by Connie Hall
Nina felt her heart softening toward Ethan.
Arwan stood in front of the dais. She reached for her gun. Quinton had been watching her, and for an old seniph he moved with light-speed reflexes. He leaped over the dais and knocked the gun from her hand. They stood snarling at each other, Quinton with his blind eye looking monstrously ominous and Arwan looking deadly in her stunning beauty.
Quinton said, “Yes, we will hear what the gleaner has to say.” He growled at several of the robed porters to cuff her.
Arwan’s gaze bored holes in Nina.
Quinton walked around and resumed his seat, his authoritative voice ordering seniphs back to their soggy seats.
Reluctantly, they sat and waited.
Ethan strode past the arena and stood before the council. “My brother did not know I came home. He had nothing to do with it. But she did.” He pointed to Arwan.
A collective disbelieving gasp whispered through the galleries.
Nina shot Quinton a self-satisfied glance; then she looked at Kane. He appeared shocked and rapt as he avoided her gaze.
Beaver finally turned Nina loose, and she smiled a prim “thank you” at him, but he looked so absorbed by Ethan’s testimony, he didn’t notice. Everyone ignored her, including Kane.
Goatee asked, “Now we will have the truth. Why did you come here?”
“This is not something I like to admit, but I have been blackmailing Arwan for years.”
“For what?”
“She killed Daphne.”
The spectators gasped.
Quinton looked confused and leery. Shock turned Kane’s expression into solid unreadable rock.
“He’s lying,” Arwan gritted out, then snarled at the two guards holding her. “You’re going to believe a gleaner?”
Quinton’s face bulged with irritation. “Explain.” He picked up a towel one of the robed guards had brought each councilman and angrily scrubbed his face.
“I thought I wanted Daphne.” Ethan cast an apologetic glance at Kane.
Every muscle in Kane’s body tensed, veins throbbing dangerously in his neck.
Ethan seemed unable to look at his brother any longer, and he turned back to the council and continued. “I came home to persuade her to run away with me, but like today, I was late. I walked in on Arwan as she was staging the crime scene to make it look like Kane had killed Daphne.”
“Prove it!” Arwan yelled.
“I have pictures. That’s why she chained me in the basement and tortured me. She wanted to know where I’d hidden the evidence. But Nina found me and let me go.” Ethan smiled at Nina, his expression almost kind.
“Just cheap words,” Arwan insisted.
Jake, who had awakened when the sprinklers let loose, now stepped forward. “She stole knock-out drugs from the department. Clive and me saw her do it. She acted real weird and said she needed them for a bear hanging around her house. I didn’t connect that to the death of Daphne, until just now.” Jake turned to Kane. “I’m sorry.”
Kane nodded, but looked too betrayed and stunned to acknowledge him.
Quinton said, “Why did you blackmail her?”
“Because I needed money to live on. I couldn’t contact Kane for it. I knew you’d be reading his mail.”
The brothers shared a surreptitious glance. Nina remembered Kane admitting to secretly helping Ethan when he could. By remaining silent on that score, Ethan was protecting Kane and rising in Nina’s esteem.
“So why did you come here? You could have blackmailed her from Africa.”
“She refused to pay. I came back to force her…and—” he paused and hung his head in shame “—to tell Kane the truth. I wanted to square things with him. And, too, I’m tired of living.”
“Then you’ve come to the right place,” Goatee said.
Ethan looked at Kane. “I just need to know that you forgive me.”
Kane nodded, his eyes glazing over.
Quinton said, “Enough.” He turned to Arwan. “You have lied to the pride and abused your rank. You have lost all privileges granted you by this pride. Your name shall never be spoken again. You will fight all challengers for alpha female. And if you survive, you will be stoned by the pride.” About fifteen young females looked wild-eyed and eager at the prospect of fighting Arwan. “You—” Quinton pointed at Ethan “—will face your brother in battle, and if you live you will be bound and stoned.”
Nina couldn’t remain silent any longer. “Please, may I speak?”
Quinton’s swollen mouth stretched with impatience. “Very well.”
“I beg you—” she swept her wet arms toward the gallery “—all of you, to have compassion for these brothers. Haven’t they suffered enough? You would have them fight and kill each other. Where is your sympathy, your sensitivity? I know there is a human side to each one of you. Seek it out. Have mercy on Kane and Ethan.”
“There is no other way for a gleaner,” a balding seniph in the gallery shouted.
“Ethan doesn’t have to die. I know of a way to save his life, and he’ll never harm this pride or anyone else again.”
“You do?” Ethan’s brows snapped together.
“My white magic has access to many dimensions. One is a place called Sehsola, where creatures like Ethan can live without harming others.”
Quinton asked, “Who are you, witch?”
Now might be a good time to tell the truth, so she said, “Nina Rainwater.”
The galleries quieted. Tension gelled in the air.
Arwan said, “I knew you were lying about who you were.”
“That makes two of us,” Nina said with a small smile.
Quinton cleared his throat, clearly looking for the best political approach he could find. “Do you share the blood of the new Guardian?”
“She’s my sister.”
“That’s why we must let her go.” Kane finally spoke, but he refused to look her way.
“She knows about us.” A woman spoke from the gallery.
“And you know my sister is the Guardian. What is keeping you from exposing her to the humans? We can keep each other’s secrets.”
“We certainly don’t want the wrath of the Guardian upon our heads,” Goatee said, the other members nodding their agreement.
Quinton mulled this over in his mind. Then he said, “We’ll put it to a vote.” He gazed at the seniphs. “All in favor of this witch’s plan, stand and be counted.”
Almost the whole body stood in unison.
“Very well, the pride has spoken.” He shook a finger at her. “But you must prove that the gleaner is gone from our world.”
“I can. My spirit guide will witness it before you.” Nina hoped that she could talk Koda into it. He tended to be shy when appearing before others.
Nina happened to catch Kane’s eyes. His expression never softened, but he mouthed the words, Thank you.
She wanted to say something back like, “It’s nothing. I’d do it again for you. A hundred times if I could hear you say you want me.”
In that instant, Kane turned away from her and faced Quinton. “I’m prepared to face my punishment.”
“What punishment?” Nina interrupted. “He’s innocent.”
“He knew his brother was here and did not attempt to destroy him, nor did he let anyone know. It’s an inexcusable offense,” Quinton said.
“He let Arwan know,” Nina said, since Kane wouldn’t speak up in his own defense. He seemed perfectly resigned to his own death, and it made Nina want to smack him hard and say, “Fight for your life, for me, for us.” What she did was stand there, heart aching, and she shoved an angry, accusatory finger at Arwan. “She’s the one who kept it from you.”
Arwan rolled her eyes.
After a one-eyed glower in Arwan’s direction, Quinton addressed the whole pride. “That is not his only offense. Kane took a human and put the pride in danger.”
Nina wished he’d stop emphasizing the term “human” as if it were the name of a ne
w strain of Ebola. Warming to her cause, she said, “These offenses might be great to you, indeed, but they are not unforgivable. Surely, caring for a brother does not warrant a death sentence.” Nina walked down the dais, meeting the face of each member. She had always been a shy, unassuming person, but now she felt a burst of boldness that surprised even her. She would speak before millions if that’s what it took to free Kane. The quieter and more aloof he grew, the more determined she was to save him.
“Don’t any of you love someone or something so much you’ll sacrifice everything you possess, including your principles, to protect it?” She paused and waited.
The silence was so dense, Nina could hear her own heartbeat racing in her chest.
After a moment of the members looking at each other as if waiting for someone to speak, one of the white-haired council members finally said, “I understand what she is saying. Kane’s loyalty to his brother is admirable. Twice he risked death to save his brother. He has proven his allegiance to us time and again. What would we do without the Van Cleave wealth? His family has always supported and protected us. And let’s not forget he’s our alpha. We should spare him.”
“Spare him, spare him.” A group of young females sitting on the right side of the room began the chant. It swept over the crowd, getting louder, feet and hands joining in.
Quinton bellowed, “Quiet!”
The chanting stopped with a few loud shouts.
“He should be spared,” Goatee said. “The pride has spoken.”
Quinton narrowed his eye at the gallery, clearly not happy with the turn of events. Then his gaze shifted to Kane. With Quinton’s battered face, it was the ugliest look Nina had ever seen. After his face contorted in vacillation, dislike, resentment, he bent and with an impatient wave of his hand caused the council to huddle together.
They argued quietly for what seemed like years, but was only a few moments. Then they separated.
Quinton addressed Kane. “Alpha, your life will be spared, as long as you have no further contact with this human. She has caused enough trouble here.”
That’s nice. Somehow she was being punished for this whole mess. She guessed humans made easy scapegoats.
“Do you accept these terms?” Quinton asked.
Kane hesitated, finally glancing at Nina. His green eyes turned to obdurate jade, his usual proud warrior demeanor washing over his expression as he raised his square jaw an inch, the lights shining off his shaved head. His hair had been strikingly beautiful, and she remembered running her hands through it as they made love, but he looked equally gorgeous and all rugged male with no hair at all.
“I do not,” Kane said. “I won’t be dictated to when it comes to seeing the human.”
Was this Kane’s way of saying he cared about her? Or was it his pride talking? He looked at her with such harsh intensity that it frightened her down to her core. It was a quelling look, a goodbye look. Now would be a really good time for Kane to show some kind of feeling for her. That she mattered to him, that the short time they had shared together had registered on his emotional meter. But he only stared straight through her like she didn’t exist. Was he still so hardened that he couldn’t admit he cared for her? She couldn’t see a hint of feeling or softness in his eyes. There were too many minds bombarding her to sense what he was feeling. Her impressions were all gnarled and cluttered. If she could just touch him, but she had a feeling he’d pull away.
“But—” she said, making a final protest.
Kane interrupted her with a low growl. “Enough, Nina. Take Ethan to safety now.”
Kane’s handsome features blurred behind her tears.
Quinton addressed Nina. “Go, take the gleaner with you and never darken our borders again. Send your—” he faltered over his next words “—spirit emissary to us when the gleaner is secure.”
Jake walked over to Nina and took off her handcuffs. “By the way,” Nina said, “Clive is tied in the tunnel somewhere.”
Jake’s expression brightened as he released her wrists. “Thank you.”
Nina rubbed her chaffed skin as Ethan strode up to her and said, “Let’s go.”
Quinton was pointing to Kane and saying, “As for you, you’ve chosen your own fate in the ring.”
“No!” Arwan shrieked, enraged with Kane. “He should die now! Stone him! You’re all yellow-bellied and weak as humans. I spit on you.” She spat at Quinton.
He bellowed to the bailiff, “Take her out, and don’t let me see her face again until the sunrise.”
She fought the bailiff. Even handcuffed as she was, the bailiff had a hard time controlling her. He drew back and bit her on the back of the neck. She went limp, and he merely slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Nina had never seen or heard of such a move, but she guessed it was some kind of love bite that calmed alpha females. It worked like a charm.
During the commotion, Ethan grabbed Nina’s hand and wouldn’t let go. “Come on.”
He hurried her through the courtroom so fast she struggled to keep up with him. “What will they do with Kane?”
“He’ll fight opponents until he can’t anymore.”
“No.” She glanced back and saw the men holding Kane release him into the ring.
“You don’t understand. In the seniph world he’s been allowed to keep his honor by fighting for his life. Do not disgrace him again.”
“We can’t just leave him here.”
“If we go back, the council will lose their patience, and you’ll lose your life. Kane will blame me for not keeping you safe. Then he’ll have to fight anyway. No, I’ve let him down too many times. We have to leave. Love him for who he is, Nina. He may look like a man, but he’s a seniph. We live by different principles. We are not afraid of the Land of the Dead.”
Nina glanced behind her and saw Kane’s bones writhing beneath his skin; then the tawny fur erupted as he shimmered into full lion form. Another opponent had entered the ring and was already in his other skin. She knew Ethan was right. They couldn’t fight the whole pride. Kane was lost to her. She had to accept it, even though she felt her heart being ripped in half. She had to lean on Ethan’s arm to walk.
Kane watched Nina until she left and he was certain Ethan and Nina would be okay. He closed his eyes for a second, burning her image into the back of his eyelids. This would be the last time he saw his brother or Nina. He would gladly give his life to assure her and Ethan’s safety. and that’s exactly what he’d done. He couldn’t risk escape, in the process putting their lives in danger. Nothing really mattered to him other than knowing they were safely away.
Watching Nina leave and knowing he’d never see her again caused numbness to spread through his whole body, all the way to his soul. He’d never felt such desolate emptiness. Was it love? He’d cared for his family and Ethan, but it wasn’t like this feeling. This felt like he was bleeding inwardly, as if he’d lost a part of himself. He still couldn’t quite believe he was capable of loving so deeply, not with the dangerous wild creature inside him. But he was feeling it, and it hurt like hell, like someone was pulling his ribs out one by one.
Kane was jarred from his ruminations by his opponent’s attack. He bit back viciously and savagely, taking out all his frustration.
Chapter 17
Two and a half hours later, Nina drove slowly down the main road of the Patomani Indian Reservation. For the tenth time, she glanced around her, half expecting to pass someone in the tribe. It was mid-afternoon, a busy time. She hoped not to encounter anyone. Her eyes were puffy from crying, her heart still ached and she wasn’t in the mood to share her experiences with anyone. What she really wanted to do was go to her quiet place.
“What’s wrong?” Ethan asked.
“Other than having a gleaner with me?” she said, trying to tease but only sounding sad. She couldn’t help it. All she could think about was Kane. That hard expression on his face the last time she’d seen him would be burned into her memory for the rest of her life
. Losing him was hard enough, but wondering if he cared about her was even worse.
“Put that way, I see what you mean.”
Ethan’s reply dragged her back from her misery. “It’s just that I didn’t get approval from the Guardian to take you to Sehsola.”
Nina sighed loudly as she pulled into a snow-covered farming road. It bordered a huge field. The snow wasn’t half as deep here in the southeastern part of Virginia as it had been in the mountains. It looked as if they’d only received three inches at best. The sun had gone behind a cloud, and the field was a gray wasteland, cold and frozen and barren.
She drove to the end of the field and parked near the woods. Ethan had driven Kane’s Jeep to the courthouse, and they had just hopped into it and taken off. His scent still lingered in it, and she gulped past the lump in her throat that just wouldn’t go away.
“If we’re doing something wrong—”
“No, my sister would have agreed once I explained everything, but I just don’t feel like dredging it all back up. I’ll tell her later, when she’s back from her honeymoon.” Every time Nina breathed, she felt the bottomless empty fissure Kane had left in her chest. It wouldn’t ever go away. “Come on, I’ll show you the prayer cave. We’ll walk from here.” Nina closed the door softly and Ethan followed her lead.
She found a path she knew by heart. She could see tracks in the snow where her people had gone in to fast and pray. It was their holy place.
She thought of something and said, “You know, I didn’t ask you, but my vow to save you can only work if you’re willing to go to our dimension. Are you?”
“This world holds nothing but painful memories for me. What is your dimension like?”
“Sehsola’s a peaceful dimension. You won’t have to kill to survive there. In fact, violence is not allowed.”
“You mean it’s like heaven.”
“That’s right. You’ll want for nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Nina, with her usual acumen, sensed what he was too reticent to ask her. “You won’t be lonely there.”
“Even with this beautiful face.” He teasingly pointed to his red eyes. He blinked and gave her a quick glimpse of the flames behind them. Blink, and they were just red and bloodshot again in his human form. Their sharpness was a tad disconcerting, though.
