Page 9 of Courted by the Sabertooth (Mori’s Mementos #3)

Nic

The Other World

I clung to my mate’s back. I didn’t even know his name.

I wasn’t even sure he was the giant cat who had snatched up the body parts of my ex and his crony, but he had to be, right?

I’d never read an aura wrong before except for--- Well, except for Jon.

So maybe that gift wasn’t all that reliable after all.

I wasn’t sure of anything except I was never letting my mate go again.

London had passed in a blur as I clung to him, feeling more like a baby sloth than I cared to admit.

We slipped inside the Other World gateway as if we did it every day of our lives.

“You’re safe,” he whispered to me.

“Yellow really isn’t your color, Beal!” a man lounging in a tree a few yards away called out. “Though, wearing a dragon as a backpack suits you! Who did you kidnap?”

“Raiel! Aren’t you working?” Beal called back to the man in the tree, a grin tugging at his words.

Beal. The name rolled around my brain. I’d never heard of him before. Raiel, I knew by name. Unless there was a second man named Raiel.

“Crilus gave me the day off. Something about labor rights,” Raiel laughed.

Yep. That he was one of the bartenders at the Raven’s Perch. Was he also a giant cat who could sever limbs and tails in a single blow?

“Single blow?” My dragon chimed off into my thoughts. “We don’t know that it’s a single blow.”

“Look at the size of his hands. Look at those forearms. I bet it’s in a single blow.

Once little slice and tug and the body parts are just…

.” I stopped myself because part of me couldn’t let go of the fact it was Jon.

I wasn’t even surprised that he’d be willing to try to kill me to get money.

He was like some money-hungry gremlin. It’s too fucking ironic for words.

If he’d loved me like a fiancé was supposed to, I’d have given him the world.

I’d have sliced up the earth itself and fed it to him on crackers in my bed.

“He never was that guy,” my dragon reminded me.

“I know and it doesn’t matter now,” I said to him and nuzzled my cheek against Beal’s shoulder.

While I was off in my own head space speaking with my dragon Beal had filled Raiel, who was his cousin, in on what had happened. The elf-lion bartender didn’t even look surprised. He sort of shrugged at me like ‘what else can one do when peons threaten to kill your mate?’

“Do you think Clarence will come looking for you?” Raiel asked, turning the conversation to what he clearly thought were more important matters than a couple lost limbs from two dead beat shifters.

“Probably not. He’s not that well versed in the Other World.

I think Nic will be the first dragon on our world in a long time.

Probably not ever but in a long damn time,” Beal said.

“He might try but I doubt he could find it. Once things cool down and I get Nic’s third gift, we’ll have to figure things out.

His mother is still back there. His friends too. His family has a glittery face empire.”

“Makeup and other cosmetic items,” I chimed in.

“Yeah. Shiny Butt Cosmetics.” Raiel nodded. “Everyone knows who you are, Nic.”

“Even over here?” I blinked.

“Well, not over here.” Raiel laughed, jumping down from the tree. “I know because I work on Earthside. I’m waiting it out at Crilus’s bar because that’s where I’m going to meet my true-mate.”

“Maybe there. He was never told the name of the bar in the prophecy,” Beal said. “He’s a hopeless romantic, though. I always thought I was practical until I was hunting down Jon and taking his paw.”

“Umm… Can we talk about my third courting gift? Can I suggest flowers or chocolate or even a tie? I don’t wear ties, but I don’t think I can handle another severed body part in the morning.”

“Don’t you want the head or hide of Tops?” Beal asked, trying to look at me over his shoulder.

“I don’t want him to kill me or anyone else, but I don’t need to keep a souvenir.”

“They haven’t let you keep any of your courting gifts,” he frowned.

I tried to inhale his scent to discern what he was feeling but he still smelled like a damn coconut.

“That’s alright. I’m not really a taxidermy guy anyway. Plus, every time I find one, I end up with an injury.”

Beal’s frown deepened and guilt flooded my core.

“I’m just not used to such over the top measures.

Most of the guys I date want sex, makeup, or money.

One dated me because he wanted to date my mum.

Seriously, if one of them had offed a pair of guys who wanted to kill me for money, I’d be married by now.

Just the knowing is enough, though,” I told him because it almost made sense that he’d bring me proof of his hard work.

“I’m not used to severed body parts laying around especially on my pillow. ”

“Get used to it,” Raiel teased me. “Beal likes to give gifts.”

“I could make you a cloak from Tops’s hide,” he offered.

“No, thank you. Though, if my mother gets to him there probably won’t be anything of him left to make a cloak from,” I said, chuckling a little.

“Are you taking him home?” Raiel asked.

Beal nodded and Raiel cocked his head to the side.

At first, I thought the bartender had a problem with Beal taking me home, but they were talking over their group link.

A moment later, Raiel waved goodbye, and we were off again.

We were on solid ground, and I could’ve kept up with Beal.

Part of me felt guilty for not offering to walk but he wasn’t out of breath and didn’t seem put out by carrying me around like a backpack.

Every now and then he ran his hands over my calves and even through my jeans his warm touch gave me goosebumps.

We walked past several well-known Other World gateway sites.

We could’ve gone anywhere on Earthside through those gateways, but Earthside wasn’t our destination.

We cut through a small dirt path barely wide enough for Beal to walk down.

Lush vegetation grew on either side of the path and I was extra thankful that I kept up with my allergy meds.

Every few minutes one of the plants released a plume of bright pink pollen and little purple and green insects swarmed to gobble it up.

We walked until the path met the side of a mountain.

To our left, I spotted a cave entrance, but we didn’t head that way.

Instead, we headed up. I tightened my grip on Beal as he scaled the rock wall.

I wasn’t afraid of heights. I had wings after all but he swung from ledge to ledge as if it was merely a stroll through a well-lit park.

He let out a growly sound a few ledges from the top and startled me. My hands slipped but he grabbed my legs for the fraction of a second that it took me to regain my composure.

“Just letting them know it’s me,” he said, patting my calf as if placating my overreaction to his perfectly normal call out.

“I thought you guys had your own world?” I asked.

“We do, but we guard our own gateway. That’s why I know dragons don’t sneak onto our world and have parties,” he chuckled, grabbing the top of the stone and leaping up to its ledge.

Four men lounged in front of a door that looked as if it had been carved into another mountain side. They chewed on chicken wings and wore leather leggings and not much else besides feathery adornments. They all cocked their heads in unison when their eyes settled on me.

“He’s mine,” Beal said.

Were they going to try to fight him for me?

I wasn’t down for that. In all the commotion, I hadn’t thought to ask about omega rights where he came from.

I bit my lip preparing to tell them all off if I needed to but their faces broke out into wide grins as they sprung to their feet like they were liquid filled people.

Apparently ‘mine’ had a different connotation here.

It implied something about mateship and really excited the other cat men.

The tallest of the guards wrapped his arm around another one and pulled him in for a long tongue-filled kiss.

I looked away with a scorching blush creeping up my neck.

Would Beal kiss me like that in front of the others one day?

I always tried to be proper in public because everything I did reflected upon my mother’s company but my mother’s company wasn’t here, and I sort of wanted him to push me up against the rocks and kiss me until I came undone.

Kiss me until I didn’t remember that Jon broke my heart and lost his paw.

Kiss me until I didn’t remember that my mother was too overprotective now and that I was probably missing important Shinny Butt meetings today.

Kiss me until, well, until I felt better.

“Those tongue suckers are Cras and Iro,” Beal said, nodding in the direction of the men still kissing. The taller one had his hands all over his mate’s ass and they were pressed so close together that I wasn’t sure where one ended and the other began.

“These two,” he said about the men who had walked up and sniffed my hair, “are Cras’s brothers Miles and Luno.

They’re usually hanging out here with Cras and Iro who are the guards for this turn of the moon.

Everyone takes turns unless they have kittens.

Cras and Iro’s kittens are grown. So, they’re back in rotation. ”

I nodded unsure of what to say. One of the brothers sniffed me again and sensing my discomfort Beal hissed at him. They both stepped away.

“There’ll be plenty of time to get to know him later. For now, we’re off to lock ourselves up. Don’t let any dragons follow us unless it’s a dragoness who smells like him. Then again, maybe not her for a few moons either.”

“A few moons, aye?” Cras stopped kissing Iro long enough to tease as Beal started toward the door.

Beal half-turned and raised his arm to flash the group his arm pit. They all laughed. Was that their version of flipping the bird?