assistance.
The animal clan leader sat forward in his chair, leaning his elbows on his knees as he threaded his fingers together before him. “Rowe, the Fire Starter with her nightwalker army, and the animal clan,” he slowly listed. “That is an impressive gathering. Word recently reached me that the nightwalker defeated a bori. She may actually give a valuable edge to this battle. The animal clan is . . . interested.”
“What more can I say that would win you and the animal clan to our cause?”
Kane smiled broadly at me. “A place of true leadership in the new regime should Cynnia become the next queen of the naturi.”
I knew it would come to this, but I didn’t hesitate: Cynnia understood the duties that came with being the queen. “She has given me permission to say only this. If both you and Locke are amiable to the idea, she would offer Locke the position of consort should she ascend to the throne.”
“Locke? Not me?” Kane demanded, sounding surprised.
“She would prefer that you remain close to your people in the animal clan, while Locke would learn to take on the role of leader of the entire clan armies. You would undoubtedly still hold considerable influence over Locke for many years.” I paused and shrugged my shoulders, loosening my arms from their tight fold over my stomach. “And to be completely honest, Cynnia is attracted to both Locke’s appearance and personality. She feels that not only would the animal clan be pleased by the arrangement, but that she and Locke may actually have a happy life together.”
Kane twisted in his chair and gazed over his shoulder at his second in command, who seemed more than a little stunned by this development. He had just been offered the second highest position in the naturi royal family. I knew that Locke and Cynnia were familiar with each other, but I didn’t think Locke was aware that my sister actually had some feelings for him.
“Would you accept such a duty?” Kane asked of Locke.
“I would if it is your wish,” Locke said, staring down at his lord. It was a dangerous position. He would be taking a higher position over Kane, and yet would still feel compelled to answer to him for the first few years of the new regime as he became acclimated to his new position as consort.
Kane nodded. “It would be nice to see a member of the animal clan back in the royal family. Of course, there is a catch, isn’t there?” Kane narrowed his gaze on me. “Should Cynnia die in battle and Aurora is defeated, won’t you be next in line for the throne?”
“No, I hold to my father’s promise—I will never be eligible for the throne. If both Cynnia and Aurora are killed in battle, our people will need a new leader, not me or Rowe. If Cynnia requires it, Rowe and I will remain on in an advisory capacity, but our days as members of the royal court are over.”
Kane sat back in his chair, stroking his beard as he turned over my proposition in his mind. While I was bringing danger to his people, I was also offering them prestige and a new position of power within the naturi hierarchy. Was he willing to take a chance on a new life for his people, or would he prefer that they spend their last days hiding in the mountains away from Aurora?
“Let me just add a bit to chew on that Nyx left out,” Rowe said unexpectedly, strolling out into the clearing. “Assume that you don’t join Cynnia. Eventually, Aurora will come looking for her darling sisters, and without the help of the animal clan, she will wipe them out. And when our queen is done, she will turn her attention to the rest of the groups who have broken from her. At that point you will either be forced to bow before her, just before she removes your head for treason, or you will be forced to fight her without the assistance of Cynnia’s army. One way or another, you will fight Aurora.” With his piece said, the dark-haired naturi sauntered back over to the tree he had been leaning against as if he hadn’t spoken at all.
After a couple minutes of tense silence, Kane finally looked up at me with a dark grin crossing his face. “My people will join Cynnia in her fight against Aurora. We would like a new place within this world we have returned to. We would like to finally live a life of peace. But nothing is given without it first being earned among our people.”
“And how do I earn your assistance?” I dreaded the response.
“Beat me in a fair fight and the animal clan will join your growing armies.”
My stomach dropped and my heartbeat suddenly began to race as I looked over Kane once again. He was a behemoth, and it had been too many years since I had taken on someone like him. The animal clan members I had been forced to pursue recently were lean, sinewy creatures, with speed but not strength. Kane could crush me without straining himself. But I had to agree.
Ten
Hardening my jaw, I reached down and unsnapped the loop that held the whip at my side. I walked across the clearing and placed it in Rowe’s hand, who looked at it with confusion filling his one good eye. But he said nothing as he tightened his grip around the horrible weapon. Kane had said a fair fight, and that wasn’t possible with the whip.
As I returned to the center of the clearing, Kane pushed out of his seat, letting the bearskin slide off of his back to reveal acres of tanned skin and hard, bulging muscles. I could only hope that all those muscles would steal his speed from him, giving me a slight edge in that category. Otherwise I might finally be outmatched. Until this moment only Rowe had ever been able to beat me in a fair fight. But then, that had always been simple sparring as we honed our skills.
“What are the rules of engagement?”
“Rules?” Kane repeated with a chuckle. “There are no rules. We fight until one of the combatants yields or dies.”
“May I use a weapon?”
“I’ll permit you two daggers.” Kane waved his hand. “No swords. No crossbows or any other little tricks that you might have. No magic.”
I removed the two swords hanging from my body and tossed them to the side of the clearing, out of my reach. “Agreed.”
That one word was all he was waiting for. With a great roar that seemed to make the air tremble, Kane launched himself at me. Within two steps he had gone from running on two legs to four as he shifted into an enormous black bear. I gasped before diving to my left. I hit the ground and rolled to my feet with a knife in each hand. Clearly, Kane could shapeshift into any creature he wanted, and in the blink of an eye.
The bear growled as it turned and charged again. I scampered out of the way as one massive paw swiped at where I’d been kneeling. Black claws slashed through the air, the tips catching on the edge of my shirt before I could escape. I pulled free and ran to the far end of the clearing. Around me, members of the naturi clan were hooting and cheering their leader on, calling for my head. This wasn’t a simple fight where I would yield if I was trapped and couldn’t escape. I either beat Kane or I was going to be killed. I needed to end this as quickly as possible.
Unfortunately, Kane didn’t give me time to think or formulate a plan. As soon as I got my feet planted with my weapons at the ready to take on the massive black bear, the black bear melted away to reveal a sleek mountain lion with some of the sharpest fangs I had ever seen.
I streaked to the other end of the clearing as Kane ran at me. He missed me again, sending up a spray of dirt as his back paws dug into the earth and quickly changed directions. In the form of the cat, Kane had the advantage of both speed and strength. He lunged at me with both paws extended, claws ready to rip my face open. I knelt down on one knee and dug my feet into the earth as much as possible to steady my position. With my right hand, I blocked one paw, while I dodged the second so it only scraped along my shoulder. At the same time, I buried my blade into his side, sending a feral scream through the night. Kane snapped at me with his strong jaws, narrowly missing my throat. His hot breath danced across my cheek and a quick look in his eyes revealed that there would be no last minute act of mercy. He was going to kill and eat me.
Pulling my blade free, I pushed the giant cat off me with a grunt, but the growing pain in my shoulder
