Authors: Bianca D'Arc
Realizing that, he lifted her into his arms
and arranged her legs on either side of his as she faced him. Essentially, she was sitting in his lap, her arms wrapped loosely around his neck as she smiled at him.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered, tracing his fingers over her delicate skin, flushed now with the heat of the water and the light layer of steam near its surface. “You’re too good for me.”
“Never,” she contradicted him. “You were always meant to be my mate, Mitch. You are my perfect match and I couldn’t love or admire you more. You
are
perfect. In every way. I’m the one who has to stay on my toes if I want to keep up with you.” She smiled, leaning in and kissing him, forestalling any further comment he might’ve made on the subject.
He let his hands roam down her body, pausing to play with the hard tips of her breasts, loving the way she responded so eagerly to his lightest touch. She squirmed against him in the buoyant water, little sounds of need issuing from her throat. He moved his hands around to her back, tracing her spine and the curves of her waist, then down over her shapely butt, squeezing lightly.
She growled low in her throat with passion, and he had to smile. His mate was everything he’d always dreamed of and never thought to find. He was a truly blessed man.
Then he moved one hand around to the front, keeping the other on her ass, delving between her cheeks, teasing lightly. He played with her, touching and moving back, then allowing the water to slide between them as he touched the apex of her splayed legs, zeroing in on the little nub at the top that made her squirm on his lap.
Mitch kissed her, pushing his tongue deep into her mouth as he speared two of his fingers into her liquid warmth, priming her, testing her readiness. She moaned and it was music to his ears. His mate was with him and as eager for him as he was for her. He could wait no longer.
He removed his hand from within her and
, rearranging her only slightly on his lap, he positioned him cock at her entrance. He pushed forward, sliding through the water and the even slicker fluids of her desire, entering the gates of paradise. He broke their tempestuous kiss as she cried out, her head thrown back as he slid into her fully. They were one.
He stilled, waiting for her to signal when she was ready to proceed. He was happy. He was one with his mate and his tiger purred. Gina’s head rolled as her body shivered, but eventually she lifted her gaze to meet his. He saw the fire, the passion in her eyes
, and it made him want to move.
Mitch waited for her to initiate though. He didn’t want to rush this. He wanted everything to be perfect for her. Just being here with her, inside her, already made it perfect for him.
Then she began to move. Slowly at first, she put her hands on his shoulders, using him for leverage as she pumped up and down on his hard shaft. He let her set the pace, gradually assisting her movements, his hands on her hips, guiding, lending her his strength. He could feel the volcano under them. He knew its pulse. And he felt its power and its approval of their activities. The mountain was happy when they were happy.
The mountain had claimed Mitch for its own and now it claimed Gina as well. They were the sacred servants of the Grim and its power flowed into them and back again. The very earth was pleased with them.
Mitch increased the pace, unable to hold out for too much longer, though they’d already stayed in the water so long their skin was beginning to wrinkle. He’d wanted this to last—and it had—but even amazingly good things had to come to an end. The thing was he knew he could have this again and again. Gina was his now, and as long as he kept her safe, he could be with her whenever he wanted. She was his mate. She wouldn’t leave him. Not ever.
Only death could part them
, and he didn’t plan on dying anytime soon. Now that he’d lived through the challenge, Mitch felt free to make plans for the next sixty years or so. Each and every one of them included Gina. And eventually, if they were so blessed, maybe a family of their own.
Mitch strained against her, pumping hard and fast now as Gina strained above him. Her breath came in ragged pants as he growled low in his throat, the animal inside him showing as his c
limax neared.
And then it was upon him. Gina roared as her climax hit and he was only a second behind, reaching for the stars with her, in her. Together
, they transcended the earth, the mountain and the ice cap. They soared into the stars and back, shared pleasure taking them to magical places few mortals dared to go. He almost glimpsed eternity before falling back to earth…to his mate.
“I love you, Gina mine,” he whispered, rocking her in his arms, their bodies still joined in the most intimate of ways.
“I love you too, Mitch, and I always will.”
A little before five a.m., Mitch woke and took stock of their situation. Much as he would’ve loved to spend the early morning hours making love to his mate again and again, he knew today was meant for work. Hard work. They had many things to do to get the Clan up and running again.
As he’d expected, when he poked his head out the door, a stack of messages waited for him. Adele Miller handed them over, along with the small bags Mitch and Gina had brought with them from New York. Clothes and some essential toiletries would help them both face the day fresh and prepared.
Mitch cleaned up, dressed and was going through the messages by the time a tap sounded on the outer door. He’d set up shop in the sitting room, leaving Gina asleep in the bedroom. She needed the rest and he didn’t have the heart to wake her up so early after the day they’d had yesterday.
He answered the door to find breakfast had been delivered on a tray. Adele verified the food had been tested, which was something Mitch had done for the Nyx once upon a time. He thanked the Guards with a nod and took the tray back into the room. He had just enough time to share a little bedroom picnic with his beloved before he had to get to work.
He turned toward the bedroom, but Gina was already up, dressed and standing in the doorway to the bedroom looking at him. She had a smile on her face.
“I was going to serve you breakfast in bed.” Mitch lifted the tray in his hands.
“Too late.” Gina shrugged and walked into the sitting room. She took a seat on the couch in front of the glass coffee table he’d been working on, sorting messages. “Can I help with any of this?”
Mitch put the tray down on the coffee table and sat next to her, pulling her into his arms for a quick kiss. Well, maybe it wasn’t as quick as he’d planned, but he wasn’t complaining and more importantly, neither was she. He let her up for air only because he didn’t want their breakfast to get too cold.
“To answer your question, yes, you can be of great help. I need a doctor—maybe a few in different specialties actually—to help sort out the Clan’s biggest holding. Have you ever heard of Phelix Corporation?”
He had already served her a cup of coffee and uncovered the plates that had been stacked on the tray. Healthy portions of eggs, bacon, sausage and potatoes were on each plate. He looked up when she didn’t answer and realized she had stilled completely.
“Phelix Pharmaceuticals?” Her eyes had narrowed in thought and she seemed wary.
“The pharmaceutical operation is just one subsidiary. They’re a hi-tech company with multiple arms and the tiger Clan is by far the biggest shareholder. I also think, based on what I saw last night and some of the information I’ve managed to glean from this stack of messages, it’s also our biggest problem.”
“Maybe more than you think. I’ve been working with a shifter doctor who runs a special project for Phelix.” That was news to him. “Actually, the project goes back quite a ways to when my family first went to America. I became involved in it later, but it was always designed and meant for shifter use. We call it royal nectar. It’s a distillation of what we think is the active component in my blood.” She sighed and shook her head. “When I was called down to Ellie’s apartment to treat you, I gave you my blood. It stopped the poison, but then you were unconscious again when Cade brought you up to my apartment. He needed you awake again, so I gave you a dose of the nectar. It roused you for a little while but then you took a turn for the worse. Much worse, actually. Mitch, the combination of the poison you were given and the nectar almost killed you.”
“What do you think that means?”
“I think if Phelix is corrupt, it means that something we were creating to help shifters has been targeted. The poison seemed to react violently with the nectar. Maybe whoever created the poison knew about the nectar and deliberately cultivated an agent that it wouldn’t work on.” The implications were terrible.
“Let’s hope not. Let’s hope we’re getting ahead of ourselves. All I have right now is a suspicion of financial wrongdoing. Let’s take this one step at a time for now. And be very cautious. It still might be nothing. I could be way off base. I’m going to look at the books in depth today and see what’s what.”
“I’m happy to help in whatever way I can.” Her steadfast support meant the world to him.
“I’m counting on it.”
After they’d finished breakfast, they went out to face the day together. Adele was the ranking Old Guard on duty but Gunnar was with her. He was a font of information.
As it turned out, the majority of Gisli’s followers had been swept up in the flood. The crooked bookkeeper, the complicit accountant, the shark of a lawyer who had systematically bankrupted the Clan. According to Gunnar, they were all gone.
Mitch and Gina were taken on a tour of the stronghold. There were the expected audience chambers and living quarters, but there was also the hi-tech area Mitch had ordered closed the night before. This was the area reserved for the running of the Clan’s many business interests. This was the area Mitch wanted to study first.
It was time he put his MBA to use.
What he discovered was troubling, to say the least. First of all, the supposedly hi-tech equipment was woefully out of date. From the look of the account books, it was clear they hadn’t spent any time or money on upgrades in the past decade at least.
Mitch spent part of an hour going quickly over the personnel records and realized right away that someone would have to personally visit some of the corporate offices of the companies owned or heavily invested in by the Clan—especially their greatest investment, Phelix Corporation. The executives needed to know that things were going to be done differently now, and if Gisli’s handpicked lackeys didn’t want to comply, they would be summarily replaced.
He started to make notes for whoever ended up in charge. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the idea that they wanted him to be the king. He was more of the opinion that Frederick should come back and retake the throne, though Mitch would be glad to help him. Fixing the Clan’s finances was an urgent matter and Mitch was already strategizing the best way to go about implementing changes. The Clan couldn’t wait. They needed help now.
“Mitch.” Gina’s voice came to him from a few feet away. He’d been so intent on the ledger he’d been reading, he hadn’t noticed her approach.
When he looked up at her, the older female guard who had questioned him on the challenge field was beside her. A quick glance told him that a few of their Old Guard friends were near enough to assist should there be any attempt at treachery. Just because Mitch had won the challenge didn’t mean these Guards who had served Gisli had earned Mitch’s trust yet.
“This is Helga,” Gina said, indicating the woman at her side. “We’ve been talking about the state of the Royal Guard.”
“Thor was washed away in the flood and good riddance,” Helga said in a flinty tone. “He was Gisli’s chosen to lead our ranks. Now we have no leader and are in chaos. This is not good for the Royal Guard or the Clan, but I didn’t want to act without your permission.” She tilted her head to the side in a slight bow of respect and Mitch realized this seasoned warrior was deferring to him. He’d known on some level that winning the challenge would change things, but he hadn’t quite realized how much. Frankly, he’d never really thought much about what came after the challenge.
He tried to think fast now about how to proceed. He scanned the room, his gaze alighting on Harold Miller. Harry was a warrior’s warrior. He might be young, but he would easily earn the respect of any Royal Guard for his skill and courage. He could be of great help here. He also had a mind for strategy that was unmatched among the Old Guard he’d met and worked with.
“Harry,” Mitch spoke the younger man’s name in a firm voice. Harry came over promptly. “Helga, this is Harold Miller. He is a Royal Guard descended from the Old Guard that followed King Fr
ederick into exile. He was taught in the old ways and I have found him to be a warrior of great prowess with a knack for tactics and teamwork. I’d like you to consult together to see what can be done with the Guard.”
Helga nodded. “It will be done.”
They trotted off, already talking about how they would go about reorganizing the Guard corps. They were an odd set—the older female and the young male—but Mitch was pleased to see they seemed to be getting along. He had little doubt about Harry’s skills, but he didn’t know this other group of Guards at all. He’d have to tread carefully with them and trust to Harry’s judgment for now.
Gina put her arm around him and leaned down to rest her chin on his shoulder as he sat at a tempered
-glass desk. All the manmade furniture he’d seen in this ice fortress was sleek metal and glass. Ultra-modern in design but not very welcoming. Mitch didn’t like it. It seemed overly pompous to him. And cold. And though the colors were complimentary to the black rock and ice out of which the place was formed, the style was angular and awful. Very jarring and unnatural.
“You’ve had your nose buried in these ledgers for a couple of hours. Is it as bad as it seems?” She kissed his cheek before moving back to sit in the empty rolling chair at his side.
“Worse,” he answered in a voice that only she could hear. He didn’t want to alert everyone to the trouble he’d found from his initial examination of the records. He wanted to have all his ducks in a row before he broke the news to the other members of the Clan. “I’ll have to recheck these figures a few times, but it doesn’t look good.”
“Well, frankly, neither does the rest of the place. Gisli put all my parents’ furniture—what he didn’t sell—in storage. He’s the one who bought all this tacky glass and chrome stuff.” She ran one hand along the glass tabletop. “The good news is I can get most of the old furnishings back, but it’ll take a little while. I talked to all of the household staff and put Maribeth in charge of reorganizing things there. Some of them didn’t want to serve anymore, with good reason. Gisli
had abused them and forced at least two of the women into living up here at the stronghold to see to his every whim. The pig.”
Mitch caught her hand and squeezed. “I’m glad he’s dead.”
She moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. “I’m glad you won,” she whispered. “I was so afraid…until I realized the mountain was helping you.” She drew back to look into his eyes. “How in the world did you manage that? The volcano stopped erupting when the fight ended.”
“I’m not really sure, but I can feel the mountain in the back of my mind now. Its energy is waiting. And I think…” He considered his words carefully before forging ahead. “I think it’ll come at my call. I think I finally understand that part in the Rule about the power of the fire and ice reserved for the king. I bet your dad had this kind of communion with the Grim. Actually, I can’t wait to talk to him about it.”
“Well, he’s on his way. I called them as soon as I saw I had a signal.” The phones had been down last night because of the volcanic eruption. The ash plume had wrought havoc with the cell towers. “I wanted to let them know how it turned out, but Dad said he already knew. He’d seen your victory in a vision. They spent the night in a vigil at the stone circle praying for you.”
Mitch was touched by the idea that the king and queen had kept vigil for him.
“They’re coming here?” Mitch was glad. He wanted the title settled once and for all. The sooner the better. Some of the Guards had been calling him
sire
, and it wasn’t a comfortable fit at all.
“They chartered a plane and are already on their way. They should be here late tonight and they’re bringing most of the Old Guard with them.”
Mitch didn’t even blink at what had to be a huge expense. He knew the exiled king had done well in business over the years.
“Unlike the Clan’s finances, your father has run a tight ship with his personal money. He left here with nothing and built a small empire of his own. He’s the perfect man to help the Clan recover financially.” Gears were turning in Mitch’s mind and things were falling into place.
“So are you, Mr. MBA.” She leaned in to kiss his cheek.
He realized by that simple touch that he needed her presence. He needed the touch of his mate. She’d stood by him through everything, and he couldn’t love her more. They left the office area and ate lunch with some of the Millers and a few of the more highly placed staff members. Everyone wanted to get to know him and Gina, it seemed, which he understood, but it made it hard to find any time alone with his mate. The tiger bristled at the constant scrutiny, but Mitch knew it was only natural.
After lunch, he and Gina took a quick walk outside to view the path of the flood from the day before. The day outside the stronghold was bright and sparkling. The mountain was silent and the mood was somber as they took in the scene of last night’s battle. Mitch listened to Harold and Hilda’s reports on the damage assessment from the flood. The stronghold had escaped with very little damage, which Mitch put up to the Lady. Her divine hand had been clear to him in the mountain’s actions during the battle.
They went back into the ice palace reassured that its location had not been compromised by the challenge. By late afternoon, the mood in the stronghold had grown expectant. Frederick and Candis arrived just after dark with a large contingent of the Old Guard
, and Mitch was really glad to see them.