Page 5 of Spirit Rites
Farrah blinks. “No, not like that. I mean,” she stops abruptly and turns to Rysden. He merely cocks an eyebrow at her. She faces us all and scowls, but I notice her cheeks are tinted pink now. Curiosity gets the best of me, and I glance between the two of them.
“Was it everything you dreamed it would be?” Harper asks dryly.
Now, Farrah’s cheeks turn red. She turns to Rysden. “A little help here?”
He smirks at her. “You backed yourself into this corner all by yourself.” But he takes compassion on her and wraps an arm around her and pulls her into his side. He kisses her temple and says something to her that none of us can hear. But it’s not hard to catch the drift of what he said when her cheeks turn even more red, but she smiles at him with a full, beautiful smile.
“Should we be expecting any little Farsdens or Ryahs any time soon?” Lox asks innocently.
Farrah turns to him with confusion all over her face. “What?”
"Don’t you like those baby names? Their combinations of both of your names.”
Farrah’s mouth drops open. “What? No. That’s not...” her words trail off, and her face pales. She turns suddenly to Rysden.
“Oh, good grief,” Harper mutters, shaking her head. I can’t help my smile. I’m happy for them, even if Farrah does look like she’s going to throw up. They seem to have a private conversation for a moment and then Rysden leans forward with his forearms on the table. “I have to head to the castle. Brak isholding things together for now, but there’s going to be a lot to do in the days to come.” He faces all of us, including Kaldar. “With my father gone, I am officially the king.”
“About time,” Hector mutters, and I can’t help but think that we all agree with the sentiment. But I stay quiet.
“Anything our kingdom can do to help you during this time of transition is yours,” Kaldar says in that almost lyrical voice of his. I stop just short of closing my eyes. He has the most amazing voice. I’m pretty sure I could listen to it for hours.
“Thank you,” Rysden says with a grateful nod. “When will you head back?”
“I can’t be gone long. Our kingdom is in its own upheaval.”
Curiosity eats at me; I want to know what’s wrong with Kaldar’s kingdom, but I don’t ask. Rysden nods, like he’s unsurprised. “The same offer extends back to you. If we can do anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“What’s wrong with your kingdom?” Harper, who has no inhibitions with asking strangers questions, asks.
Kaldar turns his gaze on her, and I’m glad it’s not me. His gaze is so intense. It takes him a moment, and I wonder if that’s because he doesn’t want to say things in front of all of us. I mean, none of us are from the jaguar kingdom. “I only took over as king two years ago, and my rule has been...tenuous at best.”
I want to know more, but Rysden doesn’t give me the chance to ask. He stands to his feet. Lox and Jamik stand as well; I know they’ll go with him. With the king and queen both dead, I can’t imagine what state the castle will be in. I can’t find it in my heart to be sad that the king is dead. I am sad that Rysden’s mom is dead, though. Farrah told me she was really a good person, but I’m happy she no longer lives in pain. Her husband’s hold over her was broken in death. “You need to rest today,” he says, looking Farrah in the eye.
Farrah frowns. “I can help at the castle.”
“I know, but you’re still recovering from your wounds from yesterday.”
“So are you,” Farrah points out. Rysden’s eyes soften, and he leans towards her. He says something. Again, it’s too quiet for us to hear. Then he kisses her, and I look down at my plate.
“Can I be of assistance?” Kal asks.
Rysden glances over at him. To Rysden’s credit, he doesn’t glance over at me. I can tell he’s thinking, weighing his response. Finally, he nods. “Yes.”
Within minutes, the guys all leave. Hector hung around for a few minutes, but we told him we would take care of cleaning up the mess. The moment the front door closes, Harper spins on me. “Time to talk.”
Chapter 3
Before I can say a word, the front door opens. We hear footsteps, and I’m expecting Rysden or Lox to pop back in. But it’s Kaldar that steps back into the room. I sit still as a statue, but he looks at Harper. “I’m leaving Jespar here.”
“Ooookay.” Harper draws out the word.
“If there are any problems, Jespar can connect with me.”
Harper doesn’t crack a smile. “Got it.” Her voice is deadpan, and I cringe.Is she even trying?
“When I get back later, I will check on the jaguars and then have the talk that needs to be had.”
Harper stares him down, and I will her not to say something stupid or out me. “You do that.”
