“Here is your passport and visa,” Darius handed some papers to Kane. “And this, Amara, is your contract. I have marked it paid, and signed it.”
“Thank you,” Amara said, taking it from Darius and tucking it in her purse. She looked beautiful, as though the sun had come up, bringing her back to life. The collar glittered around her neck, but he thought that, sometimes, he glimpsed her lioness, lurking, ready to be freed as soon as the metal band was removed.
“Now, you know the story; it’s imperative you both stick to it for as long as possible. I need a couple days to make sure the arrangements are made if I need to run,” Darius was saying quietly as they walked towards the checkpoint.
“If you need to run?” Kane asked. He hadn’t fully thought through how this was going to reflect on Darius. “You mean if it gets out I am a shifter; they will come looking for you?”
“I have enough enemies that they won’t just come looking, they will hunt me down. And most likely shoot me as a lion and hang my hide on their wall.” Darius made light of it, but Kane wasn’t fooled.
“I’m sorry,” Kane said uneasily.
“Don’t be. Not at all. I knew this day would come; it’s what I raised you for. Remember all those mixed martial arts classes I made you go to. All those strategy meetings I made sure you sat in on, even though you were bored to death.” Darius grinned, lifting his head and taking a breath. “This is the closest I’ve ever been to the Prime since I left. I can smell it on the air.”
“Darius,” Kane said, but his uncle had turned abruptly away.
“I have to go,” Darius said, his head down, his eyes averted. “You can do this; I know you can. I might see you soon.”
And then he was alone with Amara, their luggage at their feet. “Cars don’t go across?” he asked.
“No. You would have to pay too much tax on it. The governor of the Otherworld does not like Shifters Prime to have anything shiny and new.” She looked up at him, and he wanted to bend his head and kiss her. “You are beautiful.”
“Shh. You are my boss and the owner of my contract. If they hear you say things like that, they will think we are eloping to the Prime.” She picked up her luggage, and his.
“Wait, no. I can carry them,” he said,
“You hand over the papers. Make sure you are condescending enough that they won’t ask any questions,” Amara said.
“I don’t think I have ever been condescending in my life,” he said.
“Really? You are the nephew of one of the richest men in the city, and you have never used the words, do you know who I am?” she asked, a smile glinting in her eyes.
“No, my uncle brought me up to see everyone as equals,” Kane said, feeling the sudden urge to thank his uncle for everything he had done to give him the best possible start in life. And to make sure he had a life at all. He still shuddered to think what would have happened if Serrif had caught him or his brothers.
Kane stopped and thought of the brothers he didn’t know. Where were they, what were they doing, had they had a good life? Or had Serrif already secretly found them and murdered them? There was so much he didn’t know, so much that scared him about this new life.
“Don’t stop, they are looking at you,” Amara said out of the side of her mouth. She took his hand briefly and squeezed it, giving him that same electric shock that always sparked him into life.
“Let’s do this,” he said and strode forward, conjuring up the image of Mr. Belvedour, one of his uncle’s adversaries, who came from one of the oldest families in the city. The amount of times he had spoken to Darius as though he was something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of his shoe because he classed him as new money. That was who he had to be now.
“Papers, sir,” the border guard asked.
“Here,” Kane said, taking them from his pocket and handing them over to the guard.
As the guard leafed through them, looking at the picture and then at Kane, studying his face intently, Kane looked at the gates that lay ahead of them. They were big wooden gates, ornate, but he guessed they were reinforced, built to keep shifters on the other side, in Shifters Prime.
“And why are you travelling across the border?” the guard asked.
“Business.” Short one-word answers didn’t get you in trouble. At least that was what he hoped.
“What kind of business?”
“None of yours,” Kane answered.
“It is when you are travelling with a contract,” The guard looked at Amara, with dislike.
Kane thought his uncle had said this was an easy border to cross. He hoped Darius had it right, because any moment now he expected to be taken to an interrogation room.