Sharkbait Down Under
Singapore

“I’m not sorry about anything. You can sleep on the plane,” Nicholas said before he pulled me into another kiss. We’d been up almost the whole night doing what new mates do, and I was sore and exhausted.

Still, I wouldn’t change a moment. It would be a month before I could see Nicholas again, and until then, I’m left with BOB and my memories. LOTS of memories. “I have to go, love.”

“Call me when you get to Singapore.” We kissed one last time, and then I followed the rest of our group into the international section of the airport. Nicholas was heading back to Melbourne, where he would spend the next month learning how to be an Alpha from Leo. I looked back through the glass to where he was standing and the waterworks started. “I miss you already,” I sent to him.

“The month will go fast, and then we’ll be together again,” he said. We kept up the conversation over the link as I boarded the jet, and when we were out of range, I fell asleep.

We arrived in Singapore, which was the cleanest big city I’d ever seen. We had a big meal before I went to bed early. After all, I wouldn’t have raccoon eyes for our appearances. The fashion show was packed, with the four of us hitting the catwalk in everything from formal gowns to bikinis. The signing events were well attended and orderly; the people were friendly and patient in the long lines. The food was excellent, as was the hotel. It was a great stop, yet I had a hard time enjoying anything we did without my mate along.

I couldn’t believe I was now one of those lovestruck, co-dependent new mates.

I confessed my problems to Amy as we sat in our room, waiting for the series of video calls we had set up with America. It was early morning there. “How do you handle being apart from him?”

“I stay busy and work out my frustrations when I can. Running, swimming, lube, toys, and my rechargeable Hitachi,” she said with a blush.

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “It’s not the same, not even close, but it scratches the itch. I wish we could talk on the phone like you do with Nicholas; phone sex would be better than jilling off to memories.”

That was an idea. “Kai does the same?”

“More workout and no toys, but yeah. It doesn’t get any easier as you spend more time apart; the bond reacts to your separation by increasing the pull you feel to be together again. It makes you and your wolf suffer, but it can only get so strong. Kai’s father told him that it peaks in a few months as you train yourself and your wolf to ignore it. You can do this, Vicki. It’s only another month!”

“Anything else I can expect?”

“Not really. It’s not like you’re going to suffer through three days of heat and jump the nearest warm body with a functional dick. That only happens in those trashy werewolf stories we laugh about.” There was an entire genre of werewolf stories out there, most of which had no connection to reality. So much misinformation abounds that actual Werewolf writers could include the truth, and it just blended into the genre. “Kai’s absence makes me sad, but I have to learn to live with it. He had SEAL training with no days off for our entire tour, so it’s not like I’d be seeing him if I stayed home. He’ll be deploying for six months or longer at a time with the Teams, so I’ll just have to get used to it. It helps that I keep myself busy with training, work, and school. What else can I do until the next time I see him?”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I must sound like a whiny bitch. We’ve only been separated for a couple of days, and you haven’t seen Kai for almost six weeks.” I think the twins and Carly had it a little easier, as they hadn't bitten their human mates yet.

I talked to Nicholas on the phone when I could, but he was busy too. He and Leo were finishing up in Bonnie Doon as the families returned home. For the next few weeks, they would be traveling southern Australia and visiting families. They would stop to see all families, whether they had joined the Pack or decided to wait.

I’d also called my Mom a few times; she had traveled home with my parents to start planning our wedding. My text messages were full of ideas for cakes and dresses. “Tomorrow, we don’t have to leave for the airport until mid-afternoon. Maybe we should do some dress shopping for the wedding?” I wanted to handle this part on my own, as our Moms had enough to figure out in a few short weeks.

“One problem with that idea,” she said. “Our contracts.”

Crap. Amy was right; our Bodyglove contracts stated that we would only appear in public in Bodyglove designs. The photos of our wedding would get international coverage. “Bodyglove doesn’t have a line of wedding dresses,” I said. I called my Mom in a panic, putting her on speakerphone, and she laughed at me. “Vicki, we’re way ahead of you. Mercedes and I talked about your dress the day after you got engaged.”

“What did you do?”

“The Bodyglove designers already have a good idea of your style from what you wear and the feedback you’ve given. They are working on ideas now and will have sketches ready in a few days. Why do you think I’ve been asking your opinion on so many things?”

“I thought you were trying to get me to focus on the wedding,” I replied.

“I was trying to see if you were more traditional or modern on the dress thing. These days, white isn’t a standard anymore, and you saw what Susan got married in.”

“Mom, that would be the hottest poster ever if I did a beach bikini wedding,” I said to tease her back.

“I’m still hoping for the shark cage wedding, but it would be tough to get the entire wedding party in there,” Amy said with a laugh.

“It worked for them, and if that is what you want, I’ll support you. We have to work extra hard to figure things out over text messages, and we don’t have much time. I’ve even sent the bridesmaid’s dress photos to the girls for their opinions. They can’t blend into the background, not with those bodies,” she teased. I had to laugh; the joke was that the bridesmaids were plain, so the bride looked better. I couldn’t do that to them; I wanted their dresses to be ones I’d be happy to wear, too.

“We have some time in the morning, so the girls and I will get together and start looking in earnest,” I said. “I don’t want a stuffy formal affair or a heavy lace dress and train. We’re doing the ceremony in their back yard, not a cathedral.”

“I know, honey. It’s your day, so figure out what you want, and we’ll make it happen.”

I loved my Mom so much. “Thank you, Mom. I’ll see you in twenty minutes on the call.” I said goodbye until then.

“Time for the vamps?”

“Yeah.” We’d set them up first since Vampires didn’t need to sleep. Meetings were easy to arrange early. I called up the secure videoconference link on my tablet computer and waited for the four people to join. “Hi, Aunt Adrienne,” I said as her face came up. She was in the kitchen of their house, her first coffee of the morning in front of her.

She wasn’t a morning wolf, either. “Hi girls,” she said as she took a sip. I’d asked her to join us because she was with me starting with Alexander and was the only true diplomat in the family. I didn’t need Leo’s style if I was putting together a Supernatural Council in Australia.

Adrienne was soon joined onscreen by Supreme Vampire Cyprian, Master Emily, and Master Alessandro. The usually unemotional vampires seemed happy to see me. “Congratulations on your engagement, Vicki,” Cyprian said. “Have you set a wedding date?”

“We have,” I said. “Wednesday, December 28th of this year, at the Corcoran home in Port Lincoln. Invitations will be forthcoming, but I wanted to personally invite each of you, with a guest, to attend.”

The others didn’t answer until Cyprian did. “That is… generous of you. I trust our presence will not cause you any trouble?”

“Not with our Pack or the Australian guests. I don’t intend to give any warning to the other guest flying in, though.”

“Is that wise,” Alessandro said. “The other wolves may take offense.”

“I’m counting on it,” I said. “You are right in that an Australian Supernatural Council is the best way for us to gain freedom from the existing Councils and foster cooperation. My goal is to negotiate and sign an agreement that we can announce at the wedding. We have to work in secrecy to get that done.”

Luna Adrienne nodded. “The North American and European Werewolf Councils covet Vicki’s territory, and she will play them against each other until then. If they get wind of what is happening, they will move against her Pack before it can get established.”

Nicholas and I agreed that we needed to have some ‘shock and awe’ to pull off the treaty without the Councils attacking us. “The Council members are aware of my dealings with Emily, and they don’t like it. I can explain inviting the Supreme Vampire and the Master Australian Vampire from a diplomatic standpoint, and in recognition of your support of my Foundation. The wedding is the perfect venue to enforce a temporary truce between the species. I expect to see a lot of powerful Werewolves in attendance.”

“The Council Chairmen and some Regional Chairs will come just to press their claims to the Southern Cross Pack. They don’t like Vicki’s independence, her work with Mermaid clans, or her claim of the entire continent of Australia. They will want to size up Nicholas and their Pack on their own,” Adrienne said.

“They won’t like the Mermaids, but they are not afraid of them,” I said. “They are afraid of you and the power you represent. A show of unity will convince them it would be unwise to challenge the new Australian order.” I let a smile show. “They won’t even feel it when their legs get cut out from underneath them.”

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