Uma, p.7
Uma,
p.7
Nate waved a hand. “Not Uma, but her friend Ara.”
That, at least, was a relief. He took a long drink of his beer. “Thank God for that.”
“If you’re like me, you’re feeling the loss of your mate.”
Another realization hit him like a slap in the face. She’d called him that -- her mate. And she was probably pregnant. The way they’d made love, they had to have created a baby. And then, she’d just up and left him. No, they’d argued, and he’d told her to leave him. Fuck.
“But now, you’re with her… Ara, right?”
“Yeah, we’re having a baby.” Nate answered. “Picture that. Me with a daughter.”
Unfortunately, he could. Worse, he could picture it for himself. Suddenly, that seemed even more magical than the sex that had created his daughter. “Can you take me to Uma?”
“I can, but you’re likely to end up with a very sharp spear at your throat,” Nate said. “They don’t allow men.”
“They allowed you.”
“I fought for Ara. I braved the spear, and I swore to devote myself to my mate and daughter.”
“That’s a lot.”
“It’s what you have to do if you really want Uma.” Nate drank more of his beer. “I’ll let you make up your mind while I pack my equipment.”
* * *
Shouting in the distance brought Uma out of her latest fantasy about Mark. The mental image of his smile and sparkling eyes faded as she searched for the direction of the noise and then headed toward the landing beach. Halfway there, she had to stop before her knees buckled. There was a male voice mixed in with some of her sisters’. Mark, and he was calling her name.
Her legs found their strength, and she ran the rest of the way. Sure enough, there stood the man of her dreams in the flesh, surrounded by security equipped with spears. When he spotted her, he tried to come toward her, but one of the sisters put the tip of her spear to his neck.
“I’ll happily kill you if you take another step,” the sister said.
“Uma,” he called. “Tell them I’m okay and they don’t have to kill me.”
“How did you get here?” she asked.
“Nate, and he wandered off and left me to deal with your friends.” He turned to the sister who’d threatened to kill him. “Is this really necessary?”
“I’ll decide that,” Inu said as she approached the crowd. “Stand down.”
The sisters guarding Mark stood at ease but remained where they were in case the situation changed.
Inu approached Mark. “Who are you?”
“My name is Mark Stephenson. I’m Uma’s mate,” he answered.
Inu turned toward Uma. “Did you bring him here?”
“I didn’t,” she answered. “I cleared his memory and left according to custom.”
“You didn’t clear it completely,” he said. “Nothing could erase you from my heart.”
By now, Nate and Ara had joined the crowd. Nate looked on with his arms crossed over his chest.
Inu turned a glare on him. “Nate, is this your doing?”
“I let him come with me,” Nate said. “He decided to fight for Uma.”
“And how will you do that, young man?” Inu asked.
“Any way you want me to. I love Uma, and she loves me.”
The words rushed through her like a cresting wave of joy. He not only loved her, but he’d found a way to come to her. He’d braved a set of selkie spears, and now he appeared to be willing to take on Mother Inu.
“I told Uma to leave out of anger,” he went on. “I was a fool. I will devote myself to her and my daughter.”
“But you can’t,” Uma said. “You need to be in New York, and we can’t leave here.”
“If you’re here, this is where I’ll be.” He attempted to come toward her again, and the spears went back to his throat. “If they want to kill me, they can.”
“No!” Uma raised her hands toward her sisters. “Don’t hurt him.”
One of the sisters glanced at the Mother, who nodded that the guards could release him. As soon as they did, he rushed to Uma and caught her in an embrace.
Oh, the feelings of being in his arms again. The warmth and strength, the scent of him surrounding her. She’d thought never to have this again. Sex was wonderful, but this was more important. To be able to touch him and taste him.
After a moment, he tipped her face up and kissed her. It was a show not of possession but of rightness. They belonged together, and the rest of the Sisterhood could see it.
After a few breathless moments, she pulled back. “But how will you leave New York?”
“I spent thirty years there. I guess I can spend the next thirty here.”
“But you don’t like it here,” she said.
“The place grows on you. Even the iguanas. We can keep some as pets if you want,” he said. “Cute little buggers, especially when they blow salt water out of their noses.”
She pushed at his chest. “Now I know you’re kidding.”
“I’m not kidding about staying with you,” he said. “You can’t chase me off.”
“Is he to stay, too?” one of the guards asked the Mother.
“I think so,” Inu said.
“Are all mates to stay with us?” the guard asked.
“Only if they’re worthy,” Inu answered. “Everyone can go back about their business. This is over.”
Slowly, the crowd that had gathered dispersed, leaving only Ara and Nate. They smiled and went back to their house hand-in-hand. Finally, Uma and Mark were alone.
“I hope you have a place for me to stay,” he said.
“My place is small, but you’ll fit.”
“Good.” He bent and put his mouth to her ear. “Let’s go there and make some magic together.”
Alice Gaines
USA Today best-selling author Alice Gaines has published many sensuous and erotic works. She prefers stories that stretch the imagination, highlighting the power of love and sex. Alice has a Ph.D. in psychology from U. C. Berkeley and lives in Oakland, California, with her collection of orchids and her pet corn snake, Casper.
Alice at Changeling: changelingpress.com/alice-gaines-a-49
Alice Gaines, Uma
