A tiger stepped from the orchard and shifted to a man. “The scent of two cubs leads toward the palace. I fear they have gone to warn the king. We best be done with these and come back for the rest.”
“Yes.” Mikaela gave a slow nod. “We will slay my brothers and their mates while they are grieving for their children.”
“Wait!” A woman’s shout echoed through the clearing, from behind the circle of weretigers.
Mikaela raised her whip as Kalina appeared in the clearing from the direction of the rock wall covering the passageway, as if the sorceress had come through the stone. She held her hands high, her dark hair streaming down her back, her black robes molded against her slender body.
“You wish to die with the children, sorceress?” Mikaela said with one brow raised.
“The cards have finally revealed the truth.” It was obvious Kalina was slightly out of breath from running.
Mikaela smirked, her eyes glowing a more ominous red. “Truth? The truth is that you will soon be dead.”
“No.” Kalina lowered her hands and slowly walked toward the woman. “You are not yourself. For well over two decades you have been under the control of the King of Malachad, the true sorcerer behind all this hate and destruction of the Tarok way of life. He wants to rule over Tarok and Malachad and to do so he has used you.”
A flash of uncertainty in Mikaela’s eyes, to again be replaced by a red haze. “I seek revenge on my brothers and my parents. That is the truth.”
As Kalina and Mikaela spoke, Awai slowly eased toward the cubs and the men and women standing ready to slice the children’s throats. Awai was careful to keep the whip behind her back.
“You fight against this possession.” Kalina radiated an aura of power, her fire-ice eyes brilliant as she came within feet of Mikaela. “These bakir do not serve you. They serve the King of Malachad. If you told them to stand down they would not, because they would not disobey Balin, the true sorcerer.”
“I control Balin.” Mikaela shook her head, the scar across her cheek whitening as her features tensed. “The bakirs serve me and my will.”
“Your will is not your own,” Kalina said softly and extended her hand. “Touch me and you will see all that I have seen. The cards decreed it.”
With a scowl, as if fighting herself or another force, Mikaela snatched Kalina by the wrist and dragged the sorceress closer.
Mikaela’s jaw went slack, her knees giving way slightly, as if she could barely hold herself. Her body trembled and her expression became one of anguish and pain. Her eyes flashed from red to blue and back to red again.
The sorceress’s expressions mirrored Mikaela’s and her eyes filled with tears, but she did not break away.
The bakirs stirred and looked at each other, their daggers still at the ready. Clearly they were confused and didn’t understand what was happening.
Mikaela’s entire body shook and her face was contorted by expressions that flashed through her one by one—pain, fear, hatred, joy, then back to terror and anger again.
“You are powerful, Mikaela.” Kalina kept her voice low. “You are so powerful that Balin needs you to do his bidding so he can control Tarok. You have the strength to force him from your mind. Only you.”
Mikaela released Kalina’s wrist and clenched her fists.
Her face contorted as she clearly struggled to take command of her soul. Her body trembled and sweat rolled down her face.
The bakirs appeared even more disturbed. Their uncertainty made it obvious they had never seen their queen act in such a manner.
The red haze to Mikaela’s eyes flared then faded, leaving only clear, clear blue. “Who am I?” she whispered. “A beast. A foul beast.”
“You have not been of your own mind for countless years.” Kalina spoke softly, so only Mikaela and Awai could hear. “This will be difficult. Long has the King of Malachad controlled you—since you were but a teenager, before you wed him. The fight is not over for your soul.”
“Shall we kill them now?” One bakir grabbed Paula by the scruff of her neck and brought his dagger close to the toddler’s throat.
“You must pretend, Mikaela,” Kalina urged in a whisper Awai barely heard. “Do not let them know what you have seen.”
Awai had managed to get within five feet of the bakir threatening Paula. She was ready—at the right moment, she would do whatever she had to do. She would give her life for these children.
Please, please, let Mikaela believe Kalina and pretend as she says.
Mikaela straightened and clenched her whip. “I will kill the first cub myself,” she said with an air of command.
Fear iced Awai’s insides, but Mikaela’s eyes were still clear blue.
Mikaela turned to Kalina, her gaze holding a message. “You will die with the rest, sorceress. Join Ty’s woman.”
With purpose to her steps, Mikaela strode to the children and her bakirs. She placed her hands on her hips and gave a ruthless smile. “Long have I waited for this day.”
Awai’s heart dropped. She couldn’t see Mikaela’s eyes. Was she back under the king’s control?
With a snap of her whip, Mikaela caught the bakir threatening Paula by the throat and wrenched it so hard the sound of his neck breaking shattered the quiet in the orchard.
Everything next happened in a blur.
Children screamed and ran. Kalina ushered them toward the safety of the passageway.
Awai barely noticed. She would protect the children with her dying breath.
The crack of her whip rang out as she used it to tear a dagger from the hand of one bakir.
Mikaela transformed into a tiger and attacked her own bakirs. Blood sprayed across her white fur as she ripped the throat of one man before he could shift. She was onto another bakir before any of them had the opportunity to act.
With quick snaps of her whip, Awai disarmed three of the bakirs. In the next moment they shifted into tigers and bore down on her and she screamed in terror.
Tremendous roars came from behind Awai and she knew she was going to die.
At least a dozen tigers and two wolves bounded past her. They barreled into the tigers that had been about to attack Awai and those fighting Mikaela.
Everything happened so fast that Awai almost didn’t have time to breathe. She cracked her whip and wrapped the length of it around a bakir’s neck. She yanked on the whip with all her expertise. The tiger fought against the leather strangling him, but somehow Awai managed to hold onto the whip’s handle.
One more yank and the leather sliced open the tiger’s throat and blood rushed through the gaping wound.
Awai snapped her whip back but another tiger bore down on her. She didn’t have the room to use her whip or enough time to do more than scream.
A tiger bounded in front of Awai. He rose up on his hind legs, blocking the bakir.
The club shape was dark against the mostly white fur on her protector’s belly and Awai’s core froze with fear as she recognized Ty. He battled the bakir, flinging the beast to the ground. Ty clamped his massive jaws around the bakir’s neck and shook him until he broke the evil beast’s neck.
Roars and screams filled the orchard as tigers battled, and the grassy clearing grew red with blood. Bodies lay everywhere, many of them torn to shreds.
“Do not hurt Mikaela!” Kalina shouted, but her words were lost in the tremendous noise filling the air.
A moment later the battle was over.
The weretigers’ jaws were bloody and their coats splattered with red. The two werewolves who had joined in the battle were also covered in blood.
Awai wasn’t sure if only bakirs lay dead around them or Ty’s men, too. What if any of Ty’s brothers lay among the bodies?
The remaining bakirs bounded into the cherry grove. Ty’s warriors tore after them.
When the tigers vanished, the clearing went silent, save for the wind rustling through the cherry trees.
The largest tiger with the pattern of a heart on
his powerful front leg had one tiger pinned to the ground. The last living enemy in the clearing.
The white tiger.
She was on her back, exposing her throat to Jarronn to rip out by clamping his tremendous jaws around her jugular.
“Slay me now,” came Mikaela’s voice, filling Awai’s mind and obviously those around her. “I deserve to die.”
“Yes, you will die.” Jarronn’s voice rang loud and clear in their thoughts. “You attempted to kill our children. You have tried to kill our mates.”
“You must listen to me and what the cards have said.” Kalina ran forward and touched Jarronn on his back. “My King, Mikaela fought to save the cubs.”
The High King turned his feline gaze on her and narrowed his fierce eyes. “She has terrorized our people for two decades, has prevented our race from growing and forcing us to near extinction.”
Beneath his tremendous paws, Mikaela shifted into a woman. Her expression held no fear, only sorrow. Her scar was a bright slash against her pale features, and her eyes glittered as if she held back tears.
She tipped back her head, exposing her throat even more. “You are right,” she said. “Please do not show me mercy. I could not bear it.”
Ty’s emotions ranged from anger to uncertainty to sadness for the sister he had known and loved. Ty moved closer to Jarronn and Mikaela. “Let us hear what Kalina has to say. What the cards have told her.”
The High King hesitated for one long moment. He backed away and shifted into a man. He rose to a standing position, his hands clenched into fists, and his face filled with fury as he looked at his sister.
He turned his dark expression to Kalina. “Speak.”
The sorceress kept her head high and her gaze level with Jarronn’s. “The cards have always told me there was a threat to the south and that Mikaela kept our people from conceiving.”
Jarronn scowled, and Kalina hurried to continue, “But what they didn’t tell me until now is that Mikaela has been under King Balin’s control all these many years. Even before she wed him he used his own power and the strength of his bakirs to influence her. She is by far the most talented of all the royalty in Tarok as well as in the Kingdom of Malachad. Balin recognized that, took control of her mind, and used her against you.”
“This is true?” The High King said, his expression unreadable. “The cards have made this clear?”
“Yes, Milord.” Kalina bowed her head. “I am sorry I could not interpret this until now. Until it was almost too late.”
“It does not matter,” came Mikaela’s soft voice as she pushed herself up so she was on her knees. “My crimes are unforgivable.”
King Jarronn’s expression hadn’t changed, but he listened.
“I do not know if I can keep Balin out of my mind and keep him from controlling me.” Tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice trembled. “What if I hurt one of you, my brothers, or your mates? What if I harm your people, or the children? You must kill me now to ensure you are all safe.”
Jarronn hesitated, his face transforming into an expression that became one of rage and horror.
After a long, tense moment, he held out his hand to Mikaela. She didn’t look like she wanted to accept it. She looked like she wanted to die instead.
“Mikaela.” Jarronn’s voice had changed, still firm but now filled with compassion. “Take my hand.”
A pause and then she reached out and allowed him to pull her to a standing position. She stood before him, her head held high and a world of pain and grief in her eyes.
“I can feel him trying to force himself back into my head, Jarronn.” Another tear rolled down her cheek. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough to fight him off much longer.”
Jarronn reached out and brought his sister roughly into his arms and pressed her head to his shoulder as he hugged her. “We will help you. We are family.”
“I do not know that I can be saved.” Mikaela gently pushed at his chest so they were slightly parted. “It has been far too long.”
Karn shoved his way in between the two, and Jarronn backed away. Karn’s expression was one of sadness as he traced his finger along Mikaela’s scar, a soft touch that made her visibly shudder. “On that dark stormy night, before you fell, I told you that we love you and that we know there is good in you. Together we can keep you safe. We can be family again.”
“I love you all.” More tears eased over Mikaela’s cheeks. “But do you not understand? I am dangerous.”
This time it was Darronn who came to stand before Mikaela. “I have ached for you. Have felt betrayed because I thought you and I were so close. But then you turned on us. Or so we thought.” Darronn took her hands in his. “I cannot tell you the joy this brings me. To know that my sister was not herself and that she is still here for us to love.”
“It is too late for my soul,” she whispered, clearly trying to make them understand how scared she was to be under Balin’s control.
Ty made his way to his sister and Darronn stepped back. Ty’s heart sang, as he looked down at his little sister. “You are ours.” He crushed her against his chest. “We are whole again. You have finally come home.”
“I have missed you more than words can explain, and I love you with all my heart and soul.” She pushed away from Ty. Tears rolled freely now and her expression was one of anguish. “That is why I must leave.”
She spun away from her brothers and shifted into a tiger before any of the kings had a chance to say another word. She shot toward the cherry trees and vanished into the grove too fast for anyone to react.
For a moment everyone stared with stunned expressions in the direction Mikaela had disappeared.
All four brothers took steps in the direction Mikaela had gone, clearly intending to go after their sister and bring her back.
Kalina shouted in a voice, clearly magically enhanced. The one word brought the kings to a halt. “Wait.”
The men hesitated and looked at the sorceress.
She faced the four kings and gave a reverent bow. “Long I have served you all, and I care for you deeply. However, with the coming joining of Ty and Awai, I am freed of my services.”
Sorrow filled Ty like a heavy weight at Kalina’s words, and he was sure his brothers felt the same. The sorceress had been friend, lover, and advisor to all of them.
Ty broke the moment of silence. “You will always have a home with us.”
“Nevertheless, it is time to find my own way, my own life.” She raised her head, nodding to each of the kings. “It has been my pleasure.”
Kalina stepped forward and shifted into a tiger in a fluid transformation. She turned away from everyone gathered around her before she paused and looked over her shoulder. “I will find Mikaela and see that she remains safe. Know that one day she shall return to you, and she will be whole.”
The sorceress bounded through the cherry trees and out of their lives.
Ty felt a knot in his throat as she vanished.
The two wolves that had helped slay the bakirs shifted into Lord Kir and Rafe.
Rafe approached the High King. “I will see that both females remain safe.” He gave a slight bow and transformed back into a wolf. At a casual lope he scented the trail and followed the weretigresses.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
AWAI SAT BESIDE THE POND BEHIND THE PALACE, her legs drawn up and her chin resting on her knees. So much had happened in the last several weeks of her life that she could barely fathom all the changes.
She had been taken from the world she knew and fallen in love with the mysterious realm of Tarok. More than that, she had fallen in love with a dominant, beautiful weretiger. She had learned to submit, learned the truth of her own strength and power. She had even helped fight a sorcerer and his minions to defend the lives of her large and growing family.
It was time to lay it all on the line, to decide now and forever where she would live, who she would be—and who she would be with.
Ty had scheduled the
joining ceremony for a week after the bakirs attack, and the day had finally arrived.
Today, if she decided it was the right thing to do, Awai would wed Ty.
She rocked slightly as she watched the vividly colored fish in the pool. Thoughts of the last time she had sat here came to her mind and she smiled at the memory. She and Ty had ended up going to the village to buy gifts for every member of their family.
Her smile faded as she reached down and plucked a white starflower from beside her. She twirled the bloom between her thumb and forefinger, her mind lost in the past, the present, and the future.
She held the bloom in her palm and the breeze caught it up and lazily brought it to the surface of the pond where it twirled and eased across the clear surface.
As much as she loved her nieces and nephews, and as much as she loved Ty, it was still hard for her to imagine having children. Ty deserved to be a father—he would be such a good one. But she couldn’t begin to picture herself as a mother, and didn’t know if she really wanted to. Ty had explained how she could only conceive if he released his seed when they both reached simultaneous climax, and that was only if she was in heat. He had said it would be her choice when the time came.
Awai braced her hands to either side of her, closed her eyes, and tilted her face to the sky. Sunshine warmed her face, caressing her with gentle rays of hope and love.
A mere fraction of a moment before his lips met hers, Awai sensed Ty’s presence. His lips were firm yet gentle, his taste and smell seeping into her blood, into her being.
How could she refuse him anything?
How could she leave him?
He drew back and she opened her eyes. He reached for her with one hand and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. “I have something to tell you.”
“What?” She tilted her head to the side.
He smiled. “As my mate, you, too, will become a weretiger, and you will live a long life, as all weretigers do.”
She blinked. “I would?”
“You will.” A light sparked in his eyes. “It takes time, but it will happen. Your nieces were instructed not to tell you, as I wanted to. They have already begun the transformation.”
Kept by Seduction Page 17