The Bond (7 page)

Sanura laughed and shook her head. “You aren’t that old, Aunt
Charmaine.”

“We both know I am, but I’ll take the compliment.” Stepping up
behind her, Aunt Charmaine fluffed her hair. “You look so much like your mother
right now. She would’ve loved this dress too.”

Sanura sniffed, fighting back the tears that rushed to the surface.
“I wish she was here too.”

Wrapping an arm around her, her aunt smiled. “She is. Enough of
sadness, this is a celebration.” Straightening out, her aunt stepped back. “Are
you ready?”

“Yes.” She nodded her head and lifted her skirt up.

Together they walked out of the room they’d dedicated to getting
ready to the females who waited below. Tradition said she’d be accompanied by
the women of her mother’s tribe. Aunts and cousins filled the foyer of the
building up the road from the field where they’d set up the tent.

“Let’s honor our people in the ways of all our ancestors before us,”
Charmaine called out. The rattle of beads and the thump of drums rose up into
the air. The language of her people filled her ears.

“We’re here to offer up our requests that the great father shower
our future leaders with wisdom, strength, and love. Today we dance for them. As
the eldest, I’ll lead the procession.”

She moved out in front, and they all descended the stairs, Sanura in
the middle. The woman spun around, their beads clacking on their wrists and
ankles. The drummers kept rhythm and the others danced, spinning and leaping,
their slender bodies as fluid as water.

Her heart raced, and excitement built inside her. Power began to
build. Her eyes tingled, and she knew they’d changed to cat form. With one foot
in the human world and the other in the animal, she would bind both halves of
herself to Rafael. The symbolism made her smile. They stopped in front of the
tent, and then her Aunt pulled back the curtain and she entered the dim
space.
 
The women remained outside, their
offerings still rising up to the heavens.

The scent of sage and incense tickled her nose along with that of
old leather. The Elders all stood in the front along with her father and
Rafael. She locked gazes with her lover, and the rest of the world receded. A
low hum came from the Elders’ throats. Brilliant colors rose, swirled in the
air, and twined around one another like fish in the water.

The display took her breath away.
This was very different from what happened between us at the hotel.
Her
Aunt Charmaine placed a hand on the small of her back, goading her into action.
She locked gazes with Rafael. Their connection roared to life. His joy, love,
and excitement flooded her, calming her nerves. A gentle smile tugged his lips
upward, and she beamed. Finally they would live the life that was meant for
them.

She came to a halt a few feet away. The Elders stopped humming, and
the colors flew toward them, wrapping them in a circle. The multi-colored
display stunned her. She’d never been to a bonding like this before. A Chief
married to his Queen was a rare and protected ceremony.

“The ancestors are pleased.” Her father stood outside the colors,
pride shining in his eyes. “They honor you. It’s not every day a bonding is so
colorful. Each hue is a testament to your compatibility, strength, and accepted
offerings. They too seem to think this Pride is long overdue for a change. Link
hands and stare into each other’s eyes. No matter what happens, do not let go
or look away.”

No pressure.

They did as he asked. Heat spiraled through her. Rafael gasped. Her
father began to sing. Sweat beaded on her brow, and their mental link was opened.
His emotions threatened to drown her. Her chest heaved, and her lungs burned.
It was like she’d run a marathon. His hands twitched, gripping tighter, and he
grunted.

A cold burn swept through her. Eyes wide, her jaw dropped when
Puma-shaped lights left their chests and met in the air between them. She could
feel the cats inside her rubbing together. Mewls rent the air. Rafael purred.
His eyes blazed a bright yellow, and he opened his mouth to reveal the
distended teeth. A wave crested and crashed as the energy dispersed.

“Forever will the two of you be linked; the Chief’s bonding is
unique, lifelong, and potent. No two are the same. You will learn the nuances
as you move forward together to guide our people. You are the heart of the
Pride, the example they will strive to immolate. Make them love you, but fear
you, and keep your inner struggles behind closed doors. I relinquish my title
to you, Rafael, in front of the eyes of our ancestors and the Elders.” Aren
bowed his head.

The Elders stepped up, placed their hands over Aren’s head, and sang
their final song to him as standing Chief. When the beautiful chorus ended he
looked different, lighter now that the weight of his people no longer pressed
down on him.

“Welcome, Chief Rafael, may your rule be long, blessed, and
fruitful.”

****

Rafael looked out at the people and could not help the swelling of
pride. He had the woman of his dreams and now he had his rightful place within
the Pride’s infrastructure.

“Thank you. It’s an honor that you bestow upon me that I will
endeavor to prove trustworthy to carry.” As he spoke he continued to hold on to
Sanura. “Sanura, my wife, will rule beside me. I’m nothing without her and
would not be standing here today if not for her.”

Sanura’s father spoke, raising his voice to be heard above the
thunderous cheers from the people.

“Rafael, my son, please hold your bride and kiss and claim her as
our ancestors of old have done for centuries. Seal your bond and this glorious
day in front of our people.”

Rafael watched as a smile spread across his woman’s face, and he
tilted her face up to his by placing his hand under her chin. There were tears
streaming down her face, and he wiped them gently away with his free hand. He
stared into her eyes, their connection a tangible thing.

“With pleasure.” Though he was speaking to his father-in-law, his
eyes never left his beloved. He dipped his head and took her lips in a soft
kiss that spiraled out of control into one that seared his very soul. His inner
cat growled and in return so did hers.

Sanura wrapped her arms up around his neck and kissed him back just
as hungrily. He nibbled at her bottom lip and pulled away slowly, watching as
her eyes fluttered open.

“I love you, Sanura.”

“And I love you, my Chief, my mate, my Rafael.”

Her words were music to his ears. She alone healed the pain of
rejection with her presence. If not for her, he would have still been
ostracized. Alone and abandoned without a tribe was death to a werecat.

“I owe you my life,” he whispered softly.

“I can say the same for what you’ve done for me. We were always
meant to be together. We’re now whole.”

He nodded his head in agreement with what she’d said. It was true;
the emptiness in his soul was gone, filled with her. Taking a deep breath, he
filled his nostrils with her scent. She gave a contented purr, and he gave her
an answering growl. Turning her face away from him she showed her neck, and he
could see the blood pumping in her veins. A low growl rumbled in his chest. He
pressed his face there and bit her; her breath caught, and she shuddered
against him. He claimed her there right in front of the people. Her fangs
distended, and he held his head to the side to let her sink her fangs into his
neck, marking him as hers. He groaned and tightened his hold on Sanura,
withstanding her bite just as she had his.

“My people, it is time for me to take my bride home. We request the
appropriate amount of time to complete the binding before I return to fully
take my place as Chief. We are married in the eyes of the people, but our first
step in bringing the Pride into the twentieth century will be getting married
legally in the eyes of the state and country.”

“It is a wonderful thing, my son. Go and take your bride. The people
will respect your union and give you our blessing and peace.” Turning towards
the Pride, Aren raised his hands and called out. “It is time to celebrate, my
people, celebrate this union and the new change for our Pride!”

The people let out a great cheer, and the drums and dancing renewed.
Rafael took Sanura’s hand and led her through the throng of people. The revelry
would continue long into the night for at least a fortnight, if not more. The Pride
had begun to heal and head in a new direction.

He turned to look at his bride, stopping just outside the crowd of
people.“I will take you wherever you wish to go.”

“I just want to be with you. It matters not where we go just as long
as we go together.”

“Ah, anywhere, my sweet Sanura?”

“Yes, anywhere, my love.”

“Then anywhere it is.”

He listened to her chuckle and watched as she leaned up to kiss him
softly, cupping his face in her hands.

“That’s wonderful. Anywhere sounds perfect.”

Epilogue

“Are we ready for this?” Sanura
asked, glancing up at her husband of six months. She was nervous, not about her
life with him but what was behind the closed door. They’d worked so hard for
this, and now it was here.

“We’d better be,” Rafael said.
“Your father thinks we are perfect for this.” Rafael gave her a kiss that made
her breathe a bit easier. He was right. They’d better be ready.

He smiled, wrapped an arm around
her waist, and issued a reassuring hug. The kiss and the hug made it all
better; she could do this with him. Tonight was their first meeting as the
soon-to-be leaders of the Pride. It’d taken a while to heal the wounds Logan’s
treachery left, but they’d done it. She’d even argued they were better for it,
stronger and ready to move into the now.

Due to the turmoil they’d slipped
away and eloped at the Little White Chapel with her father as their witness.
He’d stunned them both with his about-face toward the man he’d once loathed,
even going so far as to admit Rafael would make a much better successor, even
if Logan hadn’t been off his rocker.

“My father is your number one fan
now.”

“It’s a wonderful feeling to know
that I’m fully accepted nowadays.”

In their first attempt to blend the old ways with the
twentieth century, they would renew their vows in front of the Pride, in a
ceremony that was something old and something new. The Pride had accepted their
marriage in front of the state but having them see it for themselves in a
blended ceremony was the icing on a very delicious cake.

For a time the Elders of the Pride had fought their changes
at every turn, but Aren’s support went a long way, and the hope in the eyes of
the young had started to wear them down. It was time for a change, and they
would be the catalyst that set the bureaucratic wheels in motion.

“Let’s do this.”

“Yes, let’s.”

They strolled hand-in-hand out into the early morning light,
both walking proudly as they met their future head on.

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