The Paranormal Council: Complete Series

Chapter 7

KEM

He hated having to leave Lia, especially as he hadn’t been able to say goodbye. But he also hadn’t been able to bring himself to wake her when she looked so peaceful. After the night the two of them had shared, Kem knew that he had to straighten things out with the Council. And he wanted to do it before they mated properly; something that was bound to happen if he’d spent any longer in her bed. While she’d bit him, he was fairly certain that it didn’t mean anything; he wasn’t sure how dryad’s actually claimed their mates, but he’d bet everything he owned that it wasn’t through biting. That was a shifter thing. It had taken enormous willpower not to claim her himself, but his conscience wouldn’t let him until he was a free man. Which was why he found himself banging on the door of the Shifter Council’s chambers just after dawn had broken.

“What?” The door swung open as the harsh-sounding voice of the female fox-shifter reached Kem’s ears. Her auburn hair was tousled, whether from sleep or s*x, Kem wasn’t sure and didn’t particularly care.

“I need to talk to the Council.” He called on every alpha instinct he had to inject confidence he didn’t feel into his voice, knowing that these people could make his life incredibly difficult. The fox-shifter looked at him sceptically.

“Can it not wait?” She sounded exasperated, as if he’d interrupted something. Kem shook his head and she sighed. “Fine, come in. But you’ll have to wait for the others to arrive.” Kem followed her into the same room he’d been in before, and was somewhat surprised to discover that it still looked the same. While it was only two days ago, too much had happened for Kem to think of the world in the same terms.

“What was it, Arabella?” The deep voice of the large Council member surprised Kem, almost as much as the tenderness he’d heard when he said the fox shifter"s name.

“Kemnebi. He says he needed to talk to the Council.”

“Could he not have waited?” There was a deep growl in the man’s voice.

“I don’t think so. He had that look that you males get when you’re determined.” She replied softly and Kem began to suspect that they’d been up to more than just politics in the Council room. Which made very little sense to Kem. While shifters often had a high s*x drive, they didn’t often sate it with other shifters, too much potential for accidental matings, which in turn caused all kinds of problems. Then there was the issue that shifter Council members weren’t supposed to be mated at all, an archaic rule if there ever was one; but one that was strictly enforced as far as Kem knew.

“You’d know all about denying us.” Kem wasn’t sure that he was meant to have heard that, but he had all the same. He wondered what was going on between the two shifters, but before her death, his mother had taught him not to pry into others’ business. He felt a pang of sadness at the thought of his mother; she’d been taken from them before her time, along with their father, and while it had been years, it still hurt.

The two shifters continued their argument, though thankfully they were now using hushed tones and Kem didn’t actually have to listen to them. That was, until a door banged and the two of them jumped apart quickly, confirming Kem’s theory that they were up to something they shouldn’t be. It took another half an hour of tense silence before all five members of the Council were seated. Of them all, only Arabella wasn’t glaring at him.

“How can we help you Kemnebi?” Arabella asked through a bemused smirk. He had a feeling that, despite first impressions, she was the most likely to be sympathetic.

“I can’t marry Aella,” he blurted out. He’d intended to make a much smoother argument, but the only thing he could focus on was the memory of being with Lia last night.

“What?” A hiss came from one of the other men on the council. He was sat over the left and, reluctantly, Kem turned to look at him. If his voice hadn’t conveyed his annoyance, then his appearance certainly did. His eyes were glowing a strange yellow colour, with black slits in the centre. Kem gulped nervously. Despite being an alpha male, this man had him on the back foot, and not just because of his position of power within shifter society. Until that moment, Kem had always thought that the fabled reptile shifters were just a myth, and yet, this man was clearly one of them. Though Kem wouldn’t want to take a guess at what the man became when he shifted.

“I can’t marry Aella Dentro,” he repeated, with more certainty this time. “At last night’s reception, I found my mate.” Kem was sure that he could have heard a pin drop as the five Council members let that sink in. Mates were growing rare, and many shifters went their entire lives without finding theirs. Instead, most shifters just married, sometimes for love and sometimes for power, but it all paled in comparison to the bond between mates.

“Who?” the large man who he’d walked in on with Arabella asked gruffly. Kem made a mental note to discover the rest of the Council’s names at some point, though they too were shrouded in secrecy; another archaic rule as far as Kem was concerned. He was surprised that Arabella’s name had been let slip so easily.

“I believe it’s Aella’s sister, Lia.” He swallowed nervously, a lot was riding on how this meeting went. To his surprise, the other woman left her seat and walked towards him. In the light, he could see just how pale she was, verging on completely white. Instead of making her look sickly, it gave her an ethereal look, almost like the one elves had. But that couldn’t be right, if she was sitting on the Shifter Council then she had to be at least a third-generation shifter. Yet another outdated rule, especially in an age where paranormals interacted with each other on a daily basis. The woman walked around Kem slowly, making him feel uncomfortable. He shifted from foot to foot, but otherwise held as still as possible.

“He smells different,” she said suddenly, causing the other Council members to nod, looking deep in thought as they did. “He doesn’t smell of dryad though. Shifter maybe.” She wrinkled her nose in a gesture that came across as surprisingly feminine.

“I doubt Aella’s sister is a shifter.” The final member of the Council spoke for the first time.

“They are different though,” Arabella mused. “The Nymph Council made their case that Aella, as the only storm nymph, should be the one offered in marriage. That means Aaron’s other daughter would be different.”

“Still a nymph though,” the man pointed out and got a withering look from Arabella for his trouble. There was little doubt in Kem’s mind that she was the one in control.

“Is this the first time you’ve met this woman?” She turned back to him and unable to speak, Kem just shook his head. A rustle came from behind Arabella, and she turned absentmindedly took a sheet of paper from one of the Council clerks. All eyes turned to her as she read, and her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Thank you.”

“What is it?” The large man looked at Arabella with a hint of softness in his eyes, but was quick to cover it up, and it was unlikely that anyone other than Kem had picked it up.

“It’s confirmation on the names of Aaron’s daughters; Aella and Xylia.” She gave Kem a slight smirk, which made him feel like she was actually on his side.

“Why can Nathalie smell shifter then?” the quiet man asked, more curious sounding than confrontational.

“I suspect that something has happened between them before, and it’s possible that they started the mating process already.”

“But I didn’t…” He was about to say bite her, and while that was true, she had bit him last night, maybe it meant more than he’d suspected it did.

“Maybe not, but you didn’t need to.” Arabella looked at him sympathetically. “A bite, from either party, seals the mating, but all that needs to happen for the process to start is for the two mates to meet.” She threw a quick glance at the large man, before looking back to Kem.

“So, what of voiding the marriage contract with Aella?” He aimed his question directly at Arabella this time, instead of at the room in general.

“In the eyes of the Council that was done from the moment it was confirmed you were mated. However, I believe that you will be required to explain the situation to Aaron Dentro.” That wasn’t a conversation that Kem relished the idea of, but then again, if it smoothed the way for him to be with Lia then it would be completely worth it.

“Thank you,” he injected as much sincerity into the word as he could, not wanting the Council to think that he was ungrateful for their decision.

“You’re welcome.” He turned to leave, but she called out to him again, “Kem, not a word of what’s happened here today.” He met her eyes and saw a brief plea that told him she wasn’t just talking about the Council meeting itself when she said that.

“Of course.” She nodded once, relief flooding her features. But Kem couldn’t bring himself to care. He had more important things to worry about, like how to tell Aaron that he’d already mated with his daughter, and that it wasn’t to the one he actually wanted married off.