Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE

After returning to Amalie's house, they spent the rest of the morning working companionably together in the backyard. As predicted, Mr. Humblebee acted as site inspector, stalking around the backyard as they worked and occasionally meowing his approval or objection. Billy was surprisingly patient with the little cat and paused to scratch Mr. Humblebee's ears a few times, touching Amalie's heart.

The big, bad lion was kind to his much smaller feline cousin, and Amalie had to hide her smile of approval. She loved that orange cat, who her Gran called Amalie's " familiar" . Amalie wasn't a hundred percent sure that Humblebee fit the ‘witch's familiar' role, but he certainly seemed to enjoy being Amalie's shadow. Almost as much as she enjoyed having him there. Her sole companion as she struck out on her own.

Just before lunchtime, Amalie suggested ordering pizza. She told Billy about the place that delivered, and the fact that they had a so-called meat lover's pizza that he might like. He agreed, and she went inside to place the order.

A little while later, a teenager pulled up with delivery. They broke for lunch, eating together in the backyard. They seemed to like eating at that patio table, which she had only ever used a few times before meeting Billy. Now, it had quickly become one of her favorite places to share a meal.

"I'm sorry if I'm quiet," Billy said after he had devoured his first slice pizza. "I guess Gavin got to me a little more than I expected."

"That's okay," Amalie told him quietly. "If you want to talk about it, I'm a good listener."

"I just don't understand why the Clan is suddenly so interested in us. I mean, they didn't want my mother around, and according to my folks, they didn't really approve of my parents' mating. So, why would they want anything to do with us now?"

Amalie decided to tread carefully. This was obviously a very sore subject with him. Yet, she sensed he really did need to talk about this to someone. And she was safe to talk to. She would never do anything to hurt him.

"Why did they object to your parents' relationship?" she asked gently.

"Dad was a Kinkaid. A lion. Mom was… Well, Mom was from a magical family. From what we've heard, a very old magical family. Very old, and somewhat suspicious. The rumor was that not all of her ancestors were on the right side of things in the last big war." Billy shook his head. "But Mom wasn't like that. She had a pure heart and a kind soul, and I'm not just saying that because she was my mother. But those rumors about her family were enough to get my folks ostracized from the Clan."

"That's not fair," Amalie said immediately.

She knew there had to be more to this story, but she would let him tell it at his own pace. She wouldn't push him for details, though she was surprised to learn he had magical ancestry. Maybe they were more compatible than she'd thought.

While Amalie might not like all the trappings of magic that much anymore, she had still learned a great deal from her grandmother, and she knew at some point she would have to go back and reclaim her birthright. She couldn't deny what she was forever. Especially not with evil on the rise in the world. Her skills and abilities would be needed. This vacation from her responsibilities would not last forever. She might even have to go back sooner than she had originally thought.

"My mother was a Rollins," he admitted. "We don't talk about it much. In fact, my brother Rich won't even mention the name. He did some research, you see. What he learned made him want to deny that we had anything to do with that family, but you can't change your DNA. I've tried to tell him that we can't deny the fact that we are half-Rollins, even if our magic is mostly Kinkaid because of our lions."

Amalie did her best not to gasp. Even she had heard of the Rollins magical dynasty. The current patriarch of the family was said to be among the worst of the worst as far as dealing in dark magics went. Demon summoning had been a specialty of that family in centuries past.

Amalie had never met any of the Rollins mages in person, but a few of the coven members back on Long Island had, over their many years, and the encounters had not been good ones. Billy was right to assume that more than a few of the Rollins had been on the wrong side in the last big battle between good and evil.

"Mom always said her family considered her a rogue mage. She was estranged from her own people for quite a while before she met Dad. Once they met, it was game over. He knew she was the one and vice versa. They mated and were blissfully happy for a number of years, having us three a few years apart. We had a great childhood with them, but they died unexpectedly when Rich was just eighteen. He was able to care for me and Colt, but the three of us were really devastated. We knew about the Kinkaids, of course, but the three of us agreed that we wouldn't go begging to the Clan for money after our parents died. We made our own way."

Amalie felt sorrow for those three young souls who hadn't had anyone to turn to in their time of need. How she wished they could have had that big, supportive Clan to rely on when they had suddenly become orphans. But Fate, it seemed, had other ideas.

And maybe, it had all been meant to be this way. Maybe there was some grand reason that these three brothers had to go it alone in their formative years. Maybe they had gained skills during that time that would be needed in the future. Or, maybe, the wounds could be healed, and the three brothers could be brought back, somehow, into the Clan that should've been theirs from the beginning.

Amalie had no idea how it would turn out, but she wished she could be there to see it. She wanted a happy ending for this family. For Billy, and the brothers she had never met but already felt like she knew from listening to Billy talk about them.

"I'm sure not all of the Rollins mages are bad," Amalie said, trying to look for a bright side. "I've heard of them, though I've never met any. And yes, they do have a shady reputation in magic circles, but I don't think that's anything you have to be ashamed of. Not you, nor your brothers. You have a magical ancestor in addition to your shifter heritage. That's got to be a potent combination."

"If you say so," he replied, shaking his head.

"Something to think about, perhaps. But for now, I suppose I'd better clean up the table so we can get on with our day. I'm thinking, if we're done with the landscaping, I'd like to grab a shower," she said, standing and reaching for the empty pizza box and the other items they'd used.

She gasped when Billy's arms came around her from behind. He moved as silently and as fast as any cat she'd ever seen.

"How would you like company in that shower?" he asked, nibbling playfully on her ear.

Oh, she liked the sound of that. He was as playful as a kitten, she'd learned, and she would take full advantage of his presence while he was here. She turned in his arms.

"I think that could be arranged, though I warn you, the shower in this house is a bit small. We might have to stand very close together." She gave him her best sweetly innocent eyeblink as she looked up at him.

"How close?" he challenged.

"Skin to skin," she replied, throwing her arms around his shoulders and dragging him down for a deep, sexy kiss.

Man, oh, man. The guy knew how to kiss.

The pizza box was forgotten as Billy lifted Amalie into his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather. He walked into the house, pausing only to dip so she could lock the door behind them before he waltzed up the stairs, still carrying her. His strength impressed her all over again.

He wasn't even out of breath or giving any signs of strain as they reached the top of the stairs, and she directed him to the master bath. Once there, he deposited her on the small countertop next to the sink and began a sexy striptease that made her mouth water.

When he'd removed his boots and socks, then his shirt, he unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned the top button of his jeans, but stopped there. Much to her disappointment. Though her disappointment didn't last long as he came back to her, kissing her and showering her with attention as he removed her clothing one piece at a time, kissing the skin he exposed and caressing her all over with his magical touch.

By the time they were both naked, she was more than ready for him, but he made her wait. He turned on the water in the shower, testing it until it was running hot. Then, he lifted her once more and stepped into the shower stall where he lowered her to her feet, standing very close, indeed.

He reached for the body wash and the scrunchy sponge she kept hanging on a suction-cup peg along the far wall. Squeezing a bit of the sudsy soap onto the scrubby, he held her gaze as he lathered it up until foam was spilling over his fingers. Then, with her mouth dry in anticipation, he touched the soapy scrubby to her shoulder, sweeping downward as he followed the path of the scratchy material with his much smoother, much hotter fingers.

She was dying from anticipation when he reached her breasts. The scratchiness of the scrubby followed by the soothing touch of his fingers made her passion rise to a fever pitch. And when he threw the scrubby to the floor of the shower, using only his hands to discover each hidden crevice of her body, sliding and soothing, exciting and enticing, she cried out over and over.

Then, finally, he lifted her, her back against the tile wall of the shower stall as his big hands supported her butt. He didn't wait to see if she was ready. He knew. How could he not? She was eager and wet against him, and he entered her easily, claiming the place that was now his.

Something changed in her as that thought crossed her mind, and she dimly realized that she'd been branded for all time after making love with Billy. She would never be the same. But such deep thoughts were beyond her as he began to move, taking her wildly, wetly, slippery with soap and passionate of purpose. He supported her through the thrusting, devastating ride he took her on, never letting her go.

They were together through it all until the very end, when they came as one, shouting their passion to the rooftops, echoing their pleasure off the tiled enclosure. She thought he might have roared—or as close as a human throat could come to the sound—but her ears were ringing with her own cries of bliss.

Damn. She just realized this man knew how to make her scream in pleasure. No one had ever been able to do that before.

It was just as she'd thought. Billy was truly special.

They spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in Amalie's big bed. Making love when the mood struck them and otherwise just talking quietly, getting to know each other better with each passing moment. The sun shone down on them from the window, and Billy felt almost boneless with satisfaction.

At one point, he felt a rumbling in his chest that he'd never felt in human form before, and he had a momentary panic. Then, he realized he'd been expecting it. If any woman could manage to make him purr in his man form, it had to be Amalie. The most exciting, intelligent and beautiful woman he'd ever had the good fortune to know.

She was his mate. He grinned as he was struck with the revelation. It might not work out for them in the long run, but for just this moment in time, all was right in Billy's world. He was in bed with his mate, and they were together. Nobody was shooting at them. Nobody was trying to kill them right now that he knew of, and she was safe in his arms.

He was realist enough to know that could, and likely would, all change in a matter of hours, but he decided to enjoy the moment and worry about the rest later. They had a lot of challenges to face, not the least of which was whether or not she would agree to be his mate. He wasn't sure how it really all worked. He hadn't wanted to ask Rich too much about private matters between him and his new mate.

Rich's mate wasn't a shifter. She was magical, though. Did she feel the same sort of bond as shifters did with their fated mates? Billy would have to find some way to ask Rich before this went much further. He had to know if Amalie could commit to him the way a shifter mate would. He had to know if this feeling—this imperative demand—was all on his side alone.

He hoped not. He wanted his mate to want him as much as he wanted her. He wanted that same depth of feeling. That same cherishing emotion. He just wasn't sure how magic users felt about their spouses. He'd have to find out.

But first, he'd have to find out if Amalie felt the same way about him, just in general. He wouldn't spring the mating thing on her right away. He'd have to woo her. Seduce her like a human would. Coax her into falling in love with him.

That plan firmly in mind, Billy's lion side felt more comfortable. He made love to her again, and then, they dozed for a while, waking only when the sun was going down and his stomach rumbled in hunger.

Amalie laughed and rose from the rumpled bed. "I see we're going to have to feed you. I wouldn't want to get eaten by a lion."

"Funny. That's not what you said a few hours ago," Billy teased, and she threw a pillow at him.

He felt decadent, lying in bed as she bustled around getting dressed. He'd never been happier in his life, and he felt like a real king of the jungle with his mate fussing as he watched her. Life didn't get much better than this, except when he was inside her, and she was screaming his name in pleasure.