Having already reached the garage the two girls loaded Mattea’s things over into Ami’s trunk and climbed into the car setting out for the half hour drive to the University.
“So about that bet, chica.”
Sighing, “Would you give it a rest I called forfeit just before the darn game started.”
“And I said that you couldn’t back out, so you owe me, one sexy as fuck dress at a club of my choosing and one dance with a guy you barely know.”
“Have you lost your damn mind I’m not doing that. It’d be better if you just asked me to go bungee jumping.”
“It would, but this way you get to show off those legs of yours. So you’re going to do it or we’re not friends anymore.”
Rolling her eyes Ami stated, “You have been using that tired threat since we were little. I am a grown woman now so that threat would be like a treat for me.”
“A treat huh, we’ll see who has a treat when somebody can’t get her ancient computer to start-up and she’s missed an episode of “Glee.”
Gasping, “You wouldn’t?!”
“I just did,” Mattea said crossing her arms and rolling her neck.
“Fine I’ll wait for the whole season on DVD.”
“No you won’t otherwise you’d have done it for the first and second season so what’s it gonna be…Glee or no Glee?”
Hitting her hand against the steering wheel in admission of defeat Ami said, “Fine I give...but…”
“No buts I’m in control of everything. All you are is a living-breathing-dancing mannequin.”
Attempting to focus her attention back on the road, Ami made a sharp turn and asked, “Fine, when are we doing this then?”
Mattea simply replied, “Tonight.”
Eyes popping out from beneath her half closed eyelids, “Tonight… Mattea no I can’t, I have things to do.”
“You have nothing to do I already checked your schedule. So let’s not even worry about the details until after class.”
Mr. Jackson Tussou, or just Jack to everyone in the Pride was a very kind, well sorted man. He never drank and he wasn’t a hussy chasing philandering sort of man. In fact after his wife passed on he had never really had anything serious with anyone. Jack was considered a jovial man, one that everyone eventually took a liking to, he never got angry or raised up in arms except when it came to his daughter.
“YOU’RE MY DAUGHTER’S WHAT!”
Geoffrey, trying to be as still as a mouse caught with a piece of cheese tried his best to calm the situation between the two men. If Mr. Tussou ever had the chance to be reborn again he would surely come back as a pride leader.
“Jack… calm down… this isn’t something not un-heard of… people get paired off every day.”
The two men staring each other down, sizing each other up would not relent. But really what was there to be said. When Tyrannious introduced himself as Mr. Tussou’s client and possible true mate to Jack’s only child what sort of reaction could one suggest?
Taking several breaths to still himself, Jack broke the uncomfortable silence, “Now, Mr. Naeri, I am sure that I’ve heard you incorrectly.”
Quirking an eyebrow Ty replied, “No you haven’t Jack. When I met your daughter today I felt the instant sensation of the mating tide, there’s no mistaking it.”
Jack barely noticed his office door being opened and closed by a retreating Geoffrey.
“But she’s not even a full were.”
“Well apparently she doesn’t have to be for her true mate to feel the mating tide,” Ty said as he found himself leaning across Jack’s desk.
“And what did Ami have to say?”
“Nothing, she sort of ran off like a scared rabbit.”
Raising an eyebrow in suspicion, if Jack knew anything at all about his Ami, she never in her life ran from anything. This was bad. Clenching and unclenching his jaw, Jack stood and came from around his desk, “Mr. Naeri, lets you and I go out for some fresh air shall we?”
Eyeing him suspiciously Ty agreed with a curt nod.
Taking the Pride Leader out on his office veranda Jack began his attempt of an apology, “You’ll have to excuse me Mr. Naeri, for acting the way I did. But you have to understand that Ami is different.”
Ty had gotten a brief dossier of Mr. Jackson Tussou, the human mate of the long deceased Shia of the Augustine Pride. He read of Shia as well. Knowing the breeding laws that the Elders set backward and forwards; Ty knew full well that only lions with the strongest were-lion gene are allowed to mate with humans to ensure that the gene is carried on, and Shia wasn’t one of the lucky ones. Yet against the pride, the Elders, and the natural law of all were-lions she mated with Jack Tussou.
Pulling out a cigarette from his inside coat pocket Jack spoke, “From the look on your face I see that you are well aware of how I came to be here. The laws that my wife and I broke, knowingly she still chose me over all the consequences and I thank God every day that the Elders didn’t have us killed for it. And I thank God even more for allowing me to have such a precious gift in my life.”
Jackson was normally a private man and did not discuss matters in too much depth unless on a need to know basis. But at that very moment, a desperate need arose to light the cigarette and take a long drag of the toxins into his body, down to his lungs filling him with the false sense of security Jackson knew that detail was key. Fore the were-lion that stood before him seemed all too sure about risking his daughter’s life and ending his world.
Running his hands through his graying hair Jack continued, “When Shia and I returned to the Pride there were plenty of lions that wanted me, her and, our un-born child dead. And even though I could have taken Shia anywhere in the world I couldn’t bare the thought of her missing her family and growing to resent I or my child. So we came back and it was not long after Shia passed on during child birth that Ami was deemed ‘to have no visible evidence of the were-lion gene to become a pride member’—their words exactly.”
Taking the unlit cigarette and placing it behind his ear— a sign that he was truly worried—Jack didn’t care if the Pride Leader were listening to him at this particular point in the story. “I was left homeless, wife-less, and a father to an infant, I was a mess but I straightened out to ensure that my Ami would survive. I often thought about giving up just to save myself the pain and to make sure that Ami had a better chance with someone more suitable to raise children but if I had just left or given up, my Ami would have been left for dead during infancy. If she were to make it to adolescence her chances of surviving the Pride life were slim to none, she would have become an out cast at best.”
“But I couldn’t leave my daughter, I didn’t have it in me. We could have left but I wanted to allow Ami a chance to learn about the person her mother used to be, so I petitioned the Elders to stay. It was not lost on me that I was asking to stay amongst the very people that wanted me and my entire family dead just a few months previously but it was something I had to do. It was only made easier because of the fact that I knew that Ami was considered fully human and that she wouldn’t have to abide by all the pride laws and that was fine because as a human I could ensure her survival.”
Taking his time to form a reply, “That’s a nice story Mr. Tussou, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Mr. Naeri I don’t believe you’re a father yet so let me say that being a father is somewhat like being Pride leader, you rule and make decisions that affect the mass of your pride while I did what I needed to make sure that my child was taken care. While I, as a father, and you, as a leader, each have our differences the one thing we have in common is sacrifice. My Ami was a wonderful child but trust that if she needed anything I would not hesitate to go without for her sake. Now you on the other hand may have sacrificed in your life time and you could possibly understand all that it means but what you don’t get is, if my Ami is your true mate, how will you be able to protect her and what sacrifices will you make to have her.”
Since Ami refused to move away from her dad she attended Josiah Ignacious Carradine University or Jo ICU as the students referred to it. The only class that Ami and Mattea shared together was creative writing and today the class was scheduled to perform an improvisation. Normally Ami wouldn’t mind such an assignment but Pride Leader Naeri had gotten to her. She barely noticed the other fourteen students going up one at a time to perform their pieces. She only really took notice of everything right after Mattea performed her piece and returned to her seat.
“Thank you Ms. Cardenas, would you please inform your friend there too come back to Earth, she’s next,” the instructor said referring to Ami.
Sighing Ami stood on wobbly legs. She breathed in the stuffy air of pine scented disinfectant and linoleum. Mattea gave her thumbs up as Ami moved to the front of the class.
“Thank you for attending the class Ms. Tussou. You know the directions: improvise a poem from a given phrase. Now your phrase is, “oh the wonder.”
“Oh the wonder? Can’t I have ‘hop on pop’?”
The class snickered. The instructor glanced around the room to regain silence from the students. “No, Ms. Tussou, I’m afraid that ‘hop on pop’ was assigned to the previous class. Now on with it.”
Wracking her brain nothing immediately came to Ami, then her mind drifted back to earlier in the day when she was pinned against the most delicious lion she had ever seen. To be that close to him, the way his body felt braced against her own, the raw emotion she saw straining to break loose and claim her…
Loudly clearing his throat the instructor spoke, “Ms. Tussou, any day now.”
Ami took one more breath before her mind settled on the masculine aura of Tyrannious Naeri.
And when she opened her mouth to speak something finally clicked, “Oh the wonder of you…
When I’m under you
Breathing you in, taking you in
Delighting in this sin
Where we were just two people
Nothing less or more just equal
Wanting to simply relieve some stress
And avoid the strings attached mess
Of what passion makes you do
Oh the wonder of you”
Ami finished her poem and looked out to the audience, she reflexively turned to her friend Mattea, who sat with her mouth agape from what could only have been surprise
“I’m done,” she said as she nervously glanced at the instructor.
Looking quite astonished the instructor piped in, “Well Ms. Tussou that was excellent and a might I add a nice use of rhyme and alliteration.”
Nodding, Ami silently took her seat just as the bell rang.
Everyone was filing out of the class, making their way to their next destinations except one guy that had just transferred into the class a week ago, she had heard the professor call him Deontay a few times. He was perhaps six feet tall with the physique of a swimmer, dark ebony skin, and a fresh from the shop hair cut. Ami had definitely caught herself staring at him a few times… yet today her attention was occupied.
“Hey that poem was sick,” Deontay said.
“Was it really?”
“Yeah… I was wondering if you’d want to hang out tonight, it’ll be a group of us just going around town stopping at the hot spots.”
Eagerly nodding her head, Ami at once stopped. “Ya know I would, but my friend there has me paying up on a bet tonight. She’s forced me to put on some outfit and go to some club.”
Deontay began nodding his head as if in agreement, “Well then maybe we’ll see each other out on the strip?” Deontay said referring to the ten-block stretch of night clubs that catered to different genres of music.
Smiling once again, Ami replied, “May be. Alright I’ll see you later then.”
“Yeah.”
Mattea nudged Ami with her shoulder, “OMG, do you have a date with Deontay?”
“No he asked if I wanted to hang out tonight. Besides doesn’t he have a girlfriend?”
“Yeah, but that has yet to stop him.” Mattea said with that devious look she only got in her eyes when she was planning something particularly nasty. “So he’s going to be on the strip tonight?”
Taking the Pride Leader back inside Ty realized that he was in an even bigger hole than expected.
Once again seating himself behind his desk Jack said, “Mr. Naeri if things were different I would be elated for my Ami to be your true mate but I can’t.”
“With all due respect Mr. Tussou as much shite I’m in with my own affairs bringing Ami into this would never have crossed my mind but if this is the mating tide then fate will have its way.”
“Fate... Shia used to talk about Fate all the time-then she died. Do you suppose it was fate that took my wife away? Do you suppose its fate that my daughter can never really know Pride life?”
“I understand your reasoning Jack, believe me I do. As I have been a Pride Leader for quite some time if there is anything I know how to do it is protect what is mine. I am not one that puts stock into mysticism but if it is fate that your daughter and I be together then God help any man that stands in my way.”
Clenching his jaw and drawing in a deep breath Jack found it very hard not to grimace at the meaning that Ty held behind his words. “Mr. Naeri, I have no intention of getting in anyone’s way… especially not my daughter’s. Oddly enough I’m more afraid of her than I am of you,” said Jack as he wiped invisible dust off of his desk.“But I will offer you a bit of advice- don’t try to control her.”
Smirking, Ty said, “Is that a threat Mr. Tussou?”
“No, merely a warning. I have seen many cases of denial and out right refusal of matting’s and if this truly is mating tide then nothing can stand in your way. My Ami is a strong woman but she is still my little girl, I only hope that she does not feel the brunt of the consequences that are going to befall the both of you.”
With a slight nod Ty accepted Jack’s words for what they were; advice. He was about to speak again but a pattern of soft pounding alerted him that someone was coming down the hall so he quickly said, “Mr. Tussou, my beast has a sense about you. I believe that I can trust you to keep all that’s been said strictly between us?”
“Of course, client confidentiality.”
“And what about that assistant of yours?”
“Geoffrey has long since been versed in what fly’s here in my office.”
Just as Jackson finished speaking the Augustine Pride Leader entered the office. Samil Augustine, a vision of all male brawn and brain looked as if he could be on the cover of GQ. He took pride in his appearance almost to the point of vanity.
Standing at 6’6” just a few inches shorter than Ty the man was a walking billboard ad for all that fashion had to offer, from the $3,000 outfit all the way down to his black Stacey Adams leather slip-ons. His look was tailored with a capital “T”, his blonde hair swept to the back away from his blue/green eyes that were as sharp as a tack and always moving.
Stepping swiftly into the office the Augustine Pride Leader outstretched his hand towards the now standing Ty. “Pride Leader Naeri, it has been too long.”
“Indeed it has,” Ty replied.
“I’m glad you found your way around the mansion without any troubles.”
“Yes, you have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Pride Leader Samil said. “I see you’ve already met our resident accountant Mr. Tussou.”
“Yes we were just discussing client confidentiality.”
“Very well,” Samil said as he sat in the seat next to Ty.
Ty took his seat saying, “Alright, now that we’re done with introductions, I think we best get our official business out of the way.”
Neatly folding his hands on his desk, Jack spoke in his once again calm voice, “And what would that be Mr. Naeri?”
“My nephew."