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  “So, when I arrived, you climbed into the rafters...”

  “To get a better look at you. I couldn’t see you through the shadows and glamour. I was curious and the beam of light that came with you nearly blinded me.”

  He looked at her. “I don’t remember an unusual light. It was a human mage that transported me, after all.”

  “I saw it.”

  “I don’t doubt it; I am just beginning to think that there is more in action here than simple magic.”

  They mounted the steps to the Bright Soul, and Teebie threw glitter over them and blew a noisemaker the moment they passed the threshold. “Congratulations!”

  Nova blinked and brushed at her face. “Um, thank you?”

  “The burst of power nearly boiled the eggs in the fridge.” Teebie grinned. “That was quite the union. You two need to get some equilibrium quickly so you stop mixing power the hard way.”

  Reygaer grinned. “I like the hard way.”

  Nova sighed.

  High Lord West came out of the front room with a cup of hot chocolate and a gingerbread cookie. “You two will be locked in your shielded room for this evening, and tomorrow, we will have the first balance ceremony in the Meditation Centre.”

  Dira and Mak wandered out after the elf. Dira winked. “Good night, Nova. Good night, Reygaer.”

  Teebie chuckled. “I will send up some refreshments so stay off the table.”

  Reygaer swept her into his arms and climbed the stairs. “Good evening, everyone.”

  Nova called out, “Good night!”

  Nothing else needed to be said. The relieved laughter below said it all.

  Chapter Six

  Her dress turned into a lace robe halfway up the stairs. “How do you do that?”

  He smiled. “My magic is that of crafting. Molecular realignment if you believe in such things.”

  “Believe in magic or molecules? I believe in both.”

  She kicked a little, and her feet were bare of the soft slippers she had been wearing earlier.

  “All my magic, you have already seen.” She sighed. “No more secrets.”

  “I believe you have a few things for me to discover.” He smiled.

  He walked down the hall, and her door opened for them. To her amusement, the room had been expanded and had joined the room next to hers, which just happened to be his.

  “I am guessing that Teebie put you on one side and the charmer from the bar on the other.”

  Reygaer twirled with her in his arms, and she laughed and held onto him. “I hope that he recovered from his introduction to shifter females. If he is destined to be with one of you, he needs to learn quickly.”

  “It is a good thing that you are a quick study.” She laughed.

  He paused and let her slip down his body. “It is a good thing that you have a fascination for cold. Even fey women demand that I warm things up for them.”

  She scowled. “You do know that shifters are monogamous, right?”

  “As are mated fey. The balancing tomorrow should help prove it to the others around us.” He gave her a grim smile.

  “You think we will have an issue?”

  “I think that despite the fact that we have a locked-in agreement, we are going to be the targets of other fey and shifters who want to wreck this bonding before it can become unremarkable.”

  She looked into his eyes and nodded. “And until the effective nature of our union is proved by reproduction and the product our union is proved to be stronger than either of us, this isn’t going to be fun.”

  He drew his fingers down the vee of her robe. “I would not say it won’t be fun. I would just say that we have to work at it and know what we are getting into.”

  Nova looked at him and gripped his hand. “Where will we live?”

  “I am an ice hotel architect, so we can travel and make our home wherever you wish.”

  She lifted his hand to her cheek and pressed it against her skin. “That sounds delightful, but I will miss my family.”

  “If the balance of power is successful, I can teach you to transport yourself. You can go home whenever you wish until you are carrying, and then, I will take you where you need to go.”

  Nova narrowed her eyes. “You are that sure that this will work? What if I don’t get pregnant?”

  “It is my duty to try.” He smiled and returned his hand to the vee of her robe. “And I intend to try every moment that you will let me.”

  She lifted her lips to his, and her hands stroked his chest, undoing the buttons and unbuckling his belt a moment before his clothing disappeared.

  He smiled against her mouth. “I have never dreamed of a woman of your height in my arms, but you are the perfect fit in every way.”

  “Almost as if we were destined to be together.” She smiled back but let the smile fade as they backed toward the bed with a slow dance step.

  He tilted her back and the robe opened, framing her on the dark coverlet.

  She finally got a good look at him and the ice blue of his skin drew her eye. The snowflakes were either birthmarks or tattoos, but she couldn’t imagine who would put a needle into that glorious skin.

  He smiled softly and caressed her hips. “You glow with the same colour as my skin.”

  Nova bit her lip. “I hope that is a good thing.”

  “It is fascinating. With my eyes, I see a human woman, and with my senses, you glow with wild and powerful magic. It is a sight I wish to get used to.”

  He knelt and pulled her to the edge of the bed, kissing his way up her inner thigh before starting at the knee on the other side and repeating the motion.

  She was trembling before he blew a stream of air across her sex. When he parted her folds with his tongue, she grabbed the bed and held on for the ride.

  It seemed that he sought her heat like she craved the cold.

  She gasped when he draped her thighs over his shoulders, and his relentless tonguing of her clit had her shivering on the edge of release. When he stood and pressed deep into her, she moaned at the opposing forces that took over her body. She wanted to rock against him, but her position had her helpless. She had to wait as he started slow and moved into stronger and stronger thrusts.

  She moved her fingers to stroke her clit, but he moved her fingers aside and replaced them with his. A hard, fast circle brought her to peak sharply, and she screamed as the pleasure edged on pain.

  His groan joined the lingering echo of her cry, and he released her legs so that he could drop his weight on her.

  Her grunt wasn’t delicate, but she wrapped her limbs around him and held on tight.

  She had never slept comfortably with another person in the bed, but she dozed happily with Reygaer curled around her. When dawn crept through the windows, she opened her eyes, wanting to savour every moment that she was with him. For three years, she had thought that she was destined to be unwanted and unloved.

  They had to get used to each other, but love was going to come. She was certain of it. He looked at her like he had just discovered a treasure every time he saw her.

  Her lips curved in a smile. He also had an obsession with her breasts. He was sleeping now with one cupped in either hand; the fit was perfect.

  She tried to remember when she had first started looking for a man with cold skin. She had even seduced a few snake shifters to try them out, but while they were described as cold blooded, they were not cold enough. She had done more than kiss a few frogs to find her prince, but she finally had a man who counteracted her hot blood without screwing her in a freezer.

  Embarrassment flowed through her when she realized how she was using Reygaer. Yes, he was her mate; yes, she was his, but how could she reconcile her past behaviour when it came to the opposite sex.

  “You are tense.” He kissed her shoulder. “Regrets already?”

  “Not regrets, never that. Honesty?”

  “Please.”

  “Recriminations for the path I took to finding you.” />
  He turned her. “Anything specific?”

  There was concern in his eyes, but it was concern for her and not her actions.

  “The men that I tried to shape to my needs before I found you.”

  “Did you injure them?”

  She twisted her lips. “Not permanently, but a few got frostbite.”

  His eyes widened and he tried not to laugh, she could see it in the flex of his lips.

  He nodded. “When I was first asked by my people to find a mate, I went through a number of similar issues, including altering myself and trying to have sex in full glamour. It wasn’t pleasant, and the courtships didn’t last.”

  “So, it is always best to be yourself?”

  “Not being yourself always ends in disappointment for you and your lover. If you can’t keep up the charade, your lover will feel betrayed.”

  She nodded up at him as he loomed over her.

  He smiled. “How about a pact? Whatever takes place between us, we will not bring it to bed. I will sleep in your arms and you will sleep in mine for every night we are together. No fakery enters the sheets.”

  She smirked. “Not even if I just can’t orgasm or you can’t?”

  “I would rather know that there is an honest divide than live with a false bridge.” He smiled again. “We have time to work things out. It is the best part of blending lives with a fey.”

  She nodded. “Right. Outliving my sisters, nieces, nephews and possibly their children, it is not a pleasant thought. Don’t get me wrong, I know that I belong with you, but I know what I am giving up in the long run.”

  He leaned back. “I hadn’t...I didn’t...”

  She sat up and put her hand on his chest, feeling the thudding of his heart. “This was part of the agreement, Reygaer. I would find my mate, increase my lifespan, have children and outlive my family. You or them, Reygaer. That was the deal I made, my past or my future. I chose a future.”

  He blinked rapidly and she saw him fighting tears.

  She cupped his cheek and pressed kisses to his jaw and temple. “It is fine. I am not fey-touched. I am with you as an equal. We are starting a storm here, a social revolution of magic. I will see my family and be part of them as long as I can, and when they pass, I will be there and comfort the next generation until my time comes.”

  He placed his hand at the nape of her neck and turned his head to meet her lips. “And I will be at your side until the day we draw our last breaths, hopefully, with our children and grandchildren around us.”

  She smiled at the carefully constructed thoughts. “You have not thought beyond the mating, not really.”

  He shrugged and kissed her again, easing her to her side, lifting her thigh and sliding into her.

  “Always so welcoming.” His eyes were heavy lidded. “I do love that about you.”

  She didn’t answer him; she kissed his neck and rocked her hips against him. She coaxed him deeper, harder and rocked with him until she gripped her fingers into his shoulder and she shivered along with her moan.

  He groaned softly and gripped her hips as he kept himself inside her.

  She nibbled at his neck and changed her tongue to rasp across the columns of muscle and tendon. He blinked and moaned. “That feels amazing.”

  She smiled. That was the idea, but he might have figured that out as she released him from inside her and worked down his body with special attention to the tattoos. They appeared to enjoy the sensation, because his erection thickened and gleamed once again.

  Nova moved down to show him the hazards of mating to a big cat, but he simply grunted as she stroked her tongue from base to tip over and over again.

  With the endless patience of her kind, she lapped at him until he groaned and a jet of cum shot from him to land on the sheets. A few spurts joined it as she continued lapping away, and when he tugged at her hair, she left his cock and crawled back to face him, nuzzling his jaw with her nose.

  He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her neck. “When do we have to leave?”

  She chuckled. “I don’t know. I have never gotten this far before.”

  He wove his fingers through hers and kissed her softly. “Then, from here on in, we are on even ground.”

  She enjoyed the glow of being with him when a random name popped into her mind. “Why Jack Wilson?”

  He smiled against her lips. “In the days before we became public knowledge and we used our glamour to hide us when we went amongst humans, we needed names for that purpose. I used Jack Wilson and it stuck with me when I am dealing with those who are not fey.”

  “So, Reygaer Frostwind isn’t legal?”

  “It is a legal name, but Jack Wilson is a valid alternative. I use it for business.”

  She smiled. “Do you really make ice hotels?”

  “Palaces that melt with the spring. Yes.”

  “So, you have actually taken time out of your busy season to come here?” Tears pricked her eyes.

  “I have. One season is well worth even the chance to find a mate.” He stroked her cheek.

  “Then, we had better get this ratified before they change their minds.”

  He smiled. “I was thinking that very thing.”

  Neither of them moved to separate until a knock at the door broke their soft caresses and whispers.

  “Nova, Reygaer, if we can get this balance ceremony done, we can invite more shifters and fey here to let them find their own impossible matches. Get out of bed or it will disappear out from under you.” Teebie’s voice was amused but insistent.

  Nova raised her head. “Fine. Ten minutes.”

  “Breakfast will be waiting.”

  Reygaer rolled with her until they fell off the bed. She landed on him with a thud, but he rolled to his feet with her in his arms.

  While she enjoyed the novelty of being carried, she had to say, “You don’t need to carry me. My legs work just fine.”

  “And they are very fine legs. I like having you in my arms. It makes me feel that you cannot get away.”

  “I am not going to run. I am much more the stand-and-fight kind of girl.”

  He grinned. “I have gotten that feeling since you jumped out of the rafters.”

  She smiled and reached over to start the shower. They had a breakfast to get to.

  Chapter Seven

  She put on her normal uniform of underwear, jeans and a t-shirt with a sweatshirt overtop and comfy sneakers.

  Reygaer was dressed in an impeccable deep-blue shirt, black trousers, belt and shiny shoes.

  Nova looked at him and wrinkled her nose. “I am getting the feeling that a fashion mismatch is going to be an issue.”

  He winked. “Not even remotely.”

  He offered her his arm and took their bags with his other hand.

  They left the room together and headed down the stairs. Representatives of all the folk involved occupied the dining room. The mages looked a little uneasy, but the others were all settling in.

  Reygaer pulled out her chair and held it for her. Nova didn’t hold back when it came to eating Teebie’s food. Her host would continue making what they needed, but it was always more fun to be the first one in the platter.

  Teebie came by with the coffee and Nova grinned.

  “Good morning, Teebie.”

  Teebie winked. “Good afternoon, Nova.”

  Reygaer chuckled as if he was pleased with himself. Nova kicked him under the table while she tore apart her muffin.

  He winced and lifted his coffee.

  High Lord West was looking at them with a calculating gaze. “If half the matings produce that kind of energy, you will be the first in a new golden age.”

  Nova felt a blush creep up her cheeks as the others stared at her, but she kept working on breakfast. Teal and Tony began the conversation and Nova focused on her meal.

  “You eat with a single-minded intensity. I will remember that.” Reygaer muttered it in her ear.

  “You saw me take down tha
t burger yesterday. This should not be a surprise.” She methodically made her way through her food until she was full and her coffee was the only thing left in front of her.

  Teebie waved away the remains of breakfast, and everyone got to their feet. Apparently, they had just been waiting for Nova and Reygaer to finish eating.

  Nova looked to Teal. “Does someone have a shotgun?”

  Teal smirked, “No, but it might come to some light bondage if you don’t get out of here.”

  Reygaer grinned. “I have no objections on either count.”

  Nova nudged him with her hip, and they walked with the group to a space outside the Meditation Centre.

  “This is new.”

  A large archway had been built with two podiums on either side of a central base with three spots for folk to kneel. It was elaborate and not in the usual style of the Crossroads, but it proved that this was a joint effort.

  Most human girls knew how their wedding was going to go, but having nearly a dozen paranormal creatures and humans trying to organize a ritual for the first time and make it look ancient was a complicated event that didn’t involve the bride.

  Nova stood in Reygaer’s embrace and waited with his head propped on hers. “Are you messing with my clothing?”

  His jaw flexed and she could feel him smiling. “I am messing with my own as well. We wear our colours.”

  She looked down, and she was dressed in brilliant blue. It was more medieval gown and less sweats and sneakers. His long sleeves and snow-white tunic made them a matched pair.

  Nova rested her back against his chest. “Snow white. How adorable.”

  He chuckled and sighed as the representatives organized themselves. High Lord West beckoned them forward, as did Teal and the human mage. The young woman looked really nervous.

  Nova walked away from her fey and took up one of the podiums, placing her hands, palm down, on the small curves in the stone; she took a deep breath and looked across the distance to Reygaer. He settled himself in his glowing-white clothing with his hair held back with a circlet of snowflakes.

  A crowd was gathering, and the mage rose on her knees to address those gathered. She spoke about the blending of fey and shifter magic and the new day that was beginning.