Page 28 of The King

"Well, hell, Max," Julian chuckled. "And here I thought I was going to see my little brother today?"

The King knew the Bengal Tiger was trying to ease his rage and frustration with levity. Julian's Empathic abilities were as well-known as his incredible intellect, and Max appreciated his efforts. However, with every passing second, he was closer to losing what little patience he had left. The Goddess knew the King was holding onto his sanity by a thin, fraying thread, along with the Panther with whom he shared his soul.

Then his sister, another blessed with the Gift of Warmth and a Giving Spirit, chimed in, and Max once again thanked The Powers That Be for every person he held dear.

“Little brother?” Sophia asked with a giggle. “So, coming two-and-half-minutes earlier makes you thebigbrother?”

"Damn straight," Julian tried to be stern but failed miserably. "And you know it." Barking in laughter, he added, "You better watch it, Soph. Remember, I know where all the bodies are buried. I lived through your awkward adolescent years.Whew!What a trip that was.”

"Yeah, well, somehow Max already knew everything I did pretty much before I did it," the Panther Princess huffed. "I get away with nuthin' around here, and you know it."

With raised eyebrows and a stern stare, Juan Carlos meant to make the Bengal Tiger quiet as he interjected, "You are sure, Sir?" Not waiting for a response, he continued, "Those two and any others can meet us in the desert. As always, we are ready to serve you and our Queen." Clapping his fist to his chest over his heart, he bowed his head and instantly looked back up. "I am yours to command."

Putting his hand on the man's shoulder, Max gave his Lieutenant a reassuring squeeze. "As always, you are loyal and true." Smiling, he added, "We will be fine." He nodded, exuding a calm he didn't feel and pushing as much of it out into the room. After all, he was the King and known for his composure in times of strife. It was his job - who he was - to lead not only his Big Cats but all who followed him into battle.

“You’re going with calm, cool, and collected, huh? Except the last time Bridgette was kidnapped,”Casimiro growled.“Then you were anything but.”

"Yes, but that was only once and will not happen again."

“Okay,”the Panther with whom he shared his soul groused.“You keep trying to convince yourself of that. I’ll stay right here in reality.”

Knowing they were all as prepared as ever, Max could not ignore his need to get to his Mate any longer. He had done all he could not to run off half-cocked. This time around – and he hoped it was the last where his Mate was concerned, but he knew it would not be – he had not lost his temper or his iron grip on the powerful Magic he possessed. However, that did not stop the vision of simply annihilating everything standing between him and Bridgette and calling it a day. The last remaining O'Baoill would pay for what she'd done –all that she had done– to everyone her particular brand of evil had touched, especially to his Mate.

Focusing on the group, he instructed, “Gather your things. Creed and I will…”

“Ur we late tae th' pairtie?" A thick Scottish brogue burst into the room mere seconds before the Black Dragon and his Mate arrived through the French doors leading in from the terrace.

Hand in hand, Kyran and Caitlyn crossed the threshold. And there was Duke, the Banshee's German Shepherd and constant companion, keeping step right behind. "Sorry, we didn't call ahead," the blind woman who saw more than most sighted people smiled. “Kyran said y’all wouldn’t care, and you knew the minute we heard there was a chance there was another O’Baoill, there was no way we could stay away.”

It was hard not to let the memories of what the couple had suffered at the hands of Tariq, Adam, and Eve pull at the tenuous control the King had over his emotions. For decades, Kyran had been tortured and experimented on as if he were little more than a lab rat. And Caitlin, the poor Banshee, her entire family was killed by Tariq as he tried to capture them and subject them to the same fate. The tyranny of the O'Baoill family had to end – and he was just the Panther King to do it.

“Indeed,” Max agreed. Crossing the room to shake hands with his old friend, he continued, “I am sorry we didn’t call sooner. I simply wanted…”

“Ye wanted tae hae a' th' infoormation afore we set oot,” Kyran finished the King’s sentence. “'N' ye ken howfur impatient Ah kin be.”

“Max knows you well,Mo ghrá," Caitlyn smiled as she patted her Mate's arm. "They wouldn't have gotten anything done with you pacing, mumbling under your breath, and telling them it was time for action."

Kissing the top of her head, Kyran smiled, “Yer richt,Mo chroí. Ye aye richt.”

Happy that his friend, a man he called Brother, was finally doing so well after all he'd undergone, Max pushed aside the pang of envy he felt witnessing the couple's undying love. His heart ached with the need to complete the Mating Bond he shared with Bridgette, the one that had started the day they set eyes on one another so long ago.

Called to the Isle of Skye by Bane MacNeacail, the Leader of The Brotherhood, a Clan of Dragons, doctors one and all, the King had just arrived and was being briefed on the situation when the seven ladies of the Clan of the Sun touched down in the same meadow. One whiff of her succulent scent, one look at the pink of her cheeks kissed by the cool, crisp air, Bridgette was what he had been missing from his very long life for as long as he could remember.

He couldn’t help but smile as the words ‘poetry in motion’ drifted across his mind. Even the way she brushed the hair from her brow and straightened her blouse that perfectly matched her hypnotic light green eyes was nothing short of breathtaking for Maximillian Prentice and the Black Panther with whom he shared his soul.

The Light at the base of his soul sprung to life, and Casamiro whispered, "Amada."

"Indeed," Max breathed in return. "She is our Beloved, the Light eternal to the looming Darkness that has threatened to overtake us until she walked into our lives. She is…"

Unable to finish his thought as she looked his way, the King felt it in every fiber of his being. He was whole, complete, everything he was ever meant to be. At that moment, it was all right there as it was meant to be. She was his everything, and there would be no going back.

The missing piece of his soul had been found. It had fallen into place. This beautiful creature was his life, his everything, his reason for taking every breath from that moment forward.

He moved as if in a dream, closing the distance between them, wanting nothing more than to take her in his arms and whisk her away where they could be alone and complete the Mating as the Universe and The Powers That Be had always intended. He needed to know everything about her. He wanted to share every moment of his life with her. He needed to do everything in his considerable Power to make her happy and never want for anything.

One more step and he would be with his Beloved, his Mate, the woman the Universe and The Powers That Be had made for him, and that was when she rolled her eyes, frowned, and growled directly into his mind, "Back it up, Sylvester. I've got a job to do, and that means no time for a Mate."

Certain he could change her mind, Max took that final step. He extended his hand. The tips of his fingers brushed the back of her hand, and all bets were off.

---