“Not only did you fight, but you fought alongside shifters you thought were inferior not long ago. Shifters you would have tried to fight the moment you laid eyes on them—shifters you have tried to fight. I know some of you went to Eagle Creek to battle the fighters, yet today you fought with them. You fought alongside the Enforcers, two of them lion shifters—our natural enemies. And you did it all because of your love for this tribe. And I’m proud as fuck of each and every one of you.”
There was silence for a moment and then they began clapping, the noise tapering off as Vynn stepped forward. “You know I was against the changes for a long time. I wanted everything to go back the way it was, and I wasn’t happy with you for changing things. That’s not a secret. But I think I can speak for most of us when I say we didn’t just fight for the War Cats tribe. We fought for you. You never would have ordered us to lay down our lives for you. We all know that, and I think that’s a big part of why none of us thought twice about joining you. You’ve given this tribe something it hasn’t had in a long time—hope. We could do no less for you.”
Arya nodded, stepping up beside him. “That’s true. And we all love you for that. And I don’t think there’s a shifter in Durga who doesn’t love Jessica, either. I don’t think she even realizes that.” She switched her gaze to Jessica’s dragon, craning her head to look up to her. “That’s true, you know. And you’ve brought happiness to the man who’s tried so hard to bring happiness to us. We’d lay down our lives for you as surely as we would for Kian. We would have before, but it’s even truer now. You’re our queen.”
She dropped down onto one knee with her head down, pledging her fealty to his mate. One by one, the other War Cats dropped down, doing the same, until they were all kneeling. Kian’s chest was full of emotion as he watched them, and then his tiger joined them, bowing his head to his mate. A huff of breath blew behind him, and he turned to find his mate’s dragon behind him, her head bowed low, tears in her violet eyes.
And then he did the only thing he could do. He dropped down to one knee in front of her, hand over his heart, head bowed. “My queen.”
Chapter Sixteen
Jessica’s heart felt like it was near to bursting as she gazed at the War Cats kneeling in front of her. And then Kian joined them, murmuring, “My queen,” and she almost lost it.
Taking a moment, she composed herself before focusing her energy, shifting back to human form. It didn’t hurt as much or take as long as it had when she shifted during the battle, and she was incredibly thankful for that. The moment she was human again, she reached for the yoga pants and shirt someone brought out after the battle and rushed to put them on.
After she was covered, she took a shaky breath as everyone looked up at her. They remained kneeling and she shook her head with a breathless laugh. “Stand up, please. All of you.”
As she said the words, she glanced over at the Drako, uneasiness slithering around in her gut as she saw that they’d been kneeling, as well. Pushing it out of her head, she focused on the now standing War Cats, holding her hand out for Kian to take. She clutched it tightly, searching for words.
“Thank you. For your support. For risking your lives for me, and for Kian. You all would have been justified in running, because this wasn’t your fight. And I can’t thank you enough for staying to fight. And thank you for accepting me. You always have, really. But I never imagined you’d accept me as Kian’s mate so easily. A submissive for a queen? I never thought you’d be okay with that. But you were. I know that, because many of you accepted me as Kian’s mate before you knew that alongside my submissive tiger, I also have a dominant dragon inside me. I promise to you all that I will always stay strong. For you, and for our king. I’ll always put him above myself, and I’ll do the same with this tribe. Without you, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. Again, thank you.”
She wanted to say more, but her throat was closing tight with the tears welling up. Besides, she’d just be repeating the same things in different ways. She’d said everything important. They began clapping again, the fighters and Enforcers joining in, and soon, the applause was thunderous, with loud whoops and hollers punctuating the air.
The tears broke free and she turned into Kian’s arms, burying her face in his chest as they leaked out. It had been the most amazing day of her life. She’d remained strong, and even though there had been a moment during the battle where the panic threatened to overwhelm her, she’d managed to keep her head, and done what she needed to do.
And having the day close out with the War Cat warriors pledging their fealty to her, well—it didn’t get much better than that.
But the best part of the day was making her shoulder burn right now. Her claiming mark. She was Kian’s in all ways, forever. That wasn’t just the best moment of the day—it was the best moment of her life.
The applause died down and the shifters went back to what they’d been doing, some of them slowly leaving, Zane stalking away, muttering about getting his mate and cub home. Jessica pulled back, wiping the tears from her face and leaning up to kiss Kian.
“I love you.”
Smiling tenderly, he brushed her hair back from her face, hooking it behind her ear. “I love you, too. So much.”
A throat cleared and they turned to find Blake standing next to them, his hands hooked on his hips. “Sorry to interrupt, but I can’t do anything with the Drako. They won’t leave and we’re not sure how to make them, since they have magical powers.”
Kian frowned as he glanced over at them. “What does that have to do with us? They’re not our problem anymore. You’re the law.”
“They’re asking for their queen.”
“She’s dead. Surely they saw that. That’s why they gave up the fight.” Pausing, he glanced at Jessica. “What happened with her, anyway?”
Jessica shuddered as she relived watching the woman wither away to nothing. “She was one of the originals. She’d used magic to keep herself young, although it couldn’t make her live forever. She was aging, just very slowly. One of my dragon’s magical powers is taking someone else’s magic for her own. That’s part of why they wanted me back so badly. That’s what she was doing with the violet fire—taking the queen’s magic. When she did that, it broke the queen’s spell, and she aged forward all the years she’d stolen for herself.”
Blake nodded slowly. “That’s interesting, but it’s not the queen you defeated they want.”
She stiffened as Kian growled low in his throat. “Who do they want, then?”
“They want Jessica. She was their princess. Next in line. Now that the queen’s dead, she just got promoted.”
Jessica shook her head violently. “No. I don’t accept. I don’t want them.”
Blake looked at her with an apology in his eyes. “I don’t think you have a choice. If it makes you feel any better, they’re not like the old queen. She was much like Kabir. She forced them to do as she wanted. None of them wanted this war, but they were compelled by her to fight it.”
She looked at Kian, knowing her eyes were pleading. She was just getting used to being Kian’s mate. To being the War Cats’ queen. She wasn’t ready for something like that. She never would be.
“Kian, I can’t. I wouldn’t know anything about being their queen. I wasn’t raised in that culture. I know nothing about magic or that side of my nature. I wouldn’t know where to start. They need to pick someone new.”
It doesn’t work like that, her dragon whispered. It has to be you.
I don’t want it to be me, she retorted.
Don’t worry. I’ll help you. Remember, I have all their knowledge inside me. You can do this.
“Baby,” Kian said, the look on his face resigned. “I didn’t want to take on this tribe, but I didn’t have a choice. I wanted to say hell no and run, but I did my duty and worked to turn them around. If I can do that, you can do this. And I’ll be by your side every step of the way. You won’t be doing this alone.”
Blake nodded. “The Enfo
rcers will stay for a while, too. Until you’re confident with leading them. I don’t think it’ll take you long, though. I think you’re strong enough for this. Let us know where they should go, Kian.”
Jessica zoned out a bit as Kian gave Blake instructions, staring at the Drako. She didn’t want this responsibility, but she didn’t have a choice. Kian was right, she had to do her duty. But that wasn’t all he was right about. If he could do what was needed with the War Cats, she could do the same with the Drako. It might even be easier, since they hadn’t wanted to do as the old queen bid. That meant they hopefully weren’t like her, and there wouldn’t be a risk of bringing dark magic around her tribe.
If nothing else, this day had taught her that she could do things she hadn’t imagined she could. That she was stronger than she knew. And with Kian by her side, she could do absolutely anything.
Kian touched her arm and she focused on him, realizing Blake was walking back to the clan. “You can do this, you know. I know you can.”
Smiling, she leaned up and kissed him softly. “I think maybe I can, too.”
Putting his arm around her, he turned them to watch their tribe, some leaving, some standing around, talking and laughing. “What a day, huh?”
“And I hope to never experience anything like it again,” she said with a laugh. Sobering, she touched her fingers to the claiming mark that still ached. “It wasn’t all bad, though. And it’s not quite over yet.”
He glanced over at her with an eyebrow cocked. “What’s left to do, other than make sure everyone is okay and settled?”
She smiled, glancing at him flirtatiously from underneath her eyelashes. “I haven’t gotten to claim you back yet.”
Heat immediately filled his eyes as he tugged her in closer. “In that case, we need to get these shifters out of here soon. I want nothing more than to be claimed by you.”
She started to smile, but then cocked her head, brow furrowing. “I’m not sure…”
“What aren’t you sure of? Claiming me?” he asked, sounding puzzled and a little hurt.
“What? No! I’m just not sure how to do it.”
His dark brown eyes were relieved but he still looked confused. “I’m not sure I understand. You’re a shifter. You should know. It’s instinct.”
Going up in her tiptoes, she kissed his cheek and smoothed the frown from between his brows. “Yes, but I’m a tiger and a dragon, remember? My tiger wants to bite you. My dragon wants to claim you with a claw mark. I’m not sure which to do.”
He smiled slowly, the heat returning to his eyes. “I don’t think there are any rules saying you can’t do both. In fact, I think I’d enjoy being claimed twice by you. Sounds like a dream come true, honestly.”
Heart warming, she smiled at him, so full of happiness, she felt like it was going to explode out of her at any moment. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
And in the middle of the lawn of a palace that had once been a home full of pain and darkness, the king kissed his queen with all the love in his heart. Durga Valley had once been the worst sort of place to live, a place full of hurt and repression. A place full of misery and hate.
But thanks to one Alpha who’d taken on a duty he never wanted, who’d wanted to keep running but instead embraced his destiny fully, determined to turn his tribe into a group that shifters wanted to belong to, it was finally somewhere people wanted to live. It was finally full of laughter and love, joy and happiness. He’d accomplished all he set out to do, including winning over his mate’s heart.
And his queen couldn’t have been prouder of him for all he’d done, or more grateful that he hadn’t been willing to let her walk away. That he’d been determined to have her by his side forever. She would have gone on thinking she wasn’t good enough to take her place at his side, that he deserved more, if he hadn’t fought to show her that she was good enough. That all he wanted was her.
She stood by his side, watching their people laugh and love freely for the first time maybe ever, and she knew that no matter what came the War Cats way, they would triumph. Because love always won in the end.
Coming Soon
Blood & Bone Enforcers MC
If you missed the other four books in the War Cats series, you can find them here:
Zane
Kelly Masters is quirky, awkward, and says everything that pops into her head. No one takes her seriously, which means being labeled strange, and perpetually single. But she’s okay with that because she’s happy. Then, one day her clumsiness sets her fate in motion, and she runs—literally—into a man who will turn her world upside down. A man who insists he’s no good. Swears he’s damaged.
He’s not perfect, and neither is she, but beyond the mask he shows to the world, she yearns to know the true heart of the man inside.
Zane Stryker found himself alone after the showdown with the fighters in Eagle Creek. Unable to walk away from his cousin, he hides in the shadows, fighting a losing battle with his inner tiger. He needs to find a mate to stay sane or finally ask his cousin to put him out of his misery. And then he sees her—the woman who could be his salvation. But when Kelly reveals her secret, his tiger immediately rejects her. And when his cousin calls him home to the War Cats, Zane has a decision to make—listen to his tiger and leave her behind or take her with him and risk his tribe rejecting them both.
Zane believes she’s the one, and wants to protect her. The problem is, claiming her means not only betraying his inner animal, but also his tribe, and the centuries-old customs he’s bound by blood to defend. It’s a battle he never wanted to fight, and worse, it’s one he’s not sure he can win.
Karis
Arya Nikolai is finally getting the chance to live her dreams. The rules for her tribe were suffocating, but now the archaic chains holding her back have been broken. Well, most of them. The only thing left for her to do is become a famed War Cat warrior, but it’s forbidden. So she’ll take any chance she can get to show off her skills and break the final link holding her back. And then her inner tiger chooses her mate. It’s someone she’s known all her life. Someone who once ran away from her. Someone who’s still running. Someone who she won’t let slip away from her again.
Karis Sanderson is the head warrior. Tough, strong, badass… and completely terrified of his attraction to the much younger war cat who is dead-set on breaking all the rules. She’s persistent, irresistible, and her father will surely kill him if he finds out. Their relationship must stay a secret, but when someone figures them out, Arya and Karis have more than an angry father to worry about. Now their lives are truly in danger and, secret romance aside, Karis will do anything—even lay down his own life—to protect her.
It’s a secret he never wanted to let out. But to save his mate he’ll have to come to terms with the truth, accept her for who she is, and allow himself to love her.
Jameson
Cadence Daniels is on the run, desperate to get far away from the monster in her past. When her car breaks down in the strange town of Durga Valley, she’s at her wits end. She still hasn’t run far enough, but for now, she’s stuck. When a well-intentioned woman offers to let her spend the night, she’s reluctant, but out of options. And then she meets the woman’s brother. He’s handsome, charming, and in her experience—that’s everything a man needs to mask the snake beneath the grass. Despite the yearning she feels for him, she must resist. It isn’t just about her anymore. She has something far more important to protect now.
Jameson Campbell is the head trainer for the War Cats tribe, the fiercest warriors around, and he’s hiding something only one other person knows—he longs for a mate. For almost ten years he’s been on an unending quest to find his true mate, and he’s lost hope, ready to give up and come to terms with the fact that he won’t have his heart’s desire. And then he meets his sister’s guest, and he knows—he’s finally found her. But she’s wary, and he’s sure she’s hiding from someone. She’s not giving him an inch, but he has
to keep trying. Come hell or high water, he’ll win her over.
Just as Cadence begins to relent, it becomes clear the monster under her bed is back. And suddenly, it’s not just a matter of Jameson making it clear they’re meant for each other—it’s about doing everything he can to protect her. Because if he can’t protect her from her past, he’s sure to lose his future forever.
Vynn
Ashley Adams is on a mission. Years ago, her father left for Eagle Creek to find her brothers, and never returned. On her quest for answers and revenge, she meets a man with silvery claw marks on his cheek who seems to want to help her—but he’s a shifter, and despite being one herself, she doesn’t trust him. No matter how genuine he seems, her father taught her to hate their kind.
Vynn Sardana is anything but nice. He lives for himself, and only himself. And one other thing—revenge. Those who marked him, who shamed him, need to pay, and he knows he’ll find them in Eagle Creek. Then he meets Ashley. She’s just as fixed on vengeance as he is, but for all the wrong reasons. As they head toward Eagle Creek, and Vynn learns her task is parallel to his, he realizes she’s his in.
But when things start happening around Durga Valley, someone messing with their royalty sidetracks them. While they try to solve the mystery in Durga Valley, Vynn seeks a way to ease the hate in Ashley’s heart. Because if he can’t make her love herself the way he does, they’ll both succumb to the hate that brought them together.
Other books by Grace Brennan
War Cats
Zane
Karis
Jameson
Vynn
Rocky River Fighters
Kian (War Cats Book 5) Page 20