a wolf. I can't be
mated to a human. It's not possible."
The color faded from Colt's face as the full impact of Vane's situation hit
him.
"You unlucky bastard. It's not often that an Arcadian mates to a human, but
it
does happen."
"I'm not Arcadian," Vane snarled. There was nothing human in him.
Nothing.
Colt grabbed his hand and held it up to Vane's line of sight. "Argue with this
all you want to. But face it, Vane. Your three weeks are ticking. Either you
claim the human or you'll live out the rest of your life without ever feeling
another female's touch."
"Ow!" Bride snapped as her hand started burning. She pressed it up against
her
glass of water.
"What's wrong?" Mina asked as she picked out another oyster to eat.
"I don't know," Bride said. "My hand just started hurting."
Tabitha touched Bride's plate. "Nothing's hot. Did you cut your hand on an
oyster shell?"
"No," Bride said, pulling her hand back to look at it. There was a beautiful
design on her palm. It reminded her of some ancient Greek design. "What on
earth?"
Mina frowned as she looked at it. "Did you get a henna tattoo?"
"No. I didn't do anything. I swear. It wasn't there five seconds ago."
Tabitha leaned over to look at it. "How weird," she said. "And coming from
me,
that means something."
That was very true. Tabitha Devereaux was the epitome of odd.
"You've never seen anything like this?" Bride asked Tabitha.
"Nope. Maybe we're all delusional. Maybe it's like Plato's theory and there's
nothing there but skin. Maybe we're just seeing what we want to see."
Mina snorted as she poured Tabasco sauce on her oyster. "Just because you
live
in a constant state of insanity, Tabby, doesn't mean the rest of us do."
Bride laughed at them.
She traced the design on her palm and wondered what on earth could have
placed
it there.
Colt gave Vane a hard stare. "Look, I know you can't stand me. But I've got
your
back. Go see your woman and I'll cover here in the bar."
"I don't need you to"
"Stop being so damned stubborn," Colt said from between clenched teeth.
"You
have a mate out there, Vane, and whether you're Arcadian or Katagaria, you
know
the one law that governs us all. Your mate's safety comes above all else."
Colt was right and Vane knew it. The animal inside him was already
straining at
the human half of him. It wanted its mate. It demanded it.
Normally the human and animal parts of himself coexisted in a delicate
balance.
Hormones and stress could easily disturb that balance, and then he became
truly
dangerous. If the animal took control of him
Many of his kind, both male and female, lost themselves to that animal half.
Unable to handle it, they went mad from it and became ruthless slayers who
killed anything or anyone who crossed them. It was similar to a rabies
infection
and there was no cure for it.
That was why the Arcadians had Sentinels. Their job was to track and kill
those
who couldn't control their animal soul. Slayers. Of course, the Arcadians as a
rule were rather liberal when applying the term "slayer" to one of his people.
Pretty much any Katagari who crossed their path was usually classified as a
slayer with or without evidence.
"Go, Vane," Colt said, urging him toward the door.
The bear was right. There was no use fighting his nature. It was a battle he
could never win.
He handed Colt the towel and quickly left the bar.
Out on the street, Vane made sure no one could see him and then flashed
himself
into wolf form. Unlike his brother, he was a solid white timber wolf. He was
also bigger, weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds.
It was why his pack mates had feared him most in his animal state. As
powerful
as they were, he was more so. And he didn't follow rank the way the others
did.
Animal he might be, but at the end of the day even though he denied it, he
had
enough human in him to refuse to follow anyone docilely.
He was a born alpha and everyone around him knew
mated to a human. It's not possible."
The color faded from Colt's face as the full impact of Vane's situation hit
him.
"You unlucky bastard. It's not often that an Arcadian mates to a human, but
it
does happen."
"I'm not Arcadian," Vane snarled. There was nothing human in him.
Nothing.
Colt grabbed his hand and held it up to Vane's line of sight. "Argue with this
all you want to. But face it, Vane. Your three weeks are ticking. Either you
claim the human or you'll live out the rest of your life without ever feeling
another female's touch."
"Ow!" Bride snapped as her hand started burning. She pressed it up against
her
glass of water.
"What's wrong?" Mina asked as she picked out another oyster to eat.
"I don't know," Bride said. "My hand just started hurting."
Tabitha touched Bride's plate. "Nothing's hot. Did you cut your hand on an
oyster shell?"
"No," Bride said, pulling her hand back to look at it. There was a beautiful
design on her palm. It reminded her of some ancient Greek design. "What on
earth?"
Mina frowned as she looked at it. "Did you get a henna tattoo?"
"No. I didn't do anything. I swear. It wasn't there five seconds ago."
Tabitha leaned over to look at it. "How weird," she said. "And coming from
me,
that means something."
That was very true. Tabitha Devereaux was the epitome of odd.
"You've never seen anything like this?" Bride asked Tabitha.
"Nope. Maybe we're all delusional. Maybe it's like Plato's theory and there's
nothing there but skin. Maybe we're just seeing what we want to see."
Mina snorted as she poured Tabasco sauce on her oyster. "Just because you
live
in a constant state of insanity, Tabby, doesn't mean the rest of us do."
Bride laughed at them.
She traced the design on her palm and wondered what on earth could have
placed
it there.
Colt gave Vane a hard stare. "Look, I know you can't stand me. But I've got
your
back. Go see your woman and I'll cover here in the bar."
"I don't need you to"
"Stop being so damned stubborn," Colt said from between clenched teeth.
"You
have a mate out there, Vane, and whether you're Arcadian or Katagaria, you
know
the one law that governs us all. Your mate's safety comes above all else."
Colt was right and Vane knew it. The animal inside him was already
straining at
the human half of him. It wanted its mate. It demanded it.
Normally the human and animal parts of himself coexisted in a delicate
balance.
Hormones and stress could easily disturb that balance, and then he became
truly
dangerous. If the animal took control of him
Many of his kind, both male and female, lost themselves to that animal half.
Unable to handle it, they went mad from it and became ruthless slayers who
killed anything or anyone who crossed them. It was similar to a rabies
infection
and there was no cure for it.
That was why the Arcadians had Sentinels. Their job was to track and kill
those
who couldn't control their animal soul. Slayers. Of course, the Arcadians as a
rule were rather liberal when applying the term "slayer" to one of his people.
Pretty much any Katagari who crossed their path was usually classified as a
slayer with or without evidence.
"Go, Vane," Colt said, urging him toward the door.
The bear was right. There was no use fighting his nature. It was a battle he
could never win.
He handed Colt the towel and quickly left the bar.
Out on the street, Vane made sure no one could see him and then flashed
himself
into wolf form. Unlike his brother, he was a solid white timber wolf. He was
also bigger, weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds.
It was why his pack mates had feared him most in his animal state. As
powerful
as they were, he was more so. And he didn't follow rank the way the others
did.
Animal he might be, but at the end of the day even though he denied it, he
had
enough human in him to refuse to follow anyone docilely.
He was a born alpha and everyone around him knew
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