“He was going to win. And he’s not ready for that,” Frasier was saying. So that was whom she was pissed with. Maybe he should keep his eyes shut for just a moment longer, let her give the big bear a good tongue-lashing.
But instead, Frasier’s voice dropped. “Look, I’m trying to keep him alive. If I let him win, he’ll think he’s ready, and he’s not. Serrif is not going to pussy-foot around, he will kill Kane if he gets the chance. If what Darius says is true, we already know he’s a killer.”
“What do you mean, if what Darius says is true?” she hissed at Frasier. “I thought you were on his payroll.”
“I am,” Frasier said. “But I get paid by a lot of people, and believe me, what comes out of their mouth is not always the truth. It might be what they want people to believe is the truth, but … well. You are a big girl; you know what I mean.”
“All I know is that Kane needs to believe in someone. And that someone has always been Darius.” She was silent, and Kane knew he should open his eyes, but he didn’t; he wanted to give himself a minute to mull over what had been said. And then Amara asked the question that he would have asked, the question that needed an answer.
“Frasier, do you believe that Serrif killed Kane’s father? Because I don’t want my mate getting into something, fighting with Serrif, if it’s not true.” Her voice was direct when she asked, “Is Darius lying to Kane?”
“No. At least not about Serrif killing Remus. Now, I will swear I never said this if anyone asks, but I know Serrif killed Remus. But where Darius was that night, I don’t know.”
“Was he with Kane’s mother?” Amara asked.
“Who knows, and maybe it doesn’t matter. Or maybe it is a thing Kane needs to ask his mom or Darius. But the answer won’t change what Serrif did.”
“Thank you,” Amara said. “You should eat. I’ll get Kane some water and try to get him to wake up. If he’s concussed, you know I’m going to be hanging your bear hide on my wall.”
“He’ll be fine.” Frasier moved away, his voice fainter when he said, “He’s lucky to have you. You will make a fine queen, or whatever it is you will be when he beats Serrif.”
“You think he can beat him?” Amara asked. “Because part of me wants to kidnap him and take him far away from all this.”
“Now, where would be the fun in that?” Frasier asked.
“Bears!” Amara sighed and then said, “Oh, I think he’s waking up.”
Kane stretched his legs and pretended like he was waking up, hoping it didn’t look as fake as it felt, but if it did, Amara showed no sign. She simply leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead.
“Welcome back.”
“Are you an angel?” Kane asked.
Across by the fire, Frasier sprayed his dinner out of his mouth, while Amara laughed and helped him up.
“Oh, yeah, he is concussed,” Frasier said.
“I’ll get you next time,” Kane said, sitting up and feeling his head spin.
“In your dreams,” Frasier said.
“OK, now I know you’re all right, Kane. That means you get to keep your bear hide for another day,” Amara said to Frasier. “Come on, Kane, you need to eat. Then I thought we could go for a walk.”
“I think I like the sound of that,” Kane said, sitting up and then moving towards the fire. In his head, his lion sat with his pride dented at being knocked out by a bear. But the thought of walking with their mate in the moonlight soon made him forget, but not forgive. He would get that bear. He would keep training until one day no one would beat his lion.
20
“You know, we hardly know anything about each other,” Kane said. They were seated on a log in a clearing. Above their heads were millions of stars, making her feel small, but with Kane’s arms around her, she didn’t feel insignificant.
“Do you find it weird, knowing I am your mate?” she asked. “In Shifters Prime, we are pretty much used to finding our mate and settling down and then getting to know each other. Which is the fun part.”
His arms tightened around hers. “For me, it’s strange. I grew up expecting to meet a girl, take her out to dinner, maybe a movie. Meet her parents, and then get married in a year or two, unless they were keen to get their hands on my bank balance, then I guess things would go quicker.”
“Yeah, I totally missed out there. I should have got you to show me the delights of your world before I dragged you over here to be a penniless lion.”
“When I beat Serrif, I’ll have my father’s assets back, right?” Kane asked, his hand going to stroke her neck and send thrills down her spine. She shivered and nestled close to him, feeling the warmth of his body and the beat of his heart.
“Yes, as long as you win by the Pride Rules. And as long as he still has assets. I’m not sure what kind of man he is,” Amara said.