Page 18 of Their Shared Mate
Victor tensed. The last thing he needed was competition. If Gabriel decided that he wanted Claire, Raphael would likely step aside. And without Raphael, Victor would not be allowed to court her. Those were the rules. “What did you think?” He tried to sound casual but failed.
“Don’t let Raphael take the easy way out. She’s perfect for you two.”
Claire threw her arms around Tara and gave her an enthusiastic hug. “Kyle has only been here a few hours. How did you get up here so fast?” Claire hadn’t seen her friend since being taken captive by the wolves, and even in the feline village Tara had been focused on her new mates. Claire didn’t begrudge Tara her happiness. She just missed the closeness they’d enjoyed when the women first arrived on Rydaria. They hadn’t known each other at Nuevo Biotech, but sharing a tent for four months and struggling to survive had created a bond many lifelong friends failed to develop.
“Gabriel sent a skimmer for me,” Tara explained. “I didn’t realize there were any working vehicles on the planet until today.”
“Many of the raptors are engineers, so they knew what to scavenge from the transport ships,” Claire paraphrased what Raphael had told her. “There’s even more tech up here than in the feline village.”
“It’s not tech that’s helping Kyle. It’s magic.” Tara sounded almost reverent. “A lot of the hybrids resent their abilities. I know Jon did and sometimes still does. But I’m grateful as hell that Raphael is no longer an ordinary human.”
Claire smiled and motioned toward a quiet corner of the bunkhouse’s main floor. Several of the women waved at Tara as they walked by, but no one interrupted the reunion. Claire sat in a rustic chair facing Tara and they both lowered their voices. Being overheard was unavoidable. There really wasn’t a private room available in the bunkhouse. Even the bedrooms lining the halls upstairs accommodated six.
“How is Kyle?” Claire asked. “I was only told that he was attacked by a wolf and needed immediate attention.”
“He wasn’t conscious when they let me see him. The wounds on his chest are closed, but Raphael said it will take numerous sessions over several days to restore him completely. I guess you’re stuck with me for a while.”
Claire waved away the comment. “I’m sorry Kyle was hurt, but I’m thrilled to have some time with you. I’ve really missed you.”
Tara reached over and squeezed Claire’s arm. “Me too. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately. I didn’t mean to neglect our friendship.”
“You’re a newlywed. No one is going to blame you for being distracted.” Now that she’d had a taste of mated life, Claire understood how easy it was to become overwhelmed by Rydarian males. “Did Jon and Isaac accompany you?”
“They did, but Isaac has to go back. They captured a couple of wolves this morning and Isaac is the best interrogator in the village.”
“What are they hoping to learn? Which pack the wolves belong to?” Claire knew that the cats were at war with the wolves, and wolves were ruthless savages, but she didn’t understand the politics behind the conflict. Females had become a bitter point of contention between the two sides, yet the enmity went back farther, perhaps a lot farther than the humans’ arrival on Rydaria.
“They’re from Riverside pack, so Zion is hoping to learn more about Alex. He’s the alpha who ordered the takeover.”
“He didn’t just order it. He led the charge and fought more viciously than any other.” Claire shuddered as his image barged into her memory. Shaggy blond hair, bushy beard, and piercing amber eyes. “I spoke with Alex briefly down in the mines.”
Obviously surprised by the revelation, Tara asked, “Who instigated the conversation?”
“It just happened. Dawn freaked out in the tunnels and Alex gave me time to calm her down. He even backed off the guards while I worked with her.” Everything that happened during her captivity had been traumatizing for Claire. She was anxious to talk about something else. “There is no way Elias would have been that considerate. I thought Alex might be a better option until I saw him fight.”
Tara leaned over and gave Claire a reassuring hug. “You’re safe now. The birds will make sure of it.”
Tara’s words were meant to soothe, but they had the opposite effect. Mentioning Claire’s protectors was an unintentional reminder that the danger was still very real. “I’m not sure I’m going to stay here,” Claire admitted, her voice soft and low. “Wehave a month to decide if we want to hang around up here or go back to the feline village.”
“Raphael said you can just ‘hang around up here’?” Disbelief was apparent in every word.
Claire stopped just short of rolling her eyes. Tara’s confusion was understandable. She just echoed back the phrase Claire had used. “Of course not. The birds want mates just as much as the lions and the wolves. We’re only welcome in any of the villages if we’re mated to or being actively courted by one or more of the village inhabitants.”
“Same story, different location?” Tara summarized with a faint smile.
“Exactly.”
Tara fidgeted for a moment, clearly uncomfortable with what she was about to say. “Can we go back to the cave for a moment? I have two quick questions and then I swear I’ll move on.”
Claire was starting to understand how destructive it was to bottle up emotions, so she nodded then said, “Make it quick.”
“Was Alex one of the wolves I saw with Dawn the night I linked with your mind?”
“Alex didn’t claim Dawn,” Claire explained as she fought against the explicit images threatening to take over her mind. “It was a couple of his lieutenants, and they didn’t force her. They didn’t have to. She went into heat as soon as she caught their scent. Bonding fever is even more unavoidable with lupine hybrids than with the other two kinds.”
“Did you see her after?” Tara went on. “How did she react after the urgency wore off?”
Claire shook her head. “You said two questions. That makes three.”
