Chapter 28

My chest is on fire. My legs are leaden, my breath coming in great huffs. I am not the creature I once was. I picture my mate, sprawled under me, her long limbs and soft curves, and I push myself faster.

I have to find her sister. My mate will not accept me until I ensure her sister's safety. I love her. I love Lana. My paws slam across the ground, and I open my jaws, roaring it to the world. A flock of birds takes wing at the sounds, and I roar again, venting my frustration.

The moons hang low in the sky, the smallest dipping below the horizon line.

I slow my pace. At some point, forest and meadow changed to rock and sand. A spiked plant claws the sky, violent purple in the dark. The thick fur of my lion form protects me from the chill in the air, and I inhale deeply.

Dust and dirt and the telltale acidic tinge of poison.

Lesath.

I correct my course, padding across the barren expanse on velvet paws. Regret knifes through me. I don't want to hurt him. I don't want to fight him, my old friend, no matter what Dabin says about how far gone he is.

Wasn't I as far gone, only a few days ago?

Still…

He has Lana's sister. I promised her; I swore a sacred oath, to ensure her sisters' safety. The starlight vow pulls me toward his lair. The seconds turn to minutes, my breath fogging the air in front of me. Before long, a black granite castle spears the sky. Stars twinkle high above, winking like they know a joke I've long forgotten.

I roar again, a challenge.

A light flickers to life in a tower window. Good. Satisfaction rolls through me, and I settle my haunches into the dunes, waiting.

I don't have to wait long. A shadow stalks the across the tower, and I hear the plaintive cry of a woman inside. My hackles raise, and I stand, pacing against the cold sand.

I can hardly think straight. Doubt fills me, insidious and strong. Maybe it was a mistake to come here at night, exhausted and out of shape.

A crescent shaped tail arcs up. A hideous sound, halfway between a scratch and whine, rips across the space, and the gargantuan scorpion skitters down the tower wall.

The woman cries out, the words lost in the distance, her light blonde hair swinging as she hangs out the window. Lana's sister.

A chittering noise comes from the beast, and Lesath picks his way across the sand and rock. My ears prick. New scents fill the air: horses, a goat, the sweet scent of female skin. Dismay wrecks me. Not any female.

My female. Mine. Lana. My mate.

No.She cannot be here. I turn, hoping against hope that maybe, stars willing, she's still naked in bed, and that is some trick of exhaustion. But it's no trick. Lana runs toward me, glowing blue against the dark velvet of burgeoning night. Her hands glow, and I squint, disbelief running through me.

She holds weapons made of starlight. It's unbelievable, nigh unheard of, to be able to manipulate the magic in such a way. I chuff in surprise.

When she reaches me, her hands unclench, and she rams into my chest, hanging on to my fur ruff, her weapons gone. Her scent soothes me, and I catch her sorrow and affection through the bond, her emotions flooding me.

Lana. I must hold her. Protect. I rip forms, enveloping her in my embrace.

"Oh, Ras, I love you too. I'm sorry, I should have told you, but I was scared." She's openly weeping, and I wipe her tears away, unable to speak. "Don't do this. You don't have to fight him. Please, I love you. I don't want to lose you. We can figure out a better way." The words spill out of her, a waterfall of beautiful noise. I hold her close, stroking my hand along her back.

"Truly, Lana?"

She lifts her head, tears shining in her eyes. Her hand caresses my cheek, and I lean into it. My heart sings. I tilt my head down, my lips meeting hers. Something snaps between us, and she gasps into my mouth.

I pull away. Her eyes are wide, the moonlight bathing her face in lavender and pink.

"The bond." I place my hand on her chest, smiling down at her. "Now it tethers us fully. Lana, I have something to tell you, something to confess."

"Your undying love for me?" A smirk turns the corners of her mouth up, and I kiss them, one by one.

"No." I narrow my eyes. "Yes, of course, I love you. But that's not what I need to tell you?—"

"Is it that I can't go back home? To Earth? Danielle told me on the way here."

I growl, and Lana, my heart, rolls her eyes at me. "Sorry to steal your thunder, cat, but I don't care."

"Steal my— wait. You don't care?" She doesn't want to return to Earth?

"I just told you I loved you, didn't I? There is nothing for me there. There never has been." Her smile stretches wide. "But here? Here I have you. My sisters." Light dances across her wrists, illuminating the space between us. "And I think I'm starting to figure out what I'm supposed to be."

I touch my forehead to hers. "I will love you forever, Lana."

A horse whinnies in the distance, a stressed sound, and I shove her behind me.

Lesath approaches.

My mate makes a fierce noise, and when I look back, her head is high, starlight weapons at her side.

Destiny chose well for me.

I won't let fate take her from me now.