The Forbidden

by Jessie Donovan

  Kalahn jumped in. "It was the right thing to do. I don't have any parents alive anymore, but I wanted at least one there. Even if you're only a parent through marriage, that means a lot to me."

  "I'm sorry about the late king," Gosarra answered. "He was as fair to the Barren as he could be, given the law. If not for his help after the Brevkan wars, I'm not sure what would've become of the Barren."

  Her eyes filled with tears, but Kalahn held them back. "Thank you for your kind words. You'll have to tell me more about my father from back then, as he never really talked about it with me."

  "Many of us don't talk about the wars, but some good came from the bad."

  As Gosarra smiled at her son, Kalahn's nervousness faded. Part of her had wondered if Ryven's mother would hold a grudge against King Kastor for not doing more for the Barren. But it seemed she recognized the good allowed, despite the limitations.

  However, the present wasn't the time to talk about the past. Kalahn stood a little taller. "Now, how about we take you to your quarters to rest before the ceremony?"

  Gosarra shook her head. "I've been resting the entire journey from Keldera. I'd much rather meet your family."

  "Are you sure?" Kalahn asked.

  Ryven moved so that he had his mother on one side and Kalahn on the other. "Don't argue with her, Kalahn. It's easier to do what she says."

  Gosarra snorted. "I've trained you well."

  Kalahn leaned forward and met Gosarra's gaze. "Once everything settles down, I hope you'll tell me some stories of Ryven. The more embarrassing, the better."

  Ryven shook his head, but Gosarra spoke. "I have quite a few. However, I want some stories about you growing up in return."

  She and Ryven had decided not to tell his mother about Kalahn having Ryven's memories, let alone Pelryka's. After all, Kalahn did her best to leave them alone. And when it came to Ryven, a mother's perspective was always different from a child's.

  Ryven grunted. "You two can discuss embarrassing stories later. Right now, there's not a lot of time before the claiming ceremony. And since Kason saved several days' worth of energy to have enough to broadcast it to Keltor, Azalyn, and their family, we'd do best not to upset his plans. Otherwise, we'll never hear the end of it."

  Kalahn leaned against Ryven's side. "Then let's show your mother her quarters so she can change." Kalahn peeked her head around again. "I had a dress made as a welcoming present. I hope that's okay."

  Gosarra motioned toward her brown, flowing dress; the same one all Barren wore on Keldera. "As long as it's not brown, I'll gladly wear anything."

  Kalahn tamped down the anger that flared. Her eldest brother was doing his best to change things on Keldera, but it took time. For the present, the Barren were still required by law to wear brown dresses outside the citadels.

  Thankfully things moved quicker on Jasvar. "No, it's not brown. I thought silver trimmed with dark blue would suit you."

  "Then what are we waiting for? The sooner I can take off a brown-colored dress for the last time, the better."

  As Ryven guided them out of the room and down the corridor, Kalahn wanted to run and give Gosarra her newfound freedoms even quicker.

  But Gosarra had a lame leg and limped slowly. Of course Kalahn and Ryven slowed their own pace to match hers.

  She was just happy the first meeting had gone well with Ryven's mother. Kalahn had a lot more surprises in store, but would share them in time. First thing’s first, she needed to officially take Ryven as her lord.

  ~

  A few hours later, Kalahn stood at the edge of a dais, waiting for her brother Kason to arrive and let her know it was time to come out.

  Originally, Kason had wanted the ceremony to be a small, private affair. However, she and Ryven had had a different idea.

  By sharing their ceremony with anyone on Jasvar who wished to attend, they were not only proving things were changing by a princess marrying a warrior, but it also showed that the monarchy were people like anyone else. Even they fell in love. And by having Taryn and Kajala attend, it showcased that they had and raised children, too.

  What they didn't highlight was how the royal family wasn't completely free of danger just yet.

  Yes, they'd made progress on tracking down the traitors, thanks to Pelryka's help, among others. The female was still under heavy monitoring and probation, but at least hadn’t been separated from her lord or children.

  They'd even found the half-Brevkan male who had been responsible for following Ryven and cutting down the branch. But Kalahn and everyone else who worked with the colony's security teams knew that something was bubbling under the surface, which would either be the last showdown or the start of a war.

  No. While there were many things she wanted to accomplish to protect those she loved, the present was for her and Ryven. Soon enough she'd finally marry the male she loved, and then they could work on preventing future wars or catastrophes.

  Love pulsed through their mind-bond, and Kalahn smiled. Unlike most brides-to-be, she could tell if her male was nervous. Ryven wasn't.

  Kason and Taryn entered the side area of the dais. Taryn was the first to engulf her in a hug, doing her best to hold Kalahn close despite her pregnant belly. Her sister-in-law spoke in CEL. "I'm so happy for you, Kalahn. Ryven is quite the man, and he makes you happy."

  Kalahn pulled back to look Taryn in the eye. "I know. And at least now Kason can't keep saying we should save our affections for our marriage. Because in a matter of minutes, we'll be married. If you think we've been caught making out before, just wait."

  Kason sighed. "I'd rather not see my sister and my best friend kissing and fondling in a hallway."

  "We're not fondling," Kalahn stated. "I do have some decorum."

  "Since when?" Kason drawled.

  Taryn snorted. "Enough. Kason is happy, too, even if it's hard for him to say so. Now, we'll go take our seats and you come out in a minute. Ryven should be waiting for you."

  Her brother and Taryn exited, leaving her alone.

  Kalahn smoothed the simple white fabric of her dress. Another concession, to show how much she differed from traditional royal weddings, was for her to wear a white wedding dress designed by the humans of Jasvar. A Kelderan one would've gone up to her neck, to her wrists, and to the floor. The human one was low-cut, exposed her back, and while it went to the floor, it was form-fitting.

  She gave one last peek out to the audience, noting Taryn and Kason sitting near Kajala and her male, Thorin and Vala, and Ryven's mother. Her other family should already be watching the live feed.

  Well, everyone but her father. But he was free of pain and had given his blessing before he passed.

  Sadness must've carried through her mind-bond, because Ryven said inside their shared mental space, Are you okay?

  Fine, fine. I was just thinking of my father. But that doesn't matter now. I'm coming out.

  Taking a deep inhalation, Kalahn stood tall and walked out onto the dais.

  Ryven stood in the center, wearing his formal warrior attire of tight pants, a sash across his chest decorated with his accomplishments, and boots that went to his knees. She didn't like that everyone could see his chest but knew that she was showing more skin than he liked as well, so they were even.

  As soon as she reached him, Ryven took her hands in his. While her brother Keltor had stared down the council to get them to approve Ryven as her lord, the law still required her to speak first in the ceremony. So Kalahn said, "Ryven Xanna is my lord, and he has chosen me. Do you recognize my claim?"

  Cheers went up in the room. They'd cleared the first hurdle.

  Ryven winked and Kalahn did her best not to laugh. "Yes, I do as well. Now, Kalahn tro el Vallen is my bride and has chosen me. Do you recognize my claim?"

  Another round of cheers echoed in the big room.

  Traditionally, they'd face the crowd and descend the stairs. However, before Kalahn could move, Ryven tugged her up against him and murmured, "I love you,"
before kissing her in front of everyone.

  No doubt Kason was frowning, but Kalahn didn't care. She kissed her lord back, their tongues tangling much like how their mental presences twirled around each other inside their minds.

  Love had a funny way of coming together for them, but Kalahn wouldn't have it any other way. She and Ryven were bonded in both hearts and minds, and she was never letting him go.

  *~*~*

  Did you enjoy this story? Then please consider leaving a review.

  The next book in this series will be a follow-up novella about Thorin and Vala (The Hidden) and it'll be out in 2019. After that, we have Kajala's story (which you saw a hint of the resolution in the epilogue). To keep up to date with my latest releases, please click here to join my newsletter on my website.

  Author's Note

  I hope you enjoyed Ryven and Kalahn's story! Theirs is the most probably the most light-hearted so far of the series, but Kalahn needed that. A stubborn male who ordered her around would've gone no where, lol. This story did set up the next two books: 1) A follow-up novella about Thorin and Vala and 2) Kajala's book. Thorin and Vala's story will be called The Hidden and should be out in the first half of 2019 (I hope). As the title suggests, it will be about other partial Brevkan individuals and bringing them out of the shadows of Kelderan society. Kajala's book is tentatively called The Survivor, but I'm unsure of the exact release date. I have a new romantic comedy series coming out in late 2018, and a few of those stories are burning to be told first. However, you can always sign up for my mailing list to stay in the loop of release dates and more. You can sign up on my website by clicking here.

  With that out of the way, there are a few people I'd like to thank:

  My editor, Becky Johnson, of Hot Tree Editing. Without her, there wouldn't be a Chapter 22. She's amazing at calling me out when I'm lazy, and that chapter most definitely needed to be there.

  My cover artist, Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs. As always, she captures my stories so well, down to the little smile on Ryven's face on the cover.

  My awesome beta readers: Iliana G., Sabrina D., Sandy H., Alyson S., and Donna H. These ladies do a great job of spotting lingering typos and minor inconsistencies.

  Thanks so much for following my sci-fi romance series! We're slowly heading toward the end I envision, but it's going to take another five or so books to get there. I hope to see you at the end of the next book. Thanks for reading!

  Books by Jessie Donovan

  Asylums for Magical Threats

  Blaze of Secrets (AMT #1)

  Frozen Desires (AMT #2)

  Shadow of Temptation (AMT #3)

  Flare of Promise (AMT #4)

  Whirlwind of Change (AMT #5 / TBD)

  Cascade Shifters

  Convincing the Cougar (CS #0.5)

  Reclaiming the Wolf (CS #1)

  Cougar’s First Christmas (CS #2)

  Resisting the Cougar (CS #3)

  Kelderan Runic Warriors

  The Conquest (KRW #1)

  The Barren (KRW #2)

  The Heir (KRW #3)

  The Forbidden (KRW #4)

  The Hidden / Vala & Thorin (KRW #5 / 2019)

  The Survivor / Kajala (KRW #6 / TBD)

  Lochguard Highland Dragons

  The Dragon’s Dilemma (LHD #3)

  The Dragon Guardian (LHD #2)

  The Dragon’s Heart (LHD #3)

  The Dragon Warrior (LHD #4)

  The Dragon Family (LHD #5)

  The Dragon's Discovery / Alistair Boyd (LHD #6 / 2019)

  Love in Scotland

  Crazy Scottish Love (LiS #1 / Oct 2018)

  Stonefire Dragons

  Sacrificed to the Dragon (SD #1)

  Seducing the Dragon (SD #2)

  Revealing the Dragons (SD #3)

  Healed by the Dragon (SD #4)

  Reawakening the Dragon (SD #5)

  Loved by the Dragon (SD #6)

  Surrendering to the Dragon (SD #7)

  Cured by the Dragon (SD #8)

  Aiding the Dragon (SD #9)

  Finding the Dragon (SD #10)

  Craved by the Dragon (SD #11)

  Persuading the Dragon / Zain & Ivy (SD #12 / 2019)

  About the Author

  Jessie Donovan wrote her first story at age five, and after discovering The Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey in junior high, she realized people actually wanted to read stories like those floating around inside her head. From there on out, she was determined to tap into her over-active imagination and write a book someday.

  After living abroad for five years and earning degrees in Japanese, Anthropology, and Secondary Education, she buckled down and finally wrote her first full-length book. While that story will never see the light of day, it laid the world-building groundwork of what would become her debut paranormal romance, Blaze of Secrets. In late 2014, she became a New York Times and USA Today bestseller.

  Jessie loves to interact with readers, and when not reading or traipsing around some foreign country on a shoestring, she can often be found on Facebook. Check out her pages below:

  http://www.facebook.com/JessieDonovanAuthor

  And don’t forget to sign-up for her newsletter to receive sneak peeks and inside information. You can sign-up on her website:

  http://www.jessiedonovan.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The Forbidden

  Copyright © 2018 Laura Hoak-Kagey

  Mythical Lake Press, LLC

  First Digital Edition

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Cover Art by Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Designs

  ISBN: 978-1942211549