Chapter 103
Oliver
“Cool it, my mate’s mortal.” I said with a frown, and they grunted a language that sounded like lower elvish, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of it with their thick dialect, and my poor comprehension of their complicated language.
“We don’t see mortals that side with us as human.” Said the next darkest blue troll. They had a hierarchy based off that, that much I knew about their people, but that was about it. We didn’t run in the same circles.
“We don’t see mortals that side with us Soups as human.” Said the lightest blue troll, though I’d never heard that abbreviation for supernaturals before.
“Then what do you see me as?” Asked my mate. She wasn’t rude, but honestly curious.
“As a colleague. We’re all gods knows how high up, all goin’ the same place, and we have to serve your Lord as we do our own. We were assigned to escort and patrol the city for threats to you Lady Autumn. What business could be made if we saw our fellow accounts as meals?” Said the darkest one. “Oh and I’m Grotch, the leader of this scruffy band, that’s Murgull my second, Nettle, my third, and Tanri’s the stewardess. You’ll never see Lord Flamtallon, the Mighty One. He's the captain. He doesn’t like new people on account of his scales being pure diamond.” He chuckled.
“I told you to stop telling people that! I’d rather not be hunted like a damn mortal.” Roared the captain up front, and the trolls laughed.
“He’s one of the dragon King’s sons. He breathes dagger sized diamonds too.” Grotch chuckled at the second, louder roar from the cockpit.
“…. I’d rather not fight a dragon ten thousand feet in the air.” I mumbled. I also wonder how many kids did the Dragon King have….?
“Don’t worry Lord Gray; we know the girlie means allot to ya.” Said the third male, Nettle. “We don’t get mates, but we get something kinda similar. We get beloveds. We too mate for life with one partner, but it ain’t destiny or nothin’. It’s just that the first goblin saw a good deal when he knew one.” He said with a small smile.
“Yeah. We goblin kin get arranged marriages based on our cast, but our women are the ones who arrange who’s getting’ who. The brides also decide if you’re good enough for ‘um too.” Said the second in command, Murgull.
“Wow… I didn’t know that.” I mumbled. “The mate system for us is soul based. I share half my soul and all my heart with Autumn….”
Grotch whistled. “For us, it’s all about the scent. Once we wed, the only other troll that can share my bed would be my beloved. We’re the only elves that get this, because when offered, we took the Pale Lady’s offer, knowing our maker, the Lord of Beauty would curse us because he sides with the Lord of Light. She actually offered a few others, but they all declined after they saw what Arviel did to our ugly mugs.” He snickered.
“It was the right choice though.” Said Autumn. “I don’t think I’d ever be this happy married to another man.”
“Another man wouldn’t run the largest city in the country.” Said the stewardess taking our trays. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to be for now.
Her comment made East growl, because he was the jealous type, but I wouldn’t expect anything less from an Alpha wolf. The only thing that stopped him from misbehaving was Autumn’s gentle touch.
“How about we talk about the plan for when we land instead of piss off my wolf?” I asked, giving the female a small glare.
“You all marry for love; we marry for power and position. That a mortal managed to snag the most eligible bachelor in your home country makes her the luckiest girl around besides marrying into a royal family. I don’t understand how I offended your wolf, but I think I’ll stay on the plane when we land.” She said. I’d forgotten her name, since she wasn’t really present in our conversation.
“Plan’s simple.” Said Grotch. “We already spoke with the humans, they’re picking us up in their blue minivan, we might eat, and once we’ve had an early dinner, we’re to liaison with the obsidian trolls to find and smash any rats that have managed to wiggle their way in the city to assassinate you two. They specialize in that kind of thing.”
“With the fuel stop we’ll get there late in the night anyway.” I grumbled. “But I’m down with your already thought out plan.”
“Our job is to stay out your fur, but keep an eye out. We’ve done this before for Lord Phillip.” He said with a small grunt. If he’d done security for Phillip, he likely knew about Brutus and his followers. That actually made a little relief wash over me. I knew I’d picked the right people. My own wolves would have been fine, but realistically a creature immune to maiming and poison would be the best option to watch my mate should I need her safe.
-----Autumn-----
It was already night at 9pm when we got to Sweden, but my family’s energy was double mine. The troll escort stood with us, though they looked human now. There was so much wonderful snow out there, and I knew one of the things I wanted to do was to visit a park sometime during our week stay.
“Autumn! I love what you did with your hair!” Yelled my cousin Audrey. Her hair was as auburn as mine was before the change, and her father, my mother’s cousin joined in the hug too. He was in his late 70’s and it showed, sporting silverish white hair I’d only see in a shifter if I was back at the pack. His wife had already passed, but I wouldn’t say anything about it.
“I see you’re with a big shot CEO of a hospital.” He chuckled with a thick accent, ruffling my hair. He chook Oliver’s hand. “When your mother told me, I didn’t believe it! It seems her side of the family get’s all the good luck.” He chuckled.
“I’m Oliver.” Said my mate, shaking cousin Lucus’s wrist.
“I’m Lucas, that’s my only daughter Audrey. If you know anymore single CEO’s, she’s single to.” He joked in a sing son voice.
“Papa!” Smiled Audrey. “Come come! Let’s show you the town before you get too tired to see anything.”
“I want to get something to eat.” Said Oliver. [The smell of human is driving East nuts.] He linked me, but we both hid our worried expressions from the two.
“Now that I can get behind. The only people I know are all married old men” Joked Oliver. He was the tallest man at the airport besides Grotch, and we were followed closely by the trolls who would serve as security.
We got in their personal car, which was a 8 seater minivan, and drove around the city. I couldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t completely pooped, but because of the 6 hour difference, their 9pm felt like 3am for me.
“Is there anywhere we can eat like a restaurant?” Asked Oliver.
“Yeah, my restaurant, The Beastly Pub.” Said my cousin Lucus. “We know you’re a royal blooded wolf. Phillip told us everything.” He smiled.
“I completely forgot about that.” Said Oliver, popping his neck by rolling his shoulders. “Then did he also warn you about my wolf?” He asked, and they nodded.
“You’re not the first hungry shifter to ride in this car, or rent one of our rental apartments.” He chuckled. “We specialize in human-supernatural relations. We’re human yes, but we understand your body needs meat…. just don’t take any of ours, we barely have enough on our bones.” He joked.
“I’m not a vampire. I wouldn’t eat you after you so happily invited me into your humble city, especially during our honeymoon.” He said with a claw poking his index finger. “It isn’t much blood, but all you need is a drop. I Oliver Gregory Gray vow on my blood and rotted hide that I will eat none of my mate’s bloodline.” He said like an Alpha.
“I trust your word.” Said Audrey, and my older first cousin nodded in agreement.
“Aye boss, you didn’t oath not to eat us.” Complained the medium blue troll, Murgul.
“Elf meat, well supernatural meat in general is kinda forbidden already.” Said Oliver. “The only way I could get away with something like that would be if you were an enemy.” He said as if he were thinking out loud.
“Fair enough… now that I think of it, I’ve never craved supernatural meat… except the herbivore shifters.” He grumbled.
“Do you mind going through the drive through?” Lucas asked, making a right. We all unanimously agreed.
I got a grilled cheese while the trolls got raw man meat. My cousins got hamburgers like it didn’t bother them at all. The trolls had no hesitation or regard for anyone who wasn’t supernatural, though with their order being served first since we were deciding, and theirs was just raw, they ate loudly next to us… I could hear Oliver’s stomach. East needed this to be stable, and I could tell that it broke him to deny his nature.
“I can have a raw steak.” Said Oliver…. It was something that I would have to live with, because to my understanding once man meat was eaten, one could never go back.
“If you need human meat Oliver… do what you have to do. I don’t need East losing his marbles in the city. Order a cow bone too.” I said quietly.
He was quiet a while, as I could see his eyes flash. He was debating with his wolf. “I can’t take the smell… I’ll have two pounds and a cow leg bone if they have any. Smoked or raw.”
He hesitated again before eating the meat quickly. He looked as if he took no enjoyment out of it, but I could tell by his eyes being yellow-red, that East had to have been satisfied with his choice. The meat was to immediately sate his wolf, and the bone helped stave off hunger later.
When I was in the castle, this was a common thing ordered. Red meat and bones for older werewolves was the majority of their diet. This included witches as well, as they were considered a magical variant of man meat… but like Oliver said they had to be an enemy, and they were never to be on the menu. No such protection was made for humans… My cousins seemed to have no issue knowing that behind them was a passenger side full of man eaters…. It made Winter whine in my head. We still smelled human enough that I’m sure a hungry supernatural creature could ignore my wolf’s scent. Oliver’s issue was that he was in a small space smelling human meat, and it made him crave it. His hesitation was making our order take longer.