Christmas Kisses Read online

  She met his gaze and nodded. “She did.”

  “Why in the hell would Lieselotte tell you where I am?”

  “Because she hoped I could make amends so you would be happy.” Her voice was so soft, he had to strain to hear her.

  “When did you two become friends.”

  “We aren’t. There is a long way between hoping her brother is happy and liking the mate he would rather do without.”

  “That does make more sense.” He spooned a melting heap into his mouth. “As I told her this summer when she visited, she needn’t worry about me. I’m content in the life I have created, and although it’s not perfect, I’m not miserable, either.”

  “Is there no hope for us, then?”

  “What? Do you long for children, now?” Though he was impotent without her, a state he hoped would one day rectify itself, she could sleep with whomever she so choose. But only her true mate could fertilize her eggs. So, motherhood would elude her without him.

  “This has nothing to do with me.”

  “Doesn’t it? I’m proven innocent and you come running. I would say you are trying to assuage your guilt. Why else would you rush out here when there are only days left in Sagittarius? When the danger is high for the Foniás to catch you?” He stood. “The only reason is to complete the mating ritual before you waste another year.”

  “I’m here because the prime requires your presence before the council,” she blurted out.

  “I was banished, remember?” he nearly roared. “I no longer have to answer to Hans or anyone within the blasted inbreed frat club he calls the council.”

  “Hans is dead, and his council has been banished.”

  “What?” So many questions ran through him, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask. The leap was nothing to him anymore, he reminded himself. They had made their choices, and he had been the one to live with them. He could not forget. Never forget.

  “Hans was challenged and lost. He attacked the new prime after the match, outside the ring. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “I’m sure it was no more than your cousin deserved.” He had dreamt many times of killing the snow leopard leader himself. The man had framed him and managed to make nearly everyone believe the tale. And, although he was curious, it was best not to deal with a family he had no intention of returning to. Time to divert the conversion, “Well, it seems to be the year for turnover.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Libra also has a new prime, and Aquarius is looking to step down. Cancers are pissed that their prime lied to them, so I’m betting there will be a new prime installed before the end of their reign next year.”

  “How would you know any of that?”

  “Leo.”

  “Leos?”

  “No Leonidas the Leo prime told me. He seems to have his thumb on all the signs.”

  “You’re now friends with the lion prime?” She gaped.

  It shouldn’t be too surprising she was in shock. Up until five years ago, he had never been in the same room as another shifter knowingly, let alone had in-depth chats with them. “The Leos saved my life when I was banished. I had a Foniás on my tail, I was bleeding, and I wouldn’t have made it another night on my own.”

  She gasped. “You were fine when you left.”

  “You don’t think Hans’ goons let me leave without making it clear they expected me to die?” Memories flooded his brain. “The Leos found me. Actually, they had been searching for me. A man by the name of Jaison had been tracking me for days. I honestly thought he meant to kill me, and by that point I welcomed death and was only thankful it wouldn’t be at the hands of a slayer.”

  “Why were they tracking you?”

  That gave him pause. “You know, I never asked. I entered the healing sleep, and when I woke, Leonidas was sitting in my sick room.”

  “Where did they take you?”

  “To Greece, where I was treated and healed and trained to stay out of the way of the Foniás.” He indicated the lion statuette on the high shelf on the corner. “There is a good reason the lions are the kings of the jungle.”

  “So, now you are in their debt?”

  “No. Leo asked for nothing in return, at least not for him.” He took his bowl to the sink and rinsed it. “He asked if, with his help, I would be able to make this place a safe house.”

  “Safe house?”

  “Yes for those running from the Foniás. I keep the statue to remind me that someone once helped me. So I pay it forward by helping those who are like I was once.”

  “How many have you helped?”

  “Thirteen families and thirty-two betas who were banished.”

  “Leos?”

  “Nah, never that zodiac. Leos have an island they send their banished to. They ensure that theirs have a chance to survive. The families I’ve helped are, for whatever reason, unable to make it to their safe zones. The Taurus family was of great help in finishing this house. I got more done in the twenty-five days they were here than I had in seven years.”

  “Seven years, but...”

  “Oh, right, you don’t know. This was to be your wedding gift. The place you said you always wanted, away from everyone and everything so you could truly learn to be your leopard.” He placed a hand up, preventing her from speaking. “I don’t want to talk about us. Anyway, I offer betas and families on the run a place to stay for as long as they need.”

  “That is why you had that bag of clothing. I take it you have more?”

  He nodded, his attention for a second on the pot of hot coffee calling his name. He poured a cup before returning to the table. He couldn’t spend the rest of the day ignoring her, so perhaps they could be cordial. “It’s rare that someone comes here with all the supplies they need, and if they are on the run, it’s very likely will be coming with nothing at all. I offer shelter, clothing, food, and a sense of safety.”

  “How long are they usually here?”

  “The longest is the full zodiac cycle. Usually families who are caught out aren’t willing to take the chance with the little ones of making a run to their capital. The shortest so far was a few days, until the danger passed, and they could move to another safe house.” He took another sip. Dammit, she made good coffee. “A couple of times, I have even housed humans who were lost in the woods or got caught in a passing storm.”

  “You have become a regular sanctuary for wayward travelers.”

  “It’s not a bad way to live. Quiet most of the time and company only stays so long. The Taurus family still writes now and then.”

  “You have a mailbox?”

  “I have a postal box in town. This land is immense. I have a jeep in a shed down the mountain.”

  “How do you get supplies up?”

  “ATV, when the ground is green, snowmobile when it’s white.” He had a Sno-Cat, but that was more information than he cared to share. Leonidas had gifted him the larger snow vehicle with a specially made passenger cab he could tow for when the six passenger capability wasn’t enough. Deep down he knew if she knew about the larger machine she would have a way of leaving.

  “And yet, you were going to have me run down the hill on my own?”

  “The snowmobile is single person.” No matter how much he protested and through anger he demanded she be gone, he wouldn’t have let her leave. Not yet, not with the threat of Foniás about. He watched the snow fall outside the window above the sink. He couldn’t see the tree line or anything farther than the deck that was quickly turning into a white mound of cold.

  Nova’s hand on his shoulder surprised him, and as he turned and grabbed it to remove it the heat of mating erupted. Fear filled her eyes followed, by a lust he had never witnessed in her before. They had made love on many occasions. But this was different; this was the mating fire that would consume them both.

  “Oakley?”

  Her lips touched his and he was lost. Lost to the desired he thought dead, consumed by a heat the fates damned his kind with, and unable to
deny what his heart wanted most. Her. She made him whole. It was what mates did. “I don’t want this,” he muttered next to her ear, but his hands were on her ass cheeks, lifting her into the air and placing her on the countertop.

  “Then, stop,” Nova whimpered as his erection brushed the apex of her thighs. “All you have to do is walk away, and I’ll do the same. I’ll never darken your doorstep again.”

  Suddenly, all the reasons to stay apart, the hurt and the anger, didn’t seem to matter. All he could think about was having her in his arms again. The sense of belonging he had every time they touched reawakened. “If we make love, I won’t be able to prevent the mating.”

  Oakley had done so before because she had been young, and he had wanted her to have some freedom before being coupled with him. But, with the moon waning in Sagittarius, he knew now was the time.

  “I’ve always wanted to mate.”

  “So be it, and damn us both.” Their clothing lay tattered on the kitchen floor within seconds, frayed sweat pants and tee shirts. He tried to slow them down, but she would have none of it. He only prayed, after five years of celibacy, he could hold out and bring her to pleasure. His concerns were ill-founded. With his first thrust, she erupted around him, leaving him gasping to hold onto any reins he thought he held.

  He cupped her face, forcing her to see him, before taking her lips in a brutal kiss both punishing and demanding. She met him stroke for stroke, becoming the she leopard he knew she was. He wrapped her legs around his hips and lifted her from the kitchen counter. Without breaking the kiss or leaving her body, he carried her upstairs to the bedroom he had hoped would be theirs. He sat down on the edge of the bed before breaking the kiss, leaning away from her to lie on his back with her above him. As his people had done for centuries, he opened his arms, palms up, and lay still. This was the female’s responsibility. She made the choice as to mate or not. The decision lay in her hands. He could do nothing more than acquiesce to her demands.

  “Do you want this, Oakley?” she asked, her voice husky.

  “It is what the fates decreed.”

  “But, do you want this?”

  Did he? He couldn’t lie to her. This morning, even last night, he’d wanted her gone but right now? Yes, he wanted this, and he doubted he would change. With the first touch, he knew he had been fooling himself. Nothing had changed but distance. The wall he’d built around his heart had been made of straw. “Yes, Nova. I want this.”

  “Do you want me?” She ground her hips, taking him deeper into her body.

  “Yes,” he hissed.

  “Do you love me?”

  “I can again,” he said, and although he could see the pain in her eyes, she nodded. Possible was the best he could give her.

  “You are mine,” she announced.

  “Take me,” he offered, and braced himself. Her teeth cut into his chest muscle just above the heart. His heart ceased beating for a second as it found the rhythm of hers and their souls bonded. He could no more hold off his pleasure than the snowfall .

  Oakley hadn’t spoken two words to Nova since their mating. Once he’d caught his breath, he’d exited the room. Hope as she had never felt it had spurred at the intensity of their mating but then the cruel fates made it impossible to resist their fated love. She watched him from the upstairs window as he paced the snow-covered deck below. Did he regret mating her? Did it matter they were bonded now? Perhaps they should have waited but, one touch, and she had been lost. They were supposed to be the blessed ones. They’d found each other so young, loved each other shortly after, and were going to be the storybook fairy tale love. She had been immature. She could admit that now. For years, he had held her at arm’s length. They had, of course, made love. He wasn’t a saint, he had told her, but she’d needed to have more time before they bonded.

  He’d urged her to travel if she wanted, to explore life without being tied to him all the time. What he had neglected to understand was she didn’t want to travel. This, in fact, was her first trip off the island. She was a homebody, and that home she would make wherever he was.

  “He is too serious. Your job will be to bring some levity to his life.” The words of her great-grandmother echoed in her head. She had said it when they first discovered they were mates, and she repeated them as Nova walked through the gates of the ancient castle they called home to come and find him days ago.

  She made her way down the stairs and to the back door. She hadn’t bothered getting dressed, for what she had planned needed no clothing. Opening the door, she stepped out into the snowstorm. After a brief shiver, she shifted. He turned in enough time to brace for her to ram him playfully.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  She chuffed before butting him with her head.

  “I am not playing Nova.”

  Nova leaped into the snowbank and hissed as she kept falling long after she expected. She had underestimated the depth. Jumping through the drift, she looked over the edge at him and worked her back paws for traction preparing to pounce on Oakley.

  “I can see you,” he chuckled. “Your tale is flapping like a lunatic waving a white flag. Must I teach you everything?”

  If she were in her human form, Nova would have yelled hurrah. Those were the words he’d used to tease her long ago. She raised her head again, but he was gone. Had he gone inside? She looked around, but there was no sign of him. Perhaps he had walked— He rolled her into the snowbank before she could finish her thought. Spitting out snow, she got to her feet, and again no sign of him. She searched, but the she could see was little through the storm. She heard the growl and turned a second before he pounced off the rocky outcrop. He rolled them both. His crystal-blue eyes twinkled, and he jumped off her, signaling with his tail for her to follow up the rocks.

  Two hours later, she shifted in the kitchen, exhausted and ready to drop. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the library and the waiting heat. “You overdid it.”

  “Perhaps, but I would do it all over again.”

  He laid a kiss on her forehead as he pulled the blanket off the back of the couch. “Stay put.”

  “Not a problem.” She yawned into the back of her hand.

  “I’m going to make us some sandwiches, since we missed lunch.” He walked out, giving her a glorious view of his ass.

  She allowed a smile to form. His heart seemed to be thawing. Hope infused her. A beep from the coffee table drew her attention reaching over she looked at screen that blinked New message, and below it was the word. LEO.

  He walked back into the room wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, carrying a tray. She handed him the phone. “You have a message from Leo.”

  His brow furrowed as he reached for the phone. He tapped a few numbers and put the phone to his ear and dialed. “Is Leo there? This is Oakley. I think I can wait. The blizzard is making for choppy reception. I’ll hold but if we get disconnected, I will try again when I can.”

  “Everything okay?” she asked, easing to the edge of the cushion.

  “Not likely, if Leonidas is calling me. It’s almost midnight there.” He pushed the plate toward her. “Eat. You need your stamina.”

  “Oh?”

  He glared at her, his eyes turning her insides molten.

  Biting into the PB& J, she muttered, “Oh.”

  “Leo? Yes I can hear you.” He paused, grabbing a pen and piece of paper. “Three families? No, we can make room. One female is pregnant? I’m not equipped to handle deliveries up here. Nova? How do you know…? She is?”

  “I am what?” she demanded, wondering how the other man knew anything about her.

  “Leo says you’re a midwife?”

  She nodded. “I am. My grandmother has been teaching me her trade.”

  “Okay, then.” He returned his attention to the phone call. “They are calling for a break in the weather. Tell them to be at the cabins outside of town. I’ll come get them around lunchtime. Last day of Sagittarius. I should be safe
.” He hung up and turned to Nova. “I’m going to need your room.”

  Disappointment and confusion warred within her. “Okay.”

  He sat down next to her and placed a hand on her blanketed knee. “My life is here.”

  “I know.” Any moment, he was going to tell her she’d have to live without him.

  “I can’t force you to stay up here with me. But I hope that you might give it a chance.”

  Nova met his crystal-blue gaze. “You want me to stay?”

  “You are my mate.”

  “I know, but I didn’t think you liked me much.”

  “I didn’t like your choices, but I understood. We can’t mend our relationship if you are an ocean and a continent away.” He moved in and cupped her check. “I want my mate with me, but I can’t force you to stay. If you want to go home, I can get you to town tomorrow. It’s safe enough. Foniás don’t hunt on the last day of a sign.”

  “Home is where you are,” Nova said so softly she wasn’t sure Oakley could hear her. A moment later, when she was lying flat on her back pressed into the sofa cushions, she knew he had heard. His lips were on hers, and his body wedged between her thighs. The mating wasn’t pretty or graceful, but it was healing, and although they had bonded, this was them becoming one.

  An hour later, when they were both naked under the blanket, she sat up. “How could you get me down the mountain tomorrow?”

  “There is going to be a break in the weather.”

  “And you are going to climb back up here with a pregnant woman.”

  “She is a bear she will be fine.” He evaded the question.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  He rubbed a hand down his face. “I have a Sno-Cat in the shed about a fifteen minute hike down the mountain from here.”

  “A Sno-Cat? As in a large snow vehicle that could easily get me down the hill. Yet you were going to make me hike out of here on foot?”

  “There is also an easier route to take to get off the mountain than the one you took getting here. Though your route did waylay the Foniás following you.”

  “You knew about that?”

  “Only after I went back to find your bag. I could smell his scent.”