MY TYGER

His voice was like the silence of the sea and the velvet of the night, almost a growl from within the black flame, "Who dares summon me?"

As he stepped forwards, the cursed fumes around his feet moved with him like a kind of vapory cloud. The black portal, once solid-looking, turned to smoke and disappeared. The ground under our feet was still black, but what was even weirded now was that when OUR feet moved, it was like stepping on black mercury. Our marbled floor was suddenly a lot less solid than it used to be.

Oh the fear on the faces around me as everyone instinctively took a step back, looked for the nearest exit, or a piece of furniture, maybe to climb up onto. My wolves were not exempt, they side glanced the door and then back at me. It wasn't like any of them could leave without me, I was the Alpha.

And their Alpha was smiling from ear to ear, "Bell!"

The black fumes flinched and the dark Tyger presence turned to face me with something I can only describe as a snarling growl, "You!"

I stepped lightly over the pools of curse to close the distance between us. What a curious effect! I had never seen the ground react like this to Bell's appearance before.

"I should have known it was you." The Tyger sighed. Now he just sounded resigned. The dark fumes quietly dissipated a little and unveiled his face. His very handsome face that was arranged to look completely put out by the sight of me, "What are you up to now, Princess."

"I missed you." I told him plainly. As the words left my lips, I realized how much from the heart they were.

The angry fumes rose again, "A summon, princess? Did it not occur to you to use a mindlink?"

Oh. I blinked.

Bell ran a frustrated hand across his hair, the black fumes ducked and rose again in its passing, "WHY?"

Because I could.

"Well, it was an accident…" I started, but Bell was getting worked up again.

"Do you know the cost of summoning a Tyger?" He growled.

I tried to remember all the lycan legends I had ever read, "Maiden sacrifice?"

Even as I said it, I didn't quite believe it. I mean, this wasn't the first time I had summoned Bell and there had never been any kind of sacrifice. I thought about it further, "A feast in your honor, jewels and treasures, and dancers… oh, and some magic circle or crucible…"

The ceremony would be fire lit, and oh yeah, I think there would also be live musicians, and it would have to be held in a large cave on the full moon… as usual, lycan legends were so elaborate.

I made a face, "You didn't have to answer."

This made Bell mad all over again, "I am a Tyger, bound to my powers. Deep calls to deep."

Which were the kind of things Tygers in lycan legends would speak.

"If the summon is powerful enough, even I cannot ignore it." I think Bell must have figured out he wasn't getting through to me at his point. He sighed and shrugged his broad shoulders, the dark fumes wrapped around him shimmied and licked upwards like flames eating away at the oxygen.

So I just summoned-forced Bell to appear? I looked down at the pen in my hand. Wow, this pen was seriously OP.

Bell's eyes fell to the pen in my hand, "Give the pen to me. That would be payment enough."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Yeah, just come and take the most valuable treasure I had ever seen as payment! And then I told him, "I can't give this to you. It's not mine."

Mr Tegan made a yelping sound and hid behind Delta Felicity.

Delta Felicity was still smiling, although her smile looked definitely strained, "It's a pity, I'm not a maiden."

Was she flirting? Omo

She stepped forward, "I wonder what kind of payment a powerful Tyger as yourself would require?"

Oh, no. She was negotiating. I'm not sure why, but she had decided to step up on my behalf to sort out the mess.

She really didn't have to. Bell was my mess, and tbh, I hadn't felt any need to sort anything out. I was just really happy to have him around.

It didn't seem like any of the other wolves shared my sentiments. From the way Delta Felicity was speaking, it looked like she was hoping the Tyger would reach a settlement and leave as soon as possible.

But what would be the fun of that? (This was Boo, not me.)