Creed

“What’s that?”

Lady Galihia chuckled. “She looks after me. You’ll like her. She’s a Lycan. I was told you were raised as one but you’re fully human.”

“I am.”

“How did a human come to be with them?”

“Creed saved me when I was a child.”

“How did he do that?”

“I don’t remember much about my before life. That’s what we call it. There are bits and pieces. My biological father yelled all the time and I remember being afraid of him. He had a girlfriend. She was worse. They hit me a lot. Creed took me from them and gave me to my parents. It makes my mom cry when we talk about it. I guess I was in really bad shape that night. I’d been beaten and had sores from neglect. I was also ski

“And now he’s your mate.”

“He’s always been kind of a hero to me,” she admitted. “I didn’t notice how handsome he was until I was much older, when he started coming around. I almost thought I’d dreamed him from the night he’d rescued me as a child, until I saw him again.”

“Didn’t he protect your pack?”

“He only came down to talk to the elders at night, and that was way past my bedtime when I was young. We all heard about the guardian as kids but never saw him. He was almost like a myth or something.” She smiled. “Then one day he came to me during the daytime. I was sixteen and had almost walked into a bad situation with a bear and her cubs. Creed landed, put his hand over my mouth, and pointed out what I hadn’t seen. He offered me his hand then and led me back to my village.”

“You felt bound by honor to agree to be his mate.”

“No.” Angel shook her head. “I fell in love with him and threw myself at him right after I turned eighteen. He told me it couldn’t be that way between us and stopped seeing me. I actually moved away so it would hurt less. It was just too hard being that close to his lair, knowing he was up there, but he wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”

Lady Galihia’s features softened. “How did you become his mate then?”

“My mom called me in Seattle and told me I needed to come home. I figured it had to be pretty important, since she’d never done that before. I got on the first available plane heading that way. She explained Creed was going into the ravage, and what that meant. No one in our village had volunteered to be with him, so I did.”

“You owed him a debt for the life he’d given you, so you couldn’t say no. You felt honor bound to offer your body to him. That’s admirable.”

“Actually, I was pretty mad. I wasn’t going to do it. He’d rejected me once so I didn’t think he was attracted to me. I was so upset that my mom thought I’d offer to go to bed with him that I went outside to cool down. Creed thought I was a lost hiker and flew down to scare me off, but then realized who I was. Do you really want to hear this?”

“I do.”

“I saw him…and man, he was still as hot as ever.” She inwardly winced. “Sorry. He was as attractive as ever.”

Lady Galihia shook her head. “Please continue. Don’t hold back. I enjoy how you speak. It’s refreshing.”

“Okay.” Angel relaxed. “I guess the ravage had already begun, because he wasn’t as reserved as he normally is. Who could resist that? I couldn’t. He was showing feelings and he got turned on when I touched him.”

“You made first physical contact?”

“You bet. I mean…yes. Who wouldn’t? You have no idea how much I love him, and I’ve always wanted to be with him. I told him I was going to volunteer and he kind of freaked out. Then I made it clear that I wasn’t taking no for an answer. I didn’t leave him a choice.”

Galihia expression became animated as she gri

“I got in his face and wouldn’t let go of him.”

“So you’re physically aggressive.”

“You could say that.”

A door opened across the room and an older Lycan woman entered. She wore a gown too. She paused, staring back at Angel. “This is her, Gali?”

“Yes. She’s sharing a very entertaining story. She pursued Creed for the ravage.”

The Lycan came forward, gri

Angel glanced between them. They looked a bit too happy, and it made her nervous. “I’m not going to get him into trouble, am I? It was all my fault.”

“No,” Galihia answered. “We’re intrigued. You see, in our culture, women do not pursue men.”

“Your culture,” Re

Angel glanced between them again. “You’re more than family. You’re best friends,” she guessed.

“Yes. My father was a Gargoyle who mated with a Lycan. My aunt came to me after her mate died.” Lady Galihia’s eyes glistened with tears. “I was so grateful she did.”

“Hush now, Gali,” the other woman murmured. “That is what family is for.” Re

“He was very set in his ways,” Gali agreed. “Now he’s gone and I’m unmated.”

“And better off,” Re

“No. I couldn’t ever leave here. Aveoth needs me.”

“Your son is fine, and we love that dear Jill. She’s good for him. So much personality and fire.”

“Yes.” Gali smiled. “She’s lovely. My son needed her. I worried my mate had crushed his soul.” She motioned toward the bathroom. “Let’s get you in the bath, Angel. My son wants to see you. Don’t allow him to frighten you. He isn’t unkind.”

“She’s shorter than I thought she’d be but I’ll find something appropriate for court to fit her.” Re

Angel glanced at the gowns. “They are pretty.”

“They’re also bulky,” Re

“We’re mostly interested in your physical aggression, and how he reacted to it.”

“I don’t know if you want to hear that, Lady Galihia,” Angel admitted. “I was told to talk as little as possible by both Creed and Kelzeb.”

“You heard Re

Angel got a better look at the tub when they crossed the threshold into the other room. It was filled with a white liquid. “What is that?”

“It’s a mixture of tree sap, goat’s milk, and water. I know it looks a bit odd but it will mask your scent. It’s warm.”