Chapter 19
Therian Palace, Saturday, January 26, 2013, Pre-Dawn
Ash stepped into the throne room. Those who’d seen the portal open had given it a wide berth, but a crowd had gathered to see what happened. The staff and guards had been on alert since they realized Dani was taken. Looking scared, Mathis and Gaspard came through first, carrying the still-limp Leon, and obediently halted. They made no aggressive moves.
Dani came through next, and several people surged forward to check on her. They’d searched for her for hours and grown increasingly worried. Dani had only been in the palace briefly, but she was universally liked.
With golden flames silhouetting her, Ash emerged from the portal and closed it. She saw Remy’s forked beard and waved him forward. “Remy, these men are my prisoners. They are the remnants of Jules’ forces, and they have valuable information about his plans and current whereabouts.”
The lynx’s eyes gleamed as he nodded. “Certainly, Your Majesty. Do you wish to attend the interrogation, or should I proceed?”
She waved him toward the captives. “Have at it, but no torture. We are better than that. If they don’t talk, threaten to have me come down there. I offered them a last chance, and I meant it.” She pointed at Mathis. “That one in particular should be motivated to share. He needs to give me a reason to keep him alive. I paralyzed the big one, but he’s starting to heal.”
Uuka pushed through the crowd, frantic until he caught sight of Dani. He darted across the space between them to take her face in his hands, desperately scanning her for injuries.
“Are you hurt?” he demanded. Dani smiled and pushed his hands away to wrap her arms around his neck. “No. I was, but?—”
His growl cut her off. He glared at the traitors, but Dani pulled his attention back to her. “I was, but Ash healed me, and I’m fine now. The important thing is I am home and safe.”
“I thought they were going to kill you.” Uuka’s voice was rough with emotion. “When you didn’t show up and we couldn’t find you anywhere…” He stopped, unable to give voice to the dark scenes he’d imagined.
Dani sidestepped further conversation by claiming his mouth, using the warmth and vitality of her body to assure him that she was well. She’d been unconscious for everything but Ash’s badassery, so she hadn’t even been scared. Uuka had been far more affected by her kidnapping.
The rest of the world faded for the couple, but the crowd avidly took in every second of their private moment. Ash thought things were about to get too personal, so she cleared her throat to get their attention and ushered the two to a quiet room where they could express their feelings privately. She tried not to listen, but Uuka’s thoughts came at her like he was shouting them through a megaphone. Ash closed the door behind her and looked for Niletean. She needed to call Luca since she’d left her phone, her purse, and the love of her life at Interpol.
Uuka’s feelings for Dani had grown since he met her. The human woman was a vibrant force of nature, and he’d been unable to resist her funny charm. She was young but wise beyond her years and valiant in defense of those she loved. He would be a fool to let her slip from his grasp.
He wanted to support her growth, help her thrive, and see who she would become as she gained experience and years. He tried to imagine his world without her and drew a blank. An image of Dani and him surrounded by children with the startling combination of his dark skin and her green eyes flashed through his mind.
There had never been a choice. Fate had led him to Dani, and he knew better than to fight Fate.
“Dani, I love you,” Uuka blurted, needing to get the words out.
She hadn’t expected his declaration. She’d loved the panther shifter for a while but hadn’t wanted to pressure him. “I love you too, Uuka, but your reasons for not making it official haven’t gone away. What’s changed?”
He took her hand, needing to feel the warmth of her skin. “I realized that nothing else could overpower how I feel about you. You could have died tonight, Dani. I couldn’t stand the idea of another moment passing without telling you how much I want you.” He punctuated this with a kiss. “Need you.” Another kiss. “Love you.”
Dani’s radiant smile lit her face, and her emerald eyes sparkled with love and desire for the man who held her like she was the most precious thing in the world. “Does that mean?—”
“Dani Byron, If there wasn’t a crowd outside, I would make you my mate in every sense of the word if you’d let me.” Uuka’s cat eyes held a predatory gleam that tantalized her senses.
Dani pounced on him, kissing him with all the passion and zest for life she could muster. Uuka pulled her close, and when he broke the kiss, they were both panting, arousal surging through their bodies.
“Is that a yes?” Uuka ran his hands over her athletic curves.
“It is,” she purred, delighted by the turn of events. “I almost don’t care about the audience.”
Uuka kissed her forehead, resisting his primal urge to claim her where everyone would know. “You would. When I get you alone, I don’t intend for it to be fast. I want to savor every inch of you and your body with the awe and attention to detail appropriate to discovering a wonderous new landscape.”
As he spoke, Uuka pressed soft kisses across her jaw and neck, sending shivers of pleasure through her.
Dani shook herself and stepped away. “If you keep talking like that and touching me, my inhibitions will go out the door real fast. I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it. We need to preserve your virtue, though.” She grinned.
“It’s not my virtue I’m worried about, woman.” Uuka swatted her ass as they turned toward the door.
Dani laughed. “Oh, that ship has sailed, my love.” She glanced at him, concerned. “Is that a problem? Do Therians need to mate with virgins?”
Uuka grinned. “Gods, I hope not. It isn’t a problem for me, though I intend to wipe the memory of your previous partners from your mind with waves of unimaginable pleasure.”
“Likewise, buddy. I know you weren’t a monk before we met. With your golden eyes, charm, and incredible body, I’m sure you were swimming in women, but you’re mine now, and I don’t share.”
He nipped her earlobe. “Neither do I.”
When Dani opened the door, the crowd cheered, with the panthers front and center. Uuka’s sister whistled and made jokes, but her pleasure at Dani’s safety and relationship with Uuka was evident.
The panthers supported their alpha no matter what, but they’d all come to like and respect Dani. They thought she would make an excellent mate for Uuka. They were cats and liked to play, so the prowl teased the happy couple mercilessly.
When Ash and Luca walked into the throne room arm in arm, Luca caught sight of Dani and Uuka, who stood side by side, arms around each other’s waists.
They finally made it official?he asked Ash through their bond.
Yes. He was bursting with the need to claim her as his mate when we came home. I sent them somewhere quiet to talk it over and came to get you.
There’s something I need to make official.
Luca cleared his throat to draw everyone’s attention to him. He sought out Niletean and Remy, who were the best equipped to manage his request. “It is long past time for a royal proclamation. For thousands of years, we have remained separate from the other races and been told that mingling our bloodlines would lead to disaster.
“I have long believed otherwise, so from this day forward, there is no longer a law against interspecies love.” He smiled at Ash. “I should have done it already.”
She shrugged. “Eh, you’ve been busy.”
“Finding your mate is incredible, and I would not deny that experience to any of my people simply because the other half of their soul is a human, a witch, or a vampire.”
Ash grinned at her sister smugly. Told you he was your panther.
The king turned to Uuka and the other panthers, “There’s one more thing, Uuka. Your prowl has served my mate and me beyond all expectations, so I want to make you the Queen’s Guard. Since Ash can defend herself, it falls to us to protect her family while she goes to battle, usually on our behalf. The royal family will be in your debt if you accept. We will also make changes to the palace’s security to prevent anything like today’s events from happening again.”
Uuka looked at each member of his prowl. They all nodded and beamed. They were proud to have earned such respected positions in the Therian court. Uuka responded for them all. “We accept, Your Majesty, and we will protect your queen’s family with our lives.”
All the panthers bowed their heads. Ash pulled away from Luca to cup both hands together. Her palms glowed with golden light for a moment, and when she opened her hands, she held small metal pins for each guard shaped like the royal family’s crest, with a wisteria-vine border.
Ash offered Uuka the first pin. “You have my eternal gratitude for everything you’ve done to protect my family. This symbol reflects my commitment to answer your call should you ever need anything in return. More than that, this makes you family, and there are no lengths I won’t go to for your defense.”
If you hurt my sister, we will have an entirely different discussion, she added silently and privately.
Understood, Your Majesty.He smiled. There were many things he wanted to do to Dani, but hurting her was not among them.
Each panther accepted his or her pin with a smile and responded warmly when Ash sealed the agreement with a hug.
Maerlin, who’d watched quietly from the balcony, teleported to the group, surprising them with her sudden appearance. “I have a vested interest in the safety of this family. May I offer a blessing that might aid in your efforts?”
The panthers nodded in unison, amazed that life had brought them into the orbit of one such as Maerlin. Her blessings were the stuff of legends, and though she’d been around the palace for a while, it still struck them how incredible it was to be in her presence. “It would be the highest honor,” Uuka replied.
“Traditionally, the Queen’s Guard has protected dragons, who aren’t anywhere near as vulnerable as the human family who risked everything to bring peace to humanity and the magical people of the world. The task you face is greater than any Queen”s Guards in history now that all know of the existence of this kingdom and its occupants.
“As we have seen, our enemies won’t hesitate to target these precious humans,” Maerlin continued. “My blessing will allow you to create a temporary portal that will take you one mile away and stay open for ten seconds. I’ve configured the spell so it doesn’t open into thin air or the middle of the ocean,” Maerlin added as she laid her hand on the chest of each member of Uuka’s pride in turn.
“That is a phenomenal gift,” Uuka mused, filled with wonder.
Maerlin glanced at Ash, Dani, Brian, and Melinda. “They are a phenomenal family.”
Uuka smiled at the woman he planned to make his mate at the first opportunity. “They certainly are.”
Maerlin asked for the badges of honor and held them in her glowing hand before returning them. “If you are in a situation where escape isn’t possible, hold this in your hands and think about the need for a safe place. It will form an impenetrable bubble into a pocket dimension only I can access. I will be notified and come to retrieve you. Use it only if necessary. The shift between realms can be hell on a mortal body,” Maerlin cautioned.
Uuka gazed at the family he’d sworn to protect. “I will keep them safe.”
Maerlin smiled at the panthers’ alpha. “I know you will, dear boy. It radiates from you like sunlight.” She shot Dani a knowing grin. “You chose wisely when you picked your panther.”
Ash stepped in. “Okay, everybody, it’s been a long night. Why don’t we break up this party and get some sleep? We’ve got lots to do tomorrow, and I need to start recruiting for SPARK.”
The group slowly dispersed, leaving Ash with Luca. She sighed. “I need to check in with Zia, but I can call her from our room. Let’s go to bed.”
Luca led her to their chambers, grateful for the moments they were alone. He’d been worried since she’d teleported out of the Interpol meeting, so seeing her alive and well had soothed his nerves.
“Zia, hi. I’m calling to check on how everything is going. Are you still at the construction site?” Ash asked when her second-in-command answered the phone. She paced, and Luca savored the opportunity to watch her move, admiring how she practically floated across the floor.
Then he realized she was floating an inch off the floor. He grinned and tried to keep his thoughts from distracting her through their bond. He could hear both sides of the conversation, but if she wanted his input, she’d ask for it.
“Yes. There have been a few important developments, but nothing worth interrupting you when we couldn’t find Dani. I’ve had our people out searching for hours. I assume you got her back. Is she okay?” Zia asked.
“Yeah. I had to heal a wicked head injury, but she’s fine now. Pretty sure she’s making things official with her panther as we speak.”
Zia chuckled. “It’s about time. The Horsemen returned from Paris with new recruits in tow, and they reported to me because you weren’t available. I put them in the caves. You aren’t going to believe what Maerlin did. I was there, and I still don’t believe it.”
“Should I be worried?” Ash asked.
“No, it was fucking incredible. She transformed the caves into a lightproof city you could comfortably house two hundred thousand night-bound vampires in, and she did it in a single day. Just reshaped the rock like it was clay. How is that real?”
“That’s Maerlin. She exists outside the laws of physics.” Ash grinned. “Moving to the vampire stronghold is optional, but it’s an enormous comfort to know I can provide a safe haven for those who choose to come.”
“You owe Magic Mama big time, boss. She didn’t just give your people a safe haven. It’s not grim, boxy dormitories. It’s full of houses that could support whole families. Shopping districts, places for all kinds of businesses—everything you need for a thriving underground city. She installed some kind of magical lighting and power, and there’s hot and cold running water. The architecture is beautiful, too.” Zia sounded amazed. “We’re talking about a new wonder of the world here.”
“I can’t wait to see it. I’ll portal over in the morning. I want to check in with the Horsemen and hear their full report. Did they have any major trouble?”
“Nothing you need to worry about tonight. Get some rest. I’ll see you in a few hours, boss.”