by Becca Dale
The big cat turned to the gathering as Grant and the boys stepped closer to listen. Rork’s in second form, there by the back of the podium. The two men holding Ja walk the line between the factions. I don’t think they’ll be a threat either way. Over there, beside the tree stump, the man in green is head councilman. He’ll support Rork as will the two other men with him and the light tan cat to his left. The rest I’m unsure of. I would say about thirty-five of the forty standing here today would celebrate Rork’s downfall, but I can’t guarantee it.
If he was correct, or even close, they could win this thing. Confidence swept through her and pushed down some of the fear gnawing a hole in her stomach. Will you help?
Depends. Do you intend to cast my cousin aside like he assumes?
Pain tweaked at her heart and the baby kicked in agitation. She would leave the band of strangers long before she left him. He was the only reason she had even come. Ja has spent the past several months trying to convince me the clan should come before him. He’s wrong. If I can be with him, then I’ll stay for his sake. If I can’t, then I’ll walk away with him.
Then count on me. Ja’s more brother than cousin or friend. I won’t have him hurt.
Neither will I.
What about your dogs? He gestured toward the seven wolves behind her.
She scowled at the derogatory tone of his voice. My family is loyal to a fault.
He glanced at them again, pausing at Ryan’s massive form and Jake’s lanky one. You’re certain?
Without doubt.
Then let’s do this thing before it’s too late.
Kya motioned for the boys to circle behind those Savarn had identified as hostile then turned her attention to the clearing.
Grant laid his muzzle on top of her head. Are you sure about this, Kya? We can try it without you first.
I’m sure. I won’t let you fight my battles for me, and coming in later destroys the element of surprise. I don’t see any other options.
He nodded and motioned the boys forward. Let’s make it happen then.
Ja’s guards had roughed him up a bit while she had been distracted. Blood ran from his nose and lower lip. She could feel the pain that came from broken ribs and a bruised jaw. Beyond that his self-disgust burned in her heart, as if he had failed her. Something he could never do. She would help him see the truth as soon as she pulled his arrogant, overly confident ass out of the mess he’d landed in.
Rork stared around the clearing, his anger evident in every portion of his body, his voice an embittered growl. “I sent my son to find and rescue Kya from the human world this bastard threw her into, but Ja killed him. He also crossed the line and impregnated the royal heir without her consent. He has tried to destroy everything you hold dear. He killed my son, violated my future bride, and dared to attack me in my home.”
The circle stirred and growled in discontent.
“I can see no option other than his death.”
Savarn stepped back into the circle and raised his voice. Banish him. He can’t be a threat if he’s cast out.
Rork scowled. “He has no respect for our laws. He would return and slit my throat in the night. Is that what you would have him do, Savarn? Are you as guilty of treason as he is?”
Kya crouched low and padded silently behind the circle, edging closer to Rork. Some clan members recognized her scent and closed ranks, hiding her from sight, but it was Savarn who kept Rork’s attention averted.
I’m loyal to the bloodline, Rork, never doubt it, but I’m loyal to my cousin as well. His mistakes are common. He desired above his station and crossed the line. Any among us might have done the same.
Rork snarled. “He killed my son! You cannot rationalize that, Savarn. So unless you want to find yourself beside him on executioner’s rock, shut your mouth. I won’t tolerate disrespect.”
Kya stood less than three feet from her parents’ killer and bloodlust slammed through her brain. She leaped without thought. Her powerful muscles brought Rork’s human body to the ground beneath her. She lowered her head, inches from his throat, and licked her lips. Perhaps you should get used to disrespect, Rork. I doubt the devil has much tolerance for failure.
“Kya?” Rork chuckled low in his throat. “You cannot win, girl. I’ll have you beheaded beside your lover for this.”
She risked a quick glance to the side to see if anyone threatened her from the circle, but those Savarn had identified as Rork’s supporters faced the deadly fangs of her brothers. Savarn and two other cats moved forward to stare down Ja’s guards. I think not. See how they stare at my swollen sides? They know I carry the future within me. To kill me now would end your reign as easily as if you died.”
Rork snarled. “The brat’s no more royal than its father.” He dropped his voice to a threatening whisper. “And its mother is a common whore. No one will think twice when I kill you with your bastard still in your belly.”
Was he bluffing? Shall we test that theory?
Rork growled low and vicious. She felt it through his chest. Then his change began.
She stared into his eyes as they slanted and darkened. Don’t do it, Rork.
If she allowed his transformation, he would overpower her, but killing him during the change seemed unethical.
Ja lunged against his restraints. “Kya, watch out!” Savarn shoved one of Ja’s captors aside and bent to free his cousin’s hands. Ja continued to fight, desperate to reach her. “End him, Kya! Do it now!”
Rork turned to cat beneath her paws, but she waited until he reached first state before she pressed her unsheathed claws to his jugular. Only he would hear the words she whispered against his ear. Be still and you won’t die today, Rork.
Fuck you, cunt. He slapped the side of her head with a massive paw and red lights swam through her skull.
She did not release him despite the searing pain. Her claws dug deep as she held him pinned to the ground. There has been enough death. I don’t want to kill you.
Because you can’t. Guards! Get her off me or you will know the inside of hell!
“Careful, my love.”
She looked up as Ja ripped the last of the duct tape from his wrists and leaped to stand beside her, still in second form. Even as a human he reassured her with his strength. Rork fought to escape and forced her attention back to him. She struggled to make herself clear while maintaining the meager control she had. You killed my family. For that alone I should rip out your throat. Still, I’ll give quarter if you step aside quietly.
I’d rather die. Rork’s roar echoed off the trees as he twisted to escape. His great claws ripped at her sides.
Blood ran from an open gash on her left shoulder. She screamed as breath-stealing pain crippled her.
Rork tossed her aside and rose to his feet with a snarl. Weakling! He shifted his attention to Ja. Ignoring her turned the advantage back to Kya’s court. He squatted, evil in feline form, then leaped toward her bruised and bleeding man. Ja braced himself for battle but his battered human body was in no condition to fight.
Fair fight, fair game.
Kya sprang at Rork. Momentum bore him to the ground. Her teeth closed around his throat. She clamped down hard. Blood gushed into her mouth as she ruptured his jugular, but she did not release him. He slapped at her head and white and red fireworks exploded behind her eyes, but she held on. He swatted again. Claws raked across her torn side and she jerked back, coming away from him with a large chunk of fur and flesh. Rork’s last guttural growl sputtered to nothing as his blood covered the ground beneath her paws in a hot, crimson surge.
In that second she realized what she had done. She had killed another being without thought or care. Her stomach rolled. She turned away from the circle of onlookers as she spat out Rork’s flesh. Shudders rocked her frame. Blood coated her tongue and covered her paws and chest in a scarlet mess—everywhere. She puked. Her body lurched, heaving in desperate gasps as she lay down, pressing her abdomen to the cool grass, protecting her child
from its mother’s weakness.
Ja knelt beside her, rubbing her back and calling her name, but the clearing swirled in a psychedelic spin. She could not concentrate well enough to hold her second form, and the agony of transformation caught her unaware. It ripped at the open wounds on her shoulder and sides and tore at her already heaving stomach until she lay naked and wretched on the ground. Ja ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around her. Grant appeared in human form to stem the blood pouring down her side.
She tried to rise, but Ja held her tight. “Be still. Let Grant help you, love.”
She could not stay down. People were watching, waiting for her next move. She wiped her hand across her mouth, desperate to remove Rork’s blood. Her unsettled stomach continued to protest despite her efforts to focus past the nausea as the baby kicked and fussed. She cupped the evidence of her precious child and rubbed gently to calm them both. Hush, little one. It’ll be all right now. Mommy and Daddy are here. She blew out a calming breath and focused on the worry that tightened Ja’s jaw. “Weakness equals suicide, remember? Let me up.”
He hesitated then stepped aside, wounded pride evident in his beautiful eyes. “As you wish, my queen.”
Grant offered her his hand and she rose on trembling legs with a smile of thanks before she glared at her stubborn warrior. “Don’t be a jerk, Ja.” She touched the bruise on his right cheek and blinked away tears. “I need you, big guy. Don’t give up on me now.”
He continued to stare a moment before he gestured Grant away from her. “I’m right behind you, Kya.”
Love, pride, concern, all raced through her mind and stopped in her heart. She could do anything as long as he stood with her. She hid her shaking hands behind her back and stepped forward into the circle of six courageous wolves. Their hackles rose and their lips curled back over vicious teeth. No one would be brave enough to attack them to get to her.
At the edge of the tree line near a rock wall, more than half the group gathered. Cats of all colors waited for her lead. Ja’s cousin leaped to a tree stump and glared toward the meager group inside the circle. Savarn lifted his head to be heard above the rumbling of the others. Say the word, Kya, and we’ll rid you of this Rork-loving vermin right now. My claws are itching for a good fight.
Kya studied the people and cats trapped between the crowd in the back and her brothers to the front—a rock and a hard place. They seemed terrified, as she would have been in their place, and compassion flooded her. These were her parents’ people, Ja’s clan, and now hers. They had lived and suffered beneath the tyranny of a power hungry man for too long. In a fit of rage she had killed to protect those she loved. How many who huddled before her had sided with Rork to do the same?
With a brief glance over her shoulder to reassure herself she wasn’t alone, she faced the crowd. “Who among you has not made a mistake? Who has not sacrificed pride or money or self-respect for the sake of life or loved ones?”
The crowd remained quiet but she had everyone’s attention.
“I see before me my father’s people—men and women who fought and sacrificed by his side. Rork changed all of that. He used threats against family members and individuals to control the entire clan. Some withstood his tactics better than others, but few thought to overthrow the bastard. Why? Because he was king, chosen by divine right to rule as he saw fit. Am I correct?”
A woman to her right dropped to her knees with folded hands. “Praise God! He has sent us a true leader to guide us from this unholy mess.”
Ja snorted as he tried not to laugh, and Kya shook her head. “Stop that. God did not send me. I sent me.”
The woman appeared confused and then flattened herself to the ground. “God herself has come to show us the error of our wicked ways!”
Ja didn’t hold back his bark of laughter as he stepped closer. “Told you.”
Fighting the urge to laugh with him out of pure exasperation, she glared at the prostrate, wailing female. “Oh for crying out loud, get up and shut up. I am no one’s god.”
Ja’s shoulders shook as he fought a laugh. She ignored him and tried again. “Listen to me! What I am trying to say is that no one will be punished for past crimes. If you felt the only way to save yourself or your family was to bow to Rork’s demands, then so be it. That’s what you should have done. Now we start fresh.”
A young cat snarled from the sidelines. “You can’t mean to set these monsters free unpunished!”
“That’s exactly what I intend to do. All except those who willingly participated in the deaths of my parents and their body guards. They will be banished under threat of death.”
The crazy woman stood and threw her arms around the man Savarn had identified as head councilman. “No, please don’t banish him.”
“Banishment not death—there art thou happy!” She struggled to keep a straight face as she realized she quoted Shakespeare because she hadn’t a clue what else to say. Her head had begun to spin from blood loss. She shook it off. Ja edged closer. His solid hand nestled in the small of her back. She offered him a grateful smile before continuing. “No one should suffer for deeds done under duress. The present council will be disbanded and as of tomorrow morning a new one elected.”
Savarn scowled. “Elected by whom?”
“By you and anyone else who chooses to vote.” She’d stood too long. The edges of the clearing began to blur as her blood soaked through Ja’s shirt and ran down her leg. She reached for him and his solid arm circled her, strong and steady.
Grant stepped behind her and pressed a bandage to the largest wound. “This needs to be stitched soon, Kya.”
She drew a deep breath, anxious to make her point and sink against Ja’s unyielding strength. “I, along with a few select advisors, will stay long enough to help establish order. Once the new council is in place, I’ll step aside. You’ll elect a leader from among you. One who was born and raised in the clan and who understands the complexity of its needs.”
The young cat shook his head in confusion. “Why would we need someone else? We have you.”
“You don’t want me. Not really. I am not a leader.”
“But you’re the last of the bloodline.”
“No, actually I’m not. I’m a wanna-be vet who hasn’t even had the gumption to go to school yet. If you’re simply looking for the right heritage, Ja carries royal blood, and he’s qualified to rule.”
The crazy woman laughed. “He’s common.”
Anger at the unjustified judgment from one so far beneath Ja’s intelligence and integrity rushed through her. She bit back a sharp, snarky response and faced the group instead of snapping at the unbalanced attacker. “I think he’s anything but common. How many men would risk their lives to save all of you?”
Ja brushed his lips over her ear and squeezed her waist. “Don’t do this, Kya. They’re right.”
“No, they’re not.” She faced crowd with a scowl. “How many of you knew Ja’s father?”
Savarn stepped up when no one else said anything. “Crayn was a good man.”
Kya nodded. “As is his son.” A strange vibe moved through the group in the center of the circle. She studied them, searching for the weakest, the one who would tell her what many of them obviously knew. One of the guards who had held Ja would not meet her stare. “You.” She pointed at the man, and Ryan moved toward him, teeth bared. The guy stepped back from the advancing wolf. His wide-eyed gaze shot to the podium. “Who are you?”
“Kyrk Walters, ma’am. I ain’t nobody.”
“What are you hiding, Kyrk?”
“Nothing.”
“Bullshit.” She stepped forward and black spots rushed into her head.
Ja caught her as she stumbled. “End this before you pass out, Kya.”
She nodded and looked to the guard. “You’re already on my hit list, Mr. Walters. I suggest you speak up.”
He glanced around the circle, obviously uncertain. When his eyes found Rork’s lifeless body, he grew pale. “I
had nothing to do with it.”
“With what? Tell me.”
“Rork wouldn’t let him go.”
“This is getting tedious. Who are you talking about?”
“Sergeant Crayn.”
Ja stiffened. “He’s lying. My father died in Rork’s prison.”
The guard stepped closer, within easy reach of the wolves as if to prove to Ja he spoke the truth. “No, he didn’t. That’s what I’m trying to tell ya. Rork wanted him alive so he had leverage over you or your mom if he ever needed it. I thought Rork would kill your dad after your mother died, but he didn’t. I s’pose he still saw you as threat.”
Ja leaped forward and grabbed Kyrk by the throat lifting him from the ground. “Where?”
The smaller man shook his head unable to speak around the pressure on his windpipe.
Kya put a hand on Ja’s shoulder. “Let him go.” The guard’s face turned red as he kicked to be free. Ja would kill the smaller man before he could tell the truth. “Please, love.” Dizziness swept over her in a hot rush, and she staggered. Grant caught her before she could fall, but she could not shake the lightheaded feeling.
* * *
Ja saw Kya stumble. He dropped the guard and swept her from Grant’s arms into his own. The sudden movement twisted his broken ribs. It didn’t matter. He could handle his own pain, just not hers. “Easy, little one. I’m here.” He sat on the stump Savarn had used as a podium earlier and cuddled her close. The smell of blood pressed heavy in the air, and her frailty ate at his heart. He fought to remain calm. “Grant, stop this damned bleeding before we lose her. Savarn, find out what this bastard knows and get my father out of the hellhole Rork stuck him in.” He cupped the side of Kya’s face and brushed a soft kiss over her forehead. Her fair skin glowed nearly translucent. “Damn it, what the hell were you thinking?”
She attempted a smile. “That I can’t live without you.” Her hand curled against his chest as she settled against him fully. “Would you get rid of this crowd? I feel like a freak.”
He chuckled. “That I can do.” He motioned her eldest brother closer. “Hank, throw Rork’s puppets in my father’s cell until Kya’s strong enough to deal with them. Release any other political prisoners while you’re at it.”