Were Slave (2010) (11 page)

Blanca snickered. "Mace likes you enough for all of us. His
approval of you is all I need."

"I see."

"I only hope you don't take it for granted."

Nayla picked up another dry leaf from the ground and
crumpled it between her fingers. "What do you mean, exactly? What would I take
for granted?"

"Don't you know?" One side of Blanca's black lips quirked
up, showing a sharpened tooth. "Mace hasn't explained what you mean to him?"

Nayla shook her head and listened carefully to what Blanca
had to say next. Any insight to the crazy path her life had taken the past
twenty four hours would be much welcomed.

"He's claimed you as his mate, Nayla. When you made love on
the balcony, the pack witnessed as he promised he is yours and you are his."
Blanca cocked her head. "For the rest of eternity, Mace will be faithful to
you. He'll protect, fight and care for you. He'll honor and do right by you."

The meat in Nayla's stomach roiled uneasily. At the same
time, her heart fluttered with hope. For the first time, she dared to ask
herself if she could give up her country to be with Mace. With his pack.

Blanca let out a husky laugh. "It's not all roses and
sunshine, though. He must be your equal, your partner in life, through all
hardships. You must give all yourself to him, as well, and forget about your
past."

And relinquish her duty to her country? "What if I can't do
that?"

Blanca sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't ask that. He's
never chosen a mate before. He'd once told me about a wife he'd had as a human.
Her name was Elizabeth. The sickness that had changed us into Weres killed his
woman and their unborn child."

"That's terrible." Nayla had heard tales of the epidemic
that struck a quarter of the world's population over a hundred years ago,
killing most and transforming others into werewolves. To think Mace had at one
time been human...and that he'd loved another woman. She attempted to push away
the irrational jealousy, but couldn't help but ask, "And he's never loved
anyone else?"

Blanca stared up at the moon, basking in it and continued.
"He told me he was so heart-stricken, he'd become a recluse, journeying across
the continent. Many years later he found and rescued me and Kaige from a
Vampire slave ring. He put us under his protection, made us family. Over the
decades, he allowed few others into this pack. Some would stay. Some would go.
But," Blanca peeked at Nayla from the corner of her amber eye, "he never once
claimed a mate. Until you."

Before Nayla had a chance to digest that information,
another Were crept into the camp's circle. Out of habit, she tensed and wrapped
her arms around herself protectively. But, of course, the Were didn't attack
her. The Weres in Mace's pack had proved to be harmless so far.

Livia settled at the other side of the fire. "If you want my
opinion--"

"She doesn't," Blanca interrupted.

Livia flashed her teeth and growled. "The Queen Bee can
speak for herself. Honestly, I think she's better off sitting pretty on her
little throne with her servants at her beck and call. She's not right for the
Were life. Mace just hasn't looked past his lust to see that. Yet."

Nayla would've been angry at Livia's comments but she'd
always thrived on a challenge. "I can promise you, wolf, I'm all the woman Mace
needs."

"Until the next full moon when you find him with me."
Livia's words added grease to the fire burning in Nayla's heart.

She stood and faced the Were, ready to fight for Mace. "You
little beast. Who do you think you are?"

The Were showed her teeth and growled, causing Nayla to step
back. What was she thinking, provoking the wolf?

"Livia," Blanca barked. "Mace chose her as his mate. Have
some respect." She turned to Nayla. "Don't let her get to you. She's only
jealous she wasn't chosen. She's wanted to be his mate since the day she joined
us five years ago."

Another growl rumbled in Livia's chest. She arched her back,
threatening to pounce. Nayla froze as horrific memories of blood, torn flesh
and horrible loss flashed through her mind. Her breath sat heavy in her chest,
burning her lungs.

Blanca quickly blocked Nayla's view of the raging Were, but
nothing could stop the fear pulsing at her temples.

"Livia!" Mace's jarring voice roared threateningly from deep
within the shadows of the forest outlining the camp.

Livia yelped out a whine similar to a child being scorned.
"I wasn't going to do anything," she pleaded. "She provoked me."

Blanca chuckled quietly as she eased back and sat by Nayla
again. "This should be good," she whispered only loud enough for Nayla to hear.
"Livia's a goner. I've been waiting five long years for this."

"What?" God, was Mace going to hurt Livia? Because of her?
She wouldn't let him. She'd seen enough violence in her lifetime. And she
refused to sit back and watch it happen again.

* * * * *

Mace transformed into human form as Nayla ran toward him,
her eyes wide and wild. Oh, hell. What had Livia done? He left his companions
behind and met her halfway to the campfire.

With all her body, she jumped up on him and nearly tackled
him to the ground. He staggered but stood strong as she wrapped her legs around
his waist and clung to him, vulnerable and human.

"Nayla." He held her tight against him and inhaled her
scent, a mixture of Livia's pine soap and salty tears. Tears? He smoothed his
hands over her body, checking for injuries. "Love, are you hurt?"

She shook her head against his neck as her body shook with
sobs. "Take me away from here so they don't see me cry," she whispered.
"Please."

Mace shot Livia a warning glare and she cowered. He'd have
to deal with her later, after he comforted Nayla. If he'd had any idea his mate
would be in any danger, he never would've left her. He'd counted on his female
Weres to protect her from harm while he was away. If he couldn't trust Livia,
she'd have to leave the pack for good. There was no way around it.

He carried Nayla to a patch of grass out of the camp's sight
and settled down with her in his lap. With careful hands, he lifted her chin
and examined her face.

She pushed him away and hit his chest. "I'm so angry with
you I could scream." More tears streamed down her pale cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Nayla. I didn't know Livia would be a threat to
you."

"That's not it." She gulped down a sob and his heart ached.
"That's not why I'm mad."

He didn't want to ask what caused her anger. He already knew
and there wasn't anything he would or could do about it. She belonged with him.
He refused to give her up.

Even if he had to let her go temporarily-- No, he
wouldn't discuss that with her yet. He'd spent his whole Were life lonely and
incomplete. Now that he had in his arms what had been missing for all those
years... Now that he found love again, he couldn't bear to part with it. With her.

Tell her you love her.

Mace hadn't spoken those words in over a hundred years. They
were lost in the recesses of his mind. They'd been unnecessary. Pointless.
Until now. He drew out a breath. Did she need to hear them? His human mate, so
frail and small in his arms, yet so strong-minded and stubborn.

"Nayla--" he began but his thoughts melted away when she
reached up and cradled his jaw.

She had determination in her glistening green eyes. "I won't
allow you to harm Livia."

"What?" Not what he'd been expecting to hear and it tore the
hell out of his pride. "What do you think of me, Nayla? After all our time
together, do you still believe me to be a monster?"

"No," she said right away, alleviating some of his pain. "I
don't know. I heard the tone of your voice. And how Livia whined. Then Blanca
said, well, she acted as if Livia was going to be punished."

"She will be. I intend to banish her from my pack for
frightening you like that. You're my mate. You're to be respected."

Nayla's shoulders visibly relaxed. "Banish her? That's it?"

"That's a lot. A Were is privileged to be a member of my
pack. To be under my protection." He didn't know why he felt the need to defend
himself. It wasn't something he was used to.

"Of course." She swiped away her tears and straightened her
shoulders, always the regal Queen. "I suppose I shouldn't have jumped to
conclusions."

"No, you shouldn't have." He shoved down the irritation when
she licked her lips, making them moist for kissing. "Yes, I would kill for
you," he said, hunger unconcealed in his voice. "But only if it were necessary.
I'm not a monster, Nayla. Will you ever see that?"

"I see it, Mace. I do." She took the edge of her dress and
wiped her moist cheeks, removing any trace of the weakness she'd just shown.
She rotated her body slightly and the heat of her pussy brushed over his thigh,
tempting him.

The wolf in him yearned to press her onto her stomach on the
grass and take her the way an animal would, the way he longed to. But that
would have to wait for a little while longer. He hadn't left her alone for
hours upon hours today without a purpose. No, there was a reason for Mace's
every action. And he hoped his actions today would prove to be wise.

He gathered her soft curves against him and pecked her lips.
"I have a surprise for you."

Nayla knew something wasn't quite right when she counted
thirteen wolves lounging around the campground rather than the usual dozen.
Next to the Were named Kaige sat an unfamiliar salt-and-pepper-haired wolf. She
stopped short and tugged at Mace's hand. "What's going on? Who is that?"

He chuckled and leaned toward her ear. "Very perceptive. I
could introduce you but I'm certain you've already met."

"I've met him?" She asked, but Mace had already left her
side and was headed toward Livia, who cowered as he neared.

Nayla clasped her hands in front of her and stayed a safe
distance from the strange Were. There was something very familiar about his
eyes. And as he stepped away from the pack and drew closer, Nayla wasn't
frightened. He held his head down, as if ashamed and bowed at her feet. Well,
as much as a large animal could.

"Who are you?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.

"Forgive me, my Queen. It is I, your loyal guard, Saul."

"Saul?" Confusion mixed with the excitement of seeing
someone familiar, someone she thought she might never see again. Nayla draped
her arms around his massive neck, forgetting all propriety. "Saul, how is it
you?"

"Are you well, my Queen?" he said quietly against her ear.

"Yes, I am." She pulled back and examined his face, taking
in every detail. It truly was her Saul. "I'm fine. Look at you. How is this
possible?"

He lowered his eyes again. "I apologize for my
deceitfulness, my Queen. I've failed to disclose that I am part Were."

"Saul." She ran her fingers over his silver fur. "I had no
idea. Why didn't you ever tell me?" Someone so close to her, someone she
trusted, had always been what she'd feared most, what she'd most hated.

"My Queen--"

"Call me Nayla. You're my family. You've always been my
family."

"Nayla," he said hesitantly, "I've been torn between two
battling worlds my whole life. To live without fear, I needed to choose one. My
option was, of course, limited. Weres were not welcomed into human society. Not
since long before the war."

Nayla blinked her eyes to keep from tearing up. The man had
always been a father figure to her. What an awful life he'd had to live,
denying his true self. And to think she'd been part of the reason. "I don't
want you to hide it anymore. I want you to be you, whether Were or human." She
glanced over her shoulder at Mace, who now stood alone. Livia was nowhere to be
seen. "How did you find me?"

"I saw Fenton freeing the wolves and I knew something was
amiss. When I went to your room and you weren't there, I followed your scent. I
met Mace halfway here. He said he was on the way back to the castle."

"Why would he--" she began, but stopped when she felt Mace's
looming presence behind her, his warmth and wild scent encompassing her. He'd
moved so quickly and quietly, she hadn't seen him coming.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and gathered her against
his body. "I want you to be safe, Nayla. And after seeing you succumb to the
cold last night, I can't ask you to continue on with the journey without a
known destination."

Her mouth dried up and her pulse sped. "What do you mean?
Did you bring Saul to take me back?"

"It's not that simple, love."

"You're giving me up because I got a little chilled?" She
wasn't sure why she was so hurt by the idea. Isn't this what she'd wanted? To
go back to her normal life? Her feelings were unbalanced. Somehow, someway,
Mace had maneuvered into her heart. And she didn't know if she could give him
up so easily.

"No. I'll tell you a hundred times, Nayla, if that's what it
takes. You're my mate. Nothing will stand in the way of that." He turned her
and held her by the shoulders. "Your councilman Fenton is dangerous. With his
threats to take your life, I had no choice but to take you with me."

"So you wouldn't have otherwise," she whispered. Her heart
pinched tight as his words sunk in deep.

"I don't know." He cupped her face and pierced her with his
brilliant blue eyes. "As much as I want you with me, I can't deny that drifting
isn't a life for a human woman."

"I can handle it." Had she just said that? She bit her lip
to keep from saying more. Did she really want to continue to travel endlessly
through cold weather and rain? Did she want to give up her position of Queen?
She shook her head. All she knew was she didn't want to lose Mace. She loved
him and had no intention of saying goodbye anytime soon.

His Adam's apple bobbed unsteadily as he continued to study
her face. "Saul has promised he'll dispose of Fenton and whoever else dares to
threaten you. As soon as I find a home for us, I'll come for you."