His gaze shifted her way, and he smiled. Small lines deepened at the corners of his eyes. Even though Cara was used to Kael’s hardened prince facade, she thought him even more handsome like this. Free of all the restrictions he’d been living with for so long. Free to be himself. From this point on, she hoped there would never be a day when those laugh-lines disappeared and the tiger prince returned. She wanted to give him only happiness for the rest of their lives.
As Cara strode forward, her nerves running wild, she glanced at the many faces she passed. Among the strangers, she noticed Danil and recognized his mother, Farrah, toward the middle of the onlookers. Relief and gratitude reflected in Farrah’s large, doe-like eyes as she hooked her arm with her son’s and mouthed a silent “thank you” to Cara as she walked by.
Cara nodded and smiled back, thankful she had been able to keep Danil safe through the ordeal with Rafé and his men. After she and Kael had been carried away from the clearing by the royal guards, Rafé was taken to the prison to join his other Majasha men in a cell. Many of Sajra’s citizens, including Kael’s mother, argued for the death penalty, but, striving to reunite the people in peace again, Kael decided that it was better to lock Rafé, Barun, and Sani away for the rest of their lives. His next step was to return the thriving business of trade to the city and release it from the deathly tight grip of Salus’s coins. He promised poverty would never touch Sajra again.
As Cara reached the end of the path, she peered beyond the anxious couples, to the riverbank. About a dozen guards hovered near the former regis’s side. A forced grin stretched across her face, but it did little to hide her uneasiness. This was most likely the first time Jaleh had journeyed this close to the shadowy panther village, since the Hunt was normally celebrated on the opposite side of the water, near the more luxurious homes. It was just another thing Kael had insisted on doing and then when his mother protested, did it anyway.
The young cheetah, Corbin, stood beside her with his chin tilted high. A recently polished metal shone from the breast of his uniform to show his newly granted title of head of the royal guard. He threw Cara a brief smile, then returned to the same stiff, emotionless stance of the rest of his men.
Every eye followed her as she moved to Kael’s side, at the very front of the anxious couples. He linked his fingers through hers, his touch warm and comforting, and brought her hand to his lips for a light kiss.
“Cara, you are the most beautiful woman in all of Sajra,” Kael whispered, his voice still gruff from the fight.
Heat rose to her cheeks.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Was she ready to claim Kael as her mate for the rest of eternity? Yes, she was. There wasn’t a speck of doubt or hesitation in her mind. She nodded.
“There is one more thing, Cara,” Kael said, “before the Hunt begins. Something I must show you.” The sudden seriousness to his tone made her body tense. Was something wrong? Was he questioning his choice to run with her?
But instead of explaining, Kael pulled back the opening of his robe to reveal a sage green piece of fabric wrapped around his hips. The bright color jumped out against the dark red of his shirt.
A belt? He wanted to show her a belt? But then she noticed the crystal beading and swirling pattern threaded through the material. Her mother’s Hunt headscarf.
“I-I don’t understand,” Cara replied, confused. Only the male’s family colors were worn during the run to signify the woman being accepted into his line. There was no reason for him to be wearing something from her family. “Why?”
Kael ran a hand over the knot holding the scarf around him. “You’ve given me so much in such a small amount of time. You’ve shown me that love isn’t conditional. There are no rules or limits. It’s all-encompassing, like how you feel about Alina and Ryna. And that being yourself is something to be proud of.”
The volume of his voice grew, and he spun around, addressing his people and her at the same time. He waved his hand toward the crowd, and all at once, the men pulled back their Hunt robes to expose either a trinket or piece of fabric of another color. Pinks with blues, yellows with browns, purples with grays—a sea of bright, mismatched colors.
It was the most beautiful thing Cara had ever seen. Unsure what to do or say, she glanced at Kael again. He took both of her hands in his and drew in a deep breath. “During the Hunt, mates give all of themselves to each other. That means they’re a part of both families, each others’ pasts and futures, good and bad. And so, I promise to wear this color in honor of your family joining mine, in this Hunt and every Hunt for the rest of our lives.”
Cara’s insides fluttered like hundreds of butterfly wings. He was wearing her family’s colors—a panther’s colors—to prove to her and all of Sajra his devotion to her. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Nothing like this had ever been done before, or even considered.
Then behind her, one by one, each couple repeated the same words to their mate, first men, then the women. “I promise to wear this color in honor of your family joining mine, in this Hunt and every Hunt for the rest of our lives.”
Couples embraced, and jubilant cheers filled the air.
Kael’s amber-colored gaze fell onto Cara. The eruption of excited noise seemed to fade out as he leaned in, his lips hovering over hers. “I love you, Cara, my regis.” With that, his mouth captured hers for a fevered kiss, and his hand snaked behind her neck to bring her closer.
She melted into him, completely lost to the world for those few minutes. Surely this is what the tale of their kind had meant, the one told to them since birth. Sajra blessed all who ran the Hunt with a boundless love and absolute happiness. Cara couldn’t describe the soaring feeling inside her as anything less.
“I love you, Kael,” she murmured when he pulled away. And she did love him. More than she ever thought possible. “Completely.”
He pressed his forehead against hers and pecked a kiss on the tip of her nose. Her body warmed instantly. Even though Kael couldn’t have known the gesture’s significance to her, a shared gesture of love between her parents and sister, tears welled in her eyes. It confirmed that Kael was truly part of her family.
“Completely,” he breathed.
The Hunt’s ceremonial horn blared, and hand in hand, Cara and Kael sprinted into the Bilha Forest, forever leaving behind a past full of hatred and chaos and entering into a future of unity and peace. The start of a new golden era.
Epilogue
Sitting on the marble wall of the balcony, Kael stared out as the morning light spilled onto the city. Even though the air was cooler during these months, the brilliant sun still embraced the valley with soothing warmth. In the early hour, the marketplace in the distance was a bustle of activity, with the flames from the fire pits reaching up to the sky, and the buzzing of conversions carrying on the breeze.
It had been six months since Rafé’s revolt and the Hunt. Sajra’s days had been nothing but prosperous. There had been some resistance from his father’s loyal followers at first, but with the truth of Hani’s innocence finally exposed, and the positive effects of Kael’s changes evident so quickly, any lingering doubts dissolved. The panthers wove themselves into society with ease—building homes on the opposite side of the river, setting up tents in the marketplace, farming land, and organizing hunting groups. It was difficult to believe they had so recently been outcasts. Some even joined the royal guard, thanks to Corbin, who welcomed anyone willing to serve without question.
The sound of rustling made Kael glance over his shoulder. Through the open stained-glass doors, he could see Cara rolling onto her side in his bed, still lost in sleep. He smiled. Watching her as she slumbered next to him, her dark hair mussed from their evenings of passionate lovemaking, and her lips slightly parted as she breathed, had become normal for him, but it was a vision he never wanted to be apart from again.
Determined to make an effort to get to know their people, Cara had insisted they walk along the river every mo
rning. There, she would listen to every story and complaint. She offered practical solutions and advice. It was the first time a regis had ever taken such a direct interest in the city, and everyone praised her for it.
But that was the kind of woman Cara was, full of compassion. It was one of the many things he had fallen in love with from the start.
Kael had also never realized how empty his home was until there was a seven-year-old girl running through it, filling the halls with high-pitched giggles, button-eyed dolls, and messy paints. His mother had even grown fond of Ryna, loving the taste of her pungent teas and the intricacy of her needlework quilts. It was warming to live in a place full of chaos and love. Nothing in the world could compare.
“Kael?” Cara’s soft voice drifted from the bedroom, pulling him from his reminiscing. “On the balcony again?”
“Yes, out here.”
She appeared in the doorway wearing a thin nightgown, her long hair tumbling past her shoulders. As it always did whenever he saw her, his pulse quickened. She seemed more and more beautiful to him with each passing day. “I’m sorry I keep sleeping past dawn,” she mumbled with a yawn. “I’ve just been so tired.”
He chuckled, walked over to her, and wrapped an arm around her waist. “We don’t have to go on our walk this morning. If you want, we can stay here all day.” He glanced back at the bed, thinking about replaying their passion-filled night instead of leaving. He leaned in and kissed the curve of her shoulder. “I’m sure the people will understand.”
Cara squirmed against his hold. “Kael, please. We have to go. Besides, Alina wants me to take her to that nice lady in the marketplace who makes crowns of flowers for your hair. Evelin, I think her name was. Let me just get washed and dressed, and we can leave.” She rose onto her toes and pecked his lips. Reluctantly, he let her go, but as she turned around, she threw him a devilish smirk. “Maybe later.”
Every nerve ending sparked back to life. He snatched her hand and pulled her back against his chest. But just as he went to kiss her, the bedroom door swung open. To Kael’s surprise, Nura, the old healer, stood there. The woman knew how to make an entrance.
A broad smile stretched her wrinkles. “Am I interrupting?”
Kael and Cara stepped away from each other, Cara’s cheeks glowing pink. “Nura, I didn’t expect you until this afternoon,” she said and shot Kael a nervous sideways glance.
The healer shrugged. “I had time to spare.”
“You called for her?” he whispered, glancing at Cara’s arm, which was fully healed, the scar just a rosy sliver against her otherwise coppery skin.
“I have a few questions for her, is all.” And when Kael’s gazed narrowed on her, she added, “I’m fine.”
Nura shuffled over to them, her cane thumping against the floor with each step. She pressed the back of her hand against Cara’s forehead, then her cheek, then her neck, all in the same quick, rough movements she had used when she’d drained Cara of teralau. “So you’ve been tired,” she said as her faded green eyes roamed her face.
Cara nodded.
“Have you tried taking anything for it?”
“Just my grandmother’s herb tea, and I don’t think I can drink another drop of it. Always turns my stomach.”
Nura mumbled something unrecognizable under her breath, and Kael suddenly felt ill himself, remembering the last time she had told him about the power of the teralau flower and the uncertainty of Cara surviving the poison. Why hadn’t Cara told him something was wrong, wrong enough to summon the healer?
Nura reached into the front pocket of her robe and pulled out a handful of what looked to be ordinary weeds. She held it out to Kael. “Sniff,” she ordered.
“Me?” Kael wished he understood the purpose of Nura’s absurd methods.
“Yes, you. Sniff.”
Even though he’d witnessed firsthand the effect of Nura’s strange potions and tricks, it all seemed like nonsense to him. Still, better not to question it. He inhaled deeply; the expected scents of earth and grass tickled his nose.
“What do you smell?”
“Nothing. Grass,” Kael replied. “What is the point of this?”
Nura shushed him and then switched to Cara, giving her a full grin. “Now, you. Sniff.”
Brows pinched, Cara bent forward, but the moment she breathed in, she leaped back. Her face twisted in disgust. “What is that?”
Nura let out a wheezy laugh. “What do you smell?”
“That’s disgusting! Like—like rotten meat!”
How had he missed that? Kael moved in and smelled the stalks again. Only the scent of greenery hit him. His gut knotted with worry. What did it mean? “Is Cara sick?”
“Quite the opposite,” Nura said. “She’s extraordinarily healthy.”
Annoyance pinched him. He hated the way the healer always coded her words. “What does this grass-trick of yours mean, then?”
But Nura’s face only brightened with amusement. “This ‘grass-trick,’ as you say, is stalks of a jerco plant.”
Kael and Cara exchanged looks of confusion.
“Mother’s lullaby?” Nura’s voice rose in excitement. “Its smell differs to each person. Someone like the rei will only be able to smell the plant’s primary fragrance, but you, my regis…you can sense the underlying pheromone it excretes.”
They waited for her to continue.
Nura clicked her tongue. “Because, my regis, you are with child.”
Kael’s heartbeat skipped. Speechless, he glanced at Cara, who was already looking up at him with wide eyes and mouth open in shock. Was it true? He was going to be a father? But when he looked back at Nura’s pleased expression, she appeared sure of what she was saying.
“What a wonderful gift Sajra has given the both of you!”
Worry seized him, making his chest tight. He was sure Cara would be an excellent mother from the way she cared for Alina but him? Kael didn’t know how to be a father. All the years of following exactly what Salus had said… How could he teach someone else to do the right things in life when he himself had made so many wrong decisions in the past?
Cara’s gentle hand on his brought him out of his panicked thoughts, as if to say, “Like we always do—we’ll do this together,” and the stiffness in his muscles eased. She guided his palm to lie over her still flat belly and smiled up at him, and in an instant, all his fears disappeared at the realization that a baby—their baby—was growing inside her. Excitement flooded him. He was going to be a father, and not like Salus had been. A true father, one who loved his child with every ounce of his being. He would make sure of it.
Overjoyed, Kael scooped Cara into his arms and kissed her deeply. He had been so blessed with the love he had found. He didn’t know what he had done to deserve it, but he couldn’t wait to see what else Sajra and the sky spirits had planned for the rest of their lives together.
the end
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Acknowledgments
A special thank you to my Romance House friends, especially T. F. Walsh, Reagan Phillips, and Cynthia Carole Moore. Thank you for always pushing me to write, even when I wanted to give up. This book would have never been done if it wasn’t for your constant encouragement and advice.
Thank you Aunt Sally, my cousin, JR, and my sister, Nicole, for your unique personalities, which I borrowed to create three characters in this book.
Thank you to my parents for your constant and unwavering support and for always bragging about me to everyone you meet.
And finally, thank you to my soon-to-be husband, Ryan, for showing me that true love in real life (like in fiction) is worth fighting for.
About the Author
Harper A. Brooks lives in a small town on the New Jersey shore. Even though classic authors have always filled her bookshelves, she finds her writing muse drawn to the
dark, magical, and romantic. But when she isn’t creating entire worlds with sexy shifters or legendary love stories, you can find her either with a good cup of coffee in hand or at home snuggling with her furry, four-legged son, Sammy.
She writes historical and paranormal romance.
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