Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

A t first, Tomlin was too focused on running to berate himself. Every step was a constant fight against his Krythian side's desire to return to his female.

She is not my female , he told himself, but the words rang hollow. He might not be able to claim her, but he had absolutely no doubt that she was his mate.

A fragile human mate. He shuddered. He couldn't bear the thought of harming her the way his father had harmed his mother. Couldn't bear the thought of her turning away from him.

His control was too precarious. His claws had actually emerged for the first time in years. Not only emerged but damaged her pale skin.

I should leave , he thought once again, and a growl escaped. It had been a struggle to leave her long enough to return to the farm.

The only thing that had calmed his other half was the knowledge that he would return. Grethel had warned him. She told him that the mate bond made a male possessive. And she'd been right, as she so frequently was.

She wasn't right about everything. She should have told me that she was my grandmother. Should have told him long before she was on her deathbed.

The knowledge that they were bound by blood as well as affection would have soothed that part of him that was so hungry for a connection. The part of him he'd forced himself to bury.

His thoughts continued to circle and he finally decided to leave the rolling land of the foothills and head into the mountains hoping that the more demanding terrain would help quiet his mind.

He was halfway up a steep incline when an unfamiliar scent caught his attention. An unfamiliar male scent. His Krythian side immediately bristled, disliking the idea of a strange male so close to his female, but he forced it under control. He'd traveled a good distance from her lab.

But even if she were in no danger, these mountains were primarily unpopulated. What was someone doing out here?

He slowed his pace, testing the air as he finished climbing. When he reached the summit, he followed his senses to a wooded area at the base of another slope. The stranger was seated on a boulder at the foot of a rocky outcropping. He was sitting quietly and blended in with the background so well that Tomlin suspected he wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't already scented his presence.

He was several years older than Tomlin and he most definitely was not human. A thick mane of hair surrounded a face with a pronounced nose and jaw. His eyes were green with horizontal pupils and when he spoke, Tomlin saw the white flash of fangs.

"Good morning," the stranger said calmly in a deep, pleasant voice. "I would ask if you were lost, but you do not appear to be the kind of male who gets lost."

"Indeed," he agreed, attempting to match the other male's composure. Although he tried to wrap himself in his usual cool persona, he had a feeling he was not entirely successful. "Is this your territory?"

"To an extent. No one actually owns the land, but we have a claim on it."

The words triggered a memory, and he suddenly recognized who he was speaking with - a Vultor.

The Vultori were not native to Cresca, but like the humans, they had established colonies here. Most humans disliked and distrusted them.

They had a reputation as vicious predators, but since the same could be said about his people, - with perhaps more justification, he thought bitterly - he was not unduly alarmed. He was, however, concerned that Vultori territory should be so close to Etta's lab.

"How far does your territory extend?" he asked as politely as possible, but the other male gave him a far too discerning look.

"To the Wainwright Ranch to the west. To the sea in the east. And to the base of the mountains, both north and south. No further," he added, the emphasis unmistakable.

"I see. Then I apologize for intruding on your territory."

The other male shrugged.

"As I said, no one owns the land, no matter what some members of my pack would prefer to believe."

The weariness in his voice was unmistakable, and Tomlin nodded. However, he was also still concerned about any possible threat to his female.

"My name is Tomlin. May I join you?"

"Please." The male gestured at one of the other boulders. "I am Seren."

"Do you live near here?"

He tried to keep the question polite and conversational, but Seren shot him another one of those discerning looks.

"Is that important?"

He forced himself to shrug.

"I simply noticed that you weren't carrying a pack."

"If only that were true." He appeared to be talking to himself more than Tomlin and didn't wait for a response. "But to answer your question, no, I don't live near here. Our village is further south. Village is such a human term," he added thoughtfully. "My pack comes and goes as they please, although there is comfort in community. Don't you agree?"

"I do." He had spent a good deal of his life searching for that community, for a place where he belonged.

"And where do you live, since you are also not carrying a pack?" When he hesitated, Seren smiled. "You do not need to be concerned about revealing the presence of the human female. We are already aware of her residence."

"Why?" Even he could hear the growl underlying his words. "She is of no concern to you."

"I did not imply that she was. I was only confirming that we were aware of her presence - as we are aware of most human activity close to our territory. It is for our protection."

"I believe the humans would claim the same need for protection," he said dryly, and Seren sighed.

"I am afraid you are correct, although most of their stories were exaggerated. We do not respond well to threats, but most of our people do not go looking for trouble. However when they do, the results can be… unfortunate."

Even discounting the human distrust of other species and their tendency for exaggeration, he'd heard enough tales to know that the other male was understating the incidents that had occurred. As usual, the truth probably lay somewhere in between.

He also noticed that Seren kept referring to humans in a way that made him suspect that Seren did not consider him human.

But how could he know? His mating lines were concealed beneath his clothing, and now that he was away from Etta, his eyes should have returned to their normal human appearance. Or was he simply being paranoid? Before he could decide whether or not to ask, Seren smiled at him.

"If you are about to try and assure me that you are fully human, don't bother."

"Why would you assume that I am not?"

Seren tapped his nose.

"The Vultori have an excellent sense of smell, as I suspect you do. Very few would have noticed me here otherwise."

He dipped his head, reluctantly conceding the point, then rose to his feet. He had gained the information he was after. The Vultori village was not close by, and they did not consider his female's residence to be part of their territory.

"It is time for me to return."

Seren nodded, rising to his feet as well. They were of a similar height and he instinctively found himself assessing the other male as a potential opponent. Seren was a few years older than him, but he wasn't foolish enough to believe that made him less dangerous. He suspected they might be well matched.

Although perhaps not if he unleashed his Krythian side.

"There is one thing," Seren said slowly. "The research your female is doing has aroused interest amongst some of my people. We also have stories."

And then Seren was gone, fading into the woods with a stealth worthy of his own skills. He could track him, but there seemed little reason to follow the other male and besides - he had already been away from his female for too long.