“I won’t be doing that,” he replied gruffly. He straightened, his expression hard and his tone intentionally cold. “Do you know why I’m protecting you from the demons?”

  Riley swallowed hard. He shook his head.

  “To protect myself. If you’re killed, I’d be left weak and vulnerable. The demons would slaughter me next. That’s why I protect you. Self-preservation. I can’t afford to keep you. You’re weak, and my life would be in constant danger.”

  Riley flinched as if he’d been struck. “I know you feel something more than that.”

  “What I feel is the mark causing me to believe I care. No other reason. I’m king of the Soldati. I could never be mated with such a frail and weak creature. You have nothing to offer, Riley Murrough. At most you’re a pretty distraction.”

  Riley nodded, his voice almost a whisper when he spoke. “Right. Got it. Thanks for clarifying.”

  When he turned back into the room, he took Khalon’s heart with him. A considerable amount of effort was required on his part not to follow. He sensed Riley’s heartache, the overwhelming despair and feeling of inadequacy. It was clear even in the human world, Riley struggled with confidence, and Khalon had callously used it to his advantage.

  Khalon headed into the sitting room and shifted into his tiger form, then curled up in front of the fireplace. He concealed his face beneath his large paws in an attempt not to hear Riley’s quiet sobs. He consoled himself with the knowledge that once the priestess removed his mark from Riley and sent him back to his world with no memory of Khalon, his heart would once again be mended.

  If only the same could be said of Khalon’s own heart.

  CHAPTER NINE

  It was kind of sad and pathetic, but Riley was happy.

  Despite Khalon’s harsh words to him, Riley wasn’t pissed off. How could he be? Okay, maybe he was a little bit pissed, but Khalon had every right not to want to keep Riley around. Everything he’d said was true. Riley had nothing to offer Khalon but possible death. Who’d want that? So Riley went to Khalon the next morning and told him he understood. Khalon had been visibly surprised, even more so when Riley asked if they could be friends while he was around. To Riley’s relief, Khalon accepted.

  Nearly two weeks had passed since that night, and maybe it was selfish on his part, but he was secretly glad the captain and his warriors had needed more time to clear the way for them. In those two weeks, Riley spent almost every moment of every day, from early morning to late evening, with Khalon. As friends, of course. Setting that boundary helped ease the tension.

  The two of them helped around the village, where Riley learned how to plant seeds, harvest vegetables, and gut and clean fish, among other things. Rayner taught Riley how to fight with a sword despite Khalon’s disapproval. He was afraid Riley might hurt himself, but actually Rayner said he was doing exceptionally well for a human. Apparently, Soldati warriors learned swordplay by the time they were old enough to walk.

  When Riley wasn’t sparring, he and Khalon spent time with the foxling children, playing and learning from them. Well, Riley was learning. He learned about all the different types of foxlings and how the Soldati kingdom was also home to lynx shifters, wolf shifters, ocelots, margay, and leopard cat shifters. Khalon and Riley ate together, went for strolls, and Riley told him about growing up an only child to a single mom. How despite her busy work schedule, she always made time for him, how they’d had fun together, and her current adventures as she traveled the globe via cruise ship. He told Khalon about his brief career as a freelance artist. How designing corporate banners and brochures slowly ate away at his soul, so he stopped. No matter what he did, he just couldn’t seem to find his calling.

  The morning was spent like any other, with Riley and Khalon helping the villagers with their tasks and chores. After lunch Riley and Khalon headed into the village with Rayner, Adira, and Ezra. Khalon stopped, lifting his handsome face to the sky.

  “I think we should chance spreading the ward and exploring the woods,” he suggested.

  The others nodded, and Riley stepped back as the four shifted into their tiger forms. He still wasn’t used to that. The four of them were impressive, looking even more regal. They let out fierce roars, and a white light beamed up through their mouths into the sky. For the first time, Riley saw the ward. It had a subtle gleam to it, like glass that was so clean if you weren’t careful, you’d run into it. The barrier expanded, inching outward slowly. It spread far into the woods. Shortly after, Khalon shifted back to human form.

  “Adira, you and Ezra remain in your tiger form. Rayner, you and I will explore in our human form.”

  “What about me?” Riley asked, looking from Khalon to Rayner and back.

  “You stay here.”

  Riley frowned. “Why? The space is warded, right?”

  “If there’s any danger, I want you safely indoors.”

  Riley narrowed his eyes. “But any demons that would have come into contact with the ward when you spread it would have disintegrated.”

  Rayner turned his face away in a clear attempt to hide his smile.

  “Fine,” Khalon grumbled. He spun on his heels and stormed off toward the woods. Adira and Ezra pranced off with happy chuffs, seeming delighted by the expanse of woods they had to run in. Soldati weren’t fond of being confined to one area, no matter how spacious the village might be.

  Riley followed Rayner into the woods, keeping his distance from Khalon. As beautiful as the village was, being in the woods was refreshing. It was a warm, sunny day, and Riley tried his hardest not to stare at Khalon’s bare arms beneath his short-sleeved tunic. Riley hadn’t worn his flouncy-sleeved shirt either, but his arms were hardly as impressive as Khalon’s, even with the tattoos around his wrist and arm. For the next few hours, they explored the woods around the village and luckily found nothing more dangerous than nature itself.

  Up ahead a colossal fallen tree blocked their path. Khalon climbed the huge branches with incredible grace, leaping up to the top before disappearing over the other side. Adira and Ezra did the same, jumping from branch to branch until they were up and over.

  “Um…” How was he supposed to get up there? He could climb the branches, but the highest branch was way too far from the top of the trunk for Riley to jump.

  Rayner landed at the top, and for a moment Riley thought he’d be left behind. Instead Rayner turned and got onto his stomach. He reached down, a wide smile on his handsome face.

  “Use the branches to climb up, then take my hand. I’ll pull you the rest of the way up.”

  Riley did as he was told and carefully climbed like he used to do when he was a kid. He’d been pretty good at it then and surprisingly still was. When he ran out of branches, he stood on his toes and stretched as far as he could to take hold of Rayner’s hand. He pulled Riley up like he didn’t weigh a thing. Rayner motioned for him to stay, then leaped down, landing perfectly on his feet. He turned and held his arms up.

  “I’ll catch you.”

  Riley felt a little silly, but he couldn’t jump from this height without hurting something.

  “What’s going on?” Khalon asked, appearing beside Rayner. He frowned up at Riley. “What are you doing? We’ve no time for games.”

  “I’m being assisted by your second since the almighty king has forgotten I can’t leap skyscrapers.”

  Khalon rolled his eyes. “That’s a fallen tree, not a skyscraper.”

  “It’s like a freakin’ redwood. I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you yet again with my human frailty and inability to leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” Khalon turned to Rayner. “Adira is mewling about being hungry or something to that nature. Go see what she wants.”

  Rayner bowed his head and was off, leaving Riley with Khalon and the royal stick once again wedged up his fine ass. Khalon raised his arms.

  “Jump.”

  Riley sat down on the edge of the tree, eyeing Khalon warily. “How do I know you won’t drop me?”

  “If you don’t hurry up, I might.”

  Riley swung his legs back and forth, a sweet smile on his face. “Tell me something. When you court your next prince, do you plan on being this charming, or am I special?”

  Khalon growled, a deep rumble that came up from his chest. Okay, maybe he shouldn’t poke the grumpy tiger with his witty repartee.

  “Fine. I’m going to jump.”

  Riley took a deep breath and pushed himself off. He managed to maintain his dignity by not flailing—too much. Khalon caught him, his arms wrapped tight around Riley as they stared at each other. They were nose to nose, their lips inches away from each other. Well, that escalated quickly. Khalon’s scent invaded Riley, an earthy mix with the faintest hint of some fragrant blossom. His green eyes were hooded, and he poked his tongue out to brush his bottom lip, brushing against Riley’s lips in the process. Khalon’s hot breath warmed his skin, and the need to kiss Khalon consumed Riley. All he had to do was lean in a little. Would Khalon reject him again? Would he kiss Riley back? Riley had the urge to offer himself up as prey, to be devoured.

  As if reading his thoughts, Khalon parted his lips. His pupils dilated, and he angled his head slightly. He dropped his gaze to Riley’s lips, tightening his grip on Riley.

  “Forgive me,” Khalon said gruffly.

  “For what?” Riley’s voice came out almost whispered. His body was hot, especially his face, and his fingers had somehow found their way to Khalon’s shoulders. Khalon’s body was hard against Riley’s, heat radiating off him. Riley’s heart pounded, his pulse raced, and a desire he’d never experienced before coursed through his body. What was happening to him? It wasn’t attraction. It was as if his body needed Khalon’s touch the way his lungs needed air. Was it the mark? Did it make Riley think he needed Khalon? He was so freaking confused.

  “I’m… not certain,” Khalon replied quietly.

  Apparently, Riley wasn’t the only one.

  Confusion crossed Khalon’s handsome face, and he gently put Riley down on his feet, though his hands remained on Riley’s waist. “Stay close.”

  “Um, okay.” Was he blushing? Oh God, please don’t let me be blushing.

  Khalon cupped his cheek, and Riley leaned into the touch before he could stop himself. “Stay close to me.”

  Riley nodded. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on. He felt… strange. Did Khalon feel the same? He looked a little unsettled. Riley dropped his gaze when he noticed Khalon’s tattoo was moving. The bands were turning on his arm, some in opposite directions.

  “Your arm.”

  Khalon followed his gaze down to his arm. He pulled away from Riley as if he’d been burned.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Khalon placed his hand over his arm as if he were trying to stop the movement or cover up his tattoo, neither of which worked. He shook his head. “It’s nothing. We should keep going.” He turned and strode off, leaving Riley… disappointed. Again.

  Riley’s arm tickled, and when he went to scratch the itch, the bands on his arm were moving. They spun around his arm, some in different directions, just as Khalon’s had. He needed answers, but he had a feeling he wouldn’t get any from Khalon.

  As they continued ahead, Riley waited for the right opportunity. Khalon seemed lost in thought and moved at a brisker pace than the rest of them. Riley took the opportunity to sidle up to Rayner.

  “Hey, can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.”

  “What does it mean when his tattoos move?”

  Rayner seemed startled by the question. “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, when he caught me, we kind of ended up a little closer to each other than expected. When he put me down, I noticed his tattoos were moving, but when I asked, he said it was nothing.”

  Whatever he said amused Rayner greatly. He let out a laugh, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “Is that so?”

  “Yeah, what’s it mean?”

  “It means he’s made an emotional connection with you, one from the depths of his very soul.”

  “Oh. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Because, you know, a lot of his emotional connections leave me thinking he’s close to following through with a physical connection of his fist to my face.”

  Rayner threw his head back and laughed. He wrapped an arm around Riley’s shoulders. “You are something else, Riley.”

  Ahead of them Khalon paused long enough to glare at them over his shoulder before grumbling something under his breath and marching off again.

  “Tell me, Riley. Did your mark do the same?”

  “Yeah, it did.” Riley stared at him. “Wait, are you saying my soul had an emotional connection with him?”

  Rayner nodded. He lowered his head and spoke quietly as they continued down the path. “I think you’re each as stubborn as the other. I also think the priestess wasn’t mistaken. You were marked as his mate for a reason. Before this adventure is through, we shall discover the purpose. I’m certain of it. His reaction proves it.”

  Riley let out a heavy sigh as they walked. “I doubt it. It’s just the mark making him think we’re connected. The only reason he’s protecting me is to protect himself, not because he feels anything for me. Which is fine, I get it.”

  Rayner looked oddly surprised by Riley’s words. “What makes you say such a thing?”

  “Khalon told me the truth. If I get killed, it’ll leave him weak and vulnerable.” It hurt to hear, but it was probably for the best.

  “That’s true, but there’s far more to it than that. Didn’t he tell you?”

  Riley frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Rayner glanced ahead at Khalon and seemed to think before coming to some kind of conclusion. He spoke quietly. “It’s true. If Khalon doesn’t lay claim to you or if you don’t accept your position as prince, the demons will do their damnedest to kill you, and when they do, Khalon will be left weak and vulnerable. They’ll slaughter him, and the rest of us will soon follow since we’ll be left weakened as well.”

  “What?” Riley couldn’t believe what he’d heard. Khalon didn’t say anything about the Soldati being weakened too. Why wouldn’t he tell Riley?

  “Why do you think there are so many of the damnable creatures everywhere? They know. With the Soldati gone, the human world would be overrun with demons. Your death would weaken us all.”

  Riley’s heart hurt. Why would Khalon intentionally leave that part out? Why make himself sound like a selfish jerk? To push you away.

  “If you were to accept your position as prince, and he were to claim you, the demons would no longer hunt you, but you’d remain mortal, and in our realm, a human would never survive. Khalon would be forced to live out his immortal life without a prince.”

  “What if I accepted my position to be his prince, but he doesn’t claim me?”

  “If you were killed before he could claim you, he wouldn’t weaken, as you’ve accepted your position as Soldati prince and begun the claiming, but your soul would forever be in limbo, belonging neither to your world or ours, as you’ve pledged yourself to a mate, but haven’t been claimed.”

  “Well, that sucks too.” If he was claimed and became the Soldati prince, he wouldn’t be hunted, but was still mortal, and his death would mean Khalon lived his immortal life without a mate. If Riley didn’t accept his position as prince and Khalon didn’t claim him, and Riley were killed, Khalon and the others would be weakened, vulnerable, and be killed. If Riley accepted his position and was killed before he was claimed, Khalon wouldn’t be weakened, but Riley’s soul would be in limbo for eternity. For crying out loud! Was there any scenario where Riley didn’t end up dead or screwed?

  “However, I believe that’s not the worst of it.”

  “God, it gets worse?” What was worse than getting killed and having his soul be in limbo for eternity? Or in Khalon’s case, getting killed along with the whole of his army? How could there be something worse?

  Rayner stopped to face Riley, his voice laced with concern. “Think about it, Riley. He claims you and loses his heart to you. Despite what you may believe, Soldati kings are born to love deep. They give their hearts to one mate in their lifetime. We’ve lived for centuries and will continue to live for many, many more. How long does the average human live?”

  Riley felt the sting in the back of his eyes. “If I’m lucky? Another fifty or sixty years or so. Maybe.”

  “You see, Khalon isn’t merely protecting his kingdom and your world; he’s protecting his heart. The thought of loving you so completely, only to lose you in such a short amount of time, is more than he can bear, and, I suspect, the true reason for his rejection.”

  Riley’s chest tightened. He’d been right. Khalon felt something for him, more than the connection of the mark. He was afraid to lose his heart, and then of course the small detail of maybe losing his life and the lives of his soldiers. Light flashed before his eyes, and Riley gasped. Rayner screamed for Khalon as something slammed into Riley’s chest, leaving him gasping for air.

  It was like he was drowning. He gulped in deep breaths, but no air seemed to fill his lungs. Everything around him grew blindingly white before it vanished suddenly. Riley stood alone in the middle of the woods. The trees were on fire, black smoke blocking out the sun and a fog surrounding him on all sides. Ash rained from the sky, and Riley dropped to his knees at the carnage around him. Soldati warriors in human and tiger forms lay scattered all around him. All of them dead. Tears rolled down Riley’s cheeks as he pushed himself to his feet, roaming through the heaps of dead warriors, their skin or fur matted with blood, their eyes vacant and expressions filled with horror. So much blood…

  Riley turned, realizing the bodies had fallen in a circle around him. His gaze fell on a body dressed in black, and he shook his head.

  “No. Please.” He forced himself to move, breaking into a run. He dropped to his knees beside Khalon, a sob catching in his throat at Khalon’s lifeless body. Blood stained his mouth, his once-vibrant green eyes now pale. “How…?” How could this happen? If Riley was still alive, how could Khalon—oh my God.