3 comments/ 71623 views/ 44 favorites Adeeana's Mate Ch. 01 By: tis_mina Adeeana ran through the walled gardens of the orphanage laughing playfully. Her playmate was Sheron, a fellow orphan and friend. Her golden hair flew like a banner behind her making her feel like a queen in her tattered gown. “If I catch you then you are mine, and I can do with you as I wish.” Sheron called out as Adeeana dashed through a curtain of weeping willow branches. “And what would you do with me?” She called back to him her eyes watchful for his attack. “I will bind you to me as my mate. We are the same, imaria.” Adeeana froze her smile replaced by a mask of fear, the word imaria was reserved by the Lycanthrope, a word that was a cross between ‘Mine Only’ and “beloved’, a word spoken only between lifemates. Sheron and she were not the same; her destiny was to heal and his to destroy. They were friends but Adeeana had decided long ago they could be nothing more. They were half bloods, she and he, half Lycanthrope and half human. Adeeana’s human mother had been caught by a Lycanthrope warrior in the time of wolf wars. He had been ordered to kill the young healer but his heart had claimed her as mate. The life of a wolf mate however was full of peril. Shortly after Adeeana’s birth her father had destroyed her mother with his passion during their mating. He had brought Adeeana to the orphanage that night and then joined his mate in death. Adeeana had barely turned eight when she realized she could heal with the power of her thoughts. The healing though came at a great price for her father’s nature also lived within her. For every one thing she healed with her powers her nature forced her to destroy another. She knew that she could never risk killing a mate as her father had and she knew that there would never be another like her. The joining of wolf and human had been banned after two more instances of death, one resulting in Adeeana’s play mate Sheron. Where Adeeana was a healer Sheron was a killer. He could use his mind and stop the beating of a heart or the breathing of the lungs, but unlike Adeeana he did not have the power of restoration. He and she were destined to be alone. Neither Lycanthrope nor human kind wanted the half-breed children so they had grown up together in the orphanage. Tomorrow Sheron would join the warrior class and Adeeana the healer’s of Dramulus. Tonight was their last night to be together. “Do not be stupid Sheron, I will never have a mate. I will be a healer of Dramulus and dedicate my life to the good of our nation.” Adeeana turned in slow circles opening her mind to hear Sheron’s movements. Her breath heaved in dark excitement that she dared not name. “There is no other for you, imaria,” his voice came from all around her weaving in the dripping branches like a net designed to keep her from running, “None who could tame you as I could, none who could keep you as I could. You were born for me and I for you.” “You are wrong Sheron, the counsel would never allow us to breed. Even if we were allowed, how could we bring a child into this world? He would be doomed to a life alone for he would be the only one on his kind. Would you really wish that on another being?” She felt him more then saw him move to her left and sprang toward the pond in the middle of the garden. Water was the only fear that Sheron had. His parents, rather than to be separated by the counsel, had walked into the oceans of Dramulus with their only child. Fate had been on Sheron’s side and the ocean had washed him from his mother’s embrace and returned him to the shore. But even at his young age he retained the memory of the suffocating hand of the water and vowed it would never take him. Adeeana could hear his footsteps closing in but she could also almost touch the water. Sheron’s weight hit her from behind knocking her to the ground. She landed hard enough to drive the breath from her lungs but continued to struggle. Sheron easily rolled her beneath him settling himself between her kicking legs until his sex ground into hers. He trapped her hands with his above her head and stared down at her in triumph. “You will never be able to beat me, imaria, nor I you. Cease your fight with me.” His dark hair fell in a curtain around their faces. His body, already fulfilling their promise of muscles, fitting itself to hers like puzzle pieces. She felt herself grow moist as he again rocked his sex against hers, his gold eyes closing in pleasure. She felt her teeth and nails lengthen as her young body answered his call. She shook her head, her own eyes turning from blue to liquid gold. “Do not do this to me.” He dropped his head to whisper against her lips, “It is already done.” “No!” Adeeana screamed wrenching her wrist away from him and slashing him across the face with her nails. He reeled back in surprise and she took the moment to slam her knee into his groin. He rolled off of her in pain and she dashed into the water. “Adeeana!” She ignored the pain in his voice as she did the pain in her heart. She swam well into the middle of the water and waited for dawn. The darkness of the garden amplified her exhausted breaths as she watched the shore for Sheron. He did not call to her again. She waded out at dawn to find that he had already left for the warrior fleet. He hadn’t let the Orphanage treat the slashes on his face. He claimed they were a gift for him alone, a present from his mate. He left Adeeana a single lily and a note: “It is already done.” 10 years later Adeeana stood watching her best friend Trish get married. Trish had been one of the few at the Dranmulus medical academy who had accepted Adeeana without question. Trish was a petite brunette from a Lycanthrope family. Her father was second cousin to the king of the Wolves but Trish never acted much like royalty. She embraced life and everything in it with a childish joy. Adeeana’s gift had been discovered her second year in the academy when Trish had contacted a virus that had almost killed her. Trish’s father had sent down his own medical physicians to treat her but to no avail. Adeeana knew the little princess would die without her help and so healed her. The wild wolf that had reared up inside her had caused her to almost kill the attending physician had he not had the sense to tranquilize her. After that night the academy treated both Trish and Adeeana with a respect that bordered fear. Their bond of friendship was seconded only to their love of life. That is why they had chosen to become healers. Adeeana sighed partly in envy as she watched her friend gaze up at her mate Brom in complete adoration. Adeeana felt her heart constrict as they vowed to love and protect, cherish and defend each other for eternity. Brom turned formally with Trish on his arm, a tradition that dated back to the beginning of Garu history; his words stirred such sadness in Adeeana that she could hardly breath. “May I make known to you, Trish, my mate.” “You will be next Adeeana, mark my words.” Brom teased, giving her a hug. “I have it on good authority that my mate will never be content until you are married and so that is what must happen.” Adeeana laughed winking at Trish, “She has already taken the last good one Brom. I’m afraid there is none left for a spinster like me.” “I resent that remark old friend,” Trish said coming up to wrap her arms around Brom, “I happen to be twenty-four as well and I think it is a splendid age.” Adeeana laughed again taking a sip of the wine that had been passed out for the bridal toast. The hall erupted in laughter as a man at the end of the hall raised his glass to her with a wink. “I agree Trish,” he shouted across the guests, “ And if ever your friend decides to take a mate I will be the first to court her.” “She already has a mate.” Adeeana dropped her glass as the voice of Sheron echoed through the wedding chapel. The guests parted to stare at the man in the doorway. She felt her heart heat increase as she drank in his appearance. He was the vision of the dark warrior that she had always dreamed he would be. His hair, still uncut, flowed in obsidian waves across his shoulders. He was now taller then her by a foot and almost three times her width. It was a soldier’s body, cut from years of training, but his eyes were most dramatically changed. Gone was the innocence of youth replaced by the brutality of too much death. She had heard that he was head of the Lycanthrope ground forces and that he was unchallenged in their ranks. He had rejected all that was human with in him to embrace the ways of the Wolf. “Adeeana?” The worry in Trish’s voice broke her from her thoughts. She gazed wildly around the room to see that the guests were still drinking and laughing and that the man at the end of the hall had returned to his conversation. “Where is he?” She searched the crowd for Sheron but could not locate him. “Who?” Brom asked sharing his mate’s confusion. “Sheron,” she demanded impatiently again scanning the crowds, “ the man who just entered the hall.” Trish’s hands came to Adeeana’s shoulder, “No one has entered the hall old friend, not since the beginning of the ceremony.” “What?” Adeeana looked at Trish in confusion. “Perhaps you have had enough wine,” Brom suggested playfully looking at Adeeana’s fallen glass. She followed his gaze with a blush of embarrassment. “Oh Trish, I’m so sorry.” She bent to pick up the pieces but Trish stopped her. “You are exhausted,” Trish added with a smile, “If I had put half the work into this wedding that you have I’d be seeing people too. Go back to your quarters and get some rest. Doctor’s orders.” Adeeana chuckled hugging her friends as she made the short journey back to her quarters. It was a beautiful place comfortably decorated in muted blues and maroons and outlined in gold. Her walls were covered in pictures of fairy tale hero’s conquering foes and an array of swords and daggers. It seemed strange that such would appeal to a healer but she sighed as the comfort of her home surrounded her. At once she caught the scent of something unfamiliar. Her eyes flew open to identify the source. She walked from her living room to the small kitchen her body tense with the feeling of danger. Seeing nothing she walked to her bathroom taking in the warm marbled floors and walls. Her dressing table and its contents lay undisturbed and as she walked around her bathing pool she could not detect the slightest difference. She checked every closet working her way as a hunter would to her bedroom. Her bed sat on a small dais in back of her room, lighted by the flower shaped lamps that wrapped around it’s four posters. The room was larger then the rest but was furnished with only a bedside table and a writing desk and chairs all in dark mahogany. She opened her closet to find nothing but her small assortment of medical uniforms and an even smaller array of civilian garments. She sighed feeling silly. Perhaps she had been working too hard lately. She removed her clothes and headed for the bed. It’s colors ranged from tope to gold from its satin coverings to its plush mattresses. The bed was the only thing she vivaciously spent money on besides her weapons collection. She was so tired that she almost lay upon the very thing that had caused her to search her house in the first place. In the center of her bed, her sanctuary, lay a single white lily. Adeeana’s eyes widened in panic as she sensed Sheron’s presence behind her. “Imaria,” the word rolled off of his tongue like honey. Adeeana whipped around covering her nudity with her arms to face him. “What are you doing here?” He stood as naked as she, in the doorway of the bedroom. His arms were crossed over his broad chest and he leaned against the doorframe with an air of finality. She knew as he did, that it was the only way out. “We have unfinished business, you and I.” Adeean’s chin rose as she arched a golden brow, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His laugh seemed to surprise even him. “You still intend to fight me? Why imaria? You only waste your strength.” “The law of both Lycanthrope and the human nation gives me the right to choose my own mate. You can not force me.” “You are correct imaria, unless your belly is filled with my child. Than Lycanthrope law says you are mine.” Adeeana’s body trembled at the memory of his body covering hers. Her eyes drifted over his naked form memorizing the new curves and angles. She had almost forgotten how beautiful he was, her eyes caressed the curve of his cheek where she noted four white slashing scares. A smile played over his lips as if he were reading her thoughts. “You marked me as yours when were but children, imaria. It is time I returned the honor.” It was the only warning she got. He moved faster than she thought was possible for in an instance he was at the foot of the dais. She screamed and jumped back catching the edge of the bed with the back of her knees she landed on it with a thump. She attempted to roll to the other side to keep the bed between herself and Sheron but he caught her by the ankle mid leap dragging her to the middle and flipping her onto her back all in the same movement. Adeeana tried to kick him but his reflexes honed by war were too fast for her. Like the time in the garden she lay beneath him, her arms pinned above her head and his sex flush against hers. Only this time there was no pond to save her, no clothes to separate the hot feel of his skin against her. He began to rock against her mimicking the act of sex without being inside her. She seemed to melt against her wishes against him, her body arching to cradle his large frame. She wrapped her legs around his waist and returned his thrusts. Her eyes filled with tears as she again felt the lengthening of her nails and teeth. “Please,” she begged him feeling his rigid member probe her opening for entrance, “Please don’t do this.” “It is already done,” he plunged into her untried body tearing away the last part of her resistance. She cried out in pain and fear but only gripped him tighter with her legs. He dropped his head to bury his face in the crook of her neck licking and nipping her soft skin. She thought he would tear her apart but as his hips thrust him into her again and again waves of pain became tinged with excitement and the excitement became tinged with pleasure. She wanted to touch him, but when she attempted to pull her wrists from his grasp his low threatening growl gave her pause. “No.” Was all he said thrusting hard enough to make her gasp. She began to make soft mewling sounds rubbing her face against his shoulder to his throat. Her lips murmured sounds of want against his skin and she felt his grip begin to slack. “Imaria, please.” Her nails and k-9 teeth lengthened, her body tensing as she built the strength to take what she wanted from him. Her murmurs became growls and her teasing nips became more forceful. “Yes, let her free imaria,” Sheron said pumping into her small body, “She is my mate.” “No,” Adeeana almost didn’t recognize her voice through the animal sound coming from her body. “We are the same.” She shoved against Sheron yanking her wrists from his grasp, her sudden protest almost unseated him, but he would not release her. Without warning he flipped her onto her stomach roughly restraining her hands behind her back pinning them with one hand and using the claws of the other to score her skin as he yanked her hips upward to allow him better access. “Mine.” He growled, pushing into her again, his body coming down hard to trap hers beneath it, his teeth sinking into her left shoulder so that she could only accept him. Adeeana felt a shifting inside her, the wolf bowed her head to its mate, the woman to her love. She began to push against each thrust tilting her hips back to meet his questing cock. “Who are you?” He demanded as he felt her body answer his. “Yours.” “What are you?” “Yours,” she sobbed, as the orgasm rocked her body. “Only yours.” Sheron pulled his sleeping mate over his chest with a contented sigh. He stroked her long golden hair knowing at last that he was home. He heard the door of Adeeana’s home open but did not concern himself with the entrant. “Adeeana?” Trish’s voice stirred Adeeana from her exhausted slumber. She was aware that her head was pillowed against Sheron’s chest and she attempted to move away from him for decency. For her trouble she got a warning growl and pulled a little roughly back to his side. Her smile was the first thing Trish saw upon entering the room, the second was the largest Garu she’d ever seen. “Adeeana,” Trish said a little embarrassed, “Are you alright? Who is your friend?” “I’m okay Trish, and this is…,” Adeeana paused looking up into Sheron’s. He arched a brow in a wicked way that said she had better select the correct answer to this question. The formal Garu words came from the depth of her soul. “May I make known to you, Sheron, my mate.” Adeeana's Mate Ch. 02 Chapter 2: The Capture of Adeeana Sheron paced the rooms of Adeeana's quarters like a caged animal. Where was she? How had she managed to leave without waking him? He was a warrior trained to awake at the slightest disturbance and yet his mate managed to wake, dress, and leave while he blissfully slept on. His eyes scanned appreciatively over her collection of weapons and art noting with pleasure that her taste ran parallel to his. They would live well together, if he did not kill her for leaving him without word. He had almost convinced himself to go search for her when the door slid open. He turned on heel to give Adeeana a piece of his mind but was instead greeted by Brock. "You are looking well Brock," Sheron said formally, "Being mated agrees with you." Brock's smile set Sheron's teeth on edge, "I would say the same for you my friend if I didn't think the statement would get my head removed. What's the matter?" "You have not seen my mate this morning?" "Yes I did. She collected Trish this morning to help with some book work that they needed to complete." Brock laughed as he realized the source of Sheron's displeasure, "Haven't you seen her?" "No." He replied running his hand through his long black hair in irritation. "Trish does it to me all the time. Wears me out the night before so that she can sneak away in the morning. You'll get used to it." "I should have sensed her leaving." Sheron ground out. "Were it her intent to leave permanently you would have. As it is, a mate who means you no harm will not set off any internal alarms." Brock clapped him on the shoulder. "As I said, you will get used to it." Sheron nodded feeling his heart beat settle down into a normal rhythm. She was coming back. "I've got Trish almost packed for the move. Have you told Adeeana yet?" "I have been," Sheron paused looking for the right word, "distracted. I had planned to inform her this morning." Brock nodded his expression turning serious. "You need to get her out of here soon. The counsel will not take kindly to your claiming of her." "They can not take her from me Brock. She has been mine since we were children. I would have come for her whether or not they issued warrant for her capture and sterilization." The news had filtered through the Garu ranks like wild fire. The counsel had not only passed a law that now banned all marriages between Garu and human but they had decided that all marriages that had already taken place would be declared void and that all half breeds would be rendered childless. "For the safety of Man and Garu kind," they had said. Sheron himself had been first on the sterilization list but due to his high rank and association with Garu royalty. He had secured a waver for himself and his mate so long as she moved inside of the Garu boarders. Adeeana had no knowledge of any of it and it was possible that she would not mind being rendered childless, but Sheron worried about the capture order. She had been loyal to the human counsel and their laws all her life; why had they not just asked her to do it? There was something else they wanted from her and Sheron would not allow her stick around and find out what. He had come to collect her and return to his homeland. "What will you do if she doesn't want to go? How will you explain to her about me?" Brock asked shoving his hands in his pockets. "She doesn't have a choice Brock and I don't have the time to argue with her. If I must, I will force her to leave, and there is nothing to do but tell her that I sent you." "I owe you more then I can say my friends," Brock said softly, "If you had not sent me to watch over Adeeana I would never have found Trish, nor had the rank to gain permission to court her. Sheron shook of the thanks, "It is I who am in your debt. I was going mad thinking that she was alone somewhere and that I was unable to get to her." "Why did you not just come for her yourself? Ask her to be your mate?" "Sometimes my mate knows not what is best for her and I must show her the way." Brock snorted in laughter, "Better to beg forgiveness then to ask permission eh?" "I am ground troop commander for the whole Garu nation Brock, I do not know how beg." "Actually you are a husband of a very strong willed woman and one of the best Dramulan healers on the planet. My advice would be to learn" "Learn what?" Adeeana stood in the door way with a soft smile. She let her golden gaze travel the length of Sheron's body and felt her chest tighten. By the stars he was beautiful. She had been contemplating wicked things to do him all day driving Trish crazy with her day dreaming. In the end she had given up trying to complete work and come home to him. He looked like something a thunder cloud might deliver when his gaze swung to her. "Why did you not alert me that you were leaving woman?" Adeeana smiled coming in the door to plant a soft kiss on Sheron's lips, "Good morning to you too." "On that note I think I will take my leave." Brock said with barely repressed gruffles. Sheron didn't even look up to see him go, "How can I protect you if I know not where you go?" The smile slipped off of Adeeana's face, "I've survived 10 years without your protection Sheron, and I shall continue to thrive with or without it." She pressed her body close to his wrapping her long arms around his neck and pressing soft kisses to his chin, "Besides I wasn't gone that long." Sheron wrapped her in his embrace arching a dark brow in amusement, "You will not attempt to distract me from my anger with your beautiful body." His hands traveled down her back pressing her into his larger frame. Adeeana grinned up at him taking a piece of his skin lightly between her teeth and suckling. The action caused Sheron to squeeze her with an almost crushing motion and tilt his head back to allow her better access, "Woman....imaria...Adeanna!" He growled as he began to strip off her clothing, "I must speak with you." 'Speak later." Adeeana replied pulling his tunic over his head, "I've been waiting all morning to taste you." Sheron grabbed both of her wrists locking them behind her back in an attempt to get a hold on his lust but Adeaana just leaned forward to lick the center of his chest. "You would not have had to wait if you had bothered to wake me." She gave him a rough bite on his nipple, "Are we still talking?" Adeeana laughed as Sheron swung her around so that her back was pressed against him. She could feel the claws extending on his hands as one pulled her back side firmly against him and the other slipped up into her blouse to cup her breast. He couldn't think with her so close. He thought as he kissed the skin between her shoulder and ear. He had to tell her about... The thought was brought up short as Adeeana rubbed her backside against his hardening length, tilting her head back to give him her throat. She gasped as he ripped the scraps of lace under her shirt that kept him from her skin and then moaned as he kneaded each breast in turn paying almost painful attention to her nipples. His claws scraped down her rib cage until they rested on both hips twining the fabric of her long skirt in his fists until her panties showed. She purred stumbling forward a couple of steps so that she could lean her forearms against the back of her couch. One of his hands drifted down the front of her panties to flick the nub of her pleasure back and forth. She widened her stance rubbing her juices against his hand and forcing herself on one of his fingers. Her wanton actions brought a sound from Sheron that was close to pain as he watched his lusty mate fill herself with his fingers. He released her breast long enough to free his throbbing member from his pants. He tore her panties off reveling in Adeeana's startled gasp. He rubbed the moisture beaded at the top oh his cock back and forth from her dripping lips to her tight neither opening spreading the liquid generously. She tensed as he pushed the head into her backside, but he moved his fingers against her clit and teased her nipples until she relaxed against the intrusion. "I want all of you imaria, will you give it to me?" She nodded stepping back to help him impale her on his length. Another finger joined the first two inside her, stretching her beyond thought until she cried out in pleasure. Sheron willed himself to be gentle with her this time, to not brutalize her as he had done in their first joining, but could not hold back. He pushed inside her hard almost causing her to loose her balance then with drew and did it again. He pounded into both holes as she melting into him, reveling in the sweet taste of her acceptance. His teeth sank into her shoulder painfully as he felt her orgasm clamp around his dripping fingers. He withdrew his hand to pull her into his thrust slamming hard into her body. He couldn't get close enough, deep enough, to satisfy himself. He would never get enough of her. She began to meet each thrust, her little growls of pleasure flowing over Sheron like lava. His body froze as he attempted to stave off his orgasm but Adeeana wouldn't have it. She reached back, her claws biting into the skin of his thighs, pulling him into her until he exploded inside of her. They both dropped to their knees as if in prayer, holding each other close. Sheron thought of a thousand ways to tell her that she made him complete, that he could not be without her but his warrior's tongue refused to obey his heart...so he just held her. He felt her lips against his forearm. "Now what was it you wanted to tell me?" She teased. He hugged her hard enough to make her squeal with laughter. He gathered her up and took her to the couch smoothing the long pieces of gold hair around her face and noting the teeth mare that was already beginning to form on her shoulder, "How long is it before you complete your healers training imaria?" She smiled up at with such trust that for a moment Sheron felt guilty for his earlier thoughts of forcing her compliance. "I am already done. My graduation was the day before Trish's wedding." She frowned as she reached up to stroke his face, "How did you know where to find me." He tried to make light of it because he knew the information was going to hurt her, "Think you that I do not have enough senses to find my own mate?" Adeeana arched a golden brow at him but did not comment. Sheron took a deep breath and continued, "Do you remember when Brock first came here." She nodded, "He was sent to me because he had been wounded. Some sort of fusion weapon wound that and melted his fingers together. I was sick that day and Trish was covering for me. By the time I first met his she has already repaired most of the external damage but we were afraid he would never recover the use of that hand." "The fusion explosion was meant for me." Sheron said his expression turning dark, "It was a package sent to my quarters the day of my appointment as head of Ground troops. I thought it was..." He stopped looking away from her. "I thought it was a gift from you. The paper was covered in your scent. Brock was the one who noticed that it had no labeling and that no one could remember anyone bringing into the barracks." "I didn't know about you coronation until it was said and done." Adeeana whispered. "I know that now," he smiled brushing his lips across her forehead, "I opened the package. Had Brock not ripped it from my hands the amount of liquid silver in it would have killed me. He saved my life but he paid with the use of his hand. The ranks of the Garu are unforgiving; if you can not defend yourself and your position with strength then another will take it. So I told no one of his injury and I sent him to the one person I knew would heal him." Confusion lit across Adeeana's features, "How did you explain his absence?" "I told the others that I had sent him to protect my mate until I could come from her." Sheron expected anger and wounded pride from her but instead she laid her head on his chest with a resigned sigh. "I can take care of myself Sheron. You can't keep treating me like a child." "I can not bare the thought of your pain, imaria. Even the thought that I could not keep you safe makes me insane." She pushed against him in an angry motion, "Do you think it's any better for me? At least I am not standing in the thick of some foreign battle where you can only scan the headlines of the news and pray that you don't find my name." "Death is just as much a part of your existence as it is mine, imaria." "That's all you're taking?" Trish asked looking at the small pile of boxes that were being loaded onto the transporter ship. Adeeana shrugged, "I'm not much of a pack rat Trish." "You're not much of a liar either." "What's that supposed to mean?" Adeeana asked color staining her cheeks. "You aren't planning on staying are you?" It was a statement not a question. Tears filled Adeeana's eyes, "I don't know Trish. He is everything I knew he would be but he deals out like it doesn't matter to him. How can we ever be happy when we are so different?" Trish wrapped Adeeana in her arms, "I asked the same question from Brock before we got married. He said that life was a balancing game and that for each life we saved from the gods another had to be exchanged." Adeeana pondered the words rolling them around in her mind...she wanted it to be true, but nothing in life could be that simple. From where she stood all she could see was that her lifemate excelled in the art of killing and that was something a healer would never understand. Adeeana turned back to her quarters to pack a few last minute things sending Trish to go and fetch them some lunch. Brock and Sheron were busy planning for supplies that they would need on their journey and Adeeana desperately needed a couple of moments to clear her head. She looked around the skeletal remains of her apartment wondering why she did not feel a sense of loss. She had agreed to stay with Sheron for a year on his territory if he would give her the same amount of time. After some hostile and not so hostile negotiating they had agreed that Sheron's time would come first. She blushed as she thought of some of the things he had used to bribe her with. Who knew that you could use ice like that? Adeeana hefted her last box, one filled with odds and ends, feeling the heat pool between her legs when she heard a strange whirring noise. Before she could completely turn around a weighted net wrapped her in a cocoon so tight she could hardly breathe. The box pressed painfully into her chest as she struggled to see what was going on. "That's a good girl." A deep masculine voice hissed from behind her, "No screaming. You wouldn't want your mate to get hurt would you?" "What do you want?" Adeeana tried not to let her fear show but her voice trembled anyway. "Head Couselor Kempoe wants to chat with you." She heard the captor come closer to her and she struggled against her bonds but each attempt made them tighter and tighter until she thought they would crush her. Something pricked her arm and she felt the world swim before her. Her last thought before the world went dark was perhaps she did need Sheron's protection after all. The owner of the transporter was a short fat balding man named Jek that panted when breathing like he'd just ran laps. He looked at his clipboard and then his watch and groaned. He would be almost two hours late for his next pick up and that was if they left immediately. He had gone up earlier to tell the Garu that he was leaving with or without their final passenger but one look from the dark one and he'd quickly changed his mind. As if the dark one had heard Jek's thoughts he stopped mid stride and stared. Jek had opened his mouth to apologise or beg or do anything that would get the look of death of the Garu's face when he spoke. "They've taken her." "Who?" Trish asked. "Adeeana. They've taken Adeeana." Sheron ran toward her quarter his praying to every god he knew of that he was wrong, that it had been like it was this morning and she would arrive any minute but he could taste her fear. He could feel the constriction of restraints around her but that is not what freighted him. He was hunter by nature. There was no where they could take her that he couldn't find her. They were connected as all true mates were, sharing a mental link to each other that transmitted signals like a beacon, but Adeeana's soul no longer called to him. He reached with all that he was and found only blackness. He burst through the doors of her quarters noting the absolute stillness. He opened his sensed to find a trace of the captor but everything in the room smelled of Adeeana. His heart constricted, "Please," he silently begged but was not quite sure for what. To Be Continued... Adeeana's Mate Ch. 03 Dedicated to Guitar Girl...who wouldn't let Adeeana be lost forever. Thank you! The palace room was dark except for the last bits of sunlight that filtered through the window. The only furnishings were a small inn table, an unused lamp , and a hospital bed. The sound of beeping monitors and the soft clicking of the breathing machine set like war drums in the mind of the child who sat on the bed. His name was Tam but his father called him Mutt, and in his small pale hands he held the hand of his Mother, Nia. He stoked her palm continually as if the act alone would keep her alive. His little tawny head was bent towards her and though he did not verbally speak a word, he sent her every thought of love and hope he could manage. "The healer will be here soon. Dad went to go get her. He said that she can almost bring the dead back to life Mom, so I'm sure she'll know how to wake you. I take care of him real good, just like you said. I make sure he eats cause he forgets sometimes, and I give him a kiss from you every night before bed. Just come back Mom, I really miss you. Dad misses you even more...I don't think...I don't think he will live if you do not wake." Tears flowed down his rounded cheeks but fell unheeded. He had cried so much that he didn't even really notice anymore. The door of the room slid soundlessly open and a Man in his late years walked in. His hair was peppered with grey and cut severely close to his head. He wore the scarlet robes of the Human Council with an air of confidence and superiority. "What are you doing in here boy?" His voice was hard and his lips pursed as he saw the child wipe away his tears. "I was just telling Mom not to worry...that dad was going to get the healer." "She can't hear you. You're wasting your time." The words cut like knifes but Tam barely flinched. He knew on some level that his Uncle enjoyed his pain. He had tried to tell his Dad but Merrik hadn't really heard Tam since his mom got sick. "I wasn't being very loud." He whispered bringing his mother's hand up against his cheek and pressing a small kiss to it. "Even if she can't hear me, it makes me feel better to talk to her." The smile on his Uncle's face made Tam's skin crawl. "Ahh the selfishness of youth. The Doctors are coming to give your Mother some more medicine. You will have to wait outside while it is administered." As if by magic the stooped form of his Uncle's private doctor appeared behind him in the door. Tam shook his head, his eyes flashing fury, and walked past them outside. He waited close to the door afraid that if he wondered very far his mom would be in danger. He was too young to realize that instinct was telling him something so instead he chalked the feelings up to being upset. He hated when his Uncle's Doctor gave Mom medicine. Sometimes, between doses, he could almost hear her. Like the slightest brush of a butterfly's wing, but after the treatments there was only silence. His Uncle said that it was to help his Mother rest but that didn't make it better as far as Tam was concerned. He wanted her to wake, not sleep more. Counselor Kempoe stood at the foot of his sister's bed looking down on her in contempt. She was a sister by marriage only but they had been raised together. Kempoe had been 16 when she was born and had watched her grow up into a stunning beauty. Even in sickness her form stirred his body. He could hear the little brat shuffling outside and wondered how much longer he was going to have to endure his presence. The child looked at him as if he were a substance on the bottom of his shoe. No one, young or old dared to do such a thing! Even Nia who had known him since childhood had the sense to yield to him in all but one thing. Leave it to Nia's little brat to be the only one to think himself above the laws. "My Lord. It looks like she is still trying to communicate." The doctor said as he viewed the scanner in his hand. "Her brain activity is up 20% despite of the drugs." "Give her more then." Kempoe said with a careless shrug. "I'm afraid that would more then likely kill her." Kempoe sighed. Were she not needed he would have already seen to her disposal and to that of her whelp outside but he feared what Merrik would do if he found out. No, he was at the apex of his plan. Merrik would fetch the healer, Kempoe had already told him that her mate was responsible for Nia's sickness, they would fight for the healer and kill each other and that just left the brat and the women to clean up. Kempoe had given his sister the option to renounce her marriage and destroy her child but she had refused. Even the "facts" that Lycanthrope killed their human mates had not persuaded her. He patted himself on the back for that. It had taken almost thirty arranged instances to get his marriage bans passed. It had taken twelve more to have his newest law brought into action. No Garu/Human marriages would be acknowledged and all half breeds would be sterilized for the "betterment" of both species. It had been so easy. Kempoe hated the Garu, filthy animals, and had been heading up an alliance to have them destroyed ever since he had taken seat on the counsel. Never mind that the alliance had not really taken hold in the human world until after a few of the arranged deaths. Kempoe was sure that he was not the only one that hated them and that he was saving humanity from the taint of the Garu. Those savages had been servants to the humans when they first arrived on the planet. Seventeen generations had seen them in near slavery and then there had been an uprising. The government had been overthrown by the Garu and the supporters of its rights. What rights did those animals really need? The counsel had been established and Kempoe had barely managed to hold his position of power. That was unwittingly because of his sister's choice in mate. "Raise the dose." Kempoe said his eyes burning with hate. "If she dies then Merrik will join her." The doctor said, his nasally voice rising with every word. "And if he joins her then there will be nothing to keep the Garu ground troop leader from coming for us!" "Be quiet fool." Kempoe snapped glancing around as if the walls had ears. "Merrik will kill the Garu to save his mate who will kill him after she has healed my sister. The healer will be destroyed by her guilt and my sister..." Kempoe turned his back on the beautiful girl struggling for life in the bed. "My sister will die for choosing an animal over me." Merrik clutched the sleeping woman to him, cradling her face to his chest to keep her from being recognized. He thanked the fates that there were too few Garu around to recognize that he himself was giving off the scent of the unconscious girl. He hadn't bothered to ask Kempoe how he had managed to reproduce the scent and he didn't trust the man to have been true to his word but it was the only chance that his mate had and so he had taken it. He had heard of Sheron, who hadn't? And he knew that the Garu's wrath would be unequaled but he welcomed it. He half hoped that the traitor had been in the apartment where he had taken the girl. His mind ached with the emptiness that Nia's absence left so he filled it with revenge. He would take the healer and use her and then he would kill her. He would leave Sheron to the hell that he had lived these past months. The hell of reaching out for your heart and finding only darkness. He had no real hope that she could do what Kempoe had said she could but he would try anyway. If she was successful then Merrik would challenge Sheron in a fair fight. If she was not then he would kill her and wait for her mate to come. He felt a flutter in his mind, one so achingly familiar that it stopped him mid thought. "Imaria Nia?" Silence. The flutter was gone and its absence made Merrik almost howl with loss. As it was he barely got into the waiting transporter without dropping to his knees. He tossed the bound healer carelessly to the floor his need for violence over taking him. He tore at the skin on his arms with his nails letting the physical pain surround him. He had to hold on. Tam, he had to think of Tam. At once the pictures of his son flashed through his head. His hair was a mix of blonde and brown and red and his eyes were blue and green and grey. He had been so multi colored when he was born that Merrik had called him Mutt, and though Nia detested the name saying that Tam was the most beautiful baby alive, it had stuck. Merrik let his claws retract and looked down at the deep scars on his fore arm. He had left Mutt at home so he wouldn't see this. The loss of a mate was devastating and had it not been for the fact that the doctors said that Nia might be healed he would have joined her in the dankness. He was not stupid enough to leave Mutt in the care of Kempoe. Unbeknownst to both Kempoe and Nia, if he were to die his family would come for Tam. Merrick looked to where the healer had fallen and lifted her up with infinitely more care then he had deposited her. He felt pity that she was bound to such a monster as Sheron. The poison that had sickened his mate had been meant for Kempoe. A gift of wine that Sheron had sent. It had reeked of the Garu sent when it had been delivered. Kempoe had said that he had tried to talk Nia out of drinking it but she had said that there was no reason for Kempoe's prejudice and had taken the drink anyway. Merrik smiled thinking how very like his wife that was. She trusted everyone, she loved everyone, and for that she had been betrayed. There was an alliance between the Garu and the Human Council since they had established separate governments. Merrik had wanted to challenge Sheron immediately but Kempoe had convinced him that there was a small chance Sheron's woman could save Nia. His revenge would wait. Sheron rushed to Adeeana's apartment like a man possessed. The occasional passer by was greeted with growls of warning and even Trish and Brom stayed back. The door was opened when he got there. He scanned the room looking for any sign of her or where they had taken her. His mind clamored with the need to touch everything that was hers and the need to destroy it for not being her. "Breathe my friend." Brom said cautiously reading the madness that threatened. "She is alive. You must believe that." "Then why can I not feel her?" Sheron snarled turning on Brom in such a way that he pushed Trish behind him. The protective stance broke through some of Sheron's grief. "Forgive me. I can not ask your help in this." "Then you will have to take it without asking." Trish said pushing Brom out of her way. If she were dead you would know. Can you smell her here?" "Yes." "What is wrong with the scent." Trish asked patiently. Sheron took it in again. By the couch were a crushed box of her things lay Adeeana's scent was weakest but it was there that it was tinged with the acidic thread of fear. He walked to the door taking a deep breath. Her scent was stronger here, so strong that it didn't seem possible. It lacked the fear from before and it was not that strong anywhere else in the house. "He is covering his own scent with hers." Trish nodded her head looking up at Brom. "Wasn't the package that burned you covered in the same sort of scent?" Sheron swore and headed out the door following the false scent. The one who had tried to kill him had taken Adeeana. Sheron had brought death to her door. He thought for a second that perhaps he had been wrong to come for her. He should have destroyed the enemy first but he had been impatient to be with her. The scent was direct as if the one who had taken her had not even bothered to try and hide his presence. No doubt he thought that Sheron wouldn't figure out the scent mask. He would not have had it not been for Trish. The scent ended at the Eastern Transporter docks. Again Sheron cursed his own stupidity. Had he thought for a moment he would have realized that the kidnaper would have to leave immediately. Adeeana was well liked and easily recognized there was no way anyone could keep her on the grounds unnoticed. He turned a slow circle looking for answers. Someone had seen, someone knew what was going on and he was going to find out who. He grabbed a passing student jerking him up by his shirt collar. "Where are the docking logs for this place kept and by whom." "The st-station ma-master." Choked out the student who was sure that the Garu was going to kill him. Sheron's eyes glowed and unholy yellow and his teeth seemed to be barely contained by his mouth. "Where!" Sheron bit out again. He felt light feminine hands on his arm and at once a sense of almost peace passed through him. He turned to see Trish, her usually expressive face blank and serene. He sat the stuttering student down and followed as she led him to an empty dock. "This way." She said in a voice that sounded so foreign that it made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. "Across the waters, a blue ship with silver letters, must hurry...must not be caught." "Trish." Brock touched his mate feeling the tremor of power that went through her. There has always been rumors that the Garu Royals were telepathic but none had ever been confirmed. Trish blinked her eyes coming back into focus. We'll ask the Dock master about the destination of the blue ship. If we are lucky we can get one of these transporters to follow them. "We aren't going to need luck." Sheron growled stepping toward the nearest transport but was restrained by Trish. "Talk to the station Master first. We can't take off blindly. We need to know what ship took her and where it was headed." Sheron hated the idea of leaving Adeeana out of his reach any longer then he had to but he knew that what Trish said was right. Consciousness came slowly to Adeeana. Her brain seemed to be caught in a strange thick web. she tried to make sense out of the disjointed fragments that filtered through but almost as soon as she saw them they were gone again. Someone was talking...she had been captured, she remembered that much...but everything else seemed wrapped in fog. "How long before the drug wears off?" A male voice demanded. "It should have worn off already." Another answered, "How much was she given?" "Only what was in the syringe. It is the same dose that we first started Nia on." There was a silence. "She should wake any moment now." "We have to hurry. Nia is trying to break through the barrier and that little brat suspects as much." "Where is Merrik?" "He is preparing to battle Sheron." Adeeana's mind clasped the name like a life raft. With everything that was in her she called out to Sheron in warning. Adeeana? It's a trap! Stay away from here...it's a trap? Where are you? I don't know... "She's awake. Quick dose her again before she makes contact!" Adeeana tried to move away from the man with the syringe but the drugs she had been given previously made her too slow. Before she knew what was happening the fluid of forgetfulness was flowing through her brain. Who were these people who were smiling at her? What was she supposed to be doing. The room went dark and the lock was turned before she could even ask her questions. She was a medical student...she was supposed to be healing. "Why can't she see Nia now?" Merrik demanded growling and the slimy little doctor who was barring his way to the healer's room. "The drugs are potent and have not worn off. She needs time..." "Nia doesn't have any more time!" Merrik growled shoving the man out of the way to unlock the door." "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kempoe said, his face a mask of false sympathy. "I want the healer in Nia's room." Merrik snarled, "Before her mate gets here. I will stall him enough to give her time..." "That is fair," Kempoe agreed quickly mentally calculating his next move. "You should put your son in with her." "Why?" "She will be confused when she wakes." Kempoe said. "If she wakes." The doctor added with a sneer. Kempoe shot the little man a look that silenced him and kept Merrik from doing so permanently. "When she wakes she will want a familiar face, some reassurance about her family." Merrik frowned. Something about this tasted wrong."How do we know she wouldn't hurt Tam?" "Well she is a healer of Dramulus." Kempoe smiled, "Her first law says that she can not take a life unless it is to save her own. I doubt your son will be threatening the girl that will save his mother." Merrik nodded though every cell in his body protested it. He would do what he could to buy time for Nia. "It doesn't make any sense." Sheron said, reason seeping through the rage in his brain as the medical transporter sped toward the capital. He could feel Adeeana. Her thoughts were disjointed and afraid and she did not recognize his call but she was alive. "The council never sent word to Adeeana that she was to report to them?" Trish shook her head, "No. The last thing Adeeana got from the council was her welcome into the Dramulus class. We all got one." "Could she have missed it and for that reason been arrested?" Brom asked. "No. She's very methodical about her affairs and she doesn't keep secrets. Besides if she had been arrested then they would have kept her on the school grounds until official papers could be drawn and transport arranged." "Who ever took her had to know where she lived, had access to medical records that would have her scent pattern and a transporter to take her..." Brom continued his mate's thought not liking the pattern they were creating. "Not just any transporter, Counselor Kempoe's transporter." Trish finished. Sheron thought darkly about the rumors surrounding the counselor. Rumors that he had killed to get his position. That he was the source of the humans unrest against the Garu. If he simply wanted to kill her why risk being seen in the transporter? "It was more then just luck that she was taken from the grounds the day after graduation." Sheron said, "As far as the school was concerned Adeeana was leaving and would not be missed." "What could Counselor Kempoe possibly want from Adeeana?" Trish asked her eyes holding the same fear that Sheron's did. "He...he would not force her to heal? He would have to know about her spells. If the proper precautions are not taken she could easily kill whomever was in the room." "If Kempoe wanted someone dead and someone to blame, Adeeana would be the easiest way to do it." Brom said. "And he would have counted on you Sheron, to follow her." Sheron nodded feeling the muscles of the beast roll under his skin. "Adeeana was trying to tell me it was a trap." Sheron turned formally to Brom. "I will ask you as a friend not to follow me into this battle." Brock opened his mouth to protest but Sheron cut him off. "I will need proof about what has happened this day. A witness in good standing that can prove that I did not attack without provocation. If I should not come through this.." "No!" Trish said shaking her head but Sheron continued. "If I should not come through this you must find her, get to her, you must protect her." Silence filled the small craft for a moment before he and Brom clasped forearms. "It shall be as you ask." The room that Adeeana was taken to was dark and unfamiliar. She tried to get her muddled thoughts to focus but they were like rice paper floating in water, as soon as she grasped them they dissolved. She stood,throwing her wealth of golden hair behind her, a movement that caused her to stumble back over an inn table. She crashed to the floor taking the contents of the table with her. Her eyes teared in frustration. What was the matter with her? "Are you okay?" A tiny voice asked from the darkness. Adeeana looked around for the source and located a little boy, scruffy and sad looking sitting on the end of a large hospital bed. It was then that she became aware of the smells of sickness. The air was stale and heavy with the sweet smell associated with death. Adeeana's Mate Ch. 03 "Where am I?" She asked surprised at how rough and foreign her own voice was. "Are you the healer?" The boy asked warily trying to block as much of the bed from Adeeana as he could with his slight form. Healer? "Yes." She heard herself answer and she knew it was true. She was a healer of Dramulus. She could heal with her touch but she shouldn't. She shouldn't because....the thought was gone again as quickly as it had come. "Will you heal my mother?" Adeeana walked haltingly toward the bed her mind caught in a dream. She stared down at the slight woman who lay in the bed, her breath coming in shallow gasps and then at the little boy who looked at her so pleadingly. Is that why she was here? Her mind blurred the edges of what had been and what was. A little boy in an orphanage with dark hair and defiant eyes. A young woman, a princess of sorts, sick and in need of help. Adeeana's help. "Trish?" Adeeana whispered laying her pale hands on the woman's arm. Instantly she was seized with power. The woman was desperately trying to tell her something but Adeeana was too far gone to know what. The power began to run through her clearing away the last of the drugs from her before it did the same for the strange woman. She felt the agony of the woman trapped in a body that would not respond to her, saw flashes of a man touching her while she slept, his eyes full of hate. Then she saw the boy. "No!", Adeeana screamed starring at the child sitting close to her as the back lash of healing brought on her hunger of the beast. "Oh Stars, No!" she pleaded. Sheron had no sooner hit the ground near the council chambers and watched Brom take off when he was struck by a force so strong it knocked him off his feet. His body went through the change lengthening and bending itself until he was more beast than man. His muzzle filled with razor teeth and his senses opened to that of his other self. His attacker was smaller then he but fast. Before Sheron could gain his feet his assailant delivered two sets of slashes to his torso. The false scent of Adeeana was upon the creature and it sparked Sheron's barely banked anger. This was the betrayer. She had to stay away from them but the room was so small and the animal in her would not be quieted. She reached for Sheron to calm her nerves but in his mind she only read death. Her claws lengthened and she curled her hands into such fists that she knew her palms would always bare the scars. She went to the darkest corner curling up with her back to the room praying to anything that would listen that the woman would take the child away before she lost control. "Mom?" Tam asked as he saw her blink her eyes and felt her fear in his mind. Her violet eyes blinked open and she looked around wildly for some unseen enemy before finally spotting her him. Tam? I'm here Mom! I knew she would heal you! Nia sat up slowly her body feeling tired but otherwise fit. The last thing she remembered was her brother Kempoe demanding that she destroy her son and leave her mate to be with him. He had invited her for some wine and she had realized to late what was happening. For these long weeks she had been trapped inside herself unable to answer her beloved or her son, knowing that Kempoe was looking for a way to kill them but unable to warn them. She wrapped her son into her arms with a little cry of relief kissing him everywhere she could reach. "She made you better! I knew she would make you better!" He cried his arms so tight around her throat she thought he would strangle her. The hair stood up on the back of her neck as she sensed the other presence in the room. Her eyes found the back of a woman Garu. She was too small to be full blooded but the sounds that came from her were terrifying. Though Nia had seen her husband change a hundred times she knew that this creature had no bond to her and might not recognize her in a change. She remembered the confusion in the woman's touch as she had driven the poison out of her body...no their bodies. She left her son on the bed putting herself between them. "Are you alright?" She asked softly. "Get him away." The Garu growled. Her breath came in gasps,"You must g-g-get away from me." Nia scooped up her son and headed toward the door. Her sudden movements caught the Garu's attention and her head jerked up. Nia saw that there was no recognition in her face only death. She reached behind her keeping her son as far away as she could and grasped for the door knob. The Garu began to stalk toward her. She gave the knob a vicious yank but it would not open. The Garu seemed to stare right through her to Tam. Merrik?! Nia reached for her mate to beg him to help but she feared it would be to late. Adeeana knew she was loosing control. The woman's fear excited her senses and in her fear stared directly into Adeeana's eyes. The bitch in her roared at the direct challenge but the woman's eyes only widened and she did not back down. Her last human thought before the wolf took over was focused into one plea for both help and forgiveness. Sheron! He attacked grabbing the stranger by the shoulder and sinking his teeth in. His first thought was to kill him but reason warned him that this could be his only link to Adeeana. The man wrenched himself away rolling to his feet and cradling his injured shoulder but he did not retreat. He began a series of cat like pouncing moves that forced Sheron back into a corner. Sheron watched to find a pattern taking another series of slashes for his efforts but finally he knew he would win. Two forward attacks and one back. Sheron blocked the two forward leaps and on the strangers next back slash Sheron whipped around and sprung. His great jaws closed around the other man's throat holding him so tight that he could only gasp for air. When he again attempted to strike Sheron gave him a vicious shake that would have broken a smaller creatures neck. They heard their mates at the same time. Sheron shifted back into a man's form his chest and back feeling like ribbons holding back a flood. He trapped the Garu against the wall using his forearm against his neck to keep him still. "Where is my mate betrayer." "You are the assassin." The man gasped his eyes rolling as Sheron increased the pressure. "She calls to me in fear betrayer and it is not fear for her own life. If you do not tell me where she is she will kill before either of us can stop her." The man's nod gained him breath. He did not fall to the ground a fact that earned him no small amount of respect from Sheron. "She was brought here to heal my mate. She was poisoned by a gift that you sent counselor Kempoe." The man growled leading Sheron as fast as he could mange toward Nia's room. His shoulder ached like wild fire and he knew that had it not been for the healers call he would be dead right now. He tried to find the despair that had been there before but it had been replaced by hope. So pure and blinding that it almost crippled him. He had heard Nia call to him. Strong but afraid. He would not fail her a second time. "I knew nothing of Kempoe until yesterday when you took my mate. I want nothing to do with the human council or its members. I am here only for Adeeana." Merrik tasted the truth in Merrik's words and found himself at a loss. If there was no assassin then that left only one person who could have poisoned Nia. "I am a fool." He whispered before shifting to reach his wife's room at a faster speed Sheron close at heel." The Garu female stalked closer to Nia growling deeply and angrily. She tried to move away but the female would not let her. She watched in horror and she drew to her full height baring her great teeth in threat. "Get down!" Tam yelled yanking her to the floor. She was surprised at how strong he had become. "You have to cast your eyes down and drop close to the floor. She thinks you are challenging her." Nia cursed her own stupidity as she recognized the truth in Tam's words. She pulled Tam under her and dropped to the floor in a submissive posture. She felt the female circle her, snuffling her hair and her clothing. It growled close to her ear daring her to challenge again but when there was no response she lost interest and began to search the room. Nia watched the female her heart pounding in her throat. How long would the female ignore them? She was across the room again sniffing at the windows as if she too only wanted out. Who was she? Nia reached slowly behind her again to grab hold of the door knob despite of Tam's muffled warnings but the straightening of her posture caught the Garu's attention again and this time she would not be talked out of the fight. Nia gave the door another viscous yank and to her relief it opened. On the other side stood the biggest warrior she had ever seen. There was no mercy in his eyes or in his posture and for a moment she had the most insane urge to close the door again. The female behind her roared in agitation and before Nia knew what was happening she and Tam were in the arms of Merrik and the door was closed. Merrik looked as stunned and confused as Nia but they did not question their good fortune. Merrik let out a cry of joy as he crushed Nia and Tam to his battered chest. "What is going on here?" Nia asked between fevered kisses. "Should we help them?" She asked gesturing towards the door. "That is a lovers reunion we want no part of beloved." Merrik said herding his family towards their quarter. He would brook no arguments from Nia. They would move within the Garu Kingdom until Kempoe could be charged. The female stopped her stalking when confronted with this knew challenge. Though his scent was familiar her mind clung to thoughts of dominance and of challenge. She sprung at him lithely intending to push him to the ground but he was faster then he appeared. He side stepped her neatly and turned so that she was not sure who was stalking whom. "Adeeana?" He said but the word had no meaning to her. She sprung again and again he side stepped her. She growled in frustration and turned to circle the other direction. Sheron was unsure of how to deal with her. He didn't want to hurt her or to be hurt by her but she was making it impossible. Any move he made toward her was answered with threatening growls that increased in volume if he moved away from her. He bowed his head as if to submit to her and waited for her to pounce. Before she was mid-leap he had made the change and leaped for her. He used her momentum to roll her under him pinning her body much the way he had when they were children. He trapped her arms above her head and forced his greater body between her legs. When she pushed against him to try to get up he answered by pinning her more forcefully, by probing her entrance with his member. She let go of the Garu form but not its nature. Her eyes were still gold, her nails and teeth long but her body was again human. Sheron followed suit growling soft endearments to her in a language only they understood. She wrenched her wrist from his grasp just as she had when they were children. He stilled himself for her assault but she used her hand to caress the pattern of the scars across his cheek. Her claws were replaced by her delicate fingers and her teeth returned to their normal state. The gold in her eyes faded from animal aggression to human need. "Sheron?" She said confused. "I am here Imaria." He answered nuzzling her neck and pushing the clothing that separated them off. He needed to be close to her, inside her. He needed to know that she was alright and that she was his. he buried himself deeply into her body loving the gasp of surprise that he drew from her lips. He rocked again and again into her body wanting her release knowing that it was the only true way to quiet the animal in both of them. She wrapped both her legs and her arms around him clinging to him as if nothing else in the world had to make sense. It was short and rough but in its brutality was true love. Adeeana knew now what Sheron had meant when he said that there was no life without death but she would teach him that there was no death without life. Epilogue Sheron held a letter in his hands and tried to ignore the fact that his quarters were being completely turned upside down by his mate. She had been there less then 8 months and already she had rearranged their bedroom, their living room, their bath room and finally the kitchen. Just when he thought there was nothing else she could disrupt or move she had come into his office with that look on her face. "We have a letter from Merrik." He said watching her eyes his space. The statement distracted her temporarily. "Are they okay?" "They have been granted passage and living quarters on Garu grounds. They say that there is still no sign of Kempoe but that the search of his private computer and quarters has revealed the truth about the human/Garu marriages. The council will lift the band immediately and is offering compensation to those who have already been victimized by him." "It's a start, but I think the wounds are deeper then we think." Adeeana breathed throwing herself into Sheron's lap with a long sigh. He grunted and adjusted to better make her comfortable. "Nia says that Tam has taken an interest in Dramulus." "No thanks to me." Adeeana's said taking pointed interest in the floor. "You have nothing to be ashamed of Imaria. If it were not for you Nia would not be able to say anything." Adeeana nodded but her eyes did not come up from the floor. Sheron let it go. She would welcome the beast in her one day, but it did not have to be today. He settled for changing the subject. "Brom also sends word. He says that if you do not take Trish somewhere, anywhere, before the next moon rising that he is going to pack his stuff and move in here." Adeeana laughed. Poor Brom had been getting the "royal" attitude for the last quarter of Trish's pregnancy. "Tell him he sewed the seed and now he can reap the rewards. The last time I tried to take her to the shopping center she stopped to pee three times and then burst into tears when we passed through the womens clothing selection. There is no way I am doing that again." But they both knew she would. "She wants you to deliver the baby." He said softly. Since her kidnaping she had not touched any of her medical equipment. Word of her abilities had spread like wild fire but the "rumors" of her gifts where squelched just like the rumors of the Royals psychic ability. For the last month she had been driving him nearly insane with all of her pent up energy. "What should I do beloved?" She asked. He arched a brow teasingly, "Rearrange Brom's home and leave my study be?" Adeeana hit him in the shoulder with a scowl that sent him into gruffles of laughter. She was about to get up and storm out of the room whe Sheron captured her pulling her back into his lap for a kiss. "Deliver the baby Imaria. Bring life back to this world." He smiled wistfully, "It is your way." "No," She said wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him again soundly, "It is our way."