The Rebellious Mate

9(i) Cat Fight

Asena eventually fell into a fitful doze. Her muddled nightmares lured her with the aroma of mouth-watering dishes she'd never tasted. Caught in a web of soft caresses and the weight of a hard body, a chill froze her blood until a blaze enveloped her. Other times, she lay on the edge of an abyss that seduced her and urged her to jump into its depths, but she managed to evade those deadly temptations. Yet a shadow blotted out all light and swooped towards her.

As it caught up, she sat up, clutching her chest. Her heart, akin to a trapped bird, trashed against her ribcage. Every beat tested the strength of her bones.

'I'll take over,' Moggie suggested.

Frustrated, she shed the skin for Moggie to don the fur. Thanks to her beast's nocturnal shenanigans, she missed breakfast. After a bath, a weary Asena went to the kitchens. The kind cook rustled up a tuna sandwich for her.

As she ate, Asena watched the staff. Based on their varied enunciation, they hailed from the lands between the English Isles to the far reaches of Serbia. Today, they buzzed with excitement as two of them were taking part in the auction.

Unlike the cluster of human countries, Europa was a vast kingdom. It stretched from Iceland to Russia, and downwards to the Mediterranean. And its residents traveled far and wide for work.

'So, Europa is a melting pot, too. Big deal. But immigrants are second-class citizens here,' Moggie grumbled.

When she wandered to her quarters, the grumpy matron, overseeing the cleaning crew, shooed her out.

Asena joined the rest in the parlor and waited for their 'teachers'. After four placements, seven of them remained in tier one or two. She still hadn't figured out why they'd been sequestered separately.

The conversations there were equally loud. Why? 'The Chronicle', an entertainment publication, had released its annual list of eligible shifters. It featured a few individuals from Asia, the Red Sea to China, the Islands nations, and the Caribbean. And a few 'enemies', from the Americas, along with their allies, Australia, and New Zealand.

Duma waved to her. Asena plonked her tired ass on the sofa beside him. He showed her a photo of a werewolf with gray strands in his mane and laugh lines.

She glanced at the write-up about the distinguished Were. Lord Daniel Rutherford had come out of the closet. As his family were the earliest supporters of the Sax-Coburgs, he'd divorced. And instead of exile for flaunting his orientation, he'd emerged as the symbol of a 'progressive' Europa. But he had already fathered six heirs. She wondered what happened to his former mate, who he'd discarded.

"So that's him?" she asked instead.

Duma nodded and flipped to the page that displayed the individual she was avoiding.

The candid shot of the incredibly masculine physique, encased in shredded muscles. And a freaking eight-pack was... Glittering water beads clung to him; as he stood knee-deep in a pool.

'Oh, by all that's unholy and sinful, it's him, and he's almost naked!' Moggie howled with shrieky mirth. 'Cover your eyes, Sena... lest you go into heat.'

"Zip it, Mogs," she mumbled under her breath but she sure felt hot under the collar.

Asena couldn't help but study his wide lats, enormous chest, prominent shoulders, and bulging biceps. His slim waist defined his taunt stomach and pelvic V. Each inch of him was perfection personified.

'So that's what lies beneath the stuffy clothes. And guess what? Under that smexy skin simmers an inferno. I doubt he ever gets laid... unless it's with another dragon,' a disinterested Moggie commented.