Songs of the Earth (16 page)

"The tribe can go to whoever was Theo's mate. I have no desire to run Tribe Enkidu or go back to Georgia. I already have a tribe here in Clearwater. I won't add Enkidu to my tribe. I'll find someone to become alpha of Enkidu if Theo's mate isn't suitable."
"You're listed as Theo's beneficiary. Upon his death you became responsible for his estate and dependents." Elder Koller looked like it pained him to have this conversation with me.
"Didn't Theo find a mate? Surely the documentation is wrong. Why the hell did Theo put me on any anything? If he was currently mated, wouldn't that trump any other claim?" I didn't want to be responsible for anything that had belonged to Theo.
"Theo did claim Daniel as his mate in front of the tribe, but Daniel doesn't inherit anything. Regardless, the documentation of guardianship was drawn up after Theo was mated." The elders' lips were compressed into a thin line. "There are three children, Tristan."
"I'm sorry?" I didn't hear that right. I was responsible for Theo's estate, mate, and children?
"You're the legal guardian to Theo's three children, Justus, Neoma, and Dawn. They're all age seven, born within days of each other actually."
I stared at Janus. This couldn't be happening!
"When Theo claimed Daniel as his mate in front of the tribe, the she-wolves he'd impregnated gave up custody of the children after they were born. If the she-wolves weren't going to be the Alpha-Mate, they didn't want responsibility for the alpha's children."
"You have to be fucking kidding me!" I said through gritted teeth. Even in death, that man was shoving his responsibility off onto me.
Gregori gave an ugly snort. He'd clearly been hanging out with me far too much because he got the tone right.
"I don't see how he was able to keep his status. He was a liar and a cheater and a lousy alpha. Coercion or bribery had to have taken place for him to keep his office." Gregori noticed everyone was watching him. "What? I only said what we're all thinking." He patted my leg and gave me a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Tristan, but you always thought he was a good alpha. The tribe only thought he was wonderful because of the things you did in his name. Theo was too stuck on himself and his status to do anything other than preen like a peacock. If Theo is such an ass in this lifetime then the chances are good he was an ass in his previous incarnations. That sounded a little harsh didn't it?"
Gregori paused, looked at his hands, and shrugged. "I can't seem to care. He may have shown some concern with Craig Stoiler, if that's what it was. I think he was trying to get in good with the council, since all he cared about was prestige. Not saying a man can't change his colors, but it doesn't seem like they changed too much if he was mated to this Daniel and schtupping the councilman, who, like I said before, was old enough to be Theo's father. I think we should be careful here, because there is no reason why Theo would ever put Tristan on any of his documentation unless he was up to something. I'd be the first to admit I never liked Theo. It isn't beyond the realm of possibilities that Theo was or knew the spy."
I was struggling to hold on to my temper. Of course, Gregori was right and I didn't disagree with his assessment of Theo's motives, but it still pissed me off Theo had found a way to use me after he was dead! Had I actually felt guilty a little bit ago?
Ushna squeezed me, his breath moving through my hair. "Calm down. We'll work this out, you and me," he whispered in my ear.
I closed my eyes and breathed in this wonderful man who was all mine. Yes. He and I'd work out what to do. I opened my eyes and looked at Elder Koller. "We will make arrangements for Theo's dependents to stay in town until I decide what to do."
The elder stood. "Then let me introduce you to Daniel and the children. They came out with me. By tribe law they're not allowed to stay at the alpha residence."
Ushna and I followed Janus out to the porch. I directed my attention to the group standing next to a black Explorer. A tall, blond man with three children were being guarded by three of my warriors. They resembled Theo, the boy uncannily so. I looked at the man, who was staring at me with blank eyes. There had always been one Twin Flame per Lycan. Never in our history had someone ever had more than one, although Theo tried to claim this man could be my Flame as well. I hadn't believed him then, but I couldn't help but be worried as I studied the small group in front of us. Too many things I'd believed to be facts had been proven wrong in the last several weeks.
I looked at Ushna and without me voicing the question, Ushna knew what I wanted to know. Was this the same man whose scent he'd found on Theo all those years ago? Ushna nodded his head, slipping his arm around my waist.
I leaned back into his chest, taking comfort in his embrace. I looked this stranger over. Janus had said his name was Daniel. He was tall, but slender with wide shoulders and long legs. He wore a charcoal suit with a white button-down shirt. No tie and the top three buttons were undone, exposing rosy skin.
Lycans are normally natural creatures. They don't usually alter their appearance because they're confident in their looks, so it was odd to see Daniel had dyed his hair a white-blond. It didn't look wrong on him. His brows were a light brown and his eyes a dark blue. Around his throat was a necklace from which an eight-pointed star hung, seeming to pulse with a life of its own.
The ring he wore on his right hand looked familiar, though I didn't know why. It was big and broad, set with a red stone. I knew if I were to see it up close, it would have an ancient Sumerian inscription. It, too, pulsed with a life of its own. Daniel casually placed his hands in his pockets as he studied me in return.
When a Lycan meets their Twin Flame, he knows it. It's not a smell, taste, or look. It's the soul. We could be blind, deaf, and dumb and still know when our Flame was near. When we're close, we can feel it in our bones. An electric charge arcs in the air between us, building in the air around us until the first touch that brings us together. There are no words that can express the joy, the rightness, someone feels when they are close to the one destined for them.
Tension eased from me as I studied him. Nothing. The only energy that came from him was from the items of power he was wearing. Daniel was nothing to me. He took his hands out of his pockets, now ring-less, and crossed his arms over his chest as he casually looked away from me.
The predator in me rose to the surface, and looked out of my eyes at this false Flame. He was more than a breaker of bonds, more than a leech, more than a charlatan and liar. We could feel it. We did not like him. He was offensive to us. We wanted to eat him, to chase him out of our territory because we could feel the malice, the ruin, and the terrible intention coming from him. We could taste it on the back of our tongue, bitter and sharp. He couldn't have what was ours.
We looked to the pups. They stood away from him, standing tall but clustered together for comfort, unconsciously not turning their backs to him. The pups could feel it as well. They didn't trust their parent.
Reluctantly, I pushed the predator back down. For the very first time, I felt I'd needed his help. I may be free of Theo now, but it felt like something much worse had shown up on my doorstep. Daniel looked like any other normal Lycan, but my instincts were aroused, telling me danger was close. I had a feeling Caspian MacCuill had been a walk in the park compared to Daniel Sullivan.
I wasn't alone though. I had Gregori, my warriors, Elder Koller, and Stan and Jory on their way. I had Ushna, my rock, my strong arm, my lover, and consort. I didn't have to face anything alone.
I looked into Ushna's green-brown eyes. He was scowling at Daniel, his predator near the surface as well. No, not alone.
"I love you," I whispered before I kissed him.

Lexi has always been an avid reader and at a young age started reading (secretly) her mother's romances (the ones she was told not to touch). She was the only teenager she

knew of who would be grounded from reading. Later, with a pencil and a note book, she wrote her own stories and shared them with friends because she loved to see their

reactions. A Texas transplant, Lexi now kicks her boots up in the Midwest with her Yankee husband and her 80 lbs. puppies named after vacuum cleaners.

SUMERIA'S SONS Twin Flames
Songs of the Earth

I.O.N.
Ruby Red Booty Shorts & A Louisville Slugger
(Coming January 2013
)

“This is an amazing initial entry of not only a new series, but a new series by a new author. The very beginning of this story grabs you, keeping a fevered measure of page turning. … I found this a unique take on the paranormal

story, with obviously more to come. Highly recommended.”
—Lucy, 5 out of 5 Hearts,
Hearts on Fire Reviews

“So some advice to you readers…read this book! This book is brilliant and a fantastic beginning to an awesome series which I am going to be glued to for its uniqueness. …Tristan and Ushna are wonderful characters that pull you into the story. The wonderful way their story has been written keeps you reading. The storyline and plot hold your attention until the last page and you cry out ‘no keep going, I want more!’
—Pixie, 5 out of 5 Hearts,
MM Good Book Reviews