Sehra's Honor

by Kama Spice

  He needed to find Sehra. But he had to be smarter than her brothers. Shouldn’t be too hard, he thought. But now there were the protectors and the lieutenant’s lie. Sehra’s father was an influential Lith’han with a great many men willing to do his bidding. Rawa knew now that even if he got out of this cave with relative ease, he wouldn’t stand a chance with the protectors outside.

  He needed to come up with a plan. And fast.

  Chapter Four

  Sehra stretched her legs as far as she could in the cramped saddle. They were traveling nonstop under the veil of night, with the cats she and Mother were riding on changing shifts every few hours. Father had enlisted only the largest of his males for this journey, and he believed, as many males had begun to believe, that females should sit astride stronger males for long journeys rather than run alongside them.

  As if females need to be coddled, Sehra thought wryly. As if we haven’t been the prime hunters of our kind, leaping and lunging and devouring—and never leaving our sisters and mothers while males cycled in and out. But she held her anger in check. It would do no good to challenge Father right now. In fact, it would only make things worse.

  Her father had ordered a caravan to be assembled right away, discreetly keeping the “saddles” he’d had constructed away from the grounds.

  Mother was riding next to her in an ornate and dazzling saddle fit for a queen. She dozed gently as the male she was riding traveled at a swift but graceful gait. Father said it was only appropriate that Mother accompany her. Sehra being sent alone to Kelum’s pride grounds might arouse suspicion—they’d want to know why she wasn’t accompanied by kin. As it was, they wanted to know why she was being sent to the pride in such a sudden manner.

  Sehra was sure Father came up with a convincing story—part fabrication, part fact. She had seen him do it enough to know those on the receiving end bought his words completely and without a second thought.

  She looked around her and saw nothing. Only the heavy black sheet of night over the pridelands. The stars twinkled above and the air was crisp. If it was warm or humid, the males would have been more sluggish. Oh, how she wished she were running alongside them! How she longed to sprint away from the madness of what her life had become.

  She knew Father didn’t trust her enough to allow her to run. He was a smart man after all. He knew I’d run away, first chance I got, she thought. And he would be right.

  Father had given the orders and then was nowhere to be seen when the four large males dumped her, quite unceremoniously, into the plush saddle designed specifically for her, complete with a light chain belt she was to loop around her waist and fasten in place to a hook on the saddle. Mother followed elegantly behind, and two of the males took up the front. When Mother had pulled up next to her, she’d made her best attempt at conversation with Sehra. But each effort quickly fell flat and she soon resigned herself to dozing.

  Sehra thought about the strange waking dream she’d had the other night. She had fantasized about Rawa while she touched herself. But he had somehow come to life—not just in her mind but under her hands and mouth. She wasn’t sure what had happened and wondered if she’d imagined the entire thing, but it had seemed so real! She swore she’d heard his voice, his response to her touch and felt the warmth of his skin…

  She gave herself an internal shake. Snap out of it, Sehra, she told herself, it’s wishful thinking and will not help you right now. She did the calculations again—two Lith’hah up front, another ahead with Sehra’s possessions and gifts for her new pride members in it piled high on his back, one Lith’han carrying her and Mother each, and two Lith’hah brought up the rear behind them.

  She sighed. It would be impossible to escape. Her father had made sure of it. She had grown up with stories about the infamous Kessa Lyah who had fled the pridelands to live among the humans. As a result, every young female had grown up under a stricter hand and more watchful eye than ever before. There were great fears among the prides in their circles, especially since the Silver Lith’han had returned and become Leader Queen of her own pride, that other young females might be so bold as to walk away from Lith’hah ways. This would not only reflect poorly on her pride of origin, but it could potentially bring grave danger to all Lith’hah. The humans were a barbaric sort, destroying their very habitat and that of all other creatures in their vicinity, paying no heed to the consequences of their actions, and destroying their own in the name of whatever possession they deemed valuable in the moment.

  Father needn’t worry about Sehra running off to live among that sort. But Rawa—yes, him Father should worry about. Sehra had every intention of sprinting at the first opportunity.

  * * * * *

  It was high noon by the time the caravan arrived at the pride grounds. Sehra opened her senses as she stepped off the large male’s back. Her muscles were sore from being cramped in one position for so long. They’d stopped only once during the long night for Sehra and Mother to gather a few Mun’hai berries and relieve themselves in the woods. And even then Sehra was watched by two protectors, from a respectful distance, ready to spring into action if necessary.

  She set her jaw. She would play along with this charade as long as she had to. She had spent some time with the Ancients over the past few nights, searching for answers, searching for Rawa. She had reached with her mind across the grounds, searching every rock and tree, groping in the dark for any sense of him. She was unwieldy with her gift, holding it like a heavy, clunky sword. And yet, because of it, she knew Rawa was alive somewhere. She could feel it in her very being. Every cell in her body arched toward him, wherever he was. Every fiber in her body longed for him, yearned to be near him, was profoundly attuned to him.

  The protectors unloaded their possessions as a small congregation of Lith’hah approached.

  “Welcome, my child,” an older female said, holding her arms open. “I am Milna, Kelum’s mother. We are honored by the presence of both you and your mother. Kelum is on his way to receive you.”

  The woman embraced Sehra warmly, and for a moment, Sehra felt a surge of panic. Is this how it felt then? To be handed from father to pre-chosen mate? To be walked from her own den to that of another without ever looking to the sides, outside the predefined margins? She drew in a deep breath, willing the oxygen to go deep and fill her lungs. To breathe life into her so that she may find her way back to Rawa.

  She plastered a smile on her face and bowed her head. “The honor is ours,” she said, playing the part of the dutiful and obedient cub.

  Mother beamed. “These grounds are lovely, Milna!” She moved ahead to walk with the woman. “When my mate first heard from a friend that there was an eligible Lith’han from a distinguished lineage in the east, we were concerned about the location.” She threw her head back and gave a light laugh. “Sehra is our only female cub after all…”

  Sehra tuned out as the two women discussed the details of the match. Listening to them made her nauseous. She walked through the line of trees, focused on the knowledge she held inside—the absolute certainty that Rawa was out there, despite the distance now between them, and that he was as focused on her as she was on him.

  As they walked into the clearing of their grounds, a tall Emerald male sauntered toward them. Kelum, obviously, thought Sehra, sizing him up. He was rather stunning, in that lithe, Emerald way.

  His platinum hair hung straight and thick past his shoulders. His skin was pale as the moon, with the tiniest bronze flush.

  He zeroed in on Sehra, stopping almost directly in front of her. “You are Sehra,” he said with a small smile. “Far lovelier than any of the descriptions I’ve heard.”

  Mother actually giggled.

  Sehra rolled her eyes apologetically. “Please excuse her,” she said so only Kelum could hear.

  He grinned, taking her hand. “Not at all. Shall we walk?”

  Sehra fought the urge to snatch her hand away.

  “Yes,” his mother piped up. “You youngs
ters go ahead and get to know one another better! We’ll make certain the dens are adequately prepared for your stay.”

  “Sehra will stay in my den tonight,” Kelum tossed over his shoulder.

  “Of course!” his mother gushed.

  “You certainly have a lot of say around here,” Sehra said, looking over her shoulder at their mothers.

  “I am son of the Leader King,” he laughed. “No one would dare deny me—not even my own mother.”

  She nodded, looking around the grounds as they walked. Every pride member they met bowed and stepped aside for the prince.

  Only when they were in the cover of the woods and far enough away from straining ears, did Sehra speak again. “May I ask a question?”

  He inclined his head. “Of course. You will be the princess after all.” His eyes crinkled in the corners with warmth.

  Sehra took a deep breath. “Why are you not seeking your own mate? Why allow your elders to choose your mate for you since you have the pick of every female in the vicinity?”

  He threw back his head and laughed before answering. “Precisely for that reason.” He looked at Sehra with an intensity that made her blush. “With learning to lead, weighing in on Council decisions with my father, combat training and everything else I’m required to absorb, I don’t have time to seek out a mate. Besides, I have a fondness for all females and no desire to go through the checklist of who is an appropriate match. I’m certain my elders have chosen wisely.”

  “But what about love?” Sehra asked, her eyes wide.

  He laughed again. “I envy those who have found that elusive creature. I have not. But my guess is that it is trainable. One can train themselves to love whomever they set their sights on.”

  “That’s outrageous,” Sehra blurted out. “How can you train your heart to love someone when it does not?”

  Kelum shrugged. “If one can train the heart not to love, why not train it also to love?”

  Sehra thought about that one. The years that Rawa was away, had she trained her heart not to love him anymore? “No,” she said slowly, “the heart is like a child. It may bend to the wishes of the will, but those desires—its truest desires—remain within its memory. Whether suppressed or on the surface, remain there they surely must. If those desires are allowed expression, the room to grow and flourish, the heart gains strength.”

  Kelum slowed to watch her face. “And if they are quashed?”

  She winced. “It withers and atrophies…like a muscle unused.”

  “You speak as if from experience,” he said quietly, still watching her face.

  Sehra swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Didn’t know how much she could reveal to this man who was decided to become her mate for life. Didn’t know how much was safe to reveal, considering she planned to escape at the first opportunity.

  She saw him look away, toward the line of trees separating his pride’s grounds from the rest of the Territories, and wondered if she’d already said too much.

  “You love another,” he said. It was a statement and not a question.

  She knew any answer she gave, whether in denial or affirmation, would reveal the truth. So she bit her tongue and held her breath, hoping he would not barge back onto the grounds and tell all. Hoping he would not smear her reputation and that of her den in the dirt of the Eastern Territories.

  He turned, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders. “Why have you agreed to this match, Sehra?”

  She saw the muscle at his jaw tense. “Because I thought I had no choice,” she said, raising herself taller. “And because I thought there was no hope to be with the one I love.”

  “But now?”

  “Now I know there is always hope,” she whispered. “There is always a choice.”

  He let go of her shoulders and turned to look back through the trees, toward his grounds. “I admire your faith,” he said with a slight nod. “And your idealism.”

  He took her hand and studied the lines on her palm. “I will not force you to stay with me,” he said. “Nor will I reveal any of what you have shared with me, lovely Sehra of the Onyx lineage.”

  She looked at him in surprise.

  He smiled. “I’m afraid my ego may be a bit frail. I have never had a female turn me down, and I would give anything for you not to be the first, but alas…” He brought her palm to his lips, brushing them softly against it. “My elders will find another willing, able and undoubtedly lovely female. But you, Sehra…your heart is set on another. And he is irreplaceable.”

  Sehra bit her bottom lip and cupped his face with the same hand he had kissed. Her voice was heavy with the flood of relief and gratitude. “You will be a wonderful Leader King for your pride.”

  “There is a band of Violets who roam these territories,” he said. “We’re on friendly terms with them.”

  Sehra nodded. She’d heard of the infamous Violets—an all-female pack of Lith’hah who refused to take the vow. They roamed freely, were skilled in combat, took lovers as they pleased and birthed as desired. They lived beyond the conventions of the Lith’hah, kept their female cubs and released the males as Independents as soon as they were ready. Some spoke of them with great disdain while others looked upon them with awe. They occasionally allowed other females to join them, but it would be a rare female who left the comfort and confines of pride and den to roam with the hardened Violet warriors.

  “Tonight you will stay with me in my den. When the grounds are quiet, I will call for a few Violets to accompany you wherever you wish to go.”

  Sehra’s heart began to race. “And what of my mother? What will you tell her?”

  He grinned. “I will say you left of your own choice and with my blessing—that you are and will always remain under my protection so long as you are in the Eastern Territories. The rest, my lovely Sehra, will be yours to navigate. But your reputation will be intact and your mother can leave the grounds with her pride unblemished.”

  Sehra threw her arms around him, pressing her mouth to his without thinking. “Thank you!” she said, pulling away.

  He gave her a lazy smile. “Careful. I might change my mind.”

  She stepped back, warmth dotting her cheeks. “I-I’m sorry…”

  He laughed. “Don’t be. I rather enjoyed it.”

  Later that evening, Kelum kept his word. As night settled over the grounds, three Violet Lith’hah crept into his den to accompany Sehra wherever she wished to go.

  Sehra gave him a warm embrace and thanked him again. “I will never forget your kindness,” she said softly.

  He cupped her chin. “I hope you find what you seek.”

  Then she shifted into her Lith’han form and, together with the three Violets, slipped into the woods.

  They ran for quite some time before Sehra needed to stop and rest. She tired far before the Violets even broke a sweat, but they complied, finding a spot to set up camp before setting off again.

  No one would think anything of the smoke from the fire as the nearby prides were used to Violets roaming the woods. Her mother would not be awake for several hours yet and would expect, indeed hope for, Sehra to remain in Kelum’s den into the late daylight hours.

  The Violets quietly lit a small fire. They were friendly but said very little to Sehra. They spoke with one another mostly. Two of them were clearly lovers, judging from the affection between them. The third was a compact, well-muscled female, slightly taller than Sehra.

  The lovers settled into their skins together, turning to one another. Sehra couldn’t tear her eyes away. She had seen females make love during Nights of Revelry, but these were the almost-mythical Violets. She had never seen the intense love between Violets, unabashed, unrestrained and in full view of a stranger.

  The third sat next to Sehra and smiled, obviously amused at Sehra’s brazen interest in the lovers. She offered Sehra a cup of brew and Sehra reached for it eagerly, grateful to have something to occupy her hands.


  “I am Rhian,” she said. “That is Raisa, my sister, and her mate Uman.”

  Sehra tore her gaze from the lovers. “I’m Sehra.”

  Rhian grinned. “That I know.” She looked at the lovers. “They’re a beautiful sight, aren’t they?”

  Sehra nodded. “It’s almost as if they have a glow around them.”

  “They do,” Rhian said. “The energy they generate with their lovemaking gives off a kind of light. It’s part of our gift as Violets.”

  Sehra arched her brows in surprise. “But what does that gift allow you to do?”

  “It allows us to enter other dimensions together.”

  The sighs and soft moans of the other women sucked Sehra in. She wanted to be part of their glow—part of the journey they were on, outside the world she was in.

  Rhian moved closer to her. She leaned into Sehra’s ear and whispered, “You are of Onyx lineage, no?”

  Sehra nodded, her throat suddenly dry. She took a sip of the brew and allowed Rhian’s lips to graze against the thin skin of her neck and shoulder.

  “You have a similar gift,” Rhian breathed.

  Sehra put her cup down and turned toward the Violet, planting her lips against the woman’s warm, full mouth.

  Keeping her mouth fastened to Sehra’s, Rhian pulled her onto the skins, her hands flitting lightly over Sehra’s body, leaving heat in their wake.

  Sehra cupped one of Rhian’s small, round breasts, gently teasing the nipple until it puckered against her thumb.

  Rhian positioned herself so that her thigh was between Sehra’s and bent her head to take one of Sehra’s nipples into her mouth. “You’re so lovely,” she breathed.

  Sehra ground her wet pussy against Rhian’s thigh, gasping as the woman nipped gently at her taut bud.