Primal Mirror, page 37
But the best thing for me, the absolute best thing, is how close we are as a group. Our size means that we all connect on a daily basis, and honestly, this ornery old cat figured she’d go mad pretty damn fast as a result.
Instead, it turns out I love being in the center of the action, and I love that I can be part of everything. I just have to ask—there’s always room for an extra pair of hands and someone ready to train you to the job.
As an example, a day before turning in this article, I spent two hours with my alpha on an important project. The project in question was an educational plan for our children.
We’re now at the point where we’re looking to set up a school and on the hunt for teachers who want to dive into life with an audacious young pack where adventure and discovery are a daily fact—alongside laughter, fun, and waking up to one of the most beautiful places on this planet each and every day.
P.S. I have been charged by the women of the pack to confirm that Remi is indeed scary but sexy, especially when he lets out that wicked smile of his. But he is also now very taken, wild women, so you’ll have to aim for the other sexy unmated singles in the pack. I will be featuring them one by one in the column, never you worry. I know my responsibilities as a Wild Woman columnist!
—“The RainFire Diaries: Part 1” by Vesta Narin, in the December 2083 issue of Wild Woman magazine: “Skin Privileges, Style & Primal Sophistication”
“LIBBY IS STILL sleeping?” A disgusted Jojo threw up her tiny hands. “Babies!”
Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, Auden crouched down on the grass outside the aeries so Jojo could look down at Liberty’s sleeping face. “Baby cubs sleep a lot,” she acknowledged. “But look how cute she is. Sometimes she even snores.” She imitated Liberty’s adorable snuffle-snores.
Jojo giggled and touched her finger to Liberty’s with the care taught to every cub in RainFire when it came to babies. “Hi, Libby,” she whispered. “It’s your friend Jojo.” She pressed a soft kiss to Liberty’s bare head.
It was an unseasonably warm day, the baby’s glossy brown hair shining in the sunshine. No snow had fallen yet, but they all knew it was on the horizon.
She opened her eyes at her packmate’s touch, those eyes a soft brown full of happiness. Liberty had been checked over by Finn, Dr. Bashir, and every empath known to either RainFire or the Arrow Squad.
The consensus was that she felt like she was just…being a baby. No strain, no tension, no special tiredness. Auden and Remi’s cub simply had a brain that could act as the central processing plant for psychic energy.
Now that Auden knew Liberty was safe, she found grim pleasure in the fact that Shoshanna had inadvertently engineered a gift of hope for the very race she’d been trying to swallow up and control. Auden saw that hope each time she stepped into the PsyNet—to which she and Liberty were still connected, because Liberty was necessary to its survival.
Both of them were, however, also bonded to Remi—and that bond was unbreakable.
One was a bond of need by the PsyNet, the other a bond of love between a family.
As for Shoshanna’s plans, Auden was still going through her mother’s files, but it was clear that she’d been flat out insane by the end. Her whole plan of “transference” and “neural integration” had been the product of a disturbed mind from the start, but mercifully she’d had the sense to hire skilled M-Psy to engineer Liberty’s DNA.
Auden had sent those particular files, as well as a sample of Liberty’s DNA, to Ashaya Aleine. Mated to a DarkRiver sentinel, the scientist was the most top-tier and trustworthy specialist on the subject that Auden could’ve ever hoped to find. The other woman had examined the data with a fine-tooth comb.
“The M-Psy who worked on this took no dangerous risks,” Ashaya had reported back. “I’d go so far as to say Shoshanna got lucky with the depth of Liberty’s power—Psy have never been able to predict psychic strength beyond basic genetic matches. Most of the heavy lifting in this case was done by the Gradient levels involved.”
A mother herself, the other woman had smiled. “Enjoy your cub, Auden. She’s healthy and strong and from what I saw when we met, she’s cherished by the entire pack and will grow up into a joyful and well-adjusted adult.”
Auden intended to follow that advice.
“It’s time for Liberty to go hang out with Finn now,” Auden said to Jojo when Liberty yawned and closed her eyes again. “And hey”—she tapped Jojo on the nose—“isn’t it a special dinner tonight?”
The cub lit up. “Pancakes!” Thus reminded of the promised breakfast-for-dinner night at the dining aerie, she ran off at speed.
Auden’s heart filled to overflowing, as it so often did these days. Seven weeks after Liberty’s birth and three weeks after her release from the pack’s infirmary—to which she’d been shifted after Bashir agreed she was out of the critical danger zone—she felt more at home in RainFire than she ever had in the Scott home.
Her stay in the infirmary had been nothing she could’ve imagined; she’d had a packmate or three drop by every single day. Each had brought stories or food or a funny show to watch with her. And her Remi had been with her through it all; he’d even snuck in cake and fed it to her bite after bite.
Smiling, she turned…and nearly ran into Kit.
“Can I hold her?” He made big, adorable eyes at her.
Rina’s brother was ridiculously charming; they’d all miss him when he headed home next week. “I’m taking her to Finn.” The healer had the night off because no one had managed to harm or otherwise injure themselves this past week, but instead of telling the pack to leave him alone, he’d volunteered to babysit while partaking of the communal meal.
“That’s just how healers are,” Lark had reassured her when Auden worried about Finn’s lack of downtime. “This is his idea of downtime—chilling with the pack, cubs hanging off him. Also, trust me, he’ll be less babysitting Libby and more keeping an eye on her while the pack cuddles her.”
Liberty, Auden already knew, would thrive in the midst of the noise and conversation. Her and Remi’s child might as well have been born half-changeling, she’d settled with such joy into the pack’s communal way of life.
Kit held out his hands. “I’ll take her. Promise I won’t kidnap her and run away. Too scared of Remi’s wrath.”
Lips twitching, Auden gave the baby another cuddle before handing her over into those careful arms. Trust here, with these people, came easy. Not only because she was Remi’s mate, but because each and every person here had watched over Liberty while she couldn’t. Never would any of them harm her.
Kit’s smile was that of a heartbreaker as he cuddled her close, his auburn hair falling over his forehead as he bent to nuzzle at the baby. “Hey, kitten.”
Good thing Phoebe wasn’t in range or the poor juvenile would surely have fainted. Her crush on Kit was sweet and young and made Auden smile—because to her, it showed the love in which Phoebe had been raised, that she felt safe crushing on a dangerous dominant. Auden wanted the same carefree sense of possibility for her baby.
“Does she need a bottle?” Kit looked up, the evening sunshine soft gold on his skin. “I could feed her.”
“No, I just fed her.” She’d done so sitting outside in the sun, under the wide canopy of an aerie tree.
No one had minded, smiles shot her way. Because she lived in a changeling pack, and breastfeeding a cub was nothing monumental on which to offer comment. Auden was still shy enough to use a shawl but her baby would grow up as wild and free as Jojo—who’d run naked through the closest stand of trees only the other day, while doing a warrior yell.
Three other equally naked cubs had followed, all of them echoing her cry.
Auden loved the thought of her child whooping it up after the assured ringleader of the cubs.
“But,” she added when Kit’s face fell, “I pumped more milk for later that’s in the infirmary fridge. You can ask Finn if you can do her next feed.” Because tonight, Auden was going out on a date with her mate.
Not only that, but she had, as of today, a full bill of health. Signed and sealed.
Finally.
Remington Denier was about to be pounced on by a very sexually frustrated woman who he’d managed to rouse to fever pitch night after night with his kisses and his stroking and his petting…and those oh-so-sexy words he purred in her ear.
Tonight, Auden intended to ride him to oblivion.
* * *
• • •
REMI almost swallowed his tongue when he saw Auden walking toward him. He’d asked her to meet him at the cabin. It had felt right that they’d consummate their relationship—at fucking last!—in the place where they’d first met.
Her hair was a halo of curls lustrous and lush that reached her shoulders, her lips plump and wet with gloss. And her body. “Fuck.” It came out a croak.
She was wearing a little dress of shimmering bronze that ended high on her thighs; in between, it hugged every curve and scooped down to expose the upper curves of breasts lush and heavy. She’d paired it with ankle boots that allowed her to walk on the forest floor while around her neck dangled the gold chain he’d gifted her.
A gold chain with a tiny lock as a pendant.
A sensual and private game between mates.
“Hi, handsome,” she said, coming to stand with one hand flat on his chest. “You clean up gorgeous, but tonight I want naked.” A hint of heat on her cheeks. “Lots and lots of naked.”
Smiling at her playfulness, he stroked his hand down to lie on the curve of her ass, and drew deep of the intoxication of her scent. “I want to eat you up,” he growled.
“You did that last night.” She ran her fingers down his black button-down shirt, which he’d paired with black pants. “Today, I get your cock.”
That was another thing. His mate was a fast learner in bed, and had figured out that dirty talk from her drove him insane. Especially because she blushed and got all flustered in the aftermath.
Like now, her eyelashes lowering as she glanced down, and her feet doing a nervous movement.
Affection twined with lust, his adoration for her absolute. “You can have whatever you want,” he said, “but first, how about I feed you the delicious meal I’ve put together for you?” He nuzzled at her, running his hand up her thigh and to the edge of her dress. “This dress is so short you can’t bend over in front of anyone but me.”
“I sat on your jacket while driving up,” she whispered, undoing the buttons of his shirt. “I’m not wearing panties.”
That was it. Remi only had so much endurance.
“Food can wait,” he said and, fisting his hand in her hair, shoved up the hem of her dress to cup her between her thighs.
Her curls pressed into his palm, her flesh liquid silk in readiness. Growling into her mouth, he worked one finger into her and felt her clench. She liked this. He knew because he’d done it two nights in a row.
One finger. Then two.
Getting her ready for tonight, for the much bigger, thicker intrusion into her body. He’d intended to go slow, take it easy, but she was pushing his shirt off his shoulders and moving on his fingers and kissing him all over his chest, and Remi needed to claim her more than he needed to breathe.
Removing his fingers from her, he threw her over his shoulder and spanked her exposed butt lightly as he carried her into the cabin. “You are messing up all my plans once again, Ms. Auden Denier.”
Because she was a Denier now, as was Liberty, Scott a name that was tainted in Auden’s eyes and that she didn’t want to claim for either of them.
“I can’t help it,” she said. “I want you inside me. The need, it aches.”
His own need to claim her a clawing within, he kicked the door shut behind himself before throwing her onto the bed with gentle arms. Her dress was shoved up around her waist, her lower body exposed and glistening, her breasts plumping up over her neckline. “Pull down the shoulders,” he ordered as he tore off his shirt. “Shove the top of your dress down to the waist, too.”
He was naked by the time she finished.
Cock in hand, he pumped once, twice.
Knees raised, she spread her thighs…and her arms.
He was lost, was hers. They’d play their sexy games later. Right now, he wanted to be inside his mate, wanted to mark her with his seed, and wanted her to mark him with her musk, her nails, her bite.
When he came over her, it was to kiss her with all the love inside his wild heart. She adored him in turn, her legs wrapping around his waist as he nudged at her entrance with his cock. Even though she was so slick, he took his time with this first dance.
The harder, rougher play could wait.
For his mate’s first time, he’d show her nothing but patience even if it killed him.
It did. Almost. Kill him.
But his reward for the teeth-gritting will was Auden’s pleasured gasp as she rode him exactly as she’d fantasized, her hands on his chest and her eyes locked with his before they hazed in an orgasm that clenched around him, breaking his control at last.
He came inside her. Marking and being marked.
* * *
• • •
LATER, much later, he fed her pastries while she sat naked on his lap, and music played through the speakers he’d brought up, while fairy lights twinkled all around them. He’d come up early to set it all up, give his mate the romance and the courtship she deserved—and he intended to keep it up. He planned to give her everything, permeate her world with joy.
Now he nuzzled and cuddled her, and bargained for future sexual favors with bites of cinnamon roll and salted caramel cupcake, and her giggles and kisses and happiness filled his heart to overflowing.
He was Remi Denier, Alpha, Father, and Mate.
And he was living a life far more extraordinary and joyous than could’ve been dreamed of by the lonely and grieving boy whose anger had once driven him to race and race in an effort to outrun his pain. There was no more need to run anywhere.
He was home.
In his pack.
In her arms.
Chapter 50
I am calling a meeting of the board at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Attendance is mandatory.
—Message from Auden Denier to the Scott Board of Directors (17 January 2084)
AUDEN RAN HER hand down the lines of her sleek but comfortable dark pink shift one last time before she strode out of her office at the new Scott HQ in Sunset Falls and down the hall to the conference room where the board awaited—that included her uncle, who’d emerged from his kidnapping with a healthy fear of both changelings and Auden, and no actual memories of anything.
Auden might’ve felt sorry for him if she hadn’t learned that, while she lay fighting for her life, he’d set a pack of lawyers to figuring out how to screw Liberty out of her birthright. After everything Shoshanna had done to Liberty before she was even born, Hayward didn’t get to claim the one useful thing Shoshanna might have done for Auden’s baby.
As Remi would say, fuck that noise.
She gave the entire board a cool look as she entered.
Then she took control with an ease and a depth of knowledge that had never been hers before her mother decided to invade her mind.
Bleedover.
She’d had two choices once it became clear that some of the bleedover from Shoshanna’s attempts at transference was permanent and embedded into her neurons: either rage against it in bitterness that would slowly turn toxic inside her…or own it.
Auden had chosen the latter option. Because even if Shoshanna had left information and skills behind in Auden’s head, she hadn’t left any traces of her personality or sense of self. Auden knew that beyond any doubt—because her mother had simply never had the capacity to love that bled through Auden’s veins.
Remi had confirmed that her scent no longer showed any signs of cold metal, but her mate had also supported her desire to consult an empath, as well.
“The only person inside you is you,” Vasic’s mate, Ivy Jane Zen, had said. “I’ve worked with fragmented personalities before, and you’re not one of them.” She’d taken Auden’s hands in her own. “Your mind is cohesive and your loyal, loving heart is a delight for an E—you’re a good person, Auden, and you’re very much your own person.”
Ivy’s little white dog had stood on Auden’s feet just then, his tail wagging as he waited to be petted. “See,” Ivy had said with a laugh, “Rabbit agrees with me, and he’s the best judge of character around.”
Shoshanna had played a high-stakes game—and lost.
Now, Auden owned this knowledge, and she’d decided to use it to seize control of her family.
“I have two options,” she’d said to Remi once she was healed enough to head out into the world. “Surrender the family to its current path, or assume the CEO position and try to make them something better. I’m going for option two.” Scott might not be a name Auden would ever again claim, for her or her child, but neither was she about to allow evil to win.
“I also feel bad for the young ones like my cousin Devlin,” she’d added. “He’s never had the chance to become anything but what Shoshanna, then Charisma shaped him to be. I think I can make a difference, give the next generation a shot at a life like our baby is going to have.”
“You know I have your back,” Remi had said. “I also know you’ll kick ass.”
Jaya, the empath who’d felt like a friend from the moment Auden first met her while conscious, had grimaced—but only because she knew what awaited Auden. “They’ll try to manipulate you, poison your mind. Be wary.”
