Page 5 of Their Shared Mate
A fire blazed in a circular hearth in the center of the meeting house. The women quickly crowded around the fire and held out cold hands toward the flames. As the females took a moment to warm up, Raphael and Victor moved over to where a stern-faced blond male stood. If he was Raphael’s brother, his name was Michael or Gabriel, something angelic.
“Four weeks,” the blond said angrily. “You have one month and not a day more.” And then he stormed from the cabin.
“What was that about?” Heather whispered. “The blond guy looked pissed.”
“I’m not sure. Maybe Raphael didn’t have permission to bring us here.”
Raphael crossed the room, looking less relaxed than he had when he arrived. “The upper level of this building is filled with guest rooms, so we call it the bunkhouse. It will be your home for the next four weeks. During that time, we invite you to interact with the occupants of this village. None of the males are allowed upstairs for any reason. If you choose to visit their cabins, thatis entirely up to you. But any male venturing upstairs will be severely punished.”
“What happens when the month is over?” Claire wanted to know.
His bright orange gaze shifted toward her. “Anyone wanting to return to the feline village will be allowed to do so. As I said before. You are not prisoners.”
“But you’re hoping we’ll accept you as mates?” Claire challenged quietly.
“Of course we are.” He moved closer and their gazes fused. “Every person on Rydaria has been chipped. If we try to leave, we die. Our only hope of happiness is to find a mate and build a future worth living.”
“I don’t accept that,” Claire argued. “We can find a way to deactivate the nanites, and we will get off this planet.”
He laughed, a harsh, hollow sound. “Even if you deactivate the tracker, which is unlikely, how are you going to get off the planet without a spaceship? Top range of the skimmers is a couple hundred miles, and they are incapable of space travel.”
She glared at him. Was every male on this rock an argumentative jerk? “Obviously, someone is going to have to come get us. All we have to do is find a way to contact someone off-world.”
“Is that all?” He turned back to the other females, dismissing Claire with a shake of his head. “Food will be brought over shortly, as well as clean clothes. There are showers and beds upstairs. Each room holds six and there are eight rooms, so there is more than enough space for everyone.”
Raphael stopped by the kitchen to grab a bottle of whiskey, then he hurried out the front door of the bunkhouse. Gabriel wanted an in-depth explanation, and it wouldn’t wait until morning. He was furious and Raphael didn’t blame him. They were co-leaders of Eagle Village, yet Gabriel knew nothing about the rescue. Raphael made the decision on his own and chose not to warn Gabriel about what he intended. He knew Gabriel would object, perhaps even forbid him to become involved. Well, the time for neutrality had passed. The raptors were involved in the conflict whether Gabriel approved or not.
Victor lengthened his strides to keep up with Raphael’s agitated pace. “The mating pull affects people in different ways. With some it is instantly sexual. With others it builds over time. Many females feel argumentative and restless. They have the instinctual need to test their potential mates.”
Raphael stopped walking and faced his best friend. The motivation for Victor’s unrequested lecture was transparent. His interest in the feisty redhead had been obvious from the start. Raphael couldn’t argue with her physical appeal, but her personality was problematic. “There’s enough conflict in my life. I want a sweet, obedient mate. One who will work with, not against me.” Moonlight silvered the trees and made the snow glisten. The skimmers had departed, but several of the soldiers who participated in the rescue had yet to go home. The females were making everyone restless.
“We both want a woman willing to submit,” Victor admitted, “but she also needs to be strong and ambitious. Claire is perfect and you know it.”
“Claire is a troublemaker,” Raphael countered. “She’s beautiful, but mouthy. Let Gabriel tame her.” Victor cringed as Raphael turned and started walking again. Finding a mate had been Raphael’s primary motivation for rescuing the females. Still, he intended to take his time, interact with numerous women before he decided on one to claim. Unlike lion or wolf shifters, eagle hybrids choose their mates. Physical and emotional attraction was stronger with genetically compatible females, but the soul bond was formed intentionally.
“Your brother would crush her spirit, and you know it,” Victor objected. “Will you spend some time with her at least? She was frightened and defensive tonight. Give her another chance.”
Raphael narrowed his eyes and looked at Victor. Moonlight shadowed his angular features, making him look determined and dangerous. “You spent ten minutes with this girl. Why do you feel so strongly about her?”
Victor paused for so long that Raphael thought he wasn’t going to answer. Then he shrugged and said, “I knew she was ours as soon as I saw her. I can’t explain it, but I just knew.”
They walked along the path that circled the village. Gabriel was waiting in his cabin, which was centered in the next row of homes. “Are you sure you wouldn’t have reacted this way to whoever opened the door?”
Victor glared at him, then sighed. “If two weeks elapse and you feel nothing for her, we’ll look elsewhere.”
Raphael didn’t understand Victor’s confidence, but he clearly felt something significant for Claire. She appealed to Raphael physically. Still, Raphael needed more than nice features and a curvy body. He had to enjoy spending time with her. Hewanted clever insights and stimulating conversations. “Bonding is forever,” Raphael reminded. “I’m not going to rush into this.”
“I’m not suggesting that you do. Just let things calm down before you make your final decision about her.”
Raphael nodded. “I’ll take another look, but I’ll be looking at the others too.”
“Understood.”
Victor didn’t seem worried about the stipulation, so Raphael moved on. “Patrick went to gather food for our guests. Go to our cabin and print an assortment of garments. You’ll need to dig through the archive to find anything that will appeal to females.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
And he would. It didn’t matter what Raphael asked Victor to do. The task was completed quickly and efficiently. That’s why Raphael had hired him back on Earth, and why he’d chosen him as his second now. Following the example of their leaders, the occupants of Eagle Village had organized themselves into pairs. For the first two years Raphael had been Gabriel’s second, but Gabriel suggested that they each choose seconds of their own. He insisted that they could support each other better if they had separate support systems. Raphael agreed and Victor had been the obvious choice.
