Dark Side Of The Moon (BBW Paranormal Were-Bear Shifter Sci-Fi Romance) (15 page)

She
lay in the soft light, her head on Taso’s shoulder. He had the end of her hair
in his hand, winding the long strands through his fingers.

“You
were magnificent today. And not only against the wolves.”

“Thank
you.” His words made her blush, and they sent a little ripple of pleasure
coursing through her. She ran her hand down his broad chest, tracing a slow
line around his navel, then lower, to the flat space below. Her fingers played
along the thatch of dark hair, but he reached down, covering his hand with
hers.

“Later.
Rest. There is time, there is always time.”

She
let her hand drift back up to his chest. “I didn’t think men ever refused an
offer of sex.”

“I
am not like men on your planet, remember? I can control myself. And...” He chuckled,
and placed his hand over hers. “You were insatiable in the bath.”

That
made her laugh. “Not really.
You’re
insatiable when you want
something...”

“When
I want you, yes. After battle, the urge is strong. Now...” He tugged on her
hair. “Now I am satisfied, for the moment. I want to lie here like this, until
it is time again.”

She
thought about that for a minute, decided she could wait as well.

“Was
it hard for you today? You fought like one of us.”

“It
was...not what I expected. I never thought I could kill someone...even if that
someone was a wolf.”

“But
that someone was trying to kill you. To kill us.”

“Right,
I know that.” She settled herself against him, her hand flat on his chest.
“This isn’t exactly a conversation I ever thought I’d have, trying to explain
what it was like to kill a wolf, who was an alien, that looks like a human. Or
did look like a human...” For a moment she wondered if he’d had a family, a
mate. And for a moment she could taste the blood, and fur and dirt.

You
found out you are a very strong woman. You were tested. You not only survived,
you triumphed.”

She
heard his words, let them play over in her mind. But there was more to it than
just that. More to just knowing her limits, and pushing past them. Pushing
against him she sat up. It was just light enough for her to see his face, a
pale oval against the pillow.

“It’s
more than just that. I know I’m strong. I’ve known that for a long time.
It’s...I think I found my purpose.”

He
looked up at her, his eyebrow cocked, but he didn’t say anything. His silence
gave her the confidence to go on.

“As
crazy as this all is...I think this place feels more like home to me than Earth
ever did.” It sounded so dramatic in the dark, in bed with Taso. She laughed,
and put her head back on his shoulder.

“I
feel at home here. And that surprises me. Very much.”

The
fighting continued, more on than off, over the next weeks. Veronica lost count
of the number of battles, the number of times she fought a wolf. She ached in
places she’d never known could even hurt, but through it all, she’d learned how
to fight for her life, and for the life Taso imagined for his Clan. For this
strange planet. A world that had quickly become home to her.

The
barracks were full of men, pulling off torn armor, dropping it in heaps on the
floor. She looked around; there were fewer losses this time, more Clan members
left after this battle. The Moonbay Clan—vicious wolves—were still attacking
just as often, with just as furiously as the first battle she’d fought in.

The
tiger Clan—Byakko—had stopped attacking, except for a few isolated scrimmages.
They had sent an emissary with a message: they, and the Santina lions wished to
discuss terms of a truce. In private, Taso had been elated, although in public
he had been cautiously optimistic.

He
came to her one day in their rooms, not long after the messengers had left.
They’d been smuggled out; Taso fearful they’d be ambushed by wolves on the way
home.

“Max,
I have a request to make of you.”

She’d
been sitting by the window, looking out over the broad plain between the city
walls and the distant huge pine trees. Taso had told her what the names of the
trees were, but she’d forgotten. There was no word in English that translated
from his language. So she called them pine trees.

“What
is it?”

They
had had a quiet few days, and she’d found Taso growing restless. She thought
he’d been missing the action of the fight, but he’d been working late into the
night, going over the messages the Moonbay, Byakko, and Santina Clans had sent.
And he felt it was time to do something, to take the lead. To take action,
rather than just talking about peace.

“I
would like you to be my emissary, for you to take the terms of peace treaty to
the other Clans.”

She
stared at him, open-mouthed. “You’re kidding. You want me to be a messenger for
you?” It was more than a little ironic that she’d been a messenger on Earth,
and now she was being asked to do the same job on a foreign planet.

He
pulled out a chair and sat down. She saw the lines in his face, saw how the
silver in his hair had advanced, in just that last few months. “It’s more than
that. I want you to be more than the messenger. I want you to act in my place,
on my behalf. To represent me and the interests of our Clan. To help broker
this deal between the Clans.”

“But
why? Not that I don’t want to help, but why me? I don’t have any authority. No
one will believe anything I say. And isn’t that rather dangerous? I’m surprised
you are offering this.”

Taso
leaned forward. “No harm would ever come to you as an emissary. They are protected
from harm. Even our rivals would never dare break that code. But, “he paused
only briefly, his expression suddenly serious, “there is a second part to my
request.” His expression was serious, and for a moment it alarmed her. She had
no idea what he might way.

“You’re
scaring me, Taso. What is it?”

He
reached out and took her hand. “I want to ask you if you will be my mate.
Officially. There is a ceremony. It will give you legitimacy with the other Clans.”
His expression softened, and he smiled. She could see the lines of exhaustion
at the corners of his eyes, and his mouth.

“It
would make me happy if you would accept, Max. Very happy. Besides giving you
the power to speak for me, it would simply make me happy.”

“You’re
asking me to marry you. Is that what this is?” Her heart was beating in a
strange rhythm, not unpleasant, but not regular.

“Is
that what it’s called on Earth? To marry? We call it a mating ritual. It’s held
in front of the entire city, and it signifies that from that point forward, we
are mates, and the title I carry is also your title.”

“That’s
pretty much the same on Earth, more or less.” It was impossible not to smile at
Taso, but he still wore a somber expression. “Is there something else? You look
worried.”

“I
was afraid you would say no. That you would refuse me. You have not said
yes...yet.”

“Oh.”
She leaned forward. “Yes, Taso. It would make me very happy to say yes.”

The
lines of worry on his face eased. Briefly he closed his eyes, breathing out a
sigh. When he opened them, for just a moment, she thought she saw tears in his
eyes. But then that was gone.

“Then
I shall make preparations. It will be soon. If that suits you.”

She
nodded. “Do I have to do anything, say anything? On Earth, couples exchange
vows to each other.”

He
looked at her for a moment. “We do not do that. It seems...please do not take
offense. It seems rather basic. We have a ritual that is performed. It is
always the same, the same words, spoken in the same order. I feel somehow if we
broke that tradition...”

“It’s
okay. I understand.” For a minute, she was not sad, really. Maybe disappointed.
But maybe he was right; what in the world could she say to a shifter alien in a
mating ritual that would in any way make any sense? Better to hold with
tradition than make a mess of things.

“Then
it’s settled. It will be in a few days. There are things that need to be
prepared.”

He
leaned forward, and kissed her, and for a moment she forgot that she was on a
strange planet, living in a war-torn territory. She was excited, ridiculously
so. And very happy.

So
happy she’d almost forgotten the reason behind him asking her to be officially
recognized as his mate. That she was to be the peace-broker between the Clans.

* * *

He’d
told her the day of the ritual was set for three days away. He told her it
would be a short speech, given by the second highest ranking person in the Clan,
before everyone assembled.

“It
should be me, speaking the words, but since it is my ritual, and you by
default, are the second highest ranking person, the third highest will speak.”

“It
sounds all a bit complicated. What do I do?” A flutter of nerves ran through
her. There were thousands of Clan members, the vast majority she’d never met,
let alone seen.

“You
stand and look beautiful. There is a gown you wear...I will have it brought to
you the morning of. Then the words are spoken. I take your hand, and I give you
a symbol of your rank. You take my hand, and still look beautiful.”

“Don’t
I give you something?”

He
kissed her. “You will give me a son when the time is right. That is what you
give to your mate.”

The
morning of the ritual, he’d woken her up at dawn. There was a small breakfast,
and then he’d left her to bathe and get dressed. She’d taken a long bath, and
when she’d emerged, a deep crimson dress lay across the bed. It was clearly the
brightest piece of clothing she’d come across on this planet. In a world that
was uniformly washed by a pale sun under gray clouds, it was the color of blood.
The blood she’d seen on her spear. She wondered at the choice.

There
were other garments, what she thought were undergarments. But in a moment of
playfulness she folded them, and put them away. She’d wear Taso’s crimson
dress, and nothing else.

Iria
came later and braided her hair, pinning it up in a complex coil around her
head. Veronica stood for a moment, looking at her reflection in the shiny metal
mirror. She looked exotic and wild, not at all like the girl she remembered
seeing in the mirror at the gym.

“Come.
They will be waiting.”

And
they were. A pair of guards were waiting at the door that led to the south
parapet. They took over from Iria, leading her down hallways, and then through
a door into the soft light outside.

A
door opened at the other side of the parapet, and Taso stepped out. His clothes
were the same brilliant crimson, pants and tunic. He was wearing the beaten
silver necklace, the symbol of his power. He looked solemn, dignified. And
incredibly handsome.

They
walked toward each other, and he took her hand. Another man in white robes came
to stand in front of them. For a moment, the world was the three of them, but
then the wind shifted, and she heard the murmur of people. Many, many people.
But from here, she could not see them.

The
man in white began speaking, in the strange sing-song language of Taso’s people
Even if she could, there was nothing she could have said. Taso squeezed her
hand at one point, and the man in white looked at her expectantly. She nodded
her head, and a guard stepped forward holding a small wooden box. Taso let go
of her hand, opened the box, and removed a silver necklace. It was beaten
silver, like Taso’s, but the designs were intricate, delicate, less brutal in
its beauty. But it was beautiful. For a moment it caught the scant light,
glowing softly.

Taso
placed the necklace around her neck. As it touched her shoulders, a roar rose
up from below. The man in white said something, but it was drowned in the sound
of the Clan. Taso took her hand again, and led her forward.

Below,
filling the public space below the wall was a sea of people. The sight made her
dizzy, the sheer number of yelling, cheering Clan members she’d been fighting
for, and with, overwhelming her. She closed her eyes, gripping Taso’s hand. She
heard him laugh, and then his arm went around her shoulder.

“This
is your destiny, Max. Your people. Our people.”

* * *

There
had been food, a feast in the courtyard for the palace guards, and wine and
food for the public, more food than she thought could ever exist. But Taso had
taken her to a large dining room in the palace, where she’d eaten with him and
the rest of the royal council. It had been a cheerful meal, but she could sense
Taso was impatient to finish. It was clear he had plans for her, and she was
more than eager to join him.

* * *

After
the meal he had taken her back to their rooms. Now that they were alone, he had
gone quiet, and she’d come to realize that usually meant he had something to
say. So she sat at the small table by the window, picking through the remains
of the sweets that had been brought up from the feast. She was full, but there
was something in one of the little cakes that was irresistible. Not chocolate,
not almond, but something that mixed the best of both, and added something she
had no word for. Other than delicious and rather addictive.

Finally,
he sat down across from her. “I have a question.”

“Ask.
I’ll try to answer.” She took a swallow of wine, washing away the last of the
cake.

“You
said that on your planet couples exchange...words?”

“Vows.”

“Yes.
Vows. I was wondering, if you had been given the chance, what would you have
said to me, for your vows today.”

That
wasn’t the question she was expecting. She sat for a moment, thinking, trying
to put into words what it meant to be Taso’s mate.

“I
think I would tell you that what happened today is bigger than being your mate.
To see all those people, who look to you...and me...it’s overwhelming. And I
think, even though I was speechless, and scared, being your mate has helped me
find my voice.”

He
looked up at her, a smile curving his lips, but he said nothing.

“I’m
strong and maybe that always made me different, set me apart. Alone, sometimes.
Here... when I say I found my voice...I think this place is where I can be who
I am. Or maybe who I’m supposed to be.” She felt silly, dressed in crimson,
just bonded to this man, professing that she had found her true calling, but it
was true.

“I
feel like I belong here.”

“And
you would have said that, as a vow?” He looked skeptical, as if the whole
assembled crowd would have been shocked into silence.

She
frowned. “Well, no. I guess it’s not a vow, in the traditional sense. Those are
usually reasons why the couple loves each other, things like that. But I think
it is what I want you to know today, that this place has become home to me.
It’s what you told me you wanted, back at the beginning. You wanted a mate, someone
to stand alongside you. Today, after seeing the Clan assembled for us, to be
there for this, I think I’ve fallen in love with them, and with this strange
world of yours.”

She
shook her head, embarrassed. “I’m making a mess of this. It’s probably a good
thing you didn’t let me say anything today, that we just did what has always
been done. I’d have rambled on and confused everyone here. They’d have thought
I was a complete loon.”

He
rose, holding out his hand. “I do not know what a loon is, but I’m sure it’s
not that bad. Come. We have another custom after the ceremony.” He smiled, but
there was a sadness in that smile. She wasn’t sure what made him sad, but now,
there was something more urgent at hand.