And Vanessa knew the Polar Bear Princess with whom she shared her soul was correct. Not only was Celeste the one and only Princess of the Chukchi Sea Bears on her father’s side- the largest subpopulation both in numbers and in size, but her mother carried the blood of the original Polar Bear. Yes, it was a truth both ladies held close to their vest. Celeste’s great-grandmother, also named Celeste, was the first Polar Bear and sat at the right hand of Artio, the Celtic goddess of Wildlife and Protection on the Celtic Pantheon.
The story passed through the generations said that the original Celeste and her goddess, Artio, fought many campaigns beside King Arthur. The goddess was there to lend her strength and Magic, and then, in her Polar Bear form, she and the original Celeste kept the King warm and protected him from harm while he slept.
The goddess and the original Celeste were also present with King Arthur, the Original Mage, and the reigning King of the Dragons, Alarick. They made the pact that created the Dragon Shifters and, by extension, the Dragon Guard. It was why Vanessa believed with all her heart and soul that Cyrus was the man made for her by the Universe, her One True Fated Mate.
“After all,”Celeste chimed in.“There are no coincidences, and the Universe does not make mistakes.”
“Oops, you forgot to add, Fate does not make mistakes.”
“Didn’t forget, just hadn’t gotten there. Now, pay attention. I just know this bitch is up to something.”
Tugging at the oversized men’s pajama top she was wearing, Vanessa silently promised retribution to whoever had the nerve to undress her while she was unconscious. Wanting to laugh at Angeline’s continued efforts to read her mind, she thought about slapping her right in the head with a whap of Magic. Instantly, she had a change of heart. Any show or power would only cause more trouble.
Instead, she smiled sweetly and said, “I hate to be a pain, but is there any way I can get a cup of tea?” Rubbing her throat, she made a show of swallowing, then coughed. “I can still taste whatever was in the gris gris bag Aamon threw at me.”
Pouting, she sniffed, then had to work hard not to laugh out loud when Angeline narrowed her eyes, glared at Aamon, and snapped, “Go have the cook bring the tea. Hurry.”
Looking back at Vanessa, the bitch softened her expression and her voice as she feigned another apology. “I do hope you’ll forgive us for Aamon’s overzealousness.” Clearing her throat, she slid her eyes back to the asshole before painting on a smile. “As I said, Aamon will be dealt with accordingly. Not even a hair on your head was to be harmed. I knew of your delicate condition and did not want you to suffer any undue stress orstrain. I most assuredly did not, under any circumstances, want you to be unconscious when you arrived.”
Chuckling like they were old friends, Angeline touched Vanessa’s hand and exuded so much false charm that the room literally filled with the stench of burnt onions. “With daddy gone, when mother got sick, it all fell to me.” Exhaling and rolling her eyes, the She-Wolf leaned and conspiratorially whispered, “You see, as the oldest, Angelique should be the next in line, but she was stripped of her birthright for running off to New Orleans with some wannabe Wizard and practicing Voodoo for several decades.”
Tsking, she thankfully removed her fingers from Vanessa’s skin and sat back. “Daddy ruled with an iron hand. Oh, don’t get me wrong. He loved us all but did not take kindly to any disobedience.” Pushing a long, red curl off her shoulder, she went on, “So, the day Angelique left, he called me into his office and told me I would be next Luna. After momma died, of course, which we all hope won’t be for at least another hundred years.”
“Should we tell her that her sister has other plans?”
“No, we are gonna…”
And that was as far as Vanessa got before Angeline had the audacity to say, “After all, your babies are gonna need to know their great grandma.” Pointing at Vanessa’s stomach, she added with a fake smile, “Especially that one. It will have to have momma’s approval for the adoption to go through and the blood ritual to be performed.”
“Adoption? Blood ritual? What the fuck is wrong with these people?”
“They are nuckin’ futs. They want…”
“Oh! I know! Those fucking idiots want to legally adopt my baby, then put their tainted blood in its little veins to make it as evil as they are!”
“Girl, you need to calm down,”Celeste warned.“I know. I know. I know. I’m not usually the voice of reason, but you need to count to ten. You can’t lose it without a plan to get us the hell outta Dodge.”
Not sure whether to burst out laughing or sob uncontrollably, Vanessa was so glad when the largest, most muscular woman she’d ever seen walked into the room carrying a silver tray. There was no doubt she was a Blackwood Wolf. The family resemblance was undeniable, but this bitch was over six feet tall, and her physique said she was the gold belt holder for the Glorious Ladies of Wrestling-if that was still a thing.
Moving a grace that confirmed she was a Supernatural with the scent of wet fur that confirmed she was a Blackwood Wolf, the Big Lady, as Vanessa thought of her, set the silver tray on the table to Angeline’s right. Standing up to her full height, she smiled when their eyes met, and her gaze was actually kind when the matriarch-to-be introduced, “This is Angelica. She’s the baby of the family, and I'm just so proud of her.”
“Thank you, Angeline,” the Big Lady cooed. “Will there be anything else?”
“Yes, my dear,” Angeline nodded. “Can you take Aamon out to the horse barn? Malick is waiting.”
Sadness flashed in Big Lady’s dark brown eyes, but she quickly hid the emotion and smiled as she agreed, “As you wish, Sister.”
“Thank you, Little One.”
“Little one?”Celeste burst out laughing.“I do not want to run into the one she calls Big One.”
“Me neither,”Vanessa readily agreed.“And we won’t as long as we use some finesse and a whole lotta bullshit.”Then she asked,“Is Malick who I think he is?”
‘If you think he’s the Pack Punisher, then yes.”
“Holy shit! These people really are medieval.”
“Yep, so, get that brain of yours working on an escape plan sooner rather than later.”
