"What could he have meant by that?"

"I think his meaning was obvious, Saskia." Her father glared at her. "He wanted me to know that if Preda and I continue to have problems with the Council, the old families will not hesitate to remove us from this city, undoing all of our hard work and installing themselves in our place."

"Whoa, wait a minute, Papa. What's this about hard work and installing someone in New York? I though this move was about business. You said Preda Industries and Arcos Enterprises need to move here in order to stay compet.i.tive in the global market. You said that New York represented the hub of the business world and it would benefit the companies to relocate their headquarters here. You didn't say anything about this being a coordinated effort among our people to establish some kind of toehold on new territories."

Gregor froze and turned to look at her. He wore an odd expression, a combination of guilt and calculation. She didn't like it one bit.

He smiled at her, and the paternalistic gesture made the hair stand up on the back of her neck.

"What aren't you telling me, Papa?"

"It's nothing. Nothing you need to concern yourself with."

"I beg to differ," she gritted out, clenching her teeth. "If it involves my race and my family and now my mate, then it involves me. Therefore I have a right to know. Are you telling me that the old streaks came together to make the decision to move into America? Is that actually something that happened without my knowledge?"

Gregor scowled. "And why would you need knowledge of something like that, eh, little girl? That is a matter for theri, not females or cubs."

She drew a deep breath, searching for calm. "I can't believe I'm hearing this. I can't believe you did that. Did someone forget that keeping our paws off of North America is a large part of how we've kept the peace with the Lupines all these centuries? Did that slip someone's mind?"

The old refrain of "not for women and cubs" was a familiar one, but that never seemed to make it sound any better to Saskia's ears. She wanted to shout about how she and her mother probably had a better grasp on the nuances of the Tiguri political atmosphere than Gregor did, but she knew the information would fall on deaf ears. Bound up in tradition, her father really believed that women didn't get involved in politics. Never mind that her mother and grandmother had steered their clan into the alliance with both the Voros and the Berec clans, or that Saskia herself had given him the outline of the solution he and another ther had used to rein in a young male without a streak who had been attempting to siphon members and power off an old and weakened clan.

Her father might know that Saskia had as deft a political hand as he did, but she knew she would never hear him admit it. She tried not to let that knowledge upset her.

"Of course it didn't," Gregor said, "But times have changed, and some among the theri believe that we need to change with them. The expansion of territory was only a by-product of our discussions. The important part..."

He trailed off, and Saskia shook her head emphatically. "Oh, no, Papa. You've come this far. Now I need to hear the rest."

"Yes, I suppose you do, since your role in the whole situation has become so crucial."

He paused to draw a deep breath, clasping his hands together behind his back and rocking back on his heels the way he always did before he made a big announcement. The last time she'd seen him do it, he'd been about to tell her that Preda had approached him about a mating between her and Nicolas.

She waited, nervous tension tightening her belly. She felt as if the sword of Damocles hung above her head.

"Over the last few years, there has been ... rumbling among the streaks. Some of the newer groups have begun to question whether the old families should really have so much influence over our laws and customs."

Saskia nodded, not finding that particularly surprising. While she'd been raised in an old family, she realized that many of the Tiguri who grew up in the newer, less entrenched clans often saw her kind and their traditions as antiquated. Almost obsolete.

"The things we heard told us nothing new," Gregor continued, "but the volume of some of those dissenting voices has increased in the last year or two. It prompted five of the old families to get together last year and discuss our options."

"Your options for what?" she wanted to know. Or actually, she didn't, but she felt she needed to in order to understand.

Her father looked grim. "For consolidating our power and enhancing our authority over the rest of the Tiguri. The theri who attended the meeting took a vote to determine which of us would step forward as representatives of the old guard."

The knot in her stomach drew painfully tight. "So who won the vote? You, or Stefan Preda?"

"Neither of us. Both of us."

"I don't understand."

Gregor sighed. "During the discussions, the subject of the betrothal agreement between you and Nicolas came up. A couple of the theri were swayed by the thought that the mating, especially if it were fruitful, would make for a powerful leading force by tying two old families together for a single purpose, behind a single leader."

"A single leader? Who was that supposed to be? You, or Mr. Preda?"

"Nicolas."

Saskia felt as if she'd been slapped. "Nicolas?"

"That was the main reason why Stefan stepped down as ther last year. With Nicolas as head of their streak, and the two of you engaged, it would seem perfectly natural if he became the official head of both our families, and therefore of all the old guard. Of course, his position would only be strengthened if you were known to be carrying his cub." Gregor's blue eyes, so like her own, bored into her. "Tell me, Saskia. Are you pregnant yet?"

If she had managed to conceive, she hoped an iron-rich diet would be good for her baby, because Saskia felt angry enough to chew nails. Fury had struck her so hard, she'd barely managed to keep from throwing her father bodily out of the apartment. As it was, her demand that he get out had left him looking wounded and her feeling like a horrible child.

Just not horrible enough to look at his face at the moment.

She felt betrayed, as if she'd just discovered that her father wasn't really her father or her mother not her mother. Saskia felt like an orphan, abandoned by parents who cared more about their own position in society than about her happiness or well-being. How could they do that to her?

Saskia knew she was painting her mother with a fairly broad brush, since Gregor hadn't mentioned Victoria taking any active role in the big plan, but it didn't matter. She always followed her husband's lead. Victoria was the perfect mate, obedient, loyal, and content to let Gregor steer the course of their lives while she rode around in his wake, content with luxurious houses and pretty jewels and the occasional fond glance.

At the moment, Saskia didn't feel that kind of fondness for anybody, including her own mate.

Had he known about this? Had that been the reason for their sudden engagement, after years of knowing that they would be mated as soon as he got around to setting a date? Had Nicolas, like their fathers, cared more about the political implications of their match than about actually building a life with her?

G.o.d help him if he did, because that would be one injury to their relationship that no compromise could heal.

He returned about fifteen minutes after her father left to find her still sitting on the sofa, the remains of the tea cooling in front of her. She heard Nicolas's greeting as he stepped into the living room from the foyer, but she didn't turn. She sat staring into s.p.a.ce like a trauma victim. She supposed she was.

"Sa.s.s?" His voice rumbled as he walked up behind her, her face concealed by the position of the sofa, which faced away from the entrance to the room.

When she didn't answer, his voice became concerned. "Saskia?"

He circled the sofa in a rush of movement and dropped to his knees in front of her. He peered into her face, then took stock of the scene around her, the two half-full cups of cooling tea, the fancy English service. Looking back at her, he raised a hand to her cheek.

"Saskia, what's wrong?" His deep voice held a world of concern. "What happened? Who was here? What did they do to upset you? Sa.s.sy, talk to me, sweetheart."

Her eyes shifted to his face, but she didn't move. She had to clench her teeth against the jolt that coursed through her when his fingers touched her skin. Her hormones didn't care that she'd been betrayed, probably by him. But her heart did.

"Did you take me to mate because you wanted me, or because you wanted to lead the old families against the upstart Tiguri?"

She watched his face, searching carefully for his reaction, and saw only confusion. But was that all there was or all her lovesick heart wanted to see?

"Sweetheart, what the h.e.l.l are you talking about? What kind of nonsense is this?"

She repeated the question, her voice flat and unemotional. "Just answer me."

He sat back on his heels, his hand dropping to her knee. His expression shifted from concern to annoyance. "I'll answer, but then I expect you to tell me what this is all about. When I left here this morning, I thought we'd moved beyond making stupid a.s.sumptions about each other. I would hate to think I was wrong. Agreed?"

Saskia nodded. She'd hate to think that, too.

"Okay, then." He nodded and fixed her gaze with his, the green depths serious and intense. "We've been over this before, but I'll say it this one last time, because obviously, you need to hear it. Saskia Eloisa Arcos, you are my mate, and I took you for my mate because no other female would do. You suit me as if you'd been made for me, from your beautiful red-gold hair to the tips of your delectable little toes. Even when you're driving me crazy and making me behave like a mindless fool, I know that you're the only woman on earth with that power. And when you take me into your delicious body, I know no other woman has ever fit me so perfectly. For the last four days, I've gone to sleep tasting you on my tongue and woken up with the feel of you in my arms, and I know that I'll never be able to get a night's rest again if you're not there beside me. You challenge me and you comfort me, and I will never want another woman as my mate. Does that answer your question?"

Tears welled in Saskia's eyes and she nodded. She fought to keep her lips from quivering, but she doubted she succeeded. She certainly didn't manage to bite back that sob that tore from her throat in a choking wail.

With an expression of mingled horror and tenderness Nicolas watched her break down. Gathering her against his chest, he pressed her cheek to his shoulder and stroked her hair gently.

"Oh, sweetheart," he murmured, and the rumbling of the sound in his chest made Saskia feel somehow safer. "Baby, don't cry. You need to tell me what happened so I can go out and beat whoever did this to you into a b.l.o.o.d.y pulp."

Saskia just sobbed harder.

Murmuring soothing nonsense, Nicolas scooped her up into his arms and took her seat on the sofa, arranging her carefully across his lap. "Hush now, Sa.s.sy girl. It can't be that bad. I promise, I'll make it better, but you have to tell me what happened."

It took her several more minutes to stop crying hard enough to prevent speech. Even then, the words tumbled out in fits and starts as she explained to Nicolas about her visit from her father. She felt Nic's muscles tighten steadily under hers, but his hands remained gentle as they rubbed soothingly along her spine.

She told him about the meeting among the theri and about the unrest moving through the Tiguri families. She also told him about her father's summary of the agreement with Stefan and his concern for the possibility of her pregnancy. Her mate remained silent through the whole telling, but the glances she cast up at his face revealed an expression of intense anger. Luckily, she didn't think it was directed at her.

"The worst part," she said, after she'd reached the point in the story where she threw her father out of the apartment, "is that I've been just sitting here thinking this whole time, and I'm not sure it matters anymore whether you were in on our fathers' plan."

His arms tightened around her. "Saskia, I swear to you that-"

"No, I know," she cut him off. "I'm not saying I don't believe you when you tell me you had no idea what they were doing. I just mean that if there really is such serious trouble brewing among the streaks, you might have no choice but to take charge. I mean, would you rather have my father do it? Or yours? They've already proven they can't be trusted to put anyone's welfare above their own agendas. Not even their own children's."

"Oh, no." Nicolas tightened his mouth into a grim line. "I will not be manipulated into going along with their little scheme just because they've created a de facto role for me. My father and I have been over this ground again and again, but apparently he's not getting the message any more than the Council of Others is. I. Am. Not. Interested. In. Politics. End of story. Not the politics of the Others, and not the politics of the Tiguri. Any man who wants to try to control the destinies of others is out of his ever-loving mind. I'd rather spend my days mining for diamonds in a pile of horse s.h.i.t. It would be a h.e.l.l of a lot more pleasant, not to mention about equally as productive."

Saskia could see his sincerity; it radiated from him like music from a concert hall. He meant every single word. "So what could our fathers have hoped to accomplish?"

"I have no idea, but trust me when I tell you, I mean to find out." He eased her off his lap and set her on the sofa beside him. "I don't care if my father is in a meeting with the Queen of England at the moment, he's going to want to get rid of her so he can answer to me. And when I'm done with him, I'm going after yours."

Saskia grabbed hold of his hand and prevented him from rising. "Don't. Not now." She lifted his hand and guided it around her shoulders until she could snuggle back into his embrace. "Nothing is going to change in a few hours, and I'd rather have you here right now. I've had a very upsetting morning."

Nicolas glanced down at her, some of his tension melting at the way she rubbed her cheek against him, like a kitten begging to be stroked. "You have, hm-m?"

She nodded, feeling the pressure of arousal growing inside her again, her heat returning in the wake of the release of her tears. They had already made love once on this sofa, but she didn't necessarily mind if they repeated themselves. As she recalled, the experience had been worth repeating.

"I have. And as my mate, it's your job to stay here and comfort me."

He used his arm to snug her closer and slid the other hand along her side, drifting over her sweater-clad breast and stomach to press gently at the tops of her inner thighs.

"I guess you might be right," he purred, and leaned down to nuzzle her ear. His tongue flicked over the sensitive tip, making her shiver. "I wonder what you might find comforting after such a difficult morning."

His fingers pressed gently, slipping a bare inch between her thighs to tease along the seam covering her crotch. Her legs parted helplessly and her hips lifted into his hand. She adored his touch. It made her head spin like raw whiskey, and somehow after all the times they had come together over the last few days it still managed to show her new things about herself and her own capacity for pleasure.

"That's my girl," he murmured, sliding his fingers down, cupping his palm over her heated core. "Did you miss me while I was gone?"

He ran his thumb along the ridge of material above her c.l.i.t, pressing the cloth against her sensitive nerves until she moaned and shook against him. "Did my girl get hungry while I was away?"

G.o.d, he had no idea. His deep voice teased her as surely as his hand, the low vibrations moving through her like an inner caress, as if he touched more than just her body. He touched the heart of her with his quiet words and the emerald heat of his changeable green eyes.

"Do you need me, Sa.s.sy girl?" His fingers shifted, hovered over the fastening of her trousers. "Do you need me inside you? Do you need to be mated, my sweet little tigress? Need to be filled?"

She hissed her response, growing tired of being teased. With the heat on her, she could be readied just by thinking about him. She required no preparation to drip with welcome and ache with need. She just wanted her mate. Now.

Her mouth opened on a m.u.f.fled roar of demand, and she could feel fangs drop from her jaw as pa.s.sion brought her beast to the surface. The last time she'd come so close to changing had been the first time she and Nicolas had mated. The glint in his eye told her he remembered the event well.

Abruptly the teasing stopped. Efficiently his fingers dealt with the fastening of her trousers and the b.u.t.tons of her sweater, stripping her of both garments in economical movements. His own clothing followed, though unlike his habitually barefoot mate, he got his jeans caught on his shoes for a second and cursed roundly as he paused to deal with the obstacle. Finally nude, he reached for her, shifting her to lie back on the sofa and coming down over her like the warm darkness of a summer night.

His weight pressed her into the cushions, and she stretched luxuriously against the velvety nap of the soft chenille upholstery. Arms and legs opened in welcome, wrapping him in her embrace. She gloried in the feel of him, the scent of him, the raw masculine power of him as he dispensed with any show of preliminaries and joined their bodies in a single smooth thrust.

She arched into him, purring her pleasure as his barbed shaft rubbed along her sensitive inner walls, urging her to pleasure and fertility. Grunting, he gave her more of his weight, pressing their bodies together from chest to groin. The intimate connection allowed him to stroke her with his whole body, undulating against her as he thrust and retreated.

With her eyes open, she watched his gaze locked on her, watched his face tighten with his own intense arousal. She could read his rhythm in his eyes, the way they sparked with each withdrawal and darkened with pleasure each time she closed fully around him, taking his entire length. His parted lips allowed his breath to caress her face with short, sharp puffs of air. He breathed heavily as the pleasure peaked, but so did she, gasping for air to keep her moving, keep her open and accepting for her chosen mate.

Their loving didn't last long. It couldn't, not with the whip of her heat driving them forward and the intensity of the pleasure they knew they could achieve in each other's arms. Neither had any interest in delaying that ecstasy. Each reached for it with greedy fingers, and when they grasped it each dissolved crying the other's name.

Nic dozed for a few minutes, enjoying the softness of his mate beneath him and the warmth of her body clasped around his softening flesh. He savored their connection as he drifted back toward awareness, but when he looked down into Sa.s.s's pretty blue eyes he found them shuttered in sleep. Whether he had worn her out or the demands of her emotional outburst had accomplished the task he couldn't tell. Either way, she slept soundly enough that she barely moved when he separated their bodies, and he took that as a sign that she needed the rest.

Lord knew nether of them had gotten much of that over the last few days.

The thought made him smile as he scooped her into his arms and carried her carefully into their bedroom. Pulling back the covers, he tucked her beneath the blankets and brushed the hair away from her face with gentle fingers. She didn't stir.

He had definitely worn her out.

His sense of satisfaction barely followed him to the bathroom door. As he cleaned up, his thoughts drifted back to the story his mate had told him and renewed anger flooded through him.

What the h.e.l.l had their fathers been thinking?

He snorted and reached for a towel. He had a pretty good idea what his father had thought. It qualified as a familiar refrain in the story of their relationship. Nic had refused to do as his father expected, so rather than fighting about it, Stefan had simply gone ahead and arranged matters in such a way that his son would have no choice but to fall in with his plans. Only Nic did have options. He'd learned early in his life always to keep some open and to be able to locate new ones where none appeared available.

In this case, his choice was clear: he would straighten out the mess with the Council, tell his father and Arcos to go to h.e.l.l, and remove himself and his mate from the arena of Tiguri politics through any means necessary. If that meant he would have to abandon his position at Preda Industries and move the two of them to Antarctica to start a new life together, then that was what he'd do. He would regret that his cub would never know its grandparents, but that was a price he would pay if it meant that he and his mate could live together in peace.

And woe betide any man, woman, or Other who threatened that peace.

Striding naked into the bedroom, Nic paused by the bed to check on his mate before getting dressed. He had just pulled the covers up over her shoulders when the shrill noise of the telephone shattered the quiet. He s.n.a.t.c.hed up the cordless receiver halfway through the first ring.

"What?" he growled softly, keeping one eye on Saskia to see if the sound had disturbed her. She slept on in peace.

"Oh, wow. You must be Nicolas," a woman's voice declared, sounding both amused and concerned. "You sound grumpy. You and Saskia aren't fighting again, are you? Last time I talked to her, she said you had worked things out. What happened?"

Nic scowled and carried the phone with him into the hall. He didn't want to risk waking his mate. "Who is this?"

"Sorry. This is Corinne D'Alessandro. I'm a friend of your fiancee. You didn't upset her again, did you? She was starting to sound really happy."

Nic thought about being offended at the woman's prying, but he liked the way she defended his mate so fiercely. "No," he informed her, softening his tone. "I'm sorry if I sounded 'grumpy.' Sa.s.s is asleep right now and I didn't want the phone to disturb her."

"Ah, taking a nap, is she?" Amus.e.m.e.nt crept back into Corinne's voice. "She mentioned yesterday that she hasn't been getting as much sleep as she's used to. She probably needs the rest."