When Kelly entered the Great Hall, accompanied by Bree, she was once again painfully aware of the eyes fixated on her. Two pairs, in particular.
Teaq and Rhea could not hide their shock at her presence and jumped up from their seats in protest. It was unnerving to watch their faces twist and morph to reveal their true selves; half bear for Rhea, and Teaq was half wolf.
“My king!” Teaq’s voice was so loud, Kelly could hear it over the chatter and commotion created by the ongoing celebrations. “We must talk, immediately!”
Broc gestured at him to sit back down, but it had no effect.
Rhea was even more distraught. Her face reddened with anger.
“This is… My God, this is an insult!”
Some of the other giants looked up, curious at what had sparked her outburst. Their faces also changed briefly, enabling Kelly to finally see the full diversity on the island. Bears and wolves, she’d already known about. Now she also saw foxes, badgers, as well as the occasional eagle.
Oh no. Would they be able to tell now that she was different? That her influence had revealed their secret?
Kelly’s heart was pounding.
This was never going to be easy, but Kelly hadn’t counted on being put on trial in front of the entire populace of the castle. Her skills were still in their infancy. How would she manage, if she continued to feel so… watched?
Broc intervened quickly. “This is not the time or place. We’re feasting. Celebrating our survival as a people.”
Rhea looked furious as she stared Kelly down. Flared nostrils, lips curled slightly into a snarl.
Luckily it seemed the rest of the crowd was losing interest and focused once more on the filled plates in front of them. Kelly could breathe a little easier again.
Time to focus. She had one chance to make this right. She could not afford any mistakes now.
Just like she had done with Broc multiple times already, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Like a muscle undergoing regular training, slipping in and out of her own body had become easier with each attempt. She started to float above the crowd unseen, allowing her to look down on her own form as well as Bree, who continued to stand by her side.
Then she diverted her attention to Rhea.
Our king has been compromised. This witch is going to be the end of us all!
Kelly focused again and allowed her thoughts to connect more deeply with Rhea.
Just as she’d done with Broc, earlier, and even Bree, in an attempt to explain herself, she opened her mind. Her thoughts, memories, hopes and dreams. Everything flowed freely. In return, Kelly felt the envy, the hate Rhea had shown her as well as the hopes she’d had for her future.
He was mine. I ought to become queen, not you. The rules be damned.
Kelly responded. I understand your sorrow. I mean you no harm.
Rhea’s expression softened as she sank back into her seat. Stunned and speechless.
But… you’re a witch.
That I am. But I’m not your enemy. She transferred her own emotions, her own memories into Rhea’s mind as best she could. Broc had likened their previous connections to a dream. Fragmented at times, but so very real.
Rhea shook her head; her expression was ashen. Their exchange had taken its toll.
Kelly’s energy was waning as well, but she knew she had to make a final push.
Teaq.
The general was a difficult case. His mind was a lot more challenging and guarded than Rhea’s had been.
Kelly found it hard to penetrate him.
I mean you no harm. Let me in.
He didn’t react immediately. His walls were thick and his defenses strong.
When she finally reached him, what she found surprised her. Beyond his harsh exterior, he wasn’t hateful or even angry. He wasn’t even thinking about Kelly so much as he was preoccupied with someone else.
His thoughts were a confused mass of regret and guilt. Being inside of his thoughts filled Kelly’s heart with dread. He knew something he wasn’t sharing. Dangerous secrets. Kelly wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Teaq was a very troubled man.
Overcome by a guilt no man should have to bear.
She fought through her own tears as she once again tried to share her truth with him.
He wasn’t open to her. It was no use.
Kelly’s body demanded her return. She had used up all the energy she had. As she entered her own self again, she wasn’t quite the same. That sense of dread she’d picked up in Teaq’s mind had lodged itself in her heart. Looking at him now, she couldn’t hide her sadness.
He did not speak a word as he turned away from the festivities and walked away in silence. A hollow man. With unspeakable secrets even Kelly’s growing powers could not decipher.
“We will discuss everything, in time,” Broc spoke up again. “But tonight, we celebrate. Our people deserve it. Who knows how long this peace will last.”
Rhea nodded; she didn’t look happy about it, but she no longer had the will to fight.
“Where’s he going,” Broc wondered aloud, as he watched Teaq leave the Great Hall.
Kelly shook her head. “I don’t know. Your brother… he has a troubled soul.”
Broc gave her a questioning look, but she just shook her head instead of answering. The darkness within him had shaken her to her core. Best not to dwell on it now.
They had overcome the first hurdle toward her redemption.
Tonight, they would celebrate this initial victory. Later, they would deal with the Elders the same way.
They hadn’t stayed until the end of the feast.
Beyond the obligatory speech by Broc, and the food Kelly’s body so desperately needed, there wasn’t much keeping them there. They walked through the long, dark corridors in silence, until they reached the Watch Point.
“It’s funny,” Kelly spoke up, making her voice just a little louder than the winds whistling around the castle fortifications.
“What is?”
“Just how quickly things change.”
Broc nodded then stared darkly at the waters below. It would be so easy to connect with him and find out what he was thinking, but it did not seem fair.
Kelly wrapped herself tighter in her woolen cloak; still the gales tried their best to penetrate the heavy fabric.
“I never liked this tradition, you know,” Broc said.
Kelly looked up at him, studying his face. Hardened by the difficult life on these islands, yet also kind.
“The Reaping. It’s a necessary evil,” Broc elaborated.
“I’ve wondered about that.”
Broc looked down at her and smiled briefly.
“Of course you have.” His expression became serious again. “Towards the end of the Great War, our numbers had declined so much it would have been impossible to continue on without outside help. Sisters bearing their brothers’ children… It’s a recipe for disaster.”
“Hence the treaty,” Kelly whispered. She’d known as much since the first night of the Feast.
“Yes. But despite the feasting and the celebrations, we don’t revel in it. Taking someone away from their family… Their way of life. I don’t take it lightly.”
Kelly also turned thoughtful as she looked ahead at the dark clouds collecting overhead. “In a way, it’s almost a kindness. The mainland is not always a pleasant place for women.”
Broc took her hand. Excitement washed over her as it did each time he touched her, though this time the feeling was bittersweet. The heaviness she’d carried with her since infiltrating Teaq’s mind had never fully left.
“Dark days are ahead. We’re expecting war. Bringing you into this as an innocent, it’s not just.”
“I already told you, I’ve made my choice. I don’t have anywhere else I’d rather be,” Kelly said.
“I still have to ask.”
Broc took her other hand as well and got down on one knee in front of her. The sight of this powerful man in a pose of submission to
ok Kelly’s breath away.
“Knowing of all the uncertainty and danger ahead, would you still become my queen? The mother of my children?” Broc’s voice was almost a whisper.
His concern for her almost broke her heart. To think of how she’d arrived here. How she really hadn’t had much of a choice. All that had changed when she found out about her powers. Now she had nothing but choices. And none made more sense than this one.
“Yes. Of course. Always.”
“I will protect you. I will try to keep you safe if it’s the last thing I do. But this life is not without dangers.”
Kelly freed her hands from his grasp and wrapped her arms around his neck, which for a change was conveniently within her reach. She buried her face into his hair and closed her eyes. Even though she wasn’t trying to, she could feel his emotions deep within her own heart.
“In barely a week I’ve learned more about life, and love, than all the years that came before. Suddenly I feel like I don’t need much protection after all.”
Broc pulled back just enough to look at her. “The prophecy.”
“What?”
“The Elders spoke of an outsider whose powers could win or lose wars.”
“They meant me?” Kelly didn’t need an answer. It made perfect sense. Her defensive powers could be helpful. If only she could develop them further.
Broc gathered Kelly up in his arms and stood up again. Kelly rested her head against his shoulder as he carried her back inside the castle.
She would train. She would do everything she could to help. Just not tonight.
Tonight they’d celebrate their love. Just as they had done on prior nights. Only this time, there were no more secrets between them. Were there?
She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes again as his masculine scent threatened to overwhelm her. How had he done it? How had he awakened such fire within her, that only his touch could douse?
Magic…
“Do we have to wait until marriage?” Kelly wondered aloud.
Broc chuckled as he continued to carry her through the maze of stone hallways, leading inevitably to his quarters. “It is tradition.”
She knew he was right, of course, prompting her to change course.
“Then how about…” she paused for a moment, uncertain if she should complete her thought.
“What is it, my darling?”
“You show me your true self. Willingly.” Kelly’s heart started to race. The suggestion had escaped her lips before she could fully think it through.
“I thought… You’d already seen?” Broc asked, taking a step back.
“Yes… Maybe… I can’t shake the idea that there’s more to it.” Kelly waited with bated breath. Had she gone too far? Had she offended him?
Finally, a smile broke through his previously thoughtful expression. “I don’t see the harm.”
They rushed the rest of the way to Broc’s quarters, just as they’d done the previous night. Once he’d secured the door behind them, he cast off his garments, one by one, revealing more of his tan skin.
It was hard to see in the flicker of the torch on the wall, but Kelly found herself once again marveling at the beauty that was him. She’d never seen a man quite like Broc before.
Then again, he wasn’t like any ordinary man, was he?
He closed his eyes, his face tense with concentration, then within the blink of an eye, a change came over his entire body. Muscle, morphing and twisting into alien shapes. Fur sprouting where there had been none.
Kelly covered her hand with her mouth, though an errant gasp escaped when the transformation was complete.
It wasn’t just his face, like before. Within a fraction of a second, the giant man who had just stood before her had turned into a real life bear. Claws, teeth, snout and all.
Then within the blink of an eye, the animal was gone, and Broc was himself again.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
Kelly was speechless. Her heart was still racing.
“I hope I did not scare you?” Broc urged.
She shook her head. “No… No, that was simply…”
“Terrifying?”
“I was going to say, magnificent.” She smiled and let out a nervous giggle. “None of what I’d seen earlier could have prepared me for this.”
She dropped back onto the bed and breathed deeply. Her man. Her future husband. He was something quite special indeed.
Epilogue
How far she had come.
Kelly looked at her reflection in the mirror that had finally arrived for her only this morning. The white dress with gold embroidery wasn’t just elegant, it was fit for a queen.
“It’s lovely,” Bree remarked.
Kelly glanced at the young giant’s form, also caught within the mirror, and couldn’t suppress a smile.
When she’d first arrived here a couple of weeks ago, she couldn’t even have imagined the reason why there wasn’t a single reflective surface anywhere in the castle. Mirrors revealed the Black Islanders’ animal form. Bree’s feathered complexion smiled back at her.
An owl. How fitting.
Of course, at the time of her arrival, nobody, not even Kelly herself, could have predicted how things would turn out. That she’d develop the power to see everyone’s inner animal without outside help. How hard they’d tried to keep their secret…
“Are you ready? It’s almost time.” Bree’s question dragged Kelly out of her daydream.
“Yes, of course.”
She made sure everything was in place, and readjusted the crown that sparkled from on top of her deep red curls. Finally, she slipped into a pair of delicate shoes decorated with sparkly stones matching the embroidery on her dress. These people weren’t the sort to dress up. But for today—for their new queen—they had gone all out.
It was time.
Kelly’s heart was aflutter as she walked slowly and deliberately down the aisle. The Great Hall, elaborately decorated for the occasion, was filled with so many onlookers, there was only a narrow space between them for Kelly to pass. Even those who normally did not reside on the main island had made the trip to see their new queen.
Broc waited at the end, together with the leader of the Elders; a frail man in a long light grey cloak whom Kelly recognized from her meeting with the entire Council some weeks earlier. Uri.
Teaq and Rhea stood by further towards Broc’s right. Neither were happy about it, but they’d finally accepted Broc’s decision once it turned out that the Elders were onboard too. It was all part of the prophecy. She would use her powers to help them in their time of need. If it ever came to that.
Finally, Kelly stood in front of Broc. Her soon to be husband. Looking into his eyes still made her knees weak, but she tried not to show it. Not in front of all these people.
Uri cleared his throat and slowly raised his right arm. The crowd grew silent.
“This,” he spoke with a thin and shaky voice. “Is a very special day. For today, we celebrate a royal union.”
The crowd cheered, then settled again as Uri shot a strict look in their direction.
“It is in front of you all that Broc Bearclaw, King of the Black Isles and ruler of the Northern Sea, accepts as his queen Kelly Chaslain of West Hythe. May their bond remain true forever, and their union fruitful!”
Uri shuffled backward as the crowd erupted again.
Broc took his place in front of Kelly. In his hands was a heavily decorated sheath and sword. It was the most beautiful weapon she had ever seen. Intricately carved designs decorated the shiny metal. The handle was studded with expertly cut precious stones in a multitude of colors. With one palm underneath the handle and the other underneath the sheath, he got down on one knee and held it up in Kelly’s direction.
They’d practiced this bit, the night before, but Kelly still felt her throat close up as he started to speak.
“This sword is a symbol of my protection. Accept it and know I and my people will keep you saf
e for as long as you shall live. As my queen. My wife. My life.”
She did her best to swallow her emotions.
Kelly had never wished for marriage. On the mainland it was just this thing everyone did. Like being born and dying, all the girls of a certain age got married. It had nothing to do with love, or passion, as far as Kelly could tell.
But this…It was something else entirely. He’d asked her. She’d said yes. And now he was asking again in front of everyone in terms grander than even the most romantic poem or song.
She looked down at her man, who remained in position at her feet. At those honest eyes she had fallen for. The lips that seemed to beg for her kisses.
Kelly reached out and took the sword. It weighed heavy in her hands as she also supported it from either end with her palms.
“I accept,” she whispered. “My king.”
“Go on, kiss her already,” someone at the back of the crowd shouted.
“Yeah!” More people joined in.
“Oh come on, don’t ruin the moment now,” Broc retorted, then looked up at her again.
Though her eyes had become a bit moist, she could not suppress a grin. These people… Her people, they were a strange lot. But their enthusiasm was contagious.
He got up, slowly, and waited as Kelly fumbled with the leather strap of the sword, fastening it around her waist.
Then he held out his hand, which Kelly gladly accepted.
“May I?” he mouthed.
She nodded.
Broc pulled her into his arms and kissed her, just as the crowd had demanded. Applause erupted. People whistled and shouted.
She ought to be embarrassed, but the excitement that swept over everyone had infected her too. She wrapped her own arms around him too, and forgot herself in the moment.
Music started to play; barrels of wine and beer appeared through the various doors of the Great Hall. The formalities had ended and the party had begun.
But neither Broc nor Kelly were interested in any of that. They stayed but for a moment. Once the well-wishers got distracted, and nobody came up to congratulate them anymore, they quietly slipped away. Free from further scrutiny, away from the well-meaning but crude remarks some of the giants had shouted their way. Nothing stood in their way anymore.
Claimed by the King: A BBW Bear Shifter Fantasy Romance (Shifters of Black Isle Book 1) Page 10
