Karis

by Grace Brennan

  Epilogue

  Arya smiled as she stretched her deliciously sore muscles while she dressed. It had been two weeks since the confrontation with Trevor, and life was damn near perfect. Her brow twitched as she thought about the tribe. The only thing that still had the ability to put a damper on her mood was the mentality of the tribe, especially the women.

  She and Kelly were still the only women embracing the change in rules. She knew it would take a while, and she couldn’t expect miracles to happen overnight, but she’d hoped at least one more woman would find her inner strength and badassery and join her in chasing her dreams.

  Karis told her constantly to give it more time, and she was trying, she really was. She wasn’t giving up on her female tribe members, not yet. They’d come around eventually.

  Coming up behind her, Karis squeezed her ass as he kissed her neck, and despite the fact that they just finished a rousing hour in bed together, she felt her body stir with the need for another round. But they were already running late to training, so she buried her need as she turned around to give him a peck on the lips.

  “Come on, old man. We’re gonna be late.”

  Adopting a feeble voice, he shook his head. “I’m trying, but I just don’t have the stamina I used to. It’s hard to keep up with you young whippersnappers.”

  Laughing, she shook her head as he winked at her. She led the way out of the room and was halfway down the stairs as the doorbell rang. She sent a questioning look over her shoulder, and Karis just shrugged at her. He hadn’t been expecting anyone either, then.

  Reaching the bottom, she pulled open the door with a smile that froze. Eyes widening, her mouth popped open as she took in the women standing on the lawn in front of the porch. They were all tribe members, and not a single one of them was wearing a sari. Even Jessica was there, huddling in the middle, wearing a long, ankle-length skirt with a pretty green top.

  Mouth opening and closing, she looked at Natalie in question. She was standing on the porch, clearly the one who rang the bell, and she was wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top. She was standing tall and proud, her shoulders back and a smile on her face.

  “You inspired all of us,” she said, gesturing to the ten other women standing in Arya’s yard. “The rules changed, but there wasn’t a woman in Durga Valley who was going to embrace it. Except you. You embraced them wholeheartedly, stepping out without your sari and moving into your own home the very same day the changes went into effect. You didn’t care about the derision, the stares, the whispers, taunts and threats. You went after what you wanted, and let nothing stop you.

  “And then you went even further than that. You attended the challenges, and in front of all the men who had ill will toward you, in front of everyone who was pissed off that you were even there, you competed. And you won. You became a warrior, and were ranked second, above all warriors except the head warrior. You chased your dreams, and you let nothing and no one stop you or get in your way. You were brave, and fearless, and fierce in your defense of your right to do and have what you wanted.”

  Arya’s nose and eyes stung with tears, and when she felt Karis grasp her shoulders warmly, she leaned into him for a moment, borrowing some of his strength. Clearing her throat, she said, “I didn’t do anything special. You all would have done the same, eventually.”

  Tarun stepped forward, shaking her head. “No, we wouldn’t have. As much as we’ve all felt like we were suffocating, as much as we hated the restrictions put on our lives, we would have left things as they were. We were all cowards. But we watched you go after what you wanted. We watched you say to hell with what anyone else thinks and follow your dreams. And then we watched you fight tooth and nail to defend your rights. To defend our rights.”

  “We’re tired of being cowards,” Natalie said. “We want to step up and take what’s been offered to us. We don’t want to take any of our newfound freedoms for granted any longer. Today we take back our lives. And it’s all thanks to you that we reached this point. We never would have without you as an example.”

  Tarun nodded. “Today’s the first day of the beginning of our new lives. And we were hoping you’d share it with us. We want to walk through the village today in our new clothes and show that we’re embracing our future. And this is as much your moment as it is ours. Maybe more so, because it never would have been a reality without you. Please come with us.”

  A tear broke free and slipped down Arya’s cheek, and she wiped it away with trembling fingers as she inhaled deeply. She felt Karis kiss her temple, and then he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I told you that you were setting an example and blazing a trail. I knew they were watching, that they’d eventually follow your lead. I’m so fucking proud of you, sweetheart. We’re doing archery today, and you clearly don’t need more training in that. Go on and walk with them through the village. They’re right, this is your moment, too.”

  With another squeeze of her shoulders and kiss to her temple, Karis left, winking at her as he walked by. Taking a deep breath, she willed her tears back and looked at the women gathered on her lawn, bravely ready to embrace their bright new futures.

  “I’d love nothing more than to walk with you all.”

  The women all smiled, and when she got to the bottom, they greeted her with hugs. This was only a small portion of the females in Durga Valley, but it was a start. A huge step forward to the future. It wouldn’t be easy, not for any of them. They’d still face derision, scorn, still be whispered about and pointed at, by men and women alike. But they were all strong enough to withstand it, and eventually, slowly, woman by woman, more would join them in taking their lives back and making their futures their own.

  With a deep breath and a grin so large it made her cheeks hurt, Arya walked with them toward town, leading the way to their future.

  Coming Soon

  Jameson

  War Cats, Book 3

  If you missed Zane, Book 1, you can find it here

  Zane

  Kelly Masters is quirky, awkward, and says everything that pops into her head. No one takes her seriously, which means being labeled strange, and perpetually single. But she’s okay with that because she’s happy. Then, one day her clumsiness sets her fate in motion, and she runs—literally—into a man who will turn her world upside down. A man who insists he’s no good. Swears he’s damaged.

  He’s not perfect, and neither is she, but beyond the mask he shows to the world, she yearns to know the true heart of the man inside.

  Zane Stryker found himself alone after the showdown with the fighters in Eagle Creek. Unable to walk away from his cousin, he hides in the shadows, fighting a losing battle with his inner tiger. He needs to find a mate to stay sane or finally ask his cousin to put him out of his misery. And then he sees her—the woman who could be his salvation. But when Kelly reveals her secret, his tiger immediately rejects her. And when his cousin calls him home to the War Cats, Zane has a decision to make—listen to his tiger and leave her behind or take her with him and risk his tribe rejecting them both.

  Zane believes she’s the one, and wants to protect her. The problem is, claiming her means not only betraying his inner animal, but also his tribe, and the centuries-old customs he’s bound by blood to defend. It’s a battle he never wanted to fight, and worse, it’s one he’s not sure he can win.

  Other books by Grace Brennan

  Rocky River Fighters

  Heart of a Fighter

  Fighting for Keeps

  Fight Song

  Fighting to Win

  Red Moon Shifters

  Unexpected Mates

  Temporary Mates

  Forever Mates

  Bear Claw Shifters

  Starry Night Sky

  One Sunny Day

  Misty Autumn Morning

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  Acknowledgments

  Some of you who follow me may know I’ve slowly been using my friend’s last names for my characters. Birmingham, McCoy, White, these are all last names of some of the amazing women I call friends.

  This time, I’ve used Sanderson. It belongs to one of the strongest women I have the pleasure of knowing, Jaimie Lyne Sanderson. This woman is amazing. I’ve always admired her, but recently, she had something devastating happen. Something that would have broken most women, including me. But though she has her moments of weakness—which isn’t a bad thing, at all—it didn’t break her. She continues to hold strong, steadfast in her beliefs and faith. She’s positive in all things, believing, knowing, that things will work out. Sometimes, she wonders why me, but she’s chosen to see her situation as a chance to show God’s work. To show the miracles He can perform, if you just give Him the chance. She hasn’t crumbled—she remains strong, steady, and completely badass. When I wrote those three words in the blurb for Karis—tough, strong, and badass—I was talking directly about her.

  Jaimie, this one is for you. I may have used your last name for Karis, but you’re all Arya. Never wavering in your beliefs, strong AF, never backing down. You show me every day that anything is possible, that anything can be tackled and is survivable, if you just hold on and believe. You blow me away, and I look up to you more than you’ll ever realize. My prayers are with you, your family, and that absolutely gorgeous preemie, Aaylah. You all got this. That baby has so much of you in her, especially your fight, and with that, how can she ever do anything but thrive?

  #microbutmighty

  I also want to give a huge shout out to my readers. I lost my puppy, Twix, on June 1st. I was completely heartbroken, livid at the why of it, numb with having to put down another dog in a six month span, and worried for my other dogs. Every emotion you can think of, bombarding me over and over, making it hard to breathe. I poured my heart out in an insanely long post on Facebook, and the love and support I received back was amazing. You all helped more than you might realize. From the condolences, the love, the way you cried with me, the sweet messages, to sharing a friend’s post to spread awareness. It was a week ago today that I lost him, and it’s been one of the roughest weeks of my life. But also a little mind blowing. I have the best readers an author could ask for, and I love each one of you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you all so much. You mean the world to me.

  About the Author

  Grace has been writing all her life, but never imagined she’d ever let anyone read her work. Her eyes only, for years and years, even though being a published author has been her dream since she was in fourth grade. Then, she had a story in her head that wouldn’t stop taking over her every waking moment, and characters who wouldn’t shut up, demanding to have their story told. She decided when she sat down to write that this time, she was going to do it right—and thus Starry Night Sky was born. Publishing it and letting others into her head, heart, and soul, was one of the hardest, and most terrifying, things she’s ever done, but incredibly worth it. She writes paranormal shifter romances because it’s her favorite genre as a reader, but—one day—she might just branch out to other genres.

  Her husband is in the military, so they move a lot, but they call Texas home at the moment. She has an adorable little boy, two dogs, and addictions to Gilmore Girls—watching it every night isn’t a bad thing, is it?—coffee, and tattoos.

  You can follow and reach her at the links above—she welcomes it!

  —or email her at gracebrennanauthor1@gmail.com.