My Perfect Mate (12 page)

“Qannik, I’m so sorry.” Ujarak wrapped
his arms around the two women. “Little cousin, I am so
sorry.”

Susan shuddered in JP’s arms. Tears
flowed down her face. He drew her close and using his magic
breathed warm air around her again. “You should shift, you’ll be
warmer.” Susan nodded. White lights coalesced around her. JP
released her and then sunk down to grab her by the rough once the
shift was completed. She licked his face and whined.

More whining surrounded them. JP
looked around at the six sled dogs. The leader nosed Susan and
licked her face. She licked him back. Jean-Paul stood giving the
dogs a chance to comfort Susan. In moments she was surrounded by
the tired, confused canines. He said a healing spell over them,
taking care of their wounds. It looked like Susan was alpha of her
own pack.

“Aisyt, we need to move to shelter.
The wounded need to shift. I’ve still got to deliver the ring to
the queen.”

She nodded and Ujarak released her.
Qannik shifted into her wolf form and then hurried to the rest of
the amarok. Aisyt took Ujarak’s hand. “Are you ready to see where I
live?” she asked him. He brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Of
course.”

Aisyt reached for JP’s hand
and he in turn buried his hand in Susan’s rough.
“Have the dogs touch you, or they won’t port with
us.”
JP sent to his mate. Susan soon had
six dogs leaning against her.

“On three,” Aisyt began. “One. Two.
Three.”

Susan blinked at the sudden light
around her. She shivered from the change in temperature. It was
warm. Gazing around, she realized they were in a massive cave. Dark
earth lined the sides. The ceiling was at least twenty feet high.
Where were they? JP patted her head.

Aisyt smiled at the group. “Welcome to
the home of the amarok. This cave has been carved out by hot
springs. It keeps the inside from freezing and helps warm the cave.
I found it quite by accident when I fell into one of the small
vents above.”

“It’s so warm.” Ujarak looked around,
amazement on his face.

“Some of that is magic, and some is
the hot spring. There is a pool if you would like to soak.” Aisyt
looked up at Ujarak and winked.

“Perhaps later,” JP said. “Susan and I
need to get the ring back to Quebec City and the
portal.”

“I wish you would join us for dinner,”
Aisyt said. Susan got the feeling it wasn’t a request. “Perhaps
Susan would like to shift. I’m sure we can find her something to
wear. Her dogs are probably hungry. We have enough food to offer
them some. Come, let me show you.”

JP inclined his head in agreement.
Susan fell into step with him, while her dogs trailed behind. Aisyt
led them deeper into the cave. A smaller tunnel forked off and she
stepped into it. The path wound this way and that. Susan realized
rooms had been dug off the passage. Several held people and
occasionally she would see a white wolf. The farther down they
went, the colder it got. Finally, Aisyt stopped in front of an
entrance to a small dark room. Susan could see inside using her
lycan senses. A platform filled with furs for sleeping sat in the
middle of the space. Against the wall was a wooden
trunk.

With a wave of Aisyt’s hand, two
candles flamed, lighting the room. She went to the trunk and pulled
out several pieces of clothing made of fur. She laid them on the
platform. “Feel free to rest, or explore as you wish. Leave the
dogs here and I will send someone with food.”

“Thank you, Lady Aisyt. We appreciate
your kindness.” JP bowed.

She smiled regally and left, taking
Ujarak with her. Susan called the shift and reached for the furs on
the bed. There was a long skirt and jacket. She wrinkled her nose
at the smell of polar bear and wolf, and was glad it wasn’t nanuk
and lycan she smelled. “She can be kind of intimidating. I’m not
sure I trust her.”

“You shouldn’t, nor should you
underestimate her. Aisyt was a goddess long ago. She is very
powerful. But her heart is good. You don’t have to worry about your
friend. Ujarak is probably the safest person alive. She’s waited a
long time to find her Destined One.”

“Why do you sound worried?” She
wrapped her arms around Jean-Paul’s waist.

“I think she might want the Gryphon’s
Eye, though I can’t figure out why. She could have killed Itigaituk
years ago. Why hunt him now?”

“Itigaituk kind of forced the
situation. He hunted and killed the amarok,” Susan said.

“Yes, but he’d been doing that for
years. No, there’s more here. I can’t see it.”

“Why don’t we leave? You could port us
out of here.”

“True, but I think we should stay for
dinner. Besides, Ujarak might be safe, but I want to make sure he’s
happy.”

“You don’t think she’ll keep him a
prisoner?”

“When it comes to Fae women, I’m not
sure what they’ll do. Let’s have a look around. This underground
complex Aisyt has created is fascinating. I had no idea it was
here. The Witches Council will want to know of it.” Jean-Paul
paused at the door and whispered something under his breath. A
white light suddenly filled the doorway blocking the dogs inside.
She pushed her hand through it, feeling tingles against her skin.
JP took her hand.

“It’s only a one way barrier. It will
keep the dogs in, but anyone can enter.”

They started down the corridor. The
dogs whined behind her, but didn’t come through the
barrier.

“The Witches Council? Why would they
want to know about this place?”

“The Witch-kind know the Fae as the
Averys,” JP said. “An old bloodline from the beginning of their
history. They can’t see through our glamour spells like the
shifters can, so our existence is a secret.

“Still, all Averys are allowed a seat
on the council if they wish it. My father sits on the council for
Canada. They would want to know a powerful witch resides in the
Arctic. There are all kinds of rules about territory and
trespassing. Most of them are obsolete now that everyone can get on
a plane and fly anywhere in the world. The Arctic isn’t like that
and Aisyt is one of the first Fae to make Earth her home. She’s
been here millenniums. She will have old ideas and may not know
what is happening in the rest of the world.”

“I doubt she would even care.” They
walked into the main chamber.

“You’re probably right.”

A sudden growling and snarling made
them rush toward the sound. Ahead, they saw Aisyt and Ujarak
surrounded by six snarling, angry amarok. They were all focused on
Ujarak.

“That’s enough!” Aisyt’s voice seemed
louder and deeper than normal. “Know this, a strike against my mate
is a strike against me.” Her body seemed to grow bigger. Sparkles
of light surrounded her. Susan shivered. Aisyt continued. “You live
because I saved you.” Her voice reverberated through the cavern.
Susan vibrated with its intensity. “I’m not asking for your
obedience. I demand it. If you can’t give it freely, than leave
this place and never return!”

Silence filled the space. No one
moved. The wolves turned and slunk away. Susan blinked. Aisyt was
just a woman again. Ujarak drew her into his arms. She put her head
on his chest, her eyes glowed with a cold fire.

Susan squeezed JP’s hand, needing
reassurance, afraid to move.

“It’s all right. I think we
should leave after dinner,”
JP sent
telepathically. Susan nodded.

The tunnel suddenly brightened, the
sun appearing for its short journey across the pole. There were
several hours before dinner. The crowd of people that appeared
slowly dispersed, leaving Jean-Paul and Susan. Aisyt, seeing them
smiled and hurried over. Susan was glad to see her eyes looked
normal now.

“I’ve ordered meat for your dogs. It
should arrive shortly. If you don’t mind us leaving you alone for a
while, Ujarak and I want to freshen up.” She turned and looked at
the polar bear shifter. Susan could tell that the woman had more
than getting clean on her mind.

“I’m sure we can find something to
amuse ourselves. The pull of a Destined One is strong.”

“Yes, after dinner we could perform
the binding ceremony. You for us and me for you.” Aisyt suggested,
her face suddenly blushing.

“A wonderful idea. I would be honored
to join you with your mate,” JP said.

Aisyt nodded regally and walked back
to Ujarak. Taking his hand, they disappeared.

“What is she talking about? What
ceremony?” Susan asked.

“The ceremony of Destined Ones. If you
were a witch, it would bind our powers. We could share our magic
and strength.”

“What happens when you bond with a
shifter?”

“Truthfully? I don’t know. I’ve never
heard of such a bonding.”

“Aren’t you worried something might
happen? You might be turned into a lycan, or something else.”
Susan’s heart began to race.

“Susan, a Destined One is the gift of
a lifetime, and our lives are very long. There can be no mistake.
Like the lycan mating bond, it’s never wrong. I am your perfect
mate.”

§

JP could feel Susan’s panic flow
through the mating bond, but couldn’t understand it. True, the
ceremony wasn’t the pretty white wedding Susan pictured in her
head. They could do that when they returned to Quebec.

“Come on, let’s look around while we
can. I want to return to Quebec tonight.” JP sent reassurance
flowing through the mating bond. It had been wide open for a while
now and the side effects seemed to have passed. He actually enjoyed
it. Susan’s feelings were pure, without guile or deceit. It was
refreshing to know where he stood with her, that she could never
lie to him.

A shriek and giggling heralded a group
of little girls running by. The youngest ones were naked, their
little feet slapping against the hard ground. Susan laughed at
their antics and JP felt her panic ease. They continued meandering
around the huge cavern.

Aisyt needed him to perform the
ceremony. He hoped that by doing so, he would be forging an
alliance with a very powerful Fae. He didn’t want to fight her for
the Gryphon’s Eye.

What no one realized was when he felt
the ring respond to his passion while confronting Itigaituk, he
ported it to his chest in Quebec City. The ring was far too
dangerous to keep in his possession. It was no longer in the Arctic
Circle. His heart told him he’d made the right decision.

The queen was correct when she said
Jane Griffin should never have given the ring to her Destined One.
The ring should never have been brought to Earth at all. Only a
world that could stand the heat, could keep the ring. The queen
would probably put it in a nullifying container. The ring should be
destroyed.

The smell of cooking filled the air.
It came from a chamber off the main hall. They both peeked in.
Girls of all ages were busy stirring pots and pulling hot loaves
from a stone oven. Two men flirted with one of the women who
appeared to be in charge. With an indulging look, she gave the two
men a half loaf of bread and then gave the other half to the little
ones wandering about.

They stepped out of the way as the two
young men hurried by holding the bread like it was a treasure. JP
smiled. The life here seemed so simple, but happy. It was hard to
remember that all of these people could turn into
wolves.

The woman who gave out the bread
hurried over when she saw them. “Can I help you? Would you like a
snack before dinner? Aisyt said to make sure you felt welcome. I’m
Alice.”

“Hello, Alice,” Susan said. “That
bread looked awfully good. Can you spare another piece?”

“Of course, I always make more than we
need. The little ones come begging for snacks, though the jerky I
make is better for their wolf. I see you two are mated. What’s it
like?”

“It’s wonderful,” JP was quick to say.
“Susan and I share our thoughts and feelings.”

“There are only three mated pairs
here,” Alice said. “A lot of us have given up hope of finding a
mate.”

“There’s a big world out there and
many of the lycan packs are short of women. I noticed most of the
amarok are girls.” Susan gazed around the hall. She was right of
course. JP noticed the difference in the population as
well.

“Oh, I could never leave Aisyt. She
needs us as much as we need her,” Alice said.

“If the mating bond connected you to
your mate, don’t you think you would change your mind?” JP asked.
Jared, Quebec Alpha, would happily send his single males up here to
see if a mate could be found. The other alphas would probably be
glad to as well.

“I don’t know.” Alice bit her lip.
“Let me get you that snack.” She hurried off into the kitchen and
returned a short time later with a wooden plate of cheese and warm
bread. “Here. Don’t worry about returning the plate. Someone will
see it and bring it back. Have fun looking around.”

JP took the plate and led Susan toward
what he assumed was the entrance to the cave. The light was
brighter here and a wall of magic filled the entry blocking out the
cold. He found a stone bench unoccupied and sat. Breaking the bread
in half he handed a piece to Susan. She nibbled on it while looking
around. Jean-Paul bit into the warm bread enjoying the grainy
texture.