Authors: DJ Michaels
Tarkan discovered that helping a woman dress was almost as
fun as helping her undress. All the ties, laces and layers gave him all kinds
of opportunities to touch and tease. Chelsea spent half the time play-slapping
his hands away but she didn’t mind as much as she pretended to. Despite his
frequent side trips, they both managed to be dressed and presentable by the
time their first visitors arrived.
He’d drawn the floor-to-ceiling drapes against the early
darkness that often accompanied a large storm. Glass fixtures around the room
glowed to life, chasing away the shadows and leaving the room bathed in soft,
clear light.
“I thought electricity didn’t work here,” Chelsea said.
“It doesn’t.” He drew her over to one of the globes and
removed its cover. “When you put a certain crystal next to a certain kind of
moss, it gives of light. Only the alchemists know the right combinations but the
result is a bright, clean light source.”
“It doesn’t run out or need renewing?”
“Nope.”
“Wow.”
Tarkan could see the delight in her eyes. He was happy and
somewhat relieved that she found things to approve of in his home. The townsfolk
preferred fire for their light and heat source but the interior of the den
remained at a constant temperature summer or winter. The Enforcers didn’t have
the same need for fire as the people who lived in town.
An impatient hammering sounded at the door and with a
reassuring nod to Chelsea he ushered in four of his and Ari’s closest friends. The
Enforcers entered the room and arrayed themselves in front of Chelsea with
varying degrees of interest and curiosity. Although in Jax’s case the
overriding emotion seemed to be worry.
“What have you done?” The Den Commander was always one to
get right to the point but Tarkan had become very good at ignoring him unless
they were in the air or under fire.
Ignoring Jax’s question, Tarkan made the introductions. “Chelsea
McMullin, I’d like you to officially meet our Den Commander Jaxmyre Randovar
and his den-mate Kaelum Sentrellovere. And this is Captain Devonelle
Sharmanchere and his den-mate Ryderich Myrinmahr. They are going to act as
witnesses for us. Jax, Kae, Dev and Rye, I’d like you to meet Chelsea, the
woman who has just agreed to be Ari’s and my mate.”
Kaelum snorted. “Guess that answers the ‘what have you done’
question.”
Jax paced forward and stopped a bare arm’s length from
Chelsea. Tarkan was about to move in beside her when Jax held up his hand. “Hold.
I want to talk to Chelsea without you hovering all over her.”
Tarkan folded his arms but kept his feet where they were. “I
don’t have to hover all over her. And neither do you. Take a step back and give
her some space.”
Jax turned his head ever so slightly, so all Tarkan could
see was one evil eye. “No.” He turned back to Chelsea and Tarkan shifted his
weight to the balls of his feet. He was loyal to the core but if Jax so much as
laid a hand on his woman, Tarkan would beat him to a pulp and invite Benmonth
to dance in the entrails.
“Chelsea.” Jax’s voice was pitched to reassure and he tilted
his head so he didn’t loom quite so much. “Do you understand the commitment
you’re making?”
“Yes.” Chelsea stood in front of Jax, cool and controlled
despite the fact that she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye. Tarkan’s
surge of pride did a lot to ease his temper.
Jax leaned forward a little. “Why don’t you tell me about
your situation, in your own words, and what you understand your commitments to
be.”
Tarkan’s chest swelled when his woman put her hands on her
hips and drew herself up. “I have freely committed myself to a relationship
with Tarkan and Ari. I have agreed to sign a contract with them which ensures
mutual exclusivity. As my husbands or whatever you want to call them, they will
see to my care and protection, as I will see to theirs as much as I’m able.”
Jax’s posture eased and he took a step away from her. “You
realize there’s no going back if you contract with an Enforcer. No councilor or
land holder will look at you, and if this relationship fails you will have very
little recourse.”
“Meaning I’ll be good for nothing but a brothel.”
“Yes. We call them bower houses.”
Chelsea folded her arms under her perfect breasts and gave
Jax a look of complete apathy. “So noted.”
Tarkan didn’t bother trying to hide his grin. His mate was
fucking perfect. “Come here, love.”
With a final glare at Jax, Chelsea stalked across the room
and right into Tarkan’s waiting arms.
Jax shook his head, threw himself onto the couch and crossed
his legs at the ankles. “You are going to stir up a dragon-storm of monumental
proportions.”
Tarkan shrugged. “Probably.” Like he gave a flying fuck. As
long as he had Ari and Chelsea standing with him, he didn’t really care how
hard he had to fight.
He repeated that sentiment to himself a short time later
when Ari arrived, dragging a disheveled, clearly terrified proctor into the
living room. Ari threw a bulging satchel on the dining table and gave the
trembling little man a shake. “Get to it. The faster you do your job, the
faster I can get you home and out of the storm.”
Lovely. This was going to go so well, it only needed Ari to
lose his temper and the evening would be complete. Tarkan’s den-mate looked
anything but calm as he stalked across the floor, yanked Tarkan from his seat
by Chelsea’s side and dragged him to the far corner of the room.
“Are they with us?” Ari asked, nodding in the general
direction of the other Enforcers.
“Yes. Once Jax was sure Chelsea was a fully informed and
willing participant he gave us the nod.”
Ari grunted. “Bet he had some dire predictions, though.”
“Of course.”
Jax was a great leader and he held himself to a standard so
high nobody could touch him. But when he was with his close friends, those he
truly trusted, he allowed those guards to come down far enough to bitch and
moan like a normal person. Tarkan privately thought it didn’t happen often
enough. Nobody could stay wound so tight for so long and not eventually break.
Finally the proctor had his papers in order, his writing
implements lined up and as he tugged on his already neat coat. The fussy little
despot drew his brows down in an expression he no doubt considered intimidating,
clearly showing his disapproval of the situation. Tarkan figured it might an
intimidating stance by town standards but the proctor was standing in a room
full of men who rode dragons for a living. When it came to scary, the blacks
had the market cornered.
The proctor put his hands behind his back, tilted his chin
and made a pronouncement that risked death or dismemberment. “I have deep
reservations about this contract. I was bought here against my will and I don’t
care how many witnesses you have, you can’t make that woman yours just because
you want to.” He puffed himself up until he strained the buttons on his coat. “In
fact, you can take me back to Sapphire township right now. This contract is not
going to happen.”
Tarkan had to admire the man’s pluck, if not his common
sense. He must have spent all his preparation time marshaling his arguments,
convincing himself that it was a good idea to defy two Enforcers, their four
friends, a determined woman and six battle dragons.
Ari took two steps forward. “Do you have a death wish? I can
certainly accommodate you but not until after the mating contract is signed and
witnessed.”
Tarkan hurried forward, inserting himself between Ari and
the soon-to-be-dead idiot in front of him. “If you weren’t prepared to supply,
witness and register the contract, why did you come?”
The throat clearing behind him didn’t bode well.
The proctor braced himself, shoulders back. “I’m here
because that Enforcer,” he pointed at Ari, quite unnecessarily under the circumstances,
“threatened my person and my family. He dragged me onto a beast so hostile it
tried to bite me before I even got in the saddle. To top off his insanity he
flew right into the teeth of an ion storm.” The proctor’s voice had become
louder and more strident with each word. His face flushed an unhealthy shade of
red and the veins in his neck stood out under the strain. “I’m here,” now he
was shouting, “because that lumbering dolt wouldn’t allow to me say no!”
Tarkan looked over his shoulder at Ari. “Kidnapping? You don’t
think we’re going to have enough challenges?”
Ari glared at him. “I’m a lumbering dolt, what do you
expect?”
Tarkan turned back to face the proctor. “Perhaps you should
know what to expect before you decided to tangle with an Enforcer. Ari knows
exactly who you are, where you work, where you live and whether or not you have
children. You can expect swift and brutal retribution if our mating contract is
questioned, altered or inconveniently lost or damaged. I am making myself clear,
Proctor?”
The gutless worm turned to Jax. “Den Commander, surely you
don’t condone this behavior?”
Jax shrugged. “I’ve interviewed the lady and I’m satisfied
she’s willing. That’s enough for me.”
Then the proctor, who was barely taller than Chelsea, crossed
his arms and planted his feet. “No. I absolutely refuse to be a part of this
travesty.”
Ari almost got past Tarkan. His den-mate launched himself at
the proctor and Tarkan flung himself at Ari in reflex more than judgment. Ari
dragged him forward, his stride barely slowing but then the other Enforcers
snapped into action. Dev and Rye slammed into Ari, halting his momentum and not
being too careful about damaging Tarkan in the process.
Amid the grunting and wrestling Tarkan took a hit to his ribs,
which were going to bruise. Dev almost took his eye out in an attempt to get
Ari in a headlock and the only thing that saved them from total disgrace was
Jax’s sharp whistle. Even Ari’s temper fell to the years of battle training and
that very distinctive attention-getter.
“Gentlemen, if you please.” Jax gestured to Chelsea. “The
lady in question would like some clarification from the proctor.”
Dev and Rye eased off but when Tarkan felt Ari go still and
rigid in his arms he held on. He softened his hold, made it more comfort than
restraint but he didn’t let go. This was the moment when Ari thought all his
losses were coming full circle and Tarkan could feel the brace of defeat in
every line of Ari’s body. But he didn’t know Chelsea, Ari didn’t see her for
who she really was. So as his den-mate prepared himself for heartbreak, Tarkan
glued his eyes to their woman and waited for her make the proctor wish he’d
never opened his stupid mouth.
Chelsea was pissed off. There was enough testosterone in the
room to choke a bull, that little paper-pusher needed a kick in the ass. And to
add insult to injury, in all the male posturing nobody had bothered to ask her
for her input. And she was the freaking lynchpin in this whole fiasco.
Okay to be fair, Jax had given her a thirty-second consult
but the rest of them were so happy beating their chests it made her want to smack
their heads together.
She took a deep breath, reminded herself she made her own
decisions and then glided forward like she owned the room.
“Proctor, I understand you must have concerns.” She softened
her voice and tried to channel a bit of Marilyn. “You have a position of
authority to uphold and we respect that, despite the unconventional nature of
your transport here.” She offered him a shy smile and hoped she wasn’t laying
it too thick. The proctor smiled back, relaxing a little as he stepped forward.
“I’m sure you are completely blameless in this, my lady. You
should be more careful of the company you keep.”
She took a small step to the side, firmly placing herself
between the proctor and two very angry Enforcers who were scuffling for freedom
clear across the room. She heaved a sigh. It seemed she wasn’t going to have
the time to flutter him into submission. She’d have to go hard-ass, Chelsea
style.
“Proctor, is it illegal for a woman to have a mating
contract with two men?”
He jerked a little at the change in her tone. “No, my lady.”
“Is there any law that prohibits me from contracting with an
Enforcer?” Oh, yeah. Now she was channeling every DA in every
Law and Order
episode she’d ever seen.
“No, my lady.”
“Is it part of the duties and responsibilities of your
office to provide contracts to those wishing to form a legally binding union?”
“Yes, my lady.” She had him on the run and she could see him
wilting before her eyes.
“And is it your job, Proctor, to arbitrarily and with no
legal standing deny anyone permission to form a contract?”
“No, my lady.”
“Then stop being a pain in my ass, get the contracts ready
and let’s make this legal.”
“But, my lady…” He was sweating now and not from fear of her
or the Enforcers. It finally dawned on her that he might have bigger worries,
in the shape of the Sapphire Council.
She backed down a little, verbally at least. “You have no legal
grounds to object, it’s beyond your authority to refuse us. I can only assume
your reticence stems from something else.”
Jax came to stand beside her. “Like the Council, perhaps?”
The little man wobbled a bit when his knees sagged. “Den
Commander, please. When they find out I lodged the contracts I’ll be finished. I
have a family to feed, I can’t—”
“We’ll take care of you and your family if it comes to that,”
Jax said. “Chelsea wants to be with Ari and Tarkan and no councilor has the
right to take that from her.”
By now the proctor looked like he’d gone through the wringer
but he seemed to sense he was fighting the inevitable. Maybe he’d been fighting
them for forms sake, maybe he actually thought this was a very bad idea. Either
way, the steel seemed to slip from his spine as he nodded to Jax. “Very well,
if you swear to take care of my family should the need arise, I will personally
process the contract and ensure it is lodged legally and quickly.”
Chelsea felt sorry for the poor man now, which was weird
considering not five minutes ago she’d been ready to kick his ass. Now that his
decision was made, everything in him seemed to calm. With a quiet dignity he
led her to the table and motioned Ari and Tarkan to join them. The other
Enforcers crowded closer, milling around the sides of the table.
“This is a standard short-term mating contract,” the proctor
began. “The three of you agree to bind yourselves together as a family unit for
five years. If a child is born of this triad, all three parents will hold equal
rights until the contract terminates, after which the rights will revert to the
fathers unless a new contract is negotiated. All parties are to abide by
Gemarran law as it pertains to contracted mates. Any abuse of any kind will be
grounds for breach of contract.”
He took a breath and looked each one of them in the eye. In
that moment Chelsea felt the full weight of his authority and she suddenly
realized Ari hadn’t just scooped up some lackey. This guy was important and his
testimony would have a great deal of weight if they ended up having a fight on
their hands.
“Do you all agree to the terms of this contract?”
“We do.”
The proctor turned and picked up a pen, offering it to
Chelsea. He leaned over the table and pointed to a blank space, directing her
to “sign here” page after page after page. When she was done she stood by and
watched Tarkan and Ari repeat the procedure. Then her men—because they were
hers now—came and stood on either side of her. Wrapping their arms around her
waist they stood with her as their witnesses sign the raft of documents.
When it was done the Enforcers indulged in a gleeful round
of backslapping as the poor proctor shuffled his papers together and stuffed
them into his bag. And Chelsea just stood there, feeling like she was watching
it all from a distance. She was contracted now, married for all intents and
purposes, but she felt kind of cheated. Her ceremony had been the most lackluster,
unromantic, pedestrian wedding in the known universe.
Her eyes burned hot, her throat squeezed and a wave of pity
snuck up on her and bashed her over the head. Turning her back to the men she
squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for the sting to go away. Then she felt a big,
warm body move in front of her and strong arms gathered her close. She knew it
was Tarkan without even looking.
“What’s wrong, love?”
“This is my wedding.” She sniffed into his chest. “I only
ever intend to have one and it was boring and shitful.”
“Ah.”
She knew he didn’t have a clue but she wasn’t in any shape
to enlighten him right now. When Ari came over and pressed himself to her back,
she could feel them silently communicating between themselves. She wished them
luck working this out.
Ari leaned down and nuzzled into her neck. “Don’t cry,
pretty girl. Just tell us what you need and we’ll get it done.”
And just like that her pity party broke up. Because she knew
he meant it, just like she knew Tarkan would move heaven and earth if she asked
it of him. Ari had already kidnapped a city official for her. How hard could a
party be?
She slid her arms out from where they were pinned against
Tarkan’s body. One arm went to the front to snake around his waist, while the
other went behind to hold Ari tight to her back.
“You’re about to get your first lesson in husbandly duties. This
one is called, ‘How To Give Your Wife A Wedding To Remember’.”