He went into the store alone and picked out the warmest coat they carried for her. When he handed her the bag, she tossed it into the back seat, refusing to even look at the gift.

  Discomfort settled around him like an unwanted blanket. Troy tried to ignore the tension in the suddenly too small SUV. The mating bond that had felt like pure heaven the night before, was shriveling inside of him. He felt angry and cold. Fuck and damn again.

  Troy had no idea how to make this right. His Thunderbird barked and shrieked inside his mind’s eye, furious with him for not taking better care of his mate. At least she’d accepted the bagel he’d gotten for her, he reminded the beast. That seemed to slightly mollify him.

  His cell buzzed on the console and he ignored it. He knew who it was from. Rex was gonna be pissed as hell, but Troy didn’t give a damn. He used the power of Aquarius to send a mental image to his Station Master, pulling on his sign for personal reasons wasn’t exactly forbidden, but it was not encouraged either.

  He felt the Bear Shifter’s answering snarl and knew he’d have a lot to explain. For some reason Troy’s hand, the one that bore the symbol of the water-bearer, was tingling and itching like crazy. He tried to ignore it, but it was difficult since there was nothing to occupy his mind other than his mate’s rigid posture and unyielding attitude. Fuck and damn, he’d have to try again.

  “Andrea?”

  She flicked her emerald gaze to his then turned away, her luscious lips pursed in displeasure. Shit. He hated that he’d put that look on her face. But didn’t she understand. He was trying to tell her he didn’t care what she was doing in that attic. Even if it turned out she was guilty, he wouldn’t let the other Wardens lay a finger on her. He’d protect her with his life!

  “Andrea, whatever this is, it will be okay. I swear, I’ll never let harm come to you.”

  “Is that why you think I’m angry? You think I’m afraid?”

  “Andrea, I-”

  “Are you kidding me? Stop the car. We’re here.”

  Troy looked around and frowned. They’d turned onto a dank alley off some fucked up looking street in downtown Newark. The place made Shadowland look friendly not to mention affluent.

  He jumped out of the SUV before Andrea had time to unlock the door and held it open for her. He’d managed to snag the bag with the coat from the backseat and stopped her with a hand before she stepped out into the biting wind. At least she’d kept his sweatshirt on.

  “Here, please,” he held the black ski jacket open for her and was pleased when she stepped into it.

  “Thanks,” she said tightly and stepped away from his body.

  He missed her warmth immediately. Fuck and damn. Her caramel and whiskey scent drifted into his nostrils and he bit his lip. He wanted his mate with a fierce need he didn’t quite understand, but one thing he did know, this rift between them was killing him.

  Before he had time to adjust to his environment, she’d stepped through a hidden doorway among the garbage cans and fire escape ladders. Anxiety rushed through him. Troy frowned and went after her.

  “Andrea, wait up.” He followed her through the open door only to be stopped by a six-foot tall three-hundred- and fifty-pound man with the face of a bull dog.

  Magic singed the air, it wasn’t evil per se, but it was different. Hostile and aloof. Romani Caster, he discerned. The man scowled and blocked Troy’s attempt to go around him. Troy growled.

  “Get out of my way, Fido, or you’re bound to lose something you’d rather keep.”

  “Is that so, xenos,” the man said in a deep heavily accented voice, “I am five times heavyweight champion in the state and 6th level Caster of the Kristos Clan. No, Shifter, I do not think you will get by me easily.”

  “Move. Now.”

  “I don’t think so. You hear me correctly, yes? I am Romani Caster, so save yourself some trouble. You will not scare me with your growling.”

  Troy recognized the distinct smell of the man’s magic growing stronger. Fuck and damn. He had no wish to use what little magical stores Zodiac Shifters had against this mountain of a man who was more than likely related to Andrea. Still, the fucker was in his way.

  Troy sighed and looked past the man to where Andrea walked through a pair of hanging curtains into what his nose discerned was a kitchen. Maybe he could just hit the guy and sneak past?

  He was a big fucker, but so what. From the smell of things, he was arming himself with shielding wards and perhaps some increased strength too. Fuck and damn again.

  “Puri daj! Where are you?” Andrea’s voice distracted him for a split second, but that was all Fido needed to throw a cast that sent Troy hurtling out the door.

  “What the fuck?” He growled and leapt to his feet.

  Troy heard squeals and the sound of his mate yelling in what he thought was a mixture of Greek and Romani. Hell no! The brute had his mate in there.

  Troy growled and grabbed the door, ripping it off its hinges. He pushed past the surprised man who was attempting to hold onto his mate by her fragile arm.

  “Get your fucking hands off her!”

  Troy saw red. The fucking fuck had his fucking hands on his mate! Hell no! He allowed his Thunderbird to show through his eyes and the beast was pissed. Troy growled, the scent of ozone grew strong in the air. He felt the muscles in his body half-shift, a state he’d never achieved before.

  Claws replaced fingers, his muscles bunched. Troy opened his mouth releasing a battle cry, his eyesight that of his Thunderbird.

  The stupid fuck still had his hands wrapped around Andrea’s arm. Her mouth hung open in shock, but Troy was solely focused on the Caster.

  “I said, let her go,” he said in a barely human voice before he planted his fist in Fido’s face.

  An explosion of blue and white light flew from his half-Changed fist to the man’s face. A satisfying crunch sounded, and Troy knew he’d broken the Caster’s nose. Fuck if his face didn’t feel like a brick wall!

  “Andrea, you okay?”

  “Oh, my God, you hit Rolf!”

  “He touched you!”

  “He’s my cousin, you dope! And he’s one of the strongest guys I know!”

  “Shouldn’t have touched you,” he growled even as his body changed back to his human form.

  “Troy, he’s a sixth level Caster! He’s part of puri daj’s personal security detail! I mean, how did you do that?”

  “I don’t know, I mean I am a Shifter.”

  “Yeah, but you shouldn’t have been able to do that!”

  “I’ve been meaning to install a steel door for some time, but I guess it will be sooner than later,” a heavily accented voice met his ears, “Don’t worry, Andrea, your cousin will be fine. Now, come and sit at the table with your new mate, and maybe you can explain how he got through the only man in our clan to reach the sixth level of spell Casters?”

  Madame Magdelena Kristos, matriarch of the Kristos Clan and the most powerful Romani Caster he’d ever heard of, walked down a set of carpeted stairs into the foyer. He stood taller, itching to get Andrea behind him. His protective instincts were working overtime.

  She barely looked at her nephew-guard as she stepped over the downed man. Troy cringed at the mess they’d made, but she didn’t even seem to register the damage to the room as she passed through.

  He noted Andrea’s posture went stiff at the sight of her grandmother. He moved slightly in front of her. Something the older woman noted with humor if the wry smile on her face was anything to go by. She looked thoroughly modern and nothing at all like how he expected the leader of the Kristos clan to appear.

  She had long dark hair with silver streaks in front that she wore in a complicated up-do. She looked neat and tidy in her pantsuit. Expensive, crisp, and efficient. She wore tiny stud earrings and minimal makeup to enhance her flawless, olive toned skin.

  She was attractive for a woman her age. He could see where Andrea had gotten her poise, though their coloring was not the same. She was much more powerful than she seemed.

  Dangerous too. He didn’t need his Thunderbird’s voice in his head to tell him that. Magic seemed to pulse all around her as she led them both into her kitchen.

  There was a pot bubbling on the stove and the scent of meat and spices drifted into his nostrils. His mouth salivated. He hadn’t had a homecooked meal in an age, but he was wary of the Romani matriarch.

  “Come, sit, we shall eat together to toast the return of my wayward granddaughter, and of course to discuss your mating, Warden,” Madame Magdelena lifted a large wooden spoon and stirred the pot while adding a few more spices and reducing the heat.

  “It seems you two really jumped the gun, am I correct?”

  “Yes, puri daj,” Andrea answered in a small voice.

  Her response disturbed him. He knew in his heart she was his fated mate, but she was no Shifter. She wouldn’t feel it the way he did. Was she regretting their mating? Fuck and damn.

  She moved about the kitchen retrieving dishes and utensils, setting the table as she must have several times in her youth. Troy felt his expression soften as he watched her move about the room.

  He couldn’t help himself. She was the embodiment of every dream he’d ever had. Sweet Andrea. His mate was absolutely beautiful wearing his sweatshirt with her dark curls pulled away from her face.

  He’d watched her that morning put on some face cream, mascara, and pink lip gloss. He’d told her he didn’t mind if she chose not to wear makeup, but she’d replied she was wearing it for herself not him. He’d laughed and tickled her until she couldn’t breathe.

  “Did he bite you?” her grandmother’s voice seemed far away, but he kept track of the conversation even as he watched Andrea. Mine.

  “Yes.”

  “He asked permission?”

  “Yes.”

  “You gave it then? So, it is not forced. I thought not.”

  Troy growled. Of course, he didn’t force her. Who would do such a thing? But before he could answer, Andrea was there defending him. She still cares. Thank the goddess!

  “No, certainly not! I wanted him as much as he wanted me.”

  She ignored his stare and poured glasses of what looked like iced tea and set them on the table. His Andrea was quick and efficient, but she was not entirely at home. He remembered the things she’d shared with him and his heart hurt for her.

  No, she is not at home here, but she could be with me. He could almost imagine her doing such small, domestic things in their house and his heart thudded. He wanted that. He wanted her in his kitchen in his life, forever. He needed to fix this.

  The three of them sat down with steaming bowls of what he’d learned was lamb stew and began to eat. Flavor exploded on his tongue and he didn’t miss Andrea’s soft sigh of satisfaction. He made a mental note to make her repeat the sound later.

  “Well, granddaughter, you are back now, and you’ve seen the house Renalda left you.”

  “Yes, Puri daj.”

  “And?”

  “And? Well, let’s see, grandmother, it seems you had me come back here from Greece where I was having the time of my life partying with a bunch of gorgeous guys and beautiful women-”

  Troy growled at her words and she shot him a dirty look. He silenced his growl, but he was jealous. Fuck and damn. He felt like ten times an idiot. He’d done nothing but fuck up since he met her, it seemed.

  Jealousy was not his thing, but he was practically green with it. He was doomed to make a fool of himself again if she kept talking about other men. But she continued to speak as if he wasn’t in agony sitting there! Fuck and damn again.

  “To come look at some dilapidated pile of junk I inherited from my great-aunt who I don’t even remember! Then while I’m trying to figure out how to get the heat to work, I stumble over a binding circle and I released some damn grimoire and then, this idiot over here comes stomping in and handcuffs me-”

  “You handcuffed my granddaughter?”

  “Yes,” he growled. He was alternately embarrassed and uncomfortable.

  “Then he goes on to tell me I’m his mate and-”

  “And the two of you fucked like rabbits if those mating marks on your neck is anything to go by. So, Andrea, so tell me why then are you here?”

  Troy grinned as he looked at Andrea’s bright red face. She was so fucking adorable. He didn’t think she’d imagined her grandmother using that language, regardless of how apt the imagery might be. If he’d thought anything about this situation as funny, he’d laugh, but as it was, he simply sat there on needles and pins.

  “Well, we are here because I want this, our mating undone!”

  “NO!” He roared and stood up, knocking over the chair he’d been sitting on in the process.

  “Yes! You big stupid jerk! You still think that I had something evil in mind when I tripped over that book and got stuck in the binding circle! I don’t want to be stuck with someone who thinks I’m capable of that!”

  “Think of how it looked-”

  “Think of how it looked? All I’ve been doing is thinking of how amazing this connection between us is, but apparently I’m the only one who feels that way!”

  “That’s not fair!”

  “Not fair? You think I was practicing Dark magic! How is that for not fair?”

  “We just met! How the hell do I know what you’re capable of!”

  “Well that’s great isn’t it! You had no problem licking me from head to toe and marking me with your bite, but you still think I’m practicing Dark magic! Well, fuck you very much, Troy Waman!”

  “Oh hell, I didn’t mean it like that! Andrea, you are my mate, mine, there is no going back!”

  “Actually, there may be a way,” Madame Magdelena sat back in her chair ignoring the overturned chairs and bowls of stew after Troy and Andrea began their tirades.

  The atmosphere was so tense you could hear a pin drop. Troy’s Thunderbird roared in his mind’s eye. The beast was ready to rip out the throat of the Romani Spell Caster who was threatening to take his mate away.

  The power of Aquarius flashed through him. Troy’s muscles tensed, and his skin beaded with sweat. The urge to Change into his other skin almost overpowered him. Troy clenched his jaw. He needed to remain human to talk his mate out of such a thing.

  “What did you say, Puri daj?” Andrea turned to her grandmother and for the first time, Troy noticed the tears streaking her face. The bitter tang of misery and sadness overpowered her usual sweet and smoky scent.

  Oh no. He’d done that. He put that sorrow on her face. How the fuck could he do such a thing? Pain lanced his chest he dropped to his knees in the middle of the Romani matriarch’s kitchen. His matebond shriveled even smaller and coldness seeped into his bones. The power of Aquarius quaked within him, shunning his already made decision.

  “Andrea, oh no,” his voice was hoarse and aching.

  He was sick with grief, “please forgive me, mate, I am so sorry. I never meant to cause you any pain.”

  “If you wish to stop harming my granddaughter, Warden, then you know the way to end a mating, don’t you?” Madame Magdelena’s voice was loud in the small room.

  “Yes. If that is what she wants, then I will submit.”

  “I suggest we sleep on it tonight. Andrea, you may have your old room. Your cousin, Melinda, has been using it, but she is away tonight.”

  “Okay, thank you. I’m going to go up now. I need to think,” Andrea left the room in a rush.

  Troy hated the tears he saw visible in her emerald eyes. He put them there. Fuck and damn. He turned to find Madame Magdelena’s dark stare riveted to his face.

  “I don’t imagine you will require a bedroom?”

  “No, thank you. I doubt I will sleep tonight,” he sighed running his hand over his face. It was early in the evening yet. But he knew the time would tick by slowly.

  “You understand what I meant when I said there was one way to break a bonding such as yours?”

  “Yes. I have heard stories, but if you doubt my resolve let me say out loud to you that I would gladly give my life for Andrea.”

  “I thought you might say that, but we shall see. Excuse me,” she left without a backwards glance.

  Troy stood and walked to the living room. The giant man whom he’d learned was Andrea’s cousin Rolf was sitting on the floor wiping up blood with a bucket and warm water.

  “Uh, suppose I help you clean this up?” Troy asked.

  The man looked at him and grunted before nodding towards the remnants of the front door.

  “You clean up that mess. My cousin is bringing a new one now. We will put it up. Then we will get drunk and I will figure out how you bested me.”

  Troy nodded. It wasn’t how he’d have preferred to spend his evening, but beggars and all that. Fuck and damn. His Thunderbird cried in his mind’s eye.

  The sorrowful song was enough to break Troy’s heart, but he silenced the beast with a strict command. He couldn’t fall apart now. He needed to see her safe first.

  Troy woke up the next morning with a dry cottony taste in his mouth. That was the last time he got drunk with a bunch of Romani Casters! Damn bespelled ouzo was enough to knock any Shifter on his ass for an hour or two. The amount of it he drank would’ve killed a lesser man. Shifter or not.

  He sat up and grabbed the glass of water he’d left on the coffee table. The sound of snoring made his head hurt. Rolf was face down on the opposite sofa, a line of drool hanging from his crooked lips. Fucking guy was alright.

  They’d spent the night bullshitting and drinking. Rolf had been in love once, but the woman dumped him for a richer man. He’d been avoiding females ever since. His story was sad, but it had nothing on Troy’s tale.

  Fuck and damn. He’d met and lost the one woman the Fates had created for him alone in the span of twenty-four hours. How’s that for fucking up your life?

  He felt better once he’d finished his water and stood to use the restroom. Once he was finished with the new toothbrush and other toiletries he’d found, he stepped back into the living room right into a cloud of smoky caramel sweetness. Andrea.

 

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