexual appetites and their neglect of royal duty. And now, excellent news.”

“What’s that?”

“That was a phone call from Kenneth.  We’ve got a new case.” Bobbi flashed a grin. “It’s in Russia. You’ll just have time to pack. You think I should let Jax come with?”

THE END

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