Sarazen's Claim, Book One (31 page)

She felt like he’d just landed a blow to her chest, the breath huffed out of her and she bonelessly sank into the closest chair with a soft, “Fuck.” Tarek grunted and moved to crouch in front of her, taking her hands in his, lifting them to his mouth to press a kiss to each of her fingertips. “I don’t want that, we haven’t even been here a week and we’re already being plotted against. I don’t even want to think about what would happen if we actually got shoved into taking your brother’s place at the helm.” He nodded, looking at her with deep thoughts swirling around in his eyes, his thumbs rubbing deeply into the muscles in her palms, “All I want is to be your mate. I’ve spent my life alone at the helm, and from the moment you came into that life and took away the loneliness, gave me hope for more, for peace, it is enough. More than enough. But it may not be so simple, my one.” She sighed and leaned forward, scooting off the chair so she could curl into his lap and be cuddled. “I never thought I would have this. You. A home beyond the
Aria
. Everything at this point is more than I could ever have imagined, but I’m scared I’ll screw it up and ruin everything. More than I already have.”

He tilted her head back and scowled at her, combing his fingers through her hair, nuzzling at her lips softly. “You have ruined nothing, Clary. You cannot be anything other than what you are, and I want you no other way. No matter what, we are together, and nothing will change that. You are mine, and I will do anything and everything I must to protect you. It will be alright. I promise.”

Twenty Nine

While he climbed the stairs to the chamber his brother had agreed to meet him in, he thought hard about how he was going to keep his promise to his mate. It was not just that she was his match, not just that he was the rightful ruler of the pride, not just that he had legitimate claim to challenge his brother. It was not that he didn’t want to rule the pride, his people had a voice in the matter, and they could demand to be ruled by the strongest member of the pride. They could demand he take his place as their
Asho
, if they no longer held confidence in the current one. If he refused, his brother could be challenged and he would have to prove his right to rule, over and over until the people were satisfied. He rolled his shoulders, nodding to the two warriors who stood outside the chamber, guarding their
Asho
.

T’mai was waiting for him, standing at the highest balcony at the citadel, looking out at the valley below, the other side of the mountain and the lands beyond. There were almost two decades between them in age, and yet they were almost identical, where his hair was golden, T’mai’s was black. But other than that, they could have passed as twins. He knew his brother was aware of his presence, but he said nothing when he stepped up beside him and looked out on the view of his home. “I forgot how beautiful it was,” He murmured, and T’mai nodded, “I forget too sometimes. I know what you want to say,” He arched his brow and leaned forward to brace his forearms on the stone rail, breathing deeply of the scent he remembered from his younger days.

The cold air that whipped up towards them as the sun set and the stars came out. He looked towards the far away mountains, to where his mother’s pride came from, wanting to take Clary there and show her how brightly the stars shone from the top most peak. How the sky turned purple as the light refracted through the atmosphere, “Do you?” T’mai grunted and pulled a hand down his face, the façade of
Asho
falling away to reveal his little brother. “There is a male in the cages right now who came to me and revealed that he had played a part in attempting to keep you from your mate. He revealed several others who were accomplice, also in the cages now, but none of them know precisely who gave their orders. They thought it was me, but I vow to you it was not.”

“It had not crossed my mind that it would be.”

T’mai’s eyes flashed when they shot to him, reflecting the light of the rising moon and the surprise that chased across his face. “Not at all?” He drawled, and got a smirk in return, “No. You are clever, brother, but not that clever. And you are still unable to hide your scent to conceal a lie.” T’mai snorted, crossing his arms with a tight look on his face, and after a long silence he broke it again. “The traitor explained to me how your mate was able to control his beast. He confessed his crimes because he was compelled to do so.”

“I know.”

“She is incredibly gifted for one so new to their change.”

“She is.”

“She cares deeply for you.”

“And I for her.”

“Niora believes it is only a matter of time before you challenge me, or the people call for your return to ruling the pride.”

“Niora is wrong about the first, and it is conceivable the second could happen. But I tell you truly, brother, I have no desire to rule this pride. I’m tired, I’ve had enough of command. I want nothing more than to sire cubs with my mate, and build a life with her.”

“Niora is not my one.”

That, got his attention. He stood up and frowned at his brother, searching his face, his scent for the truth of that, and T’mai nodded, looking more tired than he felt. “For the first…fifty cycles or so, I believed she was. Her scent, it made my beast crazed for her, all I could think of was being with her. Everything father described about the mating urge, I felt it. Festival after festival, we did not conceive, I could not hear her thoughts inside my own head, and then, as soon as enough time had passed and our rule was cemented, that urge to possess her went away, she quit allowing me into her bed, blaming me for our lack of offspring. I confided in father, he assured me it was normal, that I had no reason for concern, that such things happened among our people all the time. But the bond was created and we would just have to find a way to be content. So I found a way. But I see you with your mate, and I know now, my mating is flawed, weak. I don’t even know if it was true, or if in light of the treachery that has come to light, if somehow it had been manipulated. Father sent you away and commanded me to take your place, but it should not have been mine, because the female at my side is not my one.”

“She is cold and unkind, T’mai, but that does not mean-“

T’mai shot him a quick look, shot another over his shoulder to where the two warriors waited patiently. Luckily with the way the wind whipped around them, and the softness of his brother’s words, there was little chance of them hearing. “I ran across one of the human females the night you arrived.” He admitted, and his brows shot up even further. T’mai said no more, but the expression on his face, the pained flush made him curse furiously and lean heavily on the railing. Only one human female had not been called by a male during the festival, and now he knew why. His brother had not been in the forest to claim her. Fuck.
Fuck
! “She will be dead if Niora finds out. If whoever the architects intent on seeing me and my mate separated, find out. Niora will be dead when the pride finds out that somehow your mating was false.”

“So might I be, when that happens. I have no right to ask it of you, but I need you, brother. I need your help.”

He cut his brother off with a hiss, bursting into motion to pace back and forth on the balcony, “You have every right. You are my brother. How long ago did you approach our sire?” T’mai shrugged, sighing heavily, wearily while he rubbed at his brow and clenched his jaw. “More than a hundred festivals ago.”

“Then by now, he is not the only one who knows. It is possible the plans now aimed at me have been in motion this entire time.”

“Whoever is responsible, wants me weak?”

“Weak, and distracted.”

“You are the pride’s strongest warrior, brother. I bow to your experience, what should we do?”

His beast paced with him, lips curled back, snarling in fury at deception that went back for far longer than he could bear to think about. His brother, manipulated all this time, and him, banished from his home so he would not see it and put a stop to it. “They want us to be at odds, that much is clear. So we have precious few options. We can continue along the current path with the knowledge that all around us, conspiracy is breeding and that our friends may well be our enemies.”

“The intent to draw them out,”

“It will take time, the threat to my mate will increase. As it will to Elenna.”

“I cannot allow that, for either of us.”

“We can openly acknowledge the threat and the lies, their intent to keep our mates away from us. Which will draw them out, and increase the danger to Clary and Elenna.”

“There is another way.”

“Yes. You can find reason to challenge me, and I will win the right to rule.” He let his distaste for that option ring in his voice, and his expression, and T’mai gave a mirthless laugh. “It would be no contest, brother. I would willingly give it to you, I know I am not the one who should have led us.”

“You have done well, despite the treachery mired around you. Our sire would never say it, but I will. You are my brother, and I am proud of all you have done.”

T’mai flushed, chuffing at him even as he shoved his shoulder playfully, a grin twitching at his lips. “Your mate as made you soft,” He shoved his brother back, but breathed deep and looked once again to the stars. Where his mate had come from. “I never knew what that felt like until I lay hands on her.” They were silent for a long time, lost in their thoughts, comfortable beside one another. Brothers. “Niora will claim right of challenge if we cannot prove she was complicit in the scheme to be my false mate.” He snorted, “I will not allow it.”

“Brother, I don’t enjoy the thought any more than you do-“

“Firstly, there would be no contest. Clary has already proven that. Secondly, I will not allow it. Her scent has changed,”

T’mai jumped slightly, his head jerking to the side as his meaning sank in, and when it did, his brother forced a smile, clapped a hand to his shoulder and squeezed firmly, even as the scent of his regret, his sadness tainted the air between them. “Even without formal contest, you best me again. You are blessed, brother.” He turned to face his little brother, returned the firm clench of his hand to his shoulder and stared into his eyes, “There is no contest, and we are both blessed. The humans bring us renewal of life, of hope. I confess I had lost the desire for both, long ago. It seems the gods have other plans. Te’sha and Ne’tare look after the humans with greatest care and will do so until such time as they are not needed. We will uncover this plot to destroy us, together. Right now, you rule this pride, and I will follow whatever course you plot for us.” T’mai nodded, then jerked his head towards the open doorway, “Tomorrow is the feast to celebrate those who found mates among the pride this season.”

“Brennaugh’s mate wishes to be bound to him by blood and beast. He asked my Clary to see her through her change.”

“Of course he did. Go back to her. I need to think,”

“Who do you trust without question?”

“Aside from you?”

“Yes.”

“No one.”

“Unacceptable. It will be reported that we talked alone. It will make the traitors nervous, reckless if they feel threatened. Which no doubt they already are feeling,”

“After the message your mate told Mr’awl to send them, they should be.”

“Take precautions when you are alone.”

“I will.”

Clary was waiting for him when he got back, lounging in the mossy grotto with her tablet in her hand, her hair piled up in a messy knot on top of her head, lying on her belly with her feet kicked up in the air and a tray of food close by. She wore nothing but a sheet around her body, and when she looked up at him her eyes sparkled with her smile. His chest ached with how much he loved that look, that happiness that filled her expression at the sight of him. “How’d it go?” She asked, setting her tablet aside to give him her focus, and her laughter when he knelt down, rolled her over and threw his knee over her hips so he could bend and catch her mouth in a hot, sensual kiss. He loved her mouth, loved the sweet shock of pleasure that hissed down his spine like a lightning strike, every time she made that sweet sound of surrender and opened her lips to take him.

He could not believe that in all his many long years he had never tasted this kind of pleasure, that no female had ever offered him her lips to show him her affection and appreciation. The connection it brought was profound. When he let her up for air, she blinked sensually at him and scraped her nails softly down his arms. “Tarek? Are you alright?” He stole another, softer kiss and nodded, purring under his breath while he bent and touched a kiss to her heart. “Are you sore?” Her nails dug deeper into his skin, kneading carefully while he licked the edge of the sheet farther down to bare her gorgeous breasts. “Yes, but I still want you.”

She moaned and panted, arching her back to push her breasts deeper between his lips while he suckled gently. He loved how her nipples turned such a dusky red from the suction of his mouth, the peaks hard and crinkled tightly, quivering against his tongue. She shuddered, a whole body quake at the lick he gave down the center of her belly, a short, hard hiss of a gasp feathering out of her when he nipped at the soft skin at her hip. Murmured a tender sound when he rolled his cheeks over her softer belly, smiling secretively to himself. “What?” He looked up at her and shook his head, letting his hands follow the gorgeous round of her hips, tugging at the sheet to bare the rest of her to his gaze, his touch.