Page 32 of Spirit Rites
“Where is she?”
I don’t stop to ponder the effect just the sound of his voice has on me. I’d never even talked to him before the Rites, and now...I didn’t finish the thought. My mind’s too tired to even frame a response. As soon as I enter the room, my eyes search out the couch Kaldar was sleeping on. When I see it’s empty, my eyes scan the room and land on a certain tall figure. Bright green eyes meet mine, and my entire body sags in relief. “Kaldar.” Hisname is like a prayer from my mouth. And then I’m moving. I move towards him as fast as my body will allow. His long legs eat up the remaining distance between us, and he takes me into his arms. I wince at the pain, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I suck in a deep breath and breathe in the very essence of Kaldar. For the first time in hours, my body relaxes.
“Are you okay?” he says in a rough voice against my ear. I nod, unable to find the words to respond.
“Areyou?” I ask in a broken voice. I pull back so I can look up at him and reach a hand up to his jaw. It used to be clean-shaven but not after the Rites. “You were dying. I didn’t think...you weren’t...” Everything hits me at once, and I feel so overwhelmed with what could have happened.
He reaches his hand up and covers mine. “I’m okay. You kept me alive.”
Concern rushes through me. “Are you good now? Is the poison gone?”
“It will take a little bit for it to completely leave my system, but I’m fine now.”
I hear a cough and remember quite suddenly that we are no longer alone in the Rites, just the two of us. I step back, putting distance between us. And the bubble that Kaldar and I seem to be in pops. “Your Highness, as soon as you feel recovered enough to travel, we need to leave. You’ve been gone too long. Our people need to know you’re okay.”
I frown both at the interruption and the words. “How many days were we gone?” I ask Kaldar.
“A month,” the same annoying female voice says.
My eyes widen in shock. “What?” I spin around looking for Farrah or Harper. I make eye contact with Lox instead. He gives me a tight nod, and I register that Rysden’s friend doesn’t look nearly as easy-going as he normally is. I turn back to Kaldar,who’s still watching me with an intensity I’m not used to from him. “I thought it was five or six days.”
“It was for us, but time works different in the Rites. I don’t know how it works, but the time goes slower there,” he explains.
I swallow hard. “So, we were really gone for a month?”
Kaldar nods, still watching me. I feel like the eyes of everyone in the room are on me, and it makes my skin crawl. As if I wasn’t already feeling off, Kaldar’s next words send me right over the edge.
“I need to get back to my kingdom.” His eyes never leave mine, and he watches me intensely. I suck in a breath when I remember the promise I made to him. It was probably foolish of me, but I thought he was dying. I wanted him to have peace in those moments. I wasn’t sure if he would even remember, but the look he’s giving me is too intense for him not to remember. I pull a rein tight on my emotions and simply nod at him, even as my mind spins.I’m going to the Jaguar Kingdom.
Chapter 17
I manage to nod. “I’ll get packed.”
“Wait,” Harper says. “Like right now?” I turn to her. “You’re going with him right now. To his kingdom.” Her words are statements, not questions; but I nod anyway. Her gaze bounces around the room, and I watch as that stubborn look settles on her face. I will her not to say or do anything to make this worse. “Fine, but I’m going with then.” Her words couldn’t shock me more.
“Really?”
She meets my gaze and nods. “Yes.”
“The friend is coming too?” I don’t even have to turn to see who’s talking. It’s the woman that held a knife to my throat. I haven’t noticed it until now, but her head’s almost shaved. It makes her look as ferocious as her attitude.
“Yeah, she is,” Harper says, matching the woman in tone and intensity. “I’ll be there to make sure she’s safe.”
“You don’t think I would keep my mate safe?” The low words from Kaldar may sound calm on the surface, but anybody who believes there’s no threat in them is sadly mistaken.
Harper turns to Kaldar, and I wonder if I should intervene. “No offense to you. It’s not you I’m worried about. You’re not the one that held a knife to my friend’s throat.”
Kaldar turns to me, his eyes flashing dangerously. “Somebody held a knife to your throat?”
I nod once but don’t say anything. I’m not going to withhold the truth, but I’m also not going to rat out one of his people. “It was dealt with,” I tell him without looking away. His jaw tightens, and I can tell he’s ready to make a big deal of this. I reach out and touch his arm and give him just the smallestheadshake. He studies my face. I can almost see when he makes a decision.
He looks back at Harper. “You are welcome in our kingdom. Any of Kinsley’s friends are, but we leave within the hour.”
“I’d better go pack.” I leave the room and head towards the stairs. I hear his voice continue behind me, and it sounds like he’s giving his warriors the plan. I get almost to my door when I hear booted steps behind me. I step into my room and start to close the door, but a hand stops it. Kaldar steps inside and closes the door behind him. My eyes widen in surprise. “Are you here to help me pack?” I ask, trying to keep things light.
“I’ll deal with Reika when we get back.”
“You know who it was.”
