The Mating Intent-mobi (2 page)

“I didn’t think you’d overheard.”

“Your friend underestimates the stealth of shifters. We can camouflage ourselves quite well, especially on our home turf.”

“He’s not my friend.” Honesty prompted her to add, “I don’t have any real friends.”

She was the only one of her kind allowed in the king’s court. No dark Elves were permitted. So she’d spent her time trying to please others and show them she was Light as they were, but few chose to be close friends.

Because she wasn’t like them.

“I’d be honored to be your friend.”

A loneliness reflected in his eyes, the same she’d seen in the mirror. Gabriel might be a panther, but he yearned for connection same as she did.

Sienna stared at him, intrigued by the texture and shape of his mouth. His firm, warm mouth…

Noises outside pulled them apart like two strong hands. Sighing, she glanced out the window and saw Kendall approach the house. Ten panthers prowled alongside him, and then shifted into their Skin form and clothed themselves by magick.

Wordlessly, she followed him outside. Gabriel was handsome and sexy, and refreshingly honest, but he was not Elven. He was not part of her world.

Arms folded across his chest, Kendall looked uneasy surrounded by the more rugged panther shifters. Gabriel looked at his clan, gave a brusque nod and the males headed into the house.

“I finished planting the sapling and destroying the cattails. Our work here is done. We must leave now.” Kendall addressed Gabriel, but looked at Sienna.

“Thank you for everything,” Gabriel said. “I deeply appreciate you coming this long distance to restore my habitat. Please, accept my hospitality for another night. I’m preparing a vegetarian dinner especially for you, and I made a Key Lime pie.”

Stay another night? Sienna’s spirits lifted. “It sounds delicious.”

But Kendall shook his head in his gloomy way. “We must return.”

Always return to the king, await his command. “I don’t need to get back. And I’m hungry.”

A spark ignited Gabriel’s gaze as if he liked her feisty attitude. “Dinner will be ready in an hour.”

As he headed into the house, she watched his slow, graceful stride and felt a tug of pure lust. “I think I’ll stay here a few days,” she told Kendall.

“Not a good idea.”

“Visit the beach, soak in a few rays. You have a problem with me taking a short vacation, Lykor?” Sienna used Kendall’s True Elven name, knowing it would get his attention. Elves were forbidden to use their True names among outsiders.

“I have no problem with you taking time off. You deserve it. But I have a problem with where you intend to rest.” His gaze sharpened. “Or if you do not intend to rest at all.”

Annoyance pricked her. “It isn’t your duty to watch over me.”

“No, but your duty is to your King and his Court, Nianianne,” Kendall said, using her True Elven name.

Did she have no freedom at all? “Then don’t nag me. Leave me alone so I can have a small vacation.  Then I’ll continue to do my job to His Majesty’s every expectation.”

The snide tone made him sigh. “This is why I advise you to be cautious. I have seen how you regard the lowly beast shifter. Honor your vow of celibacy. If you break your vow, you will be punished.”

Kendall was right. It would be wisest to accompany him back home, away from the sinful temptation of all those delicious male muscles. It was the most rational decision.

But what she desired most, to be loved and cherished, if only for a few hours, warred with logic.

“I’m staying.” Sienna planted her bare feet firmly on the ground and folded her arms across her chest.

His expression turned sorrowful. Kendall lightly clasped her shoulders. “Ninianne, I have been devoted to the Elven Court my whole life. I warn you now, if you lose your virginity and break your vow, the royal Enforcer will order you to be publicly flogged and then exiled from our colony for weeks. You will be shunned and disgraced.”

Doubt filled her. Kendall had helped guide her ever since her mother left her to be fostered by Cael’s inner circle and raised to serve the Fae King of the Northern Light. He taught her a sacred chant to balance the two warring sides of her magick, the dark and the light. He cared.

But it was her life, not his. Kendall could have sex all he pleased and as a light Elf, he was a privileged member of the king’s high court. Not an outsider like her. 

“I’ll never be fully accepted,” she mused aloud. “Not with my tainted blood.”

Sympathy filled his gaze. “You are dark and light. One of the rarest of our kind. It is because of your abilities that King Cael granted you the honor of being his Shadow Guard.”

But what was the honor if she must live with restrictions that hobbled her while other Elves were free to experience pleasure? “Worry not about me, Lykor. My life and my decisions are my own.”

His expression shuttered, but not before she caught a flash of severe disapproval.  “I will inform the King you are remaining in Florida for a week to refresh your spirit.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Refresh her spirit. Oh yes, she would…

Kendall shook his head. “Do not stray, Ninianne. You will pay a very dear price for violating your vow.”

Lifting his arms, he chanted and dissolved into thousands of droplets of mist.

A sudden chill raced down her spine at the ominous warning in his words. She shivered, then glanced at the kitchen. Gabriel stood at the window, watching her.

She went into the house. He leaned against the counter.

“Tall, dark and gloomy left the building yet?”

“Kendall returned to Oregon. I’m staying.”

“I knew you would.”

And in that instant, she knew something as well. They would become lovers. It was inevitable, evident in the lust she felt spiraling through her body, in his knowing gaze. She wanted someone to love her if only for a few short hours.

Sienna sucked in a breath. “Can I help with dinner? How many are eating?”

“Just two.” He crossed the distance between them. “My men went out to the swamp to hunt for the evening.”

“They don’t like your cooking?”

“They adore my cooking. I asked them to leave.” He took a strand of her blond hair and twirled it around his finger, then tugged her toward him. “I do have a special dish in mind for you.”

“I’ll bet you do,” she whispered.

“Why did you choose to remain, Sienna, Elven of the Northern Light?” A muscle twitched in his strong jaw, as if he were uncertain. “Are you aware of the consequences?”

She startled. “You overheard.”

“Every word. I have excellent hearing. I am a lowly beast shifter.” The tight smile on his face hid secrets she sensed he would not discuss.  He released her hair and stepped back.

“I know what will happen. But it’s my life and my choice,” she told him.

“Then I will do my utmost to make the pleasure worth paying the price.” He crooked a finger at her. “Will you accompany me? I have a special treat for you, in case you did decide to stay.” He smiled. “A special meal.”

In his bedroom, the king-sized bed was covered with clean white sheets. Several bottles of virgin coconut oil lined his dresser. Sienna gave him an inquiring look.

“The meal?”

He came closer, his muscled body moving smoothly, as if his panther claimed every step. “The appetizer. You, naked and covered with oil, and me, working it into every inch of your skin. Across your breasts, between your legs. Like this.”

He uncapped a jar and dipped his finger into the oil. Then he slid his finger down her neck and licked it off.

Slowly.

Sienna threw back her head and moaned. His tongue was wicked and stroked fire on her skin. What would it feel like, having him lick her all over?

Gabriel leaned closer, his voice a smoky whisper. “The oil is a lubricant and makes penetration easier for a virgin’s first time. I’ll be very gentle, pixie. Take it nice and slow until you get used to me deep inside you.”

A delicious shiver snaked down her spine and her entire body clenched. She was 25 years old and had lived her entire life according to what others expected. For once she wanted to put her needs first. Sienna wanted to embrace life and all it had to offer, to experience the pleasures of the flesh.

Breaking the rules promised punishment. But as Gabriel pulled her into his arms, his gaze centered on her mouth, she didn’t care. There might be hell to pay, but as Gabriel promised, the pleasure would be worth the price.

Twenty-five years later, south Florida

After 25 years, he’d finally see Sienna Bennett again. Scent her, taste her and then coax her into his bed.

And then use her dark powers to destroy whatever the hell was killing his people.

Gabriel Sanders headed for the storage shed holding topsoil needed for the nursery. Homeowners flocked to his business to purchase plants, wanting to beautify their concrete castles. Too much development in these parts infringed on his clan’s territory. They’d had to adjust with the growth, just as the wild creatures in the Everglades did. Those who had not died. 

Inside the storage shed, the rich, fertile scent reminded him of Sienna, the Elf he’d never forgotten. They’d shared three incredible nights of sex, passion that stirred his cat’s feral blood, and then she’d vanished from his life.

Gabriel lifted a 100-lb sack from the row of neatly stacked bags and hefted it over one shoulder. Carrying it outside, he walked past several greenhouses, the gardeners within lovingly tending the young plants.

The brilliant sunshine beat upon him as a cooling breeze lifted strands of his hair. He passed the rows of cabbage and coconut palm saplings, passed the sections of citrus trees, their sharp and sweet scent tangling with the darker smell of the nearby swamp, and headed for his house.

The dirt pathway snaking through the trees split after a half mile, the right fork leading to his home.

He chose the left fork. Old farming equipment sat corroding in the humid air, the rusty flakes returning the metal parts back to the earth. He threaded through the machinery to a strip of land separating the swamp from his property.

This section of earth leading to the sacred spring of Danu was lifeless, the soil gray as volcanic ash. A granite boulder guarded a narrow graveled pathway marching from the soil into a tangle of cocoplum trees protecting the swamp’s entrance. Upon the boulder was perched a silver-haired elderly man, jeans upon his stubby legs and a long-sleeved green shirt covering his thickset body. His feet were bare, and quite hairy.

He was asleep. Again.

Grunting, Gabriel lifted the heavy bag and sent it crashing down upon the man’s skull. He awoke with a startled yelp as the bag split, scattering soil in every direction.

“In the name of the light that gives life, what did you do that for?” the man yelled.

Gabriel folded his arms across his chest. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch.”

“You could have killed me!”

“A tractor trailer couldn’t split that thick head of yours.” He rapped his knuckles upon the bristling hairs covering the man’s head. Then again, Olin wasn’t a man. He was a goblin, and everyone knew goblins had skulls tougher than modern day Kevlar. It’s what made them effective as guards. They were hard to kill.

Unfortunately, they were also notoriously lazy.

The land eagerly siphoned the rich soil like a child sucking up the last of an ice cream soda. It would do the same to any unwary soul foolish or brave enough to set foot here without the protection of enchantment.

Gabriel had once witnessed a desperate, fleet-footed fox shifter scurry across the gray lands, only to be sucked down, his screams cut off as he’d vanished into the soil.

“Have you scented her yet, Olin?”

The goblin rubbed his head and scowled. “Wouldn’t I have alerted you if I had?”

“You were asleep.” Sighing, Gabriel dropped to the boulder beside his assistant. “I’m tired of waiting.”

“You’re too impatient. She’ll be here. You know she will.”

“Is that what your spies say?” Gabriel demanded. “What if she is not infected?”

“Sienna’s infected, trust me. She took all the evil inside her from the Fae King of the Northern Light’s son. Where else could she go, filled with all of Terithen’s dark magick? This is the only healing pool powerful enough to drain it.”

Gabriel watched the earth suck up the last of the topsoil. Cracks ripened in the ground and then the plastic bag began vanishing into the earth as well. Nothing was ever wasted in the gray lands. He rubbed his bearded chin, remembering Sienna with her long blonde hair, her sparkling green eyes and lilting laugh. She was tall, like other Elven, but with a hint of feminine curves.

“It’s been twenty-five years,” he murmured. “That long and I still have not forgotten anything about her. Her scent, the way the corners of her mouth lift when she smiles, the feel of her hair through my fingers when we made love…”

“Oh please. Spare me the sappiness. It hurts my ears.” Olin blinked hard and the Fae glamour vanished, showing his true appearance. Long pointed ears tipped with sharp, tooth-like spikes jutted out from either side of his knobby head, along with a long nose. He had red eyes as bright as stoplights. Olin smiled, showing rows of jagged, sharp teeth.

He blinked again and once more looked like an elderly man, interrupted from a nice nap.

“What will be your price for admission?” the goblin asked his boss.

Gabriel traced a protective rune on the boulder, more out of habit than necessity. “The Blood Moon festival is soon. I need a partner for the orgy. She will suffice quite nicely.”

Laughter rumbled from Olin’s barrel chest, a harsh sound as grating as an un-tuned violin. “You sly feline. You think she will agree?”

He thought of the last time Sienna Bennett had shared his bed. The Shadow Elf guarded the Fae King. What price had she paid when she returned to her people? He knew not, for he’d never heard from Sienna again, despite his letters. All these years he’d never forgotten the Elf who’d captured his heart.

“She will.” He gave a languid stretch.