Casey, page 13
part #8 of Safe Haven Wolves Series
“Is she dead?” Dacron swiveled his head to look at Trey, who was staring at Casey in horror.
“No. Although don’t think that option did not occur to me, often. The option is still on the table by the way, if you want to lift your protection of her and take care of it for me.”
“Are you insane?”
“According to Rimi, yes. But don’t worry, he says if it were contagious, he would have caught it long ago. Although, now that I think about it, yeah it probably is cause the lot of them are completely insane. I did the only thing I could, in honor do. I mated my heart to hers.”
“So, how does that work, exactly?” Trey gave a half-laugh, “It can’t be like our mating, we would die to protect our mates not look for people to kill them.”
Dacron laughed, “Yeah, well, we aren’t exactly like that.”
“Obviously. You might as well cover her up and bring her into the meeting room. Everyone else is already there. We have been waiting. We don’t know for what because that is the sum total of what Dracula said, now, we wait.”
“Go ahead, I am right behind you. Wait, my hands are full, can you pull her shirt down for me? And Trey?”
“Yeah?”
“What is a monkey-fuck question?”
Trey snorted in laughter, “A monkey-fuck question?”
Dacron nodded.
“Hell, man, I don’t know. Who said it?”
Dacron dropped his eyes to look at the woman cradled in his arms, dipping his chin down at the same time.
Trey’s lips twitched with suppressed mirth before he shrugged. “No clue. A stupid question, maybe.”
Chapter Twenty-two
“Wha..” Casey tried to sit up, but someone pushed her back. She looked up into the amused smirk of Dacron. “What did you do to me?”
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I do wish you would quit blaming your mistakes on me. I did nothing.”
She heard some muffled coughs and turned her head to find herself the center of attention in the meeting room. Her brow wrinkled as she lifted her hand and felt her chest. Sliding her hand under her shirt, she felt for the mark. A smile touched her lips as she realized the mark was gone, and her chest didn’t burn. Before she could get too excited, she looked back at Dacron. The smirk on his face seemed positively evil. Her eyes narrowed as she asked again, “What did you do?”
“I? I didn’t do anything except what you asked me to do.”
Casey racked her memories, and a blush flooded her face. “You bastard. What did you do.”
“Yeah, the rest of us are in the dark about what happened. We would like answers to that question. What did you do?” Trey asked.
Dacron gave one last look at his mate before his eyes widened. He realized he was in striking distance of her hands, and he had no idea how she would react to what he was about to say. He had remained crouched beside the couch after laying her down, so he helped her to sit up before putting some distance between them. Once he gaged he had enough people between him and his new mate, he started his explanation.
“Several thousand years ago our people had heart-bonded mates. Rimi and the others explained how the shifter mating works, the true-mates and the mate bond between couples not true-mated. Heart-bonded mates are not really connected like that. At least, I don’t think so. A shifter, if I understand correctly, will do anything to keep their mate safe and they can find their mate no matter where the person goes. We don’t have that ability. But then again the ability to heart-bond mate ceased for us when the Calians got involved with our people. We didn’t know it then, but they found our weakness and exploited it. They,” he pointed to the three Reliants, “have never seen a true heart-bonded mate and probably thought them a myth. When a pair is heart-bonded, their hearts beat in sync with each other. They can feel what the other feels, they can smell what the other smells, and they can taste the other.” He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “I am trying to figure out how to explain that, Talbort assured me you can smell a lie, but not like we smell them. Emotions have a smell, he said your people have a similar way of knowing the emotions around you. More of a feeling though than ours. We can scent our mate with our tongue.” His lips tightened, “Okay, see that look right there, you can get that look off your face, I don’t mean taste them like that.”
Craig laughed. “Then you are doing things wrong.”
Kate hit him.
The tension in the room eased, and Dacron continued his explanation. “You see, once we had calling marks, what you saw on Casey’s chest and on my own. The gods are a fickle bunch with a lousy sense of humor. Once you come in contact with your mate, you have very little time to claim them and gods help you if you ignore the call. I can’t say we are like the shifters in that your true-mate completes you, but heart-mates are happy matings. Our people, once their heart-mate bond broke, chose to remain with their bonded mate even though they were free. If a member of the opposite sex touches the mark and they do not have the matching mark, they die. But if the one who holds the matching mark touches the mark, you have mere minutes to kill them or bond your heart to them. The only two ways to survive the heat of the mark. I suppose you could try to outlast the other, letting them die in agony and hope you survive. Because as soon as their last heartbeat fades, the mark disappears, and you are free.”
“So why did Dracula shove all of us in the house?” Kate broke into his explanation to ask the question she most wanted an answer to at the moment.
This time is was Dacron who blushed. “During the bonding, the couple is vulnerable, and the male protects himself and his mate by bringing death to any around him.”
“So you’re telling me you would have killed your own brother if he had stayed.”
The grimace on his face answered Kate’s question.
“I thought that was a myth.”
“Well, I appreciate that you left anyway little brother because it was not a myth.”
“Well, you can thank Dracula for that because I probably would have stayed to see what happened.”
“Myth or not, I wasn’t taking any chances. The stories say when the spines rise flee, so we fled.” Dracula told him.
“What spines? How do we undo this? I don’t want to mate an alien who hates me. Wait, what do you do with those spines? They were sticking through your shirt. What is so bad about them?”
“The spines rise during a bonding. If movement from any but the female is tasted in the air, the spines fly out in an arc around the male taking out anyone around them. We don’t direct the spines, nor can we stop them. When they strike death soon follows. You want to undo the bond?”
“Yes. I don’t want to be mated to someone who hates me.”
Dacron turned to Trey. “You heard that; she gave me full permission to kill her.”
“What the hell! No, I didn’t. Are you insane?”
“Let me try this another way, Princess. The only two ways to break a heart-bond is by death and by Calian. And the last one only works if neither of the heart-mates is Calian. I have no intention of dying so if you want to break the bond, I can arrange to have you killed.”
“That’s heartless. Why would your kind mate to someone you don’t love?”
“Because love always follows the heart-mate calling. Sometimes it just takes a while.” A slow sensual smile formed on his face, “Let’s do a little experiment. Open your mouth and breathe in while thinking about me.”
Casey’s eyes darted around the room. Everyone’s attention was fixated on her mouth. She gave a nervous laugh. “No, that’s alright, I’ll pass.”
“Humor me.”
“Come on, Casey, do it and tell us what happens.” Kate urged.
“Fine. Whatever.” Casey glared at Dacron when she opened her mouth, drawing air in the glare turned to awe, and she stuck her tongue out as if she could lick the flavor from the air around her.
“Hey!! Careful. Stop that. Put your tongue back in your mouth. Are you insane?” The shouted words penetrated her daze, and she jerked her attention back to the room.
Dracula, Rimi, and Talbort had their faces buried in their hands, shoulders shaking as they tried to hold their laughter in. Dracula was the first to lose control, but Rimi was the one who fell from his chair onto the floor holding his stomach, tears streaking down his face. Dacron stared at them in disgust while the rest of the room stared at them in confusion.
When the men finally calmed down enough to talk, Trey turned to look at Dacron, but he wasn’t there. Looking back at Dracula, he asked, “Where did Dacron go?”
“Probably to the restroom after the stunt Casey pulled.”
The three started laughing again, and Rimi struggled to get the words out, “I would have microwaved a bag of popcorn if I had known that was going to happen.”
“Pretend the rest of us don’t know what happened,” Trey muttered.
Dracula pointed to Casey, “I think we said something about tasting your mate. True heart bond or not if you are in the room with your mate, you can taste your mate in the air. Our Casey here just started foreplay with her mate.”
“WHAT? No, I didn’t. I just did what he told me to do.”
“Oh no, now I have to take up for Dacron on that one. He said, Open your mouth and breathe in while thinking about me. At no point did he say stick your tongue out and lick me in front of everyone.”
“You’re joking? But, the air tasted delicious. It was the most marvelous thing I have ever tasted.”
“And now you see why a couple will stay together if they don’t much care for each other in the beginning. Love always follows, always. But until love,” Dacron winked as he walked back into the room.
“See, I told you I bet he tasted delicious.” Nathanial looked at Casey in envy.
Dacron grinned at the man and winked. “And she only tasted the air.” He turned to Casey, his voice firm, “Do not do that again unless you want me to return the favor.”
“So, what happens now?” Craig asked him.
“That is something Casey, and I will have to work out between us.”
“Considering our wolf is her protector, I think the outcome concerns my mate and me just as much as it does you and Casey.”
“You might be right. But for now, my only concern is myself and my mate. Trey, would you take us to the landing field?”
“Excuse me? You do not order me around. You ask if I want to go.”
“Actually, I wasn’t ordering you around, nor was I inviting you. If you would like to go, I will let you. If you want to know more about what the future holds for you, I will be more than happy to tell you what I know. But for right now I want to get back to Dracula’s and get a shower and a change of clothing.” Dacron shrugged, “Come, don’t come, it doesn’t matter to me yet. My chest no longer burns, and I actually know what happens to heart-bonded mates.”
“Holy shit, ow, Kate I swear if you don’t stop hitting me. It slipped out. You can’t blame me.”
“Except for the wording used I have to say I am in agreement with my mate on this. That was a horrible thing to say to Casey.”
Dacron turned to look at Kate, “I don’t actually care, yet. I added the yet. Look, I am bonded to someone I can’t take home, and I can’t kill. I know what will eventually happen, but that doesn’t mean I am happy about what is going on right now. Not that it is any of your business, no maybe it is. Most of the people in this room have an extinction command hanging over their heads, and I have an oath to carry it out. That I haven’t is because Trey once saved my brother’s life and all of you are in his house under his protection. Stop provoking me.”
“You are still an ass hat,” Casey muttered as she headed for the door. She swiveled around to stare at Dacron, “If I go with you, do you swear not to harm me or allow anyone else to harm me?”
His lips pinched together before he gave one clipped nod. “On my honor.”
Casey looked at Rimi, who nodded his head.
“Fine. Your brother has vouched for you. I will go with you, and you will explain everything to me in detail. I will get my things.”
Once she was out of hearing, Dracula turned to Dacron, “Do you think that’s wise?”
“Will you kill her for me?”
“No.”
“Then it seems I don’t have a choice, do I? Don’t worry. A heart-bond created from a heart calling isn’t anything like what you have. Love will follow. I may have regrets now, but I won’t always. Unless someone volunteers to break the bond.”
“We are not killing Casey. No one is killing Casey.” Trey’s exasperated voice broke in.
“You can’t blame me for trying.”
Casey’s scream cut through the house, and everyone took off running toward her room except the four Reliants.
“What do you want to bet she caught sight of her back?” Dracula asked.
Talbort shook his head. “No bet from me. I don’t think she is pleased.”
“What happens if someone of the opposite sex touches that mark? Are the stories about that true?”
Dacron gave an evil laugh, “Oh yeah, completely true Dracula, completely true.”
“Don’t you think you should warn them?”
Just then the air was flooded with cursing.
“No, I think they figured it out.”
Trey came back in the room, shaking his hand. “You are a complete asshole.”
Dacron smiled, “Yes, I know. So are you ready to take us back now?”
Without waiting for an answer, he headed for the door, the others trailing behind.
Chapter Twenty-three
Casey was pacing while Dacron watched her with wary eyes. The others had retired to the rec room when they got to Dracula’s while he and Casey had settled in the living room to talk. “I can’t believe you didn’t warn me, warn anyone. Did you know it would hurt if another man touched the mark on my back? You had to have known. You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? Why did you do it? You hate me. Why did you bond to me?”
“I don’t hate you. I hate what the past has taught me of your race. I hate what has happened in my life and to my people because of your kind. I hate the losses and the pain your people caused. But I am trying hard to remember you were not part of that past. Do I want to be mated to you? Casey, I am going, to be honest with you. Sit down. Please.” He waited while she considered her options and finally sat in the chair opposite of him. “We don’t have true heart-bonded mates anymore. Not that I’m aware of I should say. But in my lifetime, I have known many. I had one.”
Casey waited for him to continue, and waited, but he was staring into a past she couldn’t see. She cleared her throat and watched him shake himself.
“I won’t lie and tell you I am happy about this, but I can’t lie and say a part of me isn’t happy. You see, I don’t know what your shifter friends’ bonds are like, but I know what one of ours is like. They say for a shifter it is a sudden bond, they mate, and it is like they have the other half of themselves. But our bond is different. It pulls at you and tangles you up until you don’t want to let go. It grows over time and gets stronger till you don’t know where you end and the other person starts. If you are sad, I will know from half a world away. Do you know how it feels to have someone who always knows when to say a kind word to you? If you are happy that joy is magnified through the bond. You can be across town, and something happens that brings you joy, and your mate is flooded with joy with you. Come here a minute, let me show you something, turn around.” Dacron gritted his teeth as he reached for her back. He braced himself as he slid his hand under her shirt, seeking the mark. When his fingers grazed it, they both moaned. He felt himself harden and smelled her desire. He slid his hand out as she turned. He watched as she struggled to get her breathing under control.
“Is it always like that?”
“Yes. For as long as you wear that mark your desire is mine, and my desire is yours and the mark, well it is the focal point.”
“So let me get this straight, I lick the air, and I am licking you, you touch my mark and turn me to jello?
“I’m not sure what jello is but if you mean does it open your desire for me then yes. The mark is highly sensitive to the touch of the mate.” He narrowed his eyes as he saw her open her mouth and poke her tongue out. He moaned as she drew air in over her tongue. “Stop it unless you want me to retaliate.”
“Wait. You can mess with my mark and the air? That isn’t fair.”
“I don’t understand where fair comes into this. What you can do, I can do, and the reverse is true.”
“Turn around. I want to see.”
“I do not lie Casey.”
“So turn around.”
Dacron shifted on the couch until his body was positioned where she could reach the mark. As her hand slid under his shirt, he drew in a sharp breath and braced himself. He found out he shouldn’t have bothered. He had forgotten how sensitive the mark was as his body hardened to the point of pain. Instead of removing her hand, Casey seemed to have gotten stuck in the pleasure. He shifted away, finally leaning forward away from her fingers. “You are killing me with pleasure little one. Have mercy.”
“It feels so good. I don’t understand. How can you hate me but feel so good and taste so good?”
