A Jaguar's mate

The reality of power

Gombeen - Someone not opposed to making shady deals for profit.
Dryshite - A goody-goody person.
Langer - Foolish person.
Maggot - A person who deliberately causes trouble.

He glared his displeasure as she opened the front door, Aage ignored him. She'd stay under the cover of the porch and in the shadows but she wouldn't be alone in the house. Meeting his gaze with her stubborn one, she crossed her arms in defiance.

His lips thinned but he didn't say anything. He turned back to a point past the porch steps, his body becoming more rigid at whoever was there. Shifting so his body was no longer blocking her, Aage saw a man on his knees, head bowed.

There was humiliated anger in the lines of his taut body and she was sure she could smell the burnt scent of that emotion. She was glad she'd had the sense to put her pscho's body between them, a man like that wouldn't have any problem using her against Liam.

His scent seemed sharp to her, familiar somehow. She puzzled over it, her brain gnawing at the information. So much seemed to come at her, the presence of prey in the woods, the taste of fresher air than she'd ever experienced and the fact that she now saw Bambi as prey.

"Answer mae cur!" Her new psycho for life demanded, his tone so hard Aage felt flayed just by hearing it. She winced, feeling for the man. "What dae ye want here?"

"I didn't mean any disrespect..."

With his first word, Aage froze. She knew him! She rushed past him towards the cowered man but Liam's hand shot out to catch her. The deadly look he gave her chilled her blood.  Power oozed out of him, a lethal force that lashed at her, rebuked her and broke her will to rebel. She hated him!

Her gaze went to the man on his knees, saw him fight as the power bowed his shoulders, a burden he couldn't possibly carry. Aage knew the pride he had, the strength that made his head higher than any other man. Yet Liam easily broke him.

"Please stop." She begged, her voice small.

"Who is he tae ye that ye beg for him?" He demanded, no give in his tone.

"He's just a friend." She choked out, afraid he wouldn't believe her, that he'd take it out on Kev.

"This gombeen canna ever a friend tae ye." He turned his deadly gaze to Kev. "Look at mae." He commanded and Kev acquiesced. "What be yae angle?"

Kev bowed his head. "I have no angle my king."

"Ye expect mae tae give ye the benefit?" Liam demanded. "I trusted ye with mae bonnie lass and what did ye do with her ye eejit maggot?"

It was like he was speaking another language, one that had something in common with English but was just out of sync.

"Ye made her miserable ye dryshite langer!" The air crackled with his power and Aage cowered inside as she realised the slightest spark would ignite the air. "And ye're too full of yeaself tae know what ye did, but I will shew ye. I will strip ye of that overwe'ening pride. Put ye in yea place."

He held out his hand towards Kev, Aage's heart climbed up to her mouth. Light cracked about her fingers before it crashed into Kev, covering him in strings of pale blue light. He screamed at the same time Aage protested.

His scream was painful to hear such agony filling the air. Tears ran down her cheeks and she tried to go to him. Liam's arm circled her waist with implacable strength. She knew it'd be pointless to fight against him. Her nails dug into his arm and still, he held her to him.

"You're killing him!" She cried.

"If only I could." He swore.

He was cruel. Kev had been a good friend to her, he'd protected her and she was sure he had tracked her here. All he'd done was try to protect her and this monster was punishing him for it.

"He's never done anything to you." She accused giving in to the need to fight for her friend.

"Ye have mae memories." He censored, an accusation that let her know he hated her having them. "Should ye not know?" He turned to go back into the house, carrying her along.

"Please," she tried to reason with him. "Let me help him."

"No." He left no room for arguing. "I willna have ye befriending him."

Aage dug her nails deeper into his arm. "You can't tell me whom I can be friends with!" Was her protest.

"I am king." He stated. "Mae word is law."

The arrogance of the jerk! "You're not my king."

He turned her in his arms so easily, closing the door on the still screaming Kev. "I am especially yea king." He declared. "Ye are mine Aage. I might allow ye yea defiance, but ye're bound tae mae. Donna look at anyone tae save ye as they canna."

Hate brewed itself inside her heart, she hated bullies more than anything. After growing up with one, she'd be damned if she'd spend the rest of her life tied to another."You're a monster." She grit out, her hatred blazing into his gaze.

"No." He denied, his voice still as hard. "I'm the king of all monsters."

For some reason that scared her more than everything else that'd happened. She believed him. He didn't hide who he was, didn't try to soothe her or explain himself as another man might. He owned it.

"I hate you."

He smiled, something hard and uncompromising. "I told ye before mate, it be a thin line. Ye hate that ye desire mae, that yea every thought is about mae."

A lump pressed itself against her throat. Even to herself, she couldn't deny that he was right. She was tired of it all, tired of him, tired of reacting to him. What kind of a woman wanted a man who treated people as if they were put on earth for his amusement? One who walked all over her free will?

"Please put me down." She asked.

"Ye willna go tae him." He commanded.

Aage swallowed, her will to fight was gone. Her friend still screamed, his voice hoarser. She couldn't bare it couldn't stand being helpless to his pain. What was it it about her that all she brought was pain?

She nodded and he let her go. This time when she wrapped her arms around herself it was for comfort. As she went up the stairs, she allowed her tears to fall. She was even more trapped with him than with her brother and she doubted she could ever get away.

Feeling more alone than she'd ever been, she curled up in her bed. Sleep eluded her, mostly because she was scared of what dreams she might have and what they might lead to.

She'd pushed away the spoiled sheets and now lay on the mattress with only a singkr blanket to cover her. It felt scratchy and she tossed on the slick surface of the mattress. Some awareness she couldn't reason had her sensing exactly where he was, as if he were a heat source to her cold dark soul.

She couldn't hear Kev anymore but she knew he still screamed. It didn't make sense for her not to hear him so she assumed Liam had done some of his jedi tricks. She couldn't hide from the truth anymore. She had to face it head on, but she didn't want to know his past. The last thing she wanted was to sympathize with him.