The Bond
Page 5
“Let’s honor our people in the ways of all our ancestors before us,” Charmaine called out. The rattle of beads and the thump of drums rose up into the air. The language of her people filled her ears.
“We’re here to offer up our requests that the great father shower our future leaders with wisdom, strength, and love. Today we dance for them. As the eldest, I’ll lead the procession.”
She moved out in front, and they all descended the stairs, Sanura in the middle. The woman spun around, their beads clacking on their wrists and ankles. The drummers kept rhythm and the others danced, spinning and leaping, their slender bodies as fluid as water.
Her heart raced, and excitement built inside her. Power began to build. Her eyes tingled, and she knew they’d changed to cat form. With one foot in the human world and the other in the animal, she would bind both halves of herself to Rafael. The symbolism made her smile. They stopped in front of the tent, and then her Aunt pulled back the curtain and she entered the dim space. The women remained outside, their offerings still rising up to the heavens.
The scent of sage and incense tickled her nose along with that of old leather. The Elders all stood in the front along with her father and Rafael. She locked gazes with her lover, and the rest of the world receded. A low hum came from the Elders’ throats. Brilliant colors rose, swirled in the air, and twined around one another like fish in the water.
The display took her breath away. This was very different from what happened between us at the hotel. Her Aunt Charmaine placed a hand on the small of her back, goading her into action. She locked gazes with Rafael. Their connection roared to life. His joy, love, and excitement flooded her, calming her nerves. A gentle smile tugged his lips upward, and she beamed. Finally they would live the life that was meant for them.
She came to a halt a few feet away. The Elders stopped humming, and the colors flew toward them, wrapping them in a circle. The multi-colored display stunned her. She’d never been to a bonding like this before. A Chief married to his Queen was a rare and protected ceremony.
“The ancestors are pleased.” Her father stood outside the colors, pride shining in his eyes. “They honor you. It’s not every day a bonding is so colorful. Each hue is a testament to your compatibility, strength, and accepted offerings. They too seem to think this Pride is long overdue for a change. Link hands and stare into each other’s eyes. No matter what happens, do not let go or look away.”
No pressure.
They did as he asked. Heat spiraled through her. Rafael gasped. Her father began to sing. Sweat beaded on her brow, and their mental link was opened. His emotions threatened to drown her. Her chest heaved, and her lungs burned. It was like she’d run a marathon. His hands twitched, gripping tighter, and he grunted.
A cold burn swept through her. Eyes wide, her jaw dropped when Puma-shaped lights left their chests and met in the air between them. She could feel the cats inside her rubbing together. Mewls rent the air. Rafael purred. His eyes blazed a bright yellow, and he opened his mouth to reveal the distended teeth. A wave crested and crashed as the energy dispersed.
“Forever will the two of you be linked; the Chief’s bonding is unique, lifelong, and potent. No two are the same. You will learn the nuances as you move forward together to guide our people. You are the heart of the Pride, the example they will strive to immolate. Make them love you, but fear you, and keep your inner struggles behind closed doors. I relinquish my title to you, Rafael, in front of the eyes of our ancestors and the Elders.” Aren bowed his head.
The Elders stepped up, placed their hands over Aren’s head, and sang their final song to him as standing Chief. When the beautiful chorus ended he looked different, lighter now that the weight of his people no longer pressed down on him.
“Welcome, Chief Rafael, may your rule be long, blessed, and fruitful.”
****
Rafael looked out at the people and could not help the swelling of pride. He had the woman of his dreams and now he had his rightful place within the Pride’s infrastructure.
“Thank you. It’s an honor that you bestow upon me that I will endeavor to prove trustworthy to carry.” As he spoke he continued to hold on to Sanura. “Sanura, my wife, will rule beside me. I’m nothing without her and would not be standing here today if not for her.”
Sanura’s father spoke, raising his voice to be heard above the thunderous cheers from the people.
“Rafael, my son, please hold your bride and kiss and claim her as our ancestors of old have done for centuries. Seal your bond and this glorious day in front of our people.”
Rafael watched as a smile spread across his woman’s face, and he tilted her face up to his by placing his hand under her chin. There were tears streaming down her face, and he wiped them gently away with his free hand. He stared into her eyes, their connection a tangible thing.
“With pleasure.” Though he was speaking to his father-in-law, his eyes never left his beloved. He dipped his head and took her lips in a soft kiss that spiraled out of control into one that seared his very soul. His inner cat growled and in return so did hers.
Sanura wrapped her arms up around his neck and kissed him back just as hungrily. He nibbled at her bottom lip and pulled away slowly, watching as her eyes fluttered open.
“I love you, Sanura.”
“And I love you, my Chief, my mate, my Rafael.”
Her words were music to his ears. She alone healed the pain of rejection with her presence. If not for her, he would have still been ostracized. Alone and abandoned without a tribe was death to a werecat.
“I owe you my life,” he whispered softly.
“I can say the same for what you’ve done for me. We were always meant to be together. We’re now whole.”
He nodded his head in agreement with what she’d said. It was true; the emptiness in his soul was gone, filled with her. Taking a deep breath, he filled his nostrils with her scent. She gave a contented purr, and he gave her an answering growl. Turning her face away from him she showed her neck, and he could see the blood pumping in her veins. A low growl rumbled in his chest. He pressed his face there and bit her; her breath caught, and she shuddered against him. He claimed her there right in front of the people. Her fangs distended, and he held his head to the side to let her sink her fangs into his neck, marking him as hers. He groaned and tightened his hold on Sanura, withstanding her bite just as she had his.
“My people, it is time for me to take my bride home. We request the appropriate amount of time to complete the binding before I return to fully take my place as Chief. We are married in the eyes of the people, but our first step in bringing the Pride into the twentieth century will be getting married legally in the eyes of the state and country.”
“It is a wonderful thing, my son. Go and take your bride. The people will respect your union and give you our blessing and peace.” Turning towards the Pride, Aren raised his hands and called out. “It is time to celebrate, my people, celebrate this union and the new change for our Pride!”
The people let out a great cheer, and the drums and dancing renewed. Rafael took Sanura’s hand and led her through the throng of people. The revelry would continue long into the night for at least a fortnight, if not more. The Pride had begun to heal and head in a new direction.
He turned to look at his bride, stopping just outside the crowd of people.“I will take you wherever you wish to go.”
“I just want to be with you. It matters not where we go just as long as we go together.”
“Ah, anywhere, my sweet Sanura?”
“Yes, anywhere, my love.”
“Then anywhere it is.”
He listened to her chuckle and watched as she leaned up to kiss him softly, cupping his face in her hands.
“That’s wonderful. Anywhere sounds perfect.”
Epilogue
“Are we ready for this?” Sanura asked, glancing up at her husband of six months. She was nervous, not about her life with him but what was behi
nd the closed door. They’d worked so hard for this, and now it was here.
“We’d better be,” Rafael said. “Your father thinks we are perfect for this.” Rafael gave her a kiss that made her breathe a bit easier. He was right. They’d better be ready.
He smiled, wrapped an arm around her waist, and issued a reassuring hug. The kiss and the hug made it all better; she could do this with him. Tonight was their first meeting as the soon-to-be leaders of the Pride. It’d taken a while to heal the wounds Logan’s treachery left, but they’d done it. She’d even argued they were better for it, stronger and ready to move into the now.
Due to the turmoil they’d slipped away and eloped at the Little White Chapel with her father as their witness. He’d stunned them both with his about-face toward the man he’d once loathed, even going so far as to admit Rafael would make a much better successor, even if Logan hadn’t been off his rocker.
“My father is your number one fan now.”
“It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I’m fully accepted nowadays.”
In their first attempt to blend the old ways with the twentieth century, they would renew their vows in front of the Pride, in a ceremony that was something old and something new. The Pride had accepted their marriage in front of the state but having them see it for themselves in a blended ceremony was the icing on a very delicious cake.
For a time the Elders of the Pride had fought their changes at every turn, but Aren’s support went a long way, and the hope in the eyes of the young had started to wear them down. It was time for a change, and they would be the catalyst that set the bureaucratic wheels in motion.
“Let’s do this.”
“Yes, let’s.”
They strolled hand-in-hand out into the early morning light, both walking proudly as they met their future head on.
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