Promised To The Pride

by Bonnie Burrows

  “He was,” Cynthia told Paul.

  Her wide eyes were on her son. The red, puffy rings surrounding her eyes made it clear that she had been crying, no doubt imagining the worst. Natalie couldn’t blame her, though, because she never would have imagined such a fast and amazing recovery.

  Mr. Collins came into the room with Glenn and Alice at his side, and the older werelion stopped in his tracks when his eyes fell on Natalie and Kyle. “I never thought I would see such magic with my own eyes.”

  The glow that had surrounded Natalie and Kyle back at the cave hadn’t gone away. Both of them were still shrouded in its red light, but Natalie had just about forgotten it when she had first heard Kyle’s voice responding to her in her mind. Considering Kyle’s miraculous recovery, she was no longer worried that their glow was anything bad. Kyle shifted in the bed and turned around so he was no longer lying down. He was able to face everyone else in the room, so Natalie moved to sit beside him. Paul quickly held up his hands to Kyle. “Don’t shift yet, Kyle. We still don’t know what’s going on with your injuries, and if you shift too soon, it might have some negative consequences.”

  “Oh, there’s no need to worry about that,” Mr. Collins said. He was smiling at Natalie and Kyle like they were something amazing. “I’m guessing Kyle here is probably close to being fully healed by now. You didn’t find any open wounds, did you, Doc?”

  “No, but I…” Paul was cut off when Mr. Collins held up his hand.

  “The two of them share a bond that our people have only ever witnessed twice in the past millennia, and because of that bond, they can heal each other.”

  “What bond? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Albert, Natalie’s father, questioned Mr. Collins.

  “I’m not surprised, Albert. Most people don’t have the patience to research our history quite as far back as myself, but I assure you that this bond has occurred before. When our kind were first made by the creator, he formed the very first pride leaders from one lion’s soul. Whenever both halves of that lion pass on, their soul is reincarnated and reborn again, each time split into one male and one female werelion. These lions are drawn to each other, and if they become a mated pair, their powers are astounding. Because they are each a part of the same soul, they can feel what the other feels, know when they are close by, and even heal one another.”

  “Wait,” Natalie interrupted, “you’re saying the reason we can feel each other’s emotions is because we are quite literally soulmates? I thought that was just a normal part of being a mated pair.”

  “No, my dear, it’s not,” Mr. Collins told her. “Mates do have a very close bond, and it is true that one mate won’t survive long without the other, but no bond compares to the one shared between the two original lion souls when they are brought together.”

  “It makes sense,” Natalie’s mother said. “They have been practically inseparable since they first met as children. We knew that they loved each other from a very young age. I could see it in the way they looked at each other, like they thought the other held the moon and stars. We always hoped they would grow out of it because we knew the arranged mating we had committed Natalie to would destroy them. I’m sure it was that love that drove them to challenge Jason more than any desire to save our people from him.”

  Patricia wiped her hand under her eyes, and Natalie knew her mother was crying. Clearly, her mother still hadn’t forgiven herself for agreeing to the arranging mating for Natalie, even though it was no longer relevant.

  “Yes, that makes sense,” Mr. Collins nodded his head when he agreed with Patricia. “Their souls would have recognized each other immediately. Once they met each other, there would have been nothing that could keep them apart.”

  Natalie looked at Kyle, and they both shifted at the same time. She needed to feel his arms around her. Needed to feel the beating of his heart when he held her close and pressed their chests together. She knew that she had loved him from the moment she had laid eyes on him when she was a child, but she never would have imagined that it was some cosmic destiny. She had known that they belonged together even then, but she had never said anything because she knew that no one would listen since she was just a child. With their arms wrapped around each other and her head buried in Kyle’s chest, she heard everyone leave the room. She loved them, but she was glad they had left. Despite the fact that she’d always known Kyle was the one she belonged with, hearing what Mr. Collins had just told them was still a lot to digest. Essentially, he had just informed them that they were the very first werelions ever put on this earth, which made them the leaders of every werelion in existence, regardless of what pride they were a part of. They were the Adam and Eve of their species, except that they shared a soul instead of a rib bone.

  CHAPTER 14

  Kyle

  Kyle didn’t know what to think of the revelation Mr. Collins had just shared with him. He couldn’t deny the facts, however, that matched up with Collins’ story. Kyle knew that he should be dead, yet he was alive and well. The pain he’d felt in his neck when he’d first woken up back at the mansion in their bedroom was even gone. Once everyone had left him and Natalie alone again, Kyle stood up from their bed and wrapped his arms under Natalie. He carried her into the bathroom and filled the large tub with hot water. They sat in the tub, letting the hot water wash away the horrible events of the day. Natalie was between his legs with her back pressed against his chest, and Kyle held her close with his nose buried in the hair at her neck. He had come so close to losing her, and he just wanted to hold onto her for the rest of their lives to make sure it never happened again. Far too soon, the water grew cold, and Kyle lifted Natalie from the water and dried them both off before he carried her back to their bedroom. He put her down long enough to change out the blood-stained sheets for clean ones, then he put her in bed and crawled in behind her. No matter how close he pulled her in, it never felt close enough.

  “Honey, Cain got away.”

  “Shh,” Kyle kissed Natalie’s hair, “we can talk about that tomorrow, okay? Right now, I just want to hold you. I love you.”

  Natalie wiggled her body and moved even closer into Kyle’s arms. “I love you, too.”

  Kyle felt exhaustion settle in his body and let his eyes close. He knew that they would have to deal with Cain soon, but for that night, he was going to fall asleep knowing that his mate was safe in his arms.

  The next morning, Kyle woke up to the feeling of Natalie’s body being pressed against his. He kept his eyes closed but smiled when he felt her run her hand down his chest below the blanket. By the time she reached his shaft, Kyle was hard as a rock and already dying to be inside of his mate. After her capture and everything they had been through to get her back home, he needed to possess her. Kyle made a move to take the upper hand and roll Natalie beneath him, but she quickly pushed him back down and climbed on top of him.

  “No, no. I’ve got this,” Natalie’s voice was like velvet.

  He could hear her purring with her enthusiasm, and it only turned him on more.

  Natalie bent over him and kissed him, and when she nipped at his lower lip, he growled into her mouth. Kyle brought his arms up and wrapped one hand around the back of Natalie’s neck just at the base of her hair, then he brought his other hand between them and cupped her breast. Natalie rocked back and forth over the length of his shaft, and he could feel how turned on she was.

  “Fuck, Natalie. I need to be inside of you, baby.”

  Kyle rocked his hips upward sharply and smiled when Natalie’s breath caught. Natalie sat up and shifted her body so that he was lined up with her sex. Kyle shifted his hands and wrapped them around her waist just above her hips. He gripped her waist and held her steady while she lowered her body down over him, sheathing him in her warm, silky body.

  “Mmm,” she moaned.

  When Natalie rocked her hips up and down, Kyle nearly let his eyes close, but he wanted to watch his mate while she took her pleasure from him. Watching h
er move up and down his body while she dug her nails into his chest made it hard for Kyle to hold back. He lifted his knees so that his feet were planted on the bed and gripped her waist tighter, then he started thrusting his hips upward hard and fast.

  “Ahh, Kyle! Don’t stop.”

  Natalie leaned back over his body with her hands braced on the bed on either side of his face. When she brought her mouth back down to his lips, Kyle removed one of his hands from her waist and brought it up to the back of her head while he plunged his tongue into her mouth. He continued kissing her, fucking her mouth with his tongue in time with his thrusts inside of her hot sex. When he felt Natalie’s body begin to tremble around him, Kyle released her mouth and brought his hand back down her back until he cupped her ass. He made quick work of rolling them over so that he was on top of Natalie, then he wrapped his arms around her back and sat up on his knees with her body wrapped around his. He moved deep inside of her, and when she exploded around him and cried out his name, he lost it.

  “Kyle!”

  “Fuck, Natalie! Grr.” He ground his teeth together when his release hit him, and he rocked into Natalie until they had both rode out their climaxes.

  He pulled Natalie’s mouth down to his and gave her another long, languid kiss. When she pulled back, Kyle looked her in the eyes and gently pushed the hair back from her face. “I love you. I was so worried I wouldn’t find you. I never want to be separated again. Wherever we go from now on, I think we should go together.”

  “I agree. We need to stay together. If you have to go visit the Anastas pride, then I’ll go with you. I love you so much.”

  Kyle stood from the bed with Natalie and walked them into the shower where he made love to her for the second time that morning.

  ***

  When Kyle and Natalie made their way downstairs, he was surprised to find so many people at the mansion. It looked like half of the pride had stayed there the night before.

  “You’re not glowing anymore,” his mother said.

  She came out of the kitchen, and when he breathed in, he knew she was cooking his favorite breakfast; bacon and eggs with waffles.

  “That means he is fully healed now,” Mr. Collins walked around the corner from the kitchen behind Kyle’s mom. “The glow was their souls connecting as one so Natalie could heal Kyle.”

  Kyle and Natalie followed his mother into the kitchen and sat down to eat. He was suddenly starving as if it had been days or weeks since he’d had a bite to eat. When he looked over at Natalie and saw the way she was piling food on her plate, he realized that it wasn’t his own hunger that he was feeling, but hers. He continued staring at her for a few moments. In the past, they had been able to sense it whenever the other was experiencing a strong emotion, but nothing like this. He closed his eyes and reflected inward. That was when it hit him; he could feel her. Not in the physical sense, but it was like he could feel her inside of him. There was a humming sensation that he had never felt before today, and when he focused on that sensation, he realized it was Natalie. Kyle concentrated on the sensation more, and when he began hearing Natalie’s thoughts, his eyes flew open. The thoughts he had heard were not sent to him by her in the way they communicated with their thoughts. No, they were her private inner thoughts, and apparently, she thought that this was the best breakfast food she’d ever eaten. He smiled at that thought.

  “Kyle, are you alright?” his mother’s voice broke his focus, and Natalie’s thoughts became just a hum again at the back of his mind.

  “Yeah, mom, it’s just…” Kyle paused. He wasn’t sure how to explain what was going on without making people think he’d gone crazy. Luckily, Mr. Collins beat him to it and provided the answer Kyle wasn’t sure existed.

  “You feel her inside of you now, don’t you, son?” Mr. Collins said.

  Kyle looked at the history teacher and nodded his head.

  “What’s he talking about, Kyle?” Natalie asked. She had dropped her fork and looked at him with concern clear in her eyes.

  “I can feel you. Hear your thoughts.”

  Natalie raised an eyebrow and stared at Kyle. She looked more confused than before he’d tried to explain what he felt. “But we already knew how to communicate with our thoughts. How is that different all of a sudden?”

  “Your bond is stronger now,” Mr. Collins told them. “Since Natalie saved you using the bond and sharing her strength with you, your souls are truly connected now. Your bond will continue to grow, and eventually, you will both know everything about the other.”

  “What do you mean, exactly?” Natalie asked.

  Kyle smiled at her. She had always hated the unknown. For her, she liked things to be black and white, so when things happened that she couldn’t explain, it would drive her crazy until she figured it out.

  “I can hear your inner thoughts,” Kyle told her. “You weren’t trying to communicate with me just a moment ago, but I know that you were thinking this was the best breakfast you could remember having.”

  “That will become even stronger,” Mr. Collins said. He had a wide smile on his face, and Kyle knew the man was thrilled to witness what he referred to as the “original ones” in his lifetime. “Soon, you will have the ability to think as one when you choose to do so. You’ll also have the ability to see through each other’s eyes and quite literally feel anything and everything the other feels. You’ll be able to control it when you need to, of course. Nobody wants someone in their head, or vice versa, all of the time. Soulmates or not, that would drive you crazy. However, it will make you both a stronger team and nearly impossible for anyone to come between you.”

  “Why haven’t I heard your inner thoughts then?” Natalie asked.

  “They didn’t just pop into my head. When we sat down, I was overcome by your hunger, and I knew something had changed because I’ve never felt anything like that before, despite our bond. I realized there was this sort of hum in the back of my mind, and when I concentrated on it, I realized it was your thoughts. It’s like they are in their own little space in my mind, waiting for me to tap into them and listen.”

  Natalie went still for a moment and stared blankly across the table. “I feel the hum,” she said with a smile.

  “Just concentrate on it,” Kyle told her.

  Kyle thought about that morning. The way she had woken him up and then their lovemaking in the shower. When her breath caught and her cheeks flushed and turned red, he knew she had successfully made her way inside of his mind. When Natalie opened her eyes, she looked at him and he winked. Laughing, Natalie smacked him in his shoulder and laughed. When he looked around the table and saw Natalie’s father, Albert, watching them, it was Kyle’s turn to go red. Maybe thinking about sex in a room with their parents hadn’t been his best move. When he looked around the table, he realized for the first time that his brother was missing. He thought about it for a moment, and it hit him that he had not seen Craig the night before when he woke up in bed with Natalie with a room full of people staring at them. It wasn’t like Craig not to make sure he was okay, and his little brother definitely wouldn’t miss any opportunity to eat their mother’s cooking.

  “Where’s Craig? I haven’t seen him since waking up back here last night.”

  Natalie put her fork back down, and the look on her face told him that he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “After Cain attacked you, I got distracted worrying about you, and he took off out of the cave. Craig showed up right after and set off after Cain.”

  “Are you telling me that no one has heard from my brother since then, and we’re just sitting here having bacon and eggs like nothing is happening?” Kyle’s voice was raised. He wasn’t trying to attack Natalie, but he couldn’t believe that nobody had said anything sooner.

  “He’s fine,” Glenn told Kyle. “I heard from him this morning. He was able to find Cain’s hideout, but the guy had a few more friends with him. I tried to get him to say where he was, but he insisted I needed to stay here with
you all to keep you safe. He said that he was going to contact some of the Anastas pride to help him take down Cain once and for all.”

  Kyle stood up so fast that his chair fell backwards and crashed to the floor. “That son of a bitch is mine! I will be the one to kill him.”

  He stormed out of the kitchen. He knew Natalie was right behind him because he could feel her presence and her anxiety over what he might do.

  “Kyle, I’m coming with you.”

  “No, Natalie. I won’t risk that piece of shit getting his hands on you again.”

  She grabbed his arm and stopped him, so he turned around to look at her.

  “We are doing this together. You heard Mr. Collins; we are stronger together. Besides, I’m the leader of his pride, and if anyone messes with my people, then they answer to me. I am coming with you, so you might as well stop wasting time arguing with me.”

  Kyle closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down for a moment so that he was thinking clearer.

  “You’re right. We should stick together, otherwise I will be distracted worrying about you back here without me.”

  “Good.”

  He called out to Craig with his mind, making sure to include Natalie in the telepathic conversation so they would both know where to go at the same time.

  “Craig, tell us where you are. Natalie and I are on our way to help you. Nobody kills Cain but me. That asshole is going to pay for what he did to my mate, and I’ll be the one making sure he does. Understand?”

  When Craig responded, he could hear the shock coming from his brother. “Kyle, you’re alive? I thought you were dead when I walked in that cave and found Natalie lying next to your body.”

  “I’m fine, Craig. We’ll explain it later, but right now, you need to tell me where you are.”