“Rise, faithful Askari, and state your name and rank to me,” he told them both, correctly guessing who they were when they looked up with glowing green rings around the irises of their eyes.
“My Liege,” the older man said. “I am Sergeant Sheridan, trainer to your faithful askari,” Sheridan said. “My companion is Askari Kota Takemoto.”
Pasha Raab stared at the men. Their scents gave off nothing but honesty and loyalty to him and he relaxed but remained cautious.
“Good to meet you, Askari.” He clapped his hand on Sheridan’s shoulder. “I’ve met you before, have I not?”
Sheridan nodded. “Yes, Your Majesty, when you visited the training camp in Little Rock before Base Camp was built.”
“Yes, that was many years ago. You’ve no idea how glad I am to see you.” He dropped his hand and glanced at Takemoto. “And you, Askari. Your name is familiar but I don’t think we’ve met.”
Takemoto bowed deeply. “No, Sire, we have not but my father and grandfather were askari before me. You may have met one or both of them.”
Pasha Raab grinned as his memory of Takemoto’s father and grandfather came rushing back. “Ah, of course. Your father served me well. How is Ichiro?”
Takemoto’s eyes widened as if he was surprised. “He’s passed on, my king, but my grandfather lives still. He retired many years ago to the mountains of Japan where he was raised.”
“I’m sorry to hear of your father’s passing. He was a great man.”
Takemoto blinked at him with bright eyes as he bowed his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“So, tell me why you are here, hiding in the trees as the rest of my askari have gone with Fain and his prisoners.”
“Yes, Sire…” The man hesitated. “But I fear it may be a long story and we should hurry to try to save Satriale, Cortez, and the other prisoner he has with him.”
He felt sadness go through him. “The other prisoner is Paget Jureaux, Damiano Satriale’s mate. He is my first subaltern and he has been keeping me alive all these years by providing food and other things I’ve needed while waiting for the time when I can retake my throne. Unfortunately, I’m afraid we have nothing but time. There’s not a hell of a lot we can do about my primero and the others my cousin has taken away. I had been hopeful I could raise an army of askari who were still loyal to me to restore my kingdom but it seems my paladin and my askari are loyal only to Fain. The three of us against an army are not the kind of odds I’m used to.”
Sheridan smiled at him. “There are more, Your Majesty. We have another fifty in the trees behind us and once your other askari and your paladin know you’re alive, they will rise up and defeat Fain and Miruna Grey.”
“It is true,” Takemoto said, speaking up. “Your askari were devastated when we learned that your life was forfeited when Dariush came to usurp your throne. We have always wondered whether Christos Fain somehow orchestrated the coup which took you from your throne and now we suspect that it was so.”
Pasha Raab felt tears in the back of his eyes as Takemoto’s words sank in. Will my men stand by me? Will they trust that I am their king or will they think I am an imposter? Is there a chance that I can be returned to my throne? “You say there are fifty askari with you? Will they be loyal to me?”
“Fifty who are not yet askari but whom I would trust with my life, Great King,” Sheridan replied. “They are promising recruits that I was prepared to send to Base Camp for their examinations and physical tests of skill to become askari. I have taught them the history of our kingdom and of the tragedy which was the loss of your throne. Yes, Sire. They are ready and will lay down their lives for their one true king.”
He smiled at the two askari. “Fine. Fine.” He clapped Sheridan on the shoulder again. “Now, that evens the odds, doesn’t it? What do you say you tell me why you’ve brought an army with you while we round up my future soldiers?”
Sergeant Sheridan and Askari Takemoto bowed deeply before righting themselves and offering smiles of agreement.
“We are honored to serve you, Pasha Raab and your wish is our command,” the sergeant said.
Things are definitely looking up.
Chapter Twenty
P aget’s head rested on Damiano’s chest as they rode in the cart toward what he expected was the king’s spectacular arena he’d heard about but had never seen. When they’d thrown Paget into the cart along with him and Chino, Damiano had lifted his arms and put them over Paget’s head, pulling his body back against his chest so that he could soak in his warmth. He’d been draped with a thin blanket that kept the silver chains Damiano wore away from Paget’s tender bare skin… skin he wanted so badly to stroke and kiss again… skin that was burned and bloodied by his own silver chains. It didn’t look like either one of them was going to get the chance to kiss each other and touch outside this cart. They would be thrown in the pit in a weakened state, made to suffer more than they already were.
The paladin he’d once commanded, who’d once saluted him with respect by virtue of his position as primero, now walked beside the cart and sneered at him through the bars as they trundled slowly toward the arena. He wondered what Fain must have told his men for them to feel the way they felt about him. No way would Fain want it made public that Damiano had royal blood. That might threaten his claim to the throne in the minds of some. Perhaps they were sneering at him for a whole different reason. He’d mated with a servant which was against the law and considered treason. Maybe that’s what Fain had told them. It didn’t really matter.
Their situation couldn’t have been more dire. Chino was here with them in the cage and that meant no one was going to be coming to help them out of this mess. He was going to die in the pit along with his beautiful, innocent little Paget who’d never done anything but faithfully serve his monarch. No one was going to save them. They were all going to meet their end. No wonder Theo hadn’t allowed Damiano to see the future. He knew what their end would be and he wanted to spare him from it.
They made their way slowly to the arena through the most gorgeous forest Damiano had ever seen. As the trail they were traveling began to slope downhill, the trees got larger and thicker on both sides of the road. The road narrowed until the paladin walking with them were forced to drop back and follow behind. He wondered if Fain and Miruna were already at the arena waiting for their entertainment to arrive. They’d taken off in an opulent carriage several minutes before the prison cart had begun to roll away from the palace. He imagined how Fain must be feeling at the moment. No doubt victorious. He’d identified a traitor and was now about to enjoy seeing him die in the arena. He must be thrilled.
Damiano had already decided how he was going to play this. They were outnumbered and outgunned. Had he not been silvered, he might have been able to fight back once the chains were removed but as weak and injured as he was, there would be no escape from what was ahead. He knew it and his best friend knew it. Damiano and Chino had discussed how he wanted this to end while Paget was unconscious. His best friend had let the tears fall as he’d reluctantly agreed with it. They were not going to give them the show they wanted. Chino had tearfully given in to Damiano’s plea and then clasped his hand and cried. His dear friend had the softest heart and it pained Damiano more than he could say to see him resigned to what he’d promised to do. As for Paget, Damiano could only pray he’d be thrown into the pit with them so that Chino could do what he had to do to his precious little mate. At least they would be together as they took their last breaths.
The arena was even more spectacular than Damiano could have imagined it would be. He knew it had been built in Pasha Raab’s grandfather’s time and it showed the old-world construction of solid granite cut into rough blocks and stacked one on top of the other to create a large stadium-like arena deep in the forest. The stones were large and would have been carried into the forest when it was built. Nothing like the dense stone was available in the vicinity in the large quantity that it took to build such an o
pulent arena. Carved and polished marble pillars held up the red tile roof over the viewing stands where the king and his entourage would be seated on red velvet cushions to watch their match. The king’s banners in bright purple and red hearkened back to days of old.
It was a fine stadium where Damiano would have been proud to fight if Pasha Raab had asked him to. Even now, his heart would have raced with excitement at being allowed to let his tiger free in such an opulent space, had it not been for his sweet mate, still unconscious against him. It was every soldier’s duty to die fighting but it should not have been Paget’s fate. Paget should have lived a long life and Damiano cursed the day he’d come to live at the palace. If he hadn’t been called there by Fain, he never would have changed Paget’s life. As his mate began to stir in his arms, he whimpered. The sound nearly broke Damiano’s heart.
Paget’s eyes fluttered open and they were filled with pain… the physical pain of the silver they’d restrained him with but also the emotional pain which was so evident in the bright green pools. It devastated Damiano to see him like that. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was kiss the beautiful plump lips he loved so much. With more effort than it should have taken, he lifted both hands and brought them to Paget’s cheeks. He settled them gently on both sides, making sure the wrist shackles didn’t touch the sensitive skin of his mate’s face as he leaned his forehead against Paget’s.
“I love you,” he breathed. “I love you, Paget. Even if you weren’t my mate, I would love you. They can’t take that away from us, my sweet, sweet love.” He leaned forward and kissed him softly, lingering over his lips. It took every bit of strength he had left to pull back and separate their lips. He looked deeply into Paget’s beautiful green eyes. “They can take our lives but know this, I will always love you, Paget.” He heard his mate’s sob as his eyes filled with tears. When they spilled over, they ran down his sweet face, wetting Damiano’s hands which still cupped Paget’s cheeks gently. He gently brushed his thumbs over Paget’s cheekbones to wipe them away.
“I love you, Damiano. I think I loved you the moment I first saw you. I’m so sorry I treated you the way I did… I-I…”
Damiano leaned in and covered Paget’s soft lips with a kiss. Paget’s kiss was sweet… God, it was so sweet...
Damiano’s mouth moved slowly over Paget’s lips, tasting them along with the salt of his tears which slid between them. There was nothing sexual in the kiss. He wanted his love to know how he felt about him as he took his final breath. And, selfishly, he wanted to die with the taste of Paget on his lips. They kissed for long moments, just softly tasting each other’s lips and didn’t pull apart until Chino gently cleared his throat.
“I’m sorry, Dami. Fain’s headed this way.”
Damiano heard the crunching of gravel under boots and he reluctantly dropped his hands, letting Paget’s face and lips go. He pulled back only a little, not breaking eye contact with his mate until Fain’s snarl of distaste sounded beside their prison-on-wheels.
“Well, how cozy,” he quipped, snidely.
Damiano turned to look at him, putting on his best scathing glance. Christos Fain stared back at him through the bars of the cage looking smug and self-satisfied. If Damiano had the strength, he would have shifted his hand to claw and reached through the bars to wipe the sneer off the bastard’s face. As it was, he had no idea how he was going to shift in the arena. He was already so weak. They’d left the chains on much too long but maybe that was the point of all this. He was Paladin Primero and they wanted a show. Maybe the main event wouldn’t be watching Chino flay him alive as a tiger. Maybe they wanted to see his human skin removed piece by piece. This sick fuck could want anything. Whatever it was, Damiano had other plans and he had his best friend’s vow to accommodate his final wishes.
“Fuck you, Fain,” he spit. “If you weren’t a coward, you would have left the silver off of me and met me in the pit yourself, but that kind of bravery is way too much to expect from a low life. Way to show your paladin how a real ruler behaves.” The paladin around the cart shuffled their feet and when Damiano glanced over there were several who looked at their feet, refusing to look him straight in the eye. In a fair fight, most of these men would have been proud to stand against him, but watching him die in the pit weakened as he was by the silver he’d worn all day, made them uncomfortable. They don’t want this any more than I do.
“I can’t wait to see you and your little bitch suffer!” Fain shouted and spun on his heel without another word, stomping away, swearing at Stevens and the other paladin with them to get them to the pit. “Take them to the pit!”
Stevens walked over to the cart and stood outside the bars glancing in. He looked miserable. He knew what was coming and he also knew that there was nothing he could do about it. Damiano saw it all in the paladin’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Satriale. I’m so damned sorry. I’ve got a son. My mate died and without me… and if I helped you… King Fain would kill my boy. I-I’m…”
Damiano watched his second in command as he warred with himself, scenting the regret that filled the air between them. He knew that Stevens couldn’t help what was about to happen and that he’d never wanted it to. He’d seen it in the holding cell by the stables.
“Stevens, don’t worry. My destiny is my destiny, as is yours. Neither of us can change fate and the last thing I would ever do is to put your son in danger. I had hoped to have an heir of my own one day, but if I am to die in the pit, then I will. My only regret is that my mate and my brother will die with me. If you want to help me, pray for our swift deaths, my friend.” He put his hand through the bars, hissing as the metal shackles cut into them.
As Stevens clasped his hand, the paladin stared deeply into his eyes. “I regret not being able to serve with you, Damiano Satriale. It would have been an honor, Primero.”
He let go and saluted Damiano before looking side to side and frowning. “I’m supposed to leave the chains on you so you can’t shift until the match but I’m going to take them off,” he whispered. “Maybe you can shift and escape.” He glanced at Paget and Chino who listened closely. “All of you.”
“I can’t shift, Stevens. The chains have been on for almost six hours,” Damiano said. “Take Paget’s off. He can still shift. The silver is burning him but he hasn’t been chained but a few hours.”
“No, Damiano,” Paget said, sitting bolt upright as his chains rattled. He hissed involuntarily and glared at Damiano. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Neither am I, brother,” Chino said.
Damiano looked over and frowned at his best friend and Chino just shrugged.
“That’s not how I roll, buddy. You should know that by now.”
“Don’t be an asshole, Chino. Let Stevens remove the chains and take my mate to safety. Fain will kill me regardless.” When asked that way, Damiano knew Chino would have no other choice. He would do this last favor for Damiano to protect his mate.
As a look of resignation passed over Chino’s features, despair came with it. He nodded imperceptibly and relief washed over Damiano. He was still staring at Chino when Paget grabbed his chin and turned his face to look at him.
“Are you not listening to me, Damiano? I am not going anywhere. If I die here with you, so be it. I’m not leaving you. Asshole!”
Damiano felt his lips twitch. He really needed to smile and he wanted to both kiss and spank Paget at the same time. He finally nodded in resignation, reaching out and smoothing a hand over Paget’s cheek as he gazed deeply into his eyes.
“Okay, you stubborn little kitten. I didn’t want this for you, baby. I never wanted this for you.”
Paget’s gaze softened. “I know, Damiano, and I love you for it, but we three have to stick together and not lose hope.” He glanced over at Chino who was nodding.
Chino leaned toward them. “We can’t give up hope just yet. You know we can’t.”
Damiano understood him better than he probably realized. He didn’t want to say so
mething about Pasha Raab in front of Stevens but he knew Chino had also been hoping that Pasha Raab could do something about their predicament. If he was out there, Damiano honestly believed the true king would somehow try to rescue them.
“Well, I’m so sorry, then,” Stevens said, breaking into their unspoken conversation. “I have to take you down into the pit. Fain is waiting for his show.”
Damiano turned to look at his second in command and smiled. “It’s okay, Stevens, really. It’s time.” He turned and reached for Paget’s hand and was surprised by the smile in his radiant features.
“Let’s go, my love.” Paget slipped his hand into Damiano’s and they followed Chino out of the cart together.
Chapter Twenty-One
K ing Fain’s paladin formed a human-shifter shield between the men standing naked in the center of the arena’s pit and Fain. On the off chance that Damiano or Chino could jump the twenty-foot wall to the viewing stands, the king’s paladin stood by, ready to end their lives before they ever reached his box. Behind the paladin, about a hundred onlookers who’d trekked from the palace sat in the stands. Damiano was still weak from the silver chains he’d been forced to wear but he knew that some of the weakness would disappear with his shift to cat… provided he could make the metamorphosis to cat.
His heart had nearly burst as Stevens and two other paladin were ordered to hold Paget back while pushing him and Chino into the pit, keeping him out. His plans were foiled even further when his beautiful mate was marched up to the stands, still in silver restraints and forcibly pushed into a seat beside King Fain and Miruna. Captain Bennett stood behind him with a gun to his back. Paget was going to be forced to watch Chino kill him and that wasn’t what he and his best friend had planned as they were alone in the cart while Paget was still unconscious. Damiano had planned to expose his throat so that Chino could rip it out right before doing the same to Paget so he wouldn’t have to watch his young mate die. Now, those plans had flown out the window. Paget would have to watch him die and then probably watch Chino be put to death as well. He cursed his life, unable to think for more than a few seconds how that would affect Paget as he was forced to watch him take his last breath.
The Tiger King (Paladin Shifters Book 1) Page 21
