by Zoe Chant
“Now,” the king said. “There is one other matter which I wanted to bring before you all—Lady Poppy, this concerns you as well, so I have not used your honors only as a pretext.”
Poppy’s expression turned serious, and she held Tristan’s arm tighter as she looked up at him, a question in her eyes.
Tristan gave a tiny headshake. He had had no idea of the king having anything further to say either.
“My reign is drawing to a close,” the king said simply, in such decided tones that none could make even a token protest that he might rule for years yet.
“The past few years, this recent treachery, though defeated, has made the need for it clear. Such a thing would not have happened when the Wisdom Stones were all in place at the heart of Valtyra. And while Valtyra shall be all the better for having two stones home, they require the balance of another—the bear stone must be remade.”
Tristan looked at Kai, who was staring steadily forward. Obviously he had been briefed on this already, as had Magnus, who was equally controlled. The councilors stirred uneasily.
“Remaking the stone requires gifting it with a bear spirit—I do not pretend that the one I possess is the equal of that which was taken when the stones were stolen, but I shall give all that I have, and hope it is enough to revive the stone. I am assured that I shall survive the process, but...”
The king looked over at Signy with a wry smile. “I shall be entirely human afterward. I shall therefore step down from the throne—retire—some months from now, in the spring. This will allow time to make a smooth transition to the reign of our next king and queen—who shall choose their own Council.”
Magnus looked down at that, and Tristan realized that, though he was not technically a member of the King’s Council, it would likely mean a great change for him, as well. Kai had known Magnus as his commander, and Magnus had known Kai as a guardsman—could they be king and captain to each other? Would Magnus retire as well?
“We shall have many meetings to discuss all this entails,” the king added. “And a formal, public announcement will be made before too much longer, so that the people of Valtyra will also know what is to come, and who will lead them. But all of you in this room deserved to know first.”
“Now.” He clapped his hands together. “Today is a day of celebration, and we still have a wedding to attend! Let us not keep our Prince and Princess waiting too much longer.”
Everyone smiled at that, and the formality of the moment broke up as they all headed out of the small audience chamber to find their places for the wedding. As they walked back out into the midday sun, Poppy’s new regalia glinted in the light.
She looked down at it, running a finger along the heavy gold links, then up at Tristan. “I still think you ought to have gotten something too. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“I was only doing my job,” Tristan replied, keeping a firm grip on his mate. “And besides, I already have all the reward I could want.”
*~*~*
THE END
A note from Zoe Chant
Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list.
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Page down to read a special sneak preview of Kai and Signy's story, Royal Guard Lion.
The cover of Royal Guard Tiger was designed by Morgan Wilcox.
More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant
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An excerpt from Royal Gua
rd Lion
by Zoe Chant
Special Sneak Preview
Princess Signy ran until she reached a blacktop path among the trees, and then she stopped and turned to face Kai. He could see her moving to plant herself there just as she had on the sidewalk, facing Otto, but as soon as their eyes met, Kai lost his breath and all other thoughts.
His lion roared as Kai stared into the princess’s dark brown eyes. The recognition struck him like lightning.
My mate. She is my mate. She stood facing him with her lush pink lips parted, her cheeks brightly flushed from her run. Her dark hair was falling down in wisps around her face, and he could almost feel the heat of her body as he stepped closer. Her full breasts rose and fell rapidly with her breath, and he knew just how much strength underlay the soft curves of her body.
She was meant for him, made for him, for all that he’d had to come to this far-off place to find her. He was already sworn to protect her as a princess of Valtyra, but the need for his mate, this woman before him, went deeper than any oath, any words. This was not just duty or loyalty. In the blink of an eye, he had fallen in love.
“Kai?” Princess Signy raised a hand toward him, and Kai realized suddenly that she was looking at him as if she felt it too. It was rare for a human to know her mate when she saw him. But then, Princess Signy was no ordinary human.
She was also much more than just Kai’s mate. With an effort, he mastered the urge to take her outstretched hand. Instead, he clasped his hands behind his back in a hard grip. “Your Highness.”
She frowned, shaking her head slightly. “Kai—what—what is this? As soon as I met your eyes, I... I feel like I...” She hesitated, choosing a word. “I know you.”
No one had told her what it meant, any more than they had told her about any other part of her heritage. Kai looked down, trying to remember when it had been explained to him. Had it ever been? All he could think of was his father explaining why his mother had gone away, why he was to have a new mother now, and he couldn’t stand to think of that with his own mate standing before him.
“Many of us—Valtyrans of the clans—we have a way of knowing when we meet the right one for us. We call that one our mate. I think you are mine, and if you feel it too, then I think I am yours.”
He took a step closer, wanting to reach out. He could feel his lion inside, restless as if it were pacing a cage, needing to be near her, to protect her.
But he had to go carefully. There were some things that claws and teeth and strength couldn’t protect her from.
“Princess,” he said softly, still not quite daring to use her first name without permission. “What did Otto say to you? What made you run from him?”
Signy sniffed, folding her arms—Kai didn’t let himself look at the way the motion pressed her breasts together—and shook her head. Her eyes held a stubborn glint when she looked at Kai. “He didn’t scare me, if that’s what you’re thinking. He just—he said something that made me remember my father, and...”
Signy looked away again, her shoulders sagging a little. “I thought I didn’t remember him at all. I thought I’d made up stories about him when I was little, fantasies, like an imaginary friend. But I realized that what I remember was real, and then I just... I missed him so much at that moment, I couldn’t...”
Her voice was shaking. Kai stepped cautiously forward.
It was no wonder if she was feeling unstrung by all of this. Hearing the truth of Valtyra and her place in it would be many shocks at once. And to stir up grief on top of it would be too much for anyone. Kai had certainly encountered plenty of young women, and young men for that matter, who would have been screaming by now, lashing out or falling to pieces.
Signy just hadn’t wanted to let an arrogant stranger see her cry.
“I’m sorry,” Kai said quietly. “For your loss. If you—if you wish privacy, Princess...”
She shook her head hard but didn’t turn to face him. “Could you... could you call me by my name? Please?”
“Signy.”
She turned all at once. Kai’s arms were already open for her, and he wrapped them around her, bringing her close. She hid her face against his shoulder, and he smoothed his hand over her hair, finding the clips that held it in place and freeing them. Her hair fell down in a dark cascade. Signy sighed and leaned into him, welcoming the release.
Kai breathed in the warm womanly scent of her and tried not to notice too much how good it felt to have her soft body pressed so tightly to his. He could feel her taking quick, deep breaths, but she barely made a sound.
After a few moments she stepped back, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks with quick brushes of her fingers. She took a breath and smiled up at him, looking wondering. “Still, I guess... I found you. So that’s—that’s not all bad, right? If... If I come to Valtyra, we can be together.”
Kai gave her a crooked smile and raised one hand in a gesture of maybe, maybe not.
“It’s complicated. Your Highness.”
Signy frowned. “But you said... You said it’s a Valtyran thing, to know who’s right for you. If we both know...”
Kai swallowed. “How much did Otto tell you about what’s expected of you,” he forced the word out, the same one she had used, “if you come to Valtyra?”
Signy’s gaze sharpened in thought, and Kai caught a startling glimpse of her resemblance to the king. Not the frail man Kai had been guarding these last five years, but as he had been in his prime, canny and thoughtful.
“He told me I can’t rule, because I’m human,” Signy said slowly. “But my grandfather has no other heir, so...”
She trailed off, her gaze rising to meet hers. He watched her stunned expression as she worked it out, and said the words so she wouldn’t have to.
“You must marry a shifter, and soon. Because the man who marries the Princess of Valtyra will be our next king.”
Click here to continue reading Royal Guard Lion.
