Paris held Ariel's hand lightly in his as he led her through the entrance into the main bar area. Immediately he felt the eyes of almost every guy linger on her and he tensed, letting go of her hand so he could curl his arm around her waist, Paris pulled her tightly to him and tucked her into his hip.

"You okay?" Ariel asked, blissfully unaware of the effect she had on the human men, and of his furious jealousy.

"Of course. I'm with you, aren't I?"

There was a beat where Ariel stared at him then she gave him a shy smile and lowered her eyes, she kept them lowered as they walked towards the tables. Paris was glad Ariel didn't know what it was doing to him to see her so shy. Normally cool and composed, to feel her body pressed close to his for comfort was fantastic, he savoured it and was irritated when they were forced to part to sit down.

"Do you come to these places often?" Ariel asked, she held her hands in her lap and looked around, her hand fluttered to hair and straightened it self-consciously. Paris took that hand in to his and rubbed his thumb over her inner wrist, if only you knew what you did to me, he thought before he answered.

"Yeah. Before I met you that is."

"And how do I change things?"

Paris paused and looked her straight in the eye, her brow was arched and there was a faint curve to her lips. Paris's mouth curved into a gorgeous grin; wicked and delightful to see.

"I think I like you playing coy, Miss Sophronia," he muttered, leaning into her, "it's a bit of a turn on."

Paris rubbed his lips over hers and felt them yield beneath his, he was about to push deeper when Trey appeared.

"Paris! My son, I have been so worried about you!"

Ariel's eyes widened when a tall, muscular tiger pounced on Paris from behind and captured him in a headlock. They struggled for a bit and Trey dropped a friendly kiss, that still looked very manly, on Paris's head and dropped down in the seat separating Ariel and her mate. Paris flushed when he caught Ariel's eye and cleared his throat.

"Trey this is Ariel, my mate." Ariel refused to respond to the warmth that spread through her when hearing herself introduced as such. "Ariel this is Trey, my …"

Trey grinned.

"Personal pain in the ass?" he supplied before looking at Ariel like he was appraising her.

Ariel gave a polite smile and arched her brow when Trey refused to take his gaze from hers, Trey grinned again and turned to Paris.

"So I would buy you a drink but I guess with your girl here you don't drink anymore."

Ariel knew that Trey had meant it to be a nasty poke at the male ego but when Paris caught her eye they both grinned when remembering their last encounter with alcohol. Like an inside joke they both chuckled and had Trey looking back and forth between them looking bemused and a little irritated.

"I'll get the drinks in," Paris said, getting up from his chair, he winked at Ariel before setting off for the bar, when he was out of sight Ariel dropped her smile and turned to Trey. She could see what was coming and she was going to face it off like she did everything. With raw determination not to be beat down.

"So," Trey muttered.

"So," Ariel echoed, Trey pursed his lips.

"Look, I can't tell you I'm happy about my home boy being tied to a human -"

"Arcadian," Ariel gently corrected and was happy to see Trey pause. It put a bump in the road of his smoothly prepared speech and gave her a slight upper hand.

"Fine. Arcadian. Well, whatever, I don't like it."

"Can't say I cared for it myself when I first found out," Ariel said smoothly and leaned back casually, though her whole body was tense and on alert. Trey, she could see, was the same, ready for action at any moment. There was a small silence where they sized each other up again and Trey was the first to break it.

"From what I hear, you're still not keen on the idea of mating with my pal."

"And who did you hear this from?"

"Paris, of course."

"And how would he know what I'm thinking?"

Trey inclined his head and his eyes, chocolate brown and hard as ice, scrutinised her face.

"You're a cold bitch," he stated suddenly, Ariel didn't miss a beat.

"And you're an ignorant prick."

The grin on Trey's face was back and a line appeared between his brows, he lightly waved a finger in her direction.

"I can't figure you."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"I wouldn't have thought you were his type though," Trey mused.

"Your mate is never about type, it's about whom fate wants to link you with."

"True," Trey conceded, "but then who you fall for is about type. And my boy has fallen for you big time."

Ariel felt her cheeks flush and Trey was privately pleased at her show of emotion.

"I didn't want him to," she found herself confiding and Trey, whose instincts had been honed through hardships of his own, looked past her bloodline and saw a bit of a kindred spirit.

"No, I don't suppose you did." Trey sucked in his breath. "So what is it about him that's not good enough?"

"Who said he wasn't good enough?" Ariel snapped indignantly, looking around to see if Paris was coming back.

"You did, when you refused to mate with him. Is it because he was Katagaria?"

"Partly," Ariel admitted reluctantly, not wanting to lie. She hated liars. "But not the way you think."

"You don't know what I think," Trey said casually, "I don't think you hate the thought of mating with a Katagaria, because then what kind of woman would take a lion cub into her care if she did?"

Ariel arched a shrewd eyebrow and Trey grinned again, the grin faded and he leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees.

"Truth is, it isn't about you being Arcadian -"

Ariel snorted disbelievingly.

"It's not, whatever you choose to believe. My problem is simply this. I've known Paris ever since God was a child; it's been a long time between us. And I know him well, you feel me, female? This boy don't go to just any woman and lay down his heart for her, mate or no. He's been careful his whole, long lonely life about getting close to people, women are a no go area for him. When he gets with one, he uses his body not his heart."

Ariel didn't want to hear about Paris with other women, it brought a painful ache to her chest. But she wanted to hear what Trey had to say.

"With you it's different. Not just because you are his mate. He has something inside him for you and I don't know -" Trey leant back, "I'm thinking it's a bit of a gamble."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ariel demanded, rather offended.

"A were-hunter is no stranger to pain and we all know loneliness at one time or another. Paris, he knows both. And I always envisioned him with a woman who would know where she stood when all that pain and loneliness came crashing down and it was too much for him to bear."

Ariel gave him a cocky look. "What you think I can't take pressure, that it?"

Trey shrugged tauntingly.

"You think I won't stand?"

"Well, you're a pretty little thing -" Trey began and that goaded her past all endurance.

"You listen to me, Tiger. I may be decorative but I'm as hard as nails and tough as old boots, I can and will stand through anything anyone, mortal and immortal alike, could throw at me. What I call my own is my own and I love and cherish it unconditionally. Absolutely. Without any equivocations. Period!"

Ariel sat back breathing heavy, stunned at what she had just admitted, not only to Trey but herself, Trey's grin was a mile wide.

"That's all I wanted to know."

Ariel sneered at him and leant forward.

"The question is," she said with deliberate emphasis on her words, her eyes boring into his. "Would he do it for me?"

"In a heartbeat," Trey answered immediately and Ariel sat back feeling like she wanted to hit Trey, they were locked in a staring match. Until Trey's lips twitched and Ariel gave in to the ache in her jaw and smiled at him.

*********************

Paris came back and saw Ariel smiling at Trey who was grinning stupidly back; he clenched his teeth together and made himself relax his hands that were close to shattering the bottles. He knew Trey would never betray him, he knew Ariel would rather cut off her own arm then go near a Katagaria male; she barely tolerated him for Artemis sake. But his heart pounded out of control when he saw he gifting Trey with her beautiful smiles, he set Trey's beer down on the table with a hard clink and deliberately forced himself between the two, slinging his arm around Ariel's shoulders.

"You two getting on fine?" he asked.

Ariel looked up at him and nodded, Trey raised his bottle slightly in agreement and winked at Ariel, Paris was pretty sure his jaw cracked. Ariel put her bottle down and stood up, Paris gripped her wrist.

"Where you going?"

Ariel frowned slightly, "if you must know the restroom. Can you look after my drink?"

She moved away from the table and through the crowd of dancers to the ladies room, Paris watched her out of sight and stared long after; Trey clearing his throat pointedly had him looking back. The tiger was smiling smugly.

"What?" Paris snapped belligerently.

"How the mighty have fallen," Trey sniggered.

"You're a dick!"

"What? This is a new experience for me, I'm allowed to be the slightest bit immature about this. Not every day my best friend gets mated."

Paris fiddled with the label on his bottle, not looking at Trey he muttered, "not yet."

"She still not …"

"Nope."

"Why?"

"She has reasons … Good reasons."

"Good enough to send you into a life of unending celibacy?"

"Trey -" Paris growled a warning.

"I'm just saying!" Trey held his hands up in surrender, they fell into a silence. Paris could see Trey's lips twitching; he waited for Trey to open his mouth.

"You like her?"

"I love her," Paris said it starkly, without embellishment and Trey cursed under his breath.

"But she don't love you?"

Paris didn't let Trey know how deep those words cut him, he took a sip of his beer while he shook his head.

"You know …" Trey drawled with deliberate evasiveness, "you could always disssspppoooossseeee of her -"

"Don't make me kill you, Trey!" Paris barked abruptly cutting Trey off, making a grab for his collar.

Trey jerked back laughing mischievously. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay it was a bad joke. Okay, I'm sorry, I'm a jerk. Hey, I'm from New York!"

Paris rubbed a weary hand over his hair and Trey felt the rather familiar feeling that he had pushed the joke too far; he leant forward so he didn't have to shout over the sudden surge of music.

"What's up, man?"

"It's her. I - Trey, damn it, don't smirk like that - I'm so in love with her. I really don't know what to do."

"Have you told her?"

"No," Paris looked at Trey as if he were insane; he clucked his tongue in a hopeless manner. "She'd freak out if I did. She doesn't want me, she doesn't need me. I thought just mating with her would be enough, but it really isn't. Not enough by half. When I think of what she's been through it makes me sick, if only she'd I don't know, let me help. Maybe …"

"So you want to … save her?"

Paris felt his insides squirm; he refused to look at Trey.

"Well, you know, sometimes people need saving," Trey said, putting his bottle down. "Sometimes people need to be given something to believe in again."

"Yeah. I don't think she'll ever believe in me."

"How do you know?"

"I can't ask her, I just can't. I can't push her into something just because it will affect me if she doesn't make the 'right' decision. I love her too much to betray her like that."

"Even at the expense of your life, your happiness?"

"There is no happiness without her, Trey, no real life. You think what we did for all those years was living. Man, it doesn't even compare. Not to the feeling you get from being with her."

"The feeling you get. Not me, bud," Trey said shuddering, "she's too …" Trey shrugged under Paris's withering glare and took a long draught of beer.

"I don't want to upset you … but -"

"What?"

"Do you know how gay you sound?"

Paris slapped Trey on the back of the head and they both fell into an easy silence watching the pool game to the side of the bar.

*************************

Ariel felt tears blur her vision, she hastily blinked them back and hitched a smile on to her face and walked back to Paris and Trey. She knew it was wrong to eavesdrop on their conversation but she couldn't help it. Ariel had gotten the feeling from the way Paris talked about Trey that they were close, and then the scene Trey had caused when they had first been introduced only confirmed it. She was ashamed of herself that she had entertained the idea that they could have been plotting her demise while she was in the bathroom. But when she had come back and tuned into their conversation she had felt her heart blossom and she'd wanted to curl up and purr. The burning desire to grab Paris and kiss him senseless was flaring inside her, she wanted him now, at home and in bed, but he deserved something first. Something sweet.

She smiled to herself as she made her way towards the table, she sidled up behind Paris and slipped her arms around his shoulders, Paris jolted at the unexpected sensation.

"Hey," she breathed in his ear before she kissed it, "do you dance?"

Paris's throat had gone so dry that he had to clear it several times before he could speak; his body had hardened to the point of agony and was straining painfully against his zipper.

"I - um - I … No, not really."

Trey laughed so much he choked on his beer, Ariel smiled slyly at Trey before leaning further into Paris, pressing the length of her body against his spine. She run a hand through his golden hair, sweeping it tenderly back from his ears and neck, it brought him out in chills, making him lean his head towards her hands.

"Come on," she urged, "they've changed the song now, everyone can slow dance."

She rubbed against him like a cat and Paris thought he might just go up in flames, he was going to jump her there and then, he just knew it. Then she dove in for the kill.

"Please. For me?" And he was lost. Resigning himself to humiliation Paris got up; leaving his beer with Trey and Ariel led him by the hand onto the dance floor. Once there Ariel turned to face him, she stepped closer, holding one hand while the other played gently with the curls at the back of his head. She smiled up at him and Paris, using the hand on her waist, pulled her even closer, they began to sway and move on the spot, and it felt good.

"This isn't so bad, is it?" Ariel giggled and Paris smirked.

"You won't be saying that when I accidentally crush your foot."

"Well, I have you to take me home, on that very sexy bike of yours."

Paris wasn't sure how to take Ariel's sudden need to touch and flirt with him, he loved it but it also made his chest ache, knowing that as right as it was, they would never be mates. She would never accept him as her mate or husband and that was killing him. Refusing to surrender to the grief that was about to overwhelm him, Paris closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Ariel's.

"What is it, Paris?" Ariel murmured, "why are you hurting?"

Paris wanted to cry, so he laughed instead and kissed her forehead before urging her to lay her head on his chest, she did so willingly.

Paris shifted and Ariel felt his huge erection brush her stomach and she grinned into his shirt, she kissed the centre of his chest and hummed along to the song. The house band, which was actually very good, crooned out their rendition of Phil Collins and Genesis, Follow you follow me.

"I could stay like this all night," Paris murmured and put the hand he was holding around his neck, so he could slide both of his around her waist and hold her close.

"We could, you know," Ariel laughed quietly, "just dancing the night away. Stay with you, will you stay with me …. All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now, fading away."

Paris hummed with her too.

"Hey people," Trey's voice broke them apart, he had his jacket on, "I'm gonna head off now, 'kay?"

"Sorry, we left you at the table -" Ariel began but Trey cut her off with a kind smile.

"Forget about it. It was lovely meeting you, Ariel Sophronia," Trey said charmingly, before kissing her hand. Paris growled and Trey just turned to him with a taunting smile before pulling Paris away from Ariel and whispering in his ear a moment, then he waved at Ariel and walked out.

"What did he say to you?" Ariel said when Paris came back to her arms, Paris shrugged.

"Nothing to worry about," he kissed her nose and grimaced as the band took a break and someone had the juke box playing Eve's Tambourine. "Now, lion woman, teach me to dance!"

Ariel cracked out a laugh that had people turning to stare with smiles on their faces at the young couple, that looked as happy as two newly weds could.

When they stumbled home it was almost two o clock in the morning, Paris's feet were killing, biker boots were not good for dancing in, that was a fact of life. Ariel pulled him out into the garden, the soft lights nestled in the plant pots on the patio, glowed with a soft blue and Ariel twirled out of Paris's arms with a gleeful laugh.

"Should we go to bed?" Paris asked, smiling when a curtain upstairs twitched, Ariel's smile was brighter then the moon and stars put together. She wrapped her arms around Paris's neck and lifted herself so her legs wrapped around his waist.

"I would like that very much."

Paris wasted no time with the stairs and flashed them immediately to Ariel's bedroom