Torn between mates

1. The Kiss

Author's note (A/N) :

Dear readers,

This book will have a different tone (I will try to match the tone of my books with the personalities of the protagonists) than the 1st ones.

Besides that, it will have some HEAVY chapters. I'll always give a trigger warning, so don't worry.

In this book, you'll also be able to see what is happening to Mel, Liv, her mates, and some of the secondary characters.

I tried to write it in a way that it also can be read as a STAND-ALONE book. But, if you have any questions about anything, or get confused, please write a comment and I'll answer all your questions :D

The chapters will also be longer and have different characters' points of view. PLEASE Let me know if you like this approach.

I'm very excited to start this new journey with you guys!

Love,

T.

~ * ~

~ Important: the scene in the previous chapter was only an excerpt (from a future chapter). Here Lea is still 17 and she hasn’t met her vampire mate yet. In fact, everyone still thinks that Richard is her one and only mate.

* PROLOGUE II *

Liv

After centuries and centuries of war between the species and the Six Realms + the Pixie Kingdom (although the pixies were not big in making war) we reached the highest level of peace ever seen.

In case you are like me and weren’t such a good student in speciology, I’ll explain. The main species are Elves; Fae; Wizards/witches; Werewolves; the Demons from Hell (from where else they could be?) and Vamps. And Pixies, of course.

Well, after my multiple mating with my sinfully delicious three men: Laius the King of Hell; Elric the Elf King; and Avalon the Wizard King, and the prospect of my little sister Lea's mating with Werewolf King Richard, four realms were brought together. You could count five, considering the good relationships between the Fae and the Elf Realms, solidified by multiple Fae-elf-mated couples.

However, the relationship between the five realms, except Hell, with the Vampire Realm is still not great. If you think about the relationship between the Vampire and the Werewolf Realms, great is the last word one should use. You see the Alpha King and the Vampire King hate each other as much as two people can, which is a freaking lot.

They have a huge and old feud that goes back to family killing, wars, rivalry. In a few words: they hate each other’s guts. It’s a royal case of bad blood, one could say.

So, yeah, peace we are almost there. But not quite. There is this little puzzle piece missing: called how to make the Vampire King and the Alpha King don’t kill each other, destroy their two realms and wreak havoc on the rest of the supernatural world in the process. As you can see, I’m nailing my new diplomacy skills! Yeah, I’m a natural.

Well, my sister, Lea is 17. So, soon she will make her Wolf-mate howl if you know what I mean.

~ * ~

1. THE KISS

Richard

All I want is a mate and I found her. My eyes met hers for the first time during King Avalon’s party to introduce his mate to the Six Realms. She was only a child, but I knew she was meant to be mine. My wolf stirred inside my head and claimed her immediately. MINE. That is what she is.

I went crazy with the possibility of not having the chance to be with her, that Avalon and his people would keep her from me due to the fact that we were from different species. That thought made me abduct her to my Realm when she was only nine years old.

Mates from different species didn’t exist and with the tension that existed between the species all these years ago, my chances of being with her were quite low. Luckily now, the species had reached a level of peace never known before and I could claim my female without any problem.

I returned her to her family and Realm immediately after her father, Lord Maximus, reassured me that he would make sure I could be with my Lea as soon as she came of age. That’s what was better for her and my wolf, and I only wanted to provide her with what she needed, what was better for her, and at that moment, it wasn’t us, but rather her family.

Knowing that Lea’s father is an Elf, also came with the realization that Lea is indeed special. She is a hybrid, her father an Elf, and her mother a witch. An impossibly rare being, she and her sister are the only hybrids in existence.

I waited, in pain and exasperation. My wolf and the man too, became edgy and restless every long year without her by our side. The only consolation that brought me some peace was the fact that, as I’ve agreed with her father, I could visit her once a year.

Now Sarah, the closest thing to a family that I have, and I went to visit my female. It was the last time that I had visited her in this way, since in less than one year she will reach the mating age, eighteen years old, and she will finally be mine.

I would finally be able to claim her in all ways and make her my Queen, my Luna.

We entered her father’s house in the Elf Realm and my eyes met hers immediately. My wolf howled in my mind, yearning to touch her, claim her. Lea’s gaze shyly moved away from mine. Sarah strode towards her without losing time, wrapped my mate in a tight hug.

“Lea, sweet girl! Every time I meet you, you look cuter! I missed you! We missed you! Visiting you is like the summer solstice for us, the most epic event of the year,” Sarah squealed.

“I missed you too, Sarah, but I… can’t breathe.” Lea’s voice was muffled by the very tight hold the she-wolf had on her, which set my wolf into a protective mode, but I pushed him to the back of my mind. Sarah was no threat to our female.

Werewolves were very strong, while witches and wizards were not especially strong at all, and Elves were only a bit stronger than witches. Thus, Sarah’s very affectionate and warm embrace was too much for my Lea and her frail bones.

“Oh sweetie, I am sorry.” She said, loosening her hold on Lea. “Sometimes I forget that you aren’t a she-wolf.”

“It’s okay,” Lea flashed her a smile.

“Sarah, don’t suffocate her.” I scolded my old friend. My wolf pounced back to the surface and was once again pacing in my head. My beast couldn’t see any reason and he wouldn’t have anyone hurting our female, or overcrowding her space, not even Sarah.

“Sorry.” Sarah flashed Lea another sheepish smile.

“No problem, don’t worry.”

“Lea,” I greeted my female, taking measured steps closer to her and trying to keep my lust and my wolf under control. All I wanted to do was to scoop her up in his arms and take her to my Realm, to my pack, to my bed. Yet I knew I couldn’t do it, my wait wasn’t over. But soon I would have my Luna by my side, wriggling underneath my body as I pounded into her warmth.

~ * ~

Lea

I flashed him a coy smile and lowered my gaze shyly. I didn’t want him to think that I didn’t like to have him here, but I couldn’t avoid it. I actually loved his visits, to see him. He made my heart flutter a bit, but it also made me quite nervous. I didn’t know how to act around him, or what to say. He surely thought I was a stupid/dense child.

Was it normal that I already felt something for him even though I hadn't reached mating age and the mating signs hadn't started to appear?

Even though the mate pull was still very faint, I could feel it growing, blossoming in a gentle and warm way. Every year that he visited me, I felt the pull’s invisible force getting stronger. What started with a feeling of comfort and ease around him, was developing into something else. Since last year my very soul pushed me, and begged me to be close to him. To talk to him. To breathe the same air as him.

He smiled at my clumsy reaction. Sarah mentioned sometimes that he didn’t smile often, he was a very aloof wolf, who didn’t waste or throw smiles at any person or occasion. His smiles were so rare, which made them a little sacred.

Richard took a few steps closer to me and took my hand in his. “I am very happy to see you.”

“Me too,” I murmured, glancing up and meeting his gaze for a glimpse of a minute, before lowering my eyes again and looking at our joined hands, warmth radiated from our touch.

“We brought you presents!” Sarah chimed in, trying to break through my shyness and make me relax a bit as she always did. She was surely an angel and without her here, I would feel even more lost.

The she-wolf opened a huge bag and took some boxes in different sizes and shapes from it, handing them to me.“I didn’t know what you like now, and I didn’t want to make mistakes like in the last years, so this time we got a bit of everything. It’s hard to know what teenage girls enjoy nowadays.”

I laughed as I tried to juggle all the present boxes, “You didn’t have to bring anything.”

“Oh, no! I, we, love to!” Sarah replied with a bright smile. “Here you have chocolates, books, stickers, a dress, moon-stone pendants directly from our Realm, flower seeds. You are still into flowers, right?”

I nodded in response, I loved flowers. Their smell, delicacy, colours and their magic. After I took my time opening the little bags with colourful seeds and admiring them, Richard pulled me aside, away from Sarah’s gaze. We were alone and it brought a funny sensation to my stomach, it made me nervous in a good and in a bad way.

My teeth grazed the inner side of my lips as I tried to calm my racing heart down. What would he do to me?

“Lea,” he called my name, bringing me back from the foggy anxiety that overwhelmed my mind. This unknown feeling, this desire, was so confusing!

My eyes met his and I couldn’t help myself but stare at him. Richard was so handsome! I had to lift my chin and stand on my tiptoes to talk to him. He was the tallest person I’ve ever seen. Despite the burbling in my nerves, my eyes acted on their own accord, roaming through his large body and peaking at his bulky frame. I tried to look away, but my gaze didn’t want to miss the way his olive skin shone in the sun and the messy harmony of his wavy brown hair.

“Before I go,” he said, leaning down closer to me.

My eyes were locked with his in an almost hypnotic way, his eyes were two green forests in which I could get lost for days or even forever. They were stern but held a secret softness. Secrets that I urged/yearned to unveil.

I don’t think I’ve ever looked into his eyes for that long before. I was always too shy, but today they attracted me like lighthouses. Green lights in the darkness.

Because I was lost in his eyes, I just noticed it when his warm breath was caressing my lips, it made a gasp hitch in my chest as I felt my face burning, flushing.

His lips touched mine and I gasped. He held the nape of my neck and cupped my face, bringing me towards him as his tongue invaded my mouth. It caressed my tongue and my lips in a fervent, passionate, and almost brutal way.

He nibbled my bottom lip and continued his assault. It made my body tremble; a trail of goosebumps arose across my skin, as butterflies flew all over my stomach in a whirl-windy rhythm. I felt as if my body had woken up from a deep slumber and I was for the first time really awake.

And something else, a strange sensation between my thighs. It got hot and even moistened there. Oh, my teacher, Nema, talked about it sometimes. That’s quite embarrassing.

How can a kiss feel so good? How can a kiss have so many effects? Are all kisses like this? I just want it to linger.

He parted the kiss, and looked at me, still cupping my face. “That’s something for us both to look forward to, my Lea.” His voice was guttural and very grave in contrast with his soft words, which added some appeal to it.

“Next time we see each other, this damned wait will be over, and you will be ALL MINE. As I’ll be yours.” His words were a promise. A promise that made me at the same time tense and looking forward to it coming true.

~ * ~

Richard

I leaned down and I looked at her pretty face, her big and innocent amber eyes. Doe's eyes. My wolf howled impatiently in my mind; he could hardly wait to claim her. To be close to her, protect her, offer her all she could need. I couldn’t wait either. She is OURS and ours ONLY.

My lips were almost brushing against her soft and full ones. They have a natural pink-coral shade that makes them almost edible.

She parted her lips in a gasp and my tongue found its way in. I devoured every inch of her mouth, tasting, caressing, eating her. It wasn’t a soft kiss; it was the stake of a claim. The start of me claiming her, having her, raveging her.

Even though the mate pull wasn’t fully there, her body reacted intensely to my touch. She was quivering and I could smell her arousal pouring for me and it made my d*ck twitch in my pants. I can’t wait to see how her body will respond next time we meet.

I parted the kiss hesitantly and cupped her face. She was panting for air.

“That is something for us both to look forward to, my Lea.” I rasped.

I wanted to give her something to remember, to ache for in these long months of wait. For her to ache for me at least a bit of the way I long for her.

“Next time we see each other, this damned wait will be over, and you will be ALL MINE. As I’ll be yours.” I added, running my thumbs across her adorable blushed cheeks.

A sweet and nervous smile crossed her face. She was right to be tense, she would become my meal, every single day. But she will enjoy it, she will love it.

When I left my Lea that day, I couldn’t even imagine the dreadful circumstances that our next meeting would be in.

~ * ~ *~ * ~

Lea

After Richard and Sarah left, I went to the living room, where Sienna, my aunt Astoria and Nema were.

I sighed deeply; I already missed him.

“How was it with your mate, sweetheart? Are you sure he is indeed your mate?” Sienna asked.

It was a bit odd that she asked that, and it wasn’t the first time. It was something strange for her to be that insistent. She is a fairy and a very sweet one. The sweetest.

Sienna, my aunt Astoria and Nema are somehow my teachers. Once a week, they give me extra lessons here in my dad’s Villa at the Elf Realm, Emeraldia. My aunt and Sienna teach me mainly about Elf History; and Nema, she teaches some... Nema things... that are normally uncomfortable, and I always zone out while in her classes.

They are a very different group of teachers: a Fairy; an Elf, my aunt; and a Nympho, Nema.

“He is my mate. I can feel it.” I answered and she flashed me her sweet smile.

In theory, I could just know for sure that he was my mate when I was eighteen, but I can feel the bond growing and I know it. There is no doubt in my mind or my heart. He is my mate, I’m his and he is mine.

Richard could know it better than me, because he is much older than eighteen and he can feel it more than me, even though we will both be able to feel it fully in 10 months, after my birthday.

“Oh, chickadee! What have you done to have that face?” Nema asked, making my eyes open wide. “You thought I wouldn’t notice, but I” she pointed to herself and smiled proudly, “I know all those things. I know everything someone could imagine about the hay, rolling, shoving, wetting, biting, choking, fu….”

“Nema please.” Sienna cut her off, shaking her head.

“They never let me share my wisdom! That is censorship!” she grumbled, but in the next second, she was smiling again.

Nema always had a happy smile, positive energy, and inappropriate stories and jokes in store. “I know all about it, and I can see that your eyes are shining, your face is pink… you did something. I know it and I’m very proud! Tell us what, baby chick! Come on! How is your cherry doing?” Nema added with a very broad smile. It was almost scary.

“What? ...I…I didn’t do anything…he just… kissed me and that was it.” Nema loved to make me feel embarrassed and I made it too easy for her.

“You look THAT lost in-love just because he kissed you? Imagine when he...” Nema started, but my aunt put her hand over Nema’s mouth, saving my ears from trauma.

I looked at her and mouthed the words ‘thank you.’ She replied with a small smile.

My aunt never smiles fully, she is so stoic, I know that she keeps a deep pain inside. I think it’s related to her mate, Sienna once let out that my aunt thinks he died long ago and she will spend eternity without the other half of her soul, without knowing love. My heart hurts for her.

“Don’t worry baby chick, in a few months all those many feet of delicious wolf will be yours to climb! There is man to climb for weeks, he is so big. I’m just imagining if everything is that big.” Nema added with a funny smile, making me blush and shake my head.

I should be used to her and her Nympho talk after all these years being her student, but I guess I won’t ever get used to it.

I just want to forget that this embarrassing conversation happened and go to take care of my flowers.

For some years I've been growing flowers. Sienna calls it my secret garden and she helps me a lot with it. She told me that most Fae people love flowers and really know how to groom them. I make some potions with relaxing and cheering effects using their petals and essences. Not many witches work with flowers, they say that it’s more like a fairy hobby, but I love my flowers, and I love to be able to make something beautiful become something good.