A Love Untamed (27 page)

Epilogue

I
n the cavelike ritual room deep beneath Feral House, firelight flickering over the dark-paneled room, Fox drove into his mate high atop the altar, sealing their mating bond. Nearby, Kougar intoned the ancient rite, dribbling the combined blood of the Ferals on the floor around them. The ritual was as primitive as any Fox had witnessed, dating back far into the mists of time, and somehow incredibly fitting for a man who was half-animal and a woman who'd been alive since the days of the cavemen.

Though all of his Feral brothers circled the altar, Melisande's Ilina sisters stood closest, their backs to the mating couple, acting as a living privacy curtain. Not that either Melisande or he cared.
Modesty
was not a word in either the Ilinas' or shifters' lexicon.

Fox stared into the beautiful sapphire eyes of his mate as they joined in this most primal of ways, slowly, lovingly, opening hearts, souls, and minds to the power that would bind them for eternity.

The chanting ended. Out of the corner of his eye, between the heads of two Ilina maidens, Fox saw Kougar pour the last of the blood into one of the ritual fires. Power roared through him without warning. He and Melisande came as one in a burst of fireworks and pure joy as the mating bond inside him—inside them both—formed, brilliant in color and strong as steel. Nothing would ever separate them again.

As they stared into one another's eyes, breathless with passion and love, Melisande's eyes grew thoughtful. Perhaps a little sad.

“What is it?” he asked, slain.

“I'd thought the power of the mating bond might make me the Ceraph again.”

“And you want that.”

She smiled softly. “I want you. Just that.”

“You're perfect the way you are, Mel. Everything I've been looking for, even if I didn't know it. And so much more.”

She lifted her hands and pressed them to his cheeks, startling him with the sudden blast of healing heat. Deep in his mind, he heard a snarl, then another, a vicious battle erupting inside him. An animal battle. His fox against the darkness?

“What are you doing, pet?” His mate. Goddess,
his mate.
He loved the sound of that.

Her eyes shone with joy. “Healing you as you healed me. My gift is strong through the mating bond, Fox. Give me a minute.”

He pressed his hips up, driving himself even deeper inside of her. If they stayed here much longer, he was going to be ready to take her again. “You can have all the minutes of my life, luv.”

As his animal brushed his mind, a hazy image appeared in his head of smoke in the form of a fox. The darkness. Battling it was another fox, a red one, smaller and bloody and injured. At first, the smaller fox's attacks made no impact, the smoke re-formed, the darkness remaining whole.

Fox tensed. This was real.

All of a sudden, warm energy began to flow through his body, similar to radiance, but different. Softer.
Love.
He felt so much love. Deep inside, his animal responded, leaping with joy and gratitude, growing larger, stronger.

“Help him, Fox,” Melisande urged. “Concentrate. Between the three of us, we'll destroy that darkness in your spirit right now. I can do this.”

Fox did as she asked, focusing on the smoke's demise as Melisande's heat rushed into him, as the red fox grew larger, and larger, until he towered over the smoke fox. And then he attacked, ripping away chunks of darkness that no longer re-formed, again and again until the darkness was no more.

The red fox turned to him, grinning, love and gratitude in his eyes. Then turned to Melisande with a look of utter adoration.

Inside, he felt whole, his animal's tension draining away. Fox blinked. “It's done.”

Melisande laughed. “It's done.”

With a sound kiss, he pulled out of her. When they'd straightened their clothing, he swung his new bride, in her diaphanous ruby mating gown, off the altar.

A moment later, Ariana was throwing her arms around Melisande, hugging her tight, both women laughing, crying. Then one by one, the others stepped forward, Ferals with their mates, and the Ilinas, in a flurry of hugs and congratulations. Melisande's musical laughter rang through the ritual room, her beauty incandescent, her golden hair falling to the small of her back, the ruby gown clinging lovingly to her curves.

He swallowed as he watched her, marveling that this wonderful, exciting, darling woman was his. Goddess, he loved her.

Olivia enfolded Melisande in a big hug. “Welcome to the family.”

Jag placed a kiss on Melisande's cheek, then shook his head with a grin. “No offense, sister, but you are the
last
female I ever expected to do that to.”

Olivia rolled her eyes.

Melisande reached up and kissed Jag's cheek in return. “No offense taken, Jag. I'm glad we're friends.”

“Me, too . . .” His voice trailed off as he cocked his head. “I'm short on female angel names. But never fear, Blondie, I'll come up with something to call you.”

Melisande laughed. “You could call me by my name.”

“And break tradition?” He grinned. “Hell no, I'll come up with something.”

Kara gave them both a hug from the safety of Lyon's arms. The chief of the Ferals had barely let go of her since they'd arrived back at Feral House, and Fox couldn't blame him one bit. His heart utterly stolen by another, he didn't know how the male had survived the abduction of his mate.

Kara was still weak and, according to the Shaman, would get no stronger until she was able to undo the damage the evil Ferals had done to her. The only thing he believed would help was bringing a good Feral into his or her animal. And while three new Ferals currently resided in the prison beneath the house, no one was willing to stake her life on any of the three being the best of his line, not even Castin. Because if they guessed wrong, if Kara brought one more evil Feral into his animal, she would die. The Shaman was quite certain of that.

Fox hated that Castin now languished in the prison along with Rikkert and a third newly marked Feral who'd arrived while they were stuck in the labyrinth. Though his gut had been silent on the issue, his instincts told him that Castin was an honorable male. But his certainty was far from one hundred percent. And while he detested that Castin's life might be on the line, there was far too much at stake to set him free. The fate of the world might well depend on the decisions they made about the new Ferals. All they could do was hope they found a way to tell the good Ferals from the bad. And soon.

Kougar and Ariana joined them, and Kougar bent to give Melisande a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes widened with surprise. As he pulled back, she watched him, bemused.

“Does this mean you've forgiven me?” she asked quietly.

Fox suspected she was asking about what she'd done to his and Ariana's mating bond a thousand years ago. The poison had forced Ariana to sever the mating bond for fear of killing Kougar. And while, thanks to Melisande's machinations, the incomplete bond was severable, Kougar had thought Ariana dead, and had mourned her for a thousand years.

Kougar's eyes turned thoughtful. “If you were then as you are now, would you have tried to sabotage our mating bond?”

Melisande didn't answer immediately, but when she did, it was with a sigh. “I was so filled with bitterness, Kougar. My hatred for the shifters knew no bounds, and I genuinely believed Ariana would rue the day she wed you. I honestly believed I was saving her that pain by keeping the mating bond from fully forming. That way she'd be able to walk away from you, unharmed.” She shook her head. “I will always do what I think must be done to protect her and the rest of my sisters.” Her eyes cut to Fox, softening, filling with love as she met his gaze. “And to protect my mate, his brothers, and their wives.”

Slowly, she turned back to Kougar. “But I no longer see the world through bitterness and hatred alone. My compassion has returned, and my wisdom, I would like to think. So, no, I would not do it all over again. I have seen, for a while now, the truth I was too blind to see then—that you're perfect together. You're stronger, we're all stronger, for the love you two share.”

Kougar nodded once, slowly. “I forgive you, Melisande. I regret those years as I regret what you endured at the hands of the shifters. The past cannot be undone. But the future is ours.” He turned to Fox, extending his arm. “You did a hell of a job, Fox. A hell of a job. Both of you.”

Fox nodded his thanks. Ever since their return, the others had been treating him like a conquering hero. It felt good to contribute, especially something that mattered so much in so many ways. It was his animal spirit that was the real hero, sending him the flashbacks that told him what he needed to know to find Kara. And it was Melisande, of course, who'd saved them both.

An hour later, as they shared champagne and wedding cake in the dining room, Hawke came to stand behind Melisande, a hand on her shoulder.

“They're back,” he said.

Melisande nodded, then turned to Fox, trepidation in those beautiful eyes of hers.

He took her hand. “Are you ready for this?”

Her mouth set with determination. “As ready as I'll ever be.” Hand in hand, they walked to the foyer where Zeeland and Julianne were just entering the house. Hawke had told them the pair had returned to the Alexandria enclave just that morning to replenish clothes and toiletries and would be back later that afternoon. Fox was just as glad that Zee and his bride had missed the teams' homecoming and the quickly performed mating ceremony.

As Julianne strolled into the foyer ahead of Zeeland, she glanced at Melisande, then jerked with disbelief. Zeeland joined his mate a second later, his arm going around her waist, hauling her back against him as he stared with surprise and uncertainty.

“Melisande?” Zeeland asked, his tone half question, half snarl.

Melisande stepped forward, releasing Fox's hand, and he let her go. Now that she could mist again, he knew she was in no real danger. But he would take no chances. “She's my mate,” he told his old friend. “As of an hour ago.”

Zeeland's eyes registered shock as his gaze returned to Melisande. “You've changed.”

His angel nodded with serene grace, so unlike the spitfire she'd been such a short while ago. “I have. In more ways than you can possibly know.” She stopped half a dozen feet in front of them and told the pair her story. “When I took your parents, Julianne, I did what I felt had to be done, but it was cold, callous, and cruel beyond measure. I don't know what other choice I might have had, or might have chosen had my conscience still been intact, had I been able to
feel,
but I should have found something that wouldn't take the lives of two good people and leave their daughter an orphan. I'm sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I apologize.”

To Fox's surprise and consternation, Melisande pulled a knife he hadn't realized she'd strapped to her thigh, and handed it, hilt first, to Julianne. “I will accept any retribution you see fit to inflict, now or in the future, short of death. I'll not have my mate suffer.”

Zeeland's gaze met Fox's, acknowledging the Feral's silent warning . . . if either of them hurt Melisande, they'd be lucky to leave Feral House alive.

Julianne pulled Zeeland's protective arm from around her waist and stepped forward. Fox tensed, but Julianne reached for Melisande's free hand, not the knife. Gripping Melisande's hand in hers, she said, “I'm sorry for all you endured. I'm sorry for all you lost.”

Melisande nodded. “I hope someday you'll be able to forgive me, Julianne. I have a lot of regrets, and it will be a long time before I'm ever able to fully forgive myself.” She put her knife away, took both of Julianne's hands, and they stood there in that way women sometimes did when they had too much to say and no words were adequate, two women of grace, strength, and compassion.

Finally, Julianne pulled her hands from Melisande's and returned to Zeeland's side. Melisande faced the male. “My apologies, Zeeland.”

Zee nodded, still wary, and more than a little confused. Fox doubted the male would let his guard down entirely with her anytime soon. But unless she attacked Julianne, he'd never hurt her. Not after Fox had taken her as his mate.

That evening, alone in his bedroom, Fox took his beloved into his arms. “I adore you, do you know that?”

She grinned at him. “Not as much as I adore you.”

He kissed her soundly. “Do you want me to show you how much I adore you?” He began to slide the ritual gown from her shoulder.

“Show me, my beautiful shifter.”

And he did.

About the Author

When
New York Times
bestselling author P
AMELA
P
ALMER
's initial career goal of captaining starships didn't pan out, she turned to engineering, satisfying her desire for adventure with books and daydreams, until finally succumbing to the need to create worlds of her own. Pamela lives and writes in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Please visit her on the Web at www.pamelapalmer.net.

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“The Feral Warriors are hot.”

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bestselling author Rachel Vincent

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bestselling author Maggie Shayne