And then she changed mid-air, her lioness taking over, running through the village streets. Kane stood and watched for a moment, and she realised how surreal this must seem to him. If lions ran loose around the towns and cities on the other side of the border, men with guns would be on the scene in seconds to destroy them before they killed or maimed anyone. Here it was a normal part of life.
Amara ran fast, surefooted, over her home territory. She took the path that ran up to The Rise, where her father and four brothers were working. Swift and silent, she wanted to surprise them and when she rounded the corner, to be met by five men, who all looked up in unison, and stared at her, she knew that was exactly what she had done. Sliding to a stop, she stood still, her sides heaving from running, and simply looked at the five faces she had thought she might never see again.
“Amara, is that you?” her dad said, stepping forward, his face filled with disbelief, his expression saying he thought he must be dreaming.
She shifted into her human form, and simply said, “Yes, Dad, I’m home.”
Amara had never seen her dad cry. But when he held her in his arms, her shoulder was soon soaked through with his tears of joy.
“I can’t believe it. This is real, this is for good?” he asked.
“Yes, Dad, the contract was false. You were pushed into it because someone wanted to find a mate for a lion. There’s so much more to explain, but for now, let’s go home. I have missed you and everything here in Satoma Pride Lands so much.”
He put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. “Come on, boys, I think we are going to have a celebration tonight.”
Her brothers gathered around her. “Thank goodness you’re back, Amara. Dad has been incredibly miserable since you left,” Tallis said. “Whereas we were more than happy to eat your share of dinner.”
“Not anymore, boys. Let’s all have a beer and we can listen to what Amara has to say. Then I can decide whose hide needs skinning for making me lose my beautiful daughter,” her dad said, looking ten years younger as he hugged her tightly.
“No one needs their hide skinned. I guess I had to go so I could come back,” she said philosophically.
“What, did they teach you to talk in riddles over there, Amara?” her eldest brother, Sean, asked.
“No. But I met my mate, and he is the rightful heir to the Talamo Pride Lands,” she said proudly as Kane rounded the corner and stopped, watching them with his amber eyes.
“Well. I always said you were a good catch,” her dad said, “And it looks as if I was right.”
Amara felt light and happy, as if she could float on air. For tonight she was going to forget about what was ahead and allow herself to be happy with what she had right here and right now. Because one thing she had learned was you should never take your future for granted.
23
“And he hopes to beat Serrif in a fight?” Amara’s dad asked quietly, while Kane was preparing to spar with one of her brothers.
“Yes. He will do it, Dad,” Amara answered, and he was pleased to hear her sound optimistic, that she wasn’t just saying what he needed to hear.
“Well, Tallis here is Amara’s youngest brother. Now, that doesn’t mean he is the weakest.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Tallis said sarcastically.
“I mean it. You are the quickest out of them all,” her dad said.
“That’s because he’s not matured like the rest of us,” Sean, her eldest brother, quipped, puffing out his broad chest and flexing his arms. Kane wasn’t looking forward to taking him on, but he knew he would have to, sooner or later.
“If he wants to make sure he can beat Serrif, then he needs to be able to take you all on and hold his own, if not beat you squarely. Serrif will not play soft. He’ll go for the jugular. So I suggest you all help Kane as much as possible to train for this.”
The brothers had all agreed, leaving Kane feeling grateful, and also overwhelmed.
Kane seemed to have had a whirlwind introduction into what it was like to live with a large family. Last night they had all sat around the table together, with chairs borrowed from the porch, so they could all sit together, including Frasier. They had talked, laughed, and even cried over Amara’s return. He was just grateful they had taken to him, accepting him as Amara’s mate, despite his uncle’s actions.
“Now, look for Tallis’s weakness,” her dad, Albert, said. “Everyone has one.”
Kane stretched his muscles and prepared to change into his lion. He wanted to get this right, despite the pressure he felt, because if he screwed up his shift, he would be left feeling stupid, and naked, in front of his new family, and they might not take him seriously at all.
“Take your time, son,” Albert said, winking reassuringly at him. “You’re amongst friends who want to help you.”
“Or take your head off,” Tallis said, although he smiled good-naturedly as he came over to Kane. “Ready?”
“Yes,” Kane said, trying to convey confidence when he felt anything but. These men had grown up together, fighting in their lion form, in the same way normal human boys would wrestle with each other in the playground.