Chapter Six

I don’t know what Warren said to Eva, but she couldn’t get out the door fast enough when I came into the house. So much for giggling over lingerie. I couldn’t feel bad about it, though, because she was so flustered when she left that it had to be a good sign. Instead, I strolled up the steps to find my bags already in my room and Tori busily putting things away.

“You know I can do that, right? You’re not expected to wait on me hand and foot.”

“I like to be helpful. Besides, I thought I’d help you so we can settle some of the legalities, later. You’re a hard woman to pin down when you want to be.”

I guess I was. At least she was being a good sport about it. Me, I would have quit already. It made me like her a little more. To fill the time, I grabbed one of the bags and headed to my drawers. I couldn’t help but notice that the extra bag from Victoria’s Secret had gone home with Eva. Together, we put the things away in companionable silence. In retrospect, there wasn’t really that much. I’d been along more for the fun of it.

“You know, putting it off won’t make it all go away or any less real.”

I turned to find Tori folding the throw that lived on the back of my reading chair. She was fighting a smile and I knew I was busted.

“Sure it will. Queen of denial, that’s me.”

“What are you so afraid of, Sasha?”

“I don’t know.”

I really didn’t. I mean, I’d already stepped up and taken the responsibilities I was born to. Why making it all legal was such a big deal, I honestly didn’t know.

“Let’s go over the books so you know what you’re signing. I’d sign them for you, but I’ve never seen your signature.”

I blinked at her. “Excuse me?”

“That’s what a good personal assistant does. We take care of all the little things that you don’t need to be bothered with. Unfortunately, the bank needs a master on file. I sign Cole’s all the time.”

I just bet she did. All good feelings evaporated.

“What else do you do for him?”

She looked at me and her smile widened. Her green eyes fairly sparkled with merriment and I got the distinct impression she was laughing at me.

“Not what you’re thinking. Thank you, but he’s not my type. I like my men of a slightly gentler persuasion.”

“You mean someone you can push around.”

“Pretty much. No offense intended, but I take orders from alphas all day long. The last thing I need is to go home to one. Thank you, but no. You can have him.”

“I don’t want him.”

“Liar. If you don’t want to be honest with yourself, fine, but don’t lie to me. Let’s start this relationship off with a little bit of honesty.”

“This from the woman who is going to be forging my signature?”

That got the laugh I’d seen bubbling up through her face out into the open.

“True, but after the first couple of weeks, trust me, you’ll be begging me to do it. You’ll be amazed at how much paperwork it takes to keep the society flowing.”

Together, we went downstairs and into my office which had been the original master’s library. It was my favorite room in the house for the obvious reason. Sitting at my desk, I found a neat series of files stacked on it. Opening them, I signed all the tabbed lines and handed them back without reading a word. At the bottom of the stack was a ledger. Opening it, I blinked in shock. It was an account ledger and the bottom line was more than my entire inheritance had been.

“Wow. What’s this?”

“Oh, that’s the society account. Since we’ve been without a Committee chair for so long, it’s a little fat, but now that you’re in charge, that will change.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, members who need money for various reasons will start applying for grants or loans or whatnot. We’ve got a couple of people in college, so there’s tuition for them as well as book money, if they apply for it. Once a week or so, we’ll sit down and address the requests that have come in and write out the funds or send rejections. It takes money to run things.”

“Where does it all come from, the money, I mean?”

“Taxes.”

I blinked at her, trying to wrap my mind around it. “Taxes? We tax the members of our society? I never got taxed.”

“That’s the joy of banishment. You don’t have to pay us if we don’t want anything to do with you.”

I laughed at the dry tone and closed the ledger. “Yeah, see what good that did me, don’t ya?”

She saw the humor in it and laughed with me. Picking it up, I moved to the large oil behind the desk and swung it out to get to the safe. Absently, I gave her the code to the digital safe I’d replaced the antique one with after I’d bought the house. Later, when I was alone, I’d go in and change my code so that the master security register would show when she accessed it. It wasn’t exactly trusting, but then, only a fool trusted their assistants and their business managers without safeguards. I closed the safe and swung the painting back into place just as a knock sounded from the door.

Cole really was going to have to start waiting for me to answer his knocks before he strolled into rooms. Who knows, he might catch me in a compromising position since the place was suddenly lousy with men. Well, it was a fun thought, anyway. Tori was right about one thing, none of the others affected me like he did. Whether it was his power or simply his personality, I wanted to explore the potential between us. It was embarrassing, considering I barely knew him, but there it was. Honesty.

“Well, let me run these up to the bank and get them on file.”

“It’s Saturday. They closed hours ago.”

“Oh, for me, they’ll open. Wouldn’t you cater to someone who has that much in their vault?”

Her face was full of mischief as she scooped up the files and practically ran for the door. Abandoned me with the one tiger I’d rather not be alone with.

So much for loyalty.

“That wasn’t very subtle, was it?”

“I don’t think they understand the meaning of the word, to be honest. It’s like they’re all conspiring to trap us together.”

“Would it be a trap, Sasha?”

I had turned to walk around my desk, as much to put the physical boundary between us as to be comfortable. At that, I stopped and turned back to face him. The look on his face was unreadable, but intense.

“Cole, you honestly can’t tell me that you want to be matched up with me, even on a speculative basis.”

“You have no idea what I want. You’re too busy running as far away from me as you can get as soon as the conversation threatens to run in any direction that might get too personal. If you’re worried about your reputation, you can thank my brother for making sure everyone thinks we’re already screwing our brains out.”

I remembered Thomas’s snide little comment and the way he’d looked at me.

“Why would he want to do that? I mean, come on, I’m an unattached woman powerful enough to make them all stand up and take notice. Why would he spread the rumor I’m with you instead of trying to move in on me himself?”

“Because he’s not stupid. After his little stunt, he doesn’t have a chance with you and everyone knows it. I’m not the only one who had you investigated. Most of the houses probably kept tabs on you growing up from a nice, safe distance. Since he blew his chance at you, he’s going to make sure it looks like I’m off the market to the rest of the women.”

“You’ve lost me.”

“Okay, if their intelligence is as good as I think it is, Thomas and whoever’s advising him knows you won’t play power games. Everyone knows that your parents chose banishment over letting you be used, so it’s logical to assume that you won’t forgive people who try to use you. So, by that logic, you won’t accept me as your mate. As long as the rumor that we are lovers is out there, no one else will take a second look at me because they’d be afraid of your threat.”

“I’ve not threatened anyone. Since I don’t date, there can’t be any rumors that I’m a jealous lover.”

I was obviously missing something from the way his lips quirked and he shook his head.

“That’s not the point.”

“Then make your point, please?”

“Take a step back and think. If you saw a man who attracted you, and you thought he belonged to someone else, would you make a play for him?”

I frowned harder and he tried again.

“Sasha, you’re the highest ranking person in our little society. As such, you have your pick of males. No, don’t interrupt. Stop thinking like a person and think like a tiger. You could call a council meeting tonight, walk through and drag anyone who catches your fancy out. You won’t do it, but you could, and the men would come willingly. Being chosen by you would put them higher on the status ladder, even if you only kept them for a night and tossed them back. By now, everyone knows I spent the last two nights here.”

“Two nights? You stayed last night in the room down the hall and we had a houseful of people who can vouch for that. Lord knows, the guards were sticking their head in every hour.”

He actually smiled a full smile. The way it changed his face from striking to beautiful made me forget the topic of conversation for a moment.

“But the night we ran. There were tigers here that night. Henry and I stayed to run with you because I didn’t want you left alone. While we were running, others came. You’re so new to being around others that you didn’t feel them, but they were there, always at the edge of sensory range, watching. After you came in, Henry went back to the car and took it home, but I stayed to make sure you were safe.”

“Then you came in acting like you had the right to make decisions on my behalf. You hired the staff, order the security system, everything.”

I was trapped by my own ignorance. By appointing himself my protector and taking the steps he had, he’d given everyone the impression that the rumors were grounded in facts. A horrible thought raced across my mind.

“You’re here on bachelor status, aren’t you? That’s why you didn’t wear a house badge at the council meeting.”

He nodded, his smile faded back to the half-grin I was beginning to like so much. I turned and walked around the desk to sprawl in my chair. Absently, I began to swivel it back and forth, thinking. Bachelor status meant that he was allowed to live in our territory, but was allowed only limited contact with society. Unless a powerful female took him to mate and absorbed him into her household, or he gained enough political power to be allowed to start his own, he’d always be on the fringe.

Cole watched as the pieces fell into place in my mind before moving to sit in the leather chair in front of the desk.

“So, essentially, you’re cosmically screwed.”

“Not necessarily.”

“From where I’m sitting, he’s tied your options up pretty tightly. What do you see that I don’t?”

The look on his face was chiding and I felt my eyes widen as realization struck.

“You’re out of your mind, you know that? I’m certainly not going to…”

I waved my hand helplessly and he gave into the laughter I could see shining in his eyes.

“I don’t expect you to, but there are other options. You can legitimize me.”

“Legitimize, how?”

“God, you’re so cynical. You can grant me permission to establish my own household and give me hunting rights. No one could revoke my safe passage or discount me.”

“All that takes is a motion at council, right?”

He nodded, pleased that I understood the specifics.

“And it just needs a majority passing. The minor houses will vote with you, except maybe DeSoto. They’ll want to stay on your good side in hopes that some of the power being shifted around will fall on them. I have enough friends in the major houses so it should be an easy bill to pass.”

“And that undoes all Thomas’s rumors?”

“Well, not all of them, but enough to secure my position. There’s something else to consider, too.”

“What’s that?”

“As long as you’re single, the challenges are going to keep coming.”

The look on my face must have told him more than I wanted him to know.

“Sasha, you unleashed your power and there wasn’t an unmated man in the place that didn’t feel it. Hell, anyone not linked felt it. The only reason they’re not parked on your rose bushes is that I’m already here and no one quite knows how to get me out of the way without upsetting you. You’re right in that there isn’t any data on if you’re a possessive lover or not and no one wants to be the first to find out. It’s only a matter of time before someone challenges me for the right—”

“Stop. Too much information. I’m not going to let anyone fight over me. That’s barbaric.”

“It’s the way we are, Sasha. You can pretend we’re human, but we’re not. The strongest survive, breed, and rule. It’s the base our entire culture is built on. You can’t buck the system at this point. You can only find a way to work around the parts you don’t like.”

I stared at him, digesting it all. He could have turned this to his own advantage, but he had simply laid out the dynamics and facts of the situation. It made me feel better about him, but it also stung my pride. Didn’t he feel the same attraction to me that I felt toward him? It was petty, but I couldn’t help it.

“So, is that what you want me to do? Call a council meeting and give the motion to let you have your own household?”

“Sasha, do you really want to know what I want?”

I nodded, but wasn’t prepared for the way his face went from pleasantly neutral to smoldering in a blink. Every muscle in my body tightened at the wealth of promise in that look. When I answered, it came out breathy.

“Yes.”

“Remember, you asked.”

He stood and leaned over the desk so there were only inches between us. I could have scooted the chair back or even reclined it with my feet, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to.

“I want you to stop fighting and let me be what you want me to be. I can smell your reaction to me and I see the way you watch me when you don’t think I can see. If you had any way of knowing how hard it is for me to stop the urge to drag you off and take the decision away from you. If I made the first move, do you honestly think you’d turn me away?”

My pulse was in my throat and it was hard to breathe. He was right and we both knew it. In fact, all he had to do was lean those last few inches and take the kiss that was so close I could taste it to test his theory. He thought about it, I could see it in his eyes and felt him gather himself for that movement.

What would have happened, I don’t know, because a knock sounded loud in the charged stillness of the room. Cole froze as the door opened. Together, we turned to face Evan from where he stood framed by the doorway.

Evan, realizing his blunder, paled and bowed.

“I’m sorry, but you have a visitor.”

“Who is it?”

Cole’s face matched the snarl in his tone. He was close enough to me where the stinging whip of his power, so close to the surface, stung across my skin.

“The leopard king.”

“We’ll be right there.”

Evan nodded and closed the door behind him. Cole’s head swung back to me and the tension of the moment hung between us. With a frustrated growl, he looked away to stare at the desk between us. I felt the power leaking away, leaving me cold in its wake. Silence stretched between us to the point it became uncomfortable, but I didn’t know what to say.

“If I asked permission to finish this conversation later, would you get mad?”

I blinked as he raised those beautiful chocolate eyes to look at me. Frustration and humor were there, but something else, too. Something more serious. It wasn’t just the conversation. I had a brief, wild moment where I thought about closing the distance and ending this with the kiss I could still almost taste. If I’d thought it would end with a simple kiss, I would have, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t. I wasn’t ready to cross that bridge to examine how I felt about him on a long term level.

“Maybe.”

It came out rich with teasing and power that had nothing to do with magic and everything to do with just being a woman. At least I had the answer to my question. Sliding my chair back, I stood and stepped around the desk, watching him watch me as he straightened. I kept walking until I stood next to him and didn’t flinch away when he reached up to cup my cheek.

“Careful baiting tigers, Sasha.”

“I think I can handle you.”

I turned my face to kiss his palm before I could check myself. Truth was that I wanted that kiss. If I couldn’t have the one I wanted, I’d settle for a small one. He froze under that light touch of my lips, but I ignored it as I stepped back and tried to play it cool.

“Let’s not keep him waiting.”

“It’s a lady’s prerogative to keep a man waiting, especially if he calls unannounced.”

Looking up at him, I wondered what he was thinking.

“It bothers you that he’s here?”

“It’s customary to let an administrative period pass to let new leaders get things situated before making formal calls. There’s a lot to do when assuming the position, but he knows that. He’s only been in power about two years.”

“So, he’s here because something important has happened, he’s trying to catch us with our pants down before someone else does, or he’s just that desperate.”

“Pretty much.”

“Can we send him packing?”

“Not really. If he’s that eager to throw his support behind you, then sending him away would be a bad move. I sent out the call that we were looking beyond our social group for the staff here as well as workmen to get the house built. If Ryan was looking for an excuse to come to call, that could have been interpreted as an invitation.”

“And if they’re trying to set us up, then sending him away will only give them time to find another approach or an ally to make things more complicated.”

“I thought you didn’t understand court politics.”

“No, I don’t understand them, but I do understand people. This is very much a people way of thinking.”

The distance between us was suddenly not so close and intimate, though neither of us had stepped back. Cole offered his knuckles up and I looked at it before raising my gaze back to his face. I knew what the significance would be entering the room on his arm like that. If I were going to send him away, the smarter option would be to simply walk into the room with him at my back. In his own way, he was looking for a declaration from me. He’d laid his cards on the table and was looking for me to do the same, but he wasn’t looking for words. Words could be taken back, actions set into course things that couldn’t be.

“It’s your choice. All I ask is that we give him the impression that the tigers will not bow to them in the grand scheme of things.”

Since Tori, Cole and I had gone over some of the files last night, I knew the leopards were a large group, but not particularly powerful. They had the potential, but they lacked the ambition. Setting my hand onto his, I took another deep breath and nodded to the door.

“Then let’s do this.”

He stood for a moment, my hand resting on his, before turning toward the door and leading me out into the hallway. By the time we reached the front parlor, I was feeling properly regal. Sweeping into the room, our grand entrance was ruined because there wasn’t an audience to see it. It was empty. Turning back, I saw Evan standing beside the front door.

“Where is he?”

“You didn’t say to let him in.”

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Opening them, I looked at him before I shook my head. Cole lifted his hand enough to get my attention. When I looked at him, he nodded to the two Queen Anne chairs by the bay windows. I agreed with him. Crossing the room, we made ourselves comfortable. Evan frowned as he opened the door at my signal and let them in. Three men stepped into the room and waited for him to close it.

“Come on in, Ryan. We’re not standing on formality, here.”

Cole’s tone was slightly sardonic and the tall blond’s face flushed in response. He stood to greet them, but I didn’t. Instead, I sat back and watched, taking in the details. Ryan Anderson was tall, lean, and handsome with blond hair streaked by the sun. Standing next to Cole, the effect was ruined for me. I dropped my gaze to the flowers in his hand.

“Nice flowers.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure to tell my mother you liked them.”

I made no move to take them, so he set them on the coffee table in front of the sofa as he took a seat at Cole’s invitation. As soon as the men were seated, Warren stepped into the room carrying a tray of glasses of iced tea. The tray was offered to Ryan, but not to the two men who took up positions on either side of the parlor door. We ignored them like they were the furniture. I was going to have to ask about bodyguard etiquette later. I took mine from the tray as did Cole, but neither of us took a drink. Ryan did, locking his gaze with mine while he did it. It was a display of faith and I couldn’t help but wonder at the company he was keeping if he thought we were going to poison him right off the bat in front of his bodyguards.

I sat smiling and waiting. Cole’s words echoed in the back of my mind. No, the tigers weren’t bowing to the leopards and this was his petition. We didn’t have to be eager to hear it.

“So, what’s up, Ryan? What’s up that couldn’t wait a couple of days to be polite?”

Cole’s tone was brusque, but considering what we might have been doing if we’d not been interrupted, I guess I could understand it. Apparently, he and Ryan had some history because the other man laughed at him.

“Well, other than seeing if the rumors were true?”

His blue eyes twinkled merrily, so it was hard to be insulted by it.

“What rumors would those be?”

My tone must have clued him in because he turned that smiling countenance to me.

“I’m sorry, Cole and I have been friends for a long time. I couldn’t resist the urge to nettle him a bit, so I’m sorry if I’ve offended you. One day, when all this blows over, I’ll have you both over for dinner and herald you with stories of his misspent youth. Our mothers have been friends our entire lives and there’s not a single bone in his closet I don’t know about. For a price, I’ll share.”

It was hard not to like him and I felt an answering smile creeping up.

“You know, I’m going to take you up on that.”

Cole looked at me and I turned my smile to him. Somewhere in the last half hour, I’d decided that maybe I deserved to see where this could go. I mean, women had sex without lifetime commitments all the time. What I was thinking must have shown on my face because Cole’s lips twisted up in answer. On impulse, I offered out my hand and he stared at it for a moment before linking his fingers with mine. Together, we turned back to our guest.

“Ryan, it might help to remember that I know all your deep, dark secrets, too, and you’ve not found a mate, yet. I’d tread with caution, if I were you.”

The implication was there for everyone to see. Ryan nodded.

“You’re right. You’re right. Now, for business, since I know you two are busy trying to secure your position. You know your brother is trying to turn this to his advantage. He’s setting himself up for a duel for the right to mate. I think we might have found something he just might want bad enough to actually be ready to kill you over.”

My face flamed, but Cole’s fingers tightened on mine.

“Power, Sasha. Thomas isn’t capable of loving or wanting anything else.”

“I came today as a friend, Sasha. I want you to know that no matter how the rest of this pans out, we’re in your corner. You and I will sit at the voting table at the end of the summer and I wanted you to know you have an ally. I also have privileged information that you might need to come up to speed. A lot of groups are going to try to sway you to their thinking with half truths and bribes. The leopards aren’t one of them. We’re going to play fair.”

“Why?”

Both Ryan and Cole looked at me, but I shrugged.

“From what I know about any of the groups, they don’t cross the species boundary without getting something out of it. If we’re going to be splitting hairs, they don’t do anything without getting something out of it.”

“Friendship. Cole and I are friends. I’m not going to let someone take advantage of you because it would hurt the tigers and that would hurt Cole. You, of all people, should understand that motivation.”

He was right, I did. There was something unsaid there, too. If I hurt Cole directly, the leopards may still be friends with the tigers, but Ryan wouldn’t be mine. That was a political nightmare I was determined to avoid. Guess I was just going to have to make sure it didn’t fall out that way.