Trade rights would be hammered out, peace treaties would be signed, new Seconds would be selected for three different Prides—there might never again be such an opportunity to sway Pride politics.
Ric cocked his wrist to look at his watch. “Antonio will be out of his meeting with the Australian delegate soon. He’ll be in to greet you shortly.”
It was the longest speech either of them had made since she’d met them at the airport. Either their reputation for being gregarious was wildly exaggerated or they didn’t think she was worth the effort to be polite. She was fairly certain she knew which option was the correct one.
A small commotion sounded from a side door to the office. That would be Antonio, she assumed. She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders, preparing to meet the Pride leader who had the greatest reason to dislike her, just for being a Garcia.
The door swung open and a man walked through who looked enough like the twins that there was no doubt about his identity. Teresa rose from her seat and offered a formal nod befitting a Pride leader.
“Hola, Antonio.” She offered him a hand to shake, made sure her grip was firm. She was grateful he didn’t try to show off his machismo by squeezing her hand hard enough to break it. He wouldn’t have been the first Panther male to try, and she refused to back down and start flinching and crying from the pain. They’d have to try a lot harder than that.
Instead, Antonio’s demeanor matched hers, brisk and professional, with no unnecessary power plays or shows of dominance. It made her suspicious. Felines were well-known for playing such games, and she had no idea if he was just toying with her before he struck. She had to stay on her toes and keep her guard up.
“It’s good to meet you, Teresa. Have a seat.” He arched his eyebrows at his younger brothers. “I think we can take it from here, gentlemen.”
Diego opened his mouth to protest, but Antonio held up his hand. The twins frowned, but obeyed and exited in short order. She drew in a deep breath, ignored the knot of anxiety in her chest, and assumed a relaxed pose in her chair. It wasn’t entirely natural, but she could fake it well enough that no one who didn’t know her would be able to tell.
Antonio sat behind his wide wooden desk. He examined her for a moment, tapping his fingers against an ink blotter. “I don’t think I need to tell you that the success of this summit is important to me.”
In other words, if she hadn’t come to play well with the other kids on the playground, then she could go home. She settled back and crossed her legs. “I’ll be blunt, sir, if you don’t mind.”
His brows rose, surprise crossing his face. He waved his hand. “I prefer it.”
“Good.” Of course, she’d heard that about him, and she’d done her homework on how to deal with every person who was scheduled to attend this summit. She’d made certain to meet all of them while on her tour of the Prides, learned what made them tick. She was the new kid on the block, and on many levels she was working at a disadvantage. The only thing she hadn’t anticipated was actually finding a mate. She hadn’t seen Rafe coming. She stuffed that thought away, and the shiver of awareness it caused. That was a problem for another time. “I’m here to play a part in what I believe could shape the Panther world for decades to come. I’m not going to cause problems—in fact, I think this summit is a brilliant idea.”
“Thank you.” He narrowed his gaze as if reassessing her. Good, she wanted to keep people on their toes. He blew out a breath. “I’m honestly surprised your father allowed anyone from his Pride to come here.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “I support my father’s leadership and policies, but my views are somewhat different on certain issues.”
Namely, anything that had to do with the African or North American Prides. Discomfort twisted inside her when she thought about why the bad blood had developed between her Pride and theirs. She didn’t like to think about that time or of what had become of her brother. She hadn’t been present at the event, but it had changed her life forever.
Because now she was living the life that should have belonged to Enrique. She quashed the thought, stuffing it deep down inside of her soul. Dwelling on what couldn’t be changed was pointless. Best to focus on what was in front of her.
Antonio watched her silently, and she forced herself not to fidget, to meet his gaze as if she were his equal rather than some second-rate leading family lackey. He steepled his fingers together under his chin. “Most of the delegates are a bit older than you are.”
“Experienced, you mean.”
A small smile curved his lips. “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”
“It was me or it was no one.” She could only hope she did well enough that “no one” wasn’t the better option.
“Cesar Benhassi is representing his own Pride. He didn’t send a delegate.” His gaze pinned her in place, his intent stare one that only a feline could manage.
“The African Pride was the first stop on my tour of the various dens.” She shrugged delicately. “It seemed sensible, as it’s the closest geographically to Spain.”
She’d also done it to make a political statement about her intention to end the tensions between her Pride and any other. Her movements were always watched, analyzed, and she knew it. They had been when she’d just been Fernando Garcia’s second child, and even more intensely now that she was his heir. So, she’d used that to her advantage.
“I see.” And it was obvious Antonio did see exactly what she’d done. A glint of what might have been respect sparked to life in his gaze. “Well, you missed the ball last night, but the major negotiations don’t begin until sundown.”
“I understand, sir.” She’d need to get some sleep today and be in top form. Any misstep could be a disaster for her people, and she felt that knot in her belly twist tighter.
Panther politics were often vicious and deadly. There had been times when infighting had wiped out Prides completely. Most leaders worked hard to establish a clear line of succession in order to be certain the transfer of power from one generation to the next went smoothly and caused no bloodshed. Even that didn’t always work. At one time, it wasn’t unheard of for a younger child to kill off the heir in order to become leader.
Now, things were typically more civilized, or at least less bloody. But even in the last century, they had all had a clear view of exactly what happened when the transfer of power didn’t go smoothly. The African Pride leader had died without an heir, after killing off those who contested his authority, and when he passed, every member who had even the slightest claim to leadership made a bid for power. The result had devolved into civil war, killing most of the Pride and sending the survivors fleeing for asylum in other Prides.
It had only been in the last six months that Benhassi had re-formed the nucleus of the African Pride, and he’d had to negotiate in order to get his claim recognized by the other Pride leaders. He’d had to convince those who had once been in the Pride to come back, to lure their children away from the other Prides.
A short knock sounded on the double doors behind her, and she fought a groan as Rafe’s scent intensified. She could sense him in the mansion, and she’d been steadfastly trying not to think about him and what they’d done together in her suite. How she was going to sleep in there without going mad with the memories, she didn’t know.
“Antonio, Teresa.” Rafe came in balancing a tray on one palm. He slid it onto the desk that dominated the room. “I talked Isabel into letting me bring you some sustenance.”
Isabel. The woman Teresa’s brother had attacked. The woman now mated into the leading family of this Pride. Teresa had grown up in the same Pride with her. They’d both grown up in the same Pride as Antonio’s wife, Solana, but Teresa had never been close with the older girls. Neither of them had been well-served by the Spanish Pride, Teresa admitted, and in Isabel’s case, she bore part of the blame. Relief washed through her that she didn’t have to deal with that on top of everything else today. She would need to eventually, but not now.
“You should try the cinnamon buns. I’m sure after all the energy you’ve expended today, you could use the sugar boost.” Rafe’s smile held just a hint of wickedness when he handed her a plate with a huge bun smothered in white icing. “You know, from the long flight.”
“You flew in from Egypt,” she pointed out. “That’s not a short trip.”
“Well, I’d love a cinnamon bun, too. Thanks for the invitation.”
Antonio rubbed a hand over his mouth to hide a grin when Rafe snagged an extra coffee mug off the wooden sidebar and served himself along with everyone else.
“Thanks, Rafe.” Antonio’s gaze flicked between the two of them. “The twins mentioned you met our roving goodwill ambassador at the airport.”
Rafe chuckled, and even the sound of it was warm and inviting. Some part of her relaxed in a way that hadn’t unwound since she’d left his side. She didn’t like to admit it, but it was reassuring to have someone there with her. Rafe gestured with the hand holding his coffee. “Hardly. I leave the politics to others and just focus on my job. Travel writing is the best of all worlds. I trot around the globe and then I get to tell stories about it.”
“Sometimes exaggerated stories.” Antonio sipped his drink. “And they always leave out the part where you occasionally shift into a cat.”
“A little artistic license to fine-tune my narrative. It’s a necessary evil.” Rafe shrugged, the good humor in his expression inviting everyone to let go of any tension and just enjoy the moment. She had a feeling that was how he operated on most days. She was curious to find out if she was right, and scolded herself for wondering about him at all. They’d had sex, that was all. Panthers were highly sensual beings, so this was hardly a first for either of them. She didn’t want to be mated, so the best idea would be to go no further than she had already. If they never marked each other, they could still live apart. If they never claimed each other, this was no more than a simple affair. They could avoid the madness that came from losing a marked mate.
The Panther inside her shrieked in denial at the very concept. Mate. The instinct clamored again, demanding she acknowledge what her mind didn’t want.
Antonio shook his head at Rafe. “And they say you write nonfiction.”
“I just tell the story as I saw it.” He popped a piece of the pastry into his mouth. “That is nonfiction.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The Pride leader flapped his hand. “The truth, but not the whole truth.”
“Coming from a politician, that admonishment is rich.” Rafe stretched out his legs and crossed them at the ankle. “The problem with travel writing is you have to frame the story in an engaging way. If I gave the whole truth, right up to and including what I have for breakfast each day, I’d bore the crap out of myself…and my readers. Only so much detail needs to be in there, just the parts that are important to the one incident I’m talking about. Plus, I can use those other details in different pieces. One trip can give me fodder for a half a dozen stories.”
“Fascinating.” The word was out of her mouth before she thought better of it. But it was fascinating. This man’s life was just so far outside her realm of experience. He had a point in that politicians did frame the truth—or bald-faced lies—to suit their own ends, but other than that, their jobs were nothing alike. She disliked writing anything longer than a brief or memo, and she certainly had no desire to do it for a living, but his ability to travel on a whim was enviable. Even before she’d been heir, she’d had no such freedoms. She’d even gone to university in Barcelona instead of another city in Europe in order to remain close to the den.
Rafe’s gaze moved over her face. “I’d be happy to tell you anything you want to know about me.”
She flinched, looking away. There was no way she could offer him the same promise. Anything he wanted to know? No. There were family secrets that had the power to make her heart wrench in her chest. Things no one who wasn’t a Garcia should know.
And no matter how loudly her instincts howled at her, those secrets were what would keep her from mating with anyone.
Ever.

As she worked her way through the mansion, she passed Panthers in human and cat form, stretched out on the furniture, each watching her as she went by, staring in the way only cats could. Looking for weak points to exploit. She was the outsider here, and she had to restrain the predator inside her from baring her fangs in challenge. Controlling the Panther was something she’d been trained to do since she’d gained the ability to shift during the rush of hormones at puberty.

She sighed and tried not to let her shoulders droop. Showing weakness in front of any Pride was a dangerous gamble, especially the leading family. Her mate would feel the need to overcompensate for her, and he worked too much and too hard as it was. So much so that she spent more time alone now than she had when she was single.

Swallowing hard, she masked the hurt of that, the loneliness that ate at her soul. Some days she felt hollowed out from it. In the beginning, he’d made time for her, talking to her, asking for her opinions. They’d had quiet moments that were just for them. But in order to finish everything he needed to do in a day, more and more of his time had been eaten away by his duties. Which left her with no one to rely on.

Compressing her lips, she lifted her chin. Her life hadn’t turned out the way she’d hoped, but no one wanted to hear her complain. It would only show weakness, and God forbid there was any weakness in a leading family member. She rolled her eyes and then quickly shielded that expression before anyone witnessed it.

“Hello, Mrs. Montoya.” Eva, the Pride’s newly acquired butler, held the door open to the dining room.

“Hello,” Maru replied, and the response was echoed from a woman coming down the hall from the other direction.

Andrea Cruz Montoya, sister of the North American Pride leader, and mate of Tomas’s cousin Miguel. She was tall and lithe and as lovely as any former model could hope to appear.

“Good evening, ladies.” Miguel turned the corner just a few steps behind his wife. Cool and collected as always, the man had an aura of quiet competence that should have been reassuring, but just intimidated Maru.

That level of perfection she could never live up to. It simply reminded her how out of place she was in any leading family. They were the royalty of her kind; every move they made was scrutinized and shredded in a way that only felines could manage.

And because she’d mated to Tomas, she was one of them now.

“Good evening, Miguel. Andrea.” She nodded to them both, allowing them to precede her into the empty dining room before she went to her accustomed place. Disquiet fluttered in her belly. The last thing she wanted was to eat, but she had no choice.

There were never any choices anymore. They’d been stripped from her one by one in the six months since she’d married. She stuffed that horrible thought down into the deepest, darkest corner of her heart. She loved Tomas and Tomas loved her. That was all that mattered. That was everything, wasn’t it? Grabbing the glass of wine in front of her plate, she gulped down a drink.

Every Panther dreamed of having a mate, a person destined just for them. Not all Panthers had one, and hers was handsome, charming, and charismatic. He’d swept her off her feet from the first moment she’d met him. Asking for more would be selfish, wouldn’t it? She had what every shifter wanted. She forced herself to relax and not give in to the dread that curdled in her belly. She hated these damn family dinners the Cruzes insisted on. She couldn’t imagine ever being comfortable with them. She had nothing in common with these people.

In Japan, the Pride lived by tradition. It was valued there, important. Change was slow and carefully considered. They were very advanced in business and investments, but the Pride itself respected the past and learned from it before rushing into the future. America was different in every possible way. She liked some of the youthful enthusiasm in this Pride, but she didn’t agree with their impatient drive to change the world.

“Man, you’re insane!” Two identical men came barreling into the room, one of them colliding with the doorjamb. Both of them laughed, one a boisterous, booming guffaw while the other chuckled softly. The louder one was Diego, she reminded herself, and the other was Ric. Everyone in the Panther world knew the Cruz twins were half-wild. And they shared everything from their jobs as the Pride’s legal counsel to their love of extreme sports to their shared mate, Isabel.

“I’m not crazy, I’m creative.” Diego flashed a wicked smile and waved at the room before dropping into his seat. “Just ask my mate.”

“She’s my mate, too, idiot.” Ric rolled his eyes and heaved a long-suffering sigh. “He’s always been the slow one.”

“You’re the one who couldn’t keep up when we were snowboarding in Tahoe last weekend.” Diego thrust his fingers through his hair. “Dude, I love fresh powder. There’s nothing better—except a fresh blowjob.”

Maru choked on the wine she’d sipped. The blunt way the Cruzes discussed sex never failed to startle her.

Andrea snorted. “So, what makes you creative and not crazy, baby brother? Because I’m only seeing the crazy side tonight.”

Diego arched an eyebrow. “Just something I want Ric to help me do to Isabel tonight. She’ll love it.”

“Say no more.” Miguel held up a staying hand. “Really. Say no more.”

It had never happened that three Panthers were mated in a permanent ménage, and some didn’t think it was possible, but Maru had met the twins’ mate and liked her immensely. She’d become the only person in San Francisco whom Maru could even begin to call her friend.

Unfortunately, Isabel wasn’t there yet. Neither was Tomas. So there was no one to cling to when Antonio and Solana Cruz walked into the room. Maru fought the need to rise and bow to the leaders—the larger-than-life rulers of shifters on an entire continent. She’d found that such formality was unwelcome here, which would have been a sign of serious disrespect in Tokyo.

“What’s for dinner tonight, does anyone know? I’m famished.” Antonio’s grin showed the kind of charisma that Americans would have attributed to John F. Kennedy. It invited the kind of intimacy that would never be acceptable to the Asian Pride leader. Antonio was known for his progressive politics, so much so that in more conservative circles, he was considered a bit extreme.

“Duck a l’orange, sir. Or so Isabel said at tea.” Maru quickly swallowed more wine when every eye in the room swung toward her. A blush rose to her cheeks. She hated being the center of attention. Give her a quiet corner and a computer to design her graphic artwork and she would be happy.

“Sounds delicious.” Solana glided toward the table and let Antonio seat her beside him. She wore blue jeans, a tank top, and ropes of pearls. Somehow, she pulled it off.

Solana and Maru had gotten off on the wrong foot, and little warmth had developed between them since. A few bumbles when Maru first arrived had branded her as a conservative elitist, which wasn’t true. What was right in Japan was always wrong here.

“Did I miss anything?” Tomas strode in, a man on a mission, with purpose. The sentiment reflected the man perfectly. He bent to kiss her cheek before sliding his big body into the chair beside her. His shoulder and thigh brushed hers, crowding into her space, always touching her. Larger than life, just like the Cruzes. As she supposed any Pride leader or heir should be. How she matched him, she didn’t know, but fate had decided it was so.

“The summit is coming together nicely. I talked to the European Pride and the African Pride today. The European leader is reluctant to come if Cesar Benhassi will be here.” Antonio settled back in his chair, stroking his fingers down his chin.

Diego growled. “We’re allied with Benhassi, and he’s a good leader. The European Pride can kiss my ass—any issues between those Prides is Europe’s fault.”

Waving his wineglass in an expansive arc, Tomas jumped into the conversation. “The point of the summit is to have representatives from all Prides, to hash out issues, and to open up new avenues for trade in other continents.”

Solana popped an appetizer into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Europe may abstain from the summit altogether.”

“That would be foolish of them. They’d be cutting their nose to spite their face.” Tomas looked at Antonio. “It would also look bad for the summit if you couldn’t get everyone to be here. You cannot allow this to happen.”

And the conversation only got more opinionated from there. Isabel led a few Panthers in with serving trays, dinner was devoured, and the argument continued with each member of the family weighing in. Tomas’s eyes sparkled, his hands slicing through the air as he made his points. He was truly in his element in these political discussions. Only Isabel and Maru remained silent, focusing on their meals rather than the deliberations. It was part of why they got along so well. They were both quiet people who grew up as regular Pride members—neither of them was comfortable making decisions that affected their entire world.

Only Isabel wasn’t mated to a future leader, so she could remain in the background to some extent. Maru knew her time was running out. The moment they returned to South America, she’d be expected to take a hand in ruling, and she dreaded it. Her muscles tensed as the conversation grew louder, as opinions grew fiercer. This environment was not how business was conducted in Japan, where respect was tantamount, and criticisms were voiced gently and indirectly. On every level, she didn’t fit here.

“What do you think, Maru?” Tomas’s voice interrupted her musings, and she glanced up to meet his gaze. This was his way of trying to push her into participating in politics the way he did. She didn’t mind discussing these kinds of topics with him in private, but this was as public as one could get. Silence engulfed the room as they waited for her response.

She felt every inch of color drain out of her face. The Panther in her wanted to snarl at being backed into a corner, but she’d spent her entire life having peacekeeping drilled into her. Confrontation wasn’t in her nature. She liked tranquility in her life. Why was that so wrong?

Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged. The bottom dropped out of her stomach and bile rose in her throat. She feared the duck might come back up again. “I—I don’t think you can have a global summit without every continent on the globe represented.”

There, that was gentle enough, and it was a reiteration of what Tomas had said, wasn’t it? Or had he changed his mind when she wasn’t paying attention? Her stomach pitched and she swallowed hard.

“You see?” Her mate whipped around to face Diego. “One more on my side.”

Relief exploded inside her. She hadn’t said the wrong thing this time. Surreptitiously, she wiped her clammy palms on her legs. Her claws scraped against the silk fabric, and she hadn’t even realized they’d slid forward. She ran her tongue across her teeth to make sure she hadn’t bared her fangs at anyone, but the sharp canines weren’t in evidence. Thank goodness.

This was why she despised these family dinners. Everyone else engaged in a lively dialogue and debated matters in Panther politics, and she got to watch her mate’s passionate nature in action. He thrived on these issues, advocating for his opinion, and everyone else seemed to feel the same way. But she’d found out quickly enough that her own more traditional understanding of Prides was not welcome at their liberal meeting of minds, so she kept her own counsel unless forced to speak.

Her first week here, they’d been arguing about whether they should take in a Panther who was mated to a human, much like another couple who currently lived in the Pride, and Maru had reacted with horror. Humans and non-shifters were not allowed in Prides.

Except in this one.

When she’d said it, the sentiment had fallen into a horrible, awkward silence as Maru realized that Solana had once been thought to be a non-shifter, a Panther unable to assume cat form, and thus unable to breed or form a full mate bond. Maru had forgotten because the other woman had recently borne a child and therefore was not a non-shifter.

Non-shifters were considered a curse to most Prides and were destined to be outcasts. Except in this Pride. Panthers who were unfortunate enough to be mated to humans were expected to leave the Pride, but still maintain the secrets of their race, even to their mates. It was considered essential for the greater good of all Panthers. Except in this Pride. Anywhere else in the world, people would have agreed with her wholeheartedly. Except in this Pride. She’d tried to apologize for her rudeness to Solana, but the damage was done. After that Maru never willingly spoke up again.

Worse, she’d embarrassed her mate and he’d had to explain to her that when she spoke before she considered all sides of the situation, she could cause problems for his entire Pride.

It was a responsibility she didn’t want, and while she might learn to make peace with it someday, it was never something she would have asked for.