“Alright,” Craig agreed. When he gave Kyle and Natalie the directions, Kyle felt anger well up inside of him, and in that moment, he wasn’t sure whose anger was more potent, his or Natalie’s. The asshole was only ten miles outside of the pride lands.
“He thinks you’re dead, Kyle. With you dead and Natalie in mourning, he is convinced that if he strikes the pride again really soon, killing Natalie and taking over will be easy.”
“He’s not going to be getting the opportunity to test out that theory,” Kyle growled.
He looked at Natalie, and without saying a word, they both shifted. This shit was going to end today. Kyle wasn’t going to rest until he had Cain’s head removed from his body. When he was done with Cain, Kyle was certain that no other lions would think twice about attacking him or his mate ever again.
CHAPTER 15
Natalie
Natalie raced through the woods beside Kyle. Their anger was mingled together to the point that she almost felt like they were one being. They ran as if they were one, each movement synchronized with the other like they were mirror reflections of one another. Kyle’s thoughts were no longer a hum at the back of her mind. Instead, they were as much a part of her as her own inner thoughts. When Mr. Collins had first explained how the bond would keep growing, she had been worried that it would feel like an invasion, but being so deeply connected to Kyle just felt right. Like this was how they should have been all along. If she had doubted that they were two halves of the same soul before, there was no way she could deny it anymore. She was feeling everything Kyle was feeling, all the way down to the grass beneath his paws and the wind rushing through his fur.
It wasn’t long before they made it to the spot they had agreed to meet Craig, and he was waiting for them with Dave and Joseph flanking him on either side.
“Where is he?” Kyle demanded the moment he was within his brother’s eyesight.
Natalie felt his impatience, and she was right there with him. Cain had had far too much power over them for way too long, and they were both eager for him to get what he deserved.
“He’s in that run-down cabin about twenty yards to our right,” Craig answered. “I don’t know where he keeps finding these other lions to fight with him, but he has another large group protecting his back.”
Without saying another word, Natalie and Kyle shut their eyes and focused on their anger. When they opened their eyes and looked down, they towered over Craig, Dave, and Joseph.
“Let’s go,” Natalie said.
“Just remember, Cain is mine,” Kyle growled out.
He made sure everyone heard him. As much as Natalie wanted the satisfaction of ridding her pride of Cain, she would give this one to Kyle. As a male, his overwhelming need to protect her, his mate, was strong, and she could feel that. Now that she had access to his whole mind, she also knew he blamed himself for leaving her alone and allowing her to be abducted, and he needed to be the one who avenged her so that he’d be able to forgive himself. When male lions mated, it was no secret that they all felt a strong desire to protect and avenge their mates when necessary, but Natalie had a feeling it was their extra special bond that made Kyle’s need to protect her so overpowering.
They were almost to the cabin when Natalie felt Kyle’s anxiety spike. “Kyle, what is it?”
“Something isn’t right. This is just too easy. They should have attacked us the minute we came out into the opening. Where the hell did everyone go?”
Natalie looked around them and realized Kyle was right. All of the men Craig had told them were protecting Cain seemed to be missing. There was no way they hadn’t been seen or sensed in some way. Natalie and Kyle seemed to come to the same realization together. They both looked at each other, and then shouted to the rest of their people, “It’s a trap!”
When they turned around to retreat, they were already surrounded. Several members of the Anastas pride stood in a circle around them, closing them in. They included members that she remembered meeting during her one trip to the Anastas pride lands, and based on what she saw in Kyle’s mind, he had seen several of them on his return when he took Craig in to lead them all.
“I knew that they had all agreed to things too easily,” Kyle said, “traitorous bastards.”
Natalie knew that there was no way to escape without a fight, which was fine by her. She was tired of this shit and ready to take out any lion who wished her, her mate, and her pride any harm.
“This ends today!” Natalie called out to Craig and those who had followed him.
They charged the horde of lions that surrounded them. Natalie and Kyle used their massive size and strength to rip through the traitors two at a time, but the rest of their fighters weren’t having as much luck. There were at least four lions to every one lion on their side, and they were using their numbers to break off Natalie’s lions and seclude them until everyone was surrounded by multiple lions. She looked at Kyle, and without having to say anything, she knew he was aware of her plan. They both headed in different directions and began taking out lions who had their friends and family surrounded. Once the rogue Anastas lions figured out what they were doing, they began focusing their attacks mainly on Natalie and Kyle. Natalie knew every time one of them landed a blow to Kyle because she felt it, which meant Kyle was feeling the same whenever she took a blow. She knew that she was capable of blocking him out, but the idea of not knowing if something happened to him was even more painful than actually feeling his injuries.
Natalie continued fighting off the lions in droves, and after a while, she realized the flaw in their enemies’ plan of attack. They had focused on Natalie and Kyle, and that allowed the rest of their team to circle around the Anastas lions and begin picking them off from behind, one by one. While she was dealing with two lions, another came around behind her and sunk his claws into her hind leg. Natalie made quick work of the two she’d been fighting and turned to get the third off of her. Despite her being more than double his size, the asshole had made a sizable gash in her hind leg and left her limping. The next thing she knew, everyone around her jumped back like they had just been shocked.
“I’ve got you,” Kyle’s voice filled her mind.
When she turned around and looked for him, he was glowing bright red. Natalie turned and looked down at where the other lion had gashed her leg open; she saw that Kyle wasn’t the only one glowing. She was amazed because she never would have imagined they could heal each other from a distance, but she was watching the gash in her leg grow back together with her own eyes. When she had helped heal Kyle, they’d been touching. She had never considered leaving his side, so she never had the chance to determine if they had to be touching for the ability to heal one another to work, but she had her answer now.
Natalie was thrown off balance when Cain’s image flashed through her mind. She saw him sneak out of the cabin and run in the opposite direction of the fighting. What shocked her was the fact that she was facing the fight, so she shouldn’t have seen Cain or anyone else who was moving around behind the cabin. She turned to look at Kyle again, and when she saw he was turned toward the cabin, her breath caught.
“Kyle, did you see Cain?”
“Yes. I’m on it!”
Natalie had to shake her head to bring herself back to the fight. Mr. Collins had told them they would grow to see through each other’s eyes, but she had honestly thought he meant that as more of a metaphor. Like they would see things in the same light because their souls were one, but he had clearly been literal. It was a little freaky, but after a moment, Natalie realized it would give them an advantage. Even though she wasn’t right there with Kyle while he chased down Cain, she would be able to keep her eyes on things as well and hopefully give him a heads up if Cain tried anything sneaky, and knowing Cain, he would. This new ability would allow her to help him if she needed to while still giving Kyle the vengeance he wanted to take against Cain on his own.
Natalie backed away from the fight for a moment to co
ncentrate. She would need to be able to focus on the fight she was dealing with while keeping a lookout through Kyle’s eyes for her idea to work.
“Natalie, are you hurt?” Craig asked her.
She should have expected there would be some concern when she backed away. Her pride would put her safety above all else as their leader.
“I just need to concentrate for a minute. Everything is fine.”
She saw Craig nod and jump back into the fight. They had taken out many members of their enemy, but none of them were going to stop until they knew this threat was gone once and for all.
Natalie was staring straight ahead, watching the lions in front of her fighting but also reaching out for Kyle through their bond. Flashes of weeds and trees would flash through her mind, and she knew Kyle was still on the chase. She took a deep breath and focused inward on the part of her soul where she always felts the bond with Kyle the strongest. Natalie kept her eyes open, and when she felt the bond growing more solid within her soul, her vision altered. She was still able to see what was happening through her own eyes, but everything was surrounded by a red glow. Another image was also readily visible in her mind. It was Cain with his back against a canyon wall and nowhere to run. This vision grew brighter and more realistic. Natalie’s senses were overwhelmed by the sounds and smells that she knew must be coming from around Kyle. Cain’s scent filled her nose, and his fear was permeating the air around him.
Kyle growled, and Natalie was surprised when she felt the rumble within her own chest like the sound had come from her. The fighting that was happening in front of her between the traitor Anastas lions and her own pride was fading to the back of her vision, and the image of Cain moved to the forefront. She saw him so clearly, it was hard to believe she wasn’t actually the one standing right in front of him. When she felt her body shift, Natalie knew that something was happening. Suddenly, she felt a wholeness within herself like never before—like a part of her she hadn’t known was missing was suddenly restored. She felt stronger too, like her strength had doubled, and Natalie was sure she would be able to defeat anyone who stood against her in that moment. Kyle’s thoughts were no longer thoughts she had access to, but she recognized them like they were hers. When she realized she felt the ground under Kyle’s paws and the wind blowing through his fur, she knew something truly magical had occurred.
“Natalie, I can feel you,” Kyle thought, and she heard it like she was the one who had thought it. She heard it as the thought was created.
She focused on being one with Kyle, thought about her strength and his, and then she felt his body grow even bigger and stronger than before.
“I am with you,” she told Kyle. She wasn’t sure how she had done it, but Natalie was sure she was one with Kyle in every way then. “Our souls have merged. I can feel our strength mingling together.”
“Me too,” Kyle agreed.
Judging by the look that was on Cain’s face, Natalie would guess that the merging of their souls and strength wasn’t just an internal thing. Their appearance must have been overpowering because Cain was literally shivering in fear. Looking around, Natalie knew they had grown in size. Cain pretty much looked like a miniature puppy next to Kyle’s body once she had joined with him as one. All of their senses were heightened, which was most likely what helped them see when Cain quickly glanced behind them. She heard the approaching lions. They really should have found a new tactic because the sneaking up and attacking from behind bit had become the signature of Cain and his followers. They knew the moment the others were close enough for them to take them out, and Natalie felt Kyle’s body spin around in a flash. Using their combined strength, their joined body moved like lightning, and when they struck out with their claw and relieved the lions of their heads, it felt like nothing more than slicking through warm butter. Within a minute, they were eye to eye with Cain again, and the traitor wasted no time leaping up and sinking his teeth into their throat. They shook their head, and Cain flew off. His back slammed into the rocky wall behind him, and Natalie heard a loud crack when his head flew back and slammed into the rocks behind him. There was a crunching sound that echoed when his skull cracked, and then Cain’s limp body felt to the ground, lifeless.
They closed their eyes, and Natalie felt herself take a deep breathe. Kyle’s thoughts were gone, and she felt herself enter her normal body. That part of her that had felt completely whole while she was joined with Kyle was a little sad, but she knew she couldn’t live inside of him forever. When she opened her eyes, Craig, Glenn, and Alice stood over her with fear in their eyes.
“Oh, thank God,” Alice visibly relaxed the moment Natalie opened her own eyes.
“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Craig’s voice was still a little frantic when he spoke to her with his thoughts. “One second you're telling me you need a minute, and the next thing we know, you’re collapsed on the ground and completely unresponsive. You weren’t breathing or anything. I was imagining all of the ways Kyle was going to kill me for letting you die.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, any of you. I was…” Natalie trailed off. She wasn’t sure how she was going to explain what had happened.
“She was with me.” Kyle’s voice filled her head, and she whipped her head around. Her mate stopped beside her and dropped Cain’s body in front of Craig.
“You did it, brother!” Craig’s enthusiasm was full of pride in his brother.
Kyle turned his head toward Natalie and leaned his forehead against hers. “No, we did it together. Cain had another ambush lined up, and if Natalie hadn’t been with me, I don’t know if I would have been able to take them all out on my own.”
Natalie purred, and Kyle nuzzled her cheek with his own. When she opened her eyes and looked up, she knew everyone else was confused, but their questions would have to wait. She was ready to be home with her mate. For the first time in what felt like forever, she wanted to sleep by Kyle’s side with the knowledge that they were finally safe.
“We’ll explain later,” Natalie told everyone. “For now, let’s go home and celebrate taking our lives back.”
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Kyle
Even after a few weeks had gone by, Kyle still caught himself watching Natalie in amazement. When he had felt her join their souls, it had been the strangest and most complete he’d ever felt in his whole life. If there had been any doubt in Mr. Collins’ determination that they were two parts of one soul, those doubts were wiped away the moment Kyle had felt their souls merged together. It was a feeling of completeness so strong that he had wondered if they would be able to separate again. His mate was amazing. Lying in bed, Kyle was watching her sleep. He had no clue she would look so peaceful, like an angel, but when her eyes flew open and her face seemed to change to a weird shade of green, Kyle was instantly on edge.
“What is it? Natalie, are you alright?”
Natalie didn’t respond. She ripped off the blankets and jumped out of the bed. When her feet hit the ground, she threw her hand over her mouth and took off in a run for the bathroom. Before Kyle was able to process what had just happened, he heard the sound of her getting sick in the bathroom. Panic filled his chest when he thought about how their last chef had poisoned Natalie. What if the battle for their safety wasn’t over? What if they had missed someone during the interviews of the Anastas pride after Cain was killed? Maybe there were more traitors within their midst who had been excellent at hiding their motives.
Kyle pulled his head out of his own thoughts and went to the bathroom, where Natalie sat on the floor with her head hung over the toilet. Kyle pulled her hair back and rubbed her back up and down her spine. When Natalie lifted her head and sat with her back leaned against the tub, Kyle wet a cool washrag and sat down beside her.
Natalie took the washrag and wiped around her face and mouth, then she leaned her head to the side so that she was resting on his shoulder. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank m
e, baby,” Kyle told her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. “And I promise, we are going to figure out if someone is responsible for poisoning you again. I’m sick of people threatening you, and if someone did this, I swear I will make an example of them. No one will even think about making a play against you again.”
Natalie shifted her body so that she was able to look up at Kyle again. She studied him with her eyebrows drawn together like she was confused. Kyle had learned how to feel it when Natalie was inside of his mind and listening to his private thoughts, and he knew that was precisely what she was doing right then. He was used to it, so he just sat there quietly while she roamed around in his thoughts. What shocked him wasn’t Natalie’s mind listening in on his own, but when she tossed her head back and burst out laughing. Kyle went over every thought he’d consciously known had been swimming around in his head for the past few minutes, but he had no clue what she could have found funny.
“Natalie?”
Natalie smiled at him and shook her head. “If you’re planning on hurting whoever made me sick, then I guess you need to get started kicking your own ass, honey.”
Kyle was lost. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I brought you a plate of food last night, but I didn’t cook it. You really think I would feed you something that I thought would make you sick?”
“Of course not,” Natalie quickly responded. She took Kyle’s hands in her own and smiled at him. “I don’t have food poisoning, Kyle. Nobody poisoned me with anything.”
“You think it’s just a stomach virus?”
“Are you serious right now? We share the same soul, and you have unfiltered access to all of my deepest thoughts, and you’re trying to tell me you don’t know why I woke up sick this morning?”
Natalie crossed her arms, and Kyle was lost. Why was she getting mad at him? All he wanted was to take care of her. Her emotions seemed to be all over the place, and he had no idea…it hit him like a ton of bricks, and his eyes grew wide. He knew Natalie was in his head and heard it the moment the thought crossed his mind, but he had to say it out loud. Her arms dropped back down, and he grabbed her hands. She smiled at him, and Kyle returned the smile with his brightest smile.
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