Kane felt victorious. He had beaten three of Amara’s brothers in one day. Three! He grinned to himself before grimacing at the pain in his side. Sean had hit him hard, and his ribs were bruised, there would be no more fighting today, or tomorrow. Isaac had refused to fight him, saying Kane needed to rest, or it wouldn’t be a fair fight. He was probably right.
As he wandered back to the house, he thought how pleased Amara would be, until she saw his bruises, and then she would no doubt be livid. As long as she didn’t have a go at her brothers. Sometimes it felt as if she wanted to treat him with kid gloves. He could handle himself, and she needed to understand that. He was not the same lion who had come to the Prime.
“You look as if you need a shower,” Amara’s mother said, ushering him upstairs.
“I wanted to see Amara, then I will get straight into the shower,” he said, wincing at the pain in his ribs as he turned too sharply.
“She isn’t here; she went for a run. Said she needed time on her own,” she said, blocking his way.
“Is she all right? Maybe I should go after her,” he said, but the woman still blocked his path.
“She needs a bit of time to think, this whole thing was sprung on her. And even though I know how happy you make her, her life has changed; her position has changed. Once you defeat Serrif, she will be your queen, a role she never thought she would have to take on, not to mention babies.”
“Do you wish I hadn’t come here?” he asked.
“No,” she shook her head. “No, I know what happened in your pride, and a wrong like that has to be righted. That man pushes people around like he owns the whole of the Prime. I can’t wait to see him grovelling on his knees to you. But not with you looking like that. Go shower.”
He did as he was told; only when he got to the bathroom did he see exactly what she meant by looking like that. His eye was black, his cheek bruised, and he had a small split on his lower lip. He would really love to have Amara here to kiss it better.
Later. He got into the shower, feeling the warm water find all the parts of him that were battered and bruised, and let it wash away the tension in his body. Today had been a good day. He had proved to himself, and hopefully to the other people here, that he would soon be a worthy challenger for leadership of the Talamo Pride. He was both hopeful, and apprehensive that Serrif would hear about him and come and lay down a challenge. He felt he was ready, but he knew the others disagreed and would talk him out of going over to the Talamo Pride Lands to challenge his father’s murderer.
Towelling himself carefully, not wanting to aggravate his sore ribs, he went to the room he shared with Amara and dressed in casual jeans and an open neck shirt. He smiled, thinking of all the years he had been expected to wear a suit. Travelling to work, business dinners, everything in his old life was so formal, and he relished the time he had spent here, and the new family he was growing fond of.
His stomach grumbled. It must be time for dinner. Mara was a wonderful cook and her food was better than Mrs. Bowers’s, and he had always thought she was an excellent cook. Also, Amara should be back now. He wanted to hold her in his arms and kiss her, to tell her how alive she made him feel and how thankful he was for their life together.
Kane ran down the stairs, the smells coming from the kitchen making his mouth water. “Anything I can do?” he asked.
“You can set the table,” Mara said.
He poked his head round the kitchen, wondering what Amara was up to, because laying the table was usually her job. “No Amara yet?”
“No, not yet,” Mara said, casting a glance up towards the clock. “I thought she would be back by now; it’s not like her to miss dinner.”
“Maybe she has met a nice rich man who has swept her off her feet,” Sean joked, and Kane had to resist the urge to thump him again.
“Funny. I think she’s happy with her mate,” Kane said.
“Oh course she is. And I will be happy with you too, if you set the table,” Mara said, handing him the cutlery.
“Do you know where she went?” Kane asked.
“Not sure, she just said she wanted to clear her head,” Mara said.
“I saw her up over the back of The Rise, she was going pretty fast,” Albert said coming in and going to the sink to wash his hands.
“Not in here,” his mom told him, pushing him fondly. “We have bathrooms for that.”
“The Rise?” Kane asked. “I wonder why she went over there.” He remembered going over the paths with her, and how they had gone down to the edge of the Talamo Pride Lands.
“She’ll be back,” Albert said, and then looked up at his worried face. “Everything OK?”
“Yes. Just worried about Amara, that’s all. I’m not used to her going off on her own.”
“She has been stuck by your side since you came here, believe me, she just needed some space. Nothing to worry about.” But now Amara’s mom was beginning to look worried too.