In the Beginning... (55 page)

A spark of humor hit her.
“Thanks, I think.” He dropped his forehead to rest against hers.
God, she loved how he made her feel. She was close to six feet
tall, and toned. Not small like her cousin Emily or delicately
built like Josey or Mickey, but Aodhan made her feel like she
was
and infinitely precious to him.
“Aodhan...’’

“Please, Mallory. Just give me this. I need
to know you’re safe.”

Had a begging tone entered his voice?
“Aodhan?”

“Do you know what would have
happened to Cormac if your cousin had not survived? Or Barlaam if
young Jade had drowned? It would have killed them. They would have
just laid down and died. That is a male
Rajni
’s way when his female is
lost.”

“You mean, they would have just...”

“Laid down and died where they were. The
pain to a male of our Kind is that excruciating. It is the only
method of death our people do not ever mention.”

“And the females?”

“The females may live on. For a while. If
children are not of age. She normally doesn’t last much past that
point. We kept Kindara in seclusion after her mate died, to ensure
she survived. Healers are different, their gifts fight to heal
themselves and prevent dying easily. Kindara would have suffered
horribly had we not kept watch on her daily.”

“That’s horrible!”

“That’s one reason we are losing so many of
our people. Our males cannot live without our females.”

“So you’re saying that if we had children
and something happened to me, you would just leave them alone?
Without either of us? That’s wrong!”

“That’s our reality. Our souls are joined,
kitten. I hurt when you hurt. I die when you die. So you must keep
yourself safe at all times. Promise me!”

He needed the words, and Mallory needed to
say them. “I won’t do anything dangerous. I promise.”

“And you’ll allow my guards to watch over
you when I cannot be with you?”

That one rubbed, but really, how different
was that from her being watched by Rand’s security team? “Yes. But
I need something from you, too.”

“Anything.”

“If something ever does happen to me, you
don’t just lay down and die.” She wanted to vomit just thinking
about what he had said. And if she decided to stay with him, and
someday have children with him, she couldn’t bear the thought of
those children being abandoned by him, too. “Promise me.”

“I don’t think that is something I can ever
promise.”

She’d said very little to him in the hours
since she’d learned of the strength of their bond, and Aodhan
didn’t push words upon her. How could he? He’d been frightened the
first time he realized just how deeply he loved her. He’d never
forget the fear when the Beansidhe had been at his window. What if
she’d been there for his Mallory’s soul? He would have died trying
to stop the creature from taking her. Would have fought with every
breath he had left. Even though it would have been an inevitable
loss for him. No one had ever beaten a Beansidhe bent on gathering
a soul for the heavens. Not even an Adrastos warrior.

But he would have tried.

Now she sat watching the Colorado scenery as
he drove through the mountains toward the home he’d taken her from
near on a month ago. She wore human street clothes, the sweatshirt
in turquoise had the emblem of his family and a soccer ball
emblazoned on the front. He’d purchased it for her the night he’d
taken her to the children’s theatre production. The jeans made her
legs look long and firm and her ass perfect.

His female’s body was made to please
him.

“How many of your things do you wish to get
today?”

“I don’t know. As much as possible. I don’t
know how long I’ll be here. I might need them. And I want my photo
albums. They have pictures of my mother before she died.” She
looked at him, her face sad and apprehensive. “Is it strange that I
feel nervous going home?”

“No. I don’t think so. Your life has
changed. Why wouldn’t that make you feel a bit off?”

“I want to see my dad. He’s not well; he has
a heart condition that can be dangerous. Our disappearance could
have killed him.”

“I’m sorry. We never should
have involved you. But I can’t help but think
that was the Goddess ensuring we found you.” Aodhan brushed a
hand over her thigh and cupped her knee. “And I am glad I found
you. You will see your father, and anyone else you wish to see,
today. I look forward to getting to know him.”

“My sister, Becca, too. She should be with
Dad now. I forgot to ask Rand.”

Aodhan dreaded her seeing
her family. What if they tried to convince her to stay with them?
Would she? She seemed pretty well resolute on staying with
Theo’s
Rajni
and
Rydere’s, but would that change when she saw her sire? “They can
come visit us whenever they like. We can set them up with their own
suite in our House, if you wish.”

“I’d like that. I’m not used to being apart
from my family.”

“Nor am I.”

“If you have so many brothers, why have I
not met any? Where are they?”

“Western Europe and Eastern
Africa. About five hundred or so years ago, our original tribe
split. Not political, really, just scarce resources for all. And
our original family tribe found itself inundated with males. We
needed our
Rajnis
and some of us were told through visions
—
Theo was young but had a strong gift
even then
—
that we
needed to move to other parts of the world. Half of my brothers
went toward what is now Tanzania. They are deep in the mountains
there, and other places. The other half are in Italy, enjoying the
great wines and food. Or so they say. A few have spread to other
places.”

“And your parents?”

“They are somewhere in South
America. Last I heard the Andes. They are part of a very old band
of Dardaptoans who had found their
Rajnis
many centuries ago, and as such
did not see the need for world exploration. Their complacency
grates upon many of us. They do not seem to understand that our
people are dying out and that the old ways do not help any of us.
Hiding does not help us.”

“When did you come here?”

“I was eighty. I’m five hundred
ninety-eight.”

“And when did you last see them?”

“When they brought me a half-wild girl child
to finish raising. Aureliana was sixteen. That’s not quite the age
of adulthood of our people. They felt she was at a disadvantage
where they were living at the time. They showed up, and there she
was. They’d never had a girl, and the wilds they lived in were just
too dangerous for a fragile Dardaptoan female half-child. She’d
already been targeted by all sorts of other Kinds, some bent on
horrible deeds with her.”

“So they just left her.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand that. I couldn’t leave
my child. Or any child I was even remotely related to.”

“My parents are not the most affectionate of
people, kitten. They embrace the Adrastos Creed of Warriors, but
leave no room for the softer or tenderer emotions of family. I can
accept it, but it was not for me. When Rydere asked for volunteers
to move to this new country, I was one of the first.”

“Your life has been so different than
mine.”

“But the future does not have to be. I’ve
waited for you for a long time; dreamt of the time I would have you
with me. Dreamt of the children we would have someday. Though not
too soon; I think we need time together first.”

Mallory listened to his words with only half
of her attention. What would it have been like for him? Starting
over completely in an untamed land? Wasn’t that similar to what she
was doing?

She knew nothing of his
world, not really, yet she was forging a new way straight through
it.
Why
wasn’t she
seizing on the opportunity to run back to the life she
knew?

Was her decision already made, then?

She looked at him, studied
the strong hand that gripped the steering wheel, studied his
equally
strong body. The
hand holding her knee absently, as if he didn’t even realize he
touched her. She traced a finger over his knuckles, still bruised
from his fight with her brother. He immediately turned his hand
palm-up. She laced her fingers through his. Instinctively,
immediately, without thought. It was right, touching
him.

Because...it
was
right. Because she
loved him. Because she wanted to be with him.

He was hers.

She was quiet as she led him up the porch
steps and into the small bungalow she’d shared with her sister
before he and Theo had taken them. The house had been straightened,
evidence of their first initial scuffle removed. The house even
smelled like his female and Aodhan breathed it in. “Where do you
want to start?”

“Bedroom. I want to get my clothes and photo
albums. The rest of it can wait. I can hire movers if I want. If
your suite will be big enough.” Her tone was different, but he
couldn’t put his finger on exactly how. “At this point, I’m ok with
just grabbing clothes and putting them in trash bags. We can fold
them and put them away back home.”

Did she realized what she’d
said? Aodhan forced himself to breathe out and in. She’d called
it
home.
Did she
mean it?

“Does your sister need anything?”

“She and Theo are coming to get her things
this weekend. Mickey likes to paint and is extremely picky about
how her supplies are handled. She wants a few of her clothes, but I
have a list of those.”

They worked together for a while, bagging up
her clothing. She fetched boxes from the attic and carefully placed
the photos she wanted in them. Aodhan loaded them in the van and
secured them. “Anything else you want right away?”

“My cookbooks. I have a bunch.” She pointed
to a stack of cookbooks centered on the kitchen counter. “I
definitely want those. I’m going to start cooking again.”

“We have a master chef.”

“And I am one. It was a hobby I got started
in right after my mother died. Our housekeeper was wonderful but
she could not cook at all. Emily’s mother taught me simple things,
and it grew from that. I took lessons in high school from a master
chef.”

He’d have her the best set of cooking pans
and utensils sent to the suite as soon as he could. Anything she
wanted, he’d get. “Do you have any supplies you wish to take back
with you?”

“I’ll get them next time. Right now, I’m not
even sure where I’d put things. Your suite doesn’t have much of a
kitchen. And I need to study the dietary differences of
Dardaptoans. When I’m not at the lab, of course.”

She actually sounded enthusiastic about it.
Aodhan smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “I can always have
the kitchen remodeled to suit you, kitten.”

She smiled at him, her eyes finally lacking
that wary sadness that he’d seen in her for so long. “I would like
that. Would like that a lot.”

Mallory drove her car along the stretch of
Colorado highway with Aodhan in the van fifteen feet behind her at
all times. Her cousin’s one-eyed cat Maury sat in the passenger
seat beside her, mewing at her occasionally.

Her father and sister hadn’t been at the
main house when she’d taken Aodhan there to meet them. Claudette
the housekeeper, after nearly squeezing the life out of Mallory,
had told her that her cousin Marshall had fetched her father the
day after Mallory had disappeared, and Claudette hadn’t seen him
since. She’d sounded a bit put out by that, but Mallory understood
it. Claudette had long favored Mallory’s father over the rest of
his brothers, and not having him where she could fuss would
definitely bother her.

Claudette thought Rebecca
was with them, but had had nothing confirming. Mallory had hugged
Claudette again and given her the contact information for the
resort in case Claudette, or anyone else on the family’s main
property, needed her. Then she’d collected Maury
—
who’d apparently taken off when Emily
had been kidnapped, as he was shy of everyone except Em, Mal, and
Emily’s little sister Cassandra—and her car.

Aodhan had asked her if she wanted to follow
him back, but Mallory had refused. She didn’t want him leading her
back to her new life; she wanted to be the one controlling how fast
she got there. Silly, trivial; who arrived at the resort portico
first didn’t matter in the grander scheme of things, but it did to
her.

It was
her
choice to drive back. Her choice
to accept him and his world. And his place in hers.

She almost missed the two women limping
alongside the road. The sun was setting and their dark clothing
blended in well with the landscape around them.

Only the one’s waving her arms and jumping
in the center of the road had her slowing the car in time to stop
thirty feet from the women. Mal threw the car onto the shoulder and
into park, unhooked her seatbelt, jumped from her seat and slammed
the door in Maury’s face. Aodhan’s breaks squealed, then he was
seconds behind her.

“What is it?”

But Mallory ignored his questions, her
attention on the filthy and limping women in front of her. “Becca!
What happened to you?”

Her youngest sister nearly
fell to the ground in front of her, but since Becca was supporting
the other young woman she managed to stop herself just in time.
“Mal! Thank God! I thought you were dead! I thought
they
had you and Mick,
too!”