Page 59 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

“We will be in the den,” he answered.

“Good.Charles, I don’t want the black jacket and tie.I’m not going to my funeral, you damn hoot owl.I want my red evening coat with the striped tie.Yes… yes, that one.It does not look like a?—”

Talon shook his head in wry amusement.A smile played on his lips as his grandfather disconnected their call.Talon had known Charles, his grandfather’s faithful manservant, since he was a boy.Charles’s demeanor was a unique blend of saint-like patience and the no-nonsense attitude of a bouncer.Whenever his grandfather would rage, Charles would retaliate by giving the old shifter a taste of his own medicine.He had lost count of the number of times his grandfather had fired Charles, the stout, old barn owl, only to rehire him before he even reached the front door.

He exited the study and descended the stairs.He motioned for Olive, Charles’ mate, to open the door, which she did as a group of men stepped into the outside foyer.

“Greetings, Xavier.”

He shook hands with his Asian counterpart.Xavier bowed his head in greeting.Xavier Li, dressed in a black suit and crisp white shirt, represented the Asian Order of the Guardians.His olive complexion and exotic looks reflected his owl.Not much was known about the Andaman Masked Owl.Xavier preferred it that way.

“Greetings, Talon.I see you ordered a nice rain shower for us,” Xavier commented in a dry tone.

“My apologies for the weather.It would appear the Goddess enjoys it whenever you visit,” he replied.“Mateo,” he greeted.

“Talon, it is good to see you.I agree with Xavier, though.A little more sunshine would have been appreciated.This makes me feel like I never left home,” Mateo chuckled.

Mateo Marquis represented the South American Species regions.Much of the area was rainforest or high desert.Dressed more casually than the rest, Mateo preferred comfort over style in his tan slacks, white long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and his shirt opened far enough to tease the females with the dark hair that covered his chest.Mateo was the playboy of the lot with his dancing brown eyes and infectious grin.

“Ah, Olive.You have grown more beautiful since I last saw you.Have you left that ungrateful lout of a husband yet?”he murmured, catching Olive’s fingers and bending to give the back of her hand a kiss.

“That ungrateful lout will pull your tail feathers out if you aren’t careful,” Olive replied, swatting at Mateo as he danced away with a laugh.“I’ll go get the refreshments ready, if that will do, sir.”

“Yes, please, Olive,” Talon said.

“Talon, it is good to see you again.Is it true?”Juliette Natnel inquired.

Juliette’s dark face was highlighted by darker spots and framed by cream-colored hair.Dark, sooty-eyelashes rimmed her almond-shaped eyes.Standing almost as tall as he did at just over six foot, she was slender with a muscular build.An Itombwe owl from the African regions, Juliette was one of the few of her kind that remained from the time of the Great War.Her species had been persecuted for protecting the humans.Most of the Itombwe had been hunted down and murdered after the war, with only a few escaping deep into the rainforests of the Congo where the gorilla shifters had protected them.

“Yes.”

Her breath of surprise and the slight shimmer of tears were quickly masked by the serene expression she always wore.He knew how much finding a living human meant to her.It was a validation of all the sacrifices her species had made centuries before.

“Talon,” Miles greeted with a firm handshake.

“Miles.”

Miles Todd represented the Australian Species.He and Miles sized each other up.They were a lot alike—which frequently made these meetings tense.Neither one of them was a follower, and when the group had voted to make Talon the Collector in charge instead of Miles, the tension had risen another notch.

“It would appear you’ve been promoted again,” Miles said with a sardonic twist of his lips at the slight jab.

“Yes.As have we all,” he countered.

Miles lifted an eyebrow, but didn’t reply.Talon acknowledged he would need Miles’ support, just as he would need that of the others.Miles was fierce in battle.The thin scar under his left eye and another along his neck proof of that.It wasn’t easy living among shifters who were more pirate than civilized.

Australia had been the place where any shifter who had an issue with authority relocated after the Great War—and there had been a lot of them.While the Australia shifters were among the brightest and most innovative when it came to technology, they still had issues when it came to playing nice with others.Miles, a Greater Sooty Owl shifter, had earned every one of the salt strands in his pepper dark hair.

Hell, if I had to deal with those damn croc-shifters, I’d have lost all mine!he mused.

“Move it, Miles,” Sofia Petska demanded, playfully poking Miles in the side.

Miles whipped around, grasping Sofia’s wrist so quickly the Boreal owl screeched.Miles smiled and lifted her wrist to his lips, kissing her frantically pounding pulse.Sofia shot him a wicked smile in return.

“No worries, Sofia.It’s just dangerous to pop an Aussie,” he murmured.

“Yes, well, if the Aussie wants to keep his jewels, he might want to let go of the Canadian,” she purred.

Miles’ gaze dropped to Sofia’s other hand.He grimaced and slowly released her when she pressed the small knife in her hand against his penis.He stepped away with a grin and lifted his hands.

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