In the Beginning... (48 page)

Strong hands pulled Mallory away from her
twin with a sharp jerk. She found herself crowded behind Aodhan’s
back. His right hand was wrapped around Rand’s throat and Aodhan
was hissing his anger. “You never touch her, wolf. Do you
understand me?”

Rand growled, his hand on Aodhan’s arm.
Mallory pushed between the two men. She put a hand on each male
chest. “Stop! Now! Aodhan, let him go!”

“He touched you.”

“Yeah? So what? We’ve been touching each
other since the womb. This is my twin¸ you idiot. He’d never hurt
me.”

“I don’t care who he is, he doesn’t shake
you, or anything else. Ever.”

Mal resisted the urge to smack him. “So my
brother can’t touch me, but you can hold a knife to my throat,
practically break my arm, threaten me, and carry me out of my home
over your shoulder? A little confused there?”

His cheeks turned red. His hands went around
her waist and he lifted her out from where she stood between the
two men. “That was different…”

“Yeah, it was.” Mal lowered her voice and
looked straight at him. “You intended to kill me. Rand touches me
because he loves me. Big difference.”

“Then. Not now. And I didn’t
know you were my
Rajni
then.”

She snorted. “And that makes
it all ok in your mind
because we’re
Rajnis
, you think you have
the right to order my family around, to decide who touches
me?”

He smiled then pulled her closer, despite
the people surrounding them. He kissed her once, quick. “Thank you,
kitten.”

“For what?”

“For finally admitting aloud
that we are
Rajnis
.
I thought I would never hear those words on your lips.”

She had said it, hadn’t she? Dammit. “I
might have said it, but that still doesn’t mean I believe it.”

“Mallory. Inside.”

Rand’s impatience was easy for her to hear.
She threw an angry look his way. “Bite me, bro. Em, Jadie, let’s
go. I’m sick to death of male idiots thinking they can order me
around.”

Aodhan watched his female march inside just
in front of her cousins. Her fury radiated from her. “I do love her
temper.”

Her brother growled. “You hurt her!”

“Unknowingly.” Aodhan
considered a sarcastic remark but thought better of it. This was
his
Rajni
’s
brother, and though they were both obviously hot tempered with one
another, he could see that she loved him. Still, one thing needed
clarification, and fast. “Tell me, how is it that my
Rajni
’s twin is a Lupoiux
and she has no knowledge of it?”

The brother’s eyes narrowed and the growl
that was issued was that of a true alpha. Aodhan forced his
instincts to tamp back down. Dardaptoan and Lupoiux had fought for
centuries and he’d killed quite a fair share of the animals
himself. But he’d also formed a few friendships with the other
Kind, on occasion, too. When absolutely necessary.

“None of your business.”

Rydere broke in before Aodhan could say that
it was. His female needed to be kept safe, even from her family, if
necessary. “I suggest we do take this inside. Before those females
of ours manage to plot against us all.”

Aodhan nodded. “I wish to see for myself
Kindara and her daughter.”

Aodhan studied the house as he climbed the
porch steps. Why had he not known of this property so close to
Dardanos? How had Taniss kept it so well hidden?

His female and the young blonde human were
bustling around the large kitchen, obviously making coffee. Aodhan
watched his woman for a moment. She wouldn’t look up at him. Was
she still angry? With him or her brother? Aodhan stepped up behind
her and wrapped a hand around her arm. He pulled her back into him
and dropped a kiss on her hair. She stiffened, then relaxed.

“Don’t bother. You didn’t have to act like a
damned caveman with my brother.” The frost of her words had him
hiding a smile. Spirited, his female. He would have her no other
way.

“I apologize. Perhaps it will just take time
for your brother and I to understand that we both only want what is
right for you.”

“You’d make a great politician with that
tone. Just go away. Get this over with so we can move on.”

He would have said more, but the green eyes
she turned on him were sad and confused. Very little anger
remained. Why did she always manage to make him feel like a monster
when she gave him that particular expression?

He pulled her into his arms and held her
tight before he thought. She was stiff in his embrace for a moment,
then her arms slipped around his waist and she clung to him. He
held her until she pulled away.

Her brother stood watching
them, a resigned look on the face so like Mallory’s. As a Lupoiux,
perhaps it would be easier for the brother to accept Aodhan’s role
in his sister’s life? It wasn’t as if the brother was getting a
rude introduction to the Dardaptoan way of life,
Rajnis
in particular. When
the wolf found his own mate
if he hadn’t
already, though Aodhan’s research had shown no known lover for Rand
Taniss,
the wolf would understand
completely that his place in his sisters’ lives was
usurped.

“Wolf, I think we have much to talk about.
Kitten…”

“Go. Be total male idiots. I don’t care
anymore. I’m going to talk to Kindara and her daughter.”

Mallory studied the Chief Healer and her
daughter and was satisfied they were ok. “I want to apologize again
for my idiot brother and his idiot friend.”

Kindara nodded. “No need. I think both our
brothers and their friends have acted in ways that were far from
honorable. I just wish…for Jierra…She will have a long journey
ahead of her now.”

Mallory looked at the younger woman. Jierra
was pale and obviously exhausted, but Mallory could not see
anything actually wrong with her. “What do you mean?”

Kindara hesitated. “That is something you
need to speak with Aodhan about, I’m afraid. It is not my place to
explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Just ask him.”

“I will.”

Kindara’s strange words were pushed aside
when Mallory found herself back on a helicopter less than two hours
later. Aodhan was at her side, his foot resting on a young man’s
throat. Mallory didn’t understand how it had happened.

One minute she and her
family were in discussions with Emily’s
Rajni
and the others when her Uncle
Jason had burst in. He’d said that more than forty Lupoiux
surrounded the property. Mallory wasn’t entirely certain how her
uncle even knew of the werewolves or why he’d attacked Cormac
without being told he was the one who’d kidnapped Josey.

She wasn’t certain why
Aodhan kept calling her brother
wolf
either. None of it made any sense. Her confusion
had just increased when her brother’s best friend Rathan had
literally disappeared before her very eyes, returning moments later
with Jambu.

Jambu was a cousin of
Emily’s
Rajni
, but
Mallory didn’t know much more about him. Rathan had called him a
traitor, and Cormac had tried to hurt the younger man. Mallory
wasn’t entirely certain what was going on, but she suspected Jambu
was responsible for the attack on Josey.

The helicopter stuttered, and Mallory drew
in a breath. She really hated flying. Aodhan wrapped his hand
around hers and squeezed, his touch meant to reassure. The sound of
the helicopter made it too difficult to speak but Mallory
appreciated his presence. She leaned closer and he got the hint,
wrapping a heavy arm around her shoulders.

She looked up and studied
the rest of the helicopters’ occupants. Aodhan had told her earlier
that
Dahr
Rydere
rarely traveled in the same vehicle as he or Cormac or Theo. Had
told her it was safer to keep the
Equa
ns
of each
House separate to ensure assassination attempts were kept to a
minimum. But with the staff of the vacation home plus Rand’s people
in the security division of TI, they’d decided that all the
Dardaptoans, Mallory, Emily, and Jade, plus Rand, Rathan, and Uncle
Jason would travel in the largest helicopter, with the rest of the
Taniss staff taking the others.

Mallory studied her uncle and her brother
and the man she now knew wasn’t human. What exactly was Rathan and
why did he seem so possessive of Kindara? And how had he and Rand
ever become friends?

Her brother looked at her, his eyes dark and
guarded for the first time she could remember. Why had he looked at
her that way?

And why had he said that Jade was the only
human on the property earlier?

Aodhan helped her down from the helicopter,
lifting her easily out of its belly. Her hands tightened on his
forearms for a moment until she got her balance. He held her hand
in one of his, then yanked Jambu out of the helicopter when Cormac
practically threw the younger Dardaptoan at Aodhan. Aodhan
frog-marched the traitor toward the resort.

Mallory was torn between following him and
staying with the rest of her family. She had so many questions, and
that made the decision for her. She followed Aodhan into the
building, ignoring Rand calling her name.

Aodhan turned to her, stopping for a moment.
“No, kitten. What I will be doing with Jambu is something you
should not see. Stay with your brother for now.”

“Are you going to kill him?”

“No. Just question him a bit. His betrayal
is a deep one, such as he had the trust of the entire royal House.
We need to ensure it went no deeper than Jambu.”

Mallory watched the young man pale. She did
not envy him. Still, why would he do such a thing? “You believe
Rathan then? That Jambu is responsible for the attack on
Josey?”

Aodhan nodded. “Yes. I do.
The only question is why. Go, stay with your family. I think the
little blonde girl may be developing a crush on our Barlaam. It can
only end badly for her, as he will not touch her. It would dishonor
her and his future
Rajni
.”

She knew he was right, but that didn’t mean
she was happy about it. “I have a bunch of questions.”

“I will answer them later. In our
suite.”

She nodded before she realized what she was
agreeing to. With her brother and uncle here to ‘rescue’ them, did
he honestly think she would be sleeping in his suite? Wouldn’t that
be tantamount to giving in to him?

She thought about that as
she and Aureliana led the rest of the group through the hotel,
giving what amount to a guided tour. Rathan walked at her side,
winking at her. “He calls you
kitten
. I’ve always felt that
endearment would fit you well.”

“Don’t be a dork, Rath. I’m not too happy
with you, either.” His black eyes held his laughter, something that
was so characteristic of him. She’d known him for ten years, yet
what she knew of him was so little. But she was comfortable with
him, in a way she hadn’t been with other unrelated men, and that
meant a great deal to her. He was one of the few people she called
friend. And he’d lied to her for years by omission. “What the hell
are you?”

“I’m a demon, kitten.” He smirked again. “An
incubus to be exact. Have your new boyfriend tell you about my Kind
sometime. I can guarantee you’ll both enjoy it.”

“How did you meet my brother?”

“He saved my life some ten years ago, and I
owed him a debt. Then we became friends. Mallory…” He hesitated a
moment. “You need to speak with your brother. There is something he
and your uncle do need to tell you.”

Mallory looked at her brother, who stood
apart from the group, his eyes trained on Jierra. The strawberry
blonde refused to look at her brother, instead stood half hidden by
Aureliana. Mallory knew just by looking at the girl that she wanted
to be anywhere but where she was. But why was Rand being so
intimidating to Jierra? Was he deliberately trying to frighten
her?

What exactly had happened between them out
there in the woods? “Rath…Why is Rand so focused on Jierra? Is he
trying to terrify her out of her mind?”

“Probably not terrify her, kitten.”

“Don’t call me that. It’s ridiculous.”

“Bet not when your giant of
a
Rajni
says it?”
Rathan laughed, then turned more serious. “Are you happy with him?
He has not hurt you in any way? Because if you want, I can see to
it that he suffers for it.”

Mallory thought of
everything that had happened to her since the night Aodhan had
carried her out of her home. “Hurt me? No. Terrified me, confused
me, exasperated me, yes. But other than that first initial meeting,
he’s not hurt me at all. Not since he decided I was his
Rajni
.”

“A man doesn’t just decide a
woman is his
Rajni
.
The bond is too strong, too powerful, too damned magical for that.
A
Rajni
bond is
actually quite a beautiful thing. Is that the way it is for you,
poppet? Because if it isn’t, and you want to go home, I will do all
in my power to make that happen.”

Mallory surprised both herself and him by
throwing her arms around him and hugging him tight. It was exactly
the reassurance she needed and though it came from neither her
brother nor her uncle, it still meant the world to her. “Thank you,
Rath. I don’t know what I am doing yet. But at least now I have the
choices.”