by Becca Dale
“How am I supposed to know who’s in for what?”
“I’m sure Kyrk will be more than happy to cooperate.” He glared at the coward. “Right?”
“Yes, sir.” The guard still rubbed his throat. He hesitated a moment and tears shimmered in his eyes as he braved the wolves to kneel at his queen’s feet. “Will she be all right? I didn’t mean to upset her none.”
Kya reached out and touched him. “It’s okay. Do as Ja asked, please. Bring his father to him.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Even in pain, she thought of others, naturally comforting them as a leader. Savarn, Hank, and three of Kya’s other brothers herded the ten or eleven prisoners down a narrow dirt path. Ja raised his voice to be heard at the far end of the clearing. “The rest of you go home until tomorrow morning. We’ll deal with all of this then.”
The crowd began to disperse, but most of them filed past Kya, reaching to brush her arm in reverence, adding a respectful nod to Ja as they left. One older man stopped in front of the stump, his once golden hair silver. “Do you remember me, boy?”
Ja nodded. “You were with Canar when he brought Kya to my family.”
“Yes. Do you remember why the king gave you his beloved daughter?”
“There was no one else.”
The elderly man nodded. “Partly. At the time, there was your father and a few other loyal soldiers, but they were busy fighting to save Canar and Tia. You were no more than a boy, but the king respected you. He knew you would fight to the death to save his child.”
Kya shifted to face the man more fully, a gentle smile on her lips despite the pain that radiated from her. “What made my father so sure? Why didn’t he hide me away and send someone older, someone like you, to find me later?”
The man touched his fingers to her cheek with a smile. “Ja’s father dedicated his life to the royal family as did his father, and his before him, but Ja also carries the blood of kings. Canar told me your family’s line would end and be renewed with you. He also believed Ja would be the key to the future.”
Ja snorted in disbelief, but Kya shushed him. “Go on, please.”
“When any royal family comes to power, there’s a shift, a waning of strength surrounding the previous one.”
His ribs protested as Kya adjusted to allow Grant better access to her side. Ja sucked in a breath to mask the pain and focused on the old man. “Get to the point. Kya needs rest.”
“Canar saw it. He knew the power would swing and come to you. God ordained it.”
Kya laughed almost triumphantly, and Ja wanted to smack the old guy for putting ludicrous ideas into her head. “I am nothing more than a soldier. God has nothing to do with me.”
“Who are you to say? Canar knew the moment Kya chose you that you would replace him.”
Ja shook his head. “If he had known, he would have stopped it.”
“He didn’t know when or how the power would shift. Only that it would.”
Kya smiled. “Told you.”
Ja squeezed her lightly. “Be quiet. You’re resting.”
The old man laughed as he placed a hand on Ja’s shoulder. “You can’t fight fate, boy. You might as well sit back and enjoy the ride.” He started to go then turned back. “I’ll inform the others tomorrow that you bear divine right.”
“It doesn’t matter. Kya wants to elect the next leader.”
“Why? The choice has been made. The two of you will rule together. Ordained and blessed.”
Ja watched him leave before focusing on Kya. She had turned on his lap until she almost faced him fully. Her slender hands gripped his arms as Grant stitched her wounded shoulder. Her eyes were enormous in her too pale face. He brushed her hair from her cheek. “Still want to step down?”
She leaned on him with a soft smile. “In a heartbeat, especially after hearing that the people will support you as an excellent replacement.”
“That’s not what he said. Besides, they won’t let you, you know. They see you as an extension of God.”
Her laugh lessened the ache squeezing the oxygen from his lungs. “You’ll be in the same boat soon. Besides, I can’t help what they think.”
“Neither can they.”
She flinched as Grant stabbed the needle in too deep.
Ja growled. “Careful before I jab that pin into you, wolfman.”
“Don’t, Ja.” She looked over her shoulder and blinked away the tears on her lashes. “I’m fine, Grant. Just get done pretty soon, please.”
“I’m trying.” He glared at Ja. “Like I’d hurt her on purpose.”
Kya laid her forehead against Ja’s chest with a sigh. “He knows that, Grant. He’s just worried about his father. Ignore him.”
Grant bent his head back to the hateful task, and Ja tossed him an apologetic smile. He tipped Kya’s chin up and lightly brushed a kiss over her pale, pink lips. “You’re right, I’m worried, but not about Dad. Savarn will take care of him. It’s you I’m concerned about.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Suddenly her stubborn will, her damned can-do nature, pissed him off. “If you’d have stayed where you belonged, none of this would have happened.”
Irritation glittered in her beautiful, amber eyes. The problem with his protective statement flashed like a neon sign. “And where is it that I belong, Ja? Should I have hidden myself away in my kitchen, barefoot and pregnant? Should I have waited like a good little woman to become the perfect soldier’s widow?”
At least you’d be safe. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
She pushed away from his chest with a glare. “No, I don’t know. What do you want from me, Ja, a leader or a wimp? Tell me now so I can bow to your wishes.”
Sarcasm dripped from her words. “Stop it.” He caught her arms and shook her lightly before he thought.
What little color annoyance had returned to her cheeks disappeared and guilt slugged him in the gut.
Grant growled. “Keep her still.”
Ja pressed his lips to her tawny hair in apology and waited. His patience stretched thin before the vet put a bandage over his handiwork and moved away. Once they were alone, he caught Kya’s face in his hand so she had to look at him. “I never want you to be less than what you are, love.”
She snorted. “Yes, you do. You ask me to give way all the time, Ja.”
His gut twisted at the truth in her words. “You’re right. Ignore me as necessary.”
She chuckled and a fleeting grin tilted her beautiful lips. “I do.”
God, I love her. He smiled at his incredible, sassy little mate. “I know I’m a jerk about this sometimes, Kya, but I hate the thought of you getting hurt, or worse.” He feathered a kiss over her mouth but pulled away when she tried to deepen the contact. “I can’t lose you.”
“So, what do you plan to do about it?”
“You have to rule, Kya. They’ll vote you in even if you don’t want it.”
“That doesn’t answer the question, Ja. What are you going to do about me? How do you keep me safe and still in the public eye?”
He knew what she was trying to make him say. She wasn’t very sneaky. “I’m not leader material, Kya, no matter what the old one said.”
“Really? Didn’t you attempt to overthrow Rork for the sake of me and the clan?”
“And almost got myself killed.”
“Only because you tried to do it alone. No one can stand without help for very long, not even you, Ja.”
“What would you have me do? All I can think about is grabbing you and running until no one can find us. Now that Rork’s gone, the clan will survive.”
“And if someone like him attacks? What happens to your people then?”
He hated that she was right. It was the reason he had intended to bring her back in the first place. The clan would be easy prey without someone with both strength and compassion on the throne. But the thought of keeping Kya and their baby safe overrode his concern for the others. “Nothing.
It dies. It thrives. I don’t give a rat’s ass.”
She brushed a kiss over his mouth. “Liar.”
“They won’t accept me.”
“They already have. Look around. Everyone scurried to do your bidding without question, big guy.”
The empty clearing proved her point and he almost smiled despite how ridiculous the situation had become. “You don’t hurry to do as I ask.”
“That depends on how you ask.” She trailed her fingers lightly down his naked chest. His whole body came to attention. “I can be very obliging with the right incentive.”
“Now who’s lying?” She tucked her head to his chest but not before he saw the impish grin flash across her face. He wasn’t going to win no matter what he did, and for once, he didn’t care. He captured her mouth in a long, sweet kiss. “I’ll tell you what, little one. If you promise to be careful and listen to me when it’s important, I’ll give this a shot.”
“Meaning?”
“I’ll rule with you. If they want you, they can put up with me. You look out for the general health and well being of the people while I take care of the rough stuff. That way you’ll be safe, or at least not quite so vulnerable.”
“And if something falls in between the two?”
“Then we’ll work together with the council to make it right. How’s that?”
“That sounds like a very diplomatic way to deal with things.”
“The clan won’t let you eliminate the monarchy all together. They’ll still consider you their queen no matter what you call yourself.”
“I know.”
He growled and pulled her against his chest. “I hate everything about this plan, but I won’t back down. I promise, Kya.”
“I know that, too.”
“So, now what?”
“We work together to rebuild what my father started, a representative monarchy. If we’re lucky, we’ll eventually move to a fully elected government.”
“Why not leave the monarchy in place?”
She took his hand and pressed it over her stomach. “Do you want your daughter forced to lie with someone she doesn’t love just because he’s royal?”
Images of a dark haired beauty with big amber eyes flashed in his mind, and protectiveness swelled at the thought if his baby girl. “Fuck no.”
“And if, heaven forbid, anything should happen to you, do you want me to accept another chosen by the clan?”
Thoughts of Kya beneath the hands of another man burned through his head. Rork had forced himself on three different royal brides and sent them packing when they failed to produce an heir. However, sending them away had not erased the fear and self-loathing in the young girls’ faces. Suddenly, the old traditions seemed as antiquated as Kya believed them to be. If the clan would adopt a different way, perhaps nothing like the past twenty years could happen again. “You’re right. This royalty crap has to go…as long as you remember one thing.”
“What’s that?”
He slowly traced the curve of her throat with his tongue until he reached the love mark near her collarbone. He sucked at it gently, careful not to hurt her while he reminded himself of all that she had given to him.
She writhed impatiently on his lap. “What?”
He growled low in his throat, as he responded to his mate. He had been without her sweet touch for too many weeks. Desire didn’t care that his entire body hurt. “I reign sovereign in your bed.”
She groaned and settled against his chest with a sigh. “Always, my king.”
Her words nestled deep in his heart destroying the lonely ache that had resided there too long. He could be anything, even a king, as long as she believed it so.
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Born and raised in an ultra conservative part of the Midwest, Becca finds freedom in the pages of her stories. When not sidetracked by her laptop, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading anything she can get her hands on, and touring the country on the back of her hubby’s motorcycle. She loves feedback from readers and would love to hear from you.
Visit Becca at her blog: http://beccadale.blogspot.com or find her on Facebook.
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Heart’s Sentinel
Copyright © 2010 by PJ Schnyder
Born human, Mackenzie never wanted to be a shapeshifter. After a shifter stalks and brutally Changes her, she runs to the jaguars of River Gap pride for protection from the stalker still searching for her, to come to terms with the attack and learn to control her new, powerful cougar body.
Adam, a River Gap Sentinel, is assigned as her guard and mentor. Well aware of his strength and how new she is the shapeshifter world, he holds himself back from the flames of primal desire she ignites. But, to survive the stalker, they both need to first battle their pasts and learn what it truly means to be the sentinels of each other’s hearts.
~Excerpt~
Adam knew every jaguar in River Gap Pride, and the woman who walked through the door wasn't one of them. He'd have remembered her sweet face framed in shoulder length hair, so dark a brown it shone black indoors. She must be new in town, come to stay in pride territory.
Pausing in the entryway to the dojo, her dark chocolate eyes scanned the foyer. When he approached, she tensed as if poised to bolt, but squared her shoulders and faced him anyway. Used to taming wild things, her response didn't bother him.
He gave her his friendliest smile. “Hi there, here for classes?”
People didn't get wilder than shapeshifters, and a fellow shifter stood before him. His inner beast growled, her scent exciting things deep inside his core. And yet, she had a newness about her, an awkwardness he associated with teens growing into their maturing bodies, even though she moved with more grace than any human.
“Yes.” Her answer came in a quiet, wary voice. “I was interested in beginner martial arts classes.” The melodic timbre sent shivers down his spine. “I spoke to Jacob. He told me my father and I would be expected.”
With those words, Adam knew her. His beast surged inside his skin, drowning him in the need to protect.
And, she needed protection. It was why she’d come to River Gap Pride.
An older man stepped in behind her, bearing a strong family resemblance, his dark skin weathered brown as opposed to her golden tan. His hand, worn with honest work and slightly wrinkled with age, came to rest on her shoulder. He looked around the school, nodding to himself in response to some inner dialogue. The girl remained motionless under the man's touch, watching Adam, and it seemed her dark gaze saw right through to the violence just under his surface.
Adam struggled to control it, knowing she had every right to caution. “Is this your father?”
She gave a slow nod. Adam focused on the way the silken ends of her hair brushed against the corner of her mouth. His beast, redirected, wondered if her hair felt as soft as it looked. He clamped down on his reactions, wondering why meeting one girl could throw his control off so badly. He didn't have time for it. She needed his protection from the bastard who had put the bruised look in her eyes, the reason she’d come here in the first place.
“Nick Sunton.” Her father held out a hand, shifting Adam's attention to him, and Adam shook it without hesitation. For a human, the older man gripped not only firmly, but strong.
He nodded. “I'm Adam, an instructor here at the school.”
"You look young to be an instructor." Not a challenge but a straightforward statement of fact.
Adam grinned. He already liked the old man. Nick approached with no nonsense and got direct to the point, dominant for a human. "I grew up in town, taking classes here. It was a natural progression, becoming an instructor. I'm the youngest, but I know everything we have to teach."
Nick grunted. Whether in acceptance or a dismissal, Adam couldn't be sure.
The young woman glanced at her father for a long moment and then introduced herself, her voice still full of caution. “I'm Mackenzie.”
She gave him an equally f
irm handshake, but he couldn't ignore the fine tremor running through her arm as she forced herself to grasp his hand. He released her as soon as she began to withdraw. His inner cat raged, wanting to find the person who'd brutalized her and do the monster mortal damage.
Instead, he forced a cheerful smile, tucking away his ferocity with the ease of long practice. “Why don't we step into the office for more privacy?”
Wariness never left her eyes, but she followed her father into the office at Adam's direction. Adam gave her space as he followed them in, not wanting to make her fight the natural reluctance to let another predator behind her. If she had been born a shapeshifter, and not made, she might not have let him behind her at all.
Mackenzie told herself a fully grown, adult woman shouldn't have problems simply walking into an office. But then, most women she knew wouldn't have a natural-born predator walking in behind them. Hell, most women she knew wouldn't have minded this particular man walking behind them, in front of them or anywhere nearby. He looked absolutely delicious in all sorts of ways.
Problem, right there. Mackenzie had been one of those women in the past—someone incredibly attracted to the dangerous charisma of a male shapeshifter. She'd fallen for it, head over heels, and drank in the wonderful sensuality one shifter in particular exuded like cologne. She'd reveled in the intensity of his attention until it burned her—nearly to death. Dangerous sensuality had turned to obsessive intensity back then, terrorizing her days and nights. Mackenzie remembered moving through every day, constantly aware she could turn any moment, anywhere, and her stalker would be there, without a sound or warning of any kind.
As Adam stepped in behind her, she balled her hands into fists to prevent herself from bolting back out the door, while her heart rate sped up with building anxiety. She blinked away the darkness closing over her eyes and forced her frozen lungs to take one slow breath at a time.