The Tigrens' Glory (Soul-Linked Saga) (Volume 9)

by Laura Jo Phillips

  She answered the knock on her door a few minutes later, her stomach grumbling uncomfortably. The last thing she expected to see when she opened the door was all three Tigren standing in the corridor, leaning against the wall across from her. She accepted the tray from the steward, who seemed very nervous. He didn’t even offer to bring it in for her as he’d done several times in the past. She watched him hurry down the hall then frowned at Kyerion. “Why are you guys standing out here?”

  “We’re watching over you, as is our right and duty,” he replied.

  “Your duty?” she asked coolly, deliberately choosing to allow anger to overcome the hurt his words caused. “I hereby relieve you of any and all duty toward me.”

  “That’s easier said than done,” Kirk said.

  “That’s your problem,” she replied. “Not mine.” She stepped back and slammed the door, truly shocked at herself, but at the same time, pleased that she’d successfully hidden her pain. She placed the tray on the table, then went back to the door and locked it. By the time she’d taken the cover off her dinner tray and sat down to eat, her temper had cooled and her appetite had vanished. She picked at her food, not actually putting any of it in her mouth.

  Apparently the Tigren felt more obligated than she’d imagined. If they intended to watch over her like this all the way back to Jasan, she’d never be able to leave her room. Each time she saw them she risked the utter humiliation of them discovering how she really felt. At the same time, she’d go crazy cooped up in one room for three days. That left only one solution.

  She went to the vid-terminal and switched it on. After a few moments of thought, she typed out a brief message and sent it before she could change her mind. Then she turned off the light and crawled into bed, falling asleep while the tears still fell down her cheek to her pillow.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Princess Nahoa-Arima Lariah Dracon,

  I would very much appreciate it if you and your Rami would consent to do me a favor. I ask that you find a place for me on another ship. It needn’t be a room such as you’ve so generously provided me with here on the Ugaztun. A bunk in the crew’s quarters would suffice, so long as it is on a ship headed for Jasan. I am quite prepared to pay my own way, so there will be no hardship for whoever consents to allow my passage. If you will grant me this favor, I’ll be forever in your debt.

  Thank you

  Glory

  “What’s going on?” Lariah asked after reading Glory’s message for the second time that morning. “Why is Glory so desperate to leave the Ugaztun? She just got out of a healing tank.”

  “We don’t know, little love,” Trey said as he finished putting his shoes on and joined her at the vid-terminal. “We can ask her at breakfast.”

  Lariah frowned. “This has something to do with the Tigren,” she said. “I know it does. She wants to get away from them.”

  “If that’s the case, it would be unwise to interfere,” Garen said. “It might be best to ignore her message, Sharali.”

  “You won’t grant her request?” Lariah asked in surprise.

  Garen and Trey glanced at each other, then at her. “It wouldn’t be a good idea,” Garen said carefully.

  “We owe her, Garen,” Lariah said. “We can’t turn our backs on her because what she wants differs from what you want, or what the Tigren want.”

  “What we can’t do is break our own laws,” Garen argued.

  “This isn’t about laws,” Lariah said, suddenly more furious with her men than she’d ever been before. “This is about the Tigren, and what they want. She risked her life, and her sanity, to save the Tigren. Now that she’s succeeded, you’re willing to sacrifice her for your own purposes.”

  “Our purposes,” Garen corrected. “You know as well as any that without the Tigren the Jasani will cease to be, and without Glory, there will be no more Tigren.”

  “Yes, I do know that,” Lariah said. “But this is wrong, Garen. This isn’t staying out of it. I won’t be a part of forcing Glory, or anyone else, to sacrifice themselves for any reason.” She walked toward the door, paused and turned back, her emerald eyes bright with unshed tears. “It breaks my heart to learn that the three of you are willing to do this. I never would have believed it of any of you.”

  “What would you have us do?” Garen asked.

  “I would have you do exactly what the law says, and stay out of it,” Lariah said.

  “That’s what we planned on doing,” Garen said in surprise.

  “No, it’s not. You plan to refuse Glory’s request to leave the Ugaztun because it isn’t what the Tigren want. That’s not staying out of it, that’s choosing a side. It’s also using your power against a woman you promised to honor.”

  Garen’s shoulders slumped. “You’re correct, Sharali. I did not think of it that way.”

  “Does that mean you’ll grant her request?” Lariah asked warily.

  “Yes, that’s what it means,” Garen said with obvious reluctance.

  “Thank you,” Lariah said, going back into the room and wrapping her arms around Garen’s waist. “If it helps, I have a feeling Glory won’t be leaving the Ugaztun, anyway.”

  “No?” Trey asked.

  “No,” Lariah said, smiling. “The Tigren will find a way to fix whatever they did wrong, and Glory will forgive them. She’s their Arima. They belong together.”

  “Then why insist that we grant her request?” Garen asked.

  “Because it’s the right thing to do, and because she needs to know that she still matters even though we no longer need her to rescue the Tigren,” Lariah said.

  “Agreed,” Garen said, leaning down to kiss her on the nose. “Let’s go get breakfast.”

  A few minutes later the Dracons were surprised to find the Tigren pacing back and forth across their private dining room. Lariah hid her smile as they forced themselves to go through the usual morning pleasantries before pouncing.

  “Princess Lariah, we seek your advice,” Kyerion said as soon as she was seated and had one sip of coffee.

  “My advice?” Lariah asked innocently. “On what matter?”

  “On the matter of females,” Kirk said, his entire body vibrating with tension.

  “On the matter of Glory, specifically,” Cade added, his expression sad, in sharp contrast to his brothers’ anxiety.

  “I’ll help if I can,” Lariah said. “What’s the problem?”

  “She refuses to see us, will not allow us into her room, and will not speak with us,” Kyerion said. “She seemed fine yesterday after she first awoke. Then, for absolutely no logical reason whatsoever, she began acting as though she’s angry with us and will not explain why.”

  “I seriously doubt that there’s absolutely no logical reason whatsoever for her actions,” Lariah said, arching a brow at each of them in turn. “Glory is an intelligent woman, not given to irrationality.”

  The Tigren froze for a long moment at Lariah’s response. Even if their ears hadn’t caught the edge in her voice, her scent was clearly annoyed.

  “We apologize, Highness,” Kyerion said. “We meant no insult to Glory, or to yourself.”

  Lariah took another sip of her coffee and decided to let them off the hook. A little. “Women and men don’t always think the same way,” she said. “Just because you don’t understand something a woman does or says, doesn’t mean that there’s not a good reason for it. You might want to keep that in mind if you plan to have a relationship with a woman that lasts more than a day or two.”

  Kyerion’s gaze grew thoughtful. “You’re right, of course,” he said finally. “In fact, that sounds like advice our mother would have given us.”

  “The real problem is that while Glory obviously has experience dealing with men, we have no experience dealing with women,” Kirk put in irritably. “This puts us at a distinct disadvantage.”

  Lariah stilled, her eyes flashing angrily at Kirk as her temper rose. “I assume you have a very good reason for slandering a woman
who is both my friend, and our honored guest.”

  “It isn’t slander to speak fact, Highness,” Kirk said, “though I do apologize if I offended you. We’ve watched her dreams. If we knew where to find the men she’s been dreaming of, and spending time with, we would be more than happy to confront them. Then we would teach Glory a lesson in who she belongs to.”

  Garen, Trey and Val all shot to their feet, their eyes glowing with the beginnings of a blood rage at Kirk’s implied threat to Glory. Lariah, who looked no less angry than her men, stood and placed one hand on Garen’s arm. “Please, allow me,” she said. Her Rami turned their gazes on her, then nodded before retaking their seats. The Tigren weren’t fooled, however. They stood on the balls of their feet, their eyes fixed warily on the Dracons.

  “I warn you now, Kyerion Tigren,” Garen said with a distinct growl, “take care in how you and your brothers speak to your Princess.”

  “Of course, Highness,” Kyerion said carefully. “My idiot brother has lost control of his tongue due to the stress of our situation. He will not lose it again.”

  Garen nodded, then gestured to Lariah. She stared at Kyerion, then Kirk, and finally Cade, waiting for them to drop their eyes one at a time, something she had never done before. Had never even considered doing. But, they had this coming after what Kirk had said about Glory. Just thinking about it stoked her temper.

  “I am the Soul of the Jasani,” she said. “Among other things, it is my chosen duty to see to it that no woman, be she Klanaren, Jasani, Ramourian, human, or any other race or species, is claimed against her will. This includes Princess Gloriani, whom I consider to be a close personal friend.

  “Understand me clearly. Glory will not be forced into anything by anyone, nor will she be taught a lesson unless she willingly consents to it. I don’t give a good hot damn whether she’s your Arima or not. The fact that you’re the only three Clan Tigren left doesn’t mean squat to me, either. Not when it comes to Glory’s happiness and well being. If you want her, then you damn well better find a way to woo her. Not teach her. Not force her. Woo her. Otherwise, stay the hell away from her. Am I perfectly clear?”

  “Yes, Highness,” Kyerion said, bowing carefully. He would not normally take kindly to being spoken to as Lariah was now doing, but he knew that she had ample reason, and every right. They’d acted like thoughtless asses, and Kirk’s words had sounded like a threat against Glory, though he knew that wasn’t how Kirk had meant it. High Druids or not, they deserved every bit of the tongue lashing they were now getting. “We are not only clear, Highness, we are in full agreement with you. I promise you, our words, spoken in worry and frustration, in no way reflect our true feelings for Glory. We would never harm her, nor did we intend to insult her.”

  Lariah studied them for a long moment. It wasn’t Kyerion’s words that convinced her of their true feelings for Glory. It was the emotion she felt pouring from them. They were not only confused by Glory’s withdrawal. They were deeply hurt by it. They also loved her, and respected her. She nodded to herself, satisfied.

  “There are no men in Glory’s life now, nor have there ever been,” Lariah said, gentling her tone. She pulled her reader from the pocket of her sweater, placed it on the table, pressed a few buttons, then spun it around and slid it across the table. Kirk reached out and caught the unfamiliar object before it slid off to the floor. He looked down and read the text on the screen. At first he frowned in confusion, but it didn’t take him long to begin to figure it out. His gut tightened and, after a moment, he found the correct button and turned the page. He scrolled through the document quickly, heat racing over his skin. Not the heat of arousal. The heat of true, bone-deep embarrassment. Something he hadn’t felt since he was a child. He handed the reader to Kyerion, then looked up, meeting Princess Lariah’s gaze.

  “You are more than correct to reprimand us so harshly, Highness,” he said. “Me, especially. My emotions have been unsettled these past days, but that’s no excuse.”

  “You have our most sincere apologies, Highness,” Kyerion added. “In many ways we’ve allowed our beasts to rule us in regards to Glory. However, as badly as we’ve behaved I promise you that we would never force Glory, or any other woman, to do anything against their will. Nor would we ever treat her with anything but the utmost respect.”

  “Kyerion,” Lariah said, her eyes softening as she sat back down and reached for her coffee. All three Tigren looked at her expectantly and she gestured for them to take a seat. While they did that, she took a moment to decide the best way to say what she wanted to say.

  “I don’t know how things were done on Ugaztun in your time,” she began. “In the Thousand Worlds there are many different cultures, beliefs, practices, and customs, and though I’m not widely traveled, I once worked in a library, a place filled with books. I’ve spent years reading about places and cultures I never thought to see for myself, and yet, with all of that, I’ve rarely come across a world quite like Ramouri.

  “When we met Glory, just about two weeks ago, she knew nothing whatsoever about sex. I’m not exaggerating, either. She knew nothing. Not how babies were conceived nor how they were born. For a twenty five year old woman who’d spent the past seven years fighting in the company of men, her utter lack of knowledge seemed bizarre to me. She asked me if she could use the vid-terminal in our guest house to inform herself on the subject, partly because she had feelings for the three of you that she didn’t understand. But there’s a lot more to sex than the dry facts offered up by the vid-terminal, and I felt she deserved, and needed, to know that. That’s why, when we left Jasan, I gave her a reader loaded with stories like the one I just showed you. I wanted her to know enough not to be at a complete disadvantage should she ever actually meet the three of you. ”

  “We thank you, Princess Lariah, for taking such care of Glory when we were unable to do so, and when we should have, but didn’t,” Kyerion said. He paused for a moment, then decided to hell with it. He didn’t care if it did make him look foolish. “Will you tell us, please, why she’s turned away from us now? Why won’t she see us, or speak with us?”

  “I honestly have no idea,” Lariah said. “I haven’t even spoke to her since she came out of the healing tank.” The three of them hung their heads, looking so sad and dejected that Lariah couldn’t help herself. “If you’ll tell me all that happened, what was said and who said it leading up to the moment she became upset, I might be able to help.”

  Kyerion looked at Kirk, who recited the relevant portion of their conversation almost word for word. By the time he reached the part where she went into the bathroom and closed the door, Lariah was rolling her eyes and the Dracons were looking at them as if they’d grown two heads. Each. Kirk finished his recitation, but the expressions on the Dracons faces didn’t change. When he told them what they’d said, and her response, after her evening meal was delivered, Garen actually groaned in what sounded like sympathy.

  “From your reactions our error, or errors, are obvious to all of you,” Kyerion said. “Frankly, I still don’t understand what we did wrong.”

  “We’ve had a few years to get used to...I mean, women are…well, to understand the way...,” Trey broke off, frowned, then reached for another helping of eggs. “Forget it,” he mumbled before shoveling a forkful into his mouth.

  Kyerion, Kirk, and Cade stared at Trey in absolute confusion. After a long silence, they turned back to Lariah. “Highness?” Kirk asked.

  “Please?” Cade added.

  Lariah dragged her attention from Trey and focused on the Tigren again. “You rescued Glory from horrific nightmares, raced to her room, picked her up, surrounded her, and told her how indebted and grateful to her you are,” she said, trying hard not to smirk. It wasn’t easy, though. Honestly, how dense could three men be? They stared at her with blank looks on their faces, waiting for her to continue her explanation. Lariah sighed. Apparently, they could be very dense.

  “Later, when she asked what you we
re doing outside her room, you told her you were watching over her because it’s your duty.”

  “Our right and duty,” Kyerion corrected. Lariah shrugged as she reached for her coffee cup and refilled it. Maybe all those centuries in a hibernation tank had caused a little brain damage. Made sense. Seven thousand years was a really long time.

  “I don’t understand,” Kirk said.

  Obviously, Lariah thought, struggling not to roll her eyes.

  “I get it,” Cade said. Lariah cast a hopeful look at the youngest Tigren. “Glory thinks we feel obligated to her, that our feelings toward her are those of duty and debt.” Lariah beamed.

  “What’s wrong with that?” Kirk asked. Lariah scowled at Kirk, then narrowed her eyes at Kyerion. Clueless. Both of them. Damn.

  “If that’s what you feel for her, there’s nothing wrong with it at all,” she said. “It does, however, explain why Glory has requested that she be moved to another ship.” She turned to Garen. “I believe the Ala Lahoi would be a good choice. Glory and Aisling enjoy sparring with the sai. She likes to spar with Summer too, since they’re the only two women who use swords, but the Katres take her to visit with Aisling regularly anyway.”

  “I agree,” Garen said. “It’s important to be sure Glory is happy, wherever she goes. We’ll contact the Gryphons right after breakfast and ask if they’ll have a guest cabin prepared for her.”

  “All right, we get it,” Kyerion said. He glanced at Kirk, then sighed heavily. “I get it, anyway, and so does Cade. We need to let Glory know how we really feel about her, not just how much we owe her.”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” Lariah said. She arched a brow. “If you really care about her, that is. If not, it would hurt. A great deal, in fact. If that’s the case, I think you should stay as far from her as you can get.”