Gently Nicolas scooped his mate into his arms and began to carry her toward the door, oblivious to his nudity.
"What a pitiful display."
The bitter tones of Stefan"s p.r.o.nouncement echoed under the vaulted ceiling and earned a warning growl from several throats, but the old man was too caught up in his bitterness to care.
"It"s too bad I didn"t build my plan around killing you myself," he spat. "Now I have to go to my grave knowing my own son turned out to be such a disappointment to me."
Nicolas never paused, and he never looked back.
"No, you don"t," he said as the crowd at the door parted before him. "I don"t have a father."
Epilogue.
The mess turned out to be more easily cleaned up than anyone had suspected.
With Nic"s blessing, Dmitri contacted the Tiguri theri in Europe to discuss the situation. Acting as their leader and representative, Milan Voros p.r.o.nounced judgment over the Arcoses. While Gregor and Victoria had acted more as p.a.w.ns in Stefan"s master plan than as true co-conspirators, they could not be allowed to benefit from their crimes, nor could they go unpunished. Accordingly, the Arcos clan was stripped of its ident.i.ty as an independent streak and the couple was given provisional membership in the Voros clan. Milan would personally oversee their behavior, which would not be difficult, as they had been a.s.signed to live in a small farmhouse on the ther"s vast estate near the border between Russia and Georgia.
Feeling magnanimous after all of that, Voros also agreed to allow the Others to a.s.sist in arranging for the punishment of Stefan Preda. Dmitri himself made a few phone calls and arranged for the man to be incarcerated for the remainder of his life in an inescapable fortress prison designed and most often used for vampires convicted of unforgivable crimes.
Nicolas was not told of the prison"s location, and he did not care. As far as he was concerned, his family, and his new streak, consisted of him, his wife, and any cubs they might conceive together. He considered that more than enough to make him happy.
It did not make him quite as happy to have to offer his thanks to not only the resourceful vampire but also the head of the Council of Others and the Alpha of the Silverback Clan. With only a slight prod from his mate, he did it anyway. After all, De Santos had kept him from committing an act that might have changed him forever, and Winters had protected Nic"s mate when he had been unable to do it himself. Maybe they had a few redeeming features between them.
He did, however take great delight in vocally turning down Rafe"s offer of a seat on the Council of Others. As Nic told the Felix, he"d rather serve on the Council of Digging Out His Own Eyeb.a.l.l.s with a Rusty Spoon. Rafe had decided not to press the issue. Especially not when Nic had offered him another option. Nic still refused to serve on the Council, but he was happy to offer his recommendation for another Tiguri to fill the position. Saskia, after all, made a much better politician than he ever would.
She, after all, had been the one to fully grasp the motives behind his father"s plan, to see the implications of the attacks, the scheming, and the attempted murder. She had realized what Stefan was after with a clarity Nic didn"t think he himself would ever have achieved on his own. Saskia understood people, she understood what drove them and consequently what could drive them over the edge. What better qualifications for a seat on the Council of Others could a tiger have?
Of course, Nic had felt compelled to warn the werejaguar that if the other man so much as looked at Nic"s mate the wrong way-meaning other than straight in the eye and for more than any three consecutive seconds-the Tiguri would be happy to turn him into cat chow. Saskia deserved recognition for her unique talents, but that didn"t make her any less Nic"s mate, and he was one Tiguri who had finished catting around. Permanently.
And so, less than a week after the execution of the plan, Nic found himself waking up in his own bed to the very pleasant memory of his mate"s last official night in heat. At this point, her ovulation window had closed and it would be at least another month before Nicolas was able to stimulate her into another cycle.
He sighed. He supposed he"d just have to be patient, although a few weeks of only having s.e.x twice a day might turn into a nice change of pace.
Grinning to himself, Nic opened his eyes and discovered his bed was empty. For a change, Saskia had managed to wake before him and sneak out of the bedroom without disturbing him. Or maybe she saw it as making her escape. With her heat over, she might be feeling more than a little relief at the idea of taking a short break from the s.e.xual marathon they"d been running recently.
He swung out of bed all but whistling a jaunty tune. Tugging a pair of sweatpants out of his closet, he pulled them on for the sake of decency before following his nose into the kitchen.
Actually, it was more so that his morning erection wouldn"t send his mate running for the hills. There were some things over which a man had very little control.
He found Saskia in front of the stove with a bright red ap.r.o.n tied around her waist. Nic sighed in disappointment that it wasn"t the only thing she wore. So much for his masculine fantasies. Under the ap.r.o.n, he spied a pair of crisp cotton pajamas in virginal white. At least she hadn"t tried to wear them to bed, he consoled himself.
His mate turned when she saw him and waved at him with an upraised spatula. "About time you got up, lazybones. Breakfast is almost ready."
He grinned. "It wasn"t my fault. I needed my rest. Some insatiable woman kept me up all night attending to her l.u.s.tful needs. I"m exhausted."
"That"s funny." She winked at him. "I woke up feeling positively energized. I could run a marathon. But I decided to make pancakes instead. I hope you"re hungry."
"Starved. I worked up one h.e.l.l of an appet.i.te."
She blushed, and he laughed. He loved that he could do that to her so easily.
He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling her back against his chest. Dipping his face to her shoulder, he buried his nose against her neck and inhaled deeply.
"Mm, strawberry jam," he murmured appreciatively. "How did you know I liked that on my pancakes? Smells fresh, too. Did you run out to the farmer"s market before you started cooking?"
Saskia laughed and craned her head to give him a look like he was crazy. "What on earth are you talking about? We don"t even have any strawberry jam. We"ll eat our pancakes with maple syrup like civilized people."
Nic made a face to show his disappointment, and again the scent of fresh strawberry jam drifted up to him. His eyes ran over his mate"s slender form from the tips of her toes to the top of her strawberry blonde head.
He froze.
Strawberries.
His eyes widened, and his gaze shot to hers. His mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. Saskia stared at him for a moment, clearly puzzled. Then she read something in his expression and recognition dawned.
Strawberry tiger. Ripe, fertile strawberry tiger.
The grin that widened his mouth started at his toes and lit up half the city by the time it settled on his face. Reaching out, he placed a hand over his mate"s still-flat belly and purred.
He loved strawberries.
Also by Christine Warren.
Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale.
Black Magic Woman.
Prince Charming Doesn"t Live Here.
Born to Be Wild.
Big Bad Wolf.
You"re So Vein.
One Bite with a Stranger.
Walk on the Wild Side.
Howl at the Moon.
The Demon You Know.
She"s No Faerie Princess.
Wolf at the Door.
Anthologies.
The Huntress.
No Rest for the Witches.
Praise for New York Times bestselling author.
Christine Warren.
BLACK MAGIC WOMAN.
"Excitement, pa.s.sion, mystery, characters who thoroughly captivate, and a satisfying romance make [it] a must-read."
-Romance Reviews Today.
"Will capture your senses and ensnare your imagination. Another great novel from Christine Warren."
-Single t.i.tles.
"s.e.xy, action-packed romance!"
-Joyfully Reviewed PRINCE CHARMING DOESN"T LIVE HERE "Christine Warren"s The Others novels are known for their humorous twists and turns of otherworldly creatures. Like her other Others novels, Prince Charming Doesn"t Live Here is an excellently delicious story with great characterization."
-Fresh Fiction BORN TO BE WILD.
"Warren packs in lots of action and s.e.xy sizzle."
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews "Incredible."
-All About Romance "Warren takes readers for a wild ride."
-Night Owl Romance "Another good addition to The Others series."
-Romance Junkies.
"[A] s.e.xy, engaging world ... will leave you begging for more!"
-New York Times bestselling author Cheyenne McCray BIG BAD WOLF.
"In this world ... there"s no shortage of s.e.xy sizzle."
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.
"Another hot and spicy novel from a master of paranormal romance."
-Night Owl Romance "Ms. Warren gives readers action and danger around each turn, sizzling romance, and humor to lighten each scene. Big Bad Wolf is a must-read."
-Darque Reviews YOU"RE SO VEIN "Filled with supernatural danger, excitement, and sarcastic humor."
-Darque Reviews "Five stars. This is an exciting, s.e.xy book."
-Affaire de Coeur "The sparks do fly!"
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews ONE BITE WITH A STRANGER.
"Christine Warren has masterfully pulled together vampires, shape shifters, demons, and many "Others" to create a tantalizing world of dark fantasies come to life. Way to go, Warren!"
-Night Owl Romance "A sinful treat."
-Romance Junkies "Hot fun and great sizzle."
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews.
"A hot, hot novel."
-A Romance Review.
WALK ON THE WILD SIDE.
"A seductive tale with strong chemistry, roiling emotions, steamy romance, and supernatural action. The fast-moving plot in Walk on the Wild Side will keep the readers" attention riveted through every page, and have them eagerly watching for the next installment."
-Darque Reviews HOWL AT THE MOON.
"Howl at the Moon will tug at a wide range of emotions from beginning to end ... [E]ngaging banter, a strong emotional connection, and steamy love scenes. This talented author delivers real emotion which results in delightful interactions ... and the realistic dialogue is stimulating. Christine Warren knows how to write a winner!"
-Romance Junkies.
THE DEMON YOU KNOW.
"Explodes with s.e.xy, devilish fun, exploring the further adventures of The Others. With a number of the gang from previous books back, there"s an immediate familiarity about this world that makes it easy to dive right into. Warren"s storytelling style makes these books remarkably entertaining."
-Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 stars).
SHE"S NO FAERIE PRINCESS.
"Christine Warren has penned a story rich in fantastic characters and spellbinding plots."
-Fallen Angel Reviews.
WOLF AT THE DOOR.
"This book is a fire-starter ... a fast-paced, adrenaline- and hormonally-charged tale. The writing is fluid and fun, and makes the characters all take on life-like characteristics."
-Romance Reader at Heart.