Resurrection (12 page)

Turning to face her, Grace motioned to a chair. “Have a seat.”

Swallowing hard, she pulled out a chair and planted her bottom in it.

“In case this was a point of concern, the ancestors tell me that you can have a Lycan bond with Zoltar.” Grace flattened her palms against the surface of the table. “You know, if that is a concern.”

She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Well yeah, he’s part Lycan.”

The open mouth of the Lycan Queen displayed her shock. “Oh.” Grace leaned back in her chair. “Oh!” Her brow furrowed.

She enjoyed watching Grace as she digested the information. “Yeah.”

“Wait. Why don’t I smell it on him?” Grace stared at the table, looking like she was searching her mind for something. “He doesn’t spend much time in Lycan form. Does he?”

She shook her head. “No. He says Centaur is his true form that he has to force the human transition, and Lycan is even that much further for him to go.” She cleared her throat. “His wolf is large like yours, but out of shape.”

Grace nodded, her eyes squinting in concentration. “Because he doesn’t spend much time with the beast. Interesting. Well,” she pulled her hair back from her face, “no matter. If he is your mate, he is your mate. No one else’s feelings on the issue matter. You have all of our support. There hasn’t been a Centaur Queen since ancient times so you’d be the first.”

“What? No. I’m not royalty. I’m just a Lycan…an average one at that.”

Grace burst into laughter. “So was Roman, until we bonded. And you’re hardly average.” She leaned toward her, invading her space. “Pull up your bootstraps. Things change when that happens and not like a normal Lycan bonding. It’s special…powerful. You both will acquire abilities you never thought possible.”

She hadn’t notice Grace take her hand, so she was a bit startled when she felt her squeeze. “It’ll be nice having another woman who understands what I’m going through, what I experience. The worst part is feeling so protective over creatures who barely know you. And…you saw how I reacted to the murdered Pixie. I’m sorry.” She released her hand. “I’m probably scaring you. It’s wonderful and glorious most of the time. You may lose contact with your wolf for a short time as she goes through a transformation, but mine assured me she was fine. The howling is just confusion.”

She gulped and her heart thundered in her chest. She’d just a few moments ago, claimed Z as hers, without his input though, she was fairly certain he felt the same about her. She hadn’t thought about becoming a Queen. The very thought worried her. Royalty? What would happen to her? Howling? Losing her wolf? She fell back in her chair. “I should go get cleaned up.”

Ready to put some distance between them, she shoved off the chair and shuffled back toward her room. The noise and chaos from earlier had settled into workers cleaning, and the clacking of Centaur hooves in the halls.

“Wendy?” She heard her name and looked around.

“Down here,” the tiny voice said.

She looked down to see Mary standing next to her little car.

“I’m sorry. I’m in a bit of a fog. Are you okay?” She took to her knee.

“My stupid car. Not stupid. It’s not stupid.” The tiny woman started to cry. “But the batteries are both dead because they weren’t done charging when everything happened and…”

She gave a soft smile. “Don’t cry.” She held out hand and nudged Mary’s little cheek to dry her tear. “I’ll give you a lift.”

The tiny woman wiped her face and looked at her shoes. “Can I confess, I’m a bit scared?”

“Me too, my friend. Listen, how about you stay with me tonight? How does that sound? We can keep each other company. Heck, I can even make some popcorn. Do you like popcorn?”

She smiled up at her host. “I love popcorn.”

“Good! Let’s just take your car back to your place so you can charge the batteries. Grab some night clothes and I’ll give you a lift back to my place.” The air around her shimmered as she shifted.

Climbing on her back, the little Gnome giggled. “This will never get old.”

She picked up the car with her teeth, taking care not to damage the plastic and trotted off to the West wing. As she passed each hall she looked over her shoulder to see if Mary acknowledged her hall. By the third, she felt a tiny pat on her head. “This one, all the way to the end.”

Halting at the last door, she squatted down, allowing her passenger to hop off of her back. When she eased the car out of her mouth and onto the floor, she used her snout to push it toward the door. Mary opened the door and pulled on the front of the car until it was inside. She lifted the battery out of the back and set it in the charging dock.

“Two seconds. I’ll be right back.” Mary left the door open and skipped out of sight.

Peeking inside, she could see that it was a miniature replica of her own home, built to size for the little Gnomes. More appreciation for Zoltar flooded her heart. The man had really thought of everything. She gave a little snort when she pictured the Centaurs, with their big hands, trying to assemble the small cabinets that were about the size of a five gallon bucket. “I’m back!” She had a tiny backpack slung over her shoulders.

Mary closed the door behind her and climbed on her back. She waited until she felt a firm tug on her fur, a reaffirmation that her new friend had a firm grip. She took off at a fast trot, hearing giggling coming from the guest on her back.

“I love this so much. Can we go faster?”

Her lips pulled up over her teeth in a wolfy grin. She took off at a dead run toward her hall, though she’d never taken the back hall to get there. She looked up at the carvings until she saw “X” carved in stone. It was her hall. She skidded to a halt and gasped. Roman and Zoltar were in the hall; both of them had what appeared to be blood on them. She ran up to them sniffing.

“It’s not our blood.” Zoltar knelt down. “We’re fine. He’s just a bleeder. Roman punched him and his nose sort of just…exploded.” He looked at Mary. “You okay?”

“I’m staying with Wendy. She’s making popcorn. Maybe we’ll watch a movie. But yes. I’m fine now that I don’t have to stay alone tonight.”

“That’s a great idea.” He looked at Wendy. “I’ll, uh, talk to you tomorrow. Can I join you ladies for coffee?”

Wendy nodded her snout up and down. She leaned her head against his leg and rubbed against him as she walked by. As much as she loved seeing him, witnessing him covered in blood was unsettling. She wanted and desperately needed a shower herself. When she reached her door, she squatted down. As soon as her little friend was safely off of her, she shifted and then opened the door.

“Wow, it looks just like mine!” The little woman’s open mouth, blanketed by her hand, let out a gasp.

Once inside, she led her guest to the bathroom and filled the sink with warm water, placing Mary on the sink and closing the door to give her some privacy. She kicked off her shoes and retrieved some clean pajamas for the evening.

She looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked at her appearance. Her blonde hair looked like ash and was in a giant tangle, soot smudged on her face. She looked a mess.

“I’m all done!” Mary called from the bathroom.

She went in and scooped her up, taking her to the living room and placing her on the couch. She put the remote next to her. “See if you can’t find something funny. I can’t handle any more drama today.”

“No kidding!” Mary pushed on the button with both hands.

She hurried off, grabbed her pajamas and took a quick shower. By the time she made it to the living room Mary had settled on a movie and had it paused.

“Let me get the popcorn made and I’ll be right back.”

With a grin, her head bobbed.

She hurried into the kitchen and within a few moments came back carting a big bowl of popcorn, a small measuring cup, and a shot glass. She held up the shot glass. “Is this small enough?”

She nodded. “Yep, that’s what I have at my place. I found a funny movie about killing your boss.”

Murder. Excellent.
She forced a smile anyway.

“It’s a comedy. I promise. I watched the commercials.”

She scooped a few kernels of popcorn into the measuring cup and put it next to Mary, and then popped open a can of cola, filling the shot glass first.

The movie made them both laugh but by the end, Wendy could hardly keep her eyes open.

“I didn’t even consider where you’d sleep,” she confessed.

“Does your night stand have a drawer?” Mary stood on the couch looking up at her with large, hopeful eyes.

“Yeah?” She furrowed her brow. Having a tiny friend turned out to be quite the challenge.

“If you put one of your towels in the drawer, it’ll be the perfect size for me.”

Mary climbed up and sat on the bed as Wendy cleared the drawer and placed two towels inside, one to lie on and one to cover. It seemed like such a haphazard bed for her friend. It was hard not to look at such a tiny person and see her as a child. She was roughly the height of a newborn baby, but built like a woman. Though she wasn’t a child, Wendy just couldn’t help but feel like this bed wouldn’t serve a child, let alone an adult being.

“Why the sad face?” She crossed her tiny arms over her chest.

Sitting slowly so as not to upend her friend, she folded her hands in her lap. “Please don’t take offense, but I was just thinking a drawer isn’t fit for someone to sleep in, not even an infant. Then…” she shrugged, her bottom lip protruding, “I sort of felt bad for equating you with an infant.”

A tiny giggle filled the room. “You’re funny. You really don’t know much about us. That drawer is nicer than anything I slept in before coming to this school.”

She studied the little woman, whose face bore seriousness despite her laughter. “And way back before we went into hiding, we often faced captivity by infertile human women. They’d keep us as pets or force us to act as if we were their children. Most of us dig out underground homes but still…we can’t even make a fire without drawing attention, which means a lot of us freeze to death unless we move farther south. Even then, we have to worry about being eaten by snakes and other predators. So
that
drawer…
that
drawer that has you so concerned about me. Well
that’s
going to feel like heaven. I will sleep just fine because it’s warm. It’s safe. It’s dry and clean.” Mary shuffled to her feet, walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “But it’s sweet of you to be concerned.”

She kissed the little woman on the forehead before picking her up and placing her, gently, in the drawer, leaving it hang open. “Maybe with integration, you can have your own villages with other shifters. I know Belfast has plenty of land. The new Alpha there seems stern but kind. She’s a warrior, don’t get me wrong. But she’s been kind and thoughtful so far.”

The little one yawned and stretched out in the drawer, propping her feet up on the drawer edge. She pulled the towel up over her shoulders. “I’m so glad we’re friends. Good night.”

Wendy rolled so her back was to her guest and picked at her pillow. Fact was it was nearly morning and time to get up. Physically, she was exhausted but could not imagine getting any sleep.

When Grace brought up an integrated school, she was one of the naysayers. She didn’t think integration would happen, nor would it be a wise idea. But now…anything else seemed absurd. Why shouldn’t they get along? What reason would there be to stay separate other than to propagate fear and mistrust?

She had grown fond of her petite new friend. The thought of something horrible happening…flying debris that would just bruise her could kill a Gnome. Logically, she knew they weren’t children, but couldn’t help the same feelings mothers have over their pups. These little gems should be protected. They were at the greatest risk of being hurt during an attack. The thought sickened her.

Zoltar
. She had blurted out that he was her mate. She knew her feelings for him were growing. She admired his skills and that admiration only grew when he was kind to the smaller, more defenseless among them. She nearly always had butterflies in her stomach when she thought of him. But
mate
is a strong word. That is a huge commitment. Her wolf seemed to want him, whether or not he was Centaur.

But it was love. After seventy-five years of not having love, she knew this had to be it. He respected her fighting skills, not trying to hover over her, but allowing her to fight side-by-side with him to defend their home. He was kind and considerate, yet didn’t treat her like a delicate flower. Their first time together was anything but average.

Solidifying the bond meant she’d be taking on responsibility to more than just her mate. Being the wife of a royal carried a title and a heavy burden, like a crown too heavy for her head.

But she was tired of letting life occur. It was time for a change. It was
her
time. Time to take charge of
her life
and she would make
life happen
instead of letting it
happen to her
.

When sleep didn’t come, Wendy got to work. She had her study materials out, those she hadn’t left at Zoltar’s and reviewed everything she’d received the prior day. She took a shower and crept into the bedroom to change, so as to not wake her guest, she took the clothing into the bathroom with her.

Dressed and ready for the day, she brewed a pot of coffee and whipped up some flapjacks. A gentle knock at the door caused a pull at her lips. She hurried to the door, cracked it open, and upon seeing Zoltar, flung it wide. “Coffee?” She winked and kissed him on the cheek.

“That sounds wonderful.” He put an arm around her and squeezed. He swung his other arm around handing her the bag she’d left at his place.

Mary padded out to the kitchen. “Breakfast smells wonderful.”

“Good morning!” He scooped her up and put her on his shoulder. “Did you two get any rest?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Wendy confessed with a shrug. She began dishing the flapjacks onto plates then carried them to the table. She’d piled books on a chair so Mary could reach her plate and shooed them into the dining area.

“These are delicious,” he said as he wiped his mouth with a cloth.

Mary tore pieces off and dunked them in a ramekin of syrup. “I’ve never had anything like it. It’s really yummy!”

She shook her head, not wanting to imagine the sort of food the gnomes had to scrape together. “So, Z, I was thinking…”

Placing his fork on the table, he gave her his full attention. Beneath the blond curls resting on his forehead, he peeked out at her with the sincerest of gazes.

She blinked to regain her composure. “Mary was telling me how they’ve had to live, in hiding, underground, living just like rodents. It’s really disgusting. I want to approach some of the shifters to see if they would accept them. They’re very clever and can pull their own weight. They just need a safe place and the ability to erect real homes.”

“That would be lovely!” Mary put her hands on her chest, tears glimmering in her eyes. “If they would have us, we could help. We could help them with things to earn our place. If they didn’t want to accept us in their packs, well, maybe we could just…”

She scrunched her face, searching for the words.

“Coexist.” He smiled at her. “I’m sure your people have skills to offer. It would be a bartering situation. That’s a lovely thought.”

Wendy held up her hands. “I need to find packs that are open to the idea. This isn’t going to happen overnight. Mary, it would be helpful if you could meet with the others, get together a list of things you have to offer, skills and whatnot.”

After clapping with excitement, she hopped off her books and used the leg of the chair to scale down to the floor. “Can you open the door for me?”

“Sure.” She stood from her chair. “Done with breakfast so soon?”

“It was wonderful, but I’m too excited to eat anymore. I really need to go.” She hopped up and down.

“But, I gave you a ride here. Won’t you need a lift back?” She walked with Mary to the door and opened it.

“Nope. I’ll catch up with someone. Xander has given me a ride before. I think more Lycans are getting used to the idea seeing you give me a ride.” She darted into the hall. “Bye!”

With a chuckle, she closed the door. When she turned around, Zoltar was standing there with his cup of coffee. “Ready to have that talk?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “What talk? The one where I claimed you as a mate in a room full of royals?”

With a smirk, he took a sip of his coffee in a failed attempt at being nonchalant. “Yeah, that.”

His pants hung low on his hips and the white T-shirt that clung to his arms and chest only accented his deep tan. She fought not to get sexually distracted from a very real conversation that needed to happen.

She stared at him for a second longer. “Let’s take our coffee outside. It looks like a beautiful morning.” Walking past him, she scurried to the table to reclaim her cup. After a quick duck into the kitchen to refill it, she met him at the patio door. Once outside they took a seat at a small table and chairs just outside her door.

Closing her eyes she tilted her face toward the sun, feeling the warmth lick her skin, before she turned her head to face him. “You’ve made your feelings clear. I’ve been the one holding back out of old concerns. It became clear to me, I was being foolish. In all my years I never felt so alive. Never, have I felt so drawn to someone and I’m positive it has nothing to do with hormones.”

He kept his expression blank as he studied her words. She felt as if he understood her, so she continued. “During the fight yesterday, you didn’t hesitate to let me battle alongside you. You allowed me to defend our home as your equal, not some weak female who needed guarding. That showed me respect. The fact you took my flank to defend while I had the scumbag, well, showed you cared. For all of the bad reputations Centaurs have acquired over centuries, you’ve undone every single myth.” She took a sip of her coffee to give pause. “Well?”

Running his fingers through his blond locks, he looked at her, brows pulled together forming a crease in the middle. “I, uh…I need the Lycanthropy professor to answer some questions for me, if it’s okay.”

It wasn’t the response she’d expected. She blinked a few times and shook her head. “I’m sorry?”

With a slight tilt of his head he leaned in a little closer. “I have a few questions about Lycans I’d like answered, about mates and bonding. Would you mind answering those for me, since you are the Lycanthropy professor? I can’t think of anyone more qualified.”

“Oh! Oh, sure. I didn’t think…”
Of course he has questions, you dimwit. He doesn’t know much about his Lycan half, nor what it is to be you.
“Sure. What questions do you have?”

Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his feet at the ankles, elbows on the arm rests with his fingers folded and took a deep breath. “Lycans can be married or mated, but not bonded. Yes?”

Oh. He’s worried about the bonding. Does he want a bond?
“Yes. I suppose. It would be extremely rare though. Lycan lovers are, uh, well, we have a predisposition to bond. Our wolves sort of take over for that part, not fully, mind you. We stay in human form and as you saw, the teeth protrude, sometimes the snout comes out a bit.”

Expressionless, he bobbed his head. “And what happens when there is a bond?”

Now it was Wendy who leaned in on her elbows. “It’s hard to explain as someone who has yet to bond herself. I think our bonding will be a bit different. Grace actually warned me of as much. Normally, however, there’s a small bite and a lick of blood. The couple is then tied to each other’s thoughts and feelings. A bond is a forever thing. There’s no going back once it happens. Other shifter species have similar bonds. Though I have to admit, I don’t know anything about interspecies bonding.”

Her heart beat a little faster as she answered his questions. Was he weighing his options or just making sure he knew what would happen? She could feel her shirt beginning to cling to her as the nervous sweat took hold.

“What sort of warning did Grace give you?” He sipped at his coffee gazing at her.

“When she and Roman bonded, they received the memories of their ancestors. Such a thing doesn’t occur in a normal Lycan bond. Because you are the king, there is a chance; one or both of us will have the same experience. I will lose contact with my wolf for a while as she makes a transformation.” She took a deep breath. “Any more questions?”

Sitting up straight in his chair he placed his coffee cup on the table. “As the Centaur Queen you will have to think of my people as your people as well. Can a full-blooded Lycan beauty such as yourself see that as a possibility? Are you willing to accept our customs? They might be vastly different than yours.”

She hadn’t thought about that aspect of a mating with Zoltar. The weight of it caused her shoulders to fall forward as her only real consideration had been on the two of them.

“Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead. However, we Lycans move fast when it comes to our mates. We always have. And I can tell you this much, I’m already thinking of the staff as my pack. It’s no small feat and it did happen quickly, even when I didn’t think it was a possibility. We don’t have to move any further in this relationship until we’re both ready. For now, I am comfortable claiming you as mine—and I am yours. When we want to move forward, we can, and will.”

“One more question.”

She noticed the grin spreading across his face. “Yes?”

“Do you want children?”

She put her hand on her chest as if to keep it firmly in place. She tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes by taking a deep breath in through her nose. “Very much.”

“That makes me very happy. I have to say, Wendy…I seem to have known from the moment I laid eyes on you. It was as if an alarm went off in my head. I
had
to know you. Something inside me insisted on it, and it wasn’t the wolf. It was an instinct I’ve never experienced before. You must understand, however, my kind hasn’t experienced marriage or mating. None of us still alive today, anyway. I will more than likely make horrid mistakes. When I do, you’ll need to tell me.”

She burst into laughter. “Uh no. I won’t. When we bond, you’ll know when I’m pissed. You’ll feel it.”

His eyes widened. “Good to know.”

She wiped her eyes to rid herself of the remainder of lingering moisture. “As I understand it, it’s best for us to let the bond happen naturally and try not to plan it out. It’s sort of a call of nature, if you will. But we can restrain ourselves if it tries to happen and we’re not ready.”

He shook his head. “I don’t feel a need to wait. Do you?”

Biting her lip she considered the situation. “Yes. I need to spend time with your men. I need to know them in order to affirmatively say I can consider them my pack. I can’t really say beforehand in a true heartfelt manner.”

“One tiny thing,” he scooted off of his chair and knelt down in front of her, “just a small detail.”

“Okay?”

“We are a herd, not a pack. So, try to use
that
word with them. It’ll show a sign of respect they’ll appreciate.” He grabbed her hand. “And they’ll love you as much as I do.”

Emotions boiled over. She leaned in, planting her lips firmly against his—elated, she’d finally found her mate. She found him in an unlikely place. Colin’s words echoed through her mind.
“Perhaps, we are holding you back.”
At the time, the words wounded but…he had been right. Her mate was out in the world and they had to find each other.

“Combat training starts in thirty minutes,” he said when she released him. “Wear something comfortable.” He winked as he pushed off the ground and stood to his feet. Holding out his hand for her, he lifted her to her feet. “Thank you for the breakfast. It was wonderful.”

* * * *

“Archery has been a staple among Centaurs since the beginning. Humans have their guns. They’re powerful and effective. A bow and arrow, when wielded by a skilled master, is nearly silent. With the right blades, it can kill on contact. Now, Centaurs are also known for their adaptability.” Theron reached up and grabbed a branch off a tree, breaking it.

The Fae gasped at the damage to the tree.

“Now I have a strong club to use. Its length keeps my attackers at a distance.”

“And…” Zoltar stepped to the front of the class, slapping his Beta in the back. “Even a nut can be a weapon. Allow me to demonstrate.” He picked up a slingshot and an acorn. He aimed at a gallon jug, pulled back and released the nut. It pierced a hole through the jug. “It’s about velocity and the surface of the projectile. Again, it’s very quiet, making it effective in a sneak attack.”

Wendy studied each movement carefully, taking mental notes of each instruction. They broke up into groups to learn archery and how to use the sling shot. The bows the Centaurs used were the largest she’d ever seen, intricately carved and ornate. The arrows contained sharp blades, designed for maximum devastation. Normal sized bows were handed out to the class. Turned out, she wasn’t half bad at archery.

“You’re a natural,” Zoltar whispered in her ear.

Heat permeated every cell in her body. “You’re distracting me, Professor.”

“Artemis!” He bellowed. Another Centaur trotted over, and then shifted to human form. “Please work with Ms. Baker on her aim. Her form is near perfect. Show her line of sight.” He winked at her and turned his attention to another student.

Artemis tilted her elbow up. “Perfect. I’m very impressed. You don’t really need help, just practice.”

She shot four more arrows, hitting the target center the last two times.

“Now,” Zoltar announced, “stay in your groups. We’re about to learn combat techniques.”

She placed the bow on the rack near her and turned her attention back to Artemis.

“Let’s start with the Gnomes,” he said.

A little male Gnome walked up next to Artemis, his dark curly hair tucked in a knit cap.

“Tell me, how do you fight?” He took a knee as he waited for the answer.

The little man shrugged. “We don’t. We hide or run.”