The Bond (6 page)

“You’re shrewd. I like that.” She
peered down and rolled her eyes at the smile curving his lips upward.

“It’s necessary. Like you said
earlier we need to bring them into modern times.”

As she pulled onto her father’s
property, her heart began to beat double time. Parking in front of the house,
she felt her fingers shake as she unbuckled her seat belt.

“Let’s go now before I lose what
little bit of nerve I’ve gathered.”
 
She
wasn’t a coward by nature, but she was a daddy’s girl. With her mother gone,
her father had been everything to her growing up. To this day he was her hero.
Bringing this to his door, seeing the momentary disappointment in his eyes
would cut her to the quick. The five-minute walk up to the door felt more like
an hour. She rapped on the wooden barrier. Seconds later it swung inward, and
she was lifted off the ground, engulfed in her father’s exuberant hug. For a
moment she allowed herself to enjoy the safety he offered as she hugged him
back.

“Sanura, don’t ever do that to me
again. Don’t you know I’m an old man?”
 
He held her out, examining her with his eyes.

“Dad, you are spry and crafty. I’m
sorry I couldn’t share this with you. There were extenuating circumstances.”

“What do you mean?” He set her on
the ground, brow furrowed. His body tensed, his lip curled upward, and a growl
rumbled in his chest.

“You dare bring him here! After
what he did!” If looks could kill, Rafael would be on the floor.

“Daddy, it’s not what you think!”
She held her hands up, palms outward.

“You were always blinded by your
school girl crush! I saw what he did to the human woman, ripped her pelvis wide
open. She’ll never be able to have children!”

“It wasn’t his fault.”
 
She grabbed his arm. “Please, Daddy, we have
proof about that incident and so much more. Logan isn’t what he seems to be.”

“Now you want to drag him into
this!” He shook his head

“Please! I have proof!” She
gestured toward Rafael, opening and closing her hand, and he placed the burned
CD in a slip cover in her palm. Waving it in front of her father she willed him
to cast aside his prejudgments. “Just listen to it. That’s all I ask.”

Rafael stood a few steps behind
her, head bowed in a submissive pose.

“Fine, but daughter, I warn you. It’d
better be worth my time. I love you, but I can’t turn a blind eye to such a
blatant act of defiance against our laws.”

“Trust me, it is not I who has
broken the laws.” The bitter taste of anger coated her tongue.

“Come in before we are seen.” He
stepped back inside and allowed them to enter. She walked down the hall and
into his office, fired up the desktop, and slipped in the CD. The tension in
the room was thick. Her father’s power prickled along her skin.

“Here Dad, its ready.” She placed
her body between the two men to become act a live buffer. Grunting her father
sank into his leather chair and pressed play. The words that rolled off Logan’s
tongue sounded worse the second time around.

“How can this be? After all I
provided for this boy! I’ll rip his throat out myself.” His voice distorted as
his body began to prepare for the change.

“Dad! No! He should be shamed in
front of everyone.
 
If you kill him now
it won’t be nearly what he deserves.”

Her father paused. “You’re right,
daughter. We must set things right with both men.”
 
He peered at Rafael. “Tell me what the two of
you have planned.”

****

Revenge.
Finally
his hour of redemption was at hand. Everyone was gathered in the religious hall
he remained outside of, strategically placed on a building roof top that gave
him the perfect view of the ceremony space. His scope remained trained on
Logan’s every step. The shot through the open window was clear.
If only the thing housed bullets instead of
tranquilizer darts.
Chief Aren insisted one shot to the head would be too
good for him. He wasn’t so sure.
 
Words
circled in a loop in his head.

Dressed in a three piece grey-suit
Logan strutted up to the altar where the Shaman, and he used the word term
loosely knowing he’d been bought, stood. Chief Aren walked inside through the
opposite entrance with Sanura beside him, her arm tucked neatly into his.
 

The lust in Logan’s eyes sickened
him. Rafael’s finger twitched, itching to pull the trigger. Logan’s smirk faded
when Sanura and her father arrived beside him.

“My people, today was meant to be
a celebration, but now it serves as a trial.” Aren’s voice carried, and
whispers spread through the room. “Hear the damning proof.” He raised his hands
and his second in command hit the remote. The recording of Logan’s phone
conversation began to play through the speakers on the wall.
 

Logan’s eyes darted back and
forth. “You don’t believe this is real, do you? It’s obviously a set-up! He
knows his time as Chief is coming to an end, and he’s not ready to let go.” He
waved toward Aren.

“How dare you accuse my father of
treachery when it’s you who stabbed the man who groomed you to be his successor
in the back! You sicken me! How many others have you killed to get your way?”

“Shut up, whore! I smell his
stench all over what was meant to be mine! You’d say anything to save his
hide.”

A ferocious growl rent the air,
and she swiped at him, leaving a claw mark across his face.
 
Logan froze, his eyes bleeding into the
yellow green of the puma, and he bounded. Rafael fired a shot but missed. He
rolled on the ground with Sanura in their puma forms. Rafael squinted, trying
to get a decent shot.
If I miss and
incapacitate her, he’ll rip her throat out.
Blood spattered onto the floor,
whose he couldn’t say. The crowd fell back in a rush to escape the battling
beasts.

A giant mass of wiggling golden
fur rolled across the floor. Powerful jaws took chunks out of each other’s
flank. A yelp sounded through the room. Someone was hurt. The larger animal
balanced on three legs.
That’s my girl.
She bared her teeth, her gaze locked on his throat.
Thwack.

This time his aim was true, and
the dart embedded itself in Logan’s side. If he let her kill him, she’d never
forgive herself. But when the animal was upon you and your emotions were
strong, human reasons fell to the wayside. He tossed his weapon aside, shifted
and bounded for the stairs. His mate needed him.

When he reached her side, she was
like a frozen statue, still and unresponsive.
 
He mewled a greeting and padded closer. Her greenish yellow jewels were
glazed over, and she stared unseeing off into the distance. Alarm filled him
like quicksand, and he dove into their mental link. The mental area she existed
in was a barren wasteland. The cracked, dry floor reminded him of the savannas
they were originally from.

“Sanura!” He swept the area with
his stare and found nothing, so he walked on.
Where could she be hiding?
The sun beat down on him, sweat beaded
on his brow and his upper lip. Twisted trees rose up from the land, warped and
dry like the lands they existed in. In the far distance he spotted one giant
tree. Squinting, he made out her shape. She sat on the ground with her arms
around her knees. Her loneliness broke his heart. Shifting to his Puma, he
loped across the desert and came to a halt in front of her. He nudged her arms
until she glanced up. He connected to her mind as he sat there in front of her in
his puma form, though in his mind’s eye he saw her in her human form and she
would see him likewise.

Rafael?

He nodded.

What are you doing here?

I will always follow you, querida. Why did you hide inside yourself?

I almost killed Logan, would’ve if you hadn’t knocked him out with your
dart. I lost control of my animal … that’s never happened before.

You’ve been holding potent emotions inside you for a long time when it
comes to Logan. I don’t think anyone could blame you.

It’s not who I am!

I never said it was. No one is perfect.

How can I lead anyone when I’m a loss cannon myself?

You’re not. We’ve all come out on the wrong side of the battle with our
beast. That you haven’t until today is extraordinary.

Don’t blow smoke up my ass, Rafael!

I’m telling you the truth. In this matter I am older and have more
experience. You’d see if I lied.

Gentle tendrils of awareness tickled his brain. Her sour disposition
shifted to something lighter.

Now, are you ready to come
home with me, where you belong?

“Yes.” She nodded her head, yielding a tiny smile.

They retreated from her mind, returning back in human form to the
chaos that awaited them. Her father stood guard in front of them. The giant
puma was still as regal as he had been when he was young.

“Rafael?” The wounded whisper tore at his heart.

“I’m here.” He brushed her face with the back of his knuckles.

“What do we do now?”

Her father shifted, rose and held his hands up, gaining silence.

“Now we try him. Here and now you will decide his fate! Knowing what
he planned for us, I won’t suffer his face in this village even one more day.”

“Kill him! Remove his animal spirit! Banish him!” The cries blended
together as the crowd surged forward. Anger permeated the air.
 
He peered over at the man who lay in a heap,
wondering if they’d revert to animal instincts and attack, ripping him to
shreds.
Can’t say I’d shed a tear.

Chief Aren inclined his head, raising his arms again and gaining
silence.

“We will take away what he desired most, power. Stripped of his
animal and banished, he will be left for the human world.”

Rafael hissed. It was rare that such a harsh punishment would be
delivered. To lose an animal was a fate worse than death. You spent the rest of
your life feeling lousy, imbalanced, searching for something you would never be
able to regain.

The ancient dialect of his people filled the room. The air grew
heavy. Power pressed against his chest, making it harder to breathe. A
brilliant golden light formed over Logan’s body. Aren closed his fist and
jerked it back. A puma shape clawed its way out of Logan’s chest. His body
jerked, and a ghostly cry echoed in the room. The shape flew into Aren, and the
climate in the room began to come down.

“It’s done.” Aren turned to his right hand man, Bryan. “Take him out
of the state and make sure he understands if he returns he’ll be killed on
sight.” The pain visible in Aren’s eyes as he turned away spoke of his
devastation.

“Today we also welcome back a member wronged. Rafael, come over
here, son.”

He removed his arm from Sanura’s waist and walked over to Aren.

“I owe this man an apology. I should have looked closer into the
incident, but I too am subject to failings like pride and misplaced trust. I
hope you will welcome back our brother with open arms because he is Sanura’s
chosen mate.”

Silence fell. A lone clap sounded, joined by others until a
thunderous round of applause filled the room. His heart lightened.
Acceptance.
It was more than he ever
hoped for. Sanura moved up to wrap her arms around him. With his mate by his
side and the Pride behind him, the end to his torturous exile arrived.

Chapter Six

Two Months Later

The loose ends had been taken care of. Her father had passed the
mantel of Chief-to-be to Rafael who’d spent every day getting to know the
people of the tribe once more. The Elders had been resistant, but it was clear
everyone was ready for a change. Her thoughts turned to her husband, the
epitome of a cat he was soft spoken until he had something to say. His laid
back attitude won people over, but she knew he could spring into action in a
millisecond.

Today they would make things official, remarrying in front of the
tribe in a ceremony that was a blend of Pride tradition and human. She’d been
pleased with their match, but the little girl inside her did want an
opportunity to wear the sleek white dress, and a day dedicated to her and the
love she shared with Rafael. Butterflies danced in her belly as she studied her
reflection in the mirror.

The mermaid dress molded to her form on top and belled out,
accentuating her curves. The champagne color seemed more fitting than stark
white and made her cocoa skin glow. She’d chosen to wear her hair loose and
curly, the way her man liked it.

“You look gorgeous.” She smiled at her Aunt Charmaine in the mirror.
Her mother’s sister was the guiding feminine force in her life.

“Thank you.”

“That man of yours isn’t going to know what hit him, which is saying
a lot. The eye sex the two of you constantly engage in makes me forget my age.”
She fanned her face.