Page 101 of Spirit Rites
A slow smile starts to form on his lips, and relief fills me. “I’ll make it happen, Angel.”
And I know he will. I pull on his hand, and he slowly rises out of his chair and leans towards me. I continue to pull on him until he’s close, really close. I reach up and run a hand down his strong jaw. I stare into those gorgeous eyes and think of all the things I want to tell him how much he means to me. I settle on four simple words that reflect all that’s in my heart. “I love you, Kaldar.”
“I love you, Angel. Now and forever.”
Then he kisses me, and I forget about every bad thing that’s happened. There’s only room in my heart for the good. And there’s so much good to be had. I have a home with Kaldar, andwe have a kingdom to run. Together. We have friends that love us and the support of lots of really good people. We’re going to make it. I thought the Spirit Rites were going to be the death of me, but turns out, they were only the beginning of this crazy, beautiful, messy new life.
After
I can’t help my smile when Rysden’s castle comes into view, especially when Farrah throws open the door and comes running out. I’m off my horse in an instant. We hug each other tightly, squealing. “It’s been so long!” Farrah says.
“I know!” It really hasn’t, but it feels that way. The last few weeks have been long and intense and needed, but I’m glad to have all that behind us now. Things are good in the Jaguar Kingdom, as they should be. Kaldar and I have spent hours working with the Council to restore the kingdom to where it needs to be. The traitors have been dealt with, and there are no more threats. Well, except for the guivres, that is. They continue to be a growing threat. That’s one of the reasons we’re here. Besides getting a few days away in Rysden’s house in the middle of nowhere—and I’m super excited for that—we’re here to talk to Rysden about the growing threat. It’s getting out of control, and we need to find a solution. Kaldar thinks we’re going to have to go to the Dragon Kingdom and ask King Rauk for his help. The dragons are the only ones that can battle against them in the sky. He’s kind of dreading it, but I keep telling him to talk to Rysden first.
“You two saw each other just a few weeks ago, you know,” a familiar voice I’ve missed says.
I grin. “Harper!” I’m already moving towards her. I hug her, even though her arms are stiff at her side. It doesn’t bother me; it never has. “I missed you.”
“Again, it’s only been a few weeks.”
I beam at her. “I know.”
“Come in out of the cold,” Farrah says, rubbing her arms. “Rysden should be here soon.”
We head inside, and I find my way to the fire. I love the Jaguar Kingdom, but I do miss the fireplaces here. I let the heat from the fire warm me, and it feels good. A hand at my waist makes me smile. Kaldar slips behind me and slides his hand over my stomach. I let myself lean against him, relishing this moment. This is the beginning of our four days away, and I could not be more excited.
“I know you’re getting warm, but did you want to see the wolf pups before it gets too dark?” Farrah asks.
“Yes!” I pull away from Kaldar instantly.
“Second place to the wolf pups,” Kaldar mutters, but I hear the affection in his voice.
I reach over and grab his hand. “Oh come on; you’re just as excited to see them as I am.” He smiles at me and doesn’t argue. Veyra’s cubs are due any day now, and I cannot wait to see them. Because of that, we left Jespar and Veyra behind. Neither of them is too pleased, but it’s for the best. Kaldar gave strict orders for Jespar to let him know if they come before we get back. I’ve been trying not to bother Veyra and only ask about once a day how she’s feeling.
We follow Farrah outside and to the barn. She leads us to a back stall and opens the door. I cover my mouth with my hands, so I don’t squeal or something. Farrah sees me and grins. “Right? Aren’t they just the most adorable thing you’ve ever seen?”
I watch the five little pups wrestle with each other and roll around in the hay. Kaldar wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me into his side. He kisses my temple and doesn’t even ask me about the tears. He knows by now they’re just a part of who I am. Farrah picks up one and brings him over to us. “This is Rascal; he’s a pill. But he’s so cute.” I reach out and pet the littleguy, and she lets him go with a laugh when he starts wiggling to get down.
"I figured I’d find you in here,” a new voice suddenly says, and Farrah whirls around with a huge smile on her face. She hugs Rysden, and I turn away while they kiss and speak to one another quietly.
“Let’s head inside. You guys are probably starving,” Farrah says with her hand inside Rysden’s larger one.
When we head back to the house, it’s dark out now. I shiver, and Kaldar pulls me close. Once we’re inside, I head right over to the fire again and warm up before finding my way into the kitchen. “Hey, Hector.” I find him where he always is—behind the stove. “Mmm. It smells so good. What can I do?”
He nods at the tray of bread and butter, and I grin and carry it out to the table. It’s like no time has passed at all; I love that about Hector. Kaldar’s talking to Rysden, but as soon as I enter the room with the tray, he takes it from me and sets it on the table. Just a few minutes later, we’re all gathered around the table. Rysden and Farrah sit on one side with Harper and Jamik, Rysden’s brother. Lox and Hector sit on the same side as Kaldar and me. Once everybody has a bowl full of meat stew, I take a bite and groan. “Hector I’ve missed your cooking.”
Kaldar drops a hand to my thigh and squeezes gently. When I look up at him, he’s smiling down at me. We keep up a lively conversation during dinner. Farrah asks so many questions about how things are going in the Jaguar Kingdom. We keep it pretty positive until Rysden asks about the guivre attacks. I feel the mood change, and I hate that. But I also know that’s one of the reasons we’re here. “They’re getting more and more frequent,” Kaldar starts. “We’ve been able to fight them off, but there’s no break from them.”
“What Kaldar isn’t telling you is that it’s like a full-time job for him and his team and the soldiers,” I add.
Rysden sits back in his chair with his arm around the back of Farrah’s seat, and his fingers play with her hair. “We’ve had two sightings of guivres in the last few weeks.”
This surprises me. “Really? Here?” He nods and doesn’t look happy. “Was anybody hurt?” I can’t help but ask.
“No.”
I feel a little bit of relief, but it still makes me sick. If the guivres are starting to show up here, that’s not good. Not good at all. “We’re going to have to do more to prepare our soldiers to fight against them. Most of them haven’t even seen one, let alone know how to fight them,” Rysden adds. “I might need to pick your brain on that,” he says to Kaldar.
“I’m happy to help.”
