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Hand dropping away, Kyx’s mother retreated and looked away with an air of guilt. Arie wasn’t sure what to make of it. Emala had made her feelings quite clear. Arie couldn’t imagine what the problem was now.
“Emala, this is not at all like you,” a golden male, Vordri, said quietly, his yellow eyes darting between his mate and the males standing protectively in front of Arie. She was only able to see the exchange due to a gap between Warol and Rager’s bodies. Kyx settled once more at her side, and she felt his muzzle dip against her neck in a show of solidarity. Emala’s eyes widened, and to Arie’s surprise the other woman’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she watched him. A long moment passed before the older woman took a deep breath and spoke, a small tremor in her voice.
“You are right, Vordri. My apologies—to all of you. I did not come here intending for this to happen. None of you deserved my reaction. Arie, I came here determined to meet you against the wishes of my mates, and I didn’t even attempt to give you a chance. I was so caught up in my worry for Kyx that I ended up doing nothing other than looking for faults and behaving like the sort of person I never expected myself to be, not after all I suffered at the hands of my own family. My son brought you to me as if you were a member of his family and I lost sight of that in my need to protect my son. Please, forgive me.”
Arie searched the other woman’s face and saw nothing but genuine remorse. She relaxed little by little, but her guard remained up. Still, she felt inclined to attempt to rectify things with the other woman.
“I would like to try to start again,” Arie offered.
Emala smiled and approached, ignoring the males’ wary grumbles. “I would like that. Maybe then Kyx will stop standing over there looking at me like I’m about to take his favorite treat away.”
Arie glanced over and found that he indeed looked anxious as he watched them from where he stood with his triad brothers. Not wanting him to worry, she smiled over at him.
Emala took her hand and glanced at Rager’s unforgiving expression. She hesitated and spoke directly to him.
“I have overstepped with your triad, your family. Although Kyx is my son, and I felt my mother’s worries to be justified, I have been with my own triad long enough to know how things work.” She glanced at her mates “I knew the time would come when I would have to turn his care over to his own family, and as my mates’ expressions are reminding me now, I grievously overstepped those bounds. I would like to repair this meeting by explaining why I reacted the way I did, if you would permit me.”
Rager’s expression remained stony, but Arie saw his eyes soften as he inclined his head for the woman to continue. He stepped back so that Emala could draw her forward and urge her to sit on a thick pad of furs that Vordri had placed near the back of the cave.
“I must admit I was taken by surprise by your presence. I didn’t realize that humans and Ragoru were compatible,” Arie said.
“It is something, isn’t it?” the older woman said with a broad smile. “No one in The Citadel or the close-minded people of the villages would want such information to get out, but it is not only possible but happens often. Why do you think our planet was chosen for the Ragoru? The human race was on the decline and the Ragoru needed a new home. Being compatible made our planet the logical consideration for the Feriknikal.”
Arie’s mouth dropped open. “So, this has happened from the start? Why doesn’t anyone know about it? Why didn’t Warol and Rager know? They were just as surprised as me to see you.”
From the corner of her eye, Arie saw the males in question creep closer with interest.
“Oh, yes. It wasn’t planned that way. If things had gone as they should’ve, everyone would have known. The Feriknikal made the first matches when they arrived. Unfortunately, there were prejudices on both sides and many among both humans and the Ragoru were not keen on mixing our peoples.”
“How do you even know all this?” Arie asked in awe.
“Because, dear, my great-great-great grandmother’s sister Viki was among the women selected to be mated to a Ragoru triad, as had my mother in her own time. My direct family line always had a good relationship with our Ragoru kin until a huntsman swept through and killed them all during my mother’s generation. My mother was to mate a triad at that time and watched not only her kin slaughtered, but her own males killed in front of her eyes before the huntsmen hauled her away to Old Wayfairer Citadel.”
Emala’s smile dropped away. “This is why I did not wish for Kyx to be involved with humans. It is too dangerous, but not only for them. It is dangerous for any human woman found with Ragoru. My mother was found guilty of perversion and released into the control of distant relatives. I was born in that hellish house, the product of one of many rapes. I grew up and I watched my mother die there, still grieving for her mates all those years later. It was only by some miracle that I managed to escape.”
Her eyes drifted to the larger of her mates and she smiled.
“Mishar is not here for you to meet, but he is the one who found me half-delirious in the mountains and brought me to his triad brothers. They cared for me and nursed me back to health. After a time, we were inseparable. It seems our stories may not be so different. You had the good fortune to be rescued, and for that I am inclined to agree with my son that the gods had their hand involved.”
“They did find me,” Arie admitted, “but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. They were moved by pity and offered to escort me to the Citadel where I might rejoin my grandmother, if she is still living.”
Emala’s eyes widened, and she exchanged a concerned look with Kyx before reaching out to grasp Arie’s hand in urgency.
“Child, trust me in this: stay away from the Citadel. I don’t know what agreements you have with Kyx and his brothers, but it is not safe for you. The Order of Huntsmen holds power there and if anyone even suspects that you have been alone in the company of Ragoru, I fear your fate will not be any better than that of my dear mother.”
“There are already huntsmen trailing us,” Kyx said.
Korash growled. “You should be safe enough for the time being. Unless one knows the way into our territory, it is not easy to find. The North Forest keeps its secrets well. I would advise you not to wander far from this cave though, unless you are traveling to our den. At least until you determine what your path is from here,” he said with a pointed look to his son.
Arie licked her lips nervously. There was clearly some message passing between the family that she wasn’t privy to. Even Warol and Rager seemed to possess a certain understanding that eluded her and lasted long after Kyx’s parents departed. The looks the triad bent toward her were now speculative. Arie felt a rush of nervous anticipation that she didn’t seem able to be quiet. All three males seemed at times on the verge of saying something to her, but always seemed to think better of it and remained silent.
For her part, she didn’t know what to think. She had assumed that reaching The Citadel would magically solve all of her problems. Now she was faced with the very real possibility that going there would mean her death or imprisonment. How had she never heard that the Order of the Huntsmen was based in the Old Wayfairer Citadel? That didn’t seem like information that would have been easily overlooked by the villagers. Everyone knew who the huntsmen were on sight; someone must have known more. By the way gossip always spread through her village, it should have been common knowledge long ago.
She startled when Kyx dropped down beside her, his expression solemn except for an odd yearning that had crept into his eyes when he thought she wasn’t looking. One of his hands reached forward and caressed her cheek.
“Don’t make any decisions today. Let us take care of you at least a little while longer until you are certain.”
Her eyes roamed over his face, taking in the gentle slope of his brow and the broad muzzle set perfectly in his face, framed by two pairs of eyes that reminded her of summer honey. She traced the back of his hand with her fingers.
