Mating Rights by Jaide Fox Page A

the boy had gone. “Is there anything I can
help with?” Mali asked. She was used to helping her mama in the kitchen. She
didn’t like twiddling her thumbs with nothing to do all day.
    Ralph took a list from
the cook. “Make certain you get all of these for the mulled wine. Off with you
boy. Hurry back and add them to the wine.” She looked up at Mali. “Gel, you’re
a guest. You’re welcome to a plate if you’re hungry, but that’s as much as we
need from you. Save yer energy for the dancing tonight. You’ll need it. The
menfolk are champing at the bit to entice themselves a lass as pretty as you.”
    Mali flushed and ducked
her head. She knew she was no great beauty. Before she could laugh off the
compliment, however, she felt a tap on her shoulder.Whipping
around, she saw Kimber. She hugged her, laughing and smiling.
    “I thought you’d snuck
off for good, Mali! Maybe been tied to a certain someone’s bed never to be seen
again.” She waggled her shapely eyebrows.
    Mali rolled her eyes
and returned the smile. “You don’t know me well if you think I could laze about
in bed all day. Mama had me up at sunrise every day.”
    “My ma and da were much
the same. Some of the girls here act like they’re highborn. The other girls
were still abed when I left.”
    Mali moved to the feast
tables covered in platters of cheese and fresh baked bread. Older women bustled
back and forth from a nearby kitchen, carrying baskets of more bread, fresh
fruit, and sugary confections. The list seemed endless and enticing.She snuck a wedge of cheese and popped it in her
mouth. Kimber grabbed two apples and handed one to her.
    “There’s a dance
tonight. Everyone will be wearing masks,” Kimber said.
    Mali arched a brow.
“Oh? I didn’t know that.”
    Kimber chuckled. “You’d
know more if you came to the announcements. I thought we could go make masks
together. Fix each other’s hair too. That will take a few hours.”
    “I’d like that. Why
masks?”
    “I think it’s to give
all the men a fair shot at winning your heart. Level the playing field so you aren’t
just falling for a pretty face when you choose your mate tomorrow night.”
    Mali wondered if Jaxon
would show bearing something over his face. There were enough women in town with
dark skin and hair that she could conceivably hide herself amongst them. They
would have a little anonymity at the dance. She could pretend to be someone
else to tease Jaxon and see if he was immune to all women or only her. It would
be interesting to see where his heart lay.
    ***
    A parchment with a
broken wax seal lay atop Nicodemus’ scarred oak desk. In his unyielding,
straight back chair, Nicodemus looked thoughtful as he pushed the thick paper
toward Jaxon.
    “Have a read. Tell me
what you think.”
    Jaxon scanned the
contents of the letter. “They want to meet with us tomorrow night to form a
truce. Is this genuine?”
    “Ah broke the seal
meself. It’s as real as mah signet,” Nicodemus said in his thick brogue,
twisting the gold ring on his right forefinger. Every leader of the original
seven clans possessed a ring which bore their animal totem.
    Jaxon scrubbed a hand
across his face. “What are you looking for from me? Approval? You’ll do what
you want regardless of what ah have to say.”
    “Ah want to know my best
man is with me. We’ll go for peace and lay this bad blood to rest. Shouldn’t
have taken so long to get around to it, but you know how stubborn I am.”
    Jaxon grunted. “Aye,
Alpha. That ah do.”
    “I’ll send my messenger
out then.”
    Their meeting
adjourned, Jaxon left. As much as he despised the bear clan, he knew they had
to make peace for the greater good of their people. The animosity couldn’t be
maintained for eternity.
    Jaxon’s house was empty
when he returned. He closed the door tiredly behind him, ignoring the pain in
his knee that constantly reminded him of past mistakes and foolhardy decisions.
He grabbed the leather book