“I hope you don’t think for one second that you protected me from anything.”
“Your dynasty is an important one.”
“You don’t have to tell me what I already know. My father was the strongest in the land. Our line was destined to rule forever.”
“Your father had different ideas, David.”
He tightened his grip on the gold cylinder. “What would a priestess know about my father’s ideas?” He wasn’t going to let her talk her way out of this.
“He wanted the two dynasties to co-rule.”
“Are you mad?” He felt like the one going mad, on the quick train. Just the cadence in her speech nipped away at his defenses. “Let me explain what’s going to happen next. I’m going to snap your neck and put a foot in that bastard’s chest.”
She didn’t react, except for the one eyebrow that hitched. “Did you read the documents?”
Again, she used that calming voice on him. Damn, if it wasn’t working.
“It’s all there,” she said.
He hadn’t opened the cylinder. He couldn’t bear to read his father’s final words. The last link to his parents lie in that parchment. After he’d found it, the fatigue from the shift consumed him and he’d fallen asleep with the documents clutched to his chest.
David had to know. “Is he your lover? Are you traitors-in-arms?”
Tears shimmied down her cheeks. Her shoulders shuddered with her cries. And David’s heart twisted in agony that her misery and love ran so deep over this man.
He’d hoped that she had fallen as hard for him as he’d done for her, but saw that he’d been a fool. The image flashed back of her standing at the door when he greeted her naked, before he knew the truth of their first meeting. From that second, his heart echoed, and his soul had confirmed that she was the one.
She shook her head. “Xavier is not my lover. He is my brother.”
His claws retracted like a rubber band that popped. Her brother?
Starr continued. “Xavier tried to help save the kingdom, but he got hurt. Vass is the one. As head of security, he used his position and authority to do his own bidding.”
“That’s impossible. No way.” David grabbed his head. Too much came at him.
“Vass made a deal with the humans.”
He shook his head. “Xavier was sent by the king to have the trade agreement signed by the humans. He left and never returned.” Recalling the details added fuel to David’s rage. “Ripping apart everything my parents built. Calling the shots from his hiding place. Coward!”
“You’ve got it wrong.” She looked up at him. Despite the tears shimmering in Starr’s eyes, her gaze didn’t slide away from his face. “I haven’t lied to you, my prince.”
His beast grunted, settling down on its haunches. How could he argue with the truth?
“The military turned on the king. Right? It wasn’t Xavier. They kidnapped, tortured, and kept him shut out of the kingdom.”
They both looked at the wreck of a man barely hanging on life.
David bared his teeth. His beast rose, ready for battle. “So Vass assassinated the king and queen.” The need for revenge had never left. Now he was ready to switch target and go for blood.
“Yes, I killed David’s daddy and mommy.” A man stepped from the shadows into the fringes of the light. Unlike Xavier’s frail body, this man was a model of fitness. “Thanks for bringing the happy party under one roof. If I’d known that Xavier was hiding out here, I would have paused to come break his neck.”
David lunged at him. His body didn’t fail with its battle-mode readiness. His claws barely missed its mark as Vass back-flipped out of the way.
“And that’s why you’re not the king.” Vass ran with a ferocious speed, jumped and kicked with both feet into David’s chest.
David flew through the air for several feet and landed on his back against the palace wall. Pain tried to make its bid on his body. Rage wrestled control and took ownership.
“First, I kill you. Then, I will finish off Xavier. Then I will have your combined powers inside me.”
Starr stood. “You need me to perform the ritual. And that’s not happening.”
Vass, in the same lightning speed, spun and caught her in mid-spin with an arm. He scooped her away from her brother and propelled her several feet into the air before letting her go.
David sprinted to catch her, staggering as she landed in his arms.
A mournful howl pierced his soul.
Vass had impaled Xavier’s shoulder with his hand claws. “Now, do you want to test my tenacity to this mission?”
London strutted onto the scene from one of the remaining tunnels. She smiled an evil grin. “Told you that I would drink the blood from your skull.” She turned to Starr. Come over here, bitch.”
David held onto Starr.
Vass turned his hand in Xavier’s shoulder. Another cry echoed.
“Let me go, David,” Starr said.
“You can’t do this.” His grip tightened. After all he’d lost, he wanted to hold on to her regardless if it was a selfish thought.
“David, I love you.” Before he could respond, she elbowed him in his gut and ran toward Vass.
The minute that he saw her take the dagger, he knew her intentions. She aimed the dagger at her belly.
David’s inner beast exploded its shift in midair. Pure desperation fueled his lunge to close the gap. He swatted Starr to the ground jarring the dagger from its mark.
But he wasn’t done. He roared at Vass, who’d also shifted. His coloring was darker, with a smaller physique, but more agile.
Their heads collided with a horrific thud. David didn’t pause to survey injuries. Sticking his claws in the dirt, he lowered his shoulders for another round of head butt. The smaller lion stumbled. David dug in and raised on to his hind legs, using his forelegs to impale Vass. His claws sliced through his muscles, hitting bone, as he dragged him to the ground.
Vass lashed out, writhing in his blood. His growls howled his pain. He swiped at David leaving four deep grooves across his underbelly. Like a jab sequence, David delivered a series of blows that sliced at Vass’s face, neck, and underbelly. When the lion fell away with a thud and lay still, only then did he stop.
David backed up. He’d shifted back to his human. “No. Don’t.” He put up a bloody hand to stop Starr. He bent to check the vitals of his enemy.
Vass opened his eyes. His mouth opened in a snarl and he grabbed hold of David by the neck. But he’d lost most of his strength, to his detriment. David pried apart Vass’s mouth from his neck. Summoning all his strength, he closed his hands around Vass’s neck, cracking every bone.
He squeezed until death truly claimed Vass’s body.
London scrambled away, running from where she’d come.
The building shifted, its groans and creaks louder than usual. Rocks fell, overhead beams collapsed. London’s cry was swallowed by the thunderous implosion.
David had no fear for their safety. His dynasty had been saved and the prophecy had been a warning of what was to come. London felt like a sure bet that she’d return with the next one to challenge his leadership. It wasn’t over, but the next time he’d be ready.
He saw that Starr was next to her brother, trying to administer to his wound.
David scooped up the weak man. “Let’s get out of here.”
Starr was grateful, but he didn’t want grateful. He wanted her love. His heart ached that the only reason she’d come to him was to find and save her brother. He knew as a priestess she would never deny her king, but there was no way he would demand it.
As soon as they were above ground, David got on the phone to call for the ambulance.
“No. I know who to call. Madame Voorhees will see to his needs much better than a human hospital.” She handed him the gold cylinder that he’d almost left behind in order to carry her brother.
Xavier said something to him. He looked at Starr to translate. “He says thank you
. Once he’s better, I know that he will want to meet with you.”
David nodded.
Her brother said something more to her. And she responded before an ambulance pulled up. The men dressed as paramedics wore a badge featuring the circular symbol of five interlocking links. They carried Xavier on a stretcher and slid him into the ambulance and drove away.
David knew he looked like he’d been through a gladiator sport. “You can go with your brother. We can catch up later.”
“I will, eventually. Madame Voorhees can do more for him now than I can.”
“Wonder what magic the wonderful Madame could do for me?” Fatigue dulled his voice. Now that the adrenalin didn’t pour through his body, his muscles felt weak.
“Maybe you’ll meet her one day.” She smiled. “In the meantime, you look like hell.”
David nodded. “I feel like it. Well, it was certainly an adventure.” He held out his hand, certain that would end any further intimate contact with her. A goodbye that had his stomach in knots.
“Are you serious? Do you think that saving your life twice would get rid of me?”
“Twice? If I recall, you were going to kill yourself.”
“Why would I do that? You need me to run this place. That was a diversion.”
David grinned. “And you think I didn’t know that?”
“Doesn’t matter. You were looking mighty fine, tearing up the world.”
“You should see what I can really do.”
“Why don’t you show me?”
David growled, and his cock answered, ready and willing, for duty.
They made it to his house in record time, diving into bed like young lovers.
David held Starr as she straddled him, riding hard and wild. His cock fitted neatly in her pussy. “You and I made love before the veil.”
She nodded.
“You little rebel.” David rolled her over and pumped like his life, his new life, depended on it. He knew without a doubt that she was the only mate for him. And now that they had come together, as prophesied, he knew it was forever.
The End
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Into the Pride (Nuuba Pride Shifters) Page 6
