Karis

by Grace Brennan

  But there was nothing she wanted more right now than to claim Karis and be claimed by him. He was definitely one of the good guys, and she’d always wanted a mating like her parents’. She could have that with him. And she couldn’t even care that she literally just moved into a home of her own, got to wear what she wanted, and was finally chasing her dream of being a warrior. She just wanted him.

  Besides, Karis wasn’t the type to restrict his mate, rule changes or no. And he made it clear he’d support her in following whatever dream she wanted to chase when he let her compete. True, he didn’t know they were mates yet, but she couldn’t imagine it changing once his tiger clued him in.

  Frowning as she rinsed a plate, she recalled her thoughts from earlier. But try as she might, she couldn’t figure out what caused things to change with him last year. At the time, she’d decided it must mean he didn’t like her anymore. That maybe she annoyed him. But now she was fairly certain that wasn’t the case.

  One day she’d ask him. But for now, her focus was on getting him to accept his attraction to her. And more importantly, getting him to act on it.

  Karis pulled his jeans back on after shifting and running the woods as his tiger. It hadn’t done as much good as he hoped. The shit he felt during that kiss with Arya still had him off kilter.

  Kiss. With Arya. He’d fucking kissed Arya.

  What the hell had he been thinking? Clearly he hadn’t been, at least not with his brain. But hell, how could he have expected it to pack the punch it did? Honestly, he wasn’t as experienced as some thought he was. He was no monk, especially in his younger years. But now he only had sex when the urge got too strong and started messing with his concentration. He had to be focused to do his job. And he wasn’t battle ready if all he could think of was sex.

  About four times a year was his guess. And never with anyone here. He always went to Denver when he needed to scratch his itch. Although, he’d been finding it harder and harder to hook up with a woman lately. The urge just hadn’t been as strong. Something he hadn’t really thought about, but now he was wondering what changed.

  But that was all beside the point, and just showed how unsettled he was, thinking about shit that didn’t matter.

  The point was, he’d never reacted to any woman’s kiss before like he had to Arya’s. He was pretty sure that was her first kiss, too, and for her to be so unexperienced, yet affect him like that…

  He shoved his feet into his shoes and then paused, suddenly wondering if he really was her first or not. She could have been kissed before, and still not had much experience. Growling, he stalked to his house. If he found out who’d been going around kissing her, he’d maim—

  Fuck, what was wrong with him? He shouldn’t care if she’d been kissed before him or not. In fact, he should be hoping she had been. He didn’t want her placing some kind of importance on tonight just because it was her first.

  This time, the growl came from his tiger. Dumb. Ass.

  Yeah, well, I’m starting to think you’re not too smart either. You should have stopped me from doing it to begin with.

  Rounding his house, he caught a scent on the breeze and pulled up short. Spotting the figure on his porch, he resumed walking slowly, wondering what the hell he was doing here.

  “Vynn.”

  “Karis. Can we go inside?” he asked, glancing swiftly toward Arya’s house, the moonlight glinting off his scar.

  Frowning over the direction of Vynn’s glance, he nodded and unlocked the door. Flipping the light on, he led the way to the living room portion of the large, open design of the first floor. “What’s up?”

  “Are you sure letting Arya compete today was a good idea? I don’t think she should go to the head warrior challenge tomorrow.”

  He stiffened. “Are you questioning my decisions, Vynn?”

  “I guess I am,” Vynn replied with a shrug.

  “If it makes you uncomfortable to be beat at archery by a woman, I have zero fucks to give. Or maybe you don’t want a woman seeing you lose tomorrow. Either way, I don’t care. Women are equal to us now, and it’s best you get used to it. It might take the other women longer to feel comfortable with it, but eventually, they will. And you’ll be seeing a lot more of this kind of thing then.”

  Vynn frowned. “This has nothing to do with her being a woman. I mean, it does, but not for the reasons you listed. The men were upset enough just because she was there today. Letting her compete, and then her winning it all, could be pushing them too far.”

  There were no false notes in his voice, and Karis frowned. “Why do you care? And what are you not telling me?”

  “Nothing.” Well, that was definitely a lie. “I just wanted to warn you. Didn’t you guys already have an arrow shot at you before you could even begin training her?”

  His blood went cold. “How the hell do you know that? Only a handful of people know.”

  “A handful of people is all it takes.” Standing, Vynn headed to the door. “I just wanted to say, maybe her being there is pushing someone too far. Maybe her enthusiasm to embrace the changes is too much for someone. Make what you will of it.”

  Karis frowned as Vynn left, shutting the door silently behind him. He didn’t know what to make of that so-called warning. There was something Vynn wasn’t telling him. Either he knew someone was planning something, and he really was giving an altruistic warning—but really, when was Vynn ever altruistic?—or it was Vynn himself.

  Almost everything he said was the truth, but he could be dancing around the real reasons he’d want to go after Arya. And the warning could be just a sick bit of fun for him, or a way of throwing Karis off his trail when he made a move.

  There was just no way to know at this point. He briefly considered telling Arya she couldn’t go tomorrow, and putting a guard on her to keep her home. But she wouldn’t take that well, and he had no doubts she could easily slip past a guard. She was smart and sneaky enough.

  And the thought of her being here while he was off at the arena made his gut knot up. He wanted her close, wanted her in eyesight so he could protect her. He couldn’t do that if she was here and he was there.

  So, he’d let her come to the challenges. He’d just make sure those he trusted absolutely were close by when he couldn’t be.

  Her safety was the most important thing to him. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to her. It would gut him.

  Because of Mikhail, of course. Because losing her would kill her parents.

  His tiger snorted. Dumbass.

  Chapter Seven

  Arya looked around her with excitement. She was finally at head warrior challenges. She’d been longing to go to one for as long as she could remember, and they were just as interesting as she thought they’d be.

  They were nearing the end of the matches. It started off with two tigers battling it out in animal form. The winner of each match advanced to the next round. And so on and so forth, until now, when Shiloh and Anders were fighting. They’d each fought four other tigers, and the winner would go on to fight Karis for his position.

  He’d been magnificent in his matches. They’d all been over fairly quickly, because he was far more skilled than the rest. It was no wonder he held the position for twelve years already. Even though he was more skilled than the others, sometimes he drew the matches out, toying with his prey.

  She’d puzzled over it for a bit, and then nearly snorted when she realized why he was doing it with some, and not others. The matches he drew out, where he inflicted the most injuries, and humiliated his opponents, were when he was fighting the true dickheads of the warriors. The cruel ones, the ones who were against the changes, the ones who needed taken down a peg or ten. She applauded his thinking.

  Shiloh defeated Anders, and there was a short break between the final match. She couldn’t wait to see Karis defeat Shiloh. She knew he could, easily, and Shiloh was one of the worst of the younger generation. Total asshole.

  Look at how easy it
was to think dickhead and asshole. Seemed like some curses were easier when they were in the right context.

  “I’m surprised Shiloh made it this far,” she heard Zane mutter to Jameson, and she glanced over with interest. “I didn’t think he had it in him.”

  Jameson nodded. “I didn’t either. It kind of bothers me. He was defeated so easily in practices, before the challenges began. That means he was hiding his skill.”

  Kelly touched her arm, drawing her attention away. “Forget that,” her friend whispered. “I’ve been dying to ask you how Operation Seduction is going.”

  Arya smiled, noticing that Zane’s eyebrows twitched as he darted a quick look at them. He obviously heard his mate, but she didn’t care. He didn’t know who they were talking about, and even if he did, she had nothing to hide.

  “I think it’s going well. He kissed me last night.”

  Kelly squealed under her breath. “Really? How was it?”

  “Unbelievably amazing,” she replied with a dreamy sigh. “It was the perfect first kiss.”

  “It was your first kiss? Oh, how sweet that it was with him.”

  “Right? I’m so glad I didn’t try it before. I’ve been dying of curiosity, but that was definitely worth waiting for.”

  “I think it’s just perfect that your first kiss was your mate. Maybe it’s pregnancy hormones, but I’m getting kind of teary-eyed thinking of it. Oh, looks like they’re coming back out. Let’s pick this up later. I need more details.”

  With a nod, Arya turned back toward the ring and leaned forward in anticipation. There he was, her massive white tiger. She’s always thought the orange tigers were gorgeous, far more interesting than her own boring black-striped white cat. But looking at Karis, there was no question that he was the most beautiful tiger she’d ever seen.

  He was massive, one of the biggest tigers in the tribe, she thought. His head would probably be shoulder level if he stood next to her while she was in human form. He was thickly layered with muscle, and his white fur, with perfectly symmetrical black stripes, was gleaming in the sun. His six-inch long claws dug into the ground with each step, and when he snarled at Shiloh, his razor-sharp incisors looked as thick as her forearm.

  He walked closer to where she had a front row seat to the action, glancing over and locking gazes with her. A shiver wracked her body as she stared into his eyes. They were almost completely white, nearly blending with the white of his fur. There was a very pale ring of silver around them, and the only other color was the black of his pupil. They looked otherworldly, and if she didn’t know this was Karis, they would have unnerved her greatly.

  As it was, she knew him. Not as well as she wanted to, but she knew who he was, deep inside. He was a good man. The best. And he was her mate.

  Yes, he is, her tiger said with a sigh, basking in the attention of Karis’ tiger.

  She smiled at him, with her eyes as well as a full stretch of her lips, and he inclined his head regally to her before moving to the center of the arena.

  A sharp whistle sounded, the signal to begin, and she scooted to the edge of her seat as the tigers began circling each other. Karis was bigger than Shiloh, but that also meant he was bulkier and just a hair slower. She worried about it for a split second before Karis launched his attack, and then she relaxed.

  It was clear, from the very first move, that as good as Shiloh was, Karis was so much better. He controlled the fight, doing what Arya hoped he would, drawing it out and playing with the younger tiger.

  Shiloh feinted left before going right, but Karis anticipated it, blocking him and raking his claws down Shiloh’s side. No matter what move Shiloh made, Karis was right there, blocking, toying, stalking his prey.

  It felt like it went on forever, Karis dragging it out far longer than he had any of the others. In a last-ditch effort, Shiloh feinted twice, and Karis was a tad bit slower. Immediately taking advantage, he jumped Karis, their orange and white coats a jarring contrast to each other.

  Arya was on her feet, clutching the rail, knuckles white as she held her breath, muting her gift with everything in her. They were wrestling, neither seeming to gain an advantage, and she was starting to get nervous when suddenly Shiloh froze.

  Karis had his throat between his jaws, biting down just enough to keep the other tiger still but not enough to kill him. They weren’t far from where she stood, and Karis glanced up at her and—did he just wink? In tiger form?

  A slow smile stretched her lips even as she rolled her eyes in exasperation. She understood now. They’d never been wrestling for an advantage—Karis had it the whole time. He was just toying with Shiloh even more.

  The whistle blew, signaling the end of the match, and the crowd went wild. She just stood there with an idiotic grin on her face as Karis released Shiloh’s neck and let him up. They walked back toward the locker rooms, Shiloh limping heavily at first. But by the time they disappeared, the limp was mostly gone, his accelerated shifter healing kicking in.

  Our mate was magnificent, her tiger said, letting out a purr.

  Zane eyed Arya, and she quickly cleared her throat to mask the sound, swallowing it down. But she was in one hundred percent agreement with her animal, about Karis being magnificent and the purr.

  Kian walked into the center of the ring, and a few of the bolder tribe members followed, wanting to be the first who congratulated Karis on keeping the position of head warrior. Wanting to be among them, she started down the stairs to her right just as Karis came back out of the locker rooms, in his human skin and fully clothed.

  He was nearing Kian, and she’d just stepped onto the dirt floor of the ring, when a flash of orange caught her eye. Why the hell was anyone in tiger form right now? The ceremony was about to begin. Frowning, she looked closer, seeing the slightest of limps and realizing it was Shiloh. And he had deadly, murderous eyes locked onto her mate as he started forward.

  Her blood ran cold. Though time seemed to slow to a crawl, Shiloh was picking up speed, and it was loud in here. Maybe too loud for Karis to hear a shouted warning in time, even with his enhanced hearing. But she couldn’t let anything happen to him. She’d die before she let anything happen to her mate.

  Sudden calm swept over her. There was only one thing to do. Her gift came out in full glory, her focus laser beamed on Shiloh. Dead kitty, for trying to attack her mate, and so dishonorably.

  Her tiger growled in her chest. Let’s end him.

  I know you’ll want to, but try not to eat him, she replied.

  Without another second’s thought, she let her tiger rip from her body. Shifts were usually fast, but this one was so fast she barely felt the pain. As soon as all four paws were on the ground, she was off, gaze locked on the tiger she was about to end.

  Karis bowed to Kian, frowning when the crowd started shouting. As he straightened, a flash of white streaked by, accompanied by the roar of a tiger and the unmistakable thud of two bodies clashing together.

  Turning toward the sound of two tigers brawling, his heart stopped in his chest. That was Arya’s tiger, tearing into… was that Shiloh? What the fuck was going on?

  Shiloh swatted, sinking his claws into Arya’s shoulder, and Karis saw red. He started to move forward, his tiger going nuts inside him, and then stopped when a hand grabbed his arm, halting him.

  “Don’t. Look at her. She’s got this.”

  Glaring at Mikhail, he tried to shrug his hand off, but his grip was too tight. “Are you out of your fucking mind? That’s your daughter out there. Why weren’t you the first to help her?”

  “I would if she needed it, but look at her. She’s in control.”

  His tiger was going wild in his chest, clawing and spitting, but as Karis turned back to the fight, his animal calmed. Because he saw what Karis did. Mikhail was right. She had it under control. Awe and pride filled him as he watched her. She was battling just as well as he could, and against a tiger who was unofficially second in rank behind him after the challenges.

 
; And she had no formal training. Amazing.

  Kian touched his shoulder, a worried frown on his face as he scanned the crowd. “You need to use your gift. It will counteract hers. Do it soon.”

  Looking around, he noticed the crowd was even more whipped up and crazed than normal. He could see in an instant that it would quickly get out of control, so he used his gift, watching as calm fell over the audience. It didn’t seem to affect the two battling tigers, however. Interesting. He’d never tested the boundaries of what he could do with it before.

  “What do you mean, counteract her gift? She got them stirred up?” he asked, pulling his gaze from Arya long enough to see her father nod.

  “It’s part of her gift. She can amp herself up, and much like you, can transfer it to others. But she can’t control what they’re feeling, so when she does it, it amps up whatever it is. She learned from a young age to control it, but I think maybe her focus is so completely on the fight that she lost sight of that. That’s another part of her gift, by the way. Laser sharp focus when she wants. It’s how she picks up on things so quickly.”

  So that’s how she was able to brawl like a pro when she had no formal training. Refocusing completely on the fight, he watched again as she moved. Her fighting style seemed familiar, but it took a moment for him to realize it was familiar because it was his.

  She was flawlessly mimicking everything he did in fights. Which meant when she watched the tigers practice, she was watching him.

  Warmth filled his chest at the realization, warmth he wasn’t sure what to do with. That he wasn’t sure he wanted to feel.

  I always thought you were a smart man, but you’re making me question it. Need I say it again? Dumb. Ass.

  Fuckin’ tiger.

  In a sudden flurry of movement, Arya had Shiloh pinned to the ground, his neck in her mouth. Luke, one of the shifter Enforcers who was there to try to keep the peace through the transition to Kian’s rein, stepped forward, and Karis saw red.